YESTERDAY’S NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 3144, 18 March 1873, Page 3

YESTERDAY’S NEWS.

It is not the intention of Miss Carrie Emanuel and Mr Anderson, the pianist, avlio are noAV in Auckland, Avhcrc they are giving successful concerts, to visit the Southern Provinces. They proceed to America by the Dakota, thence to Europe, where Miss Emanuel intends to complete her training. A meeting of the congregation of All Saint’s Church Avas held in the church last evening, to consider the steps to lie taken to enlarge the church. A committee was appointed to obtain subscriptions, make preliminary enquiries, and report to a future meeting. Over two hundred pounds Avas promised by those present at the meeting, and Ave understand very handsome subscriptions, amounting to several hundreds, have been promised in addition.

Buckstone’s drama of “Green Bushes” was played at the Princess Theatre last evening. The lower part of the house was well filled, and the dress-circle Avas unusually Avell patronised. The drama ran smoothly throughout, and Avas followed by a burlesque by a local author, entitled “The Russian Invasion.” To-night, the drama and the farce of “The Widow’s Victim” Avill be repeated. With two more performances the season closes, and the company proceed by the Albion to open the Theatre Royal at Christchurch. It is tAvelve mouths to-day since Messrs Geddes and Willis assumed the management, and though they have had to encounter unusual difficulties, they have carried out their promise to keep the house open for a year. They have during that time produced many novelties, and the experience they have gained here ought to enable them to cater to the Christchurch public Avith success. On thoir return to Dunedin they intend to play a comedy season, Avhen their attention Avill be directed to producing Tom Robertson’s best Avorks,

Grcymouth experienced a novel sensation the other day in the arrival of the first batch of immigrants Avho had definitely shipped for Westland as their destination. Such a novelty Avas it, that the A rtjus deemed the event worthy of editorial comment. “ The immigrants,” says our contemporary, “ were thirty in number, and thirty as good specimens of incipient colonists as one could expect or wish to see landed in the Colony. Disembarked from the ship Forfarshire at Wellington, they were promptly despatched hither by the steamer Kangatira, and their landing, with large supplies of household gods, Avhich, after the fashion of their kind, they providentially carried Avith them in boxes of magnificent proportions, supplemented considerably the scene of business activity which, for one day out of many, the Avharf represented. Though similar scenes are common enough elsewhere, they are a rarity here, and the greeting Avhich they received, if a little obtrusive, was at least of a very friendly character. Compared Avith them, sources of attraction to a crp.wd, Premiers and Superintendents arc decidedly at a discount. Mr Wylde, as local immigration officer, Avas full of duty for the time, and of anxiety to see those Avhose friends Avere absent forwarded, to tlreir destination, ten of their number being bound for Hokitika, i 'thers Avere met on board the steamer by their friends. The incident of such an addition being made to the population, though trilling as compared similar incidents in' other porta, is bore worthy of notice, pat pierely on account of its novelty, but because it implies an accession to the distinctively settled population of Westland. With such an extensive area of available country as Westland presents, and with such a number of “Avanters” of wives as the population includes, it is to be hoped ijliat those who have now arrived *re ohly the nioneers of an extensive immigration, and lEat the fair aox will bear even a greater proportion to the number of future arrivals.