ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1295, 16 October 1880, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

The question on everybody's lips this week has been, '• Who cut the pages out of the letter-book P" and no one seems to be both able and willing to answer it.,. A property in Coburjj-Mreet belonging to Dr Philson was, in the opinion of that gentleman, damaged by certain "improvements " made by that collection of wiseacres known as the Improvement Commissioners. He therefore instructed his solicitors (Messrs Russell and Devore) to apply to the Commissioners for compensation, and offer to take certain land as a solatium for his loss of frontage. The Secretary to the Improvement Commissioners (Mr R. H. Stevenson) was instructed to reply, agreeing to give the land provided a Bill empowering them to do so could be carried through Parliament. The Bill was not passed and the matter was allowed to drop, but cropped up again a few weeks ago, when a fresh application for compensation was made to the City Council, who have become heirs of the property and blunders of the Improvement Commissioners. When the matter came up for consideration, reference was made to the letter which Mr Stevenson was instructed to write to Dr Philson's solicitors, but the latter denied having received such a letter. The letter-book used by the Secretary to the Commissioners was referred to, but there waß no copy of the letter there, nor was such a letter mentioned in the index. On examination of *he book it was discovered that three pages were missing at the date on which that letter should have been, or was, written. Consequently, there is no proof that the letter really was written, and everybody wants to know, "Who out the pages out of the letter-book ?" Last Saturday there was a large fire at Onehunga, which destroyed the Royal Hotel and other buildings. The hotel, which cost about £1590 to build, was injured for only £400. It belonged to Mrs George, who is well-known to most if not to all the old identities in Auckland and Onehunga. She owns a good deal of property in Onehunga, and was, comparatively speaking, wealthy when things were brisk there. Unfortunately for her, there was a great collapse when the troops left New Zealand, and her property, which was mortgaged, depreciated so much in value that the rentals received were not more than sufficient to pay the interest. The loss caused by the late fire will therefore be a very serious one for the poor old lady. The other afternoon, as I was walking along one of the principal streets of Auckland with another old resident in Melbourne, we were both struck by the familiar appearance of a large brass plate in the doorway of a store. We both thought that we had seen it in Melbourne, and a closer examination disclosing the fact that it was made by Twedel, of Melbourne confirmed us in our opinion. The name on it was evidently German, and the nearest English equivalent I can think of is " Eye -opener." The owner of the name, if it is our Melbourne friend, gave a large number of the merchants of that city good cause to remember him, and they still keep the name of " Eye-opener" in their lpdgers in the "Profit and lio-'s Bad Debt Account." I suppose he has opened their eyes as long as he can and has now come to give the Auckland merchants a clrince. Very good of him, is it not.? The Observer List week contained an excellent caricature of Mr W. Swamon, M.H.R., for Newton. la the background of the pictures wa* a pair of boots, the honourable member being- represented minus those useful articles. I was rather puzzled to know the ret-on of this, so I asked another honourable member, and he gave me the following 1 explanation. When Mr S wanson is in the House he wears shoes, not boot*, aud, shoitly after he begins to speak off he kick* one of his shoes. After he has been speuking a short time he kicks off the other shoe, and finishes hia speech baiefooted, or rather, standing 1 in stockings. The Editor of the Hcrahl has recovered from his Fiji .scare, and has made up his mind that it will be an advantage to this colony that our new Governor, Sir Arthur Gordon, should continue to hold the office of High Commissioner fo»' Polonesia, and retain control over the government of Fiji. He believes and with good reason, that the result will be bcweficial to our trade with Fiji. His Worship the Mayor of Parnell having had an addition io the number of hi* olive branches during his term of office, a number of the burgesses presented him with a silver cradle, which has been on exhib i tion this week. It is very pretty, but, if the little Robinson i.s small enough to sleep in it, I do not think that Goliath will be an appropriate name for it. Bye-tho-bye, how very .seldom do people now-a-(lays give appropriate names to their children. I do not think that our late Governor was particularly noted for his strength, although he was called "Hercules." I remember hearing ef a very respectable couple taking" their child to church to be christened, and, when the clergyman asked the child's name, he jvas told "Boanerges." Any one who does not know the meaning of the name may ascertain it by obeying the comnruul, "Search the scriptures," and will be able to approve of the ao.tion of the clergyman who refused to christen the child unless Some other name was substituted; One of the strangest imaginable ways of stopping the traffic on a road is that adopted by Mr. John McLeod, familiarly known as " Blue-nose McLeod." He sat clown in a hole in the middle of the road, and when some one who wished to pass, attempted to remove him he brought an action against him for assault. It appears that Mr Merrick owned the land in question, and gave a road through it which was duly pegged off by a Government surveyor. He afterwards sold his land to Mr. McLeod, and, as the latter was cognisant of the fact that the road had been dedicated, it is fair to presume that the land was sold, subject to that reduction. No one supposed that there was any doubt about the road for many years, until Mr. McLeod said that there was no road there, as the whole of the land had been conveyed to him, and he adopted the extraordinary plan of sitting down in a hole in the middle of the road as a means of asserting his rights. I have referred to Mr. McLeod as "Blue-nose" McLeod. "Blue-nose "is a name applied to the Nova Scotians, presumably on account of the eflect of the cold on their noses, and they, as a rule, object to the term. Mr. McLeod, however, was determined to show that he was indifferent about the title, so when he had a steamer built for him, he called her the " Bluenose." This reminds me of the story told of the Hon. W. H. Smith, late First Lord of the Admiralty, who was so weli caricatured in the opera bouffe of'H.M.S., Pinafore," under the name of Sir Joseph Porter. When the opera was performed in London every one went to see it, Mr. Smith among the rest. Some of the hits i were rather hard, but he had the good sense to laugh at them, and, as he was getting a yaoht built for himself at the time, he called her the " Pinafore." Nothing so completely disarms ridicule as to show indifference to it. St. Mu^ao.

It is likely, after all, that the Melbourne Exhibition will not be opened at night. Sir Herbert Sandford has been received enthusiastically by the British exhibitors at Melbourne,