Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1882.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1133, 29 August 1882, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1882.

This evening a matter of considerable importance to the intellectual portion of the community will come before the Borough Council. It is the propriety of the Council giving some indirect assistance to the Library by agreeing to lease from the Committee part of the buildings which they intend to erect on the ground in Lowe-street vested in the Library’. The Libx-ary Committee have hail plans of the buildings they proposed to erect prepared. These shew in addition to a fair sized hall for a Reading-room and other chambers for the library, two suites of offices fronting Lowe-street. From the lease of these offices the Committee expect to derive a revenue sufficient to pay the interest on the first cost of the buildings and to leave a fair margin for a sinking fund. They have proposed to the Borough and County Councils to lease their offices as their doing so would be a sufficient guarantee for any capitalist willing to lend money for the building—and would exactly meet the requirements of these bodies. A deputation from the Borough Council have considered the proposal of the Library Committee, and will bring up their report this evening. Work was carried on by Mr C. D. Berry and his employees during last night, and the operations were so successful that the schooner Waiwera was hauled up fully her own length on to the beach and is now in a fair way of being shortly repaired and re-launched. We congratulate the gentleman to whom the contract has been entrusted, upon the very evident successful issue which will follow his work.

Messrs Kennedy and Bennett notify that they have received a shipment of 300 tons of the finest coal ever shipped at Newcastle, N.S.W., and which they are now offering for sale at the extremely moderate rate of £2 12b 6d per ton. This will, doubtless, be acceptable news to householders. Owing to the high sea running in the bay, this morning, the Oreti’s cargo of live stock could not be shipped. Mr Cameron is unfortunate on this occasion.

Mr I. C. Taylor, the enterprising local saddler, has received by recent shipments a variety of saddlery which, for actual worth and value, should certainly be sought after. Those who purchase from Mr Taylor certain saddles will, undoubtedly, if they adhere to the maxim of “ Stick to the pigskin” not be very far wrong. Bridles of all descriptions, ana in fact everything in the shape of leather for horsey purposes can be secured at his establishment in Peel street. There is one novelty, however, which calls for special mention; it is a lady’s stirrup-iron so fashioned that should a fall occur no danger could happen through the foot catching in the iron. The footpiece is so duplicated that all danger to ladies from a mishap of this kind is impossible. The members of the Napier Rifle Band have started a new idea. In order to facilitate the reading of music at night in the open air, each bandsman wears a small lamp attached to his cap. . The light is thrown directly upon the music, whicn thus can be easily read. We commend this sensible idea to the notice of our local bandmaster.

As an instance of rapid telegraphing, it may be mentioned (says the Wellington “ Post ”) that Reuter’s Agent in this city despatched a telegram to London at noon and received a reply at 11 a.m, the following day, the total time occupied in the transmission of the message and reply being thus only 23 hours.

Three hundred splendid sheep were ship ped by Mr A. C. Arthur, for Auckland, on Sunday morning last by the Te Anau. The animals looked really well and should command a high price in the Auckland market. We learned to-day that further large shipments of Poverty Bay mutton will be made by the Oreti and also by the next Union Company’s boat going North.

Maori names do not appear to be properly understood (says the “B. P. Times”) in the Old Country. A letter was received by the San Francisco mail lately bearing the following address— “ Mrs , Upper Tuckey Bay of Plenty, Auckland, New Zealand.” Even amongst the residents of this district many would have a difficulty in recognising Opotiki in those two words “ Upper Tuckey.” We noticed a few’ days ago a gentleman with a particularly seedy suit of clothes. He was then missed for two or three days, when lo ! and behold ! he was arrayed better than Solomon in all his glory. We enquired from him if his rich aunt was dead ? If any wealthy old uncle had passed in his checks ? If a bauk had been opened (with a crowbar) ? And in fact almost every conceivable question as to how he had secured so stylish a turnout. Still he neither spoke nor cried, but pointed with his finger to A. Ireland’s Dye Works, Lowe-street.

The annual parade of stallions is announced for Saturday, the 9th proximo, at the Waikanac Paddocks, under the auspices of the Poverty Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. A meeting of the members of the Society will be held at 2.30p.m. on the same day, at the Masonic Hotel.

A reward of £5 is elsewhere offered for the the recovery of a pocket-book containing money, cheques, and other documents. We trust anyone who has discovered it will be honest enough to “turn it up.” A whaleboat was capsized on the bar this morning. There were five Maoris in her, but nothing serious occurred. In laying before our readers a slight digest of the book referred to in our columns of yesterday as being brought before the public by Mr McGlashan, entitled the “ EncycloEiedia of Business and Social Forms,” written y Janies D. MoCabe, the author of “ The Centennial History of the United States,” we omitted to shew that the last mentioned book should not be confounded with “ Our First Century,” which was worked through the country by Messrs Shaw and Lane on a very different principle from that on which this “ Encyclopedia is offered to the public. This work embraces a very wide range of subjects. social and practical, and offers vast attraction for the young in the description and rules of various games and sports which are here laid down in wonderful simplicity, and with the clearness and accuracy of Moyle. The. arts of writing, book-keeping, letterwriting, the laws relating to collection and exemption and matters parliamentary, the constitutions of lyceums and debating societies, the conduct of public meetings and deliberations are well and clearly defined, and must be, as a matter of consultation, invaluable ; supplying as they do a perfect “ vadc mecittn ” of law and science laid dearly down in a thoroughly reliable form. No office or household should be without this work, which we earnestly recommend to the notice of our readers. Mr McGlashan requested us to compare his sample book with the sale copies, and having done so we can vouch for the one being a fae simile of the other. The general get up of the work we have already described, Those which are bound in morocco leather are 36s each, while those bound in satin cloth are sold at 325. We can only say that those who invest in this work receive a valuable and adequate consideration fur their money.

Diptheria is seriously spreading in the Canterbury districts.

The “ Wanganui Herald” states that the illumination of the town clock in that place costs 10s a day for gas. Mr Brewer has been unable, owing to its being previously engaged, to secure Messrs Parnell and Boylan’s Masonic Hall for the exhibition of his pantascope, so he has resolved on exhibiting in the shops in the front of the building. The stereoscopic pictures are sure to prove very attractive, especially as the prices have been reduced to the almost nominal sums of Is and 6d respectively for adults and children. Mr Brewer hopes to be able to arrange for a matinee on Saturday afternoon to enable schools and children to visit his exhibition.

A braw Highland laddy in the person of a well-known gentleman connected with one of the vessels now in port, somewhat astonished the Gisborne people and dogs by parading the streets last evening in his country's costume. Since writing the above we want to take back all we have said, the would-be Scotchman has turned out to be a Welshman. Shades of Wallace and Bruce kindly give the disguised one something which will startle him when next he walks.

Messrs. Kennedy and Bennett have now for sale 800 house blocks, recently received per schooner Gisbonie. Poor Mr M. Hall has found it necessary to notify that “although not lost or gone behind,” he has had to take a back seat for a day or so. The fact is he is getting his front renovated ; after which he will make his bow to the public with a larger front than ever. That’s the kind of hairpin Mr Hall is ! Mr S. M. Wilson, of the Albion Club Hotel, calls for tenders (up till Saturday next, at noon (for the delivery of ten tons, more or less, of best meadow hay. Particulars at the Albion Club Hotel. Mr J. R. Brook, the well-known carter aud carriei, notifies that he is prepared to deliver parcels of any size in all parts at moderate charges, and is also prepared to supply his many friends and customers with coal and firewood at very reasonable rates. Any orders left with him will meet with prompt attention.

Mr J. Scrimgeour, of Matawhero, has very kindly favored us with a sample of potatoes grown on his farm. We certainly have no cause to complain of the quality of them as they are, without exception, the best we have seen for some considerable time.

We (“N.Z. Times”) have to utter a word of caution about the ink pencils which have come so much into vogue lately. A most useful implement to the business man, this innocent looking pencil can be easily converted into a treacherous friend, and on no consideration should be used to write the signature of anyone. The composition of the pencil is a peculiar combination, highly poisonous in itself, and—herein lies the danger to signature writers—competent to give off two or more impressions on damped —not tissue paper, be it understood, rdinary writing paper. Our attention was first directed to this peculiarity by an astute official of the Bank of New Zealand, and subsequent experiments proved the easy practicability of making a clear copy of the filling in of a cheque with this ink pencil. First the writing of the cheque is transferred —upside down, of course—to a slip of paper, and from that transferred—right side up—to another slip of damped paper. We tested this in the case of a cheque written with the ink pencil and sent in from the country, and by simple hand pressure obtained a very perfect copy of the transferable parts of the document. Verb. sap.

There has been great question about the conduct of Colonel Gold of the 65th regiment in the matter of the attack on Puketakauere in 1860. A writer in the “ Sydney Morning Herald ” accuses the officer named of cowardice and incapacity, alleging that he abandoned the seamen of the Pelorus under Captain Seymour, and the men under Major Nelson, to utter annihilation by cowardly want of action as commander-in-chicf. From personal experience we contradict the “Sydney Morning Herald’s” correspondent who evidently knows very little about the attack on Puketakauere. There was no officer known by the name of “Tiger” Nelson. Major Nelson earned the soubriquet of “Taipo” or Devil, and Capt Seymour was his superior in relative rank. Colonel Gold was not commander-in-chief. General Pratt commanded the army in New Zealand at the time, and Colonel Gold never was either a fool or coward in his professional conduct of affairs military. We need only appeal to Captains Blewitt and Shaw, Mr C. O. Montrose, and others of the 40th and 65th Regiments, who after quitting the army have elected to live in New Zealand, to obtain confirmation of our words. The same writer says that Capt. Seymour was a martinet who preferred reading to mixing with his officers. This is equally untrue. Captain, now Admiral, Seymour was one of the most kindly dispositioned officers in Her Majesty’s service, and one who mixed more freely with his sulx)rdinates than most officers of his rank would have done. Admiral Seymour would be the last man to allow a slur to be cast upon the name of the late Colonel Gold, and will most probably himself give contradiction to the statements made in the “Sydney Morning Herald regarding that officer.