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Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1935, 19 July 1869, Page 2

Peliuhet Bay Jetty.—A correspondent writes us to complain of an objectionable practice which seems for some time to have been winked at by tbc authorities, and by which, our correspondent says, ‘‘much inconvenience is-experienced by the residents at the north end of the city.” He informs us that two-thirds of the whole length of the Pelichet Bay Jetty is allowed to he monopolised with stacks of firewood, so placed as to render it almost impossible for ladies to get along it at all, and completely preventing the enjoyment of the jetty as a promenade for which it is so well adopted. The Mayoral Election.—Mr Fish addressed a very numerously-attended meeting of the electors, at the now' Masonic Hall, on .Saturday evening ; Mr W. Fuller being in Hie chair. The candidate addressed the meeting at cousidera'-Ue length on the leading topics ; bub his remarks have been, for the most part, already reported. In answer to questions, the c mdidate said thatahliou li he generally approved of the :u tio i of the Inspector of Nuisance-, st-id he w s in favor of til’ 1 question asked to ibis ext nt : He thought that timely notice should he given to the person complained against, and after that, if the nuisance still existed the person should lie proceeded against summarily. This was one of tiie dutr.s that devolved up n the Mayor ; it was he who regulated the action of the officers of the Corporation. If a' complaint was made against the market inspector, or any other officer of the Corporation, he wouul immediately investigate it. But so ’ong as any officer of the Corporation, according to his ideas, acted honestly and. straitfonvardly, so long would he stick hy him steadfastly. If the complaint brought against any officer was a very grave one, or sufficient to institute a charge or investigation, be would act instantaneously and vigorously ; hut until there were some grounds to work upon, lie would not assail the character of any man. If elected, he would make strenuous cudeavors to have a Mayor’s Court in Dunedin, where all eases involving offeiie s against the bye-laws would he heard, lhat Court would be presided over by the chief magistrate of the city, who would be in a position to do justice as between the Corporation and any person that was brought before him. Previous to entering the Council he had been opposed to the present mode of collecting rates ; but since he had been in the Council he had found the mode of c lloctio in vogue was must effective and speedy, ami inquired but little expense. He should hesitate before adopting any other meiliod. The only thin;' he objected to was the carrying about of the warrants by the bailiff’, lie thought that the warrants should not be carried out of the office until after the payment of rates had been refused. In demanding the rates, the bailiff might be apt to produce his warrant, and in a frolicsome way allude to his being in a position to enforce it. That was like a threat, and anything like a threat to a Briton was repugnant to his feelings. He was in favor of weighbridges being placed at the extremities of the town. He d eideiily advocated the erection of one at the northern end of the t-'wu. He would not advocate the employment of prison labor at all in tie construction of city works. If returned as Mayor, he would not if eketed hold the dit-d office of member of Asse n hly. The duties of office rendered it absolutely necessary that the Mayor should be in Dunedin. There were many questions arising daily wffiieh could only be solved by the Mayor. He was decidedly in favor of the construction of Corporation baths similar to those in Melbourne. He w-s a strenuous advocate of anything in the shape of sanitary reform. He took credit for having done much towards getting the present baths established, which had given|satisfaetim, as much through his own exertions as those of any other member of the Counci. He would advocate any resolution having for its object wh t ha i been in icated by the questioner. The question of sewerage was a large one, and he wmuld hcritate before ex i re sing an opinion as to whether he would advocate a system of sewerage without first going very closely into the matter. -He was one of those uho thought that sewerage was essentially necessary to any city in a sanatory point of view. Whether the city xvas in a p‘-rition at the present time to undertake* a system of sewerage, he was not prepared to say. If elected!’ he wmdd do his utmost to make himself acquainted wfftli all tie facts connected with the subject. —Mr A. Scott proposed the usual ypte of confidence on the candidate. The motion way seconded by Mr Bower, and carried unanimously, t)iere being only two hands held up against it.

Phigess Theatre. - On Saturday evening, the Princess Theatre was only thinly Lattende 1, notwithstanding the announcement that the sensational drama of "Jonathan .Bradford” would he played. From the commencement, it was only too painfully apparent that the piece was not in harmony with the tastes of the audience. The drama itself is not devoid of interest. Like all pieces of the sensational school, it has its improbable in<jid uts, its startling situations and hair-breadth escapes. Mr and Mrs Bradford (Mr Rayner and Mrs Harry Jackson) keep a Road-side Tun. wpere three travel ers, a Mr Hayes (Mr White), Lawyer Dozey (Mr Bill), and .Surveyor Rodpole (Mr Webster), put up for the night. On the morrow Mr Hayes is to complete the purchase of an estate, for which purpose he is carrying a large sum of gold.—the purchasemoney in his pocket. A knight of the road, a Mr Dan Macraisy (Mr Woolfe), lias an ink ing of the s ate of things, and, de termined to possess himsOf of the " ready," introduces himself sonn ccvcnionk to the trio. The landlord's wine is discussed with ap-

parent gusto, until Mr Hayes retires “to rest’ for the night. Dan Macrariy watches bis victim to his b.droom, and, understanding something of the house, Ins no difficulty in securiug an adjoinim,' chamber. The scene changes, and the bedr >oms arc introduced, in which Hayes, though not in bed, is seen sleeping. This is the desired moment, and Dan M.v oralsv seizes it. He glides ib ongh v.lie ea-c meiit, and creeps stealthily up to his victim, who, however, wakens in time to take the purse, ding it to the floor, and to engage in a desperate combat with the assassin. Hayes is however kille I, and Dan Macraisy flunks back to his chamber in time to avoid detection. Hearing the erics of “ Murder !” and a scuffle overhead, the landlord hastens to the apartment, takes up the lifeless body, and whilst picking up the “ booty,” which in bis excitement the murderer has left behind, the two friends of Hayes rush into the room and seize the supposed murderer—the unfortunate landlord. He, with his wife, is charged with the murder and condemned to die—the wife subsequently obtaining a pardon Then follows a scene in prison, from which, with the assistance of his faithful boots. Jack Rackbottle (Mr Fordo) the landlord manages to escape. In the meantime Dan Macraiscy, and his reluctant follower Caleb Scruniinidgc (Mr Sam Howard) are ostensibly engaged in the invigorating sport of ratcatching. but really rambling over the country in pursuit of higher game —committing numberless thefts where chances favor them. Presently they espy a handbill in which a handsome reward is ottered for the apprehension of Dan Macraisy, whose personal appearance is too correctly described to make the pair feel comfortable. Caleb Srrummidgo, feeling that his neck is being endangered by his connection with Dan, manifests an impatience to “ cut ” his acquaintance. But to this Dan demurs, an I a happy thought enters his head that the whole weight of his crimes might, by an adroit movement, he cast upon the shoulders of poor Caleb. He accordingly dicrates a confession of liis principal crimes, and concludes by modestly insisting on Caleb’s signing the document. With owry disposition to ohli.c his friend. Caleb very naturally objects to do ,his ; and the ordinary forms of language failing to persuade, the argument of a cocked pi.-tol proves sufficiently powerful. aleb takes the pc, and is about to sign, when Jonathan Bradford, the escaped convict, nukes his appearance. He knows the murderer now—he has overheard the conversation between Dan and Ca’eb, and makes Dan sign the document himself. Bather than submit to the interesting process of bring “ worked oft ” by the hangman, Dan Macraisy kills himself -not, however, uii’i the usual dying confession is made. The piece faded to interest, notwithstanding the efforts of Mr Ilayner. Mr Joyce, Mr .Sam Howard, Mrs Jackson, and Airs Howard, •whose d -lineation of characters was unv formly good, and whose parts tluvugliou.j were well sustained. In the “ Rustic Prima Donna,” which followed. Miss Foidc was fortunately able to restore the audience io good humor by her singing of selections from various operas, in some of which she was warmly encored.

Fortunate Men. A Wellington contemporary thus notices a good stroke of fortune likely to befal a veteran settler in that province, and the numerous branches of his family collections thereMr W. F. Evelyn Liardet is the sole surviving representative of the old stock of the Evelyn family, lie being the nephew of the late Sir Hugh Evelyn, Dart., descendant of the celebrated John Evelyn, of Says Court Deptford, Kent, and Wootton. Surrey, who during his lifetime granted to the Crown the land upon which was erected the Royal Dockyard, Deptford, The grant was made con litionally, to be held as long by the Crown as required for ship-building purposes. The British Government having recently given up the Deptford Dockyard for dock uses, tins valuable property reverts to the Evelyn family, and is estimated at the value of L 30.000.

Tjik Navigation of the Molvneux. —The Babdutha cnrrrsiiondent of the Bruce Standard , makes some very pertinent observations with reference to the necessity that e ists for some steps bring taken to improve the navigation of the Molyneux He gays :—Anvonc casually acquainted with the peninsulated situation of the town of Balclutha will at once admit the possibility of its b ing swept away; a m >re intimate knowledge of the land and its boundary reduces possibility to probability, while, with such of the inhabitants as have been located on the spot for a few years, past possibility yields (if nothing is to be done) to the dread inevitable. In the pre-ent financial state of the Province, if the interest at stake was confined to an acre or two of tlax and a mud wharre, I should certainly bo one of the first to say “ let it rip,” but where hundreds of thousands of pounds are involved. the business is not one to be thus lightly disposed of. As a proof of the threatening d aurcr, it will bo sufficient to mention that within the last six months a strip of land from the upper 1) nk has been washed away to the breadth of “20 feet. A snag, which a few years ago was raised by Capt. Cleverly, and deposited high and dry on the left bank. looking up, is now kept on the right hand by the steamer Tuapeka on her up-river passage. With these hard facts staring us in the" face, inactivity is almost criminal. Something must be done, ami done quickly. Prevention is the only panacea for diseases which yield to no cure. Let the motto of our townspeople be, )' nlcid! occur rile uiorho. ’ AA itb such a formidable danger staring us in the face, I think it would bo advisable that a public meeting of the iuhabi anti should be held without delay, the steps may be taken, by requisition or deputation, to bring the matter under the attention of the Provincial Government.

Mk Thomas Birch will address the electors in the Masonic Hall, Moray place, at 7.H0 sharp, this evening, A Meeting of the Pioneer Lodge, A.1.0.0 F,, will take place in the Lodge Loom, Masonic Hall, to-morrow (Tuesday) evening, at h.oi), sharp. A Meeting of the A.1.0.0. P. Loyal Alexandra Lodge, will bo held at the Old Masonic Hall, to-morrow (Tuesday) evening, at half-past seven o’clock, The Soiree at the Congregational Church, Moray p'acc, to welcome the aceptauce of the Fa tor,ship by the Rev. David Johnston, will take place to-morrow night. Judging by the arrangements made, a very interesting meeting may be anticipated.