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Evening Star, Issue 3710, 13 January 1875, Page 2

A special meeting of the City Council is to he held this evening to consid r “certain financial matters,” There died in the Pictpo hospital the other day a man named Philip Waite," who, not many years ago, had money sufficient to spend L9(JO in a spree in a fortnight at Melbourne. He was the first man to drive sheep from South Australia overland to Melbourne.

At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Mr Mansford, R.M., Hans Nelson and Frank Hosinan were charged with deserting from the ship Janet Cowan, and remanded until to-morrow. In justice to last year’s comp titors for Provincial Scholarships it may be mentioned that the .Secretary reported to the ducation Board yesterday that the papers this year were, on the whole, 15 per cent, easier to be answered than those of last year.

It is easy to guess the name of “the friend from New Zealand” who informs the ‘Australasian’ that “Madame Goddard’s business agent was not sorry that her tour in the Colony had come to an end. He says he adores genius, especially musical genius ; but be wishes it were not impossible for genius and eccentricity, especially eccentricity of temper, to be in alliance.”

The Golden Crown is a success in Melbourne, and her excursion trips on Sunday afternoons in Hobson’s Bay are largely attended. The ‘ Argus ’ of the 4th inst, tells us that the day before “some 600 welldressed, well-behaved peaple crowded the steamer, which, together with the trip, was well spoken of by those who had no scruples about thus enjoying themselves on a beautifully fine summer Sunday," The great sea-serpent ha», it is alleged, again been seen. This time the monster is said to have been observed swimming across the stern of the ship Carlisle Castle, at a distance of only about tea or twelve yards, with its head erect and about six feet of its body out of water. It was moving along veiy and was plainly seen for about a quarter of an hj ur. This occurred on the I7th of October, in 45 north latitude and 1-2 west longitude. Our Riverton contemporary in its last issue was unfortunate enough to misprint an advertisement of a birth, which drew from the father, a medico and well-known resi dent in the district, the following quaint communication, which explains the nature of the mistake :—“ Yp.i’ve. turned my boy into a girl. I will give you best. 1 thought I knew my business pretty fairly, but that’s a wrinkle I was not up to. For the sake of its mother and sorrowing relatives, please to retransmogrify the child and allow it to assume its normal gender.”

The cutter Nautilus, owned a~d commanded by Captain Densem, returned last night fro .a her first cruise The fishing is carried on by means of a trawl, which can be used to a depth of from fifteen to twenty feet. TJxe cruise last uiyht was off Green Island, and jin ope haul three-quarters of a { ton of fish wer.e secured —consisting of barracoota, ling, soles, skate, &c. Fish were very plentiful, aud had there beeu a dttle wind doubtless more would have been caught. Besides the captain, three other other men —all of whom have been engaged in trawl fishing at Home—were in the boat. The attendance of purchasers at the land sale at Waikoikoi on Thursday was small, owing to the alteration, at the last hour, of the date ; and the great increase of pi-ice, from 21s fid to 40s an acre, wa< considered ; too high. For the 1,600 acres open on deferred payments there were 24 applications, embracing an are of 4,80) acres, being equal to three applicants for each of the eight sections open. The sections i» thig case were surveyed as these deferred payment sections ought to be surveyed, viz., in 200-acre blocks, The ‘ ffuapeka Times ’ demands a-> explanation of the sale being hurried on six wteks without reasonable notice, and why only at the last moment the land was found to be of special valuo. The interesting chapter, “The MonthScience and Art?,” in the current number of ‘ Chambers’s Journal,’ contains a description of a nev respirator for firemen i —“ We mentioned, some time ago, that Dr Tyndall had : invented a respirator to be used amid smoke ; but experience proved that, though 1 cotton wool w* uld keep out the material particles of the am ke, it would rr«t keep nut the suffocating gaseg. difficulty has now bi-ea overcome by combining with the wool a re pbator of the kb"d invented by Ur Stenhouse, which, b ipg charged with animal charcoal, effectually neutralises the noxious gasea. W it hj one of these combined respirators fitted to a fireman’s mask, LT Tyndall rema'med for a quarter-of-an-hour in an atmosphere of dense smoke unharmed. In most instances, fifteen minutes would more than suffice for tjae rescue pf persons or pro perty from a burning house ; hence we may conclude that the new mask and respirator are quite successful.” Some excitement was caused in Riverton last week by a rumor that a rich vein of quartz had been d’seovored in South Riverton on a piece of land belonging to Mr Low. On| inquiry, we (‘'tar’) learned that the reef was first observed cropping out of the bank of a creek running through the ground. It was found to be about four feet thick, running in a N.W. and S. E. line, aud was discernible for nearly 100 yards. Tbp discovery was made by two men while shooting in the bush, aud until within the last few days, with the exception of Mr H. B. r ’asse:s, was only known to themselves. The reef is well defined, but from the rough crushings which have been made, no gold has as yet been visible in the stone. They are, however, very sanguine that it may turn out a payable reef. So hopeful are they that ‘-everal of people pegged off claims and set in to work oh the ground,- determined to give it a fair trial. Some specimens were sent tp Invercargill and Duqedin to be thoroughly tested. T e * Austra asian * (town edition) of the 2nd inst,, contains particulars of the race for the Midsummer Handicap, run at the V. R.C. meeting on New Year’s Day, and in which Lurline obtained second place. The New Zealand mare carried Bst 31b., Wollomai (the winner), 7st 51b., and Newbold (third), Bst 10lb. Imperial, Prophet, Early Morn, Maid of Avenel, Dolphin, Sunbeam, and other good horses also started, to all of which Lurline was giving weight, varying from 91bs. to 12Ibs. The distance was one mile and three-quarters, and was done in 3 min. I3sec. ; When near home the three placed drew right away from the rest of the field, Newbold, however, soon falling back and leaving Lurline with a slight lead of Wollomai. A fine finish ensued between the two, Wollamai getting the best of it and winning by three parts of a length. The ‘ Argus ’ states that the mare was not well ridden by Lyford, or she might have won ; while the * Age ’ gives the distance she was beaten by as-two lengths. At Williamscown on December 26 Calumny (7st. 7ib.) ran ihii’d to Gaslight'(fiat. 71b.), and Cyclops (sat, sih ) in the Werfibee Park Handicap. The Italian Opera Company, which has been under engagement tp Messrs Lyster and Cagli for such a length of time, is at last disoauded—intelligence which all lovers of the lyric drama will regret to hear In Melbourne on i >ecember 12 and 14, they played “ II frofeta ■’ and “ Mo-< 5 inEgitto,” and on the 22nd and 2'lrd, “ La Jniye ’ and “ Lucia di Latumermpor,” the two last-mentioned performances being fpr the benefit of Signor Cagli. The reproduction of “ Lycia ” was a thorough success, >ignora Coy achieving a triumph in hep favorite character. On the 19th ihe company gave p complimentary benefit to Mr Lyster at the Town Hall, and on Christmas b.ve and n'ght their final perfortnances in Victoria, when Verdi’s “ Keqiueru Mass ” was produced. The solo vocalists on that occasion were Signore Pal- ) mjeki and Zenoni-Gamboa, Signori PalmierS ■ and bußiht, There was a chorus of fifty

voices, and we observe that Mr Alfred Anderson and a vlr Forster s applied the accompaniment on two p anoa. The production was the reverse of successful. Signori Coliva and Tournerie wi re passengers by the last outgoing -uez steamer, aad with their families return o Italy.

The two features, of the Intercolonial cricket match just concluded at Melbourne were the splendid baiting of Bannennan, of N. S, Wales, who, from his defence, with his wonderful hitting powers, is pronounced by competent judges to be the fi est batsman in the Coionies; and the wicket-keeping of Blackham, the “boy wicket-keeper,” as he is called The latter made his first appearance on the Melbourne ground in this match, and of his performances on the second da . of the match the ‘ Age ’ says :—“ The feature of yesterday’s play was the magnificent wicket keeping of Blackham, who caught two of the visitors at the wickets, and stumped a third in tine style. His marvel bus quickness in handling the ball and watching the movements of tue batsmen was frequently received with rounds of applause.” So satisfied a*e Victorian cricke.ers wtih Blackham that they have started a testimonial to him. Cooper, the Victorian captain, attributed the defeat of his team to their not being in the field to practise toge ther; but the popular belief is that it was very weak in the bowling element. As showing the encouragement the Melbourne people gave to the game, it may be mentioned that the result of the takings at the three days’ play will be to place nearly L7OO into the coffers of the Melbourne Club, and after laying aside a sum sufficient to cover the expenses of sending the V'ictorians to , Sydney to play the return match in March next the Club will have a balance in hand. Amer’ca is, without doubt, the land of newspaper enterprise. What the ‘ New York Herald’ has done, and is now doin , we all kuovv; but even that great journal has some spirited riva’s. Foremost amon s> these iu New York itself is th=s ‘graphic, the enterprise of which takes a new direction. It printed in its ordinary issue fac simile copies of all the correspondence in the Beecher-Tilton case, and now hints at the possibility pf newspapers being one day published altogether in script, direct from the MS of the writers, thus annihilating at one stroke the whole of the present laborious system of composition It was the ‘Graphic 1 that last year, upon the morning of the first performance in New York of Verdi's new opera of ‘ Aida,” printed all the principal melodies of it, and has now done the same for V sseur’s new opera bouffe, “La Timbale d’Argent.” It thus furnishes the reader with not only a description of the scenes and a critical review of the performance, but the music itself! At this rate of progress, musical publications will be soon superfluous, much in the same way as religious publications have been found to be in Ohidago, where the local daily Press have fairly beaten the others out of the field ; the ‘Tribune,* for instance, on 'Unday and Monday mornings, printing more and fresher religious intelligence than all the religious papers in Chicago combined. .New York also claims to have perfected a type-setting machine that is capable of doing the work of four ordinary compositors, “ and of doing it equally as well as, if not better than they.”

The regular monthly meeting of the Otago Kilwinning Lodge will be held in the Masonic Hall'to-tnorrow evening. The Common Jurors summpned for the 11th, and whose attendance was excused tUlto-ihor-row, will not be required during the presenf session of the Supreme Court. A summoned meeting of Court Rqbin Hood, No, 3,991, A.0.F., was held last evening in thp Masonic Hall, Port Chalmers, for the purpose of receiving the auditors’ report and for the election of officers for the ensuing six months. The Secretary (Bnv Asher) read the auditors’ report and balance sheet, which were adopted. The election of officers then took place, resulting as follows Bro. Grant, C.R.; Bro. Fullerton, S.C.R.; Bro. J, B. Taylor, Treasurer; Bro. G. L. Asher, Secretary; Bro. Hempseed, S .W.j Bro. Tres dder, J. W.; Bro. G. Mackley, £},s.; Bro. Mowberpy, J, B,