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Evening Star, Issue 3464, 30 March 1874, Page 2

It is stated that the Superintendent intends to turn the first sod of the light railways in the western district.

Genevieve do Brabant” was reptated at the Princess s on Saturday, and' well received by a numerous attendance. To-night “Thp Bohemian Girl” Will be given. One day in the early part of last week a thermometer, placed m the sun, marked 130 degrees of heat. The day was the hottest expenenced this season in Nelson-and no wonder! ; t ' : At a meeting of the Board of Health to-day it was resolved that the 180 immigrants now on Quarantine Island be admitted to pratique on Wednesday next, Ist April, if no fresh case of disease occurs. We learn from the Auckland papers that already Sullivan has transgressed the discipline of the Auckland gaol, and been placed in solitary confinement and on low diet by order of the governor. Ail outcome of the Colonial prize-firing is that some admirers of Lieutenant Hoskins offer to back him to fire against any competitor at the late competition at Napier, for any sum from LSO to LSOO. , At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port lOhalmers, this morning, James Blair was fined ■los, or 48 hours’, for being drunk in George street, at 11.30 p.m., on the 28th inst, Dr. prysdale, J.P., presided ; The Superintendent of Taranaki strongly recommends to the Provincial Council that harbor works should be at once commenced. The district behind Taranaki ho regarded as “tho garden of New Zealand,” but without a harbor they could not benefit by its productiveness. The Timet ’ believes that out of the batch of Shetland Islanders landed at Port

William some short time back, only two remain on the island, all tho rest having come over to Bottle at Invercargill or tho Bluff. That large building, the barracks, is temporarily occupied' by the family of the Customs officer. Messrs J. and N. Campbell, contractors for the Edendak cutting, on the Mataura Railway, finding it impossible to procure a sufficient number of laborers, have made arrangements for employing about twenty Chinamen, in order that this portion of the line may be completed without loss of time. ‘ We were in error in stating on Saturday that the Trinity Church, Stuart street, was free from debt. The L6OO which was so liberally subscribed in a short time by the congregation and their friends, went to pay off the mortgage on the church which fell due last week. The debt remaining oa the church amounts to L1,600> From a return supplied by the AgentGeneral, we find that in the course of 1873 ninety-two vessels were despatched from British ports for New Zealand with emigrants. The number sent out in the last quarter of the year was sixteen. The total number of adults they carried was reckoned , at number of souls at 18,493. The rifle match between the * Daily Times’ and * Guardian’ offices was fired at the Anderson’s Bay. range on Saturday. The conditions were—Ranges, 200, 400, and 500 yards; five shots at each; Hyfche position at 200 yards, any at the other ranges; six men a-side. ' The ‘Times’ team won by'nine - points, the scores being—* Times,’ 189; ‘ Guardian,’ 180. A public meeting is to be held at Queenstown this week, “to consider the advisability of taking such action as shall force on to the attentibn of the General Government the immediate necessity of proceeding with the completion of the Winton-Kingston line of railway, as one of vital importance to the whole of the interests of this district and Southland relatively.” One of the Thames journals, and some of those published in the Province of Hawke’s Bay, are printed on paper; mad© of New Zealand flax. It is bad in color and brittle (like straw paper), though in takes,a fair impression. The Napier *Evening Herald’ regrets that, in its desire to foster Colonial industry, it “ever had anything to do ” with the attempt to make printing paper of Colonial hemp.' A meeting of the Sub-Committee appointed to confer with the authorities of the University for preparing rules and regulations for the library of reference in connection with the Otago University, met at the Provincial Buildings, at 11 o’clock. Resolutions were passed recommending a code of rules to be submitted to a meeting of the Committee, to be held on Monday next, after which a general meeting of persons interested is to take place.

The ‘ Wakatip Mail * remarks that people are beginning to read the Dunedin Polics Court reports with interest. Mr Jobn Bathgate, R, M., will soon bare the eyes of more people upon bina than even when he held the portfolio of Minister of Justice. In that capacity he was rather dull, and an uninteresting personage to study. . As Resident Magistrate, on the contrary, he is exuberant and original. Ho has certainly shown, so far, that he has force of character, independence, and firmness of decision. So he should, for was not he a Cabinet Minister and an authority ? As might have, been expected, “ Under the Gaslight” drew a good downstair*’ attendance at the Queen’s on Saturday evening. On the whole, the,drama wag fairly played, a little more attention to their work on the part of the minor characters would have been acceptable. Miss Stephenson, who was twice called before the curtain, was well supported by Miss Matthews, Messrs South, O’Brien, and Hydes. The trapeze performance of M. Hamew, and the final scenes of .the pantomime brought the performance to a close. On the fall of the eurtain on the drama, Mr O’Brien returned thanks for the support received during the season, and announced that on Tuesday Mr. South would take a benefit. .

The following passage occurs in the " presentment” made to Judge Richmond by the Grand Jury, at the quarterly session of the Supreme Court, held at Hokitika during last week“ The Grand Jury venture to express a hope that the alterations and amendments in the bankruptcy laws, which wer? brought forward in the Legislative Assembly last session, will not be lost sight of in the present one. The ■want of a short, sharp, and decisive means of vesting the debtor’s property in the Provisional Trustee, immediately upon, and as .a consequence of a filing of a declaration of inability to meet liabilities, opens the door to a very great, amount of fraud! We also think that, the offence of fraudulent bankruptcy, and departure from the jurisdiction of the Court, should be made felony, in order to obtain the extradition of absconding creditors from neighboring Colonies.”

A deputation consisting ©f Messrs Stout, M.P.0.; Larnach, M‘Neil, H. Guthrie, P. C. Neill, Ramsay, and G. S. Brodrick, waited upon his Honor the Superintendent this morning. _Mr Stout introduced tho business by reminding his Honor that in consequence of a petition signed by merchants and others in Dunedin, the Provincial Council at its last session passed a resolution in favor of reducing the jetty dues, which were looked upon as a great obstruction to the trade of the port. The Provincial Government, however, stated that they were unable to take any steps in the matter without the - sanction of the General Government, who had acquired a lien over the dues by the purchase of the Port Chalmers Railway. When the Premier was in Dunedin a deputation waited upon him, and he promised to bring the matter before the Cabinet. Mr Davie, one of the former deputation, had ■just received a letter from the Premier stating that the General Government had consented to leave the matter in the hands of the Provincial Government. The present deputation now wished to know if the Provincial Executive could see its way to carry out the recommendation of the Council. His Honor said, he was strongly in favor of abolishing the dues altogether, and of making the port a free one, but they must get a revenue to maintain the jetties and pay the expenses of the port, so that he could not see how it could be done. Probably if a reduction of one-half would do, it mightbe; agreed to. He did not know what the opinions of the Executive were, as the subject had not been under their consideration for some time, but it would be brought before them at once. In all probability the question would have to' be decided finally by the Provincial Council. A London correspondent gives an amusing history of an adventure. A lady took her youngster to a doctor for vaccination, and sat down in the ante-room. Presently _ there entered another lady with a baby, and friendly, conversation ensued. At length the now-: comer .asked the first to hold the baby for a’ moment, while she went into the Air, hs the

idea o! having her baby vaccinated made her feel faint. The lady took the baby, but the stranger returned not, and at length the lady was reminded by the doctor’s servant that she must go. In vain she protested that she had a baby too many; she was told that she could not stay there, and was obliged to take her second little charge with her. It' now. became necessary to think of how to dispose of the unwelcome little stranger. The wortdiouse was tried, but the authorities refused to take it in, until inquiries could bo made. At length chance and a silly student relieved the good people of their trouble. The child was sent out in care of a servant, who, walking in the vicinity of Gray’s Inn Gardens, was accosted by two law students. Would she let them hold the baby ’—they jokingly asked. The cunning servant girl coyly refused. But they would bold the baby, and at last she consented. Then the student who had obtained the precious charge demanded & kiss before he would surrender it. “ Then you may keep it,” laughingly shouted the girl, and with a quick run she rushed round a corner, and was lost to the j view of the astonished student, while she ran home with the joyful intelligence that she had J « ot nd of the extra baby. What the student has done with his baby charge is not stated ; but the facts of this case appear to be well known to all the barristers of the Inn, as well as those of the Middle Temple. . an on. .medical malpractice, the _ Western Star’ observes that “Dunedin and its medical fraternity are achieving an unenviable notoriety. Query: When doctors differ, .who shall decide? Answer ; The Dunedin Magistrate’s . Court! It is quite cheerful to know that knotty points to the profession can be so readily solved, and the road to pay old debts or raise a little capital will soon be so well trodden that no person need complain of destitution on the ground that they cannot dig, and are ashamed to beg. Let such proceed to Dunedin ; we imagine little difficulty in getting ,up a case of malpractice, as from the Press reports it seems that directly one doctor gives an opinion two others spring up. to refute itj and, as medical men in the Colonies are'notoriously fond of speaking ill of, or jumping on, one another, the speculator would have less trouble to get the balance of evidence to preponderate in his favor. . . . We commend a work, entitled j ’Taylor’s Medical Jurispru-* dence to the perusal of the Dunedin Magistrates, and direct their attention more particularly to the learned author’s adduction that' where there is such a diversion of opinion among men of equal experience, a practitioner has a right to expect that a verdict will be returned in his favor; since it is not to be supposed that in order to re*, cover payment of a hill, or to answer a charge of unskilfulness, a man’s practice should receive the unanimous approval of tho whole of hhj professional brethren, especially in cases where there is an acknowledged difference of opinion respecting the treatment.’ The Dunedin people, though sharp, are terribly behind the times, for what was introduced as a novelty there was played out in the United States many years ago, where the disease carried its own remedy; for when it arrived at such a pitch that damages were recovered from a medical man for vaccinating a female rather nearer the elbow than usual, the public found that the fees were likely to become proportionate to the risk, and that in every case where difference of opinion was possible, consultations were insisted w’ consultation fees had to be disbursed. We cannot conclude without expressing great surprise that so large a portion of the profession in Dunediii should forget that little aphorism about glass houses, as we suspect few would maintain a smug self-righteous appearance long, u their own errors and mistakes were brought to light to be commented on by . their professional brethren. They would then be entitled to the same tenderness and generosity they are so amiably eager to accord to others.” • A lecture will be delivered in the Athenaeum Hall, to-morrow evening, by Mr M'Pherson. The usual monthly meeting of the Standard Property Investment Society will be heldin.the Society’s office on Wednesday evening, from 6 to 8 o’clock. Immediately after the above, the annual meeting of the Society will be held in the Athenaeum Hall.