The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-12-31
NOTES OF THE WEEK.

New YEARs-This cheerful holiday returns again
tomorrow, and will doubtless be observed here as q
festive day, as it is in most civilized countries.
Wherever the custom of making new years calls may
have originated, matters little. 1t is a pleasant one
which few who have enjoyed can forego, and we are
happy to notice it is gaining ground in Honolulu-to
the mutual enjoyment of ladies and gentlemen. 1t
does not require the memory of the oldest resident to
recollect when an evening devoted to calls would
compass the town; but nowadays gentlemen who
pay n new years call to every acquaintance require
q list more extended than a grand jury roll. A Gus
tom such as this, that tends to bring the different
members of society into more intimate acquaintance,
should be encouraged. Acquaintance generally begets
respect, while ignorance Of each other too often
breeds distrust and suspicion.
THE WATER PIPES AGAIN.-It has been observed
recently that a great deal of trash and filthy sedi-
ment comes through the water-pipes, and that the
supply of water is very irregular, at one moment
running quite freely and the next apparently choked
up. The impurity in the water is caused in part, no
doubt, by the rains, but mainly to the presence of de-
cayed shrimp in the pipe and as we know that q
quantity of these fish were taken out recently, the
latter reason is not an improbable one. 1t is a fact,
not generally known, that the main pipe was all laid
wrong in the beginning-the shoulders down hill and
that oakum instead of sinet was used in caulking the
joints. The hot lead run on to this unsubstantial
material, has undoubtedly in many instancesAike
the one discovered a short time since-found its way
through into the pipe, forming numerous lodging
places for the shrimp and other minute fish. These
easily find their way through the strainer at the
spring and reservoir, which is thought to be not fine
enough for the purpose intended. The whole affair,
like most enterprises of the sort when attempted by
governments, instead of regularly contracted for by
private parties, has been a bungle from the beginning.
WILD CATTLE.-An exciting, and withal a some
what amusing scene always takes place on Robinson
& Co.'S wharf and vicinity whenever the schooner
Mary arrives with a load of wild bullock from Ha-
waii. An unusually lively cargo was landed Christ
mas morning, and a large crowd of idlers collecting
about the wharf, considerable amusement was elected.
Every now and then an enraged cow (the females of
this species are the worst tempered) would make a
charge upon the crowd,-though always driven back
by the attendant horsemen,-and then would result
a series of ground and lofty ~tumbling, displaying a
surprising degree of agility, though executed in rather
q basty manner. As the bullocks were driven
up town to the slaughter house. one fellow, with par
ticularly short and sharp horns, made a sudden de-
tour to the right and into the open entrance of W.
Il . Iiiicu . tOi II d hiiiDS VI chtiCLi CIc
quietly smoking their after breakfast cigars, and
chatting over the current news. We have an indis-
tinct notion that there was some tall travelling done
in an incredibly short space of time. However, after
the bovine customer had abruptly retired-without
even asking the price of hides and tallow-wed iscov-
cred one gentleman, whom We had previously sup
posed to have a tendency to rheumatism, snugly
perched on the top of the book-keeper's desk, not far
from the ceiling. -
The FArTED TURKEY.-An acquaintance of ours
had for the past two months been paying particular
and lavish attention to the diet of a fine gobbler in
his yard, with the ultimate view of q gastronomic
dissection of the same on Christmas day. The most
approved modes OF turkey stuffing, from corn to
8 taturs,' had been carefully pursued, until expecta-
ton was on tiptoe, imagination pictured n dreadful
fat turkey, done brown to a turn, and savory stuffed,
while mouths watered accordingly. Friday morning
came, big with the fate of our luxurious friend the
gobbier. With a grave countenance-as of one who
90 plans and performs, resolves and executes cook
proceeds to the turkeys dcmicile. Horror the bird
has flown Imagine the CONSERVATION, the panic in
the kitchen. We fancy we hear the cook soliloquizing
with Macbeth
.Time. thou anticipates my dread exploits:
The Eighty turkey never is o'ertook,
Unless the deed 20 with it."
1HE hINOOLE-"InlS schooner, Wnicn the fOlyNe-
sian of Saturday reported as a total loss, arrived on
Sunday hight from Kona, Hawaii, via Lahaina.
During a heavy swell and light breeze on the 18th
inst. she drifted in shore near Keauhou, and before she
could be lowed off, struck once or twice on the rocks,
staving n hole in her side. She was got into the har-
Dor of Keauhou and careened so that the hole was got
at and repaired by Mr.. Fish, a carpenter who resides
in Kona, and sailed on Friday evening for this port.
The harbor of Keauhou is one of the safest in all
weathers ; with scarcely a ripple on its quiet surface,
its gradually shelving beach affords excellent facilities
for hauling up and examining the bottom of a vessel
of light draft of water like the KInooie.
HoNoLULu SCHOOL CoMMITrEE.-Thc election for
School Committee took place last Monday, and the
following gentlemen were chosen without opposition
Rev. S. C. Damon, Messrs. r. w. Holt, r. G.. Davis,
j. w. Austin and f.. o. Hall. There were but twen-
ty-six ballots deposited, and when we remember that
there are between five and six hundred foreigners in
who are liable to the foreign school tax, it
would appear that but little interest is felt in the
result of the election.
GETTING THE START.-The Polynesian copies our
item on sPure Merino Sheep and offers rs an apol-
ogy fer doing so, the fact that the .adrertiser has the
start of them by a day, in its publication, forgetting
in the eagerness of a ''snapper up' that the Pdquero
arrived some ten days before, and that the last was
his second issue since her arrival. An unfortunately
sheepish excuse. -
SCHOONER KAMoI.-This favorite packet will, we
learn, be laid up for a week or ten days, in order to
reft the rigging, repaint, &c. During her last trip
down, she ran the distance from Lahaina to Molokai
point-some ~forty-fve miles-in two hours and twenty
or at the rate of about eighteen knots an
hour, and this under a double reefed mainsail and
jib. =
JUMPED OvERBoARD.-A seaman belonging to II.
B.. NJ. S.. TIren, lying in our harbor, jumped over
board on Friday right last, while in a state of intox-
ication, and was drowned. The body was recovered
on the following morning, and at 4 Pm. was inferred
in the Nuuanu cemetery, the funeral being attended
by the crew and officers and marines of the Tiren to
the number of about sixty men.
POTATOES TO MAUL-Sending potatoes to Maui