The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 5, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1330, 5 January 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 5, 1881.

There was a meeting of the Hospital Committee at the Secretary's rooms last evening ; the business, however, transacted was very small and unimportant. The Venerable Archdeacon Harper, of Timaru, arrived by the Ghristchurch coach this afternoon, and 'will conduct service at Holy Trinity Church this even-

The installation of the Officers of the Lazar Masonic Lodge will take place on the 14th ifist., when it is expected a large number of the craft from Hokitika and Greymouth Vill be present. A banquet will be held the same evening in honor of the event.

The following question has been forwarded us by a correspondent for solution:—"ln groups of turoe, now many times can tho names of thirty-nine horses be transposed ?" As among our readers there are doubtless many good arithmeticians, we shall leave the question open for a week, meanwhile being happy to publish any answers we may receive.

We would remind our readers that Thompson's celebrated Confederate Diorama will be exhibited at the Theatre Royal to-morrow evening, in connection with the appearance of Lieut. Herman, one of the greatest ventriloquists of the .present day. '" To be ! or not to be ?—that is the •question" : whether it is wiser to trust my form divine to the skilful Jehuship of the ■massive individual who brooks not rebuff, of honor the greatest orator of the day with my company, or listen to the lengthy man 'of stalwart proportions : thus soliloquised a lady fair of this town after the niost persistent inquiries as to " Where are you gohlg on Monday 1" The situation was a peculiar though amusing one, especially for the recipient of this commonplace inquiry, as her would-be driving companions appeared ready to do or die in her service. With a glance of pity aiid a roguish twinkle of the eye, the fair one archly retorted to her three suppli-cants—-"Do your wives know you're out?" The stampede that followed this interrogation would have been no discredit to a a herd of buffaloes on the western prairies of America; although its origin must have been some great counter-attraction in the street, as it cannot for a moment be supposed the fair one's pleaders on the occasion were benedicts ; oh-, no !

Jn these the days of swoops, consultations and overy other form of speculation, the greater the amount dangled before the public the more attractive, as a rule, it appears ; but the manner 'Of distribution in these enormous Melbourne sweeps is simply something extraordinary. A shol't time ago the " Oracle" of £20,000 on the Victorian races was issued, and it became the talk of the town here. One gentleman, in particular, would have nothing to do with your " paltry £IOOO sweeps,'' but would "go in for something good, where you have a chance of making money, such as the ' The Oracle.' " The drawing took place, and a Dillman's Town resident, fortunately as he then considered, drew a horse. Yesterday, the same person received by the mail the magnificent sum of 15s 8d in Victorian fourpemiy and twopenny stamps as the value of the horse he had drawn, with a deduction of Is for postage and trouble. This should be sufficient to deter many in future from investing in the consultations of another colony where they " work the oracle" with A vehgance. It is iii this Colony to call for tenders for services of almost every description. 'The oddest advertisement we have seen for some time appears in a Ghristchurch paper, in which tenders are invited by a " coffee palace" keeper for roasting a whole bullock on Christmas Day I We presume the specification provides for penalties in the event of the animal being burnt or underdone.

The following extraordinary paragraph appears in the Bruce Herald—" Christmas Day passed off very quietly in Milton, and we think that'this absence of riot is very creditable. A similar freedom from bad conduct characterised the citizens of Dunedin on the same day, which seems to show that the sacred character of the. season is being properly i v ecognisetl and appreciated."

The steamer Genii of the Marquis de Ray's expedition, arrived at Sydney lately. The captain reports that on the India's arrival in New Ireland, it was resolved that the site for the new colony should be Port Breton, on the south-west end of New Ireland. No time was lost in getting the combined crews and settlers to clear the land for cultivation and building houses. Five houses were completed, and one building was removed from Tiki Tiki to the new settlement. The buildings are distributed over about two miles. The colonists were comfortable and working vigorously. They comprise two classes—one connected with the Marquis de Ray's company, the other of free settlers. There are two harbors, half a mile apart, one named English Cove, and the other Irish Cove. The anchorage is deep, and a splendid stream of water runs into each harbor. 'The formation of roads is proceeding steadily, one being to Tiki Tiki, a distance of five miles. The captain of the Genii spent several hours there. The streams are navigable for steam launches for six nsr seven miles. Those on shore were in good health and contented.

A story comes wafted to lis from just across the classic Murray. A squatter's wife had in her employ a pretty housemaid and a good-looking Chinese f'hrdener. With the natural acuteness of woman she soon found out that John was ' welly-muchee gone' on the maid-of-all work. One evening just about dusk, the lady thought she heard John'n dulcet notes in the front garden, and, softly raising the window, she ' popped out her head' just to see what was going on. The celestial cabbage-raiser saw the head, took it for the housemaid, and, in the twinkling of a bed-post, slid up and kissed the owner thereof, John got six months in a New South Wales gaol, and the lady never thinks of the ' stolen kiss' without a shudder.

InLeadville, U.S., while Cole's Circus was exhibiting, two men rushed up with horses, attached them to the ticket-Waggon, and dashed off with the car containing the money and the affrighted ticket-seller, Fortunately, out there people have their wits about them, and hot chase was given. The enterprising robbers were caught a few yards off. The ticket-van was brought back and chained to stakes in the ground. Two men were after that posted beside the ticket-seller with loaded revolvers.

A Yankee correspondent thus describes the doings of Thompson in connection with the Champion Sculling Match :—A week ago there came to the Brower House a handsomely dressed middle-aged man with a black moustache and a 3000dol. diamond sparkling on his scarf. This was B. S. Thompson of Melbourne, Australia. When he had secured his rooms at the hotel he inquired his way to

the pool rooms. Being directed to William Loveil's, he asked the proprietor to inform him as to the best way in which to put his money on Trickett. Mr Lovell told him that the odds were then about lOOdol. to 70dol. on Hanlan. The stranger left in the hands of Mr Lovell 10,000dol. to be wagered on the Australiafh oarsmen at rates not to exceed 80dol. on Trieke'tt to lOOdol. on Hanlan. Mr Lovell found takers for this money, but during the last two days Mr Thompson appeared in all the pool rooms of this city taking bets. He is said to have bet in all 50,000d01. on. the -Australian. Mr Thompson is a broilrer 'of Trickett's backer."

The Czar's grand new yacht Livadia, is lighted by electricity, and during the voyage across the Channel a seaman placed his hand so as to divert the current from one of the lamps to his body. He was struck dead instantaneously, and the tissues were so rent and blackened that, though only four hours from port, it was necessary to bury the body at sea. The English Mechanic speaks of tho run of a locomotive and two cars from Philadelpiha to Jersey City, ninety miles, in ninety-three minutes, as being "nothing out of the common," and seems surprised that it should be thought wonderful in the United States.