The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1536, 30 August 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1881.

The Warden's Court was crowded last night during the hearing of a case in which Peter M'Mahon and three others appeared against Duncan Fisher and three others for holding illegally a double area of ground at Cape Terrace. The Warden reserved judgment till 9 a.m. on Tuesday next. A report of the case will be given to-morrow. The monthly inspection of the local Rifles takes place this evening. We understand that to-night it will be necessary to elect a captain. To-morrow is the clay appointed for the nomination of three Borough Councillors in place of the three who retire by rotation—viz., Messrs Pearn, Home, and Pollock—but who are eligible for re-election. The intense cold of yesterday, hail, lightning, and thunder, was followed last night by the unusual phenomenon in Kumara of a heavy fall of snow; and from a very early hoar this morning young men and maidens, old men and boys, were frequently seen indulging in the amusing and sometimes hazardous exercise of snowballing. As is usually the case, the shorttempered people fared the worst, for the less they seemed to like it, the more anxious their assailants were to torment

thorn and the more numerous they became ; and so it happened that there were several hand-to-hand scuffles, making still more fun for the young urchins that lay in wait at every corner loaded with slippery balls. "Wan Yung" man (a Chinamnn of course) got so enraged as to follow his tormentors with stones, wherewith to wreak his vengeance. As noon advanced the powerful rays of the orb of day made the war material scarce, and this afternoon not a patch of the " beautiful snow " was to be seen in the streetways.

We duly received the Union Steamship Company's Pocket Guide for September.

A match was fired at the Kumara Rifle.] range on Saturday last between two excellent marksmen belonging to the local Rifle Contingent. The fine score by Private Stennard surpasses any that has ever been made on the Coast, and will perhaps prove an incentive to other "Volunteers to commence the season for firing earlier than they otherwise would. The match was for £5 aside ; seven shots at 200, 400, and 500 yards ; and the following were the scores : 200 400 500 Tl. Stennard 4334434 4444434 4443433=77 Sampson 3433433 4444432 3343332=69 A great tangi was held at Parihaka on the death of Nuku, brother of Titokowaru, lately. The purport of Te Whiti's speech on the occasion was to encourage young Maoris to fence and cultivate land. He quoted the Bible, mentioning a flood and fire that, according to Scripture of old days, wasted the land for seven years, and Te Whiti said the Government power will cease within seven months. Two of these months (the Herald states) have elapsed, thus leaving five more for the European supremacy. The Press hears that Messrs Boyd and Kerr's tender for the Catholic Church at Kaiapoi amounts to £530, exclusive of concrete foundation, seats, and other necessary requisites, which will raise the total cost of the church to £650.

The boys Hall were found not guilty at the Geelong assizes of the murder of the child Tommy Wing Hock, near Ballarat, as not being of age to be responsible. A sailor at Newcastle (N.S.W.), the other day broke two pairs of handcuffs, and it took five policemen to run him in. The Sandhurst mines produced £340,000 Worth of gold this half-year, and paid £135,000 in dividends. ■

A fearful 'case is reported from Bathurst. Six children, the eldest under eleven years old, were found deserted in a house in George street. They were all lying oh some straw in the corner of a room, the only covering on them being a dirty piece of blanket. The surroundings were in a filthy state. The eldest girl, who seemed very intelligent, informed the sergeant that they had been living at Wagga. Their father, whose name was Markham, turned them all out, and left them ; and they, in company with their mother, obtained a free pass by rail to Bathurst. Ten days after this their mother deserted them, and they were living exclusively on the charity of the neighbors. They were ordered to the Industrial school. Mr Gladstone's definition of Liberalism is :—"The policy of the Liberal party is confidence in the people, tempered with prudence ; that of the Conservative party is distrust of the people, tempered by fear."

The labors of the Old Testament Company for the revision of the Holy Scriptures are beginning to draw neav theiv end. The first revision of all the books has been completed ; the second revision of the historical books and of the Psalms is already finished; and that of the remainder of the poetical and the whole of the prophetical books now only remains to be done.

Referring to the death of Mr Charles Dillon, the tragedian, the European Mail says :—"lt appears that, while filling a three nights' engagement in Hawick, he suddenly dropped down dead in the High street of that town on the morning of June 24th. He acted the part of Othello on the previous evening in the Exchange Hall."

A London telegram to the Melbourne Argus says : A Fenian convention, attended by numerous delegates, is now sitting in Chicago. The policy of the convention and the objects it seeks to obtain are declared to be as follows :—lndependency of Australia ;' resistance to payment of taxation for the purposes of the Government of India ; the annexation of Canada to the United States; the formation of a Republic at the Cape of Good Hope ; and the Federation of the British Isles. The expelled faction oi the delegates who sverc in favor of employing

dynamite in carrying out the objects of the convention, met and passed a series of which, the convention refused to adopt. : Subsequently the dynamite faction rejoined the Convention, but the harmony of the proceedings was again disturbed by the exhibition of a sample of a dynamite machine. There is also a dispute amongst the delegates concerning the funds of the convention.