NEWS BY THE MAIL

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 232, 11 July 1872, Page 5

NEWS BY THE MAIL

PROFESSOR BLACKIE AND HIS STUDENTS. On Tuesday, at the close of the session in the University of Edinburgh, Pro'ossor Blackie met his Senior Greek-Class at eleven o'clock to award the prizes to the successful students. We take from the Courant the following report of the proceedings :— The door of the class-room was kept closed until the Professor made his appearance at eleven o'clock. Professor Blackie was greeted with applause, but a few of the students at a corner near the back of the hall made a considerable noise for a time by tramping on the floor with their feet. After quiet had been restored, the Professor said :— lt was sufficiently obvious to me that certain persons in that corner (pointing to the spot), where evil spirits delight to congregate — (laughter) — have come here for the. purpose of making a noise. (Hear, and cries of 11 Put them out." I inform these persons that if they continue I stop— (hear) — and delay giving the prizes for another hour The noise was again begun, and the Professor sat down. Take care of yourselves, he said, or I shall stop, and delay giving the prizes for another hour. I shall have no blackguardism here. (Cries of "Goon; go on.") Starting to his feet, the Professor said— ln the first place, to prevent evil consequences, those persons who do sit in the back seats wi:l either walk out or comedown here to the front benches. Every one of you come down, or walk out. Every one of you in these three last seats, come down here or walk out. (Applause). Come down here ! Come down here ! The students obeyed the command, and Professor JBlackic resumed — I have been unpleasantly reminded at the present moment that I have come to the end of the most unpleasant and the most unsatisfactory session I ever spent in the University of Edinburgh. (Oh !) If you don't like to hear that, walk out. 1 don't care. lam not coming here for nonsense. During this session there has been in the city a great amount of sickness and illness. But I must take care what I say. There's "A chield amang you taking notes, And, faith, he'll prent them." ("Oh, oh," and laughter.) I say, in common with the whole town, I must lament the great amount of sickness and of death and of every kind of sorrow— (" oh !") — such as has never been within the walls of this room since I have bad the honor to sit in this chair ; and I look back on that wi'h deep sorrow, but with no feelings of indignation. But when I consider that there has been a greater amount of students who came to do their work, and came day after day unprepared— ("oh !") a greater amount of studeuts absent from their work, and a greater amount who showed that they did n't ki.ow they were students— (" oh !") — who h: d no knowledge, of thtir own position, and who were in a manner puerile aad ungentlemanly, and disturbed the other students— ("oh !") — I say these things put together, and coupling them with the disgraceful exhibition in the Music Ball— (hisses and "oh ! ")— disgraceful exhibition, I repeat — (hisses)— inviting a man of high character and science to the town and receiving him, not with mere yells and screams —(hisses and "oh, oh !")— but with puerilities utterly beneath contempt, that held up the University and students of Edinburgh as a laughing-stock to the whole country. (Hisses and applause). That happens to 1 c true, whether you will hear it or not. ("Oh, oh!") I say, therefore, that I look back with sorrow upon this session, and I did not hope to be reminded of that this day. But there is one consolation. The majority of the students know well what is right, and they can guard what is right, whether in the class-room or not. The majority of the students are gentlemen, and behave like gentlemen —(applause and hisses) — but th«»re are a few fiends or a few fools who bring discredit on the University. ("Oh, oh !" and laughter). May such an exhibibition as that witnessed in the Music Hall never occur again ! It is to me the saddest thought and the sharpest pang that has gone to my heart since ever I was connected with education at aIL ("Oh!'') However, 1 won't vex myself about it. I am not a man to kill myself — (" oh '." and laughter)—because a certain number of people happen to be fools. ("Oh!") The way to do with these things is first to prevent them if you can — (laughter) — and you generally may. Had we suspected there were such low fellows aiming at philosophy, we should have taken proper precautions ; but we did not suspect you. We paid you too high a compliment. We did not think you were so contemptible as you showed yourselves to be on that occasion. (" Oh !") But when we cannot prevent it, the first thing to do is to despise it, and next to forget it. [At this time the noise was resumed in the corner which the Professor had previously spoken of as the place "where evil spirits delight to congregate."] I am only sorry there should be some persons here going oa in that foolish way. Not every one is bad who is there (pointing to the corner), but you are in bad company. If you walk about with fiends you will be taking for a fiend— (laughter)— and if you walk about with chimney sweepers, all begrimed with smut, yor will be taken for a chimney sweeper. — (Laughter and cockcrowing, the latter noise proceeding from one of the front benches.) That is a silly noise that has been made, and I request those in these three seats (pointing to the place) to walk out. Every man in these three seats must come out or walk to the door. My order must be obeyed. Walk out or L shall sit down. Go out, the whole of you, or the proceedings shall stop. If you don't put the persons out who made the noise, what shall be done is just this — I shall meet the class ag.iin at two o'clock privately and deliver the prizes. The Professor sat down, and no movement was made by the students in the proscribed benches, janitor was the:i called, and at the request of the Professor, he removed the prize bosks from the table to the Professor's room. Before leaving the chair, Professor Blarkie renewed the intimation that he would deliver the prizes privately at two o'clock. "I want quietness," he remarked, and "and don't want to be disturbed by fools. When you learn to behave like gentlemen I shall treat you as gentlemen, but I know how to answer a fool 'according to his folly.'" (Cheers and groans.) After the departure of Professor Blackie the students wished to sit in their scats, but the room was cleared by the janitor. GREAT FLOOD IN INDIA.. REPORTED LOSS OF 1,000 LIVES. London, May Bth— Noon.— -A. despatch just received in this cityjeontains information of o terrible calamity which has befallen the town of Vellore, Madras, British India. During a hurricane, which extended for miles along the eastern shores of the Indian Ocean, the waters rose to an immense height, and swept over the sloping table lands which form the coast boundary of the Presidency of Madras, inundating the conntry for miles into the interior. The town of Vellore was covered by the flood ; many houses were swept entirely away, and upward of 1,000 of the unfortunate inhabitants were drowned. At the'first approach of the sea large numbers of persons fled from the tewn in precipitate haste, and sought refuge in the mountaiuous districts in the south. When the ' hurricane abated and the flood receded the country bordering on the w» coast was found

to be strewn with the bodies of men and animals, mingled with th« wrecks of dwellings. The amount of damage caused caused by the flood is beyond estimation. Over 12,000 of the inhabisants of Vellore are now houseless, and are now living in rude and impovershed dwellings until a better means of shelter is obtainable. Three thousand unfortunate families are stated to be utterly destitute, every portion of their effects having been swept away by the voracious flool. Thousands of acres • f crops which before the present calamity were in a thriving condition, are totally ruined, and the prospects of the saffererswtth regard to means of subsistence arc at preseut of a most discouraging character.