Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 3837, 11 June 1875, Page 2

The first sod of the Kaitangata Railway will be turned on the 18th inat., by Sir J, L. C. Richardson. The ceremony will probably take place near the Kaitangata Creek bridge. The Picton and Blenheim line, about eighteen miles in length, will be opened for traffic about the end of this month. The New Plymouth and Waitotara line will probably be opened in August. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Mr T. A. Hansford, R.M., Timothy Tobin and M. Daulton were fined 5a each, or twenty-four boars’ imprisonment. • The election of two members to represent the Signal Hill Subdivision of the NorthEast Valley Road Board, held yesterday, resulted in the return of Messrs Hart and Watson. There were four candidates. :

It is reported that a requisition is in course of signature at Invercargill calling upon Mr Lumsden to resign his seat iu the Provincial Council, on the ground that his acts have been inimical to the interests of his constituency.

The Wellington * Tribune’ is now the recognised organ of the Government, and in its last night’s issue it stated semi-officially that should Mr Vogel’s retention of the Premiership embarrass his colleagues are prepared to tender his resignation.” Recently, in Wellington, a man under the influence of liquor walked into a tailor’s shop and ordered a pair of trousers. The tailor, thinking payment was problematical, declined the order, whereupon would-be customer gave him a good thrashing.

Prom the ‘ Bruce Herald ’ we learn that a inumber of Tokomairiro sportsme i have been out after the cock pheasants during the past day or two, and a number of birds have been shot. The pheasants are said to be in splendid condition. ■ A few have been sold at 8s a brace.

On Wednesday afternoon some amusement and a great deal of astonishment were created in Oamaru by the appearance in the principal streets of the town of a man without his shirt on. The interference of the police was soon obtained, and it was then found he was suffering from delirium tremens. At the Southern Recreation Ground tomorrow at four o’clock, a match will come off between the pedestrian rewards and a local amateur, the conditions being that Edwards is to walk seventy yards while his opponent runs 100 yards. An interesting contest is anticipated. There are 114 immigrants’ cottages in the Province. They are distributed as follows : 26 at Kensington ; 3 at Reid stow n ; 3 at Waihemo ; 16 in Oamaru ; 3 at Palmerston ; 4 at Waihola; 12 at Invercargill; 5 at Riverton; sat Wallacetown ; 5 at OtuntauJ; 5 at Oreti Crossing ; 4 at Greytown ; and the rest at Moeraki, Oamaru, and Ihe western districts.

A poll took place yesterday for the election of two .members to serve on the Roslyn Road Board. Considerable interest was manifested by the electors of the district, and the following was the result of the voting : Wales, 72 ; Kilgour, 55 ; R. Turnbull, 25 ; C. Taylor, 15 ; A. H. Jack, 13 ; and D’Arcy Haggitt, 13 The returning officer (Mr A. H. Ross) declared Messrs Wales and Kilgour duly elected. Cricket in this Province loses a good player in the person of Mr Witchell, who is about to be transferred to Nelson. During the past season, . when he played in some country matches, Mr Witchell demonstrated that he is an excellent bowler and more than an average bat and field; and many looked forward with interest to his appearance on the oval next season. In Mr Witchell the Nelson players gain a decided acquisition.

There is now being; constructed at Mauawatua Gorge a bridge for railway and road purposes, the length of which will be 415 ft, and it will consist of five spans of 40ft, one of 20ft, and two of 13ft 6in, and one main span of 162 ft, on rubble stone masonry piers 50ft high, off which the arch springs. The floorison the top of the arch, and is 74ft above low water. The width of the roadway is I4ft 6in, and the total cost about L 12,000. The Manawatu river rises in the Ruahine ranges, and there is shown a water-mark on a tree 40ft above the ordinary level ot the river. Floods, have been known to rise to that height.

Milton is very badly off for public buildings and sadly needs a proper lock-up. The present lock-up is 14ft x 9ft, and the space is divided into two cells, with a passage between them. This leaves less than 6ft x Oft for each celL If a drunken man is locked up, it is necessary that his boots Bhouhl be taken off, in order that he may not kick his way out before morning. Indeed, prisoners have already done so. At a recent municipal meeting it was stated that when the District Court sat at Tokomairiro the jury had to retire outside the Court to consult. ' The attention of the member for the district (Mr Gillies) has been drawn to thes| matters.

Writing to the Home Agent on the sth insb. on the subject of Mr Vogel’s proposal to utilise the Otago Home Agency for emigration purposes, the Superintendent informs Mr Andrew that “if it involves that the identity of the Otago office, which has so long been connected with this Province, is to he destroyed, 1 am unable to concur. If, however, you can see your way to the business of tbe Colony being conducted in the Otago office, on the terms indicated, without prejudice to the interests of Otago, there can be no objection.” Mr Andrew is instructed to point out to the Premier that it is from no antagonism to the rest of the Colony that his Honor wishes to maintain the distinctive agency of Otago, and that “in point of fact it is as much in the interest of the Colony as in that of Otago that this should be preserved,”

“Ingomar, the Barbarian,” a play of sterling merit and one which has sto id its ground in popular favor for many years, was produced at the Princess’s last evening, when Mrs Bates sustained the part of Parthenia, the Greek slave, Mr Bates appearing as Ingomar. Mrs Bates gave a natural, unaffected personation of the heroine, and the performance would have been still more appreciated had she occasionally varied the slow, measured delivery of every line she has to utter. As the outlaw chief, Mr Bates had i part which proved eminently suited to his capabilities, for he pictured to the life the uncouth barbarian gradually and reluctantly forced by his love for Parthenia to assume the habits of civilisation. The characters next . in importance were Polydor, ‘ an amorous and rich old merchant* well filled by Mr Musgrave; Parthenia’s mother and

father, represented by Mrs Stoneham and Mr Clinton; the Timarch (Mr Stoneham) and Alaston (Mr Hoyle). The piece, although rather lengthy, was gone through with spirit and well received by the audience. To-night “ Lucretia/Borgia * will be given. Under the heading of “The Governors Box,” the ‘Post ’ of the 9th ult. reports the following as a part of its Police .Court , proceedings on that day ; Julia waa. charged with using obscene language'Mlit'' the Theatre on Saturday night. It appeared that the prisoner took her seat in bis Excellency’s box, and indulged in various eccentricities of conduct more peculiar than polite. After a while the spectators were rather ttstpjiished ~tom behold two foet of abnormal magnitude elevated over tlie frb’fit of the box, with the ancles thereunto belonging comfortably reposing on the edge, in lieu of the opera-glasses ordinarily.-to-besaen there. Some of the spectators were scandalised, and Sergeant Price interfered The prisoner, notwithstanding .contention— in marvellously choice' language - that a freeborn Englishwoman-had ajlght to do ■what she would with her own (ancles),, was. formed into I procession and, marched to the cells She was condemned to expiate her assertion of liberty by paying 2is fine, or going to gaol.for forty-eight hours. ”

According to the Taranaki correspondent of the ‘Wellington Times* travellers from New Plymouth have a nice time of it. He says; —There is no "wender that New. Plymouth people are patient, and not easily worked up to boiling pitch, there is so much compulsory waiting in so many ways Persohnleßlr'ifignSbr^ 16535T>?liteW6!rTSP% to be out of bad at all Sorts of unearthly 'hours if the steamers happen to be coming from the ’North/ -for fear of losing their passage. The steamer might arrive at day light and be away again within an hour, or she might hot make the roadstead tiir nine or ten o’clock, or in the winter Season, being bar-bound at Manuka, might be a day or more behind time. There is no direct telegraph line to pus the time of sailing along. All our telegraphic information is a ; day behind time, evenfrem near places. Daylight 'is the safest .time for intending passengers to be ready for starting. The 1 only place of, accommodation at such an hour is the open bench* and both old and young folks may frequently be seen patiently waiting for hours the arrival of a 'steamer. The practice, and really the only safe p’an, is to take the first boat to the vessel.

The following report of the Curator, recently at a meeting of the Christchurch Acclimatisation Society, will be interesting to many of our readers “ The tvo most important and useful birds to be obtainei from Australia the tfurator, believes to be the magp'e and swallow. Great difficulty has hitherto attended the transport of these latter birds on account of their habit of only Staking their food whilst on the wing ; this difficulty can, TWever, now be practically overcome by the aid of a little fly catchiljf i machine which has been recently introduced into Melbourne. The machine moves by clock work, and catches the flies alive in extraordinary numbers. By utilising this live food supply, and by means, of sufficiently large and suitable cages, there csln be little doubt that with judicious l care swallows might be transported with little riek The netft desirable bird is the curlew or stone plover, it being harmless and insect eating. Australian quail, though not so haidy and suitable as the Californian, can occasionally be obtained very cheap in Sydney. Miuah birds would probably be undesirable on account of their propensity to drive away all the other birds. The Australian robin is very handsome and exclusively insecteating, but probably not so handsome as our native robins and. fantails. A few Cape barren geese to mate the two already in the gardens would be desirable. Several statements have been received respecting the inability of the blackbirds and thrushes to fly when liberated, and consequently the great danger of their falling a prey to cats, hawks, &c.”

The Saturday Night Concerts will be re sumed in the Oddfellows’ J (all to-morrow evening. The chair will be taken by Mr J. Bathgate, at eight o’clock.

A meeting of those favorable to the founding of a memorial to the late Judge Gray will be held at the Shamrock Hotel to-morr6w-morn-ing, at eleven o’clock.

A typographical error crept into “ Trade’s ” letter in our yesterday’s issue. It should have read that 18ft, of water at the Port Chalmers -pier was quite “insufficient” for large vessels., ■We have been requested to call the attention of parties seeking sections at a convenient proximity to town, to the sale of the township 91 Normanby, which will take place to morrow at the rooms of Messrs M‘Landress, Hepburn, and Co. The property is situate at the Lower Junction, N.E. Valley, and is perfectly level Cabs run to the spot four times a day, and a plentiful supply of wood and water is available. We commend this township to the attention of investors.