South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Saturday 27 January 1883, page 6


OLD COLONISTS' ASSOCIATION.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir— I trust you will permit me a reply to Mr. George Elliott's letter in your Notices to Correspondents, Register, 26th January, who really must be suffering from aberration of

memory sadly. The Rapid, brig, was not pur-chased for the South Australian Colonization Commissioners nor fitted out for survey until 1835, and left the City Canal on Sunday morning, about 8 a.m., 1st May, 1836, arriving at Kangaroo Island 18th August, 1836. About ten days after Colonel Light proceeded to the mainland. The first place we made was Yattagolinga, a bay with a fresh-water creek running into the sea, and bounded on one side by the North- West Bluff. This bay was then named by Colonel Light after our vessel as Rapid Bay. The surveying brig Rapid was commanded by Colonel Light, next by Lieutenant W. G. Field, R.N., and afterwards by the late Captain Alfred Barker, of St. John's Wood. The lady referred to in the' brigantine Maria was a Mrs. Dinham, almost our next-door neigh-bour at North Adelaide, and her body was found dreadfully mutilated. My statements can be verified to the letter, non obstanto Mr. George Elliott's nonsense, by fellow-passen-gers now alive in the colony, viz., Messrs. William Jacob of Moorooroo ; .Robert Buck, of Glanville; William Hodges, of Hindley-street ; John Thom, of Morphettville; and Admiral Pullen, R.N. in England, who is regularly supplied with the Register. I am, Sir, &c . HIRAM MILDRED, - En Rapid, 18th August, 1836. Adelaide; January 26, 1883.

A correspondent, writing from Vienna, says that the height of caution has been reached in that city by a portion, at all events, of the theatre-going public. Since the reopening of the theatres numbers of ladies of the aristocracy, when attending a performance, enter their boxes with small oil lamps ready lighted, by means of which they hope to be able to effect their escape in the event of conflagration and the gas being turned off.