DUNEDIN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 360, 30 May 1874, Page 2

DUNEDIN.

(From our own Correspondent.)

The drama has been at a very low ebb in Dunedin for a considerable time; in fact, since the departure of Mr. Hoskins and Miss Colville there has not been a company worth going to see, and amusements have been of the olla podrida class. Comic singers, horizontal bar performers, champion jig dancers, circus riders who were continually falling off their steads, Siamese contortionists, and other abominations, have had it all their own way. But the climax has, I think, been reached this week in the appearance of what has been announced in flaming "red on yellow " posters for a considerable time back as the " Balmoral Variety Troupe," comprising several females with attractive names, " the Herd Laddie and his twa collie dogs," and a wonderful performing goat, which latter quadruped was to " tell the fortunes of every one present." This talented troupe opened at the Princess Theatre on Monday night, and had a very numerous audience to greet them on their first appearance. The proceedings of the troupe prior to their advent here had been enveloped in some mystery. This was explained however, when the entertainment commenced by the apparent fact that the performers had evidently graduated in Dunedin, for who should make his appearance as the " Herd Laddie " but the well-known " professor of mural literature" in Dunedin — otherwise billsticker. This little surprise might have been allowed to pass merely with the evident astonishment it; created among the audience had the performance in other respects been at all Tip to its announced character, but when " the professor " led on a rather ancient-looking person, whose part of the programme it was to favor the audience with a song, the latter got rather obstreperous, and the old lady's sonj? was got through amidst much uproar. The dogs absolutely declined to do anything towards the performance. Yet there still remained the wonderful goat, which was to "tell the fortunes of every one present." The " Herd Laddie's "• efforts in the goat direction, however proved iinavailing. No fortunes were told, and the sole thing that the goat could be induced to do was to go through the wonderful trick of. standing on its hind legs and planting its fore paws on a gin box. This was got through amidst roars of laughter, mingled with much hissing and the various other extraordinary noises which always emanate from the pit of a theatre when anything unusual occurs. A younger scion of tbe mural literature tribe then made his appearance on the stage with his hat on,' and with his feet encased in a pair of water-tight boots, which looked as if their owner had, during the day, been walking through all the mud heaps in the city, administered a kick to the unfortunate goat, and thereby induced it to leave the stage, he himself also retiring amid cries of — " Take off your hat ! " " Who's your snob?" &o. The hissing and hooting which then took place .among the audience defies description, and a person of the sock-and-buskin persuasion then came forward. He said that as the dogs and goats wouldn't perform, he and one or two others would endeavor to entertain the audience with singing, &c. In answer to an enquiry from one of the audience as to whether he could get his money back, the interesting young,gentleman on the stage said it was a matter of indifference te him whether the audience got their money returned or not, as. for his part, he had been paid for what he had to do before coming on the stage. So the audience just had to content themselves with what followed, and take their revenge by hissing to their hearts content. This is a specimen of the sort of amusements we have had recently, hut this is, of coarse, rather worse than the majority of them. Your readers will therefore see that there is not much advantage at present to live in the capital, so far as amusement is concerned.

A largely-attended meeting of citizens was held in the Athenaeum Hall hut night to take steps in the formation of a fund to he devoted to the payment of the costs for which the unfortunate man Stead is detained in the Dunedin Gtaol by Mr. I. N. Watt. Several speeches were made, in which some very strong language was indulged in, and every onepresent seemed impatient for something to be immediately done towards securing Stead's release, he having been about thirteen months in gaol. A large committee was appointed to canvass the city for subscriptions, and the Chairman and Secretary appointed to wait on one of the leading solicitors to- ascertain the course of procedure best calculated to obtain the object the meeting had in view. There f can be no doubt that subscriptions will pour, in rapidly, and that in a day or 'two the unfortunate prisoner will be released. Tl^e polling for the election of a Councillor to represent Leith Ward in the City Council, in the room of Mr. John Barnes," resigned^ took placo at~North Dunedin to-day. There was not a great deal of interest taken in the event. The candidates were Messrs. Gibson and Harrop, and the former was elected 'by a majority of 111 votes,, the polling being — Gibson, 194 ; Harrop, 83.