BRIEF MENTION

Observer, Volume 2, Issue 28, 26 March 1881, Page 291

BRIEF MENTION

—Cost of the Boer rebellion— £lo,ooo per diem ! — What is the meaning of always -wearing an ivy leaf in your button hole. —When Mr. H n returned from All Saints' Picnic, he found a sheep's head in his hamper. —Dean's Minstrels will occupy the Lornestreet Hall on Easter Monday and Tuesday. —The "Wave" collided with the "Edina" last Saturday, and was nearly capsized. — A divorce suit with a well-known "elderly-gay-Lothax-io," is on the tapis. — A recent advertisement for a junior clerkship in a Dunedin paper, drew forth 103 applications. — Miss Braddon's newest novel "Asphodel" has been issued in three volume form. It is not. up to " Barbara." A contemporary says, " Her Majesty has recently purchased a velocipede."- Vicky on a bicycle — What next ? — The tall gentleman from Ponsonby who invariably waits for a certain young lady after church had better give up the practice. He is not wanted. — Only six candidates out of seven hundred and seventy-one passed the Melbourne matriculation with credit, and of these exactly one-half were women' — What was Mr. C n doing when he was caught in that sequestered spot with a young lady at All Saints' Picnic. —How about the moonlight picnic to Mount Eden last week, and who was the gentleman with the splendid baritone voice. — The Masonic Brethren are invited to attend the laying of the foundation stone of the Freemason's Hall on Wednesday next. — A new opera bouffe by Lecocq, entitled " Janot,'* was produced at the Renaissance Theatre in Paris on January 20th. It is only a sneci's d'estime. — Burnand's new comedy for the Prince of Wales' Theatre, London, is entitled, "The Colonel." Mrs. Langtry plays a principal part. — The expenses of the Paris Opera House for 1880, were £160,000. The mine en scene of " Aida" alone cost £10,000. — Col. Haul tain (the great Stickley champion) has found it difficult to make time to^ visit the Howe-street Home since the immoralities have been exposed. — Who were the two ladies dressed in black strolling amongst the trees in the vicinity of Judge's Bay and taking sly peeps at the bathers last Sunday morning ? — Notwithstanding the bad acting of some members of the company, the revival of " The Shaugraun" should be seen. Grattan Riggs is a host in himself. — To celebrated the opening of the Exchange Auction Mart at Pukekohe, the proprietor, Mr. A. Forbes, intends giving a ball which will take place in the new building this (Friday) evening commencing at 8 p.m. — The young men of Gibralta Terrace, Parnell, will do well to take warning by the past, and put their trousers ou before parading the verandah for the future. — The most noticeable turn out at Henderson's Mill Races was the wagonette for which Mr. Jones, the popular tobacconist of Queen-street, acted as whip. — Ladies who wish to get letters into the Observer must not write on both sides of the paper. "Angelina Gushington" sends an interesting epistle which is, however, inadmissible for this reason. — Nicker Wild, one of the Alpha "juvenile cricketers," instead of going to church last Sunday night, promenaded the dark side of Symonds-street whispering his sorrows to a fair young immersionist. — The holiday on St. Patrick's Day was not universally observed. A well-known architect kept his clerk and nephew working till 5 p.m., but took care to go away early himself. Shame! — Messrs. Taylor and Dignan have been doing some genuine slogging during the week. The Doctor is the favourite, his backers giving 3 to 1, and offering to pit him against Hearn if he wins on Saturday. —"No! no! Martha, it will not do. That window of yours should be closed before eleven, besides nobody likes an eavesdropper. — A popular baker at Newmarket has evidently been jilted by some "Musical Lady," for he wanders about at midnight in secluded places, singing " Music hath no more charms for me." — The number of clergymen who attended Dr. Simms' lectures in the Lome-street Hall was remarkable. The explanation is, however, simple. The wily old Doctor sent complimentary season tickets to nearly every parson in Auckland. — Scene: Railway carriage. Passenger for Drury, log. : "What do you think of 20 tons of spuds to to the acre ? Not bad for Maketu that. Yes, gentlemen Maketu settlers are turning out the prima-dojnia (sic j settlers in the country !" —A lady writes to complain that on Sunday last at St. Pauls' the collection plate was handed to her tic ice in one service. "Fortunately," she adds, "my discomfiture was not very great, for the collectors look as if they didn't expect you to give anything." — The Alpha cricketers are mad at havinogone all the way to Coroumndel on St. Patrick's Day to get a licking. They are still more mad however, at being referred to in a, newspaper telegram from Coromandel as a team of " juvenile cricketers !" • — The most humourous bit of " Boycotting " that we have yet heard of, is the case of an undertaker in the county of Down who has been " Boycotted," every man in the neighbourhood having entered into a solemn engagement not to ride in the Haggard's hearse ! —The proprietor of the new Society journal in Wellington is Mr. T. C. Ashwin late of the Napier Daily Telegraph. It is to be called the Bulletin and will follow on the lines of that paper. The first issue appears on All Fools' Day (April Ist). — A Dr. Rudolph Falb has been making researches in South America. Instead of Eden lieing somewhere in Asia, Dr. Falb places it on the tableland of Peru or Bolivia. Here is opened up a vast subject for patient investigation. Was Adam a Peruvian ? — The Waipu breakfast par excellence is porridge. One settler, who always takes his time dressing was tlras urged to hurry up a few mornings ago • " Make haste man to your breakfast, the chickens be knee-deei) in your porridge." —A paper, the Telephone, published in Brisbane, in the interests of the spiritualists, apologises in a late issue for the absence of Lord Byron's poem fresh from the a^^thor in spirit land, saying that he (Lord Byron) has totally forgotten poetry in the spirit world.

— The celebrated American drama of "'The Danites" will shortly be produced at the Theatre Eoyal. Messrs. J. J. Wallis and Hamilton, who play the principal parts have arrived, and will be supported by a powerful company. — A chap who may become a man some day, has been endeavouring to ingratiate himself into the affections of one of the North Shore belles through the medium of expensive and nicely prepared bouquets of flowers. Deluded youth, you are wasting your time and your substance. — The young ladies of St. James's Church have determined to roll up en masse at the Discussion Class next Monday night, as they have heard that Mr. W. J. Geddis in his paper on "The Fancy Bazaar Nuisance" will make some startling- revelations concerning their late bazaar. — "Queer Cuss" fqiierc us), the Domain authority on oaks, says that he only sent in a plan for the laying out of the Albert Park, because he heard that Joy B. Russell and Albyn Martin were going in to win the £10 prize. He is sorry now, as it has turned out a "Hoax" (h'oaks). — That Pinafore yarn is not played out yet. A young lady, lately arrived from the South, observed in her young brother's hearing that many people in Auckland wear white pants, when the smart boy chimed in, " And so do our sisters; and our cousins, and our aunts." — "The land, my friends," cried an Irish orator the other day at a League meeting in old Erin, "has belonged to the people from the days of Adam." "Adam, indeed !" replied a voice in the crowd, " do not speak of him, he wns evicted from the Garden of Eden without compensation." — The service at St. Sepulchre's last Sunday evening was a remarkable one. The first lesson was a chapter utterly unfit to be read before a mixed audience, the singing was most melancholy, and the sermon was the quintesssence of dreary commonplace. Rev. B. T. Dudley was not the preacher. — Mr. Ruskin has just contributed to his musenm at Sheffield a large, lustrous, and magnificent opal, which was recently discovered in Australia. It is undoubtedly the finest gem of its kind in Great Britain, and is said to be surpassed by only one other in the world, viz. in the Museum at Vienna. - Miss Jennie Lethani and her brother gave a very pleasant little party in the Temperance Hall on Thursday evening last. About twenty-five couples were present, and they kept up dancing till morning light. Miss Waddel is said to have been the prettiest girl present, and the hostess looked charming in white and pale blue. — A very pleasant complimentary entertainment was given by Mrs. Allen West's juvenile pupils in the Temperance Hall on Friday the 18th iust. The first portion of the entertainment consisted of songs, duets, glees, and instrumental music, the performers being the Misses Coombes, Wickhaui. Lee, Cobb, Wndham, and Mrs. West. Then succeeded dancing and other amusements. The whole affair was thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. — The Wairarnpa Standard supplies a new and extraordinary theory as to the means by which the Czar met his death. It attributes the Imperial decease to the effect of its own telegrams. Our contemporary says: — "It will be seen that the Emperor of Russia came to an untimely end on Sunday last hij the telegrams in another place." We are surprised and concerned to learn that the Standard's telegrams can have so regicidul an effect at such a vast distance. — "We have received a story from a lady at Onohunga, entitled " A Dark Deed," which is respectfully declined. The first chapter opens with, "It was midnight," That is all right. It is often midnight— at least seven times a week ; but the author forgot to add, "and silence brooded over the city." This is a fatal oversight. Silence always broods over a city when it is midnight in works of fiction — but nowhere else. We can't print a story in which silence doesn't brood at midnight. —Miss Lily W. and Miss Maria, P. had the courage to mount the platform at Dr. Simms' lecture on .Friday night. In describing their characteristics he remarked inter alia that if the former by some sad mischance was deserted by her beau she would pine over him and lament her loss. The charming Mjiria, on the other hand, would console herself with the reflection that the sea held as good fish as ever were caught, and straightway "go for" another young man. Whereat Maria smole sweetly and gently winked approval to a certain young gentleman in the front seats. — Why does Treland, at the present time, resemble the Survey Department •'—Because they are always jilanving and plotting there; draft* (of) men are constantly arriving; no parallel rulers are to be found equal to theirs ; a deal of tracing has to be done in order to mature their plans ; and bets (Betts) have been made that they ivoulil (Wood) be on friendly terms with Paris (Parris) and adopt their colours to morrou- (Morrow) if the waters (Waters) did not divide them ; matters would then be carried on on a scale of magnificense never previously recorded in the calendar (Kallander). — The Liberty draws attention to the travelling allowances of Civil Servants. "By regulations these are fixed at 3s 6d per day for every £100 of salary per annum, but in no case less than 7s i>er day, and at sea 2s 6d per day. This is exclusive of railway, coach, or steamboat fares. A poor devil on ±200 a year, has to travel and lose 2s 6d per day, as he can't do it decently under 10s, while the swell with £800 a year travels a good, deal and nets from £2 to £2 10s per day, profit ; a nice addition to his salary. No wonder Messrs Batkin, Seed, and other heads of departments find so often such good reasons for change of scene. — The critiques that appeared in the daily papers, anent Miss Black's concert, have created much amusement in musical circles. The Star man, whose ignorance and conceit would be ludicrous if they weren't so exasperating pooh-poohed Gottsehalk, and, regardless of common sense, spoke of single finger (sic) exercises. We think that when a young lady comes before the public for the first time, and asks for nothing save fair play and an honest expression of opinion, the least the daily papers can do is send some one who understands music to criticise her. To be damned by a clever writer is bad, but to feel that one is the victim of an inflated and fatuous ignoramus must be far, far worse. — The "Shaughraun" was successfully revived at the theatre on Tuesday evening. It is handsomely mounted, and moderately well played. Mr. Grattan Riggs makes a capital Conn, indeed (bar Boucicault himself) it would be difficult to name a better representative of the part. From first to last he was the life and soul of the play, which never flagged so long as he was on the stage. The other performeis, with the exception of Mr. O'Brien and Miss Maggie Knight (whom we refer to elsewhere) were not up to much. Miss Adelle is always the same, moreover she has developed some extraordinary attitudes which are the reverse of elegant. Mr. Howe makes the parish priest an insufferable old bore, and Miss Worthingtou has a part which doesn't suit her. Mr. Plastic's Kinchela is tolerable, but the less said about the representative of Robert Ffolliot the better. — The new Postmaster-General has an opportunity of signalising his advent to office by introducing Professor Fawcett's latest reform, which is very popular at Home. There, instead of buying money orders in the old fashion, one may go to a post office and purchase a kind of printed cheque, paying £1 0s 2d for a £1 cheque, and small sums pro rata for amounts under £1. This instrument is negotiable, and may be passed from hand to hand, like an ordinary £1 note ; but, unlike it, it is only payable on demand to the bearer, at a particular office specified on the face of the document, and is not payable if presented three months after the date of issue. This postal order can be crossed like a cheque, and made payable only throngh the banker mentioned in the " crossing." The sale of the new orders is, however, confined to specified hours of the day. Undoubtedly the adoption of this scheme here would give the public greater facilities, for transmitting small sums of money through the Postal Department than they now enjoy, and ought to considerably increase the departmental profits.