TE AROHA ARROWS.

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 23, 19 February 1881, Page 236

TE AROHA ARROWS.

(FKOM OUR SPECIAL ON THE SPOT.)

— Paddy Quinlan Avas very liberal to the races. —Since Manakau Jones left us soup has been at a prenihun. —Since the conflagration, Mr. James Simms has managed to raise ii~new crop of hair on the top of liis liead. He is going round as sprightly as ever. I hear that Johnny Sweeney, one of the prospectors of the gold field", is to be married in a few weeks to Miss Bella Moore. Johnny, who is n. broth of a boy now six months out from the ould sod, is building nice little house about four miles from here. —George Lipsey is a veritable prince of jolly good fellows, and no one envies him his sjood luck in marrying a Maori ivnihine with a goldfield ns her weddin""portion. "George" drew about £400 the other day as his first share of the " blunt " collection fees, miners rights, etc. He gave a grand champagne " splash." We had a visit from a most extraordinary looking foreigner the other dny. He was a perfect walking Woolwich, having with him a 30 guinea s,'im,a "brace of revolvers, a bowie knife, and n sword stick. On the way up, in the " Vivid," he killed a tenl on the wing with a, revolver bullet at 90 yards. He has been commissioned by the German Government to report on the colonies as a field for German emigration. I heard his name, but it is quite too awfully awful to remember. —Since Jim Philp, the gallant editor of the Miner, was burnt out, he lias taken to learn the noble art of swimming. The Wsiihou is a splendid river for total immersion, and it is highly deverting of a hot afternoon to see Harry Whitaker, Lindsay, and Harry Jackson, big Charlie McLean, of the Thames Scottish, " Slaughterman " Stafford, and other notables wallowing- in the limpid, or entering with the zest of school hoys into a mud fight from opposite banks of the river. — lie the above, I noticed the worthy sergeant of police (Mulvillc) learning to swim a few evenings ago. He would not venture beyond his knees, and then hod communication with the hank by means of a long ilax rope. Happy thought ! If ever I infringe the law— run into the river. — Yon Avill remember the romantic story of the elopement of the fair Miss Mullins, of Hamilton, ■with poor Telverton O'Connell, nnd the relentless conduct of the stern parent of the girl. Since her husbands death, a couple of years ago, the poor girl has given up all hope of earthly enjoyment, and the other day, with her sister in law, she entered the Auckland Convent as a noviciate. —Morality is not at a very high stage amongst the natives about here. Some months ago a chief of this district courted and won the affections of the favourite wife of a Thames chief, who wsis absent at the time. The rangatira from the Mountain of Love induced the fair one to fly with him to his native fortresses. She flew, and great was the wrath of the liege lord on his return. The great council of Hauraki compelled the Te Arohan to return his inamorata, and in addition fined him £100 in cash besides land and bullocks, which were given to the wronged husband as a solatinm. The last thing I heard was that the two rangatiras were excellent friends, the Te Arohnn having settled the matter by purchasing the woman he loved for £50 nett cash. They now live happily together, though the other viaihine of the raugatira occasionally mars the harmony of the domestic circle by an attack on the new and favourite inmate of the harem.

— We have had a visit from James SteAvart, Esq., C.E. He was not looking so sprightly as of yore, and I surmise his approaching " sack " has a little to do "with his wo-be-gone countenance. Jimmy was a man ■who used not only to rule his inferiors, but also his superiors. You will remember that the Grey Ministry started the Thames railway from the Grahamstown end. Well, one of the contracts was a bridge over the Kauaeranga. The present Ministry came into power, and the railway works were stopped. The Thamesites •were indignant, and some of the Pnrawai nobs thought they would hamper the new Ministry by demanding enormous compensation on account of the navigation of the road being stopped by the railway bridge. The Government were at their wits end. The3 r did not want to go on with the work, and they couldn't think of paying the compensation demanded. Jimmy Stewart's fertile brain came to the rescue. He quietly put the Minister of Public Works up to a dodge, the upshot of which was that the Parawai notables received a communication to the effect that they would have not the slightest objection to removing the deck of the bridge. This ended the matter, but of course the smart C.E. gained the everlasting gratitude of the long suffering Thames people.