THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1870.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 85, 30 September 1870, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1870.

Otrb usual leader, which i 9 now in type, is j unavoidably helcl over, in conseqxicnce of an | unusual amount of correspondence and Court matter. List of letters received during May and June, 1870, and remaining unclaimed on ties 30tli September, 1870, at the Mount Ida postoffice W. Andrett, George Clute, James Collers, Gr. Gallagher, James Harris, Charles Livenston, Alex. Moore, A. Moore, Malaka O'Donnell, J. O' ll nlloran. L. W. Reid, Samuel Rankin, G-eorge Richard, Lizzie Speechly, Thom. Wallis. Late news from China states that war with; that country is unavoidable, in consequence, of., the massacre , at Tientsin of the French consul,' a priest, and some sisters of mercy. Two Russians vvere also killed, but no British: subjects.; All Protestant as well as Roman Catholic chapels were demolished. Great excitement prevails throughout nil the treaty ports; A mektingt of the Naseby Fire Brigade was held in Hunter's Empire Hotel on Monday evening last. Present: Inder (chair), Lieutenant Bremner, Stephens, M'Gregor, George, Eceles, Gosl,ello, Hunter, Tait, Collett, and Millar. The minutes of previous meeting were read and adopted. Resolved—" That the rules of the .Naseby Fire Brigade, as he in force from this date." The other ness brought before the meeting consisted in authorising the Committee to pro6Ure the riecessary working gear and equipment of the Brigade.. : ... .-.J We observe, from an advertisement in another column, that the, Banks will be open for one hour only on Tuesday next —namely, front 10-to ll a.in. ■ i v | The Mount Ida Jockey: Club Spring Meet- 3 ; ing will take place on Tuesday next, 4th prox. j Should .the weather continue fine, a rare treat i is in store, for the. people. of, Naseby. ■: ; We un-> j dersland that the, Naseby Brass Band.;wilL be. : in attendance, .: . ■ • ~; . , A public tea nieeting, intended; ias a fare-: "well soiree to th,e Rev., previous: to his departure tp ; Australia,, .will take, place ini the Union Church this evening (Friday). The meeting of publicans, advertised in our lust issue for Monday, !26th inst.., did, not> lake place. • m : t ■ , :1 , Tbjs ..Marlborough papers state that : the, prospects of the Wairau Goldfield are very promising, although, from unfavorable weather, of la-te has b?en a good deal; interrupted. The. number pf. lpiners on the field, principally from. the West Coast, is increasing. Complaints are frequently made by squatters and others regarding the losses sustained by them by dogs worrying their sheep; hut we have not heard of any estimate having been 1 made of the total-loss sustained in the Colony from this, cause., In the, United States, the Department of A griculture collects statistics on this pointy and' a recent report issued ..by ( it statfes that'the returns from 417 counties of that country "show' that'' 99,389 sheep .were killed by dogs in the course 'of last year. It is

estimated that full returns "would .prove that the number iri fact reached half a rnillion, and the money loss two millions of dollars. An advertisement in another column notifies f that Hilton'9 Company "will appear at the ; Dunstan Creek this and to-morro -» evenings; Drybread on Monday, .3rd prox.; Blacks on .Tuesday 4th; Alexandra, on October 5; and 'Dunstan, on October 6, 7, and 8. The Dunstan Annual Jockey Club Races are announced to take place on Thursday and Friday, 2nd and 3rd .February, 1871. The programme s : very attractive, and prizes to the amount of £605 are to be run for. We understand that it is the intention of the Collins' Variety Troupe to again visit Naseby during the Spring Meeting of the Mount Ida Jockey Club. The muph-.talked-of trotting match between Mr. Samson's mare. Mount.lda and a.mare belonging to Mr. R. Lancaster, came off on Friday last. The match was for £3O, the distance from Clyde to Alexandra, in harness, the owners ' driving. After something.'!ess than the usual delay, a start was effected, Lancaster taking the lead. The Mount Ida mare broke at starting, thus giving her opponent a great advantage, Lancaster kept the leadtlie whole ■way, and-caipe in an easy, winner, the time occupied being about twenty-eight minutes. Xater in'the day the winning horse was offered at'aiVctioh, ,on the racecourse, by Mr. W. J. [Barry, and was., we understand, bought in by the owner for the sum of £SO. —-' Dunstan Times.' :

There is a.great deal of speculation as to "whom'-will tie our future representatives in the joining Provincial Council and the House of IRepreseftt&tiivea. Among the candidates men- j tioned are Messrs. Haughton, Main, Captain Baldwin, Shepherd, and one or two local personages to contest the Groldfields districts ; and for Dunedin, two leading members of the legal profession. I Busing the week we have been entertained j at the Masonic Hall by the Hilton Company— j a party of three, consisting of Mr. Hilton, a London comic singer; Mrs. Hilton (Miss Xiiddle), a vocalist of considerable repute in Melbourne; and Mr. Leslie Charles, pianist, and possessing a good baritone voice. The trio, while performing, have fully sustained the flattering encomiums that have been passed on them in Dunedin and elsewhere. The comic singing of Mr. Hilton is very good, and the assumption of the various characters {.the topics i of his songs) was exceedingly clever and appro- i pi'iate, with on entire absence of vulgarity, j His " On the Beach at Brighton " and " G-al-loping Snob " are irresistibly comic, and were loudly redemanded. Mis. Hilton has a charm-, i ing voice, and rendered flit? comic duets with Mr, Hilton with thorough dramatic effect and finish. The skill with which she sings the florid passages, and the feeling • which ; sbe j throws into the homely ballad proves-her an-! accomplished vocalist. Mr, Xi. Charles sang, among others, "The Sexton" and the "Village Blacksmith" with good effect, but we liked him best in the song " When is a Man less than a Man ?" His accompaniment was excellent, and rendered with taste and finish. Altogether, it is one of the best entertainments j which we have had in this locality, and deserves to be well patronised. Oub A.B.C, St. Bathans correspondent, writing under date September 27, says:—Ann, ther of our townsmen, Mr. Gaffney, one of the most highly respected and earliest residents of Sti Bathans,' has taken his departure from i amongßt us. To the great disappointment of his numerous friends in and about St. Bathans, ! he went away silently and hastily, without af- j fording them an opportunity of givin" him ! some proof of the very high esteem in which he is held by them for his many and valuable services to the township and its community at large. Those services consisted in his acting as secretary to sludge channel and water-race companies over a period of several years, during which he had to account for the outlay of over twenty thousand pounds sterling. This he did to the satisfaction of all concerned without sixpence of mistake and without sixpence of a reward. He displayed great ability in drawing up rules for the proper management of these companies, and rendered able assistance at the revision of the' Mining Rules by the delegates who met in Dunedin in 1868, on which occasion he was unanimously chosen by tlie people to represent the mining interest of this district. These considerations, together with his many amiable and superior qualities I as a friend and neighbor have always had, and | ever shall have, their due weight with those j whom he leaves behind him in St. Bathans. I j am glad to say that his friends are even now actively employed in preparing a suitable ad-" dress and testimonial, etpressive of their love i and esteem' towards him, to be forwarded to J him at his address in Dunedin or elsewhere. In conclusion, I> may say-that, he carries away from St. Bathans the hearty good will of every . man in it and: its suitoundings; with this expression of good-wilL goes -up a general and fervent prayer for the,restoration to him of his ! health which, I regret to say, is delicate. St. j Bathans lias, for a long time, enjoyed the great ; blessing-of-'being" almost totally free from mining accidents, but I am sorry to have to record one which happened to Mr. Kenny, in a very simple way tins'/evening: It appears that he was engaged in his claim picking some dirt whicli, hacl fallen from the face, and on which lay a loose lump of mullock ; this lump came to get " oij the move" from having the clay loosened about it, and sliding only a little why, canie in "contact with Mr. Kenny's leg, breaking it, it is. thought, above the ancle • other- I wise he was not hurt, and very wis,ely went at once vto the/D.unstan Hospital,, ; J * ; / j At the usual weekly sitting of the Resident j Magistrate's and Warden's Courts at JNasebv ; on the 29th instant;, there were no cases for ' Rearing. Several plaints had been entbred, ] -but it would appear that an unusually «'ood | feeling, haii prevailed with> the litigants,°and ! all the cases had been settled out : cf Court. j At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Mon- I day, Sept. 26, four children of John and Janet \ Watson, from .ten to two years, -vere brought up charged with • being neglected children within the meaning of the Neglected

and Criminal Children's Act, 1867. Sergeant M'Cluskey prosecuted, and informed the Court that the proceedings were brought in a considerable measure at the desire and instigation of the father. From the evidence of Watson it appeared that, for years past, the parents of * the children had lived most unhappily toge-' and, aB alleged by him, through the disreputable habits of his "wife. Some few months ago, finding it impossible longer to reside with her, he left the district, and 011 returning to Mount Ida he found that the children hud been greatly neglected, and that his wife's conduct (particulars of which he stated) had been such as U> render it absolutely necessary that the cliildren. should be taken from her keeping and placed, under proper control. He explained that his circumstances were small, and that he was unable to make sufficient provision for them; but that if they were sent- to- the Industrial School he would be willing to. give up a small sum of money—all he possessed—towards defraying their passage to Dunedin, and the balance to go towards their maintenance. TheMagistrate ordered the children to be sent to the Industrial School at Dunedin for terms varying from five years for the el-iest to seven. years for the youngest, and in compliance with Watson's request, that they be educated in tlie Presbyterian denomination of the Protestant faith —Watson to pay passage to Dunedin, and* to give security by recognisance for payment of contribution towards then* support. The monthly sitting of the Petty SessionsCourt takes place this day (Frnliiy), at noon. We believe there are several cafes for hearing. The sitting of the District Court, adjourned from the 14th inst., will be held on Saturday, Ist October. The only case is the appeal,. Ross and another v. Cooper and others—one, of great interest to the mining community from the questions of law at issue respecting diverting of water. As we -understand that a large-' number of summonses have been issued in the cause, we would remind witnesses, assessors, and others directly interested that the Court will'sit at ten o'clock in the forenoon. The first practice of the newlv-formed Fire* Brigade took place last evening. The men assembled at the Victoria Hall, where the gear is in the meantime kept. There was a very good muster. The practice was gone through* creditably, the members showing themselveß very efficient in their .various offices—there being almost an entire absence of awkwardnessor confusion naturally to be expected in a first attempt. No doubt the thorough efficiency of the Brigade will be an easy matter under Captain Inder's able superintendence. The Dunstan Spring Race Meeting came off" on Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17, with the following result: —Maiden : Plate of 10 sovs.—Beresford'n c m Cresidor, 1; Haye's g f Kate, 2 ; Handiside's bg. Comet, 3. Hur- , die Race. of In so vs.—M'Mornui's b g Dr. Black, 1 ; Turnbull's bl!< g To Kdoti, 2; Fraser's b g Daniel. 3. Ilaiuiiivip Race of 25 sovs.—Sherwood's blk g Tonie, 1; Cox's c m Madam, 2 ; Beresford's c g Young Alma, 3. Hack Race of 15 sovs. —Fraser's Kate, 1; Taylor's Stanley, 2; M'Morrau's Roderick, 3. Handicap Race of 10 sovs.—Cox's Madam, 1; Smitham's Rip, 2 ; Beresford's Cresidor, 3„ , Consolation Handicap —M'Morran's Roderick, *] 1; Smitham's Rip, 2 ; Wood's Welcome, 3. | Hospital Race of £lO 7s. 6d.—Cox's Madam (Moore), 1; M'Morran's Roderick (Holt), 2.