LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 184, 22 November 1876, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

j It will be seen by advertisement that the i Lvtlia Howard Burlesque Troupe open for a &hort season at the Ma3»nic Hall this even- ! ing. The piece to ba produced will be ! Hcn-ea op.'ra bouffi or " Chilperic," in [ which the company appeared for 3JO nights I in Australia, and, according to the Press, to ! crowded house* during their lengthened ! stay. The troupe, which in its full strength j numbers no less than thirty-seven artists,

have just concluded a most successful' Reason at Christehurch extending over five months and a half, a season which for, the extent of patronage and duration has never been Equalled in that city. We are given to understand that a large number of the front seats have already beed reserved, and consequently we expect to see a crowded house on this the opening night. At the District Courfc this morning Mr. William Jukes Steward, who had been sum moned as a juror, asked his Honor not only to excuse him from serving, but also to express an opinion that would act as a precedent in future. The plea upon which Mr. Steward sought exemption was that of being the editor of a daily paper. His Honor admitted the plea, and stated that it had always been bis practice in the District Court to excuse members of the Pre3S in the position to which Mr. Steward referred. The charge against the man John Morrison of setting fire to kerosene, which he had previously poured over the person of Isabella Campbell, came on for hearing this afternoon, bub the late hour at which the case was commenced precludes us from giving a report in this issue. We may stat°, however, that on the examination at the Hospital we published a very detailed account of the transaction, and the evidence elicited to-day was materially the same. It is notified by the Telegraph Department that telegrams will be received up to eleven o'clock to-morrow at the office, Oamaru, to catch the Arawata, which leaves the Bluff for Australia at noon. The case of Joseph Williams v. James Grave, a portion of the evidence of which we gave in our last issue, resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff—after a deliberation of ten minutes —damages £65. ! The following letter, from the Hon. Mathew Holmes to the Colonial Secretary, | appears in the latest number of the Gazette, and is published therein for general informa tion :—"Awa Moa, Oamaru, 30th October, 1876. Sir,—l have the honor to inform you that the following trees and plants are now growing in the open air here, and they all appear to thrive well and suit both the soil and climate. The land had been all subsoiled to a depth of twenty inches, and thoroughly wrought and pulverised, before planting took place; and since that time care has been taken t'o keep them perfectly clean. The whole quantity planted extends to about 100 acres, and it is at least equal to anything of the kind I saw when in England.—l have, &c., Mathew Holmes/' Then follows the names of a variety of conifera pinus, sedrus cupressus, oak, yew, elm, holly, thorn, to the number of fully 250. Referring to the Hon. George M 'Lean's treatment of the late Superintendent, the Argus says :—"Dunedin telegrams state that the Hon. George M'Lean has not, since the Convention, renewed the offer to Mr. Macandrew of being appointed to carry on the government of Otago. Mr. M'Lean has acted well and wisely in this. After the speech delivered by Mr. Macandrew in openin e the Convention, after his declaration that lie still considers himself Superintendent, and after the speeches made afc, and resolutions passed by the Convention, it is not desirable that Mr. Macandrew should be employed in any public capacity at present. It would be an insult to his Excellency the Governor to ask him to sign a warrant appointing Mr. Macandrew to any public position. That astute gentleman has made his own bed, and should be allowed to repose on it as comfortably as may be possible under the circumstances. The Government would be extremely foolish to place any power in Mr. Macandrew's hands now, for he would certainly use it against them." " The. Vagabond of the Melbourne Argus in a recent contribution describing his visit to the Flemingfcon course whilst trials were going on, says:—" There were a few thorough gentlemen here, and amongst them Mr. Bagot, the energetic secretary of the V.R.C. I know nothing of this gentleman, but love him for one thing. He came up riding an old broken-down respectable-look-ing horse, the sort of steady animal which would convey an English farmer safe home from market dinners, finding the road when its driver, for various reasons, could not. I heard that thi3 horse wa3 Badger, a celebrated steeplechaser, which won many noted races. Two of his owners committed suicide, the last being the erratic poet, genius, and sportsman, Lindsay Gordon. After his death poor Badger fell upon evil days, his youthful prime was g>ne, and his market value at last reduced to three half-crowns, for which sum he was sold to the knackers. He was being driven past Mr. Bagot's house, when that gentleman asked the man whose horse it was " Badger ! Lindsay Gordon's famous hunter going to the knackers Bagot's soul was wroth within him, and he swore it should not be whilst he lived. He purchased the poor old horse and turned him out to grass, and fed him with corn. He at least should die happy. On this kind treatment Badger waxed fat and strong, his youthful powers revived, and he is now a steady hack, " useful to ride or drive," and, if put to it, will take a fence as lightly a3 of yore. So his preserver is rewarded."

An Australian athlete named Miller, who wa3 well known in Melbourne a short time

sinte 6s a skilful swordsman, has we see by the Baltimore Gazette of July 25, secured the wrestling 'championship of America, after a protracted encoiinter with Bauer, a noted American wrestler. A previous match between the two men proved a draw. On February 24, the decisive match took place at Ford's Grand Opera House, before an audience numbering between 2,500 and 3,000 persons. After a struggle lasting 58 minutes, iu which the advantage was secured first by one combatant and then by the other, Bauer obtained the first fall. The second round only lasted four minutes, and was all in favor of Miller, who threw Bauer upon his back and then forced hi> shoulders down. The third round was a very severe one, but resulted within 14 minutes in Miller again throwing Bauer. Miller was then proclaimed the victor, and, adds the Gazette, " thus secured the championship of the world."