PERSONAL

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 59, 29 October 1881, Page 105

PERSONAL

— Captain Pennell has made his last trip as skipper of the "Southern Cross. ■ — Has the "Dawson" affair anything' to do with the poor attendance at the last meeting of the City East School Committee ? — The City School Committee consider that they have again been snubbed by the Board of Education and want to know the reason why ? . — Mrs Crago did more cood at the Newton fire than any other person present and surely deserves recognition from the insurance companies. : — Gt-eorge Dunnett is off on another Island Cruise. He seems to rather like it. . — The "little woman" no longer occupies her accustomed seat at church on Sundays and things are very quiet — Moonlight picnics are on the tapis and Moody and Sanky's hymns will therefore be put in rehearsal. — The young couple who do their spooning under Webb's verandah in Wellesley -street every Thursday night are not yet married, but soon will be. Fact! — We hear Captain John McKay is negotiating at Levuka for the purchase of a new tradind schooner. His lady friends may therefore expect him here very shortly. — Harry Parker has not yet been promoted to I the post of Collector of Customs, but hopes to find his " one desire " fulfilled some day. Ahem ! — Vincent Pyke is again trying to form a Land League in Otago. His power of creative political capital cannot be surpassed by any Member of the House. ■ — Says the Canterbury Times: — "A rumour is current that Mr DeLias being desirous of keeping Auckland to himself, has declined to let the Theatre Royal in that city for the Pomeroy Company for less than £150 per week." — The Liberty of the 15th insfc. contains the following : — " It was pretty rough of George to show Landeshut that paragraph in the Obsebveb. The later said it was all an adjective fabrication. Of course !" < — Bill Bevan, " sadler and man of means, says he has travelled all over "this little island/ "Deah me!" and considers the Wellington- young ladies the best looking and most amiable. He thinks of returning to the Empire City, and " Our Girls " say it is certainly the best place for him. — Mr Sealey the author of the pamphlet "Are we to stay here," is not going to Sydney after all although he had taken his passage. He goes to the Bay of Islands instead' to layout a township. We cannot afford to lose colonists of Mr Sealey's stamp therefore note with satisfaction his remaining among us. — So the G-isborne people are glad Judge Fenton has resigned his office. There may be some doubt about this matter. What has happened to the best of our belief is .this. Judge Fenton has got anxious about his pension, and so placed his pension papers before Parliament. He will obtain his pension and continue his Judgeship. — It appears, says Truth, that the imprisonment i of Cetewayo costs over £4000 a-year, one way and another, and it seems highly absurd, to say nothing of the injustice, to keep him in expensive captivity for having defended himself against unwarrantable aggression ; besides, he is now perfectly harmless, and could do us no harm, even if he were ill-disposed, which there is every reason to believe he is not. — When James Mackay was sent to Greymouth to perform the temporary duties of warden in the place of Lowther Broad deceased, John Hall said, " Thank God we have got him out of the North. Island." When he had resigned his appointment and came back to Maori Land, Sir William Fox remarked in a railway train loud enough to be overheard, " The Government should have kept Mackay in the Middle Island if it cost the Colony £2000 a year." Apropos to this matter Major Atkinson some time since when speaking to Mr Ballance of an obscure opponent of the Government said, " He shall not live in New Zealand if we can drive him out." — Tiny Jones and Big Jeff have sworn to be revenged on the whole Star staff for that report of a Police Court case in which the prisoner was credited with a certain queer allegation. They talked at first of instituting libel proceedings and as they both had borne an unimpeaceable character in the community for rectitude, integrity, chastity and all the other virtues of the moral code the monetary consideration for which they were " going " was assessed at thousands. Since then their indignant ardour has cooled down, and the evening journal will be suffered to exist a while longer. The two redoubtable and awfully proper police officials however intend, to have their pounds of flesh nevertheless. The vow has been solemnly registered. — Sir Arthur Gordon's unpopularity in Fiji was strikingly illustrated on the occasion of his recent visit. 0 n his arrival the only vessels which, saluted the flag were the two German ships in harbour. On shore there were no manifestations of welcome but one of a very significant character — a flag hoisted half-mast high over one of the public houses. We have not seen these facts stated in any of the newspapers, but the information comes to us from a gentleman who was an eye-witness of the occurrences. The High, Commissioner was also obliged, to remain in quarantine for some days, during which, there -was no communication with the authorities on shore, except from a boat that cruised round the ship and exchanged courtesies at a respectful distance.