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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 27, 31 January 1872, Page 2

City Missionaries.— The Australasian has the following sarcastic remarks upon the pitiful salaries doled out in Victoria to that useful class of men " city missionaries" : — -The Ballarat United Town Mission is advertising for a gentleman to act as missionary, the appointment, in the first instance, to be for six months, and the remuneration, the priucely sura of two pouuds ten shillings sterling per week. Whether the committee will expect a discount for cash payments is not stated, but where tbe rnouetary arrangements are of such a severely economical nature we have no doubt that this point was not lost sight of. We think, however, that before fixing the salary, tenders should have been called for, in order to see whether the work could not be more cheaply performed oo a schedule of prices. Tenderers might have been requested to state their charge for ordinary visits, at per visit ; visits with religious instruction ; ditto with death-bed consolation, &c. Or, better still, if any oue coirid be found to undertake the work on tbe "payment-by-result" principle, there would be every chance of the society preserving its funds intact. For the present, we suppose, the salary is fixed, but our hints may prove useful on some future occasion. When we come to consider, however, the qualifications which a man should posses to make a good city missionary we confess that we have some doubts whether it is decent to offer him the same wages as are earned by a journeyman mechanic. If he is to benefit those he visits, he must be a man of some cultivation and untiring energy, able to command respect, while -winning confidence by large-heartedness, and kindly sympathy. He must have an intimate acquaintance with the wants and feelings of the poor, without allowing his daily contact with abject natures and sordid cares to rob him

of that refinement of miur] which is essential to usefulness. Moreover, he must have the courage of the lion — not merely that physical attribute which goes by the nam* 1 , although ho will require a plentiful share of tbat also — but that higher courage which will not recognise defeat — that in the day of the darkest discouragement refuses to despair — that will die, but will never surrender. No one who does not combine tliese qualities in his own person will ever make, his mark as a as a city missionary, and ifc is needless to say tbat such men. are not to be picked up at every street corner. When found, moreover, they are sure to remember the apostolic injunction lo provide first for "those of their own household;" and they would have some difficulty in fulfilling thiß precept on £2 10s. a week. But stay ! perhaps the committee of the Ballarat United Town Mission has a great moral purpose in view in thus keeping down tho emoluments of their executive officer to starvaiion point. It may be thought that the sight of a shrunken frame and threadbare coat would exercise a beneficial influence, both being standing protests against "the pomps aud vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh," and that it is only right that their missionary should be to the neighborhood he frequents whalßardolph's face was to Falsfcaff — a perpetual memento niori.

Van Yean Water Supply. — The inefficient supply of Van Yean water for the past four or five hot days formed an inexhaustible topic of conversation in Melbourne, and whenever two or three people met, the first remark, after the weather had been anathematised, was, "How are you off for water down your way ?" In the majority of instances the reply was, "not a drop," followed by a shower of " same here," "had none since Sunday," "Bix days without a show," " came to town without washing," and so on. One gentleman was heard to remark that there bad been no water from the Van Yean at his place for six days, and that he had yesterday morning to give his children lemonade and gingefbeer for breakfast, there being no water fit for drinking or making tea within reach.

The Weather in Canterbury has been excessively warm of late. The Press of Friday last says : — 'Yesterday was perhaps one of the hottest days of the season, added to which a nor'-wester of more than ordinary oppressiveness was blowing during the greater part of the day. In every direction the ground is perfectly parched for want of rain, and it is to be feared that the crops, more especially the oat crops, must have suffered severely. Despite the watering of the streets the dust flew about yesterday in clouds, rendering walking through tbe city a most unpleasant task. At Kaiapoi, the inhabitants experienced one of the nor'-westers of the olden time, but which now are fortunately less prevalent. The scorching heat produced a noticeable effect on all kinds of vegetation. For the pasture such weather is ill-timed, and the want of rain is badly felt by the dairy farmers. It must bave hastened to some extent tbe premature ripeniog of the corn, and we bear that tbe wind has shaken, severely, grain which was in some instances dead ripe. There hat, not been a good shower of rain since November 10. Tbe last parallel season was the one of 1861-2."

A Correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, writing from St. Alban's Macdonald River, says he can vouch for the following facts : — On last Monday week, December 11, while Mr. James Singleton of the Lower Mill, was sharkcatching at the mouth of the Hawkesbury, he captured amongst others, a shark about 11 feet in length. On opening the animal, his attention was drawn by the young man who was with him to the rotund appearance of one part of its maw; and on cutting open the stomach he found a quantity of fowls' and stingaree bones, a human head and the bones of one arm. There were none of the bones of the head wanting, and from the appearance of the teeth Mr. Singleton believes the remains tp be those of a young man. One of the bones of the forearm was wanting, but the other was joined to the humerus. Mr. Singleton took the remains on shore, and buried them at Juno Point, better known as Flint and Steel Point. No traces of clothing, or of anything that would lead to identification, could be discovered.

Bribery in England in the Last Century. — The Bucks Advertiser has been publishing a very interesting Old Aylesbury Diary, from which we extract the following, showing how elections for the seat for the borough were conducted in the year 1789 : — "January 8th — Was given ss. to the voters of this town by Mr. Chaplain, as a gift from Scrope Bernard, Esq. January 19 th — The borough was canvassed by Mr. Bernard. Febuary 7th— Died, Sir Thos. Halifax, member of Parliament for this town. Febuary 8th — In the evening, and on Febuary 9th, in the morning, was given to voters of Aylesbury a guinea each as a present from Colonel Lake, at the King's Head. Febuary Bth— Colonel Lake canvassed the borough. Febuary 16th — Came on tbe election for this town, when Scope Bernard, Esq., was chosen by a majority of 77. March 27th — Was given five guineas to each voter that polled for Mr. Bernard, at William -rough's, the Rising Sun. March 30th— Five shillings was given at the publichouses to Mr. Bernard's voters for a dinner, &c. Note— -At the public-houses that were for Mr. Bernard. April. 6th — Colonel Lake made a present of six guineas to his voters, and one guinea to those that promised him their votes at the next election that polled, for Bernard at the last election by Messrs. Horwood. This is more than ever was known to be given by a losing man. April 24th — Mr. Chaplin paid to the voters of Mr. Scrope Bernard £1 Is. each ; this gave great discontent, as they expected more. May 12th — Scrope Bernard's voters received one guinea each, as a present from Mr. Bernard ; it was paid at the Cross Keys, kept by John Ivatts. May 18th— A dinner was given by Colonel Lake to the voters that polled for him, and all them that promised him at the next election, 300 and upwards. He was met by a very great majority of Aston Clifton, mostly oh horseback . Some

of Bernard's voters met at the Cross Keys, and behaved very well during the course of the day. A disturbance happened in the evening, and E. Terry, one of the constables, received n black eye, and there was a great row. Terry read the Riot Act, and the constables, with Ivatts and others, the next day went to Mr. Smith, the justice. Saturday, May 23rd — William Purssell of Walton, miller, James Tuckwelf, Natt, Kinch, and E. Budd were had up for the riots on'the 18th, and were bound to appear at the quarter sessions. July 19th — Was a county election in this town, when William W. Granville, Esq., was chosen without opposition. His seat in the House was vacated by His Majesty appointing him one of the Secretaries of State. A very few freeholders attending, and they were allowed seven-shilling tickets each. A great deal of discontent on the occasion. 1 '

Ball to the Marquis of Lome. — The Invprary correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph, speaking o( the ball, says : — " There was oo mauvaise honte about the tenantry, and no condescension about the landowners, for at last all were on a footing of perfect equality. As if to give the very note to the evening's music, the Princess danced in the first set of quadrilles with the Provost ; while Lord Lorn handed Mrs. M 'Arthur to the floor. Later the Princess descended still lower in the social scale, and with even happier effect, for in a reel she took the hand of an old man — a small farmer, and the ohlest tenant on the estate. With him she turned, and twisted, and jerked, and trotted, and hopped, and went through the wonderful eccentricities of activity that make up this frenzied Highland dance. It was right pleasant to watch her genial manner and very amusing to see how the tenant, who throughout the dance bad been as self-possessed as Lord Chesterfield could have desired, made at his conclusion his salaam, and pulled an imaginary look on his bald brow. The Princess's next partner was the Duke's agent or steward, who waa taken up to the Princes 3by her husband. The damsels whom Lord Lome danced with need not be particularised for Ido not know that a man deserves much special credit for flirting with a number of pretty girls, and the young bridegroom certainly did not throw his handkerchief to the ugliest. The greatest delight to the people was when the Princess joined in a country dance, for then everybody ia the room had an opportunity of holding for a moment the tips of her fingers; and what country dances they were ! At least a hundred couples stood close packed ia a single line of the run from the top to bottom. It would have knocked all the life out of a London exquisite to have seen the Highlanders revelling in activity ; and when the mere exercise of their legs was insufficient to express their delight, they shouted with all the power of their healthy lungs. The tramping, shrieking couples made the flooring rebound again ; and when the quickstep began in the ' Reel of Tulloch ' the. rafters rang again with the echoes of weighty footsteps and emphatic shouts. At this moment the aspect of the ball-room, if by no means so splendidly dazzling as last week, was even more characteristic. Kilts there were enough. Besides those of the Inverary Volunteers," whose brilliant martial appearance I have several times alluded to, there were a good many military uniforms; and at the last moment the Duke sent invitations to the crews of the « Columbia ' and * Northumbria.'"