BRIEF MENTION

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 10, 20 November 1880, Page 79

BRIEF MENTION

— Mr. Hurst's pig.— .Not so black as he's painted. — Mr. Swallow's concert. — A great deal to Swallow. — Mick Gallagher, Jimmy Poole and Blaikie all lost heavily on the boat race. — It is reported that Mr. F. G. Ewington is about to go to Fiji as a missionary. — The Rev. A. W. Webb " went for" all dancers in his sermon last Sunday. • — Didn't the Professor warm up poor little Wilson on Saturday. — I hear it is likely Mr. Wilson will go to Sydney shortly. .— There was fully £120 in the Theatre on the night of the Swallow*concert. — Mr. Hurst has retained Mr. He>keth to plead on behalf of Bertie Savema in the forthcoming action. — The "Himalaya" with Vesey Stewart's No. 2 tarty of To Puke settlers, is to sail from London on November 25th. — The Morrins' Avon a " pot" over Haitian's victory, and Jack Smith of the Occidental, didn't do amiss. — Mr. H. B. Morton was out in his yacht last Saturday, and for an amateur handled her very Skillfully. — Mr. George Brown has disposed of the " Mystery" for the sum of £230, so she may not, after all, go to Melbourne. — Mr. John Lamb talks a great deal of the wheat growing capabilities of this province, but why does not he grow some ? — Has the elderly gentleman I sometimes see promenading the back yard of the Auckland Club, enjoying his pipe, left the army ? — .••• ttention is directed to the advertisement of Mr. TV. W. Robinson, who has a large assortment of cricketing material chosen by himself in the old country. — Mr. J. Chambers, of the firm of K. Porter & Co. , is building a large concrete house in Princes-street, Albert Park, near to Mr. C. Ring's. — Great surprise was expressed at the splendid condition in which the circus horses came off the mail steamer. — The town was demoralised on Sunday evening. The churches were half empty, and no one could talk of anything but the circus. — The Rev. F. N. Isitt is a through passenger to Dunedin by the Orient line "Lusitania" which left London in October. — • Mr. H. Griffiths is a through passenger to Auckland by the " Lusitama" which sailed from Plymouth in October. — The ss. " Northumberland* sailed from London te Lyttelton on October 21st. She brings a number of well-to-do farmers (gentlemen) for Auckland. — The Rev. Mr. Berry is a passenger by the N.Z.S. Cos. "Sydenham" which was to sail for Auckland on October 25th. — On the night on which the " Jessie Logan" art union came off, tickets which previously sold at £1 each, were disposed of in large numbers at 2s 6d each. — "Alas ! poor Trickett, I backed him well Horatio" murmured Joe Bennett, inadvertently quoting Shakespeare's as he lifted the consoling glass of Koederer to his lips on Tuesday afternoon. — « n Monday last, Mr. Greenwood announced on his board that he would sell at 12 noon precisely, "300 acres of Bosh." N.B. — Was it the property of the " Tree Lance." — A correspondent wants to know by what right Mr. Claud Park styles himself " Honourable," as there is no Park peerage and the name cannot be found in Burke. — Mr. Wilson, with his hair cut and a nice clean shirt on, looked quite nice at the Swallow concert, but his shoes, although rosetted, were not a patch on the Professor's. — The wonderful pumps worn by Professor Swallow at his concert were dreadfully tight and caused him unutterable agonies. They were made specially for the occasion. — "A young man from the country" wants to know why the Horticultural judges awarded the second prize to a broken and incomplete floral design, instead of to the effort of the Auckland flower girl. — The Rev. T. W. Dunn, the minister of St. David's Church, which has just been erected at the top of Syinonds-street, has been dangerously ill. His friends will be glad to learn that he is slowly recovering. — At the dinner to McArthv.r's employees, Mr. Larkins said some of the clerks appeared to think he had a "down" on them, but he assured all present he had not. A strange thing to say, wasn't it ? — Mr. E. S. Wilcocks's grief at the loss of his office as Registrar of the Supreme Court, was, his friends tell me, insignificant compared with his sorrow at not receiving a ticket for McArthur's banquet. — That asphalt again. Poor S fell flat on his back while descending Grey-street the other morning, but the only injury sustained was a fractured thumb. Perhaps he was in a " Brown" study. — Young /» rthur Burgess has left Messrs. Owen and Graham's employ, and become an apprentice on board the New Zealand Shipping Company's ship " Waikato," now loading at Napier for London. — Butter is so cheap in Auckland at the present time that it is being shipped to England as " grease." Already between four and five hundred kegs have been sent away. — The Public of A uckland are informed that Mr. Murray, of the Exchange Hotel, has renewed the Verandah, rendering it available for seeing the procession on Friday, the 19th inst. — [Advt]. — Schwartze, the jeweller, found trade so dull in Auckland that he left with his family by the P.M.S.S " City of New York" last week. He intends to recommence his business in San Francisco. — Mr. Hitchcock who has been suffering from low fever, returned to his duties at St. Thomas's last Sunday, when there was a large congregation. Mr. Hitchcock is a great favourite, and during his absence, St. Thomas's was almost deserted. — Can any of my readers let me see copies of "Pan," the "Society Times," or the " Rendezvous," new papers recently brought out in London ? I get nearly all the metropolitan weeklies and should like to see if these are worth ordering. — Mr. Hiirst, having read in the newspapers that gold pigs were the most fashionable ornaments in Paris, ordered one to be made for a watch chain pendant for himself. He has now gone to the expense of a cablegram countermanding the order. • — The band at the Sightascope exhibition last Saturday evening-, displayed a keen sense of the eternal fitness of things, regaling the crowd in Queenatreet with " The little brown pig" and " Remember and JTorget" alternately.

— Look out ! Look out ! for the Hercules Galop, dedicated to the Hon. Lndy Robinson. May be had at Eady's Music Warehouse, Queen-street. — [Advt.] — People thought it a great pity Mr. Gooch's name appeared so seldom in the programme at Swallow's concert. — The latest excuse we have heard offrnd on behalf of an impecunious one to a creditor wns that "his legs was so bad that he could not write a cheque." The same gentleman has lately been incapacitated from walking exercise by the tightness of his gloves. An advertisement in another column announces that Mr. Arthur H. Nathan has commenced business as a general importer and commission agent. I have not the pleasure of Mr. NatEan's acquaintance, but from what I henr he seems to be a smart business man, likely to do full justice to his clients. — " The other evening" writes a contributor, "I saw my old friend, Jones, who is in the habitof using words and phrases of which he does not always understand the meaning. I asked him how he was, and he said, 'Well, Sir, I'm just gottin' over an attack of rheumatics, and I'm not very compm mentus yet.' " — You may not be aware, Wickham, that people thought your joke about the poor dying girl in Inst week's paper, very bnd form. Why you lug in such characters at all is what puzzles me. It is surely possible to sneer at and blackguard the Observer without having recourse to mere Billingsgate. — There was a mngnificent cylinder escritoire exhibited at the late Show, which certainly wns a credit to its inaker,Mr. Walter Bngneof London-street, Newton, but the spelling on the otherwise splendid show card by McKinlay, spoiled all. It thus appeared— " Ladies' Cellender Bsquitoire." — Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Greenwood gave a pnrty on Thunsday week at their residence at Mount Albert, in honour of H.I.G.Ms "Hyane." A large number of ladies and gentlemen, residents of the district, and of the city and suburbs were there, and spent a most enjoyable evening. — Theological disputation is becoming very popular and probably payable as well. Two learned milkmen are now "pegging away" at each other, viz., Brown the christadelphian, and Hayter of acetic acid notoriety. Their milk of human kindness is rapidly changing into the gnll of bitterness. — Inspector Woolfield lias had Slaughterman Murray bound over to keep the peace for using threatening language towards him. By the way, what means the slaughterman's significant reference to "a female" being "in the case ?" There's evidently something behind the scenes. — Mr. Saml. R. Keesing lias written a capital piece of dance music called the "Hercules Galop." It is chock full of melody and like the '"Orpheus" and "Bruder Lustig" would make even the Rev. Alan W. Webb become a temporary worshipper of Terpsichore. — Mr. R. S. Meek who lately carried on bu-i---ness in the City Market finding the 'place too small has taken large and commodious premises in Lennox's Buildings, Grey Street and as he has laid in a large and fresh stock of groceries of all kinds. Customers will find a good supply at very reasonable rates. — [Advt] . — The two dozen of beer so kindly sent up by Mr. Lionel Phillips, was divided amongst all hands and gave great satisfaction. I have no hesitation in saying that I never tasted any colonial beer to equal it. Whitson's is good at times, but one can't rely on the condition. — Jiuius Crcsar covered his grey hairs and bald head with laurel leaves. History does not say who was his bootmnker. Never mind your head, keep your feet warm. Try Garrett Bros., Wakefield-street, where you can get " consolation for your sole" of the best quality at moderate rates. — [Advt.] — Alas, poor Harry Richmond, I hear he is going out as a missionary to the " Hick Ni Hockney" Island to get up a sweep on the advent of the millenium. He would like to shed a few tears with his friends before leaving. Whiskey ready at all hours at the Nevada Hotel.— [Advt.] — Practice and precept go well together, but precept as regards cricket is nowhere ; practice is the thing, and that without good material is not much. Cricketers should inspect the large assortment of material, just received by Messrs. Partridge and Woollams, Queen-street.— [Advt.] — I'll wear the dress that pleased him best, a ribbon in my hair." That's what the love sick girl snng. But since Adam was kicked out of Paradise, that costume has gone out of fashion. Lndies can see the latest; at Mr. McMaster's, 242, Queen-street, who has just opened a large stock of Ladies' Hats, Bonnets, and Costumes.— [Advt,] — It is a pity some preparation cannot be procured to make the horses of the Onehunga 'Busses look a little smarter. The other dny, the driver of one of the busses (a very geninl and civil fellow by the way), said, "Look at that horse, he's a perfect picture." " Yes," was the reply, "he would make a good frame for one." — It is whispered that the ladies of Bersfordstreet Church are about to present Captain Daldy with a pair of " Sanctuary Shoes." According to the " Herald," these shoes are a great improvement upon the oldfashioned noisy squeaking boots, and allow a man to move quietly about the church, without irritating the nerves of sensitive people. — The local " shellbacks" were awfully sold, I believe, over the result of the sculling contest between Hanlan and Trickett. So confident were they that the Sydneyite would pull off the affair, that the Dacres, McDonald of the Harbour Board and some others had actually arranged to run two lines of flags across Queenstreet as soon as the news came to hand. — The "Star" and " Herald" as usual, came to grief over the gallic phrase feu dejoie. Two or three times a year this sample of French orthography floors the local scribes, but nevertheless •on each snbsequent occasion they come smilingly up to the mark. The evening paper has also wrestled with " bouquet" several times lately, but carefully misses the first " v." — The night meetings of the City Councillors are very popular with our civic representatives and very profitable to the nearest pub. At the conclusion of the business, it is an invariable rule to adjourn from labour to refreshment, and the "nightcaps" dispensed to all and sundry on those occasions are said to be of admirable quality. Their soporific character is indisputable. — " Well Fred, I've raised the money on my land through the man in Darby-street." "Him! who found Luckiman his good wife, and my mother her valuable servant, Alf ?" " Yes ! he has stored my luggagewill receive and forward my letters, and I am down on his private Enquiry Book— a valuable general agent is T. B. Hannaford.— [Advt]. — The most elaborate preparations were made in anticipation of Trickett's victory. Mick Gallagher had a beautiful transparency prepared, and told Paddy Doran to be ready with a band to play outside the' Thistle. Another chap arranged for a line of flags to be strung across Qiieen-street, and a third prepared to illuminate his premises. There never was in the history of colonial sport a bigger " boil orer." — When a very respectable man is discovered to have infringed the moral code, the lex non scripta, &c, &c, the proper thing for him to do is to ask the public to suspend their judgment until the thing is forgotten. So Johnny Sheehan asked Parliament last session to suspend its judgment on his little native peccadilloes and this was done effectually. If I remember rightly, he never opened his mouth on the subject afterwards. — Mr. Denby of the Thames, writes to me as follows. — " Sir, — I notice in your journal of to-day, under the heading 'Thames,' a paragraph re Review on the Prince of Wales' s Birthday, at the end of which the words 'As yer ware' appear in italics. I should be sorry to believe that your success is dependent on wilful misrepresentation. And as neither Captain Sewell (who is the son of a clergyman) nor myself, have ever iised such an expression, its insertion looks foolish, and only brings contempt on your venture. Certainly the ' Thames Review, Sham Fight, and Dinner were successfully carried out. Those of our men who went, say the Auckland affair was a failure."

— The "Waikato Times" is very warm on the "hon." Claud Park.— Listen to this.—" In spite of all our boasted democracy, New Zealand has about as large an army of Jeaines's as any country on the face of earth The other day a person named Claud Park was arrested on the Queen-street wharf for debt, and immediately every paper which henrs of the occurrence dubs the unfortunate the 'hon.' Claud Park, a distinction to which the poor man has no claim whatever But

— Old Hayter is said to have acetic acid on th c bram. For several years he was the regular preacher at the Newmarket Primitive Methodist chapel, hut latterly his theology became so blended with medicine that his disgusted congregation at length petitioned for his removal. They could not stand advertising puffs of a new panacea from the pulpit, prefering to have their spiritual comforts pure and unadulterated. Hence the polemical milkman's retirement into private life

— The "Thames Star" is complimentary. Listen boys to this:— "The current week's number of the Observer contains an excellent likeness of Mr Lionel Phillips, likewise of the celebrated prize pi<'' Bertie Snverna," and all the usual features. The largo and varied assortment of gossip our contemporary picks up is really surprising, and its success is one of the greatest journalistic triumphs ever seen in the colony— "Always excepting ourselves, Captain Corcoran. "

— At the last meeting of the City Council, a letter was received from a troubled burgess, complaining of the surpassable state of some thoroughfare, and stating that late one night an old woman fell down but was kindly succoured by a Mr. Goldie who was upon the spot, and who assisted her home. Councillor Goldie's eagerness to disavow identity with this good Samaritan, raised a hearty laugh at his own expense. No one suggested that the old woman might have been a sister in a " deeply agitated" condition.

— Councillor Offer is a most unfortunate blunderer. At a recent meeting of the civic magnates, he nominated a committee to arrange forthe Governor's reception, and in speaking to the proposition designated the nominees as a lot of " plain men." The councillors while agreeing that the qualification might suit Mr Offer, objected one and all that it had any application to them. Some one went so far as to assert that councillor Thompson for instance, instead of being a " plain " man was quite " a fancy man." Who'd have thought it.

— Messrs. W. Ashby and Co. writing under date, Oct. 7th say :— Things in general are looking up, nnd although there are not so many passengers offering for New Zealand as last year, ttill, those that are corning forward are of a better class ; several we have booked are bringing money over with them. We send you a copy of the "Times" with an article on New Zealand. New Zenlnnd hns been going the round of the papers lately.

— Who can this choice Billingsgate (published in a penny publication lnst Saturday) refer to P— " We have in this city a miserable little sheet 'run' by a retired blacksmith who would seem to be especially subsidised to asperse and vilify the Liberal leader and his staunchest condjutors in every possible way. Like Thersites, that ' deformed and scurrilous Grecian,' he hectors and abuses the most prominent and unselfish men in the country, and if he had his ancient prototype's candour he might declare with truth, ' I am a rascal, a scurvy railing knave, a very filthy rogue.' "

— Ueligious old ladies, rusty black, and tracts usually go together. The other day a lady and little boy, nged six yenrs, were riding in n, 'bus when one of thesu enthusiastic tractarians entered. After looking at the boy some time she asked him " would he like to be accepted." The little fellow said he did not know, but thought he'd prefer a cake. Instead of a cake, however the old party handed him a trnct entitled " Forgiven, 'J telling him to read it and be " forgiven and accepted.' If one tract could fix the little fellow, I wonder how many would be required for some of our members of Parliament.

— Mrs. Stevens and Mrs. Stanier have not been allowed to retire from the St. Paul's Church choir without taking with them some pleasing memento of their connection therewith. Severnl ladies and gentlemen (Mrs. Page, Mrs. Eovitt, Miss King, Miss Thomas, Messrs. Brett, Dawson, Edmiston, Gooch, Judd, Mackay, Reynolds, Skinner, Swallow, Captain Thomas, Tyler, Wigg, White and Wilson), put their heads together and presented Mrs. Stevens with a very handsome silver centro stand for a drawing room table, whilst Mrs. Stanier received a pretty silver butter cooler. Each lady also got a watch, stand.

— A correspondent writes : — " When I read the little incident mentioned in the pen nnd ink sketch of Mr. Thomas Russell, telling how he sent onions to California, I wns reminded of a similar story which was told about the late Mrs. Thonins Henderson, wife of Mr, T. Henderson, M.L.C. The firm of Henderson and McFarlane sent a vessel laden with produce to California, and Mrs. Henderson asked for and obtained room in the vessel for a small consignment she wished to send. She bought all the eggs she could obtain in Auckland at from sixpence to eightpence per dozen. "When the vessel reached California, the eggs were sold at from twenty to thirty nhilUngs per dozen, and Mrs. Henderson received a large sum ns her share of the venture. The money thus obtained was really the foundation of the fortune of Messrs. Henderson and McFarlane, who became the largest shipping firm in the colony.

— " The relative of the Poyal family" is quite mistaken in supposing that Dr. Haines told me about his poor dear tummick-ache. I don't know the Dr., never spoke to him in my life, and I am quite certain the very last thing he would do is make a joke about an august personage like " the relative." H.R.H. must look much nearer home if he wants to find out my informant. Why I know quits a number of funny stories about him. There is one about a coffin, and another about porter and champagne under the bed, and another about " analysing" domestics, and another about a midnight search for " Eno's fruit salt." " The relative" may, however, ri assure himself. Enough is as good as a feast, and when a fellow takes a bit of chaff good-naturedly and without using bad words (the relative never — at least hardly ever swears) I leave him alone and look elsewhere for a bit of fun.

— It is to be hoped, Bubble-you-Burst, that you will take a lesson from the outcry there has been against you this last fortnight, and moderate your manners. It cannot have escaped even yo\ir somewhat dull perceptive faculties that people seemed glad of an opportunity to sit on you, and perhaps you may have wondered why this was. Well, dear old. chappie, I'll tell you. The fact is, your affectations and euphuisms annoy people. You seem to have got a notion into your head that you are a " big bug" (as the saying is) and on the strength of the delusion you patronise anybody and everybody. Now, Bubble-you, people don't like to be patronised even by those who have a sort of right to patronise tlieru, and when they find a pompous old jackass like you doing it, they naturally resent the insult. As a consequence, when there is a chance of making you look foolish they rejoice and cry out with one accord, " Hit him hard, he's got no friends."