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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1165, 10 January 1880, Page 2

His Excellency Sir Hercnles Robinson, we have learned from a private sonrce, intends to visit this district shortly, and will be the guest for a while of the Hon. Robert Campbell, at Otekaike. A number of properties were offered by public auction by Mr. A. H. Maude to-day, by order of the trustee in the estate of Messrs. Lees and Moore:—Lots 6, 7, 8, comprising nearly pne-seventh of an acre, L7OO, to Mr. F. Dunlop, for Messrs. J. and T. Meek. Lot 5, with option of lots 4, 3, and 2, at L 205 each (LS2O) to Mr. Shrimski. The next lot submitted was the lease of the Cape property (about eight years to run, at a yearly rental of about l»160), 060 acres, for LIOOO, to Mr. Fairfax Fen wick. The resi- ! dential sites /etched the following prices ; Lot 13, block 29, LKO, Mr. James Shand; lot 14, block 29, L 92 103, Mr. E. A. Burgess; lot 15, block 29, L 92 103, Mr. E. A. Buigesß ; lot 16, block £9, G. H. M'Kenzie; lot 17, block 29, was passed in, the highest bid being L 55, the reserve being L 10 0; lots 18, 19, and 20, block 29, were passed in. For section 4, block G7 fMr. Procter's), section 16, block 22 (Mrs. Cllisad's), and the Waimato property, there were no bids. On Thursday, at White Rocks, Messrs. Fleming and Hcdley held a sale on account of Mr. Andrew Aikenhaid, at which there was a fair attendance. Although the bidding was very stiff for horses, still good sorts fetched fair values. For the implements there was good competition. First-class horses realised from LSO to L 5 5; medium, from L3O to L4O; inferior, from L2O upwards; hacks, from L 7 tc Ll4;-unbroken hones unsaleable; farm drays, from Ll7 to Ll7 10s; old, from LS to Ll2; other implements fetched good values; chaff, delivered on the ground, 9.W to Is per bag; bags, 6d. At the meeting of the Oamarn Schools Committee last evening, it was pointed out thai the beginning of the financial year the Committee were in debt to the extent of L 52, and it whs very satisfactory to know that they "were only in debt at the present time to tbe amount of L 9. The Committee fkte deserving of the greatest credit for the .efforts they made to wipe off the liabilities incurred onder the old regime.

The next sitting of the Maerewhenua Warden's Court is announced to be held at Livingstone on "Wednesday next, at noon. At the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day-William Koden, charged with being drunk and disorderly, was discharged with a caution.

The winners of prizes afc the late show of the Horticultural Society can receive, •_ the amounts of their prizes after the 12th inst. on application to Mr. D. S. Montagu, Hon. Sec.

The annual meeting of the members of the North Otago Coursing Club will be held on Tuesday next, at eleven o'clock, in the County Council Chambers. As, in addition to the election of officers and the transaction of other annual, business, several matters of importance will be brought forward, a full attendance is desired.

The following are the names of . the pupil teachers in the Oamaru Schools who passed the annual examination held lately :t Sophia Ferens (High School), Mary Ann Crawford (- v "outli School), Mary Jane Wilding (High School), James. Bee (High School), -Victor (High School), Margaret Hastie (High- School), _ Mary J. Evans (North School), Mary Islip (North School), James Borthwick (North School), Frances Peach (North School), and Maggie Paterson (North School). Not a little consternation was caused this afternoon when the " colossal bison" was brought in by the eight or ten men that take him in tow. Upon making his entree, he rushed straight for the opposite opening, and when he got to the length of his tether, and received a fortunate check, he made for the gallery, twisting and twirling his head about in anything but a tractable manner, and it was not till Mr. Charles Werner made his appearance that the beast was rendered docile. This gentleman appears to have this huge lump of fierce flesh from the Rocky Mountains under perfect control. What has become of the expensive watercart that the Municipal Council had constructed over twelve months ago 1 To-day large clouds of dust, rendering a view of anything a few yards off a matter of impossibility, were wafted through the streets, to the annoyance of pedestrians, the damage of drapers' wares, and the discredit of the town. We know that the Council are ceedingly " hard-up," and we can appreciate their desire to economise in every possible way; but we cannot endure the dust, and we would therefore suggest that if the Council are too poor to pay for watering the streets they should give some enterprising citizen permission to use the watercart. Were this done we think the tradespeople of the town would be willing to contribute weekly.instalments towards the cost of mitigating this great nuisance. The circus was again filled with an. appreciative and delighted audience last evening, when the programme of the previous evening was repeated, and met with a large amount of applause. The performing animals again formed a very pleasing feature in the performance, and to see the trained horses, dogs, and zebras, and tigers go through their performances was alone worth the money charged for admission. The clowns caused considerable amusement by their drolleries, many of which were new. This afternoon's matinee was very largely attended, chiefly by children and their attendants. The performance again gave great delight to the rising generation. This evening the troupe -will appear for the last time, and a new programme will be presented, including the introductions of the performing bison, some trained ponies, and other novelties: By a strange freak of the Gulf Stream — so says Dr. Hector—the aridness of portions of this Colony has been changed to a condition of moisture most favorable to vegetation. This stream, which from time immemorial has shaped its course to the north of the Colony, now runs through Cook Strait. From some cause or other we 'have been treated to a most extraordinary change in climate in this part of the Colony, as well as in the south. We have been favored with a share of moisture that formely belonged to the southern portion of the Colony from Milton to Invercargill. We have not ljeard how the northern part of the Colony has fared through the change. Perhaps wretched Wellington may become an elysium, and its niurky sky, its tornadoes bearing on their wings numerous and ample geological specimens, may be transformed, as by a fairy wand, into Italian geniality and beauty. However this may be, we have cause to be grateful for what we have received, and reason to pray that the change may be permanent.

The annual meeting of the Managers of the Oamaru Cemetery was held last evening, when the following were present:—Messrs. Gibbs (in the chair), Shrimski, Kidd, Wausbrougli, Dunn, and Clowes (Secretary). The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, the Secretary read the balance-sheet, the substance of which is as follows : —The receipts during the year amounted to L 297 18s and the expenditure L2OB 13s, thus leaving a balance of LS9 ss. The Secretary explained that since the close of the financial year other moneys had been received, and the total amount in the Bank had been brought up to LlO5. This, with the LlO6 invested, would enable the Managers to pay off the mortgage of L2OO on the lodge. The balance-sheet was ordered to be audited, and Messrs. Medlicott and Peach were appointed auditors. It was resolved thai; the Secretary sbouiu write to Miss Spence, offering tp pay off the mortgage, and that, in the event of her declining to accept payment until the expiry of the period of the mortgage, the sum of LIOO should be invested for the remainder of the term. Some matters of detail having been discussed, the meeting closed with the. usual vote of thanks to the Chairman.

The Yankees arc essentially a pushing people, and in many respects lead the van of progress. Of this we have lately had several evidences, more especially in regard to the machinery specially designed to aid agriculture, but we doubt if ever a more convincing proof of. the energy and originality of the Americans has been given to the people of the colonies than is afforded by an elaborate an<j most complete Bible that has lately been introduced into _ the Colony by Mr, Jieney, who has been specially sent to the Colony by the publishers for the purpose of soliciting orders. This Bible is a marvel of completeness in every respect. In addition to the Old and New Testaments, it contains the Apocrypha, giving a record of the period elapsing between the dates.of the present Testaments, Bible Dictionary, Concordance, History of the Jewish Tabernacle and Priesthood, bpsides a mass of other information, including explanatory articles on many of the most interesting passages of Scripture, It is beautifully illustrated, and an elegant marriage certificate, family register, and places for family portraits, the Rev, Dr. Stuart very well sunjp up the merits of the work when he says In a word, I do not know any half-dozen volumes which contain so much 'information about the scriptures as the 'Complete Family Bible.'" Dull as tbe times have been during the past year, Mr. Beney succeeded in selling 400 of these Bibles. In addition to being a most complete book of reference, it certainly forms a very handsome table ornament. We are surprised at ourselves. Usnally scrupulously correct, earnest, and sedate, we last evening strayed into the realms of romance—and such romance, to.i—by stating that a Mr. Ashley gave birth to a male child on board the Penguin, during the late excursion. For the sake of our journalistic reputation • we wish to state that we believe this to be an error; but it is not attributable to any ignorance on our part of the science of physiolpgy. We have always understood that such an occurrence -as that which we announced was impossible, and, notwithstanding the eccentricities of our compositors, we still hold to that theory. What would Mrs. Ashley say to such a newfangled m.ethod of carrying out 'the injunction to increase and multiply? and what will Mr. AShley say if he discovers that we have turned topsy-turvy the natural order of things? He would surely say thai it would be too much confinement. Without waiting as to any proofs, as to the correctness or otherwise of our announcement, we hasten to offer.the. fallowing apology and explanation as a means of re-instating ourselyes in tlje ranks of the reputable and veraciousjournajsofthp Colony : We were in eroor in stating that.,: Mr. Ashley gave birth to a. male child on board the Penguin, and so' convinced- are we that we have been incorrect in making the assertion that he did so, that without even waiting to make any inquiries regarding the matter, we hasten to state that we think it

must have been Mrs. Ashley, and not Mr. Ashley, who on that occasion added one more to the family of the Ashleys. We think that this explanation is due both to the lady and gentleman concerned.

A French statist lias, come to the conclusion, after a- very r laborious..examinatipu of the" number of deaths from railway accidents in all; parts of the world, thjilfc if aij.persoii were;to live continually in a railfcay fcarriage and spend all his time in travelling, the chances in favor ?of his; dyingvfrom- railway■ accident would not oiieur untifi heiijaV 960? year§*'old. We would recommend that the projectors of the proposed Accident Company should introduce this paragraph into their advertisement. :

A lad named George- Soutar, fifteen; years of as'e in Dundee, "svhile ;>but walking, chewed some tobacco, and inadyerteiitiy a -piece- of '-- it. rr'-rGn going home he became very ill, vomiting, ;and being' convulsed/* I'Contmuirig to get worse, DrsfMiller knd Pirie were sent for, •and' were~soon~iii attendande. "It "appeared to them' to b.e a - cas,e of nicotine ; poisoning. Notwithstanding all' their efforts,"_ the lad died the" same night, in" great "suffering. Apart from the bloodshed (writes a correspondent of the Sydney Mail), the reckless waste of human life in connection with the Wantabadgery tragedy, I think the sight of two youths in the felon's dock, tearless, and, to all appearance, unrepentant, was the moss painful. How these boys, who, according to all accounts, were well reared, one erstwhile a regular attendant at Sunday school, could hear the dread sentence which consigned them to an early grave, and still remain defiantly firm, is one of those problems which are unsolvable by mortals. The stern Judge, overcome by emotion, faltered, while the criminals were a,s ada- • mant.

Mr. Ballance's paper (the Wanganui Herald) thus disputes the correctness of the Colonial Treasurer's estimates for the year that will end on the 30th June next: —"The Treasurer has estimated L 675,000 for the nine months ending the 31st March. The amount received to the end of December was about L 325,000. If the receipts from the beginning of January to the end of March show L 70,000 in each four-weekly period (the amount last year) the actual revenue at the end of the financial year will be L 552,000, or L 120,000 less than estimated. Making the fullest allowance for the increased traffic during the grain season the revenue is not likely to exceed L 600,000, leaving a deficiency on the estimates of the considerable sum of L 75,000,"