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Evening Star, Issue 3463, 28 March 1874, Page 2

Trinity (Wesleyan) Church, Stuart street, had a mortgage over it of L6OO, .which fell due this week. The whole of the money has, during the last month, been subscribed and paid by adherents and friends of the congregation, and the church now stands free from debt. Such liberality is indeed praiseworthy. : There was a falling off in the attendance at the Queen’s Theatre last evening. The performance commenced with the Hibernian comedy of “ Barney the Baron,’’ followed by Mons. Hamew and Miss Blanche in their trapeze act, and the entertainment concluded with “The Fair One with the Golden Locks.” The burlesque was well gone through,,but the pantomime passed more flatty than , on any previous representation.. “Under the Gaslight” is announced for this evening. There was not as good an attendance at the Masonic Hall last evening as we would have wished to see, considering ths excellence,of the entertainment. The performance opened with the ballad, “Strangers Yet,” which was very pleasingly given by Miss Sara. This lady sang several other ballads and took part in several duets with Mr Clifton in the course of the evening. Messrs Baker and Shipp were very successful in their negro delineations. A feature of the second part of the programnif was Mr Clifton’s “Silly Bill and Father." We would call attention to the fact that Miss Fanny Sara’s benefit takes place on Monday, prior to her departure.for Melbourne,. when we trust there will be a crowded house. “ Genevieve do Brabant ” was repeated at the Princess’s last evening, to a moderate attendance, It certainly goes more smoothly than it did on Tuesday night; but we miss ' those complete details which are necessary to make it a thorough success. Of course Miss May is the life and soujl.cf the piece; and develops a penchant for burlesque xvjiioh must have surprised those who have'only before seen her in opera proper. The pretty duet between her and the Princess in the first act was ad- [ mirably sung, and her solo in the third act, ‘Sleep on my Queen,” deservedly applauded The crowing chorus seemed to amuse the audience greatly; but the gendarmes’ duet fairly took them by etprm, and there is no question Messrs Ramfqrd and Vernon are “ immense” in that. “ Genorfaye" yriU bo played again to-night. ° A very curious and useful combination of amusement and instruction has been published in Auckland by a gentleman devoted to music, who employed bis leisure hours in so arranging l a set ot cards with every variety of musical notation engraved upon them, that they could be used in the same way as ordinary playing cards, for whist or any other of the usual games, with this very important addition -that the player becomes by practice familiar with chords, scales, notes, tonics, subdwwuants, and

every kind of the perplexing notation necessary to acknowledge of the theory of music. The * ’ «ay s these cards are pronounced by judges the most ingenious and effects yet propounded for thoroughly grounding in the theory of music those who arc daunted by its complexities as ordinarily taught. liiitadgblo have to made) buttjbe it mayCbe added, the• most ;i useless^^of ! allf-thfese eccentricities took. December 2,|sifshe White Roae'Tjivoru; l * . There, before a'latgb assembly, an American nnmed-'ilefferaou contended in a match’ of 500 up against the veteran Dufton. The latter, of course, played the game in the regular way, but the American employed no cue or other instrument, but actually struck the ball with his nose ! Bending .over the table ho gives the object-ball a tap with the point or side of his nbseV and in this way he succeeded in yaking 'cannons and hazards till he actually Won the game. - Like Izar, he replaces the striking ball, after every stroke,’in any position he pleases—near to or far-from the object-ball, according to circumstances—and in this way he actually succeded in pocketing the red from the spot nineteen times consecutively. The exhibition was more remarkable than agreeable‘to witness. . Mr I. N. Watt, R.M., to-day gave judgment in the appeal case , of the.-Waterworks Company v. the Halfway Bush Road Board. The annual value of the property of, the Company'si tuaAed, Wthin -the : dist , ri'ct' l 'had ’been 1 assessedhy the Boardiat^3,2s2;-the fate upon’ which for the current year of-9d .in the ‘poundamounts to L 121195. iThe Cpmpany Appealed , to the Resident Ooutfi .{vgainst ; the: assessment;,.; Mr Wntfedecidod^hat,the,annual value is the <pf rata due pn. which is Lp.l 7s 6jL. ,Tho*; £mmmt "by which' the assessment is reduced being one-fifth of the amount claimed the Company is not entitled to costs. The Road Board, it will be rein embererl, sued the Company for’last‘year’s rates, Lloßj‘ reduced to LIOO to bring it Hvithin the-jurisdic-tion bf the Il^feident■'■Magistrates?Court, landobtained judgment for the amount, claimed. Notice, of appeal tp ? the Supreme .Court was served on the Board ; consequently ihp- sum of Llll 75,6 d- which together,with the;subsidy.of two to one, is equal t0L634 2s 6d, is withheld from the. district.,. Necessary public works cannot be proceeded frith; and the ratepayers in some parts of the district are not at all satisfied. Who is to blame ?

•The following racy hits'are by “yEgles” in the ‘ AustralasianA lady who had passed five blissful* days; at the, registry-offices, interviewing young ladies presumed to be willing to accept; engagements as., .'domestic' servants, ■ has imparted to mo-;an,actuHl, experience. She had foupd at.lepgtH the!paragon she had been, seeking. She had been enabled)’ after a rigorous examination in chief, tosatisfy her handmaiden as to the economy bf her husband in the wearing of socks, and his proper parsimony' in pocket-handkerchiefs; and her own views as to permission to‘ attend'dancing classes twice a week were found to be perfectly orthodox. Her difficulties : -syere. apparently surmounted. Alas I for the vanity of i human- aspirations. ‘Where do you live?” asked‘Betsy. ,*‘N ; b."2 terrace,” was the reply. ‘‘ Terrace ? Oh ! I wouldn’t live in a terrace. Why didn’t you tell £ie’; at first, and hot waste tny time?” Haye.:you,” said a lady to a newly arrived Episcopalian, “heard the Rev. Charles Clark? lam sure.you^would ,be delighted.” “.-Ah! Of what persuasion, is he j?,” “!A Baptist,” re* plied the lady. “Mrs - .'’’exclaimed the exquisite resentfully,* “ I iriay be a'heathen, hut I' am not a Dissenter.”

Alarge amount oif tusinesshiis been done at the Immigration Barracks,. Cayersham, during the past Week,- above three hundred souls iii all having left the Barracks. The- Remainder of the single girls were engaged yesterday at L 26 per year, the matron (Mrs Crawford) attributing the fact of their Jong stay in the place.,to fever having been on, board the vessel, but as no sign of contagion has been visible since their release from quarantine, all apprehension of its again breaking out may how be dismissed: ' A faimer, and his wife were, engaged to-day-to go to’ the Lakes afr L 65 per year/ ‘ About fifty persons are still in the Barracks unemployed. A large number of those originally intended for the North, both from I 'the :Mongol and Scimitar, will be fprwsrded at the earliest 'opportunity. These include Germans, English, Irish. Scotch, and a few Shetlanders. As an indication of the willingness of some of the men to. take good situations,-we njay mention that half-a-dozen of them on Saturday last walked to Hampden, got employment on the railway yvorks, near Mr. Murcuttts, Shade their own arrangements, returned to town, hired a cutter, and have gone to Moeraln with their wives and families; "The scarcity sf house' accommodation is the chief cause of complaint, and in consequence a number of immigrants have had to remain in the barracks and make it their home, while others have left the Province being unable to find houses for their families! Early application for the remaining immigrants will have to be inade. < I.' : ; - '!•'

• On Friday week a meeting of the Sabbath School Teachers’ Union-was held in the Vestry Of the First Church, the Rev, Dr Eoseby, Prespipnt of,the Union, in the chair. Alter some prejiniiftary business, Mr W. Gobll read a Pape* on Opr Sunday Schools. ” The essayist alluded to the present state of elementary education, and the improvement' constantly taking place in the day-school instruction, contrasting the latter with the teaching in Sabbath school's, ihe children being only one hour and a-balf each Sabbath under tbe charge of the teacher rendered it imperative, if any good was to resmt,_that.as much, spiritual effort and energy should be centred On that ■short'' period as'poseible. It was also pointed out that, while book knowledge was, advantageous , in. qualifying the teacher fpy his work, the essential element of success was that fyis pwn heart he filled with the zeal and love which yras inspired by contemplating Chris*, the “ perfeef teacher,” iwho must ever be regarded as"tliV%bbatli school teacher’s model. An expression of opinion was requested as to whether the use of catechisms was advantageous, or disadvantageous. The essayist urged the’ propriety of adapting the prayers to tbe minds and needs of the scholars ; and advocated the visiting of the children in their homes to acquire a knowledge of their daily life, and manifest an interest in their welfare. The results of Sabbath school work was likewise touched upon, the essayist contending that the statistics of Mr Mimpris--who states that only one per cent of Sabbath scholars unite themselves to the Church—were incorrect, and quoted the statement of the Rev. Dr Price, of Aberdare, and Dr Green, of Eawdou College, the former ot whom gives seventeen out of every twenty, as the general average, and the latter one out of every twenty yearly. An interesting discussion followed, in which several members spoke in favor of the use of catechisms, and agreeing with the essayist that a much larger proportion of schplars ultimately united themselves to the Church than that stated by Mr Mimpris. The chairman considered that fgentloman too great an authority to .be easily set aside. After a y.otp of thanks to Mr Goull for his excellent paper, the meeting was closed with the benediction,.

, A meetingof journeymen bootmakers will be held at the European Hotel, at 8 o’clock oh Monday evening.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the Oonir mercidl Building Society will: be' held on Monday evening, at 6 o’clock.

n We vo received from Messrs Findlay and Lo. an illustrated catalogue of cottages, doors, sashes, mouldings, and architraves, which will prove of great use to those intending to build, iho are drawn to suale; the elevations are neat, a»d the patterns of doors, windows, and mouldings tasteful, yhe engraving is good, and very creditable to Mr jLister, by whom it was executed. ' ' • *