The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1880.

Kumara Times, Issue 1101, 10 April 1880, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 1880.

The City of Sydney, with the San Francisco mails inwards, arrived at Auckland yesterday afternoon. The s Learner was detained (waiting for the overland Pacific mail and through fire) five days over her authorised time of starting, but saved three days in the passage, arriving at Auckland only two days after contract time. At the time of our going to press no news had been received from the Bealey nor was there any appearance of the Christchurch mail coaches, one due on Wednesday last and another to-day ; but as the rivers are gradually decreasing in volume, there is a probability the mails and passengers by both coaches may arrive early to-morrow morning. A disastrous fire occurred at Westbrook yesterday morning by which a cottage occupied by two miners—John Caldwell and mate—was totally destroyed. It appears that Caldwell and his cottage-mate went to work at their usual hour, leaving all safe, but before noon they were informed that the cottage and every article it contained had been burned down ; thus leaving them without a vestige of anything exeept that which they stood up in when they went to work. At a meeting of the Education Board held at Hokitika on Thursday evening last, the building committee were empowered to have the necessary alterations made to the infant room of the Kumara

State School, the work to be proceeded with immediately. The bye-law relative to corporeal punishment was, on the motion of Mr Secldon, rescinded. It was intimated that Mr Hare, of Wanganui, who has been appointed successor to Mr Cato in the school here, would arrive early next week.

Of the amount £9 3s 9d voted by the General Government for district prizes, the competition for which has been completed both by the Hokitika, Greymouth, and Kumara Rifle Volunteers, the sum of £3 10s has been taken by our local Contingent, Lieut. Munyard winning the 2nd prize Ist set, of £1 10s; Sergt. Davies 3rd prize Ist set, £1; and Private Coutts 2nd prize 2nd set, £l. The amount of £2 10s was taken by the members of the Hokitika corps, and £3 3s 9d by the Greymouth rangers. At the banquet given to Sergeant Okey, the rifle champion, on his return to Taranaki, in responding to the toast of his health, the champion gave the following sensible advice :—"Perhaps it would not be out of place if I were to say a few words as to what would tend to make a man a good shot. In the first place, he must be steady. There is no use of him taking what is now in these decanters before us. (Hear, hear.) lam one who can say that I have never drank a glass of liquor in my life, and I consider that it is owing in a great measure to that fact that I am the winner of the belt. There is another thing that tends to make a man nervous, and that is smoking. If a man tries to win the belt, he must not take anything that will make him nervous. He must be temperate in eating and everything else." It is estimated that the population of the world is 1,421,000,000 ; daily deaths being 90,790, and daily births 104,800. A shocking fatality occurred at Warrington, England, January 10, during a match which was being played between the Runcorn and Warrington Football Clubs, on- the grounds of the latter, and in the presence of a large assemblage of people. The Runcorn men were evidently getting the best of the game, which was very exciting throughout, when Whitehead, of Leeds, who was playing with the Warrington Club, got the ball in his possession. He was running at full speed, when he was violently charged by Alfred Bibby, aged 23, of Runcorn, who, by some accident, struck Whitehead on the knee with his head, and the shock was so great that both fell to the ground insensible. Whitehead came round soon after, severely lamed, but Bibby, remaining unconscious, was taken to the Infirmary, where he died within a few minutes after admission. An inquest was held on the body of the unfortunate young man, and, after hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of death through misadventure, Dr Spinks saying that the immediate cause of death was compression of the brain, from effusion of blood. In the Court of Session in Scotland the judges who do not attend, or give a proper excuse for their absence, are by law liable to a fine. This law, however, is never enforced, but it is common on the first day of the session for the absentee to send an excuse to the Lord President. Lord Stonefield having sent such an excuse, on the president mentioning it, the Lord Chief Justice Braxfield said, in his broad dialect, " What excuse can a stout fellow like him hae?" "My Lord," said the president, "he has lost his wife." The justice who was fitted with a Xantippe, replied, " Has he ? That is a guid excuse, indeed. I wish we had a' the same."

The Bank of England stock of paid notes for five years numbers about 581,000,000. Their original value was over £2,200,000,000, and their weight over 80 tons.

"And things are not what they were," ought to have sung the Psalmist of Life. I should think not, indeed ! That a lady should be able to obtain a divorce by calling for her husband's letters directed to his club, and ruthlessly handed over by the hall-porter, is shocking, indeed on the face of it. A friend of mine some years ago, confined by illness to the house, asked his lately married wife to call at 's for his letters. The then hall-porter, one of the politest of men, expressed his extreme regret that it was against the rules of the club to give up members' letters without written authority. " But I'm his wife !" exclaimed the astonished lady. "Very sorry, madam: no doubt you arc ; but so many ladies call here who say the same thing and whom we don't know !" replied the diplomatic official. My friend never divulged what occurred between him and his bride Avhcn she returned home ; but he looked gloomy for weeks afterwards.

At a recent examination in one of the mission Bchools at Pekin, China, a Chinese boy repeated the entire Now Testament—so it was reported—without missing a single word or making a mistake. Mr Spurgeon recently held the " silver wedding" anniversary of his pastorate, and was very pleasant and lively during the proceedings. His humor and love of anecdote, as well as quickness at repartee, are well known. In one of the little speeches he made just before giving out an anthem he told this anecdote : A High Churchman and a Scotch Presbyterian had been at the same church. The former asked the latter if he did not like the "introits." He replied : "I don't know what an introit is." Said the Churchman. "But did you not enjoy the anthem?" "No, I did not enjoy it at all." "I am very sorry," said the Churchman, " because it was used in the early Church ; in fact, it was originally sung by David." "Ah!" said the Scotchman, "then that explains the Scripture. I can understand now, if David sung it at that time, why Saul threw his javelin at Mm." This occa- : sioned a peal of laughter, when Mr Spurgeon said: "Now let us sing the anthem. "