Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 3404, 19 January 1874, Page 2

Mr Logan’s case coines before the Synod at eleven o’clock to-morrow morning. The collection at St. Paul's yesterday, in aid of the Melanesian Mission, amounted to L2l 4s fid. Mr Sanders, of Ewebum Station, whose accident wementioned some days ago, still lies in a precarious condition. A presentation from the mercantile community is to be made to Mr Hill, late Collector of Customs, at the Club Hotel, at 7.30 this evening. Mr O’Rorke has intimated that he does not intend to draw his salary as Speaker of the Adckland Provincial Council while holding office as Minister. The Choral Society have tendered a complimentary benefit, which is to come off on an early day, to Mr A, J. Towsey, in recognition of his valuable services as conductor. The University Committee of the Presbyterian Synod have decided to recommend that body to proceed at once with the establishment of a theological ball, to be under the direction of a professor and two theological tutors. The Auckland -* Star’ celebrates its natal day by “a little annual b!6w,” and having just entered on the fifth year of its existence, went in for a ''louder and stronger blast” than usual. It, however, blew over strong when it asserted that there is not in New Zealand any journal having three-fourths of its circulation. The writer must have been /strangely oblivious of the existence of this paper. The programme of thepreyioua Av.epfrjg was repeated at the Masonic Hall ,on Saturday night to a good attendance, and the various items were heartily applauded. Mr Kennedy’s selec-' tions.from “ Rob Roy” were as well received as on the first occasion. The programme this evening is an enticing one, and' Mr Kennedy will give as his part of the entertainment some of the most beautiful portions of Ramsay’s “Gentle Shepherd.” Telegrams have been received by Mr Paul secretary to the committee for the Surat Relief Fund, from the Mayor pf Camara“ No funds collected for the Surat fund. An entertainment getting up;” and from she Mayor of Lawrence as follows-:—“ No people here think that the Government should arid did attend to the immediate wants of the Surat’s passengers. The Press intimated some time ago that all wet* engaged at good wages.” Among the many strange speculations made by the Auckland papers as to the intention of the Government in collecting considerable bodies of drilled men iot mvicv in the Wai-

kato was the following extraordinary one of the ,* Thames Advertiser’:—“ The Governor has been scandalised at the way in which the law has been violated in the Colony in which he is appoinnted to represent Her Majesty, has appealed to the Home Government, .and has got its countenance towards making an attempt to subdue the King.”

A large number of the male immigrants by the Dunfillan were engaged at the Immigration Barracks, Caversham, to-day. Farm servants obtained from L 52 to L6O per annum . and found ; shepherds, L6O ; .one waiter, 20s per .week, and-, one carpenter TOs per day. Two married couples also found employment—the men as farm-servants and the women as dairymaids—one couples receiving LGO and the other L7O per annum. The remainder of the single men and the married couples will be open for engagement, to-morrow, and the single girls on Wednesday.

The Good Templars stick at nothing. In New South Wales they arc attacking the railway refreshment rooms, and have' petitioned the Legislature of that Colony to do away with the strong drinks dispensed at the bars' and waiting rooms of the stations, and substitute ginger beer, lemonade, and kindred drinks. The petitioners declare chat they “believe that the supply of intoxicating drink at such refreshment rooms would tend to the discomfort and annoyance of respectable persons—especially ladies travelling—and have generally an injurious and demoralizing effect on the com; munity.”

A Mr Terry, of Wairarapa, owes his life to an exhibition of an extraordinary presence of mindand the possession of a physically strong constitution. While reaching over the shaft of the engine at the Moroa Sawmills, his trousers became entangled in the machinery, and he was thus whirled round on ,the revolving shaft several times, and on each revolution his forehead, body, and legs came in violent contact with some portion of the framework; but by a remarkable presence of mind, which neve* for a moment deserted him, he managed to keep himself from coming in contact with the flywheel, and his trousers being tom to pieces he was ultimately liberated. It was found he had sustained several severe extertial injuries about the forehead, arms, ribs, and legs, but fortunately none of them proved of a fatal character.

After Dark,” which has been shelved for a nu mu of years » was reproduced at, the Princess Theatre on Saturday evening to a capital house, the pit and stalls being especially well attended. The cast was as good as possible under the circumstances, the minor parts being better performed than usual. A' couple of really good scenes have been painted by Mr Kemp, viz., the opening one and the tunnel in the underground railway, and the success of the piece was to a great extent dependent on these accessories. The part of Devereux was entrusted to Mr Searle, who filled it satisfactorily, and he was ably assisted by Miss Andrews as Louisa, Mr Simmonds as Joe Onion, and Miss Follande as Charlotte. Mr Kemp was Old Tom Fogg, but the part, proved too much for nim._ After Dark” will be repeated this evening. ,

The recefit case of Adamson, in our own' lunatic asylum, and the more recent one in Sydney, where an official inquiry has been held, the result being that a man, who was confined without sufficient authority, and who was found upon medical examination to be sane suggest the advisability of adopting the Belgian plan of allowing patients under restraint free communication with their friends, relatives, or the Government authorities, by which the confinement of sane persons becomes next to an impossibility. This is the placing in some convenient part of the building accessible to all the inmates a post-office letter-box, under lock and key, and the contents of which can only be got at by authorities who are in no way connected with the asylum. Any patient who places a letter in the box stating that he is not insane, has his case immediately inquired into, and the result has been that many patients have been released who but for such a novel and excellent method would probably have remained in a lunatic asylum all their lives.

T^ oae 1 wl l°J the wports. of the trial of the Bank of England formers will recollect that very important evidence for the Crown was given by three young women named Ellen Vernon, Ellen Franklin, and Catherine Grey, who was known by the soubriquet of “Daisy ’* We notice by a London paper that the Bank of England authorities, “ having regard to their peculiar position, and the assistance rendered by them injfurthering the prosecution,” made a .proposition to send them to New Zealand, with the means to provide for themselves after their arrival, and it is said the offer was accepted by EHen Frankiin and the “ Daisy.” With regard to Ellen Vernon, however, it appears that she does not wish to leave England, and the Bank of England authorities, who appear to have acted with great kindness and liberality throughout the proceedings, will no doubt do what is necessary to enable her to retrieve her position. There will' be a division of opmion as to whether or not we ought to feel grateful to the old lady in Threadneedle street for so assisting in carrying out our colonisation scheme.

The following questions were recently put in the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales: J 8 ™ Colonial Secretary aware that Mr Lett, J.P., of Kiandra, sat as a magistrate and evidence as a witness in the same case? Was Mr Lett requested to leave the Bench, and d ir j refuse . ? Was Lett subpoenaed to attend as a witness in the same case ? Will the Colonial Secretary cause an inquiry to be made mto the circumstances of the case by the Police Magistrate, at Cooma, and deal with the matter as it requires “ Whether the Minister of Justice has noticed the reported proceedings in the Maitland Court of Quarter Sessions recently held before Mr District Court Judge Simpson, _ wherein it appears that a magistrate was convicted pf rioting, and discharged upon payment of a fine, while a seaman temporarily ashore was convicted .of .assaulting a constable, and sentenced to nine months in gaol In another instance two J.P.'s Jeft the Bench and had a square fight,” ope of them presiding the next day with a highly ‘‘echymosed ” eye. The attention pf the Government has been drawn to the immmorality to be found among a large section of the country Justices, and it is proposed to largely curtail the powers of those who have heretof orehadthe appointment of creating J.Ps. Fitness for the responsible duties which sometimes unpaid magistrates ape required to perform is in future to be an element necessary to be taken into account. Possibly so reasonable a regulation would not be out of place in other Colonies than New South Wales.

' The Rev. J. E. Patou, New Hebrides Missionary, preached in Knox Church yesterday, and gave an interesting account of the progress of missionary work in those islands. He stated that marked progress had been made during the last few years cowards converting the natives of the islands. He gave an account of the doipgs of Mr Milne, the Missionary supported there by the Presbyterians of this Province, and of the djffipulties that gentleman had to contend with, f ha slavers who frequented the islands, carrying off the inhabitants and doing other mischief, were a greqj hW^ rance to the mission work? On the Island of -4-neiteum the entire population had professed Christianity and previous to his departure for JsTew he had attended a communion service on that island at which between 400 and 500 communi, cated. In his own island of Aniwa the people had renounced idolatry within the last halfdozen years, and are now under Christian influences, and young and old attend school and church. He referred to the loss of the missenary ship Dayspring, which was wrecked in January last, and stated that they had arranged for the of a new vessel, to be called by n™ , aam ® The vessel was to cost Lo # 000, tp meet wmqb had received L 2,000 as insurance ; on the lost one, and now they wished to raise L2,Oop' piore-LLCOO to go towards the purchase, and 'the ‘other LI.OOO towards fitting her »p wjth a cabin, l &c., as she was now without this. To ra;ae this, suin' he called upon all Christians to subscribe. ‘ The annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held this afternoon, Mr Oliver in the chair. The report (which has been printed) and balance sheet were adopted. The secretary (Mr Webb) reported the result of his examination of the boys in arithmetic for the (Wd silver medals, which are now to hand, and y.ere exhibited to the meeting, and said that considering nearly all the boys who lm had no

and advancement, for their ages, they had been brought on very well. The election of office-bearers resulted as follows:—President, Mr P. C.. Neill (Mr Davie declined to be nominated, saying that it was just possible he might go Home this year); vice-president, MrTewsley; committee, Messrs Rattray, Turnbull, Lamach, M‘Neil, Walcott, and Oliver. Two copies of Mr Reynolds’s proposed Licensed Marine Surveyors’ Bill were referred to the committee. Mr Davie proposed the following resolution, which was carried unanimously “ Having learned that Mr Hill, who has for several years occupied the position in Dunedin ,of Collector of Customs, is about to be removed to another Province, this _ Chamber, as representing, the commercial interests of the City, resolves to record its sense of the courteous and efficient manner in which he has discharged the duties of his office. The Chamber feels that while* Mr Hill has at all times acted in accordance with his duty to the Government, he has .at the same time spared neither time nor trouble in extending all legitimate facilities to promote the trade and commerce of the Province. The Chamber desires to express its hearty wishes for Mr Hill s future welfare, and directs that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to him.” 7 We remind our readers that M. Fleury’s benefit takes place this evening. , We have received from Messrs C. S. Reeved and Co. a very elegant office calendar for 1874'