The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 606, 11 April 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1878.

"We were pleased to afford, in Tuesday's issue, Mr. IWiald.-on an opportunity »f endeavouring to clear his character ot any sti-ma he "might think attached to it m conof his connection wit': the Mocraki Harbor Board. The revelations he made in his communication regarding the wickedness of Messrs. M'Kcmde. Paisley, and Co.. are very shocking. A certain set of men may have handed thciuseive*. together with the mowed ohject of sitting upon tho.-e contractors, hub that is- no Teasou why they .should not take it kindly. Mr. Murcott. it appears, is not'otity a member of the Moeraki Harbor Roard". hut he, Wing a niemher of the firm "of M'Kenzie, I'aisFey, and Co., ia endeavouring to induce the Board to reduce ita charges. Worse and worse. Jf he had done this while in the thick or his contract?, and with the palpable ohject of henetiting himself by the rtiluction. according to "the moral code of some people there would have hten no harm ia his action : hut to interest himself in the matter now, merely for the purpose of eonferrinffa boon upon the settlers surrounding aioerakr. is a plecc-of ak-itrdity and an nnwarrantable interference with the prerogatives of that party in the Moeraki Board to winch he is upposed, or rather who are opposed to him Mr. Donaldson tell* «* that

for two say long ; but that would ° &Twith the object theutiraiartparities by snelring m, tioned by Mr. Donalolsorumtoletter. Foiy _ t Board, itJis natVrigh. men who gtre_j T« their,best services whatever may* be their failing-* d ,be j subjected to'to*keen criticism. Mr. Donaldsoiutells BTthat the members ,7 haye; acted r "hone^fiy^andhonourably - if theretwas'anything in-that gentleman s: letter that gave us pleasure, it was to read this statement. There are, of course, instfijces where it would be considered superfluous to assert one's honesty and honour- ' ableness ; but we think that Mr. Donaldson -< has not, in this case, been guilty of superero- i gation. Nor is this all. We are told that < '* they have put the whole of their appli- ' ances in thorough working order ; have secured the services of a small" but efficient staff of men ; and have reduced the charges ' to a minimum." Yes. They have thrown ■■ aside all the old-fashioned rubbish in the shape of cranes, &c, and can now boast of possessing the most approved appliances for loading and unloading vessels. Three men are engaged to keep the crane nicely brightened, for the same reason that a fruiterer would polish his wares in order to entice. Masters of vessel?, viewing from afar the "littering crane, will doubtless be tempted to try what it is made of. It is hoped that the trade will come by-and-bye. In the meantime everything is kept well polished, and the pilot "may occasionally be seen with his glass looking sea-ward expecting some day that a vessel will arrive, when he in his turn will try what she is made of. Mr. Mercer and his staff are ever on the alert anxious to earn their salaries, and no doubt, they will do so if the viaduct does not go out to sea, as it threatens to do : and, even then, we venture to express an opinion that they will be needed to pick up the pieces. Mr. Donaldson says that the Board has been vilified and slandered because they have refused to squander public money entrusted to them and appoint Captain Liddell to a position he is incompetent to fill. "\\ e had always held an opinion that it was necessary "to learn the art of navigation ; or, at all events, to know the names of the of a vessel, ami the " starboard " from the " port" side, in order to lio a man for the position of a pilot; but we suppose we were mistaken. Jt was because we knew that Captain l.iddeil had a knowledge of these thing:?, which he had acquired after many years' practical experience, instead of graduating in a country store, that we held such an opinion. This is where Captain Liddell has made a mistake, and, if he had to commence life again, we have no doubt but that he would profit by his experience at Moeraki. Mr. Donaldson concludes his i letter by statinjr that the Board's only fault . was that of Desdemona —" She was too fond . of her most filthy bargain." Does this aim at their new pilot ? If we were Mr. Mercer we would demand an inquiry. We are requested to state that the train which lately collided with the Ngapara train was not unloading at Messrs. Lees and Moore's siding, as mentioned in our report, but at Messrs. Hay and Barr's. '. The nsnal fortnightly meeting of the r Municipal Council will be held at a quarter past seven o'clock this evening. We understand that the Calcined Corkonians, who have been indulging in a lengrhy retiremeut. intend re-commenciug operations at once, and that they will give one of their pleasing entertainments before long. Stren- • uous efforts are being made to fill up the i vacancies occasioned in? the ranks of the t Corkonians through the departure from . Oamaru of several members. Already several '. "entlemen have intimaied their willingness I to become members, and any others who may wish to do so are requested to send in their names at once to any member, in order that thev may be proposed at the meeting . to be held "to-nie-rrow evening at Mr. Mitchell's residence. ' Shareholders in the Oamaru Stone Company are informed by advertisement that ■ the first call of lUs per share is payable at the registered office of the company, Tyne street,"~on or before the Ist May next. A meeting of the Loyal Oamaru Lodge, 1.0.0. F.. M.U., will be held this evening, at half-pass seven o'clock sharp, for thc- • transaction of important business. The brctheren of Lodge Oamaru Kilwinn- • ing. No, 537. S.C., are requested to meet at ! the' Lodge Room, at eight o'cock sharp this , evening. A special general meeting of members of the Oamaru Cricket Club will be held at the Koval Hotel on Saturday evening, at eight I o'clock, for the purpose of taking into consideration matters in connection with the improvement of the (Jround. The Mayor being unavoidably absent from town, the" meeting of the Oamaru Naseby ' l.'ailwav Committee called for to-morrow has ' been postponed until Friday, the 26' th instant. In another i'oitimn will be found a notifi- . cation from Messrs. <lalbraith and Co. eoue -miir' a now composition called " AntiLithon/' It is intended to prevent incrustations within steam boilers, and from a large sheet of testimonials which we have now before us we learn it answers its | ourpose well. It possesses the advani tiges of being perfectly harmless to health and uninjurious to metals with which it inav be brought into contact, and of heiti""eapab!e of use without more than ordinary trouble s and, what are the tv. •■» most important qualifications, it is : effectual and cheap. We have previously drawn the attention ■ of our readers to the" fact tlv.t Mr. Stephen Masiett. will on Saturday eveiihjg next, give, at the Masonic Hall, his clever, instructive and amusing entertainment. Speaking for ' ourselves, we anticipate a great treat, for, ■ although we have not yet had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Massett, we have read the eriticlsims of re-liable authorities, which arc ' liberal in their praise of the lecturer. The s Ucv. "Newman Hall, says.—" Mr. Stephen _\!a>.-elt was so kind as to give us his services - the other .veuing at one of our Monday - Popular F.:]tertaiii!>K-nts for the Working i Cla-ses. His rendering of 'Joe's Death,' i from Charles Dickens' Bleak. House, was ; pathetic in the extreme : and his recitations . were most felicitous. The powerful poem, - called 'The Vagabond, or, the Beggar and ; his Do.'.' wonderfully rendered, was listened - to with rapt attention, and the moral ifc enn- - veyed was calculated to be very useful. We ; in ipe that he may soon visit us again—Surrey . Parsonage. Loudon, December '29, 1577-'" - The above testimony is a sufficient guar j raiitxo- that the entertainment is devoid of | . anything approaching vulgarity. From the : Loudon Timt • v.c clip the following :—" Mr. I : Mass-tt gives a .capital imitation of an r affected F.nglaud. He niiniics Madame Anna Bishop very cleverly in ' }£ome. Sweet • Home :" gives a "laughable sketch of Charles Keau : recites with remarkable and touching effect the ' Song of the Hurt ;' and fairly electrified the audience with his recital of ■ j Tennyson's 'Charge of the Light Brigade.' ! Mr. Massett do*s all this, and much more, | and the applause he received from one of the i largest auiiieuees we ever beheld in Hanover- ! square Koons must have been most satisfaci toiy and gratifying to him."

The monthly to-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| The Rescue the some .The usual tteers will take -place ev^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H rangera-.under "' The .^ct,""-within the "Otago :—Messrs Thomas Alexander Thomson, and Angits P^^^^^^B The Wciitangi Tribune says - : than 7000 bags'of wheat were piled Andrew's station on Saturday last, 5000 oT which were outside the shed, with tarpaulins only on top of the piles. At the Otaio Station 2000 bags were also awaiting transit, while at the other places along the line grain was to be seen in large qnnatities. There is every probability that '.much grain will be spoilt unless the Eailway Department acts with more energy than it has hitherto displayed." The Popular Monthly Magazine gives the following remedy for weakfulness : —To those whose brain will not subside when the time for rest has arrived, Dr. John L. Cook, of Henderson, Kentucky, proposes a very simple method of securing prompt and refreshing " sleep without the aid of drugs. When the mind is active, the circulation in the brain is correspondingly active ; we breathe more frequently, and the movements of the heart are more rapid a vigorous. On the other hand, When the mind is at rest, as in healthy sleep, the circulation of the blood is notably diminished, the heart-beats are less rapid and forcible, and the breathing is perceptibly slower. In the wakeful state, the mind, as a'rule, is intensely occupied, whence we may infer an increased amount of blood in the brain. Dr. Cook's suggestion is to withdraw a portion of this from the head, or lower the brain-circulation, by taking deep and slow inspirations—say twelve or fifteen a minute. By this means the action of the i heart will become slower and feebler, less

blood is thrown into the brain, and very soon a quiet feeling, ending in sleep, is induced. As by a 'slight effort of the will anyone may try this, we leave the question of "the value to the test of actual experiment. The French, like other " Western Barbarians," are consterned at the Russian goaheadism. They would be more reconciled to England's difficulties, only there is a lurkin" fear of a European conflagration, and the suspicion that Fiance has, after all, an interest in the Eastern question. It is only fair to record that several Paris papers predicted months ago that the war would end by an alliance between the belligerents. "Not much faith is entertained here about the Conference ; the difficulty is not so much to unite it as to draw up its programme, and Russian conquests exclude definitions or too much prying into by others. Opinion does not see much distinction between the Russians possessing the forts of Constantinople and being flaneurs in Stamboul. When tlie Prussians occupied Mont Valerien, Paris was at their feet. It is also the settled belief that Russia will not let go what she possesses till forced to do so. Turkey being a thing of the past, Austria has now received the fatal name of the "Sick Man." In time Russia and Germany, aided by Italy, will treat Europe as one eats an artichoke, if we do not accept the observation of M, Beust—"There is now no Kurope." It is rumoured that if tiie Congress approaches the Pandora box position of the Continent that Italy might make unpalatable allusions to receiving Trieste, Nice, &c, Denmark the Duchies. Matters are very dark.—Paris correspondent of the D. Star. The following outline of the experiences of one of the most peculiar men in New Zealand, Mr. Hugh Carleton —taken from the Nov Zealand Herald— will doubtless be acceptable to our readers : —'■' Mr. Carleton is of Irish descent, being the son of Mr. Francis Carleton, of Clare, Tipperary. He was sent to Eton College, and thence to Cambridge University, where he got a term's rustication for 'an affair of honor,'which, in plain English, means a * town and gown ' fight. From Cambridge, he went to the Middle Temple, where he kept terms, standing under Sir John Bailey, but taking a dislike to the profession, he did not have himself called to the Bar, but took to studying high art in Italy for three years. In IS+5 he came to New Zealand and took to exporting stock to Sydney, always a hazardous speculation. Three bad voyages, in the last of which ship and all were lost (the Orwell, upon what has since been called Orwell Bank, Manukau Harbour), put a stop to this. During this time lie had at intervals edited the Nev: Zealander newspaper, and after carrying on the New Zealandtr for a further pe-iod, he started a newspaper on his own account, entitled the Awjlo-Maori Warden. lie entered upon a course of opposition to the Government of the day. The paper paid expenses, and nothing more, and was therefore abandoned after a six months' career, Always of an erratic disposition, he left the colony for a while, cruising about South Sea Islands, where he made acquaintance with i Fiji in its primitive state of cannibalism. Shortly afterwards the discovery of gold in California was made, and Mr William Brown, who was sending over the Noble, offered him a cabin passage there and back. Mr Carleton went ashore at Pitcairn Island, where

the ship Irul stopped to water, and the captain, pretending to lie blown away, sailed away without him. Left behind, he beguiled the time by teaching the islanders to sing in parts, an accomplishment which still retains hi-h perfection at Norfolk Island. The Colonist. Captain Mars'iail, touch-tl at Pitcairn Island, when MrCarloton obtained a passage, and found himself in California in the plight in which he had gone ashore at Pitcairn Island. l!uturning'"to Xew Zealand, he obtained a seat in tlic'l'irst House of .Representatives as member for the Pay of Islands. Owing to the early date fixed for nomination, and the fact of being elected without opposition, he became ' Father of the House.' In 18o(i he became the Southern- Grots editor, conducting it for years, until the connection was severed on account of his views about the Waitava war, which were unpopular at the time. Public opinion came round to him at last, as indeed, upon other questions, but throiig| his political career he and the public have seldom been of the same opinion at the same time. At the general election in IS7I he lost the seat which he had held continuously for seventeen years. Mr C'arleton has some commissions to execute for the New Zealand University at Home, but '.Metorks,'as he delights to subscribe .himself I learn, has shaken Sew Zealand dust off his feet for the last time."