The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1880.

Kumara Times, Issue 1171, 30 June 1880, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1880.

The Christchurch coach, with four bags mails and one passenger for this town, passed the Bealey early this morning. At a meeting of the Hospital Committee last evening, the following tenders were accepted for supplying the Hospital during the ensuing six months:—Meat, P. Foley, 4£d per ft.; milk, M. Ryder, s£d per quart; bread, P. Adamson, 7d per 41b. loaf ; groceries, Paterson Brothers ; wines, spirits, and ales, Rudkin ; and funerals, £3 each, Galland. An adjourned meeting of the Kumara Prospecting Association will be held at the Town Hall this evening, to receive applications from parties of three men willing to prospect the district, under the authority and regulations of the association. The applications will require to be sent in to the Secretary prior to the meeting taking place. The West Coast Times of to-day in referring to the publication of the late cablegrams anent the Kelly gang and which messages reappeared in its evening contemporary's columns in a different form " goes " for that journal in the most approved style of American "slating." After speaking of the paper in question as "our felonious poor relative," it says : —" Well may its proprietor sigh for a discreet literary pilferer ; but probably the same reason which condemns him to purloin his telegraphic news causes him to pick up cheap literary talent from market gardens." This is a most decided lefthanded compliment both to the proprietor and editor of the Hokitika evening luminary, and will, we have little doubt, be perused by those individuals with feelings of disgust not unmingled with literary revenge. Another grand billiard tournament is announced to take place at the Kumara billiard-club rooms. The Greymouth-Brunnerton railway line earned during the past month at the rate of £1545 per mile. The expenditure on the line was at the rate of £GOS. As the Duke of Connaught was driving from his residence at Bagshot to his regiment at the North Camp, Aldershot, on the Gth May, his horse shied at a wagon laden with straw. The vehicle was upset and the shafts broken off, and the Duke and his servant were violently thrown out. His Royal Highness sustained some bruises, but they were not serious. The accident happened close to the Tumbledown Dick public-house, from whence a cab was procured, and the Duke proceeded to the camp. The English journal Society, states that '' One of the latest discoveries made is a manuscript of St. Peter ! The London Bible Society is said to have offered £20,000 for it, and it is in possession of the hoirs of a man named Bore, who has recently died in Jerusalem, at the patriarchal age of .109. It is believed that lus heirs will not part with it, but may allow re-production and translation." A writer comments on the incident as follows : —"There is always a strange interest attaching to any manuscript written by a vanished hand. I should much like to see this relic of St. Peter, but still more like to see the handwriting of St.

Paul, especiall}' that sentence which was read with such sympathy by his proselytes, in which he laments the 'trembling hands' which prevented him from writing the whole of his letter hiiriself. The picture of the aged Apostle, weary and almost worn out with his active life, finding his hands at last failing him, is to me infinitely pathetic. There is the touch of nature about it that goes straight to the heart of the reader. The following from the London Times is of interest to yachtsmen :—"Compass deviation we know is caused by local attraction, and the following curious example of it, according to the judgment of a yacht captain, is said to have occurred last autumn. Said the captain to the owner, '1 wish you, sir, would ask that lady to move away from the binnacle ; the iron-work in her head puts our compass wrong.' The astonished owner exclaimed : ' What on earth do you mean 1 and the captain soon explained himself.' 'You see, sir, the lady's head is crammed full of iron hairpins, and every time she sits, down near the binnacle, she puts the compass out a good point and a half.' It is needless to say that the lady was instantly removed to a berth remote from the binnacle." A short distance from Alia, a town of 5000 inhabitants, in the province of Termini Imerese an attack was lately made by about six brigands on a carriage belonging to the Nari Company, constructors of the railway between Vellelunga and Marianopoli. In the carriage was the cashier of the said company, carrying with him the considerable sum of 140,000 lire, and escorted by two mounted carabineers. The brigands, armed to the teeth, stopped the carriage, and thundered to its occupant and the coachman the famous words, " Faccia a terra !" ( face to the ground). The two carabineers, who were slightly behind, comprehending what was happrning, spurred their horses, and at ance attacked the brigands, when a hard fight ensued; the brigands fired repeatedly, -wounding the coachman, killing one of the horses, and wounding slightly the cashier and one of the carabineers. The other remained untouched, and so bravely held his ground that at last the brigands took to their heels, relinquishing their booty. The darkness of the night rendered pursuit impossible. A Scotch duchess celebrated for her electioneering canvasses called on a voter for his vote and interest in favour of one of the candidates at a contested- election. Having heard that he was making bricks on the property for the purpose of building a new garden wall, she went to him, and with her usual tact opened the subject by kindly asking, "Well, Mr. Gordon, and how do your bricks come on?" Looking down on his nether garments, the man said, in pure Aberdeen dialect, " Muckle ableeged to yer Grace, the breeks were sum ticht at first, but they are deeing well eneuch noo."