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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2742, 30 November 1871, Page 2

Mayor’s Court.— At this Court this morning Elizabeth Farra was fined 40s or 14 days imprisonment for drunkenness, and sentenced to a mouth’s imprisonment tor using obscene language. Last Night’s Lecture. —In our remarks upon Mr Stanford’s lecture, we accepted the report of the Daily Timet. On reading that of our own reporter, we observe material differences ; hut they do not affect the principles advocated. Railways in Canterbury.—lt is understood the Canterbury Provincial Government have applied to tho authorities in Wellington with the view of making arrangements with Mcs-rs Brogden for the construction of the Kakaia and Temuka Railway Colonial Pri/^-firing.—As we surmised yesterday, a range at Cashmere lias been selected. In another column wc published a portion of the rules and .regulations for the colonial and district prizes in a condensed form, and the remainder will appear to morrow. The rules are well worthy the attention of vofuiffpers, for there are many important alterations Bom last year. The Chinese. — In Invercargill the Southland News brought a series of charges against the few Chinese located there, which led to the police unexpectedly “spotting” their places, on the evening of Sunday, the 12th inst., and pouncing upon them. With the exception of opium smoking, nothing reprehensible was discovered, and the po iec are quite convinced that the allegation about females having been jallured into tbeir haunts, was without foundation.

The Police. The enquiry conducted by Mr M'Cullocb, 8.M., into the conduct of Sergeant Fox, in connection with the Invercargill fire, resulted in that officer’s acquittal. Mr M ‘Culloch finds that Sergeant Fox discharged his duties zealously and honestly; that he was not guilty of any attempt to suppress evidence at the inquest, and that the charge made that his whole conduct during the enquiry indicated a strong partiality for Hunter and Hawkshaw, and a desire to shorten the enquiry was altogether groundless. Pike.—On the I’ jtli hist, a lire took place on the farm of Mr \V. Winton at Portobello. About two o’clock in the morning, Jje was awoke by a glare of light through the window of his bedroom, and on rising found the dairy, which was a short distance from the house, was entirely burnt down, as well as a couple of stands of his cow shed. The 2ath November has been an unlucky day in Mr Winton’s experience, for four years previously, on that date, a land sup occurred, which carried his bouse and several out buildings some distance, and caused him great expense and danger. We hear his losses are not covered by insurance. Concert. —A concert in connection with the Abstainer’s Union, was held at the Oddfellow’s Hall lost evening, and again proved successful in attracting a large and highly respectable audience. As usual, the evening’s entertainment consisted of songs, recitations, musical selections, and readings. The committee request us to return their sincere thanks to those ladies and gentlemen who have in so generous a maimer given their services on so many occasions at these concerts to promote the good cause of temperance. Mr J. Hugh's, vice-president of the society, in a few appropriate and wellchosen words, addressed the audience on the subject of temperance, making special reference to the duty of all studying the •welfare of their own private houses rather than that of the public houses. The band, as usual, was in attendance and gave perfect satisfaction to all present, and the audience di.-per-ed at 10 p. in., well-pleased with the evening’s amus incut. Princess Theatre. Last night both the boxes and the lower part of the house were well filled. The amusements provided, though necessarily partaking of the same character as before, were somewhat varied in detail. The songs were different, but equally well sung ; the ove -tares ware different, but equally well played ; the jokes were different, but equally well brought out; and even when they wero old acquaintances, they lost nothing in their raciness by their repetition, for the point was made ho prominent that it could not be missed. The e negro whimsicalities chime in very well with our preconceived i otion of the n> gro character, and lonn amusing reliefs to the more serious business of the orchestra ; for it would not do to dwell too

long 'ii t. i pa li.'tio :v* civcn by Mr II Cretan !•: Kir- uv- gw d night, Mntlr.-r.” or Mr Ainorvb "I’m lomlv to-night.” or Mr (Jiark"’s “ Angels ar.* ••idling. '* Tbo a e balla is and refrains wore touebincly given ; ym agreeable as is 1 lie drain upon the svmpathies o' the listeners, it is too intense not to require contra-1. Mr Holly’s “ I wish I wore a fish ” and the manner of mgg t screaming in tune, as shown by Mr Kelly, together with the puns, conundrums, and blunders of bones and tambo, are irresistibly comic reliefs, and intensify the enjoyment of the legitimate music, as well as give breathing time to the singers. Mr Herman’s “Blue Bolls of Scotland,” with the tragic comic air of the “Pretty little ratcatcher’s 'laughter ” as a variation, was excellently played, and encored. Mr O’Brien was exceedingly d-op in all the part" be had to sustain ; and the b"rlc ques were laughable in the extreme. ihe “ Clogographiedity” of Messrs Kelly and Holly has not eft a record "f the steps taken except in the memories of those who witnessed its cleverness. Mr Clarke's b ilia ■ caused him to he recalled, hut he wie ly only bowed his acknowledgments. The quartett by Messrs Clarke, Herman, Reeves, and Ainery, was perhaps the chef d\mvrt of the evening. It was a masterpiece of part singing. ‘‘ Hamlet the Dainty ” was an amusing burlesque, and caused roars of laughter. Tho programme will be again changed this evening, and we anticipate a crowded house to-night. Dunedin Land Brokers. —ln the House of Representatives on November 2, in answer to Mr Bathgate, who in moving for a return, said the legal profession understood that the Government did not intend appointing land brokers for a couple of years, and observed that he had received a letter from a professional man in Dunedin, informing him that it was reported that a nnmhir of persons had been appoint-d as luid brokers there, wr limit giving bondso - finding sure'ies, or whose sureties were mere men of straw Mr Fox denied the rumors that had been circulated that the Government had made a promise not to appoint land brokers before a certain period. He went on to exp'ain that when the Land Transfer Act was put into force, a period of four or five months elapsed before the Act seemed to have any effect at all, and in many parts of the Colony not a single title was brought to the Recistra 1 ion Office. Even in Dunedi and Christchurch, where it was expected that the operation of the Act would be most marked, scarcely a single transaction took place, and the Act seemed to hang fire. But very soon a number of applications began to be made by the public, and a great many petitions were got up with the object of getting the Government to appoint laud brokers without further delay. The Government considered they were boqnd to fulfil the pledge they had made to the House, and land brokers were appointed in all parts of the Colony when they chose to apply, after giving the necessary security. The effect was instantaneous and magical. Applications for registration of titles came pouring in, and the registrar reported a few we ks afterwards that the office at Dunedin was paying its own expense?, and that a fair amount of business was being transacted in Christchurch, and that he saw eypry prospect of the successful working of the system. It was clear that the result was due alto ether to the creation of the land broker system . . . The Act was now working most satisfactorily, and would probably go on and bring in a larger amount than was required to pay the working expenses «,f tip? sy-tem, and conferring at the same time an enormous boon upon the pubdc. As regarded the character of the security given when brokers bad been appointed, the statement of Mr Bathgate’s correspondent was not correct, because he (Mr Fox) know of ten or fifteen instances in which applications from brokers were suspended daring a temporary vacancy in the office of the Provincial Government, simply because the bonds could not be filled up according to the regular form, and the appointment of the brokers would have to be suspended in consequence. The question of security was a very trifling matter, as the Act really required the broker to do nothing, tho whole thing being merely a technical nullity.