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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2368, 3 November 1870, Page 2

Good Shooting.—ln a small bore rifle match at Sydney recently at the 900 yards distance, Mr Slade made nine bull’s eyes in succession. Bank Meeting, —At the half-yearly meeting of the Bank of New Zealand, held at Auckland on the 2Gth ult., a dividend of 15 per cent, was declared. An Explanation.—We have been requested by Mr F. H. Evans to explain that he was not the defendant in the case of Cook v, Evans, decided in the Magistrate's Court yesterday.

A Sign of the Times.— An Auckland paper states that the gas company there recently advertised for a junior clerk, and received no less than 80 applications for the office. A Mr T. Page was the fortunate appointee. The Late Fire.—The unfortunate man, dames Homan, who received such severe injuries ot the fire on Monday, died a little before one o’clock to-day An inquest will hi held to-mo row at noon.

Acclimatisation Society. The usual weekly meeting of the council of the Society was held this afternoon; Mr W. D Murison in the chair. Very little business was done, owing to the absence from town of the bon. secretary The manager reported that the li bin the ponds were ad wadi; and it was resolved that intimation should be given to Mr W. A Young of ihe Society’s intention to place the young trout in the Shag River, ami the sea trout in the ponds at the Pleasant River.

Princess Theatre. The favorite comedy of “The Serious Family” was produced for the first time by the present company last night, and judging by the portion of it wc saw it gave every sa'isfactiou to a very fair andicne.*. Mbs George played the part of the widow Dclmainc with considerable dash, and was well supported by Messrs Collier and Mnsgrave as Captain Maguire and Aminadab sleek respectively. The last mentioned gentleman’s assumption of the character was a very creditable one, and will bear favorable comparis m with any w r c have had here before. The afterpiece was the comedy of “ Playing with Fire.” Both pieces will be repeated to-night, ami tomorrow (Friday) evening the performances will be under the patronage of the Superintendent.

Criminal. —William Roberts, horsebreaker, committed for trial at Oamaru, the 26th of last month, on three charges of obtaining money and goods uniler false pretences, viz.: to the amount of LI 10s, from Michael Hanley, at Oamaru ; certain horned cattle, to the value of Ll2 12s, from Messrs Maude and Bee, of the same place ; and one horse and two pigs, valued at Lls 10s, from Patrick Delany, at Hampden, attended this morning at the Resident Magistrate’s Court, before A. Chatham Strode, Esq.. R. M.. in charge of Sergeant Watson at the gaol; and was admhtcd to hail in his own recognisances of LGO, and two sureties of L3O each, to answer these charges at the next criminal session of the Supreme Court, to he hold ou the sth of December.

Provincial. The Provincial Covennnent Gazette of yesterday contains a statement of revenue and expenditure for the quarter ending September 30th. The revenue is set down at L 40,343 10s Gd, and the expenditure at L 78.272 Is. The items of receipts are—Consolidated revenue and capitation allowance, L 17,482 7s ; Crown lands, L7.0G3 15s 7d ; gold export duty, L 4,529 IGs ; goldfields revenue, L 4,322 13s lOd. The other items are small amounts from miscellaneous sources. It will bo observed that the account was made up before the receipt of the stock assessment; and it is also evident that the shutting off from sale of the Crown lands through the obstructive action of the Provincial Council, is now beginning to be severely felt. The land revenue is only about one-fourth what it ought to have been, and what it no doubt will be a? soon as the sale of Crown lands is resumed.

Fatal Accident. —An inquest was held to-day, at noon, at the Hospital, before Mr T. M. Hovken, the city coroner, upon the body of a man named George Elliott, who was accidentally killed yesterday. The deceased had been driving a horse and dray loaded with wooden posts along the road leading from Captain Boyd’s to the main road, and when descending the steep hill by the Acclimatisation Society’s grounds the back baud gave way. The evidence went to show that upon the breaking of the band the posts fell, some of them striking the deceased knocking him under the dray, -where he must have received from the horse those injuries which led to his death. The jury returned a verdict of “accidental death.” This case is but another painful illustration of the want of caution on the part of drivers of drays. It is the fifth case, as the experience of the Coroner will testify, within as many months, in which the accident has terminated fatally, but might have been avoided if the proper precautions had been taken.

General Road Board. The monthly meeting of the General Road Board was held to-day. There were present—His Honor the Superintendent in the chair, and Messrs Duncan and Reid. A number of appointments as officers to the various Road Boards were sanctioned. The following rates were .sanctioned :—Waihola West, Waugaloa, Soulhbridge, 3d per acre ; Sydney, Gd per acre ; Millington, Burlington, S)d per acre ; Milton, Waugaloa, Mosgiel, Teanoraki, Clarendon, Finnegand, Is in the £. Special rates were approved as follows : —Milburn and Waikar Gd in the £. The Pine Hill rate was approved of.— Applications from Combo, Hay, and Goodwood, to have the rates in those districts levied on the annual value of the property, were approved,of; audit was resolved that the attention of the Board should he called to section XXII of the Roads Ordinance. It was resolved that the Ilclensbrook District Board be empowered to collect their rates. Various applications in connection with roads were referred to the proper officers.

Port Molyneux. The llrvce Herald’* travelling reporter has paid a visit to the Port Molyneux diggings, and states that only live parties are now left numbering fifteen men in all. They seem very well aatislied with the result of their labor, which is about ten shillings a day per man The payable ground starts at the beach side of the sand banks, and is traced into the bush. The sinking is from one to fourteen feet, all sand. The bottom is lignite in an early state of formation. There is about a foot of washdirt which consists of gravel and a Igrgc portion of steel sand which renders quicksilver indispensable, the gold being also of a very line nature. There have been a number of holes sunk and a dish of stull 1 tried from t)nm, then abandoned. This is a very unfair trial, seeing that ip New Zealand the golden deposits are more fro.quently in patches than in leads. In all probability the whole of the ground that has been prospected will ultimately be worked up. should the present system of washing now in use on the ground pay ten shillings a man a day, with good quicksilver cradles double could be obtained. The means in use at present is a box fitted up in the same

style as a cradle inside, but stationary, with a small stream of water playing into the hopper, which takes two moo to work, one to fill a spoonful at a time, and one to clear away the tailings. Now, with one extra man, two quicksilver cradPs could be worked which would put through more than double the amount of stuff and would give the ground that has been abandoned a better trial.

A meeting of the directors of the i 'alcdoniau Society of ( *tago wilM-e held at Wain’s Hotel, to morrow (Friday) evening, at eight o’clock. On Friday evening next, the pupils of the Middle District School, assisted by several well known amateurs, give, an entertainment at the Masonic Hall. The Itducation Board, it appears, have not sufficient finis at their disposal to give the schools the usual allowance of prize money, and Mr Lialliweli*s pupils liave tletenniuecl to malce an appeal for public support in the way described. Apart altogether from the object in view, which is of a sufficiently praiseworthy character to commend itself, a very attractive programme of vocal and instrumental music, readings, &c., has been drawn up. We anticipate a very large attendance.