The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 533, 16 January 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1878.

Mr. Robert Thompson, Collector of Customs, lias kindly placed at our disposal the following telegraphic message received by him to-day:—"Hampden, January 16. Ketch Huou Belle came ashore at Moeraki at 11 o'clock this morning. Blowing a gale. 135 bales of wool from Kakauui. All damaged. Came ashore at high water, and smashed one of the piles of the viaduct. The vessel will become a wreck.—Thomas F. Lidim.e, Harbour Master.

We are not au'.ire whether or not the Municipal Council has made any bye-law for the punishment of drivers of vehicles passing out of the many right-of-wa3'S in the town at other than a walking pace. But of one thing we are perfect'}* certain, that if there is any such bye-law it is more honoured in the breath than in the observance. Day after day drivers of all manner of veliiol&s pass out of these narrow right-of-wavs across footpaths at full trot, to the danger of pedestrians. Only yesterday we witnessed a eiwfl in Tyne-street wherein a well-known resident had a vary narrow escape of being knocked down and run over by a milkman's cart, which came out of a right-of-way near the Colonial Bank at a very quick pace. Not the slightest heed was paid to the matter by the driver, and not a word of apology did he utter. He seemed perfectly oblivious of the fact that he narrowly escaped seriousjy injuring, if not killing, a peaceful citizen ; but drove on merrily to the crack of his whip and the rattling of his milk-cans as if nothing had happened, end as though the loss of a life was of not the slightest consequence. It is just about time that such careless individuals were taught to act in a different manner; and if there is no dealing with such offenders against the public weal the sooner a chare is made the better, If there is a bye-law on the subject let it be rigorously enforced, and our footpaths made safe for pedestrians to pass along. Mails for the United Kingdom aud the Australian colonies, per Arawata, close at the Bluft'at II a.m. to-morrow.

It will be seen by advertisement that the gentlemen chosen as the team to play against the Australians to-morri.w, are requested to meet for practice on the cricket ground at half past six sharp this evening. ■ Three drunkards made their fust appearance at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before G. Sumpter, p:sq., J. P. Each of the offenders pleaded guilty to the soft impeachment. George Sebright, having been noisy and insulting in addition to being drunk, was fined lOs. The others, Robert Hellyer and John Samuel Smith, were eacli discharged with a caution. We learn by a private telegram that the Australian cricketers will arrive in Oaniitrn by the G. 24 p.m. train from Moeraki, having cho3en the overland route in preference to coming by the Samson to-morrow morning. They will, we believe, be received by a nnmber of the Oamaru cricketers «t the Railway Station, and a large number of people will doubtless be present to get an early glimpse at the representatives of Australia in the cricket field—the men who are about to perform the lengthy journey to England for the purpose of trying conclusions with the cricketers of the Mother Country. The match between t)>e Australian Eleven and twenty-two of Oamaru will commence at 10 o clock to-morrow morning, and should the weather prove favourable there will no doubt be a large concourse of people on the new cricket ground to witness the match. Such an event as the visit ot au Australian Eleven to Oamaru is one of which we may justly feel proud, and is one calculated to do much good to the cause of cricket, as our players will be afforded opportunities of gaining an amount of knowledge of the game which, nnde? less favourable circumstances, it would take them years of patient practice to acquire. It is therefore to be hoped that the business people of the town will lend their aid to make the affair successful by closing their establishments and affording their employti an opportunity of witnessing the match. The expense of bringing the Eleven to Oamaru is very great, aud the promoter* depend to Q. considerable extept on the patronage of the public to make up the amount. It would be an exceedingly hard case if those who have been instrumental in obtaining a visit from the Australians were to find themselves in the end called upon to put their hands in their pockets to pay for the amusement they have been the means of securing jo t)>a town and district. In order to give people in the- country au opportunity of visiting Oamaru on the jd»y of *h e niatch at a moderate the Railway Department has decided to grant return tickets single fares, available for the day following tii£ match. The final selection of the Oamaru team has uot been made. So far as has yet been, decided, the following will be the

twenty-two, but one or two alterations may be made: —G. Millington, J. Millington, F. Fenwick, Gr. Fenwick, Nichols, I>e Lautour, M'Donald, Lowe, Sumpter, Edwards, Rice, Tempest, Booth, "Walls, Pickett, Robinson, Atherton, Taylor, Bennett, Everest, Neilson, and Maude ; emergency man, Ferens. The umpire has not yefc been chosen, Mr. J. Hanly, who was asked to undertake the post, having declined in consequence of being otherwise engaged. The action of the Committee appointed to select the crikcters to play in the match at Christchurch against the Australian Eleven in deciding to try conclusions with the Australians with liftecn men only, is being pretty severely criticised, and very rightly ho. Although the Canterbury cricketers are undoubtedly the cricketers of the Colony, they will not, we fear, be found capable of beating the Australian Eleven with only fifteen players. They failed with eighteen to defeat the English Eleven last year, and why it should have been decided to have fifteen only against the picked men of Australia is a puzzle, for in batting the Australians are acknowledged to be superior to the English team. To say the least of it the proposal of the Canterbury men bears the appearance of being a piece of conceit not altogether called for. With eighteen men in the field they might have been able to counteract the eflccts of the Australians batting power. This, added to the fact that the Canterbury men have lost one of their best bowlers, with the prospect of the " bowler of the Colony ' being unable to play, the hope of the Australians receiving one defeat in the Colony vanishes.

The Tribune says that Mr. Hill, a gentleman who built the first house in \A annate, is now on a visit to this town, having lately arrived from England.

"We (Press) are informed, on apparently good authority, that, on a station in the southern part of Canterbury, the weight of wool obtained in the shearing of K.QOU merino sheep was. equal to an average of 91b, per fleece.

This morning's Timaru Herald has the following :—" The late rains haye caused a very great improvement in the late orops all over the Waimate district. The oats which, in many places, looked so bad up to the beginning of this month, promise a fair return. In the Otaio portion of the County, Mr. W. Allan, and Messrs. Fleming and Hedley will commence reaping their wheat about the 17th or ISth inst. The wheat crop in general throughout the district is likely to be a good one." During the Cpimean war, a Turk, while at his noon prayeri one day, was kicked and told to get out of the way by an Englisii soldier. He paid no attention to the insult until his prayer was finished, when he offered to fight the Englishman, Johnny Bull, thinking he had a soft Turk, "squared" himself, but received a most severe thumping ; and, as he cried, '' Hold euoiK'h " you can imagine the consternation when the victorious worshipper exclaimed, " Now, nixt time vees insult a Turk, be sijre he's not from Kilkenny 1' The Hon. A. Micliie, the Victorian AgentGeneral (vs the Jl<uu■ ' has never been credited with any especial interest in the blood-stained enigma called the Kastcni Question. Mr. ''F.-'iic is usually known, nut as a rival of that prince <>i ic-tt T-wrilers and pHt.;.ird iml : te--s. Mr. Gladstone. but as the >-;u,:>d:>m leader of ii-e liar ill the Colon y of Victoria. The X<-\v /.ealan i Jlmo'd. however, of July :>l. contained an extraordinary telegram which lias created good-natured laughter in London. Under date, Bombay, July 30, 12.S p.m., the astonished inhabitants ot Xew Zealand were informed that

•'Micliie (?) visits Vienna on Turkey's behalf." Need it lie said that " Micliie " was not the respected Agent-General for Victoria. but the übiquitous and rather fussy Ottoman ex-Vizier Mid'nat I'lisha |