LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 144, 6 October 1876, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It may interest our readers to learn that the account we published yesterday of the Waitnki Races held at Duntroon was conveyed to this ofliee by one of our carrier pigeons. The little winged messenger was despatched from the racecourse immediately after the Cup Kace, and arrived in our office in thirty-five minutes from the time when lie was tossed up. The distance from Duntroon to Oamaru is thirty miles. To-day we give the result of the Handicap by the same meaii3 of communication, the time occupied being fortytwo minutes. It must be borne in mind that to-day the feathered courier had to contend against a head wind, and the weather was also thick.

Alfred Minchin, a youngster, agecl nine, was brought up again at the Resident Magis trate's Court, this morning, charged with lising a neglected child. The 1 ant time he appeared before the Court his father promiaed that he would look after the boy, but ttiiH pron.iie he has not kept. The little fellow infonned the arresting constable that he obtained a living by collecting bottles, and that occasionally he wa3 given something

to eat when he went out begging. Alfred looked very penitent when standing on the floor of the Court, and his dejected appearance was not calculated to impress one with the parental attention which had been bestowed on him. The Bench committed the boy to the Industrial School, Dunedin, for five years.

A walking show of entires took place today, under the patronage of the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association. There were a number of splendid draught entires and some racing stock exhibited. We should be very pleased to be able to give our readers full particulars about each horse, but unfortunately the secretary received no entries, and as a consequence our reporter was unable to ascertain the pedigree of any horse, or to whom he belonged.

It will be seen by an advertisement elsewhere that Mr. Iloskins, Miss. Florence Colville, and the Lingards will take possession ot the Masonic Hall on next Tuesday for a short season. The company is ths strongest array of tulent which ha 3 ever visited Oamaru, Mr. Lingard and Mis 3 Alice Dunning being a host in themselves. No doubt, some surprise may be evinced at the charges of admission being in excess of those usually made, but the necessity for this will be apparent when it is stated that the royalty paid to Byron, the author of " 0:i~ Boys," i 3 ,t"5 ss. for every presentation. When, there, fore, that fact is taken into consideration, and also that Mr. Iloskins has to pay away something like £ LOO per week before he takes a penny for himself or Mrs. Hoskins, the :: ce.sity for the course must be at once conceded. Of Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins it is unuece ;;arv to spaak, and although the Lin-iard.-i are strangers to the district, their unparalleled success since their arrival in the Colonies is well known to all". \Yc wish to correct a mistake which occurred in our report of yesterday's races at Duntroon. The third horse in the Cup Race appears as Banjo, whereas it should be Mr. W. Swanson's Sir William.

The spiritualists of Sydney have suffered a terrible sell. The Echo relates that since the smnci that was held to ascertain the result of the boat race between Trickett and Sadler, scores of people have sat around tables until their arms ached and they themselves felt ridiculous, trying to get some commnuication from the spirit world to allay the universal anxiety respecting the fate of the newly-won championship, and in several instances the table tipped Tickett as the winner in the match with Lumsden. But the most explicit communication was one received through the plauchette on Saturday night, the 26th ult., when a spirit announced himself as .James Hansen, boatswain of a frigate Wasp, one of the fleet under Sir Hyde Parker, with Nelson second in command, at the battle of Copenhagen in 1801. The Wasp—according to Hansen—got ashore in the Great Belt at the time when the Danish lloet was defeated, and he with others died in the battle. This old naval hero was interrogated as to his knowledge respecting the boat race, and he very civilly wrote to say that he did not himself know what the result was, but he thought he could ascertain. He left the planehette for a few minutes, and then returning, the pencil wrote in a clear and vigorous style of handwriting, "I am told Trickett won easily by ten lengths." The telegram which was received in Sydney the following Monday to the effect that the match had fallen through, proved rather trying to the believers in Spiritualism. Wiltshire, the pedestrian, has been summoned for a.-sault in Wellington. The Times thus refers to the case:—"An assault case which < aiijc before the Eesident Magistrate's Court yesterday created some fun. Wiltshire. the pedestrian, was defendant, but did not a-ipea", his wife appearing for him. The p ii-tieulars of the ea;e did not come before the Court, but it wn ascertained from a statement of counsel that complainant was alleged to have used a revolver to defendant Mrs. Wiltshire had this pistol. It caused some uneasiness round the Court. It was loaded in six barrels, and Mrs. Wiltshire was carrying it about in a kind of way which suggested the painful thought that it might go off and kill somebody. It is stated that this revolver was at one time seen pointing in the direction of the Magistrate's head, and that he winked. "Within five minutes the revolver had pointed round the compass about fifty times, and the effect of its presence there was shown. The passage between the witness box and the wall cleared quicker than it ever was before by the bailiff. Then MrsWiltshire went to advise her counsel, Mr. Buckley, about the case, and he took a deep interest in her words until he found himself looking down the muzzle of the revolver. Then he turned away and addressed the Court. Eventually the weapon was got rid of, being placed in the care of the clerk, who put it away carefully, the case being adjourned until Wiltshire has completed his thousand miles stroll."

Specimens of the postal cards shortly to be issued in New Zealand have been exhibited in the House of Representatives for final adoption. They are in four colors pink, blue, mauve, and brown. The design is similar ill each case, the stamp in the right-hand corner on one side, and between it and the left-hand borde r the words, " Po3t Card, New Zealand. The

address only to be written on this side." The other side of tue card, which by the way is of no great size, is blank. There is only one objection to the cards, the stamp on each is price one penny. Seeing that for this sum'a large-sized letter envelope can. be sent within the limits of town delivery, the price of the postal card seems exorbitant. If they are to be a success they should be issued at one halfpenny each.—N. Z. Times.