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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2101, 29 January 1870, Page 2

Theatrical. —■ Mr H. Eastwood, agent for the Lancashire Bellringers, writes to a gentleman in Dunedin, that the company, together with a Miss Liddle, a vocalist of some merit, will visit Dunedin in a few weeks. Thatcher’s Concerts. —The attendance at the Masonic Hall last evening, considering the state of the weather, was extremely good. Mr Thatcher was applauded in almost every song, as was also Mr Small and Mr Daniels. Gaol Return. —The following is

the state of Her Majesty’s gaol, Dunedin, for tho week ending January -9 : —Awaiting trial, 8 men, 0 women; under remand, 0 men, 0 women ; penal servitude, 97 men, 0 women ; hard labor, 39 men, 15 women ; imprisonment, 2 men, 1 woman ; in default of bail, 0 men, 0 women ; debtors, 2 men, 0 women ; total, 118 men, 10 women. Deceived during the week, 11 men, women; discharged, 3 men, 7 women.

The Up-Country Mails. —We clip the following from the Bruce Standard: There is now a petition in course of signature by the Pucrua, Warcpa, and Port Molyneux settlers, requesting an alteration of tin; mail days to Wednesday and Saturday. If this request bo granted—and wc sec no reason why it should not—the advantage and convenience to settlers will bo very great, as they would then receive the district newspapers on the afternoon of the day of publication.

The Clutha Presbytery. — A meeting of the Clutha Presbytery was held at Balclutha on Thursday last, at two o’clock, for the purpose of moderating a call. The Rev. Mr Connor preached a sermon from Rev. ii. I. There was a fair attendance of the congregation. After sermon, the Moderator (Mr Connor) having intimated the purpose of tho meeting, called for names to be proposed ; whereupon the Rev. Mr Arnot, the Rev. Mr Morrison, and the Rev. Mr Wood, were duly proposed and seconded. The vote having been taken, Air Arnot was declared duly elected , and the call was thereafter signed by members and others present.—Communicated. The Mayor’s Court. —The business of this Court to-day was unusually small. -T. O’Grady, for being drunk and disorderly, was fired DI, or 4S hours’ imprisonment; J. Davis, who was evidently suffering a recovery, was, at the request of the Commissioner of Police, sent to the Hospital.—A youth, about 12 or 13 years of age, was brought up at the instigation of his father, who asked the Bench to send the boy to the Indusdrial School for a short time, as his propensity for mischief was so great that he could do nothing with him. He stated that he wished to pay for his keep during the time, his only desire being that a period of strict discipline might have a more salutary effect upon tho hoy than any severity he might show. He was sent to the Industrial School for 12 months.—The presiding magistrates were Messrs Fraser, W. H. Reynolds, and A. Garrick, J.P.’s.

The City Market.—The building, or shed, which the City Council have dignified with the name of market, was opened, according to advertisement, this morning at sunrise. What the opening ceremony was we know not, not being present a t that early hour. That it was not the opening of the gates, with the Town Crier proclaiming to an anxious crowd the glorious news that the market was free to the public, under Municipal regulations, because there are no gates to open, and the dignitary known most as Town Crier, is not known in this City. Still we have received a report, from our reporter “Early Bird/’ It is as follows: —Looking at my note-book at daybreak, saw “opening of City Market at sunrise.” Hurriedly dressing myself, I rushed to the spot, expecting to see a number of carts with garden produce, and a crowd of anxious seekers of stands. Oh ! what a “ sell.” There was neither carts nor people, one solitary individual being the only living thing to be seen. This was the Market Ins [lector, who was walking about with downcast eyes and a disconsolate gravity of countenance,” groaning over the want of occupants of his tenements. His usual jolly face was elongated to an extent that reminded me of one whose long cherished object had proved a failure. The instinct, which is said to show my weakness, of helping all who appear distressed, I volunteered to go and fish up some applicants for his stands. My labors were all in vain. The newspaper boys would not go near it; the milk vendors laughed at my suggestion of taking a stall, and the continued failures 1 experienced caused my anxiety to console the disconsolate Inspector—like Bob Acres’ courage—to ooze out at my finger-ends, and I resolved to leave him to his fate. Just at this moment a Chinaman with a load of garden stuff -which would have taxed the strength of a donkey to carry, hove in sight. I pounced upon him, thinking 1 had at last caught a victim. When I told him he ought to go to the new market to sell, he looked at me with a Celestial smile, and said— ‘ No good ; no bench, no scat; too cold ; no nothing ; mo no go—no like China,’ In utter despair I flung up my mission, being a convert to the view that the city market was ‘no good.’ At a later period of the day I visited the market, but all was solitude—not even the Inspector was visible.” This is, we are assured, a faithful report of the opening of the City Market,

Iron Telegraph Post. — We learn fiom the Tuapeka Timet * that “since the telegraph line between Tokomairiro and the Lakes was handed over to the General Government, many improvements have been effected; among these, not the least improvement is the substitution of iron for wooden posts. Several loads of these iron supports have been landed in Lawrence, and in a short time we may expect to sec the line of telegraph refitted, under the supervision of Mr Logan, with these durable iron posts, instead of the clumsy wooden ones used at present. ” The Bruce Lime and Coal Company. —The Bruce Standard, of the 29th inst., says ; —“The Bruce Lime and Coal Company held a meeting in the Exchange Hotel on Monday evening ; Mr Thomas Reid occupied the chair. The minutes of previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Secretary (Mr Capstick) then produced the certificate of incorporation of the company, and lease of the ground from the Government. After the various accounts were examined, and which were found eorrect, the report of the kiln having been completed was given in. Inspectors were appointed to examine and pass the contract if found satisfactory. The .Secretary was instructed to advertise for tenders to work the kiln, &c., and to call upon shareholders to pay up arrears on or before Tuesday nex't, when an adjourned meeting will lie held at Messrs Blues and Duthie’s.” The Auckland Goldfields.—The Hew Zealand Herald, in a leading article, says : —A good many people have been balancing their accounts in respect to their speculations on the Thames goldfield. The result is, in a great many cases, exactly similar, and a very cursory examination shows the same causes to be operating to produce these similar results. While some claims are paying dividends, and others are

now working on a systematic plan which will in time produce valuable results, a number, exceeding to a very considerable extent both the two classes mentioned, are simply costing money, ■without the slightest reasonalbo ground for belief that any benefit will accrue from that expenditure to the persons on whom the cost falls. Anything like an accurate statement of the means fruitlessly spent on the Hauraki hills would cause no small amount of astonishment if put in figures, and if calculations were made as to the public works of utility which could have been constructed for it.

Tramway Accident. —The Taram correspondent of the Herald (Auckland) writes under date 14th inst: —“A little after half-past nine about twenty of the men employed on the tramway at 1 ararn were giving their last trial trip of the splendid carriage erected under the superintendency of Charles O’Neill, Esq., and were going at a speed of two or three miles per hour, and wore entering on the curve a little below Gibbons’ or the Flora Macdonald battery, when, by some cause or other, which is not yet fully known, was overturned, and fell down the embankment about five feet, when its progress was arrested by the trees. A few feet more down the line and the cars and occupants must have been hurled into the creek—a distance of twenty-five feet—when the loss of life must have been terrible. As it is, most of the men are severely cut by the glass, and one man, Bennett, has fractured his leg. The carriage was under tho charge of Mr Elliott, the builder of it; along with, him was Mr Clarke, traffic manager. Charles O’Neill, and_ Mr Simpson, field engineer, were immodiately ou the spot, they facing a little further down the line, waiting to receive bis Excellency.” Praiseworthy Conduct. —A Wellington journal says —“ A recent case of distress promptly relieved has come to our knowledge, and is of so praiseworthy a character that we cannot refrain from tolling it to our readers. A gentleman in the Telegraph Department in Auckland, married, and possessing a small family and smaller salary, about twelve months ago became insane. Xu the hope that change and proper treatment would effect a cure, the then Telegraph Commissioner granted him six months’ leave of absence on full pay. The leave expired, and instead of having improved the patient had become hopelessly worse. His term of service had not been such as to warrant the Government giving him any pension, but, as his wife was anxious to get back to Scotland, they gave him a gratuity of L 65. This, however, was tar less than the sum necessary to pay their expenses in this Colony until the departure of the family, and save them from landing penniless at home. The District Inspector wrote down to Wellington, suggesting a subscription being raised in the department. The officer here took up the idea heartily, and but a few moments elapsed ere every official at every station in the Colony had contributed his quota, aud nearly LIOO was subscribed in an hour or two, to be sent by the first mail. This sum was advanced temporarily by the general manager here, and remitted by a steamer leaving Wellington at the time for Auckland. ”

Protection. Protection has been tried under singularly favourable circumstances by the high priest of the Mormons in Utah, and has failed most signally. Brigham Young established —with the capital of his faithful people—a gigantic store, and issued an absolute edict prohibiting Mormons buying of a Gentile merchant anything whatever, and spies were sent abroad to see that the will of Brigham Young was conformed to in all these respects. “Mark the result,” observes the New York World, “The cumbrous character and expensive management of the institution have prevented it from affording any advantages to the people. The Gentile merchants have been able to ‘ undersell’ it; many Mormons have secretely continued their purchases at the Gentile stores, and those who dare not so violate the law have restricted their purchases, and complain bitterly of the institution and its high prices. Consequently, neither the wholesale nor the retail stores of the institution have paid expenses ; many of the latter have been forced to close, and the whole institution has been largely indebted to Chicago merchants. With the unequalled power of the Mormon church at his command, and every facility for testing the virtue of an absolute government monopoly. Brigham Young has failed, it seems, to demonstrate that there is in such a monopoly any virtue or profit. Private enterprise and the necessities of the people have got the better of him and his scheme.”