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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4456, 1 July 1875, Page 2

There was a shift of wind last evening, accompanied by the heaviest rain experienced for some time, and which continued to ccrne down in torrents during the whole night, rendering the streets most deplorable for foot passengers.

A meeting of the Education Board was held yesterday morning at the Education Chambers. Present Messrs, Pharazyn, Bunny, and Brandon. A large number of tenders were opened for the erection of a school at the ITutt, and a teacher’s residence at Johnson villa. The tender of Messrs. Barnes and Co. was accepted in each case ; that for the schoolroom being .-£97, and that for the teacher’s residence £-215. Several accounts were passed for payment, and the Board then adjourned till Wednesday next.

• We regret to state that the poor child Alice Bussell, who received, such severe injuries from a cart wheel passing over her on Tuesday, died yesterday morning. An inquest will he held to-day at 2 o’clock, at the Albion Hotel. The Corporation carter, John Thomas Biddle,.who was driving the cart at the time of the accident, was again brought up at the Police Court yesterday, and further remanded till Tuesday next. Bail was allowed, defendant entering into a recognisance of £2OO, and.two other persons into a recognisance of ,£IOO each. The-Union Steam Ship Company’s fine new steamer the Hawea arrived in port yesterday afternoon, and a detailed notice of her will be found in our shipping columns. She came in too late for many persons to go on board, but doubtless she will be visited by very many to-day. With characteristic liberality the directory has issued invitations for lunch to a large number of the leading citizens of the port, and this will take place at half-past one to-day. . The quarterly sitting of the Supreme Court, in its criminal jurisdiction, is set down for Monday next, but owing to the absence of his Honor the Chief J ustice on circuit, the Court will be opened profornid, and adjourned till the following Monday. The undermentioned prisoners wait trial: —Dennis Wright, charged with having obtained goods by means of false pretences ; John Woods, cattle stealing; John Enwright, perjury; Frank Murray, assault with intent to commit a felony.

The inclement state of the weather last evening interfered greatly with the attendance at the theatre. The piece selected for presentation is an entirely new one, written by Mr. Darrell himself, who has gained a reputation as an author by the favorable reception of this and several" other plays which have come from his pen. Of the merits of “Under the Ban ” we can speak in terms of unfeigned commendation, without going so far as to endorse the opinion of those' critics who pronounce it equal in power and pathos to “ East Lynne.” This it certainly is not, and it will never become as popular as that famous, play ; but nevertheless it is far and away superior to the trashy rubbish which so frequently is placed bn the boards now-a-days. There is an absence of that maudlin sentiment which is so repugnant to good taste, and the air of probability, or at least possibility, which envelopes the plot, contrasts favorably with ' .e wild extravagances some authors indulge in. Then, again, the piece is very actable, and the various incidents of plot and underplot are so interwoven, exciting situations so judiciously introduced, that the audience is constantly on the tip-toe of expectation, and the dialogue, if not sparkling with wit or embellished by originality of

thought and beauty of language, is at least couched in . good English, and in parts so humorous, - and so well connected throughout that it cannot fail to interest. Briefly to recount the leading incidents, it may be stated that the scene is laid in England, and when the audience is first introduced to Alice Fielding, the heroine, she is a visitor to the seat of Sir J, "Vansittart, under the assumed name of Ruth Forest. Sir James’s family consists of a daughter Mabel and a son Charles, the former being engaged to a barrister named Devore, and the latter is pretty deeply in love with the guest. Devore at this juncture visits Vansittart, and being presented to Ruth Forest, discovers’ her to be Alice Fielding, a woman whom he had some time previously, at one of the assize courts, prosecuted for the murder of her husband, but who was acquitted by a miscarriage of justice. He offers to forego the disclosure he must otherwise make if she will leave the place ;. but this she declines to do, and he denounces her. Her firm bearing under the accusation secures her the confidence of both Charles and Mabel, and so the first act closes. In the second act she is visited by Charles and Mabel and Devore, and the latter still further pursuing her, accuses her of having destroyed her husband’s null in order to gain his property at Ids decease, and proceeds to give her in custody on the' charge. The servant woman comes forward and avows her mistress’s [innocence," and her own guilt, and produces a confession, in which she admits having poisoned Fielding because of his cruelty to his wife, and also having destroyed the will that her mistress should not suffer poverty. The intense hate of Devore now turns to love, and the jealousy of Charles is aroused, which ends in the latter shooting his rival. Mabel then divines Devore’s love for Alice, and there is a rupture between them. The heroine now falls into a decline, but Devore is still anxious to marry her.. She repulses him, and just before death tells him that she'feels herself guilty of murder, inasmuch as she had a suspicion her husband was being poisoned, but failed to acquaint him of it because at the moment she was about to discover the fact to him he struck her to the ground. The death scene is the occasion of a general reconciliation, and Devore and Mabel once again renew their previous relations. The manner in which the characters were performed was admirable. The fact that Mr. Darrell assumed the role of Devore is a sufficient guarantee that the audience were presented with the author’s conception of that character; and the same may be said of Mrs. Darrell’s Alice Fielding. Her acting was really very powerful and impassioned, of which the audience expressed its recognition by continuous applause. Mrs. Hill made an excellent character of Mabel, and Miss Anstead played the old woman servant faultlessly. Mr. Douglas gave a very fair rendering of Charles. The characters in the running under-plot were well sustained by Miss Lilly May and Messrs. Hydes and Starke.

The entertainment and soiree clansante at the Odd Fellows’ Hall last night in aid of a sick member of the Typographical Association was a complete success in every respect. Despite the horribly inclement weather, there was a very large attendance. A most attractive programme of singing was gone through, to the evident pleasure of the audience, following upon an overture excellently played by the Artillery Baud, after which dancing was commenced, and kept up with the utmost spirit for several hours. The members of the Association are to he heartily congratulated upon the result of its most praiseworthy efforts to help a fellow-craftsman under what all must hope is a merely temporary affliction. Travellers frequently complain of the reprehensible carelessness of drivers of teams on the country highways. Vll Wo are informed that on Tuesday evening a horse attached to a dray was sent off on a ramble on the Karori-road whilst the driver was •“ Hquoring-up” at some adjacent inn. This practice, as well as that of driving without lights, makes travelling by night exceedingly dangerous, and if those witnessing such negligence were to institute a prosecution they would confer a favor upon the travelling public.

To-day and to-morrow an examination of those teachers under the Board of Education who are desirous of taking higher certificates for efficiency than they now.hold, will be held throughout the district. In Wellington the examination, which will be conducted by Mr. Lee, the Inspector of Schools, and supervised by Mr. Wilson, of the College, will be held in Thorndon schoolroom. All pupil teachers will go up for examination, and some of those holding certificates; but the new regulations have been in force too short a time—about two months—to have enabled many of the latter class to read up. It may he stated that the examination is important to the teachers in a financial sense, for the attainment of a higher certificate is rewarded by additional salary irrespective of the numbers attending the school over which the graduate presides. There is a grand discussion going on in the Home papers as to why Englishmen do not get the best teas, and Russians do. Some of the writers, who all seem to' be experts, say the cause is the price ; hut then Englishmen mil give any price for what they want, and do give high prices for Indian teas. Others say the fault is the grocers’, who want large profits, and make them by mixingteas ; but tlie grocers could put a profit price on best teas if they liked, and if the public wanted them. And finally a third set say the public does not know good tea from bad, and buys tea as it comes, which is simply untrue, the dealers in the inferior teas always “ loading” them with good tea, as wine merchants load bad sherry with brandy. All this while nobody mentions the old reason, which, wo believe, was given originally by Mr. Fortune, and has been repeated at intervals for thirty years. Englishmen do not drink the best teas, because when the teas get here they are common teas. They will not stand a voyage, though they will stand a long land journey. The notion, by the way, that the best Indian teas get here is erroneous. The finest “ chops” of, Deyrah Dhoou tea, which is to Assam tea what fine Pekoe is to rough Souchong,.are sold ou the spot, and go northwards.

If an account published in The Times is correct, the Postoffice Money-order system is unexpectedly unprofitable. In 1873,,n0 less than £21,630,000 was remitted through the Postoffice, and a commission of 1 per cent, was paid upon it all, yet that enormous business scarcely yielded any profit, and probably produced a loss. The Postoffice is now accumulating the “unclaimed” money, apparently' to form a sort of guarantee fund for itself. The Times suggests that there is loss on colonial orders, and we receive orders from the colonies to pay about £500,000 a year, and only give orders for about £BO,OOO, the difference of commission going to colonial postoffices, and inquires how the English offices with no money meet the drafts on them. Are the Government compelled to be perpetually sending about mouey, or. is the clerk-work really in excess of the profit received? It is very difficult to believe that a private banking firm would not contrive somehow to make a profit out of an overturn of £21,000,000 a year.'

The Otagti Ouardian of the 26th says:—An amusing incident occurred in the Supreme Court yesterday. When a certain motion was called by the officer of the Court; a tall grave gentleman arose slowly, and continued rising for some time. When the gentleman referred to had reached hia full height he began to address the Judge in a low tone. Judge Johnston blandly inquired, “Who is addressing me?” The gentleman proceeded, without heeding this interruption, with his address. Judge Johnston then leaned forward, and whispered an inquiry to the officer of the Comt, “Who is that gentlaman?” Mr. Registrar Ward replied, “ It is Mr. Bartbn.” The Judge looked round about. He saw the Mr. Barton he was accustomed to sitting silently at the end of the table, opposite to the figure who was addressing him. The Judge then said, “ Stay a moment, or I shall get my notes in contusion. There seems to< be two Mr. Bartons ; how am I to distinguish ?” The Judge here looked at the “sitting” Mr. Barton. “ It is very easy to distinguish between us,” said the latter ; “ I am five feet high ; the other gentleman is seven.”-—“Humph,” said

the Judge, more puzzled than ever, “ I cannot put that distinction on my notes.” We are not able to say how his Honor surmounted his difficulty. We hope he succeeded in mating the matter clear. The dinner in commemoration of the amalgamation of the two Odd Fellows’ lodges wall be held at the Odd Fellows’ Hall this evening.