The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1565, 3 October 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1881.

We observe that while Registrars of Electors have been appointed and active steps are being taken for the registration of electors in many other electoral districts, and candidates are even coming forward for election, no Registrar has yet been appointed for the electoral district of Kumara. Mr R. J. Seddon has, we understand, telegraphed to the Government on the subject; and we hope to hear of the appointment being conferred on some one resident in the new Kumara electorate.

The City of Sydney left San Francisco on Sunday, the 25th . ult., one day after time-table date.

We omitted to make mention of a telegram placed in our hands on Saturday afternoon, being an apology received from the Grey County Chairman for his absence from the banquet to Mr R. J, Seddon, M.H.R., on Friday evening. The telegram is as follows “ The Chairman Mr Seddon’s banquet, Kmnara.— Extremely regret Supreme Court engagements prevent me accepting kind invitation. Wish company pleasant evening.—A. R. Guinness.— Hokitika, Sept. 30, 7.18 p.m.” The Kumara telegraph office being closed at 5 p.m. would account for the telegram not being read at the banquet.

An interesting event took place at St. Patrick’s Church this morning, being the act of administering the first communion to fifty-four children belonging to the Roman Catholic church. Mass was celebi’ated at nine o’clock by the Rev. Father Devoy, and shortly afterwards the girls (prettily dressed in white frocks, with wreaths and white veils) to the number of thirty-seven and seventeen boys received, for the first time, the Holy Communion. At about half-past ten o’clock, the service being concluded, they marched two and two to the Catholic School, where, under the superintendence of several kind ladies, the Rev. Father Devoy, and other officers of "the church, they were regaled with tea and cake. Other formal ceremonies were gone through this afternoon, and at six o’clock there will be another service specially for the communicants.

The County Treasurer, Mr Rae, was engaged to a,late hour on Saturday evening (the West Coast Times reports) in paying the balance of outstanding accounts, due by the County Council to contractors and laborers. About £3OOO, we hear has been paid away during the last week.

Mr R. C. Reid, M.H.R., it appears, arrived at Hokitika by the Christchurch coach last Saturday afternoon. Writing from the Albert Goldfields, New South Wales, Mr Sam B. Hafford informs the Grey River Argus, that “ the West Coast is duly, and, I may say, too numerously represented here. Amongst the most prominent of its representatives I may mention the names of John Everett, Ike GUI, H. J. Holst, Andrew Clacker, H. Frazer, David Cooper, and Pat Burke, all of whom are in good order and condition, with the exception of Everett, who has, through a severe spell of illness, been laid up for six weeks, but is now beginning to recover. Holst and Clacker, and Frazer and Cooper, are getting payable gold. The rest of us, lam sorry to say, are on the list of non-producing gold miners. A few puddling machines are in the course of construction, but where the water to work them is to come from I can’t tell, for it is now over sixteen weeks since we have had as much rainfall as a laundress would use in sprinkling a shirt in preparing it for the smoothing-iron. And this, I was the other day told by a squatter living in the neighborhood, is the wettest season he has seen for some years.” Mr Hafford opens his letter, which is dated sth September, to say that “ Fred Costello and Bill Magee, from Kumara, and a young man by the name of John Evans, from Coal Creek, near Greyraouth, have just arrived by way of Melbourne.” Tlie New Zealand horses are reported to be doing good work, and to be much admired.

We observe by the Gazette of the 22nd Hit. that Frank Bird, Esq., R.M., has been appointed Resident Magistrate for the Okarito District, with jurisdiction to £SO, from the Ist October.

Mr Bayfield reports the sale of the Collingwood coal mine and plant for the sum of £7OO.

The Rev. Father Jeremiah Donovan, of Lyttelton, expired on Saturday 24th ult., after a painful illness of several weeks. Father Donovan (the Press reports) had been in charge of St. Joseph's Church at Port for the past four years, and it is no disparagement to any of his predecessors to say of him that the Church never possessed a man more generally beloved by a congregation. He was held in admiration and esteem by Protestant as well as Catholic, and his death caused a feeling of sorrow. Father Donovan his sixty-first year, and had been thirty-eight years a priest. He had resided in New Zealand for about twelve years, and prior to going to Lyttelton was in charge of a parish in the Oaraaru district. As a minister lie was earnest and eloquent, and as a friend he was characterised by his amiability and grace. His remains were interred in the Lyttelton Cemetery on Tuesday last. The funeral was attended by priests from almost all parts of the province.

The insurances on the late Mr Moor* house’s life are stated to amount to £6OOO.

Some of the Australian papers, says a contemporary, have got into a fog over Charters, the Building Society defaulter from Christchurch, and North, the consultation defaulter from Wellington, and have “ mixed these persons up” in a very amusing way. For instance, the “ Melbourne Weekly Times” calls him “ a hairdresser named Charters, who held about £4OOO in a * consultation sweep’ on certain horse races, and who levanted by the San Francisco mail, taking with him also the proceeds of a forgery, and sundry embezzlements.” The paper adds “ When arrested, Charters had the sum of £ISOO in his possession,, so that if found guilty of the charges imputed to him, the societies alleged to be defrauded will not suffer by his defalcations, the only sufferers being those who patronised Ins con* saltation.”

Osmond, of Stawell, Victoria, had scarcely a shirt to his back 20 years ago, and is now wortli half a million. He lias just returned from a visit to Scotland, steaming out in his own yacht, the Oushie Doo.

The All-England Eleven have started for America, to play a series of matches in the United States and Canada prior to their arrival in Australia. Before leaving England they were entertained at a public banquet at Nottingham. Shrewsbury, a Nottingham man, and one of the best batsmen in the team, stayed behind, being unable to leave on account of illness. A fearful thunderstorm has occurred at Naples. Eight persons were killed by the lightning, and much damage was done to property.

A report which has just been issued at Melbourne states that in 1879 no fewer than 2,7.00,000 sovereigns were coined at the Melbourne Mint, while during the same period only 37,000 were coined in England. It is reported from London that James Gordon Bennett has invited the Hon. Francis Lawley, brother to the late, and uncle of the present, Lord Wenlock, to go out to New York and take charge of the New York Herald, and that he has accepted the invitation. Mr Lawjey was London Times correspondent at Richmond during the Confederate war, but did not visit the North.

De Lesseps’ canal builders are dying in numbers, at Panama, - from Colombian fever., •..» !'■ ::

A Woleudam fisherman was last July fishing for anchovies in the Zuyder Zee. On drawing in his nets he found entangled in them a heavy lump of some substance covered with mussels. On inspection he found that the mass was mainly an aggregate of little heaps of coins, which examination proved to be mostly silver pieces, 450 in number. They were chiefly duoatoons ; there were also a few Spanish and other gold pieces. They were all dated between 1000 and IGBO.