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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2455, 29 December 1870, Page 2

Patents. —By the last General Government Gazelle, we see that letters patent have been granted as follows :—To Alexander Toyman, °f Dunedin, for an improvement in the manufacture and erection of “wrought iron, wire rope, and suspension bridges’'; to A. Toyman and J. T, Chaplin, for a certain adaptation of vulcanised indiarubher to tho uses of locomotive engine wheels and rail■way carriage and truck wheels. Theatrical. —We understand that Mr W. Hoskins, comedian, and Miss Colville, will visit Dunedin in February, and play a short engagement here. Chang. —Our Chinese acquaintance continues to look down upon his visitors, with whom, notwithstanding, he remains on excellent terms. All who converse with him go away pleased with their reception, and not a few are induced to repeat their visits. A Correction. —We- have been requested to correct .a typographical error in the signature of a letter that appeared on Friday Last, which should have been “ Tros Tyriusvc Mihi,” instead of what appeared. We regret that it occurred, hut our diavolo tells us he really could not read the siguanaturc as written. A Knowing Publican. —A party of thirty electors in Auckland, it appears, tried to gratify their humor, and perhaps appease their thirst, at the expence of a publican named F icol, by representing themselves as a deputation to ask him to oppose Mr Vogel ; but the wide-awake publican thought the joke was being carried too far when one of the party, who had ordered nine glasses, refused to pay his score, and he summarily dismissed the deputation. He immediately “ withdrew ” from tho contest. Rifle-shooting. On Monday the members of No, 1 City Guards competed at the company's range, Halfway Bush, for prizes. There were 27 competitors, including all tho best shots in the company. Volunteer M. Creagh was again the highest scorer. The conditions of the match were that tho principal prize should be won three times, twice in succession, and as the winner on

this occasion was the successful competitor on the only other occasion on which it has been fired for, it is obvious that his chances of ultimate success are considerable. The Panorama.—Last evening, although there was a fair attendance at the Masonic Hall, it could not be considered by 3,113' means a full bouse; and strangely enough that class of the community who, above all, wight be supposed to be interested in the encouragement of artistic illustrations of works of genius were those chiefly absent. Mr V/ii it worth’s selections of illustrations from Dickens’s works was judicious, and tended to increase the interest of the exhibition. The Princess Theatre.—No one will be surprised that, tbo pantomime drew a large house last evening, notwithstanding the weather was cold and the wind unpleasant. Both pieces went off most successfully. We should have been surprised in fact had it not been so, for we have never witnessed anything put on the stage in which greater care in every detail has been manifested. Scenery, dresses, machinery, are all in keeping, and tbo inevitable boisterous fun proves an unfailing attraction to the young, for whose special amusement pantomimes are designed, Gallant Action. One; of the smartest and coolest acts wc ever witnessed wat performed by Constable Baxter in Princes street to-day. A van, containing a number of sides of mutton was run away with by a horse which came at full gallop past tbe cab stand at the New Post Office Buildings having neither bridle nor bead gear to take hold of. Notwithstanding the danger and apparent hopelessness of trying to stop a horse with no bit to hold by, Constable Baxter seized the shaft of the van firmly with one hand and the horse’s mane with the other, and by sheer strength pulled its head round and brought it to a standstill. The constable deserves the highest credit for his conduct, for few men could be found to run such a risk, and it is almost certain that had the animal gone on unchecked, damage not only to himself but to passengers or other vehicles must have resulted. The Californian Service. —The Postmaster - General met the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce on Monday last, and explained to that body the views of the General Government with regard to the new mail contract. After the hon. gentleman had furnished his explanations, a prominent member of the Chamber said it was desirable that Mr Vogel should understand that the feeling of the Chamber and in Canterbury generally was that the mail serv ice via San Francisco opening up as it did regular communication with England and the United States of America, was the best service for New Zealand, also that the’Chamber approving as it Aid of the new line,’ would support the Government in carry iug out the mail arrangements recently initiated. Subsequently it was stateil that the Chamber supported the Postmaster-General’s views to this extent—that they did not desire to give any great subsidy at all to the Suez route, but sufficiently to induce the regular despatch of the mails. Mr Vogel stated in conclusion that he had intimated to the Government of Victoria that the Australian Governments could come in and avail themselves of the present San Francisco Service, and that any subsequent arrangements come to would date hack to the time at which they availed themselves of the service. The “ New Zealand Herald ” for December contains a colored supplement, entitled “ Under the Willows,” a view of Akaroa, the Lyttelton lire, a well-executed representation of the passage of the Countess of Kin tore through the icebergs, and several views of Australian scenery. There is the usual amount of interesting reading matter.