Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 4046, 14 February 1876, Page 2

The dramatic season was brought to a close at the.Queen’s Theatre on, Saturday evenings when “The Streets of New York” was played. The season was stated to have been a very unprofitable one for the management.

The mail agent this month is Mr J. W, Wilkins, chief clerk in the G.P.O. at Wei* Wellington; On his return to the Colony lie' will enter upon the duties of Chief Postmaster at Invercargill, to which he has been appointed. ; It is stated that the Pacific Company, since the initiation of their mail contract, have incurred penalties to the extent of L 25,000, while the contracting Colonies stand indebted to -them in the amount of L 28,000 for subsidy. On Friday afternoon Mr Joseph Cnlling’s dwellinghouse and .wool-shed on Hill Grove Estate, Moeraki, were burned down. A fiortion of the furniture was saved, but the oss is estimated at L 2,000, and the whole is uninsured..... Incendiarism is suspected. A certain publican at Westport has a fine sense of humour. On Sunday afternoons he hoists on a flagstaff the commercial code signal, “Medical officer wanted,” which is understood by the initiated to mean that passers-by can be supplied with “medical comforts.”

It will be seen by our telegrams that the Californian Mail, as was expected, has turned up at Sydney. The PostmasterGeneral will, doubtless, call upon tbe Pacific Company for an explanation of the conduct of the captain of the Granada in carrying our mails to .Sydney. .Mr Medcajfe informs that he has received advices that owing te the continued illness of Mr Alfred Anderson, Madame De Murska, Anderson and Company were unable to take passage by the Ringarooma, but they will leave Melbourne by the Albion, which brings down the Snez mail.

Mr Ivess, the iate candidate for the Egmont seat, threatens an action for libel against Mr John Ballance, the proprietor of the ‘Wanganui Herald,’ which, during the election, published the statement “ that Mr Ivess. was the nominal proprietor of the ‘ Patea Mail.’ ” Mr Ivess thinks that to say a man'is “nominal proprietor” of his own property is libellous. This is straining things overmuch. An inquiry was held by the Westland authorities as to the reason of the German immigrants returning from Jackson’s Bay. ■Their statements were that they were sent to Hokitika, not-Jackson’s Bay, of which they heard nothing at Wellington; also, they were prejudiced against Jackson’s Bay by their countrymen in Hokitika. They expect the Gouemment to provide them wi£h residence and work, or send them back to Prussia. Anything else ?

A .scaqdal has arisen in connection with . the Plymouth Brethren in Christchurch. The ‘ Post’s ’ Christchurch ■ correspondent says that a shining light, after acting the part of a gay Lothario for some time among lady members of his flock, suddenly decamped, urged thereto by the knowledge that one or two husbands and fathers were , anxiously inquiring for him in anything but a gentle manner. It is believed that he has left for the Empire City. The ‘ Mount Ida Chronicle * reports that an accident of an unusual character happened to Cobb and Co.’s coach on Tuesday last. A short distance beyond Blackatone Hill one of the horses suddenly turned round, smashing the pole. The team became unmanageable, and disengaged themselves from the coach, and turning round galloped Wildly through Blackstone Hill, reaching the Woolshed before they were captured.. The animals were not much the worse lor their run, and Nettleford (the driver) and the-passengers were uninjured. A spare coach was procured from Naseby, and the remainder of the journey safely performed. In consequence of the determination of the Licensing Court to decline to renew licenses to those hotels not having' a proper amount of accommodation for travellers, several of the houses are being altered or rebuilt. Principal among these is Mr Porter’s Britannia Hotel in Rattray street. That old wooden building, which has long done duty as an hotel, will soon be demolished, and in its place a substantial three-story brick and stone building will be erected. In all there will be thirty-five rooms, and twenty bedrooms. Mr Ross is the architect, and the building will be completed in May. The Press Club’s quarterly meeting was held in the Club Room on Saturday evening; Mr R. H. Leary (president) in the chair. Mr H. Cole (secretary) reported on the state of the Club, which was considered satisfactory both in a financial point of view and as regards the number of its members. ~lt was stated that as each volume of the * Saturday Advertiser’ was completed a copy would be presented by the conductors pf that journal, and other members also promised contributions. The Secretary was requested to communicate with the proprietors of newspapers iq the Colen7 with a view of getting hies cent regularly ‘to the Club. The following office-bearers were, elected :—Treasurer and secretary,'' Mr J. TJtting committee, ‘ Messrs Cole, Bracken, Rhodes, Allen, and Haad&«o&.

A Dunedin telegram m the * Post ’says:— “The ‘Guardian’ Cdinpany’s report' showed the expenditure for- the halt year 'to b© L 7,375 ; revenue, L 5,344; jlbss bn half year, ’ L 2,031; salariesand wages for half-year, L 4,910. The report is exceedingly desponding, . laying the blame on auction and casual advertisements not being given.’.' This is what the, ‘ Lyttelton Times ’ has to say of Mr Ranked:—•“ Our critic has undertaken to criticise that which he' but imperfectly understands. He. knows that our resources are great, without being able to see in them the justification of our enterprise. He admires our strength, but he cannot understand our nerve. Neither does he seem to he able to see that we have judgment, for the. diminution in the year’s revenue appears to have escaped him.- That diminution, caused as it is by a decrease in the imports, shows that we are wise enough to pause till increased production justifies us to renewed enterprise. We hope that when Mr Eanken again undertakes to explain New Zealand affairs to the Australian public, he will get up his subject a little more thoroughly?’ The following items' are from the ‘Dunstan Times A most distressing accident hapEened to Mr Mee, of Forest Farm, Manuerikia. It appears he was leading out his entire horse (Royal Duke), when the animal attacked him, seizing his arid, and completely smashing it. The limb had to be amputated.—Of the 5,500 acre block of land in Spottis Hundred, better known perhaps as Giassford’s Swamp, 1,379 acres were applied for on the first day it was open for selection. Who after this will say that land is not required ?—Blacks No. 1 is pretty well taken possession of by the Chinese, of whom , there are now nearly twb hundred on the ground. Their ‘principal scene of operations is at the upper end of the flat, on or contiguous to the land which was secured by the squatter some years ago as a pre-emptive right, and as an evidence of the value of this r ground they have leased fifteen acres fora term of six years, for which they have paid a lump sum J of Ll2o—being a yearly rental of LI 6s 4d per acre. The match Delaney v. Time, ten miles within the hour for L2O a side, took place on the Ist inst., before a large number of business people and miners of Tinkers and Drybread. The course was a very rough and hard one, but it was the best, that could be picked about the place. Delaney started at a good swinging pace, covering the first five miles in splendid form, and after he passed the thirtyninth lai> his shoes were broken round the sides, which was done by the gravel and ptones. He still, however, ran with half the side of his left foot projecting out cf the shoe, without showing the slightest , distress, though his feet Were cut up very badly. The whole distance was ran with dreat pluck and gameness, time being called, : sixtythree minutes, amidst loud cheering. After the race was over, ; Mr J. Mellor collected a sum of money and presented Delaney with the same for the plucky manner- in which, he ran. .. Delaney’s backer is about to make a match for LIOO a side as soon as Delaney’s feet get better. ,

The Marionettes open at the Temperance Hall this evening. . , , The * Illustrated Herald ’ this month has for a frontispiece an engraving of the Chii. tchuroh Normal Schools. The other • engravings and the letter-press are good.

From Mes-rs Keith and Wilkie we have received “Dropped from the Cloud 1!” and “ The Survivors of the Chantic eer,” both by Jules Ytme, which we will notice at another time. :

Mr fl ims proposes to get up a shimming tournament oc au early date. Though ,in, connection with his swimming school, tht* competition will be open to the general public, i nose who patronise athletics see their way to" offering a few prizes. '

During the week ended February 12 twentvono patients were admitted to and fifteen discharged from the Dunedin Hospito?. Abraham Hare, drayman, aged 42, native of the Cape of Good Hope died from cry si, elas. The number of patients at present in the Hospital i5150,.0f whom thirty-four are females.