Mopsus’ on his Rambles.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1032, 4 February 1882, Page 2

Mopsus’ on his Rambles.

My friend did not. go to Church last Sunday ; the wicked wretch went off to see the English cricketers who were on board the Rotorua, so T went myself. The organist only pared his nails once ; a nice young gentleman made faces at the girls, and a leading citizen and his wife carried on a tete a tele during the whole service.

It. was rather artful of Cr. Dodge-’em of the Borough of .Sandflat, to indite that letter about the “ Council’s favorite solicitor.” The solemn look he had on his face when the letter was read before the Council was really ludicrous. T wonder did it occur to him that, the whole of the Councillors knew beforehand what his little game was, and that his backhanded cut at. “ the favorite solicitor” was unmanly as it was contemptible.

I have been very much amused over Ormond’s defeat, by an uneducated undersized, benevolent, up-country grocer. That was not the only contest, where the best, qualified to represent a district, were shut out. by the vox poDiili. But. never mind—putting aside the political aspect- of the subject, Ormond’s party took their “licking ” badly. True the “licking” was doubly severe, because Ormond could not forget the taunting remark he made to Smith M.11.R. for Waipawa, when he nominated Johnny Sheehan at. the election before last. “ I wonder,” said Ormond, in a sneer* ing tone, “ that Mr Smith himself does not contest, the election.” Mr Ormond wonders now how the deuce he himself is out in the cold.”

I was coming down in the train from Tahoraito to Napier some time after the late election when Old Merino stepped into the same carriage. At the AVainawa station Longwool appeared. “Ha, old fellow, aw, would you, aw. believe it, I—aw—shook hands with Smith. “ Nonsense,” replied Old Merino,

“ Did you do it inadvertently, or, aw, did you give him your, aw, left. hand. You know—aw —he doesn’t represent The men who backed Smith up at the late contest, know now that, they should have put, in a better man than he, because he cannot represent their interests. But what does Smith care ? He is in, and he laughs at the mutton interest of Hawkes Bay.

Ho stayed nt the Masonic. Visitors to Dan Page’s begin to speculate as to who the stranger was. One thing certain, he had come from the South, and was after land. He was an unsocial man for the first day or two. People genera l? are in asi range place. But the Unknown gradually thawed, and, lo ! I discovered he was a holder of five hundred shares in the East Coast Land and Bubble Company. He was a hard-headed Scotchman —must Scotchmen in quest of territory display that, cranial characteristic. He sought for himself and his Olngo friends to know how many hundred thousand acres the Old Company had acquired, and for that, purpose he had come from Invercargill. He wondered, that is to say, as much as a man of his nationality ever wonders, if t he sagacious savages were so soft as they were represented to be in the prospectus. # * « * Three days are supposed to hare elapsed s’nre the foregoing incidents occurred. The Stranger beckoned me aside. He asked if I know Dean Swift, and pressed into my hands a scrap of paper. Before I could reply he was clambering up the steps of Sam Stevenson’s coach, and whirling dotvn to the Wharf. Regaining my composure as quickly as possible, I opened the paper, and read these remarkable words : — “ So have I seen from Severn’s brink A flock of geese jump down together ; Swim where the bird of Jure would sink, And swimming never wet a feather. But, T affirm, ’tis false in fact,; Directors better knew their tools ; I'ow see the dis!riel's credit cracked ; Each knave has made a thousand fools. One fool may from another win, And then get. oil' with money stored ; But. if a sharper once comes in He throws at all, and sweeps the board. Directors ! —for ’tis you I warn— By sad experience I have found What planet rul’d when you were born, I see you never can be drowned.” The whole rencontre was so mysterious and unexpected that I forgot to follow the irate shareholder, who, apparently, has gone from our shores a sadder if not a wiser man.

It was Wales—l mean the Prince —who invented the liquor so fashionable now at London Clubs—Soda and Lemon —but it was an energetic member of the Holy Trinity Church Working Committee that invented Eau de Cologne as a beverage on the day of the fete. “Oh ! my dear,” remarked a matronly party, after violently exercising herself in the busy mazes of the dance upon the greensward, “ have you seen my handkerchief and Eau de Cologne bottle ?” Well—£ had something out of an Eau de Cologne bottle that day, but it was unmistakeably Kilmarnock. l£oni soil,

The fife was, considering everything, an undoubted success, and the public are ins debted, in a great measure, to Mr and MrRees for the use of t ie grounds, and the facilities placed at the command of the Committee for providing the good things of the feast. *. * So Mr W. K. McLean has sold the Waikohu run again, This is the property that, lately belonged to S. Locke, Esq., Lite candidate for Parliament. The cognoscenti in local matters political will remember the celerity with which this valuable property was disposed on the dag after the election— in fact before some of the returns came in. Even though it were so, Mr Locke will yet reside amongst us, for hath lie not declared that he would. THE EARTHQUAKE. Earthquakes are of ancient, origin. Many references are made to them in the Bible. Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, refers to them. “ The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem ; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn and the top of Carmel shall wither.” (Amos, Ist. chap. 2nd verse). Zechariah, two hundred years later, makes frequent reference to the same event. Josephus touches upon the subject. Thirty years before Christ was born an earthquake occurred in Palestine which destroyed 30,000 persons and 13 cities. At the crucifixion of the Saviour of Mankind, Biblical readers will remember that the vale of t he temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. When one reflects upon what is alleged to be a scientific fact, that if an opening in the earth 20 miles deep were to be made—say, in depth, as far as from Gisborne to a few miles beyond Ormond, that we would be able to discern a liquid ocean of fire, the temperature being 2000 degrees, powerful enough to melt the hardest metals ; then it will be understood that earthquakes could possibly have their disadvantages. In New Zealand the frequent shocks doubtless do much good. Volcanoes are intimately allied with earthquakes, and so long as Tongariro remains active—while the seething mass of fire below the surface of the earth has that great, chimney to act as a safety valve—little danger need be expected from earthquakes in New Zealand. Volcanoes are supposed to be caused by underlying deposits of organic matter such as petroleum, coal, &c. Active and extinct volcanoes appear usually to overlie great deposits of sedimentary rocks containing organic matter. No doubt the North Island of New Zealand has been a hot bed of volcanoes in its time. A visit, to Taupo reveals the fact, that in many places the crust, of the earth is only a few inches t hick, and that separates the outer world from the boiling liquid mud. I have been thinking over earthquakes since the late shaking. To Gisborne folk, the shock which took place at. a minute or two to 3 o’clock on Wednesday, was the severest felt for years. The stone or concrete buildings were thought of at. first. Mr William Adair, our respected fellow townsman, Lad the least, enviable position. He was in t he centre of his spacious, two-storey, brick building, and while he gazed upon an animated brick wall, swaying to and fro, un exaggerated representation of the leaning tower of Pisa, the feeling was by no means a happy one. Business men at the Banks, just, meeting, possibly, pressing bills before tiie hand of the clock came to the hour of three, oblivious of their overdrafts, forgetful of the commercial affairs of this life, sought safety in Gladstone Road. In the Native Land Court, the building was crowded with Natives. There was His Honor Judge Brookfield in robes. Messrs Willoughby Brassey and E. IT. Ward, the solicitors, had raised some knotty law pants. They generally can. His Ifonor, with his head bowed down, was looking over the records of the Court, but. by the time he raised himself and adjusted his spectacles, claimants and cjunter-claimants had fled; a stampede had been made for the door, and as the Native Land Court had no jurisdiction on earthquakes, the eases were temporarily adjourned. In the country districts, from the news to hand, the shock was felt with great severity. In one place crockery was dashed down and the affrighted housewife, in her anxiety, rushed o-itsi le to see if the haystack was all right. Nearer town, where a wheat stark was being made, the farm laborers thought, the stack was badly bound, and that it was going to topple over upon them. A visit to the different places in town showed that, no damage to speak of, had been done. Mr Adair's and the other bri -k buildings stood the shock uncommonly well. No perceptible difference was made in Mr T. W. Carr’s large concrete store. The chimney in the Borough Chambers had the upper portion of it somewhat cracked and placed out of the perpendicular.