BRIEF MENTION

Observer, Volume 5, Issue 116, 2 December 1882, Page 188

BRIEF MENTION

Maggie Oliver is in Sydney. Our old friend Joyce is playing at the Gaiety, Sydney. Miss Blanche Vaughan is in Auckland disengaged. Miss Davenport is prima donna in Souths Opera Company. Emily Melbourne is appearing in Sydney as Girofle-Girofla with great success. George Darrell will produce a new drama of his own at Sandhurst shortly. Mr Dunning has' arranged for the production of " Boccacio" in Sydney. Eli Johnson, the celebrated temperance lecturer, is down with apoplexy. . ( The " singing of the <3-ospei > 'ratlier astonished the Pukekohians. Misfortunes never, come singly. Mr McMillan has had another "fall." 'Who had the tender for providing the bouquets for Mr Gooch's concert ? The Deputy Commissioner oioi% Property Tax, Mr Sperrey, is at present in. Auckland?' " % f Woman. is the idol that man worships, and the more idle she is the more he worships her. The Hag is the latest journalistic novelty in London. It is the mouthpiece of the ragamuffins. The evangelical telegraphist, not a hjm^red miles from Otahuhu, is at last a benedict. Tiinfe w.Cffks wonders. . tss 3 ? , Q-eorge Francis Train, one time an Australian Colonist, is now a white haired street vagabond in New York. W. E. Sheridan, tragedian, is at Sandhurst. He is poorly supported and the pieces are said to go flatly. Some of the young bucks behaved very badly at the Kaukapakapa dance. Are there no horsewhips about ? " I wonder where he throws his pots," this it tho latest colonialism for a man who " lays on the jam to thickly." Eev. Mi* Fairbrother left for the Lal^poyintry on Monday to start his new Maori mission tl|g^er Now we shall see what we shall see. __^ • * * At the entertainment of thcfAtsckland Dramatic Club, Miss Gribble and Mr Lesiham developed, considerable histrionic ability. %*? i 'as^s The Volunteers are going in foKsi^jSamelled shoulder belts. There is a good deal oftp' leajfcher and prunella " about the force already. ■> SL -J -j,. An old resident of Auckland has passejf a)svay this week in the person of Mrs Goodfellow, wife or Mr Goodfellow, of Otara. . » T*. ' Wolseley and Seymour were offered either life pensions of £2000 each, or a sum of £50,000 each. Naturally they chose the latter. ,-^^ Auckland now boasts of two " nephew/ o&my nncle." But for Mr Cornwall's action the public would not have known where to " draw the line !" ' \Jf , The differences between the arcliftsects and the builders have been so whittled away |hat only, a " shaving" remains between them. \ 5 A certain Mayoral election proves /that in politics as in everything else, the player with Uhe|inosi cards and the best " bower" up his sleeve, winL v .J3 Mr Orchiston returned by tfie-fiiV'airarapa'' after doing Sydney, Melbourne, and Hofoarf. He comes.back with a better opinion of this ColonJ^lihan gg4psj. ' ' The Eev. Mr Habens, Inspecto^-GFe^eral of Schools, concludes his work in Auckland tlijsjsfeek, and leaves for the South again in a few days. ' ~™' ' Mr Burke, of the Telegraph Department, £eei§B to have fumbled the cricket-ball to some purpose.4 3^ c is out of the running for a week or twiO:^ "•-,-. ' 5w -' The City Council is putting ike\ screw on Sammy, They say it was nominated in/ the bond, " Prepare your ways and make your patfis'strai^ht," There is one advantage in warm weather. At no other season can you spread the butter on the children's bread so evenly and thinly. The young woman who sneeringly remarks that all men are alike, generally shows her sincerity by taking the first man that offers himself to her. Mr Gr. S. Sitheradge was entertained at a supper by the members of the Yorick Club, Melbourne, on the 11th inst. He will shortly leave for America. Our young bloods seem to find the upstairs bar at the Albert particularly attractive lately. " Pair, fair, with golden hair. Trust her not, she's fooling thee." Messrs Cunard and Kellard, illusionists, arrived by the Arawata on Monday. They will open at the Opera House about the 10th inst. Their performance is said to be exceedingly clever, and entertaining. At the Imperial Theatres in Russia all the decorations, costumes and accessories have to be rendered incombustible. A vote of £5000 for this pupose will appear in next year's budget. Sydney Taiwhanga says^Sii^ Dillon Bell is " rather slippery." The Parliariient|&v verdigt oh the latter was that "he used to spl^sFon both sides, and vote in the middle !" The Ancient Shepherds jjalL^a struggle the other night at terpsichorean jpleasul;es. The young sparks complained, however, tsat thp Shepherdesses were almost as " ancient " as the^SJijfgiherds. - The Wanganui photographers have'made a good thing, it is rumoured, out Of Mrs Hampson's photos., the account of which has been going the rounds last week. There was a great number of pretty dresses at the Auckland Dramatic Seciety's private dramatic entertainment and quadrille party on Tuesday night, hut owing to the crowded state of the room, they could hardly be distinguished. The contractor for the I^ni^l drainage is a good judge of human nature. H; hasjbeen jocularly remarked that he commenced ogera&ons opposite the 1 Mayor's residence— his object t&ing to keep matters " sweet," from a sanitary point of view of course. „ j The responsible position of Jpek^up keeper at the Auckland Station requiring o 6em% of the force who combines largely the suaviter inyAodojfrith the/ortitei; in re, Constable Mitchell has been sejggiid for the post. 1 Taran-ta-ra I The new chairman of the Ipfirbour Board, it is' rumoured, contemplates drastic fiietfsares, and purging^, the departments of some flagrant abuses. The scour ' of the main channel will also recrase careful attention. Mr Graves Aickin"s appointment will be a bitter pill to ' monopolists. When Mr Boyle,at the Lorne-aJ^eet Hall entertainment, got his head muddled up fiii^he-^mple folds of the tri-colour, while singing the Marsisillase, the audience were under the impression ly»e wjxs going tor look in a camera, and there was verjf,, n^j&ly a " boil over." -*■*• That gin slinging palace, not one hundred miles from the railway, must be more careful about the way the domi inonde are allowed to come and go. Buniour has it already that the license will be objected to next meeting, consequently a word in time may have the desired effect, and save a lot of eye-sores that shock all respectable people at present.

The Longliurst ease anttjs*B& alleged Adams conspiracy business, it appears? all hang upon the legal point as to whether an infant axbovG? the age of 12 ". i^* not prima facie presumed to bewtMapaa:." The upshot wag that the girl was not considered doli capax. This will relieve the minds of many. The coiffure of a young lad^^s the subject of anxious and continuous inspectiqai t]fe other night at t the Opera. IThe puzzle was rap^ecide whether it resembled a decapitated terrier Bs#a teased out doormat. The guess was nigh either way. It never pays for two young men to fight about a girl. Nine girls out of ten invariably nurse the one who gets whipped, while the victor always finds that no other girl wants a fellow who has made such a fool of himself over that horrid Miss Ponsonby ? Madame Sinico and her husband, Campobello, who are in America, have expressed a wish to visit the colonies. Signor de Vivo intends to negotiate with these accomplished lyric artists for a tour in Australasia. There is a great deal too much sly grog selling on Sundays in all the suburban districts. Ii is not uncommon for wives to report to the local policeman the fact that their husband returned homo drunk, and in the very face of the report, Bobby 92 X never takes any steps. We would suggest a change every three montha at each station, which might sharpen local policemen up, as it is they are simply a farce. A groan from little Omaha. — A correspondent says the whole place resounds with groans, sobs, sighs, and amens, and that the unfortunate folks are being worried to death with church services, Sunday-school, choir practices, Bible slasses, love feasts, and so forth. If the Little Omahans have got such a surplus stock of piety could they not bottle some of it up for export to the benighted heathen of the South Sea Islands. The scratching of Harkaway by Mr Shakespear has not been favourably received by the public. Some nasty insinuations have been made, and it will serve the owner right to lose the Hurdles with either of his other strings— in fact with Lone Hand. In the humour, Harkaway and his whole team couldn't win it ; and under the management of the artful Wheeler, it is quite possible that the old grey will make a good leader. -It is said that the opera oj I**'1 **' Boccacio," now being played by the Simonsen troupe jujube South is a little " blue," which might be exptpteaftoni tho author/ of the " Decameron." Quite a ni&ibeMpbf the members of the Baldheaded Association havSlgjSMe to witness. the performance. They did so on moral grounds, of course, to see whether it was desirable to take their wives and daughters. ' . A Southern sporting man has offered to bet 100 to 1 against the truth of the prophecy that the world will bo knocked into a cocked hat next year by the return of the comet across the earth's path. Of course, if he loses he would never be called upon to pay, as everything mundane would have "settled up" or settled down, while if the world wags he would pocket the wager. At a recent social hop in the Temperance Hall, a youthful " pumper" had the misfortune in his gyrations to fall on the back of his head. " The times have been That, when the brains are out, the man would die, And there an end." But not so now. The youth fortunately was not hurt in a vital part, and the accident did not interfere with his evening's amusement. The question has been asked over and over ir- tin the meaning of the name giveu to a mare called N or M. To settle the matter, I asked Captain Rye, who christened her, and he told me it was taken from the Prayer Book, where the first question in the Catechism — What is your name ? — is answered by N or M, and not deeming her worthy of a better name at the time, she was so christened. Her luck seems to have changed for the worse since Mr Shakespear christened her Chiquita. A "BLUE(S") RIBBON RECRUIT. Have you heard of swate Micky Malone, Ochone ! Who went off in the "horrors" alone, Ochone ! In the Dargaville hush Ten days without " lush," Was rough on poor Micky Malone — Ochone ! Join the Templars, my darling Malone ! A parent's lot is not always a happy one. Apart from the demands on the old man's exchequer for dresses, dolmans, fichus, bust improvers (not to mention his own busts) and other things, the girls will insist on upsetting his plans about their future. For instance, at Kaukapakapa an old gentleman is very much upset because his daughter, who is over age, persists in " keeping company" with a young man m the settlement. Paterfamilias threatens to cut the connection by sending her to Sydney. EATS! (A Rat-ional Lay.) Since Parliament no longer sits Our Members all in Auckland meet ; And,rnow with scent as keen as cat's, The Star proclaims, a dozen " rats" Lie dead at foot of Wyndham-street ! The "Auckland rats" may well have died When Wyndham-street' s full wrath they felt. The Star is still "dead nuts" on rats With instinct stronger than a cat's ; 3?or Star makes fiats, when backward spelt ! The proudest man in New Zealand should be Mr Nosworthy, the breeder of old Lurline. Who, when she upset the great Peeress certainty by winning in a -canter the Canterbury Cup, would ever have dreamed that her second foal was to occupy the grand position as a king of the renowned Fernhill Stud, N.S.W. P Yet, such is a fact ; and although beaten by Commotion on the 3rd and 4th days of the V.R.C. Meeting, I think that any sportsman will admit that after his severe race in the Cup with 9st 91b, Darebin can reasonably be allowed to feel a bit tired— and we all know what feeling stiff is like after a hard week's work. A BUILDERS' DISPUTE. Says Wright to Quick — " Stump up, my brick, Don't forfeit my deposit ! The work in brick, Summed up too quick, Was wrong, and Holland knows it !" Says Holland to Wright— '• You're a builder and wright ; But my figures you dare not touch, man ; My figures are right, To the papers I'll write, 3?or Holland is not a Dutchman !" " Snooks " sends us particulars of what he calls an "exciting tragedy" which was enacted recently in an iron foundry in the city. Whether the description is meant to be serious, humorous, or ironical we cannot tell, any more than we can see where the " exciting tragedy " comes in. The " Thrilling Tableau " of the story consists in a bucket of water being poured upon a young man, tall, dark, and good-looking, apparently without provocation or reason. In these circumstances we don't wonder that the good-looking young man k should burst forth into song thus : — " The faces round he quickly scanned And really said he would be hanged ; I He cursed the men and stamped his feet, And swore he'd knock them into minced meat !" [ The heroes of the fray are to have leather medals presented to them ; but the tall and dark young man has risen like the Phoenix from his ashes and is happy once more. The daily papers still furnish curiosities in the^ way of advertisements. One lady wants a general aeiSvant. Apply at "Te Kopua, Hepburn-street." The geographical lore appearg^iif-he as well mixed up as intho case of the much-traj'ellec%ex-City Councillors, whoj, ft on his road to the rnothej: county, " took a run to Rome • and Naples, and then welot honfe by way of Italy." "A^ lady would assist a lady wj,th alamily " on the voyage to England. Reply is to b^M^firgent." These sort d£ arrangoments can't be hurried, and are generally a matter of time. A gentleman wants " a respeefo able youth to iniik," and make himself generally useful. There can be little doubt of his complying with the terms of the " ad." if he fills that situation. It is rather too exacting, however, to want references. AnoJfch,e«r mysterious notification is, " Wanted, two respectable young men ; those accustomed to tho business preferred."

Pride and meanness not infrequently go together. It is rumoured that gO&e of the high tonecl ■ citizenesses who patronise tKe Gi%-. Public Baths foi*J "a penny," desire to coldtshoulSer their humble? sisters out of the privileges anSbenefits of the institution, "in order to keep it sefiyjfcjjj&u know." If they are desirous of establishing a " seff^why not go to some of the private establishments in the city and pay th£ usual scale— airing their ,purse and their pride together 1 . The members of the Auckland Dramatic Club gave an entertainment at the Lome-street Hall on Tuesday evening. The admission was by invitation. . There was was a large attendance, and the performance was received with great favour. The programme consisted of the farces, "Irish Tiger" and "Thumping Legacy," and musical selections. At the conclusion of which there was a dance, which appeared to be thoroughly enjoyed. The complimentary ball bj the sons of old colonists to old colonists, on /Wednesday night, was a very successful affair. The ."Shorftl Hall was decarated with flags, and over 10Qv:eoup}e3 were presem, who enjoyed themselves thoro"iighlj|. The assembly did not break up till an early\%>*ir. Mr Canning catered, and the whole arrangements were efficient and complete, thanks to the exertions of the committee and the secretary (Mr J. J. Craig). There is a family residing not a hundred miles from the Swan Hotel who are a perfect nuisance to the neighbourhood, and it would be well if the authorities were to make some inquiries into their mode of living. Their abuse to neighbours is something hardly creditable. The male portion of this family have not the manliness to 'come forward when other men are at home, but wait until none but females and inoffensive children are about, to vent their foul language. It is to be hoped this warning will be sufficient, or else further particulars not very creditable to a portion of this family will be forthcoming. A good story is told of a " sell" perpetrated in an out-district in Taranaki. A party of tourists to one of the localities, rich in reininjse^nces of the war, came 1 across a mound, with headboard, bearing the inscription of " Pagan, killed in action. "f| The first thought was t'p remove the ashes of the warrior froiJn the bosky dell in which they had been hurriedly^|huried, under the stern necessities of war, to "God's acfe*'in the neighbouring township. Spades were brought into requisition, even the ladies of the party clustering round to watch the transit of Fagan. " Their labours were rewarded by unearthing the remains of a large black dog. Tableau ! Constable McCKIp has been promoted to a -wider sphere of usefulness — the Bay of Islands station—., vacant by the resignation of Constable IVcGovern, and is succeeded as lockup keeper, by Constable Mitchell. During his seven years' servyaeas lockup keeper he has seen, a great deal of " life/'^ml/Sandy is now almost as great a philosopher as the33£'%ick Shepherd. Through his hand have been put, |b facility, soiled doves, grass widows, and " young woiiin W>u* the country." He has performed some little 'fejfficjp, in the way of finding lodgings on a pinch for somwSfnighly esteemed and respected fellow citizens," to say nothing of Government civil servants, and — tell it not in Gath — several J.P.'s. It was thought that the climax of lai-cen j had been attained, when a man had his clothes stolen on the Queen-street Wharf,. while diving to bring up the body of a drowning woman, but it has been beaten by the fellows in Wynvard-s*Tee£p ! %ho stole the water-piping off a house ia open day, njad cS^eted as well the closet pan, with which they dispppeatgd. At this rate people will have to look after tli|ir " ele teeth " and have them securely fastened in. Ev*^ut|fe Yankee senator will have to take a back seat, of wHom it was said that he was so afflicted with kleptomania that he " couldn't bo left alone in the Desert of Sahara, for five minutes, with a ten-ton Trotman anchor without its evaporating !" A North Shore poet sends us the following, fcntitled, "Maori Example." The verses have a decidedly juvenile ring about them : — The North Shore boys, like boys of old, Are fond of games both fierce and bold j And since the late Regatta day, Have found a novel kind of play. A bandage doth each head adorn, With feathers from some rooster torn ; With sticks for spears, they're fully armed, The dogs and cats clear off alarmed. Fantastic streaks their faces bear, Like Maori chiefs, who proudly wear Ancestral styles of tattoo art, These youths in full regalia start. They yell and shout, and shout and yell, And act the Maori war dance well ; They run and charge, and charge and run, And cause immense amount of fun. By way of change they form two crews, ! And get two planks for war canoes ; Then, stripped to waist, they ply their oars, j 'Till sweat from off their faces pours. I The lookers on great interest take — Now and again will lay a stake ; The youngsters think the game a lark, And keep it up each eve till dark. Mr Mace, champion of the world, has announced his intention of giving a couple of his popular sparring exhibitions on Saturday and Monday evenings next at the Theatre Royal. He will be assisted by Slade, who is said to possess extraordinary skill as a wrestler. Presents will also be distributed to those who choose to take part in the various contests. Monday evening will positively be the celebrated Jem Mace's final ap- I pearance in Auckland, as he leaves by the next boat for America. Mace's science as a boxer has never been ! rivalled, and, doubtless, numbers will avail themselves of this last opportunity of witnessing the performance of one of the greatest champions the prize ring ever saw. The teachers and scholars of Beresford-street Public School, by their concert and entertainment of last Thursday evening, have shown an example worthy of emulation by all the City Schools. With the view of augmenting the fund instituted to provide a Library for ' the use of the senior pupils a programme of songs, readings and recitations were prepared, and attracted a large audience. Mr J. D. Schmidt, chairman of the City Schools Committee presided, and songs were given by I Misses Wright and Peace ; recitations by Mr Hart, a reading by Mr Black, and pianoforte solos by Mrs Harrison and Master Neumegen. Solos, duets, and recitations by various pupils of the school also helped to j make up an agreeable entertainment, and the whole closed by the singing of the National Anthem. | THE FAIR FISHER. (An Incident of the North Shore Regatta.) A pretty girl sat in a boat j (Sp'runs the tale), A fishing with a bit of string Tied to a nail. And all the chaps, you bet your boots, Looked hardly at Vier, A gliding by in sailing-boats To the regatta. She stayed there fishing with a nail (It was a tack) ; But not a single sailing-boat Came sailing back. Then, boxing her small brother on His small pink ear, She chucked away her line, nnd said " Come on ! Let's clear." A concert was held in the Kopuru Hall on November 17th, which proved to be financially aad otherwise a success. The " Slave Ship" and " Jack's . come to-day," by Mr Lambert, were decidedly the gems of the evening, evincing much taste and careful practice on the part of the singer. The same remarks may apply to Mr Morath's rendering of the "Death of Nelson," ".Goodbye, sweetheart, good-bye," by Mr Philiips. _A duet by Mrs Molloy and Mr James Molloy are deserving of favourable mention. It is sufficient to say of Mrs Molloy's " Gentle Hallie" 'that it was delivered in this lady's usual style, leaving nothing further to be desired. Miss Blaydes' song was also receivedjwith much applause. The rest of the programme was as follows : — " The girl that I call mine," and " Hannah, how's your ma," Mr Howlctt ; " Belle Mahone," Mrs Woollams ; " The Village Blacksmith," Mr Hudson; "The Midshipmite," Mr McNally; "Simon, the Cellarer," Mr Lindley : "Was you ever see," Mr Jones. A dance followed, which was kept up with much spirit until 2.30 a.m.

The Devonporfc Musical Society gave their" tbird concert at the Devonport Hall "on Wednesday" : evening, and secured a large attendance ; ninone^t t£o i visitors being His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. McCosh Clark) and Mrs Clark. Mr Gordon Goqch, the conductor of the Society, wielded the baton ; "and the opeuW^ chorus, from the very outset, testified to the great a.f vance in musical knowledge which had been made ]>J the Society since the last concert. In addition to ths choruses given by the Society, several solos w individual members were given with lunch ao ceptanee to the audience — notably " The blind i girl to her harp," by Miss H. Burgess, and "The Diver," by Mr Todd, and three visitors from Auckland— Miss Annie Hargrave, Miss Tapper and Sir Hanna, also contributed to the enjoyment of the even ing by their singing. Mr Goocb was, of course, encored in his song, " Sailing." IS IT A "PAIR" QUESTION? Though John Brown's body lies mouldering in tv, grave, John Smith's " spirits" are always to the fore : And Smith is of opinion that he liberty should have To sell his drink at every fair that's held from sli -!•» to shore ! Boozy, snoozy Beniuera, Beery, cheery Eemuera ; Let's have lots of drink at Eemuera, r .When Bucklaud has a " fair" going on ! Let's have drink too, in plenty at all the Churdi Bazaars And Fancy Fairs, where ladies fair intoxicate on. sight ; ■ , At Arthur's and at Tonks's and at Lewis's my stars ! - But chief at Eemuera let drink flow day and night I Beery, cheery Eemuera, Airy, " Fair"-y Eemuera ; Lashings of " lush" at Eemuera, When Buckland has a " fair" going on ! Considering the manner in which the town has been drained lately by the numerous shows that have visited us, tho Juvenile Pinafore Troupe have been most liberally patronised. They are by far the cleverest children that have yet appeared here, and the opera is placed upon the stage in very complete style The little ones hay« evidently had the boneflt of a most skilful tutor, on whom they reflect very high creditand they seem to throw themselves into their wori with an interest and enjoyment that is perfectly refreshing to witness. The mite who appears as bir Joseph Porter is, for a child, simply wonderful Her thorough self-possession and her aifocted air is inosl amusing; her singing is extremely correct, and her execution »f the hornpipe proves she has uncommon aptitude for terpsichorean art. Master Willie Driseo]] as Dick Doadeye is most diverting, his various antics being nightly provocative of the heartiest laughte-t He" finds a capital ally in Master C. Favcrger, who as the boatswain, Benßobstay, exhibits considerable talent for low c'ouiedy. The Ealph Eaekstraw of Miss Amelia Hodge is also worthy of favourable notice, and the same may be said of the Captain Corcoran of Master Osmond, who sings in good tune, and displays a really pleasant portraiture. Miss Flora Graupner makes ai enchanting little Josephine, and is fairly entitled to s principal share in the praise awarded to the company Little Buttercup (Miss Amy Childs) is also singular?! meritorious, and the liUputian chorus and marine efficiently discharge their respective duties. In fact the entire performance is simply marvellous when the tender age of the players is borno in mind. Mr Darby, shire, the stage manager, is to be highly complimented oil the efficiency ho has taught his little pupils to acquire. Our old friend Harry Stanley, of American war celebrity, looks after the front of the house, and is assiduous in trying to promote the comfort of visitors, The prices are very reasonable, and good value is rivet for the meney. "Les Cloches De Corneville" is thi next opera to be produced. The season must of necessiti be a short one, as the theatre is engaged by Mesra Cunard and Xellard ; so pater and materfamilias will do well to embrace the opportunity and give their little ones a treat ere it is too late.