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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2647, 11 August 1871, Page 2

A Good Find. M'Donakl and party, while engaged cutting a tail race at the Nevis Gorge last week found a nugget weighing' 170 oza, Religious. An interesting cerei mony took place at the Presbyterian Church, I Lawrence, on Saturday last, being no less than the baptism of two Chinese, the first Celestial converts in the Luapeka district, 1 since Mr Ah Chin, the Chinese missionary 1 commenced iia labors among his countrymen. Supreme Court. —Mr Justice Chapman was occupied during the whole of to-day in hearing the arguments inCatomore (trustee in Fuller’s estate) y. Murray, which was for leave to enter a verdict for the defendant. The argument had not concluded at four o’clock. Princess Theatre. This evening there will be an entire change of performance, the occasion being the beuelit of Miss Anna Forde; the curtain will rise _ to the “ Youth who never saw a woman,” in which Miss Forde will sustain the part of “ Lubiu.” After this will bo presented “The Hough Diamond,” Margery, Miss Gassy Mathews ; Cousin Joe, Mr S. Wolfe. The entertainment will conclude with (first time) the burlesque of “Mazeppa.” We hope to see a full house. Personal. —Mr Henry Srnytbies is about for the second time to petition the Assembly for redress, lie complains that,

the Legislature has made an ex post facto law and arbitrarily deprived him of his rights, without instituting a fair inquiry—petitioner being able to prove his innocence of a crime imputed to him. The petitioner demands exemption from the Act referred to and asks to be heard at tho bar of the House. Mr Symthies and his son will shortly proceed to Wellington to support the petition before the Assembly. Significant.— During the heaving of a maintenance case in the Fitzroy Police Court, Victoria, a Mrs Rumble, a midwife of thirty year’s standing, who lets apartments to females about to be confine:!, was called as a witness, and in her evidence she said that, on plaintiff’s going to her house, she represented herself as a married woman, and stated that her husband was in New Zealand. “ Their husbands generally are in New Zealand,” added the experienced Mrs Rumble. Quick Work.—A singular feat is recorded in a Victorian paper as having been performed a few days ago by an active bushman. He was engaged to a girl who lived at a township a few miles from the station upon which he resided. One day he received a message that the priest was there, ami that if the knot was not tied that day, it might have to be postponed for an indefinite period. He was busy mustering, and could not be spared for long, so he mounted bis steed, and galloped thirty miles, got married, got-the | mail, had his horse shod, and was back again in a little more than live hours. He certainly could not be said to have wasted anytime. The Rival Coaches.—The] Oamaru correspondent of the Waikouaifi. Herald writes It is rather amusing to witness the energy and rivalry displayed by the agents of the opposition coaches in this township. A few evenings since an individual re?i ling a few miles on the north side of the Waitanga river, was asked by the agent of coach A to allow himself to be booked for that coach leaving the next evening, when the following conversation ensued. (I must first state that the subject was “ three sheets in the wind.”) Agent: “Now, Mr Z, you’re going away tomorrow morning, are you not?” Mr Z. : “P’raps I am: p’raps I ain’t.” Agent: “Come, now, let me book you; you may trust to me to call you.” Mr Z. : I’ll see you blow’d first. What.s the fare ?” Agent: “Five shillings.” Mr Z. ; “ No you don’t, whip and ribbons ; I can go by t’other coach for four hob.” Agent: “Can you! who told you so?” Mr Z.: “Never you mind, coachcy, that’s my business. ” Agent: “All right, mate, please yourself,” whereupon the agent left. In a few minutes agent for coach B looked in, and opened the conversation in the same way as agent for coach A. Mr Z., however, was not as drunk as he appeared to be, and gave agent for coach B precisely the same replies, and with the same results, viz., being left alone for a short time. The agents, however, were most importunate in their attenqis to secure the passenger, for in less than half-an-hour they each made six attacks, ending in the booking of Mr Z., by agent for coach A for five shillings. Few men, individually, have the patience of our worthy agents for so trifling a sum, but when inspired with the spirit of rivalry patience is contained in a very elastic compass, and very often profitably. A New Sort of “ Public Houses.” —A Leeds contemporary draws attention to a movement in that and the neighboring towns, which has assumed importance. Its whole scope and object may be summed up in the axiom that a public house is not necessarily a place where people get drunk, spend more than they can afford, and, getting nothing good for what they spend, are none the better, and often very much the worse for it. Fourteen of this “new sorb of public houses ” have been established in Leeds, and have all proved eminently successful. They are places where the public may assemble in suitably-furnished rooms, enjoy the company and conversation of their acquaintances and friends, play innocent games (chess, draughts, &c.), read the newspapers, and go home much the better in mind and body, and little the worse in pocket. They are described as following the pattern of the ordinary “public” as closely as possible in every respect save one, which is that no intoxicating liquors are obtainable, and no profanities or imm ralities permitted. There is the jovial landlord of the approved pattern ; and t ie visitor is sure to find congenial but healthy influences around him. He meets men of his own class, he may amuse himself in bis own way, he is not beset by any oppressive philanthropy, and his independence is res ected as much as by the beerseller who is rapidly making a fortune in the next street. On Saturday evenings there is a “free and easy,” and good music is provided. It would be worth while for some of our local philantrophists, or for some of our enterprising organisations, to try the merits of the Leeds movement in Otago. It is safe to assume that more customers are attracted to the public house and seduced into drinking habits by the desire for society and for amusement, than by any love of drinking itself. Flax Exhibition.— -The Royal Flax Commissioners are steadily pursuing their labours in obtaining all kinds of information of a practical nature which will be embodied in a report to be laid before the General Assembly. They are carrying out a series of testa, the results of which will be stated in the report, and which will be of a most in teresting nature. For this purpose they have obtained from England a bale of first class Manilla, hemp, which, having tested, they I have adopted as a standard, caWed \ofi. | With this they have tested various fihies, and particularly the Phovminm Tenax. These tests shew the relative strength of the fibre, the expansion of rope under strain, its contraction from wet, and the time for which (it will stand severe chafing. In Messrs Kebbell’s mill ropes of New Zealand flax and of Manilla have been tested this way, and the result has been that the dry flax has stood 50 per cent, better than the Manilla. A visitor to the Museum would he highly interested in the small room devoted to fibres and testing. In it the different samples of flax produced by different dressers are shown, and a comparison between them would open the eyes of those engaged in the trade. Among the tables being prejrared by the Commission is one showing the quantities of flax of various qualities sold in the home markets for the year ending May last. From these it ap. pears that while on the whole the sales of New Zealand flax have steadily increased at a quick rate, the increase has entirely been in the better qualities—the inferior kind finding small demand, and sea-damaged fibre finding none at all, only 80 bales of such being sold against over 20,000 of undamaged, due wiug of the Museum is now closed to

the public, and is being made ready for th° flax exhibition, which, it is expected, will b e open about the middle of the coming session of the Assembly.— Post, The True State of the Caledonian. —We of late have heard of extraordinary fluctuations in the price of shares in the Caledonian mine at the Thames. Falling from L 196 to LIOO in the course of a few days, and then almost as rapidly going up to L 145, and the cause of such fluctuations has to most people here in the South been a mystery. The reason is given in the following communication from a correspondent of the Auckland Minimj N'ews :—“There has been no inquiry, no talk, no interest, concerning anything te-day but ‘ Caledonian.’ The prospects of all otiier mines here, the rise and fall in all scrip, have been neglected in view of Caledonian. At the Courts, in hotel bars, over the luncheon table, under umbrellas in the rainy streets, everywhere it has been Caledonian. Therefore, I do not purpose to write any mining news under its usual head, but to tell here as concisely as possible the exact position of affairs in reference to this same Caledonian. The find of three cwt. of specimens yesterday was, as was then mentioned, from the old lode, and has not been followed up by much more of the same sort, The exact position of the mine then, about which so many and so anxious inquiries have been ‘ made, is as follows :—There is a large back of s'one in the lode that has previously given such extraordinary yields, but from this there does not seem to be much chance of any more specimens being obtained. Nevertheless, the yield of the gold would be great were it not that future yields from this lode will be judged by those of the past, and will therefore bear unfavorably in comparison. But for this the yields from this reef, which is fully 15 feet through and will run 9 oz. to the ton, would be something magnificent. Then, again, the lode in the Otago is, there can be no good in disguising the matter, rather poor and mullocky, but this is no more than confirmation of former opinions expressed here. The case therefore remains that for some time the dividends will come out of the hack on which they are now at work, and will be got under the circumstances which have been detailed. When this shall have been exhausted, there will remain a great deal of heavy, and most likely expen-ive operations to be put through before the sbot of gold can be recovered at a lower depth ; though, that it will be so recovered, there can be no reason to doubt, for it has been already, as we now know, worked with great evenness and regularity on two levc’s. In conclusion, handsome dividends will still be the order of the day in the Caledonian ; but these dividends will appear small when contrasted ■with those that have gone before.” A public meeting of the Dunedin Abstainers’ Union will be held in the Congregational hall, Moray Place, this evening at 8 o’clock. Business to receive half-year-ly report and elect office bearers. The Ratepayers of Maori Hill, who signed the petition to the General Boad Board are reminded that the meeting takes place in the Presbyterian school this (Friday) evening, at eight o’clock. The third match of the Dunedin Rifle Club will take place to-morrow, Saturday. Squads to fall in at Pelichet Bay Range at 7 a.m., 11 a.m., and 2.30 p.m. ; also at Anderson’s Bay at 2.30 p.m. It will be seen from advertisement that a special meeting of the Otago Schoolmasters’ Association will be held to-morrow (Saturday) afternoon. As the business to be brought forward is of very great importance, it is hoped there will be a full meeting. The Concert under the auspices of the North Dunedin Mutual Improvement Association, and intended las a complimentary benefit to Miss I Webb, will take place in the North Dunedin Rifle Company’s drill shed this evening. This concert originated in a desire to make some acknowledgement for the services rendered gratuitously by this young lady at the concerns given by this association last season ; but Miss Webb has other stronger claims to public consideration. There have been few concerts given in the city during the past twelve months, in which she has not been invited to take part, and to which she has not cordially given the benefit of her charming voice. An excellent programme has been provided and we trust therefore, to see the Drill Shed crowded this evening.