The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 4007, 29 December 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1875.

Some enterprising acclimatiser has imported a dozen frogs to Gisborne. The ‘Waikouaiti Herald ’ hears that Mr Joh Wain is the successful tenderer for the section of railway from Flag Swamp to Moeraki,

An inquiry into the cause of the fire in George street on Christmas morning, will be heid at the White Horse Hotel at two o’clock to-morrow afternoon.

Barlow’s Circus was again well attended last night, and the performance was very successful. The tricks of the dogs and monkeys appear to be the great attraction. Mr James, assistant clerk at Wellington, has been appointed temporarily, ave believe* to the clerkship of the Hesideul Magistrate’s Court here—Mr treet’s time being fully occupied just now by his electoral duties. Mr Bathgate, R.M., being absent from town, the Kesident Magistrate’s Court was presided over this morning by Messrs J. Logan and J. A. Willis, J.P.’s. No business was transacted beyond the adjourning of the majority of the cases on the list for a week.

The pantomime shows no signs of diminishing in po ularity, and again last evening tl ere was a full house in the lower parts of the Qm, en s Ibeatre The scenery painted by Mr Willis would do ere it to any theatre, and the stump speech by Mr Keogh i* well worth hearing. “ Robinson Crusoe ” should have a lengthened run.

i£Of tbe Nelson’s immigrants, eight single men were engaged at the Caversham Dep6b to-day. One man wa- employed at LSO per year; one at L 55 ; six at L 6 J ; one at L6B. The single women may be engaged to-mor-row. Eighty immigr-nis are to be torwarded to amaru to-morrow morning, and thirty to Palmers - on on Monday. The second performance by Smith’s Combination Troupe, at tbe Temperance Hall, last evening, was well attended. The programme of the previous evening was gone through the characteristic impersonations by Mr Willard, the bone solo by the same gentleman, and the ballad singing by Miss Lane securing the lion’s share of applause. On Saturday there will bo ant,afternoon performance. We learn that the accident to Mr T. Stephenson, of Athol place, and family, to which slight reference was made in our List night’s issue, was attended with very serious results, Mr Stephenson and family had been spending Boxing Day at IVtobello, and were on their way back when the hor.-e backed down an embankment, upsetting the conveyance. Mr Stephenson’s icjuries are to one of his legs (severely hurt) and to the back of his head. Air Stepehenson received a severe bruise on the lower part of the spine; Miss Btcphonson a bruise on the head, besides being very much shaken j the youngest daughter had an arm broken ; and Mrs Geo. Stephenson (Mr T. Stephenson’s daughter-in-law - ) was also much shaken, but not seriously hurt. Mrs T. •tephenson’s accident, it is feared, will be -t-rious. In addition to the above, Mr ndcr.-ou s little boy was cut fz’om ear to car, crossing the chin ; and his (laughter, ag. d tour years, had her hip broken badly, but little damage was done to the conveyance,

The first number of the * New Zealand Magazine.* the intended publication of which was announced some months back, will be issued this week. The names of the contributors and the subjects treated of by them, give reason to expe t that it will bear favorable comparison with similar serials in other parts of the Empire. The introductory paper is by the Rev. Mr Stanford. Mr Fitzgerald, of Wellington, contributes an article on “Darwinian Theology,” Mr J, Giles one on “Evolutionary Ethics,” and there is .a paper by “ F. C. S. ” on “ The Growth of Language,” The remaining essays are—" The Politicians’ Vade Mecum," by an anonymous contributor, “The Problem cf Poverty,” by Professor Macgregor; “ Specialisation in Government,” by Mr Stout; “Birds of New Zealand,” by Captain Hutton; “ Church Drift,” by the Rev. Archdeacon Wilson ; and “ Translations of Horace, Juvenal, and Catullus,” by anonymous contributors.

Two good stories are told by the ‘Palmerston Herald' this week :—“ During the early part of the week an outrageous wag, whoso periodical visits to the place are generally signalised by rumors of occurrences extraordinary in and out of town, tried to persuade the townfolk that a local Boniface had sc! apart from the profits of his takings during the past year and given away in Christmas boxes a sum of nearly L4O. Later it transpired that in the temporary absence of the landlord the place had been entered and L4O stolen from a cashbox. The second occurrence has relation to a dance at Inch Valley, which appears to have hada very comical turn. 'I he disappearance of a gentleman through a trapdoor during the height of a waltz is humorous y told ; but the reader is left to imagine the condition and feelings of four young ladies who anxious to leave the heated ball-room, and to regale themselves with the fresh air without, plunged into the darkness, the mist and rain, and before going many yards dropped simultaneously into a ditch which w s tolerably deep, and filled with slush and water. Mr Wm, Halligan will address the electors of St. Kilda in the Forbury Schoolroom tomorrow evening, at 7.30. Applicants for stalls at the Caledonian Gathering are requested to attend the secretary s office to-morrow evening, at 7.30. A special general meeting of the Ayrshire Association will be held in the Temperance Hall to-morrow (Thursday), at 8 p.xn. kr The British Hearts of Oak Lodge, 1.0. G.T., will give an entertainment on Friday evening to usher in the new year, commencing at 9.30 p.m. , The Taien Caledonian Society held their sixth annual gathering at Mosgiel on Saturday next. The brass band will be in attendance during the day. We have received|from the New Zealand Insurance Combany copies ot their illuminated card and book almanacks The latter especially are useful and interesting. The. All Saints’ Young Men’s Association will give one of tbeir popular entertainments to-morrow evening, when some instrumental music and chemical experiments will be introduced. ‘ The Monitor and Hibernian News,’ a new i Catholic paper published in Melbourne, has I reached us. Mr C. F. Reynolds, formerly of the ‘Southland Times,’ is one of the proprietors. The attention of residents in Kensington and bouth Dunedin is called to the fact that the Corporation of Dunedin requests application from all consumers of water in those districts for a continuance of the supply before January next, else the supply may be cut off. A social gathering in connection with the Grand Lodge Session 1.0. G.T. will be held in the Drill-shed, Octagon, to-morrow evening. Tea will be on the table at G. 30. Addresses i will be delivered by leading representatives, interspersed with vocal and instrumental music. We are glad to see, by a circular received from Mr W. H; Mansford, Registrar to the Otago University, that Professor Coughtrey has consented to give a summer course of twenty lectures, suitable for both sexes, on a hitherto monopolised branch of science, physiology, and its practical application to the regulation of every day existence. The evil consequences of ignorance of the functions of the human body and of the processes by which they are carried on, display themselves in the prevalence of avoidable diseases and in the adoption of mistaken notions of the laws of health. The self-induced disorders, the consequent unhappiness to individuals and their relatives, the rai-ery to families, and the loss of valuable services and lives to the community through irremediable mistakes render the course marked out by Professor Coughtrey most desirable for all classes, and we trust it will become popular and be largely attended.