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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1086, 11 October 1879, Page 2

Opinions have been expressed that would lead to the impression that Colonial loans were now being viewed with some disfavor in London ; but, seeing that our cablegrams announce that double the amount of the Taaimntan loan has lieen subscribed at 100 to there is not yet much cause to tear that the confidence of the English money lender in the colonies! has suffered any diminution. We this afternoon had the pleasure of inspecting; a number of prizes to be awarded to successful competitors by the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association show. They are exceedingly handsome, and consist of the following articles: — For thirongh-brcd horses a very handsome silver cup, beautifully chaste, has been procured ; for short-horn cattle, an elaborate epergne: for Ayrshire cattle, a very handsome solid stiver cake bosket : for general cattle, a magnificent aneroid upon an ebony stand ; for merino sheep, a very elegant stiver claret jug; for Leicester sheep, a silver teapot: for Lincoln sheep, a very handsome silver salver; for ponltrv, a tea and coffee service: fordairyproduce.atcaand coffee service of an elegant design; for grain (growers only), a massive dining-room clock (in marble); for grain (merchants only), a very handsome white clock, gold mounted: for seeds (open to all), a hot-water kettle. Clips or pieces of plate have yet to be procured for dranght horses and implements. The Association arc worthy of great credit for the discretion they have displayed in the selection of these prize*. .Surely, with the chance of realising such things before them, those who are in a position to exhibit will le induced to compete. We are pleased to be able to add that these prizes were purchased of local jewellers, and that they arc an improvement tipon those that have on otiier occasions been procured in Pnncdin. Six miles of the Livingstone railway are now open for work, and two additional miles will lie opened during nest week. Two tunnels, included in the eight miles, have been started at both ends. There are about ."00 men employed on the ground, and it is probable that there will be but little delay in prosecuting the work. Some of the hands arc. however, leaving for mustering, i preparatory to the shearing season. ]3iit ! there ahettld be no difficulty in supplying their places from the ranksof the unemployed, about which we have lately heard so much, until, if such a thing esist3 now, it will within a very short while, be non-existent. We arc requested to remind intending competitors in the salt butter class at the forthcoming show of the North Otago Agricultural anil Pastoral Association that their exhibits must lie lodged with the Secretary on or before the 23rd inst., that is, up to within four weeks of the show. Inattention to this condition will prevent competition for the prizes offered. An inquiry will be held at ten o'clock on Momlay into the circumstances attending the late fire in Edcn-strcet.-

Last evening a very successful practice was held for the concert to be given on Tuesday evening in aid of the Artillery Band. The programme prepared is a very good one, and should attract a large audience. The programme is published in full in our columns, and it will be observed that raanv of our best amateur vocalists will take part"in the concert, which p'omises to I»e highly successful both from musical and tiii.nici.il {joints of view. The Artillery corps arc not going to be i-.l t" retain the honor of having the only band in the town. No. 1 Company are iiuioti.VihiL' for the purchase of instruments, .nnl will make a start at once to emulate the „'.,.jd example set by the Artillery, with 16 members. We are sure that we are expressing the feelings of the public when we " that they would rather subscribe something towards the maintenance of really ellicient bands than that the town should be left without them. At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before T. \\. I'arker, a rough inilivicinal named William Lumbey, was charged with having been drank and disorderly last night in Thames-street, and was fined 15s, with the alternative of 4S hours' imprisonment. The same prisoner was also ••barged with breaking a pane of glass in the window of the Imperial Hotel, and was tiiied 10s and ordered to pay 15s for the damage done, in default of payment to undergo an additional seven days' imprisonment. Andrew Meldrum, for allowing a horse to wanCer at large, was fined Ss. Three young gentlemen went out shooting the other day, not a thousand miles from Duntroon. Each had a weapon, and mustered four barrels between them. Their success was what might very properly be termed most unprecedented. Arrived at the spot, their formidable appearance frightened a flock of pigeons that darkened the sky. No time was to be lost. The four deadly barrels were raised, at a distance of 12 yards, simultaneously. The sportsmen tired as one, and hit one bird—a starling, which they "turn about" carried home in triumph. A correspondent —a young man from the country—asks us the following exceedingly ab3truse question: —"Which is correctSeven and six urc 15, or six and seven w 15?"' Our correspondent has placed us at

sixes ami sevens. It is so long since we left school that we will not trust ourselves unaided to answer sucli a problem. We have therefore sought the assistance of one of Mr. Fuller's boys. We to-day paiil a visit to the baths, and lonml that the bath authorities are doing their best to till the cistern. The bath-keeper informed us that he has now a sufficient depth of water to wash Mrs. Smith, and by pumping all through the night there will, tomorrow morning, be sufficient there to wash .Mr. .Smith, " who needs something of the kind," also the little Smiths, and their "sisters aud their cousins and their aunts," also that on Monday the baths will be in full working order, lie explained that the delayhad occurred through the "lump ness" of the sea. Wc have received the first number of a new issue of the New Zealand Prices Current and .Journal of Commerce. It is printed and published by the proprietors, Messrs. Coulls ami Culling, printer.-:, Duuedin, and should prove a remunerative concern, as such a publication has become a necessity. It contains as laige an amount of information - it is jKMsible to compress into twelve 4to.

pn^es. We have been shown a letter which was, on the sth of -March of this year, posted to an Oamaru lawyers client living near Oainaru, and addressed " Township of Kichmond." It has just retunied, with such a number and variety of post-marks upon it that it is scarcely p s-ible to decipher any of them. It had been opened by -0 or ."0 persons, none of which it seems eared to receive it, as it did not contain a remittance —only a bill of costs. W t presume that it was destined for Richmond's and the person for whom it was intended will have felt gr.atly annoyed -it the unconscionable delay that has taken place in its delivery. 15ut it is ornamented with—"Not known in Kichmond," " Try Richmond River," "Tryßi hmond, N.S. W.," "Not known in Victoria," "Try Oamaru a'jain." We endeavored to read the names of those who opened the letter, but failed ; they are so intermingled. .Suffice it to say that they are numerous, and that they are plentifully embellished with the ruthless stamp of I'ost Office clerks. A medical gentleman residing somewhere south of Oamaru, discovered that his eggs, newly laid each day, disappeared from his fowls' nosts without finding their way to his own table, had endeavored, without success, to ascertain the " why and wherefore.'' One morning, shortly after breakfast time, his bell was nearly unshipped by a pmitiiur, distressed, individual, who, with starting eyeballs and a facial appearance betokening an anticipation of an impending funeral, almost on his knees, exclaimed in breathless nnxioty. "Come, sir, oh, do come, sir. What shall I do, sir, my wife is so ill, I am afraid she is going to die, sir. ' The doctor, with a knowing twinkle of one of his optics, which he could scarcely disguise from the perturbed husband, repaired to a cottage. There he found the patient suffering a recovery. Ruefully looking up into the doctor's kindly countenance, she gasped "I have been nearly dead, doctor." " Lee me see what have you been eating, something indigestible," said he. "OiCno, sir," ejaculated the patient, "only egL;s." " Where do you get your eggs," said he. "Get no more from the same fellqw. They arc bad." And so they were, for the doctor had carefully punctured the last batch, and injected a delicate dose of tartar emetic into each of them.