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Evening Star, Issue 4215, 30 August 1876, Page 2

“ The Trump Card ” was again played at the Queen’s Theatre last evening, and this evening will be withdrawn in favor of “ East Lynne,” in which Mrs Darrell will sustain her favorite dual character. New municipalities at North and East Invercargill are gazetted to-day; and it is notified that Mr Shrimski, M.H.R., has been appointed a member of the Oamaru Harbor Board, in the room of the Hon. John M'Lean. On the 21st inst. a fire occurred at Skeybank farm, Jacob’s River, by which a barn, stable, and shed, containing a large quantity of barley, Ac, were destroyed. The owner, Mr Collie, estimates his loss at L3S4, a very small part of which is covered by insurance.

At a special meeting of the shareholders in the Commercial Building Society held last night, the following resolution, in reference to the vote of LIOO as an acknowledgment of the late secretary s services, was agreed to: —“That this meeting fully recognises the value of Mr Douglas’s services, and regrets that some technical difficulty prevents their giving effect at present to the proposed addition to his salary, and refer the question to the next annual meeting.” The following candidates gained junior Colonial scholarships at the examination in May last: -Jas. Hay, mathematics, English (specially commended), and French; T. W. Bell, mathematics and natural science (the latter specially commended); John limes, English and French history ; and Herbert Williams, mathematics and natural science. With the exception of Mr Ball, who belongs to Wellington College, the successful competitors all belong to the Christchurch College.

The silly rumor that caused such excitement in Wellington on Sunday arose ft om the fact that the captain of H.M. Nymphe had received instructions from Commodore Hoskins to hold himself in readiness for.any emergency.

_ The inhabitants of South Dunedin are signing a petition requesting the Mayor of that municipality a public meeting to consider the political situation. It will most probably be held in the Forbury scboolhouse on Friday evening. That was a lucky “hatter” who (accord ing to a correspondent of the ‘Mount Ida Chronicle ’), while working lately upon a terrace up the Arrow River, got L 27 worth of gold in one dish of dirt, one “spec ” being six and a-half oimces.

It is stated that the Provincial Govern* have determined to vest in trustees the piece of land in Dowling street, reserved for volunteer purposes, and for which repeated application has been made. The grant will, however, be made in very specific terms, for the purposes of adrillshed, armory, and gun shed.

The ‘ Ne’son Times ’ tells a story of all preparations having been made there the other day for a wedding. The bride was dressed, the guests assembled, and everything was ready except the bridgroom. He did not appear, and, after careful and lengthened search, it was discovered that he had fled in the Taupo the previous night. The Bill winch the Select Committee of the House of Representatives appointed to consider the rabbit nuisance in Southland have brought forward proposes to give power to the highway boards to tax, and to bodies elected by owners and lessees of land to elect committees and to enforce taxation and compliance with rules locally framed.

It appears to be definitely arranged that Mr Warden Stratford will be relieved from his duties at the Arrow as Warden and Resident Magistrate on leave of absence for twelve months, and that the change will be made very shortly. The * Observer 7 expects Mr Warden Beetham will administer the business of the station during Mr Stratford’s absence.

“ Our Boys ” and the burlesque again constituted the bill at the Princess’s last night, but neither went well from the simple reason that one of the principal characters in each had to be “walked’' through. For Miss Colville an apology was made—on the score of sudden indisposition—and her place was filled by Miss Vernon, who simply read the parts. We have been asked to explain that the Otago Reserves Management Bill, introduced by Mr Stout, proposes large endowments for museums and public libraries, as well as for the High, Grammar, and Primary Schools. The schedules are not yet prepared, but it is understood they will comprise a little over a million acres, recommended by the Provincial Government. The General Govern ment is opposed to such a large reservation, and some of the Otago members intend to move in the direction of specialising the reserves. *"

Canterbury and Wellington had their caucuses about the Counties. The Canterbury members decided against limiting the County boundaries to those ot the Provinces, and agreed to recommend the constitution of three Counties, one from Waiau to Waimakiriri, another from Waimakiriri to Rangitata, and a third to Waitaki, or the boundaries of the Timaruand Gladstone district. It was suggested that Banks’ Peninsula and the Waunate district might desire

to be separate Counties, but it was thought better to leave the subject to the people of the district. The Wellington meeting resolved to recommend six Counties instead of five, as was proposed. The Westland members are waiting till the Otago members have agreed upon something definite before calling their meeting. A deputation of Oddfellows from Dunedin, comprising G.M. Bro. Braithwaite, Bros. Teague, Alexander, M'Nair, and M'Kenzie, attended a meeting at the Drill-shed, Green Island, last night, for the purpose of taking preliminary steps to form a lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows. Mr J. J. Eagerty, who was voted to the chair, introduced the deputation, and after short addresses by the above-named brothers, a petition -with about thirty signatures was obtained asking the Grand Lodge to grant a charter for the opening of a branch, to be called the Green Island Lodge. Mr Davidson was recommended for appointment as N.G. for the first term. Messrs Eagerty, , Davidson, and Jenkins were elected a committee to make arrangements for a place to meet in, and for the appointment of a surgeon ; also, upon completion of their labors, to forward a report of the same to the Grand Master, who will then fix a date for the institution of the lodge. In certain quarters we notice that an effort is being made for an obvious purpose to magnify the number of persons who attended the political meeting at the Drill shed on Monday evening. The reporters of the morning papers, without any consultation on the subject, fixed the number at 600, but after a careful survey of the room, when it was fiullest, we could not make it more than 500—an estimate we considered at the time to be a very liberal one. The assertion now .made that the numbers ranged from 1,200 to 1,500 carries its own contradiction, as the building cannot—even if people be packed in it as closely as herrings—hold within 300 of the smaller number. The room is 70ft by 50ft, 1 11 • s i. * • *

and, allowing four feet as standing room for every person, which we are informed on good professional authority is the customary allowance, will only provide accommodation for 900. We will, however, present those who have an object in magnifying the importance of the meeting a present of a couple of hundred, and therefore admit that the shed, if crowded, will hold 1,050 or 1,1000 persons. What then ?By no process of calculation can a larger attendance on Monday night than from 500 to 600 be arrived at, as two things admit of no dispute—-the first, that the room was never more than half full; the other, that the only semblance of crowding was observable in the immediate neighborhood of the platform, no difficulty being experienced in emerging from the body of the meeting on either side of the room.

The Artillery Band practice is postponed from Friday to Monday next batta'ion parade ni,ht A soiree in connection with the Sabbath School will be h.-ld in the Drill-shed, Mosgiel, to-morrow (Thursday) evening, commencing at 6.30. The annual meeting of the District Grand Lodge of Otago and outhland will be held ia the Masonic Hall to-morrow (Thursday), at 8 p.m. A. new I o-ge of the 1.0T.T, will be instituted in th« 1 'rib shed. Water of Leith, by the D.D.G.W.G.T, to-morrow (Thursday) evening, at 7.30. ' or the convenience of country members Mr Sydney James will receive entries at his office, Princes street, for the fourth annual show of the Dunedin Poultry Association till Saturday ev> ning. Everett’s Hibemieon and Comedy Ccmpany a now perfor i ing at the Temperance Hall. The panorama is much superior to Bake’s, which was here recently. This evening the cQjnedi s of ‘ Dutch Irish ” in which Miss A. Stoatlnuu wiJJ appear, and “ O thello Rehearsed ” will be produced.

The annual meeti gef the Dunedin Bowling Club will be held at Wain*a Hotel to xn rrow evening at eight oMock.

We havo to acknowledge the receipt, in form, of the clever Pulpit Sketches which appeared in the ‘ Saturday Advertiser.’ ‘.jidymus,’’ we need hardly say, was Mr Brae* keu s iiqiu de plume. <he pamphlet contains woodcuts of manv of the rev. gentlemen, whose characters are discussed in it.