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Evening Star, Issue 3364, 1 December 1873, Page 2

Mr M‘Donald, a photographer in Melbourne, bled to death from a wound in the thigh caused by accidently falling upon a basin. He was dressing to go to the races. 'J'he cut w;\s six inches long, and he lost so much blood that he gradually sank. The “ Arab Spy,” the performances of the Bernard Brothers, aud an Hibernian farce constituted Saturday’s bill at th • Briucess’s. The attendance was fair. J onight the drama will be recreated, to he followed by the Scotch drama of Gramoml Brig.” and Miss Andrews in one of her cliaraeler souas. The Dunedin School Committee nrat the Reserves Committee of the Corporation on Saturday, aud, wich Mr Bastings aud the Councillors for Bell Wart, inspected the various sites for the proposed Fourth School o understanding was come to, but the Commit.tee will inform the Council in writing as to the site it is in favor of. The Anyas suggests, if eleven vanquishes the teams that will meet it at Melbourne, Ballarat, Sandhurst, Maryborough, Adelaide, aud Sydney, a combined team of sixteen from all the Colonies should lie got together, and play the Britishers in a final match on thc’M.C.C. ground, just prior to the eleven leaving for England. The Hanover street Baptist congregation has received telegraphic intimation of the appointment to the pastorate of its chapel of the Rev. Joseph Upton Davis, who was to sail for Dunedin on November 25. Mr Davis, who is a son of tlie Rev. Joseph Davis, of Romford, Essex, was educated at Stepney College, and in 1853 tooK a B. A. dpgree at the University of Condom A meeting ■of the Board of Health was held to-day, present— His Honor the Superintendent, Messrs Turnbull, Bastings, Fish, Hill, Captain Thomson, and Dr U’Donoghue. It was agreed that in the event of Dr O’Donoghue’s report on the health of the passengers by the Jes-ie Roadman being found correct, that vessel should be immediately admitted to prati pie. We are sorry to learn that Mr M. Grogan met with anaccideut on the eour-e, shortly after his arrival there to-day. The buggy in which he was seated came into collision with an express, Mr Grogan being thrown out We could not ascertain the extent of his injuries. By some unacoountahl ■ means a report was circulated in tow : that Air Augan had been hurt, which was not the case. We are glad to learn from private sources that Mr W. H. Clapcott, who succeeded Capt. Baldwin as travelling agent for the G6yerumeut Life Assurance department, has visited most of the leading populations of Otago, aud has secured applications for a large number of policies, Mr Clapcott appears to be very favorably received wherever he visits, which is not surprising when bis talent as a lecturer is considered. Very many people in this Colony have heard of Evans, Merry, and Co., who were among the first railway contractors in Victoria. It appears that disputes between the firm and the Government have never been settled, and there is going to be a gigantic lawsuit against the Colony. Mr Merry claims a few hundred thousands, but being without means, has arranged for the issue of a scries of Merry bonds to carry on die suit. “ /Egles ” says considerable sales have been effected to a large number of people who believe Mr Merry has been hardly dealt with. The question of high or low railway fares will soon be a matter of importance in this colony. The Ayr, writing on the subject says : In Victoria the average fare charged to first class passengers for IIJO miles is 255. In European countries we find the charges forth e same distance (first class) as follows ; Belgium, Gs Gd ; Italy, 10s; Spain, 11s 1KI; Prussia, Denmark, and Austria, Us; France, 13s 4d ; Norway, 13s 4d ; Switzerland, 13s Gd; Holland, 14s; Portugal, 14s 2d ; Russia, 14* 5d ; aud the United Kingdom, 18s Gd. From this it is seen that railway travelling in Victoria is very much more costly than in any country in Europe, and that it is 331) per cent more expensive than in the dearest of them all, namely, Great Britain. The following modest proposal was made in March last by Mr E. J. UVonor, M.H.R. in conjunction with Messrs Spence Brothers aud Co., of Melbourne, as the terms upon which they would construct a line of railway from Westport to Mokihinui (about sixteen miles upon a level hank): —“The area of coalfield required by us .would be about 2,000 acres in five or m ire blocks, having frontage accessible from the proposed line of railway, along the coast between the rivers Bailor and Mokihinui, The extent of land required for bonus would be about 20,000 acres, to be selected by us from the waste lands of the province situated within the Nelson South-west goldfields and valleys of the Grey, Inangabua, or any other lands not comprised within any payable goldfield.” Mr Curtis properly refused this monopoly, hence Mr O’Conor’s anger. “ It is better to be born lucky than rich,” sagaciously remarks a writer iu Town, and Country “ Mr George Lansel!, Sandhurst, has had many an experience of the changes of fortune, but none so great as the last. A few months ago Garden Tribute Gully No 3 shares went begging, and were to be sold for non-payment of the call. Mr Lansell bought 18,000 on that condition for a mere trifle—l.42s, 1 believe—and the result is that on Monday last he received as his share over LG,OOO of the dividend declared, while the shares arc worth I 30,000. ■Not bad, is it, for an investment ? Who said the days of mining excitement were over ? Stranger still, some years ago, when the Garden Gully line was dead, Mr Lansell gave away 5,000 iu the Garden Gully United, and the fortunate person who took them of! his bauds netted in consequence LGO,OOO. Fact is stranger than fiction.” Notwithstanding the downpour of rain in the early part of Saturday evening, there was a good downstairs attendance, and a more than average sprinkling iu the dress circle of the Queen’s. The features of the programme were Miss Rosina’s ballad “1 cannot mind my wheel, ’ the sisters’ duet “ The Wind and the Harp,” and the operatic selections. The first mentioned was given with much taste ami feeling, and iu response to an encore, “ Come Home, Father” was substituted, the refrain being nicely managed behind the scenes. The duet was also encored, but the ladies simply bowed their acknowledgements, which apparently was not satisfactory to some boors iu the lower part ot the house, who began to hiss. We should like to have seen their neighbors mark in true English style their opinion of sueh unmanlineaa. Mr Gordon was twice encored ; while Madame and Miss Fannie’s efforts were duly appreciated, I or this evening a complete change of programme is announced. At the last meeting of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, the curator (Mr Johnson) reported on the best means of disposing of the young salmon that had been hatched out. He deprecated the plan adopted in Tasmania, Melbourne, aud Dtago, of turning them into a river, ami proposed the construction or a large salt water aquarium in the Society’s gardens, with suitable appliances for keeping the water iu constant circulation through aeration, wlueh would

afford the best chance of ultimate success by comparative safety from all enemies, suitability of temperature of ■ water, which would be practically under control ; whilst should it be found ultimately necessary to liberate the tish, they would then have arrived at an age when their sea enemies would be reduced to a very small number Mr Hill one of the Council, is reported to have sai>l that he had been talking to Mr .Stoddart and Mr Stoddart’s nephew (who was sou of the Mr .Stoddart who wrote a book oa the subject of salmon), and he was convinced that Mr Johnson’s scheme was a wild and visionary one, and that the money would only be thrown away if it were voted to give effect to his proposals. From the Colombo Obwrtmr we obtain the following items of late telegraphic intelligence = — “Commodore Commorell, who resigned his command owing to the wound received during the attack on the AsJiantees in the boating expedition, is convalescent. Captain Hewet-t of the Devastation has been appointed his successor. Lord Bowden (formerly British Ambassador in Spain) is dead. By order of the Czar, the right hank of the Amoudara, including the delta from tiie sea to the extreme western arm of the river, has been annexed to Russia, and troops have been detailed tor the protection of the territory, and a military governor appointed. General Kaufmann hit Khiva on the L‘2th August ; the Khan accompanied him ten versts, parting in a most friendly manner from Kaufmann, who gave the Khan 500 rifles aud some cannon. An English despatch boat arriving from Alicante states that the insurgent frigate Numancia has collided and sank the insurgent steamer Fernando Catholieo ; many of the crew of the latter drowned. The catastrophe is attributed to the inexperience of the officers. The examination of witnesses in the trial of Marshal Bazaine commenced on October 21. ” Mr J. L. Coster, who goes Home by this mail to superintend the affairs of the New Zealand shipping Company, at a salary of L 2,500 a-year, was entertained at a complimentary dinner before leaving Christchurch. The chair was occupied by sir J. C. Wilson, C. 8., K.S. L, who, in proposing the toast of the evening, said : l, lt become* ray duty to state what Mr Coster has done in his public capacity to advance the interests of the ' roviuce of Canterbury, and this I do because I have known and seen the good he has done. 1 look back to the year 1870. tn tfiab year the agrioultura : interest of this “roviuce was in a most lamentable state of depression 1 myself saw -wheat which I know could not have been produced at all profitably under 4s pr bushel, hawked round by the farmers for sale at 2s (id per bushel And not only this, which was bad enough, but that 2s Gd per bushel, promised from the continuance of the depression to soon become 2s per bushel had not the guest of this evening come to the point, and offered 2s (id per bushel in cash to every f-rmer, aud an ultimate additional Is Gd per bushel on the sales being effected in the English market, thus making 4s per bushel at any rate. I have no hesitation in saying that this is an act of patriotism which Canterbury will never forget. I myself personally did not benefit by this act, but the act itself, as affecting the general interest of Canterbury, reacted upon me and all other residents h< re, aud, therefore, I thank our guest for it. Another'ineident in, the life of our friend was rhe inauguration of the New Zealand Shipping Company. I myself have been a witness to -he tyranny aud despotism in the matter of shipping under which New Z’.aland has labored for years —a tyranny so bad that I can hardly find words to express it. When I was in England I asked the merchants there how it was that when competition in all branches of trade was so rife, such despotism could exist, I was unable to ascertain the cause. However, I may say that if by the act of any one man or set of men such .tyranny and despotism have been got rid of, such an act is pure patriotism, and this is what Mr Coster has done.”