DUNSTAN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 390, 12 September 1874, Page 2

DUNSTAN.

(From our own Correspondent. Has that venerable lady the Alexandra "Mother" cast aside the sacred name, and assumed a name which smacks of foreign origin ? or ha 3 she, in taking her flight from the literary regions, dropt her mantle on " Ecosse," who in the columns of the { * Southern Mercury " cries aloud for reform? first, on the subject of " Woman's Rights/ and latterly on the "Liquor Traffic." Being more particularly interest in what was expounded under the first heading, I first endeavored.

through means of the name, to find out the gender of the writer. I appealed to some of my scholastic friends ; but the nearest I can come to it is by lately seeing that Eco33ais, a chesnut colt, ran in the last Derby, and though this " Ecosse " may not be a chesnut filly, the presumption is that the sex is feminine ; and if it is not "Mother" herself, surely women generally will feel a pride in Alexandra, to know it contains two such exercisers of and intercessors for woman's rights. By exercisers, you will understand that I mean that these writers have established in their advocacy of woman's rights that the primary rights are to circulate complaints and promulgate * abuse; and has not " Mother" faithfully exercised this latter right on the devoted heads of the Alexandra school committees, teachers, mayors, and councillors until her pen became no scandal ? The late effusions take a wide range ; there is a correspondent (that is " your own"), an M.P.C., a member of the Licensing Bench, a whole Town Council, an ex-Mayor, and a drove of pigs, all wreathing under thela?h; there is a protege held up as a paragon, and, I lastly, the men must be deposed and the women established in their place. Well then, as to myself, I am abused for using ingenious means to defeat the ends of justice, through my noticing the case of the Police v. Hensburgh. I will not back up the arguments I used at the time, ! though they were but the echo of expressions made by the bulk of the community ; and if, as is stated, instead of Old Charlie being, as I imagined, next to a pauper, he is rolling in wealth, I may submit to be wrong. My cursorily mentioning Peirpoint's exploit with Graham brings forth an explanation of the circumstances ; and here again the scene is a shanty. Surely they are thickly strewed, or that gentleman is fond of them. It was surely mistaken zeal on the writer's pare to put forth this explanation, for their protege's interest would have been best served to have let the matter rest, for it is not often we see or hear of the Victoria arms shading a black eye administered with impunity. The '"*^^or generally has to pay for the healc^^B^e, but in this instance a sharp remaiSKrom the Bench' and dismissal of the charge took the place of retribution. .But what is to be done about this member of the Licensing Banch who had the audacity to come down from the Bench and spend the night in a hotel ? If such were only to reach the ears of the Honorable Mr. Fox, he would soon have a clause inserted that none but Good Templars should be eligible to sit ; or, to suit the coinplainer better, ho might place women on the Bench. It would only be adding one more absurdity to what we have already seen. Ido not know how lam to defend our M.P.C. and our whole Town Ceuncil for saying there was no inspectors of food and liquors wanted here, for all of us who are not teetotallers know well enough the publicans do a little of the mixing business ; and if they only use water, Professor Black makes that out even to be impure , and to think that this game is carried on to the extent that the poor dying infants cannot get a drop of pure medicine before taking their departure from this world of adulteration, this surely must be remedied. Do let them have, even if it should be but a little drop, " Mother'a " milk. This ex-Mayor that would not let the inspector bring to justice the drove of pigs who were rooting out the human family of Alexandra, puzzles me entirely. I see nothing for it but to depose the men as " Ecosae "" says, and establish the women. There would be no evading the end of justice then. There could be a jury empannelled with " Mother " presiding, " Ecosse " running up the delinquent grunters, while Peerpoint would be prosecuting the different charges. The law would then be vindicated even in the matter of the pigs. Not being in the liquor trade further than for home consumption, the other articles do not concern me. Only it must be vexing that none of these obstinate Alexandra publicans will drop down dead, or go mad like the doctors ; even those two withstood the shock of being hauled up before the Court the other day, though it would have served them right if they had gone mad or dropt dead. Six days in the week ought to be enough for, them to be poisoning people, without doing it on the seventh. _

Prescribing cor a Patient.— Medical men are sometimes visiced by a peculiar class of patients, iv order fch.at ths latter may receive a remedy for their real or supposed complaints. One of this class paid a visit on Saturday night to the surgery of Dr. O'Donnell at Kangarroo Flat. Entering with some degree of uncertainty, and evidently ill at ease, he asked the doctor to prescribe for him. The medical gentleman did not require to take a lengthy examination, nor to use any of the paraphernalia or machinery of the surgery, to satisfy himself that his visitor was in a high state of intoxication. The prescription to "get out" about his business provoked the patient's impatience and resentment, and he turned upon the doctor. A scuffle for the mastery of che situation took place, but as the medical gentleman is neither meek nor mild in disposition, and somewhat muscularly developed, he succeded in ejecting his patient, who was eventually cared for by the police.

Profits of Quautz Mining.— "iEgles" laconically remarks in the " Australasian '" —Time, four and a half years. Tons ninety thousand. Dividends, three hundred and seventy-four thousand sterling. Big 'figures these. They signify the results of the working of one quartz mine in the pleasantly productive district of Pleasant Creek, and no one need in future be in doubt as to how that place came by its name. We want a few more mines of this kind with which to flout the unbelievers who deny that mining pays, or ID. other worda, that gold is worth the getting.

An instance of equine longevity is thus reported in the " Queanbeyan Age:" — • { Mr. Joseph Kaye's well-known horse, Old Parramatta, died on the 3rd instant, at the remarkable age of 53 years. When the old roan reached his 51st year we chronicled the fact, and gave reliable data confirmatory of his alleged antiquity, which was easily computed -his three owners having then respectively kept him for IT years, and his last owner now for 19 years, making his age at the time of his death 52 years. Old Parramatta was able to do a day's work now and then up to within a short period of his decease. The severity of the present winter was, however, too much for him, and, although he was nursed and fed with the utmost care, he scuffled off this mortal coil, almost while in the act of eating s warm mash. Old Parramatta was the moat aged horse of which we have any reliable record."