ST. BATHANS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 66, 6 May 1870, Page 3

ST. BATHANS.

St. .Bathans, May 1, 1870.

Some snow fell here on Monday and Tuesday evenings last; both days and nights were stormy.and very cold. It i 3 not wise to foretell things until they ; have happened. Tell the same 'to all

your friends."" i\vo weeks ago I ventured to say there would be no severe frost foi'. two mouths after date; but on Tuesday night last I was made painfully aware of my error. Starting out of my sleep I thought there was a weight of cold lead lying acros3 iny feet from the knees downwards; there 13 a tear in the blankets at this partieuplace, but, in order to make sure that this was or was not altogether the cause of my misery, I got up, opened the door, and put my foot out and in at the same instant, out on the door and into a bucketful of ice and water. I didn't leave it there long; but with something liks a reversed blessing on the bucket and its contents I closed the door and returned to my bed, filled with a shivering determination that .1 would be more suspicious of the weather and every " other man'"' for some time to come. On Wednesday and Thursday nights the frost was even more severe, but sinee then it has disappeared, and this, the Ist of May, rain continues to pour down since before daylight. Mining news should have my first attention, but for the simple reason that there is none to speak about; suffice it to say that water is plentiful and grievances scarce.

I regret to see by the ' Chronicle ' that the vast accumulation of tailings in the immediate vicinity, of your township is likely to prove\a" fruitful source of litigation. It is a pity that your advice—long since give—to construct a public sludge channel, was not acted upon before now. The longer this necessary work is delayed the greater will be the labor of its construction, as every day's sluicing, till it commences, must be .adding to the depth of tailings, yaich. will have to be removed from its intended course. ; Our schoolmaster, Mr. M : Diarmid' has resyned'his situation, and intends proceeding to Dnnedin in the course of the week. A married gentleman, having children of his own attending the school, has consented to take charge for some time. Should he consider himself equal to the very nice duty of instructing and properly governing children, and will only consent to retain the situation permanently, a better man could not be placed over them,An entertainment, for a humane purpose, came off in the school room on Friday evening last, and consisted of a lecture on Soman history, delivered by Mr. M'Diarmid, and of grand pictorial scenes exhibited by Mr. Pyle; the latter were shown m splendid style, and were rendered doubly attractive hj the very lucid description of each given by Mr. M'Efiarmid. As this part of the entertainment surpassed everything of the same kind yet attempted here. I was sorry to see the attendance so unusually small. I have missed the noise for the. last two minutes v*hieh. the rain made so familiar during the day, and, taking a peep outside, guess my horror at seeing several inches deep of snow lying all about, and thetear in the blankets not yet mended. I fear I will have to hansel Mr. M'Connochie's new stock.