The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 22, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 494, 28 November 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 22, 1877.

The continued fine weather, although very pleasant to .the majority of people, is far from being Satisfactory to those engaged in agricultural pursuits, who are likely to suffer couside ably" through the absence of any rain. We are informed by a gentleman who has lately .travelled over a large amount of country devoted to agriculture, that the crops are "suffering very much through the continued dryness of the weather. In many places the wlieafc crops have been almost entirely .mined, especially those sown in tin ! atter "part- of th- season, though'.some of those sown early in the"-'season, are progressing favourably, and.a'* likely to yield very fairly. Altogether, however, there will lie a great falling off in the supply of wlieat, and high prices will. probably rule for this c:ass of cereals.

It will be observed by. our Parliamentary telegrams that the Legislative Council has thrown out the Kakanui. Harbor Board Bill, the lion. Mr.'Millar having been its most •vigorous opponent. Tlic monthly competition of the members of the Korfch Otago Itifle Association will take place on" Saturday next, the ranges being 200' and 500 yards, seven shots at each, any position, and Wellington targets. Squads will fire at 5.30 a.m. and 3 p.m.; entiies will close at the Drill-shed at 8 p.m. on Friday. We understand that Mr. A- Paterson's thoroughbred mare Maid of the Mill dropped a fine colt foal yesterday to Perfco.be.

An impudent robbery, occurred a few days since, the particulars of winch have oiuy just reached us. It seems that a man, whose name has not transpired, was-driving ahorse and 'cart along the North-road, and when near the Boundary Creek, stopped the horse for the purpose of tightening a rope which secured a load of chaff that he had on the cart. While in the act of doing so. he slipped and fell heavily to the; gr..ui*l, inflicting a severe wound on his head, and becoming completely stunned. He lay there for some time in a state of insensibility. A good Samaritan of a decidedly negative character, coming along the road shortly after the accident, quietly eased the helpless man of his watch and- loose coin, and made off with the booty. On the - unconscious victim coming to his senses, he. missed bis watch and money, and gave information to the police. ■;' The watch was afterwards sold to. another man, from whom it has been obtained by the police, whr are in search of the perpetrator of the robbery. Friday next being St Andrew's Day, the various banks wilt be. closed. .- . " Ahti-Suicidali.;t," whose letter" appears elsewhere, calls?attention to the great risk persons whose business takes them to the Volunteer Hall' after dark run of meeting with an->ccident,;Owing,.tono i light being placed near the works now being carried on for the improvement-,of that. . portion of Steward-street: Surely tbe contractor for the work should at least be called upon to provide for the safety of those who are compelled to pass over the present unfinished work of improvement.

Tt e sports to be held under the auspices of the Waitaki Athletic Ciub on Friday next (St. Andrew's Day), promise" to be highly successful. -Tlie-(iround.Committee, Dr. DeLatour, Messrs. F. Fen wick, G. S. Lintott, J. Bennett, and J. Walls, have been . indefatigable in .their efforts to get i he ground (the new cricket ground) into a state-of preparedness for, the event, and have succeeded so far in doing so very satisfactorily. As will be. seen below, a large number of entries have bc-en received for the different events, and some' good sport may be anticipated. Thenumber of'entries are as follow :—lst, 100 Yards Flab-Race,. 13 ; Putting the Stone, 4%-Half-Mile Race, 8; Running High Jump, if; 2!io Yards Race, H ; One Stile Race, 7 ; Pole Jump; (5 '-"Quarter of 'a 'Mile Race, 10 ; Throwing Cricket Ball, 7 ; Hurdle Race, 10; Running Long Jump, 6; . One Mile Walking • Match, 7'-) Ste'eplechase, 10. Kor the Veterans' Race;-post entries Svill be accepted." "We""are'requested to state that all traiiis wilt stop opposite the ground both ways, and visitors. will therefore have no difficulty in'fiiidnig conveyance to and from the Bports,

[ The adjourned annual meeting of the j North < tago wiltj.be held j | tS j J|i in Stfceiidanfee:' fefr: ;V-V<- ■;; :sThe annual rt>eetiiig of Coniity Council j wriiah should hatfe been held j.o d;ty" : did n«t£ i ev' ; n:'uatej ito shifi? ; client tu'einhers "jiryseufc 'fci.-fb-.m-<a'fpioru ni, ( i .The nit-eting «-a» there ore ordered to stand j adj airnttd'uuul Wednesday n x >.

in connection wbh the sports fr» l><; heltl-uiaW tiie auspices of the Waitaki Athloii Ciu ! » mi Friday next, w<-re su'>miti.i?ii to pubi'c oompetitio'i by-Mi'. A H.-Maudtn Tne- rofdi-ed we-e—Th« boo. n, io; ..ga&is, 122; crd . \A ss. Mr: W. M«vtla il va< the pu.'chtt er of tlie wiii.le oi th ! ptivil-^g-^. \\ T e would take the oppft-tuni y _<>f re niin-iing Oi'r-rea'-ers that Count Me Z;d);t's Jectui-K -n "The Hi t-'-ry of Pn an I " \v> 1 Iks di:ii\ereil this evening, uc fciie Maso.iic Mali. The proceeds a'e t<> b-.- e(pia l.v d vjdt-d b--t ween the hospital and B ntv-lfn . >oe:ety. .Setting a id- <le-erv:nj< nature ot ti.e obji.ups for whiuu fyt ieyfc(ir fi i?» lju glv«" ; Count lie 2ftba is deserving _of a large audience for the kindly manner in which he has come forward on behalf 0 f the gauge of charity. Besides this, he is a thoroughly entertaining lecturer, and his subject is one which should find many admirers in every free country.

Another Volunteer Company is, it appears, being formed in the disrict, This time the moving spirits in the matter are res: dents r in and around the townships of Eeidston and Maheno. The Major commanding the district has we believe received an offer from 35 residents in those portions of the country to enrol themselves as a Volunteer Coinpauy, to have its headquarters at Iteidston. Whether or not these Outbursts pf military ardour are tlie outgoina of the great success which attended the recent military display and sham flight at Hampden we cannot say ; but if they are, the promoters of the affair are to he compU* merited on having again aroused some enthusiasm in volunteering. The Thames Advertiser considers the telegrams from native chiefs to the Government simply " hypocritical longings for the loaves and Hshe3 of the Native Department, by means of which' a horde of land parasites have been supported for years pas>t- A policy of firmness, and not flatten', js the only safe-guard for the future." The Advertiser notes the gradual but sure concentration of the Maoris in the King country, and adds trr-" We feel more than ever the necessity there is on. the part of the settlers to fear the department ' and keep their powder drv,' for recent" events aiid conespondence between the King country and the Thames point to trouble in the distance. Depi nd upon it, the struggle, when it does come, wilt be ' short, sharp, and decisive.'" One day lately, in Taraimki, as the members of a local board were discussing tho grave matters of the Pro\ iuce, there was a hud rap at the door. " Come in," cried the chairman. 'I lie door was opened, and a policeman entered the room, and, and fixing his eyes on the president of the assembly, muttered significantly, "I'll see- you again," and retired. The chairman looked awkward, and the members smiled.

The Sydney Evening News of the 13th instant contains the following sensation.il telegram from Melbourne : —''lt is rumored here that the boy who rode Waxy in the Melbourne (Jup and was injured by a fail in that nice i* dead, and that before expiring he made a dying confession that he was promised hy some of the leading'bookmakers LIOOO down and L2 per week for life to prevent Savanaka from ■winning the- race. The matter is being inquired into." If this be true, the boy carried out his purpose only too well, though Savana'-:a lost the race by but half a head; but the story lacks confirmation.

The Christchurch Press of the ?4th hist, says : —A very sad accident occurred yesterday on the recently-formed line near the Colombo ivad crossing, which resulted in the death of James Hoddiuott. one of the railway emploj es. About ten minutes past 1 o'clock, Hod'iiuott, who was one of the horse-drivers oh the line, was removing a tiuck on the Addipgton side of the Colombo road gates, and -while the truck was in motion he put his left foot on the brake, and was in the act of drawing the other up when his foot slipped and he fell across the rails, the forewheels of the truck, which was empty,'passing-ever ■ his loins. The unfortunate man tried to drag his body away, but as the truck was in motion he did not succeed in clearing the rails before the waggon wheel passed over his shins. He then wriggled off the line, and was at once picked up by a fellow-workman named M'Neill, who, though ohiy two chains away at the time, and an observer of tin; accident, was unable to reach him in time. Assistance was soon at haiid, and the poor fellow, who was in great agony, was removed to the Hospital, where he died at 2 p.m. It is sad to have to add that deceased leaves a widow and seven or eight children. He was a man of very temperate habits, and was perfectly sober at the time of the accident.

A -working miner out of employment applied to a certain ' mining company at Eag'ehawk, Victoria, lately to be allowed to work a certain heap of mulloch on their claim, which was eventually sold to him for a small s»m, the directors laughing in their sleeves at the absurdity of a man buying what was considered to be a heap of useless rubbish. The sequel, however (remarks the Bendiyo Advertiser), proved that he kiiew what lie was about> as shortly afterwards he sent seven loads of the mulioch to be crushed, which gave the magnificent yield of 23' z. of retorted gold. It should be mentioned that the miner was formerly employed at the claim in question, and the extraordinary success of...his operations has naturally excitid some comment, as mulloch does not g-nerally give such returns. The Melbourne correspondent of a Sandhurst paper relates tie following sonuwvhat remarkable story :—:" Sonic little excitenie.ii't has' been- created in the principal thoroughfares of the city by the eccentricities of a rJerman, named Adolph Sunder, who, attir< d in;a suit of clothes made out of old newspapers, lias been engaged in selling a pamphlet descriptive of a singular wager which he professes to have made with a 'newchiim.' If "the statements contained in the pamphlet are to be believed, the bet arose out of a conversation in which the

'new chum'ran down the colony .als'a place •in which it was almost iiubo^siGliS'-tor an r&sn.cjftjiban W. H&ke a li\Hii^i! ; otrthe m iii doings-', and oIF ring •t» bet ; Lso that hj» would start with a capital of •«nly>l<)s. jjil., pldclie himself oat of tli.it Jsum, ;a'od inake..;bsp within thirty day*.., ■ po.-ited, anil -anVbr at one- proceeded to procure tliH paper cust'inie i.i which lie has exhibbed himself to day, the total cast «»f which was Os. 7id. His tirst M>p t-.wards c-ea ing the \ s<>, whit h he has undevtakuM to m.ke in thbty d.iys, is th- stie of <he ahovo-tiii'iiticite I pamphlet, in winch he details theei cunistatiees of this curious wauer, :ind the d-dica'i"ti of w li h reads a t" l!ows : We!) ! I-intended to d-dicnv- my b ok to al th . h.»n"'al)le in m'ers of l'arhaneri!. Kui. a trie d of mine hays ha ".'a as good a-' ile lica iig it to u..bodv at ail. I wond-r if h .• means that tiny are all h n >rai-le—he en-s't pos i'-lx mean the •>ther ill l.~hoitid CiiinU. r-o I"11 ju-c leave, the * lfiioral>!e" »i.t altogether a.iyl \l' d cue j.. to <• member* of l J ;'di_iVVU'»t" alone, 1 iho author of this production has had a crowd round hi in du-ing die whole day, and the sale of his pamphlets 1 has be-n sp rapid that he .appears to be in a fair way of winning his LSO. The Pope, it is said, has definitely resolved to restore the Uoman hierarchy in Scotland. Cardinal Manning wiU shortly go to Home on a in.is.siou iu that connexion. The following record of a painful accident from treading on a match is from a Sydney exchange :~*-A very strange, though painful, accident occurred in Ciessy-street, Deniliquin. It appears that Mr. Cowley, a publican at North Denibqiiin, was walking with his wife, and when near the Bank of New South Wales, the.latier plac d hex foot upon a lucifer match lying on the side-walk, which instantly ignited and set iire to Mrs. Cowley's dress. A rather strong wind was blowing at the time, and the dress being of a light material, the unfortunate lady was almost instantly enveloped in flames. Mr. Oovvloy took off his a at, and endeavored to beat out the flames with it, although unsuccessfully. Mr. Watson, of the Tost Oih" e Stores, observed the occurrence, and having procured his great coat, ran to the lady's assistance, and, by folding the coat around her, extinguished the lire. Mrs. Cowley was very severely burned about the buAy, and. serious consequences are anticipated.