THE EVENING MAIL. THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 321, 3 May 1877, Page 2

THE EVENING MAIL.

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1877.

" Words are thin<rs, and. a drop of ink falling- upon a thought may produce that which makes thousand think."

The election of the Hon. Mr. Gisborne to the seat in the House of Representatives for the Totar* district, rendered vacant by the death of Mr. Tribe, has now been placed beyond doubt. Mr. Gisborne is a gentleman who has had considerable official experience, and although while a member of the FoxVogel Ministry, he was a great success as an administrator, and eai-ned for himself a name as a hard-working and zealous politician He will, we have no doubt, be found a most useful addition to the House of Representatives. He is strongly opposed to Separation, and expresses himself as considering it the duty of members of the Legislature to devote their energies chiefly to the advancement of the Colony. We understand that the Imperial Hotel, Thames-street, has changed hands at a satisfactory figure, the purchaser being Mr. S. Newey, of this town.

A General Government Gazette, published on the 26th ult., contains a notification of the appointment of Mr. B. P. Bayly as Chief Inspector of Sheep for the Provincial District of Otago, under "The Diseased Sheep Act, 1576 ;' ( and of the following gentlemen as Registrars of Brands, Stamps, or Buists under the same Act:—Mr. C. Anderson, for that portion of the Otago Provincial District that was comprised within the former Province of Southland ; Mr. W. E. Sessions, for the remaining portion of the Provincial district.

The returns of the earnings of a number of the northern railways for the four weeks ending on the 7th April are published in the Neio Zealand Gazette. The total amount on each line is as follows :—Kaipara to Riverhead, L 252 123. 2d.; Auckland to Mercer, L 1713 18s. 7d.; Waifcara to New Plymouth, L 164 155.; Napier to Waipukurau L 2022 Os. Id.; Foxton to ManaAvatu, L 621 6s. 6d.; Wellington to Masterton, L 914 12s. 4d.; Nelson to Foxhill, L 691 4s. Picton to Blenheim, L4lB 3s. (id.; Westport to Mount Roehfort, L 55 175.; Brunner to G-eymouth, L 339 sb. 4d,

Our readers need scarcely be reminded that Mrs. Scott-Siddon9' entertainment takes place this evening at the Masonic Hall.

The Hokitika Harbour Board is going to borrow LIO,OOO on debentures.

A Greymouth auctioneer has been fined £IOO for holding a sale outside of the district for which he is licensed.

At Dunedin, the landlord of the Captain Cook Hotel has been fined 55., for permitting singing and shouting in his hotel.

The total amount of Customs duty collected at Dunedin during the month of April was L 33.589 lis. Sd. The amount received during the corresponding period of last year was L' 26,441 4s. 5d., the month of April this year showing an increase of L 7,148 7s. 3d. The gold duty collected during the month also shows an increase, the amounts being-for April, 1876, L 1,094 18s. 2d.; April, 1577, LI, 142 16s. 4d. The Daily Times has the following :—" .As showing the want of genuineness which characterised the recent unemployed demonstration, we may state that only two or three men have applied for \vork at the Public Works Office, Dunedin, although his Excellency, in reply to the unemployed petition, stated that the Government were prepared to find work on the railways for all who needed it."

The Star says :—On Sunday week a son of Mr. Slone, former, of Blacks, was thrown from his horse, and for five days remained unconscious. A strange feature in the case is that, though the brain is thoroughly inactive, the lad remaining a3 it were in a deep sleep, other of the senses are active.

A curious story (says an exchange) is told of the Wanganui race meeting. There were three horses to run for a certain race, but the owner of one, thinking his animal had no chance, would not stait. Another owner, who felt sure his nag would win, prevailed, after a time, on the other to let his horse run if he paid the money, so that the race might not foil through. The race came off; the horse that had no show won, and the owner who thought he had the racs safe in hand had the satisfaction of knowing that he paid to enter a horse that carried away the prize from him.

" Autolycus," writing in the Nelson Daily Times, says : —"The question of the possible effect upon British dependencies, especially Nelson, of England being involved in the impending Russo-Turkish war i 3 attracting some attention at present, and I overheard an interesting conversation on the subject in the Waimea-road on Wednesday. The collocniists were two old ladies, and the result of the conversation was that if a Russian cruiser fired a 6hot at Nelson the police would arrest it in its progress and take it into custody. Captains Pitt and Bunny would be retained for the defence, and the whole affair would be settled "by a swivel action." I was very much pleased to hear such confidence expressed in the innate resources of the town we live in."

The Press says :—"A number of farmers in the Harewood road district, considering the great difficulty they experienced in procuring threshing machines during the present season, have determined to form a company for the purpose of procuring one from England against next harvest. On the 19th of the present month they held a preliminary meeting in the district library, when a committee was appointed to ascertain probable cost, &c. At an adjourned meeting, held on Thursday evening last, the committee brought up their report, which was considered and adopted. A resolution limiting the number of shareholders to thirty, each shareholder to hold one share, was carried, against an amendment limiting the number to twenty. _Ten out of the twenty-one who had already signified their desire of taking shares were nominated as provisional directors. A resolution to the effect that the company be registered under the name of the ' Harewood Road Steam Threshing Company (Limited)' was unanimously agreed to. Messrs. G. A. Dury, Hack, and Pattersou were appointed a committee to carry out all details."

The Melbourne correspondent of the Guardian writes :—" It is stated that the Melbourne and East Melbourne Cricket Chibs are each going to secure a professional bowler, either from the English team which visited us, or from among the no less celebrated Englishmen who stayed at home. Old Sam Cosstick, who has been engaged by the M.C.C. these 20 years, is thought to have fallen into the ' sere and yellow,' but he is always surprising those who say he is played out. Terry, the young professional engaged from England by the M.C.C, i 3 a failure. He was not even picked to play in either of the recent matches by the combined Australian Eleven against the All-England Eleven. Nor was Cosstick."

', The acme of perfection (says the Geelorg Tixw) has been reached in red - tapeisir. Last night a circular was read at the Geelong West Borough Council, from the Treasury in Melbourne, requesting the payment of fourpence, amount paid on a letter from the Council insufficiently stamped ! Thus the paltry amount necessitated correspondence occupying the time of two persons, at least half an hour, and the spending of double that amount in stamps and stationery.

The " Intelligent Vagrant" writes as follows in the New Zealand Mail:—" A gentleman given to speculation in land made the acquaintance of a venerable Maori the other day, who was anxious to dispose of a piece of property in the vicinity of the Te Aro pa. He asked but little money for the land, seeming to be ignorant oi its real value. Wherefore the speculator rejoiced in the contemplation of turning over his money to some acoount. Naturally he did not study, as it appeared to him, the unsophisticated character of the patriarchal Maori. Imagine, then, the feelings of that land speculator, who already looked upon the land as his own, on discovering that it was part of a public thoroughfare, having been pui chased by the Government for the purpose of extending Taranaki-street to the foreshore There is an old story of a gentleman who mortgaged an Irish estate four times over, and then tried to borrow money on tbe sea. I am of opinion that my Maori friend could give the hero of that story several points ir any game under the sun, and beat him."

There have been large attendances at the Sydney Exhibition. • J. Nicholson, of Melbourne, has been awarded first prize for the best horse-power reaper against fifteen competitors, including American, Canadian, and English exhibitors. There were about 15,000 persons present at the Exhibition on the 11th ult. " Considerable dissatisfaction is expressed at the incomplete state of some of the departments, and the absence of the live stock, which considerably militates against the public attendance. The American and Canadian Courts, although not yet tinished, attract special attention. Mr. Commissioner Young has been most active in arranging the Canadian court, which is a most formidable competitor to her neighbour, the United States.

St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in San Francisco with great ceremony. National salutes were fired by batteries of artillery, the houses were decked with flags, and bands of music paraded the city. A procession marched through the city, composed of cavalry, infantry, state officers, St. Patrick's Cadets, sons of the Emerald Isle Benevolent Association, Irish-American Benevolent Society, Labourers Protective Benevolent Association. In a car were 32 ladies representing the counties of Ireland, followed by the Hibernian Society, troops, &c. An ode to the Emerald Isle was read. The evening was wound up with numerous festivities.

It is promised that greater expedition will be used than has hitherto been the case (says the Melbourne Argus) in the construction of the railway which is to connect Sydney with Melbourne. The late New South Wales Government was opposed to the extension of the line, but the new Miiistry has adopted a more entsrpiising railway policy. Mr. Parkes has announced that the Government will be in a position in three months to accept tenders for the construction of the line to Albury, taking thus the only step now required for establishing direct rail way communication between Sydney and Melbourne. The Great Southern line is already open for traffic as far as Murrumburrah, a distance of 228 miles from Sydney, and it is expected that the extension to Cootamundra, a further distance of 25 miles, will be ready for use about the middle of August There will then remain the section between Cootamundra and Wagga Wagga, 56 miles, some progress with which has already been made; and the final section from Wagga Wagga to Albury, a distance of 60 or 70 miles. It is now proposed to proceed with the construction of these two sections simultaneously, and the completion of the line, therefore, ought not to be a very distant event.