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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1002, 5 July 1879, Page 2

The Tort Darwin cable is interrupted between Port Darwin and Banjocwaugi. The steamer Waitaki has changed hands, having been purchased from the Oamaru and Duncdin Steamship Company by the Union Company. She will, we arc pleased to learn, be still retained in the trade between Dunedin and this port.

Tbe bridge at Mahcno, which suffered during the late Hoods, is at present a trap which the unwary or even the wary traveller might fall into to his serious injury and perhaps destruction. We are glad to hear, therefore, that Mr. David ]3ooth has been empowered by several members of the County Council, who fully recognise the urgency of repairing the bridge at once, to do what is necessary to place it once more in a safe condition.

A number of well-packed cases, containing Oamaru stone in various forms, were despatched from the Oamaru Stone Company's office this afternoon, and forwarded by train to Christchurch, en route to Wellington and Sydney. The samples of carved, cut, and turned stone that these cases contain are such as will, we are sure, rather surprise those who will become accruainted with the nature of the Oamaru stone for the first time at the Sydney Exhibition. Mr. Godfrey will unpack and furbish the samples so as to prepare them for exhibition after the racket of tbe sea trip.

The bridge across Milner's Creek in the Weymouth Sub-division of the Waitaki Road District- is in a dilapidated state. It never was a very substantial structure, but it is now almost impassable. A team might be piloted across it in safety, but there is a great risk of their coming to grief. Several of the farmers in the vicinity have lately had too practical demonstration of the fact. Unless something is soon done to repair the approaches to this bridge and render it fit for the purpose for which it was constructed, the losses incurred by those attempting to cross it in its present state will amount to a sum greatly in excess of that which would be necessary to put it right.

The following interesting item has been forwarded to us by telegraph from Welling' ton :—" Mr. G. S. Graham, of the Colonial Insurance Company, to-day presented a pair of white gloves to the editor of the Evening Po3t, as yesterday's issue of that paper was the only newspaper he has met with for some time without finding another fire rer ported somewhere," We congratulate the

editor of our contemporary upon having received so valuable and appropriate a presentation, and the manager of the Colonial Insurance Company upon having obtained a cheap and very striking advertisement.

A meeting of gentlemen -willing to become members of an Amateur Dramatic Club -Brill be held on Tuesday evening, at eight o'clock, at the Royal Hotel. So far as we can learn, the Club promises to be a very strong one, and every effort will be made to establish it on a sound basis. A correspondent writes as follows :—While I was standing at Richmond's Crossing, last Saturday, in company with ten other persons, all of us intending passengers by rail, and waiting for the train's arrival, I was struck with the carelessness of somebody—l sup-. pose either the Railway Department or the Government—in not erecting some simple sheds at such places. It was raining likewell, like anything, while we were waiting last Saturday, aud as the train was about half an hour late it may be imagined that we were in such a condition as to preclude the possibility of catching fire. I have often been similarly circumstanced during the winter, and I know many others who, like me, have to trust to the railways for conveyance to town, who have been companions in misery. I wish you would draw attention to this matter in your paper." It is the same old tale—one of most glaring negligence on the part of the Government. We cannot imagine that it can be anything else, because the expense of providing such conveniences for the public would be a mere bagatelle, and would afford no excuse for the absence of those things our correspondent refers to. We were sorry to see the Volunteer Hall not better filled last evening, when an entertainment of a thoroughly enjoyable nature was given to assist in paying off certain liabilities in connection with the hall. The coldness of the night, and the unpleasant state of the streets no doubt prevented many from attending, and the tolerably large number who were present are deserving of some amount of credit for having left their comfortable firesides, and resting content to sit for a couple of hours on a very cold night in so cheerless a building, in a semi-frozen state. But the performers were more to be pitied than the audience. "Behind the scenes" was so cold last night that the notes almost froze as they issued from the mouths of the singers with a peculiar, tremulous, shivering sound, which permeated, to a greater or lesser extent, ! the vocal performances of the evening. The band, too, seemed seized with the same complaint, besides giving some evidence of having been recently formed. The trio (Reissiger's) was too much, we suppose, on such a night and in such a hall, and was omitted from the programme, and so was Mr Fraser's song, through that gentleman's alsence from town. We suppose that, on the whole, the audience were pretty well satisfied with the musical part, which was rendered the more tolerable by the brilliant solo of Mr. Solomon and the comic songs of Mr. G. E. Farr. But the second part was by far preferable to the musical portion of the entertainment, notwithstanding that several of the songs were well chosen and capitally sung. In "A Dead Shot," Mr. Mitchell proved conclusively that he is a born actor. Of course, last night was not the first time that he has appeared upon " the boards," nor, indeed, the first time that he lias taken the character of Mr. Timid. He looked the part, too, as well as acted it, and where it was necessary to dress or " iir.niit.ify nature" in order to pourtray the eccentric and irascible party, lie did it to perfection. From the moment that he first set his foot upon the stage we detected a familiarity with the part and the ability to represent it ; but when lie wooed the effervescent Louisa, and subsequently showed his disappointment at having mistaken her nature, disapproved of her sayings and doings, and rejected her hand, he was so enjoyable that we forgot that we were present at only an amateur performance, and that a'most the first of the kind we have witnessed in Oamaru. Nor is Mrs. Kinnear, who admirably pourtrayed the character of Louisa Lovetriek, deserving of less praise. This lady also showed that she is no novice. She gave to the part of the changeful Louisa a life-like representation, and materially aided in making the farce thoroughly amvsing, and the Dramatic Club in course of formation is to be congratulated upon having secured the co-operation of Mrs. Kinnear. As Captain Cannon, a fireeating military officer always anxious to make his friends fight though apparently not caring to have his own blood shed, Mr. S. E. Smith was capital, and gives promise of proving a capable amatuer actor. He looked aud acted the part conscientiously. Mr. B. W. Hayes had not much to do as Mr. Wiseman, but all he had to do was well done, and the same may be said of Mr. J. Walls, who pourtrayed the somewhat thankless part of Frederick Thornton. The young gentleman, or as the bills called him Miss Nightingale, who undertook the part of the maid Chatter must certainly be complimented upon the excellent manner in which he succeeded in performing the difficult task of looking and acting the part of one of the gentler sex. The cast was a good one in every respect, and the piece proved highly diverting. They do not appear to take very great interest in the Sydney International Exhibition in Christchurch, judging from the following paragraph taken from the Lyttelton Times :—As usual, there was no quorum at the weekly meeting of the Sydney Exhibition Commissioners yesterday afternoon. Messrs. Turner and Cunningham were the only members present, and no business was done. Probably with a desire of emulating Job's comforters,* the Secretary reported to the two Commissioners present that he had been that day informed by Dr. Hector that Dunedin was making " a splendid show " in the way of exhibits. We are informed that bacon and soap will each be represented by only one exhibit, and cheese by two exhibits. Unless greater energy is displayed in the way of sending in articles of local manufacture, Canterbury is likely to be somewhat " out of sight " at the forthcoming Exhibition.

There is at present exhibited at Wanganui the Lord's Prayer in Maori, with a literal English translation. The picture is a curiosity in its way, as it is all illuminated in Maori tracery (whakiro). It is the work of Mr. W. Gordon, of the Telegraph Office, who has reproduced the borders, &c, from copies taken from Maori carvings. The Maori prayer is in plain black text with the English translation under each line in vermillion. We believe this is the first picture of the kind ever attempted, and is in-r tended for the forthcoming Sydney Exhibition. The colours are well combined, and are heightened with gold. We hear it is the author's intention to have the picture copyrighted, and as it has been photographed, lovers of the beautiful and curious should not fail to procure a copy. In the centre of the border on each side is a man and woman's

face, showing the tattoo marks on each, and ; altogether the picture faithfully represents an art which is fast dying out.—Wanganui Chronicle. The comedy of " Our Boys," says an ex- j change, which was represented continuously ; at a London theatre every night —except ; Sundays—for over three years, became so monotonous to the actors who took part in j it, that two of them became insane, and; three died. There is a Melbourne paper called the Advocate. It writes thus of the Isandula defeat, in which so many brave Irishmen lost their lives :—" In bringing such a calamity (?) about, and in ridding the world of a few less enemies to Ireland's weal, we Irishmen, with feelings of gladness and national joy, have every reason to feel proud of the man who is ' bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh' —the great Zulu organiser, John Dunn, the County Tyrone man."

A Sydney paper says :—Amongst other attractions to visitors during the show will be ;he fleet of war-vessels in the port. Two ressels, a man-of-war and a transport, will :arry the French flag ; Germany and Austria will each send a corvette ; and an Italian irst-class is to bring the Duke of Genoa. The Imperial Princes of Russia will arrive in i Russian frigate; and as America and lapan have announced their intention of ueing fully represented, we shall probably iave war-vessels from both those countries. [t is reported to be the intention of the [mperial Government to favor us with a nsit from the Flying Squadron, so that the jeautiful waters of Port Jackson will be the neeting-place of a maritime congress—this lime, of peace and honor." The San Francisco News Letter says : : ' The poultry-ranch proprietors in Watsont'ille are so elated at the successful manner in which ten brave young men threw eggs I at a local editor that thej have added a new subdivision to the usual classification of their gallinacious products. The grocery stores down there now keep 'fresh laid,' 'yesterday's,' 'a little off,' 'doubtful,' 'stale,'and 'editorial' eggs. Watsonville newspaper men never dream of going out now with good clothes on, and even the printer's devil has his egg suit. Now one understands what an editor means when he says that 1 somebody or other received a perfect * ovaI tion.' " I