The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1885.

Kumara Times, Issue 2835, 2 November 1885, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1885.

We are compelled to hold over a lot of general news including a long account of the Union steamship Wairarapa being on fire off the East Cape. The steamer put into Gisborne, where she succeeded in landing safely the one hundred passengers she had on board for Auckland and Sydney. The fire ivas subdued, but it is computed it will cost £SOOO to repair the vessel.

A supplementary mail for despatch via San Francisco will be made np at the Kumara Post Office on Thursday next.

Mr Martin Hansbury, the new Telegraph operator, arrived at Greymouth yesterday, by the steamer Maori, from Wellington, and commenced duties here this morning. Mr W. H. Bowden will proceed to Greymouth to-morrow afternoon, thence by coach on Wednesday morning to Reofton.

We acknowledge receipt from the Government Printer of No. 29 Hansard, which completes the record of Parliamentary Debates for the session of 1885. Mr George Augustus Sala delivered his first and only lecture in Kumara at the Theatre Royal, on Saturday evening, the subject being “ Russia.” Mr Sala makes no pretence as an elocutionist, nevertheless he delivered himself in a clear and impressive manner, and for two hours and a quarter he kept his audience intensely interested. All he relates he has for the most part seen with his own ejms, and he tells it so graphically, rising often to great strains of eloquence, as to necessitate his hearers giving vent to their pent-up feelings by outbursts of applause. Our space precludes a fuller notice to-day.

The Rev. James Thomas’s lecture on “Tonga,” at the Theatre Royal on Thursday evening, proved very entertaining to the audience. Although, he stated, the group of which Tonga is the capital, had been designated by Captain Cook as the Friendly Islands, that was quite a misnomer, for, whilst attempting to land, it was only by an apparently trivial circumstance that the great navigator and his crew were prevented from being ruthlessly massacred. The three groups were formerly three separate rival kingdoms, but

now they were united and under the rule of one chief, King George, who is not only a Christian, but a zealous preacher of the gospel. Whereas there was only a population of about 5000 people, they subscribed annually £SOOO for Mission work, and the yearly Mission day was looked forward to with as much interest in the Friendly Islands as Englishmen look forward to the Derby day. Votes of thanks to the lecturer and to his Worship the Mayor, who presided, concluded a very interesting lecture, which was supplemented by an exposition of several articles of native industry. We have received from Mr Spiers, stationer, Main street, a sample of a unique Christmas card, from the studio of Mr Ring, of Greymouth. It contains nine views of Kumara township and the Lead, and is sold for the moderate price of one shilling. We were also shown other cards containing views taken on the Christchurch Road, of Hokitika, Greymouth, Westport, &c., and some artistically coloured photographic views of the grand scenery on the overland journey, which we believe for beauty and finish, will compete with anything of the kind yet produced in any part of the colonies. Nothing could be better calculated to give friends at home or in the other colonies, an idea of the scenery of New Zealand and of the place we live in at a very trifling expense. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning, before A. O. Campbell and T. R. Connell, Esqs., J.Ps., Ann Hogan was charged with stealing a domestic fowl of the value of 3s ; and, being convicted, was sentenced to seven days’ hard labour in the Hokitika Gaol.