The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1410, 8 April 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 1881.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Borough Council, which should have been held last evening, lapsed for want of a quorum. For the Christchurch Great Autumn Handicap, the following acceptances are recorded; fciir Modred, Lady Emma, Hilda, Luna, Grip, Natator, Libeller,

Harkaway, Prospero, Rand wick, Joker, and i'he Governor. Mr A. A. Cameron’s consultation on this event (for which Mr M'Donaid, Globe Hotel, Dillman’s Town, is the agent in this locality) closes about the 13th inst.; so persons wishing to invest in this sweep should lose no time in procuring tickets. A very liberal division is announced f6r the holders of both starters and non-starters. The GrCy River Argus is informed that the promoters of the West Coast Railway Company in Christchurch, have already received no less than five different offers from Colonial and European syndicates to float the company and undertake the work, one of the offers being froth Brogden and Sons, and the other from Sir Julius Vogel. A meeting of cricketers is to be held at the Albion Hotel, Greymouth, this evening to take into consideration the advisability of sending a team to Hokitika at Easter to play the Hokitika men. William Monteith, an old resident of Ross, died suddenly at his residence, Buffer road, Reefton, on Saturday morning last. He was much respected for his quiet, unobtrusive disposition, and his death will be regretted by a wide circle of friends. He was 51 years of age, and leaves a wife and one child. Thomas Drew, a kindly old man, known best as “Old Tom, the Butcher,” died rather unexpectedly at Reefton last Friday. He had been ailing for some time from rheumatic gout, but was able to attend to his duties. In the evening of the day mentioned he took suddenly iff, and was removed to the Hospital, but never rallied, and died a few hours after. He was 62 years of age. A painful accident is reported by the Rangitikei Advocate. A boy named Plummer was, with a companion, fishing in the Makino stream. The other boy, in puffing his line out of the water, caught the hook in one of Plummer’s eyes. The poor lad was taken home, and Dr. Johnston, of Fielding, was called in. The doctor found that it was impossible to remove the barbed hook without lancing the eyeball, which was accordingly done. Of course the eyesight will be lost. The match between Lillipee and Dandy, for £IOO a-side, may now be regarded as a certainty, as the latter horse arrived at Reefton from Hampden on Tlmrsday last, and is now in me care of Mr Archer, jun. as trainer. Mr Archer will also ride the hox-se in the race. The Mataura Ensign says “As another instance of the excellent quality of the land in this district for agricultural purposes, we may mention that at Creighton Park, the property of Professor Black, near Pukeran, a crop of oats has threshed out an average of 70 bushels to the acre. The quality was good, and the quantity also large. The threshing occupied fully a week.” The following good joke in connection with the Ashburton Exhibition, is told by the Guardian. A country farmer was looking at some of the exhibits in the upper room of the Hall yesterday, and was told it was malachite. “Gracious me!” he exclaimed; “I thought Malachite was one of the Prophets ; how many changes take place in a few years 1” A sensational occurrence is reported in connection with one of the special trains conveying Cole’s circus and menagerie from Colburn to Paramatta, New South Wales. The top car, containing three lions, being higher than the other ones, struck a bridge crossing the railway, and the top was cut off. Two other cars were thrown off by the concussion. The lions made no attempt to escape. Mr Henry Leslie has not been idle during his temporary retirement, for an announcement has reached us (London Musical Times) that, with the co-opera-tion of a large number of landed proprietors in the vicinity of Mr Leslie’s estate—which is situated at Llansantffraid—he is about establishing classes for instruction in vocal music ; and it is anticipated that eventually, by the union of these village choirs once a year, he may be enabled to hold a Festival in Oswestry with a choir of about 1000 voices. It may not be generally known to the musical world that Miss Deakin is a daughter of the late Dr. Deakin, who served at the siege of Lucknow, and that she was born in the Kyber Pass. It is reported that Mrs Langtry intends taking to the stage on account of domestic infelicity. She is said to be a fraud as actress by those who have seen her at private performances, but in spite of this, there is not a theatre in London large enough to hold the audiences that will liock to feast their eyes on the “Jersey Lily-”

The Chinese have now secured all the water-rights atid claims on Conroy’s Gully, Otago, For a long time past “ John” lias been sole possessor of Butcbetf’s Gully, and is now in treaty for Blackman’s Gully. When he secures this he will be in possession of nearly every gold-producing gully on the west bank of the Molyneux. At Maitland (N.S. W.) a man died in the hospital from blood poisoning, through skinning a dead bullock. The coroner stated that this was the third case this year and advised the burning of dead beasts. The Rev. Mr B -, of P——, Illinois, when preaching his farewell sermon to his people, pointed out to them the kind of preacher they should get as his successor, and having obtained such an one urged them to keep him. He said “ You have not been given to keep your pastors long ; you have never had a pastor die among yoh, tiOi' do I think you ever .will, unless he shduld be struck by lightning while on the wing.” For list of prizes iti a grand art-uniort at Hokitika see fourth page.—‘[Anvr.] To those in search df merriment, visit S. S. Pollock’s, and obtain thegreat Irish song “The Babies in our. Block,’ * or “Little Sally Waters”; price sixpence. [Advt.]