Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 3174, 23 April 1873, Page 2

Intelligence reached town this afternoon that a carrier, named W. M'Kenzie, had committed suicide near Waikouaiti. No particulars are to hand.

Inquiry has been made of the name and age of Cadet Smith, so that his title to the belt may be undisputed. We are informed that his name is Edmund Smith, and that he was born July 26, 1856, so that his right to it is indisputable.

It is only a few days ago that a person in Auckland, finding himself the worse for liquor in the street, called a cab, and told the driver to take him to the lock up. Ihe request was complied with—the driver drove to the station, where his “ fare” gave himself into custody, and was locked up for the night. Commercial morality appears to be appreciated by tjie Maories The He.ud i tells of a Waikato chief named Kahi, who two years and a half ago left Auckland for his home in the Waikato, being at the time indebted to Mr Howden, jeweller, Queen street, in the shape of 15s, for moneys lent and work done. About six months after this it was reported that the chief Bahi had been gathered to his fathers, and Mr Howden wrote the account off his ledger. But it so happened that neither the chief nor his conscience was dead, fo yesterday, after a lapse of two years and a half, he walked into Mr Howdon’s shop and gave utterar.ee to the following phrase : “ How much you like of me?’’ which was understood to mean, ‘‘For what amount am 1 indebted to you ?” On being told that it was fifteen shillings, he laid his one-pound note on the counter, and waited for his change, at the same time saying words to the effect that he was not so bad as to cheat those who trusted him ; hut he had not been in town since be borrowed the money. Here, then, was displayed the principle of honor in its highest sense, and that, too, by one of the race supposed by some to be devoid of all appreciation, if not of all conception of the principles of common honesty. T’he following are extracts fr,pm a letter by a gentleman who went Home via San Francisco a few months since, and published iu the North Otayo Times The Traus-Oouti-nental 11 ail way, for about 2,000 miles, is a most miserable affair and is miserably conducted. The trains go at a very slow pace, and a more uncivil class than the railway servants I never met with. They will tell you nothing, and anything you want to know you must find for yourself. There are few bridges on aji tho l; : ne f and a good thing too, for such bridges $s these are, it is a wonder people trust their byes upon. They arc of timber trestle work, no stronger than an ordinary Hunting for a water-race to a small mill, and a good deal of the timber is getting rotten. The train moves, and that is all, over these places. There is only a single track for 2,000 miles. For many hundred miles the way is almost level, and without any cutting whatever, the sleepers being laid on the ground just as nature left it—then on with the and away you go. No wonder they could ins.ke ten miles in a day, and after all, cousin Jonathan hasn’t much to boast about at that. The last 1,400 miles from Omaha is a much better constructed piece of line, better conducted, and the sor-; vants are more civil —there being plenty of opposition on this side. 1 he carriages are handsomely fitted up, velvet cushioned, warmed by a stove at each end, and fitted with drinking fountains and water-closets L'assengers have to pay for their meals, which are not included iu their passage money. The climate at Home seems to have undergone a complete change, to have become much more humid. They have had terrible weather for fifteen jaioptha, the summer was wet, and the winter was \v,c,t, without frost or snow. It has been a sore year for farmers. Everything else is brisk, but goods of all ■ kinds arc very dear, most things much higher ■ than in the (Jolony : even such articles as the i Colony has to import. Men’s wages have been very high, coal and iron miners getting

10s per day of eight hours 5 and many of those employed on piece work earning from L2O to L3O a month But even with thes high rates the men were not content, and an ruining the country by strikes. The master* have refused an advance —have, indeed, reduced the wages a shilling per day. Many thousands of miners are “out.” All other wages are good, but not so high in proportion. Engine-drivers, for instance, gets 10s per day, I'hc country for 20 miles round Glasgow is almost entirely changed since I saw it, what with railways, coal pits, and iron works. For mites and miles there is nothing but one mass of chimney-stalks and smoke. All the ironmasters have been making fortunes. Many people who wee not worth a shilling when I left, have leased bits of coal-fields, and some of them have been making as much as 1.50,000 in a year, out of one pit. They arc getting almost any price they like to ask. Coals, that nobody would have had at any money when I left homo, are fetching 18s a ton, and best 245, often not to be had at all, the demand is so great. The same coal was worth, when I left the old country, only from 2s 6d to 5a per ton. Pig-iron has risen in the same way from LSO to Ll4O, Money seems to be of little value here now, and there are many better chances for a man with some capital than in the Colony, if he is not in a hurry and takes time to look about him.

Mr Hydes took his benefit last evening at the Queen’s Theatre. The lower parts of tlie house were well attended, hut the same cannot he said of the dress circle. Tom Taylor’s drama of “Love Levels All” was the first piece ; and we can with truth say that in every respect it was a success. Miss Stephenson's Countess De Mauleon was a capital representation ; and in the last scene, where her love gets the hotter of her pride, she achieved a perfect triumph. Miss Jessie Raymond, in the character of Acoulena, acted with grace ; anil she evinced a j roper perception of the part allotted to ho--. Mr Bur ford, as Ivan Khorvitch, played very wdl, although at times he was rather tto demonstrative. The “old man” of the piece—Khor, a serf, and the reputed father of Ivan—was represented by Mr Aveling, and he looked and dressed the character to perfection. Mr Hydes’s Mitigris and Mr O’Brien’s Prince Vladimir were good in their way. Miss Stephenson and Mr Burford were called before the curtain at the end of the first act and at the conclusion of the drama In response to an unanimous call Mr Hydes came to the footlights, and premised by saying that he believed it was expected he should make a speech. He had iuten led to explain the reasons which induced him to make his appeal to them that evening; but on second consideration he thought it would be prudent to let the matter drop —at the same time he had no doubt but that many present were aware of the cause. Ho concluded by sincerely thanking the audience for their patronage, and hoped when he took his next benefit it would be under more auspicious circumstances. Mr Louis Lyons sang “The Queen’s Letter” in good style, and was enthusiastically appended.' The farce of “The King’s Gardener” wound up the performance. The same progr .mine is announced for ibis evening. -