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Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1954, 10 August 1869, Page 2

The English Mail.—The way ixi which the English mail arrangements arc carried out is simply ridiculous. The mail steamer arrived at Hokitika shortly after noon yesterday ; but up to five o'clock today, there was not the slightest sign of the Press getting the usual summary of English news. We have been told that in the first place the bar was in such a state yesterday as to prevent the mails being landed ; and, it appears, when that difficulty was got over, another equally formidable presented itself, viz., the wires being down. About noon to-day communication was resumed ; and the practice, only known in New Zealand, is resorted to. Firs! the message is transmitted to the Bea’ey ; fr m the Bealev it has to be sent to Chistchnrch ; and from Christchurch to Dunedin. There is just a chance of our getting the news at a reasonable hour this evening : if so, we shall publish an extra. [Since the above was written we have received the first slip of the summary.] The Athejeeum.—At the meeting of the Committee last evening, it was decided to award the premium of Elfi for the second-best design for the new Atherueum to Mr E J. Sanders, architect. Princes street, whoso motto was “ Eureka ” The whole of the competitive designs are now on view at the office in Temple Chambers, where they can be inspected by members of the Institute. The Committee unanimously agreed to recommend that the life membership subscription should be reduced from 15 guineas to 10 guineas.

Yachting.— By the Freetrader, Mv J. M, Fisher, of Walker street, has received a yacht, built about twelve months ago, hi Mobartown. She is 30ft. overall, with (>ft. Sin. breadth of beam ; measures al'Out 7 tons, and is cutter-rigged. She is fitted up with a fishing-well, in whi hj fish can be kept dive for a considerable time. She possesses moderately fine lines, and ought to s il well.

A Servant worth having.—The followin',' conversation between a poulterer and a shrewd servant girl, apparently of •cottish cxi.r c.tion, may prove interesting to our readers The topic was a very i roinisiug looking bird :P. “ Seyen-and-sixpence.” —g, (4. “Ye’re no wise.” —P. “ seven shillings, then” S. G. “I’m no daft.”—P. “Well, I’il strike off another sixpence.” —B. G. “Not for the like of you. ” P. “ Six shillings I” 8. C‘ “ Ye’re jokin’.”—P. “Do yon meant" give anythin!;S. G. “Ay, in reason. ’ P. “You’re a hard un. Money must be scarce where you come from. Well, there then ! yon may have it for five-and-six ; and I’ll be blowed if you shall have it for a penny less.” S. G. “ Ech ! weel, I wonldna wish to see ye blowed, pair man—so I’il just take yer wee bit.beastie.” Princess Theatre.— Watts Philps’ play of “ Lost in London” was produced at the Princess Theatre, for the first time, we believe, last evening ; the house being fairly attended. Albougb well written, the play is by no means what might have been expected from its author. Two much dependence has been placed upon scenic effects ; ami wherever this has been relied upon, the action and dialogue are notably weak. •Several crudities are obsc- vable ; particularly in the pir scene. The plot is a simple one, and may bo told in a few words. Job Amroyd (Mr Woolfe), a coal miner, is married to a pretty girl, named Nelly (Mrs Jackson), whose guardian he had been. She becomes acquainted with Mr Feathers ton (Mr Bell), a fast London youth, who manages to ingratiate himself into her affections, and ultimately succeeds in eloping with her to London, where she becomes his mistress. The outraged husband, vowing to be revenged on the destroyer of his home and happiness, goes to London to seek him out. There is Teddy (Mrs Howard), a maid of all work—a woman “of hone and mus le”—who was Xedy’s playmate and companion in her girlish days; and by some means she stumbles across her in London. There is also an unexpected meeting between husband nd wife at Gilbert’s mansion. Nelly, nearly dead with remorse, is taken away by Teddy, and n rsed by her at her house. I he* e, too, Fe therston and Amroyd meet; and, after engaging in a quarrel, are about to fight a duel, when the wife interposes, and, having been forgiven by her husband, dies. The part of Job Amr. yd was to have been sustained by Mr Bayner ; but he having been taken ill, Mr Woolfe was called on at a very short notice to fill it. Under the circumstances, he did remarkably well ; but there is no disguising the fact that the character is altogether out of his line. Mrs Howard, also, did her best; but the part she sustained was evidently not to her liking. Mrs Jackson played, as she usually docs, carefully and well. Mr Bell was good as Gilbert. The comic element was fairly distributed—Mr Howard, as “master’s gentleman,” being excellent; Miss Matthews and Mr Fonle, as the “upper servants,” were unquestionably good—the “make up” of the latter being ca|)ital. There is some good scenery, particularly the exterior of Fern Villa at night. We were sorry, however, to see an old scene, which was remarkable for its dirty appearance, exhibited so often. The after piece was the comedietta of “ Rosetta, in which Miss Fordo sustained the principal character.

The Maori’s Idea of Murder.—At the recent meeting of the King Natives, one of the chiefs declared “According to the opinion of you Pakr-has, these killincs you speak of were murders, but we say they are not. This would be a murder : If I wore to kill you now that you have come here on a friendly visit or if I were to kill Mr Mrth. that would be a murder. If 1 were to say to-day. in a friendly spirit, ‘ Come round by this path,’ intending evil while professing friendship; if I took out of the safe path info that of danger, and you were killed, that would be a foul murder. A ud here are your foul m orders General Cameron told ks to send our women and children to Rangiawhia, where they should remain unmolested ; but In went away from Peterangi with his soldiers after them, and the women and child: en were killed, and some of them burnt in the houses. You did not go to tip lit the men ; you left them, and went away to fi.ehfc with the women and little children. These thiu.s you conceal beea se they arc faults on your side; but anything on our side you sot •iown against us, and open your mouths wide to proclaim it. That deed of your* was a foul murder, and yet there is nobody to proela : m : t.” Another Victorian Gold Company on the Fields of New Socta, Wales —The Gundat/ai Times of Saturday says : —“ Clarendon, as we recently stated, is likely to become a place of importance, Mr Travers Jones having pitched upon this gold Held, as being the most favorable for working in this quarter, on benalf of a large Victorian com pany. About forty acres have been secured, and"an arrangement has been mafic by which, if desired, the ground of frec-soleetors in the neighborhood can be worked. Mr Jones has spared neither trouble nor expense in making a thorough examination of the ground, and in getting reliable information concerning operations form rly conducted there. The result of his investigations is highly favorable. As the goldfield is situated in the slate country, bordering the granite country, working th claims will be comparatively easy, and there are four good reefs already opened ; there is, in fact, abundance of payable stone easily obtainable. The quartz runs in pipes through a schistose rock, as it do s on the Wentworth estate, and some f these pipes are very rich The amount of stone crushed when the goldfiehl was formerly worked is estimated at 1,645 tons, which yielded 2,568 ozs ; and Air Wellington, p ior to removing his machine to Grenfell, sc aped up 300 tons on the su-iVe and from various claims, which yielded 10 dwts a ton. As the st; ne is easily got,, even this low return would pay a company ; but a much higher average yield per ton may be fairly anticipated. Mr Jones has proceeded to Ballarat, to make the needful arrangements. and it may be expected that in about four mou'bs from this time a large crushingmachine will be erected on the ground, and operations will commence 5u earnest. In all

probability, many of the comparatively miwrought goldfields of this Colony, will, by the application of Victorian science, energy, and capital, yet yield rich returns.”