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Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 217, 19 June 1872, Page 2

The p.s. Golden Crown will leave the Graliamstown wharf at 5 this afternoon for Aucklaud. We perceive that the General Government have lost no time in calling for tenders for the erection of buildings for a quarantine station on the Island of Motu Ihi, near Auckland.

The p.s, Enterprise No. 2 aud the Lady

Bowen have lately been entirely renovated, made more comfortable for passengers, and refitted. Both boats will leave Grahamstowu, calling at Coromandel on their return to Auckland, carrying passengers and cargo.

The hearing of the objection to Booth’s licence for the Pukehiuau ground will be heard before the Warden to-day. The case is expected to be a long one. Mr John Butt and Mr Daniel Tookey entered into the required recognizances, before the Resident Magistrate yesterday, to admit Mr McCaskill to bail, and that gentleman was set at liberty. The amount of the bail was McCaskill in £SOO, and the others in £250 eacli.

The only business at the Police Court yesterday was the imposition of the usual penalty on one person charged with being drunk, aud the discharge of a man brought up on suspicion of lunacy. . A diver has been engaged the last few

days in the repairs of the outer T of the wharf. A lively interest is taken in his descents and ascents. Several new piles have already been placed in the room of old ones wormeatcu and dilapidated. —Evening Star.

The directors of the Cure Goldmining Company offer a reward of £SO to any one who will give them information of the party who wilfully loosened and removed the stay used to brace the heavy timber on their mine, thereby endangering the lives of the workmen and also injuring the mine. We trust that the scoundrel will be discovered, and be severely punished for such a dastardly trick.

An inquest was held yesterday, touching the death of a little girl, aged 3 years, named Alice Trumper, the daughter of a compositor. From the evidence it appeared that the child was left alone for a short time in the house of her parents, and got up on a stool and pulled some matches from the mantel-piece. Her clothes were set on fire, and nothwithstanding all that the kindness of the neighbours, and the medical skill of Dr Croft could do to alleviate the child’s sufferings, she died about 18 hours after the accident took place. A verdict of accidental death was returned in accordance with the evidence. No rider accompanied the verdict, nor arc we aware that one was necessary in face of such a plain statement of facts, but the case shows the necessity of preventing, so far as possible,

little children having access to lucifer matches, which are about the most dangerous playthings a child can possibly use. No blame whatever appears to be attached to the parents of the poor little girl in this particular case, but it would be well if all parents and guardians would take warning by the sad accident of yesterday.

Dr. Carr, the celebrated mesmerist, will appear to-Dight at the Academy of Music. The Doctor is now on his farewell visit to the Thames, and will introduce to the public, according to the programme, a succession of *• mysterious, startling, aud soul exhilarating phenomena, - ’ in which the magical effects of mesmerism, laughing gas, eiectro-biology, when applied by scientific and skilful hands, will be exhibited. This is not Dr. Carr’s first visit amongst us, and we have no doubt his numerous friends will give him a good reception,

Wo perceive that the beach road from the Goods Wharf down towards Albert-street is being properly pitched and metalled, so that we may look to having a great deal of the traffic of drays, &c., kept out of Brown arul Owen Streets as soon as the beach road is finished. That portion of the road between Bourke-street and Coromandel-street is still in a frightful state, owing to its being thrown open to traffic before any metal was put on to it, and now it would be all but useless attempt to do anything in the matter until ,'the weather becomes a little better than it ialat present. A programme of an entertainment to be given on the 4th of July is published in another column. The, performance is to be given almost entirely by members, honorary and working, of the Thames Engineer Volunteers, and promises to be one of the most interesting that has been offered to the public for a long time. In addition to the ordinary sorts of amusements announced, such as a concert, scenes from Kichelieu, and a Farce, / the “ Lime Light” is to be brought into re-' quisition, under the able management of Mr. Severn, who is so well known as a great friend and supporter of the Mechanic’s Institute,for thebenefit of which institution the performance has been started. The town will be illuminated from the top of the Theatre by the “Lime Light” before the performance commences, and afterwards the ‘ light’ will he used on the stage to illustrate the tableaux vivants which will be gorgeously got up, representing the Independence of America, the chorus singing the “ Star Spangled Banner,” assisted by the orchestra. Great interest is being taken by all concerned in the preparations for the great event, which, we venture to predict, will he a great success. For the last two months or so a question

has been agitating Volunteer circles. The agitation still goes on, and the question is still being asked, “ Why should targets be white?” On the posts on the Rifle Range one often sees placards on which the same question is asked, and last night the question was once more discussed at the Drill-shed. The question has been asked in Britain lately, and of course it is repeated here. To unmilitary minds the solution seems plain and easy. Shakespeare says arc e would smell as sweet though bearing any other name, and a target would be a target whatever colour it wore painted. If the white colour is not suitable, then by all means have it black, red, blue, green, yellow, or any of the other shades of colour that are now so common. It is a matter for the Volunteers to settle, and it should require no gTeat amount of self-denial to forego the old pattern of target, and adopt another. What may result when the question is answered we have not the slightest conception, and we question if any of the Volunteers themselves have. The next question to be discussed will probably be, “Why should targets be any colour V'—D.S. Cross. Mr James Grant, in his new book on the Newspaper Press of London, expresses the belief that the profits of the London Times arc £4(10,000 per annum.