Local Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 315, 24 December 1873, Page 2

Local Intelligence.

A Committee meeting of the Tuapeia Jockey Club was held at the Victoria Hotel, on Saturday evening. Present— Messrs. B. Williams (in the chair), Farrer, Sheath, Downes, Hay, Armstrong, Quin, Arbuckle, ans Hayes (Seoretary.) Messrs. Farrer and M'Lean were elected handicappers, iri place of Messi-s. Hills and Downes, resigned. A liberal programme was drawn up for the forthcoming meeting, to take place on the 19th and 20th February. 1874. £400 will be given in added money. The programme does nob differ materially from that of the previous year. A £30, District Handicap has been substituted for the Hack Hurdle Race. The meeting closed with the customary vote to the chair. On Monday forenoon, a chimney in the house of Mr. Win. Hayes caught fire. Before ifc was j known that the smoke proceeded from the chimney, and not from any other part of the house, there was a general frautie lush, of the Peel-street residents. The hose was fixed in working order in, a remarkably short period of time, and we observed Mr. Draper on the roof of the house calling for backets of water before we could say Jack Robinson. The hose was handed to Mr. Draper, who directed the nozzle down the chimney, and made short work of the fire,, not. however, without inundating the room below. A stifl) soa'-wester was blowing, and had fire caught hold of any of the houses, Lawrence, a few hours afterwards, would have been reduced to a heap of ashes. Josir Cajeks, who w«va committed for trial on a charge of larceny last week, made an unsuccessful but daring attempt to escape from Lawrence gaol on Saturday night, about halfpast 10 o'clock. A paper full of farewell poetry, addressed*to*the gaoler, was found in the* gaol. "Th/a pi od action wm ornamented by a welldrawn angel doing 'the flying trapeze. Cairns adopted the stock device of removing the bricks of his cell, and he was, sp to. apeak, within an ace of escaping j- but ibis chance was lost by the unexpected entrance of the gaoler, Sergeant Titchener, on his usual roand. On Tuesday afternoon, the Resident Magistrate, Mr. Carew, heard the evidence of the ivtteuroted escape, and the prisoner was duly committed for trial on the charge of attempting to escape fr6m legal custody. Oairns will thus be tried on two charges at the next sitting of the Tuapeka Supreme Court. THE annual feast, given to the children attending the Roman Catholic School before breaking up for their Christmas holidays, took place on Monday at noon. When we looked into, the school, a very, pleasant sight presented itself to us, of upwards of one hundred tidy and welldressed children, evidently enjoying an abundant spread of sandwiches and all kinds of sweet cake. The table was neatly spread, and had f on it numerous bouquets of flowers. The Rev. Father Larkin seemed thoroughly in his element in attending to- the wants of the children. He busied himself and made, certain that none of them were overlooked, The usual examination was not held on this, 'occasion, as the children had so recently unfferg'one a thorough examination by Bishop Aloran a"nd Father Colemao. We may state that all the provisions used were the gifts, of- friends of the church. Thb . Readings in. the Wetherntwies School on Friday, last, on behalf of the. Benevolent Asylum, passed off very well. Tho amount realised was £4 3s. 6d. Mb. Hayes' sale of Mhl Tally's cattle, held on Saturday last, waß but.t»6rljr;attended, and bidding war very sladk. - Fbom advertisement, it will be seen that the Bine Spur annual oporto will- be held as usual en •New 3W»3*»9V |

Tbje Wetherstones Proge&T&mmittee ha* completed the road through the township, It is a. well executed piece of work, and will no „ doubt obviate the hecesaity of resident! m^ "Quiring top boo 4to cross the street with nest wijater. • *' *• Ik addition to the list- of donors of prizes distributed at the Lawrence Grammar School examination, mentioned in* bttr'report in last issue; the following gentlemen also contributed— Mr. Jeffery, dray/ing box and case of scissors, Mr. Praer and Mr. Armstrong two books each.* la Mrs. Dale's class, Isabella Cousins was Ist, and not 3rd, in fancy knitting, as stated in the report. THE gold medal presented by tha Lawrence Grammar School to Master Clrow at the recent examination bad the form of an eigt^ointed star with two clasps. On the one%de is in* scribed the following :— " Presented by the Lawrence Grammar School Committee, annual examination, Dec, 1873 ;" and on the reverie side, ** First prize, awarded to A. Crow." The silver medal presented by the Corporation of Lawrence to Miss Bennett had an appropriate inscription. Both medals were supplied by Mr. Jamed Hill, watchmaker, of Lawrence. A Tapanui correspondent sends us the following :— " A squatter, when out mustering lately, was considerably surprised- not' to say alarmed — to come across a man nearly naked, and having -«very appearance of a lunatic. After •inconsiderable amount of strategy, the poor fellow was secured, and it turned out, that he was suffering from ddirum, tremens, and had been wandering about for twenty-four hours— a victim of bad grog and too much of it." * Thb net proceeds, including collection*; lecture, and tea meeting, in connection with tho opening of the new "Wesleyan church in Lawrence amounted to £25. This sum is considered highly satisfactory. Yesterday the new Wesleyan church, Lawrence, was handed over to the trustees by the contractors. We are informed the trustees are highly satisfied witH the workmanship of the contractors, Messrs] Anderson and Miller, of Lawrence. ■ ORDINARY commercial motives have nothing to do with our admiratiou for a very high class of books recently added to the literary stock of Mr. Harrop, of Peel-street. The selection of the works we refer to is ci editable to^lr. Harrop's patrons, as well as to himself. example, few Melbournites would credifr the fact that Darwin's "Expression in Animals'! and Iloscoe's " Scientific Works ** can be sold in Lawrence. But past experience has warranted Mr. Harrop in thus adding to his stock some of the most splendid samples of nineteenth century philosophy. We have mentioned the works of Darwin and Roscoe, but in the same stock there are numerous other brilliant works on subjects deep, eternal, and true. Hack backs and athletic sports are to be held at Tapanui on Boxing Day. The lad Monaghan, the circumstances of whose accusation do not demand repetition, was admitted to bail on Monday. His Honor Judge Gray sat in the District Court, Lawrence, on Monday last, when a oase involving a dispute as to shares in the Beaumonfc and Tuapeka Water Eace Company was heard. His Honor heard the preliminary statements, and then decided to defer the further hearing till the next sitting of the Tuapeka District Court. His Honor sat for a short time pro. forma on Tuesday, but there were no cases, and the Court was adjourned to this day, at eleven o'clock. The Lawrence sports promise to be a success on Friday. We here of several horses that are likely to compete, although from present appearances the athletic portion of the programme will lack competitors, as there has been nothing done in the shape of practice. The Secretary of the Havelock Sport's Committee informs as that those races, for which insufficient entries have been received, will be left open for post entry. A valuable heifer, the property of Mes%* Coxon Brothers, of Wetherstones, accidental^" fell down an abandoned shaft, previously worked by some Chinamen, on Frilay last, ori, Tuapeka Flat. The poor brute was fortunately rescued from its perilous and unpleasant position by the owners and one or two others who assisted. Doubts were entertained at first as to its recovery, but we were pleased to observe that it rapidly regained strength after being landed on terra firvm. Many and frequent are the complaints about the dryness of the weather. The scarcity of water is already beginning to be felt. The tanks need replenishing. The recent heavy winds, besides. committing considerable damagd to fruit trees^have absorbed all the moisture in. the soil, and a copious shower of rain is sadly wanted, both for crops and domestic purposes. Thb tender of Mr. j. C. Arbuckle, for the formation of the road between Lawrence and Evans Fiat, has been accepted. The- invitation of the Government to get working men to perform the work in small contracts, proved unsuccessful. The trustees of the Wesleyan Church have not yet succeeded in disposing of their old building, bat negotiations are entered upon by the Masons to purchase the building, for the purpose of holding their Lodge meetings ia it. It would answer this purpose admirably. We have been requested to draw attention to the notioe which appears in oar advertising columns, issued from the Commissioner of Stamp Duties, with reference to the transfer-, ing of shares in Joint Stock Companies and Mining Companies. A MEETING of the shareholders of the Beaumont and Ta&peka Water Baoe Co. met in the company's office yesterday, when a fall statement of the position of the company and plans showing the work done and in progress were submitted to the shareholders. The meeting was adjourned till Tuesday, 6th January. la our next issue we will give a report of the proceedings. Mb. OttiOEQE Jefpery lEis just received by the mail steamer, the following now songs and music • — " Have you seen the Shah ;"" My White Hose ; " "Belle of the Ball ; " " How ho loves Me Beat ; " " The Blighted Husband ; " " Wait tDI You get it ; * " Kissi Kissi," quadrille ; " Die Setzen Glincksstunden," popular German waltz : " Princess Marie," galop j " Fioriaeße Serenade ; " "Douce Confidence Andante," by Julius Benedick: "If Roses had no Thorns;" "Golden Waves;" "Praine in Sorrow;" "Jose Maria:" " The Sailor's Bride ;" Ac., &c. The music was recently published, and is by some- of the best composers-. An inquest was held on Monday, at theDunedin Hospital, before Dr. Hoeken, Coroner, on the boly of Thom&s JBeamish, who was drowned in the Bay on Tuesday last. The jury returned a verdic? of Accidental death. Thbottoh the active co-operation of Mr. Kirchne*, of Darmstadt, "a select "party of vine growers, have been organised, whom it is intended to forward to Hawkes Bay by thenext vessel. Thb Melbourne " Argus ft notifies Hbb arrival of the Macgregor, on. the 6th inst., in Hobsbns Bay. This steamship is intended to carry the mails between Sydney and San FrantißOfr under, the quspicW "of the Californian and Australian Steam; Company, -and to have the distinction of again connecting the west coast of America with Australia by steam. Contractors at Naseby find difficulty ifc hiring drays, although draymen -are offtte^ from 265. to 46n.$Kft d^.

- Thjt Foresters haytg adopted a rule '(tiscouraging the investment of lodge funds in loan or building societies. A bui?fiaK, named Galloway, came before Mr. Strode On Saturday, charged with biting s man's finger. Mr. Strode concluded an eloquent address on the Occasion us follows : — " You see it is just this drink — this cursed drink — and I give you this advice : that any man belonging to a railway should never drink, no matter whether he is on duty or not, and if he does get drunk at any time, he should be dismissed from that railway — at least, that is my doctrine, and I should advise . the authorities to carry it out. If it had not been for your drunken state that night, sir, this would not have happened. I shall mark my sense of your conduct by calling On you to pay £3, with Court and professional costs ; in default, you go to gaol for 14 days with hard labor." A mmabu Herald correspondent writes:— Everything is done by water, in Dunedin ; the printing machines, the lifts in warehouses 'and pretty well every class of machinery are worked by this useful agent. The pressure is so great that fire engines are unnecessary, * reel of hose is all that is required, secured to the nearest turn-cock. J? Two nuggets, weighing respectively 134|0z. *xl& 700z., have been found at the welcome lead, New South Wales. Thisb were twenty-two candidates for the four cadetships in the Otago Survey Department. vJThe surgeon of the Chile has beensfully acquitted of the charge of ill treatment brought against him by immigrants, Thi trade of Greymouth is steadily increasing. Tendebs are wanted for the survey, into fifty acre sections or thereabouts, of 2,500 acres in Highlay district, Macraes. Thx "Arrow Observer" says : With respect to the recent reduction of Is per ounce in. the price of gold at Cromwell, a gentleman showed us this week both refiner's and assayer's receipt notes for a parcel of Otago gold sold by him to the Bank of England, «nd for which £4 ss. an ounce was given. We remember seeing a statement the other "day that £4 per ounce was given at Orepuki for gold which is almost as.fine as Hour, therefore proportionately impure. It certainly seems strange that such a difference in price exists. RAlLcommnnicationhasbeenprovedtohaye trebled the value of land in Southland— in one case alone of 5,000 acres the speculator pocketing £10,000 : he bought at £1 per acre and sold at £3 TttEltejf. Mr. Henry, who has been re*eently appointed for the Presbyterian Church ■of Otago, will arrive by the City of Dunedin, which is expected to be here in about a fortnight. * The " Otago Guardian " lately sneered at our allusion to a very large Tuapeka mushroom. As corroborative evidence we quote the " Talbotshire Leader" which ventures to affirm that " Mr. Cathcrwood has succeeded in the cultivation of a crop of the largest mushrooms on record. We were shown one the other day, the weight of which was 2 lb. 20z." ACalifornian journal brags that the manifests of four American vessels which Bailed for Australia and New Zealand showed over 70 varieties of goods. Thb whole wordly wealth — a hut, very scantily furnished — of a feeble old man, named Gibson, was recently burned to ashes at Port , At a meeting of the " Association for the Advancement of Women" in America, the other day, the Eev. Mrs. Chapin read a paper npon "Women as Clergymen." .. In a recent letter to, the Emperor of Germany His Highness the Pope claims as subject* of interest to him all people of all sects who feave been baptized. Thbke years receipts of the London School Board amount to £146,000, and the hist quarterly returns give an average attendance •at the Board's schools of 32,733 children. The Governor patronises the Carandinis on -the 29th instant. Thb astronomers report a new comet, unusually splendid, with a tail of extraordinary splendour. The report of the catching of a salmon in a Tasmanian stream is correct. The successful ■angleir — a man named Crowley, has received a reward of £30 from the Tasmanian Government. A Provincial Councillor was lately hung in effigy at Christchurch. The " Otago Guardian" concludes an article on Bazaine as follows : — He sacrificed his country and its armies to his own selfishness, and if he had ten thousand lives Instead of one, they should pay the penalty of his crimes. Mb. Pebkiks, proprietor of the Occidental Hotel, Auckland, has purchased all Mr. Bedwood's horses. The Wellington Jockey Club propose erecting & grand stand at a co3t of £1,000. While in Dunedin, His Excellency will sojourn at Fern HilL Says the " Guardian" t — " If labour is too dear, there are the Crown Lands — let them be sold, and population introduced with the proceeds ; but do not let us ruin the colonies by " Chinese cheap labour,' . Says the same .journal "It trill pay the colony infinitely better TO export woellen fabrics than bales of wool.*' Mb. O'RoSKB, the Postmaster-General, has b€en re-eletfted Speaker of the Auckland •■■Provincial Council. Thb " Guardian " again complains of the" -exceedingly miserable patronage extended to the Cerandinu. This absence of favourable is all the more remarkable because the artists referred to present Dunedin ■auditors with sacred as well as secular music. The corpse of a man supposed to be Beam--uh was found on Tnesday near Burn's old ■building, on the peninsula. The number of patients in the Dunedin Hospital at present is 137, of whom 32 are females. • The Pcedcliffe has been wrecked on AUday reef. A sailor named Williams was frowned. Thb Shotover River continues its diurnal •feat of rising -from 6in. to 9in. in the day, <and falling to the same extent at night time. Air -elahorcte series of performances on the ■organ, .were given in Dunedin by Mr. Towsey S>a Saturday last. ». hi hi wmm>