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Evening Star, Issue 3639, 21 October 1874, Page 2

Tbe Oxford Troupe will again anpear at the Princess’s to-night, when Madame Reid, a vocalist, is announced to make her first appearance. An Old Colonists’ Association has been formed at Invercargill. The qualification for membership is residence in {southland prior to 1862. The selection by the American Venus Transit Expedition of Queenstown iu preference to the Bluff—the station originally chosen—was made in acco' dance with a generally received opinion that the atmos phere at the former place was clearer, and therefore better adapted for the purpose of observation. Val Vose and h : s companions appear fo have hit the tastes of the Invercargillites properly. In noticing the troupe’s perform ou Monday the ‘iSiews’ remarks tha! if thlrsuccess of the troupe go. s on increasing as it has done since their first appearance the theatre will have to be let out somewhere! Last night there was positively scarcely standing room. As Messrs Turnbull and Proudfoot were driving along the Vauxhall road yesterday evening, the horse shie.l at two men who were fishing from ihe bridge, and backed over the wall into the bay. Fortunately the capsize occurred at a spot where the water was shallow, and it happened to be ebb tide. Both gentlemen got good a ducking and the horse was rescued after considerable trouble, but the buggy was smashed, ft is reporter! that Constable M‘Laughliu rendered promjt assistance. Mr Mian, the head Immigration officer, is makin provision for the immigrants by the Jessie headman, the next boat due. By toe Wanganui there were sent to Invercargill to-day the {whole of the nominated immigrants for that place; and on Friday a number of marribd couples will be forwarded to Uamaru. This will not leave more than about fifty so Is, including children, in the Princes-btreet dep6t; while the Caversham Barracks will also be prepared to receive a large number. Mothing of importance was done in either depot to day. As indicating the feeling of some of the most eminent clergymen of tbe Church of .England in the mother country, attention is called to the following, which appeared in the ‘Church Times’ of Bth May last':that in our opinion the opening of mu seums, libraries, and art galleries that are under the management of Government, on the afternoon of Sunday, would greatly promote the moral and intellectual improvement of large classes of Her Majesty’s subjects, and is thoroughly in accordance with .he ob j .ct and meaning of the Christian Sunday.” This is signed by the Dean of Westminster, by throe of the Queen’s chaplains, by the Rev. 11, R, Hawi s, and 21)6 other clergymen.

The following is an extract from a letter by a.r Lager, well known in the Arrow dis trict in connection with mining on the Shotover. The letter is dated Cooktowu August 15th ; “ I arrived here yesterday after leaving Sydney and visiting all the northern ports. There has been a bit of a rush here lately, but like all Queensland rushes it is worked out, and fresh country has to be looked for. Some have done pretty well, and others have done nothing. L hear the reefs are likely to be good, but u will be a work of time to open them out, as cartage is Ll5O per ton, and flour 3s per lb. oa the diggings. The climate is something frightful and the blacks troubles nne. They speared a man through the heart the other day.”

Mr M'Gilhvray, in speaking at Riverton on the Provinces question, is reported to have said Abolition of the Provinces was no new idea with him. He had been a steadfast opponent of Provincial Government all along, and never could be in favor of it. One great evil anting from the system was that legislation affecting the whole Colony c >uld not be honestly carried out. Provincialism, he said, w r as the worst form of Centralism ; it was unsatisfactory to the great bulk of the Colony and should be done away with by substituting local Boards, The powers of the Road Boards could easily be extended, and hospitals, gaols, &c., put under local control without tha formality of mock Parliaments. He conceived it high time that form of government was abolished, and supplanted by an authority more prompt. The Provincial Council had sat for weeks over Waste Lands B 11a, which were thrown out m the Assembly— a foim of government without a reality. < ’ne half of the minority against the abolition was formed of Superintendents and Provincial Secretaries. SSo doubt, he said, Provincial Coi.noils must go soon ; they had been a great burden to the country, and there should never have been anything more than Road Boards and Land Boards and Land Boards. But he thought

the Bill should not go beyond its second reading until the country bad been appealed to,” Not only did Mr M'Gillivray receive a vote of confidence, but the constituency recorded its entire approval of his action. Regarding the proposed telegraph cables to Singapore and New Zealand, the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ of October 6 says “We believe that Mr Parkes and Mr Samuel met Mr Vogel, Mr Macaliater, and Mr Thorn, on Thursday, and that the three Governments of New South Wales, New Zealand aud Queensland have come to a thorough, understanding respecting the course to be taken with regard to the proposed telegraph cables. It has been decided that each Government shall be represented in London, aud that, acting under instructions, the representative shall conclude an arrangement in conformity with the authority given by the respective Parliaments. Many of these detai's which were *not included in the memorandum of agreement signed by the repres mtatives of three Governments in 1873, have now been discussed and -arranged. By the personal exchange of views which has taken place, the three Governments are not only likely to be able to act harmoniously, but they have already arr.ved at a decision as to some of the details, by which much time and trouble will doubtless be saved to those who have charge of the negotiations in England, We believe we may say one principle has been clearly laid down, namely, that the representatives are to satisfy themselues that any arrangement entered into is both economicaand efficient in its character, and on that condition only are they to be at liberty to resume the negotiations already commenced. We have not yet beard who are to repre&eut New South Vi ales and Queensland, but Mr \ ogel is, we understand, empowered to act on behalf of his Government.

Last evening the Moray place C mgragational Church celebrate.l its twelfth anniversary by a tea an.l public meeting. The tea meeting was held m the hall, which has lately undergone considerable improvements, and last night it was very tastefully decorated with flowers and evergreens There was a large attendance, the room b.Bin ,r insufficient to accommodate all at one fitting. After tea, which had be.n provided by the ladies of the congregation, the meeting adj turned to the church, which was also appropriately decorated, and the chair was taken by he pastor, the liev. Dr Koseby. The annual report was read by Mr J. B Thomson, it stating that the church now numbers 152 members, as against 135 last year, showing an increase of 17 members. In connection with the Sabbath school movement, there is an average attendance of 13.) children, with 15 teachers, at the Russell street school ; and at Moray pa;e there are 117 on the roll, with a present average attendance of and 15 teachers. During t'ie past year the Moray place school children subscribed the sum of i 15 5s t iwards the funds of the London Missionary Society. The amount contributed by the Church during the year towards the school libraries was LIO 15 . With reference to the building itself, it wai stated that the mortgage had increased during the year from L2OO to L 1,200, but for tfie addi ional debt there are improvements to the value of upwards of LOGO, including the organ. The meeting was subsequent y addressed by the Kev. Me-srs Maxwell and Jsitt, Port Chalmers ; Hamilton, Victoria; and Davis, Bigg, Stuart, and Gow, Dunedin. Several musical selections were performed during the evening, under he leadership of Mr Little, which fully maintained the reputation of the choir of the Congregational Church for excellent singing, After the usual votes of thanks, the proceedings were closed with the singing of the Doxology by the entire assembly, and the pronounciug of the benediction bv Dr Roseby.

Mr Robert Gilmour, Invercargill, was one of the “victimised” passengers by the Mikado on her last outward trip, and thus relates his experience “ All the passengers by the Mikado, holding through orders, have to pay over again from here for the rest of our journey. We waited on Mr Hall, who said it was a mere hitch or misunderstanding, which he was going on to settle, but that under any circumstances the purser had cash enough on hoard to pay all our fares. The purser said he had, and we rested satisfied. Wo arrived here on Sunday evening. On Monday morniug we presented our orders —for the purpose of getting our railway and Atlantic tickets—at the agents, Messrs Merrill and Co. We were told they had no funds of the company’s in hand, and could not advaice any more; further, that Mr Hall had gone off that morning per express train without making any arrangements. Proceeding to the captain and purser we obtained no better reply. The latter gentleman stated to myself and another that, after the interview with Mr Hall above referred to, he (Hali) came to him and asked for Hie money he had in hand, which he gave him. Hall said he would see Merrill and Co. immediately on arrival and make it all right for the passengers. On Sunday he (the purser) saw Hall and Merrill together on board a good deal. On Sunday night Hall told him that he had arranged the difficulty with Merrill, and that he would be a; the agency in the morniug to see they were passed on all right. Next morning, Monday, at four o’clock, he (Hall) raised him (the purser) out of his bed, handed him the butts of the through orders, an i said ‘l’m off by the through train to London- you must do the best you can for the passengers.’ Of course the purser has not been able to do anything; the agents will do nothing ; the ship is attached ; and here we are—left to go on as best we may. Fortunately I have been able, from papers in my possession, to arrange with the banks here for a draft, but many are not so circumstanced. I may just mention that Messrs Merrill and Co. stated positively that Hall knew before the Mikado left Sydney—long enough to advise all the agencies—that no more through orders would be honored by them. I will hot characterise the transactions related, but merely pledge you my word that the facts are as stated.”

The following extraordinary announcement, by Dr M’Clure, appears in yesterday’s ‘■Southland News’:—‘‘Pending the appeal which I have submitted to the ‘ Lancet ’— the highest authority on medical jurisprudence in .consequence of the erroneous decision of the Attorney-General re myself and the Public Health Act, and which decision has been blindly endorsed by the Colonial Secretary and the Superintendent of the Province of Otago, I hereby give notice that I have withdrawn from the practice of my profession within the • boundaries of the Alunicipality of Invercargill.” r lhe dispute between Dr M'Clure and the Board of Health began some four months ago, when, on the outbreak in Invercargill of a malady supposed to be diphtheria, the Board intimated to the medic d profession that they would have to give information of cases of diphtheria or other contagious or infectious disease occurring in their practice. Two or three complied without demur, but Dr Clure held that a statutory' declaration he madej on being admitted a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, not “ to disclose secrets becoming known to him in the course of his practice,” precluded his compliance, as in his o : .inion it would involve per jury. The “nice point ” thus raised was referred by the “local” to the “Central” Board of Health, and by it passed on to the Colonial Secretary’s Office, whence it found its way to the Attorney-General , who decided nothing, but advised, in effect,

tbac in the publ'c interest it would be advis able to try a case and settle the point raised; and the “ M’Olure a.e simply formal sanctions to the Board to act in accordance with the AttorneyGeneral’s sugnes ion. Sumudig up the matter, the ‘News’ does nob consider Dr M'Clure altogether entitled to sympathy, or that his self-ostracism is warranted by the circumstances. Instead of withdrawing £om practice, and thereby incurring serious pecuniary 1 ’ss, he should have quietly pursued the even tenor of his way until brought to book And the * limes’ does not see how Dr M‘Clnro improve,! his position by this step, all the DLtrLt Road Boards, with which the country is now covered, having precisely the same pow*»r«, as Boards of Health, as the Municipal Council of Invercargill. Mr Braithwaite has forwarded to us ‘ Bow Bells and * London Jourual ’ for September. We would remind Volunteers that the inspection parade takes place this evening. As this will be the first parade of the season, a good muster is desired.