LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11520, 3 November 1900, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

" Let me have audience for a word or two." —Shakespere.

"What Will He Do With It?" was the title of a once fashionable novel, and perhaps each of our legislators is puzzling himself on the same topic—what he shall do with that £40. Jack Hutcheson, of Wei- I lington, who is the Labour member of the House of Representatives, declares that " it is too dirty to touch," and he and Mr. Collins propose to pay it back into the Treasury as conscience money, in a different eense from that in which the phrase is generally used. But then that is simply to put at the disposal of the Premier more money in an unappropriated condition, and which he can use for the purpose of bribery on another occasion. Then again, Mr. Witheford has declared that he means to donate it to associations of different kinds which have done him the honour to elect him. as their president or vice-president, or as an honor ary member. But then that is simply to bribe his constituents to elect him the next time that lie appeals to them for their suffrages. Other members have stated that they intend to give the money to local charities, and to use it for benevolent purposes. That comes to about the same thing. There is a curse attached to those 40 pieces. You cannot even get rid of the money without a stigma. It is indeed " too dirty to touch." It is no excuse even for a member to say that he voted for it, never intending to put it into his pocket, but for the good of local charities. If a man voted that the money should be wrongfully taken from the Treasury he may as well put it in his pocket and keep it there. The only man who has his conscience clear is he who voted against the transaction, and who declines to finger the lucre.

And there is another phase of the subject. Each member of the Legislative Council receives his £40. That was the bribe to *' my lords " to pass the Appropriation Bill without delay and demur. The Councillors missed a splendid chance. If they had objected to the Appropriation Bill on this ground it would speedily have been amended, and the Council would have covered itself ■with glory. But the Council, which used to be an independent body, is now more com pletely under the domination of the Premier than the. House of Representatives, and that is saying a great deal. It used to be a revising and critical body, bringing to bear upon the legislation of the colony a mature judgment, which was of great service. The defence of the Councillors is complete in its way. One of them put it in this way the other clay, " If those who have the power of the money think that we deserve a rise of wages, it is not for us to contradict them." Mr. Seddon's defence of the members is that they have to fight elections. The argument is a very poor one, because members had to fight elections when the honorarium was only £150 a year, and also latterly when the payment was £240. But the Councillors nave no elections to fight, and Mr. Seddon's only argument must be that the payment to them was on account of the elections, which, in his interest, they fought and lost before they were " called." It is a bad business altogether. The money is "too dirty to touch."

Reverting to the suggested proposal of His Worship the Mayor (Mr. David Goldie) to have the old colours of H.M. 58th Regiment transferred to the archway between the Auckland and Mackelvie Art Galleries, bo as to enable them to be seen by the public daily, and to stimulate patriotism, I may say" that I have looked up the records as to 'their being placed in the Supreme Court by consent of the then puisne judge, owing to there being then no suitable building in Auckland in which to place them. The expense of placing the colours in the Supreme Courthouse was £25, and a number of officus and men of the 58th Regiment contriiuted the whole cost. lam indebted to the courtesy of Mr. J. M. Shera for a copy of the list of officers and men concerned, r+-hich he has in his possession, framed, as also the diary of Colonel H. C. Balneavis, his wife being a daughter of that deceased officer of the old " Black Cuffs," and who was instrumental in placing the colours of his old regiment in the Supreme Courthouse for safety. The following is the list : —

Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson, LieutenantColonel H. D. Russell, Captains H. C. Balneavis. J. R. Cooper. C. Petlev. D. H. Russell, H. Russell. Styak, G. Wynyard; Lieutenants Stapp, J. R. Harrison; Surgeon T. M. Philson; Quartermaster W. Moir; Drum-Major L. Brophy; Armourer-Sergeant D. Evitt; Colour-Sergeants R. Burns, M. Field, P. Haslam; Sergeants R. Brown, J. Coffee, W. Cottingham. M. Dkinin, J. Donnellv, .7. Blackmore. W. Donald, J. Dunn, C. Hammond, M. Hartnett, J. Howell, J. Hewett, (J. Gallagher, W. Griffiths, W. Loom, T. Lowry, C. Garrett, H. Justin, D. Keefe, W. Miller, J. Molloy, G. Taylor, W. Negus, .T. Mclvor, C. McMahon, W. Free, W. Speight: Privates W. Brighton, P. Bonfield, D. Britt, B. Bullen, C. Clark, W. Cockorton, F. Connolly, .T. Connelly, L. Cosgrove, M. Costello, D. Clarke, J. Cutler, T. W. Doonin, P. Coyle, ,T. Duffy, J. Dunn, H. Edwards, W. Fairwoathcr, J, Foster, .7. Flannagan, F. Gallagher, 11. Gilham, W. Good, J. Guilding, .1. Hcnnah. W. Harrison, C. Beaton, .1. Ha?lam, H. Henderson, C. Francis, J. Burke, C. Howell, H. Hume, H. Duff, W. Jennings, E. King, C. Lewis, T. Lonnergan, L. Lambert, .1. Lucas. J. McCain-, B. McDonald, B. McCabe, T. Mr-Clean, W. McClean. P. Mulgan, W. McLaughlin, J. McMahon, J. Measures, O Mills, J. Minahan, P. Molloy, J. Moller, S. Mooney, .7. Mullin, .W. Keats, D. O'Brien. J. O'Hara, R. Pivott. 3. Porter. W. Porter, P. Quinn, D. Reynolds, J. Riley. W. Rielley, W. Sadgrove, H. Scarle, J. D. Kinnealey, H. Scott, B. Scott, R. Stuart, J. Thohurn, Walter. J. Whelan, S. Wallington, H. Woodward, D. Scullion. Subscribed by young men residing in Auckland, born in H.M. 58th Regiment: H. Bridges. P. Bonfield, R. Feltus. O. Mahon, J. McMahon, 1. Walters, R. H. Wynyard, J. Reardon.

■ I submitted_the above list to my old friend, Mr. T. W. Doonin, ex-Auckland Garrison | Quartermaster, during and after the Waikato \ campaign. He informed me that the officers | and men on this list were nearly all dead. All that he could remember on the list, who ■were living, were Drum-Major Brophy (now in South Africa), L. Cosgrove (Ponsonby), J. Hannah (Ponsonby), W. Harrison (California), E. King (Newmarket), W. McClean (went Home with the regiment), Joseph Measures (Cook-street), J. Porter (Albertstreet), J. Thoburn, J. D. Kinnealey (Newmarket). Of subscribers, young men born in the regiment, there are living: —P. Bonfield (Sydney), R. Feltus (Auckland), 0. Mahon "(Sydney), R. H. Wynyard (Epsom). The other survivors, apart from the subscribers in the list, are Captain Mitchell (who was quartermaster-sergeant), Ellerslie, Colour-Sergeant Hattaway, Sergeant Jesse Sage, and Private Moses Whittingham. There were 33 of the " Old Black Cuffs" at Lord llanfurly's reunion of old veterans, among those present in addition being Captain James Neive, Messrs. Brady, Collins, George Fox, James Chapman, Goodwin, H. Gillam, J. Hannan, Haley, J. Huckster,. Ed. Jones, George Kelly, Wm. Mitchell, James Neave, Robert Skinner, Alex, Whisker, J. Winteringham.

Mr. Doonin highly approves of the transfer of the colours, and states that he will communicate with Captain Mitchell and his old comrades on the matter, with a view to getting the Mayor's suggestion carried out with the consent of all concerned. His Worship would be glad if any of the old "Black Cuffs" in town would" call at the Municipal Buildings, and inform the town clerk of their approval or otherwise of his proposal, as he thinks the matter should be settled by a referendum of 58th men. Mr. Goldies idea is to make the transfer, if all parties are agreeable, on the Peace Celebration Day, and to have the colours escorted to their new resting-place by; Jthe survivors of the regi-

ment, accompanied by such of the veterans of other corps as might feel disposed to join with them in the procession, and that the placing of the colours of the " Old Black Cuffs" should be made a feature of the function.

Colour-Sergeant Hattaway (whose interesting account of the Heke War, 1845-6, appeared a year ago in a series of articles in. the Herald) has also written a note to me on the subject, as follows: —

Cascade Farm, Pakuranga, October 24, 1900.—The public aro indebted to you for the paragraph of tho 20th inst., suggesting that on the day of peace celebration that the old colours of tho 58th regiment shonld be removed from their seclusion in the Supremo Court to the Auckland Art Gallery. Those flags were familiar to old settlers 50 yeara ago, and associated with Auckland from 1845 to 1858. The citizens usually assembled on the Saturday afternoon to hear the splendid band and to view the . regiment going through their military evolutions by Colonel Wynyard, commanding the old " Blaok Cuffs." Those old banners are virtually public property, and should be so placed in view of the youth of the colony, creating in their breasts that spirit of patriotism and lovo of country so worthily displayed by their elder brothers now in South Africa. On the regimontal colours are displayed the various engagements their forefathers served in during the past century—"Egypt," "Gibraltar," " Maida," and the many battles of tho Peninsula under Wellington. I think no other colony south of the line could show a more interesting relic of the past of tho Mother Country than these two colours of Her Majesty's regiment. Thero are still in the vicinity of Auckland three old colour-sergeants left, aged from 75 years upwards, who often guarded those old flags with pride, nnd would esteem it _ a great honour, I am sure, to perform a similar duty in their old age. Their names me Captain Mitchell, of Ellerslie; Captain Slattery, of Northcote; and Captain Hattaway, of Pakuranga. Each of those named served in the first'northern wars of 1845 and 1046. Captain Mitchell was wounded in the Heke War.

There have been various struggles made in the ranks of the Auckland bowlers to illustrate the antiquity of bowling. Mr. Wm. Tait, the ex-hon. sec. of the Auckland Club, thought he had) done wonders when he placed on the club's annual brochure the quotation from Shakespere, re ye gentle game of bowls, the passage from Richard II.: — Queen— sport shall we devise here in this garden. To drive away the heavy weight of care? Madam, we'll play at bowls. Then Mr. A. Willam Thomson (president of the club) amplified the historical knowledge of the game by narrating in his annual speech the famous incident of Sir Francis Drake and the English admirals playing a game of bowls at tho Hoe, Plymouth. When word was brought of the advent of the Spanish Armada Drake's grand reply was, " There is time to finish the game and to beat the Spaniards, too." Mr. Thomson gave zest to this incident by presenting to the club a splendid engraving of tho historical episode, which now adorns the ./alls of the pavilion. Henry Newbolt, in his ballad, "Admirals All," which has a Kiplingese ring about it, says : — Drake nor devil nor Spaniard feared, Their cities he put to the sack; He singed his Catholic Majesty's beard And harried his ships to rack. He was playing at Plymouth a rubber of bowls When the Great Armada came, But he said they must wait their turn, good souls, And he stooped and finished the game !

It was thought that. Mr. Thomson had reached the high-water mark of bowling literature, but that's where he made the mistake. Mr. Coleman, his successor to the presidency of the club, simply flattened him out, and, putting the road roller over him, commenced in his opening speech last Saturday with the 12th century and Edward 111., coming down to lesser lights among the "Monarchs Retired from Business.' That was not all, for when he had finished his speech Mr. Coleman found that the rink cards had not been fully filled up, and theretore went on to warble and " gag" about the historical aspects of bowling in a most wondrous and ingenious way, filling up the hiatus for his august hearers till the cards were ready and play could begin. In the olden time the prince of Parliamentary stonewallers threatened! to keep the floor of the General Assembly till the English mail vent out, and thus prevent the Government securing authority to pay the quarter's interest on the New Zealand debt in Lonuon, but Mr. Coleman's feat was a cleverer one, as he was tied up to his subject, while Mr. W. L. Rees, by the then rules of the House, was able to talk on "Things in General." 1 fully expected Mr. Coleman, as a last resort, to start filling up the time by giving " Bowling Cases from the English Law Reports," and "Appeal Cases before the Privy Council." There is no doubt that he would have been able to "fill the bill."

I notice that in the tussle, Gaoler v. The Macpherson, the " True Blue" has come out " top of heap," with Severne as the under dog. The Inspector of Prisons says in his letter to the clerk of the Presbytery (the Rev. R. Sommerville), " I regret extremely the incident took place. I may say that Mr. Macpherson will, as heretofore, be recognised as the Presbyterian chaplain to the gaol in future." The fact is that the gaoler has been Sever(n)ely "sat upon." He is inclined to magnify his office when he constitutes himself an authority upon ordination and " laying on of hands." He has been so long officially connected with people who have suffered from the " laying on of hands" (principally by the police), that he is a self-con-stituted authority on the subject. The gaoler is not altogether satisfied with Buddism in the gaol, so that the new broom is sweeping very clean. The Macpherson, at the present time of speaking, is again, so to speak, treading on his native heath.

The New Zealand journalist, even when at bis best, and suffering from an acute attack of " swelled head," has nevei ventured to pose as " a professional rainmaker," like the tobungas of South Africa, or to give points to Captain Edwin, but in America they are not so modest. "We don't wish to brag," says the Hartford Post, of Connecticut, " but duty compels us to allude to the historic fact that within an hour after our appeal for rain was published yesterday afternoon, people bad to raise their umbrellas. The public can draw its own conclusions." The conclusion that I should draw is that he must have had " a heavy wet."

There is a weird story going the rounds anent a ministei and the Presbyterian Svnod at Dunedin. He telegraphed to the wife of his bosom that, owing to the proceedings, he would be late in getting home, if at all, and, in his pawky way, put the word " sederunt " for short, to save a penny and explain the cause of his enforced absence. The active and intelligent telegraph operator earned an extra penny for the colonial revenue by translating the word " sederunt" thus—" still drunk." Meecutio,

An interesting discovery has been made in the island of Zante of a blue grotto near Cape Scocario, similar to the celebrated cave in the island of Capri, near Naples. The Hellenic Government has sent a commission of scientists and engineers to make x detailed report. The Hon. Walter Lionel Rothschild, M.P., is the eldest son of the first Baron Rothschild, and his maternal grandfather was the late Baron Charles de Rothschild, of Frank-fort-on-the-Main. He is a big, burly fellow, yet he is only two-and-thirty; and if he looks older, that is due to the prominence of his forehead. At Bonn he learned enough for the Head of Magdalene, Cambridge; after which he was made a Doctor of Philosophy at Giessen. By profession he is a merchant and foreign banker; by patriotism he is a Bucks Yeoman; by his position he is a lieutenant of the City of London, a trustee of the British Museum, and a county councillor for Hertfordshire (where he lives when he is not in town); and by inclination (presumably) he is member foi the Aylesbury Division of Buckinghamshire, whose electors chose him to succeed the late Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild as their Liberal Unionist representative in the beginning of last year.