The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1882.

Kumara Times, Issue 1650, 12 January 1882, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1882.

Owing to the delay occasioned by the fumigation of the San Francisco mails, the southern portion of them did not leave Onehunga till eleven o’clock yesterday morning. The ordinary meeting of the Borough Council will be held this evening. A general entertainment is announced to take place at the Adelphi Theatre tomorrow evening, the 13th inst., in aid of the building fund of Holy Trinity Church. In the first place the Yen. Archdeacon Harper, who is on his periodical diocesan tour, is to deliver an address ; then we are to have a lecture on “Life in Borneo,” by the new Church of England resident minister, the Bev. J. Holland, which we hear, is likely to be very amusing as well as interesting ; songs are to be introduced occasionally to vary the entertainment ; and the whole is to conclude with the laughable comedy “A Bace for a Widow,” which will be performed by the Amateur Dramatic Club. With such a diversified programme and superior clerical talent, a very large audience may be expected to ! assemble at the Adelphi to-morrow evening. Mr W. G. Meddings, Inspector of the Telegraph Department for this district is on the move superintending preliminary arrangements for the erection of new tele- i graph poles between what is< known as>

Stanton’s corner, at the Western end of the Loopline road from the Hokitika and Greefiitone road to the Christchurch road, tiiid thence to Kelly’s Creek. The new poles have been contracted for, and have been delivered, we are informed, as f if as the TaipOi Similar preparations are also now in progress along the Greymouth to Ahaura telegraph line. The poles are of unusual size and much larger than the specifications stipulated, but the contractor is said to have found it to suit his purpose better. A rare phenomenon was observed here for some hours yesterday, in fact almost continuously between 11 a.m. and 2 p.ra. The atmosphere during all this time was charged with very light and almost transparent vapour such as is frequently seen on a moonlight night widely encircling the moon. Such vapour is generally dispersed before the noonday sun ; but yesterday, owing probably to opposite air currents the thin vapour was kept steadily overhanging the district. The result was a beautiful circular rainbow was for a long time visible around the sun, which again was reflected to an extended circumference like the double rainbow, and also refracted, complete and distinct, on to vapour in, other and higher altitudes. We observe by the Argus that similar atmospheric phenomena were noticed also at Greymouth during the same hours. The Central Board of Education meets at Greymouth this evening. The conditions of the firing for the district prizes for Westland are given in another column. Lieut. W. A. Spence has signified to Captain O’Hagan that he will be up on Monday evening, the 30th inst., so as to start firing at 6 a.m. on the 31st.

Notwithstanding the general expres- . sions of dulness of trade and scarcity of money, claims continue to change hands at prices which may be considered almost fabulous, iu expectation, we suppose, of handsome returns on the completion of the sludge-channel and the water-supply to connect therewith. In his altered business notice, we observe Mr Hannan has for sale several mining shares, situate in the Kumara and Greenstone districts. Owners of dogs are notified to register them at once for the current year, or they will render themselves liable to be proceeded against under the “Dog Registration Act.” The Press is glad to welcome Mr James Bickerton Fisher, late for the Buller, who has returned to Christchurch after an absence of some years on the West Coast, and commenced practice as a barrister and solicitor. Our contemporary, the Westport Times, expresses great regret at Mr Fisher’s departure from Westport iu search of a larger field, and intimates that during his residence there he had gained the confidence and respect of the whole community. On Saturday evening two young men belonging to Port started on a swimming excursion across Lyttelton Harbor. A friendly boat was in attendance, and (the Press states) was found indispensible in respect to one of the swimmers, who had not proceeded far against the rather lumpy water and south-westerly breeze ere he availed himself of its aid ; but the other swimmer, Mr J. Boyton Milsom, held on his course steadily to the finish. The starting-point was at the lighthouse, on the end of the eastern breakwater, and the finish at a point on the south shore, some considerable distance below the entrance to Charteris Bay, the distance across being about one mile and a half, i The time occupied in swimming across was an hour and thirty-five minutes. The New Zealand Rifle Association’s programme for their fourth prize meeting has been issued to Volunteers. The meeting is announced to take place at Brightwater, near Nelson, on Monday, the 27th ■ February, 1882. There are fourteen matches. Nelson match prises amount to £7O ; Otago match, £SO; Auckland match, £SO ; Canterbury match, £SO; Wellington match, £SO ; Marlborough match, £SO ; the Union match, £SO 10s (of which the Union Steam Navigation Company gives a special prize of £lO 10s). j The Nelson match is open to all members ' of the association, but in the others the ! competitors must not only be members of [the association, but Volunteers-likewise. An Australian lady, Mrs Alfred Wilkins- 1 has just performed a- literary feat which is- -

not likely to find many rivals or imitators. She has translated into perfect and most elegaiit French the lt View of Irish History” which forms a portion of the first volume of Sir Charles Gavan Daffy’s “Young Ireland ” It is a mild rendering of such an exploit to say that not one in ten thousand of the best French scholars could have achieved it. The translation will shortly be published in one of the leading English reviews. Diphtheria, scarlet fever, and smallpox are devastating the centre and south of Russia. The severity of the diseases exceeds anything heretofore known.