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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2655, 21 August 1871, Page 2

Theatrical.—We have bden shown a private letter from Sydney, which states that the Leopold, Dunata, and Wieland troupe, which is the stronge t company of gymnasts and pantomistS ‘ that has’> been formed in The colonies, will visit’ New Zealand shortly, and purpose visiting all the large, towns of the Colony. Otago Graving Dock, -Trust.— The principal business transacted to day at the meeting of the Trust was the appointment ; o£ a . sub‘coi|imitteo to decide upon tbo rates pliargeablo upon vessels , undergoing repairs in the d ick.' Me. uucleVstand the Colonial Secretary, Mr Gisborne; requested information on'this point,, (n order to transinjt the of charges 'to Am,etica, and. Egropc. , I . .... , + Sodden Death,. —The police received information- yesterday of thg (jaath oi a colored man uaided Joseph West, residing gt Upper West' Harbor, who died suddenly at about 6 a. : m. He had not been very well lately, and on’y left the Hospital somc’three weeks ago. It is believed that death was caused by- : the : bursting of a blood-vessel. He leaves g ivife and two children in a destitiite coiiditiim/ U

Princess Gp> r Afanneving” will be produced at the theatre this evening, wiih Miss Forde as Bertram and Miss. Jenny Nye as Julia. As the greater part of the songs intro luced in the drama will be rendered by these ladies, we look forward to be specially pleaded- 'J he performance will conclude with (last time, thg burlesque “Beautiful Uaiffee.” To-morrow, Miss Jenny Nye will take her benefit, and, from the ipjraber of scats already engaged in the circle, we shoqJd sjjy she will have the largest house of the season.

Fanaticism. —In ope of flic country towns of Victoria there exisf? a pretty numerous s?ct known as the •“ Sjteygnites. ” A few weeks ago (states the Pleasant Creek jye.ics,- 3rd August), by some means they received the information that they were to be “ taken up” at a time and place specified and the local representatives of the sect were all in attendance. The sitting commenced one afternoon, and was continued into the sec >nd night, the hopes of the watcher / however rema'ning unfulfilled. One of the party—a lady—had taken a pathetic leave of her husband, in- order to ascend with her co religionists. She was considerably disgusted by his asking her to recommend him a successor, but not even this could deter her from endeavoring to procure a transit to the future residence of the “ Lights. ” Towards the second evening, however, she fell alarminginly from the high state of gjrage she had attained, and pronouncing jthe seejb .an imposture, and the “aposile” a false prophet, she severed her connection with the church and returned to the bosom of her family. , '1 he faith of the others however, so far as we can learn, was unshaken, but as nature could hold out no longer without rest and sustenance, they deferred their attempt until the receipt of more correct information as to the time and place. It is \M-y questionable whether, amid all the vagaries of Ihe sect headed by Nunawadiug Fisher, there exist such absurdities 9s in this offshoot of combined ignorance and fanatic ispi.

Heligoland. Perhaps yery few amongst us ever thought of Knghmd holding' possession (f an island, which, by its position is, by the late telegrams, characterised as a standing menace to Germany—whatever that may mean. This “ standing menace” is a little island about *26 miles distant from the Eyder and the Elbe, which came under British rule by conquest from the Danes on the sth September, 1807. It wafe made a depot for British merchandise, and by the treaty of Kiel on the 14th o( January, 1814, dependency upon England was confirmed. Very piobably had not Hanover, then under George 3rd as Elector, been equally interested with Denmark in possessing the island, it would not have been thought worth retaining ; although, as a naval station it stands in a commanding position, so far as the navigation of the Elbp is concerned. It is however a tiny spot, numbering probably about 3500 to 4000 inhabitants. If it be true that Bismarck has mado the demand, he is not likely to have at conceded ; possibly the publication of the ‘ ‘ Battle of Dorking” may have put it into his head, or into the head of the telegraphist, who may have given fiction for truth. At any rate, Prussia is not ready for the fray yet, for she has neither navy nor transport fleet equal to coping with Great Britain. The Home country is p;rfcctly safe so long as she does not send her armies abroad, and the dear bought victories of the French war are not likely to lead to another in which success would bo almost impossible.

A Maori on Education.—Karaitiaua Tokomoana, M ILK, for the Eastern, Maori Electoral District, is reported to have spoken as follows at a meeting lately held at

Pakobai, H ■Aicli’Mr.McLean 'Vas present^VX ani of opinion that, to be able to vi 6 with the Pakeha, we must have a knowledge of hiii language. If the Government .would establish schools amongst us for "impacting to ouf- children an English education, our position would be immensely improved. In the schools established by the missionaries, Maori has always, been the -language used. But the Palceha ,dwells in hj; room to which we have no access—-tbereis no passage- from our-room to his. We-must-have a knowledge of the English language to enable us to comprehend the mysteriesof the Pakeha—the secrets of his success. With this advantage,-it would be seen who amongst us possesses intellect and who does not—men of intelligence would advance. Not one Maori amongst : thoje taught by (teachers provided by clergymen has succeeded in attaining to, any distinction jot wealth. 'lf 'the Government were to ostab lish schools such as I propose, the case mijjht be different. Sotge .amongst us have been made clergymen, blit ,they have obtained faith only; not knowledge—the knowledge remains with the Pakeha clergyman. If the MaoHs ; Wcre'6dudal6d Tii European sdihhqls, there-would bo no more HauhauiVm or war in the country*—ineii - would know better. Those only who would not avail themselves of the schools' might become troublesome from their ignorance.”

Railway Management in Canterbury.—Tha;examination of- the witnesses on the railway management question by a, select committee of the Canterbury Provincial Council discloses a state of affaire scandalously disgraceful, No system of organisation in-the; Several departments seems to have been adopted, and rules and regulation s bearing on, 'railway management, and for SJcpring that ordinary pretautions for the: safety of lives and property should be taken, appear to have been entirely ignored. Drunk■eaness is apparently the prevailing feature of the ; establishmentbut, unfortunately, this evil has not beCn Confmecl to that class of railway servants, whose duty does not bring thfem directly ini contact with the public, or who have not direct personal charge of travellers or property. Bad enough if it were ao ; but we find, from the evidence of the stat’on managers at Christchurch and Lyttelton that trains freighted With human beings have actually been allowed to leave in charge of drunken engine-drivers; and Mr Jones, the Christchurch stationmaster, naively ..adds, when -asked if he had power to stop a Train, and take, a- drunken driver off the engine—“ I would have power in any other country, and would use it; but not here.” And again, the station-master at L*y ttelto u says, when a sited, a similar qticstion—“ Ido consider I have authority ; but under the present circumstances I could not replace au engine-driver id Lyttelton : therefore L have been compelled to allow a train to lea,vc with a drunken locomotive driver.” Commenc is unnecessary : the evidence speaks for itself— aiiy'oilier country,” if so glaring misconduct, and gp glaring a want of ordinary rules could be found, summary justice would be Visited on high officials, 'ihe understrappers are not so much to blame ag are those in authority, for allowing, Apparently unchecked, such’gross abuses. For tli£ honor of Canterbury, the Government shouid'Take strong measures to prevent their recurrence—and is the least that the public can expect, after lives and properb; have been jeopardised in so shocking a manner.

Mr George Hepburn announces in onr advertising columns that, as Mr Driver does not iptftnd to offer himself for re-elec-tion, it is Tis intyiVtipu tq pojnc forward as a candidate at the forthcoming Wakari election.

We ryppld remind our readers that the sojree jn copuecjjion with the Knox Church Society takes place to-night, as will be seen by reference to our advertising column?, ' '

Representatives from ail the Church Courts of management in Dunedia, are requested by advertisement to meet in Murray’s hall, Kattray street, to-morrow (Tuesday; evening at 7 o’clock, to consider a matter of great importance, and in wnich immediate action should be taken if thought advisable.

The proposal to establish a “ Scott’s” scholarship in connection with the University is not allowed to sleep, and we hope there will be no difficulty in securing tho support necessary for to desirable a project. It will be seen by advertisement that a meeting of subscribers, and those interested is appointed for Wednesday If all interested attend, there will be a large meeting.