A Scene in the Arcade.

Otago Witness, Issue 1559, 24 September 1881, Page 23

A Scene in the Arcade.

Captain Barry was the hero of another scene in the Arcade on Monday evening, which eclipsed by far his experiences of last Saturday evening, and such a scene hXobably never before taken place in the history nf auctioneering. It appears that certain of the shopkeepers in ttie Arcade object to his selling there, as it is private property, although they would have no objection to his conducting the sale inside the store, instead of as at present in the fairway. On Monday nietit, shortly after the captain mounted the rostrum to proceed with his sale, a noise as of thunder was heard overhead, and it soon became apparent that a number of persons, who were located in the upper story of Mr Larner's fruitshop, intended to interrupt the sale by "to-canning." Nothing daunted, the Captain proceeded with the sale, though the clamour overhead on the opposite side increased, and the ranks of the obstructionists were swelled by one or two bellmen and several more with kerosene-tins. Presently a large crowd assembled, and it was almost impossible to pass through the Arcade ; while the noise made by beating of cans, bellringing, shouting, and whistling was quite deafening -so much so that it must have been impossible for the auctioneer to hear himself speaking. After a while a young lad climbed up behind the auctioneer, and held over his head a pan in which was burning a Quantity of "Greek fire," the blue flame of which illumined the Captain's weather-beaten countenance tvitb^almost a ghostly lustre. Matters continued much after the same uproarious fashion till about a-quarter to 8, when one of the lads present (and as may be supposed they were pretty numerous) threw a missile, which passed in close proximity to the Captain's head,' and then went through one of the windows of the shop behind. This daring young specimen of humanity was at once (secured by a •" gent in blue," who marched him off to the lock-up amidst the groans and hisses of a crowd of larrikins who followed: This, however, did not have any effect on the • tin-canistß " who continued their task with redoubled energy. Mr Inglis, whose goods the auctioneer was attempting to dispose of, tried his hand at pacification, askin'K agentleman who was standing m the doorway of Mr Laraer's fruitshop to get those above to stop. His effort! however, was in vain, as all the teply he KOt was s. suggestion that he Bhould " come in and make them stop." The auctioneer was then treated to another illumination by the " Greek fire," which was kept'b'urning for some tune in a Baucepan. All this time the Captain was bravely keeping up the sale, knocking down all kinds of small articles in succession with' as much coolness and equanimity as he could muster: But tin cans and bells are hard to defy, and make the stoutest-voiced quail ; and at last it became apparent that this sort of thing could not last. The eafiant Captain therefore had to succumb to circumftances, which he did shortly before half-past 8, having defied 'the obstructionists like a veteran for nearly an hour and a-half .

North DunedlH Presbyterian Church. A meeting of the North Djinedin Presby terian congregation waß held on- -Monday eveniae the business being to consider what further Stan* should be taken to fill the.vaoancy in the tSS£ «qmt upon the, Rev. Mr IngUs havine declined the call. The f ,Rev. R. R..M. Sutheffi, moderator of th^Kirk Session, Pr Tn dd eefirßte efirBte firBt btKinew consisted -'ik adding to the Committee previously elected to take steps to Si the vacancy the names of three gentlemen nominated by the meeting. mam u of The meeting then went into a somewhat floiritied discussion, in which, although there was a eood deal of warmth in language, there was almost complete unanimity of opinion regarding the action which led to. the non-acceptance by Mr IngUs of the call. The conduct of the Moderator (Mr Sutherland) in entering his dißse-nt from the call at the Presbytery meeting ' was ' strongly commented npon, the speakers considering that Mr Sutherland being Moderator of the Session, he should not, out of respect to the wishes of the congregation, have shown active opposition in the matter. The wisH was also expressed that he should retire from the Moderatorship, which he announced hfe intention of doing. With regard to Mr Joseph Wood also, who Ib representative elder of the congregation in the Presbytery, the Moderator was requested to convey to him the desire of the congregation that'he should reßign that position. It was stated by the Moderator that the Rev. Mr Chambers, of Victoria, would supply the pulpit for a short time, and that he would probably be succeeded by the Rev. Mr Wood, recently from Scotland.

Mr Denny, the shipbuilder of Dumbarton, has employed the gentler sex copying tracings in bin drawing office with the most success! nl results. The Wellington Civil servants* are going in for a novel kind of co-operation. A correspondent states : — " A number of them are going together, and will select one tailor, one butcher, one baker, and so forth, to whom they will pledge themselves to give all their custom on condition that a reduction off the usual retail prices is allowed them." A' short time ago a young man in London, who was about to enrol himself in the noble army of benedicts, mißsed his watch, and notified the theft to the police, giving them a full description of it. An astute detective soon discovered it in a pawnshop, where it had been pledged by a pretty German maiden. The maiden was traced and arreßted in a very brief space. What was the young man's horror when confronted with the prisoner in the dock, to find that she was his affianced bride ! The poor girl, with many tears in her eyes, stated that being too poor to purchase a wedding dress, and too proud to .confess her poverty to her lover, she had purloined bis watch with a view to raising suffi- . cient money to buy a decent fit-out for ' the happ'iwt occasion of her life." The young man was truly magnanimous ; he declared that "the' prisoner was and ever would be Mb only love, and that he would marry her out of band if the judge would consent to Bet her at liberty," Without » minute's delay the tribunal annulled the arraignment, and the generoui lov« ?Hftad off big liberated tuee&iofe la triumph,