Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 4095, 11 April 1876, Page 2

The opera company proceeded by the Taupo to-day to Christchurch, where they opeu on Thursday in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” and play a season of twenty-four nights. The Supreme Court case Jenkins v. Jenkins and another was concluded at this morning's sitting, and the Court adjourned till half-past one o’clock to-morrow, when the special jury case Bird v. the National Bank oflNew Zealand will be hoard.

The ‘ Western Star’ is savagely wrathful with the Secretary for Public Works for calling the Piwrtonians “a parcel of fools for holding public meetings to rant and rave” in reference t" the railways in that district. Our contemporary says:—“Mr Green should also be truthful, and not exaggerate. Nobody at a public meeting has been ranting or raving; but the people have in a calm, cool, and business-like manner, met, and passed resolutions which showed their feelings, that they had their eyes open.” Last evening a large number of the residents of Dunedin, who hail from London, met together at the Hibernian Hotel, with the view of forming themselves into a society or club for the purposes of acquaintanceship and mutual assistance when such should be required. It was agreed that the club should bo palled “ The London and Provincial,” to be open tp all persons coming from London—in fact to uU Englishmen. The following gentlemen were elected as a committee ; Messrs Hunt, Rogers, Lege, Burke, and Glozier, A vote of thanks to the chairman (Mr Glower) terminated the proceedings.

The-officers of the telegraph department in this Province intend placing in the Dunedin cemetery a memorial to the memory of the late Mr F. J. Bunny. Young lads being allowed to be entrusted with cabs is a cause of constant annoyance, and cases under the bye-laws are almost daily before the Police Court in consequence. Mr Pyke to-day suggested that representations on the subject should be maae to the City Council, for boys were not fit to~be trusted with cabs. Inspector Mallard said that Inspector Nimon was taking steps with .the view of getting the licenses held by lads cancelled.

A tea meeting was held last evening in the Wesleyan Church, Port Chalmers, for the piirpose of bidding farewell to the Rev. Mr Isitt, who proceeds North, and of welcoming the Rev. Mr Eeall, his successor. The tea, which had been provided by the ladies of the congregation, was a most successful affair, and the church was tastefully decorated with flags and evergreens. After tea, the meeting was addressed by several gentlemen and sacred music performed by the choir was given between the speeches. A special train conveyed the Dunedin visitors to town.

To-day’s ‘Bruce Herald’ contains the following items ;—A start has been made to put the cylinders together for the Clutha railway bridge. On Saturday morning several lengths were completed and upon the staging, ready to roll to their destined positions.—A short time ago there were eight licensed and three temperance hotels in Riverton. Nowtwoof the latter have obtained licenses, and a promise has been given that the third will be licensed at the next meeting.

—lt is rumored that the steamer Balclutha is to be taken off the Clutha river traffic, and that the Matau is to tow her round to Port Chalmers, where she will be employed in future.—Sergeant Finnegan is about to be' transferred from Balclutha to North

Dunedin. Two shocks of earthquake were felt in Dunedin this morning—the first at twentyfive minutes to twelve; and the second a little after noon. The first was plainly felt, and was severe enough to cause portable articles to oscillate. Its direction was from N.E. to S. W., and its duration a few seconds. Our Port Chalmers representative informs us that the shock, as felt there, was pretty heavy,that it took a north-easterly directions and lasted about three seconds. Most of the

business establishments in Port experienced its force, and the goods on the shelves were visibly disturbed. The shock was felt at Oamam very severely, at Queenstown, and other parts of the Province. A correspondent at Oamaru tells us “that the first shock there was felt at 9.35 a.m., and that it was very severe. The second one, at 11.45, frightened people out of their houses and offices. No damage is reported. The weather was beautiful at the time of both shocks, - '’ The following items are from the * Wakatip Mail ’:—Mr J. S. Hickson has been appointed Clerk of Court at Queenstown during Mr Worthington’s absence on leave.— Complaints are rife about the scarcity of employment for labor. The “swagsman” is again becoming “aninstitution,” and is often met with by travellers.—Several have recently been lucky enough in the Upper IShotover to strike gold.—By the fire at Halfway Bay last week Mr M'Allister loses L6OO, the half of which is covered by insurance in the National Company.—Mr H. P. Macklin, who is about to leave Queenslocal the captaincy ol wbom + lii“ has held since his enrolment, with a purse of forty sovereigns.— Both Messrs Hallenstein and Manders have met the Arrowtown Municipal Council to consider the requirements of that portion of the district. It was decided upon an interview with the latter gentleman last week that he should urge the establishment of a large county, and that Cromwell district should be asked to throw its fortunes into that of the Wakatip. We are glad to leam that there is a probability of work being resumed at the Milton pottery works before long. The suggestion thrown out by Mr J. L. Gillies that sufficient capital should be raised to enable the potters to resume operations on an unpretentious but profitable scale, is being acted upon with every promise of success. The residents of Milton • have come forward liberally and undertaken to take shares in the proposed cooperative company, to the amount collectively of L 365. We have seen the list, on which the name of one Milton firm figures for LIOO, two others for 150 each, the balance being made up of sums ranging from thirty to one pound. So far the Dunedin contributions only amount to L3O, but the letter of “X,” which appeared in our cor-

respondence column last night, shows that capitalists and mercantile men in the city are disposed to come forward with a helping hand. The sum of LI,OOO is required to set the works going, so as to produce the varied articles for which there is a demand in the Colonial market. Messrs Wilson, Kerr, Lewis, and Garrick, as representing the residents in the Portobello district, waited upon his Honor the Superintendent this morning. The object of the interview was to ascertain why a deviation of the main road running through the Portobello School reserve, formed last winter, was not metalled. It was explained that when the road was formed a promise was made that it should be metalled this spring; but only one-third had been metalled, and the other portion remained untouched. The deputation explained that it was essential to the district that the work should be immediately gone on with, as all the traffic was along this road. His Honor said that something like Ll,ooo a-week had been expended on day labor during the last twelve months, and the vote was expended. It was pointed out that L2O or L3O would complete the work. His Honor would see the Secretary for Works and ascertain whether anything could be done in the matter. Further, he would submit the case to the Executive to-day, and if by any hook or crook the money could be spared, the work should be proceeded with. Applications of this kind were coming in ! from all parts of the Province, and the

Government had no power to go -to the money market to borrow, Mr Charles Forster, pianist to the Simonsen Opera Troupe, gave an invitation pianoforte recital at Dunning’s Hotel after the concert at the Queen’s Theatre last evening. The large dining-room was crowded with members of the troupe and visitors, and a few hours were passed very pleasantly. Mr Forster played several solos, displaying his wonderful powers of execution and command over the instrument, and also accompanied Miss Lambert, Signor Morley, Messrs Barrington, Richardson, Markham, Darbyshire, Steinbaoh, and others in vocal solos and duets. Signor Morley -sang “ Let me like a soldier fall ” splendidly, and Mr Hellas played “.Terence’s Farewell” admirably on the cornet. Messrs Darbyshira and Markham gave some of their most amusing comicalities, and nearly all of the troupe present contributed something towards the gratification of their hearers, At a later hour the baud, who have been staying while in Dunedin at the London Hotel, presented T. W. Carr, the barman, with a handsome gold locket in recognition of his civility and attention to them during their visit. The gift bears tfie following inscription i-r-" A present from the band of Simisonsen's Open Troupe to T. W. Carr, April, 1876.”

A meeting of .the shareholders in the Greymouth Coal Co will take place in Mr Beid’s store to-morrow, at 4 o’clock

. The Pride of Dunedin, LO.Q.T., will hold its usual meeting to morrow evening, in the Temperance Hall, when a full attendance is requested.

_ We have received a copy of the Transatlantic Fire Insurance Company’s calendar for the current year: the Dunedin agent for which is Mr H. J. Bouman.

We have been requested to draw attention to the sale of the booths on the Caledonian Society’s for Easter Monday, the advertisement of which appears in another column.

We have been requested to draw attention to the conversations to be given by the combined Young Men s A sociauons of All Saints’ and St. Paul’s, in St Paul's School room, on Easter Tuesday. The proceeding* are to be varied bv scientific experiments and a magic lantern with lime light. Music. J. selections will be given during the evening, conducted by Mr Towsey. A number of pictures and other exhibits kindly len for the occasion wil be on view. The Bishop of the diocese will preside, and we also understand that Mr H. S. Chap man will deliver a shoit address. The continued improvement.* in photography are illustrated by the large-sized (ortraits of illustrious persons now on view in the establishment of Messrs Keith and Wilkie, Princes street. Instead <f small pictures designed merely to grace an album collection of miniatures, those now on view are 22 inches by 18, and as they have been so managed as to avo d eveiy appearance of distortion, they convey more vivid impressions of character from the personal appearance of those represented than the smaller photographs. The most striking are without question portraits of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Their attractiveness

is due in part to their being carefully and very artistically colored—perhaps flatteringly so—but they are so natural that we should scarcely think it. The Prince is in Masonic costume, and looked quite as handsome as his great uncle George IV. did in his best days. The Princess is attired in hunting dress, with a short highly ornamented hunting knife sheathed by her side, amusing her elf win a pet bird. The pair, so far as personal attractions are concerned, seem well matched. Ihe other notables are Her Majesty the Queen, very much impaired in beauty since we first saw her, a pretty young girl, the late Emp§ror NaBdeon and the Empress Eugenie, Messrs Israeli, John Bright, rofessor Fawcett, and Lord Napier, ajl celebrities worthy of a place in our picture groups. Two o 1 paintings of more than ordinary merit, named appropriately Summer and Winter, will meet with the admiration of every connoisseur of pictures, but have special merits through being mementos > of a phase of travelling very nearly, if not quite, extinct in England. The summer scene reuresents a royal mail coach driven along a smooth macadamised roa ■ at a dashing pace; the winter picture depicts the same coach brought to a standstill on the smooth whit j widely spreading plain of snow obliterating land marks, and rendering the road uncertain. _ The old travellers who hj >ve had o take soundings for a coachman s guidance lest horses and coach should be brought to grief in a side drain are now but few, but they will re cognise the faith:ulness of the artist’s brush in the details of each picture. They ure the works of an English artist named Ma-gs. Messrs Beith and Wilkie also showed us several volumes of photographs of European and Scotch scenery, eTgantly bound, and well adapted to d>awing loom tables.