TOKOMAIRIRO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 323, 1 January 1863, Page 6

TOKOMAIRIRO.

(FKOM ODR OWN COIWESPOXDEM1.)

' December 29| iBG2. Christmas at midsummer. How odd and almost unnatural it appears to find Christmas in conjunction with sunshine. Hay and green fields, strawberries and cream ; really it raises feelings of astonishment akin to those which Sterne describes with so much '-naivete,, as having felt when .he first heard the little children in Trance talking French. Christmas to an Englishman is unseperably associ- | ated with roast beef, plum pudding yule logs, ! and holly. The two first only were obtain-' able heresjand the}' are deprived of halt their relish when divorced from their fellow "institutions," and the thousand and one .amusements which time has consecrated to the festive season of Chrij-tnias. Deprived of these —the traditional indoor sports of Boxing Day and tlie virgil of St. John (not to speak ol Twelfth night)—people on this side ot; the globe have to turn their attention to athletic atiiuscn.cnts out of doors. In this ".manner was Friday last (Boxing Day) celebrated at the Woolshed. An attractive programme had hien'put forth, and lil eral prizes offered b_\ tlie i-iopriefors of the Vic'oiian Hotel at Glenore. For the quoit m-itcii eight compeliiors otfeied, and af'itr a close and well contested game the first prize (£'<J) was carried off by James JMuiVoeh. Nine-started .for si. foot race of 150 } arils, T. Cull en carrying off the first and \V.' Draper ' the''second prize. The running high kap icll to the share of John Leech ; and for. the wrestling in the ! Devon-hire and Cornish style theie- were four 1 prizes offered, and apportioned as follows: — First and second divided between T. Cullcn and J. Kent, third D. M'Fee, and fourth F. Kent.

After the sports, Mts?rs Lpgge and Thompson, the proprietors of tlie Golden Age, gave a Christmas dinner to all comers, coupled with a liberal supply of the "rosy." Everything passed off in excellent style, and the greatest "ood order prevailed over the whole of the field.

At VVaiholn, the same flay, there was an excursion trip in the Betsy Douglas from Clarendon to the mouth of the Taeiri River. About 60 people started from the Jetty in the morning, and after (i' quick run down, were landed un the beach at the mouth, where several hours were passed in dancing, &c ; after which they returned, and were palely landed at Clarendon early in the evening, all highly delighted with the trip and with the beautiful scenery of the river. . J,Next Saturday (the 3rd) the Tokomairiro Cricket Club are to have a match. 3t is to take place in a paddock belonging to J. JJewe, Ksq., and the wickets aie to.,be.pitchid at i one o'clock. In the evening the club propose i having a dinner together. The plan pursued this year by the Waste | Land Hoard ot fending out the depasturing' .licenses for the various Hundreds to gentlemen residing in the district, to issue, is a 1 grtat impro\ ement on the old sy.stcm, under ' which people had to go into town to obtain ', their license. The consequence -was natural —they didn't do it. 'J his year they can obtain their licenses within the district; and 1 expect that a considerable number will be taken out. It" would be well if the same system was carried out with reference to timber licenses. This might easily be done now, as there are court-houses, police-stations, &c, throughout the country.

■■ Apropos of courtrhousas,. it is almost a pity that the Government did hot purchase the White Horse Hotel (which was recently sold hy auction) as a court-house. According to all accounts, it could have been bought much below its real value, and it would have made an admirable suite of p'ublic'offices, including court-house, treasure-house (for the safe keeping of the gold en route to Dunedin), additional police quarters, &c.'

A few days ago 1 was shown a very cleverly manufactured sham sovereign. It was a most perfect imitation of a Sydney Mint sovereign, the date 1859; and if it had not been for the " ring," when' sounded, would have defied detection. It was made of some white metal—apparently an alloy-of tin and lead.

So Tokomairiro is to have three members in the new Council—certainly not a greater number than the importance of the district demands. Considering, however, how closely the'interests of Waihola and Tokomairiro are united, I think that it would almost have been better to have left them in one electoral ■ district, and have had it return four members. Tlie schoolhouse ; in this district is the present polling-place, but as .its position is an extiemely inconvenient one to, I think, the majority of the electors, it would be worthy of the consideration of the Returning Officer whether the Court-houfe, Post-office, or. Police-station would not be more convenient and suitable.

The hay harvest lias commenced, and the farmers are. now all busy m saving it—an operation which the fine weather we-have had lately has considerably facilitated.

An extremely bitter spirit is manifested ,by a por- | tiou of the Koithern clergy on the subject of tbe ' present war. An example is quoted from a recent I address by the Kcv. W. J. Sloane, "pastor of the | Third Reform' Presbyterian Church ol New York.' Mr Sloan" was reported in the newspapers to have declared before the Literary Society of Jefferson Col- ! leg", " That it was belter tliat the 6,000.000 of white j men, women, aud children of the South should I be slauglittred than that slavi-ry should not be extioguislipd.1' '.. Being1 cal <d to account by a' 'Presbyterian editor, .Mr Slnnno denied fiat he bad used the words as quoted. VVhat lie ually said was o;ly as follows: —"But suppose {'mancipation should lead tv insuiroction ? Let this, which 1 by v.o mean? admit, be fr.r the time planted ; then i affirm that it is better, far better, that cvciy man, woman, and child in every rehel State should pc U)i in one wicle-tpread, bloody, and indiscriminate slaughter; better that the land should he a Sahara; be as when God destroyed the Cannanite«, or overthrew fcjodorn and. Gomorrah, thnn than that this rebellion, should be successful.— Home Na.cs.

■ A "Model" Candidate. —The following is a verbatim copy of the letter of a candidate t r the •.fficenf Libraiian totlie Yorkshire Mpchanics' Institution:—'' Hnlbrck, May 25.1862.—Gentlemen,—In offeiing myself io you as a candidate, ] tonfVss 1 have 1,0 credentials to bring bifoiv jou. This is an »ge of sudden impulse, an «ne when reason seems to be surchnvgtd for want of proper scope to expand. We se?, almost daily, virtue immolated, gravity change into buffoonery* philosophers turn fools-v wise men arrant rofiiies. Then wlmt is character to-riay is not for tomorrow. • Character is but the summary of conduct gone by, and no rtliaMe sample. I have a slight knowledge of ceograpliy, natuial and plijisical astronomy, jistroiogy, a'.trjnograihy, meteorology, mythology (ancient End modern). Teach the use of globes, niaps, and charts. Very little acquaintance vr.th hi:-toiy except ancipnt. Can sresk of tlie Eocene. Miocene, and Pliocene pciiols in g<-o'o»y. Can point to probable cause of the disruption, at vflrioiK epochs, of ihe crust of this our e;irtU. Understand magic lanterns,- dioivmic, or t:isso!vin£ views, cr phantas-mago-ic performances. Yours, &c." — English Paper. -■'''.'..

■■ Poor Weak .Woman,—Miss Su?an[ Nipper, who lives in a snug ten* nieut alone, was, quite fiustrnted the other morning by an early Cill fiota a bachelor mighbor. ''". Vi Hut do you come here after ')" said she. " I came for a match," eitys; he, in liie meekist raanuer-pbssiWe. '•'•" Why don't, you make a match V. says sbe. '■ I know what y.rar'e Come for," cried the apparently exasperated virgin, as she hacked him into a, corner, " you're come to bus and kbs me almost to death!'but you shu'iit without you'ie the strongest, and Lord knows you are,"