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Evening Star, Issue 3913, 8 September 1875, Page 2

There was a fair house at the Temperance Hall last night, and the performance appeared to be well appreciated. At the Queen’s last evening, “Janet Pride ” was repeated. To-night the most successful piece of this season will be again played, namely, “As You Like It.” Mrs Darrell’s Rosalind is a treat that should not be missed. We aye glad to see that Captain Russell, of the Cora, who bad several ribs broken in an accident on the Jetty street wharf some seven weeks ago, is getting about again. \lf hough not quite recovered Captain Riu•<ell is rapidly improving. Mr T. S. Nicol, of Messrs Boyes Brothers’ station, informs the ‘ Mail' that the other day he had the pleasure of seeing a trout iu Lake Wakatipu at Frankton Jetty. On nearing the shore he noticed its white belly shining ia the sun in shallow water on a sandbank. Thinking the fish was dead he was about to catch hold of it, when the fish darted away in a moment, and it was then he knew it to be a trout. The fish was about eight inches long, and it is consoling to believe that past efforts for propagation have not been in vain.

Thfl Dunedin correspondent of the ‘ Bruce Herald,’ writing of the opening of the Dunedin and Clutha Railway, says:—“ Your liquors must be of very excellent quality in Milton, for on the return of the train not a single case of drunkenness was tq bo detected.” The fact of persons having boeu recently eating onions is not noticeable by one who has been similarly occupied, and, judging from the number of drunken people that wo saw returning to Dunedin by the tram mentioned by this correspondent, wo should imagine that the same quality attaches to spirituous liquors. At the meeting of the Waste Lands Board this morning Mr Bastings suggested that all Hflvernmeut business should be postponed till the return from Wellington of the officer representing the Executive at the Board (Mr Reid), as the Government had always sat on any such busineis they transacted during his absence. The remark was caused by the reading of a memo, from the Deputy-Super-intendent, asking on what grounds the Board requested the Executive’s sanction to an extension of a certain coal-lease.

Ihe Oa-maru correspondent of the Waitangi Tribune’ writes;—“A smart trick occurred lately, which, though not in Oamaru, I think is worthy of publication. A certain mercantile individual became ■ mbarrassed, and I believe was not much troubled thereby. In the course ot his transactions he paid a cheque to a creditor for L/fi odd shillings ; upon presentation the said cheque was dishonored ; the creditor I'poke gently and entrcatingly to his mercantile f.iieud, and in the course of his conversation managed to learn that the debtor had a balance in the bank of about L6O. and that the gentlemen of mercantile procUvitie*

intended to draw his balance that afternoon. The creditor proceeds directly to the bank and pays in L 25, presents his cheque for ! -75, and so saves his LSO I ''elieve that this affair is reported to have happened before, but its recent occurrence not many miles from here makes me send it.” At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Dr O’ ’onoghue and Captain Thomson, J.P.’s, William '■allender, seaman belonging to the ship James Niool Fleming, charged with being drunk yesterday, was discharged with a caution. The accused was further charged with being absent from the ship without leave. Mr Moffatt, chief officer, informed the Bench that he did not wish to press the charge, and their Worships ordered accused to be put on board the ship and to forfeiff one day’s pa;, with 6s 6d costs.

The ‘N. Z. Times’ of the 30th ult. states : "An instance occurred during the voyage of the Teviotdale, just arrived from London, which may he regarded as throwing some light upon the mystery which has surrounded the frequent loss of ships at sea by lire. About a month after the commencement of the Voyage a herdsman in charge of the live stock onboard found a box of lucifer matches in the middle of a truss of pressed n^ an is prepared to make affidavit that from the position of the box it must have bean in the hay at the time of shipment, but how it came there is only to be accounted for by the presumption that it was accidentally dropped ny the persons en gaged in pressing the hay in England. It cannot be snppo ed that there was any wilful intention, yet the discovery suggests a culpable want of care, and the thought arises, how many of these dreadful calamities bringing death to hundreds of human beiogs, and consternation to their feilowmen, are to be attributed to the negligence of the shippers or their servants, ”

In reference to free public libraries, a Melbourne Journal gives its experience by saying that they are much frequented by a class of persons who go there to sleep, and whose presence is not at all desired by real students. It was a long time before the reading-room of the British Museum was a place of general resort. A corner room in the basement of Montague House, one oaken table, twenty chairs which were seldom filled, was all that London c uld produce in the way of readers for many a day. The poet Lay describes the c mpany occupying the apartment as consisting of somo halfdozen persons. “1 £Ud that they printed 1,000 copies of the Harlein catalogue, and sold just four score; that they have an income of i 900 per annum, and spend Ll.lidO; and that they are building apartments for the underkeepers, so I expect, in winter, to see the collection advertised and sent to auction.” Disraeli also states: - “When my father first frequented the reading room of the Museum, at the end of the last century, his companions never numbered more than six. Now the daily p Igrims of research may bo counted by hundr ds.” Mr Macandrew’s Bill for the establishment of a Board of Works for the district of Otago contains eleven clauses After the preamble and short title the following clauses provide that a Board of Works shall be constituted, and be a “ corporate body,” with perpetual succession and a common seal; that until the Provincial district is divided into shires or counties the Board shall consist of the members of the rio«so of Representatives from Otago and afterwards of an elected member for each Shire, but that no member, unless re-elected, shall form one of the Board for more than five years. The president of the Board, who shall be eligible for re election, is to be elected by ihe Board and hold office for two years. He is to have a deliberative a'da casting vote. The Board is to have power to make its own bye-laws, and to make contracts, to appoint necessary officers or to remove them as seems necessary. The duties of that Board are to “do and perform all such public works ” in the Province as they shall consider for public advantage and convenience, and to dispose o- the surplus land revenue, and of all other sums that may be paid to them “ in and about the constructing and maintaining of public works.” The following further particulars with reference to the recent fire at the Invercargill Prince of Wales Hotel are from the Southland ‘ Times’: —The occurrence took place in a small lumber room upstairs, after everyone in the hotel, except the night watchman, had retired to rest, and when the whole place was as still as midnight. At a little before one o’clock the night watchman passed the room in which the mystery afterwards took place, and he then detected nothing unusual, nothing suggestive of approaching danger, ihe waiter slept in an apartment adjoining the lumber room in question. At about one o’clock, as we are informed, a man named Golding obtained admittance in a legitimate way to the hotel, with which, though not a regular lodger in it, he was well acquainted. The boots went upstairs to ask the waiter as to which room Golding should sleep in. On reaching the passage on to which the waiter’s apartment and the lumber room referred to open, ho discovered it to be tilled with smoke, tie gave the alarm, and the inside wall of the lumberroom was found to be on lire, ft was speedily extinguished, but had it been three minutes longer in being discovered the inevitable result would have been the destruction of the hotel. The mystery of the occurrence consists in the circumstances that the apartment was unused except as a lumberroom, that there was no fire in or near it, and that the fire which did occur started in the centre of the wall.

Tho Otago Education Bill introduced into the House of Representatives by his Honor the Superintendent, states in its preamble that it is expedient to constitute a Board of Education for the Province, and to make other provisions for education in the Province. The Bill provides for the continuance in force of the various Ordinances now in operation excepting when repealed by its provisions ; for the constitution of a Board of Education to be a Ocri oration, the Board to consist of nine members holding office for two years, two to be elected by ihe Council of the University, one by tho High School Board of Advice, and six by the various .‘•'chool Committees of the Province : the present members of the Board to continue to hold office until new ones aie elected. The elected members of the Hoard are to be eligible for re-election. Eight clauses relate to tho manner and evidence of electing membsrs All property ia to be vested in the new Corporation Board, who are to have power to appoint a Chairman, continue existing contracts, lease and manage education reserves, receive and disburse all moneys. Rents and profits, and tho proceeds of sales of land, to be held by them m trust for educational purposes, as well as all moneys received from the conselklatei revenue. Section 19 provides for the constitution of a Board of advice to assist the Board of Education in the management of the High School and the Girls’ Provincial School, the members to hold office for two years, subject to re-election ; the Board of Advice to have no powe.- to appoint or dismiss teachers, which ia to be done by the Board of Education only.

A correspondent of the ‘ Queanbeyan Ago ’ (VS.W.). sends particulars of what is, perhaps, the most thrilling adventure iu connect! on with the escape of a prisoner ever recorded in the annals of the Colony. The neighborhood of i hoalhaven was the scene of the exciting episode about to be related, the

principal actora in which were a notorious criminal named John Jobson and Seniorconstable Gall, a member of the Bungon a and Tarrago po ice. Jobson was fixed upon by the local police as the perpetrator of certain horse stealing depredations, and warrants were accordingly issued for his arrest. The consta- le succeeded in tracking and arresting him at the head of tho Shoalhaven, and Gall forthwith proceeded to escort him to Goulburn. Pursuing their journey, the constable and the prisoner reached a precipitous gully of some 1.500 ft. in depth, its jagged sides and yawning mouth forming a scene of rugged grandeur fearful in its awful majesty, terror-inspiring to behold. To the prisoner, however, it presented an avenue of escape desperate though ttie venture. Quick as lightning he dashed away, and, bounding like a hunted deer, he threw himself into tho gaping chasm Gall at once started in pursuit, and, drawing bis revolver, fired five shots in succession at the escapee, as he leaped from crag to crag in his headlong flight, homo of the shots took effect, but though wounded, Jobson continued his course Gall attempted to follow him, but in doing so he missed his footing and was precipitated down the ravine, a distance of 400 ft, where he was afterwards found severely injured. The prisoner got clear away, and has not since been hoard of by the police.

The Dunedin Choral Society will resume practice on Saturday evening next, at eight o’clock, in tho University Hall. Officers and members of the Provincial Grand Lodge of New Zealand are requested to attend at the Masonic Hall to-morrow evening at 7. ;:0. Mr James Kirby will deliver a lecture in tho Morningtou District Hall on Friday next, at 7.30 p in., in aid of the Sunday School Library. The subject will be “ Half-au-hour among authors.” In anticipation of the formation of a Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows for the districts of Roslyu. Kaikorai, Maori Hill, &c., a meeting will be he.d at the Linden School-room on Friday evening at eight o’clock. Last evening the Kensington Band of Hope held its usual fortnightly meeting. The attendance, owing no doubt to the fine weather, was extremely good, and all things contibuted to make the evening a very successful one. So great has been the success of the society, that it is contemplated having weekly meetings.