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Evening Star, Issue 2812, 22 February 1872, Page 2

Magistrate’s Court.—lu order to make room for the Mail News, we have omitted our report of the proceeding in this Court to-day. The whole day was occupied with the adjourned case of Uroudfoot and Company v. Bunbury and Treasurer. Puuuic Works.—We understimd that Messrs Crawshaw and Procter, of this city, are the successful tenderers for the Fox toil tramway } but thus amount of tHeic tender has not tr inspired.

Something like Shooting. Our Voluneors arc not bad shots, as .-hooting goes in the Colonies ; but what would they say to a score made by Mr M ‘Kinncar, of Edinburgh, with a small. The greatest possible score was 80 at 1000 yards—he made 70, including sixteen consecutive bull’s eyes. Municipal. —Many persons having complained of not having been able to obtain building licenses from the City Surveyor, without great loss of time through there beiu" no lixed hours of attendance at the office, we understand that arrangements are in contemplation for his attendance at his office to receive applic itious for that and other purposes at specified terms. As soon as they arc completed the hours will be announced.

Colonial Riflemen. — In a private letter from Sydney, a gentleman states “ I tli ink it likely that a team of riflemen will be sent 10 England next year, composed of New South Wales men and Victorians. Some correspondence has passed between the two rifle associations, as Vieto.ia promises to assist all in its power, t believe an appeal will bo made to the respective Governments to assist by a grant of money.” Gould not something he done to get Aew Zealand represented ?

Deputation.—A number of gentlemen waited upon the Superintendent today, to call his attention to the necessity for tilling in the low lands of the neighborhood of Castle street, and suggesting that prison labor might be advantageously employed in doing" so. A numerously signed memorial was presented by Mr W. 11. Neale, member of the City Council, and Mr Logan. His Honor promised to examine into the matter, and to recommend such steps as were within the power of the Executive to adopt. The (xKEYmouth Floods,—We are glad to say that the Colore 1 Opera Troupe have Ifin lly acceded to a request by His Worship the Mayor to give a benefit for the Hoods at Greymouth. We hear that Mr Sibbald has agreed, so far as he is concered, to place the Princess Theatre gratuitously at their disposal, and we have no doubt throughout tire town such sympathy will be felt with the object .contemplated that a very large attendance will he secured. We are not in a position tp state when the concert will take place. Death in the Pot.—The Marlhorout/h AVp/Y-.s.v of February 10 says : —A very serious accident occurred last week at Mi’ Green’s station, Upcot, Awatere, whereby eleven persons nan owly escaped a painful death. It appears that some time ago a small quantity of arsenic was left in a bag at the shearing reserve, up label or distinguishing mark being attached to G- A young man who was packing stares from thence to the station mistook the arsenic for Hour, and turned part of a large sack into it, for convenience of packing. Shortly after his arrival, the cook used some of the poisoned Hour to thicken some gravy, of which all bauds parlook. The consternation and sufferings of the party may bo surmised when shortly after dinner they were all seize! with the pains peculiar to the action of this deadly poison. There was no aid within several miles, and not one of them was abje to go for help had it been nearer to hand. They are now all under medical treatment, and one man is still very ill from the effects of the poison. We know of no practice more reprehensible than that of leaving poisonous substances in the way of children, or persons who arc not acquainted with their nature. They should at all times be carefully marked in large letters. The consequences in this case have barely escaped proving fatal.

Theatrical Gossip. — Mr J. W. .Smyth, the well-known theatrical agent, is good enough to send us {Ari/ti, s) from Calcutta a Bengal paper, containing a notice of-Mr I Idler’s performance, written in thatinteresting vernacular, the printed characters of which wc can say arc very elegantly shaped, and which is no doubt a highlyexpressivc tongue. We reserve the perueal of the notice for a leisure moment. In a letter accompanying the paper, Mr Smyth mentions that they are about commencing their sixth week, and the business continues very g,0,0d. They purpose in two or three weeks to sail for Rangoon, and, while in Burmah, Mr Smyth intends to go up to Mandalay, the capital, and endeavor to procure for business purposes the celebrated hairy family. He encloses the photographs of these charming specimens of humanity. Tim King of Burmah, Mr Smyth hears, has refused some g,oo<j offers for t em, buo, supported by some letters he is taking witli him, he thinks he has a good chance of securing these missing links in the Darwinian chain of animal life. Mr G. B Lewis has built a very good theatre at Calcutta, but his business has been of lijt.e very flat, a ccording to Mr Smyth, the Gregory company has not been a great success, neither the “Gertrude sensation,” nor “ the songs of Bessie,” having hit the tastes of Bombay residents. With some particulars about the Pompei and Gagli Opera Company, performing in Calcutta, Mr Smyth concludes an interesting letter.

The Victorian Mint.—lt is expected that the Victorian Mint will be completed and in working order by the end of April. We may mention that no regulations have as yet been prepared or authorised by the Executive relative to the purchase of gold. Whatever price is fixed on, however, will be permanent ; that is to say, it will not fluctuate as the price paid by banks; and it will be remembered that the Chief Secretary said, at the late Ballarat banquet, that the Government would on the average

pay a higher, pricethan the banks. It is improbable that gold will be purchased with more than two or three per cent, of dirt in ib, and even if ■ there is such a proportion of dirt, a charge for cleaning will be made. The law both as to the Imperial and colonial sovereigns and half-sove-reigns is the same so far as they must consist of-eleven parts of gold and one of alloy. It does not matter, however, what the alloy is. In the English Mint all the silver is extracted from "the bullion, and the alloy used is copper. In Sydney, the only other place in ths empire where gold coins of this value are now minted, the Mint authorities do not think it worth while to extract the silver, which accordingly forms a great part of the ahoy, and makes ths Sydney sovereigns and half-sovereigns more vain ible than the English. In the Victorian Mint the silver will be separated from the gold, and after the charge of extracting it is made, the silver will be handed over to the person forwarding the bullion. The Victorian sovereigns, therefore, will be alloyed, like the English, with copper. It is not proposed to coin silver, or at present anything but sovereigns and half-sovereigns. Should a demand arise for other gold coins, representing as, L2, or any other sum, it will be complied wdh, of course, if authorised by the Legislature. The dies to be used have been made in England, and are similar to those in which gold pieces are now coined there, and which were formerly used there, having the representation of the reigning sovereign on one side, and of St. George and the dragon on the other. Similar dies are now used iu the Sydney Mint.

The annual meeting of the Penna nent Building Society of Otago will be held on Thursday, February 29th, at 7 p.m.

The I)7tli Monthly Meeting of the Permanent Building Society of Otago will be held at the office of the Society To-mor-row (Friday) evening at 7 o’clock.