MISCELLANEOUS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 285, 22 March 1877, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

BRITISH VOLUNTEERS. The enrolled strength of tiie British Volunteer fores is now 185,501, an increase of 5,428 upon last year. The number of eUU-ieiits is 171,184, and risen from 83.10 to 93.30 per cent. FLO A>~D FHIIXS. The Aucldoud Star learns upon unquestioned authority that the servant maids of Auckland, although receiving good wages, rre tiie least provident of the working class*. s ; and occupy the lowest position on the list of savings hank depositors. This may be accounted for in two ways—short periods of service and love of dress. WHOLSSAXE VAG3AI>CY. Thirteen persons (nays the Argus of March G) were brought up in company at tiie City Police Court, on Saturday, charged with vagrancy. They had been arrested in a house in Leicester-street, Carlton, where, by their mode of life, they had become a nuisance to the neighbourhood. Ten of them were sentenced to six months' imprisonment each, two were remanded for further evidence as to character, and one, who was quite a hoy, was discharged on account of his not having been previously convicted. A CASS I'O-R COMPENSATION. A man named John Hunt has just been reltased from Daitmoor after being flogged and serving three 3'cars of a sentence of t n yeai\i' pjual sjrvic.ilj i*Ol a gu*oitj loVoeryof which it is nyw clearly proved lie was entirely innocent. It is, of course, out of the power of the Government to give back to John Hunt the three years of his life which have been worse thau lost to him, or to wipe from his memory the bitterness of that degrading castigation. He can njver be futly compensated for the moral ninny inrlic.ud upon him, and through him upon his relatives and friends ; I>ul in addition to this they must have sutiered a great pecuniary loss, and it is only a matter of c million honesty that t!uy should be recouped by an ample ■Parliamentary grant.

"OLD IN ED." The Fang'.tikei jidcccate tells tlie following iiKoi'-siin ; story about ;lii anc'eafc i'.orsj : A remarkable instance of equina liHig-.-vii}" has recently come under our notice. An old groy pony, 43 years ».f yclypt : O.d Incd, 1 well known in this distr.cf; had lately to be shot at Mr. Gov.xr .s farm, having broken his leg while gambolling with other horses in a paddock there. The pony was a real old colonist, having arrived in '4l or '42 in a vessel from Valparaiso, v.'iiic.i also brought over a number of uiuits. At that date ' Old jS r ea' was aged, having passed t:>afc period when the ago can be Told by examining the mouth. In Wellington, he became the property of Mr. Brandon, solicitor'. He was afterwards purchased by Baron Aizdorf, who was killed in the e.-ir fc iquake of January, IS-ii. lie was purchased by the kite Mr. tio'.ver in 1831, and brought to tnis district, where he has remained ever since. Tnere was no ttllihg to what age he might have lived but for the accident. He seemed good for another 20 years at least, being almost as playful and frisky as a four-yeai-old." WHAT ABOUT THOSE VOT3SI At a recent meeting in Wellington, as a candidate for election for the city seat, Mr. 'i'ravers prophesied t % ai he would have two votes tc Mr. Hutcheson's one. Mr. Hatches on nest night retaliated by repeating a story of a Canterbury election in win cm Mr. Travers figured. Mr. Travers, he said, was lucky, but he could not l.e.p remembering how boys, when they had a perilous jaunt, whistled to assume eonlidcijce; ami a very funny story occurred to him, too, which, as an evening sai l he v:as good at telling stories, he would relate. At one time, when there was a contest for the office of Superintend. Nt of Canterbury, there were three cancidiites —Messrs.. Moorhouse, Lance, and Traverse-and in the early part of the contest Mr. Travers announced that he had 600 pledged votes, which looked extremely -bad for poor Mr. Larnce, who thought he j had but a shady chance, while even Mr. Moornouse shook in his shoes. Well, the close of the poll showed that Mr. MoorLouse had 1,200 votes, Mr. Lance had some 600 or 700, and Mr. Travers had some 100 odd—(cheers and laughter)—ard the worst of it was that Mr. Travers had paid for cab hire for 200. (Laughter.) He did not relate this with any intention to annoy Mr. Travers, whom he mu3t say he greatly respected, and who had conducted the election witii the greatest courtesy ; and he hoped it would in future also be conducted free of all .personality.