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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 96, 15 October 1873, Page 2

The Weather.—After an abundance of rain which has continued to fall at very short intervals, since last Thursday, a break of sunshine appeared on Monday morning, which gave promise of a change to fair, and certainly not before it was wanted. In a district like that of Poverty Bay, where our roads are still in a worse than primitive state, a continuous rainfall means something worse than than is generally understood by an ordinary growl at the weather. To several outlying districts it means nothing more nor less than a partial cessation of business operations, aud a total suspension of vehicle traffic. Horsemen even find it a matter of great difficulty to wallow through the lines of batter, formed of water

and mud which compose our traffic-carrying thoroughfares at this time of the year. The other usual attendants of continued dampness, such as influenza, accompanied by sickness; low fever and bronchitis, have also paid us a visit, and attack young and old indiscriminately. To strangers recently taking up their abode amongst us, the unsettled state of the weather during the last few months, may cause them to deprecate the climate as generally unhealthy, for, indeed, the irregularities, and sudden alternations from heat to cold, and vice versa, have been as noticeable as they have been unaccountable. For instance, in looking over our diary, we observe the following transitions since Tuesday, Sept. 2nd, on which day it was very cold with a dry S.E. gale ; Thursday 4th, to Monday Bth, mild and fine, but unsettled. Tuesday 9th, cold and rain. Ihursday 11th, to Sunday 14th, calm, with varying showers and light winds. Monday, 15th. warm. Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th, cold and dry. Next three days, still colder, with rain. 21st and 22nd, calm, muggy. 23rd, a hot Nor’ Wester, followed by a cold Sou’ Easter during the next three days, thence to the 2nd October, a succession of warm, dusty Nor’ Westers, ending in a very heavy hail storm. 3rd and 4th, cold and wet. sth, fine and genial. 6th humid Nor’ Easter. 7th and Bth, fine and warm. 9th to 13th, continuous rain as noted at the outset of our remarks. At the time we write it is warm, calm, and genial, and has every appearmice of being settled, which it is to be hoped willAntinue. P.B.M.R. Volunteers.—The matuh between the members of this troop ( postponed from the 22nd ultimo) comes off to-day at Ormond range. We wish those who can command a steady hand, after ploughing through several miles of mud from their residences to the seene of friendly conflict, the success they will deserve should they come to the fore.

Billiards. —It is in contemplation, we believe, to add another billiard table to the two already in the town. In this instance, it will be in a private room, where players who prefer a quiet game, may enjoy it minus the necessity to drink and keep late hours, which attending at an hotel sometimes induce. When the Masonic Hotel is open, there will, at that rate, be four tables catering for this universal amusement. Honorable members who are severely economical in all matters not affecting their own persons are disposed to be sufficiently liberal, at the expense of the public, in ministering to their own comfort and convenience. The Joint House Committee has actually had the effrontery to ask that the following items be placed upon the estimates, as they object to the catering for Bellamy’s being done by contract Salary of steward, £250 ; three waiters, £75 ; cook, £5O ; cook’s assistant, £3O ; crockery, glass, &c., £5OO ; cellar, £5O; contingencies, £45 ; total, £lOOO. We trust that the House will not sanction such a monstrous misappropriation of public money. This £lOOO, for instance, might fairly be deducted, pro rata, from the honorarium vote. The House Committee also want bath rooms, and two or three more reception rooms to be provided. They have apparently forgotten to ask for a billiard room, but will probably correct the omission. We fully expect that the next proposal will be that Bellamy’s should be maintained by a vote of the House, and that members should be fed and provided with liquors entirely at the public expense.— 'Evening Post. The following story is told of a young lady and a gentleman at a fashionable party at Nashville, U.S.—“ The young man was handsome and happy, the young lady arrayed in lavender, rose &c., with gold-powdered hair flowing over her swan-like neck. Finding the heat of the room too much for them, they sought the cool shade of an arbour where they might listen to the fountain’s fall. The music rose and fell, time flew on silver pinions, and after an absence of at least an hour, our young friends entered the beautifully illuminated parlours. The lady passed on in the dance, but the young man was slightly taken aback by his next neighbour informing him that round his neck was the unmistakable print of two arms in chalk and diamond dust, on one shoulder a large pile of yellow powder, and on his upper lip and cheek diamond dust, bloom of youth, and yellow powder mixed up generally. The lady’s hair was observed to be several shades paler.” Auckland Champagne.—We (Star) have partaken of a bottle of genuine champagne, manufactured from the grape by Mr. J. Wendel of Grey-street. The wine has a very fine flavor, but lacks age, and is consequently destitute of the effervescent qualities of the prince of wines. The wine is warranted genuine. It was manufactured last year, and has only been bottled about three weeks. Mr. Wendel comes from Coblentz, situated at the confluence of the rivers Moselle and Rhine, the great centre of the Rhenish wine industry, and he has had large experience in the manufacture of wine, which he intends to turn to good account in this colony. There is a melancholy Dr. Trail, who announces in a Philadelphia newspaper that we are approaching a climax of pestilential period. From 1880 to 1885, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will come nearer the earth than they have been for eighteen hundred years. The result will be, as the Doctor says it has been before, that we shall have all manner of unplea-santness-plague, famine, and awfully hot and cold weather. One planet would have been bad enough—now we are to have four in combined approximation; and, unless we adopt strict sanitary measures, we may expect a calamity indeed. Gluttons, tobacco-ehewers and smokers, and tight-lacing young ladies will never survive the perihelion of all the large planets of the solar system. So says the dreadful Dr. Trail. A lady correspondent of one of our Southern contemporaries thus writes :—“Those ladies (and there are some in the world) who look back to the days of their youth, and regret the fashions of bygone days, will hail the last new style of sleeve with delight. It has a new name of course, the ‘ Restoration,’ but it is in very deed the ‘ leg of mutton ’ sleeve of thirty years ago, and I have no doubt will grow into the ‘ bishop,’ and all the other varieties of the full sleeves which are so excessively unbecoming to arms and shoulders of every shape. At present the revival of the old

fashion is a puff like an inflated bladder all round the top of the arm, reaching about half-way from the shoulder to the elbow, the end of the sleeve to the wrist being quite tight-fitting. These sleeves are made with costumes of two colors or shades, and the baloon puffs are of the color of the trimming. I saw a lady drive by to Chiswick the other day in a costume of violet and dead leaf brown, and the sleeves were made as I have described, the puffs being purple. The effect is uglier than anything that France has sent us in the way of novelty for a long time." The Climate of England.—A native of New South Wales, who had enjoyed his three score years in the sunny clime of Australia, had occasion to visit the old country on business. He took up his abode at Manchester, where he stayed about eleven months but rarely seeing the sun. He then, in November last proceeded to London, from whence he forwarded to his family in Australia the following rhyme : — Dirty days has September, April, June, and November ; From January up to May, The rain it pourelh every day. All the rest have thirty-one Without one blessed gleam of sun, And if any of them had two and thirty, They’d be just as wet, and twice as dirty.