TABLE TALK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 253, 1 November 1897, Page 1

TABLE TALK.

'Frisco mail this week.

Melbourne Cup to-morrow. Westralia arrived from Sydney. S.s. Anglian arrived from the South. Grammar School sports to-morrow. H.M.s. Mildura has left here for Lyttelton.

Captain Simeon Fraser died at Waitara' on Friday night. The Government poultry expert left for ■ the South to-day. .. English cricketers scored 475 in their first innings at Adelaide. Amberite Avon the Derby at the V.R.C. * races on Saturday afternoon. British casualties at the capture of the Sempagha Pass numbered twenty. Kinematograph exhibition is to open at the Opera House to-morrow evening. The Paulton-Stanley Compay left for the South via the West Coast to-day. A British artillery captain has been killed in the lighting at the Sempagha" Pass.

Rangitoto Island " pioneer track " is to be formally opened, on Wednesday afternoon. .

The Marist Bros. 5 students hold a concert and gymnastic display on Monday, November 15th.

The Australian boy politician, Mr J. P. T. Caulfield, orates to-night in the City Hall, Auckland. Forty-one Maori "political ploughmen a have been arrested in Taranaki, and the New Plymouth Gaol is full. The Westport coal export last week was 6,188 tons 16cwt—Westport Coal Company 4,690 tons 19cwt, Cardiff Company 1,497 tons 17cwt.

Another mass meeting was held at Wellington on Saturday afternoon to express sympathy with thejocked-out engineers at Home.

A large number of Maoris, including a 'prophet,' have arrived at Paeroa, from the Waikato, and intend holding a meeting there this week.

The nett returns from the sale of work and Christmas tree held in connection with the Kingsland Wesleyan Church last week amounts to £60.

It will be seen from our advertising columns that to-morrow is the last day for making entries for the forthcoming Auckland Agricultural Show. A concert will be held in, the Onehunga Presbyterian Church on Friday, November Sth. Songs will be given by Misses Rimmer and Davis, and Mr Asfcley. The sum of £50,000 in sovereigns- ">lt\ shipped from Auckland for San Francisco ' on Saturday in the R.M.s. Mariposa, by£ the Union Bank of Australia.

A. B. Barker, of Christchurch, w;on the two mile challenge shield race and the five'mile scratch race at the Auckland cycle sports on Saturday afternoon. " The Truth about the King Country " is the subject of an address to be given by the Bey. W. Gittos in the Helping Hand Mission Hall- on Tuesday evening. Lady Bountiful: " Where's your son today, Mrs Flannigan? I hope he isn't ill?" MrssF. :"Sure, Mike's to be married to-morry, mam, an' he's gone to bed to-day while I washes his trousseau for him!"

The full programme of Mr S. Adams's students' concert, which: takes place in the Choral Hall this evening, is advertised in another column. The performances of Mr Adams' orchestra and also of his solo pupils are invariably good, and there will no doubt be a large audience. The Newton Homing Pigeon Club's first race of the season, from Huntly to Auckland, resulted in a win for Mr Fricker's Dude, Mr Chilcott's Carbine being second, and Mr Thomas' Off Chance third; The finish was a very close one, only a quarter of a minute separating the first and second birds. •

The festival services of All Saints' Day were held yesterday at All Saints' Church, Ponsonby. There were four services, three of them being Communion services, and Canon Calder officiated at each. In the afternoon the usual cathechism exercise took place, and there was a crowded attendance.

Young man (holding up a string of brook trout) : We've called to present these trout to you, sir. Curate : They are beauties. Thank you, boys; thank you. Young man : But we should tell you that they were caught yesterday —- 'Sunday. Curate : Ah well, I'll take them. The fish are not to blame.

A requisition is in course of signature at Onehunga to be presented to Mr D. A. Sutherland, asking that gentleman to consent to bo nominated for a fourth term of office as Mayor of the borough. It is expected that the requisition will- be presented at the ordinary meeting of the Council to be held to-night. One of the Auckland ■•Bowing Club's whaleboats was swamped yesterday morning off the Queen-street wharf, through getting broadside on to the heavy sea running in the harbour. The crew got out of her, and were picked up by the Club's other whaleboat, which went out to their assistance, and the swamped boat was towed hack to the shed.

The native agitation in Taranaki, which is taking the form of ploughing settlers land, is not anew way of protesting against grievances. The Maoris tried it in 1576 and 1880, and Parliament took up the question and tried to.adjust the conflicting, claims. The natives consider, that they should have the administration of their lands in their own hands.

Football matches for heavy stakes are the rage amongst the Maoris in the north at present. Becently native matches for £30 stakes were played as Kaeo and Kaikohe. It is now stated that a stake of £160 is to be competed for either at Ohaeawai (Bay of Islands) or Kaikohe on Saturday next. The competing Maoris are now in training and the game is expected to be a very rough one. A new diving machine, an invention of a Mr Paul, of Sydney, has recently been tried at a depth of 40 fathoms, at which depth pearshell is said to have been taken. This is claimed to he the deepest diving yet attained in any part of the world. Prior to this practical test of the Paul machine, it was supposed that shell would not he met with at a greater depth than 30 fathoms, so that the discovery is regarded as being of special value by the Torres Straits firms.