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Evening Star, Issue 3505, 18 May 1874, Page 2

The Provincial Government have instructed Mr Allan to forward to Southland 200 ipunigrants of the next shipload that arrives at Port Chalmers. “ Prompter” tells us that Mr H. Gordon, the well-known basso, leaves the Carandini Company at Sydney, and intends proceeding to Europe to study under the best masters there. The Engineer-in-Ghief, accompanied by Mr Brunton, District Engineer, was at Riverton last week examining Riverton harbor, with a view to reporting to the Colonial Government on the best means to be adopted for its permanent improvement. Mr Fish intends to move for the appointment of a select committee to inquire into the acceptance by the late Executive of tenders for the construction of the light railways, and into the circumstances connected with the expenditure of money on the road from Tokomairiro to Lawrence. A Miners Mutual Improvement Society and /debating Club has been formed in one of the gqid£elds’ towns in the Grey Valley, and the fpr discussion at its first meeting was, Which _ia the greatest calamity in a commua dpctor iyithput humanity, or a lawyer Without regard pr for the truth ?” . Our contemporary, %Waifcpuaiti Herald,’ is going m for a pew tlpng in jpurnalistic literature—namely,thereproaucliprfof “songs, ancient and modern.” Two issues agp, its readers were favored with “.Simon, the cellarer, and in. last number appeared the timeworn ballad, “Annie Laurie.” The idea is certainly original, if not the verses. n.^D^ e waß a Pretty numerous attendance at the Princess's on Saturday night, when a programme of the usual character was submitted. This evening both troupes will make their last appearance, when an unusually attractive programme will be presented; the Siamese, who have just returned from Invercargill, appearing in conjunction with the other performers. The first meeting of the National Insurance Co. Vvaa held at Farley’s Hall today, when there were ahqirt 150 shareholders present. Mr VV. J. M/Lama'ch yss voted to the chair, aud he _ then read' the repprfc and balance sheet, which has already ’ been piibblished. This was adopted, and, after disclia-: sion, the directors’ recommendation that a dividend of five per cent, for the half-year be declared, was carried. We regret to learn that an accident occurred ,tp one of the cases in the Museum, which will necessitate the removal of the moa collections that Wfil'ff exhibited in it. A portion of the ceiling gu.v.e way on Saturday morning last and fell through tpc glass of one of the largest cases. Luckily the moa specimens escaped injury, but a valuable specimen from an ‘ ’ orca' 1 was broken. Fears are entertained that the other cases are injured. The London ‘ Times ’ has completed careful review of the census of 1871 of the British ; Empire. There are thirty-eight persons to a‘ square ipile in jtlempire; 260 in the United Kingdom ; 201 in India; and 1.41 in the Colonies. It should be observed, however, that in some parts of India the density ,of population more thqji equals that of England, Queen rules over 238,765,563 souls' ; her people‘dwell in 44,142,65 1 houses; the area of the lands they ) inhabit is not less than 7,769,449 square miles, j Sir Chapman’s second entertainment at the ‘ Quc'-as I'heatre on Saturday evening, attra ted! a large attendance, the dress circle and stalls being well filled, while the pit was crowded in ■ every part. The programme was almost similar to that of the previops evening, the tricks of! ledgerdeniain and the second-sight manifesta- . tloas being loudly applauded j while the ex-

posure of the Davenport knot trick created no htfcle surprise. Mr Chapman agreeably diversisifies the entertainment by indulging in an innumerable number of small jokes, and relating short anecdotes. There will be another performance to-night. An odd item of posthumous morality has come under the notice of a gossiping correspondent of the ‘ Wakatip Mail,’ A colonist of Now Zealand, conscious of the “beginning of the end ’’ of the part he has taken in the drama of life, has bethought himself of mortuary bequests. He remembers the existence in the old country of two natural children, born mati y years since, for whom it behoves him to make provision. They still dwell with their mother, by whom they have been for many years supported. Ignoring the claims of the woman—the man .has a wife and other offspring—he bequeaths the sum of fifty pounds, to bo < invested at his death in New Zealand securities for the future benefit of his neglected offspring. This compromise between morality and thrift—considering the affluence of the man—is doubtless unique. Some little time back great dissatisfaction the action of the authorities in Fiji in sending the refuse of their population to Auckland. Another instance has just cropped up. A man named John Wilson was Pl a °ed on board the s.s. Star of the South by the British Consul in Fiji, in order that he might be got rid of. The steamer arrived at Auckland late at night, and the next morning Wilson was in the hands of the police for steallnß a coa t from a shop in Queen street, for which he was seat to gaol for four months. The man is a cripple, and the work that will be got out of him at the Mount Eden Gaol will bo little or nothing. As Mr Beckham, R.M., said, when the case was under consideration we should give the Fijians a Roland for their Oliver by sending them some of the best specimens of our loafers, and they must certainly nave a very bad lot in Fiji if they do not get the worst of it.” We tried to ship off Sullivan to their climes, and now we naturally dislike being hoist with our own petard. In the Provincial Council this afternoon, Mr Fish gave notice of the following motion for Ihursday: “ Whereas the establishment of grammar schools in various parts of the Provmce renders it necessary that the Dunedin iligh ochool for boys should be continued at the public expense, and whereas the maintenance of the said school at the expense of the State involves an expenditure for which there is no adequate return, and prevents the establishment in Dunedin of one or more proprietary schools of a class quite equal to the High School, which there, is good reason to believe, would otherwise bo established, it is therefore resolved, (l)That 1 j ® c “°°l s f° r boys be discontinued, and that adequate compensation be paid to the teachers for loss of office, (i) That the High School buildings be applied to such other purpose as the Government shall deem fit (3) That the rectory be either sold or leased to any individual or proprietary desirous of establishing a high-class school for boys upon a suitable system. (4) That one of the district schools be raised to the rank of a Grammar School, in terms of the Grammar Schools Act Ordinance, and a portion of the expenditure heretofore appropriated to the High School lie applied to this purpose. (5) That a respectful address be transmitted to his Honor the Superintendent, requesting that he may be pleased to give effect to the foregoing resolutions.” Intelligence was brought by the last California mail of great political excitement at Vicl°u r i a V Vancouve P’ 8 dßland . British Columbia, ibis has risen out of the dissatisfaction of the people with the non-fulfilment of the terms on which they agreed to enter the Canadian Dominion, On consideration of entering the Dominion, tbo Ocvnadirin Pacific Railroad was to have been built within a comparatively brief space of time, but the Dominion Government now find it impossible to do this, and seek to vary the terms of the bargain. Not content with ordinary expressions of dissatisfaction at this, about a thousand of the citizens of Victoria marched up to Parliament House on the I2th of February, and insisted, first, on the city members who supported the Government resigning; and, next, on no new terms being either proposed or accepted until the people had had an opportunity of considering them. What steps the Government intended to take m face of this demonstration were not known when the mail left, further than that the com-mander-in-chief had been requested to station a gunboat off the Government buildings, and had refused. Higgins, one of the ringleaders, having been threatened with arrest, at once avowed his acceptance of the entire responsibility of the demonstration, and Decosmos, the head of the Ministry, forthwith resigned, and left the city. It was generally believed that the latter had gone to stand in some outside district for a seat in the Dominion House of Commons. Nothing, it was said, but a dissolution of the Provincial Parliament would satisfy the country on this question. All except the Government and a few of their supporters insist on the railway clause in the Act of Union being preserved intwt. The proceedings of the Hokitika Borough Council do not appear to be always marked by order and good feeling, as will be seen by the following report of a recent meeting, which appears in one of the local journals “ The meeting last night, wAich terminated about half-past ten o’clock, at one time seemed likely to last all night. Any much more unseemly proceedings have rarely taken place in the good aid times’ in the above body. The proceedings in themselves were comparatively unimportant, but the spleen thrown into the consideration of trifles was extraordinary. It was a kind of general skirmish almost from the commencement, the Mayor himself being one of the assaulted, and very nearly one of the combatants. The word ‘lie’ was used in its naked form, and repeatedly with variations of a slightly moderated nature, motives were imputed. order was called in the midst of disorder harangues were delivered, and one of the freest conversational fights that need be witnessed and listened to, delighted a large and appreciative company, who expressed their delight in various ways. Indeed there seemed to be such a pugnacious spirit animating even some of th* most usually staid councillors, that it is surprising that matters did not end with less creditable results even. At tHe conclusion of the proceedings, the Public Works Committee grievance fortunately brought about a' crisis, . resulted in a long speech, and euhninated in two of the councillors fairly (taking to their heels; the stampede in a minute or so was universal, the Mayor being left standing alone, endeavoring at his popt either to recall the lost sheep or tp call the absent ones to order. .There was no adjournment, and the proceedings terminated by a non-quorum, consisting of the Mayor being loft.” A meeting of the Pioneer Lodge, 1.0.G.T, will be held in the Oddfellows Hall at 7 o’clock to-morrow evening. A summoned meeting of the Court Pride of Dunedin, A. 0.F., will be held in the South Australian Hall to-morrow evening, at 8 p clock. Sections Nos 1 to 8, block 52, adjacent to the railway station, lyill be submitted to public auction by Milner, in the Land Office, at 12 o clock to-morrdw. ■ A bazaar in aidi of the Wesleyan Churches at Ralclutha and Port Chalmers will Be 'opened m the Wesleyan School-room, Duneditq tomorrow afterhoop, at‘3 o’clock. ' The Bazaar will also be opened on and Thursday at the same hour.