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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2614, 4 July 1871, Page 2

Personal.— The friends of Colonel Whitmore will regret to learn that the last mail brought intelligence that he is suffering from a severe attack of opthalmia, and that he has been unable to proceed further on his way to England than Salt Lake City. Disturbance in a Church, At Wellington one William Morris has been sent to prison for one month for creating a disturbance in St Andrew’s Church. It appears ho kept calling out to the minister to repeat the blessing, and he produced a bag containing flowers, and a cross, A Husband Beater. —At Wellington a woman named Catherine Petford was summoned for thrashing her husban I. 'The magistrate ordered her to find bail in two sureties of LSO each for her good behaviour for six months, which, under the circumstances, was tantamount to six mouths imprisonment. Court of Appeai. — A draft order has been prepared which wiil be submitted at next meeting of the Privy Council directing that appeals should in general and as a matter of ordinary practice, be heard only from the Appeal Court in New Zealand, reserving her .Majesty’s right to hear appeals direct from the Supreme Court. An order in Council is reprinted in the Gazette regulating the form and type to be used in printing the cases, records, and proceeding in appeals, and ! thcr matters pending before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Masonic Hall. — Alias Edith Palmerston gave her second entertainment last night. The reserved and second seats were well filled, but the back seats, due probably to attractions elsewhere, were but thinly attended. The vcry favorable impre sion made by Miss Edith Palmerston on her first ap pearance, was fully confirmed last night, the audience testifying their approval in frequent and continued applause. In such characters as “Kitty Brushit” and “ Dicky Hartshorn,” Miss Palmerston strongly reminds us of Mrs Keely, which is sufficient praise for any living actress, The entertainment concluded with “ the burning ef the Castle Inn,” a scene from Lady Audley’s Secret, recited by Miss Palmerston in a masterly manner, and fully proving the versatility of the actn ss. The programme will be repeated to-night.

Fire. ■ — A fire broke out at M‘> lashan’s Flour Mills, Water of Leith, this morning at an early hour. It appears that the watchman ou Bell Tower saw the redaction of a tire ; but, mistaking it for a bush fire, did not think it necessary to sound the alarm. The fire was first discovered by a person who lived in an adjoining cottage, and she immediately gave the alarm to Mr M'Glashan’s family; hut before anything could be done the flames had got a good hold of the building, which burnt very rapidly. A messenger was gut to the northern fire station, but ho was not successful in obtaining assistance ; and if be had, it would have been of no avail, f. r the building was in ruins before his return. The building, which had been leased by Messrs Anderson and Mowat, was insured in the Royal office for L 1,500. There was no person in the mill at the outbreak of the lire : indeed it has been unused for some time past, a id no in formation respecting its origin can be obtained. The Estimates. — The amended estimates, as brought down bv-t night, show an actual saving in departmental expenditure for the current year, of L3BOO, ami a proposed saving in future of L7OOO. The Super intendent’s salary is reduced to LBOO, and all officers in departments by nearly ten per cent. It appears from explanations made that the clerk of the Provincial Council (Mr C. Smith) is about to retire, owing to ill health, and that the assistant clerk (Mr Sessions) is to be promoted to the vacancy at a salary of L 225, which is to be increased next year. All the heads of departments (excepting the Provincial Surgeon) have their salaries reduced from 1.5U0 to L 450. The pay of the police and warders in the gaol is reduced by one shilling a day, but there having been such a strong opinion expressed against the proposed reduction, it is

probable that the Government will place on the supplementary estimates the sum originally brought down. Princess Theatre. A well-filled pit and stalls and a fair attendance in the dress circle greeted the newly arrived Comedy and Burlesque Company at the Princess Theatre last evening. The pieces presented were the Rustic Prima Donna, in which three of our old acquaintances appeared to advantage. Miss Anna Force, as Susette, introduced selections from various operas, which she gave with force and dash. Mr 8. Woolfe, as Sir Fretful Green, acquitted himself exceedingly well. When he was here nearly two years ago, he appeared to have the stuff in him of which good actors are made, and, as he has thrown aside the stiffness that marked his earlier efforts, a little careful study will enable him to attain to eminence Poor Pillicoddy introduced two more old favorites—Mr Musgrave and Miss Gassy Matthews, neither of whom has lost anything in attractiveness by absence. Mr Musgrave’s Captain _ O’Scuttle was very amusing, and Miss Matthews was, as usual, as self-sacrificing in her appearance as the ornaments of rags and grimy face and blackened hands could make her, to sustain the character of Sarah Blunt. She was cordially greeted on her appearance oh the stage. In “ Orpheus and Fury dice,” Miss Nye was added to the list of old favorites, and she, too, was received warmly by the audience. In this piece Mr White, whose name we ought previously to have mentioned, appeared as Pluto, and sustained the character well. Miss Gassy Matthews was the queenly Proserpine ; Miss Nye. Eurydice, and Miss Forde, Orpheus. On the whole, the burlesque went off fairly ; but justice compels us to say there was something wanting, which will require care and attention to correct. The choruses and some of the solos were more noisy than musical, and the singers and orchestra sometimes acted independently of each other. The orchestra is not well balanced. The cornet is good, the tone of the violin sweet, and the piano by no means badly played ; but each should be heard by itself to be appreciated. They do not go together, nor sustain the vocalists where help is needed to hide defects. We missed M. Flemy and his welltrained assistants. These may be drawbacks inseparable from strangeness to a building; but they must be overcome, and some attention paid to correct rehearsals. The pieces will be repeated this evening. It will be seen by the brigade order, which appears elsewhere, that the No 1 Company of Cadets will parade in front of the Custom House at ‘2 .'JO p.m. to-morrow in uniform. Every hoy is expected to be present. Gentlemen favourable to the return of Mr Thoueman as Mayor are invited by advertisement to attend the British Hotel, George steet, at 8 o’clock this (Tuesday) evening, for the purpose of forming a committee. The Battery of the Dunedin Artillery will muster for Company Drill at the Gun Shed to morrow at 7.20. His Worship the Mayor requests that in order to enable as many as possible to attend the opening of the Otago University to-morrow afteruon, a close holiday from 2 p.m. may be observed.