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Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 397, 6 August 1877, Page 2

We have been ioTormed that the Insurance Companies have amicably settled matters with the owners of the Wi.liam Gifford. MaiJs for Australia per Pungarooma close at the Bluff at 11 a.m. to-morrow. The Dunedin football team, which has now sLarted on a tour through the Colony, were, passengers to Oamaru by the Samson yesterday, and proceeded to Christenurch by train this morning. The team is a splendid one, and the players should give a good account of themseives throughout their trip. They commence operations at Christchurch on Wednesday, and after playing the foot- • bailers of that place they proceed north, playing at all the principal towns. We understand that on their return trip they will most probably play a match with the Oamaru Club.

We understand that instructions have been given to the whole of the occupiers of tents on the beach- to at once remove their temporary domiciles. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, this morning, the following fines were inflicted for allowing horses to wander at large : B. Battersby, 2s 6d ; J. C. Black, 2s 6d; J. Reid, 4s ; J. Haggie, 2s 6d.

A special meeting of the Muuicidal Council was held to-day, at the Council Chambers, when there was present—Councillors Headland (in the chair), Mainland, Booth, Procter, Spence, and Familton. A telegram was read from his Worship the Mayor with reference to widening the street at Spence and Bee's corner, stating that there was no probability of the Government agreeing to the amount of compensation asked by Messrs. J. C. Gilchrist and J. Spence, but that it would no doubt be willing to make some arrangements for widening the street. Some discussion took place upon the matter, and it was eventu dly resolved to leave the matter in the hands of the Mayor to arrange with the Government in the best way possible, but the Council not to be put to any expense. A telegram was also read statiug that the Government would not consent to the setting abide of the block of land selected by the Council as an endowment under the Municipal Corporations Act, IS7G, and suggesting that the Council should endeavor to obtain another block. After some discussion, the Council determined that the Government shoidd be asked to g;ant another block of laud then selected. It was resolved that section 5, block 2,5, should be asked to be added to sections (j and 7, for the market reserve. The plans for the now gaol site, as prepared by the Engineer, were submitted, approved of, and a tracing ordered to be forwarded to Wellington.

On Saturday afternoon a match was played be bween the old and new members of the Football Ciub. The old members, who were captained by Walls, proved far too good for their opponents, wiimiug the match quite easily. Some very good play was shown on both sides, many of the members being in excellent form. The old members scored a goal (kicked by Walls) and a number of touch-downs to their ojjponents' three touchdowns. We believe that the members are going in pretty well for practice, preparatory to the match against Timaru, which is to be played on the ISth inst. In this match the Oamaru team will be chosen from the fo.lowing : Thomson, \ Chancellor, Ferens, Booth, Walls, Caverhill, Snodgrass, Holdsworth, Bennett, Otterson, Finch, Wait, M'<Jlashan, liiee, Burnett, Tempest, liickey, Grenfell, Honour, and Hardy.

A meeting of the Committee of the North Otago Horticultural Society will be held at Albion House this evening, at S o'clock. The monthly meeting of the Committee of the Benevolent Socieoy will be heid this evening at 7 o'clock, at Mr. Church's office. Poor Mr. H. S. Fish, jun., has been greatly maligned by some unknown person, who has actually succeeded in making that astute individual grow wrath and become liberal. As most of our readers are awure, Mr. Fish has for many years been a member of the Dunedin City Council; in fact, he has for some ten years or more occupied either the po.-ition of Mayor or City Councillor almost continuously, the only interval being at the time that a proposition was before the Council having for its object the widening of Princes-street for the special benefit of himself and others, when his modesty, small though his stock of that comodity was and is, got the better of him, and he retired from the Council for a short time. Mr. Tush was a candidate for the representation of a ward at the late election, at which party feeling ran pretty high, in consequenee of the extraordinary conduct of Mr. Fish in the Council in regard to several matters. Some unknown person wrote and posted certain placards reflecting on Mr. Fish's moral character, which let it be said is of th.' highest—oh, yes, the very highestclass, so high, in fact, that very few respectable persons ever hope—or wish—to attain to such a pitch of perfection. What these placards said we do not know; but we do know that they were even too bad to by passed over lightly even by Mr. Fish, who has hitherto proved himself impervious to shame. They were so bad as to induce Mr. Fish to become generous and offer a reward of L2O for the conviction of the offender. Those placaads must have been very naughty indeed to have induced Mr. Fish to go to so much trouble and expense in order to attempt to uphold his good name an uublemished character. Mr. Fish has been hit by many hard bullets before now, but they have taken no more offect upon him than they would have done upon the hide of a rhinoscerous.

By a proclamation in the Gazette we notice that-Thursday, 16th instant, has been appointed the day upon .which elections shall take place for those subdivision of the Waiareka and Kakanui Road Boards which failed to return, members at the late elections.' The "places where the elections are-to take place are as follows : —Windsor Subdivision (Waiareka Road Board), Mr. Baiuforth's residence; Lambourne Subdivision (Kakanui Eoad Board), the Medora Hotel.

A statement of the business done in the Post Office Savings Bank for the quarter ending July 30, has just been published. From this we gather that the deposits on that date numbered 15,443, and the amount of morey on deposit L179.22S os 7d, against 14,714 deposits, amounting to L170,49S Ss lid, for the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The amount of money withdrawn during the June quarter of this year was L 170,142 7s 7d, showing an excess of deposits over withdrawals of L 4,085 18s. An acre of land in Masterton, Wellington, purchased six months ago for LJOO, has been re-sold in seven allotments for L 2151. Fifty pounds has been voted by the Hokitika Borough Council to defray the expenses of the Mayor in attending the Municipal Conference at Wellington. It was stated at the meeting of the Waste Lands Board on last week that over LGOOO arrears of rent was due on depasturing licenses. It was left to the Chief Commissioner to take steps to recover the amounts. The Timaru Herald says :—A gentleman residing at the Otaio informs us that he observed two water-spouts about five miles from the shore on Friday afternoon. They continued for about 10 minutes and then disappeared.

A man named Walter Iteid has been frozen to death in the Ahaura Lock-up, where he had been taken on a charge of drunkenness. The Eeefton Herald says lie was without blankets all through that terrible winter night, and, unless rumour exasperates, the corpse was frozen to the iloor.

The Timaru Herald says:—"lt having been found that the St. Kilda is quite unable to carry all the cargo offering between Timaru and Oamu.-u and Northern ports, another steamer, the Wallabi, is about to be laid on the trade."

They do nob seem to be benefiting much by their expensive harbour works at Napier, if we may judge from the following statement telegraphed to the Dunedin Star : •' Eecent gales have shown that the harbour works are likely to do more harm than good. Another bar is being formed farther out, and at low water to-day it appeared to be nearly dry. The Kiwi has been lying hoveto in the bay for the last two days." Mr. W. Woodland has already signified his intention of once more contesting for the Mayoralty of Dunedin. When returning thauks lately for being elected at the head of the poll as a City Councillor, he said he would again be a candidate for the position of Mayor, at the next election, which will take place three months hence, in consequence of the Council having adopted the new Municipal Corporations Act.

The libel case now being heard by a special commission appointed by the Supreme Court at Napier against the Waka Maori newspaper seems to be peculiar in more ways than has been already stated. We learn that there is great consternation among the officials at rumours of the evidence leaking out. The solicitors engaged, it is said, were threatened with proceedings for contempt of Court for allowing the evidence to be talked of outside the Court. As it is, the Government have allowed the substance of important correspondence to be telegraphed to Auckland at newspaper evening rates. This is just in keeping with the general conduct of the Government. Backed up by a majority in the House of Representatives composed of miserable tools, they perpetrate with impunity the most gross outrages upon decency and common honesty conceivable. However, a day of reckoning will come, and, if we mistake not, that day is not so far distant as some imag : ne. At a coroner's inquest held recently at Ilfraeombe a remarkable story was told, A seaman was put in confinement for violence towards Mr. Carr, his captain. On regaining his liberty, he rushed at another seaman, and stabbed him fatally. Carr caused the man to again be secured and landed. Going on shore and making a deposition of the affray so affected Captain Carr, that he was seized with fits, from which he died within an hour. Thomas Jones, seaman, who had been nursing the captain, was seized with sickness, and died the same day.

' "Atticus" tells the following amusing story in the Leader .-—When clothes are precisely alike and faces very nearly so, misstakes are likely to occur. On a festive occasion in this city, a gentleman thinking he saw a friend, a well-known auctioneer, slapped him on the back, and made a jocose inquiry after his health. The other turned round and said, " I think you are mistaken ; l am ." « Oh, I beg your Excellency's pardon; I really thought you were Mr. G." Half an hour after the same unlucky gentleman came, as he thought, face to face with his friend, and this time he poked him in the ribs. "Such a joke, G ," said he; "I've just slapped the Governor on the back, taking him for you !" "And now you've poked him in the ribs under the same misapprehension," replied his Excellency. For fear of any further mistakes, the unfortunate gentleman went home.