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Evening Star, Issue 2983, 10 September 1872, Page 2

The Port Railway.— The two Fad’lie engines for the Port railway—the Rose and Josephine—are now fitted out on the railway jetty at the Port, and are well worthy of inspection. Steam was to-day got up on the Josephine, and preparations were being made for an experimental trip, when our Port despatch left this afternoon.

Princess Theatre,—The programme of Saturday evening was repeated last night, but to a very moderate attendance. In “A Husband to Order ” we were glad to notice some improvement on the part of Mr Thorpe. This gentleman can act if ho likes ; and the management, for their own credit’s sake, ought not to tolerate such vagaries as were witnessed on Saturday. The burlesque went very smoothly. Both pieces will bo repeated to-night. Death through Swallowing Orange Pips.— The Yoxxng correspondent of the Yass Courier states that a remarkable death took place there last Monday week AMr Flower, of Cunningham Plains was brought into town for medical treatment. It was thought he was suffering from obstinate constipation. Dr Barnett was in attendance, and applied all the known remedies, and did all that skill and care could devise. During the night, however, the unfortunate gentleman died. The circumstances were thought so strange that a post-mortorn examination of the body was made, and it was discovered that twe orange pips bad got entangled in the lining membranes of an intestines, caused iufla mation, and eventually rupture, and of course death. —Border Post.

Expenditure of the Provinces on Education.- The amount spent by the various Province on education during the year 187 L are as follows :—Auckland, L 4,800 ; Taranaki, L2OO ; Hawke’s Bay, L 1,259 ; Wellington, I 774 ; Nelson, L8,(J34; Marlborough, L 91 2; Westland, L 750 ; Canterbury, L 12.285; Otago. L 20,917. Total, L 49.931. Of the above, upwards of fourfifths were contributed by three Provinces only. The expenditure in Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago, taking together, amounted to L 41,236 ; leaving only L 8,705 to be spent throughout tho rest of the Colony. The aggregate expenditure by the Provincial Governments of the North Island was L 7,030 ; being less than that of Nelson only, or at the rate of not quite G|d per head of the children between the ages of live and fifteen.

A Lively Place.—The following extracts from the diary of an old Dunedinite now resident in Westport will give our readers an idea of what people in that seabeleaguered town have to contend against —“ln trouble again ; shipwrecked ashore th's time. Total wreck of the Empire: Hotel, on Tuesday, 23rd July, when at 2

p.m the sea commenced coming in at the kitchen door—3 p. m meat safe carried away —4 p.m. water tanks broke adrift and made tracks—s- p.m., ebb tile, and the house once more high and dry—from 6 p.m. till midnight all hands packing and removing goods— Midnight, kitchen carried away by a green sea—l am. Main chimney broke adrift—2 a. ra,, two back parlours sailed for Guam—2,3o a.m., green seas rolling through the house and out of the front door into the street—3 a.m., barmaid and housemaid taken safely on to dry laud—all hands for the next three hours up to their waists in removing fix niture, Ac—got into new hotel during forenoon on Wednesday, aud set to work to dry dunnage.” A Successful Escape.—The Thames Guardian has learned, on reliable authority, that the convict .Robinson, who was supposed to have been shot and to have died in the Waitakerei bush, after being wounded by detective Jefferies some ' time since, is still in the land of the living, and pretty safe from the clutches of the law for some time. After very many narrow escapes from caplure and a good deal of hardship, i Robinson it scorns, made Hokiauga, where he had some friends, with whom he remained for a short time. He went to work on board of a brig in the harbor, and after he had there for three days, the Real policeman got wind of him and tried to capture him. Robinson, however, did not see the fun of being brought back to Mount Eden, and presented a revolver at the man, at the same time giving him to understand that he meant not to bo taken easily. The limb of the law was worsted, for before he could take further measures for securing his man, the latter had managed to get on board a brig bound outwards, and was soon clear of the New Zealand police force. Wesleyan Mission. —The Rev. A. R. Fitchett, in addressing a public meeting at Christchurch recently, is reported to have referred to the above mission in these terms : —The society was an offshoot of the British Wesleyan Missionary Society, which had extended its agencies to almost every part of the heathen would, and which had an income from voluntary contributions, of nearly L 150.000 a year. The Australasian branch maintained missions in Fiji, the Friendly Islands, and Samoa. The mission to the Maoris was now made a charge upon thx New Zealand Church alone. In the Friendly group they had 7926 church members; in Samoa, 915 ; in Fiji, 23,323. In these three groups there are 20 English and 59 Native missionaries. 1730 local preachers, 3859 class-leaders, 1734 day schools, 1234 Sunday schools, 57,057 children under instruction, 795 churches, 367 other preaching places, and 129,679 attendants on public worship. The Native Christians were contributing at the rate of L7OOO a year in oil and money to the funds of the Missionary Society. The total annual expenditure was about Ll3 000. In New Zealand they now employed three English and three Maori missionaries whose maintenance was a separate charge on their New Zealand Church. The chairman referred to the noble efforts of other societies in the South Paci 'c, some of the agents of which- Bishop Pattoson and the Gordons—had won in their work the martyr’s crown There was yet great need of mission extension. In Fiji, within the last twelve months, an inland tribe attacked one of the coast districts, and—of a population of 500 killed 350, and for days feasted on the dead. In New Guinea there was a vast heathen territory, which had not yet been entered by missionaries. Amongst the Maoris also there was yet much work to be done. It was not attractive work, but it lay at their own doors, and as Christians they could not neglect it. New Zealand Church News.—The current number of this periodical contains an average amount of news interesting to Churchmen. In the London letter prominence is given to a story which has been going the rounds of the Nonconformist papeis in England. The close of the annual meeting of the Northamptonshire Association of Independent Ministers was celebrated by a regular dinner at Keltering, with a chairman, toasts, and the rest of it. This chairman was the Rev. Thos. Toller ; and in proposing the health of the Queen, he told a delightful story of Prince Albert avowing himself a dissenter. Mr Toller is reported to have spoken as follows; Some of them, perhaps, might not be aware that Prince Albert was a Dissenter, and from the infl-.-ence which, with his enlightened views, he had oven the Queen, he (Mr Toller) had no doubt that in heart she was a Dissenter also. Indeed, no person, either on political or religions grounds, would be more heartily rejoiced at the entire abolition of every stick and straw of the Church of England than she would be, for no person was so oppressed as she was by it. It was evident, from what was known, that Prince Albert regarded the Church of England as a humbug. •’ Then follows an account of the appointment of Mr Woodward, a Dissenter, to the post of Queen’s librarian, and the statement that on his avowing his creed, which he thought might be an objection, the Prince immediately said, ‘ I like you all the better for it: lam a Dissenter myself.’ The Queen added, ‘yes, that is no objection.’ If they wished to have his authority for the statement, it was Edward Miall, who received. it from Mr Woodward himself a few hours after his interview with her Majesty the Queen, Ho thought, therefore, ho was perfectly justified in saying that Prince Albert regarded the Church of Engla d as a humbug. Mr Toller rose after a few moments, and said some judicious friends near him had suggested that it would have been better if one word used by him had not been used, and he was asked to withdraw it. He hoped, therefore, that the word ‘humbug,’ which he had used once or twice, might be considered to be withdrawn!.” We agree with the correspondent that the appropriate heading for the story would be, “ Curious, if true.”

The members of the Bowling and Qnoiting Club are informed by advertisement that a piece of ground has been secured, and that a full meeting of the members will be held in the Club Hotel on Thursday evening next, at eight o’clock, to elect office bearers and adopt rules.