ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1623, 28 November 1882, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

The other day I weut to the museum to bco tho pictures and books sent out as a gift to, the citizens of Auckland by Mr J. T. Mackolvic. There can be no doubt about the gift being a most magnificent one, proving the generous heart of the donor. Many men have made money in the colony, but most of them seem to have gone away, and forgotten the place where thoy have made their money, and have spent their incomes ou their o\vu pleasures. Mr Mackelvic is one of thu lew noble exceptions to this rule. Time alter time lias lie shown in the most generous manner th it he retains a kindis. iechng ior Auckland, and it now remains lor oui citizens to bliow their apprecia tiou of Ins liberality by pioviding a hi tiug casket to hold die genit, wlncii Ji.ivc been sent hither by tint, opcn-lianded gentleman. What seems to men. \eiy good suggestion lias been made — tliat an Art Gallery should bo built in connection with the Town Hall. Though two oi oui- oifci/sein> have promised to give £dOO each it is not piobablo that suHlcicnt money could be wused by piivacc subscription to build an Ait (j.illcry, but I have no doubt tluit the citizens would leadily subseiibe biillioiont money to add to the Town Hall another story or an tniiitxc, to be used as an AiL (judleis. However it be managed, something should be done to provide a fitting icccptdole lor the woiks ol art "which have been, and which may in the futuie be presented to the city. Theie weie four pictures bent out by Mr Maekehic by the Loch Un. Oi these tw o are by Guido, one being tho Mnrtjidom of Niint Sebastian, and the other tho infant Jcbiis bleeping on the Cioss. At the risk of being ounsidcicd .1 Vandal I must admit that I do not adnurc these works of one of the "Old Masteis." ISo doubt much skill was iv(juned to paint the look of anguish, tompeied l>y joy in the thought ot the " sine and cei lain hope of a glonoiib lesurication," on the face oi the maityicd saint, and the Jiguto is, doubtless, a woik ot high ait, but the subject it, not a pleasant one. It is not the .soit ot piutuic that makes one ieel happy. The other Guido did not (more \andahhiu) unpieos me much moic lasomably. A cross doe. not seem to me a very comtoi table lost ing })hice lor a sleeping infant, and the idea ol tho tntist does not stiiUc me as a happy thought. I pietu the picture of Joseph leeeiving Ins biethien to either of the (4ui(lob, and am inclined to think that it will better repay careful .study, at any rate in the case ol one like myseli who is not an aitist. The ioiuth pictuie, though consideied the least \aiuahlc, pleased me best, It is a sea view, painted by G.C.Stantield. lla\ ing boon bom, brought up and spent all my life m .seapoit towns, 1 have a gieat londness ior cveiything in tlie way of marine views, i have seen a good many pictures, good, bad and mdillcient, but 1 have not seen any so beautiful as tho views to be seen in and cuound Auckland. Take, for instance, that which can be obtained any day just beside the inu&euin building. Ju the foie-ground is a beautiful sheet ot nnbvt, with a- munbuv of small vessel^, or possibly a ship in full sail, moving grace hilly on its> surface. The Noith Shoie, with Mount Victoria and the Noith Head, juts out into it. Beyond that again is ilangitoto, while away to the light aie numheilcss islands, A\ith the (Joioinandel Kanges dim and shadowy in the distance. If I weie an aitist, 1 should wish lor nothing but to be able to paint that picture well, and I would challenge the -w odd to beat it. After looking at the pictuies I went down to one ot the ante-iooms, to look at the books sent out by Mr Mackohie Theieaie 127 of them, great and small. Sonii) of them aie ot gicat value on account of then lanty, and they must have cost then goneious donor much time and tiouble, to say nothing ot money, to pioeurc them. Some of them ■lie woiks of oousidoiablo inteiest, while otlicis aie valuable only because they make the collection moie complete than it otherwise would lie. In the same room with them is a plan ol Auckland a.s it might ha\c been. It was diawn in 1813 by the then Siuvoyor-Uenoial. The Albert I'arlc was taken as the centre ol the city, and streets wore laid out in ciicles lound it. Onccuiious featuie ol the plan is .v wet dock veiy similar to that proposed by Mr D. K. Macdonald, Kngiueei to the ILiibom Jioaid. Whethoi the idea was bonowed from the old plan, or Avhothcr the fact ot the same pioposal being made by two piofe^sional men is meioly a coincidciiLC I cannot ; say. If the plan diawn in 1813 had been acted upon, Auckland would lune been ,i much better town to d.iy than it i^, as no piosision was made lor nairow hliccts like lliyli and West hUeoU, and we sliould not h.i\e had thousands ot pounds spent in budding and lepauing wooden w halves. We had soiiu* ( \citeinent in (^neentjtioel, soon after noon on ■when jNII Kiauk Cornwall, who has been for some yeais in business near Samoa, hoi ,cv hipped Mr C C. Mo.Yhllan, .senioi lut.il paitnei ot the in in of William M<* Vrthur & Co. Of coiu-^o, it it highly impioper loi a m. in to take the law into his own hands and inflict coipoial punishment on one who has wronged him, oi who he bolio\es lias injuied linn, but it i-> wither emious that public sym pa'Jiy should be almost uutiicly with Cornwall, people who did not know him coming loiwaid and niti testing themselves to pioeiuo evidence for hio defence. Ao the case ha& been lemaiided till l'\i day, 1 cannot, ot ionise, say niijthint; al^oiit ita ineiitb. It wa-^ lathei a miiuu.. coincidence tii.it Tuesday's il'inhuin Jim' s siioiild Lontain an Auckland teic guim announcing the hoiocwliippmg ol the senioi loial paitnei ot the linn ot \V. ]\foAt thtit Ami Co., and ,'i Londoii c.iblegi.uu auuouiuiug tlie confeuing oi tin honour* of knighthood on the bonioipaitncr of Hie same linn, and it \wu another cuiious coincidence that both n.unco should bu gisxn wiong. By the way, "intelligent compositoi" made an amusing mi.ilakc in the " JOehoes'' last ■week, or else 1 did. Tn wndng th.it stoi.y ot ilaik Twain s I hchese I wiote, "as innocent as an unborn babe." Wliat Avas my astonishment to toad "as innocent as an uuboin bull ' I know that I Arrite veiy badly (it is a way that I have, and I cannot help it), but I llattcicd myh(Ai that, though my wutiug was bad, it Avas Aery legible 1 . Moial : JJon't flatter youiself. The Tambour Major Company finished a a cry succcbsful season at the Opera House last exening, successful at least bo far as drawing good houses Avas concoined. It was not \eiy successful from an aitistic point of view, as the peifoimanccs e\idencod a plentiful lack of ichcai sal, and some ol the piineipal peifouners could not .sintr, whi< h in a .seiious drawback in an opcta. lloweser, the pieces Averc very A\ell mounted, and thcie A\ ere some of the company avlio could sing and wlio did sing \ciy avcll, so that the operas a\ ent very avcll on the Avhole. A Juvenile Opera Company opens this (Thur&day) evening, but I think the juvenile business is about played out. However, as the management has reduced the chaiges for adiuibbion to y&, 2s, and 3s, the youngsters may do avcll for a while. After all tlie talk, Mr J. M. Clark was ' yo-clccted Mayor of Auckland without opposition, Mr Waddcll's fiiends evidently thinking that he had but a poor, 'ciiarice of success. There is a pretty geu'eral fueling of satisfaction at Mr. Clarkes re-eleclion, as nios>t people ; thought it Avould be a pity to run any 'i'!#k £)f'l)is being beaten by a man in no 'Wa9* fitted' to replace him. I believe i that, had there been a contested election,- 1 the insult would have been the same, bui, It i&'aWM t thdt "vre Uaxe been spared a contest in wliicli "jjitiy feeling would have run very f high v ' v/ ; St. Mungo, . ■

:hTn&Ysfotio'Qro~Bßj'thbngtt!it has oc*f^ipnhiis^fcsolf]iy s£ lord;-ltaThevcT