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Evening Star, Issue 3442, 4 March 1874, Page 2

Several letters are held over till to-morrow. There was an improvement in the attendance at the Queen’s Theatre last evening, when “The Wanderer’s Return” was played. Mi O’Brien appeared as Janies Greenfield, Mr Glover as Robert Sherly, and Mrs Searle as Rachael Ryland, and all the characters were creditably sustained. “ The French Highwayman” is announced for this evening. Among the passengers by the Jessie Readman, which sailed for London to-day . is Mr Chas. Muston, who, for the last five and a-half years, has creditably filled the position of subeditor m the ‘ Paily Times.’ 11l health is the cause of Mr departure from the Colon}'. The employes the ‘ Daily Times ’ made him a suitable presentation before he left. At a meeting on Monday of the principal supporters of the Athemeum being closed on bundays, it was resolved to take the opinion of three leading barristers as to the legality of the. committee s action in opening the reading-room on Sundays; and as to whether such a fundamental change can be effected unless upon a vote carried by 3, majority of two-thirds of those present at the meeting >vhich considered the matter.

The cadet returns, which are publiqW in another column, show the scores made by the Otago and Canterbury cadets. From the Otago list it will be seen that although seventeen prizes were offered, there were only twenty-four competitors. The sparsity of competitors is owing to the High School and district schools not firing, Major Atkinson very properly refusing to allow them, owing to their neglecting toattend properly to their drill during the past A recent to the Nevis goldfield informs the ‘Wakatip Mail ’ that the miners theie are, as a yule, doing exceedingly well One claim in particular, M‘P/yiald and party, returned, as the result of sevenjippij days’ work the handsome amount of 173qz. They are now stnppmg another paddock,. frnm a fourth part of which they have already obtained 620z, Of course this is an exceptional case. The Chinese, also, are reported as doing well on this field. The ‘New Zealand Trump ’ is the name of a periodical that is to be published in Christchurch this month. The promoters promise in their prospectus to use every effort to render it a popular aud_;eagerly-sought-after journal throughput the Colony, As an additional atw lO s’ at / ach copy a nuintbe h°lder of a certain one, tp be decided by lot, will be presented witlj a four guinea sewmg-machine. The publishing pThip will be one shilling. e

/‘Have you any witnesses?” inquired the presiding magistrate of the informant in a case of assault at Callaghan Creek, which was tried Ahaura. on the 20th inst, “ No, your Worship, replied the withess, “I considered mv case was good on the face of it,” pointing all over his countenance, which was deeply and extensively echymosed, “and I didn’t think it necessary to bring witnesses when the proofs of the defendants handiwork were visible so plainly, for I thought my black eye was the best, or the worst, evidence I could offer.” The friends of Miss Jenny Claus will be glad to ieam that she has so far recovered from her recent accident as to be able to continue her concerts, three of which will be given before her departure for the North. The first will be given tomorrow and on Friday evening Miss Claus will take her benefit. At these concerts she-wUI perform several pieces which have not been g!ven here before; and the company will be strengthened by Mr E. Towsey. We hope that the reduced prices will have the effect of producing large attendances, A parcel pf Arrow gold was forwarded to the Melbourne mint, and the results are thus stated by the ObserverTfip gross value of the sample was Lloll3s 9d, equal £9 about L 3 19s per oz ; or, deducting the coinage, '10s 10d and the item, twelve days’ discount, 4i Bd—which must be for prompt cash instead of waiting the usual period, apparently fourteen days —the net value would be L 3 18a 10* d per oz, Irom this result must also be deducted 2s per oz duty; freight, 2d per oz; and J per cent insurance, 10s; thus leaving the net value at Arrcwtown about L 3 16s 3id. There is not much business to he transacted Council meeting to-night. The Works Committee have recommended calling for tenders for the supply of six-sided wooden biocks, nme inches deep, sufficient to pave onehalf of Bond street, in front of the E.M. Court; and for the supply of two horses and carts for six months, to be employed going through the streets of the City for the removal of rubbish and refuse from the dwellings of the various householders • and that application be made to the Superintendent for [& site in the harbor, near the end of the I training wall at the eaet eudlof Rattray street for the erection of swimming baths for the

City. The Bye-law Committee recommend that the bye-law compelling cabs to pass street corners at a walking pace be adhered to. The ‘North Otago Times’ claims to have discovered a fresh difficulty under the new Licensing Act: —No provision is made for the transfer of licenses between the periods of the annual licensing meetings. It is provided that the Provincial Licensing Ordinances are to be read with the Act, and under the Ordinance in force in this Province temporary permits could be granted' by the magistrate to persons taking over a licensed house, or a house with bottle license, to continue to sell liquors until the next quarterly licensing meeting; but as there are now no quarterly meetings provided for, the question is how to proceed if an hotel or store with bottle license changes hands between the dates of the annual licensing meetings. The difficulty may he got over, remarks our contemporary, by the Provincial Council passing an amending Ordinance. If this null not suffice, then an amending Act will be required. An instance of rare heroism is thus narrated by the London ‘ Telegraph ’ ; Elliott was one of the gang who were repairing the metals of the London and Southwestern liuo, near Surbiton, when the Exeter express came thundering along. The platelayers of course dispersed, and were standing to let the train pass, when Elliott’s quick eye perceived a heavy iron chain lying across the metal, and he saw in another moment the train would leap from the line and roll down the steep embankmeat. With a courage as cool as that of the little midshipman who picked up and threw overboard the loaded shell, Elliott dashed forward, and was but just in time to snatch the obstacle from out of the path, and to avert a accident. He was in. time to save the lives of others, but he was just too late by a second to save himself. The buffer-board of the great express engine caught him as he scooped with hiS' heavy burden, and dashed him high into the air a corpse. His widow and fatherless children should not be allowed to want.”

The results of a dangerous experiment are thus given by the • Bruce Herald.’ A few weeks ago two young lads, sons of Mr Peter M Vrear, miller at Murray’s flour mills, Glenore, observing the quarrymen preparing blasts at the quarry hear their father’s residence, took advantage of loose powder being left by the workmen in the quarry overnight and prepared for themselves a mimic blast in the following somewhat artistic colonial manner of suiting means within their power to accomplish the desired end : a quart bottle was filled with gunpowder, and the fuse duly placed into the neck of the bottle, which was surmounted by loose sand. Ibis was being closely packed and rammed firmly together previous to the fuse being fired, when it would appear that one of the brothers, unknown to the other, dropped a match into the bottle, which at once ignited the gunpowder and scattered the sand freely around them, including a plentiful supply into the boys’ faces, who were severely burnt by the explosion. The clothes of one of them catching fire, he at once leapt into a water race which flows close by, and thus prevented more serious consequences. They were both very severely burnt, and suffered much pain, but have now recovered their eyesight. We knew the “ collective wisdom” of New South Wales included men who made extraordinary speeches, but we were not prepared to find one capable of expressing himself in the manner in which Mr' f)jgnajn i§ reported to have done on a very recent occasion. “This affair,” said that gentleman, “just lets tis into some of their little private dodges, ■ So you thought to bribe East Sydney by giving them champagne, did you ? Oh, Windsor, Windsor, lam ashamed of you. If he had a weakness for a good feed you needn’t have thought him so jolly soft as to be bought by one. Then it’s about, the first .time that I over heard that a member can’t sit : in any part of the house he likes. Suppose I chose to go and sit alongside of Windsor, is that ary reason I should allow him to drag me about where he likes ? He’s too young and too weak in intellect, and altogether incapable of taking his seniors in hand, and drawing their front teeth. I certainly expected to hear something better from him, seeing that he is private sec: etary to the Opposition. [Mr Walker: “No.”] No? , Nonsense; don’t we know you are? Don’t you'd© all their little business ; and didn’t you try to seduce me last night ? Yes,-you did. : You know you did. I was nearly settled. Don’t you try to. put the comether on me ? Didn’t you say to me, * Dignam, old man, why don’t you go home ? You look nearly knocked iip. Yon want rest. Go home and go to bed.’ Yes, that’s the way he tried it on. As if I didn’t see his little game. Why, bless you. all he said Was just like pouring water oh a duck’s hack—it all ran off again. So, says I, ‘ Hullo. Windsor, what’s up with you ? If there’s anything come over you, you had better go home yourself;’ That was his game last night. To-night he’s broke out in a fresh place; he’s going at it without instructions from the heads of the firm. They certainly did not know what he was going to do, or they wpjild have put him in a paddock. As to East Sydney voting for Martin and Parkes because he went to their picnic, there’s others have been in the same boot hole. But when these gentlemen had got a good thing, and didn’t know how to keep it, but let it slip through their fingers, they can’t expect members to be such gommels as to let themselves be dragged through the mire to get it back for them.”

The Good Templars in the Home country appear to be in a state of enmity with their fellow teetotallers who are not Good Templars. The contributor of “ Amohovies and Toast ” to the ‘Auckland Star’writes that the Church of England,- as well as many other bodies of . teetotallers, object to Good Templavism on the ground • that feey put men under a solemn obligation which’ they frequently break: in .other words, that they plgee men in peril of • committing perjury. • It is said feat if a man merely breaks the promise to which he engages himself by the signing of an ordinary teetotal pledge, he does not commit such a moral offence as he does if he tastes intoxicating liquors after having bound himself by solemn oaths never to do so. A small work which has lately been published from the pen of the Rev. James Nicholson, of Rye, Sussex, entitled “ The Gospel wraW flood Templarism,” has exploded a mine, and the war is now getting bitter. In this work the author exposes fee whole system of the Templars—their ceremonies wd ritual—with a view of showing the antagonistic character of the religion of Good Templars to fee rejigiqn of Jesus Christ. Ho asserts that Templarism is a “system of bodily exercises and uses, weapons of a carnal earthly kind in reforming men—mystery, show, regalia, imposing demonstrations, grips, sign, passwords, and all the heathenism of secret societies,” He says that the obligation of a Good Templar is made by placing the right hand over the heart, and taking an oath which is at variance with the tenor of the Scriptures; that there is an altar in every lodge covered with glasses of water, which are drunk by the candidate to be initiated; r that the initiate is led round the room while the “lodge” Bings; that he is exhorted several times' to bo faithful ; then entrusted with passwords, signs, and grips, has to pay the fees, and be then declared a “brother;” the writer adding that “ the amount of rising saluting, strutting, and perambulating that is done m an evening is surprising,” He adds that great care is taken to secure the payment of fees. Mr Nicholson’s book is likely to create some little sensation in the Good Templar world, and it will be questioned whether he was right in revealing all he knows of the ritual. At the same time it is acknowledged by the Templars themselves that eighteen per cent, of their number break through their obligations, and there is therefore room for doubt whether men should be placed in a position where they way so easily become perjured.

We ve received from the author, through B. Cargill, a copy qf “A year in the New Hebrides, Loyalty Islands, and New Galedoma,” by F. A. Campbell, with an account of the New Hebrides mission. It is a neat volume. We purpose giving a more extended notice after its perusal. The following are the election meetings for this evening White’s Hotel, Albany street, Mr Isaac, at 8 o’clock; Bull and Mouth Hotel, Maclaggau street, Mr Chapman, at 8 o’clock • Watson’s Royal Hotel, Walker street, Mr Cargill, at 7.80,; Watson’s Royal Hotel, Walker street, Mr Reeves, at 8.30; Watson’s Royal Hotel,iWalker street, Mr „Ohapnian, at 9; Mission House, Russell street, Mr Reeves, at 7*30,