The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 2, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 9, 2 May 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 2, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We havo Wen rvt|iiested to intimate tliat the itqwrtiire of the Knglisli mail, via San ha* Won |w>stjH>ned till io-im>riv»w at 4 xiii. A supplementary mail will ;«!»•» leave 1 Ky the steamer Samson, closing at 9.30 | a.m. ! A Sydney eaJdcgTani. dated Monday. states {hat, in the pedestrian match Frank Hewitt (England) versus Davis (America), the former won easily. 'Davis ia the agent in advance for Wilson's Circus, ami when in Dnnedin carried all tafore him in tlie way of running. It was. however, a certainty he would find his match itj Franks Hewitt/iwho won the champion race in some six years agf*. He then ran with Harris, of HeidelWrg. A meeting of the Freeniasoti» r Hall joint committees was held last evening at the Northern Hotel, Brother \Y. Ik:e occupying the chair. After inspecting the plans snl>mittcd, and making a fe«\ trivial alterations, a committee was apjiointed' to l>i,»k after details and call for tenders. The site chosen for the hntlditig is opposite Mr. Mainland s honsre in WansWck-strcet. We are informed that twenty entries were received last evening for the riSle-match to !>e shot oft" next Saturday. The Lynuh Troti[»e of Bellringers played to another good house last evening. The various pieces on the hand and stand-tails l»y the Lynch Family were capitally rendered. Mr. Keeley. in his songs, was equally as successful as on the two previous evenings. The performance concluded with the screaming farce "The Haunted Chateau." Thi3 eveni tng the Troupe appear at Otepojw. At the termination of last night's performance the Troupe adjourned to the Star and CJarter Hotel. and Mr. Harry Lynch, in a few appropriate remarks, proposed "Success to Mr. Alexander Bell, of Timarn, who purchased the receipts of the Troupe at all places where they have performed between Clxfistehurch anil Oamarti. The speculation of Mr. Bell, though attended with a certain amount of

risk, has proved highly remunerative, and the Troupe wished him every success in the future. It is only the other day that [the "Daily Times" took us under its sheltering wing, and now the " Licensed Victuallers Gazette" is anxious to follow suit. Our weekly eontemporary savs" The Mayor of Oamaru recently drew the attention to the Council that typhoid fever was increasing to an alarming extent in that town, and advised the Council to take some steps in the matter, using the authority vested in them as a Board of Health, which advice they have not complied with, either from inability or unwillingness. When the powers that be, iu a town so near to us as Oamaru, do not take immediate steps to stamp the fever out, which would be comparatively easy work, it makes the war, which the Corporation have been waging against infectious more arduous, ami the daily communication between tine towns almost nullifies their past work. The large amount of money spent in furthering their endeavours is, practically,.liable to be wasted; ami although the Board of Health here have been very successful to the present, who can tell what the consequences may he from delay on the • pfirt of the ofiiuials in Oamaru. If they-.neglect the matter brought so plainly before'"them Vy the Mayor, it remains a ques.ftpn as to whether the Superintendent ought to be memorialised to nominate a Board of Health apart from the Council." . } t A contributor to a contemporary writes "A ijueer customer, labouring under delirium tremens, was standing oil tljc platform of the Christchurch railway tlie other day, and, accosting the engine-driver, asked him which way the engine was going. On being told that its destination was Port, he at once ordered the driver to unhitch tlie engine, and that he required a special to Anilicrlcy, a station on the South line. He then pulled out a handful of bank-notes, saying that money was no object, and commenced distributing some of them among three boys who were engaged running newspapers. I believe in due course our subject reached the Lunatic Asylum. ' 'Hie Christchurch correspondent of the "Daily Times" writes " A paper here made a blunder List week which looked very funny. It was in a report of a riile-match, and the usual asterisk denoted the word •missed,' the single dagger 'absent,' and the double dagger 'not present.' A very odd expression also Occurred in a report of a country nice-meeting, "which, to a prude of the first order, would be very shocking, but which, to a sensible public, is nothing but a harmless joke. In alluding to performances ui a mare named Barmaid, it was inadvertently stated that 'she did not look attractive in her white stockings.' "' While the (.'overnor was at Napier, Tareha, the native chief, when presented to the Covenior at the levee, said he wished to make a remark. He did not wish to be like other i;en Llc-men presented, who ran in and ■ •lit like from one hole to another, he wanted tin: Governor to consent to the release of the natiwr prisoners in the Napier (!aol on political charges. The < lovernor replied he was it"t aware there were any such prisoners there, l.ut he would make enquiry. Tarehri, on getting outside, said the Marquis was like all other Governors, "too much taiho."— Anglice, " Wait awhile." It is given on the authorit}- of the "Evening News " that during the interview of the Commissioners with Mr. Maeandrew, tliey wished to know which was the best institution for them to visit first. Mr. Maeandrew blandly replied : "I think, gentlemen, the Lunatic Asylum." A curious substitute for oats as horse feed is published by the O. L. A . Gazette. It is uivirii as a small " fact"' for the Good Templars : "E. M. Monclar, of Tarn, finding wine to be so cheap, .and oats so dear, lias emploved the former as an element in rations for his horses, and with excellent results. This is the first time wine lias been so emploved, but it has long been known in France to be of singular eliicacy when horses arc overcome with great fatigue. Some sprinkle the wine over the oats, and others administer i it as a drink. Horses are very fond of wine. [ Passenger from the first train from Duni edin to the Port on Saturday (says the "Times") were, shortly after St. Leonards was passed, startled by a succession of shrieks from the engine, followed by a reduction of speed and then a stoppage. A running lire of "Halloa!" and "What's the matter'r" passed from carriage to carnage, and then heads were thrust through windows in time to see two fine cows and a bull lazily j trot oft" the line and move up the bank by a [ side road. Their motions, deliberate and j slow, indicated on their part a profound in- | difference, not to say contempt, for railways and engines generally—a feeling, if we may | so term it, that was evidently shared by a man who appeared to be , herding them. Hatless, unkempt, and lightly clad, this individual was reclining on the grass under a bush, and upon observing that his three chargc-3 had gained the day by obliging the train to stop, shouted three times derisively, and at the to}) of a somewhat shrill voice—- " A bawbee for't wliustle ! A bawbee for't whustle ! A bawbee for't wliustle !" He then subsided into his former condition of pastoral stupor, wliilst the cattlejnibbled the

grass near him, and. prepared themselves to again set at defiance one of the railway byelaws. . % \ The following incident in the life-'of thaftt estimable lady, Madame M'Mahtin, /ingoing' the rounds of the Press. Her exertions in obtaining relief for the sufferers of recent disastrous flood in France are-well known : " In the middle of the winter .of IS3S a fire broke out in the female seminaryVfc Sxmosges, France, and spread with such rapidity that it was feared all the inmates would perish. Suddenly there wa3 a cry that one little girl had been left in her room. As the-dxcited spectators were beginning to pray for the unfortunate child, a tall girl, with dishevelled! blonde hair and flowing nightshirt, c4# through the crowd, and, with a sliriekj|ffg 'l'll save her,'she rushed through the dooiv"• way. A loud hurrah, that was prolonged the echo, only to be repeated again, attracted the attention of the devotees, and the palefaced girl was to be seen skipping through the flames with the terrified child. A few days afterwards King Louis Pliillippe sent the heroine a gold medal for her bravery, and a captain of the French army who had witnessed the girl's pluck begged an introduction. The captain is now President of France, atid the brave girl Madame M'Mahon." •The Auckland "Daily Southern Cross" says ; —"This journal made its first appearance on Saturday, 22nd April, 1543, and consequently this day enters upon the tliirtyfgiuth year of its existence." The " Cross " invariably forgets to mention a period of two years during which that journal did apj;ear; so that although it is true that journal was.firstpublished thirty-four years ago.under the same title, it has not actually been cstablislujd years." . . . ' \ Ilcgarding the niucli-vexed question as to what is the loan or loans referred to in the cablegram announcing "the successful floating "of NW ZeS^ndj.Provincial loans," the " Times"! ldarns by telegraph from its Auckland correspondent'' that " it is supposed to refer to the Otago Harbour Board £IOO,OOO loan, 'which was, announced through the Colonial Bank for minimum was fixed afc-;dil01 10s., which is equivalent to par with accrued interest." It'may not he known to maiiy. of, our readers (says the " Bruce .- manufacture of wine sive scale has been comrtpe^ffeti'; trict by M. Maurice Tontot, fronts the Main South Rdad, and is the Milton Courthouse. "A ago we visited M. Tondut's hpt only astonished at the extent,. tions, but agreeably surprised W fhequality of the wine has been lhakiftg from currants, Spanish grapes, and other fruits. - The cellar, which is very cool and well adapted for the purpose for which it is used, contains several hundred gallons of wine in casks. The wine is of course rather new at the present time, but ivc have no hesitation in pronouncing it a pure and highly palatal >le beverage, and one that will meet with a ready sale in this Colony. M. Tondut's fruit wine is superior to anything of the kind that has yet been made in New Zealand, and we wish him every success iu the carrying on of the new industry. We ("Daily Times ") have been informed that there is no truth in the rumour that Mr. Maitlaud, 11. M., has been appointed Chief Commissioner of the Otago Waste Lands Board, as the resignation of tlie Chief Commissioner lias not been forwarded, or at alj events accepted by the Government. A special Wellington telegram to the " Times " states that on Saturday Sir Julius Yogel paid a formal visit to Mr. Fitzherbert, at the Provincial Government buildings, to ask him to allow himself to be nominated as Speaker. Mr. Fitzherbert promised a defireply on Tuesday, as he wished to consult his personal friends. •' iEgles in the " Australasian " writes : —" Not long since a painter bought from, a coloarman a tin of paint, Removing some of its contents into one of his working pots, the scoop struck something hard. On examination lie found that he was the possessor of an encased package of gold leaf—an article, I need not say, of great value, and one. subject to a heavy duty. The "day following the colourmau from whom he had purchased called upon him and said, 'By the way, I think I must have delivered you a 'wrong package—you had better return it. I will send you abetter article.' But his customer was too wary. 'Oli,'said he, 'the paint is good enough for my purpose. In fact, I rather like it. Next time I shall look out for some of the same brand.' And the unhappy importer dare not pretend to any closer knowledge of the little kernel within the package." A Home correspondent of the "Argus" writes:—"Mr. Edgar Leopold Layard, late Acting-Administrator in Fiji, has been appointed to the Consulate of New Caledonia, lie statement iu the "Fiji Times " that the •STench were about despatching a steamer from Noumea to annex the New Hebrides has gone the round of the papers here, but as the news was dated some .sime in December it is thought probable /Chat if the act had been accomplished ere this have heard of it that when iostt^oyer&ir 1 8^'' ! yiji heard of the intention he to have acted as summarily as did our Resident at Aden, when the French Admiral, bound for Perim, called on his way, and, dining with His Excellency, disclosed his mission over the champagne. His Excellency, who was not tlie man to dilly-dally, quietly wrote a note at the table to the commander of an English gunboat in the harbour, directing him to proceed at once to Perim, and annex it. The result was that when the Frenchman arrived at PSriiri

he found the English colours hoisted, a party of marines landed, and a couple of guns in position. He accordingly sailed away, not rejoicing ' What M ould have been done had Sir A. Sordon adopted a somewhat similar bourse ? Would his act have been condoned "at' Home ? v A sporting contributor to the ee Australasian" says:—''An incident came under my notice at Kensington that deserves comment. Whilst the horses were at the post for the Telegraph Stakes on the first day remarks 1 were pretty freely passed that a certain animal was not meant for the race, and the bookmakers extended their prices against him from G to 4 to 3 to 1, and even 7 to 2. At this juncture a well-known character, who is reported to have an interest m the horse, stated that he would take 200 to 50 about him, at which a friend asked him what 'li£ would do if the offer were accepted—meaning*; of course, that as the horses were there would be no means of com'irihHisatm.g - the fact to the jockey. The will see him look this way ' stand, and if my hat eoiQesls3fE^4e "VEt'ig- (says the " Sydney the New Zealand bofeii in a financial way publfc.- r couvenier.ee. is seventy, a business will pay largely. of "The Times" iu • date of ISth that the of shares of Me has demanded and exacted fall of his own dividend, instead ,of the h'alf ? coupon allowed to other creditors." '