TALK ABOUT TOWN.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 119, 10 January 1880, Page 2

TALK ABOUT TOWN.

1 " There'll a chiol uiuuuk >o tnkin' notes, i Ami I'niili Uu'll iiront tucin." I Tim festivities usual to tho olose of the 1 year ami tho opening of the other, have t again boon indulged in and passed away, i nnd tho baby year of 1880 Is to-day three days old. 'i'lio clerk of the weather was i evidently in a lnul humour during the Christmas liolldayH, especially on Boxing < Day, (perhaps ho lion a "down" on horse- i raoing) when a vory good day's raving ! i and fun at V allele was luarrod and nearly i entirely upsul thruugh the heavy inin <

vhich fell on Christmas night, oiul tl„, orenoou of Boxing Day. Under the .•iroumstanccs, however, the sport was pretty good, the attendance was lai-o- 0 md, thanks to the opportune arrival of the barque Peter GodeflVoy from Hamburg, the lager beer scorned to bo relished above all; in fact, but for her arrival, long ago looked for, there would have been little more than rain water [with which to refresh the inner man. That's very good at times, but it’s rather too much of a good thing to be obliged to take it both inside and out. The first day of the year 1880 was everything that could bo desired, (the clerk known”, that there were no sports for the public to enjoy) a fine clear sky, and a pleasant strong trade wind blowing—in fact, just the kind of weather wo desired on that day week back. If iho beautiful weather which ushered in the new year is thejharlonger of a peaceful and prosperous time, even those who had some nasty spills in the mud at Vailelo during the races will willingly forgive Jupiter Phivins md his clerk for the somewhat disagreeable day they spent. Although two days behind time, —not through any fault of mine, of course, hut “through circumstances over which I have no control,” I have pleasure in heartily wishing all my readers a happy and prosperous time of it during 1880, and many more following years. The community are certainly to be complimented upon the degree of order and sobriety which existed all through the two festivals which have just passed by ; and the police report shows there was a perfect absence of rowdyism, and that only three or four men fell into the tender 'clutches of the “hobbies” who provided them with the usual style of accommodation until they were in a fit, state to be brought before his “wushup” to be fined. There is not the slightest doubt that the regulations prohibiting the supply of liquor to natives must bo to a great extent credited with the fact of the sobriety of the hundreds who were in the town ; and in that respect the difference between last year and this is something surprising. Uf course we bad to bo annoyed and “headaehed', with tin kettles drums and singing of the dancing parties who paraded the road from early morning till late at night on New Year's Day, according to custom; but they wore sober, and, on the whole, ns far as can lie expected, fairly behaved. I think the police deserve a mode of praise for the manner in which they did their work during those gay and festive times notwithstanding the long hours it was necessary for then* to bo on duty. [The above was written for our issue of Saturday last, but was unavoidably held over. —Hi). S. T.] Cvr.ii,,