ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1304, 6 November 1880, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Tiibbu wa3 a feeling of horror throughout the city on Monday when it became known that nix of the crew of the Auckland brigantine, Bjioalis had been cruelly murdered in cold blood by the navage inhabitants of the small inland of M.iylata, an inland in the Solomon group. The whole outrage hcoms to have been of the most oow.udly description, the uuarmed craw being cruely murdered by the B<ivages, without the slightest provocation having been given Perhaps, the \vor->t feature of the case is that bid me is to be attributed to the captain for not having taken proper precautions to protect his crew. However, he has suffered very (severely for his neglect, as his own son was among those murdeicd Whatever bi.une may attach to Captain McKeuzie, the major portion of the blame lies at the door of tho British authorities. As an Englishman I blush to make the statement, but the truth must be told. Not only are such outrages as the massacree of the crow of the Borealis allowed to go unpunished when committed on British subject?, but one of the rules made for the regulation of the " labor" traffic is that each native when sent back to his own inland after his term of service iias expired, shall be supplied with a gun. Can Briti&h stupidity go any further than that 'i Mr Alexander Wright, better known to old identities {l 3 Sandy Wright, passed away last Sunday, after a lung illness. He had lived in Auckland for nearly forty years, and could tell some strange stories about the olden days. So it has pleased his Excellency tho Acting- Governor and the Executive Council to reprieve " Joe," the murderer of the unfortunate man Rees. on the grounds of insanity. '• Of course," he was insane. No sane man would kill another. No sane man would hide himself on a lonely road and murder the iirst passer-by. What I would like to know is whether His Excellency aud his advisers would have granted a reprieve if the circumstances of tho ca^-e had been reversed, if a white man had murdered a black one. This sort of thing ought to be left to the Exeter Hall people. Lt would not be approved of ia New Zealand. 1 suppo.se the next thing wo will he-u- will he that Ah Lee, convicted of the Kyeburn murder, lia.s been icp ieved. No doubt he was insane also, because, as 1 ii ive already said, no sane man would commit a murder. .Speaking of one Chinaman reminds me of another La-t Saturday afternoon, lor the first tune in my life, I saw a Chiiriman. drunk. He was walking along Qu«en->trect, with a pipe in his hand, tivin.fr to wlnstln ,i tune. Smoking-, whittling, and driuking were too many barbarian accomplishments for the celestial to attempt at one time, and the con-equenco was that he was " run in," and made his bow, with other " drunks" before Mr Bart-tow on Monday morning. Theio was no pLvi of ia.sa.uity in lm case, so he was treated as if he had been a A\hite man. The Domain Board mat last Monday, ard leceivod a ropoit from the ranger with regard to the cutting clown of the trees, about which those two ancient ladies, J. 8., and th" Eli tor of the UacbU and a lew more ol the sunc &oit, have been making *-o great a lu^s. There is no doubt the priming 1 kuifo has been iuod pietty iroely, but thcie U, I believe, no peiinanont injury done to any of the tiees, but theie are two clause-) of people who .should nob see half-done deeds, and the old lidios are certainly not children. (> uai. > ij. The ( JLh of November is to be a red letter d-iy. Not only aiv the Cattle .Show, tho Flower Show, and the Volunteer rU>view to be held at EUorslie, but the corner stone of the new Church of the Holy Se.mlohrp, commonly known as St. Sepulchre's Church, is to be laid at 10 a.m., and the new Masonic ll. ill, \vhu,h ha* been built for the ttemueia L'jdye, is to be consocr.ilrd at noon. The biethreu of tho Mystic Tie, who come down to tho Cittk* Show, Avill, I am sure, recive a he,\ity welcome from the members of tho Komuera Lodge, at the Consecration, and at the ball which is to take place m tho evemng. Tho Melbourne Cup, the !?re,it riro of the colonies, v. as run on Tuesday 1 ist, in tho pieseneo of 100,000 spect.itois (nearly throe time* the numb, v of men, worm.i, and children vi Atu-klmd and suburb-.). Tho race w.i-. won by Ci.iud FLvu ur, Avhicli niii^t; be a irvuid colt, as he wun the New Sr.ith WaW Deibv, tho Victori in Derby, and flu- Cup. Fortuu iti-ly, Tuevliy w.is a fi.u<;r dly in ?Ji v lb<mmo th vi ii Auoklnid, is h< ro the r.un 'ell. nl'iioit without mti'i'iniwou, throughout the day. Hid there berni similir 'vimilicin M^loouriv, it would have had a v<-ry prejudicial eitVet on too attendance at tho Flu rnin "ton R iceooui .^p. Tlio weather hero i-> h'uo now, mil thm) i-i cvc\y prospect of it omtmuing so lor th^ Ciltle Show on Monday ;ind Tuesday. By the \v iy, "W.nk.ito .setiloi.j .av> u» be cmirr itulated at th<j pntrrpriho of the Waikvto TiMKti J'lopiiCtiiry in aflording f-o jririphi" and < un< i>o >i dchcilytiou of the Fieuungfcjn coui,,o by oible, direct fioin Melboumo, anl issuing so admir.ible aud lull an Exuiv. When Mr Mo«s wi addic c siuir such of liis constituent* as wrnt to hoar him, in the P.irnell I-lall l.i-t Aveek. he inveighed very .i,«ain-«t tlie holieis of large e^titps and indulge I in the style of :ilvi>-e common among tho Greyitcs ag.dnst wh it •iro vulg.ulv kn.iv.n a-, " 1 iu.l--.li nX" The avowed principle* of M ' )l'j- c i, tho politici.m, aie that the land .should bo cut up into small fanuo and occupied bj' " the people," But Air Moss is .1 l.md asrcufc, aud, in hU business capacity, oft'eis Lir^c blocks of laud for sale. I hive before mo the '' New Zealand L\i->toral and Agricultura) Nev/.s,"' published by Messrs Mosf, ll'une and Co., of which iivm Mr K. J. Mos«, M.H.R , is tho -sonior partner. In it the firm offer for sale nearly oQO.OOO (half a million) acres, all of whioh they would be both willins and anxious to sell to one man, if ho were possessed of the necessary capital. What a contrast between Mr Mo-s, the politician, and Mr Mos*, the land agent. Consistency, thy name is Moss ! Mr G-. M. Keed, the farmer proprietor with Mr Brett, of the Auckland Ecvn'tmj Star, returned to this city on Wednesday morning by the Te Anau. He was heartily tired of tho miserable climate of England and Ireland, and is very gUd to bo in a country where ho can see the sun occasionally. He seemed very much amused when I told him that it had been reported here that he was bringing out the plant necessary to start a newspaper here, as nothing was further from his thoughts. Tho members of the Harbour Board have been considering the advisnbility of constructing a large dock, as it has been found that the present one is inadequate for the requirements of the port. After a good deal of talking hud been indulged in (I notice that our legislators and members of public boards are giauts in talking, but pigmies in acting), it was decided to defer the consideration of the matter f or two months. I admire tho members for their adherence to the Avell-known. mono of Auckland, "Taihoa." Mr Aiokiu, who has the matter thoroughly at heart", has to Melbourne, where he will doubtless obtain a good deal of information about the Albert Graving Dock, which will be very valuablp. St. Mvnqo,