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Evening Star, Issue 3275, 19 August 1873, Page 2

The Timaru Herald acknowledged, the other day, the receipt of a donation of six shillings to the funds of the local hospital from a gentleman whose conscience did not permit him to pocket six shillings won by him at “Yankee grab.” There was a heavy fall of stone last night at Wales’s quarry, on the Port Chalmers line, two massive blocks falling right across the line into the water, displacing the rails. The 7.30 a.m. train from Dunedin being detained, the passengers for the Samson walked into the Port. The line was cleared and fresh rails laid, the first train reaching the Port at 8.45.

A number of the pupils attending the Middle District School this morning presented Miss Fisher, who is about to retire from teaching, with a pair of earrings, a gold locket, and a pair of handsome lustres. The presentation Avas made by Mr Halliwell, Avho paid Miss Fisher a high compliment, aud Mr Ferguson returned thanks on her behalf in very appropriate terms. Miss Fisher has been engaged as pupil teacher and teacher in the school for the last ten or eleven years, and carries with her into her new sphere the good wishes of those who know her.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Morniugton Band of Hope was held in the old Schoolhouse, Mornington, last night, when, not withtsauding the wet evening, there was a good attendance. A very excellent programme, consisting of addresses by some old members, and songs, readings, .and recitations, was gone through. The recitation, “The Gambler’s Wife,” was especially worthy of notice. Before closing, the chairman intimated that a prize would be given to the best reciter among the young ladies of that Society at the next fortnightly meeting. The meeting was brought to a close by singing “ The Temperance Anthem.” Yesterday, two men, named Thomas King and JKobert Mair, respectively, were taking the lighter Clutha down to the Port, and, when near the islands, a quarrel took place between them as to who should go into tbe boat to tow, there being no wind. A scuffle ensued, during which both men fell overboard. The quarry men working at Mr Ghristie’s, on observing the occurrence, went to the men’s assistance, and, on reaching the lighter, they saw King in the boat, engaged in searching for the other man ; but finding no trace of him, one of the quarrymeu, named Middleton, came down with King in the lighter, and Mr Hansford gave information to the police. (Sergeant JSeill then took King into custody. Mair was a single man, aged thirty years, and a native of Glasgow. King was brought before the Bench this morning, and after hearing the evidence of Messrs Hansford and Middleton, on the application of the police, he wa* remanded for six days, bail being refused. The police are searching for the body.

At the City Police Court this morning, two boys named John Gately and Charles Mulligan Avere charged with stealing from off the reclaimed land a large number of bottles. It was proved that they had sold during last week eight dozen and three bottles to Messrs Wilson and Co., and four dozen and eight to M r Finch, wine and spirit merchant; and a lad named M'Kutcheon, wh& on entering the witness-box began crying vehemently, said that he saAV the prisoners taking the bottles out of a cask, and Avas offered sixpence not to “split.” Detective Farrell proved the convictions against Gately, and stated that the lads, who travelled in company, after visiting Waipori, Tuapeka, and other places, lord returned to town, having in all those places committed robberies, and that Gately Avas unmanageable. Mr Britton, the master of the Industrial School, said he was sure if the boy Gately was again sent to the school he would be the ruin of it, as be Avas beyond control. Gately was sentenced to receive six lashes, and the Bench ordered Mu'ligan to Avitness the operation, saying they hoped that would have a good effect on both lads, who were then charged with being neglected children, and after evidence had been taken, Mulligan was sentenced to four, aud Gately to three years* detention in the Industrial School. The lads did not seem in the least affected by their sentences, for they left the dock with the srme devil-may-care air Avith which they entered it, Boncieault’smodern drama of “Formosa,” which had a lengthened run at the Princess Theatre some months ago, was produced at the Queen’s Theatre last evening for the first time under the present management. . The Formosa of Miss Colville and the Major Jorum of Mr Hoskins ha\ r e been so often favorabty commented upon, that we may merely say that their efforts were as successful as ever. Miss Anstead, as Mrs Boker, made an immense hit; and Miss Willis, as Nelly B’anders, played with feeling and earnestness. Miss Raymond appeared as Edith Burroughs, and secured a fair share of applause. The small parts of Mrs Dudley aud the Countess de Vaurian were well represented by Miss Mainwaring and Miss Bray. Messrs Douglas. Musgrave, and Booth were cast for their old characters namely, Lord Eden, Sam Boker, and Compton Kerr—and acquitted themselves admirably. Mr Steele sustained the part of Tom Burroughs, and is entitled to praise for the manner in which he depicted it. Mr Hydcs’s Bob Sanders was a natural performance, and therefore could not fail of being successful. Mr Aveling, as Dr Dorcmas, evinced an imperfect knowledge of his text ; but Mr Glover was decidedly good as Spooner. On the whole, the drama Avas well put upon the stage, some excellent scenery having been painted for it by Mr Pcrriman “ Formosa” will be repeated for a few nights longer, when it will give place to novelties now in preparation. The closer acquaintanceship with the American people and their manners which this Colony has formed since the establishment of steam communication betAveen the two countries, has led to the development in a section of the Press of the peculiarly Yankee style of “tall writing.” Commend us to the Auckland Evening Star for sensation, and to the Wellington Post for “bloAving. ” There must he something catching in the atmosphere of the Empire City, for the inflation Avhich is so marked in the evening paper there appears to be infectious. Even the editor of the A uckland Star, who is now in Wellington, has become an adept in the art of “blowing,” and bids fair to become such a practised performer that we fear the Post will have to content itself Avith second place in future. We haA r e been led into this train of thought by a perusal of the first of the aforesaid editor’s communications to his journal from Wellington, in which he purposes to narrate bis impressions of Parliament and its doings. He has been noticing the quarrel of the Post with Speaker 8011, admires “ the pluck” of the journal, feels “ pride” in telling how the Independent iotgot the rivalry between it and its opponent, aud caraes to the latter’s assistance; but these are as nothing compared with what his paper Avould have done. “ Bless you, the papers here do not know how to improve their opportunities. It is the touchiest House of Parliament in the world, and oh, if we had it for about six months in Auckland, L declare we could have the Star taking up as much of the time of the country as the Financial Statement, and keep the Speaker and the members in a perpetual broil.” The ninth annual general meeting of the Otago Rifle Association was held in the Head-quarters Drill-shed last evening : Captain Stavely in the chair. After the secretary, Mr Sydney James, had read the minutes of the last meeting aud the report of the Council of last year, the balance-sheet was brought forward, by which it appeared there Avas a balance in hand of L 4 9s lOd. During last season the following prizes had been contested for by members of the Association :—Money prizes to the value of LIOO, a cup presented by Mr W. Mason, a cup by Mr J. Hislop, a courier bag by Mr G, Youug, a field-glass by Messrs Harrop and n eill, and a box of cordials by Mr C. S. Reeves, and the National Rifle Association medal. Office bearers for the ensuing year were then elected as folloAV President- Lieut.-Colonel Cargill ; Vice-Presidents—Captains Stavely and Copeland ; Treasurer- -Vol. Ogihdc ; Secretary—Mr -S. James; the Council to consist of one representative to be elected by each company, together with the following gentlemen :—Lieuts. Spalding, Muir, Pell, Enaigu M'Kenzie, Corporal M‘Gregor, and Volunteers H. S. Smith, Creagh aud Richardson. Major Atkinson then brought before the meeting the question of an intercolonial match. He stated that while at the Thames, the Association there received letters from Sydney, asking that a New Zealand team should be got up. That Association requested the speaker to communicate with the hon. the Defence Minister, with the view of obtaining Government assistance, which he did. The answer of the Defence Minister was that the Government would not be justified in acceding to the request, as they already spent the sum of L4,00l) annually in encouraging rifle practice. The matter would therefore rest with the various Associations in New Zealand, and he (Major Atkinson) would like it decided quickly. The expenses of a team of twenty men Avould be about L4UO. The subject was referred to the Council of the Association, and after a vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting dispersed. The following extract from a letter sent Home to her friends by a young Avoman in Canterbury, found its Avay into the Beading Mercury, It is dated October 9, 1872, Colombo street, Christchurch:—“A poor person is not to be found here ; everybody has a pretty little wooden house of their own, with a large garden, and lives well and dresses well. I shall never Avant to come to England again ; Oh no ! This is a land of freedom aud plenty. The mornings and nights are like spring in England, aud the afternoon boiling hot—this is only the beginning of our summer. The hedges are not green here, but of all colors, Avith different flo Avers ; even vfallflowers grow wild, and cabbage* actually grow on large trees. I could not help laughing at that. Dear father, only fancy the price of meat in England, when you can get a whole sheep here for 2s Gd, and prime fresh beef at 5d a pound ; pork and bacon the same, and eggs Gd a dozen. The only thing that seems to me to be dear is coals, and therefore nearly all burn wopd. The mountains here are something grand—burning volcanoes ;

you can see the ashes that were all alight on them some years ago. I went up to the top of one last Sunday morning, and saw the sun rise, and I never saw a mare beautiful sight in my life The town lam b.ving in lies at the foot of some of them, so if another earthquake occurs I dare say we shall all be swallowed up. There has not been one for two years ; that is the reason all the houses are built of wood, because earthquakes shake all brick buildings down. We can live here on 10s a week, and have no rent to pay, and can pick up all the firing, so that anyone can be very comfortable. There are no workhouses here—nobody needs one -all are living comfortable. A beggar has never been seen.” A good many people will, like the writer, laugh at the idea of “ cabbages growing on the tops of trees at “burning volcanoes” at Lyttelton; and at “living on IfL a wei ; k and no rent to pay,” in the City of the Plains.

'■ he Victorian Parliament have refused to entertain the proposal for supplying the Press with a free cablegram of English news, or to subsidise the Association which now furnishes the daily summary which appears in the Argus, the Age. and Sydney Morning Herald, and the result will be that those papers will in future only receive such condensed cablegrams as will indicate events of extraordinary interest. There will be no details given, nor will anything of secondary moment be sent. Seeing that the experience of the Argus and Herald has been that no benefit, but, on the contrary, a heavy loss is derived from their efforts to give the people of the Colonies the advantage of the cable, it is not to be wondered at that they have decided on reducing their telegraphic expenditure. The result of a year’s experiment of cablegrams has been that these two papers have lost an annual sum bordering (on J. 5,000 ; [while the issues of the papers have not increased one copy by these means. Our contemporaries’ experience will be a guide to the New Zealand Press, when it comes to consider the manner of obtaining messages when this Colony is connected by cable with the Australian continent. The Argus pertinently observes “ In countries which count their inhabitants by millions, journalistic enterprise is sure to meet with its reward. Not so, however, with us, who have only thousands in place of millions to deal with No increase of circulation we could reasonably expect would go a very long way towards defraying the heavy expenditure these telegrams have imposed on us ; but, as a matter of fact, no increase at all from that cause has taken place. The result is, as w« have stated, namely, a loss to both the Sydney Morning Herald and ourselves of an annual sum bordering on L 5,000. We have always been anxious and willing to treat our readers generously, and have begruded no reasonable outlay ; but it can hardly be expected, looking at the matter in a fair business like point of view, that we should go on supplying the public with this costly telegraphic intelligence, without receiving one additional pennypiece in return.”

The prizes won at the late Canary and Poultry Show will be paid at the Bull and Mouth Hotel to-morrow evening, from 7.30 to 9 o’clock.