The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 532, 15 January 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1878.

Every effort is being made to get together as strong a team as possible to play in the cricket match against the Australian Eleven, to take- place on Thursday next. The twenty-two will be chosen from the following players:—Xeilson, Everest, Spencer, G. Millington, .T. Millingtou, Nichols, F. Fenwick, G. Fenwick, Edwards, Booth, Walls, Lowe, Sumpter, Tempest, Borton, Du Pre, JlJanuet, Rice, M 'Donald, Taylor, DeLantonr, Kobinsoji, Atherton, Pickett, Maude, Corbett, and Ferens.

The adjourned monthly meeting of the Committee of the Horticultural Society was held last evening at Albion House. There were present —Messrs. Connell (President, in the chair), Stemson, Simpson, Kidd, Spratt, Paterson, Lemon, Jleywood, and Leigh (Hon. Secretary). It was decided that the members' subscription for the Autnmn Exhibition should be 55., the term to end in June, and that the Autnmn Exhibition be held on the 16th March. The Secretary was instructed to have 250 members' tickets printed. The President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Mr. Kidd were appointed canvassers for the autumn subscriptions. The Secretary stated that several successful exhibitors at the last show had intimated that they would take their prizes in money instead of medals, and Mr. Ireland had stated that he intended handing the amount of his prizes to the Benevolent Society. Mr. Jleywood proposed, and Mr. Simpson seconded. "That no exhibitor he allowed to make more than one entry in each >-!as> at the m.xt show." The motion, however, was not agreed to, it b.-ing pointed out that by adopting such a course ths number of exhibits would be greatly lessened, and the display curtailed. A vote of thanks to the Chairmau concluded the business.

As will be seen from an advertisement in *nother column, that Mr. Herbert Roberts, the champion handstrokc billiard player, and brother to the champion billiardi.-t, will give an exhibition of his powers at the Star and Garter billiard-room, on Thursday evenin"- next. Mr. Roberts has gained a worldwide fame for the marvellous precision with which he is able to play most difficult strokes with his fingers only, and for his fancy shots with the cue. To all who take an interest in billiards Mr. Roberts' exhibition should be of the greatest importance.

A .memo, from the Telegraph Department informs us that the Port Darwin line is interrupted north of the Daly Waters.

The monthly meeting of the Hospital Committee will be held this evening, at Mr. Church's office.

Says the Timaru Herald of yesterday : Mr. M'Laren, of St. Andrews, left at our office on Saturday a specimen of cowgrass at Bankfield, the stalk of which is over four feet in length. From the contributions of "Autolycus" in the Lender, we clip the following;—"A painful incident, but one that fortunately ended well, occurred at a suburban teameeting a short time since. A lady who 'gave a table,' resolving to have everything rery nice, not only provided the best of cakes, fruit, and other table delicacies, but was foolish enough to bring her own china and silver to make things look pretty. When tea was over she proceeded to collect her property, when she was horrified to find that six silver spoons wore missing. No one had left the table, so the theft must be discovered. Not knowing whom to suspect, she addressed her company with some asperity, mentioned her loss, and threw generally on them the responsibility of recovering her spoons. There was an awkward pause, each guest looked at the other with suspicions eyes, and every one felt exceedingly uncomfortable. At last a lady—the wife of a professional—was observed to blush, all eyes were turned on her; her blush deepened; and in the end she burst into tears. Of course there was no doubt of her guilt; and all that remained for her was t<> take tlie ill-gotten spoons from her pocket, apologise to the company, and go her way in peace. When all oi a sudden .the hostess cried oat, 'Really, I'm very sorry, but I remember now I put the spoons in this jug )' and there sure enon.h they were. But if they had not been found, nothing in the world would have convinced the company bat th»t the lady in tears was the consciencestricken thief/"'

"We clip the following from an exchange : " Very many of our readers will be glad to hear of the continued success of Miss Alice May, in England, who, in October last, had just completed a most satisfactory engagement at Leicester. To Mr. G. B. Allen (Mis 3 May's husband) we are indebted for the October number of the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, on the front page of which is an excellent likeness of Miss i Alice May. After giving a short account of I her professional cnreer in the Colonies, the Dramatic Ne?rs says :—' In consequence of the auvent of so remarkable a singer and ! actress combined, a number of gentlemen have formed themselves into a company fo' the purpose of introducing Miss May to a London audience in the most effectual way and Mr. W. S. Gilbert and Dr. Arthur Sullivan are now occupied in a comedy-opera to be produced at the Opera Comkme,in which she will have the honour of creating the principal part.'"

The jmirney between Mokau and the White Cliffs by the Coast is not an easy one. There is a point round which it is impossible to pass, excepr, at low tide, and then only by wading up to the middle in water. Travellers sometimes, however, prefer to climb the cliff, and let their horses go round the point on their own accord. This was the course pursued by Mr. J. Jones the other day, says #ie Taranald II raid ; but on getting to the other side of the point, and no horse arriving, he thought the animal must have turned back. He again scaled the cliff and returned to i he spot ou the other side, but found no signs of the horse. From the Maoris he learnt that there was a cave near the point, and that probably the horse had got sucked into it and drowned. Mr. Jones employed some of them to go in a boat and search for the body of the horse, so as to secure the saddle and bridle, A day or so after, a party went into the cave, and there they found the horse on a ledge of the rock, perfectly safe. At low tide the horse was led out, and it is now in town, not much the worse for its three days' fasting.

Tlie promoters of the Gazelle expedition to recover gold from the General Grant, sunken at the Auckland Islands, have profited by the scheme more than the shareholders. A company was formed, with a capital of L 2500, out of which the promoters received LIOOO for having made known the whereabouts of the wreck, and LSOO for the charter of the Gazelle, and about LSOO for outfit. The balance has yet to be called up. Tlie wr<-ck has not been found ; the whole thing has proved a failure, and the shareholders are greatly dissatisfied, At a hall lately given in Victoria by a certain great lady, the guests were arriving in shoals —clowns, harlequins, courtiers of every period, Hamlets, kings, queens, Juliets, flower girls, and red Indians, were all more or less jostling each other in the crowd, when a fine, tall, handsome man, clothed from head to foot in an Ulster, and considerably muffled up, walked into the entrance hall. One of the men servants at once showed him into the gentlemen's room, and proceeded to assist him in taking off his great coat, but what was Jits horror to find that—well, th:)t tlie mysterious visitor had very 1:11-'■ el"' him' on. I prop vto put it i:> that way. "(ioi.u grncions, sir '." 'ail ;!'.■

sir. ;it o:.e-. 1 ii'iphee y-:l. Von ,• -,' i ; : ;o up-stairs like ti-at," " Man." ]••■'.!■:.-1 (•'... mysterious guest. "1 am iv. cliaraerc-. and 1 insist on being shown to the Jiail-roo'ii Here id my carl or '" \es, sir," sa'd the unhai-py servant. " Vou may be in character, sir—in tlr? character of Adam, sir. but V"ii musn't leave this room. sir, till you have buttoned up your coat."' "Pampered menial,'' excl.dined the mysterious one: i( is not tin's a fancy dress hall?" "-\ tancy dre<s ball, yes. sir?" (C\ nsiderable empha-is on dres-.) "Was 1 not >-e- ---■ nie-ted to i-onie in character?" "You wa-. sir." " I ask you. am [ out in character?" "What eharae er sir?" '"Why in the character or' a foreign bondholdei —stripped of everything." "he master of the hon-e here appeared on the scene, and the madman was returned to lis friend-,