ALBURY (SOUTH CANTEREURY)

Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 25

ALBURY (SOUTH CANTEREURY)

January 3 —To do justice to the season one must nectssarily wish his friends the compliments of the season, and though the "m'vry, merry Christmas" has pasted, the "blight New Year" is yet at hand. May the new-born yeas be a prosperous one, my friends, in spite of the gloomy piospects just now. However, every cloud has a silver lining, so we have every reason fur hope ; thiugs are never so bad but reflection will show that they might be worse. The Crops. — A week sgo we could afford to be cheerful aud make merry. The several rains, though but light, had proved very beneficient to the district, and had really a very gratifying effecton the grain crop 1 ", reviving them wonderfully, and the turnips have struck well ia many instances ; in fact, in some few cases the cropi:

have shot up and on into the rough leaf like magic ; so with a continuance of the present more favourable weather (absence of withering nor'westert*), we shall still survive.

.AcciDENiS and Fataltties.— -Several accidents have occurred within the last week or two, and I legret having to note three deaths. On the 18th December Mr Donald M'Millan, the longest resident of the district, succumbed to drop y ; and when the news of the rather sudden death of Mr Coulson wa3 reported guile a gloom was cast over the little towuihip of Burkes Pass aud surrounding district, as though the deceased was an old man of 75, he was fairly hale and hearty, and his numerous friends had every reason to hope of his living for many years. Strange to say, considering the advanced age our late friend lived to, he had to leave London on account of his health. Prior to coming to New Zealand — nearly 50 years ago— Mr Coulson was on the staff of the Illustrated London News, and on severing his connection with the paper he was present*- d, as a memento, with a copy of the fiist bound volume of the journal. Deceased was a widower, and only leaves a very large circle of friends to mourn the loss of a much-respected comrade. — Another sad death took place on 'ihursday, the 23rd ult , wheu word .was wired down from Like Tekapo that a young fellow named Jameson had died suddenly on the Mistake station. The arrival of Constable Maloney, of I'Virlie, to whom the uews was wired, was waited for ere steps were taken to have the body of the uufortunate Tabbiter — who bad oied in a camp some 30 miles back, up a rough gorge— brought^ down ; but seemingly, on account of red tapeism, the constable did not proceed up until the st-co- d day, by which time the owner of the property", who was absent down country, also arrived, and it was not till the fourth day after death that the body wai packed down out of the gorge and brought on for interment in the cemetery at Burkes Pass. It was not deemed neefssaryto hold an inquesr, the deceased bejug known to suffer considerably from consumption, and there was satisfactory procf that the immediate caut-e of death was the bursting of a bloodvessel. It is believed that Alf Jameson, who was a vefy quiet and steady working young fellow of ab t ut 25, had friends in the Mamoto'o district. Mr Rutherford's absence was unfortunate, since it appears tfiat those on the station were labouring under !he absurd notion that a human body must not be touched under any circumstances until a constable or a local magistrate is present.

Sport. — The township Ind quite a gala time of it on Christmas Day, when the residents of the surrounding district asbembled at Albury to ■witness the tennis tournament, now an established annual fixture. The gathering had a rare good time of it, and one and all seemed to mjoy themselves, as is the wont of our townsfolk with their distiict friends whenever there is any fun on in Albury. This year five ladie3 and seven gentlemen accepted for their respective handicap games, and the weather proved most seasonable aud the couita were in splendid order — thanks to the untiring attention Messrs Oouperand Gaiter had bestowed on them— while the handicappeis bad judged the relative merits of the nominators to a nicety. After very close and interesting play throughout, the final round in the ladies' game saw the Misses Jones doing battle, Miss Annie ultimately winning the trophy from lier si-ter. The l»>-t drawing with the m<mbeis of the sterner sex lay with Mea-rsF. Polhill. J. E. Carter, and A. S Smith, the latter leceiving a handicap of five f n -m the other players. Mr Carter, drawing the bye, left Smith and Polhill to play, and after a ding ong set-to the former got into the final by scoring his required 40, while his opponent had one to get. Finally Mr Carter again proved champion, aud secured the trophy, valued at 25s ; Mr Smith the second prize. Afternoon tea was partaken of.