ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1313, 27 November 1880, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Last Friday there was an immense concourse, principally women and children, Msembled in Queen-street to see the proMission of Cole's Circus and Menagerie. It was a great show, but I think that it is a pity that Mr Cole did not adhere to his original intention and have the procession in the evening. The brilliant dresses worn by the men aud women, which would have looked very well by torchlight, had a very garish appearance by daylight. In the first vehicle, which was drawn by six dromedaries and two horses Tit struck me that the horses did most of the pulling) was the fine brass band of the circus. It seemed to me that the band did not play very appropriate music. During all the time they were within my hearing I did not hear the time of the song : "The animals walk around, The band begins to play, The boys around, the monkey's cage, Had better keep away." The boys around the lions' cage did not keep away, but, when the procession was at a standstill at the foot of Wellesleystreet, they poked sticks through the bars at the lions, to the great danger of the lion tamer, who was in the cage with the three lions. That was the part of the show that I liked best. It seemed to me a fool-hardy thing for a man to do. It was expected that Sir Arthur Gordon, oar new Governor, would have arrived the same afternoon, but, as the Koran says, 11 Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed," for Sir Arthur did not come. By the way, I am not quite sure that my quotation is from the Koran, but, if it is not, it must be from some other book. An absurd report was circulated by the Greyitcs to the effect that Sir Arthur had gone to the Kawau to see Sir George Grey on Friday. It was a case of the wish being father to the thought, but I did not believe that Sir Arthur Gordon, though he does bear the reputation of being a man who does that which is right in his own eyes, would make his first visit in the Colony to one of the leaders of the Opposition, though he is an old friend of his. No doubt I should feel very much flattered that the Editor of the Evening Star should thick my "Echoes" in the Waixato Times worth quoting from, but I confess that I do not fully appreciate the honour, more especially as the Star, referring to the "Echoes from the Cafe" on Monday last, spoke of them as "Lectures from the Cape." However, even this is an improvement, as the last time that one of the Auckland papers copied a paragraph from the "Echoes," it did not acknowledge the source from which it obtained it. We colonials (though 1 was born in " the little village," i.e., London, I always consider myself a colonial) may well feel proud of the success of Laycook, in winning the Hop Bitters prize of £1000 for sculling on the Thames. It was rather a curious feature of the race that none of the four who rowed in the final heat were Englishmen. They were — Laycock, an Australian, and three Amerioans. Can it be that there is some truth in the refrain of a song which was very popular at home (I notice that we colonials always speak of England as "home") abouc two years ago. The refrain was, " Old England's going down the hill." Judging by the success of the Australian cricketers in England, and the result of the Hop Bitters race, it would seem as if this really were the case in manly sports, and the serious falling off in the English exports would indicate that it is the case with regard to manufactures also. I am sorry that the negotiations for a sculling match between Laycock and Hanlan for the Championship of the World (that is a big word) have fallen through. My own opinion is that Laycock would have been victorious, and, at any rate, it is a pity he had not an opportunity of trying conclusions with Hanlan. It is possible that the latter was afraid he might lose his laurels, and so proposed that the match should take placo in six weeks' time, well knowing that Laycock would not agree to the proposal. Of course, we cannot form a very accurate opinion at a distance of sixteen thousand miles, but it does seem that, as both men were in training, there was no reason why the match should not come off at once, ?nd that Hanlan's desire to postpone it resulted from the fact that Laycock had, to use a vulgar phrase, established a funk. Some time ago I gave mention in the "Echoes" to a growl about a Jewish Rabbi who had come to Auckland, soliciting f unds for a soup kitchen at Jerusalem. It seems that other people, besides me growled about it, as the Star on Tuesday evening contained a paragraph to the effect that the Otago branch of the AngloJewish Association wrote home complaining of the Shelpchim, as it appears these begging messengers are called. The Jewish Chronicle remarks that these Seluchims receive forty per cent, of the money they collect, besides their travelling expenses, and mentions the case of one of them who in two years netted upwards of £2000, as his share of money he collected in a two years' tour. I expect that some of the Greyites will turn seluchim, and take a trip round the world to gather funds for the emancipation of the " down-trodden serfs" in New Zealand. I have no doubt they would be very snecessful, as people at a distance would probably not know that the " down-trod-den serfs" exist only in the speeches of Sir George Grey and his followers, and mendicity is near akin to mendacity, in which some, at least, of the Greyites are experts. Our new Governor, Sir Arthur Gordon, after having been expected on Friday, did not arrive until Tuesday evening. He made hia public landing on Wednesday morning, when he was duly received, on the wharf by the members of the Harbor Board, and at the foot of Queen-street by the Acting-Mayor and the members of the City Council. The former reception I did not see, but the latter I did, and a very poor attempt at a reception it was. A triumphal aroh had been erected across Queen-stroet, between the Thames and Waitemata Hotels. It was a very creditable structure, but as it had been up nearly a weak the evergreens belied their name, as they had become rather brown, and, as the aharebrokers say, had a drooping tendency. Aftar passing the arch the Governor arrived at the platform, on which the City Fathers and a number of other gentlemen were standing. Ido not know who issued the invitations to the gentleman who occupied the platform, but I cannot compliment him on the way in which he performed his duty. I did not see any of the Consuls there, nor any of tb^Members of Parliament, nor, with the *«Bei>tion of the City Councillors and the Mayor-elect, any of the prominent citizens. Of the city clergy, the Wesleyan body were well represented, tho Rev. Allen Webb represented the Baptists; Father Fynes, the Roman Catholics ; Dr Purchas, who has given up preaching, and taken to practise (of medicine), being the sole representative of the Anglican Church, while, as far as I could see, tho Presbyterians were not represented at all. Sir Arthur Gordon must have been particularly pleased with the appearance of our "army." There were about five officers and ten men from each of seven different companies in seven different uniforms, some of whick were not so dean as they might have been. Nd' doubt the gown jpuster, of Yolunfceers ii explainable

by the f aot that many of them had lost half-a-day on Friday, and did not feel inclined to loose another half -day onWednesday, and by the shortness of the notice given. Under the circumstances I think it would have been much better not to have attempted a volunteer demotßtration than to have had such a miserable exhibition as there was. St. Mttngo

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