WAIMEA ROAD BOARD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 177, 18 July 1876, Page 4

WAIMEA ROAD BOARD.

Tuesday, July 11. The Board mot .at the Richmond Institution: Present — Messrs Harley, Bell, Tunnicliff, White, and Win. The minutes of the elections in the sab-districts, held on the 3rd instant, having been read, shewing that Messrs Harley, White, and Win had been elected for the sub-districts of Stoke, Spring Grove, and Dovedale respectively, Mr White was chosen Chairman and Mr Barnicoat Treasurer for the current year. The minutes of last meeting were then read and confirmed. The Overseer's report was as follows: — " Much damage has been done by the late floods in nearly all parts of the district which I am attending to. Having informed the Board's engineer of special damage done at the following places, viz., south approach to bridge at Bell Grove, the Wai-iti encroachment at Trasß', and Pretty Bridge stream, he, has inspected, them and will report on the necessary work. A new wing dam, costing £26 17s 6d, has been put to 88- Valley bridge, as the road was dangerous on account of the old one giving way. Great inconvenience is caused to the public by the want of a cart bridge over Stratford's Creek. Upon the advice of the Board's solicitor, the action against Mr W. M, Thomson to compel him to clear the gorse in Eves' Valley was withdrawn. I should recommend that tenders be invited for clearing the same, as the road will soon be impassable. Mr Hodgem has thrown up his contract at Ford's Hill." Resolved, That an extra hand be put on to at once cut the gorse in Eves' Valley,, and that tenders be invited for the proposed works at Trass' and at Pretty bridge; also, that the Surveyor report to the Government as to the' damage done at Bell Grove bridge. | Resolved, That a plan and estimate for : a bridge at Stratford's Creek be laid before the Board at its next j meeting. Resolved, That Mr J. Ricketts have notice to proceed with his contract on Bridge Valley road, and that fresh tenders be invited for the road at Ford's Hill. The Surveyor reported having visited, in company with the Overseer, the City Surveyor, and the Superintendent of Public Works, the site of the proposed half-tide road at the Rocks, and that it was their unanimousopinion that it would. cost £500 to make a passable cart-road for the half-mile, after this there would still be about haif-a mile of rough beach before reaching the road leading to Burlace's Hill, on which, should there be as much traffic as appears to be contemplated by the promoters, a considerable outlay would be requisite, the present road, on which the Board has already spent a large sura, being almost impassable in wet weather, having been much cutnp by the gravel carte. Mr Harley strongly urged the Board to contribute one- fourth of the estimated cost, as they would never have another opportunity of getting off so lightly. After much discussion, the subject was postponed until next meeting. Mr James Gibbs applied for assistance in repairing the bye-road leading to hie farm. The Overseer was directed: to examine the road and to let any pressing work. Mr N. Fowler attended, and requested that the road from Richmond to Appleby, which although a bye-road is very largely used by the public, should be repaired by the Board, the recent heavy traflb since the opening of the Railway having rendered it almost impassable. The Overseer was directed to fill op all the holes. Mr P. Bryne attended, and complained of damage dona to his land and the main road in Dovedale by Mr HodgBoa cutting a ditch and interfering with the water-course, stating that he should look for compensation either from the Board or Mr Hodgson. A letter from Mr Snook also complained of damage done to his land. The Board disclaimed any liability for damage done, and directed that the road should be examined and repaired. Mr M. Davies, of Dovedale, and Mr Tieijen, of Waimea West, also applied for assistance on their respective byeroads, which the Overseer was ordered to attend to. Resolved, That a reward be offered for' the discovery of the party who removed the lamp from Eighty-eight Valley. Bridge during the late repairs. Warrants were Bigned for £291 8a 4d. Since the Dunedin gasworks have passed into the hands of Corporation they seem to, have been badly managed. The Otago Daily Times, in a resent issue, says: — "We do not suppose that there is in the Southern Hemisphere a city of the size of Dunedin in which the gas is so utterly bad as it is here." During the prayers at the evening service at All-Sainte' Church, Sandburst, Victoria, recently, the congregation were surprised by the rev. incumbent coming to a dead stop of some seconds' duration twice or thrice. At the close of the prayers, the rev. gentleman expressed his regret that some persons present should so far forget themselves and the place they were in as to be guilty of most unseemly behaviour, iotimatiag bid intention on a recurrence of the offence, to request the verger to remove the offenders from the church. Whoever the persons referred to were, they must have felt very uncomfortable under the rev. pastor's severe admonition.

. Six hundred tons of goods were carriei on the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway, on one day recently. Darwin's missing link hss, it is averred, been found. A farmer in the vicinity of Charlottetown, in Prince Edward's Island, while digging for marsh mud in a deep pit oa his own farm, unearthed the well-preserved skeleton of a full-grown human being with the osseous framework of a tail, consisting of nineteen articulated bones. These remains are described as having the general appearance of the skeleton of a North American Indian, with the skull very much flattened and the jawbones very large and thick. All were carefully secured, snd are now oa exhibition at the house of Silas Wilcox, near Charlotteville. The following appears in the Wellington Post:—" The representatives of the legal profession in the present Parliament are numerous and admittedly able. By the confession of one of their own cloth, they are, however, not equal to all things. However competent to make out accounts against their clients, figures are not their forte. So saye Mr Moorhouse. In opposing the appointment of Mr Rees on the Public Accounts Committee, Mr Mooihouee, amid some laughter, said he did so on the ground that Mr Rees was a lawyer. "Lawyers,," said he, " be they ever so eminent, are invariably bad accountants." The cries of " Oh " with which the hon. member was greeted on making his broad statement were renewed when he apologetically added, "It is generally understood in the profession, sir." Mr Moorhouse continued "It is preferable for the iawyer, if he intends | to be excellent in law, that he should j should confine himself to that, or he is likely to make a miscarriage in his specialty. When a lawyer seeks advice, he goes — as the case may be — to the engineer, the merchant, or the accountant." On such grounds he contended that Mr Rees could not be recognised aa an authority on matters of finance, and that bis presence on the committee would probably prove detrimental to its business. A correspondent of the Bendigo Advet liter relates the following Btrange circumstance: — "A singular instance of second sight occurred near Runny mede a few nights since. A gentleman was visiting a residence about nice miles from that township on the night in question, and leaving on horseback about half-past ten, proceeded along the road, when, having got about five miles, the horse, while going down a gully, caaie to grief at the bottom, the gentleman just managing to throw himself clear. This happened a few minutes before eleven, and about the seme time a lady at the residence referred to awoke, as it were, from a dream, and awakening her sister who slept in the same apartment, she said to her, ' has had an accident, and I am afraid he's hurt, for he got npon his horse from the wrong side. I saw it happen as plain as if I had been there.' Strange to say, the rider did remount from the off side, having hurt his left arm slightly in the tumble. The lady, on meeting the gentleman next day, described the accident so minutely that he was thoroughly astonI ished, feeling sure that no one but himself knew anything about it." A good story is told about the late j Sultan of Turkey, who baa just ended his career by committing suicide, while captive, and confined in a fortress^ which became hia residence in the meantime. His children received in- | structions in French, and from a professor who daily visited the prison for | that purpose. Abdul was so pleased with this teacher, that he startled the studious fellow one day by presenting him with one of his wives. The poor soul, who, by the way was already provided with a wife, and one possessing a good share of that superfluous temper for which Xantippo is so widely celebrated, was not particularly rejoiced with the Emir's generosity, and had the greatest difficulty to make him understand why he could not accept the giff, or why his eyes and scalp would be in danger if he ventured to introduce a second wife into his household. The Wellington papers report an unrehearsed scene in the third act of "La Fille de Madame Angot " on the sixth representation on the 24th ult. The quarrel duet between Madame Simonsen and Miss Lambert was enthusiastically encored, but Mr Simonsen laid down his baton and refused to allow the orchestra to repeat the music. The artists on the stage looked blankly at each other, and the demands of the audience for a repetition became more clamorous. Madame Simonsen twice came to the front and asked Mr SimonBen to play the music, but he remained stolid. Then Madame tried to sing her part without the orchestral accompaniment, but she broke down and burst into tears. Mr Simonsen tried to go on to the next part, but the audience would not have it, At last he turned round in his seat, and, addressing the house, said — "Ladies and gentleman, I would have you to understand that I must finish before twelve o'clock, and I cannot do so if everything is encored." As the hour was then eleven minutes to eleveo, and the opera was within four minutes of its conclusion, and as nothing elae Bave the dance hsd been encored during the evening, the audience would not accept this poor excuse, and the noiße grew greater than ever. At length Mr Simonsen gave way, and the latter part of the duet was repeated amidst immense applause.

au American contemporary informs us that there is a benevolent gentleman ip Boston who gives twenty-five coots fpr religious purposes every time he swears 1 He has already sworn a new steeple on the Presbyterian Church, and is now engaged " oussing up" a donation to the Home Missionary Society. Referring to thf> new Speaker of the House of Representatives, the correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says : — " He wears the gown and bands, b'ut has abandoned the ruffiea which Sir Dillon Bell was so fond of wearing. Mr. Fitzherbart gives great promise of making an excellent Speaker. . Ha has had two or three rulings to give since he has been in the chair, and has given them concisely and firmly. On the motion for adjournment on Friday night, when the Piako Swamp debate was re-opened, Mr. Mborhouse tried to check it by asking whether it was not irregular to debate the main question under guise of a motion for an adjournment. The Speaker turned the laugh on him by observing very drily, ' Great latitude is allowed on motions for adjournment.' The way that he said it was irresistible ; so also when called upon to give a casting vote on Sir G. Grey's motion, he did so without hesitation, assigning the usual reason for it. In fact, he seems thoroughly at home in the Speaker's chair."