THE ATHENÆUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 376, 5 March 1863, Page 5

THE ATHENÆUM.

{To the Editor of the Daily Times.), g IR —Permit me through the columns of your Valuable pnper to correct the statement of your correspondent of to-day, who, wriling about and offering augcebtions to the Committee of the Dunedin Athens.urn and Mechanics' Institute, says that the annual subscription is LI 10s, this is a mistake. Byelaw No. 10, state* that the annual subscrption should be LI Is. or 5s 3d per quarter payable in advance. Your correspondent talks about admitting associates, ladies and youths at half rate, and desiring lectures summer and winter, classes for reading, writing, arithmetic, and-singing, for bye a penny savings bank,, I, as a member of the Institutions am just as •nxious.to see lectures and classes as any one, and believe we shall have them this very winter, too; but really I could not have the audacity to ask all these grand things spoken ot, and associates Indies and youths getting in, some free, and others half-fare at the reduced rate of subscription. There is one thing, how- ' ever, that myself and a considerable number of the members are desirous of bringing before the Committee as a'first consideration, find that is, the long and .tiresome hours. Mr Matthewson, as Librarian, has to attend without any one to relieve him. I have frequently felt much on his account when. I have thought; of ; the hours from 9 a.m. till 10 p,m,'Jwith an hours' labor in the morning clearing' the place —he has only one hour out of that for dinner. I think it throws discredit upon the committee of snch a worthy institution to a»k II? M—, or any other, to stay such unreasonable hours without an assistant to relieve him. I know ■ j in Melbourne, Adelaide, Geelong, and every other , place where a Mechanics' Institute requires to be so lonjr open, there is "another young man, or a respectable bos." to relieve the Librarian at proper hours. I trust this will receive your early and generous consi- | aeration, and that some respectable boy may be obtained to relieve Mr M—at proper hours. With every 'desire to see the Institution an example for good, _ . * . I am. &c, A Member. Dunedin. March 4, 1863. THE MELBOURNE CLUB HOTEL. ' (Tqthe Editor of the Dail* Times.) Siß-Havind had my attention drawn to an adDTODertv without my will and consent, which I have SotKnorhaveiseenanyof the parties concernedlnit< v * Inm/fec, Chaelotte Dawson. Melbourne Club House Hotel, March 4th, 1863. . j A. Portion ot t}« above lettex is owtted.J

DUNEDIN—YESTERDAY. The trading community of Dunedin has not yet.arrived at a correct understanding how such a day as yesterday ought to be kept. It was a holiday, and no holiday. Many of the establishments were closed for all business transactions.; others were only partially so, while several .altogether ignored the occasion and " carried on" as usual, with this exception, that there was little or no trade doing-. One shopkeeper in some particular line of business remained open because his confrere refused to close, another closed -because others did not, just to show his disapproval of the thing. Tiicro were those who opened doors and took down shutters at the usual morning hour, but who finding it a failure locked the one, and replaced the other at mid-day while a few who had been closed during the first half made great effect to make up for lost ti'nic by a more than ordinary display of their wares ■ throughout the afternoon. This was not as it should have been. Shopmen were standing behind counters rubbing their hands, or transact' ing imaginary business by taking down and hand" ing up parcels of goods or engaged in " putting things to right," which they could have done with a better will in one tenth of the time, on a more seasonable occasion.

Prom nine until eleven the greatest commotion and excitement prevailed. The weather was fine beyond expectation, altogether belying the prognostication of croakers generally, who, for two days previously, hud beeu watching the clouds, noting the change in the winds, and shaking their 1 heads prophetically. At " Cobb's Corner," the mimber and variety of conveyances with two horses, four horses, and six horses, which drew up the drivers showing off with great effect by previously wheeling round upon the off hind wheel as a pivot—was very great indeed. The cry of " Now for the races'' was scarcely uttered, when, responding to the invitation, numbers crowded in with an impetuosity altogether colonial, and there was no respect of-persons. As ope conveyance left, another took its place, which in its turn filled as rapidly, and away rattled van and waggon and coach iv exciting succession. There was no trifling on the occasion, no badinage, and very few expletives. Everyone was for the racecourse first, and anything which might happen in this way could come afterwise. Men and boys— boys from six years to men of sixty were rushing along the streets, and cork-screwing through the thronged corners of the most frequented thoroughfares, proclaiming the " 'krect card "of the races. One man there was who offered his piece of pasteboard with the "tip " added for an additional sixpence, but having been first "joed," and finally getting his hat knocked over his eyes., he retreated, with considerable loss to his stock in trade. About eleven o'clock the gathering preceding the general exodus was at its height. Bars wer,e filled, and baimen and barmaids waxed desperate with excess of business. There was a good deal of betting on the horses—Mormon the favourite everywhere, and commanding large odds. There were impromptu sweepstakes got up upon bar counters and in back parlors.. There was a fight or two, a gentleman thrown from his horse, a " near leader " entangled within its traces, and a spring-cart capsized, and the last_ coach announced its departure. All was quiescent for at least a good hour, when the steamers happening to bring up from Port Chalmers some six or seven hundred passengers who had arrived the same morning by ships from Victoria and other ports, the corners of streets and the main thoroughfares were again thronged. The new comers evidentlylooked surprised at the almost desolate and deserted appearance of the city as they came along in droves from the Jetty, until it is presumed they were enlightened as to the cause. Then, long before it was possible that any authentic news could have been brought in from the racing ground, reports of the wildest description were circulating —" Mormon had gone wrong in his near fore leg.' 1 "Mormon had won in a canter." " Mormon was nowhere, Ladybird was first to the winning post." " Two to one that Shilelagh had made the winning." " Done and taken." Then it came out that nothing was known, and that no particulars had been brought in, and so there were a great many bets made upon what no one, for the present, knew anything about. But soon the true state of things became known. It was an ascertained fact that Ladybird had won. Then it came out quite surprisingly what a number of people, particularly those who bung about the doors of theProvincial and the Union, knew all along that Ladybird would win,—Mormon was known to be "weak on one of his pins." "He had not taken to his corn kindly the last day or two — his feathers looked ruffled," and it was " knowd " that he could'nt come in a winner.'' Lady Bird could do as she liked with Mormon if she liked, and she did like, and she would have done the same thing with any other of the lot. Such was the talk of the knowing ones after the race. What numbers brought themselves into prominent notice by assurances that they had given the " tip for Lady Bird it would be hard to say. About five o'clock the " Return " set in slowly, which gradually increased up to seven, when there was a falling off in more ways than one ; for as the numbers steadily decreased, there was a very unsteady increase of those who had patronised the booths too freely, and there were two or three spills from vehicles, and a few falls to mother earth of the mounted ones. However there are no serious accidents to record,and nothing beyond a few bruises resulted. Towards dusk it commenced raining heavily, and the public houses and hotels became convivial shelters for the hundreds who had lately blockaded the streets. From early morn until late at night, the best order prevailed everywhere. The police held sinecures, for their duties were«i7. Barring the mistake in respect of not making the day a general holiday, everything passed off in a highly satisfactory manner. Employers, with a good show of reason, urged that as landlords did not remit the day's rent, and employees looked for their regular salaries bn Saturday night, they did not see the justice of being sole losers, because certain sporting gentlemen chose to put their horses against each other. As Sir Roger de Covevly would have remarked, " there was much to be said on both sides."