PERSONAL

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 61, 12 November 1881, Page 137

PERSONAL

[This column is intended to be a record of the arrivals and departures, and all occurrences oE interest concerning persons well known in the Auckland province. Contributions (which will be considered strictly private and confidential) are invited, and special arrangements will be entered into with those who write regularly.]

— Hurst's urbanity is visibly increasing. — Bob Lundon has returned, from the North. — Teddy Tothill is in town for the Agricultural Slioav. He goes to Whangarei next Aveek. • — Brigham has gone to enjoy a holiday and gather Avrinkles on harbour management in Australia. — Mrs Hamlin, of Epsom, has quite recovered from her severe illness, and is able to get about again. — Mr G. Laing -will stand for tbe Manakau Riding at the forthcoming County (Waitcmata) Council election against all comers.

— Bill Mcludoe visited the Waitakeri on Saturday to let his friends knoAv all about his luck in Abbott's sweep. — A lady residing Whau-wards was going to horseAvhip a man at tlie Northern Hotel the other day. It Avas a case of Avoman's rights. — Bill Mclndoc and Miss Helen Martin Avere married on November Bth. The affair avus private. No cards, no cake, and nobody's business. —Peter has succumbed to the charms of the daughter of his landlady, and informs his friends that Mr Worthington AA-ill soon lose one of his fair assistants. — The Star calls the perpetrators of the recent robberies " Our enterprising burglars." True, oil King ! First they " enter," and then they do their " prizing." — Who Avas the aspirant for legislative honors aa'lio Avas engaged in an unseemly fracas at- a certain Club, and smashed the fioAver pots, instead of uttering floAvcrs of rhetoric as he usually does ? — Mrs Olson's friends Avili be glad to hear that she has decided to remain in Auckland for another Aveck, Avhen she leaA'es for Tasmania by the s.s. Rotomahana. — Ponsonby church-goers say that the sooner Mr Runciman imports those tAvo old ladies that he spoke of, the better for the progress of church building. — Mr Dalgleish, formerly a resident at the Thames, and one of the original proprietors of Bradshaw's Guide, has been in Auckland during the week. — Mr J. M. Clark will consent to be again nominated for the mayoralty if he docs not bocome a candidate for City East, but it is unlikely that he avill aspire to fill both positious. — Miss Florence Delormc, (niece of the worldfamed Bureau) Avho joined Pollard's troupe during the company's stay here, is now appearing as Ralph in " Pinafore," vice Corney Osmond, laid on the shelf. — Mr Hurst was very much himself at the North Shore Tennis on Saturday, and the way he fell down flat on his face in running after a ball, and rolled himself over in order to get up again, was edifying to the juvenile population. — " The decrepit old man " at Killian's hotel is

" going for " the Star's special burglary reporter for so describing him. He has registered a solemn voav, by all the pots under control, to have the life of that promising young journalist. — It is stated that Major Derrom has reported. Major Morrow for insubordination. What Major Withers will do in the matter is just the question that is agitating the minds of those acquainted with the circumstances. — Posterity would not have benefitted very materially by the demolition of the ucav Wesleyan Church at Ponsonby. The total value of the '•' current coins of the realm " burgled from the foundation-stone Avas Is 6£d. —Mr Decimus Atkinson, a brother of tlie Colonial Treasurer, has been in Auckland, apparently looking after the Commissariat, and reconnoitring] generally. Experienced military men have been holding councils of Avar to decide on the nature of the undress uniform AA'hich he Avears. — O ne of our leading legal firms has an interesting case on hand just now, the client. being- an Auckland working man, avlio asserts himself to be the legal owner of a half share in some English property worth £50,000. It appears that the fortune Avas left to the Aucklander and a brother in England, and that the latter has stepped in, and, to use a colonialism, has " collared all the greed." —Mr Alexander McDonald, M.P., whose death the dailies recorded in their cablegrams on Friday last, Avas the first bona fide Avorking man's candidate ever returned to the House of Commons. He stood for Stafford in the Liberal interest in 1874, and held his seat at the general election of 1879. Mr McDonald was not a very clever man, being accounted rather wooden-headed by his colleagues, but he liad a strict sense of duty, and was entirely believed in in Staffordshire. — Miss Laura Smith a few days ago notified by advertisement that her Registry office Avas first established in 1832. Noav, supposing Laura to have been 20 years of age when she established the Registry (of course it must have been in the old country, not here), she was born in 1812, and consequently is noAv in her seven ; it won't

do. She does not look a day more than 23. There is a mistake someAA-here, but how the devil (printer's devil) did it occur ? —When Sir Arthur Gordon Avas Governor of Fiji, a Yankee skipper Avas summoned to an interview one fine morning on important business. The two gentlemen Avere closeted together for some time, and Avhen the skipper emerged he appeared preturnaturally solemn and overcome. " Hullo, old fellow," said a friend, " and how did you leave His Excellency." "Wa'al,". replied the Yankee, after a few moment's thought, "I rayther guess I left him considering whether he made the A'mighty or the A'mighty made him." — Apropos of the gambling scandal at New Plymouth, Avhich avc had hoped would be alloAved to die a natural death, Mr Hastings -writes to say that Roddy Mclvor was not one of the two persons present during the progress of the historic game. Tlie onlookers were Fred Harver and Mr J. McKenzie, traveller for Levin and Co., Wellington. Mr Hastings also encloses, an etching of his esteemed friend Mr Humphries Avith a request that Aye will publish it. We can't, however, say Aye think sufficient of either Hastings or Humphries to comply Avith the request. —Clever repartee is frequently allowed to have play in Club circics— sometimes Avith exhilirating effects, sometimes tho reverse. In a case which occurred the other day both effects were produced—the utterly funny and amusing, so far as the satirical joker and his admirers AA-ere concerned, and the sad and depressing, as shown in the collapse and confusion of the juvenile recipient of the sarcasm. The latter was, in a la-de-da sort of way, jerking out his views on the West Coast trouble, and expressing Iris opinion that -by Jove, you knoAv, I'd go like a bird to fight Ie Wluti's d— d niggers ; but hang it all, you' know, I wouldn't go down there to make roads." With a merry tAvinkle of his eye, the champion joker of the bar remarked quietly, "No, you don't care about making roads, but I expect you would be A r ery anxious to make tracks." The juvenile "judge" took a backseat, and, while ■making a futile effort to look unconcerned, enchired the hilarity which followed as best- he could.