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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 26 July 1880, Page 2

We publish elsewhere ail extract from the Railway Commissioners' report, forwarded fay our Wellington correspondent. It gives lists of the railways recommended to be con-structed-and to be abandonee},

To all lovers of the turf when the spopt is honestly carried on the announcement that Sir Hercules Robinson intends establishing a racing team and following the sport will be received with gratification. There can be no gainsaying the fact that the New Zealand turf baa not hitherto been so free from questionable transactions as coiild lie desired; indeed, we fear that jij this respect it has been very bad. There »r,e a ley/ honorable men connected with horse-racing in the Colony, but they are decidedly in a minority, and have not the power pf raising the sport to its proper level. The entry of the Governor upon the field will give to the sport new life and a new phase in New Zealand, for not alone will he, by means of a few first-class animals, place a check upon those who are disposed to arrange matters, but his example will very probably be followed by many of our wealthy men who are above suspicion, and who wiU'algo materially assist in raising thetone of. the raeecojjFgg. Those -who remember the extent to which the adyent of Sir Hercules Robinson upon the racecourses of New South *Vales and Victoria will readily admit the great revolutions hat he worked in sporting in those •• olonies, and will hail the first appearance of his horses upon ft New Zealand course with a feeling of pleasure, and an assurance that better days are in store for hpi'sp'racing in. this Colony.

It is notified in our advertising columns that the time for sending in statements under the Property Assessment AGt has been further extended to the 31st August next.

We understand that, following the example of corps in other portions of the

Colony, the Oarnaru Volunteer will shortly

hold a church parade. The subject has been mooted,' and has met with very general approval. The parade will probably be held early next month.

The attendance at the Rifles' Bind third promenade concert on Saturday was the largest yet seen since the commencement of the series. This fact goes to show that these weekly gatherings are becoming even more popular. Dancing was again freely indulged in, and the following programme was capitally rendered by the band :—March, "The Seasons;" polka, "Polyphemus;" quadrille, May's " Promenade ; " waltz, " Beautiful Loch Lomond; " Caledonians, " Abbotsford;" achottislie, "Clara;" Albert quadrille, "Gatherings;" polkamazurka, "La Rose;" quadrille, " Pierrot;" waltz, "New Burlesque;" galop, "Midnight;" "God save the Queen." We are informed that the programme for next Saturday will include an operetic selection and a quantity of new dance music.

The members of the Oamaru Football Club indulged in a scratch match on Saturday afternoon, sides been chosen by Messrs. Forbes and Procter. After some good play on both side, Procter's team won the game by one • goal and one touch-down against their opponents' two touch-downs.

The commission of Lieutenant A. G. Creagh, Oamaru (I Battery) Artillery, is gazetted. Elder Batt's lectures yesterday afternoon and last evening in St. Andrew's Hall were very well attended, especially the latter. The elder entered upon a long explanation of the doings'of the Mormons, and defended them from the accusations frequently made against them by the outer and sinful world. At the Resident Magistrate's. Court today, before T. W. Parker' Esq., R.M., John Ferguson, for being drunk .and disorderly, -was sentenced- to: three . days' imprisonment with, hard labor.. Michael Sheehati, for a similar offence, was fined 10s, with- the", option of 48 hours'- hard labor.; Jeremiah Moynahan was sentenced to pay a fine of os, or to undergo 24 hours' hard labor, for being drunk and disorderly. John Nimmonj on remand for. stealing a watch and appendages, was committed-for trial before the Supreme Court at next sessions. Bail allowed—prisoner in' LSO, and two sureties ef-L25 each.- .-- • - - .■ -

:An opinion appears to be divided on the question as tcrwhether the phosphorous and rhodium poisoned wheat is fatal to horses, cattle, sheep, and-' pigs (says-the Dunstan Times), we deem it but our duty to give the experiences of people in this district, which we think will be sufficient once and for all to set the matter at rest. On the west bank of the Molyneux, on the Earnscleugh and Hawksburn Stations, several head of large cattle and a good few sheep have died after partaking of it; and on the east side, on the Dunstan commonage, cattle, sheep, and pigs have died. In one instance the stock destroyed was the property of a worthy struggling settler, who through the loss is put to great inconvenience. At the time when it was decided to lay poison on the commonage we hinted at the probable effect oh the settlers' stock, and suggested that a'l the homesteads should be given a wide berth. Our advice was not taken, and the result is as we anticipated. Whether the country is legally responsible for the loss we don't know; but we think they are morally bound to award compensation.

In the Midlothian election speech Mr. Gladstone said :—" They were told that the Navigation Act was the foundation of British greatness and glory, and if repealed the. Empire would fall. Had it ? Why, instead, of that, by. giving the colonies freedom at .home, and trade abroad, the whole tone of colonial, opinion had been changed, the effect being that there was now no alleged British or anti-British party, and the whole colonies declared their undying affection and loyalty for the British Crown. The Liberals had knit together the Empire in the bonds of love, and yet they were charged with an intention of dismemberment. - r

He must be a bold man who would play a joke upon members of the Royal Family. Yet the young men of-the Windsor and Albert Institute seem to have been bold enough to undertake the task. Prince and Princess Christian, Princess Beatrice, and the Grand Duke of Hesse attended the opening of a bazaar at the institute named. After talking through the' "fancy fair," and making sundry purchases, the Royal party were invited to inspect a room devoted ostensibly to a fine art exhibition. The visitors were each presented with a catalogue to guide them in the tour round the; apartment. The recipients, however, must have been considerably surprised on comparing the catalogue with the exhibits. For instance, the first item "Lynx in repose," by,A; Constable, was represented, by a pair _pf handcuffs, whilst answering the description of <f Tfre Babes in the-Wood " were a couple of dolls wrapped up- iij- q, .slaving. A Yarmouth bloater was described as ''Caught;in. a Squall off Yarmouth." .On-searching;:for, " The Day before the Twelfth on-the Perthshire Moors," the party found.simply; the letters "the eleventh," and in place of "A statuette'in bronze of her Majesty" {kindly lept for the occasion), they found a ' penny fixed to the wajl. Wellington and Blucher boot did service for " Hevogs pf Waterloo," while a match with the head off answered for "The Powers of Lucifer Defeated." It is gratifying to learn that the Prince and Prigcesses seemed thoroughly to enjoy the joke, and that nppg pf the institute authorities were beheaded on the spot. A sympathiser with the poor ill-used Kelly's, was recently fined ten shillings by the Hokitika Resident Magistrate. The local Tildes says "the news of the collapse of this gang < f scoundrels hail -so affected the individual referred to, tha he endeavored to drown his grief by drinking beer. The result was that he indulged in very offensive remarks to the eonstablg on duty touching the shortcomings pf the police generally throughout the colonies and the beautiful virtues wbioh adorned the .Kellys.' These observations" being uttered publicly in very loud tone, and being further garnished with powerful epithets, the inebriated and.griefstricken gentleman finished his evening in, the lock-up.

| A singular festival was celebrated on April r 10th at the township, of Pelphin, : in Prussian Poland. It was, the 50fchanniversary q| t}i Q ordination of Bishop Von Marwit z, of Culm, He was a eoion of an old Pomeranian family, and when 18 years old joined the " Army of Liberation" as a volunteer, and made the campaigns of 1813-14 in Bluclier's regiment of Hussars. Although he was present at every engagement of importance. and at hundreds of minor affairs, he escaped without a wound. He took holy orders when nearly 35 years old, and was appointed Bishop of Culm in 1557. The present Emperor of Germany in J.SG4 conferred upon him the Order of the Red Eagle, accompanying the decoration with an autograph letter, in which he said that the bishop" had shown in very difficult circumstances that he knew how to give Caesar what was' Cassar's."

;The Mormon Church organ lately contained the announcement of the ' 1 cutting off" of six of Brigham Young's daughters for participating in a suit to recover one million dollars stolen from them by the executors —Apostles Cannon, Carrington, and Young, and also for imperilling the liberty of Jolin Taylor, An effort yras made to get the heirs to repent of their action, and all the machinery of the Church, except the blood-atoning knife, was brought to bear on them without result. ■

iA tragedy of unparalleled horror, in which a little girl was the victim, was acted the other ; day in Madeburgh. The -child,who was seven years old, went into the beautiful Kirchhof one afternoon, and while wandering about began to pluck the flowers from one of the graves. A gravedigger who was watching her seized the poor little creature, determined to make an example of her, and'locked her up in the Leichenhall, where four unburled corpses Were lying-'upon ttheir biers. The day passed by, night set in, and the anxious parents sought" everywhere for their daughter—of course in. vain, On the following morning, w ; hen the gravedigger returned to his work, he remembered for the first time the brutal punishment which he had inflicted on the previous day, and that he had forgotten to; release his prisoner before leaving the cemetery in the evening. A frightful spectacle greeted him when he opened the chamber of corpses. There, shrunk together in the corner, lay the little maiden, stark dead, her fists clenched, and her lips bitten through by her teeth; ;Sh;e had died, too, evidently from sheer terror. The police had the greatest difficulty to rescue the gravedigger from the rage of the people, who declared that they ■vvjould lynch him without waiting for the de- | cision of the law.. ! : There is now oil view at the offices: of the Emigrant and Colonists'. Aid Corporation, at j Westminster (says a London paper), a tabletop. made; from different kinds of New Zealand woods, which was brought over to this country by Mr. Halcombe. We understand ,that one of the objects of the visit of this to London is to endeavor, to open up a trade with Great Britain for the export of some of: the. valuable timber of New Zealand, chiefly that used in the manufacture of furniture. Certainly there is a good opening for such a trade, and, from what we have seen of Mr. Halcombe, he is not likely to return to the Colony unsuccessful.

|An interesting account is given in the Mining Record (U.S.) of an excursion by M. Vandermeer to .Santa..F(S, in the course of 'which he visited the Indian village of Tosoque, the inhabitants of which claim a: lineal descent from the Aztecs. They are more industrious and civilized than the generality of the Redskins, and live in houses of two storeys high, the communication between which and the rez-de-chaussie is a' rude ladder. There are ho doors, and in case of sudden alarm the la,dder is drawn *up and the dwelling converted into a fortress. Each house has three or four Chambers, and the population of the whole village ,is .nearly 200. The mining district of Santa is not only very valuable, but full-of interest,- as many of the mines'now being worke \ were originally opened by. the Spanish, but were abandoned after the revt>lt of' the Indians in 1682. - The district of White Oaks, in particular, has yielded very rich specimens of gold.