OTAGO ROWING CLUB.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8413, 9 February 1889, Page 3

OTAGO ROWING CLUB.

The final heat of the Walter Fours was rowed last evening at 0 o'clock. The water was fairly good, and a fine race resulted. Mr T. B Gibson fo Cws*- S StHrtftr aml thf: °rewS wer(! «• fo1"

Y. Mitchell (stroke), Jf. S. Dick W qt.,m„. . Hughes. G.Pierce (ox), ' ' bt'"),e9* J J. Wright (stroke), IT. Park ll li ir..„. .. Williams, K. Matheson (cox) 'Stable, R.

up to fcheseew.d beacon, when Mitchell'* crew put on a spurt, and rowing well together, over hauled their opponents and won after a, exciting contest by tevo lengths. This was th best of the heats* rowed for thi, cup . WM Uw

—Die most clouely Countries arc tfioso where the winds are most variable, a.s ours • the least elouely v,,*,, wl , crc tll3 winds J least variable, as Egypt.

Professor Dickinson had a large and a very appreciative audience at his first public lecture here, which was given in the City Hall last even, mg. He stated that he would take his audience over the routes by which he had himself triivelled. He briefly noticed his first trip through the Alps, alluding to the terrible snowstorm of Jauuary 15, ISSS, when 50 villages wore destroyed and 500 people lost their lives. His remarks en this portion of the journey were illustrated by views of Aipme scenery and the hospice of St. Gothard. hrorn thence he went to Lake Como, and on to Lake Maggiore, aud from tbere to Milau, dwelling fully on the beauties of the celebrated cathedral, a splendid view of which was exhibited. This maguifioeut cathedral, only exceeded, in size by that at Seville, aud St. feter s at Home, was describsd by the lecturer as of beautiful Gothiu form-a dream of stone, with a hundred pinnacles holding up 20C0 statues of the saints that kept untiring watch over the city oelow. He next referred to the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, giving an illustration of his most famous work, "The Last bupper, which he said was now a melancholy ruin, owing to various causes, Napoleon haviug converted the building in which it was into a barracks, the result being the loss of most of the legs ot the disciples by the kicks of the horses * while the monks, in order to make au easy entrance from their refectory to their kitchen, had cut a hole through the lower part of the figure ot the Saviour itself. Leaving Milau, his route ay through the splendid tract of fertile country If Jt 5,- tol' loreuce-faircityof the flowers, as the Italians love to call it, though it might well be called the flower of all fair cities. The architecture was illustrated by a number of vory hue views, among which were the Ponte Vecchio, the Church of St. Maria de Novello, with, its splendid pictures painted 600 years a»o by Cimr.bue and Giotto, and the church of Santa Croce with its famous statue of Dante. Several other examples of the works of these old masters were given, and the lecturer then took his audience to the convent of St. Mark's, where bavonarola laboured and Fra Angelico painted—a place where time seemed asleep, and tho world Heel away. The famous picture of the " Ascension ot the Virgin," in the Ufizzi gallery, was shown as an esamgle of Fra Augelico's work, and the last scene m the great preacher's life was graphically described. Passing from Florence to Rome, the lecturer briefly referred to its early history, and gave interesting particulars regarding the arch of the Emperor Constautiue, the Colosseum (which could hold no fewer than 87,000 people), Sfc. lefcers (with its wonderful dome), and the Vatican (the home of the popes and the largest palace in the world, containing, as it docs, 41,000 rooms). The works of Michael Angelo and Raphael were then described aud compared, illustrations showing the style of each being slvJ7 n- \ he last portion of the lecture dealt with Venice, the finest views being those of the Kialto, St. Mark's, aud one or two canal scenes iernaps the most striking and beautiful example of ancient art was shown afc this stage in a representation of Titian's world-famed Ascens.ou of the Virgin," whose face shown separately was simply exquisite in the blended expression of love aud reverence which ' exhibited.

The lecturer,was listened to most attentively throughout, and his remarks were frequently applauded The sterioptic views, shown by the agency of Mr Jones' limelight, were of the most beautiful description, and the time durine which most of them remained on the canvas •was all too brief. e^uvas

At the request of the Otago Art Society, Mr Dickinson has_ consented to give a lecture on inesday evening bearing particularly upon modern art, as illustrated iv Paris, ££ [the great annual exhibition of the French Salon. This lecture has been delivered m all parts of America wTth great success and in Australia was equalled in popularity only by his lecture on Spain Its illustrations specially prepared in Paris for Mr Dickinson, show beautifully coloured views of the great monuments, galleries, and palaces of the city, studio scenes, portraits of General battles landscapes, figure pieces, and the many other departments of modem French art. This lecture w.ll be of particular interest to art

THE SO-CALLED "INDECENCY" CASE AT ST. CLAIR. TO THE EDITOK. Sin,—l read with great surprise and, I must confess w.th strong indignation, the account -n your columns of the extraordinary case brou g W by the police against the boy Hazlett for what they were pleased to'call "indecency "a St cv dence In af/ ,me Say a word about evielence. An attempt was made to prove that there was plenty of available room for the boy to undress without- going to the rocks Wei[ hathl am r J rSulf a" ocoasi°™i visiter to the baths, ancl I was there that same afternoon at 10 minutes past 4 o'clock. It fs my invariable custom to take a box, but on thi^ tharr t rl cr ld not, get one- i -^«* p°K? that I tried every door from end to end and ouud them all occupied. The shed was quie fu of people, and I was for the fi M fc time comH iletts°Avho c t0 th, 6 r°cks "ear w™«"he Hasletts (who are unknown to me) uudrcsscd Ihoy must have been in the water ai the time I left, because I met aud spoke to Mr White just full "snTw \ k fc. th° ShEd w" 8«» I«te tull, so that at whatever time Hazlett came it was a matter of necessity for him to undress where he diel. Apart, howerer, from the evidence, it may surely bo doubted whether a case so contemptible in its insignificance ever came bctore a colonial court before. The spectacle of two magistrates gravely fitting in judgment upon a boy, in order to decide whether he did or did not carelessly dry hta> se at a public bath, would be ludicrous Enough if it were not that the mere charge itself is so yon" Si? 1' th° "^ Jt S° thS d,T °i * it?'* aS m ° P«»'t!oii to bo well. ( o eneiee. although of course the most succesfu defence does not wipe out the stigma of hi vi £ B u th,oll?i alWS,,eil ~pol S0 oJ'o«sach»rea mtlt ,f S°. m° P°ol' bl^'who bad "°<* means of procuring counsel, it is perfecllv shocking to think what the coi.seq ences might have been. For 1 suppose that X tratos who would continue the hearing of such nol=cl 6 ! ,tC.i th° °Uly * Witn"S' the pohce lor the prosecution declared that the boy I was "simply putting his shirt on," and who vas"cou radictory," were quite capable of iumnuUe> * b° * full leffftl Peiialty-namely 12 ,T .. h '"H'r'foument, with bard labour, .s„d a possiW.: flogging thrownin. As it is, judging from he tenor of the presiding magistratVremark* n, seems to mo that the boy Hazlett, for "simply putting his shirt on" has had a very caTfromh^1 - 1 f* emphatically the whole case from beginning to end was a travesty Upon the administration of the law and an outrage upon common sense. I am satisfied that a jud£e would have brushed tho matter from before ? T; Jr 0"--*-™^. And I confess I am astonished that the broad common sense which even his opponents admit to be a distinguishing characteristic of Mr Fish elid not on this iTnTa^T^ hf!\ " the h °y* of Now Zea. Innh I °be hfV le t0 l,olice P^secutious on such charges as this, then the public schools of the colouy will have to teach them as a part ol the curriculum how, after bathing, to " put their shirts on " and take, their trunks off. Not tor an mstaiit. Sir, do I believe that the 24th eet ou of the Police Offences Act was intended in the remotest way to apply to perfectly innocent cases like this; and If ifc can be held so to apply, then it is high timo the priggish hysterical virtue of the law should be abated - i. tx\n t &c, February 0. U. J. Sconis Macki^ik.