LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 80, 24 July 1876, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Lovers of music will be afforded a genuine treat this evening, in Mr. Charles Russell's entertainment." Mr. Russell is spoken of as a vocalist and pianist of a high order, and in ballad singing he,i§ said.- tO;be.•excellent, fl'e hope to-see.a.good house at the Masonic HalL A special meeting, of the-Sltearers',Union was held- at the Saturday ' last. There -were about forty members-present, Mr. W. M'Combe, occupy iug the chair. " The the meeting was briefly explained by the chairman, and after considering the nature of an advertisement emanating from _fche manager of the Otokaike Station, to the effect that the price for shearing for the coming season would be 17s. 6d. per 100, it was,resolved, "That the price be 20s. per 100 as hitherto." It was further decided " That no men leave the work on which they are at present engaged until the squatters agree to give 20s. per 100." Some desultory conversation here ensued, after which it was resolved, " That squatters in want of shearers be recommended to write to some labor mart, or registry office in Oamaru, instead of to any individual member of the Union." It was determined that the annual general meeting lie held on Saturday, the 16th day of September, after which, a vote of thanks to the chair, terminated the proceedings. The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Oamaru Harbor Board, will be held on Friday next at the usual hour. At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, an inebriate named Alexander M'Causland, arrested by Captain Hackett, was fined 155., with the alternative of three days' imprisonment.

According to the "Graphic," a liat made from human hair and intended for gentlemen's wear, is one of the most curious contributions to a Chilian exhibition. It was sent by a Guatemala lady, and the material came from the heads of her two daughter.

A Wellington contemporary understands that a Consumers' Gas Company is projected. A number of large consumers, considering the heavy price charged for gas, and the refusal of the present company to sell the works at a reasonable amount to the Corporation, have intimated their willingness to support the scheme, and this morning, in a quarter of an hour, shares to the extent of ! £7,000 were subscribed for, between nine or I ten people. There is every prospect of the I required capital being raised. ; The other night (writes the " Tiimut Times " (a New South Wales paper), a gentleman who resides in the middle of the town, after retiring to rest, became seriously indisposed, having apparently all the symptoms of fever. To relieve the smarting of the skin he arose and performed an ablution, but upon rubbing himself dry he became infinitely worse. His groans alarmed the house. The landlady proposed sending for the doctor, when upon a little closer investigation it was discovered that the sufferer had been the victim of a practical joke, some intruder having strewn cayenne pepper upon sheets and towel. It is said that the Government intend, during the Session, coming down with a measure for constituting a political AttorneyGeneral, and that the office will probably be offered to Mr. Button, the member for Hokitika.

The expense of advertising the last four million loan, obtained on behalf the Colony

of New Zealand, was £499 12s. 6d.,-paid to proprietors of newspapers published in Great Britain.' A curious scene was witnessed in the Serpentine, London, about 6 o'clock on a bitterly cold morning last May. A party of 25, men and wom£n pitched a tent on the bank, and then engaged in prayer, after which five of them went inside the tent. The rest remained outside singing a hymn entitled, "On the Banks of the River." Three men, accompanied by two elders, then came out of the tent and walked into the water to be baptised. Two of them were dipped without mishap, but the third lost his footing, slipped out of the elders' hands, and were almost drowned before being rescued, though the water is only 4ft. deep. Three women were also to have been baptised, but as by this time, in spite of the coldness of the morning, a good many persons had assembled for the purpose of bathing, this part of the programme was not carried out, and the ceremony was concluded with the singing of several more hymns. The name of the sect to which those who assisted in rite belonged is not stated. The following theatrical items we take from the "Guardian": —"Nell, the Californian Diamond (?), is, after all, scarcely likely to enchant our theatre-going public, for the simple reason that she is most unlikely to play in this city at all. In fact, a little birdie whispered in our ear that the charming demoiselle (who, by the way, (travels with no less than five of her relations) •has asked a well-known and generous manager of this city the modest sum of £2OO per week for herself and her clog-dances. The offer, we believe, has not been accepted —which perhaps, after all, is for the best, as both she and her entertainment are intensely vulgar.—lt is more than likely that Mr. J. K. Emmet will shortly appear hei'e. In that case we have another great treat in store. Mr. Emmet brings with him his wonderfully piece "Fritz," which ran no less than eleven weeks in Melbourne. —We are not surprised to hear that Mademoiselle De Murska has at last separated from Signor De Vivo. The matter has long been spoken pf, as probable. We know Mr." Medcalfe, the and ."dovnot:think the change a -beneficial one for Mademoiselle's business. Mr. -HiU r we find, has retired from the accompaniment business, except so far as Madame is personally concerned."

The importation of ,slates from England is likely to" a serious check by the recent discovery at Tam O'Shanter Bay, Tasmania. A late number of the " Laiinceston Examiner" states that at the quarry they are now ready to commence work upon four slopes, or levels, each with a space of eighteen feet, and the slate is all that could be wished, the quality improving with every foot in depth opened out. The slates can be split nine to the inch, and are clean, light, and sound. There are already 100,000 slates of different sizes ready for shipment, and it is expected that everything will be ready arid shipping commenced by September next. A vein of slate has been struck suitable for cutting and polishing, and samples have been sent to Melbourne to be tested as to its suitability for beds for billiard-tables, mantelpieces, and similar articles.