The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 91, 5 August 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Thorp \rw a clean sheet at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning. We would draw the attention of the police to what appears to ns to Ihs a gross piece of cruelty. For some days past a baker's cart has been driven ahont town in which was harnessed a horse having his knees bandaged up with pieces of calico. To-day, however, the bandages had been removed, and the condition of the poor animal presented a most sickening aspect. The knees were utterly devoid of skin, presenting the appearance of a piece of raw beef, while the blood was actually trickling down tlte poor beast's tegs. We certainly think, in the interests of humanity, if the police can spare time from their ardnotts duties, this is a matter urgently catling for their interference.

it is intimated elsewhere that Dr. Dale has r<t>n appointed medical officer to the Loyal Oamaru Lndge. M.U.1.0.0.F.

We have hpen requested to notify that a general meeting of th*r Oatnarn Cricket Club will W held this evening, at eight o'clock, at the Northern Hotel. The members have heen summoned for the purple of taking int*> consideration the improvement of the present cricket ground, or the acquisition of another.

It i 3 notified that the ordinary .monthly meeting of the North Otago Horticultural Society will take place on Thursday next, the 10th Last., at eight o'clock.

We remind our readers that the public meeting convened by his Worship the Mayor re the boundaries of the proposed Waitaki County -will be held in the Volunteer Hall on Monday evening next, at eight o'clock. We hope the attendance of ratepayers will be worthy the importance of the subject to be considered. The Unicycle Circus Co. Trill make their final appearance in Oamaru this evening.

The first work to which the late Mr. Wilson, of the "New Zealand Herald," put his hand as an apprentice in the offices of Olliver and Boyd, the well-known publishers of Edinburgh, was "Wilson's Tales of the Borders," a work which, for many years, has had a wide and wcll-descrved popularity, and which is a standard work in Scottish literature. Scotland's chief city has started forth mure young men who have achieved eminent success by their business habits than anv other city of its size in the world. '• It i-« not often that a man's life is saved by a watch, but," the "Advertiser" says ".inch appears to have been the case a few days since in Geelong. A grocer's assistant, in a well-known establishment in Mooraboolstreet, was taking the cane binding off a package with a large sharp-pointed butcher's knife, when the binding gave way, and the knife -dipt, and would have evidently entered a vital part but for the man's gold watch, against wliich, fortunately, the point struck. To show the force with which the knife came in contact with the watch, a deep dent was made in both cases on the thickest part of tiicin, showing, hut for the timepiece, the steel would have entered the man's heart. The waistcoat at the spot was cut completely thrnutfh."

The Wellington "Argus" is determined to show up the sellers of adulterated milk. In its issue of the 2Sth tilt., it says :—Some Di the milkmen in this city have been so cut up at the local which appeared in ourcolunuis, re the Helling of impure milk, that they have decided to discontinue serving some of their discontented customers, refusing to give any excuse for so doing. They have, doubtless, imagined that these unoffending parties have been guilty of originating the local in question. It this is the case, we recommend these "John Buttercups" to reconsider their decision, as the notice was written owing to our having personally inspected the article sold by many of the milk-sellers here, and | found it to be what we stated—adulterated. What is more, we mean to obtain further ! samples, have them analysed, and publish the names of the sellers of bad milk, if an im- : provement is not noticeable. The Wellington "Argus" states that a number of Maoris, comprising some members of the House of Representatives, were industriously engaged in playing a game of "poker" a uight or two ago, in a certain | hotel at Thorndon, when one of the party, who was losing, accused one of his dusky friends of cheating. This was too much for even Maori endurance, and the disputants at once rose to settle the matter by blows. This caused a tremendous hubbub, which brought several gentlemen of fairer skin to the rescue. The irate Maoris, however, were not so easily pacified or separated, and pitched into each other right and left, till the faces of both were lined with crimson tints, and one party had his eye nearly " bunged up." If he had been a European, his eye would have had a greeny-black appearance, but as it was, no mark was discernible. Eventually the row was stopped by both parties being forcibly separated. A rather nnpleasant accident happened on Friday week to Harry Xettlefold, the wellknown driver of the Naseby coach. The " Dunstan Times " says the accident occurred on the level between Messrs. Holland Bros.' Station and Hill's Creek, and was caused by thc fore wheels of the coach suddenly plunging into a deep hole, and thus precipitating Xettlcford from his seat over the horses' backs to the ground. As luck would have it, he was thrown clear of the horses' feet, and having the reins fairly and evenly in hand,'he was enabled, after being dragged for fully 150 yards, to pull up his team. To explain the driving into the hole, it is necessary to say that the ground was covered with snow to a depth of some ten or twelve inches. Ncttleford, though suffering from the fall and the dragging, remounted, and proceeded on In's journey to the Pigroot Hotel, and returned to Naseby, where he obtained another driver, who returned with the coaeli to ClydeThough no bones are broken, Nettlefold is compelled to take an involuntary spell. Incited thereto b}- a story of the humor of drunkenness lately told by a London correspondent of the " Argus," " .Egles " ventures upon a companion sketch. In the days of resurrection men—some time in the twenties —a gentleman was, with some other young men, watching a grave in a country churchyard in Perthshire. About midnight the lookout saw a man approach, who made out to be the local exciseman, in his usual happy state, taking a short cut through the kirkyard. Stumbling over the first grave he came to, he managed t» regain his feet, but almost immediately came to grief over another. This time he made no attempt to get on his leg 3, but quietly resigned himself to sleep, muttering, "A'weel, I'll rise wi' the rest."