Passing Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1344, 1 September 1877, Page 14

Passing Notes.

I clip the following from the Southland Times: — "On Monday two respectable labouring men, who had arrived by the Kingarooma, called at our office to make enquiries regarding their chance of obtaining employment here. Both expressed their surprise at tho appearance of Invercargill. It is true they knew such a place existed, but from all that they heard about it they concluded it was a small fishing village. Their astonishment, therefore, was great when they were ushered into a town covering an immense (?) area of ground, with the principal streets tw© chains in width, and having, besides numerous smaller places of business, several large and handsome structures in main thoroughfares, with others being erected in every direction. When it was explained to them that they had hundreds of thousands (?) of good farming land, with railways running through the district to open it up, they regretted that they had not been in tjossession of these fact 3 before they took their passage for other parts of the Colony. If their anticipations were not realised whither they were going, they would most certainly return to Southland.' Thore i 3 a wonderful air of modesty in this description — nothing at all resembling that operation called " blowing one's own trumpet." The wonder is that everyone doesn't immediately flock to this favoured spot. The Invercargillites should at once get a handbook published. By the way, in the above it isn't considered necessary to state that all the good farming land spoken of has been pretty well all disposed of. Besides, what about the rabbits ?

I should say that Mr Norrie was rather thin-skinned. He seem 3to have taken violent offence, simply because a question was asked concerning the absence of one of his under masters, and made a dead set at the unfortunate Secretary to the Education Board, who simply did what he was told. By the way, what an extraordinary thing it is that every Principal the High School has yet had has come to grief somehow or another. The first was drowned— the second driven from the place by a band of howling fanatics— the third was worried to death— and now the fourth has resigned in a huff; what the experience of the fifth will be it is impos3iblo to say ; but I ahuuld say, that any mm who values his peace of mind and reputation would be chary of accepting the position. Concerning the question of " the absence of Mr Smith, I am decidedly of opinion that it was a mistake to grant him, leave of absence for such a length of time. It is no use talking about it— it must interfere with the studies of the pupib to change their master in that way for a time, as until they get to know their master, and he gets tv know them, no progress can bo made, and the fact of his

place being taken by a stranger for a time can neither be good for them nor for him. Two gentlemen, who were travelling in an out-of-the-way part of the country recently, finding themselves overtaken by nightfall, made for a shepherd's hut. They were tired, and craved for food — but more particularly for strong drink. "It is all right." said one. " I know the owner of the hut ; he's a Highlander, and is sure to have some whisky." They approached accordingly, and broached the subject of their desire gently. " Whisky ! She hasna ony whisky, but she'll gie ye a Seidlitz powder." The hospitable offer was not accepted. Our old friend Pope is back again, and it seems probable that he will resume his old position in the Girls' High School. I am sure everyone will be glad to hear this, as the former success of this institution was due, in a great measure, to his efforts ; and since he left it has fallen off considerably. A young lady of my acquaintance — her age is five — made a smart observation the other day, showing a considerable knowledge of theology. Her mother was relating to some visitors how a domestic in her employment had been seized with colic, and how she was expected to die with other little details too numerous to mention. The subject of wonderment was how could the woman have got it, when the child caused a pause in the conversation by remarking, " I know where Mary got it." Everyone turned to hear where Mary got it. *' She got it out of the Prayer Book. We always get it out of the Prayer Book at school on Monday morning." The New South Wales Parliament must be a nice gentlemanly place the language j used there being refined in the extreme. Sir John Robertson in the course of a debate used the expression " I don't care a damn for the Sydney Morning Herald," and it being moved that the expression be taken down, the motion was rejected. I think this almost beats the St. Kilda Council under iti late Mayor. Our Assembly is getting bad enough, but the membera have not yet got the length of using language as coarse and vulgar as this. They only fritter away their time and put the country to expense talking frothy rubbish. An amusing scene waa witnessed in Princes street on Wednesday. A wellknown medico was observed having a stand-up fight with a ferocious-looking individual, while a lady was looking on and weeping violently. As in all difficulties, there was a lady in the case. The crowd, myself among the number, enjoyed the fun amazingly, but the medico didn't. Our footballers have done uncommonly well, and will no doubt be well received upon their return. At the time of writing this, they have* not had a single defeat, and have only the Tirnaru team to mccc. Their progress has been slightly different to that of the celebrated Auckland team, which started out ou a similar round once, and got well beaten wherever they played. It is a fine manly game is football, and I like it — when others play it. I got hold of the last volume of the Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute a day or two ago, and though it's a dry-looking volume to tackle, I dipped into it, and found it not i a little interesting, though that is not what I want to speak about. I found in an article upon the Civilisation of the Pacific, by Mr Coleman Phillips, the following sentence :— " Previously to that date, a few merchants in the principal groups carried on a small traffic, and one or two associated companies endeavoured to profit by tho evident wealth of the Islands, the celebrated South Sea Company of the last century, which resulted in what is called the ' South Sea Bubble,' being the first attempt." Strange to relate, this assertion was not called in question at the reading of tho paper, and j the error was allowed to pass. It is singular that a gentleman apparently so well informed as Mr Phillips should hare made such an error. It is quite clear that, like a great many people nowadays, he jumped to the conclusion that because the Company was called the South Sea Company, it was to trade to the South Sea Islands, the fact being that it was a company to trade in furs in North America, and was called the South tiea Company because the princip*! trading point was to be the southern portion of one of the great North American bays or seas— the exact one Ido not at present recollect. The Turks and Russians seem a good deal afraid of one another, and evidently fight from a good distance, aa we hear of twenty-five Thousand Russian infantry and no end of cavalry fighting all day and retiring in the evening with a loss of twelve hundred, having killed a hundred on the other side. It reminds me very much of tho two boys who threaten loudly to punch one another's heads, but who eventually retire without doing so. However, there's one thing to be aaid in the.ir favour, whenever either of them finds some of the other side without arms (if women and children so much the better), they polish them off at once, and thi3 help* to swell the list of killed and wounded,