FOOTBALL,

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXL, Issue 7058, 18 August 1894, Page 3

FOOTBALL,

HAWKE'S BAY REPRESENTATIVE

TEAM

Thk following critique of the Hawke's Bay team, which play here next week, will no doubt be read with iuterest by local footballers : —

H. Gorman, fullback (Napier) : Collars well, kicks fairly, and pretty certain at taking the ball ; fair place kick. C. Bennett, threequarter (Napier): Takes a ball and kicks splendidly, collars well, and is very hard to collar when going. Beat back in team.

F. Laws, threeqnarter (Caledonian): Takes a ball and kicks beautifully ; good on attack, but weak in defence ; splendid pot shot.

MuFarlamk, threequarter (Caledonian) Takes ball well, kicks fairly, collars splen didly, and is very hard to bring down.

Cauauus, half (Napier) : Clever half on fchc attack, passes out beautifully, stops rushes well, fair collarer, and indifferent kick.

J. Donnelly, half (Napier) : Plays well up to Caradus, which accounts for his inclusion.

H. Swan, wing forward (Pirates) : Lightest man in team, weighing 9at 121 b ; fast clover forward, dribbles well, tackles fairly, and good scoring man.

H. Kelly, wing forward (Caledonian) : New to position ; good all-round man, especially on the line. Best defensive half in Hawke's liny.

8. Cockkokt, forward (Napier) : Too well known to ueed description. Puts in immense amount of work.

Cheer, forward (Pirates) : Hard-working forward ; good on the line and in passing rushes : good scorer.

A. Malcon', forward (Pirates) : Heavy hard-working forward ; fair liae man, and good in scrums.

J. McDowell, forward (County): Probably best forward iv team ; good at all departments ; grafts hard ; good on line, and follows up beautifully.

Ryan, forward (Napier) : Clever forward, who scores well ; waits for opportunities.

Toohey, forward (Caledonian) : Grafts hard ; good on line, collars splendidly, and follows well.

Barnktt, forward (Napier) : Heavy hardworking forward ; good dribbler.

W. O'Conski-l, emergency back (Pirates) : Stops rushes and kicks and collars well ; rather selfish.

Geordine, emergency forward : Played for Hawke's Bay against Marlborough last Saturday. Heavy hard-working forward ; good on the Hue.

A peculiar point was raised iv a case before Mr H. \V. Northcroft, JS.iM., at the Auckland Magistrate's Court on Saturday. A cab-driver named Samuel Martiu, sued one William Edwards, a half-caste, of Puhipuhi, for £1 13s cab fares. Mr McGregor appeared for tho plaintiff, and Mr Brassey for the defendant. After the evidence for the plaintiff had been heard, Mr Brassey said that the defendant's proper name was Wiremu Nehua, and although a half-caste was an aboriginal native of New Zealand, and living as a member of a native tribe. He submitted that the summons must therefore be interpreted in the Maori language which had not been done. Mr Northcroft upheld the contention, and non-auited the plaintiff.

We do not know whether Mr Seddou's Native Land Court Bill is the work of the new Government draughtsman, but it is rfmnrknble for curiously involved language, which mny be clear to the legal mind, but which is calculated to give a liiyriMti a severe headache without leaving him any wiser than before its perusal. Wo have endeavored to master its detail*, but the fffi.rt has left us limp, confused, and puzzled. A memorandum attached to the "Bill states the objects of the measure clearly enough, but the details are a fearfully and wonderfully made verbal puzzle. — H.B. Herald. The St. James's Gazette digs out an old story with a moral in it for the backers of horses. A rich and enterprising sport used to keep an elaborate record of the form of all the great horses of the day. He worked the results out with arithmetical precision —and then he lost the book, and with it all the plans for a whole season's racing campaign. His anguished advertisements all failed to bring back Ihe missing volume,- but it turned up at last iv the pocket of a suicide in the Thames Said suicide had backed the tips until they made him homeless, and then he ballasted himself with the book and went overboard.

A few days ago an assistant in an ironmonger's shop in Wellington waß showing a young lady a gun which had been on the premises for some time, having been left there by a person from the country. Wishing to explain its action he cocked it and pulled the trigger, the result being that an explosion ensued, and a window w»8 broken. Th« accidental discharge did not cause injury to anyone.

The Calcutta correspondent of the Times telegraphs that the Queen's statue at Madras Mas recently smeared with Hindoo religious marks on the forehead, neck, and breast. The police inquiry resulted iv the opinion being expressed that it waa the work of a Hindoo who desired to worship the statue. This is not the first time that such a smearing has taken place. Some time ago a carpenter was caught in the act of decorating the statue with garlands, and marks similar to those now found wero detected on that occasion. He said that he was worshipping the great Maharanee, who, he hoped, would protect him aud give him plenty of work. The Inapector of Police in whose division the statue is situated, says that he himself has noticed people burning incense, breaking cocoanuts, and prostrating themselves in worship before it.

Almost contemporaneously with the invention of the bullet-proof cloth comes a report of the discovery of fire aiul steel proof wood. Several pieces of ironwood have long been known, and have been widely used, on account of their extraordinary weight and hardness, in the manufacture of such articles aa axes and ploughs. These, however, appear to be entirely surpassed by a certain tree found in the Northern Transvaal, regarding which M. Basiaux, at preseut travelling in South Africa,. has transmi'ted a note to the Geographical Society of France. The wood (says the Westminster Gazette) is a sort of ebony, and is so excessively hard that it cannot be cut or worked in the ordinary manner except when green. When mature and dry, it resists every known tool, and cither blunts or breaks the finest tempered steel. It is apparently almost impregnable against fire, as it required a fortnight's constant burning to reduce the trunk of one of the trees to a&hea. The wood, although heavy, is considerably lighter than iron or steel. If it should be found to exist in any quantity, and satisfactory means of working it are discovered, it ie thought that it may find an extensive application in the arts.

The following snake story is amusing, if aot strictly veracious :— A Bhepherd engaged on a station in the south-east of South Australia, being of a musical disposition, ipent bis spare time in Bitting on a tussock md amusing himself and the surrounding inimals of the lower order with selections >.nd variations on the flute. One evening, it s stated, whilst indulging in this partime, a make, charmed by the sweet strains proceeding from the flute, came forth, approached the player, and with an expression if evident pleasure and delight, drank in the ' seraphic strains " with which the air was llled. Objecting to an audience of this iescription, tho musician awaited his opportunity, and, selecting a pause in the volun;ary he was then playing, brought the heavy nd of his flnte across the head of his r.nsuHjecting audience, which blow rendered him mfit to take the part of an audience in any uture entertainment of a similar nature. !'he sequel of the Btory went on to show hat this snake charmer, in ft manner imilar to the above, absolutely cleared the tlace of snakes, and that during one evening juite a large number were despatched in succession. |

A man named Henry William Part was assaulted by a number of larrikins at Kirnbilli, North Sydney, on the ~nh instaut. aud seven young men wore charged at the North Sydney Police Court next day with having inflicted grievous bodily harm upon the victim of the outragt". AH tho accused were remanded for one week. Bail was refused. The police explained that Part was still in the hospital in a very weak condition.

It is said that euchre, as a gambling game, has deposed every other form of card game in London Weßt End clubs, it wo except solo [ whist, which holds its own against everything. Euchre with the right bower, or i single joker, has been played in the United States for nearly two generations, but within the past four years the innovation of four jokers, or turniug each dtuco into a variable card, has completely altered the character of the game. It was at euchre that a young peer recently lost £1000 in a London club. The following pastoral letter, issued by Bishop Cowio, appeared in Thursday's N.Z. Herald :— '• Bishopscourt, Auckland, Auir. loth, 1894. To the Clergy and Laity of the Diocese of Auckland. Dear people,— There hag been introduced into the House of Representatives » Bill providing for the obtaining of divorce on other grounds besides the only one on which our Lord Jesus Christ sanctioned the separation of husband and wife. These additional grounds are those of cruelty and immorality ; Buch cruelty and immorality as is doubtless incompatible with the dwelling together of husband and wife in happiness. The extreme hardship of the lot of a man or a woman who cannot be legally divorced from one guilty of any of the offences specified in the said Bill ia not to be questioned ; but there is a conviction among men and women possessed of great knowledge of the world, that it is a less evil for a few to suffer in this matter than that men and women should be encouraged to marry ' unadvisedly, lightly, or wanlouly,' by facilities of divorce being afforded to many who would selfishly avail themselves of them. In any case, as believers in tho New Testament, we canuot wish the law of the Church to bo altered in this mattor. The Bishops of the Church of England assemblod in London in 1888, with the Bishops of New Zealand and of other churches in communion with us, solemnly declared that ' inasmuch as our Lord s words expressly forbid divorce, except in the case of fornication or adultery, the Christian Church cannot recognise divorce in any other than the excepted case.' It ia my wish that our clergy should address their congregations on this subject on Sunday, August 19 ; and I aak our people generally to sign a memorial that has been prepared, addressed to the House of Representatives, praying that new grounds for the obtaining of divorce may not be recognised by the Parliament of New Zealand. — I am, dear people, your faithful Bishop and brother, W. G, Auckland."