NORFOLK ISLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9000, 13 March 1888, Page 5

NORFOLK ISLAND.

♦ [FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] March 6. The Union Company's s.s. Taupo, arrived last Tuesday, 28th ultimo, from Fiji, en route to Melbourne, to embark the Rev. John Palmer, wife, and child. The reverend gentleman goes to Victoria on business, and will not return until the mid-winter trip of the Southern Cross. The mails appear to be rather in a muddle. We received none from Sydney by the Taupo the other day ; and by the Waiwera, which arrived on the self-same day— the 28th—from Auckland, with a large mail, no Sydney matter was received. This is curious, to say the least; and, besides, when the Taupo called in on her regular quarterly trip, on the 29th December, only a small mail was sent, tho November and early December papers being still unaccounted for. On Friday, the 24th ultimo, the occupants of St. Barnabas were en fete, the occasion being the anniversary of Bishop Sehvyn's consecration, and in honour of the occasion a very interesting cricket match took place on the Mission ground, when the Norfolkers and the Bishop's boys, after a long interval, met again to try their luck in a friendly game. The Bishop captained his own team, and played with something like the old dash, which, however, he could not impart to his boys, who were easily defeated by the Norfolkers. The bowling of two of the bishop's boys was especially remarkable, and the Norfolkers (Bounty's), captained by Menges, played a very good game, and were especially indebted to tho trundling of Messrs. Willie and Fairfax Quintal for the result. A good dinner was provided by Bishop Selwyn in the hall, and a very pleasant day was spent The chief magistrate, Mr. Seymour Buffect, does not altogether believe in wood, a bridge of that material out beyond the Mission on the Bullocks' hut road, that constantly needed renewing and repairs, he has replaced by a stone one, and it was finished last Friday, Mr. W. Taylor being the architect and builder. The new structure has been called the Selwyn Bridge, and the right revorend gentleman will nave to put his hand into his trousers pockets again—he pays for the mechanical labour. The public road work for February was, on account of the extreme dry weather, changed to cutting bush on the unoccupied scrub lands, but the notice to that effect, better, it would seem, than the parson's prayers, immediately brought a change of weather, and, since, for the last eight or nine days, we have had one or two little downpours and occasional showers— enough to start the planters, who have been putting in vines and tubers, sweet and Irish potatoes, right and left, and the grass. The weather has been boisterous and rough, though, on occasions, and present appearances point to a very wholesome equinox in the near future. The Lenten services, with the efficient help of the mission staff, are being carried on vigourously, and ought to fetch a einner even with a stone heart. A confirmation service will be held in the town church by Bishop Selwyn, next Sunday. The Waiwera leaves this afternoon for Auckland, and will not, I fear, be much embarrassed with return freight.