The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1874.

Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1751, 13 August 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1874.

• Ik our present issue appears a letter of " Home Gossip," of date Mar 20th, which appears to have arrived by the Victoria yesterday, but by what mail we cannot say. The paper will be found interesting,, although its con'tnts hare been somewhat anticipated bj mail news previously received. Wx saw that unearthly visitor—the comet —for the first time last night—and such a comet. It required one of Sam Weller's what-you-may«call-em glasses to distinguish, the comet from its neighbouring luminaries very ordinary start; but we had been informed by a tronomtrs that it would decrease in brilliancy after the eleventh of August; we saw it on the.twdfth. From a disinclination to get up in the morning early we have miiaed the opportunity of seeing the comet in its beit ■" f**b. • Tro paddle steamer Enterprise No. 2 is advertised to run an excursion to the Miranda on Sunday next from Shortland wharf at half past nine in the morning, returning afc dusk. \ A great deal of interent is manifested in the proceedings at the " great native meeting," and those, who with for an' insight into the - way our Maori friends spend their and our Sabbath will thus hare an opportunity. Those who still cherish a belief in the good of mis* ttenary influences had better not go, unless ' hey have • wieh to be disillusionised.

We have received the second and third numbers of the "Aus,tralianTfoemaßon,".a journal of Masonic AH,; Science, Literature and Antiquities, edttod by the Rev. Dr. Wazit; Beg, and published under tho patronage of, a number of the Grand 1 Officers of New. South Waleß. Mr. Jefferson has accepted the agency of this publication, at whose place of business specimen copies may bo seen, as well Its &i tho office of this paper An account of the progress of Freemasonry on the Thames appears in the thivd number.

We havo to acknowledge receipt from Mr. Jefferson of Australasian ,and Illustrated Sydney News. With the latter is published a colored supplement " Maori and Half-caite Girsl." Amongst lh« illustrations will ba found portraits of the Mining Board members (N.S.W.); portraits of the two Chartist leaders Mr. William Lloyd Jones and Mr. Zephaniah Wiiliams; scenea at King's Island the morning after the wreck of the British Admiral y opening of a Bridge at Brisbano ; the parlour maid in a dilemma; sketches in Ceylon; 'football in the coldnies ; ball scene; and a view of Honolulu. This very attractive paper maintains its high position for number and variety of illustratious.

An old acquaintance lias turned up in an unpleasant position. The .Ballarat Miner says:—An old Ballarat and , Sandhurst man named Frank Varley, formerly a theatrical lesiee, turnod up in the County Court to-day as plaintiff in a gross assault case. He recently entered a dining house in Bourkestreet and took some tea, for which he duly tendered a shilling. The landlord declared that ho had taken two teas. Varley, who is not gourmand, laughed at the the notion, whereupon Resmondi,. who is a Spaniard, struck him, and sot satisfied with this called his wife, and the pair set upon Varley and gave him a severe beating. Tho jury gave the plaintiff £5 damages. The weekly meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society was held last evehicg in the Hall of the Mechanics. There were a good number of members present, and a few visitors were attracted thither. The- programme was nob as interesting as usual, owing to one of the members having failed to fulfil an allotted task ; an esssy^by Mr. Mason was read, however,, the ■übjebt beinjj " the influence of society on the formation of character." The usual discusien followed, and after some ordinary business had been transacted the meeting adjourned. This society very uaturally continues to increase in popularity, and candidates for admission to its advantages are proposed nightly. Two members joined last night—tho commencement of a new quarter. A coNTßißtriou iaya :—A lira which might have proved very destructive broke but on Tuesday, about twdl o'clock/ in a small house rext to the^lJna Hotel, Eollestonstreet. The house, ifc appears, is occupied by two men, who had- been home to dinner, and must have left the .burning embers in a very careless manner, as about two o'clock Mrs. Carey drew the attention of Mr; Plant to quite a blaze clobo to the chimney, who took prompt meaturcß to extinguish the flames. If left for two minutes longer nothing could have saved the Una Hotel, and nvst likely would havß left many other poor people homeless, as there is no water to be got; near at hand, although a standpipe might be erected for less than eighteen pounds at tie corner of Eichmondand Eolleston-Btreet*.

The- Murrandi correspondent of the Maitknd Mercury relates the subjoined singular recovery from insanity:—" 3?here is at the present time a boy [residing with his parents within a few miles of this place. The boy is now eleven years of age, and has been an idiot from birth. He could say a few words. The" child who .was harmless, and always tailed poor' Silly Benney,' would do nothing about the house or for his parents without some person was with him. About three months past this child was kicked by a horse on t£e temple, and the doctor took away a piece of bone nearly as large as half-c----crown. Thechild was quite unconscious for eight days, but after that tfme began to recover; but, strange to say, that as he recovered, it was quite evident to his friends that he was getting out, of- the idiotic state ho had ever been in. He 1 has gradually gone on improving, and can now talk pretty well, and and no person would believe he had ever been for years as idiot." The Molbourno Herald relates a curious discovery as having been made by a child, daughter of an employed of the Melbourne and Hobson'sßay Railway. She was picking food for rabbits on the line slongside JTlindersatreet, when she picked up an orange. Being, child-like, overjoyed at her good fortune, the little one ran home to her mot||er —who by the way, lives in a house of the company's close to the Morgue—with her treasure. . The mother inspected the fruit to see there was nothing wrong with it before allowing tbe child to partake of it, when sho wbb struck with its peculiar appearance and weight. Opening the orange the contents were found to ba rather valuable. The works of a horizontal watch in good order, two cornelians (one bearing an inscription of Shakespeare's head, the other a cresb with the latters "W. S.-•')■ The property was immediately handed over to the police' authorities, and yesterday -was identified by Mr Dancker, of the Exchange hotel, Wiliamaon-street, as belonging to him, being portion of.aome property which he lost on Saturday night, and for the recoviry of which a reward had beeen offered. , DttbinG- the hearing of "a case at the City Police-court on Monday (says tho Melbourne Age), in which a Chinaman had been asiaulted with stones by a crowd of boys on Saturday night lasti n novel feature presented, itcelf in the shape of an English youth, who acted as Chinese interpreter. Hi* name is Wm. Henry Hub!on, and he has been brought down by the' police from Beechworth to interpret in the Chines* lottery cases. He speaks Chinese most fluently, and does not hesitata in the'least for words. Yesterday he astonished a Chinaman in tho box by the manner in which he elicited th? evidence. He does not fake half the time to gather from the Chinese witneß«e» what they have io state that ]?ook Siring does, arid he conveys the, result of his interpretation to the bench in Ihemost lucid man Her. It appears that ho spent two years and a half learning from books, and since then he has spent eight or nine years conversing in the language, and now he can epeak in seventeen different dialed s of the Chiaeso language, in addition to reading it. One peculiarity ho has i?, that he can express himself in! fewer lyords th^a tho Chineic thennelvep. V

| It is definitely announced that the Foynl English Operu Company will open at the Academy of Muaic on Saturday night 'with Wallace's grand opera "Mttrifcana," Miss Alice j May assuming the title role. Smith's Combination 'Troupe;,;tiara been \ very successful in their Southern tour, but an accident recsntly;' happened to Airrc, .which ■ is thus related fey a contemporary :--r"The only drawback to' the ;: entertainment was nn accident to Aircc, but, fortunately, it was unattended with anything approaching to nerious consequences. . Airco was going through his hazardous performance on the bar, and at tho time balancing himself on one.foot, when ho made a slip and fell into < the stalls. The bar being stationary, and suspended over the aisle between the rows of seats, ho fell alinoib clear of tho latter, which ' was a most fortunate matter, as they have high: backs, and if fallen upon could scarcely fail to have inflicted some irju'vy. .Airec grazed the end of ene of the seats in falling, but sprang up before anyone could go to his assistance, and; immediately vaulted on to the stage. After a momenta delay he then ascended to the bar again and continued his performance. The readiness and coolness with which he resumed his. performance after the accident was loudly applauded by tho.au-! dience, as also wero all his 'tricks', but ihoro especially the balancing on tho ladder." One day kit, week (cays th« jßallarat correspondent of the Pleasant Creek News) ft young couple were united in tho bonds of ■wedlock at Ballarat. A few days before the •wedding some friends spoke to, the bride-elect respecting the wedding presents. "Well," she replied, " you are very kind, and as :you have mentioned tho matter, I may state I should prefer something useful to my husband and myself." Nothing more was said on either side, but when tha happy couplo went to their home after the church (for they were too. wiso to fool away money on their wedding trip), they found the following few useful articles had ■been sent by some real friends':—A 2001b. bag of flour, keg of potted butter, several yards of flannel and calico, *a complete set of kitchen utensils, quarter .chest of tea, bag of eugar, side of bacon, useful clock, plain but neat set of crockefyware, * knives, forks, spoons, and glassware, two good winter dresses (in tho piece), complete,set.of bedding, and enough household groceries to, last for at least six months. Added to, this, a receipt for a year's rent of the cottage -was laid on the tablo, and so also were two £10 notes pinned on a piece of paper, on which was written;—" To purchase something useful." Were not these lice presents ? and how much better for young folks starting housekeeping than a lot of jewellery and trash. .