Passing Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1341, 11 August 1877, Page 14

Passing Notes.

"Atticus," in the Leader, tells the following story:— "When clothes are precisely alike, and faces nearly so, mistakesare likely to occur. On a festive occasion in this city, a gentleman, thinking ho saw a friend — a well-known auctioneer — slapped him on the back and made a jocose enquiry after his health. The other turned round and said, 'I think you are mistaken ; I am .' ' Oh, I beg your Excellency's pardon ; I really thought you were Mr G. Half-an-hour after, the same unlucky gentleman came, as he thought, face to face with his friend, and this time he poked him in the ribs. * Such a joke ! I've just clapped the Governor on the back, taking him for you.' 'And now you've poked him in the ribs under the same misapprehension,' replied His Excellency. For fear of further mistakes, the unfortunate gentleman went home."

The neighbouring Colonies seem in a great pucker about their defences, and are devising all sorts of schemes to resist an invasion. For my own part, Ido not think either the Russians or the Turks would be at all likely to make an attack on any Colony in this part of the world, even if they had nothing else to do, but as they will be pretty well occupied with one another, the probability of such an event is remote indeed. I think the most sensible conduct is to let things take their course, and this seems to be the general opinion of New Zealanders, with the exception, perhaps, of one or two Volunteer captains who wish to add to their own importance.

The Fiji Chiefs seem very anxious to preserve law and order among their coloured vassals, and some of our legislators might well take a lesson from them. They will be more disgusted when they find though that as they become more civilized, their authority will disappear. There seems to be no help for it, but it appears almost like a breach of faith with them to rob them of their hereditary power after making uge of it as far as possible.

The County Councils are not singular, it appears, in their mode of spending their revenue. The Tongan Government spend two-thirds of theirs in officials' salaries and such like expenses. It is Baid that the ratepayers, who are the white traders of the islands, objecb a little, and it ia by no means improbable that the ratepayers of the Otago Counties will object to their Council's proceedings for similar reasons. These Tongans are evidently more civilized than has hitherto been supposed. They will be borrowing next.

Mr Proudfoot and the Harbour Board don't seem to hit it somehow ; they always rub one another up the wrong way. It's a pity, as no one can gain by it, and the public generally are bound to lose. There are faults on both sides, apparently, and a little of the give and take business would be advisable under the circumstances.

The St. Kilda Council under its new Mayor is as meek as a lamb/ and my sporting friend has been obliged to resort to his fighting terriers for amusement. He tells me that it's a hopeless case of reformation. The Mayor has simply shown a little firmness, and all the trouble ha 3 disappeared. Had the late Mayor shown some little decision, and given up continually bringing up his rent and law expenses business, the disorderly and disgraceful scenes for which St. Kilda became famous, or, rather, infamous, would not have occurred.

It is said, but I can't vouch for the truth of it, that a reverend gentleman, whose eloquence is creating a stir in a town not a hundred miles from Dunedin, gave utterance to the following remarkable opinion :— " As for Dr Watt, he invented the steam-engine, and therefore I do not think we can altogether believe in him."

The Anglican clergy are going in very strongly for denominationalism, and the Bishop has been waxing eloquent over the folly of not allowing religious instruction to be imparted in Government schools by clergy, but I don't think the laity of his church are with him. Suppose religious instruction is to be imparted, which denomination is to do it ? We may depend upon it a Presbyterian would rather be without it than have it done by an Episcopalian.

The difference between the Government management of railways and their management by private persons seems to be that the latter endeavour to make them pay and try to convenience the public as much as possible, while apparently the efforts of the former have the very opposite object in view. The management of the Port Chalmers line is a good example of how a Government contrives not to do it. The goods are actually being carried cheaper by lighter, and the Government in consequence are losing an immense amount of revenue. Several shipmasters have informed me that the incivility of the railway officials is so great that they are glad of an excuse for sending their cargoes another way. This is not exactly as it should be, but I suppose is a natural consequence of the line being under Government control. It is impossible that railways can all be worked upon a

uniform system of charges, and the traffic manager or aome other officer at each centre should have some discretion ; but it is not likely that anything so sensible will be done, as it seems that each successive Minister of Kail ways fancies he knows more about their working than aiiyone else does, in consequence of which there are a series of blunders committed.

Professor Hutton has discovered that rats existed in this country before it was colonised. Of . this I can't speak with any certainty, but rats are common enough nowadays, as anyone who reads I the Parliamentary proceedings will find ; ! and as for ratting, it's quite an everyday ! sport. Mr Bathgate, who is reputed to have had great experience in ratting,might tell us something about it, no doubt, if he liked.

That everlasting gas again ! In . apite of all the new machines' with unpronounceable names the gas remains as bad as everj and will do so until it" is manufactured by a private company again. I suppose we shall have Mr Genever writing long reports again about 20-candle gas which gives no light.

The Russians and Turks have met at last, but the battles seem mild compared with the Franco-Prussian ones — not nearly enough killed and wounded. I have no sympathy with the Turks myself, but I believe it would be greatly to our advantage in every way were the war to come to an abrupt termination.

The Ministry, as usual, are appointing their relatives and friends to all sorts of billets in the Civil Service ; and some people seem to think that for this reason they should be turned out, but I must say I'm of a different opinion. Mr Bowen's late secretaries and Mr Ormond's nephews must be pretty well all provided for now, while a new Ministry would have to make a fresh start and provide for all their friends and nephews — consequently it's economy to keep the present one in.

The County Councils are getting ambitious. They want borrowing powers, and now they think they should' have all the unsold Crown lands in their Counties Don't they wish they may get it.. After the way they have been frittering away their revenues on salaries to all sorts of unnecessary officials, it is decidedly im*probable that they will get the land fund, more particularly as the Government have a hankering the same way.

Not having been able to get rid bf them any other way, the rabbits sxe now to be exterminated by Act of Parliament. This plan will be effectual, could we only ensure that the rabbits read the Acts. That seems to be the only difficulty in the matter.

We often hear of sundry deeds done by sailors and soldiers, in whose line these things come, but I'll back the gentlemen connected with the Press to do anything that any soldier will do. A reporter I know, who was visiting Waikouaiti, got left there by the coach, and as the owner of the only buggy in the place wanted an exorbitant price for it, he determined to tratnp it ; but just as he was starting, he saw a hearse leaving for Dunedin, and got a seat on it. As he drove up King fltre.et on 'hi? novel carriage he created no little senaation.' A still more plucky action was done by a reporter the other day. He omitted to send an important report to the paper with which he was connected, and, finding there was no train on Sunday, he walked from Milton to Dunedin" through that dreadful "snow and sleet of the Sunday before last, and arrived in the office at a quarter past twelve, dead beat and almost frozen to death, for he had started without an over • coat and had only an umbrella— '■& splendid example of pluck ana endurance.

There are some confiding people in this world ! A man was fined thirty pounds and costs at Balclutha for sly grog selling at Catlin's River. The person to whom he sold the grog was the local publican, who naturally laid an information at once. In extenuation it may be stated that he was betrayed in a convivial moment into selling to the publican.