The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 807, 12 November 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. TUESDAY , NOVEMBER 12, 1878.

Mr. J. Church, the local agent for Walter A. Wood's reaper and binder, has received a copy of the following cablegram : —"London, November !). —Binder : Highland Agricultural gold medal, Paris highest official." We are compelled to hold over our report of to-day's meeting of the Waitaki Road Board. As a sufficient number of members did not attend the meeting of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce called for to-day, the meeting was adjourned until Tuesday next.

We would remind members of the Oamaru Cricket Club that a general meeting, called by requisition for the purpose of amending or rescinding rule 4, relating to the election of members, will be held to-morrow evening, at 8 o'clock, at the Royal Hotel. The meeting is a very important one, and it is to be hoped that there will be a good attendance.

We omitted to mention in our notice of the Philharmonic Society's concert that Messrs. Ronayno and Cottrell kindly lent a splendid piano by Carl Ronisch, an instrument possessing a rich tone and fine action. A special meeting of the Waiareka Road Board is called for to-morrow, at 11 a.m. We would remind all interested that the polling in connection with the election of County Councillors takes place at the notiiied pol ing places to-morrow. So far there does not appear to be any great amount of excitement over tho contests, but the various candidates and their friends are working hard to secure their return ; more particularly is this noticeable in regard to tho Otepopo and Hampden ridings, in which the contests are likely to be very warm and close.

Captain AY". J. Barry had a fair attendance at his lecture in the Volunteer Hall lastevening, on "Fifty Years' Colonial Experience." The Mayor being absent from town, Mr. S. Gibbs was called upon to 211-e----side, and briefly introduced the lecturer. Itwould be impossible for us to give the faintest idea of the lecture, which dealt with hundreds of incidents in the life of the lecturer, the Captain commencing his discourse from the time of birth, and going through events interesting, startling, and ludicrous,

down to tho present day, spreading over a period of over fifty years. To sa}' that the lecture was original, both in matter and manner of delivery, is to apply to it a very mild term. It was something more ; it was the most amusing, mirth-provoking, and unique thing of the kind wc have ever listened to, and we claim to have heard some of the funniest discourses ever delivered—in this country, at any rate. While it contained much information and more matter for consideration, it was mostly composed of a relation of events and occurrences which few indeed of those who came to the colonies after civilization had taken a firm hold can hardly believe. Aided by an elastic memory, a vivid imagination, and a certain amount of Mark Twainism in telling funny little anecdotes, Captain Birry succeeded in delivering a lecture which fairly took his audience by storm, and wc venture to say that few who were present at the Volunteer Hall last evening regretted attending the lecture. During the course of his lecture. Captain Barry said that he obtained 5000 subscribers for his book, an outline of which was contained in his lecture. He also stated that he secured 50 in Oamaru, and after' the lecture invited those who were willing to subscribe to come forward, when about 50 move put their names down. If the work is anything like the lecture, it will certainly be a most interesting production.