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Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 173, 29 April 1872, Page 2

The District Court will sit to-morrow (Tuesday), at Grahamstown. The Official Agent will attend at Mr Dowdeu’s office to pay dividends ou certain claims advertised in another place. A deputation of battery managers is to wait upon Mr Haughton this morning in reference to the Government Water Supply scheme.

gr ; Jaa. Kilgour, Esq., J.P.jfis gazetted honorary assistant surgeon'- of the No. 1 Royal Hauraki Rifles. | The monthly?inspection of the Thames Engineer Volunteers is fixed for to-morrow evening at the Hall, Shorthand, at 7 o’clock, when all the members must attend or be subject to the penalty for non-attend-ancc. Notwithstanding the heavy downpour of rain yesterday the funeral of the late Mr Samuel Wells was numerously attended—about 30 persons being present. There was considerable difficulty iu gottiug the coffin carried to the Cemetery without an upset, and if anything was necessary to couviuce the public of the absolute necessity of having the road put into something like repair, the manner iu which the funeral cortege had to struggle through mud and water yesterday must have been sufficient. The Commercial Goldmining Co.’s ground was sold on Saturday under a distress from the R.M. Court for £5 7s 6d. We perceive that Mr Sydney Stidolph will lecture on Wednesday evening in the Academy of Music, in aid of the Thames Goldfields Hospital. The subject to be treated is a very interesting one to all of us, namely “The present and future prospects •f New Zealand.” The Rev. Mr Vicessitttus Lush will occupy the chair. We trust that the lecturer’s exertious on behalf of a local institution will meet with success. At the Police Court, on Saturday, one case of drunkenness, one of indecency, one of permitting a horse to stray, two of obstructing the footpath, one of creating a nuisance, one of stealing quartz from a dwelling-house at Coromandel, and one of selling liquor at a liceused house after hours, comprised the business. Another charge which was on the sheet, but was settled out of Court, was an information against a schoolmaster for not keeping his premises clean. We observed several small boys in Court, appareutly watching with keen enjoyment the prospect of seeing their master “ put through," in which, however, they were disappointed. Mr James Mackay arrived from down the coast on Friday night, having been engaged in settling several disputed boundaries down there. A large number of Upper Thames natives accompanied him, they having an interest in the laud in question. The blocks

have been purchased by Mr Mackay for the Government, as part of the goldfield. Whilst at Waikawau Mr Mackay also settled a longstanding dispute between the l’awera tribe and the parties who have sold the land, as to the boundaries of the block. This dispute has been pending ever since- the opening of the goldfield in 1868, but Mr Mackay’s wellknown tact in treating with Maori disputes has overcome all difficulties, and the whole thiug is how amicably arranged. We have heard that the brickmakers ar at present considering and devising a plan which, if carrried out, will most effectually save their interest from being injured iu the future by any exorbitant charge that a dealer iu bricks might think of makiug. The suggestion that we have heard of is, that they arc likely to join together in renting an allotment and appointing a paid agent of their own to sell their manufactures. Iu this case the expense would be borne equally, or by some graduating scale that might be agreed upon amongst themselves ; and by liberally advertising the name of their authorised agent, and the price which he is instructed to cliaige for a quality of brick, much benefit would accrue to the trade generally. In their agent’s office samples of all the various articles manufactured could be kept, with the prices affixed, and iuteudiug customer* could give their orders accordingly.— Cross. Wo learn from home papers that Mr Bruce of Broughty Ferry, is sole nomiuee of the Dundee Presbytery to a Professorship, in the Free Church College of Glasgow. Mr Bruce, at a very early age, was employed by the Messrs Chambers in editing their edition of Kitto’s Bible ; he has recently published an exhaustive work on '‘The Twelve Apostles,” and is even more distinguished for couscientiousucss than learning. Being a younger brother of the Rev. Mr Bruce, of Auckland, many iu New Zealand will feel some interest iu the appointment, and we heartily wish him success.— D. S. Cross. Saturday’s N. Z. Herald, in quoting from the Wanganui Chronicle, of the 23rd instant, an article referring to the late gold discovery, acids to it a piece of information, which certainly is news to us, as indeed it must be to auyone acquainted with the country around Lake Taupo. When the Tal'iugamutu Iliver, where the gold has beau found, got shifted round to the eastern side of the lake we know not. The following is the paragraph referred to : —“ We may state that tlie Wanganui River, on which gold has been discovered, is not the Wanganui River referred to by our contemporary, nor is it the district where Captain McDonald propected for gold. It is on the eastern side of Lake Taupo, within about ten miles of the point where the Waikato rivers flow from tlie lake. Access is easy from Cambridge and the Bay of Plenty." It is satisfactory to know that our local Society of Artists is by no means defunct, but that it is at the present time hard at work iu the endeavour to secure for us a great pleasure next spring, Uti the shape of an intercolonial exhibition' of paintings in Auckland. A meeting of the society; was held a few days ago, at which Mr Hoyte was appointed honorary secretary, and at which it was resolved that an exhibition of paintings should tak6 place in Auckland about the beginning of November. It is intended on the part of the society to communicate with all sister societies in the various Australasian Colonies, and to invite contributions of pictures. We think that in this step the society will act wisely. Not only will the collection of pictures be thereby largely augmented, but local artists will have the advantage of comparison of tlieir works with those of other painters. It is desired that as wide notice as possible should be given of the intended exhibition, in order that ample time may be given for the preparation of exhibits. — Herald.

We have received our usual file of the Volunteer Gazette, No. IG, published ou Saturday. Last week we perceived that the Gazette contained little or no news of the late rifle contest in the South, but this time it contains not a single line in reference to it. Now, to our mind, a Volunteer Gazette should be a sort of record of all tilings of any interest in connection with volunteering, and what can be more so than a contest between the supposed crack shots of every district of the colony. According to the present state of affairs, a far larger amount of real volunteering information is to be gathered from the columns of the daily papers, both here and iu Auckland, than can be obtained from the Volunteer Gazette. They have never even announced who has won the cadet championship of the Colony. Wc will now inform them that it has been won by Lieut. Sleight, of Murton, in the Wellington province, with the wonderful score of 93 points, iu the 2nd and 3rd sets, out of a possible score of 100. If the proprietors of the Gazette will take a little advice, they will devote more space to volunteering, aad leave out ‘‘Dulcie’s Delusion,” domestic economy, etc. If they do not soon change their tune they need not expect a continuance of volunteer support—at least, we speaek for our own district. In Harness’s “ Life," it is stated that the Rothschild of the day observed to Mr Hope, of Decpdene, that a mau must be a “ poor scoundrel who could not afford to lose two millions.”

The Theatre Royal was well patronised on Saturday night, the performance being quite up to the mark, especially the nigger business of Messrs Bent, Carroll and Collins, the dancing of the two latter gentlemen, and the singing of Mr Brown. This gentlemen was also very good in his play with Mr Bent. It was announced that the company would remain on the Thames for another five nights, as the ball in Auckland is not yet ready for their reception. A fresh programme has been issued, and Mr Bent announces that lie wlil do his best to cater for. ,the amusement of the public during the stay of the troupe. We arc informed that tenders have been accepted for the construction of the road from the beach to the Celt machine-site, up Tc Turn Creek. Mr Andrew Ludmark is the successful tenderer for both sections of the road, in all about four miles, the price being £ l 17s 6d per chain. Work will be started as soon as possible, and ere long the owners of property in the Upper Tararu will be able to send up machinery if they so wish it. As will be seen by our advertising columns, the Secretary of the Thames Hospital is advertising for an assistant wardsmai to the Hospital, at a salary of twenty-five shillings per week, with boaul and lodging. We would call the attention of the Highway Board, and of their engineer, to the necessity that exists for the construction of a culvert on the south side of Albert-street, across Brown-street to the beach. As things at present stand, any water that gets on to that side of the street named, between the Bank of New South Wales and the Exchange Bnikbngs, has no outlet whatsoever, and so runs down into Davy-ssreet, completely Hooding the whole place. Last night residents in Davy-street. between Albert and Coromandel-strcets, could not leave their homes without getting up to their knees in water. Constable Dunn, of Balclutha, found a threatening letter addressed to him under his office door on the morning of the 22nd ult. The missive bore the signature “ ltory of the New Zealand Hills,” and the writer appended his crest thereto, in the shape of a sketch of an ugly-looking phiz, intended to represent a skull, with cross bones and a gun beneath. He counsels the constable and his “ mate” (Constable McMillan) to take care what they arc doing, else they may get a bullet through them, emphasising his advice with numerous adjectives of a character in keeping with his threats. Constable Dunn is the officer who, with the aid of some civilians, arrested a gang of six men at Balclutha about a mouth ago, while planning the robbery of a house, and who then quelled their resistance by producing his pistol. The letter is probably from some sympathiser with these men. Its style would do credit to some ; of the communications of a similar kind that have been so plentiful in Irelaud for a length of time past.—Otago Timex. It is not generally known that the claimant to the Tichhorne estates was some time ago for several months a resident in Wellington, under the name of De Castro. During the trial just completed iu London, the claimant’s career was traced, with the exception of a period of six months, during which he disappeared, and reappeared under the name of De Castro. It thus appears that the missing link in his life could have been supplied by ' means of research in this colony. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Story of Emerson.— There is a story told of Ualph Waldo Emerson that once upon a time he determined to live after the fashion of the world ; and stopping, while he was «f this mind, at a country tavern in a village where lie was to lecture, instead of retiring to meditate aud freeze in his own cold and cheerless room, he manfully sat in the bar-room like the rest of mankind. He endured the tobacco smoke as well as lie could, and watched —no doubt with a curiosity as lively as M. Du Chaillu’s on his first visit to a cannibal feast among the Fans—the actions of the men who " sat around.” He saw one after another walk up to flic bar and demand and swallow a glass of whiskey ; and true to his detei mi nation to be for ouce like other men, the great philosopher—so the tale goes on—at last rose, aud no doubt with a certain air of diffidence, but no doubt also with a sufficiency of courage in his port and countenance, advanced to the bar, aud in a voice modulated as nearly as he could after those he had just heard, demanded a “ whiskey skin.” The bar-keeper looked into the philosopher's face for a moment, and thou said—“ You do not want whiskey ; you want ginger-pop and accordingly administered that mild stimulant.