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Evening Star, Issue 3513, 27 May 1874, Page 2

The examination for the New Zealand University Scholarships was commenced to-day. There were only two competitors—S. Solomon and 0. Low. Mr Chapman’s entertainment was very indifferently attended last evening; but the performance appeared to give general satisfaction.: Several new tricks were introduced. Attention was called in the Provincial Council this afternoon to the case of L. J. Stead, and the Provincial Solicitor gave explanations, which went to show that, in his opinion, the Sheriff and not his debtor was the aggrieved person. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Capt. Thomson and Dr O’Donoghuo, Win. Smith and James M'Guin were charged by Charles Smith with stealing two bottles of ale, six brushes, and a jar, part cargo from the lighter Thames, alongside the ship Asia. After hearing the evidence both prisoners were committed for trial. Some townspeople appear to be given to practical joking when they get into the country. A Dunedin gentleman has been summoned to appear before the R.M. at Oamaru on Friday next, to answer a complaint of having kicked away a ladder from under the town lamplighter, while engaged in lighting a lamp, thereby causing him personal injury and breaking the lamp. The damages are laid at L2O. The Balmoral Variety Troupe gave their second entertainment at the Princess Theatre last evening, there being a moderate attendance. The programme was similar to that of the previous evening, the dogs going through their performances very well; but of the singing and dancing we are not disposed to speak very highly. The audience was, to say the least, extremely rowdy. Two amendments are to be moved to the Government proposition to run only two trains on Sunday—one by Mr G. F. C. Browne, that ah traffic on railways and public roads shall be strictly prohibited the second, by the wise man from Makerewa, who invites the Provincial Council to say that Sunday traffic jpn railways “is not conducive to the welfare of the inhabitants of the Province either morally or ■physically,” and that therefore Sunday trains should be discontinued, except in cases of emergency. r ■■ • A special meeting of the Press Dramatic Club was held to-day at Bayley’s Hotel, Mr Leary in the chair. The only business done was the making of a presentation by Mr Eastwood to Mr Mitchell, the Secretary of the Club, for the manner in which the latter gentleman had worked to make the performance for Mr Eastwood’s benefit a financial success. The presentation was made by the chairman in a few. well-chosen words, the recipient returning thanks in a suitable manner.

The case of the debtor Lewis Stead, now in the Dunedin Gaol, seems to elicit great sympathy, and during the past couple of days L3O has been subscribed for the purpose of gaining his release. A meeting for the' same purpose will beheld in the Athenaeum.H-; 11 -it o’clock -this evening. A subscription list has shall be ’ gl^\AHece^^SneV o ®rthe n lme purpose, the idea having b,een mooted in a correspondent’s letter published byjjus some weeks ■ ft g°. A deputation, consisting of the Rev. Mr otanford; Captains Clark, Fox, Friston, Smith, and btavely ; and Messrs Boddington, Genever, innis, Muir, and White—all members of the Fort Chalmers Regatta Committee -waited on his Honor the Superintendent yesterday, to ask that he would proclaim a public holiday shortly, in order that the postponed regatta may be carried out. His Honor referred the deputation to his Worship the Mayor, who after hearing the arguments urged in favor of the request, promised to consider if it could be granted, and let the result be known as soon as possible. We are glad to learn that the immigrants by the James Nicol Fleming are an exceedingly suitable class, and there can be but little doubt but that they will readily find employment. A^, are r iea . y> an< l a respectable looking lot; while the girls are amongst the best yet sent here, and should, with the many applications now in, get first-class wages. At the Barracks this morning twenty young men were engaged as farm servants at from L 52 to L 55 per year 1 and found. There were also forwarded to Uamaru 116 souls, consisting of married men, single men, and single women; and in the after-: noon, by the Wanganui to Invercargill, thirtyone men, The remainder of the men'may be engaged to-morrow, and the single women on Friday. -There are still a number of the Asia’s importation in the Barracks, and they are going off very slowly (being altogether unsuitable fqr any work) in one or two at the‘ time. For the sake of mischief, some of the gu-ls by that vessel turned on the hose in the dining-room yesterday morning, swamping it with water.

j 3 . morning a deputation consisting of his' Worship the Mayor, and Messrs Stout, Rutherford, &c., waited on his Honor the Superintendent with reference to the check toll-bar erected at Kensington on the road to the ocean beach. Mr Stout stated the ground of the com-' plamt which the inhabitants of the district had « e i. before Ms Honor, to'the effect that they had to pay toll for a Government road, while actually they never were off the district road or a City road. If the check bar were removed to the Anderson’s Bay Road and placed across it near the Bay View Hotel it would be a great advantage, as at present people evaded the Anderson’s Bay Road toll by striking off along one of the side roads across the flat. It was pointed out, also, that the residents in the Kensington district had been to the expense of about L 5 per quarteracre section in forming the district road.—His Honor thought the complaint was very reasonable, and that the idea of placing the check bar near the Bay View Hotel was a good one but then the trade of the gas works would i thought such works should be exempt from paying toll.—His Honor promised to bring the matter up at .the first meeting, of the Executive.

Th® Pneumatic Dredge, the property of the Otago Pneumatic Gold Mining Company, after the no inconsiderable sum that has been spent in making her (so to speak) seaworthy, has had to be abandoned for a bad job, the ( Current wheels with which she is fitted not i being powerful enough to work the air pump with sufficient speed to charge the pneumatic cylmcer with air. This is to be regretted, as the river is showing evidences of falling to a very low level this winter, and bringing the bed within easy reach. The ‘ Dunstan Times ’ informs us that Mr Coventry, under whose superintendence the current wheels and the other improvements were made, and under whose management the dredge was. has laid her up in ordinary, and proceeded to Dunedin to consult the shareholders, with a view of obtaining a steam-engine as an auxilary power to the wheels. When the dredge was in mid-current the wheels had power and to spare, as was proved by test; but the want of power is experienced when the jj vessel is in shore, and where the current as a rule is sluggish. In several places the cyliyders were lowered and gold obtained; and had the power been sufficient to get into shallower water there is scarcely a doubt but that sufficient of the precious metal would have beeh secured to make her a’ .success.

A special meeting of the Caversham Road Board wus held on Monday evening in the school-room, when there were present-Mcssrs Read, Rutnerford, Wilson. Carey, Bridgman, Uren, and Bennet; Mr Rutherford in the chair! lue meeting was called in consequence of the erection of a check toll-bar on St Kilda Road, and a letter was read from the Under-Secre-tary m reply to the Board’s letter of 28th Anvil when the Board questioned the power of the Government to authorise the lessee of the Anderson s Bay road toll-liar to erect a check tollbai- on the St Kilda road, in which the Government now refers the Board to the 36th section of me Turnpikes Ordinance, 1866, which confers the necessary power on the Government; ami ad-ls, however, that the same section nroyuies fov the payment of half the tolls collected to the. District Road Board, and that to this the attention of the toll collector had been directed. An.er careful consideration of the whole matter, it was moved by Mr Uren, and seconded by Mr Larey, and unanimously agreed to, “ That a snb-committse be appointed, consisting of Messrs Rutherford, Bridgman, and Uren, with (it obtainable) the co-operation of the City Council, to wait on the Executive with the view of getting tiie check toll removed ; and failing which, to get up a petition to the Provincial Council from those interested; and that Mr Stout be requsted to present the petition.” The Board meets again on the 4th of June.

Messrs Reith and Wilkie have forwarded to us a copy of “ The Pictorial World,” a new London illustrated paper, which is published at the modest price of threepence. The programme is “ to present to the great middle-class of England, and of all English-speaking countries, a weekly illustrated record of passing events, which shall be pure in tone, amusing in its contents, and graceful to the eye and the first number is got up in such a manner that shows the conductors are determined to spare no expense to complete their part of ihe bargain. The engravings, paiticularlyof eminentmen, are excellent, and the reading matter well selected. The pleasant style in which the original stories are told will commend itself to all readers. To Messrs Reith and Wilkie we are also indebted m- ?„ C0 Py of “Episodes of the Tichbome Inal, which is reproduction, in a handy form, of the leading features of the * Graphic’s ’ report of this famous trial, together with that journal s illustations of the proceedings.