THAT PICNIC ONCE MORE.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1682, 17 April 1883, Page 3

THAT PICNIC ONCE MORE.

, TO THE EDITOR, i Sir.— Leat it be thought that I have gone and hid my diminished head in fear and trembling, kindly, allow,, me space for a few more last Words 6n'the afobve subject, and I promise, you they shall he, my last on the same topic, M'hatevcr the temptation. Mr T. Y. Fit2patr'ick seems to hay,e taken mortal offence at my last letter in your issue of the lOtli inst., and (without just cause) has threatened to "call me out." I Ray without just cause, because I never mentioned his name either; to you, to tb&<Mcrald nor to any individual else as being the author of that "infamous and untruthful" paragraph in tlie N.Z. Herald. I simply tired afc an anonymous correspondent as I had a perfect right to do ; and if a person chooses recklessly to throw himself in front of the target and gets hit, that's his concern and not mine. According to the startling announcement in Saturday's Wmhato Tunis I find that it was my old fiiend T.V. whom I ' had shot 1 ; or, in other words, that it was he who had written that " notorious paragraph." I nin sorry to have hurt <\n old and valued friend, but I am much more sorry that lie has not had the moral couiage to add to his confession that he is now heartily ashamed of himself. I should likf my dear friend to icmumber that confession without repentance will not secure his salvation. As to those charges they still hold good until refuted, but as Mr Fitzpatiick truly says, "there are many reasons why their refutation in these columns is undesirable and unnecessary." Jubt so, and the reasons are obvious. Awaiting the invitation before that "more suitable tribunal," — I am, &c., R. James. Ngaruawahia, April 16. 1883.

A Scotch lady, whose daughter was recently m.irried, was asked whether she might congratulate her upon the event. " Yes, yes," she answered, " upon the wholo it is very satisfactory ; it is true Jeannie hates her gude man, but then there's always a something." " How old are you ?" said a magistrate to a German arraigned before him. " I am dirty." " And how old is your wife ?" " Mine wife is dirty-two." "Then, sir, you are a filthy couple, and I wish to have nothing further to do with either of you." 'I say, old chappie,' said a city man to a henpecked friend of his, ' what a shocking bad hat you have on ! Isn't it about time you bought a new oue ?' ' Not yet ; my wifo told me the other day that she would not go out witli me till I had got a new hat ; and lam going to enjoy myself.' When the Karl of Chesterfield was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, during the Rebellion of 1745, he was one morning awoke by a gentleman entering his chamber very abruptly, and exclaiming— ' My Lord ! My Lord ! we are undone ! This country has been agitated, and by every account I hear all Ireland is expected to be up immediately.' ' Pray, what o'clock is it ?' said the peer. ' Ten, my Lord,' answered the gentleman. ' Why, then,' replied he very calmly, 'I'll get up myself, for I think every man should be up by tun o'clock.' Kl.-OKUA.MSATIOX OF THE AI\STKIA.>f Miutxky iSystmi.— "The most palpable, if not the only positive, effect of the late visit of M. de (tiers to Vienna," writes the Vienna correspondent of the Standard on Feb. 3, "has been to enable the Austrian Government to pi owed to the realisation of its long cheiished military plans without creating opposition 1 or disturbance. If the large measures of army re-organisation now occupying the Government had been attempted previous to the new intimacy with Russia, it is safe to s.»y that they would have excited general uneasness. The plans in question include, firstly, construction of a strategical railway connecting the Galician with the Hungarian lines : secondly, the increase of the artillery ; thirdly, a more intimate connection between the National Motived Army of Hungary and the Landwehr of Au.stri* on the one side, with the common standing army of Austria-Hungary on the other ; and finally, the connection of the various railway termini at Vienna, one with another, by means of a metiopolitan line. With reference of this latter portion of the scheme, the Austrian military pipers .state that the concession for the Vienna elevated railway, which has just been granted to an English Company, was agreed to principally on military ground 1 ?. It is asserted that the new line, when completed will enable the mobilisation ot the Austrian army to be accelerated by one whole day, owing to the greater facilities it will provide for the conveyance of troops from one part to another. On this and other points I have mentioned the Austrian and Hungarian Ministers have been of late delibeiating in daily council. It is quite anticipated that some of these measures will meet with great opposition, because the re-organisation of the national forces cannot possibility be ennied out without a very sensible augmentation of the military expenditure. We regard to tho proposed increase in the artillery, it is stated that Russia has now fully twice as many guna aa Austria."