The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 89, 3 August 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Unicyclc Circus Company ire re again well patronised last evening, tlie tent being at times crowded with enthusiastic supporters ot the merry-go-round. AV e understand that to-morrow night a number of picked men will mount the saddle, with the view of driving at its greatest speed. The C'ircns will be open again this evening.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court, this morning, .Samuel Parker, charged with being drunk and disorderly, was dismissed with a caution ; and Robert Crawford, for the same offence, was fined 165., with the alternative of three days' imprisonment. Mr. T. W. Parker, R.M., presided. The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Municipal Council will be held this evening at the usual hour.

We have to acknowledge from the Government Printer the receipt of Nos. 9 and 10 of "Hansard" and a batch of Government paper*. We are requested to intimate that the monthly meeting of the Mechanics' Institute Committee will be held this evening. The Greytown paper declines any longer to chronicle buggy accidents, because doing so casta a reflection on the sobriety of the drivers.

The annual meeting of the Oamaru Dramatic Club was held on Tuesday evening at the Hoyal Hotel, Mr. A. <l. Creagh occupying the chair. The report for the past twelve months was adopted. The result of the election ot oifice-bearers was as follows : President, Mr. W. .J. Steward; vice-pre-sident, Mr, I!. Thompson; committee of management, Messrs. R. Lumsden, 11. Butler, and the Secretary; secretary, Mr. E. Corliss ; treasurer, Mr. T. Proctor ; stage director, Mr. J. lies ; general manager, Mr. M. C. Hiekev. Votes of thanks were passed to the olHce-bearers for the past year for the attention paid by them to their duties, and the business terminated.

The " Waitangi Tribune " considers that the railway authorities have some strange notions with respect to management. Last week, Mr. Hunt had his portable engine, weighing about 3A tons, drawn to the Waitaki Bridge, for the purpose of sending it to Oamaru, and found that the railway authorities would only permit it to be taken across the bridge on a truck, the consequence being that screw-jacks had to be obtained from Oamaru and fully 100 sleepers used to lift the engine on to the conveyance. This work took two or three days, and was a great expense to the owner, who has much cause to denounce the railway people for their ridiculous behaviour—more especially as drays containing over four tons of goods are permitted to cross the bridge. But this is not all—occasionally parcels are detained at the stations and others go astray. Last week we received a small parcel, addressed very distinctly, " Mr. M'Kay," Waitaki, which was sent to this office for "Mr. Cuming," and a parcel sent from Oamaru for us has not yet come to hand. Probably the station-master at the bridge suffers from periodical unnatural "indisposition."'

The following (says the "Star") is the outspoken style in Melbourne of expressing public opinion regarding candidates for public ofiice. Such a paragraph in Dunedin would be met by an information against an editor for libel. The " Age," writing of Dr. Madden, says:—"The candidate who can lay claim to them can dispense with principles. He may be an old politician or a young one, a freetrader or a protectionist, but without them he is nothing worth. This is evidently the sum and substance of Dr. Madden's creed, for a more thoroughly unprincipled politician never offered himself to the public gaze. His career has been a very short one, but he has contrived to compress into it as much tergiversation and profligacy as if he had grown grey in tbe occupation." Mr. Eees, in the course of his address to the electors of City East a few days ago, devoted a considerable time to abusing, in no measured terms, the "New Zealand Times, Wellington, and the "Southern CrpSs," Auckland. His principal complaint against the former is that it doe 3 not report his speeches in the House, and he prophesies for it (the paper, not the House) an early dissolution. In regard to the " Cross " he becomes vehement, and says " We see this paper iicre in Auckland —the "Daily Southern Cross"—daily vilifying the members for Auckland, and aspersing their characters from day to day. (Cheers, and " no, no,'' " yes," and loud cheers.) A paper which is under the consideration of these people—which would see Auckland in the dust before it would give up its allegiance to those men —a paper which is a disgrace to the city and a disgrace to the whole country—(loud cheers) —a paper which is held forth in distant places by the agencies of these men as representing public opinion—a paper which, when it abuses Auckland members in the House, when it casts doubt on their honest and truthful statements, is held up by them as them as the reflection of public opinion here. I deny it. (Cheers.) The people of Auckland must be law-abiding and law-lov-ing people to endure such insults and such untruthfulness day after day, to see themselves and their representatives insulted as this paper insults them. I say more than this. 1 dare aver that if every man who advertises the paper or subscribes to it is aiming a blow at the liberty of the country." The following incident has been related to us (" lUverina Herald ") as of recent occurrence:—"A tradesman of the town was walking and conversing with a friend one evening, up and down the footpath of one of the principal streets, when he saw something glisten on the ground, and picking it up, he found it to be a sovereign. Going on a little

further he picked up another one, and the same gratifying process was repeated, until five gold coins had been netted. Delighted with their good fortune, the lucky ones imbibed, a refresher or two, and divided the spoil. The next mo'rnirlg the tradesman's feelings were not enviable ■ when he discovered that the coins were his own, he having inadvertently placed them [in one of the pockets of his unmentionables, from which they had dropped as he traversed the footpath. On applying to his companion of the previous night for a refund, he received the pleasing reply, ' that he was not to be had in that way—that little game would not do for him,' and the rightful owner of the money was fain to depart in anything but a rejoicing frame of mind." The Wellington correspondent of the " Daily Times " writes : —To those who have hitherto been in the dark on the subject of the apxiointment of Captain Campbell Walker as Conservator of New Zealand Forests, let me explain how it came about. A few months before he came to this Captain Campbell Walker published in London a little book entitled, " The Correct Card, or How to Play at Whist: a Whist Catechism." In certain circles, moreover, he had given signs of his high attainments as a wliist-player, and this piece of information reached the ears of Six- Julius when at home. Whist players all know the story about the 10,000 people who are now wandering about the Continent in a state of destitution, brought about by their neglect to lead from trumps when they had five or more trump cards in their hand. Some "awful examples " of this sort had come under the eyes of Sir Julius when he was drinking German waters, and he determined to save the erring whist players of this Colony from ruin by inducing Captain Campbell Walker to visit New Zealand, and teach them liow to play the " correct card." If the gallant Captain can show us how to do this, and at the same time can- instruct us in the art of planting forests, he will no doubt be a most useful member of the community. It is understood that Mr. Edward Wakefield, M.H.R. for Geraldine, is likely to accept the office of Resident Magistrate at Waimate. This is the old story again; if you cannot crash an opponent, buy him. We ("North Canterbury Standard") can only remark two things—firstly, that this is the highest compliment probably ever paid to the ex-eclitor of the "Timaru Herald;" secondly, that the price is not a high one, but, on the contrary, very moderate, as things have lately gone. The "Nelson Mail" notes that 100 tons of English coal are on their way to that port by the ship Lutterworth. "A hundred tons of coal coming 16,000 miles to the chief town of a province in which, for a quarter of a century, coalfields of enormous extent have been known to exist!"

We ("Wellington Post ") understand that it is the intention of the Provincial Government to make a grant in aid of £SOO to the Roman Catholic schools in Wellington out of the sum of £3,000 which (according to the arrangement that the votes of the Provincial Council in its last session were to be continued pro rata) will be available "for school buildings " in the Province, as expressed in the Appropriation Act. The Government take this course, deeming it an act of justice to the Roman Catholics, who have spent £2,000 on their Wellington schools, and imported four teachers at their own expense, receiving no assistance from the Education Board, although they contribute their quota to the general education rate. The proposal will meet with strong opposition from certain members of the Education Board, on the ground that the funds available for educational purposes-ought" not to be applied to any schools which are not under the Board's control. l -

It is reposed in town (says the "New Zealand Times!') that a laborer had discovered gold in a shovelful of earth while working at Wainiii-o-mata. We. learn that the discovery was made in a creek on the dividing range between Wainui-o-mata and Waiwetu, on the property of Mr. George Knight. It appears that last Wednesday a man named Farelly, who rents some of the land belonging to Mr. Knight, adjoining the Hon. Mr. Fitzherbert's property, was working about the creek, and on turning up some of the clay in the shallow parts detected what he thought to be alluvial gold. He washed out a sample and brought it into town to Mr. Mulligan, jeweller, who pronounced it to be gold. A number of people are at work prospecting the creek.