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Waipawa Mail, Volume I, Issue 24, 4 December 1878, Page 2

Our. Hampden correspondent’s letter is unavoidably held over till Saturday’s issue.

Christy Minstrel Entertainment.— The Waipawa Christy Minstrels are now practising regularly, and will make their bow in public at the Oddfellows’ Hall -at an early date. The programme will appear in our next issue.

The Suez Mail.—By a Press Agency telegram, we learn that the departure of the outward Suez mail from Melbourne has been postponed until Saturday, the 21th inst., instead of Friday, 27th. ‘ Mails will accordingly be despatched from New Zealand a day later than the days fixed by the time table.

New Bakery.—By an advertisement in another column it will be seen that Mr J. Le Couteur is about to establish a bakery business at Te Aute, and that about the first of January next he will supply the inhabitants of Waipawa and neighborhood with bread at 3£d the 21b loaf.

Foot Race.—A foot race is to come off at Kopua on Monday next, between S. Barron, of West Clive, and O. Ericksen, of Kopua. The stakes are £25 a side, and the distance 100 yards. Considerable interest is taken in the event, and bets have been freely made on the result.

Struck by Lightning.—A boy in the employ of Mr Olley, butcher, Waipawa, had a narrow escapo last evening from serious consequences. The youth was on horseback at the gate of a paddock in which he had been placing some horses, when he was struck by lightning, and rendered insensible for a time. The electric fluid struck him on the arm, and actually ripped up the sleeve of his coat. The limb was completely paralysed, and the fingers bent into the palms of the hands. The third finger of the right hand was split open. We are glad to learn that the boy is likely to get over the mishap in a day or two, though his nerves have been considerably shaken by the fright he received, in addition to the well-known influence of lightning upon the nervous system.

New Steamships.—The following particulars respecting the new boats for the Union Company are given in a Dunedin paper : —Of the Rotomahana, the exact dimensions are : —Length of keel, 285 ft.; length over all, 300 ft.; breadth of beam, 35ft.; depth of hold, 25ft. Her gross register tonnage will be about 2,000 tons, and the engines will be equal to 3,000h.p., and they and the hull will be constructed of steel of the kind which is now beingadopted by the Admiralty for their fast boats, and which gives strength and allows finer lines on a moderate draught. She is being built by Messrs Denny and Son, of Dumbarton. The Te Anau, which is expected to arrive in February, for the Sydney trade, will have a carrying capacity of 1,200 tons.

An Insecure Lock-up.—The accuracy of the following is vouched for by the Hawera correspondent of the Patea Mail : —“ A practical proof has just been given of the insecure state of our lock-up. The prisoner Hunningham, who was committed for trial for horse stealing, made his escape a few nights since by wrenching off the lock with his hands, and has so far completely baffled all attempts at his recapture. It has been a common boast with prisoners that they could leave the lock-up at any time, and obtain a drink at the hotel and return to their quarters without their absence ever being discovered.

Fatal Accident.—An inquest was held at the Foresters’ Arms Hotel, Napier, on Saturday afternoon on the body of Mr John Barry, who was killed by a fall from his horse on the morning of the same day. A verdict of accidental death was returned. Mr Barr}’ was a settler who was highly respected, and his funeral was attended by a large concourse of people, including many settlers from the country districts.

Another Wreck.—The Southminster, an English ship, of 1243 tons, Captain McFee, was wrecked last Friday morning on Shepherdess Reef, on the south side of Cook Strait. The ship was on a passage from Lyttelton to Wellington, and was consigned to Bannatyne and Co., of the latter place. She went ashore in a fog. The Southminster was a comparatively new ship, having been built in British North America a couple of years ago. She had on board between 400 and 500 tons of cargo, consisting of “ Yankee notions,” McCormiek’s reapers and binders, and American organs. The vessel now lies on a rock with four holes in her bottom. All the crew were saved, and it is thought the cargo can be got out if prompt action is taken. Full particulars as to insurance are not yet to hand. Quarterly Licensing Meeting.—The usual quarterly meeting of the Licensing Bench for the Waipawa District was held at the Court House, Waipawa, yesterday morning. The following gentlemen were the Licensing Commissioners : Lieut.Colonel Herrick (Chairman), Mr S. Johnston, and Mr J. Lawrence. Mr H. Hickey had lodged an application for the transfer of the license of the Kaikora Hotel to him, but as the transfer had not been signed by the late licensee of the hotel, the Bench granted a temporary license on payment of £2 till such time as the signature was obtained. Mr Hickey stated that lie had forwarded the transfer for signature to Mr Stock, who was in Auckland, but through some cause or other it had not been returned. Constable Maddigan lodged a complaint against Mr Bennett, of the Settlers’ Hotel, Waipawa, on the followinggrounds : —That drink was frequently supplied to Maoris, and that rows had taken place in consequence, that when the police cautioned the landlady against supplying drink to members of the native race, she replied that so long as she held a license she would serve any one she thought fit ; the police also complained that the conductors of the house themselves were frequently in a state of intoxication. It was further alleged that a traveller had been refused a dinner in the hotel, although he was a decent man, and was in a position to pay for it. Mr Benneit not being present in the Court, the Commissioners adjourned the sitting till the afternoon to give him an opportunity of replying to the charges made against his house. On the Court resuming at three o’clock, the. following gentlemen composed the Li censing Bench : —Colonel Herrick, Mr S. Johnston, and Mr H. 11. Bridge. The constable in charge of the station and Constable Murphy having been sworn, deposed to the facts contained in the complaint. lodged against the house. Mr Bennett was also put upon his oath, and stated that he was not aware that any man had been refused a meal in his house. The party referred to had called after dinner was over, and as the eatables were still on the table, he was told he could help himself. He refused to do this, and complained to the police. There was a drunken woman with him, and he was the worse of drink himself. The police stated that the man was not accompanied by any woman. Tlic landlord of the hotef’s remarks applied to another person altogether. Mr Bennett asked that the case might be adjourned, in order that he could obtain professional advice. After consultation, the Bench decided to adjourn the case for a fortnight, to give Mr Bennett an opportunity of replying to the serious charges made regarding the manner in which the hotel was conducted.

Considerable curiosity (says a Manawatu paper) was evinced during the past week to discover the object of a lean-to-shanty which was being tacked on to the Palmerston station, but abutting on to the platform. The addition was six feet wide, with a height in front of eight feet, dropping to six at the back, and as it was neither flush with the station in width nor height it had a most ludicrous and nondescript appearance. Some said it was a coffee stall, and this idea was borne out by a small aperture at the end, through which it was suggested that the stove pipe would protrude. Others supposed it to be an apple stand ; some again, set it down as a book stall, but all those suppositions was upset when it was found that the front did not lift on an hinge, and upon seeing a miniature window occupy the place for the stove pipe. Will it be believed that this monstrosity is nothing more or less than the much fought-for, long refused addition to the station, which will be supposed to do the double duty of lamp room and parcel room, and has been recklessly erected at the lavish expenditure of £25.

Australian Wool at the Paris Exhibition.—From private sources, the Melbourne Argus learns that “ at the Paris Exhibition, when the jury appointed to adjudicate on the wool section came to the final decision as to the awards, they agreed to give a gold medal to Sir S. Wilson’s Ercildoun wool, and to Mr E. K* Cox’s Mudgee wool. The commissioners of the two colonies interested pressed the jury to decide between them, and give a grand prize to the exhibit most deserving the honor. The jury, being mainly composed of Frenchmen* gave the prize to the-wool most in request for their fabrics, for which a line clothing is most suited. The New South Wales exhibit was presented in a much more attractive manner than the rival exhibit from Victoria, the former having been shown in boxes, thereby enabling the fleeces to be better examined, while the Victorian exhibit was pressed in an ordinary woolpack, and had been soiled by dust, to which, by the manner of its being exhibited, it was exposed. The result should teach a useful lesson to exhibitors of this article. A curious commentary upon the award is the fact, that the highest prices of the rival brands sold in London in the previous ye ar (1877) differed by exactly 2s per lb., Ercildoun wool fetching 5s o£d per lb., and its rival 3s o£d.”

Madame Neillson, who seems to be very unhappy in her investments, has lost for the third time nearly all her savings, amounting to fifty or sixty thousand pounds, in an American concern.

The Melbourne Cup.—Joe Thompson, the great Melbourne bookmaker, had to pay away over the late Cup race £15,000. When Mr Justice Keogh went over to the Government (says the World) he had for a neighbor in Bray a witty parish priest, who, unlike the celebrated vicar, was not all things unto all men. People were doubtful as to the religious orthodoxy of the new Irish Solicitor-General, and his ex-friends openly charged him with deserting the Church as well as the people. “Do you know what they are saying about me now, Father 11. ? ” said Mr Keogh to the P. P. ; “ they are positively saying that I am going to change my religion.” “ I hope you will become a Catholic, then, if you change at all,” said the P. P., without moving a muscle. And yet priest and politician remained firm friends, and many a pleasant dinner have I enjoyed in their company.

A Deserter.—A Press Agency telegram, under date, Patea, November 27, states :—Kimbell Bent, a desertei from the 57th Regiment 13 years ago, and who has ever since lived with the Maoris about 50 miles up the Patea river, and up till Monday had not been seen by any European since he deserted, was interviewed by a Patea resident, and said lie intended to lay his case before the Government, as he was anxious now to go back to his native country (America). Bent deserted after being flogged, and in 1866 was believed to have shot Lieut.Colonel Hassard in an engagement near Hawera, and a large reward was offered for liis capture. The Maoris treat him as a slave, and say he was never allowed to carry arms. lie has kept a diary the whole time of his absence from civilisation.

Elements of Discord.—Respecting the last Argyleshire election, the Pictorial World remarks:—“The contest, which commenced in gentlemanly and open warfare, has ended in bitter personal abuse and strings of recriminations, which I am afraid it will be easy enough to forgive, perhaps, but very difficult to forget. And the people who are to blame for it are the clergy—the clergy of all denominations— Established, Free Church, and United Presbyterian, alike. Parsons and petticoats are equally dangerous in a row of any kind. Secure in thq knowledge that that they cannot be called to account for what they say, they can be fearfully courageous and exasperating.” The Directors of the City of Glas gow Bank.—From the Isle of Man Times and General Advertiser of the 29th June last, a contemporary extracts the following as the names and places of the abode of directors, managers, and officers of the Bank of Glasgow : —Directors : Henry Inglis, Torsonce, Edinburgh ; John Stewart, merchant, Glasgow ; Robert Salmond, Rankinston ; Lewis Potter, merchant, Udston, Glasgow ; William Taylor, grain merchant, Glasgow ; R. S. Stronach, manager. Officers of Mona (branch) Bank, Isle of Man ; John Kinloch Greig, manager, Douglas ; Alexander Bruce, agent, Ramsay ; S. L. Jackson, agent, Castleton ; George Ctesar Quirk, agent, Peel.

The City of Glasgow Bank.—The following cablegram was received from Melbourne on Monday : —Reuter has been requested to publish the following throughout the colonies :—“ From the President of Saint Andrew’s Society, to the Scottish Presidents in the colonies, and Scotchmen.—ln the name of the Scottish nation, we ask your aid for the shareholders ruined by the City of Glasgow Bank failure ; £500,000 are required to meet the claims on the fund now being raised ; half is already subscribed, and the balance is urgently needed. Address your replies to the Lord Provost, Edinburgh or Glasgow, or the Executive Committee of the Glasgow relief fund.” We trust that the exercise of charity in this matter will not be confined to colonists of one nationality, but that men of every race and creed will lend a helping hand to those who have been plunged into ruin through no fault of their own. Weapons of War.—A return of the sums paid to inventors by the British Government by way of rewards in connexion with ordinance and small arms from January 1, 1860, to March 31, 1877, shows that in November, 18G0, £16,000 was paid to Mr Snider, Colonel Roden, and Mr Wilson for their plan of converting muzzle-loading small arms into breach-loaders. From June, 18G7, to April, 1868, Major Palliser received £15,000 for his chilled projectiles. In June, 1869, £IO,OOO in addition to £IOOO a yem* salary, was paid to Captain Moncrieff for his method of mounting guns. In October, 18/1, Major Palliser received a final payment of £ISOO for improvements in artillery. In April, 1875, Major Moncrieff received a final payment of £SOOO for his method of mounting guns. The Seat of Government.—Referring to the resolution passed at the fag end of the late session, as to the next meeting of Parliament taking place at Christchurch, the Southland Times observes :—lt is somewhat significant that the whole of the Ministry, excepting Sir George Grey and Mr Macaudrew, voted with the ayes, and that they should have abstained from voting is still more signifient. The Premier and the Minister for Works are the very high priests of Separation, and they know that this is understood, and they also know as well as we do that nothing would be so likely to affect the stability of the existing form of government as making the Parliament a peripatetic one, and the members a set of vagabonds and gypsies, hawking their political wares about the colony, while Parliament itself would have neither local habitation nor name worth mentioning.

A Judicial Bungle.—A curious point is arisen in Victoria with reference to the committal of Slack, a notorious litigant, for contempt of court, who is at present at large. He was walking about jubilantly when taken into custody on the verbal order of the Judge, and was detained in the precincts of the court. Subsequently he was brought up as a prisoner. The necessary warrant of committal was not forthcoming, and the Judge, apparently in a pet, exclaimed, “ Go about your business, Mr Slack, everything in connexion with your case goes wrong.” Slack at once made for the nearest door, and disappeared. It now appears that his Honor was over precipitate in allowing this bugbear of the Bar to escape, as several cases in the law books show that a man can be detained in gaol without a warrant, provided that such a document be made out in a certain time. The whole affair seems to have been bungled to the satisfaction of Slack.

Our Brave Defenders.*—According to a Dunedin correspondent of a contemporary, some of the small volunteers conducted themselves in a very disorderly manner during the late Volunteer Festival, firing off blank cartridge in the crowded street, and taking advantage of a dust storm to insult ladies in the public thoroughfares. Several citizens have expressed their determination to suppress this kind of larrikinism, by severely flogging our noble defenders. By-the-bye, about fifteen hundred volunteers attended the big review. The spectacle was a grand one ; but the attendance of spectators was not very great. The sham fight only resulted in the squashing of the features of a small boy, who accidentally tried to look through the muzzle of a big gun at the moment of firing.

Betting on a Certainty.—A curious betting case was heard at the Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dunedin lately. The plaintiff (Robert Seaward, commission agent) claimed to recover from the defendant (T. F. McDonough, agent for the Government Life Insurance Department) the sum of £6 15s, being the cost of a suit of clothes alleged to have been won by plaintiff in betting that ho had purchased certain sections of Burke’s Township at public auction on his own account, defendant alleging that plaintiff had been buying for Mr G. W. Elliott. The evidence was very contradictoiy, defendant swearing that he had not made the bet in question. His Worship (Mr J. Bathgate) held that the plaintiff could not recover a bet on a certainty, and a nonsuit was entered accordingly.

Suicide of a‘Debtor.—The following is from a late issue of a New South Wales journal : A respectable storekeeper at Armidale arrived in Sydney, having been brought down to the debtors’ prison at Darlinghurst, on a writ, to satisfy a judgment of the Supreme Court for a debt to a large mercantile firm in this city for several hundreds of pounds. His name is W. B. Lucas, and he is a young man about 30 years of age. He was received into the debtors’ prison at about six o’clock p.m., and took tea. He was locked up with two other unfortunate debtors, and between seven and eight o’clock next morning the prisoner was missed from the sitting room by his companions. One of these thinking he was too long in the bath, knocked at the door, and received no answer ; he then pushed the door in, and found Mr Lucas weltering in liis blood, with two knives beside him, one his pocket-knife, and the other a dinner-knife, with which he no doubt cut his throat, severely injuring the arteries. Fortunately, Dr O'Connor, the visiting surgeon, was present in the gaol at the time, and, with tho dispenser, was immediately in attendance. Though every effort was made, little hope is entertained of his recovery. The unfortunate man lias a wife and family at Armidale.