BRIEF MENTION

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 66, 17 December 1881, Page 220

BRIEF MENTION

New name for the Legislative Council.— The Asylum for Rejected Candidates. Pigeons now fight with sparrows for the possession of the Union Bnnk pillars. Ned, the Waikato bullock-puncher, has never been heard of since his marriage. Bill Wiggins and Miss Rayner are the champion croquet players at Coromandel. An optical illusion — Mr Peacock at the bottom of the poll in last week's Observer. The Tables Turned — The Timaru Herald bringing an action for libel against Mr Turnbull. Mr Speight says the Thames borough election was carried by personation. Mr Speight boasts of having raised £2000 towards a new paper at tho Thames. It is said that Doctor Wallis has not quite made up his mind whether he will start an evening paper, run a pub., or, like Cincinnatus, try farming. People say that the telegraph wires were freely used by members of the Government during the election contest. Who were the two rival editors who were hobnobbing and drinking iced claret at the garden party grren by the Mayoress ? A gentleman in the Telegraph Department has made a hasty departure to Australia, leaving many tradesmen and. others lamenting. A certain young lady, who lives not a thousand miles away from the North Head, would like to know why "Scobes" has deserted the Cheltenham Beach. A correspondent informs us that a breach of promise case is likely to startle the aristocratic circles of Parnell. We hope this is not a bogus scare. — James Gordon Bennett has started on n yachting trip round the world. He will call at Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. The marriage between Miss Alice Butler and Mr J. C. Uolbeck, of the Bank of New Zealand, takes place for certain next Monday, the 19th. Thomas Spurgeon has been licensed to marry. What a rush there will be for Tommy's connubial blessings ! Rev. J. Robertson has gone away on a six weeks' holiday, which is understood to' moan two months. Ah, me ! Who wouldn't be a parson F The strut of Jim Maefarlane would make one believe that he owned the whole of Auckland, but he doesn't. G-eorge Raynes is very cocky about Tort ex, and intends to relieve the bookmakers of no small amount. The cry is still they come. Mr J. Ross gives "an unqualified denial" to the statement that he is engaged to Miss Fallinell. Mr Harold Rose, of Ponsonby, aaks us to state that he is not the H. Rose who was mentioned in a matrimonial announcement. Alderman was quite lionised at the North Shore on Saturday. Coming home in the ferry steamer he had about a dozen ladies in attendance, and made bad puns all the way across. A young lady wishes to know who is the fair creature in Napier who attires herself in men's clothes, rides a bycicle, and blows a whistle at the street corners to attract attention r 1 The fire at Tauranga has proved rather a blessing than a curse.for Menzies, R. C. Jordan, and the Mechanics Institute have all erected splendid new buildings, and Thomas Wrigley is commencing one. During the election contests an elector was waited upon by a lady canvasser, who solicited his vote for one of the candidates. " I only vote for gentlemen," was the scathing reply. Two correspondents at Dargaville write, complaining that the Mammoth Gift Show is a perfect fraud. One writer bought £'i worth of prize envelopes, but they all proved to be blanks. Vesey Stewart must find the Bay of Plenty Times rather an expensive luxury. The paper is said to be losing money at the rate of £10 a week, and yet people talk of starting an opposition print there. An interesting query : Why are the Union Company's Sydney steamers allowed to come alongside of the wharf, while the P.M.S.S. Co.'s boats have to anchor off the Heads all day ? Why should no sympathy exist between Sir George Grey and the rabble ? "Because they are the "great unwashed" while he is a " Knight of the Bath." See it ? Conversation inadvertently overheard in a certain hotel in Auckland hotel :— She : " I can't think who stuck up this Is 6d on the slate." He : " Oh, put it down to half-a-dozen of 'em. Somebody '11 pay." Profossor IT. A. Brookes has arrived from Wellington, and is exhibiting specimens of finely coloured photographs transferred to glass, and handsomely framed. Professor Tambourine and the Italian Wizard Company, who have been performing in Australia, opened at the Albert Hall, with feats of legerdemain, &<:., on Wednesday evening. A Devenport correspondent asks — " Is there still a place in your paper set apart for the notice of the sterner sex, as there are several young men at Devonport very anxious to see their names in the Observer ?" On dif that Mrs Cottingham proposes starting a Rogues Templar Lod<*e in Mount Eden Gaol. This ?°? ™s t 0«s to be very much like adding insult to Mr Clark, after all, acknowledged his defeat in a manly manner at the close of the poll for City East, and made the most temperate speech he had delivered throughout the election campaign. There have been several cases of dislocation of the jaw since the Russian cruiser arrived. People will try to pronounce those Russian names without any consonants, you know. y We venture to predict either the early defeat of the Hall Ministry, or a Coalition Ministry next session. The latter is the more prooable, so far as can be judged at present. A private telegram from Tauranga is to the effect that Vesey Stewart hopes even now to upset Morris' election. He won't do it though, if wo know anything of such matters. Marshall's season as manager at the Princess Melbourne, is proving a big success. He opened with " Betsy," and is now running the Vaudeville comedy " The Governor," to crowded houses. ' The sooner Wybert Reeve comes over here the better, as he is losing hand-over-fist in Melbourne, his production of " Stolen Kisses " at the Academy having cntftijledla deficit of £800 in as many weeks. °

In the Observer's skit tipon the polling, issued in anticipation of the election, twelve out of the successful candidates were correctly tipped ; and in the City Enst contest, Sir George Grey's majority was within nineteen of the actual number. Whose carriage was that, driven by a brute of a coachman in livery, that dashed recklessly amongst a dense crowd of electors on polling day to the great danger of life? The man ought to have been summoned for furious driving. The picnic to Brick Bay last Saturday was very successful, the weather being fine, and everyone anxious to be agreeable. Corning home the ping came out of one of the boats, and the dear little tootsies of two of the ladies got wet. i Coincident with the news of the fearful spread of small-pox in Sydney comes the intelligence of a fresh batch of apxwoaching marriages at Beresford-street. It is evident that epidemics are not confined to Australia. What will the harvest be ? The collections at tho Choral Hall have fallen oil' so much in the last month or two that the building of the caravan to facilitate the proclamation of the gospel of conditional immortality ainongs the bucolic heathen has been delaj'ed. Dargnville, while awaiting the result of the poll, amused himself by haranguing a crowd of the " free and independent" from an easy seat iv his cab, and by scattering pennies to the delighted youngsters of the district. Shepherd, better known by the soubriquet of " The Smiler," has come to grief. He took possession of the bailiff's office at Pahnerston, Otncjo, without authority— turned Jack Shepherd iv fact, and was suspended by the Resident Magistrate. One of the political and sectarian societies at the Thames has started Boycotting:, by the members mutually agreeing not to buy any bread or other necessaries of life, or even newspapers, from anyone who differed with their political views. Under the guidance, control, and management of Mr V. G. Ewington, St. Sepulchre's people give a grand entertainment next Tuesday, in which niggor business will be n prominent feature. It is whispered that the great F. G. E. himself is to bo one of the sable heroes, but we don't believe it yet. The officials in the Post Oflice, we cannot help noticing, are so overworked that occasionally one clerk has to do the duties of two or three ; and though the clerks do their utmost to keep up with the work, inconvenience necessarily results to the public, who are sometimes obliged to wait t at the windows while the officials are engaged elsewhere. — We ate informed that copies of the pamphlet re the Bank of New Zealand have been posted to leading members of the London Stock Exchange, to overy financial corporation in Australia, and New Zealand, to all the Press of the colonies, members of both Houses of the New Zealand Parliament, and to many prominent men in England. — One of the noticeable features of the general elections is the few lawyers that have been returned to the House of Representatives. The "Devil's own" will not muster so strongly ns of yore. Auckland heads the list— Tole, Sheehau, and P. A. Whitaker. Moreover, the Attorney-General is an Auckland resident. "We can beat the South for lawyers. The service in German on Sunday hist was highly appreciated. We observed one venerable Deutscber who slept tranquilly throughout. Poor old fellow ! it was perhaps many 11 year since he enjo3'ed the pleasant soporofic of a discourse in his native tongue, and who would grudge him that blissful nap ! It is to be hoped tho successful and unsuccessful candidates who stood for the late election will be a trifle more prompt in paying up their advertising expenses than they were last time. Our contemporaries complain that many of the bills incurred three years back were not settled till a week or two ago. The whole Burgess family are hunting for the gore of the energetic shipping reporter of the Sin,-. It would appear that the old man dislocated his jaw while trying to read the names of the Russian officers in Monday night's .S7nr. And no wonder; some of them must have been christened by contract. The people who engaged a crowd of boys to thrust hymnbooks into the hands of wayfarers in Queenstreet the other day displayed more zeal than discretion. It shows, however, that some of the churches are becoming fully alive to the efficacy of this plan of advertising. What does this mean ? It is from the Star of Saturday last : — " Wanted, a, wife. — Apply, by letter, to Star office.addressed to D.H." We thought that all the eligible bachelors in the Wyndham-street establishment had lately sacrificed themselves at the altar of Hymen. Surely they don't intend going in for Brighamy ! So certain were Fleming's supporters of winning that after the poll for City West closed, they consulted him as to his inclinations about being carried shoulder high when, as was expected, he would be found at the head of the poll. Mr Fleming modestly left the decision in their hands. Dr Wallis, sitting disconsolate against the railings at St. James' Hall on the day of election, has been compared to the Peri without the Gates of Paradise. He anticipated, with characteristic shrewdness, the unfavourable result, and therefore " made tracks " homeward in the afternoon, never returning again. He knew that the announcement of the poll would not be of a cheering character. The successful candidates in the City contests have thus been enshrined in verse. The Eastern sky, all tinged with Grey, In roseate hues now swells to-day The Peacock's clarion sounding forth • Proclaims him cock of all the North ' While " Westward Ho !" the echoes fill With cheers for J, M. Dargaville ! After Captain Angerstein dismounted from Awahou at the Pakuranga Meeting, that enterprising sport Mr Tye invited him to partake of refreshment. When the pair got inside, Mr Tye remarked, " Well, you rode that horse very gracefully ; but there was a young woman who used to ride Awahou, and if she had been here to-day she would have won hands down." Angerstein was so disgusted that he threw down sixpence for his own drink, and left abruptly. Mr Willcocks ought to be made Returning Officer for Sleepy Hollow. He doesn't suit City West at all. The voters complain of him as being as " slow as mud," which, by-the-way, is a metaphor not of our own imagining. He actually took an hour and threequarters to count up 572 votes on the day of election, the result being that the crowd, which was kept waiting outside the holl, knew the issue of the City East, City North, Parnell, and Manukau elections before they were informed of the election of Mr Dargaville for City West. On Sunday last the Rev. T. Heine conducted a service in German at the Beresford-street Congregational Church. There were fully sixty present. The favourite hymns of the " Vaterland," "Nun daukct allo Gott" and " Ein feMe Burg ixt unser Gott," were sung with hearty good will. The sermon was impressively delivered, though the giggling of a few young English women, evidently tickled at the uncoutlmess of the Teutonic language, deprived it somewhat of its solemity. An Auckland gentleman, who has just returned from Sydney, tolls us that—" Sham vaccination " is being very extensively carried on in Sydney. The gentleman referred to was himself operated upon by a medical man in the following manner :— His arm was bared to tho shoulder, then three or four punctures were made by a clean lancet, a small blister was then applied, and bandaged over for 2i hours', after which time the sham vaccination is complete, the charge being only 10s, including certificate of vaccination. People who are averse to introducing poisonous matter into their systems, resort to this dodge, and the imitation is said to deceive a close medical inspection. Verily man findeth out many inventions.

McCosli Clark finished his speech the other evening by saying that Sir George Grey ought to retire to his Kawau, and that it was a great pity he ever emerged therefrom. Sir George did not retaliate, as he might have done, by saying thnt Mr McCosh Clark ought to retire to his Kawaunter, and it was a great pity he ever left it. We trust Mr Superintendent Thomson will use some extra efforts to suppress the larrikin nuisance in some of the suburbs. We saw on Sunday evening three hobbledehoys posted at a corner, apparently with no other object in the world than to insult with foul language any respectable girl or woman passing along on her way to church. The thrice-rejected, but not dejected, candidate for City East made a pitiable howl at the meeting for the declaration of the poll about having been defeated by the votes of the mob ! He quite forgets that the " mob " is composed of the electors whose support he has so assiduously courted and the " gentlemen" whose votes he so earnestly solicited. And yet he is not embittered. The renowned Pat Doran, whose humourous entertainments are so deservedly popular in country places, hns formed a new troupe of nine star artistes, iind purposes giving concerts and theatricals at Te Kopuru, Aratapu, and Dargaville during the Christmas holidays. A vesumv of the dates. Sec., will be found in our advertising columns. As Mr Doran has matured several fetching novelties, it may safely be prophesied that his tour will be a great success. At the termination of their entertainment the j'oung men of St. Andrew's held a "select dance." They were so careful to keep it select that they told many of their friends that they were not going to have a dance at all. Amiable and truthful young men ! Young S. was one of the select. He rushed home immediately after the entertainment closed and arrayed himself gorgeously in a. graceful claw-hammer. Then he went buck to the hall, find arrived just in time to be too late for the last dance. The incumbent of St. Matthew's, if lie is correct, has solved a knotty problem — having " demonstrated the eternity of hell," so satisfactorily that some of the elect number wish him to print the sermon. We trust ha will comply with the request, in order to trace out the full coiu\se of his iirgument which, as summarised in the Stn,; asserts thnt " whatever may be the duration of Hndes, eternity will lust as long as it ." That is, if the objectionable place is only to last a few years, " eternity" will exist for the same period. That's proved to be a (fcftiou-stration. The Bank of New Zealand folks do not appear to bo particularly upset by Mr Sherrin's long-promised pamphlet. Mr Murdoch declares he read the substance of the attack in the Wairai-apa Stniulnrd long ago, and lauo-hs at the idea of its prejudicing " our institution " in London. However, nous t'ivroiis. It is whispered that another financial pamphlet to even a stronger tune is on the stocks ; and the author this time is a gentleman who was x'reviously in the employ of the Bank, and knows nil its ins and outs. A Miss Esther Lyons writes to us, complaining that some letters of her's, which were sent to await her arrival at the Young Women's Home, and at another place in the country, were opened and tampered with. The accusations the lady makes are of a very sweeping character, and, if substantiated, would lead to serious trouble. We cannot, however, see that she oliers any satisfactory evidence to buck up her assertions, and without this, it would be unfair to Miss Laura Smith and her establishment to publish the communication. At- the beginning of the political contest on Friday, a dead rat, with much swollen feet, was lying in the gutter in front of Grey's committee room. A Shortland-street wag, with rather an inquisitive turn of mind, nsked one of the Committee which of the four Auckland rats the dead rodent was intended to represent F " The man with the feet," was the Grcyites answer, " and to-day he will be like the other rat before you — dead politically." An amorous couple attracted some attention one afternoon last week by the public display of affection which they made on a grassy knoll overlooking the foreshore, and skirted by a public thoroughfare. They sat locked in each other's arms, with faces close together and only withdrawn for an occasional kiss, given with a resonant smack that never failed to attract the attention of the passers-by. The lovers, however, were quite indifferent to the presence or the remarks of the spectators. She was thirty-five, if a dny, and boasted a waist of liberal circumference, while he was forty and gingerhnired. The Burcui was not at all cast down 'x>caiise he was out o. the running at the Tuuranera election. After he had recovered from that " rush of blood ro the head," and wns about again, he was accosted by Mr J. M. Shum with, "Well, I see you have retired from the Taurunga contest." "Yes," replied the Burcuti with ;iu inipurturbubie calmness which allowed that his he:ul was perfectly clear of imj- extra vii sated blood on the brain, " The fact is I received a gentle intimation that if the Grey purty got in I should be called to the Upper House." Mr Shera recollected that he had to attend a meeting of the Grey Central Committee. There is a curious anomaly in the law, which ought to be remedied next session by an Amendment Act. Thus, if an elector, under the residential clause, has complied with all the conditions, and got his narue on the roll, but happens to move to another district — it may be only to the opposite side of the street — before the polling, he is liable to be deprived of the franchise, though his name appears on the roll on the polling day. On the other hand, a person whose name is on the roll in respect of a properly qualification, may part with the property before the polling, and yet cannot, in the present state of the law, be deprived of his right to vote. Constable Jones is a man of genius. In the notorious Plummer case he excused himself for not discovering a bnrglar job by stating that a boy, on whose co-operation he depended, was a "halfidiot." Those who read at the time the account of the miserable fiasco of the attempted arrest of Plummer for sending the threatening letter to Dr Philson, were unanimously of opinion that there had been an idiot counected with the business. It is very reassuring to lenrn that the idiot does not belong- to the " Force ;" and the applause of the assembled multitude in the Police Court wjis probably intended to naai-k their warm appreciation of Constable Jones's worth ! An idiot ! Yes ; "we thank thee, Jones, for teaching us the word !" Among many other amusing election squibs, published on polling day, were two which evinced a remarkably keen sense of satire. The Herald, in its leading article that morning, in its anxiety apparently to avoid giving offence to either of the candidates for City East, bestowed equal praise on both by reviewing their claims separately. In the morning the portion referring to Sir George Grey was printed on a handbill, with the heading: "Herald declares for Grey." About half-an-hour before the poll closed, when it was morally certain that Sir George Grey had a. majority, another handbill was issued containing the portion praising Mr Clark, and headed : " Jlcrald declares for Clark." By this really clever skit it was made to appear that the Herald had expressed two entirely opposite views during the dav. After the result of the poll for City East was known, and Sir George Grey had thanked the electors, a great crowd surrounded and gave him quite an ovation. Some one proposed to chair him, and others to remove the horses from a cab and drag him to the Star Hotel, but these honours the old veteran modestly declined. The crowd, cheering all the way vociferously, followed him to the hotel, by way of West Queen-street, and one could not but remark how well a large majority of the men kept step, indicating- that there was a goodly proportion of old soldiers und volunteers. Arrived at the Star, Sir George appeared at an upper window and repeated his thanks to the electors. Some of the old identities in St. Matthew's parish consider the cutting down the gum-trees, which until lately have shaded their church for the last twenty or thirty years, quite an act of vandalism, while others assert that it was done to make the said edifice, generally unbearably hot, still hotter, in order to give force to a sermon on the subject of the infernal regions,

lately delivered by the incumbent. Others, less charit,able in their remarks,-say that it was merely a question of so many loads of firewood, and that a nigger entertainment will have to be given to pay for the fence broken down by the trees falling. The former, however, cannot be correct, as of conrse the wood will be given to the poor of the parish. Mr Tebbs was naturally warm on " Hell " last Sunday night. It was, cf course, a rather warm subject. Mr Tebbs, however, thought that the uncomfortable place was not exactly necessary, as, ho said, a wicked man would be quite as miserable in heaven as in the other place. If St. Matthew's be, as the hymn, says, " like a little heaven below," and its choir at' all resembles the ehtereal choir, we can appreciate the truth and beauty of Mr Tebb's remarks— in the case of a wicked man with a musical ear. As a general rule, however, we fancy if the wicked were to be allowed their share of eternal habitations, Pandemonium would be " To let." Mr J. M. Clark complains that Sir George Grey appeals to the passions and not to the intellect of the electors. This is a new definition of the difference between the two late candidates for City East. Of course, the address delivered by Mr Clark on the day of nomination was a calm appeal to the reason of his hearers, and those were most intellectual epithets which he employed about " setting a thief to catch a thief," " driving Sir George Grey back to the Kawau, from which it was a pity lie had ever emerged," &c, &c. This shows the standard of intellectuality among Mr McCosh Clark and his friends, and the electors are to be complimented on having shown the preference for the appeals of Sir George Grey — not to their passions* but to their sense of justice, equity, and benevolence. *' Commercial morality " forsooth ! It would be well if our Auckland drapers had mastered the elementary branches of commercial civility and common decency. A youth went into one of the loading 1 establishments m Queen - street the other day and priced a. ready-made suit, which lie wanted for a special purpose. The gentlemanly assistant very gruffly gave the desired information, adding, " But why the don't you get measured for a suit ?" It is needless to say that the intending customer neither took away the suit nor left his measure. It may interest the snobbish, assistant to know that the young man to whom he behaved so brutally moves in good society, and is acquainted with the proprietor of the shop. It will only serve the fellow right if his employer presents him with that ready-made garment called the sack ! One of our contemporaries, as a pleasant change from election matters, treated its readers to a curions leading article, which commenting on the subject of small-pox in Sydney, wandered off into an agricultural dissertation, and concluded with some remarks on the disposal of sewage, etc., in Amsterdam. After the literary feat and geographical flight involved in the above process, we are not surprised to find the paper announcing an important discovery regarding New Zealand. That is no less than the astounding fact that the total area of the islands "is circumscribed!" Great Heavens ! just think of it, and try to realise the monstrous wrong which the Creator has thus inflicted upon New Zealand ! Who would have dreamt of it ? However, as this is stated to be a peculiar characteristic of New Zealand, we are, by inference, taught by our venerable Granny that America and Australia are of limitless extent, so that if the worst comes to the worst, and our manures, our farmers, or our laud, or something else, runs short, we may survive the shock by wholesale emigration. Wo have good reason to believe that- some of the signatures appended to recent announcements of engagements have been forgeries, and in other cases such announcements have been made the medium of playing off heartless jokes upon the parties whosenames were mentioned. In one or two cases recently we have handed over the handwriting of the offending correspondents to the aggrieved parties, in order that steps may be taken to detect and punish the perpetrators of jokes which are often the cause of much annoyance. We shall spare no pains to sheet home the responsibility to guilty persons, and in cases of forgery shall have no scruples about handing them over to the tender mercies of the police. At the same time, it must be clearly iinderstood that we shall be always glad to receive communications as to engagements and coining marriages when they are attested by a bona fide signature, and, in these cases, where the writer, merely falling into a mistake, has given currency to a matter of coiuinon and apparently well-founded report, we shall regard the signature as confidential. During the late burglary scare Dr. Kenderdinewas nearly run in for burgling his own house. He had" been called away one evening, and forgot to take his-latch-key witn him. When he returned, early in themorning, every door was securely fastened. He tried the windows, but they were also fast cosed. Then hepicked up some small scoria and began throwing it at one of the windows to waken some one. Meantime, his movements had been carefully watched by two gentlemen who happened to be going home at the time. They imagined that now they had an opportunity of securing immortal fame by collaring a burglar. Bringing to their aid the vast experience they had acquired in tracking an enemy by the perusal of "The Last of the Mohicans," they silently and stealthily approached the worthy doctor, and "surrounding" him, in the Irish constable fashion, seized him, and sternly demanded " What's your little game '<" The medico turned round and faced his captors, and, understanding the mistake they had made, burst into laughter. The would-be burglar-catchers recognised the doctor, at once released him, and apologised for their mistake. They sadly resumed their walk homewards, mm muring to each other on the way, " What a pair of sanguinary fools we are I" Puck wires from Dunedin as follows : — The Wilhelmjs did a very poor business at Oaniaru Robson, the elocutionist and mimic, drew a large attendance lust night, notwithstanding- the wretched weather. In addition to his elocutionary skill, he has an extraordinary voice, and is a fair performer on the clarionet. J. P. Mncdonald, agent for Williamson, arrived to-day to mnke arrangements for a season here. The company, which includes Vincent and Stuart O'Brien, are passengers by the Alhambra, due at the Bluff at the end of the week. Harkins, who comes over to fulfil a three mouths' engagement with DeLias, is a passenger by the same steamer. He has purchased the right to produce Burnand's new comedy, "The Colonel." The statement that Henning has arranged a visit of Musgrove's Opera Company is without foundation. Holloway, his wife and daughter, Jessie Grey, Neil O'Brien, and Lydia Howarde were passengers to Melbourne by the last steamer. The Lyttelton Times says DeLias is very ill in Christchurch. The opera seiison closed there on Wednesday. The company goes direct to Auckland in the Kotomahana next day. Melbourne letters say " Patience " is an immense draw in Sydney. The new North Shore Ferry Company will have to alter matters considerably if they desire to be popular and secure from opposition. On regatta day the accommodation was scandalously insufficient; in fact, fhe boats were allowed to cross and re cross in a most dangerously overloaded condition.' Then, again, last Sunday there was no half-past five boat, through some discreditable blunder. As a consequence, upwards of 600 passengers collected, and were carried to Auckland jammed together like raisins, and, of course, grumbling loudly at having been kept waiting over an • hour and a quarter. The holidays are now close upon us, and there will unquestionably be an immense traffic to'Devonport on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and the Takapuna race day (December 27th). The company's directors are bound to make ample preparation to meet these emergencies. Assnredly neither the shareholders nor the public will hold them blameless if there should be either discomfort or danger. They undertook a serious responsibility when they guaranteed a better service than the old one, and as yet they have not fulfilled it. We shall keep an eye on the traffic for the next few weeks, and note the result. We cannot answer the query contained in thefollowing letter, but perhaps some of our musical readers will oblige :— To the Editor : Sir,— knowing you to be well informed in all musical, as well as othermatters, I take the liberty of referring to you a dispute between a friend any myself. I have no doubt you are familiar with that popular tenor song, " The Strin-dard-Bearer," written in the key of D flafc. In the fifteenths bar of the vocal portion you will find several accidentals of a by no means common nature, tha par* ticnlar note in dispute being the first B double flat. My friend argues that the accidental double flat, together with the flat in the signature, depressed the note three

semi-tones, so that it would be played or sung as A flatI contend, on the other hand, that the double flat accidental only lowers the note a full tone, so as to render it equivalent to A natural, the two characters indicating a flat being absolutely necessary for clearness in the score, and to prevent ambiguity. In support of my argument, it will be seen that in the particular imssage to which I have referred, it would not be necessary to indicate that the A flat as he supposes, the preceding note being itself A flat, so that, in accordance with his suggestion, all that would be required would be to convert the two semiquavers into a single quaver. Your opinion on this matter would oblige.— Yours, etc., Musxcale. Thames, Nov. 2Ptb, 1881. If the proprietors of tin* Herald only biew how much their "Waikato correspondent was disliked and distrusted, they would, we are sure, confide the interests of that journal to other and less prejudiced hands. At present it seems to be the one object of many Hamiltoni.ins to " have little Von, and to this end he is crammed with all the silliest stories that a lively imagination can invent. These yarns the gentleman wires with much gusto to Auckland and, as a consequence, the staid and respectable Herald is the laughing stock of the district. To show that these remarks are not inspired by any personal feeling, we will mention an instance of this worthy's misleading information, which did a large amount of mischief. The day before the Oluuipo races ;i telegram appeared in the Herald stating — (1), " that Rocket had hurt his leg, and would not run; and (2), that a similar casualty had occurred to Yatapa." Both these horses were being freely backed for the big event of the meeting, and were in reality as well as possible; in fact, in the race itself Rocket led the field for a mile and three-quarters, was a good fourth, and would have been third if his rider had persevered with him. Yatapa, too, proved to be perfectly sound, though a trifle big, and had a number of backers amongst men who don't usually support a " dead 'un." The fact is the information was a hoax from first to last, and did sportsmen considerable injury, for it choked off many who would have backed the horses at long prices in Auckland, and obliged them to take short ones on the course. Some may think that, as neither Socket nor Yatapa won, the false statement didn't matter, but it did. Next time there is a race rue"etiug some " sport " may take it into his head to gammon "little Von" that the favourite has got "a leg" or "gone stiff." In any case his telegrams will always be viewed with great suspicion by racing men, who once bit are ever afterwards shy. ■ — -The members of the Bay of Plenty Cricket eleven which have been up in town playing our local teams this week will compare favourably as regards good looks, nice manners and gentle bearing with many Auckland knights of the bat. The language of the Taurangaites is not interlurded with perpetual big D.'s and di-sy liable words of Italian extraction ; they dou't get drunk when enjoying themselves ; they can boast two more than ordinary good looking youths in Dumbleton and Warbriek, and their captain, Eric Goldsmith is a host in himself. Persons wishing to make their friends Christ? mas presents cannot do better than visit Singleton's, the popular jeweller, in Victoria-street, where there is a splendid selection of suitable gifts for gentlemen and ladies, in gold, silver, bronze, electro-plate, and gilt, the 2>rices varying from Gd to 100 guineas. "What sauce do you generally use with your dinner?" said a veteran" statesman to Sir George Grey. " Why, sauce-a-parilla (sarsaparilla), of course," replied the great man ; " and I nnd that made by Crawford, the chemist, by far the purest and thebest." Then the two men laughed, and sent for a bottle of the healthgiving beverage, which was consumed without delay. American Walt ha m: Watc h c s were awarded Two Gold Medals, the only medals awarded to Exhibitors of Watches at the Melbourne International Exhibition, 1880. The only Gold Medal, also Three Special and Four First Prizes, Sydney International Exhibition, 1879. The Gold Medal Paris .International Exhibition, 1878. Four First Prize Medals, Philadelphia International Exhibition, 1876. Higher awards than any other Exhibitors of Watches •ever received. Buyers will observe the Trade Mark — " Waltkae, Mass." — plainly engraved upon the movement of all Genuine Waltham Watches. Trade Mark, Waltham, Mass., registered throughout the New Zealand and Australian Colonies. Proceedings will be taken against vendors selling, or ottering for sale, Watches bearing colourable imitations, or infringing our rights. —American Watch Company, Waltham, Mass.