Passing Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1323, 7 April 1877, Page 14

Passing Notes.

- - -^ ■ i We certainly are a humane people.: No one can doubt it. We give', money to the Benevolent .Institution occasionally, and we sent tne Bulgarians a sum which, when divided among them, would give each nearly a hundredth part of a penny. But of course, we do not count Chinamen as anything • but beasts, and most of us are of opinion that those poor wretches who arrived here the other day with small-pox should have not. been allowed to come into the Harbour — better to have drowned them or left them on board ship at sea' till the disease' was worked out. The best' proof of ' our humanity is that case of the poor wretch who was allowed to starve to death on an island in the Waitaki. He was in, a place where' no one in his senses would go. He was evidently in distress, and made signals to several people on shore, who, not considering it their business, paid no attention. Then everybody is- dreadfully -shocked to hear that the man was found dead on the

island. t -Who .would have -thought it?! and what business had he there?

Christchurch is "the respectable city -of the Colony ! Gentlemen" are to be found there, and' a high moral "tone 1 pervades, society.-^ Ofvcoufse there are Little- un-' j pleasantnesses occasipna 11 yy T T — -the acfatchf ing 4 of Danebui/ for the Derby,' fdr»inii stance, after' being heavily backed 'by .the 1 public,, and Vhen the race /was a certainty, for him. Christchurch looks 'down upon Dunedin — the latter being plebeian — and when we sent a centre-board' craft to. their regatta and won their prize, thfey were, disgusted , and excluded centre-, beards for the 'future. The ChristmWs before last a cutter named <;he Spray was', sent up" from here to Christchurch, and' •won the yacht ; race. - She was left there, and last regatta' sailed again]ih,the;'yacht race. • She was r second] The other day she returned' tb 'Dunedin^;' and, on'being i taken out of the water, a large .bolt with, some' rags fastened ( to it was found fastened' to her keel. I hardly ..thinik', bad as we are • here, that we would, have been~guilty of such a pi cc of meanness. 1 ' '

. While shootiDj at fie Taieri the other day, I saw flying with a flock' a pure white w:'d .duck, and I thought at first that an excellent pocket pistol I ' had with me 1 might have .affected my . sight, <,but, on ; making enquiries, I found that the same duck had been .seen by several other paY- 1 ties. I, am told that the wild ducks 6n the' lake not unfrequently pair with the domestic ducks of the settlers, and this might be one of the progeny. As our domestic " duck has' been bred originally from the mallard, or wild duck, this is very probable. " 1

■ So the great case of Ross and "Rober^ son has been settled, and after the expenditure of a' great deal of money ''on' lawyers' fe?3, and the washing of an- incredible amount of dirty linen in Court, it has been discovered that the defendant, Boss's, conduct has been "most, honourable." Truly it seems rather laW in the day to discover this, and there atn pears to me' to have been a Vast deal' of — ; — well, hard swearing in the . case.'; Take it as 1 a general rule, the washing of dirty linen in a Court of Justice is. -.an', exceedingly expensive, and by no meaiis agreeable job, and so no doubt the parties in this case have found it. . < \ \

,I am told that at a. race meeting which! was held not far from Dunedin , about ; a fortnight, before , jthe,' sKqotihg '/season; opened, native game,,! snipe,.' to Wit,.ap'-.. pearedonthe lttncheon ; table. 1 The Ac-; cliinatisation Society should sep/jtptliis," for it's a monstrous shame' thai; birds should be. destroyed put of .the season,; as this b'jrd is. i Only /last .!week/pn: Good, Friday, two days before j We'-'.^asbir opened^ a party of gen^emen,.w^llT^nown! in Dunedin, and all of whorn^ one! would sopnoSe to be imbued with i ympre sp'prts 1 -* .man Jike spirit, , went put snipe I shooting, , and'l believe killed a considerable hum-; bet^ birds., "• ;', I1..;.I 1 ..;. :: .;," > P 5/V ". ' ";V i :

■ Mr ' Watt, the public will be [delighjed. to hear, is not going to be intimidated by i newspaper arfciclesi; '• Quite^rightp'Mr Watt ; you shpul4, never be intimidate jl 1 by anyone or anything. But somehow • newspapers have got a! happy knack of; getting hold of the right end of the stickj and generally carry the public: with them \ and depend upon it, if a man 'wpjites. himf self down a Dogberry^ upon the Benchj either by his'decisions'cr his remarks, he ' will hear of it.again. . I always notice, b^ the way,' that : people who' always profess not to'care us rap about, wha,c. 'otherkisay are just those who feel' what' they say most. Such people always mind' one of Sir Fretful, in the Critic. . '. „'„ ]

Our Australian, friends „are a ! good deal' about their . cricket prowess] and though they have some" justification, 1 I. .'rather think they are, overdoing the business a little. They should rfemember that;'' .yrith the exception pf '-JJupp, perl hapi none of the All-England team are oi much account, with 'the. jfat; arid on look] 'ing .'through', the -list ".pf.i'j great- English matches their names will'be rarely found!

When I was a little boy 1 was brought; up iiT. the strictest, orthodoxy, ,and on Sundays^l-' had- sqme 1 Sun&ayNiobks to read— those 1 books*' iri^WKich^unnaturally good little boys ( and-, girls figure, littlej nuisances, who are everlastingly praying andj giving good advice , when.it isn't wanted, but who always,' by, a merciful dispensation of Providence, die 'yotuYgJ HowVjvell.l remember those" deatH-bed] sqenes.' • wW^^the^gobd \, little Tommy,' before he^, dies',', delivers a. .theatrical oration; in 1 which he forgives. ''all' his enemies, gives his horse* and cart ;to that wicked Jim Smith, who hit him over the head the other day,, and his little boat to Bill Brown, who stole his marbles,' while jto his brothers and" 'sisters,' who have always treated' him kindly, he .gives-^-his blessing. I. never expected* to ■• find one in real life,' but one has turned up—; raised , by Providence to convince every disbelieving person of the -usefulness of the Fever Hospital. She — the child— had a hard-working and industrious mother, and after dividing-all its little toys among its little co-sufferers, according "to the' pious book formula, she says :■ " And, 5 mother, now that lam dying' there's just one more thing I should like to mention about. Mrs.Johnstone which the papers they all abuse her, and ah, mother, she's been so kind to me ; and mother, this institution it are such a valuable one, and I would .like you to tell everybody sb,[ and don't let them believe what that ' ' ' - < ; '.

wicked Daily Times r says abo.ut.it ;' r and then the child .died," and" the scene is so touchingly- described in, one, of the daily papers that I wept over it. And won't the medicos 1 be pleased 'at this 0 testimony in ,sapport e of their favpuri v ter,ho.BpitaU"? Of .course now anyone who could. venture to suggest the ] removal ; of this , valuable .structure must be conaideredlW brute !T. : Id^n't know much^about ' the' status of .the English • Church ;in -Mfew Zealand, and ■like most other 'pe6ple',"l;'don't' ; much care. Of course, it is very kind of Messrs Macassey and Cook to write 'long-letters jtp the, S£ar explaining it,' bjit'lfancyjmost people are, in the same boat as myself — viz., don't know any mojre about Mf subject after reading their : letters than they dii before.;' All il {know about? the Church .of England isthat it's .a nice, fashionable church, jjo go to, that the one I attend has gdod music'i'the organist being &a. excellent musician,, and. he: ikihc!ly f . plays for our amusement after servicb^, while all the .nice' young latcHe? 1 go. there.' '\ 'A:6out the sermon weiwon't say much,. though there is one English 1 Church ih' Dunedin where > the parson 'thinks it' worth 1 his' while to \ ■preach sense; •'' '•> • ." -i . >.• ■■ , •• I • 1 I like lad*' 3, e3pWcially niceJybuiig ones, tHo.ugh'-I^riojice it's t'liefashioii'ai^ong my "sex,, to, pretjend to ;thVuv; and I always. uo dto feel ■ jealous 'of j the attention 'shown '*to' I tne /^'ypuog, i; -"squattera, managers,: and'other crowds of' .country bumpkins who came to town occasionally, but I don't now, . i A, young- jaily was stoing up country the ( other ( day to a ball, and on being asked some question about her dreas,.,said she was agoing .to take an old one, as those gentlemen.wera so roughj.atnd'rompM so." that the'jltora one's dresses, tpipjepes!;- and'l^'^ras.like balm to my. wounded soul tc hear 'this, and I 'nb'w J f thihk' to myself , that ,women are mysterious creatures,, and altogether beyond. 1 my ken. * ■ / '■'>< >\ • ! What a, time the ducks have' been haying of Jtfqjr'fche last few days^though I don't tiunbthey have suffered a great diminuiidiiri; their 'ntinabe^sJK liraa out, of c'6u'rse,;and.didn',t gei any ducks ; but I 'enjoyed 1 myself 'immensely,'^principally takingno^sofmy sporting brethren. They were'immense r with patent powder flaska . strappedon fo ; 'their shoulde'rs^ith brilliant • green cprdYand .alfth^ other (paraphernalia for killiag;|ame,'-]SreVi§r shclll' forget com-V*&-t?&lstk ipa^y": .wh'Q^'were^^iouting -themselves rhorarseHtr/ingizto .persuade '- .TBoV »pt6 J come^ back^ndj $t%ve for them.^ '; J/saw.the -'sai&^Bpb^fterwards sk6lkiAgM:ffie r .raup6 :Ainus'4neye, and ,m?hisr,legs. f ; Naturallyrßob' fought shy of his masters. There were other gentlemen., .townsmen,;, whoishave , takeniAto siting laWin; lifei andr w ho think that penditure" m> centre-bore guns, .1 chilled shot, aud T ol;b?er iinpipyeniiexitsf but flie3e :^ere guiltlessipf : 'the Jjloo'd 'of. wildfowl— 1 i'th'otfghv stayi/ ilei(^mV-ednsider^Yes, I 'duckling; in^his .hafldsv rHe -had: shot a he sii^JbuitheVwere too •heavy7t6rcarryv t .x|ro dpubX,i"^ ;'