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Evening Star, Issue 3314, 3 October 1873, Page 2

We are glad to learn that Mr Henry Clapcott has been appointed travelling subcommissioner under the Colonial Life Assurance scheme. The number of inmates at the Benevolent Institution on the 30th September was 77, comprising IS men, 3 women, 33 boys, and 23 girls. The number of cases of out-door relief during the month of September was 283, comprising 17 men, 69 women, and 197 children; this was done at a weekly cost of LI6 2s. About half-past five yesterday evening a man was brought ashore from the schooner Jane Hannah, at Port Chalmers, he having been taken with an epileptic fit while working on board the schooner. He was so violent that his hands and feet had to be bound. He was carried to the Port Chalmers Hotd, where he was promptly attended by Dr Drysdale, and was then conveyed to the Dunedin Hospital. The Provincial Council, moved by Mr Oliver at its last session, empowered the Government “to obtain, as soon as possible, the services of a competent geologist, ” for the purpose of completing the geological survey of the Province, begun by Dr Hector. We understand that Captain Hutton, P.G.S., for many years connected with the Colonial Geological Department, has been appointed Provincial Geologist, During the discussion on the Loan Bills, Mr Hunter, the member for Wellington City, remarked incidentally that he had obtained information with reference to the amount of deposits in the banks throughout the Colony, There was in all L 3,893,000. More than two millions out of this sum was nob bearing interest at all ; the rest bore interest at three per cent. There would have been no difficulty in raising the Provincial loans at or below six per cent. The following Parliamentary telegram appears in to-day’s Bruce Herald: —“ The Upper House has thrown out the Otago Reserves Act, so that they are left as they were. Pressure has been brought to bear to issue Crown grants for these reserves. The Upper House has rejected the Hon. Robert Campbell’s amendment to make deferred payments in Southland fifty shillings per acre. The Bill has been passed virtually, as it left the Lower House.”

The North Otago Times makes the following comments ou a debt case heard at Oamaru a few days ago ;—“ In reference to the case of M‘Murray v. Coverdale, our readers will perceive that it was ‘shouting ’ that brought the plaintiff before the Court. We arc utterly astonished that some private member of Parliament has not brought in a Bill dealing with the gigantic evils of * shouting. ’ It is bad enough to be able to get drunk for cash, for credit, or for barter, but to be able to get drunk without any personal responsibility whatever is a most seductive premium to intoxication. The subject of ‘shouting’ is surrounded with difficulty, but surely

that difficulty could be obviated by keen legal sagacity. What ao immense amount of sagacity is brought to bear on various kinds of legal commercial persecution. Have we no legal acumen to spare for the unfortunate victims of dipsomania ?”

“ Narcisse ” and “ Checkmate ” were advertised to be performed at the Queen’s Theatre last evening; but, owing to the illness of one of the company who was to have taken part in the last piece, it had to be withdrawn, and “Book the First, Chapter the Third ” was substituted for it. We would remind playgoers that Miss Anstead’s benefit tabes place this evening. Nothing short of a crowded house, which we hope to see, would be a fitting recognition of the efforts of one who has contributed as much as any member of thepresenf company to the success which has attended the production of recent novelties, and the excellence of whose general acting is admitted. It is mentioned in the European Mail that at a recent meeting of the t • oyal Humane Society, a testimonial, beautifully inscribed on vellum, conveying the thanks of the Society, was presented to George Gilmonr, aged thirteen, for saving another boy who sank while bathing at Raglan, Now Zealand. 'Jhe bronze medallion was voted to Mrs .lessie Marchant for saving her little girl, who accidentally fell down a well containing 9ft. of water, at Albany, South Australia. It will be remembered that the mother instantly tied a rope to a fence, lowered herself to within a few feet of the water, let go, caught the child, grasped its clothes with her teeth, and then recovering hold of the rope, held it until rescued.

A meeting of the Dunedin Cricket Club, for the purpose of revising the rules for the guidance of the club, was held last evening at the shamrock Hotel; Mr Rattray, president, in the chair. The rules were discussed seriatim, and, with some alterations and additions, were finally passed. One of the new rules was to the effect that, in the event of an elected member not paying his subscription, his proposer and seconder should be held liable for the amount; and another that if there were any outstanding liabilities at the end of the season, the amount should be made up by equal contributions from each member. That business having been got through, the advertised general meeting of cricketers was held for the consideration of the arrangements for playing the Auckland team. The chairman (Mr Rattray) read the correspondence on the subject fixing the date of the arrival of the visiting team for the 15th prox., the match to be played on the 17th and 18th. Mr Turton, M.P.C., immediately proposed the following resolution : “'('hat it is desirable that the interprovincial match, and also the match with the Auckland team be played in Christchurch,” Mr Collinsoa seconding. The mover said the great reason for that arrangement was that the Dunedin Club’s ground would not be tit to play upon by the middle of November, but that as he wished to speak at length on the question and, owing to the inclement weather, the cricketing interest- could scarcely be said to be properly represented by the small attendance that night, it would perhaps be advisable to adjourn the meeting, A motion by Mr F. Muir that the meeting adjourn till Saturday evening was then car tied, anil a vote of thanks to the chairman finished the proceedings.

We extract the following from “ Let us be Honest,” a series of racily-written letters which are appearing in the Bruce Herald:— “You are aware perhaps that there has been a great war over the Hospital. * Oh, yes, you know all about it, do you ? ’ Ah, but you do not know what I know upon excellent authority, that the patients who have died in the Hospital during the last four years have got up a complimentary address, and sent it, with a purse of hot sovereigns (from spirit laud (through Mr Logan) to the house steward. I have not been permitted to read the address as yet, but I believe it testifies that they would have all died whether they had been sent to the Hospital or not, so that their treatment there did not prevent fatal consequences, and that they are a deal happier where they are now than they were when in the institution. The sovereigns have been put in the waterbutt to dry, and there has been no necessity for the boiling of water for tea for a week past. Their warmth is attributed by some to the nature of the climate from which they have come, that climate being, it is said, favorable to the retention of heat.—The example set by the Mayor of Melbourne is to be followed here. lam privileged in being the first to announce that Mr Mercer, the Mayor, is about to give a fancy dress ball, I am gradually getting together a list of the costumes to be worn, so as to publish them in advance, and thus cut out the local papers. Until the list is complete I shall say very little, but I may mention that it is the intention of the Mayor to appear as an anchorite, and that Councillor Barnes and Mr H. S. Fish, jun , will be appropriately got up as .the ■ iamese Twins. Mr JShand has already ordered a beautiful costume as a ‘convert,’and the members of the Executive are all going to dress like Joseph, in coats of many colors.”

The adjourned meeting of compositors and pressmen will be held in Wain’s Hotel to-mor-row (Saturday) evening, at eight o’clock. The quarterly meeting of the Otago Schoolmasters’ Association will be held at 11 o’clock to-morrow morning in the Education office.