SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 151, 14 October 1876, Page 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Lingard-Hoskin* troupe made their farewell appearance last evening to an excellent house. As announced by programme the pieces submitted were Gilbert's comedy of " David Oarricfc," and the amusing farce of " Cat OIF with a Shilling." In the first, the principal characters were sustained by Mr. litigant in the title r»k, and Mrs. Lingard as Ada Ingot, both of whom fully maintained the very high opinion entertained of them since their first appearance, especial credit being due to the lady for her able representation of the noble and bigh-minded admirer of Garriek. " Cut Off with a Shilling " is one of the very best of its class, abounding with ludicrous scenes, amusing selections, and allowing ample scope for byeptay, an opportunity of which decided advantage was taken by each of the characters. Altogether the performance, though by no mean) equal to the programme of the firct night, caused no end of m» rriraent, and sent the aadience home in thorough good humor. A few days since we received a letter signed " Digger," inquiring for information respecting a telegram in our columns about the Dart Goldtields. Wc were unable to comply with the request, but for his and the information of others we publish elsewhere an interesting account from the Walatip Mall.

vvKUt? lyteer tir.j.rp .".re done in this Ci.'ln-.iy nthler cover of, or rather in carrying out the law% but we question if a parallel coultt be fount! for the following, which wq extract from an English paper :—" Thomas

.Snclling, a cripple who-drags himself on his bands and knees, and whose success as a I lieggar wj.3 stated to be so great as to enable ht:n to support hi 3 wife and As. children, and further to hire a horse and trap on Sundays to take them out. has been sentenced, at the Marl-borough-strcet police court, to a month's bard labour for mendicity. While the gaoler was conveying him to the cells, he pulled out of his pocket two or three IwtidtuLi of silver and copper, and gave them to hk wife, -saying, 'Take care of that."' The inference to l>c drawn i 3, that because Thomas Snclling was xmfortunatc enough to be compelled to drag himself along on his hand-i and knees, a commiserating public committed a crime in bestowing charity I'pon ao unworthy an object. Surely if Snelling was monster enough to spend the money so obtained in supporting a wife and six children, those persons who aided and abetted in such an enormity should uot have been allowed to go scatheless. Had the criminal merely received the donations offered and spent the proceeds in drink, his conduct might have been forgiven ; but taking his family out for amusement on Sunday was a crime which cried aloud for punishment. In the eyes of the law apparently Snelliug's crime was not that he had received the ' money as a mendicant, but that one whom ! fate bad destined to crawl along the earth i should dare to aspire to other means of locoi motion. | It may interest our readers to learn that ; Mr. W. .Vackay has sold his steeplechaser iianjo to a well-known spotting gentleman, in the Oamaru district, lor £2\)o; and the same owner has parted with Larrikin, for eighty guineas, to the purchaser of Banjo.

'I he Crown Grant for the endowment of the Institute was signed by his Excellency the Governor, on the U'Jth August, and sent back to the Crown Grant Uiiice, Dttncdin. The total amount of acreage is 370, being Sections 31, 32, 33, and 35, Wyndham District.

A petty case has been sent to the Supreme Court from the Lakes district. One Henry Km nat was charged at Queenstown with embezzlement under the following circumstancca :—lie had been employed to drive a theatrical company down country, and on his departure was entrusted with the disposal of a iittantity of oy.'.ters. On arrival at Armwtov.n he s,old the oysters for £l, but failed U> account for them to his employer, for which lie now siauds committed for trial.

>'ot a little excitement (says the Ar-jm) lifts been created in a suburban district by the sudden disappearance of two residents. The gentleman is a married man, and his wife and seven childien have been left behind. Tiie lady is young, good looking, and unmarried. On liiday last, she left her borne nominally to attend a wedding, but, instead of that, came by railway to town and withdrew a ftim of 4J-HJU, which stood to her credit in one of the banks. She was then accompanied by her male neighbour, and they departed together by the City of Sydney for Amciicr,. It was not till late on Sunday that any su:-piciom; were aroused. The following appears in an open column latter in the Hots Guardian: —*' Sir,—We, Grass Widows of Hum, have taken it into consideration that it is high time that something should be done while this dreadful disease, the Kumaiu Sever, is raging, causing ail our better halves to leave us. " The best thing wc can do is to write to the Superintendent, Mr. Ikmar, and tell him that wc w:il take out a contract for the construction of the Mskonui Water llace—as men are not capable ot doing it, what are women capable of doing?—otherwise, wc shall be, Colonially .-peaking, cooked.—l am, &c, Grass \ V i do w. ''

The nmiu.il general meeting of the Oamaru Cricket Club w-.1l he held in the Northern Hotel, this (Saturday) evening, at eight o'clock.