The Evening Star. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4238, 26 September 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1876.

The annual show of the Tokomairiro Farmer's Club is to be held on December 7.

The University Council held a meeting yesterday, but no notice of it was communicated to the Press. We have received information from the Telegraph Department that the Amoy aud Shanghai cable is now repaired. At meetings of shearers held at Paimerston and Oamaru, it was resolved that the rate to be charged for shearing during the approaching season shall be 20s per hundred sheep. At a meeting held last night of the provisional directors of the Co-operative Store Company, it was decided to register the company and to call a general meeting of shareholders at an early date to elect a permanent directory. The Leith Lodge, 1.0.0. F., at their quarterly meeting last last, received a com nunication from the A.0.F., Otago District, suggesting the desirability of having a medical practitioner aiid dispensary solely for the various friendly societies in the City. The consideration of the matter was postponed for a week. The 1 idge now numbers 175 membtrs, twenty having joined it during the past quarter.

A verv large number of tenders having bpesi sent in for the erection of the Middle District School building and for the alterations found necessary to other school buildings throughout the Province, some considerable time will be occupied in considering them The Executive will therefore be unable to come to a decision until to-morrow morning at the earliest. The Simonsens open in Christchurch on the 9th prox. Mr Hoskins opens the new theatre there with Mr and Mrs Hall, who aro to be succeeded by Mr Emmet. Mrs Mary Gladstane aud her husband returned to the Colonies by the last Ualifornian steamer, and while in America Mr Bayles was successful in negotiating with Barry Sullivan to play for a hundred nights in Australia. Via San Francisco we have news of the successful appearance in the States of Miss Eleanor Carey. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society, in connection with the North Dunedin Presbyterian Church, was held in the class-room last night, when the desirability of forming a library was mentioned. Mr John Bowden read his essay upon the " Siege of Jerusalem," which was listened to with great attention by those present, and commented upon by Beveral of the members. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Bowden for th« able manner in which he had handled his subject. Some conversation then ensued as to the desirability of changing some of the rules before they were printed; and after discussion the matter was postponed to a future meeting. The House of Representatives by its vote last night practically prevented the general use of the postal card which is about to be issued. Their benefit will be felt mostly in tewns, and under the present regulations a letter can be delivered from a post-office to any part of the town for one penny, which is the price to be charged for the cards. How the department reconciles its admission that " post cards will supply a general want, by enabling messages, orders, notices, and other short communications to be transmitted through the post at a nominal rate of postage," when it has recommended the imposition of what is a prohibitive charge for them is what we are utterly at a loss to understand.

At the Princess's Theatre last evening there was a good house and a marked change in the programme. The first piece was Blanche's " Pride of the Market, which is not worth describing, being composed of the most flimsy materials. It, however, served to exhibit A ell's vivacity and Mr Giddeus'B humor favorably in the characters of Martin Girofle" aud Isidore Farini. Mr tcele played with more than his wonted animation as the libertine Marquis de Vo laujie, and Mrs Walter Hill made a merry Javotto. Miss Lily May represented Louise de Volange very pleasingly. The entertainment concluded with " t he Talkative Wife," in which Nell and Mr Giddens kept the audience in roars of laughter, though occasionally the fun was over-done. This evening the same pieces will be repeated. At a meeting of the Fire I rigade Demonstration Committee, held at the Firo Brigade station last evening, the programme, as corrected by the sub-committee, was passed, and 200 copies ordered to be printed ; a copy, together with invitation, to bo forwarded to all the brigades in 2*ew Zealand, Victoria, Sydney, and Tasmania- the same to &o by the mail on Wednesday next. A full programme of foot and other races for valuable prizes will be forwarded by next mail. The following gentlemen were appointed to collect subscriptions :—Messrs Fish and Clayton, South Ward; Messrs Waiu and Bnrr, High Ward ; Messrs Woodland and Fa'cnnev, Bell War' -. Messrs Marshall and T. Birch, Leilu \\ ard. Entries for all events close on the 10th December,

Messrs Macandrew and Stout, M.H.R.'s, returned from Wellington by the Arawate to-day. On arrival at the railway station they were met by the principal members of the Political Association.

A Maori named Nikomina, who died lately at Patea, in the Province of Taranaki, is said to have seen Captain Cook. Nikomina is supposed to have attained the extreme old age of 120 years. At an adjourned meeting of the Hebrew congregation on Sunday Messrs A. Solomon, G. Jacobs, and E. Nathan were added to the committee, and it was resolved to present the retiring President (Mr Hyman) with a suitably engrossed testimonial in r .-cognition of the services rendered him by to the congregation.

The Port down train leaving Dunedin at 10.5 o'clock was seventy minutes late in reaching Port Chalmers this morning, a stoppage having to be made at the intersection of the Moeraki line, owing to a lump of stone having got on the line. It appears that the quarryuien for some time past havft been anxious to remove one of the large overhanging stones from the face of the quarry, and had got it on the lii>e shortly before the appearance of the train. Its weight was feuch that it took a considerably longer time to remove it than had Leen expected, thus causing the detention of the train, which reached town at 1 p.m., and immediately afterwards returned to Port Chalmers.

No less than eight of the prizes offered at the last annual meeting of the Royal Association for the promotion of the fine arts in Scotland, and t.e distribution of of works of art, come to New Zealand: —" On the Fullock," by Alexander Fraser, R.S.A., valued at LIOO, falls to Mr Wales, Dunedin; "An Amateur Artist," by John Michie, valued at L 45, to Mr Loxward, Wellington; "Gathering Bait on the Shores of Port Seaton," by George Brown, valued at L 5 ss, to John Hislop, farmer. Milton; "The Officer of the Watch," by Jehn A. Horston, R.S.A., valued at LB4, to John Anderson, jun., Christchurch ; " Loch Vennaeher winter," by John Jelland, valued at Ll2 12s, to Mr Nicholas, Wellington ; "Grass of Parnassus," by Miss Alice M. Fraser, valued at L 5 ss, to Mr John Anderson, Christchurch; "Great Expectations," by Robert R?ss, jun., valued at L 52 10s, to Mr J. Stoddart, Napier. A number of the prizes have also gone to Australian subscribers.

The illustrations in the current number of the 'lllustrated New Zealand Herald' are much abov: the average. For inst >nce, there is a series of views of scsnery in the Taupo district, including the pink and whit© terraces of the hot springs, which are very well executed. The letter press is also we 1 arranged.