ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1223, 1 May 1880, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

We had two days' good spoi-t at the autumn races last Thursday and Friday, marred, unfortunately, by the Steeplechase being such a hollow mockery and by the totalisator row. We have not had a good steeplechase since January, 1879, when there was such a grand race between The Agent and Perfume, with Sportsman a good third. At every meeting since then all the horses have been "stuck-up" at the fence and hedge on the rise of the hill. The jump is not by any means the worst on the course, but the ground is so much lower on the other side of the hedge than at the take-off that the horses cannot see where they have to jump to, and so are afraid of the jump. The totalisator row was the result of a most palpable attempt to swindle the public. Only four people had put their money on King Quail, in the St. George's Handicap, but when they went to receive their winnings they found that the number of King Quail's backers had mysteriously increased to fourteen. One of them communicated with Sub-Inspector Pardy, who placed some of his men near the machine to watch for the other ten ticket-holders. As they did not appear, he arrested the four men who were connected with the totalisator. One of the four is Richard J. Feltus, who began life in Auckland with every promise of rising to a good position, but, unfortunately, fell into dissolute habits, and this is what he has descended to. The other day I heard of a novel method of "raising the wind, " which, if not very honest, was certainly original. A man took a lease of a cottage for six months, and entered into possession. A few days after the owner of the cottage was passing and discovered that several of the palings of the front fence were missing. He could not stop then to speak to his tenant about the matter, but went down the next morning to do so. When he got near the house he discovered that more palings had disappeared. He went to the door and asked to see his tenant. When the man appeared he told him that he noticed that some of the palings had | been taken away from the fence. "I know that," said the tenant. "I took them off and burned them." The landlord told him he had no right to destroy his property, but the tenant replied that he had a perfect right to do what he pleased with both cottage and grounds, provided he paid the rent, and delivered up the property in good order at the expiration of the term of his lease. The landlord was afraid that there would be nothing left to deliver up at the end of six months, so he asked the tenant if he would surrender his lease. He said he would do so for a consideration,, and, after a good deal of bargaining, he agreed to accept £10, and leave the cottage. Moral — " An empty house is better than a bad tenant. No one seems to have answered Judge Richmond's question to the Jurymen — Who was St. George ? so I will endeavour to do so. According to the account of his life given by Metaphrasles, he was born in Cappadocia, of noble Christian parents. After the death of his father, lie went with his mother into Palestine, she being a native of that country and having a considerable estate there, to which her son George was heir. He entered the Roman army, in which he rose to the rank of tribune. His bravery won him the approbation of Dioclesian, who conferred still higher rank upon him, but when the Emperor began to persecute the Christains, George threw up his commission and his honours, and went to the Emperor to complain of his cruelty He was immediately cast into prison where he was most cruelly tortured, but in vain, as he remained firm in his faith. The next day, (the 23rd April, 303) he was led through the city aud then beheaded. He was chosen tutelar saint of England during the reign of one of the first Norman kings. The Sabbatarians were scandalised again last Sunday evening when Madame Cammilla Urso and her company gave a concert in the Theatre Royal. It was a splendid concert, and there wonld have ben nothing objectionable about it if the audience had all behaved in a seemly manner, which, unfortunately, they did not do. A number of men, who sat behind me and who looked as if grooming horses would be more congenial employment than listening to a sacred concert, persisted in talking and laughing, to the discomfort of everyone near. During the performance of the first piece, one of them said to his friends, in a tone loud enough for every-one within twelve feet of him to hear, "This is awfully stale after the Flying Scud." No doubt the remark was very facetious but most of the audience went to hear a sacred concert, not facetious remarks. Mr Speight addressed the " free and independent" of City Past on Tuesday evening, at least such of them as chose to £o and hear him. Last time he addressed the electors of City East", his subject was Grey. This time his subject is Speight, and a very fhie subject too, according to the speaker's own notion. Even the Herald, which generally manages to sneak through life without treading on anybody's corns, felt bound to give Mr Speight a dressingdown. A very fitting sequence of the honorable member's address was that a vote of confidonce in him was seconded by Mr Richard Felfcus. Talking about "honorable members," what a farce it seems that every man who, however he manages it — by talking bum combe or becoming a Greyite — persuades a constituency to return him as its Member of Parliament, immediately becomes an " honorable." The Totalisator swindlers have met Avith their deserts, in the shape of a months.' imprisonment in Mount Eden. Mr Richard Feltus drew- a doleful picture of liia case, showing what he had. gained and what those gains had oost him. His gains consisted of £1 (one pound) paid to him for his services as clerk. In consequence of endeavoring to earn an honest pound he was arrested like a common felon, marched off the racecourse amid the hootings of the crowd, taken to the Police Station, and incarcerated with a lot of drunken men. Poor Richard ! when his soul abhors the smell of drink. Mr John Waymouth wrote a letter to the Herald the other day, in whijli h3 quotes some remarks reported to have been made by Dr Carpenter, President of the British Medical Association, to the effect that doctors prescribe alcohol, against their own convictions, because their patients wish it. Efe sums up the case by accusing the majority of the medical profession of Great Britain of being " cowards*," " crawlers," and " panderers." It is the old, old story of the rpnegrade being always most bitter against the religion he has forsaken. Mr Waymouth URed to be a most fervent worshipper of Bacchus, and now that he has seen the error of his ways he is an equally rabid teetotaller. St. Munqo.

A good deal of typhoid fever prevails, especially in one of the suburbs of Auckland. The fever ward of the hospital is also filled at present, several of the patients being passengers by the Earl Granville. ISPWE idea of the magnitude of the rabbit nuisance in South Australia may be, imagined when it is stated that 32 Government parties are at present engaged in their destsuction,