The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1190, 9 February 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1880.

His Excellency Sir Hercules Robinson and Lady Robinson will visit Otekaike on Thursday next aud remain there till the tollowing Monday. They will be the guests-of the Hon. Robert Campbell. On Saturday last the Hon. Mr. Pharazvn visited Oamaru, en rout." to the Lakes, by way of Dunedin. Mr. .John Reid, of Elderelie, aud Mr. S. E. Shrimski, M.H.R., showed him around the country in the vicinity of the beautiful valley iu which Mr. Reid's estate is situated. Wc need hardly say that Mr. Pharazyn was greatly pleased •with what he saw. He was the guest of Mr. Reid during his short stay, and left for Dunedin by the afternoon train. The credit of the Colony cannot have suffered much through what has been called the maladministration and improvidence of the Grey Ministry, when the New Zealand live per cents, arc favorites in the London money market, and have reached the figure of 107*. The usnal monthly meeting of the Waitaki Road Board will be held in the offices, Tynestreet, to-morrow forenoon, at 11.30. The officers in charge of the various police stations have apparently been appointed immigration agents in a small way. At the Oamarn Police Station are posted notifications to the following effect"Employers of labor are hereby informed that imniigratiou forms can be obtained at this office and posted to the immigration officer free of charge, who will supply the class of labor applied for immediately he is enabled to do so." There is a vagueness about this notice that is somewhat puzzling, and it is left very much to the imagination of the reader as to whether it means that the police are to be called upon to carry cn a sort of labor exchange, whether it is intended as a gentle hint that the principle of hiring out priso- ■ nera at one time in vogue in Tasmania is i about to be resorted to in the Colony, or whether, in fact, it means anything at all. We may say that we believe the idea which prompted the adoption of the course is to afford an opportunity to the public generally of making known what kind of labor is most required in the several districts, and thus enable the Government to regulate immigration. In connection with the recent narrow escape of a young lady from drowning in a passage leading from Thames-street, we are authorised to state that the tank into which she stumbled contained nothing but pure water, and that the trap-door was left open by one of those who were carrying water therefrom to the firemen at the burning building in Wear-street. This explanation has become necessary owing to an atrocious story of a very objectionable nature which is going the rounds—a story which is being circulated by a lad living in Humber-street, and well known in the place. We trust these few lines will be a wanting to him to confine himself to the truth in the future, and so secure for himself the respect of those around him instead of allowing his name to become a byeword and a reproach. A reproachles3 life in the time to come may yet enable him to ascend by degrees that ladder the first step of which he now has his foot upon. We refrain from speaking more pointedly at present, as we have no inclination to injure anyone's prospects, our only desire being to put a stop to the circulation of a foul falsehood.

The annti.il meeting of subscribers to the Oam arn Philharmonic Society will be held on Thursday evening next, at half-past 7 o'clock, at the Volunteer Hall. The annual report and balance-sheet will be submitted, and the election of office-bearers and Committee will take place. The first practic of " Montana" will take place afterwards and it i3particularlydesired that members will attend punctually. The Committee have obtained a full supply of copies of the opera, with complete band parts, and these will be issued to members. It is also contemplated to put the operetta of " Cox and Box" in rehearsal, the Committee being desirous of making the Society's concerts as acceptable as possible to the general public. ; The Phoenix division, No. 18, Sons and Daughters of Temperance, in our advertisement colnmns, annocnce a special meeting to be held to-morrow night, in the OddFellows* Hall, C'oquet-street. There is at least one truly philanthropic and benevolent individual in Oamaru, and that individual is Thomas Henry Walsh, the inofrmant in several aly-grog cases. During his cross-examination by Mr. O'Meaghcr at the District Court to-day on the appeal of Elizabeth Dunn from the conviction of aly-grog selling, he stated that he had been induced to engage in the work of putting down sly-grog selling from purely public and disinterested motives. He had heard several persons say that the sly-grog sho{» should be put down, and he took this as fits cue to act. He had no hope of making money by the business ; he only expected to Fie jaid for his attendance at the conrt as a witness. He had not even yet received this. " If," said he, " I get more than 10s a day for my attendance as a witness, I will give it to any charity. I don't want more than 10s a day for attending the court; any charity can have the rest of the money, if there is any." And a Iwnevolent smile played around his expressive features. This was, however, speedily turned to something between a grin of foolishness and an expression of severe toothache when his Honor, amidst a roar of Jm n gentlvraminded

him that he had better get the money before he exercised his benevolence. They appear to have a much more effectual ■way of putting down sly grog selling in Queensland than has yet been, adopted in New Zealand. Recently two men were sentenced to three months' imprisonment at Rockhampton for sly grog-selling on • the railway extension. It is fast becoming a practice .to bathe in the vicinity of the Esplanade. On several days last week both adults and juveniles of the two sexes were dabbling in the water not sufficiently deep to hide them from the public gaze. On one occasion we ourselves saw two women bathing and a man swim past them. On Saturday, a crowd of men having congregated on a portion of, the Esplanade, overlooking the beacli, a person who has informed us of the circumstance hastened to ascertain the cause, and saw a number of women disporting themselves in the water. Ordinary decency demands that this custom should be stopped. At the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day, before T. W. Parker, Esq., R.M., George Murdoch was charged with having been drunk and disorderly, and was discharged with a caution. The same prisoner was then charged with having assaulted Constable Ganghran while in the execution of his duty, and was sent to gaol for 20 days. Wm. M. Southan was fined 4s for allowing a horse to wander at lauje. The Ot.igo Daily Times referring to the sad tragedy which occurred in Dunedin on Saturday says :—"Mr. Attiwell Hayes (the deceased) was regarded as a good Christian man, and was much esteemed and respected by his acquaintances. He was a regular attendant at Mr. Brunton's place of worship, and for the last ten years had been a staunch teetotaller, and was a Good Templar and Kecliabite, holding offices in both orders. The neighbors of the deceased Mr. Hayes say that he was the last man whom they would have tuspacted of being likely to lay violent hands upon himself or others, and that he lived upon the best terms with his wife, and bore no ill-will to anyone. Some of liis friends noticed that recently he had been less talkative than formerly, and was subject to fits of absent-mindedness or melancholy. It is also a fact that family afflictions had preyed upon his mind. That such a dire catastrophe as that narrated above should have followed, is a circumstance that calls forth the strongest sympathy for all who are affected by it." An elegant tombstone in the Melbourne cemetery bears the following inscription : " This slab was laid by George Frederick Prince Darrell in memory of his wife, Mary Frances, who died 3rd January, ISSO, aged 46 year. An actress. Guileless of wrong with ill intent, was all unselfish; she lived and died beloved by all who know her. She never lost a friend nor made an enemy ; she had no fear of death, believing in the great hereafter. Better so ! As the curtain descended on the farcial play below, she was enrolled in the joyous company who realise eternal life above."

Within a radius of thirty miles from New York in every direction the contest between the Western Union and the Bell Telephone Company will not be affected by the recent agreement. The company proposes to makean arrangement by which persons in all parts of the country will be able to communicate with each other by telephone great distances, not affecting the transmission of messages. Along submarine cables a message can at present be sent over only one hundred miles, but it is said that this defect in ocean telegraphy has been overcome by Professor Bell, and that before many weeks a person in Isew York will be able to communicate by telephone with a person in London. The capital stock of the Bell Telephone Company will be increased from 550.000 dols. to 5,000,000. It is estimated that there are now 100,000 telephones in use in the United States, and the Bell Company has already introduced 4000 telephones in Loudon. The telephone is patented in the United States, Canada, England, France, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Australia, and protection has been asked for in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Russia.— New York World.