The Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 549, 4 February 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1878.

Mails for United Kingdom, etc., vitl San Francisco, per City of New York, will close at Auckland at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the sth inst ; also, close for Sydney, per Rotorua, at noon on the same date.

A train, consisting of 120 sheep trucks, have been sent to the Waitaki station to convey sheep to Amberley for the Hon. Robert Campbell. Another train of similar size will be necessary-, as the number to be transported is 10,000.

At the Gaol this morning Drs. De Lautour and Garland examined a man named Jolin Crow, who was charged with being of unsound mind. He will probably be sent to Dnnedin. Mary Wilson was charged before T. W. Parker, Esq., Resident Magisfrate with having escaped from legal custody at Palmerston, and was remanded to that place. It appears that after escaping from gaol the woman obtained some male attire in which she dressed herself, carrying her own clothes in a bundle. Unfortunaely for her her " back hair " came down, which spoiled tiie disguise, and she was arrested at Hampden, by Constable Green.

The following are the names of the gentlemen elected as a School Committee for Ngapara *. —Messrs. T. Keid, J. Conlin, W . Jessep, H. W. Laurell, Henry Little, C. Jessep, and Edward Conlin.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, several charges for breaches of the Corporation Bye-laws were brought by Mr. Toms.

The North Otago Horticultural Society's Committee will meet this evening, at eight o'clock, at Albion House, to make arrangements for the autumn exhibition.

The monthly meeting of the Committee of the North Otago Benevolent Society will be held this evening at the Mechanics' Institute.

We remind those interested that the members of the St. Paul's Young Men's Association will resume their meetings to-night.

The North Otago Turf Club will meet this evening at the Empire Hotel, for the transaction of general business.

The parishioners of St. l.uke's will hold their annual parochial meeting this evening, at S o'clock, at the Waitaki Hall.

Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales. Queensland, and Tasmania have under cultivation, including the laying down of land for artificial grass, an extent of 3,450,000 acres, while New Zealand, this small colony, has 2,337,000 acres.

The relater of the subjoined anecdote is said to be the 44 inimitable Thatcher," 'who, a few years ago, "was giving concerts in this colony. The negro ministrel, Thatcher, the other evening told a ludicrous story to a big audience, and put a catch phrase into the month of Indianapolitans that has kept them laughing ever since. Two sailors, who had a parrot with them, went into a magician's show in an upper room in some foreign city. The three constituted the audience. After each feat of the magician's one of the sailors would remark, "That's pretty good; wonder what they'll do next."—-Finally one of the sailors asked permission to smoke, which the magician granted, forgetting that in the room beneath was stored an immensa quantity of gunpowder. The Jack tars and the parrot continued to enjoy the show, one sailor adding the pleasure of his pipe, and the other remarking after each ttick, 41 I hat's pretty good : wonder what they'll do next." A spark from the smoker's pipe chanced to drop through a crack in the floor into the powder, said something suddenly occurred. Sailors and magician, parrot ami all, " rose above party p«;j«>iice," and _ were ali blown everywhere, in yjiliion fragments, all except the potl-parrot. Ha landed, a heap of bruised ilesh and burnt reaifcers, in a potato patch, three miles away. He was utterly demoralized. It to.'k some moments to collect himself, and when he had partially done so, lie hopped litnpingly upou a fence-rail and remarked; —"That's pretty good; wonder what they'll d» next."