The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 109, 26 August 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlie 9t*!»nuiFitp Tatmroa, ii.tvinit the Dunctttn K»>«thaHt<rst f»» l)*>ar.l, |»stt into port this nwntttig at threw t»V!»t.k. (mi- the [n;r[»*,c of dropping the Metropolitan «roiito.-.tniits for the ntatutt. Mtteh iitirprijic and jiotnc ahmn was pxperienuci'.l hy a ntiinWr of tht* townsfolk who were ntdcly .tviakerictl from thtir slumherit hy thf shrill an-t contiitticit shrieking of the atfiimur'rf whis<tltf, which, iu tile ileail stillness of the tiight, ma»k' itself heard to some effect. The Tai.tma made no delay in port, Imt proceeded on her voyage toTimarn, from whence site returns to-mminw moniing at one a..n«. to pick up the Dtmedin team. Owing to the lateness of the hutir, \vu were tttiahte to pttMtsh a report r>( the special meettng of the Municipal Council held last evening. The hn.tiiiess done was not of any great moment. Of the tenders for works in Steward and Medway streets. Samuel J'asbatchs w;w accepted for £4!K) Id's. bd. It waa decided to lix Scpfcemhcr '2, as the noinination day for the attditoiship rendered vacant by Mr. Ham's death, and if a poll he necessary, it will be taken on the (sth. Leave was granted to Mr. Thomas Procter to make additions to his building in Tynestreet. Leave was granted Mr. John Weller to transfer the lease of section 13. block LXXII. to Mr. -F. Koach. The Mayor whs requested to seettre the reservation of a certain section in the Awamoko District for a water reserve ; and Mr. Weedoii's application to place a box-drain in the Tees-street channel was referred to the Engineer, with power to act. This concluded the highlyitnportant business of the "special " meeting.

We had the pleasure this morning of inspecting, at Mr. M'Corkindale'w shop, three very handsome medals, which have been pro. seated by the ladies of Oaniaru, ami won by rnesnbers of the Oaniaru Rifle Volunteers. The first prize is .1 hamtsomc cLhfc-poiuted goldstar, with two crossed ritles in the centre of it. It is suspended by a blue ribbon, with gold tta.np. Round the star, in blue enamel. are the- words ** Ladies* Prize. Oaniaru Volunteers." Sergeant King vui-. the .-Kceessful competitor for this trophy. The second prize is a silver cross, with a gold ring, ami wa.3 won l>y Volunteer R. Harding. Lieutenant Smith secured the third prize, whieli is a silver-pointed star. Two other .-ilvcr medals are lying in M'Coikimlale'* shop, waiting to he shot for by the Cadet corps. It is Welt worth anyone*!* white to inspect these trophies. The concert given by the Rescue Lodge last evening, in the Oddfellows* Hath in aid of the Fleming family, was well attended. At the appointed hoar. Chief Templar Hamilton took the chair. The programme, a long and varied one, comprising songs, recitations, readings, ami flute duets, was gone through with spirit, and a recitation by ! Master Weir, a tiny little fellow, was capitally given. Master Brownlee took his part in several ftnte duets, and he promises to become a player of no mean order. The songs by Miss Allison, Mrs. Weir, Messrs. Hamilton. Everett, Knox, and Brownlee i were well received, liecit.itions by Mrs. M'lntosh, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Hamilton were gone through in first-class-style. Several votes of thanks were heartily given, aud the concert was brought to close by the audience singing " I Jed Save the Queen." ft* speaking to a motion having for its object the obtaiument from Sir David Mnnro and Sir Francis Dillon Bell, of their portraits to hang on the walls of the Chamber of the House of Representatives, Mr. K. Wakefield said '" he thought there were a very large number of members of the House who would tie glad to have the effigies of those who had presided over their deliberations in past jears placed in their sight," and that it would al»»» be interesting to younger mem- I bers to be acquainted at all events with the j ethgies of former speakers. A comical side i of the proposition as brought forward by ilr. | Wakelield stntek Mr. Joyce, who jocosely ; remarked that he thought it would be well | t.> alter the motion, so as to make it read j somewhat to this effect : "That Mr. Speaker j be invited to convey to those gentlemen an [ intimation that the House would have 110 [ objection to see their "effigies" hung on the J walls of the Chamber, alongside that of the j first Speaker." The .YV/.<cw Timt-i Icarro by private ad- t vices from the Coast that •' everything is j dull." At Westport it is stated that able- j bodied men are walking about the streets idle, waiting, Micawber-like, for something to turn up; and this is a country teeming

with minerals. Many of the men (who have the means) are leaving for Melbourne and Sydney. The Bank of New South Wales (the Ovens mid Murray Advertiser says) is again in trouble, although it is only for a trifle of £(KK). Mr. Win. Neilly, more familiarly known in this district as *' Oineo Bill," has just returned from -America, and states that lie deposited witlx Mr. Bently, then manager of the Beech worth branch, the sum of £l,lOO. In order to facilitate his reception of this money in California, if lie wanted it there, he states that he left his deposit receipts at the Bank, endorsed by himself. On writing lor his money, after a long delay, he received £."iiHi, and ho now claims the £(500, of which there appears to be no record in the Bank. Twenty-four shillings per head has just been obtained for 35,t)00 sheep on a Baroo run. North Australia. A small herd of cattle on the same run lias brought £'.) per head. The ('fij,ri<-orninii says that five years a"o the vendors are said to have bought this same run from the Union Bank for a mere sop_'. At that time sheep and rims were deemed almost valueless by shrewd bank directors, ami every unfortunate squatter who had anything to lose was unceremoniously screwed up and turned adrift upon the world. Times have changed now, certainly, when in the face of a drooping wool market a run 400 miles from port fetches 245. per iiead. Under the heading of " Narrow escape from a terrible death," the Auckland Herald of the l.">th says:—lt has probably never come within our Province to record a more provi dential escape from a terrible death than that which occurred to Mr. James Browne (" Snyder") on Monday morning, 14th inst. This gentleman had gone on board the Argvle, for Coromandel. Thinking that the boat was not going to steam away for some minutes, he stepped on si tore to speak to a friend. He had not lauded more than a minute or two when the Argyle moved astern. To save bis passage he ran aft, and seeing a wire rope, held on, but was unable to make the required leap to reach the dcek. It was at this lucmcut he found himself becoming jammed between the boat and a belaying post on the edge of the wharf. An instant of time lost, and Mr. Browne would have been crushed M death between the post and the steamer's boat. Perceiving the danger, Mr. Browne threw himself at full length on his back on to the wharf, and saved his life by a mere hair's breadth. Those who saw the danger were too paralysed with fear to utter a wanting cry. It was well that it Mas s», as Mr. Browne's attention would have been distracted and his life sacriliced. Mr. Browne then jumped into the boat, which e.uitod. and nearly precipitated him into the water. lie clung desperately to the side, and r-o was .-;ived. A narrower escape from being crushed to death can hardly be imagined. At New Plymouth the other day (says the /Ji'd'j'l) as some mothers with their families were on the beach near the usual bathingplace, permission was given to some of the little ones to dabble in the water barefooted. An extra big wave coming up upset a little boy of about live years of age. He was quite unable to regain his footing, and was carried out by the receding wave. Mrs. Frost, one of the party, happening to see the accident, immediately rushed to the rescue. She followed the boy till she was up to her waist in water, and on laying hold of him, the drawhack was so strong as almost to overpower her, but she clung to the boy, ami managed to drag hint ashore, but was quite exhausted with the effort. It was a narrow escapebath for the boy and herself, it speaks well for the presence of mind and pluck shown. The Rev. Mr. Agnew will conduct Divine Service in the Masonic Hall to-morrow, morning and evening.