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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2276, 23 August 1870, Page 2

Princess Theatre. The theatre was well attended last night, when Mr and Mrs Hilton took their benefit. The performance went off well, and everyone was pleased. Masonic. Hall.—The Masonic Hall was well attended last evening, and as usual the audience were delighted. Thursday will be a special evening, as it has been arranged for the convenience of our Port Chalmers friends, that the steamer Golden Age shall leave the Port at 6 o’clock, and return after the performance. We should think the opportunity will be largely availed of by the inhabitants of the Port, who will find it one of the cheapest and pleasantest treats they ever enjoyed. We understand there will be an entirely new programme on that evening, and that the novelties will be of a most amusing, interesting, and startling character.

The Port Chalmers Smuggling Cask.— ln the House of Representatives on the 15th inst., Mr Bradshaw asked the Hon. the Premier whether the Government had since last session made any inquiry into the case ’of Charles Mack and Thomas Davis, who were imprisoned by the Port Chalmers Bench of Magistrates for a breach of the Customs Regulations; and if so, whether the Government would have any objections to state the'result of the inquiry ? In reply, Mr Fox said he was sorry that the promise of the Government to have an enquiry had escaped bis memory. From the documents brought to his notice, he was of opinion that tif petitioners had been wrongly imprisoned. /Accident and Fortunate Escape. —This afternoon the sister of Mr Carroll of the Hibernian Hotel was married to Mr Colehan of the Junction Hotel at the Roman Catholic Church. After the conclusion of the ceremony, Mr and Mrs Colehan, Mr and Mrs Carroll, and sister, were returning in one carriage with a son of Mr Carroll, a boy about seven or eight years old, on the box. When near the Robin Hood Hotel, one of horses became restive and kicked ; this excited the other animal, and becoming uncontrollable both bolted a#jd galloped down the hill until they reached Rattray street, when they brought the carriage in contact with a lamp post opposite the Crown Hotel. Roth horses fell; one had his leg broken, and it was found necessary to kill him. The carriage was broken to pieces, but fortunately and almost miraculously, not one of the wedding party uor the driver was hurt. Technical Education. At a recent meeting of the Nelson Association for the Promotion of Science and Industry, M r Mackay read a paper on “ Technical Education as suited to the wants of New Zealand.” Under the head of Mining and Metallurgy he says s— For mining, study geology and paleontology for a knowledge of mineralbearing strata ; mineralogy, for the properties, applications, and characters of minerals; chemistry, for the testing and analysis of ores ; mining engineering and surveying, for the test methods of_ working mines, and the adaptation of machinery thereto, as well as to the dressing of ores, the surveys and plans of mines, and measurement of miners’ work. As a proof of what , skilled appliances are capable of effecting in the dressing of ores, the Schemnitz (Hungary) miner is able to

work actual gold ores broken from -great depth, which, beside a little lead, contain,iio more than one part of gold in 228,000 pf stone ; and the Russians work, in their stream-works, and containing only one part in half a-million. A knowledge of metallurgy is of vast importance in a country where gold is one of its principal products. By the barbarous processes, for they are nothing else, that are at present in vogue for the saving of gold, it is estimated there is a loss of thirty to thirty-five per cent.—amounting in Victoria alone to L 1,000,000 sterling annually—-nine-tenths of which could be saved by the art of the metallurgist.

Lynching at the Thames. A veritable case of lynching, on a small scale has happened on the Thames, the party operated upon being no other than George Pcrston, who was the principal witness in the Whau Company specimen-stealing case, heard in Auckland on the Dth instant. Ihe part he played on that occasion seems to have created an unpleasant feeling against him among the friends and acquaintances of the accused, George '«* ilson, and this morning it seems they seized an opportunity to illustrate their feelings to their victim in a remarkably unpleasant and forcible manner. I am in not in a position to give minute facts, but this I do know, that Perstou was seized at the claim and submitted to a shower-bath of warm tar, the operation being artistically performed, if one may judge by the fellow’s appearance as he was led through Grahamstovvn on his way to the Hospital. He had evidently been tarred to a turn, rather overdone in fact, as some of the fluid stuff got into his eyes and mouth, and occasioned the poor fellow extreme pain. t:e was first taken to the chemist’s shop of Mr Sarnies, who cleaned his eyes and then sent him to the hospital for further treatment. I have not heard of any steps being yet taken to bring the perpetrators of this act of violence to justice. It was certainly inexcusable as an infringement of the law, and as such I have no doubt will not be overlooked. That the abominable practice of specimen stealing should he checked by every legitimate means is the univeisal opinion at the Thames.— Southern Cross Correspondent. The Flesh and the Spirit.—The practice of the New York journals of reporting the Sunday sermons of the various preachers seems in one case lohavclcd to some amusing consequences. The Tribune of May 4th, reports a trial of the Rev. C. B. Smyth, minister and pastor of the Eleventh street United Presbyterion Church, before the first United Presbyterian Presbytery of New York; the Rev. Dr.. Findley, moderator. The rev. gentleman was charged with having, after his sermon on a previous Sunday, collected the six reporters who were there and asked them to drink. The charges, after stating tliat he took them to a refrcslnnenthouse, went on to say :—“ ourth—that beef steak and oysters having been ordered, he turned to the reporters and asked them what they would drink. Fifth—that their orders having been given, he himself requested the barkeeper to bring him some of the same. Sixth—That this turned out to be gin and milk, of the former of which liquids he took five fingers. Seventh—That lie swallowed the dose with evident relish. Eigth—That the viands having been disposed of, all arose to leave, and Mr Smyth turned to the barkeeper, carelessly requesting him to ‘hang that np.’ The prosecution think that the facts mentioned in the foregoing allegation involve a breach of the fourth commandment, as contained in Exodus xx, 8, 11, and if they prove to be true, Mr Smyth ought to be censured.” It is said to read that for this laudable hospitality to a deserving class, Mr Smyth, was visited with the censure of the presbytery, —A rffus. Unsolicited Honors. — The present Mayor of Oamaru (Mr Uddall), when returning thanks on a recent occasion for the honor conferred upon him, protested that he never thought of seeking the honors of the Mayoralty, and said : —“ I’ll tell you how it first.came about. I was sitting in my office one morning when a gentleman entered, and put a paper into any hand ; I opened it, and found lit was a subscription' list for the Roman Catholic Chprch, and the visitor asked pin for a donation- I replied, ‘ Don’t you ienow the yeryoiajpe Off ipy religion is a solemn protest against the .doctrines that Father Norris preaoliG.g f* ‘Re aiay, he aisy,’said he. ‘lt's ajl .very a\;cll ifor you to cry “ he aisy,”but what will Mr Gifford say, think you, if I rob His cjiqrcli to contribute to yours, if only to the extent pf half-a-crown?’ ‘You wouldn’t sp ]bemane yourself.’ I had no wish to seem,incan, hut told hiln to tell Father Norris that 1 was afraid I gave grudgingly. Mr So-and-so enquired if I did not wish to get to heaven ? Of course, I did. ‘ Then make it ss,’ said be. I did so, and really considered the bargain was in my favor. I thought our interview over; hilt no. Mr So-aud-so unfolded the paper, and put his finger upon my name, and said, ‘ Make it paid.’ I took the hint, and did so, and then he whispered to me, ‘ You are to be our Mayor.* This was the first I hoard of the subject. However, it was not to be the last. A little foreign gcntlpmaii came in not twenty-four hours afterwards—(T make no reference to Mr Shrimski; he has troubles enough, and I do not wish to add to the load)—and said, ‘So yon are to be 'our Mayor?’ I replied, ‘You are mistaken; yon mean Mr France.’ ‘ No, no,’ he answered, ‘ everybody knows and likes him, but he’s too Raul, Harry, and DSyk, He pleases everybody, and everybody likes him, and dat won’t do.’ This seemed a strange objection. I then replied, ‘ Probably it is Mr Shrimski yon mean ? ’ ‘Oh ! no, no—that is worse ; Mr Shrimski won’t do—nobody likes him, he pleases nobody ; it is you,’ was the reply. This was the second hint I had; but still I thought it only talk. Subsequently three gentlemen waited upon ipe, and convinced me it was my duty to come forward; with a resolve that if elected I would do my best to fill the position in a worthy manner. My local knowledge is hut little, but I will try to make it complete. There is an old atlage, that ‘pew brooms sweep clean,’ and if elected I will sweep as clean as I can ; and if at the end of twelve months you find the council dirtier than before, I y/jll retire and make room for another ‘ new broom/

AN AWICA-RP PKEPiCAafEKf TO BE left in. —The following particulars of a man in Nelson being left in charge of LI 0,000 at II o’clock at night, and no one willing to take it in, we take from the Nelson Evening Mail —“At about 11 o’clock on Saturday .evening the boom of a gun reverberated through tire town, ajfd it at once became known that the long .expected Ph/cbe had arrived. A few people collected' on the wharf to see her, and among them yvas a sort of semi-official who transacts some of the shipping business of the wharf. To him

there was thrown over the ship’s side thirtytwo mail bags, and twe ’ boxes containing 10,000 sovereigns for one of the banks in the town, and then away steamed the good ship, leaving our unfortunate gold-keeper in an unhappy predicament. After a time a trustworthy friend approaches, to whom was entrusted the charge of the gold, while the custodian went in search of a cab, in which bags, boxes, and keeper were placed, and away they went up to town. The mails were discharged at the Post Office, and the cab proceeded to the Bank. Arrived there, cabby, who scented another fare, landed his passenger with the two boxes on the pavement, and away he went. Gold-keeper knocks at the door —Manager appears.—At first he declines to take delivery of the gold, as he had not got the keys of the safe ; then agrees to take it in, but refused to give a receipt. That won’t do for me, says the unhappy man, and so while the manager returns to his blankets, he sits on his boxes in the clear frosty air, rapidly but energetically rehearsing the Oommination Service, or something that sounded very like it. After a time a good Samaritan appears in the street, and to him the gold-afllicted individual did his tale unfold. * Oh, is that all,’ says the Samaritan, ‘ I know a bank where I forgot the rest of the quotation, but I mean come along to another bank.’ They went. They knocked at the doors, they coughed through the keyholes, they tapped at the windows ; but all to no effect. At last Samaritan hits the right window, and after waiting a moment, itls thrown open, and to his horror and dismay a six-barrel revolver is placed at his head, while a stern voice demands what he is doing there. A few words explain his errand, and the gentleman at the butt-end of the revolver smiles, as he agrees at once to take charge of the gold, which he imagines is for his establishment. The boxes are brought in, but the candle reveals the fact that they arc addressed to another house ; so Manager No. 2 refuses to take charge, and once more the boxes and the keeper are out in the cold. Fortunately a policeman was passing, and, in x’eply to the pitiful enquiry, ‘ What shall I do with my gold ?’ he suggested that the sovereigns and the man in charge should be locked for the night in the police station. Tired with his heavy freight, frozen with the bitter cold, and disgusted that he could find nobody to receive 10,000 sovereigns, he willingly agreed, went to the station, and taking one five thousand for his own pillow, he gave the other to his mat?, and falling asleep he dreamt that he was dommed for ever and ever to walk about in the biting frost with a box of gold under each arm, of which no one would relieve him.” \