Auckland Echoes.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4357, 18 December 1882, Page 3

Auckland Echoes.

(FROM OUB OWN. COBBESPONDBNT .) The heat of the weather and a plethora of other work has for the past few weeks pre Tented me from wielding my mighty pen—that instrument, which "within the hand of man, supremely great, is mightier , than the sword,'*—however, I purpose making amends by inditing a fall budget -this time. .

Thames people cut their eye teeth early, •' and when"someone gets to windward of a man, from Quartzopolis, the fact is well . Worth recording. The teller in the Auckland branch of a New Zealand bank, .-.,, having its headquarters in London, is a thorough Thamesite; he sucked in'cute- ; ,j,; nesi with the invigorating breezes of the Hanraki Golf, and he—oh! it cuts me to . the.quick to write it—has been had. It was thuswise: Just before the last mail .■reamer went to 'Frisco, the.renowned pugilist, Jem Mace, Esq., ex champion of th« world, etc., etc., waltzed into the bank, imd, producing a roil of notes and some silver, asked the smart young teller to change it for gold.. Now, the teller was not bonnd to do this, as none of the T notes of his bank were in Jem Mace's

roll, but to oblige the great man he gave ! a willing assent. "How much is it?" asked the banker. " £67 " wa| the reply, The cute Thames man counted the money in a somewhat perfunctory-manner, and / banded over the 67 sovereigns. Maoe ,', bad' not- been gone many minutes before . >the young man thought he would have i: , juiptner oonnt, aud—oh, horrcrj—there ..was only £57 in Mace's roll. Hastily ; informing one of his superiors, he clapped on bis bat snd rnshed off to find the ex* . champion of the world. He fonnd that worthy sipping a cocktail in a Queen , street bar, and without more, ado informed '" him of the mistake. Mace pooh-poohed the story, though from his manner it was eVident he kqew something about the ' money. The teller consulted a solicitor, 1 bjit fonnd he had no redress. The ser« vices of a detective were then pressed, with, the view of.' bluffing ' the money out of li ace, but be merely laughed at the threats of;;Jjb.e_ minion of. the law. Our young banker then fled to the great man in forma pauperis, when Mace said, "Well you're an honest looking young fellow. - I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you five quid, and toss you who has the other five. Could ' cheek' go further. In vain the young man protested that the money was not his ; Mace was relentless, saying, " If you don't like to do that, you can go ——," well to a place where you don't require overcoats, and where continual summers-yes, very continual summer— reigns. 1 To cut a long story short, the Tbamesite was glad to take the " fiver " just as the steamer wbs casting off. He doesn't think Jem-Mace ib a very great man now, and- freely expresses his opinion.

The coming sensation amongst the fair sex is tW Baptist bazsar, the proceeds of which are to b> devoted to the erection of a tabernacle after the-style of the chapel of Spurgaon pere in London. Spurgeon fits is a Worthy chip of the old block, and is going in bald-headed to make the affair a' success. He has, I hear, given £500 oat of his own pocket towards the building fund: ' The tabernacle is to be situated at the top of Upper Queen street, and it ia expected will accommodate over 1000 worshippers.

There is great enmity between the bouses of-Waddel and McCosh Clark. .Waddel, the wealthy baker, hßd designs 1 on the Mayoralty, but Clark stood again, and, of course, the dough-banger's candidature came to an end, Clark being eleoted without opposition. But a feeling - of antagonism was engendered, and it blazed ;out fiercely at the Harbor Board meeting the other day. 'Waddel has a shop and a good deal of property in Hobson street, and of; course it is to his interest to get the new harbor scheme, which includes the erection of the principal wharf at Hobaon, street, carried out. I likewise suppose this would be inimical to the Clark interest. At the Harbor Board, meeting referred to Clark in a hither nasty manner referred to "people who could not take a large view of anything. They could only regard things in ft narrow 'retail' way, and thought that •very person looked at improvements as if these to bring traffic past their windows 80 that passers-by might see their cakes and loaves." Waddel retaliated with, "It is not so long since your own position was not above cakes and loaves." I really think that the " knock " administered by the doughty baker was well deserved; the bumptiousness of our would-be aristocrats in the " wholesale " twos is quite too-too, and it is not so very very long ago since James Clark sold his " Sawx-pen'orth " of ribbon and pen'orth of tape over the counter of his father's little one* windowed ■bop in Shortland Crescent. ' .

We bare all been "up to our necks " in cricket daring the tour of our rattan t knights of the willow to the South, and we feel proud of their victories. The defeat, at Christchuroh is the only drop of bitterness in the sweet cup of satisfied vanity. And by rights we should have - beaten the Cantabs. A private letter from. • reliable source informs me champagne was the sole cause of the southeners' victory. Two of our best men got highly elevated th c night before the last day of the match, and when tuay^ came on the field they were on thfi^st of terms with the whole world, but not much in form for cricket. The story I believe, as one member of the team is a noted' boozer,' and lam personally aware, of the fact before the cricketers left Auckland two men were told off to watch him and keep him " square." .