The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 516, 26 December 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1877.

A somewhat serious ease of shooting anil wounding occurred in town yesterday. The particulars of the affair are to some extent enshrouded in mystery, and we have only been aide to glean a few items in connection with the matter. From these it appears that several boys, amongst whom were two named James Scott nuil Michael Vail, both about seventeen years of age, were amusing themselves on the beach, having a carbine with them. One of the party seems to have thrown a scone at the lad Scott, whether with any deliberate intisiit to injure him or not does not appear to be known, rioott, it is stated, picked up the eirbine, loaded it with blank cartridge, and, turning to Vail, asked him if he had thrown the stone. Vail replied that he had not done so. Scott then raised the carbine and deliberately discharged its contents into Vail's face, the distance between them at the time being less than two yards. The effects of the discharge was greatly lessened through ViiiJ having a cap on with a hard "peak," but his face was completelymarked with powder spots, while bis left eye was severly injured. Scott was shortly afterwards arrested by the police, and was brought up at the Resident Magistrate 'u Court this morning on a charge of shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm, but the lad Vail being unable to attend to give evidence the case was remanded until to-

morrow. The member for Waikouaiti in the House of Representatives has returned from a nest of hornets in Wellington, not to enjoy the unalloyed repose and quietude of his home, but to be harassed and annoyed by his constituents, who want him to make a speech, giving an account of, and reasons for, what he did in Wellington. He apparently- feels disinclined to accede to the wishes of his constituents, cither because he will not brook what he considers undue interference with his prerogative, or because he feels unequal to the task. As is the case in almost every other constituency throughout the colony, Mr. M'Lean, we understand, will be requested to give Sir George Grey unqualified support or resign. This will be a somewhat unjialatable business to the member for Waikouaiti.

Athletic sports will be liekl at Otepopo to-morrow, and are likely to prove highly attractive. In addition to prizes in kind, the sum of L 39 7s. fid. is to he competed for. The programme will comprise the following events : —Quoiting ; 150 yards maiden race ; standing high leap ; vaulting ; wrestling ; handicap Hat race 440 yards ; boys' vaulting match ; running high jump ; throwing the hammer; handicap shearers' race 440 yards ; hop, step, and jump ; handicap boys' race ; hurdle race 300 yards ; putting the stone ; boys' hurdle race ; steeplechase (about a mile) : girls' race ; sack race ; tilting : and, besides prizes in kind, L 39 7s, Gd,, in prize money is offered to be competed for. A ball will afterwards be held in the Atheufeuni, dancing to commence at fl o'clock p.m.

I A special meeting of the Committee of the Mechanics' Institute was held on Monday evening. Mr, Hislop, M.H.R., President, occupied the chair, and there was a good attendance of members. The meeting was held for the. purpose of considering the advisability of accepting a jwoposal to lease a portion of the land belonging to the Institute. Some discussion took place on the subject, and eventually it was resolved on the motion of Mi-. Filluel, seconded by Mr. Hiekey, " That aOft. frontage to .Stewardstreet, commencing from the south-western corner of the section of the Institute, and having a depth from Stiiward'Street of (ifii't., be leased to Mr. V. .Robertson for a term of seven years at LI per ft, frontage." A number of details in connection with the leasing having been settled the meeting ter- j minated.

1 he weekly meeting of the Directors of tht! Caledonian Society was held on Monday evening, at the Royal Hotel, when there were present—Messrs. Sinclair (in the chair), Taylor, Rowlands, Rule, Morton, Kennedy, W. Bee, Liddell, Pratt, Johnstone, Smillie.," M'lntosli, Martin, and W. Aitken (Secre.tary). The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. The Committee which had been appointed to arrange for the sale at'the booths, &c, at the gathering to take place on New Year's Day reported that, no adequate offer having been received for the privileges, the Committee had decided to

withdraw from sale. The action of the Committee was endorsed; and arrangements made for the erection and management of the booths.' It was resolved, after some discussion, "That no passes be given at the gates, except to members of the Society.'' Some matters of routine having been dealt with, the meeting terminated. We have to acknowledge the receipt from Mr. Didsbury (Government Printer) of two large parcels of Acts, the work of last session. Many of them arc so unimportant in character that we cannot help thinking it a pity that they sheuld have had to be dealt with by our Parliament, involving the expenditure of so much time and money. We have already had cause to complain of the length of the late sessions of Parliament ; but this may now be expected, seeing that it will in future devolve upon them to deal with matters that were previously disposed of by the Provincial Councils.

A typographical error occurred in our last issue, which considerably red need the weight of Mr. Lane's Christmas beeves. It should have been 12251b5. instead of 11251b5.

A .summoned quarterly meeting of the Loyal Alfred Lpdgo, 1,0.0.F„ will be held in the Waitaki Hall at 8 o'clock to-morrow evening, for the purpose of electing officers and other important business.

The death of Mr. Walter Yardley, of Pabnerston, is reported from Kyebnrn. He was a carrier, and whilst on one of his usual trips from Palmerstou to the interior was kicked by a horse, from the effects of which he subsecpiently expired. Ho leaves a wife and nine children.

We clip the following from an exchange : —A young cricketer in Tasmania appears to have been making his mark as a bowler. The gentleman alluded to in the following paragraph from the Hobart Town Mtixury is the brother of -Mr. Bailey, one of the combined team shortly to play in Adelaide. Our contemporary says : —' Voting Bailey, like his brother, shines as a trundler. His pitch is good, his delivery easy, Ills pace terrific; and on Saturday, in the match Orielton v. Clarence, he cut a piece out of Braithwaite's finger, bowled the solo clean out of Vuimr'a boot, cut Grant's temple, severed the heel of Voting's midui standing, and blackened both of Rowland's eyes by his terrible shooters.' Voting Bailey is said to have a good break to the on or oft*. Wo should think ho could break anything, and would suggest tjiat his team ought to provide a surgeon emorgency man. As the name of Mr." Andrew Young, the enterprising coach i>roprietor of the North Island, is known to not a few hereabouts who will doubtless feel some interest in that gentleman's movements, wo insert the following from the . 1 vjh* : —"Sometime ago Mr. Andrew Voting disposed of his interest in the line of coaches between Wellington and Wanganui. Since then he has continued to run coaches from Wauganui to New Plymouth, but a day or two ago lie received an offer of L 3500 for his interest in the line last referred to. He accepted it, and consequently the coaches have now passed out of his hands altogether. The pur chasers are Messrs. Hall and Henry, who have for some time past been driving for Mr. Voung.

This is the way, so we read, in which a bankrupt's estate was expeditiously and economically wound up in a town a little over one hundred miles from Wellington. The debtor was not over Ihtsh in the matter of hard cash, and found great difficulty in turning over his stock, which represented something not very ranch under twentyshillings in the pound. The creditors met, saw what there was to take, drew lots for priority of choice, and then went for their share of the stuff, in drays, wheel-barrows, &c. Before the shades of evening had set in, the estate was wound up, the debtor was relieved from his liabilities, and bcth parties were as well satisfied as it is possible for human nature to be under snch circumstances. — A rgus.

The schooner Kate Macgregor is still in the roadstead, riding at one anchor, she having lost the other one during Saturday night's gale. Efforts were made yesterday morning to recover the lost anchor, but the weather proving too rough, the boat services were unable to launch their boats. Tinwrv Herald.

A circumstance of a most peculiar nature has just occurred, and as it cannot fail to be of considerable interest to scientific men, we have much pleasure in giving publicity to the story as it has reached us. Our informant states that yesterday afternoon the attention of a Mr. Green, who is engaged at the new Hospital works, was attracted to a brick which had just previously been taken from the kiln. The brick, which was not quite cold, was evidently moving about on the ground of its own accord. Mr. Green, being struck with the extraordinary spectacle, lifted the brick from the ground, and, as we are informed, it jumped out of his hand again. Mr. Green called two or three other men to witness the wonderful movements of the brick, and as none of them could account for the surprising phenomenon, it was decided that the brick should be broken with the view of ascertaining what peculiarity there was about it. Accordingly, a hammer was obtained, and the brick was broken in halves, when they were astounded to see a large frog embedded in the very heart of it. It looked curiously at the men, and then very quietly hopped out of its nest ! ■ The animal was sitting in a round space about the size of a small orange, and it is supposed that when the brick began to get very warm in the kiln the frog ate enough of the clay around his body to make room for himself. It would be easily understood tj-at the frog had been moulded up in the brick, but it is not so easy to understand that the animal should have lived through the baking process. This is truly a wonderful affair, but it is just possible that some of our savant may be able to throw some light on it,— Aryus.

The following is from the Wellington Pod: —"We lirraly believe that if a plebhrlli: we taken to-morrow to ascertain the views of the people of Wellington on the present position of affairs, and the question were put : —"Do you desire that the Government should remain in office during the recess so as to havo an opportunity atlorded them of maturing their policy V an over-whelm-ing majority would answer it in the affirmative. The feeling of the majority of the people here, so far as we can ascertain, is, that the policy sketched out !>y Sir (!eo. Grey on the question of the land revenue, land administration, native affairs, settlement, representation, and taxation, is a broad and liberal one, and that if he loyally endeavours to carry it out, he will deserve the support of the country. "With respect to the present Government, we desire that it should receive a fair trial. .Should it not possess a working majority when Parliament again meets, then a dissolution could be granted, and an appeal made, to th v - constituencies.