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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 16 August 1880, Page 2

The member of the Football Club who, on Saturday afternoon, broke into the Volunteer Hall would act wisely in repairing without delay the damage he committed. His name and address are well known, and it is highly probable that unless an apology is forthcoming iit pnee and the damage repaired, that the matter will have an unpleasant ending. A meeting of the Oamaru Hospital Committee will be held at half-past seven o'clock to-moiYGW evening.

There was again a very good attendance at the Volunteer Hall on Saturday evening, when the Rifles' Band gave another of their promenade concerts. The following programme was very creditably gone through : Grand march, " Ameer's;" polka, "Liberty;" quadrille, "Invincible sehottisclie, "Dawn of Day alberts, " Gatherings polkamazourka, "La Rose;" quadrille, Cootes "Promenade;" waltz, " Dorinda galop, "Amanda." The Baud has been strengthened by the addition of a number of members of the defunct Artillery Band, and it will probably within a very short time be able to turn out 30 strong. An effort will be made to obtain an additional number of uniforms, so as to clothe 30 bandsmen, and to this eud ii: is probable that an entertainment in aid of the luiuis will be given, the withdrawal of half the Government capitation necessitating resort to some such means of obtaining the requisite funds. It may be mentioned that the proceeds of the Saturday night promenade concerts are entirely devoted to the purchase of instruments, music, &c., upon which the Band lias already expended some LSO. It is proposed ftp continue these weekly entertainments for a short time longer, and then, so soon as the long days come round, to give free open air concerts in some central place, the members being determined to pupularisc the Band as much as possible. A football match was played on the Old Cricket Ground on Saturday between 12 of the Club aud 19 All-Comers, who were captained by M'Donald, A. 0. Hardy filling the same pest for the Twelve. In the first spell the latter played three men short, and the All-Comers, playing with the wind, forced their opponent? down three times. Two of the absentees rolled up for the second spell, and the team, by playing well together, obtained several force-downs. After having worked the ball close to the All-Comers goal Booth kicked a goal for his side. Ends were changed, and, the other absentee having put in his appearance, the Twelve played well up. Forbes, by a good run, scored a touchdown for them, and Hardy took the try, but failed. The Nineteen then ran the ball down the field, but it was soon returned, and kept in their quarters till time was called, when the match stood as follows : The Twelve —1 goal 1 touch-down ; The Nineteen —0. A Committee meeting will be held at the Royal Hotel this evening, to choose the team for the match with Timaru.

A fire occurred last night between nine and ten o'clock on the Totara Park farm, in a paddock opposite the residence of Mr. R. M'Auly. A threshing machine, with elevators, and about twenty-five sacks of grain, the property of Mr. M'Auly, were all totally destroyed. The fire bears the appearance of having been the wilful act of an incendiary, W*c believe the machine was covered by insurance.

The Christchurch Echo has the following article, headed " Preserved Meats" :—" We have been shown some very superior samples of potted meat manufactured by a firm in Oamaru, and we believe on sale by the Tea Company, in the Market Place. The only drawback to our mind is that they appear in tins, whereas earthenware would be decidedly preferable, much more attractive, and better in every particular. We feel confident that if an order were given to one of our local firms to produce this article, a large business might be opened up, and we beg to draw the attention of those interested in such matters to the suggestion. An up-country correspondent writes: —"A gentleman, or, rather, a man possessed of a large shai-e of worldly goods, passed through a toll-gate where a lady waited to take the toll. He, feeling indisposed to bend his haughty person, threw the coin on the ground and rode on. On his return he handed the fair toll-keeper a pound note, and waited while she went in for change. She came to the door and threw the change on the ground. He had no alternative but to discount and gather it from the mud, which he did with very bad grace." Let us hope the lesson was understood and appreciated.— Rangitikei Advocate. " The Vagabond," in writing from Sydney to the Hobart Town Mercury, says :—Mr. R. Ivlilner Stephen, barrister-at-law, and the brother of Sir Alfred Stephen, the Lieuten-ant-Governor, has lately gone into a new line of business. Nearly all the family are mad on Spiritualism, and in the present case this has broken out in the form of healing by "miracles," as the Scriptures called the laying on of hands, breathing, etc,, by which cures were wrought by the holy ones of old. Mr. Stephen lias got this gift conferred upon him "in answer to fervent prayers to (<od." That is what lie says. An extraordinary amount of evidence lias been published, which supports the assertions made. I decline to give an opinion an yet. Mr. Stephen now receives patients instead of clients at liia chambers ; not a very paying game, as lie cannot charge fees, although lie suggests that the "spirits" do not object to any "thank offering" being sent to him. Kin modus operandi is to place a piece of red flannel over the part affected, breathe upon it—then the tiling is done. Of many who suffer from nervous diseases, such as neuralgia, etc., it may well be said " their faith hath made them whole." Mr. Stephen sometimes fcelln his patients to say a short prayer whilst lie breathes into them, " not long, for <Jod tloes not like long prayers." Jle has excited the animosity of some member;) of the medical profession, whoso business he j« wyiing. One doctor wants to know, "How about that little bill of LUfl for medical attendance and adviceV" I'roplietw cannot alwaya euro themselves.

At the Reside nfc Magistrate's Court to-day before T. W. Parker,. Esq., R.M., John Thompson, clia rged with forgery, was committed for trial at the next Supreme Court sittings in Du nedin.

Seeing that the Caledonian Society have put forth an uncompromisingly Scotch programme for.- their concert, in aid of the Hospital and 7 ienevolent Society on Friday evening, the following paragraph clipped from an exchange, may prove interesting :—Professor Blackie, of the Edinburgh University, recently presided at one of the series of weekly concerts given in the City Hall of Glasgow under the auspices of the Abstainers' Union. The programme was wholly devoted to Scottish music. The learned and humorous Professor concluded some remarks which he addressed to the audience as follows : "Scottish nationality consisted mainly of two things—the Scottish Presbyterian religion and Scottish national song. Don't let these things be dribbled out of them by any conspiracy of school inspectors or anybody else. (Laughter.) Don't run after foreign idols ; don't send their daughters to fashionable boarding-schools, to sing only German or Italian songs—that was a matter, for the exercise of the throat and the amusement of the ear; but to stir the heart and cultivate the feelings sing a good Scotch song.— (Cheers.) If an angel were to come down frpm heaven and say to him, ' Blackie — (laughter)—for the many faults yqij have committed during your septuagenarian march in this sublunary world (great laughter)—we mean to take away from you all your accomplishments and all your virtues, except one ; now think, Blackie." (Roars of laughter.) I+e would ajiswer, ' Take away my Greek, take away my Latin, take away my German, take away my Gaelic, but leave me the good Scottish song.'— (Great laughter.)—He could only say that if any of the dozen or two or three score of songs he had written, while other people werp spicking their qigars, should happen tp live i]i the hearts ajid throats of his countrymen, he should esteem it the greatest honor that could be done to the memory of Blackie when he died.—(Cheers,)"

The use of the cat-o'-uine-tails as an instrument of punishment has been abolished in English prisons. It has been found that the strokes of the " cat" on the back have a tendency to injure the lungs, and it lias been considered advisable to revert to the old system of birching as a more effectual means of punishing. The N.Z. Times says:—"lt is a matter for suprise that the various colonies have not ere this come to an understanding with regard to the laws relating to the relief of destitute persons. Scarcely a month passes without an entry being made in the books of the Benevolent Society, describing the case of some helpless woman, wl;o, tQgptlier with her children, have been left without any means of support by her husband, who is found to have taken his departure for Australia, where he is perfectly safe from prosecution from those whom he has left behind. There is no apparent reason why this state of things should be allowed to exist. The communities are thoroughly British, and their customs differ in little or nothing ; yet their laws afford protection to a class of criminals who certainly do not deserve to escape punishment on any pretext whatever. An alteration in the laws relating to the subject would obviate a great deal of suffering and injustice."

The most interesting sentence of Mr. Sullivan's "New Ireland" is that describing the work of a young Yorkshire Quaker during the Irish famine of 1847. He drove from village to village, lie walked bog and moor, rowed the lake and climbed the mountain, fought death, as it were, hand to hand, in brave resolution to save the people. This young Yorkshire Quaker was known a quarter of a century later as a Minister of the Crown—The Right Hon. W. E. Forster, M.P. So that there is some reason after all in Mr. Gladstone's appointment of Mr. Forster to the Chief-Sccretaryship of Ire* land.

A contemporary says : Mr. James Mackay, whose services as a Native Land Purchase Agent have been dispensed with by the Government, is an object for public sympathy. He was paid off with LSOOO commission, although he was entitled to L 13,000. The colony should weep for him. James lias petitioned the legislature fo.r relief.

An analysis of spirits retailed by certain well-known publicans in Sydney, wade at the instance of the Evening News, resulted in the following disooveries " Brandy was found to be ' locally manufactured, and composed entirely of potato spirit, burnt sugar, hydrated oxide of ethyl (fusel oil), spirits of nitre, and flavored with essential oil of cognac." Oil of cognac is described as 'of German manufacture, largely exported to the colonies, and easily procurable in Sydney and other places.' A small phial of it will ' flavor a hogshead.' Whisky was declared to be a compound ' of white spirit, oil of tar (creosote), and saccharine matter.' Rum was said to contain 'sulphate of copper, (bluestone), cayenne pepper, and amylic ether.' Gin was found to be ' white spirit, strongly flavored with oil of juniper and Sfcrasburg turpentine.' Of two samples of colonial beer, one contained ' salt, grains of paradise, and chloride of sodium,' and another ' salt and pricotoxine, or the active principle of cocculus indicus, or India berries.'"