LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 613, 30 January 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Between eleven o'clock this day, up to the hour we put the Herald to press, the town of Gisborne had the appearance of having gone into morning, instead of being emptied on the occasion of a great annual holiday. All shops were closed ; the streets were so deserted that Sunday m comparison is a crowd. After our paper is out there will be much of excitement, we doubt not. Hotels will be crowded, winners will rejoice at their gains, while losers — those who admit they they have been losers — will, very indifferently, try to conceal their disappointment. The Hart Troupe will, however, give an entertainment, which will make full amends. Tomorrow there will be the same empty town, and the same crowded race-course. Saturday will be a lazy, pick-me-up and take-me-home day ; but Suuday will bring the reflective faculties into play, and on Monday if people will accept our advice, they will respond to the calls of our collector and pay up their newspaper accounts without uttering a murmur. Mr. D. D. Reid, the agent for " The History of the Sea," i 3 m town, and will deliver the books at the beginning of next week. Our old and diminutive acquaintance the Lyell Argus, is gradually becoming smaller and beautifully less. By the last issue to hand we perceive that it has been condensed into 16§ inches m breadth and slightly over 12 inches m depth. The columns on the front and back pages are 6 inches m depth, and 9 inches m breadth and are four m number. To keep up its originality the prop., editor, and what not, has the following imprint appended to the production : — " Printed and Published by Thomas John Metcalfe, at his office Lyell ; m the Colony of New Zealand : and it is the smallest Newspaper m the world." Lately at Akaroa, several lads were " had up " for bathing m the harbour near the wharves. Defendants stated that they wore bathing drawers, and the Bench considered it doubtful whether the action complained of was such as to " offend against public decency " m the words of the Ordinance, and dismissed the cases. Referring to Lord Normanby's private secretary, the effete Lieutenant LePatourel, a Canterbury paper says that "that gallant and good-looking young man has no other responsibilities than reading Ouida's novels." We wonder that bold officer can even do that. Says a Canterbury paper :— Racing matters must indeed be on the decline m New Zealand, if we are to judge by a late case which transpired m Rangitikei not many days ago, m relation to the annual meeting there. It seems that a well-known sporting gentleman, Mr. F. W. Delmain, of Christchurch, had charge of a mare — the well-known Maritana — who had been entered for the principal race. Being what is called a very hot favorite, Maritana produced none but backers, and Mr. Delamain, consequently, did not succeed m putting money upon her. One of those so-called sweeps was drawn previous to the race, the winner of the sweep standing to win £300, the value of the same. On the evening of the first day of the meeting, the gentleman who held Maritana m the sweep, was gratly astonished to receive a demand from Mr. Delamain for a share m the £300, "or otherwise Maritana would not run." Now we are told that certain authorities on turf matters affirm that this kind of levying black-mail upon the public — we really cannot call it by any other name — is pefectly fair and legitimate. If Bitch be the case, we can only say that it is high time that all honest people did withnraw from what is generally supposed to be a noble sport where all s fair and above board, and the encouragement of which does great things towards " educating the popular taste" let alone improving the breed of horses.