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Evening Star, Issue 3307, 25 September 1873, Page 2

Our contemporary the DaMy Times, never very remarkable for accuracy, even when accidentally advocating what is good, has been unfortunate in expressing the idea that vessels much larger than 250 tons will reach Leeds. The difficulty is not with the Aire and Calder Canal, but below Gonle. The canals could bo cut to any depth, for there is ample back water to keep full one capable of floating the Great Eastern ; but the Ouse, between the port Of Goole and its junction. with tlie Trent, is unsafe for large vessels, and even between that point and Hull there are shoals and shifting sands that render navigation uncertain and difficult. In that respect, therefore, no analogy can be drawn between it and the Clyde or the Harbor of Dunedin, The distance from the mouth of the Humber to Goole is about fifty-two miles, of which ten may be reckoned as the length of the Ouse from its junction with the Trent to the mouth of the Dutch ’River at Goole. The Goole docks, which form the termination of the Aire and Calder Canal system and its branches, were constructed by the Canal Company, They are about eighteen feet deep, with splendid wharves and warehouses around them, such as we hope to see in Dunedin in a very few years. Goole is connected also by a railway system with the large populations in the interior and the larger sea ports ; yet its commerce in shipping is continually increasing.

The Industrial school at Auckland is being so extremely patronised of late that the secretary of the institution has had to write to Mr Beckham, It. M., requesting him not to send any more children there at present. In one of the competitions at Taranaki, for the honor of representing that Province at the intercolonial rifle match at Melbourne, Vol. B. J. Collins, at ranges of 250, 300, and 350 yards, made fifty-four out of a possible sixty.

We learn that the subscription started for the widow and children of the late Captain House has been very successful, A short canvass of the City resulted in between eighty and ninety guineas, and Captain Bussell will gladly receive any further subscriptions. While at Oarnaru Miss Aitken was tendered a benefit under the patronage of the local Caledonian Boci ty, and the entertainment was very successful monetarily and otherwise. She will appear at the Princess’s on Monday evening, for positively the last time in Dunedin.

“ The School for Scandal ” was produced at the Queen’s Theatre last evening to a fair audience. The performances of the principal qharacters in this comedy have been so often favorably noticed, thut we deem it sufficient to say that it has never been played in this City with a bettor cast, and in every detail it was complete. The farce of ‘‘A Kiss in the Dark ” concluded the entertainment. “The Lady of Lyons” is announced for tonight, with Miss Colville as Pauline and Mr Steele as Claude Melnottc. To-morrow evening Miss Colville takes a benefit, when two pieces new to Dunedin will be plavcd, “The World and the Stage ” and “ A Practical Man.” It will only be a graceful return on the part of those whom Miss Colville by her brilliant acting has so often fuc jeeded in amusing, were they to respond liberally to this call.

“ Diogenes,” in the Argus, is responsible for the following : “Love is ingenious and brave. It‘will find its way through bars where wolves would fear to prey.’ There was not long ago a young New Zealander of the feminine persuasion, who loved a clerk in her pa’s office, and was loved in return by the quill-driver afore-mentioned. All the world knows how iron hearted some fathers can be, and this old buffer’s was a heart of steel. He forbade the lover to visit his house, and sternly commanded his daughter to efface, the image which h-;d been photographed in her Viosom. The ancient file used to cover his aged body in a huge cloak when going to bushiess every morning, and when he had got to the office he was wont to hang it up there. The young lady wrote each night a tender missive to the beloved clerk, inserted it in a portion of the cloak’s lining which was ripped, and it was thus carried by her unconscious parent to the office. The happy quill-propeller used to watch his opportunity till the old gent went out. Then he would eagerly remove the letter of his mistress and send her an answer in the same way by return post. The Yankees boast of the ingenuity of their women, and believe them far more cute than those of any Colony of Britishers. But lam convinced that no female Yank that ever saw the light could devise anythng more original and shrewd than the novel mail invented by the Mew Zealand clerk’s inamorata, in passing, I may remark that there is a good deal of Yankeeism in the character of the New Zealand Colonist.”

A deputation from Waikouaiti, consisting of Messrs H. Orbell, D. Malloch, John Duncan, W. Mill, and W. C. Ancell, were introduced yesterday afternoon to the Provincial Secretary and Secretary for Works by Mr J. Mills, M.P.C., and impressed upon the Government the necessity that existed for improving the entrance to Waikouaiti harbor and riven and for constructing a road to connect the landing place with the main road. It was pointed out that 1/250 appeared on the Estimates for making the road, and LSOO on thi supplementary estimates, for improving the harbor ; but as the latter was the allimportant work, it was desired that it should be gone on with concurrently with the other, and that both should be commenced immemediately, in order that facilities might be given to the settlers when the wool and grain season came round for shipping their produce to market. It was pointed out that the river shoaling almost rendered punting impossible ; that the rocks at the river’s entrance required removal, and the erection of a training wall there was necessary ; that a Port Chalmers firm intended to run a steamer in the Waikouaiti trade, but that unless she could enter the river her efficiency would be greatly impaired ; and that the present cost of carriage overland was from 100 to 130 per cent, more than it would be if improved water carriage existed, Mr Bastings, after mentioning that the Government would obtain an engineer’s report upon the harbor, inquired if the deputation would be satisfied if the Government transferred some of the votes, agreed to spend L 750 straight away, and L 1,250, if it could be got, on the improvement of the harbor, and concentrated its energies on that work, and asked the Provincial Council next session for a vote for the road ? The deputation replied in the affirmative.

A concert in aid of the Widows and Orphans’ Fund of the Manchester Unity, 1.0.0. F., will he given in the 1 lead-quarters Drillshcd, on Monday evening next. The 116 th monthly meeting of the Permanent Building Society of Otago will be licit! in tire .Society’s office, Princes street, on Friday evening at .seven o’clock. A. meeting of subscribers to the New Episcopalian Church and .others will be held in the City Council Chambers to-morrow, Friday afternoon, at five o’clock. The attention of Volunteers is directed to the general order appearing in our advertising columns.

Jn our advertising columns will be found a programme of readings in connection with the Knox < 'hundj Young Men’s Society. The musical part of the entertainment appears to lie well arranged. The known musical abilities of several ladies and gentlemen wli.o are to perform arc sufficient guarantee that this part will be done justice to. At the low price of admis. siou—Gel —such a programme cannot fail to draw a large audience.