The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 399, 9 August 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1877.

We were in error in stating that Mr. Smith, Traffic Manager of the railway department, Oamaru, had been called upon to apologise to Mr. Sutherland, for the extraordinary behaviour of the department to that gentleman. It appears that Mr. Lawson has been requested to make the amende honorable to Mr. Sutherland. It was only natural th it we should have fallen into an error as to who was to apologise. Who would ever have dreamt that this unpleasant business would have devolved up >n Mr. Lawson, who was a hundred and fifty miles from the scene of the dispute, and was as innocent as a new-born in'ant of any intention of stirring up such adu t. We presume that ic is one of the inexplicable usages of officialdom that relieves Mr. Smith and throw's the onus on to the shoulders of Mr. Lawson.

We notice that the contractor for the Oamaru Public Baths —to the town a very important work —h proceeding very energetically. The excavation for the Bath itself is already completed, and we observe that preparations are being made for beginning the concrete work. There seems to be every prospect of the Baths being ready in time for the coming summer. Our citizens will, we trust, aid the Company by taking shares and seeing that no delay be caused by a deficiency of the sinews of war.

An evidence of the manner in which pheasants adapt themselves to the country in whizh it is sought to acclimatize them, has just been affoided us. A few days since, a sportsman was fortunate enough to bag three pheasants. Out of curioiity, the crops of these birds was examined, and it was found that two of them had been feeding almost exclusively on native flax seed, whilst the third had, from ne2essity, or some other cause, given the preference to the seed of the cabbage tree. It will, therefore, be seen that pheasants are not the enemies to the agriculturists lhat some persons would lead us to suppose. We may just as well mention, as bearing on the truth of what we have stated above, that in the North Island it has become a well established fact that pheasants prefer native food to almost anything else. " Where there's smoke there's fire," is an adnge containing a considerable modicum of truth, and that is why we think there is something more than rumour in the oftrepeated reports of the frailty of our present Government. Internal disturbances, it appears, are fast sapping its foundations and shattering its constitution, and we would not be surprised to learn at any moment that dissolution has ensued. What else could be expected of a Government whose faults are so numerous that we are as heartily sick of complaining as the public are of reading such complaints. The Native Land Bill alone would be sufficient to hopelessly wreck the Ministry, for this universally unpopular measure ha 3 obviously for its object the aggrandisement of a few schemers not unknown to the Government. We have always held an exalted opinion of the superior cheek of the Hon. A. F. Whitaker, but we little expected that he would have the temerity, considering his reputation ai d following, to venture to smuggle so palpable a swindle through Parliament. Speaking for ourselves, we would like to see a thorough change in the constitution of the Ministry. No good, honest government can be expected whilst there is left in the House the dregs of a ring that has had far too much to do in affecting the destiny of Hum Colony.

The Resident Magistrate's Court was occupied to-day with civil cases only, which are of no particular interest to reader. It will be seen by our telegrams that his Worship the Mayor (Mr. W. J. Steward) and Mr. Shrimski, M.H.R., are passengers by the Taupo, which' left Wellington last evening.