Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XXIII, Issue 3454, 13 September 1879, Page 2

Charles Broad, tfnj., R. M, ha? been gazetted Chairman of tho Licensing Court for the Grey Valley, and William Horton Revell, EEq, E.M,, Chairman of the Licensing Court Keefton and Inang hua. I'obert -A. G. Koulston, of Reefton, has been appointed a certificated accountant in bankruptcy. We have received the first number of tbe New Zealand Punch. It is very c.editably gob up for a first appe ranee, the principal car'oon representing Sir George Grey ami Sir William Fox ia the character of two pugilists, Sir George having knocked hia opponent down. The portrait of Sir William is very good, but that ojfc Sir George is not at all a flattering ono. f& The Following capital sketch of Sir George Grey is from the p-n of the unfortunate Mr Wilson, who was burned in the fire at Duaedia the other day. Ie appeared in the Otago Witness :— I spent an hoar or two at tbe Princess Theatre the other night, trying to diagnose Sir George Grey— not with much success The face is not as inscrutable as the Sphinx, nor does it exactly gorgonheyon with "stony British stare." Nevertheless, it has a set impertubabilitv which somewhat baffles investigatioo. It is a face which can never have been very mobile, and is now fixed b-■ yaara in an expressionless rigidity. You feel, in looking at Hir George Grey, that your mord boring-rods don't get very much below the surface. There is something of dignity about bis figure, which the unstudied freeneas of his diess, a slight stoop, and a certain stiffness about the legs, are not able to impair. Sir George has a quiet and undemonstrative manner, which makes a favorable impression for him as a speaker. There ia nothing effusive in his style, nothing declamatory, no "suiting the action to the word," no stage whispers. n> taking of the audience into confidential relations. He has an instinct for a rhetorical

point, and makes it neatly and without se'fconsciousnesa, and then has done with it. Be does not return up >n his tracks to rrrtke it over again, but once made, letd it severely alone and goes quietly on Aud whist the manner of his speech is good, I cau'c honestly Ray that the matter ia bad. Neither " the ravings of au enthusiast " nor " the mutter'ngs of a madman" (to quote his own words) were discerniblo on this occasion at any rate. Altogether, for a stumping Premier, Sir Georgo make 3 a very good figure indeed. But is he honest? Well that is the very point on which we are just now counting heads. It would be unbecoming to anticipate the verdict of the country. J shall be able to say when the elections are over. The machinery for Boase and Party's Claim, Langdon's, left Dunedin in the schooner Wanganui, and may now be shortly expected. Every exertion will be made by the contractors to have the machinery in working order within the contract time. The tramway from the claim down to the liver bank is now nearly completed. One of the cases of double voting in con. , nection with the Grey Valley election occurred up at Heefton, when somebody represented himself as Mr Daniel Sheedy, of Greymouth, and voted accordingly. Dan says:— Shouldn't I like to catch him, Hy jingo, I'd like to catch him, Oh, shouldn't I like to catch him, That fellow that votes fir me The Kumara Times says : — We learn that another tunnel claim on the new rush struck good payable gr 1 i yesterday afternoon, but as the accounts of the actual prospects obtained materially differ, we are enable at present to give reliable information on this particular print. The Wellington Post places the candidates thus — 24 Ministerialists, 29 Oppositionists, 7 doubtful (including Masters, Shepherd, Bunny, and Turnbull, The New Zealand Times places the candidates thus :— 2O Greyites, 36 anti-Greyites, 4 doubtful (Ballance, Bunny, Masters, and M'Caughan) being classe 1 Grey and anti-Grey. At a meeting of directors of the We come Company, Beef con, held on Welnesday evening, an eighth dividend of five shillings per 15,000 th share was deolired, eq/ial to L 3,750. The quantity of stone crushed was 452 tons, with a result of 14330z? 131wts of retortel gold. " Your banking account cinnot be a big one, how c >mes it thai; you deal in three differeut banks ?" asktd an inquisitive merchant of a small retailer the other day. " Well that's easily exp'ained. lb'* policy my dear friend, policy. I've an account in each bank, you see, and when I ran shorn 1 can apply to each one of them for an overdraft." The merchmt retired, looking wonderfully enlightened. We (Manchester Evening Mai!) have been informed that at a recent meeting of the Hackney Coach Committee, in connection with the Manchester C>ty Counci', the diiver of No. —coach was summoned for " spi-ck-ing" abnutthe city, his stand bein^ opposite the Town Hall, Albert square. His defence was a novel and ingenious one. Oa heiug asked what he hid to say for himself, he said ■; " Mesther Cheearman, all I've got to say is this;— My ho sis musical, and he can'b stand them kyrillions (Town Hall carrillonsi). My guvnor bought him off a circus company, and he used to draw the band about. That's the way he got his mus'cil education. He's all right with the chimes, till it comes to the hour, then he shivers. When he hers the clock strike 9 or 12 or 3, Lor' bl'ss you he knows as well as a Christian them kynllions comes on next, 'anl he bolts. Lots of jobs I've losb through it Same if he hears a German band. H'll bolfc up any blooming street before he'll pass on*, because they isn t rausicil. That's all I've got to say." The Chairman thought the ciso was one whic^ deserved a little clemency, and expressed an opinion th*t a representation uu^hc to be made to another committee, If an unmusical nuisance existed in con ect on with the Town Hall, it was the.r duty to summon the Mayor before the Nuisance Committee for permitting it. The case was dismis3ed.