The Evening Star FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3350, 14 November 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1873.

Oats are now selling at 8s 6d per bushel in Cromwell. The miners at the Cardrona appear to be doing very well. Some of the parties there are making as much as LlO per week per man at paddocking. “Rob Roy ” was repeated at the Princess Theatre last evening, followed by the farce of “ A Kiss in the Dark.” The entertainment to night is in aid of the Scott Scholarship Fund. Mr Logan, Inspector of Telegraphs, has concluded all the preliminary arrangements for the extension of the telegraph line from Nasebyto the Dunstan. The extension of the Hue to Switzers is now in progress. Several cases in which Messrs Brogden and Sons sued immigrants for money for passage, &c., were called at the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning, but on the application of plaintiffs’ solicitor were adjourned till Wednesday next, pending the arrival of certain papers. The election of a Superintendent of the newly constituted Province of Westland takes place next month. The declared candidates are Messrs John White, M.H.K, and C. Heos, and it is understood that the Hons. J. A. Bonar and H. H. Lahman, and VJ r Robinson, the present County Chairman, will contest the election. A man named Francis South, who was charged with drunkenness at the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning, after receiving sentence, and while in the lobby outside the court-room, opened his pocketknife and attempted to stab Constable Vernon, in whose charge he was. The latter, however, avoided the blow, and, knocking South down, wrested the knife from him. At the meeting of the Education Board held to-day, Mr Donald Petrie was unanimously elected Inspector of Schools. Mr Petrie, who is stated to be 27 years of age, holds the position at present of --enior Classical Master of the (Scotch College, Melbourne. He is an M.A, of Aberdeen and Melbourne Universities, is reported to have

had a varied and most valuable experience, and has been highly recommended by trustworthy and competent authorities. In all, twenty -uino applications were received by the Board.

The survey of the Beaumont Hundred, which is to consist of some 18,099 .acres, has been commenced, and will take four months to complete. A considerable portion of the laud .adjoining, and which it set .apart to be opened under the deferred payment system, is ■ urveyed. The Tuapek.a paper informs us th.vt several persons in that district are waiting anxiously to take up a considerable poition of it.

When executing some slight repairs the other day upon the bridge across the lokom driro river, upon the road from Fairfax to Riversdalc, a heart of tot.ara plank had to be removed. Upon being broken up, it was found to be as sound as when placed theie nine years ago. The Jirucc IlonUl thinks, were other bridges erected of this or a similar quality of timber, the country would be saved the expense of having them replaced every five or six years. A particularly oleaginous parson in Melbourne suburbs called, the other day, on a lady residing in his parish. She saw him approaching the house, and, unfortunately, he saw her. When his knock was answered and his desire to see Mrs expressed, the servant replied, in the conventional way, that her mistress was “ not at home. The ndnister thereupon entered the hall, placed his hat upon the table, and, kneeling down, solicited the forgiveness of Heaven upon all tellers of falsehoods. Some new formula of repelling unwelcome calls must be invented. They have an extraordinary method of conducting elections at Mudgce, N.B.W, There it is not personation of a father by a son, but re-personation of tbe voters themselves — a personation twice, thrice, four times told. At a recent Mudgec election, as is set forth in a petition before the Parliament of New South Wales, no fewer than 2119 persons voted twice, 61 voted thrice, and 14 voted four times ; making the handsome number of 47S spurious votes duly recorded in this one election ! The local paper says the police have taken steps with the object of obtaining a conviction. It was time.

Charity assumes odd forms at times. A. poor, but well-meaning supporter of the Hospital Sunday movement, named Frederic Wilson, a resident of Prahran, Melbourne, who possesses seven children but no money, indited a letter to the commitee of the Alfred Hospital, informing them of his impecuniosity, and, at the same time, offering as an earnest of his good intentions a load of stable manure for the gardens of the Institution, which he hoped the committee would accept. The letter came under the consideration of the committee at their meeting soon after, and the gift was accepted with thanks.

An accident occurred between eight and nine o’clock this morning, at the Imperial Hotel, The pin that fastens the lift which plies between the kitchen and dining room, was removed by mistake, and the lift being laden with dishes, &c , it descended at a rapid rate a distance of 20 feet. The cook (Mrs Grav) in attempting to stop it, seized hold of the lower shelf, hut had not time to withdraw her arm ; her elbow was therefore thrown with great force upon the floor of the aperture. The crash caused a partial dislocation of the wrist, and a fracture of one of the long bones of the arm. She was immediately placed by Mr Haydon under the care of JDr Sorley, who attended to her injuries. An Arrow telegram in the Cromwell Argus says : “ Yesterday (Monday) the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new Homan catholic Church was performed by the bight Rev. Dr Moran, Bishop of Dunedin, assisted by the Uev. Fathers Mackay and Carden. The ceremony took place at three o'clock. About 350 or 400 people were present. An eloquent and suitable address was delivered by his Lordship; after which a voluntary collection was made for the church, the amount collected being Ll5O. The Bishop highly complimented the district, and also spoke of the generosity of the Arrow and Queenstown people on such occasions. His Lordship was presented with a beautiful silver trowel aud mallet by Mr Bur well, the architect.” The Bruce 7/craW has been made the channel of a piece of most perfidious villainy. On the Sth inst, the following letter was sent to the paper from town “ Forth street, Dunedin, November 2, 1873.—T0 Mr J. Mackay.— Sir, —Please to insert in your next issue this birth —On the Ist inst., at Forth street, Dunedin, Mary, eldest daughter of B. Dawson, of a daughter—both doing well.—l remain, yours respectfully. Bknjamin Dawson. —Mr Mackay, Bmce Herald office, Milton. —2, 11, 1873.” After the app-arance of the advertisement it transpired that the letter was a forgery, and the attempt had been made to damage the character and reputation of a young unmarried lady in the district Her father, who resides in Tokomairiro, writes to the paper that the announcement is a “ scandalous falsehood,” and that he has instructed his solicitor to take “immediate proceedings ” for the vindication of his daughter’s character. The Herald offers a reward of LlO for such information as may lead to the discovery of the writer of the letter.

Extremes meet (says the Tuapeka Times). Intense seriousness often produces an effect almost identical with the effect which originates with a comical cause. For example, Brother Mackune was intensely earnest in his recent pilgrimage to the Blue Spur, In last issue, we noticed his doubtless temporary failure to convert the drinkers at the Spur, and now we are forced to notice the circumstance that he lost his way going to convert the spiritists, remained too long in the ungrateful mining suburb, came back to Lawrence from his literally up-hill battle, and found all tbe Lawrence hotels shut. A happy thought strugk the lost Templar. He would accuse himself of being “ a lost man ” and give himself in charge to the police. He knocked at the police station, but reply there was none. Ultimately, after much agitation of body and spirit, he met a walking night constable, to whom he made an open confession. The guardian of the night conveyed brother Mackune to the fraternal lock-up, where doubtless he slept a dreamful sleep, in which constables, and miners, and tailraces were amalgamated in glorious eonfusion.

In an article entitled “ The Diocesan Synod and Religious Education, the Croui' well Argus remarks “ Much reverend lamentation was expressed at the youthful crime of the Province. Now, we ask, where arc the proofs of it ? The writer has known Otago many years, has been in almost all the centres of population of any consequence, and out of Dunedin youthful crime is almost a thing unknown. Where are there among the youthful population of this Province convictions for crime in any sense that u exceptional? The sweeping charge against the youths of this Province is meant to prove the want of clerical note and comment when the Bible is read in our schools—or, in other words, religious education in the meaning of the Synod. Taking our own, that is the Cromwell district, as an answer to the unfounded remarks of the Synod—when was any youth trained in our Provincial schools charged with crime of any kind in the Police Court here, or within fifty miles of this place ? We challenge the Synod to refer to any population mustering, say eighty thousand, in any part of Australasia so free frorq juvenile convictions for the last twelve months as Otago. Our children aVe not all

saints, neither are they sinners above or even up to all the rest. And if the Rev, Mr Stanford would have his judgment respected on any fufurc occasion of th S kind, let him sliow us what tendency there is in our school institution to produce perfect heathenism and atheism, or cease to bring such a railing accusation against what is the glory of our Province and the boast of Mew Zealand.”

The annual entertainment in aid of the prize fund of the Middle District School took place in the Masonic Hall last evening. The at tendance iu the front part of the ball was large, but the back and middle seats were poorly patronised. '/ be Mayor presided. The programme comprised vocal and instrumental, music, a single recitation, and a farce by the Sheridan Dramatic Club, and the music was by far the best part of it. The duct, “ Cist to the Convent Bells,” was sung by Misses Stewart and Somerville, it being the first appearance in public here of the latter lady. She possesses a soprano voice, of considerable culture and power, and sings with taste. We hope to hear her often. She also sang two of Bishop’s songs—“ Tell Ale My Heart” and “ Should He Upbraid” —in excellent style, and was warmly encored. On the second occasion, “Castles in the Air” was substituted, with similar success. Miss Thomson sang an aria from Donizetti’s opera of “Betley,” which was not so well appreciated as it should have been, for it was faultlessly rendered ; but she was better understood iu the popular duet from “Trovatore,” commencing with “Ah, chela Morte,” which she gave with her brother. It was the effort of the evening, and was persistently redemanded. Messrs Thomson, Matheson, and Stewart were the gentlemen soloists. Three pianoforte selections were played, in addition to the overtures by Mrs Chitsam and Mr Sykes, who also acted as accompany ista. Master Bay Icy first played the “Swiss Mountaineers,” and afterwards Beyer’s arrangement of “Norma,” which was deservedly encored ; and Mr Sykes gave, in his best style, “The Last Rose of Summer,” for which, on its being encored, he substituted “ The Echo Polka.” The members of the Field Naturalist Club will meet at the north end of George street at 1.45 p.m. to-morrow. Nominations for the hurdle, St Andrews, and trotting handicaps of the D.J.O. Spring Meeting will close to-morrow, at 8 p.m. A cricket match will be played to-morrow lie tween the following eleven against fifteen other members of the club The eleven—Allen, Clarke, Glen, Johnston, Macdonald, Macfarlan, Aleares (Captain), Morrison, _ Stafford, Thomson, Andrew. The fifteen—Cairns, Tait, Park, Lambert, Rhodes H., Rhodes D. K., Brown, Russell, Austen, Weston, W., Holmes A. (Captain), Garwood, Howorth, Beal junr., Webb A., Fulton Frank. Should the weather be fine a good game may be anticipated.