Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1885.

Oamaru Mail, Volume X, Issue 3433, 31 December 1885, Page 2

Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1885.

"Exrr 1885; enter 1886." So runs the direction which Time has issued for the continuance of the drama of life. The act upon which the certain will shortly fall amidst the ringing of bells and the explosion of much powder has been of stirring moment to the world, and many of the actors that have taken part in it have been removed for ever from the stage. The most notable of these has been King Alphonso, of Spaio, whose heroism in braving all the dangers of that terrible ecourge, the cholera, in order that he might mingle with his suffering people, and alleviate their distress, will ever live in the memories of the people, and be a standing example for the monarchs of the world. America has had occasion to mourn the loss of one whose name will occupy a prominent place in the history of that great country. Ulysses Grant was unquestionably one of the greatest generals of the age, and though in co other respect was he so great, America may well' be proud of her son. Others whose names will find places on the scroll of fame have also passed away, but to these it is impossible in tho limited space of a newspaper artie'e te refer. When the year whose calendar has nearly expired dawned npon the world, it found Great Britain making preparations for a military expedition to the Soudan for the relief of General Gordon, one of the bravest and most self-denying of her sons—a man whose mission was to bring peace and good order to a far-off land, where anarchy and fanaticism, with fire and bloodshed, and slavery in its worst forms, were rampant. Little mo r e than a mouth had passed ere the news came that Khartoum had fallen, and that General Gordon was a prisoner; and after a few days of bitter suspense was heralded the dreaded news that the man for whose relief Great Britain had, somowhat tardily, despatched troops, hid perished, a victim to treachery and a martyr on the altar of duty. How tbe great heart of the nation was stirred a' the announcement, and how a cry went forth that the blood of the noble Gordon should be avenged, form prominent features of the history of the year ; but in that history there will be no brighter page than that which records the promptitude with which the colonies sprang forward to the assistance of the Mother Country. Of the many patriotic offers made by Britain's sons of the South, that cf New South Wales only was accepted, and in her history the jcar ISSS will be one that marks a new and glorious era. Tho year 1886, which is now close upon us, will find the Soudan still troubled, and a? we write there are indications of a probability that the troops whose previous mission proved fruitful in little save tbe lost of a number of distinguished offices and valuable men will ere long have to return to that country to the aid of the comrades whom they left behind them. Whilst engaged in the abortive Soudan campaign, the year saw Great Britain called upon to make preparations for the- threatened war in Afghanistan, where Bu'sisn aggression had ..called for. active measures in order to check her progress to India, one of the richest possessions of the Empire. Happily, actual hostilities were averted, and a peaceful solution of the point at itsue is now in progress, though

that progress is not so rapid or so satisfactory -03 might be wished for. "We can only theiiyear that is .see ttie*preseat'-;negotiations : q6nclacted, and peace with shonor thoroughly, established. Then; will the another prSof differences maj meinV otherlhan schematised and wholesale murder. One such proof has beea afforded duriDg the year; for by arbitration the difficulty between Germany and Spain In reference to the Caroline Islands was settled, and. a threatenid war England and Germany have also "afforded a iurther evidence of the fact .that trouble may be overcome by peaceful means. This-istobe found in the resultof the negotiations with reference to New Guinea, and, though in thiß matter our Mother Country showed a too yielding disposition, we cannot but be gratified that the peaceful relations between two of the most powerful nations of the earth have been maintained. These are valuable lessoas of the year, and the hope of all men must be th»t the time is not far distant wbea the differences between civilised nations will be settled by the force of reason and not by the force of armß. When that time arrives then ! will the world be the better, and then shall we be a long promised millennium. It will, however, be Borne time before the great principle of arbitration can be brought into operation amongst the uncivilised peoples cf the earth, and we must, for many years, be prepared to hear of military expeditions to assert national right. One such expedition Great Britain was forced to undertake the other day, when the obstructive attitude of the King of Burniah towards Britain and British commerce Ici to the invasion of that country by British troop", whoso advent quelled any insurrectionary spirit, and drove the bloodthirsty tyrant Theebaw from his throne. Had it not been for the recent outbreak of war between Servia and Bulgaria the peace of Europe would not have been disturbed during the year. That small war. which at one time threatened to set a great part of the Coninent in a blaze, has happily been brought to a spaedy termination through the prompt intervention of the Great Powers. France has had her hands pretty full during the year with "the wars in Tonquin and Madagascar, but the former has been terminated and the latter is not far from a conclusion. With a revolt of the half-breeds in Canada, quickly stamped out, the record' of the year's wars comes to an end. In many other directions there have been troubles and disasters enough. To these we have not apace to refer in detail, but they may be enumerated thus briefly: A scourge of cholera in Spain and other countries ; a most disastrous flood in China, laying desolate a great share of the country, drowning thousands of people, and redncing to starvation thousands of others ; a fearful cyclone in India, with an enormous destruction of property; a foul plot to blow up by dynamite many of the noble edifices and glorious monuments of the old country; innumerable colliery explosions, proviDg that science has not yet ' completed her great work of providing for the safety of the miners who risk their lives in order that the world may have fuel. These are but a few of the painfully memorable events of the year. Happily, New Zealand has had no great disaster to mark 1885; Shut she has had occasion to compassionate the parent colony, Kew South Wales, in her serious railway accidents, and to bear in mind that progress is attended by its dangers as well as its disadvantages. The year's colonial history, outside* of the events that have already been mentioned, is not a particularly stirring one. We have been drivenjn self -protection .tp.maka-p»«-Utrc .„ for the'Selence of o'ir peaceful shores against invasion by the enemies of our Motherland; but otherwise our record has been one cf peacefnlness, though • unfortunately not of progress and prosperity. .We have witnessed the establishment of a Federal Council for Australasia, and we have heard much of a federation of the Empire and of the Englishspeaking peoples great step towards securing the peace of the world, which is yet among the things to he hoped for. We have also witnessed the completion of the establishment of a protectorate over New Guinea, a proceeding that has thus early resulted in the death of General Scratchley, the first Commissioner. Such generally has been Vze year 1885—a year that has been marked throughout the worPd by financial depression and anxiety as to-the future. May that future prove brighter and more prosperous, is our earnest wish.

invitation by the Deputy-Official Assignee of tenders for binding, and stooking rye-grass crop at Bakateramea has been withdrawn. 'AUday Bay Beach was the scene of an animated gathering yesterday. The ocoawas the united picnic of the Maheno, Otepopo, and Kakanui Sunday schools. This picnic has now become an institution in the district, and from a comparatively small beginning has assumed large proportions. Indeed, a great many of the business places ia the townships now . close, on the picnic day, and a general holiday is proclaimed. Nearly 700- persons were present on the beach yesterday, consisting .of scholars, teachers, and settlers in the district, and as the weather was aU ; that conld be desired, and every provision had been made for the general comfort' and enjoyment, it may easily be imagined that the affair passed off very successfuly. All kinds of gam?s were instituted for young and'old. Racing, kiss-in-the-ring, rounders, and kindred amusements, were indulged -in. Then came the tngs-of-war. These events, as usual, created great excitetrent, the partizans on both a : des nrging their friends to give a " pull all together." The single men beat the married, the Otepopo boys beat the Kakanai boys, and the Maheno boys those hailing from Otepopo. Thronahout the day tea, cake, ftc, were bountifully dispensed, and at 4 o'clock in the tfternoon the whole company sat down to tea. When this important item in the programme was concluded, the Rev. Mr Licdsay called for cheers for the ladies who had provided the provisions, for the farmers who had conveyed the children to the beach, and for the teachers and all who by their efforts had made the picnic so great a success. When these had been he»rtily given, the gathering dispersed, all being well pleased with the day's outing. The Oamaru and Roslyn cricket clubs will play their match on Saturday, instead of New Year's Day, commencing at 9.30 a.m. Those members of the Oamaru Club who are willing to play are requested to communicate with the secretary. The Rationalist, a New Zealand newspayer, has just died from inanition— unregretted, we should ssy. It served no good purpose. There was neither intellectual illumination nor ignorant consolation in it.

The following are the liabilities and assets in the estate of William Brewster, of Palmerston, contractor :—Liabilities, unsecured —P. D. Rich, 1.40; W. Brown, L 6; Archibald Donald, Ll9 133; R. Johnstone, Ll9 19 <; John MacdoDald, Ll6 7s 4d; ffm, Little, Ll6 Is 8d; David Pateraon, Ll6; Isaac Day, IA 16a; T>. L4 6d; John M'Killon, LI 19s 9d ; Wm. Mlerdyce, L2 7s 61; J. Black, L2. Total, L 154 Os 3d. Secured creditor—Charles Hayues, L 74 2s lid (estimated rvalue of security, IS8). Assets—lmplements, stock, &c, L29_ 6s Id ; furniture, L 10; surplus from securities in hands of secured creditor, Ll3 lis Id. Total, L 52 16a Id. Deficiency, LlOl 4s Bd.

We- are informed that the police will do their utmost to prevent the of fireworks in the streets of the town. •:■■'■■;. _ The; Union Company's steamer Tekapo is announced to make her Sydney trip from this port next Wednesday, the 6th V^x. '! he discovery by M. Pasteur of an effective remedy for hydrophobia continues to; excite mncri;sinterest in Londen and the'Engbsh provinces. It appears that his system consists of an inoculation with the marrow of rabbits which had died from rabies, and that this is repeated at interval until the patient is'considered to be Bufficientlyimpregnated with, the antidote. Two persons, both badly bitten by mad dogs, and whose cases . were pronounced hopeless, have been auccess-r. fully treated by M.Pasteur. Unfortunately, we are not told whether the disease had developed in these persons, or whether they went to M.i Pasteur on the supposition .that they had received the vims. The true -test of M. Pasteur's " remedy ", will be made when it is applied to a person already suffering from the effects ,o£ the virus. Then, if M. Pavteur checks and disease, he will have conferred snch a boon upon humanity as.will make him 7 famous thr ughout all ages. For the moment, the attitude of British scientists is to accept M. Pasteur s discovery as promising ftvery thing, but at the same time to probe ittd tha bottom. -Their friendliness is, however, in marked contrast withthe position they adopted, towards Br. Koch and his cholera microbe. M. .Pasteur has just undertaken other fresh cases of persons badly bitteo. by mad dogs, and we may hope shortly .to have an authoritative deliverance as to the value of his remedy. The famous ballet of Excelsior, which haß made the tour of the world, promises to be supplanted and outshone by another from the same composer. It will be entitled "Love," and will commence with the creation of the world out of by that divine I power. The evolution of vegetable and animal life upon the globe will be exhibited, and the first dance will be performed by children disguised as monkeys. Man willappear upon the scene, and the civilising, humanising, and elevating influences of Love will be exhibited in the progress of civilisation, the growth of the arts and sciences, and the triumph of Christianity over barbarism. The spectators will see the Parthenon restored and thmnged with illußtrious Athenians. They will be transported to the Forum in Korae, at the height of its architectural spier-dour; arid to the camp of Barbarossa at the foot of the Alps, In fact, it will be a series of animated pictures of the more salient events of human history, terminating with the apotheosis of Love. Those _«!o have seen Kignor Manzotto's " Excelsior, will know that he is capable of acccmpbshing with such a theme. • " Lord Hartington, in.the course or a late political address, spoke as follows on the Xew Guinea question :-«' I do not believe that the Germans have a colony that any German who cares for his life will ■& to; I say more—that great and powerful as Germany is, vast as she is as a military empire, no Power in Kurope can wantonly encroach upon a single acre belonging to our Australian brethren without the certainty of some day receiving prompt notice to quit. They are young, but they are a powerful, vigorous, independent, high-spirited race. They can guard their own. They have their own harbors, their own ships of war, and, some day or other, without consulting the Mother Country, if any European Power plants itself in a position that may be dangerous to them, or invades any part of their] territory to make it a receptacle for crimi-j nals, there will be an explosion broadside, and the ship will go down. They;_ will be cleared ou*. There ,are three millions of people there-the most enterprising people on the face of the globe, They are more numerous than the Americans were when they beat us. The old despotic military powers at Home do not count for much on the other side of the world. When they get to the Antipodes they have a different reckoning to make. " _ . The - Victorian Eailway Commissioners have adopted a revised scale of rates for the carriage of wheat and flour. The new rate is based on a minimum charge of 2s per ton, for any distance up to ten miles. The present charge is 3s; No further reduction has been made from 10 up to 61 miles, but from the latter distance up to 98 miles there is an average reduction of 7£ per cent; from 99 to 107 miles, U per cent; and from 171 to 202 miles) 8 per cent. The practical effecb of the alterations up to 100 miles will be to reduce the rates by 15 per cent, whilst from 150 miles and upwards it will range from 8J to 18 per cent .The. small pernentagec is -accounted: for by the fact that a 9£ per cent reduction was made last year, when the concession amonnted to L-10,000. The present reductions it is estimated will involve a loss of revenue to the Department of L 30.000.