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Evening Star, Issue 3871, 21 July 1875, Page 2

Mr John Bathgate is appointed Registrar under “ The Sale of Poisons Act, 1871.” Order in Council, the provisions contained in sections 20 to 45 of the Public Health Act, 1872, are directed to be enforced in Dunedin. Only one application was received in Dunedin yesterday for the 1,600 acres opened for sale in the Waipahee Hundred. Mr Gco. William Harvey was gazetted as District Juuge for the Otago Goldfields on Thursday. Mr J. S. Worthington was appointed clerk.

'Jho ‘New Zealand Gazette,’ of Thursday contains a not.ei delegating to h’s Ilouor the 'Mipc-iiateiiileat the gubernatorial powers under the Salmon and Trout Act. 1867.

The Government yesterday declared open for settlement a block of 5,000 acres of land in tho Benger district, in accordance with the request of a deputation which waited on the Superintendent wivh that object a few days ago. Hia Honor Judge Johnston held a short sitting in bankruptcy to-day. On the application of Mr Stout a declaration of comp’ote execution of deed of assignment was made in the estate of George W. Cole. His Honor leaves for Christchurch to-morrow. The value of gold exported from this Colony daring the qu.tvior ending 30th June was T-121,912, making the total exnort since the discovery of gold L 30,281.409. The export from Ctago during the last six months (compared with the corresponding half-year of 1874) has fallen off about 13,0000z. Several mining claims and leases were taken up last week in the vicinity of Arthur’s Poinr. Seven acres of these are river, and fifteen terrace claims. The ‘Wakatio Mail’ says recent discoveries, which have not been made public, have led to this taking up of fresh ground. At tho Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Mr T. A. iVi ausford, R.M., John O’Donnell, for disorderly behavior, was ordered to pay a fine of ss, or twenty-four hours’ imprisonment. James Edie, for using obscrae language, was ordered to pay a penalty of 20s, or in default forty-eight hours’ imprisonment, with hard labor.

The ‘Wairarapa Standard* Bays that as many as 400 black swans have been seen in one flock on the lake this season, and it is supposed that the total number cannot be much less than 3,000. They are a perfect nuisance to the graziers in tho neighborhood, as they destroy moio grate than they eat. It is high time that the restriction on their destruction was'removed. By our Melbourne files we observe that for the Mel bourne Cup race Imperial has come with a rush iu the market, ho being backed down to 100 to 7. The next in the betting is Echo, about whom 100 to 5 is offered. Kingsborough is still first favorite for both the Metropolitan and the Champion race. Lurline has been backed at a shade less odds than Kingsborough for the Champion, and Calumny is first favorite for the Hawksbuvy Handicap,

At the City Police Court to-day, before Messrs Fish and .Niven, J.P.’s, Henry Parker, for drunkenness, was lined ss, with the alternative of twenty-four hours’ imprisonment, Charles Downey, lifteeu months’ old, was sent to the Industrial School for seven years as a neglected child. It appeared that the child was given to a Mrs Cameron, living in Stafford street, to nurse, at 10s per week ; nut tor the last six weeks nothing had been paid. The child’s mother, who bore an indifferent character, had not been seen for three weeks, and the father was not known. In Hall v. So in 1 ai' } a charge of assault, defendant was lined 10s and coats.

Py proclamation in the * New Zealand Gazette ’ of Thursday, the boundaries of the District Court of the Otago Goldfields are altered. Its jurisdiction extends north to the boundary of the Colony, south to the Mataura river, and westward to a line drawn from the source of that river along the western watershed of lake Wakatipu ; the eastern boundary is elaborately specified. From the 12th of this month, the Court was empowered to exercise criminal jurisdiction xu all felonies and indictable offences, excepting those specially excepting. Sittings are appointed to be held at Naseby on the 2nd August; Clyde, August 9; Queenstown, August 16 ; and Lawrence, August 23. 'J he ‘ Wairarapa Standard ’ learns on good authority that more than fifty able men, on tramp either to or from Wellington, haxe applied to one contractor for employment, the whole of tham being unsuccessful. Yet we know, on equally as good authority, that hands are required on th&public works beyond Me. i' erton. The explanation of this anomaly u In at, considering the season of the year, the accommodation for workmen in the localities above referred to is of the worst possible description. Still the labor market is using glutted ; and hence the determination to suspend free immigration during tnesc winter months must bo pronounced to have been a politic one under the oucurnstances.

Daring the month of June, the number of birtaa in New Zealand was 319 and vhe deaths 152. The greatest mortality in proportion to tho population was in the Province of Nelson, where it amounted to 3.23 pop thousand ; the least was at the Thames, 0. /•> per thousand. Wellington stood next to the Thames, 1 Go, and Dunedin 1.G7 per thousand. Auckland followed with 268 then Christchurch 2.93 ; wh : b the dcvths in HokiUsa were 318 per thousand. Fifty per cent, of the deaths were rrom local diseases, the greater portion being diseases of the respiratory organs.

A meeting of the All Saints’ Young Man’s Association was held iu the achoolhouse last evening, the President (the Rev. Mr .Stanford) occupying the chair. There was a very good attendance of members. The toJowmg olfice-bearers were elected:—Mr A P. Curtis, secretary; Mr Spencer, treasurer ; and Messrs James Ashcroft, Blackburn, v\ alter Richardson, and G. P. Morris provisional Committee. Mr Stan ford will read a paper on “ Commuunism ” next luesday, and on the 3rd August a debate will be held on the subject, “ should State aid he granted to the poor ?” On the lOth August Mr W. J. Percival will read a paper on the “ Physical construction of the Bun . Hr* intended during the ensuing session to introduced several experiments in chemistry,

At the civil sitting of the Supreme Court yes*en«ay, tho caso of Glassford v, Seid and others—an action to recover LI.COO damages alleged to have been done to plaintiffs proporty at Mamiherikia by defendants pobuta stream running through, and dischargi;g tailings on the said property—was concluded after we went to press. His Honor Judge Johnston summed up at considerable length, and the jury returned a verdict for plaintiff for Is damages for polluting the stream, and i 50 for damages to the land. They found that the defendants did not pollute the stream wrongfully. In banco today, on Mr Macasley’s motion, a rule nisi was granted to enter verdict for plaintiff In Davidson v. Gillies and Street-a domurrer by plaintiff to p’eas of the defendants, and a cross-demurrer by the defendant Gillies to the plaintiff’s declaration—argued on the 13th inst., his Honor now gave iuderment for plaintiff. ° J “ A- ■°ir«Se was held last evening in the Wesleyan Church, Port Chalmers, for the purpose of reducing the circuit debt on the Church. There were a large number of persons present, including many visitors from Dunedin, for whose accommodation a special train was engaged. The tea was provided in a most liberal manner by the ladies of the congregation. After tea, grace having been sung, the Rtv, Mr Kigg offoied prayer, and the chairman (the Rev. Mr Isitt) briefly addressed the meeting. Several other clergymen also delivered addresses, and the choir, with the assistance of several friends from Dunedin, rendered effective aid by singing at intervals between the speeches selections ot sacred music. Mr Somerville presided at tiio piano, and amongst the Dunedin siegers were Miss Webb, Mr Marsdon, and other well-lcrown amateurs. Wo are glad to learn that the circuit debt has bceu greatly reduced through the successful efforts of the committee of this entertainment, A recent number of the ‘ Lyttelton Times ’ says that the excavations that have lately been made at Sumner have brought to light many curiosities, such as greenstone tomahawks, skeletons of Maoris, and different kinds of bones. The other day, on Dr Turnbull's section, was found amongst the soil a of a moa which was pronounced by Dr Von Haast to be the right metatarsal or lower leg bone of a very small specks of Dmornis. Durirg the process of removing the soil from the bate of the hills, skeletons of Maoris were found in d fferent pesitions : on i with hia head on his knees, and anolh r with bis arms spread out; and remains of what apparently were cooking utensils and places where fires had been made. fihe general opinion of those who exam’nod it v . v . a3 iQ locality had been originally a &iaori camp, and that the people had been buried alive, probably through a landslip. The bor.es of young children were also found. There were four or five tomahawks, one being a beautiful specimen of greenstone. Pcahaps no piece is more often played in Dunedin or succeeds in drawing larger audiences than " The Lady of Lyons,” and last evening, when this piece was presented at the princess’s, was no exception to the rule. Mrs Darrell appeared as the haughty Paulino, and in that character her acting throughout was exceedingly natural and unconstrained. In the scene where she is borne to the cottage of the Widow Mrinotte, and learns through an artifice she is wedded to a gardener's sou, she was very effective ; whilo in the last scone the audience was fairly electrified by her passionate acting. All present seemed to thoroughly appreciate Mrs Darrell’s finished style, and at the close of each act she was called bok re the curtain. Mr Darrell looked well as Claude Melaotte, but his repr. sentatiou of the part was only passable —it lacked animation, and hj s acting was unnatural. Of Mr Muegravo’s Dumas wc have frequently Lad to speak in very favorable terms, but ihe rest of the elm-asters evil for no special mention. To night “Leah” wi’l be given, and Mrs Darrell’s acting in the curse s:cne is hghly spoken of. The Masterton correspondent of the ‘Standard’ writes:-“I was forcibly reminded of the ‘fallacy of human expeetatations ’ the other day by an amusing in ident which happened in an hotel in this neighboihood. The other evening a swell of the heavy type arrived by coach, and, being a stranger, and apparently of consequence, the waiter was most obsequious to him at the tea-table, paying every attention to his slightest wants, and inquiring in his sweetest tone of voice if the strange gentleman would be making a lengthened stay. ‘ Oh, ya-a?,’ was the careless reply of the wearer of frilledshirts and extensive jcweT-iy. ‘ Ya-ss, 1 shall be here some time. ’ The waiter was of course delighted, and rubbed his hands in the invisible soap known to certain indi-

viduals, in the vain hope of allaying the prickling sensation in the palms of his hands, caused by the anticipation of a highly colored tip on the morrow. Presently the swell arose and left the room, the waiter, as he followed, saying he would see to the gentleman's room ; when someone pulled him by the coat-tails, and gently whispered in his ear—‘Shut up, you fool, that’s the new cook.’ Waiter fainted, aud has pot been well since.”

A m :eting of residents of North Dunedin and the Watershed of the Leith was held last evening in the North Dunedin Drillshed, to consider the proposed Waterworks Extension Bill. Mr Whltolaw was called to the chair. Tho following resolution was proposed by Mr {Campbeß, and seconded by Mr Wilson “Tbit a committee be'formed to collect subscriptions to employ counsel, and get up a pe’rion to the General Assembly, to prevent the suburbs being rated, or auy more reserved s being constructed on any watershed cfl which the water flows into Dunedin, to the danger of the north part of the town or lower part of the North-East Valley, frc., and to get auy other objcctionab e clans s in the intended Ant expunged. Also, I hja 1 ; in case the Corporation take water from the Leith that the rights of «11 those havuig land abutting on the river, cr with only a road between their land and the Leith, or are using or could make use of the water, if the Corpvrafion had not stepped in and taken it, be still allowed to make use

of what water is left in the river after the Corporation are satisfied, free of charge, and be compensated for the water taken away." This was curried, and the following gentlemen wore appointed t; taka the necessary steps to carryout the resolution Messrs Campbell, Marshall, Carter, lloyse, and Wi’s.'ii.

“ Histriomastix,” the Fcw Zealand ‘Times’ theatrical critic, in writing of the respective merits of “ The Palace of Truth” raid “ Pygmalion and Galatea,” says that the former play, lately produced in Wellington with a very-strong cast, “though successful here lo a certain extent, has not hit the popular taste. What the popular taste is may be gathered when I repeat a ‘ travelling opinion’ 1 heard given in the street, fcfomo people were on their ways homo after tho first performance of tho piece under mention, and 1 beard one of them, a lady, say, ‘ It’s a foolish play ; fancy a lot of men and women going about and speaking tho truth without knowing it.’ It was evident that the great deal of wit, and tho no little wislom, which the dramatist has worked out of such a state of things. was quite thrown away upon criticism like this. . . , Truth to tail I fear that Mr Gilbert’s plays are not of the class relished by the majority of Wellington playgoers. Singular to state, the more delicate irony, tho prettier sayings, were in Dunedin best appreciated by tho frequenters of the pit and stalls, and it was from those portions of the house that the greater part of the considerable applause attending tho production of these plays came. But it is evident that this is scarcely the case be: e. and that such a play, for instance, as ‘ The Woman in Red’ best suits our audience.”

Owing to tho great success which has attended the Skating Rink at Port Chalmers, it will be open on Friday evening us well aa Monday.

The ‘ Australasian Sketcher ’ for the present mouth, vyhich we received to-day, per Mr Braithwaite, is an excellent, number There is a fine, large-sized _ view of Adelaide, and a number of other interesting plates, including an engraving of a sketch of Melbourne as it appeared in 1840.