The Evening Star THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4312, 21 December 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1876.

It was Ah Mong, and not Wong Tip, as stated by us, who was recently proceeded against for salmon-trout fishing in the Harb r. There was no sitting of the Supreme Court to-day, but to-morrow morning Mr Justice Williams will sit in Chambers, and afterwards in Banco. Batchelder's Pantascope was again exhibited at the Temperance Hall last evening to a fair audience. This excellent entertainment is well worth a visit, the scenes and the descriptive lecture being equally good. An addition to the Criminal Calendar has been made from Oamaru, where, on Tuesday, James Leslie was committed for tiial for having, on the 11th inst, at Livingstone, stolen from the person of one William Farley the sum of L 9 in bank notes. The nomination for auditor for St. Kilda, vice Mr William Eagar, resigned, took place at the Town Hall at noon to-day, and resulted in the unopposed re-election of Mr Eagar. His proposers and seconders were Messrs Robert Paterson and Patrick Fitzpatrick. The business people of Lawrence are again complaining about the Chinese "pak-a-pu," a game which is largely played at the Chinese camp, and think that the police ought to endeavor to stop it. According to the local paper, the travelling agent for "the game" takes LlO per day out of Waipori. Mr Rolleston, at the banquet given at the opening of the new railway station at Christchurch, remarked that in 1875 the passengers carried on the Canterbury railways numbered half a million ; in 1876 they 2eached 700,000, and at the rate of progress they were making it might be expected that in 1877 the passengers on the Canterbury railways might reach a million. That illustrious person, Tom Thumb, is coming to our part of the world, more especially with the intention of visiting New Zealand, a part of Australia not included in his first tour. He will be accompanied by Mrs Tom Thumb, Minnie Warren and Major Newell, who takes the place of Commodore Nutt, which latter geutleman is not dead, as was reported, but very much alive, and in the variety business. A serious accident happened on the main road at St. Kilda on Wednesday night. As a cab proprietor, named William Alexander, was returning to his home about ten o'clock fiia horse bolted, and Alexander was thrown out. He stuck t» the reins, however, and was dragged along the road a considerable distance. When he was

picked up ho was quite insensible, and it was found that he had received some sevßre cuts about the head and face, and had also sustained concussion of the bruin. Dr Biown is attending the sufferer.

The Lawrence Corporation have voted the sum of L 5 in aid of-the fands of the Lawrence Fire Brigade, to be paid when funds a-'e available!

A telegram received by Commissioner neldon thiß afternoon and placed atom* disposal by Sergeant Pair, states :—"Capt Lindsay's body found ashore near wreck William Ackers yesterday."

John M' Donald was arrested at the Bluff, on board the Arawata, by Constable MerettJ'S" mornin & charged'with stealing Ll7 17s 6d from the person of John T. V\ llaon, at Waihola on the 14th inst. A leading feature in the Greymouth Christmas sports is a handicap foot-race for LI 00. Fifty-two nominations have been received, including Hewitt, Drake, Delaney, and numerous other "peds" of wide repute.

The Press Dramatic Club shows signs of revivification. At a meeting of committee last night it was decided to give a performance on an early date, when a feature of the programme will be a new burlesque written by Mr Bracken, the music of which will be supplied by Mr Marcus Hume,

At the Port Chalmers Police Court this morning, Mary Ann Bruce, for drunkenness, was fined 10s, in default forty-eight hours' imprisonment. John Riley, on warrant charged with using insulting language to \Vilham Fitzgerald on the 4th October, was discharged on payment of costs in the case, the plaintiff withdrawing his charge.

There was only a short sitting at the City Police Court to-day. Only one drunkard figured on the charge-sheet; but as the defendant had not recovered his faculties' after being detained in the lockup for several hours, be was remanded to the Bospital for examination. The other business was confined to the hearing of breaches of the byehews.

Those who travel in cabs to St. Kilda must have experienced the jostling consequent on passing over the prison tram-line at the south end of the town. The rails are unprotected by frame-work, the result being that the vehicle receives a nasty shaking. From cab proprietors especially are complaints loudand deep, and we are assured that axle-joints innumerable have been broken.

A prisoner named Insley, employed with the hard-labor gang at Portobello, broke a blood vessel while working this morning. He was brought over in the prison boat to Port Chalmers, and taken to Dunedin by the 7.10 a.m. train. Insley was the proprietor of that well-known house, the London Tavern, in Walker street, and was only sentenced to one month's imprisonment yesterday. Joseph Cockburn, a seaman on board the Otago, arrested at the Bluff on the 13th inst., was sentenced at InvercargiU to-day to four months' imprisonment on each of two charges of stealing from the shipwrecked steamer Otago. In one of the cases he was charged with stealing two odd boots. There were two pairs of boots in one of the passenger's portmanteaux, and the odd ones had been removed.

The following prizes were awarded at the gardeners' meeting last night: -For the best six blooms of rosea -Alexander Begg, Ist; Adam Forsyth, 2ud. Six truss verbenasWalter Rush. Six pinks—Walter Rush. Six heaviest strawberries—Alex. M 'Lennan, Some fine anemones and ranunculus exhibited by Mr A. M'Lennan, gardener to Mr R. Hay, Clyde street, were much admired; as were varieties of narcissus, exhibited by Mr A. Forsyth, Woodhaugh.

Some extensive improvements are being made in the Municipality of St. Kilda, there being no less than nine houses in course of erection in Musselburgh Ward, and four more in Park Ward. Caversham, being dissatisfied with the County system, is about petitioning for a separate municipality; but we understai d preliminary steps are being taken to have the whole of the Flat constituted one municipality. It is proposed to make application at the next session of Parliament to have measures adopted, whereby the districts of Caversham, South Dunedin, and St. Kilda may be afforded equal representation, and the over-riding power which was objected to when St. Kilda and South Dunedin declared themselves into separate municipalities be thus overcome.

Very serious inconvenience, affecting the credit of the Province, was nearly resulting thiough the persistence of Mr Macaudrew in sending letters addressed to the Superintendent to Wellington, to be dealt with by the Colonial Secretary, instead of forwarding them to the Commissioner of Customs, now in Dunedin. Through this strange course, a remittance required to meet certain payments in Great Britain had nearly been too late, the Commissioner only being advised of it in time to effect arrangements with the Invercargill branch of the bank to transmit the amount by the Arawata before leaving the Bluff. Luckily this was effected. This is not the only consequence of so unwise a course. Complaints of letters being unanswered have been loud and just, and it has therefore become absolutely necessary to take steps to have the letters forwarded to the Commissioner, and to close the Post office box appropriated to the late Superintendent.

Entries for the Caledonian Society's Annual Sports will close at the rooms of the Society to morrow (Friday), at 6 p m. The quarterly meeting of the Linden Lodge, I 0.0.P., will be held in the lodge room to morrow (Friday) evening. Members of the Loyal Orange Lodge are re quested to meet at the Briti-h Hotel, George street, on Tuesday next, at 8.30 a.m. A novel 'orin of advertising has been adopted by Mr G. Darrell, in the shape of a pantomime picture Rallery, pi ced in the 1-bby of the Princess'*. The painting i* exceedingly good, and the work is certainly an improvement on the customary Christmas advertising dropscene. At the half-yearly meeting of Loyal Outram Lodge, M. U.1.0.0.F., on the 18th iust, the fob lowing were elected as officers for the ensuing six months, aud duly installed by the P.G.M Bro. Cox : -G.M.. Fro. John Walker; N G.' Rro. P. M. Grant; V.G., Bro. F. Bremner • F. 3.. Bro. A. J. F. Young; P.S., Bro. James Godwin; Lodge Surgeon, n M'Brearty. The Surgeon's report Bhowed that there had been no sicknestsin the Lodge for the past year. ': his lode was op>ned ou December H, 1875*, with t and now they have about fristy members good on th»- books.