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Evening Star, Issue 2906, 12 June 1872, Page 2

Legal, —Another solicitor has begun practice at Quueenstown. Law business must be lookiug up in that quarter, to enable it to support three gentlemen in that profession.

Waitaki Bridge.—The first portion of the girders for this bridge arrived off the mouth of the Waitaki by the brig Our Hope on Friday. The first girder was landed from the brig the day following, amid the cheers of the workmen.

Reviewing.—A writer in a late number of the Graphic, when reviewing a new work entitled “ The Hermit, a poem : with miscellaneous verse,” remarks that it is chiefly mystical and wholly unintelligible, and the grammar i° quite nexv. Some of the expressions are only a step from the sublime, as when we hear of folk who lived on oaten bread and ignorance ; which reminds us of the gentleman who was ‘ the father of modern chemistry and brother of the Earl of Cork. ”

Mutual Improvement Society.— The usual fortnightly meeting of the Dunedin Mutual Improvement Society was held in the large hall beneath the Athenaeum last evening. There was a good attendance, comprising a fair sprinkling of ladies ; and the chair was occupied by Mr Beveridge, the Vice-President. A very interesting essay was read by Mr Thos. Low on the subject of “How we Spend our Leisure Hours.” The reading of the essay was followed by a lively discussion, which afforded member sample opportunity of comparing notes as to their individual ideas upon the subject brought under consideration by the essayist. The usual votes of thanks terminated the proceedings.

Nominated Immigration,—The new regulations for introducing immigrants upon the nomination of friends in the colony seem to be working exceedingly well; the applications are greatly increasing in this island. Lists of applications were forwarded by the outgoing English mail for the passages of over 250 souls, equal to upwards of 170 statute adults. The sum of L 374 was paid in advance by the nominators, and bills were given to the amount of LI 73 15s after the arrival of the immigrants. Free passages have been granted for more than 50 single women. This return does not include applications from Invercargill, Blenheim, or Nelson, which are not yet advised at the Christchurch office. —Lyttelton Tim's.

The Suez Mail. —The City of Adelaide, with the Auckland portion of the Suez mail and the Galle telegrams, arrived at Auckland at an early hour this morning ; but Greville’s agent there, with a want of promptitude which has marked all the recent efforts of that establishment, neglected the opportunity presented itself for a couple of hours or more of wiring the news. Communication was afterwards interrupted north of Napier ; and the Evening Star, in common with other evening journals in the Colony was prevented publishing the news. Grammatically Expressed. The following brief dialogue occurred lately in the Auckland Resident Magistrate’s Court. A plaintiff in an undefended case was asked the usual questions before judgment being given. The Court: Are you the plaintiff in this case ? Plaintiff: I are. The Court : Is the defendant indebted to yon in the sum mentioned in this account ? Plaintiff : He am. The Court: Are the charges fair and reasonable ? Plaintiff: Them is. The Court: Has any portion of this account been paid? Plaintiff: They wor, hut worn’t. This last was a puzzler. But it came out that the defendant had several times promised to pay on account, hut on every occasion of making such promises he had broken them. Oa judgment being given, the plaintiff looked towards the table where the learned counsel were sitting, and said, “Arc he to pay ?” A learned counsel: “ He am.” The plaintiff left the Court looking supremely satisfied. Musical Dogs.— The Tapamu correspondent of the Tuapeha Times writes to that Journal : — There has been great discussion lately amongst the reverend gentlemen of the Province relative to instrumental music being adopted in Presbyterian churches. In the Presbyterian church here we have solved the difficulty. We have got an instrument in the shape of a dog, that keeps singing all the time that the singing continues in the church. When the music is over he runs and plays with hi? brother dogs. He must carry a watch, for when the sermon is past and singing commences agrin, he is sure to be there, aud. taking the lead. His vocal efforts must please some of the congregation. His mode is this : he sits on his hind quarters, and looks as earnest towards the skies as if he meant something. I often wonder if he has been taught to pray, because if he is as good at praying as he is at singing he will do. The only collection ever gathered at our church door is two dogs for each member, I have often been inclined to sak if they would admit anyone to the church without having

a dog. I would advise those who have musically-disposed dogs to tie them up on Sundays, and lay the psalms beside them, and let them sing at home. If the dog in question is not left at home next Sunday I will publish the name.”

Arborculturr. —ln the garden of Mr George Mathews, at Mornington, there is just now a novelty in the shape of the North American shrub Garri/a-dij>tici—-in full flower. So far as Mr Mathews is aware, this is the only specimen of the kind in flower in Otago. He informs us that he tried for many years, but without success, to introduce it from the Home country, where it has been known for a considerable time. The one now flowering has been in Mr Mathews’s possession for about four years, and was obtained from Victoria. The plant at present is about three feet high, presents a very graceful appearance, and bids fair to become the parent of many generations of highly ornamental shrubs for planting on lawns, &c. The foliage resembles the evergreeen oak. The bloom is peculiar, exceedingly elegant, and withal very difficult of drscription. Of any known bloom that occurs to us, it most resembles — though far exceeds as to size, beauty, &c. the catkins of the nut tree One calyx is suspended from another by a flue silky-like tissue, so forming a string or chain, varying from three to seven or eight inches in length, of prettily formed flowers delicately strung together. Of these individual strings, or chains of flowers, there are Lorn about eight to twelve grouped together into a cluster or bunch; and these clusters or bunches are very profuse : so that the entire plant is hung all round with these beautiful tassel-like flowers. The opening of each calyx, which is of a dusky chocolate hue, is fringed with greenish yellow anthers, thus imparting a lightness and airiness to the whole. Mr Mathews invites those interested, or curious is such matters, to drop in and inspect the plant, of which he very naturally feels a little proud.

Fire.—At about a quarter to two o’clock this afternoon, a fire broke out in a house in York place occupied by Mr William Hay, bookseller, and, aided by the strong south-west wind that was blowing at the time, soon extended to the adjoining cottages. Before the arrival of the Brigade—who, however, were as quickly on the spot as it was possible for them to be after dragging their gear up Rattray street —a few of the neighbors attempted to keep the flames under by throwing water on the adjoining bouses, but without success. When the Brigade got its hydrants fixed, Mr Hay’s house was fairly consumed, and the fire had got a good hold of the cottages on each side of it. The supply of water in the neighborhood is, as can easily be imagined, not very strong, so that it was a matter of considerable difficulty to prevent the flames reaching the second house below Mr Hay’s. But in this the Brigade succeeded, and in less than forty minutes from the alarm being given the fire was completely got under. Mr Hay’s house and the cottage adjoining, both being his leasehold property, were totally destroyed ; the house on the Robin Hoo i side, occupied by Mr John Corbett, and owned by Messrs A. and T. Burt, being partially burnt. The house lower down the street, occupied by Mr Higgins, suffered only by the removal of the doors and windows, to facilitate the carrying out of the furniture. Little or nothing was saved from Mr Hay’s, whose loss in personal effects, above his insurance, is estimated at LIOO. His two cottages were insured in the Northern Office for L 225 ; and his own furniture in the same office for LSO. The house he occupied was seven roomed ; that occupied by his tenant Mrs Burns, whose loss we could not aslertain, three rooms. A few pounds will cover Mr Corbett’s loss. Messrs Burt are said to be insured for LIOO.

An All England Eleven. —From the Australasian of May 25, it would appear that practical steps have at length been taken in Melbourne to secure the visit of another All England Eleven to Australia. This time, however, the eleven is to he formed entirely of “gentlemen players,” except in the event of professional bowlers being expressly stipulated for by those who select to come out, and it is made a sine qua non that the great batsman, Mr W. G. Grace, shall be one of the eleven. In order to meet the expenses incidental to the visit, a guarantee system has been adopted, and such is the favor with which the project is viewed that fifteen or sixteen members of Melbourne clubs have put down their names for about L2OOO, whilst the East Melbourne Club guarantees L 750, and the South Melbourne Club LIOOO, making a total of L 3,750, It is to be hoped that the eleven will be in Melbourne by Boxing Day, and that they will remain in the colony about 100 days, during which time, instead of being hurried about the country like the lust eleven, they will only be asked to play ten matches. A committee has been appointed to communicate with England, and seeing that it is now about nine years since Parr’s team came out to the Antipodes, it is not only expected that the visit will excite a great deal of interest, but that as the Australian cricketers have considerably improved, they will be able to cope with the eleven with a creditable result. It is scarcely necessary to say that New Zealand should not lose the chauce of a visit from the Elaven, if it is possible by means of early agitation to obtain it. An effort should undoubtedly be made in the matter. The Use and Abuse op Fiction.— In the course of a lecture lately delivered at Auckland on the above subject by Mr W. L. Rees, he gave the following instances of the popularity of some classes of fiction. Mr Rees described a book by “Ouida” as one which spoke of things that people would grow red in the face to allude to in an ordinary drawing-room. In those pages “ seduction, gambling, and shooting a friend were very ordinary occurrences.” And yet that was a book which he found had been engaged “ three deep by the young ladies of Auckland.” Another instance given was In a speech on paper duties, Lord Brougham instanced one penny journal of fiction, which circulated 070,000 copies weekly, another which circulated 500,000, and several circulating from 30,000 to 200,000. The staple of these publications was all fiction of a sensational kind. The proprietor of the first periodical alluded to, sold it to the hate Mr Ingram, of the Illustrated London News, for L 40,000. Mr Ingram proposed t© publish literature of the highest class. Sir John Gilbert was to be the artist, the two Galloways the engravers, Mr Gratton Cook, musical, aud Mr Otway ait critic. In less than eighteen months the circulation fell from 600,000 to 400,000, and the journal was repurchased by its former proprietor for L 25,000, its circulation increased when it'

was again written for its market, who were referred to “as young women and young men with sufficient leisure to crave excitement, shopmen, milliners, nursemaids, school-boys and girls of a certain age, a general audience of both ages and sexes not sufficiently educated to be discriminative, and glad of anything to keep them from being dull,”