The Evening Mail. FRIDAY, DEC. 8, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 198, 8 December 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail.

FRIDAY, DEC. 8, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"Writ* are thins*, ant! a drop ot ink falling upon 3 thought may that whti-h naUes thoujamlj think."

The insane lore some persons have for an appeal to ths laws of the country wa3 demonstrated at the PoHcj Court this morning, when a ca*e was heard for the recovery of a huif-a-crovn. Bcjidc the extra expenses entailed in that mode of procedure, involving an outlay of nearly three times the original am, tie following amount of time was wasted -. Defendant and plaintiff, two hours each ; two members of the Press, same amount; his Worship and the clerk, each

two houre; and a patient polise attendant, a like period : making in all fourteen hours doomed to be offered up on the altar of principle. Plaintiff, in opening hi 3 case, utterly i repudiated a mercenary or lucrative motive : in bringing the case into Court, but as there , wa3 a high principle involved, he felt called upon to do so ; and so the unfortunate victims had to suffer. It is but fair, however, to state that be contemplates handing over the sum to the Hospital—when he get 3 it. A meeting of the Committee of the Mechanics' Institute was held last evening. Present—Messrs. Forrester (in the chair), A. Y. Smith, T. Fairley, Pratt, and the hon. treasurer and secretary, Messrs. Loring and Tempest. As it appears the reading-room has been systematically made use of by persons not members of the Institute, the librarian was instructed to present an account for a quarter's subscription to all persons nonmembers whom he noticed more than three times in the reading room. A letter was read from Mr. Trotter, of Longbnsh, Southland, _ offering to lease the land granted to the Institute a, an endowment, in the Wyndham District. The Secretary was instructed to find out the value of the land with a view of accepting Mr. Trotter's offer. The new system of issuing hooks from the library will come into operation with the commencement of tlie-year. Elsewhere we give a detailed account of the unfortunate loss of the steamship Otago, from which it will be seen that all hopes of I saving the vessel have been abandoned. The passengers speak in the highest terms of the conduct of the captain and officers under the trying circumstances, and immediately upon their arrival in Dunedin presented Captain Calder with a testimonial of sympathy in his mishap, and sincere gratitude for his efforts for their safety and comfort. An " old Miller," who writes to the Wellington Po*t, has been " figuring up " in the same manner as teetotallers are wont to calculate what so much beer at so much a day w«.t:ld come to in a year, and so on, and anti-tobacconists ditto regarding tobacco. He says :—The rise of Id. in the price of the 2ih. loaf means no lc:S than £5 16s. on a ton of Hour, or i'l7s extra per week taken from the pockctj of the inhabitants of the city. The ba'tcrc arc again combining to keep up prices beyond a fair market value, and unless a reduction is made the ovens built by the Co operative Society will be started working ; £2!) par ton off Hour when made into bread is too much of a good thing for it. An instance of throwing bread upon the waters and having it returned after many days, haj occurred (the Chines Guardian relates) in connection with the diminutive jockey who rode Lsii~cis for the Melbourne Cup. Sonic 3'ears ago the boy was w..ndeiingabout the st:cets of Gcelong a friendless waif, when Mr. Wilion, with that kind-heartedness for which he is so well known, took him home, fed, clothed, and adopted him. Kot only did he do this, but as the little fellow was totally ignorant of his parentage on either side, Mr. Wilson bestowed upon him the aristocratic name of his own residence —St. Alban's — taught him to ride, and one of the results is that the lad, with the help of the game filly ■ Briseis landed for his master the rich racing stake in question. A good story comes to us from Auckland. A Waikato settler who had sent his bacon , and hams, quite equal to the imported ar- , tide, to the Auckland market, with a moderate reserve, received not ce from his agent in town that the utmost price that could be : obtained for them was threepence halfpenny 1 per ib. all round. Our Bucolic lriend, however, v/a3 not to be had. He telegrajriied to r liii agent to send them by first steamer to a friend in Christchurch, who, under instructions, rc-thipped them to an Auckland agent, and, as Canterbury hams and bacon, the same article realised tenpence per lb. After this, who will sceptically ask : " What's in a name ':' Whatever may be the case with . roses, it is quite certain that auitch of bacon does not smell a3 sweet under any other na.ne as that of "Canterbury."