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Western Star, Issue 278, 4 January 1879, Page 5

On Wednesday evening next Dr liodg-

uitjaon has announced that lv will ad dress his c uistitue ta at the 0 Mfeiiows’ Hall, Riverton, and at WUiton oil the following evening. ’Whaley r faults may be charged against -he member for Rivert il, that fia ling annually ; o give an account of his stewardship is not "lie ; neitner can it be said he is a tinn -serving polit: cian or a political weathercock. These are * barges vvh ch even his en mies could not ur.;e agains him. S ich a cha acler, however, is not inconsistent wbhrhai of a more persis ent advocate of local requirements that Dr Hodgkinson appears to h ve b en." Probably his at etui n has been too much engrossed by a close study of abstract visionary poLiical questions of very little pract cal import to ins c mstituents. These would be more sdejn the hands of members whose time a d energ es are less necessary for the wel.are'of their constituents. It is to be hoped suffieent interest in affairs poiiii al will be displayed to in ;uce a large attendance at the meeting on Wednesday evening. We have to intirrate to advertisers in the “Star” Calender, that owing to unforscen circumstances its issue has been delayed until next week. The protest entered by Simpson, of the Mosquito, against the sailors of the Trent in the Po st-class sailing race Ims, we understand, been withdrawn. Messrs Shanks, Denniston, and Kinross are j candidal es for tde seat in toe House of Representatives, rendered vacant by the resignation of MrWood. . sad accident occurred to Captain] Hughesof the s.s. Oreti, on Tuesday evening, 31st ult., whereby he lost Ids life. The Following evidence given at the inquest by Donald Hagley, a seaman on board, shows how the accident; occurred:—* “ The acid.lent happened at 6.30 p.m., on the 31st December, about half-an-hour after crossing the New River bar coming out. We were heading towards half passage rocks so as to ch ar the Invercargill heads before we kept her away. There was a good roil of a sea on caused by the heavy S.W. wind blowing; the steamer gave, a very heavy lurch, and Captain Hughes was sitting on the skylight seat, and slipped right off the seat and clean overboard underneath the railing. The rail is too wide and there is pi city of room for a man to go through underneath them. There are two rads and he went under the lower one. Someone culled out ‘ 0 Grod he’s gone,’ and the mate turned round to the telegraph and stopped her. I was at the wheel and put down the helm. I called out ‘ The Captain is overboard.’ and mu to lower the boat with all hands. We lowered it from the skids clear of the side, in less than live minutes after he had dropped overboard. 1 assisted to lower the boat and then lashed the helm down. I kept the Captain in sight ail the time until the boat picked him up. He appeared to bo lying on bis back in the water. I went into the rigging after lashing the he m, and waved to tlie boat in which direction to go to pick him up. I issislod to lift him on board when ho returned. There was life : n him when lie was brought on board, lie moved once on the hatch when I had hold of him. We took Ins coat and cop clothes off and rolled him in a blanket and all hands rubbed him, and the Steward poured some brandy into his moutn. I never saw any more signs of life in him. 1 left the rest of the crew trying to restore him, and then went to the wheel. From the time the deceased went overboard until the boat pii ke him up, about a quarter of an hour elapsed. The lashings of the boat were cut. In our last issue we briefly noticed the death of Gapt Stevens’ valuable Clydesdale entire horse Conqueror. Tho loss is a heavy one to the disl riot as well as to the owner. The cause of tho animal's death was inflammation of the lungs.

A well-contested race took place on the beach on New Year’s Day between horses belonging to Mr J. M‘Lean and Mr J. Leader. Distance, two miles j lOst up ; £5 a side. A fair start was effected, M'Leua’s horse taking the lead, which lie maintained to the finish, winning by four or fire lengths. The positions would probably have been reversed, had the horses carried equal weight; as it was Leader’s horse wcighecl out fully a stone more than his opponents. J. Arnett jockeyed for Leader, while M'Leiin travelled his own horse. Mr Robertson, the contractor for the Olautan railway, made a start yesterday with the formation. He has been fortunate in securing a gang of men who have been lately working on the Clinton section of the Clutha line, just finished. These men have been employed by Mr Robertson on railway works during the past four years, and are very suitable for the work. The contractor , intends to use every exertion to push on the work. On Tuesday next the inhabitants of Riverton will have an opportunity of enjoying a treat of a rare nature. On that occasion the Rev. J. W. Inglis will lecture on the “ Songs of Scotland.” Mr Inglis has achieved a reputation as a lecturer of great ability. Wliereever he has appeared he has oeen greeted witn immense applause. Regarding one of the entertainments at Dunedin, the “ Otago Daily Times” reports: — tl The audience which assembled at the Temperance flail last night to hear the Rev. J. W. Inglis deliver ins lecture, entitled “ Pen and Ink Pictures of the Past,” was not a large one by any means —a fact no doubt attributable in a great degree to the inclement wea her; but it was certainly as the lecturer at the close admitted, a most appreciative one. The lecture consisted mainly of callings from the works of leading authors —not only of Scotland, as might be expeced from the fact that the entertainments are announced as “ Scottish Lecture Eidertamnenis,” but of Englan 1 and the United States also, Ireland, however, being unrepresented. From the time that the lecturer tairh entered up m his su •ject when in eloquent stirring words lie paid a warm tribute to, “gentle William Shakespeare,” lie held his h "areM, cnihralied, interested, and amused in almost the highest possible manner. The reading of Burns’ “Cottar’s Saturday Night.” was deeply enjoyed, the majority of the hearers being able Irom then- nation-tidy the more thoroughly to enter into the spir tof tin* sole lion; while “M.msie Waugh” fairly brought the house to the sidesplit ling pilch. Will Carlton’s “ Bel.-y and I,” was very Happily ren (ered, while “ T ic Death of Poor doc,” from Diokens, showed the lecturer’s coalman I of the pathetic to lie quite as powerful as Ids delineation o'- the humorous, an i was possibly I lie best execute i of the readings. . Unfortunately, having mislaid the vo ume of Ma.-a.ulav from which he intende-I to take “How Ho ratios kept Lite Bridge,’ Mr Inglis was unable to present to the audience that poem. The lecture concluded with a most eloquent peroration, in which were glowingly set forth the lessons fittest to be received and duties most suitable to be performs 1 by persons like the denizens of a new Colony founding a new nation; and, closing with a quotation from Tennyson, “ Ring out the old, ring in the new,” it was greeted with loud and long continued applause. In thanking his audience, Mr Inglis announced that, this evening, the lecture woul i be given in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Rattray street —Subject: “Edinburgh, and its Story”: while on New Tear’s night, in'the Temperance Hall, again the series would conclude with “ Burns, the Poet and the Man.” These two evenings, therefore, will he the only remaining opportunities upon which the Dunedin public will have the chance of listening to and enjoying an intellectual treat, such as is within their reach upon but rare occasions indeed, and the opportunities should be largely taken advantage of. Particul irly should t:e Scottish residents determine to hear Mr Inglis, for they may assure themselves of a couple of hours’ as deep and thorough enjoyment as they could wish to receive. At a meeting of the Presbytery of Southland on Monday last, an application from Riverton Church to use a harmonium in the Church service Was considered. It was shown that a substantial majority of the members of the congregation were in favour of the application. Considerable discussion ensued upon the application, which was ultimately carrie I by six to four. Tiiis is the first application of the kind which has been granted by the Presbytery of Southland. - At Winton tiie 4lb loaf of bread is selling at 6d. A man named George Crisp was drowned in Jacob’s River, on Friday 27th ult. Wo learn from an Invercargill contemporary that he whs on his way from Wrey’s Busii to Winton, and in company with another man named Mortimer, arrived at, the fording place, Johnson’s, about midday. A man in the employ of Mr T. Knight, a settlor, then undertook to Ca tv tlmm across, one at a time, on horseback, and rna le a.first attempt with Crisp. Mortimer sat on the bank and commenced to iiil fits pipe, and Wiion ho looke i up he saw, to his surprise, the horse struggling in the rapids below the ford. Then he saw Crisp washed off whilst the other man clung to the horse and the three were washed a little distance further down the stream to a gravel bank, in the centre of which they all lauded, the water taking them about to the knees. Suddenly crisp fell down, as if stricken, ami was carried into deep water. Mortimer, who had ran along the bank, followed Crisp down, a-rd succeeded in getting hold of him and dragging him on shore, but ho was then quiie dea.t. Tee body was conveyed to White’s hotel, Wrev’s Bush, where an inquest was held upon it. Crisp was well-known in the 1 district, and had worked at Mr Spouee’s station, and we are informed by Mr Bain, Mr Spence's manager, that lie was subject to fits. Very probably one of these seized him whilst he was on the gravel bank, and lienee the sad result. He latterly had been following the occupation of a raboiter.