LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 77, 20 July 1876, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A man yume into onr office this morning in a great iinrry. He said he had some sipkmtiii goods to <ttJ[>oac of, and we assisted him t» write ant a tirat-class advertisement. Hia shop was fitted tip regardless of '

expense, and would draw the people across the street. We asked him, -when everything was concluded, where his shop was. "He said he hadn't the most remote idea." We tried all the streets in town, hut he couldn't think of the name of one of them. He says he will call in a day or two when he has found out where he lives.

A correspondent writing to the " Star," and alluding to the recent .Roman Catholic libel case against that journal, says : —" When Bishop Moran states, in the case now pending, that •in the event of a nun marrying a priest, she would be subject to excommunicatiou, and, according to the law of the Church, to perpetual imprisonment and penance, am I to understand that the law of his Church is paramount, and that British law is ignored and set aside ?' "

Wc remind our readers that the Oamaru Dramatic Club will appear at the Masonic "Hall thi3 evening, and the proceeds of the entertainment will be devoted to the benefit of the local Hospital. The peformance will commence with "Still Waters Run Deep," with "Slasher and Crasher" as the afterpiece. The amateurs have been in active practice for some time past, and, judging from last night's rehearsal, everything is likely to pass oil' smoothly and well. We hope to see a crowded house.

At the District Court this morning, before His Honor Judge Ward, Charles .Mains was rharged with assaulting his wife, Ann Mains, with a knife, at Hampden, 011 the 24-th of May. The prisoner pleaded "guilty," and after Mr. O'Meagher (prisoner's counsel) had called several witnesses as to his character, His Honor, taking into consideration the gross provocation prisoner had received, sentenced him to two months imprisonment without hard labour.—John M'Mememin, for .in indecent assault on Jeannet M'Laren, on the ISth inst., was found guilty of a common assault only, and was fined £5. The attention of those citizens interested in the return of Mr. John Falconer as Mayor for the town of Oamaru for the ensuing year is directed to announcements in our advertising columns.

The "Sydney Morning Herald "of the 15th, in a hum article, urging the substitution of the Bay of Islands for Kandavau as a port of call, and the abandonment of the coastal portion of the present mail sen-ice, says, "We hope that the Government of New Zealand will not delay the settlement of this question by urging conditions oil behalf of the Southern Ports that have been shown to he both unreasonable and impracticable."

| The " Waikato Times " gives an account of ! a rather romantic prelude to a marriage that j was just about to be celebrated at the house lof Mr. J as. Harper, of Ohaupo. The bridegfoom, -'HhCiicorgc Given, of the PdLlock fiettlemcntj had arrived at Ohaupo to enter I into the bonds of matrimony with Miss Harper/ and the minister and a few friendi were present to celebrate the occasion, wHeii an unhidden guest entered, in »f a detective, and apprehended the 'bridegroom on a wan-ant charging him' with cattle-steal-ing. Mr. Given was at once hurried off to Hamilton, and brought before the local magistrates, and there entered into bail tp appear at Waiuku to answer the charge; !Retnniing to the house of the bride's father the marriage was celebrated, and we trust 'that the episode, which left the charming bride lonely at the altar for a few hours, will tie the only contretemps that may mar their future happiness. Mr. Given has since beferi to town, and, we hear, has collected sufficient evidence to prove the case to be one of .mistaken identity. Mr. Hesketh has been ref, taiued by the defendant, and the case will come before the Waiuku Bench on the stlfinstant. * & The "Intelligent Vagrant " writes : "Jfr.; Andrew, M.H.li., has been at it again. Mr.

De Lou tour in the House on Thursday afternoon was protesting against cruelty of pigeon shooting, which subject had connected with the licensing qucstioi?l)y a proj cess of reasoning happily pecular to himself. ■ .Some one said to Mr Andj6w, 'Whereon, earth is De Latour getting\ to ?Quoting Jttvonal; promptly Mr. Andrew said, ' Oh, ; lie is ul>i reddunt ova columbfe'," or, freely ' translated, ' somewhere up near tli'e roof.' Mr. George Dixon, called -at -t"he office of " New Zealand Timesand exhibited two cancers, one taken from the breast of a female named Styles, of Xelson, and the other from the lip of a man. He states that the disease of cancer has been cured by his wile's family for a century back., the remedy having been communicated to them by a French physician. The cancer is taken oi.it completely by the roots, without cutting; and in two or three dozen of cases that he has known in Canada of persons operated upon it has never grown again. An able leader in the "Evening Post" of Wednesday, on the financial credit of the Colony in the London money market, shows that it is useless for writers in Ministers, journals to contend that 2?ew Zealand securities will soon regain thdir position and price as favourite investmeift«._ There is only one way of bringing about this result, and that, unfortunately, cannot be resorted to. If New Zealand abstained from further borrowing and contrived to continue to pay interest and sinking fund on existing loans, then its debentures would ere long be quoted at higher prices. But, as the matter stands,

further borrowing is compulsory. ' Zealand has got into a mess, and must get out of it as best she can,' were the words by which Sir Julius Vogel tried to justify his plan of raising the old four millions at once. For pretty much the same reason it is now intended to borrow two millions more. Doubtless the money will be obtained, but the Colony will pay a higher price for it than ever, and the depreciation of the securities must continue.

Some amusement (says the " New Zealand Times ") was created in the Supreme Court 011 Thursday about a coat which was alleged to have been stolen from Mr. Hausman, late of the European Hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Hausman both identified the coat as one which had been purchased at Mr. Lewis Moss's shop some months previously. The man accused of stealing it, who exhibited considerable shrewdness in his defence, requested Mr. Hausman to put the coat on, whereupon the laughter in the Court became general at the appearance of Mr. Hausman, for whom the garment looked much too small. Although Mr. Hausman had positively sworn to tlie coat as his, judging from his gestures, lie did not know himself in it. This little interlude in tlie otherwise dry progress of the case kept every person in the Court on the broad grin for a minute or two. The man was acquitted.

The Masterton correspondent of the " Standard "tells the following, which shows that the "YVairarapa is not without "smart" men:— "On Monday there was great excitement in Masterton in consequence of its becoming known that two gentlemen had wagered on a grey mare and a bay pony, for a trotting match from the Waingawa bridge into Masterton. One gentleman —a leading squatter —had a grey ; mare, the other, a well-known knight of the hammer, was to have a certain bay. Unfortunately, the.bay had gone away for a few days, but the auctioneer was smart, and borrowed another bay something like the one wagered on. The squatter, who knows a thing or two in horseflesh, could not tell the difference between the bay produced and the one that ought to have trotted, although both were well-known to him. He prepared for the contest with great care, and his get-up was complete, spurs re-polished, gaiters brushed up, boots blacked, hair and whisker; combed, and everything in perfect order. After mounting he called impatiently upon the auctioneer, and then proceeded to give his mare a sweating, because lie said she was too fresh and he could not keep her at a trot; about a mile from the Waingawa he dismounted, and carefully led the mare to the starting-post, and after about ten minutes leading around he re-mounted, and the race commenced. The grey was the starts and further still aitPEKeffinish - ;"b'ut"the wealthy squatter stumped up, quite innocent of the hoax practised." L The Wairarapa " News-Letter " announces that "a match has been arranged there for £SO a side, to he.run in about a month's time, between' two ponies in the district. The horse which does the greatest distance in twenty-four;hours in a buggy to take the money. Not a little interest is being felt in the affair by- tfiose who know of it, and there will probably be some speculation as to the result. The ground for travelling will "probably be the main road between Masterton and Featherston." We (" Argus ") sincerely trust that no sucli disgraceful and cruel exhibition will be permitted to take place. The idea of trying which of two animals can travel the greater distance in twenty-four hours is one of refined cruelty,-and the police authorities will be greatly _to..blame if they permit such a thing to be„'done. ...

! In the course of the Stevenson trial for defrauding the revenue at Melbourne, the lawyer for the defence created quite a sensation in Court, by stating in an impassionate tone :—" I deny, on behalf of Mr. Stevenson, the whole charge against him. His mouth is closed, but I speak for him, and he earnestly and emphatically denies that he ever wilfully or knowingly defrauded the revenue of one penny. He denies it on his honor, as a gentleman, a merchant, and an honest man, and I can defy the world to cast a stain on his character-or reputation ill any r one • of- those "■^capacities." The following letter, signed " M. D.," appears in the " Nelson Mail " : —" Sir, —-I observed that in your number for Saturday last, you quoted a paragraph from the " Otago Daily Times," about a child who had fourteen toes, twelve fingers, and two thumbs. As I had the honor of introducing this distinguished youngster into the perhaps you will allow me to correct-flie "Otago Times." The.child has, twelve,;fiot fourteen, toes; the other details "are"*correct. I can see a tendency in this,, case which, if not promptly checked, will lead to the production of a mythic being with fourteen toes on each foot, The child' was a fine healthy boy, and when I last examined him I could see no indication for removing any of the superfluous fingers."

Regarding the Waimate Railway, liis Worship the Mayor has received the following letter from Mr. S. E. Shrimski: " Messrs. Teschemaker, Hislop, and myself interviewed the Minister of Public Works re Waitaki and Canterbury Eailway. He promised to get the same completed as soon as possible."