Dunedin.

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 807, 30 May 1876, Page 6

Dunedin.

(From oui* owi2 Correspondent) The Carnival— from Queen's Birthday to Saturday, inclusive — has been the grand at traction for the citizens of Bmiediu. The takings were : on Wednesday. £2-36 : Thursday, £120 ; Friday, £150: Saturday, £288. Total, £785. On Saturday there was a Baby Show, which interesting event produced a large field, and brought together a numerous attendance. Professor M'Gregor, who did the judging, seemed, I hear, in comparing the merits of the respective babies, to be quite at home, aud to be immensely pleased with the important office he was called upou to fill. The baby that took the* prize was eight months and three weeks of age. It was entered in its nurse's name, but its paternal parent is understood to be a well-known Justice of the Peace.

" Justice delayed is justice denied." This quotation from a speech by Mr Gladstone heads an article in Saturday morning's ' Times.' The article referred to discloses the strange fact that two prisoners have been detained in Dunedin Gaol for six weeks past awaiting the arrival of an extradition warrant from Wellington which should have been forthcoming on the very day on which it ■was wanted. Verily, those civil servants at Wellington take things easily. I kaow oF a case in which a letter was addressed to v Government office there, and several months elapsed before an answer came. An ordinary business conducted on such principles would quickly go to ruin. It is to be hoped that at the next Parliament some member will call attention to this delay in answering correspondence. AVhat a vast field here presents itself for the eloquent Murray to discourse on in the long drawn-out sweetness of a four hours' speech, winding up with an affectionate tear and an embrace from Sir George Grey, not to mention a quiet and contemptuous •aigger in his sleeve from the latter, at one whom he, -at heart, so thoroughly detests.

. There appears to be every prospect of the fprmatiou of a company >vjjiejj will l tis e over

and amalgamate the Hues of Messrs M'Meckan, Blackwood and Co., and tbe Union Steam Ship Company. The control of the new Company will be, to a large extent, in Dunedin, and it should help to take away the reproach from the place of not showing, in respect to the owning of steamship property, the spirit displayed by the northern ports, sleepy Nelsou included. His Honor the Superintendent again. This time he makes the mild request, before replying to the Waste Lauds Board's demand for an explanation, to have forwarded for his perusal, copies of all " telegrams, letters, and written communications " which have passed between the Chairman of the Board and " the Colonial Government, or any of their agents." He also requests the Chief Commissioner to forward him a memorandum of all conversations he (the Chief Commissioner) had with people in Duuedin and Wellington on the subject. On such requests getting into print people think tkere is some dreadful underhand work going on between the members of the Board and the Colonial Government Members of the Board have indignantly disclaimed any such conduct. But they could well have spared themselves the trouble of doing so, or of calling for an explanation ; ! they could have maintained a dignified silence, ignoring such inuendoes even from his Honor. The public well know between whom the little arrangements and the operating of the oracle lie — they well know those who "understand each other. 11 Where the quotation comes from I need not mention — suffice it to say that it is pregnant with past recollections. There was trouble in Auckland about the lists of voters under the Act of 1575, and there is trouble in l'unedin on the same subject also. The Duncdiu list and the North-East Valley list have been thrown out as being informal. The Duncdiu list could not have possibly come within the requirements of the Act. As no rate had been struck " during the twelve months ended 31st March last," no persons had paid any such rate, and consequently no return could be made in conformity with the Act. The Clerk of the Xorth-East Valley Board alleges that he was iv the predicament of not being able to get a cop}' of the Act anywhere in Dunedin, and that consequently he had to woik in the dark, doing his best, but his efforts were ruled out on the ground of informality. The Richardson Fusiliers have begun their existence, but not as a happy family. The original intentiou was that the membership of the corps should be limited to ex-pupils of the High School, and so far as your correspondent has heard, it was a pity that that intention -was departed from. When the night for the election of officers came, the majority of votes put in a young gentleman of the name of Schwabe, a comparative stranger to the place, as captain, and then trouble began. Of course the captain sent in his resignation, and of course he withdrew it, the ceremony of oiling troubled waters having in the meantime been gone through. There has been an opposition, a resignation, a reconciliation, a persuading to withdraw the resignation : and, everyone being pleased, the curtain falls, and all ends happily — at least for the time being.

The old battle between the Dunedin Cricket Club and the Dunediu Football Club has broken out with an increased bitterness ; and the Cricket Club has resolved " not to entertain any proposition from an}' Club : ' with reference to the use of the cricket ground, " unless the claims of the Club as makers and maintainers of the ground are distinctly recognised." The way in which this resolution is worded would make it appear as if the Cricket Club owned the ground, or held it under lease ; and the Club certainly does occupy an anomalous position in reference to the ground. A public reserve, to which one member of the public has equally as good a right as another, the cricketers have during the course of years converted it from a swamp into a fine cricket ground, expending on it altogether over five thousand pounds to make it what it now is, and going to a considerable yearly outlay to keep it in proper order. Many cricketers consider that football can be played on the ground in the winter without injuring the turf: but there is a section which is in the majority that is strongly adverse to this opinion. The pity is that the cricket clubs did not years ago, when ground was cllCiVPi acquire a large piece as freehold for themselves. If they had done so, they would not now be in the position of framing absurd resolutions which they cannot legally or morally enforce, and of having, with their eyes open, spent thousands on a ground to which they had no more right than anyone else,

The very good people of Fort Chalmers were quite amazed at the irruption of Dunedinites that they had pouring in upon them on Sunday. Trains crowded, and about 2000 visited the Port, chiefly to see the Australia.