The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1886.

Kumara Times, Issue 3154, 13 December 1886, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1886.

By a private communication from H. Alan Scott, Esq., to Mr Seddon, we learn that it is the intention of Mr Brodie Hoare, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Midland Railway Company, accompanied by Mr Alan Scott and as many of the Board of Advice as can make it convenient to do so, to leave Nelson for the West Coast on a tour of inspection on Monday the 20th inst., so that they will probably be here about the same time the Public Works Minister, Mr Richardson.

The Christchurch coach arrived between half-past seven and eight o'clock on Saturday evening, and the mails were sorted and delivered in town the same night. The cause of detention was the swollen state of the Otira River. Several West Coast miners returned in the s.s. Koranui to Greymouth last Tuesday evening, and among them Mr Harry Jones, of Dillman's Town, who has had an albert chain made of the half ounce or so of gold he procured at Kimberley, as a souvenir of the hardships and money he had expended in the fruitless voyage and journey. Mr George Mansfield, of this town, who returned as far as Sydney with Mr Jones from Kimberley, went on to to Melbourne ; and on the 22nd ult. he writes from Melbourne to a friend here as follows : -"I am in good fettle after the Kimberley trip. I wrote to you from the diggings there, and «ont you a full account of the place, but I do not know if you got it, as there was no mail down from the diggings. I got no gold, and all who went with me came back to Sydney. I saw Hugh Kennedy and Bill Hopkins on [Tali's Creek ; but th-vy hn.d <.K n o nogr. o c! and. were goiuv to kvtvt- a 3 SC0;1 as°they could. It was a long journey up, and a [emphatic] bad road. I hops you are

doing well in Kumara. lam going to the rush in South Australia, and try my luck at Teetulpa. If it is no good I shall be back in five weeks to Melbourne. Remember me to all friends.—George Mansfield."—The letter he wrote from the diggings has not been received. The Aorangi brings several skilled workmen from England for the Endeavour Inlet Antimony Company, Marlborough.

The Rev. C. Griffin, Wesleyan minister, was thrown from his buggy last night week, and badly bruised. The unfinished game in the recent telegraphic chess match between Messrs H. Hookham (Christchurch) and David R. Hay (Dunedin), the two captains of the teams, has been declared a draw by Mr C. W. Benbow, of Wellington, the referee.

A. rather curious case is reported by Sergeant Macdonnell as having occurred at South Dunedin about 11.40 on the night of the Ist inst. It appears that a girl named Sarah Edmond, who had been missing since the previous Tuesday, went on that night to the door of a painter named Smith, in Musselburgh, and on Mr Smith opening the door to admit her, he found that she was in a perfectly nude condition. He put an overcoat over her and conveyed her to the South Dunedin Police Station, from whence she was taken to the Maclaggan-street station, and from thence to the Hospital. The girl had been ill for some time past, and lately she had been getting worse. She was as simple as a little child, and did not think anything of being naked. Her clothes were found next morning on a rock surrounded by water at Lawyer's Head, fully a mile and a-half from Mr Smith's residence.

A young man named Charles Findlay, aged 19, the eldest son of the late Charles Findlay, of Romney Marsh Farm, North Taieri, was found by his younger brother lying dead on the farm on the afternoon of the 2nd inst. The two brothers were engaged in carting manure, each having charge of a dray. It is supposed that the horse attached to deceased's cart must have taken fright, and that the young man must have been thrown out and landed on his head, his neck being found by Dr. M'Caw to have been broken. At the inquest a verdict of "Accidental death " was returned.

At the distribution of prizes at the Timaru High School the other day, Mr Rolleston stated that the work of women begins, "like the greatest of the Christian virtues, at home and in the domestic circle. A large amount of Christian virtue," he said, "is involved in darning a pile of stockings or boiling a potato, or in cooking a mutton chop. The unhappiness which has occurred in the world from the neglect or improper performance of these duties, which peculiarly appertain to women, is simply incalculable."

A magnificent carcase of beef was on view at Mr D. Mann's shop, Dunedin, last week. It was that of a six-year-old ox, bred on Mr John Gregg's Longbeach station, and which weighed 17851b5. The 75 hours' walking match for £SO a-side between Joe Scott and Harriman, the American, was concluded at Hobart on the 27th ult., Scott winning by two miles and five laps, his record being 271 miles 16 laps to Harriman's 260 miles 11 laps. Scott was presented with a handsome wreath of flowers on behalf of some ladies. J. M'Grath announced his readiness to back Scott against Harriman for a six days' match for £2OO a-side, and Harriman expressed his willingness to accept the offer, only the match would have to be walked elsewhere than in Hobart.

"Proteus" in the Sydney Mail says:— A good story, showing how the Mammon of unrighteousness sometimes controls recognised pillars of the Church, comes from one of the northern towns. A resident went to Melbourne and won nearly £IO,OOO on the Cup. The news reached the ears of a certain churchwarden, who with an eye to a liberal donation to the Church funds, at once telegraphed to the lucky winner in words something like these :—" Committee and the Church" wardens of St. heartily congratulate you on your success." Soon afterwards a reply came, as follows .—"Thanks for congratulations, old man, but it won't wash !"