TALK ABOUT TOWN.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 61, 30 November 1878, Page 2

TALK ABOUT TOWN.

"There's a chiel nmaug vo tnkiu' notes, AnJ faith he'll prent tlicut." It isn't often that a heathen Chinee is in a position to li.ia.st that over his door i.-. affixed the United States Cuat-of-Anns, and over his roof gaily flaunts the American Flag of Freedom ! Yet, in this out of the way place, a Celestial, glorying in the name of All Man. tie proud pig-tailed proprietor of a small pcovision store i,i Apia claims this great honour; aud a great one it is surely, for the veriest kanaka who wishes to purchase a loaf of bread from him, lias to pass under the imposing euihlem of the Government of the Uuited .States. Is this the result of the treaty of friendship between America and Samoa, or is it intended for a mark of respect to those indust 1 . .-, though " heathen Chinee' whom as ..... all know, America loves ! • i'.i •. v ii ru is the lirlii ,<:,,, v. i'.IMO '.I OCdl e ,:. ■ . .'.,.,. tuo eyus 0 f i i.vnl IJ .i'.sa .-. I ' lost, stolen, or ■e :'. . IV >\ in : c\e. it may be it should be recovered and at once ]iut in its proper place,—over tile door of the Uritisii Consulate. 1 have been favoured with the loan of a copy of the "Western Pacific Order" by a friend who thought that I was hard up for light literatim., in returning the " Order" 1 have to thank him for one of the most severe headaches J have suffered from for some years past, the result of manfully struggling through 115 pages of the most unintelligible matter it was ever my lot to read. Some of the clauses are surely meant for "goaks." particularly the following with reference to Assessors which reads thus : "An Assessor under this Order, shall he a competent and impartial British subject, of good repute, nominated and summoned liy the High Commissioner's Court to act a* Assessor therein;—An Assessor shall not have any voice in the decision of the Court in any case, criminal or civil. Hut an Assessor shall not have any voice in the decision of the Court in any case, criminal or civil.—But an Assessor dissenting, in a criminal case, from any decision °>{ the Court, or from the sentence, or dissenting in a civil case, front any-dccision of the Court, may record in the Minutes of proceedings ■ his dissent, and the grounds tlieYtof. An Assessor dissenting shall be entitled to receive without payment a certified copy of the minutes." Surely this must be meant for a joke,—one that in a document of this description i's cer- • family out of place 1 admit,—but a joke nevertheless. If not, I cm only look upon it as a deliberate insult to summons [—under a penalty not ex. |i ug fif... ' pounds, for disobeying (he summons,— | "a competent and impartial British subject of good repute." t« appear in such'o ridiculous position. A man is required > to sit with the High or Deputy Commit-. Ii Moucr, a. bu esse may lie, and is not j ttllowod i, (five Ins opinion on ti„. merits i oi the ca e. Why not save the time, 1 trouble, aud exposure to ridicule of mou i ot "good repute ' by placing n coiiplo of', K ' *'*•"' : - '•' men's clothing, ouo on ' I each ndn of I .• Commissioner. To all']

intenta and purposes they would answer equally as well, and the joke would b' carried out in its entirety. Eureka! At last our blessed SuHM " Government" has commenced to think about talkingaboutgotngtodusomething. It is rumoured about town that the "Government" are going to meet on the loth of December to make laws, —like piecrusts, soon to be broken I—to take into consideration tho purchase of the Samoa Hotel for a Government House, for which they will propose to pay s4ooo,—when they can get it. But perhaps the tiest thing they are going to do is to establish stocks,--the good old English style of stocks,—at Mulinuu. There are any number of kanakas and half-oaste boys deserving of the stocks, and if the " Government" will only keep them well tilled ! shall soon begin to have I wo- , pennyworth of respect for that august • . CYRIL. NORTHERN HIGHLAND SOCIETY. The fortieth anniversary dinner of the Glasgow Northern Highland Benevolent Society took plane in the Atliole Arms Hotel, Dundas Street. Mr. John Mnth"son, jun. of Cordate, occupied the chair, and was supported by the Rev, Evan Gordon, Dr. G. 11. B." Macleod, Major Hull', and Mr. Bannernmn. Mr. George Muuro discharged the duties of croupier, and was supported by the Rev. John M'Kay, Colonel Matheson, Mr. Duncan Smith, Mr. Chivy Maepherson, and others. The ( 'liainnan proposed the toast of "The Northern Highland Benevolent Society." It was now, he remarked, a good many years since lie had the pleasure of attending the annual dinner of the society. Since that time a few old familiar faces had disappeared not to appear again, but the life of the Highlands had boon building all tho while, green brunches had been sprouting from the parent stem, and he was happy to see from the present large and interesting meeting that the spirit that bore testimony in Glasgow to the memories of the Northern Highlands was alive and well. Some of the younger and greener sprouts might wonder why he, a man bora in Glasgow, should occupy the chair. What claims had the industrial vapours and the noisy trade warfare of this gnat city to be associated with the pure air and the everlasting silence of the Highland hills Y His father was a Northern Highlander and an early member of the society, and it was in his father's company that he attended the annual meeting of the society. He did not remember whether in those antediluvian days—(laughter)—dinners were as good as now. He bad no doubt the host (Mr. Mackenzie; would unhesitatingly say they were not, but he had a distinct recollection that the " garb of old Gaui " was more commonly worn amongst members of the societv in those days than now. That must be looked upon—be would net say as a sign of advancing civilisation, because a party of Highlanders could not admit anything of that kind —but it might arise from a growing feeling that when men were in Rome they must Jo as tho Romans did. However, dress and fashions might change without affecting the hearts of the Highlanders. The garb might perish from the ordinary highways of life, the ' ■ eii: language cease to be speken there, but the country with which they were associated would live for over in the memories of her sons. (Applause.) Xo doubt that country, too, was undergoing a change. The ploughshare now made its way where the thistle formerly put forth its spears, and golden harvests were rising year by year whore sheep and cattle were wont to stray. And that was well. But the majestic lochs and lakes which reflected the changeful aspect of the sky, the streams and rivers which made music in the deep groves of the valleys, the bold breezy headlands that confront the Cyclopean mountain mists, from whose shawdowy heights the eagle yet screams to the tempest and the stars—these were the characteristics of an impressive country, and, to those whose early home it was, a home of imperishable memory. (Applause.) The' Northern Highland Benevolent Society had inscribed upon its banner, not only the sentiment of patriotism, but the nohlorof charity. It was not for him to indicate how that could be best done; but perhaps the minds of the directors might be turned to the expediency of affording some help to tho higher branches of the education of some young men, who might bean honour to themselves and their country in the mercantile or professional walks of this great community, That would be a noble object to join with the society's ministrations to poverty and want. lie thought all men connected with the Northern Highlands who resided in Glasgow would do well to join with this noble and patriotic society. Even if there should be such a rara avis amongst them, such a contradiction in terms as a Highlander without patriotism -—(laughter)—he might bo appealed to from the fact that there were many good grounds on which he might join his fel-low-countrymen, and that' the first of then was charity. (Applause.)— Dr. G. 11. B. Macleod, in proposing "Highland Regiments," said he bad had experience of the bravery and splendour of these regiments when they were engaged in defending the honour of the country, and he could speak from what lie had seen of the excellent wav in which they always performed their duty. In a city like Glasgow it was an not uncommon thing for those who were not Highlanders, to laugh at Highlanders

loth for their want of grammar and knowledge of English, hut be neveheard anyone speaking against a Highland regiment. He Mvef heard any of the enemies of Great Britain laugh at those regiments. (laughter.) The very extraordinary reputation which the Highland regiments hail attained was made at a time when those regiments were composed mainly of Highlanders. He regretted very much to say that since that time—that since the Crimean War—many of those regiments had undergone a change in that respect. Be believed some of the best Highland regiments had now a great many officers and men who were not Highlanders. Certainly, at the time when the reputation of those regiments was made there was no need for the officers to go about with sucking pigs under their arms to accustom themselves to the drone of the bag-pipes, as it was said they had sometimes to do. 'Applause., In reference to the absence of the Highland dress, Dr. Macleod said that his father, who was probably as pure-bred a Highlander as ever lived, used always to say that nowadays two sets of men wen 1 clad in Highland costume—real Englishmen, and fools; that was to say, the dress bad gone so thoroughly out amongst Highlanders that in fact a great deal more of it might be seen amongst Englishmen. Perhaps that was as well, for it was a dress not altogether understood. As to Highland regiments, they were the expression of all that was best in Highlanders. The wonderful bravery they had shown on many occasions was -well known. As a Highlander, he might be allowed to say that of late years they had got too much credit in the British army, and so had been rendering other regiments extremely jealous. When the Highlanders came home from expedition on the Coast of Africa there was no attention paid to the Rifle Brigade, or any regiment except the 42nd Highlanders, and that was felt by the other regiments. In marching through Portsmouth no heed was given to the other regiments, but whenever the " kiltes " appeared every servant girl ran out to see them—(laughter)—and the other regiments felt that very much. (Applause.) With these remarks Dr. Macl I submitted the toast, which was cordially received. After some other toa.-ts the company adjourned— Glasgow News.