LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 126, 15 September 1876, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The business of the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day consisted in the hearing of a few civil cases and the fining of two drunks. A match has been arranged between the Club and the Grammar School players, and is to come off to-morrow afternoon. This will probably be the last match of the season. The names of the playera are—School: G. Borton, Church, Craig, Davidson, G. Fenwick, H. Feuwiek, W. Fercns, A. Hardy, Headland, Hill, Procter, Rice, Sruitli.Thoinpson, J. Wait, Grey, and Rpence. Club : Hofdsworth, Corlis, Ifcrvey, Hickey, F. I Fenwiek, C. Fenwick, M'Donald, Rhode 3, Suodgrasv, Tempest, Booth, Johnston, M 'Olashan, Moore, and Walla. We would again remind our readers that trie Vaudeville Company "will make their I first appearance this evening, at the Masonic Hall. The names of Messrs. Collier and ! Ycnwr in the programme are sufficient to > ensure- a first-eia.-.;* entertainment. j Few people there are on the West Coast {says an exchange) who have not heard of the original Charleston hellman. Like Blighting, the fortunate piscatorial bottlist, he has gained a fortune, but, if almost as 1 suddenly, not in so satisfactory a manner. The facts are communicated as follows : " Yet another example of perseverance bringing its reward. This time it's a bellman. I Now, dtm't start—this i 3 a fact. I have it ou unquestionable authority that the real original bellman of Charleston is at the present time driving hia carriage in the Old Country ! A donkey cart did you say ? No, sir, but a first-class carriage and pair. The secret of his success is this :—' Leaving here he visited India, and there obtained a splendid recipe for coring corns. Returning to England! he started in business as a cbiropo-

dirt, and succeeded so welt that-he now occupies a splendid residence at the West End, London, and that he is patronised by the nobility and gentry may be known by the long string of carriages to be seen every day waiting opposite the entrance to his establishment.' " The Westland Board of Education has met with a great stroke of fortune. A considerable area of the auriferous ground at Kumara is situated on one of the educational reserves, and the rents are likely to reach a large sum. The Board has accordingly issued its own mining regulations and scale 'or charges. Some of the latter, as in the case of headraces, the Grey River Argus thinks exorbitant, and likens the imposition to the slaughtering of the goose that lays the golden eggs. Will it be necessary for this fortunate educational body to establish a mining department, with all accessories for the administration of its own goldfield ? The Voce della Verita, in reviewing the long and remarkable career of the Roman Pontiff, says he has increased the heirarehy all the world over, that he has elevated to metropolitan grade twenty-three episcopal sees, has created five other metropolitan episcopates where none previously existed, and lias established 129 neiv episcopal sees, three apostolic delegations, thirty - one apostolic vicariates, and fourteen apostolic prefectures; and finally, that during his occupation of the Chair of Peter no fewer than thirty-five monarehs have passed away. A Paris correspondent of a contemporary says :—"We have just had a lecture delivered in the Lecture Hall of the Boulevard des Capucines by Ly-Chas-Pee, a Chinese savant. The speaker wore his native costume, the subject of his lecture being the condition of women in China, the harem of the Emperor, containing it seems, 10,000 women, and the description of a Chinese household of the middle classes. His descriptions, given in very good French, were listened to with marks of the liveliest interest, and the termination of the lecture was followed by prolonged applause." A London coirespondent, speaking of fre,e thought, states that he heard a bishop in his pulpit say :—" Over the educated classes there seemed to be creeping an opinion that it was absurd to five for any other world but this. If it were asked 'how could so many hard things be said against a nation that built so many churches and upheld so many benevolent institutions, he would, whilst guarding himself against applying this reproach to the whole nation, remind them that in Italy in the age known to us as the Renaissance the belief in God, and a future life, had almost died out, whilst religion in its outward forms and shows in various ways made greater claims than ever on the people." .Similar language is to be heard from hundreds of pulpits, for both our clergy and our dissenting ministers appear to have become impressed with the conviction that it is not wise to remain silent during such times as the present, -when innocent young maidens, blinded with the influence of fashion, imitate the customs and airs of the demi viondc or crowd theatres in which are performed French pieces of the worst possible description. It would seem as if we were approaching a period of widely-spread social demoralisation, rivalling the worst days of the Regency. During the examination of an aboriginal witness in a case tried at Inglewood lately (says the Bcndhjo Advertiser), some amusement was caused by Sir. Lauiont, who appeared for the defence. The witness was not thought to be a reliable one, and the following characteristic dialogue took place between the counsel and the black fellow, Mickey :—Mr. Lamont: " You wouldn't tell a lie '{" Mickey : "No, me no tell him lie." Mr. Lamont: "Notfor a nobbier ?" Mickey : "No; not for a nobbier." Mr. Lamont: "Two nobblers?" Mickey: "No" (emphatically). Mr. Lamont: " Three nobblers?" Mickey : " No! no!" (with greater emphasis). Mr. Lamont: "One bottle?" Mickey: "No " (the emphasis all gone). Mr. Lamont: "For two bottles?—now, mind, for two bottles?" Mickey: "Ye 3 - me tink I tell him He for two bottle." Amidst considerable merriment, the witness was ordered to stand down.