ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1235, 29 May 1880, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Last Monday was the Queen's Birthday, and we had the &oit of weather Aye usually have on the anniversaries of the birth of Her Most Gracious Majesty, viz., the rain threatening to fall in the morning and carrying the threat into execution in the afternoon. There was a grand review of the troops on the Ellerslie racecourse, neatly 300 of all ranks being on the ground. At the last review which I saw at Ellerslie, in 1865 I think, there were about 7000 British troops. I did not ; go to the review on Monday, for fear I should make compaiisons which would be unpleasant to those of the Imperial troops who took part in the review I saw in ISOS, who may be still here. There w ere also races at the Eller&lie Gardens, but, as the racecourse is not much larger than the ring in a circus tent, and, moreov er, has some very nasty angle?, they were not an unqualified success. Poor Leonard lost Malvern owing to the abominable course. Just fancy horses running on a course which has four laps in a mile ! More expense for the Hirbor Board! The P. M.S. Co. 's City of Sydney ran into the wharl on Monday night (in honor of the Queen's Birthday, I suppose), and broke some of the piles. Of course, no one was, to blame, so the burden will fall on the broad bicks of the taxpayers. This is a great country in which Aye live. Queen-street was crowded on Tuesday with through passengers by the City of .Sydney, who had come ashore to take a look at Auckland, which richly deserved the title given to it by Thatcher, " Beautiful Auckland ! city of mud," for the streets were in a disgraceful state. The strangers would not be favorably impressed with the weather, as we are verifying the Irish proverb, " The weather never rots in the heavens, " and getting an extra supply of rain to compensate a& for the long continuance of dry weather. An amateur concert was given in the Choral Hall on Monday evening, and it is quite a treat to compare the critiques of it in the Ilei aid and the Star. The Herabl, fearing to receive another castigation from the Mute, gave a most unfavorable critique. In attempting to turn over a new leaf the critic turned over two, and was unnecessarily harsh. The St">; as is always the case when the Choral Society gives a concert, especially if Mr Brett sings at it, praised everything as if it were unequallable — (that is a good word ; I have just made it, and anyone who wishes to encourage local industry is welcome to use it free, gratis, for nothing). Tho other evening 1 I saw a little boy about the hight of six penn'orth of coppers walking along the road carrying a jug-. Presently I saw him put it to his lips and take a long- draught. I immediately decided to become a Good Templar, so that I might not give my little boy the opportunity of fraying that he first acquired the taste of drink through me sending him for beer. As I passed the boy I looked into the jug and saw that it contained tn ode The Shrr has a habit of anticipating news, which ficquently leads it into mistakes. The " Tararua" was expected to arrive on Tuesday afternoon, between 4 and 5 o'clock, so Ihe St or stated that she was signalled as they went to press. She did not, however, arrive until mid nigLt On Wednesday the " ftotom;.ha.ua" was expected to arrive from Sydney, so the Star contained her name among the list of arrivals, whereas she did not arrive until 10. 15 p.m. Ido not object to tho Editor of the Star going into business as a prophet, but so long as ho ' runs a newspaper" let him give us facts not prophecies. T dking 1 about " running a newspaper," one of the mo-t interesting- objects to me in the Auckland Museum is a copy of the fiist newspaper published in New Zeala'.d. It was printed in a mangle, and is not more tlrm a quarter of the size of the Watkato imi:s. Money was scarce in Auckland in those days (it is scree enough now with mnie p r oplo, but olheis hive more than they know how t > use), and most all the business in Auckl md was done with debonrures. Every one in business used to i-suc ilobentire", which wei-p, however, nothing more nor le>s than I.O.Us. About once a-w< ek th'',y use to have a settling- up, and pay whatever balance thei-e might be in Go\ eminent debenture-. There ws'i man in biwup. s in Auckland at that time, whose name I will not i>iention, as some of his relations me still livinjr h. n% although he has "crossed that bourne whence no traveller returns," but will call him "J. Robinson." He was a butcher, and w is doir.-r a very g-ooel bu*>i-iip-s. On one of ca-ion a cloik in the employment of ono of the prncipal firms went tMiim to settle up. lie had a larsro number of Robinson's deben turps, and Robinson had a number of those o f the firm. The balance, however, was a consider xblr» ono in favor of the fnna, but one of Rooin&ou's debentures was torn The amount, was clear enough, and part of the signature, " J. Robi," but the other four letters were missing", so Robinson said it was not bis s, : j»naTiirf\ and lefuseel to set le. Thocleik expostulated with him and said that if thn balance had been the other wav he would have paid it in Grovernmsnt d( bent nrc, so he a-ked Robinson to settle without further ado. Robin on refused to settle, and ordered the clerk out of his shop. The clerk said he would not go until he <rot a settlement, whereupon Robinson lifted an axe, held it abovo his head, and told the clerk that if he did not gro away he would split his head open. The clerk was on the opposite side of the butcher's block, so he picked up a knife, with a blade about 2 feet long, which was on it, threw up his left ar/n to protect his head, and told Robinson that if he did not drop the axe behind him he would run the knife through him. Robinson i-aw that he had "met his match," so he dropped the axe behind him and settled up, paying the torn debenture, at d that clerk never afterwa>d;i had any difficulty in getting a settlement from him. " Collecting aooounts under difficulties" I call that. Two of our constables made an awk ward mistake last Saturday night, for which they have had to pay clearly, even if one or both of them is not dismissed from the force. It appears that Mr Bloom, who is a Jew, one of race who, in spite of the persecutions to which they have at times been subjected, have always been a law-abiding people, was standing talking to some "friends in front of his own shop, in Queen-street, when Constable Ro-^s told him to move on. He very naturally refused to move on, so the constable demanded his name. He did not give it, but one of his friends showed the constable tho name Over the shopd©or. The constable tbm attempted to arrest Mr Bloom, and to put the " bracelets" on him, but the latter re»

sisted, whereupon the constable knocked him down. Constable Igoe then went to the assistanco of his comrade in arms, and the two managed to cut Mr Bloom's head and give him sundry other wounds, and, at last, to take him to, the lock-up, where they thrust hhn into the drunkard's cell, fie was left there, in spite of a respectable citizen offering to become bail for him, until a Justice of the Peace arrived. Mr Bloom appeared at the Police Court on Wednesday, to answer to the charge of obstructing Constable Ross in the execution of his duty, but the Police had discovered a bloom in ij mistake (excuse the pun) and so withdrew the charge. Mr Bloom had laid an information against the constables for assault, but he withdrew it on their paying his costs (£11), leaving the matter to be dealt with by their superior officer. It has been rather an expensive affair for them, even it' it does not, as it probably will, result in one or both of thorn being dismissed from the force. The Hinemoa left the Manukau on Wednesday, with the Speaker of tne House of Representatives, and Mr Speight M.H.R. for City East. Just fancy the representative of a mercantile constituency who does not know the wholesale price of "soap, starch or turpentine, Flanders bricks or candles !" St. Mungo.