THE COUNTY QUESTION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 685, 5 February 1881, Page 2

THE COUNTY QUESTION.

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WELLINGTON. ' '-■———♦——' ■ (FROM' OUK OWN CORRESPONDENT,) Feb. 3. The Wellington Races, whioh opened at the Hutt to-day, are of. course the topio of-the week. The usual number of elaborately got-up betting-men, with white waistcoats and shining belltoppers calculated- 1 to create 1 confidence in the most'' distrustful breast,, are' to be seericongre-. gating in the hotels and promenading the streets. \ They-■complain, strongly,' how-' ever,'th'al.there appears to be very little speculation in the people of • Wellington,, and in feet there has .probably, been lessbetting this. year on. the Cup than, has been knowiivfor. .some years pa'sti Pro;bably ihe ' < -bad:times.",h.av.e .a.gopd deal; ■to.'do with, this, as 'they have with the almost deserted appearance of the billiard rooms aud" hotel bars, where-for-. .raerly all- was- animation and gaiety.' •Then, /again, .considerable uncertainty prevails in the public mind as to.the tontions of. various owners, and this has had a.; paralyzing effect upon the- betting'. It -has- also been remarked' that never ■before have the Calcutta sweeps,! usually, a- great feature during the two.nights preceding tlie.races, been.so.badly patra-.. msed. Perhaps thelistmen and smaller, fry among the betting fraternity fare the worst of all; as'since the introduction of the totalisator their occupation has indeed been gone,'' In fact, 'so far as Wellington is concerned, they might almost as well have been, swept out of existence. As to the details of the racing I need say nothing, as the telegraph will, ere this reaches you, have afforded your readers; any information they may desire on this score.

An exciting scene, which at the same time- presented a very ludicrous aspect, occurred at the Thorndon baths the other day.-'- A number of spectators assembled for the purpose of watohing some swim' ming matches and'other aquatic sports. A great many of them were standing on a kind of-platform, when the latter gave way, and dozens of persons instantly found themselves struggling about in the water. They screamed, they grasped at each other, they began to say short but extremely emphatic prayers, and one or two (who could swim) were heard, Tregret to say, to swear a little. The water was only up to about their necks, and all were got out without having sustained any more aerioun injury than a severe ducking. Most of them were terribly frightened, however; one professional gentleman who could swim seemed nevertheless to completely lose his reason for a short time and behaved in the moat extraordinary manner. He swam to the diving fence of the baths, deliberately climbed over, and then still wearing a look of the greatest terror and desperation, got into a small boat' and began to row with all his; flight to seaward, after rowing for. a mile or so he seemed to recover from hisscare and then rowed back again., The reason of his singular behaviour then came out, It appeared that he was seized.with the idea "when surrounded by : his struggling fellowvictims that they would probably seize hold of him and.pullhim down with them.: This impression had such a strong hold on' him that he did not feel safe, until he had actually got outside the baths, and had put a distance of'at least a mile .between himself and them. He' is not.likefyy I believe,'to be an applicant .for the. Hu-' mane Society's medal. ,_-il 'appears .that itis a perilous thing for' the spiritual' welfare of a church, as well', as of an individual, to be. pqssessedvof, riches... This 1 , at least seems to-be .the. tnoral cbnveyed'by a.dispute now raging in the ; columns of the Evening, Post, in reference -to St v Presbyterian-'; Church, on the Terracd.'' Trje ■ 'congrejja'tion" orlginalff jhad a : sifoopVLaifibton grantea tpfthem by 'Sjjr G|eorge : GreyV This they jjold'Sywr •ortffo ago to the Colonial 'Batik for £lo,(J6fea sumthat 'enabled--"them handsomest'chur'ch in ■Weljirigto'jkipft-a sulfate site bnthe a balance in hand aftertjiey bad j>verr gone, in for such luxuries-as,fitting up all the pews with ctimsoii Ivelvet cushions, In spite of these latter inducements, however, a complaint fyaa made at th'eannual meeting held recently, that the congrega-"' tion had dwindleddownjo somo'dO.or 60. Most of the" members ".'who have yrjtten to the paper on the subject no concealment of their desire to get.rid of the present pastor, and ; even go sotfar 'as to suggest that the building should be. leased to the " Young Meu'a 1, Oh'ristian Association.", What may be'the,head,and front <>f Mr Ogg'fl offending,;,! don't know, but if, his sermons are dull and long (as someScotch sermons are'said to bo), surely the velvet cushions should afford. at once; a compensation and a means of relief, The' general opinion of the discontented members of the flock, however, seems to be 'that if for .funds the church'.was deapßrately. hard up, and the; ; congregation ,werei made to co penauca upon the'bare boards; the edifice -'would--.speedily'be. dfowde'd, whereas a balance at the -Bank and velvet, cushions are 'simply instru. ments of the evil one, and pave the way 'to spiritual destruction. .

A nowKadmissibD. was made in the JuproraeOourt the other day bya.bams-. or who confoßßed that, mißunderfltanding •. : lie': had wasted a ftood m ot valuable time in getting up a case .. Hewaa.not.so ready; . ifthat celebrated English .barrister who bu once in a similar predicament.. He ; ad;in fact,been. the :Me'fpphesla^ a^fcmhe^was;instructed, 'seeing jjith. • brrortheiiiiafake'he'pa pefed to'him thaihe.waa pleading for the; been-Ntaitfijd'for '- the defence.,. , Nothing' daunted, - the_. iearned'-counsef continued,TSuch;* my' ; ord "no doubt, are the arguments which . Lill be advanced °n the other side', but I [hink I,: ahall -be,able Jo ; shqw. you .that., |bey will'jiotbeaj serious consideration.^' Ana he,"did.so completely,' leaving Ms ' opponentriot'* word-to-say-forhimself..; 1 H'ib Honor the- Chief Justice, whobas been accused of too great leniency Mj\' !; '. ioWent"traders,'' expressed Kis'mi&Q-very' ■, freely the-other dayin rega'rd to'u'on-;'. trading' bankrupts. • • A person' named ;j Isherwoo'd, well-known-in the musical ;;• world hare as an amateur, applied discharge. 'lt tfassKown that his wife was receiving Wiimonth, (rcljt* HdmeV this second' debtor had failed." -Hia Hoiior. expressed t the opinion that such a bankrupt war a ..' fraud, and deolinihs to grant the dis-r 6harge,.tbld'the debtor to go"to work to'",/ pay'off his creditors,. . , ,-,.,'.. .;. .., . '.'- i.ln!another 'bankruptcy -'case recently, (sharp resident of this city happened to . hear, of a legacy being' left to the debtor.. : He then went round and bought up the ■ debts at 6s in the £; at which price they ;..' were gladly quitted, by the'creditors. A . day or two afterwards it was announced " that a dividend of ■ 20s in:the £ was pay-;;. , able at the office'of : the' Trustee. The mortificationof.the':creditors may easily . ■be imagined, '•""'' ' ' /' , : We are well off for ataußements.just;. nW, with Gwttan Rigss'at the Academy;'; of Music, and Professor Haselm'ayer, the'" ; magician, at the Theatre Eoyal. The ;; Professor is certainly exceedingly clever, his repertoirei including a number of .features—notably; the whist -playing' automaton -quite new to the Colony. .|,