The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1122, 22 November 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1879.

Thi North Otugo Horticultural Society's Exhibition Is announced in oar adrertis- . to take place on the 6tb Pe-

cembcr next, and, from what we can glean, it will be several degrees in advance of its predecessors in point of-excellence. This is a circumstance that reflects great credit on the committee of the Society, for they hare had many difficulties to contend against. Other kindred societies in this Provincial District have succumbed one after another, till the North Oiago Society only remains as a promoter of the Hoticultural art. Dunedin even 'Cannot boast of the existence there of such n Societyy although it might, in a horticultual sense, if other things were equal, fir surpass the efforts of little Oamaru. Dunedin only requires energy. It ha 3 climate ami wealth. have energy, less wealth, and a less favorable climate for the growth of flowers and fruit, at all events in the vicinity of Oamnru. Yet our society has not only outlived all its fellows, but maintains its [»ie3ti;e. Of oiurao, it has not 1 been kept nt!>..-vt without a .-tru-'.'k-. It | the commithad given way t>< mivcrrfify i initrad 11 fighting it. (hero w..i:!d not to. j dav hav« !>' ••» a Horticultural S.»j eiety tit this Provincial District No one I who has watched the North Osago S<>- | ciety'a career can doubt the truth of this j assertion. To them last year opened dis- ' malty, tor their exchequer »;!-•» at I distressingly low ebb. Thf-v, however, ' sft to work manfully to reduce their in- | debtedncs3, and tho closo of the year • saw them, not only dear of debt, but with | a balance to their credit. To the Society's ; indefatigable secn-.ary, and a number of ! other gentlemen whose heart* are wann in i the ratuc they have espoused, are we inj tlebted for the existence r.ml stability of the Society. We trust that the public's ! support of tho Society "will steadily and | substantially increase, and that its eftii etency and its exhibitions will yersrly ini crease in excellence till we 3liall be able, in the exercise of warrantable pride, to point to them as the best of their kind in the colony.

We would do the Railway Department a great injustice wctc we to allow this occasion to pass of according it well-merited praise for the very excellent train arrangement* which were made to meet the exigencies of the ahf»w season. They seem to have every desire to manage the railways under their control for the benefit of the publio. In addition to the other train arrangements which enabled such crowds of conntry folk to visit Oa.tn«ru daring the past two or three day*, by the expenditure of a ininiiiiuin of time and money, Mr. flann&v, in compliance with a request from ft number of 01ep«>|K> settlers, yesterday afternoon put oti a train at «»o'clock so as to enable those residing south to remain till the show proceeding? were unite over, and yet reach their homes liut evening. Besides this, the whole of the stock was conveyed home last evening without the occurrence of a single hitch. ifo*different thia management to what has obtained in the past. This j-i one of the beneficial results of local self-govnriiment—-o£ the railways of this district being managed by a man having authority on the spot, and not from C'hristchureh, by officials who little knew oar wgnt*. and seemed to care less. Wc are indebted to the local Postal Department for the following information The Oamartt portion of the San Francisco mail missed to-day's express train from C'hrwtchnrch, as it did not arrive nntil sn hour and a half after the train had left; but the train arriving in Timam at 0.40 p.m. will convey it to th.? latter place, and thence it will be forwarded by a special to Oamani. Residents in the city not holders of private boxes may obtain their letters over the connter for one hour after the mail is sorted. The Department deserve# the thanks of the community for having devised tbia means of doing away with the necessity of the majority of the public waiting for their letters till Monday. The John Watson and her two companions seem to have hud an exceedingly lively time at Timam daring the kte heavy weather. The population of that town turned out in hundreds to witness the demolition of th»: Watfn. which seemed to lie imminent. At one time she, in her extremity, found hert; jvmong'st the reefs whieh e.M'-t to the south of the port. As .-he was drawing t-j!i feet of water, and it was dead l»w writ r at the time, it was. thought that she must he broken to pieces against ti..r:i by the force of the ?ea : but when she " hung her head and swuns towards the shore.'' as the Timan: Itcratd pttts it. no one had the least doubt L'-r tiwie had come. licit she again shaped her coarse seawanl. to the v-ry ;_reat astonishment of all. having escaped boiling cartldron under her lee. Subsequently she hove to off Salt Water Creek, with her flag half ma#t high as a signal of distress. Tile Saxnji. one of h-.-r d'stressed companions, bore down upon her and -"ijl-d round her, and succeeded in getting ttway sn company. The general opinion tit■ 11 the Watson has sprung a leak, and none with her convoy to fort (. hidmerc. ihe following further particulars have l>een received by telegraph "Timarn. Xov. -2. -- Nothing further has been lii-nrd of the John Wat.-'otV or the Saxon. It was nt;;:«>red this that the John Watson_ doned at I'iicdiunting Creek, but intetligence was brongh: F,y the guard _of the n.tmaru train that a >e-*el which is pjobaldv the Watson was well off the land when the Waist was iwar Xocinanby to-day." A later telegram Eroui our own correspondent atTinians informs tts that tfu* John watson is snnk oti" Cite shore near Waitaki; sH hands saved. We are informed that the nnsr.rirmatc man WtUsani K'Kenzie. who was killed on l!;e show ground yesterday, recent!v made a proposal to insure liu life for L>oo in the Australian Mutual I'rovide;;t Society, but farted to complete it. This is n matter for regret, as, had it been otherwise, some provision would have Wen innde for his v. idow and eleven fatherless children. This circumstance speaks more eloquently than a thousand moat eloquent lecturers on life assurance. Mr. I great camera obsettra, which was erected near tho Show fSround. and was open during the days of the exhibition and to-day. has" been a source of gre.»t attraction, and it has been acknowledged by all tho have s«ij»n it to l>e the moat wonderful optical instalment of its kind they have ever seen. Mr. I'EOcter manufactures! it at his establishment in I'hristchurcli. aiul for bis enterprise he deser~.es great praise. , It appears that someone in Punedtn n« !)*«« the author of a very grim Joke by circulating 3 rumor that the emigrant ship Dnnedtn, which left OEasgow for Dunedin with immigrant* on the 26th August last, hail been wrecked ou the Snares. The rumor appears to be without foundation. The Artillery Band last evening enlivened the town by parading the princtpat streets and playing some lively aire in a very crcditab'e maimer. petty thefts are of rather frequent occurrence in the town just now. \\ e have heard of several small thefts within the past lew days, the paltriness of the articles rolen being only equalled by the impudence of the manner in which tiiat thefts were committed. Housewives would do v«JI to be careful not to leave anything within tiie reach of these light-fingered gentry, who appear capable of devoted attention to even the meanest of articles. , The members of the CWnarn Rifles Rami are requested to meet for practice at eight o'clock on Monday evening. The travelling agent of the Australian Mutual Provident Society wiil visit the Duntroon and Livingstone districts during tha nest week, and" will also make a tour through the Upper Waitaki district. On Monday and Tuesday next Mr. J. H. will sell, at toe Athena-urn, Wellington. the Hon. John ilartiifs property called Martinborough. situate w-itiiin four hours" ride by rail an.l coach of the City ot Wellington. It consists of 40,000 acres of ai:ricultural land, which has t>een occupied aiul improved for the last 35 years. It will be sold upon deferred payments in farms ot from five to ten acres. It appears that the difficulty which arose as regards the title lias now been removed, fuller particulars may be gleaned from advertisements in this ""we have to-day had the pleasure of seeing an illuminated copy of the resolution proposed by Captain Sumpterjit List inspection parade, and which the No. 1 Battalion ir.t jnd to present to Major Steward, who lately severed his connection with the Battalion. It is most beautifully designed in appropriate colors, apd will form a memento of hw connection "with the Battalion of which Mr. Steward may well fed proud.

A new sensation is about to be introduced at Sydney, and in the course of time will find its way to New Zealand. Messrs D. R. Hawley and A. Binslay, known in America as the world-renowned aerial monarchs, have arrived in Sydney, and, during next week they will ascend in a balloon, and when at a great height will go through trapeze performances on a trapeze attached to the bottom of the car. The balloon will be free, and entirely at the merry of the winds. The members of the Oamavn Young Men's Christian Association h'-IJ third annual re-union at the new ha!!. lues-street, last evening. There was a large attendance of members and their friends, and a pleasant evening was j Kissed. At about seven o'clock a promenade tea was freely partaken of, and after this some time was devoted to conversation and an inspection of various interesting articles placed on exhibition. The rmnnindvrof the evening was devoted to short addrc.-we!", interspersed with vocal and instru-irn-'iit.ii music, the mec'iiig being brought to a close with the Benediction. At tiie Resident Magistrate's Court this : morning. .Toseph .Johnston, for having been ' ijruuk and disorderly, .was fined fis., with i the option of going to gaol. for 24 hciu\i. I John Matheson was sentenced to five daj s ! imprisonment for being illegally on the preI mises of Mr. Nelson, Commercial BoardingI iiou:-e. Arthur William Campbell, charged will: dfcolscying a summons issued from the In vercargill llcsidcnt Magistrate's Court,, calling upon him to appear and answer a charge of holding a lottery or game of chance, was remanded to Invercargill. \\'e have just received an old friend—who for yeard bsw reached us in a somewhat disreputable garb—in «juito a new guise. We allude to the South Canterbury Times, which, under a now proprietary, and edited aud managed by well-known and. able newspaper men, is now as good a specimen of printing aa it once was bjjd, _ Moreover, it shows signs of renewed vitality, Tho adr vertiscincnt columns arc well filled by "good" ads., and the paper now advocates a policy, and does it pithily and well, and in the usual style of Mr. Hogg, the editor. The Times has now been given a fair start, and will not, published as it is in a flourishing district, fail in reaching a first position amongst the evening journals of the Colony as an advertising medium and a social, moral, and political power.