The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 473, 3 November 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1877.

Members of Parliament are almost struck dumb at the Governor's action in entrenching upon their rights and privileges. His conduct is now the sole topic of conversation, the waut-of-confidence motion having snnk into insignificance when compared with so flagrant a breach of Parliamentary practice. But a few hours ago. party feeling ran so high thao it appeared that nothing short of having it out in big field would restore Now, all are making common cause against his Excellency, who has placed himself somewhat in the position of a man who interferes between husband and wife. If the Imperial Government does not administer a severe reprimand to his .Excellency, we shall be greatly mistaken and surprised. He is supposed to be the embodiment of the greatness and goodness of British Government. So far as the former is concerned, he has brought himself to the dust, where, let ns be thankful, it is impossible to drag his position ; and with reference to the latt r, goodness dons not consist in partisanship. It is creditable to those politicians whom he sought to serve, that they view his conduct as erroneous and unjustifiable. It will lx j a little unpleasant for him who is supposed to hold the scales between parties to be scolded like a child by the representatives of the people, upon whom he looks down from his lofty position, and admonished to do better in future.

Mr. Can uthers reaps the reward of liu exceeding cleverness. Ha is Engineer-in - Chief of the Colony, and as he occupies so high a position he is presumed to excel in hid profession and his a lvic-i is— or, r.dher, has been—courted on all h.uids. Not many months since, the Christchurchians recpie ted him to concert a system of drainage for the r city. He did this, but it was. after very considerable discussion, set asuls, as it was deemed that it would not only be ineffectual. but that it would pol.ute the streams that run through and close by the city, and which are at pie-senr. b>th ornamental and u-eful. The Engineer-in-dief has just sent in Jus lir.-.le bill, which amounts to L 1750. Well, the Oh isteluuvh Drainage Board hav\; sundry picture-; and someiiuere-ting reading for their money. Tney might h-ive ha t something more had they jioc despi-ed the unrenowned engineering genius < f their own city. We could have supplied them with engineering skill from liit.e Oamaru at less cost.

The match played by the Oamaru Ciicket Club this afternoon was last season's eleven against the next eighteen. The eleven went infir.-tto the bowling of G. Fen wick and Bennett, and had scored 30 for the loss of four wickets when our reporter len the ground. We are pleased to learn that the Athletic Club is progressing very favourably. Upwards of 20 members are preparing for the grand field-day to take place shortly under the auspices of the Club. Every facility is being offered to those who desire to compete on that occasion, as the gymnasium will be readj' early next week. It will be seen by reference to an advertisement iu another column that arrangements have been completed for re-com-inencing fi ing at the Head quart rs Range, and that from Monday next Volunteers will I e allowed that privilege. There are, however, certain rues to tie observed, to which we would draw their attention.

The Volunteers of Hampden are drilling nvst assiduously. On Wednesday evening last the attendance at drill w;.s larger than usual, there being the Captain, Lieutenant, 3 Sergeants, and 26 men present, in addition to Adjutant M'Ken.de and SergeantMajor M'Phersoa. The company have their arms and tested their skill, by thing with blank cartridge, and shewed considerable adroitness by the manner in which they performed various military evolutions, such as skirmishing, &c. Arrangements have been completed for the 9lh of this mouth, 100 yards of cloth having been ordered for the 1.1 ampden company, who, in the scrimmage that is expected" to "take place on that liever-to-be-

forgotten day, may be subjected to some rear jokes which would necessitate patching. The Utepopo company, under the command of Captain Diehl, have set their houses in order and bid adieux to all earthly ties. It is thought that they will not be easily beaten, "as they have kept a high polish on their weapons and their powder dry. They numbered at parade 2 officers 3 ts, 21 men, and the Instriicoi\ The men seemed perfectly resigned, and, under the distres-ing circ unst-anc; s are well up in spirits. The excitement is growing tremendous and the universal query i-*, "What will be the upshot ?" We could not fr,r the world for tell. Tenders for the formation of Aln-street, from Eden to Ouse streets, are being invited by the Municipal Council. The railway author ties notify in another column that; sinule fares will hi ch rged from the Goh to ihe 9ch instant (inolusLe), in order to enable- persons to be present at the Christchmvh Show and Races ; but tickets issued at single fare* will only be available for the day on which they are i-siied, whilst tickets issued at ordinary fares will be available from the sth to the lOfch, but they must be re-dated for the return journey.

In another column it is announced that a Bazaar will take place in the Volunteer Hall, in aid of the Wesleyan Parsonage Fund, on ihur>day. Fiiday, ami Saturday, November 15, "\Q, and'l7. It is requested that those who have promised c mtributions of any kind in aid will forward them to the stall holders without delay. Mr. Lane will fladly receive contributions for the produce stall.

It is tone that some change was made in the system of examining teachers and scholars of the public schools. The present tests of iho eflieiency of teachers are evidently faults and the system of examining scholars which should prove a tell-tale of the elticiency or otherwise of tearhers, is just as bad. A teacher may be stuffed with all kinds of learning, but he may not have the facility of imparting his knowledge to those intrusted to him. Our experience teaches us that the second qualification is as lucv.ssary as the first, and, this being the case, a teacher should be questioned as to the system of teaching he favours. If such system is not in consonance with reason, he should either be instructed to drop his notions and adopt other, or be di>-char-ed to make room for a better man. It teachers were subjected to such an ordeal the following flagrant instance of iirnorane ■ of the common rules oi school instruction would never have occurred: The Uev. Mi. Bett, a member of the Tapanui School Committee, at a meeting of that body, said : ' He would refer to one more of the subject* not taught in the -chool geography, lie had the best authority for stating this branch had not been taught for ahngthof time. His own boys had only received two le.ss.ns since February, lie would mention one thing in connection with the master's teaching of geography. It would perhaps make ihoin langh,"bufc it had a >enous as well as a ludicrous side. 'J hroe boys were made to represent Turkey, Italy, and the Adriatic. The boy representing Turkey (a turkey cock) gabbled. Italy danced about, and the Adriatic moved up and down.—(Loud kuiehtr.} It that was the way geography was taught in school, he did not want his boys to learn geography."

A mystery solved ! A paragraph a;q eared in our last isMie, clipped from a Southern journal, lieaded, '-Bather ghastly!" in which it was stated that two gentlemen, while stro ling along the Invercargill beach, unexpectedly came across a roughly-fashioned coiiin, containing the. half-d.ea.ycd remain* of a man. The gentlemen at oncj communicated the horrible to the local aii horities, who had the '-offering from the dep" conveyed to town, where an inquest was directed ro be held up -n it. A gentleman in inf >rm.-i us that when the -hip Lady Luthven, of which he was a passeiuer. v. a-; witnin a few days' reach of l'.,rt Chalmers, iu July last, one of the saloon passengers died, and it being thought the ves-el would sho: t'y arrive iu port, it was determined to construct a collin and bury the deceased on shore. The wi id, however, ch mged, and the ship wis ea Tied to sea, and it was then deemed advisaUe to con-igu the body to th •. d :ep in the ortho.l >x manner. This wis done, butin-teid of sewing the b >dy up in canvas, two augur-h-des were bored in the sides of the collin, and it was then sent adiiifc. There can ha dlv he any doubt that this was the identical coiiin found oil the love eargill beach. The deceased gentleman was I ictit. George Neville, a rela f ive of Bishop Neville, or I'unedin, to whom ho was about to pay a visit.—Av/iburton Mail.