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Evening Star, Issue 4189, 31 July 1876, Page 2

We have received from the Government Printer, Wellington, No. 10 of ‘Hansard,’ and a bundle of Parliamentary papers. A good sample of slate, suitable for roofjug and other purposes, is reported to have been discovered upon Mr M ‘Kay’s property at the Herriot Hundred.

A modest professional at Tuapeka advertises that he is in want of pupils to learn the “noble game of billiards.” His change is only eight guineas a quarter, and he guarantees that at the end of the first term any pupil will be able to beat John Roberts.

• nor Ju<J g e Williams held a sitting in Chambers at the Supreme Court this morning The bankruptcy case against John Blair, the defaulting debtor whose arrest in 'Wellington we referred to on Saturday, will be taken at 10.30 o’clock tomorrow,

The Government has an unusual number Of nice things.ftt its disposal just now. says the ‘Argus.' First of all there is the AgentGeneral' hip, and then no less than three Commissionerships of Crown Lands, this office be ng vacant in Otago, Canterbury, are one or two other offices, worth some Loso a yeai l 6aCli, also vacant. Very rarely indeed has any Ci) feminent in this Colony had so much valuable patronage in its hands at one time.

Ibe work ot fencing and breaking Up land on the Heriot Hundred is s ill going on apace. The ‘ Tuapeka Times ’ says “ Many of the settlers now have the whole of their properties enclosed and a considerable area of land ploughed. Mi 1 M'Kellar having fenced in his freehold, the road across the Plain from Swift Creek to Tapa-.-.ui is almost impassable even for horsemen. H is <piitc time that something was done to make the track passable in this district, which is now brooming thickly populated. The fence lines bring the read into a narrow compass, and the increased traffic has made it in a frightful stale.

ihe following appears in the ‘Thames Advertiser’;—“The Dunedin newspapers contain notices of the opening in that town of a lodge to work the three craft degrees net Acw Zealand of the ancient and accepted Scottish Hite. The charter processes to come from the Grand Orient of Egypt, and to have the countenance of the Supreme (.■ra.ud Council. We understand that intnuatiou has been sent to the various lodges .li e •'Scottish Constitution tbrouubout -, I:W /c ‘daTKl by order of the R.W 8.C.M., r.Jic charter is spurious, and that an unvei its; itai-n; use. has been made of the ~i. u.l ii. Master s name in connection will 1 uT'-v for the same. The K. W . L’.tr.M. lor New Z aland not only discountenances ttic charter, wo understand, but warns tho lodges under his jurisdiction from having anything to do with ip.”

A meeting of members of the Press Cinb was held at the rooms on Saturday evening, but as the attendance was not large an adjournment till next Saturday at 4 p.m. was agreed to.

At the Princess’s Theatre on Saturday evening “Saratoga” was repeated to a crowded house. This extraordinary farce created great amusement, and it will be repeated nightly till further notice. Special services were held at St Matthew’s Church in aid of the Sunday School funds. The evening service was fully choral, Whitfield s beautiful- anthem, “Behold how good and joyful,” being snug by a fine choir. The Lord Bishop of Duneiiin preached both morning and evening. , T h ® JJolyneux river, after keeping the claimholders in suspense for about two months, is at last falling rapidly to her winter level, and all the claims are being worked vigorously. An up-country contemporary observes that the season will probably be a very short one and the miners are making use of the present opportunity to obtain the treasures out of the “fickle Stream.”

As an instance of the wearisome tasks ch t? egr i ph operators have sometimes I? pe xT°*m* the , ‘Coromandel Mail’ states that Mr Tait, the telegraphist there, without any assistance received the whole tele-p-aphio summary of the Budget. He commenced at an early hour in the evenihg, and throughout the Whole of the night and until noon the following day his pencil never Ceased moving. He afterwards went on with the ordinary business of the day as usual. Referring to the late Dr Featherston, the Post remarks that he lived a life of earnest and useful work, and died poor. The making of a just—not to say a generous—provision for the family of this good and self-sacrificing man is a duty imperatively incumbent upon the otate. The recent vote was clearly inadequate for the purpose, and we trust the matter will be reconsidered by the i overnment and the House. When performing an act of justice, let it be done thoroughly, and let it not be said that New Zealand has dealt stmtingly by the family of one who was an honor to the Colony, and whose services to it have been of the greatest'and most lasting benefit.

The following is the outspoken style in Melbourne of expressing public opinion regardmg candidates for public office. Such a paragraph in Dunedin would be met by an information against an editor forJLibel. The ‘Age, writing of Dr Madden, says :—“ The candidate who can lay claim to them can dispense with principles. He maybe an old politician or a young one, a freetrader or a protectionist, but without them he is nothing worth. This is evidently the sum and sub* stance of Dr Madden’s creed, for a more thoroughly unprincipled politician never offered himself to the public gaze. His career has been a Vfery short one, but he has contrived to compress into it as much tergiversation and profligacy as if he had grown grey in the occupation.' 1

Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather on Saturday some twenty adventurous spirits assembled at Montecillo to indulge in Hockey. As several footballists were amongst the number, tolerably strong sides were made up, and a good game was played for about an hour and a-half. During the Contest for the second goal no less than four balls were smashed, and nothing in the shape of a ball could be found except a golf “ bullet ” (a better name for it than “ ball”), which was quite invisible during its passage through the air, and, therefore, dangerous; so, after two men had been struck by it, a football was introduced, and, despite the rain, a goal was won and lost, when further operations were postponed till next Saturday.

The Wellington ‘ Argus * has the following : An Otago journal the other day gravely announced that Mr Pyke was going to be Chief Commissioner of Police for the Colony. This is a fine flight of imagination. We do not believe that the Government intends making any such appointment, and have reason to know that Mr Pyke has never aspired to such an office. Another Otago paper says Mr Pyke is to be the second Resident Magistrate for Dunedin. We are authorised to state that Mr Pyke has never applied for that appointment, nor has anything on the subject even been said to him by ths Government. The generosity , with which the members supporting the Government are now given billets by the Opposition Press, is truly remarkable.” ‘ ‘ Othello ” was produced at • tfie Queen’s Theatre on Saturday evening to a large a’udience. The piece was better cast than any play which has been put on the boards at this theatre during the present season, all the characters, with one exception, being well represented. Mr Talbot gave a very fine rendering of the part of the jealous Moor, his action throughout being in no manner overstrained. Mr Steele was seen to better advantage as lago than for some time past, and his efforts tended in no inconsiderable way to the excellence of the performance. Of Mrs Hill’s impersonation of Desdemona we have frequently had to speak in terms of the highest praue. “Romeo and Juliet” will be played to-night; and on v\ ednesday Mr Talbot takes a benefit, for which evening a most attractive programme has been issued.

A summoned meetingbf the Pioneer Lodge, I 0.0. F. will be held to-morrow evening, at 8 o’clock.

A meeting of the Standard Property Society will bo held at the offices on We nesday, between 6 and 8 p.m. A meeting of the Otago T n3titnte will be held in ’he University Buildings to morrow (Tuesday), at 8 p.m

Mr John Marriott, a candidate for the counfillorsh : p of Kast Ward South Dunedin, has re ired in favor of Mr Wybar.

The annual soiree of the Congregational Chufch Sunday School will be held in the Congregational Hall to-morrow evening.

A meeting of thos s desirous of joining lie Christian Mutual Aid • v oci ty wli be held at M r Dyso ’s. Stuart street, to-uiorrow evening. A s; ecial meeting of the Hand and Heat Lodge, MU. 1.0 0.F., will be helQ at the Oddfellows’ Hall, George street, to morrow, at 7.30.