BRIEF MENTION

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 161, 13 October 1883, Page 14

BRIEF MENTION

Who is responsible for that wharf asphalt job ? It asphalt very soft lately..' . Starßand Herald slang whanging each other on the, fist question.. Usunl style — Billingsgate. • The latest political rumour is that Auckland will give Mnjor Atkinson a Roland for his Oliver. ■ Tannin in, Oamaru grog. The people do-wn there have- stomachs like ostriches. Nothing lifce ■ leather. An absurdity on the face of it — oil-boring at Gisborne. "Why not boil down the landslaarks ? Plenty of bfub"ber. Sausages adulterated with oxide of iron and oxide oMead have been sold in Dunediu: Well, not; so , bad as cfiiPs and dogs. „ .v ■-" The Wkikato local bodies are going to do battle with the furze. They say it has gone as furze it onghb, and shall go no fuvzer. > On dit, that Mrs Lewis's Calico Ball will come off at the Masonic Hall next Tuesday evening. We wish it success, A wedding took place last Tuesday at Onehunga, the hapjiy pair being Mr J. Denize and Miss J. Beavers. We wish them success. The little bootmaker is j>aying particular attention to his personal appearance. We know what it means. Mrs Hampson is comings' Talk abont drink bringing a man to an early grave! James Nixon, aged 84, was brought up the otjior'day, on a charge of drunkenness. ; "The renewal of that Insurance will yet b'e£a' Thome in tke .side of the Government, though it may be a Luckie arrangement fdrsorhepeoplo. Fancy Tawhiao mistaking, the buoys in Kawhia harbour for survey peg's ! Still it is not more singular than a landshark mistaking Tawhiao's land for his own. Wanted to know^ln whose interest Mr Firth made that little suggestion about that square, nnd how much compensation the New Zealand Insurance Company' Wilted ? % | " • • ' ■ s What peopled Itave been anxiously asking 7 , is whether, on tlie. passage: to Taranaki, Ecdmond will make a Home-Ruler of Spurgeon, or Spurgeon a Baptist of Eedmond. ' 'The 'report "of the Ponsonby Choral Society attributes its success to the "harmonious" manner in which the members have worked together. Why, of course. - . The Star, speajdng . of a city with 100,000 inhabitants, calls it' "avast population." So it is for the ; C6lomes, but at Hoineit would hardly rank as a city at all.' • ''The 'Herald's'- "own Jeanies " has been to Matamata, and exhausted all the adjectives in " Webater's Unabridged Dictionary" in praise of Mr Firth and his estate. A Pukekoheite was asked by a temperance advocate the question — " Where do you think the drunkard will go ?" "To the house that sells tbe best drink, of co.uree,", was the prompt reply. But it doesn't always f6llow. "The Puki natives, have a neat way of dealing with bailiffs. One of these gentry having been put into possession of native land under a mortgage, the Maoris carried him across a paddock' and hoisted him over & gate. A' country correspondent/asks : " How should I treat a man who promised me his support and vote, 'Ibut at the poll voted for my rival ?" You shouldn't treat him' at all now. It wouldn't do any good. You should have done it before tbe election. Query' — Do bipods of the mammalia order come within thescope of the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ? If so, perhaps some of the gentlemen who were so prominent at the meeting will cease to work" their employes to death. rr We have received a copy of " Does the Bible Teach Conditional Immortality," being a verbatim report of tbe sixjiights' debate between Mr G. A. Brown and Mr B. Hutson. We will make a desperate struggle to wade j through it, and. notice it again in a future issue. "An Act for the Encouragement of Bottled Beer," is what Lord Justice Brain well calls the Bill for "-ftfe absolute closure of the pubs, on Sundays. "An Act ' for the Encouragement of Sly Sunday Trading and Perjury*' would describe the Act which absolutely closes pubs, on Sundays in New Zealand. New wrinkle for Major Atkinson. — The Minis.tryof N-.5..W. have treated the members of the House of Eepresentatives to a two dajs' pic-nic. There are already plenty of pic-kings in our Parliament, and probably Nick(old) is often on hand, but a real pic-nic with a Vunch-and- Judy show would be a novelty. { A correspondent, who complains'pf .the neglect •of the rules of the footpath in Queen-street, suggests that the right-hand side should be reserved for perambulators,- and the left for drunken men and bull-dogs out for an airing. But theu where would he put the policemen? Is the "foorce" to be left out on the ipad?, ..,,..,,•• .<-■:■., " ' Tb*e war 'between the Blues and the Pinkies continues to rage at Aratapu, but it is said that the thoiigS' 'visitor^ to that charming locality do not cure for Car(r) touch boxes, they, generally pro yide themselves with a case of whisky if their stay is likely to be prolonged. [Oh, Carr-y us oub. — Ed.]. At a , ; re.cent .meeting, Mrs Hampson called up a <jrowd of woinento bid her farewell and receive the kiss About a hundred marched up. ,An old baldheaded'sinner got nii»ed|jip with the girls, and wagled to get his share of the riyuin-nyuniing ; but the sn'arpeyed evangelist spotted the, stubble on his shaven face, and wasn't on. Sce^Quj.; An ; eating,- house in Queen - street. Time'/6;30 p.ui. Three cads seated at a table. Ist cad : ff Haye.fyer ibeeu to ,'ear Mother Potts?" 2nd cad: . " Hang pots ; I've drunk a good many pots o' beer, aud ; I hadn't time to get shaved to-day." 3rd cad (in a voice gruff with;U;?. >rnm) : "Is she; some' masculine old beast? I haven't 'seen 'er,'yer know." The penny-a-liner 'is not extinct. Wednesday's • Herald contained a paragraph about a man who sat v^ownt in; (Shortland-st'reet. The Star missed a brilliant opportunity of going granny one better. It might have cribbed the paragraph, and' stated under the head of "Later Particulars," "The man got up again-" , afed iSVE&V Lates&l" "H6 walked iawoy." : The Star staff wants waking up. In justice to a,fellow townsman (who believed ,the fairness of his consultation was impugned in an article in our issue of last week), we may mention that La Don was" not the consultation alluded to. As a matter of fact we have received a card of invitation to he present, at, the .drawing of the last named-consulta- : " tion, arid bogfos sweeps, one may rest assured', are not drawn in the presence of a Committee. '■ Mr Redmond told _his audience in the Theatre Boyal on Monday night that in Ireland all the official positions;t:froiii'the Viceroy downwards, : nre'- filled by Englishmen, aud Scotch men. In these colonies, every . .^»ffipiftl fpoq&u&i, from < the. Governor downwards, is occupied b£ Irishmen. The.jiuoral is this: — All' the Irishmen should emigrate to the colonies, and all tne Englishmen and Scotchmen in the colonies emigrate to Ireland. This would square matters nicely. Many .people ■wonder why so many clergymen's sons in New Zealand adopt. the law a.% a profession, instead of fol^owing.in the, footsteps of their fathers. ', '■-"- NoVs^' surely thisaiht wonderful, forsooth, . f ■ ilt fin?t far to seek the reason why— ■ ■ A clergyman is paid to tell the truth, ••.»./ '; A lawyers bfteri .paid toitellalie.' >' $ -~ ' And as-, the flatter .is the easier pf the two courses', .the clergymen's sons j>i : efer an' easy living.' ■ "" „His, Hqh'ness the Pope has, had a. bit of a, jar, "latsty/ t "-A;tax-fp'rm was sent.' to hiui^which read in this xrreyorent sjjyte :. '" Ijbjcifcizen" Joachifii Pecoi, : by trade ''or prOfe'ssion'Pope', conducting busin'esjs'at the Vatican 1 Palacer^pni'e.". There vnis a time wlien : the inditer of ■ s&cn; a' dQCuin.ent'as this, would 'be 1 ' burn^'in" the public "sqllareV^'B^t.iiot'nqw; : ,perhaps nr'ettbo'd,' or 'foith.'has ;'i»t|iji^ck l |&betlien;-/'.p6n&ii^tin|:'.basiaess'! ' Well,'it '3nusVWV4i;Wlen;somejvhat;'sbbthiSg' to' "tb'el'feeliifcs of< ' tpe Molf 'TSmerihTie&ect ' thdrthe business 1 " is : a Voo'd

We liave to acknowledge the receipt of _a pamphlet containing printed lectures, delivered by.' Rev. James Macgregor, of Oamaru, on " The Land Question, with special reference to New Zealand and old Scotland." The scope of these lectures is to show thnt the paramount consideration in any oGcupnncy of land should be the maintenance of men ; that those who are able and willing to occupy land should have facilities to obtain it for the maintenance of their families, and that the conditions of allocation of land and of settlement should never be left to private proprietors, but placed under national administration. A very pretty and effective wedding was celebrated at Makctu. Drury. The bride being Miss Alicia Pratt, eldest daughter of Mr Theo. Pratt, o£ View M«.mit, Maketu, and the bridegrooni, Mr John Casbley, of Taupiri. The ceremony wns ]>erformed at tho residence of the bride's fiithcr, by the Yery'Kev. Father j Costelo. The bride was tastefully attired in u-cru nun's veiling, trimmed with lace ; voil and orange blossoms. Tbe bridesmaids were— Miss May Pratt (sister of the ! .bride), and Miss Leicester Itogers (Ponsonby), in pretty and stylish dresses of creme and pale Irlne. Among the many visitors present were Mr and Miss Blake, of Drury. Tbe following charming leie-a-tele was overheard by our vagrant contributor in the Western Park : — " Why, Adolphus, clear, you have forgotten to put on a collar." " Weally, denh, I did not fawget to away myself in that prominent article of dwess. I nlways, you know — ah— nsomy own discwetiou in those mattahs. So deuced waatn, youkiicnv, at these hops— ali— ivheu a fellah dances with— ah— such a vivacious and charming cweotyah as my Cawoline— ah." "Yes, but Adophus, deah.'you know— ah— you are moali than six months old— ah— and jon are liable— ah— to be e:i.ught by Mr GoWie's lieutenant— ah— and put into that ha wid kennel • — ah." Glacial period. We have. received from the publisher a copy of "Lectures'on Liberty,' Authority, Preethought, Naturalism, and Atheism, by Very Hey. Father Le Men ant des Chesnais, S.M." The conr.se, of lectures wad delivered at St. Patrick's Cathedral, St.; John the Baptist's, anfl 1 St. Benedict's, Auckland, in the months of Only and August last. They are prefaced with an introduction by Bishop Luck. There is much in this brochure which ■ may bo read with profit even by people of all Christian [ denominations and upholders of law and order, and \ though the lectures are delivered from the standpoint I of the Eev. Father, they show a good deal of liberality of sontiment, scholarly erudition, and profound thought, especially in the arguments against atheism. A Paeroa correspondent kindly sends the following: — The fareweljt concert and dance to the E'ev.v E. J. McFarlaud 'eventuated in the Public Holl on Wednesday, and was a great success, numercally nnd financially, as a gathering, and meritorious as a performance. Mrs Cassrela gave two overtures on the pianoforte in her usual finished style. Mrs Law sang " Apart" with much feeding. Mr Burgess was applauded for his rendering of " Sailing," when his powerful bass voice was again heard to advantage in the " Gauntlet," Miss Clarke accompanying. " Nancy Lee " did not quite suit Mr Ehodes' voice, but he had to respond to an irresistible encore, and pleased the audience in the "Englishman." Mrs O'Halloran sang with mnch pathos, "Let Me Dream Again." The Misses Parry sang a pretty duet, " Ruluski's Banner," Miss M. Parry's rich soprano blending nicely with her sister's contralto voice. This might be pronounced the gem of the evening. Tbe glasses of one spectacled gent, rose and fell in sympathy with the high beatings of his heart when the concert closed. Tea was served round, and of the fragments lett there were busfcetsful. The rev. guest thanked all for their sympathy and attendance ; the jain-tarts retired to their residences ; and the most pious remamed-da'nciug till the weo sum' hours.

— Harry Simmons is organising a .provincial eompanv. which, will com prise; among' its members Johnny Hal)', Jessie Grey, and Augustus Giover. — The Potts woman' drew very houses at Napier.. The womoii fhere say they never knew before 'that there was so much to be learned about themselves; ' ; - -llina do Murska is said to be wiped out by aii American dchuiantc, named Adelaide JDetchnn, who possesses a bird-like voice that puts De Murska's warbling in tljft shfifle. — Minnio Comvay, who was recently divorced from Lory, the cornetist (who left some lamenting Auckland printers), has married Osmond Learle. The latter w«s not long- since divorced JVoui his wife. Next. — Mrs Langfcry, avlio comes to Australia next August, is to receive fc'soo weekly for seven performances a week. First-class passages will be provided for five peoule — Mr Charles A. JVlemuvm, Mr Joseph Reynolds. Mr Cooper, heivindid, and herself. —The. 1 dramatic critic" of the Australasian says .Jennie 3>e's Jo ranks with the Othello of brook o, the Kip Van Winkle of Jefferson, the Louis the Eleventh of Charles Kean, thw Miami of Celeste, the Hamlet of Montgomery, and the Marie Antoinette of Uistori: — At the ©p'era House, Sydney, " Hnroun Al Raschid " has made way for ' cifim'l o' Poson." It gives scope to Mr Polk to exhibit v goop deal of laughable versatility, but the comedy itself does not supply I so many absurd situations ns "Haroun Al Raschid" 1 did. — Lillian Russell, at her first appearance in London, wore a diamond brooch so fashioned ttaa.t the word " Ned " blazed out in letters of lire. The inference I that Cad Solomon bestowed it on her wiJl not be a cheerful one to the twenty or thirty New Yorkers, to each of whom he owed 50dols. "when he went away. Mr Russell, J.J. Welsh, Miss Greenless, Miss Lucy Ash ton, and the company lately playing at the Opera House, performed " Arrah-Nn-Pogue " at the Academy of Music, Grahamstown, to a good audience, last Saturday night. The Star accuses Russell of representing Shaun as a Choctaw Indian, ond says he was " too hasty in his speech, and too noisy in his deliverance." Evidently no allowance is 1 made for the light-ning-rod whisky of the Thames by the captious critic. — Mrs Dr Potts gave' a lecture in the Theatre Royal on Tuesday evening on the subject of "Temperance." There was' a full house; and the subject was . treated in a practical and interesting style, whichelicited hearty applause. Ou Wednesday evening the lady delivered ' a ' lecture to "Husbands and Wives." There was a fair attendance, and the lecture, which was illustrated by diagrams and pictures, was replete with physiological information. Mrs Dr Potts proceeds to Australia by the incoming mail steamer, and meanwhile may be consulted at tho Royal Mail Hotel. — The joint benefit to Messrs Barry O'Neil and E. B. Russell was a success in every Way. The recipients wore rewarded with a good house, and the audience, determined to be pleased, were most enthusiastic in their applause. The emotional drama, "Lost in London," went pretty smoothily, considering, it was the first time it' had been played by this company. Mr Russell gave a forcible rendering of Job Armroyd, the miner, but was rather deficient in the Lancashire dialect. Nelly, his wife, was nice euousrh to make any man get lost in London or anywhere else to find her, although we think a smack of the rich rough northern dialect would, have made the part more natural. She was also 'he.tidiest and best dressed pitman's wife; we havo seen— and we've seen a few.. Mrs McGowan ;gave a good rendition of a rough diamond, in the character of the warm-hearted Tiddy Dragglethorp, and, with Mr Robertson, caused a yood deal of fun by interpolated

11. 1 i !,,.,,.■ „,.■—...■.....—.■---■'■,■.■--' ■IP-" , , , ■ S in Div.ams" with much taste and spirit. „Mr, Hanna crave "Ehrin on the Kliino". and:'" True <?jll; Death"" -. with friste, and in the latter showed himself iquite equalto spirit-stirring songs as in ballad. Miss-Hargreave — ill ways welcome to au Auckland audience— san'tr" Should Ho Upbraid " and " The Watchman and 'Child " in excellent style, and iv .hqth songs was recalled. Ir Burniiaiu sang li is two songs, "Thy Face" and. "Si _tv Savais," with great feeling, and his pure tenor voice was heard to great advantage, , his hig-h notes beins"Tclear and in perfect hum. At this concert we heard with pleasure Mr J. F. Robinson,. the first practical outcome, of the recent baritone contest held here. Mr Robin- 1 son, who is one of Mr 'Pooley's pupils, possesses a fine baritone voice,' and his rendering of both songs, "The Thr.ee Sailor Boys ' and "The Blacksmith," showed careful study and the true ring of an artist of no mean order. He received a recall foi* both songs, and his reception at this, his first appearance, must have been gratifying both to himself and his talented^ instructor. We hope soon to have the pleasure of hear- ■• iiiij him again. Mr, Hood's pianoforte solos were both . give iv the inuestro's bost style. His facile rendering of ' most diilicnlt passages, and his consummate niysterv of teemquo, evinced hard study nnd indomitable perseverance in practise. We predict for this young artist a brilliant future, if not in New Zealand, perhaps in the Old World. Oiie word as to Mr Pooley's accompaniments, which were deliciously played (iiever otherwise), always snpoi'Ung the voice when needed, and just what an accompaniment is intended to be. .; The audience was numerous in the body 01 the theatre,' but there shotild have been a better attendance in the dress-circle. Tomorrow (Saturday) we are to have the second of the com potions for amateur tenors and sopranos. We believe a good number of candidates have come forward, and we trust a large audience will be i>i*esent to decide their merits. . ■