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Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1782, 18 September 1874, Page 2

The chimney of the Imperial Ho!el caught fire this morning about 12 o'clock, attd for _< few iniuutes caused some alarm. The firo bell at Shortland rang out, and the Shortland Firo Brigade were promptly in attendance ■with their apparatus, and what fire there ■was in tho chimney was very son extinguished. The usual monthly meeting of the Lodge Sir Walter Scott, postponed from Tuesday in consequence of the funeral of Mr. Andrew Beveridge, will take place this evening in tho ITreemafons' Hall, Owen-street. Wo are requested to state that important bu-iness will be transacted, and all members arc" requested to be present. ■ :- Wa understand that a landslip took place in the early part of the week, at tho he.d of Tinkers Gully, carrying away a very large section of the fluming, tho propery of the Water Supply Co. Unfortunately it will take some time in replacing, and in the meantime tho Albumin, battery is in need of water, and ceased to work on Monday in consequence of the accident, The ABatioTny of Music was but poorly attended last evening ; but. this does not-poak ;> unfavorably Of the troupe now performing i thore, since tho weather has of late .been; RO-v«ry depressing. A. capital entertainment was given, nevertheless, and the applauao was frequent. To-night a fine programme is announced, as will bo ssen by tho bills. Tot civil business at the R.M. Court this morning waß unusually short. There ware ten cases on the sheet, all but two of which were settled out of Court or confessed. Tho case Hotcreni Taip.'i and Rapana Maunganoa v. Oliver Grant was notified a. settled when called on. Tbis case has been adjourned from.itime to time,'and has helped on each Court day to swell tho list. There was no police business to record. We understand that Mr. Jefferson's art union of pictures will be drawn on Monday next. There are still a number of shares to be allotted, but ihe subscription will in all prob.ibility be filled by tbe advertised dato. It i* not often that such an opportunity offers for procuring works of art as this, and therefore the enterprise of Mr. Jefferson is deserving of encouragement. Tho prizes are now on view, and thoy are certainly worth venturing the amount necessary to ensure a chance in tho drawing. The frame! pictures would grace any room in the district, and as somebody must win them, we would advise connoisieurs to inspect: if they are not then induced to invest it will evidonc. a want of taste. Sosra curious information respecting the items of cost to the Unit-d States Govornmont in conducting tho last Presidential contest are given in the report of tho Secretary of tho Senate on tho expenditure of tho Contingent Fund of tho Senate, showing how much of the campaign material Government was made to pay for. From tho Ist of July to the Ist of November, 1872, when tho Cong-ess was not in session,, there weio purchased for tho ute of the Senate folding, room, 2,700,000 speech envelopes, at a cost of 6,090 dols., acd these were in addition to tho 445,100 envelopes foi'nished to senators and to committees. The'number of " speeches" for tho folding of which tho Goyfirnment paid during tho same time was 2)204,_9G, a_d the costs of this work was 2283 dols. 5 cents. _.aho" pay-roll of tho folding-room was 2905 dols. There wers used J,§s buckets of paßtc, costing 146 dols. 25 c; 1437 $ #ih pounds of twine, costing 449 dols. 85 c.; 326 rpa»as of wrapping paper, costing 1228 dols. IS A. j .and 22 paste ' brusho?, costing 4 dols. To arrive at fho exact cost to the Government of this eampagji document, distributing tho postage on the 3,000,000 documents ought to be added, and, as'tho JKTew York Tribune points ouf, the documents not being speechos made in their franking.. *ras illegal, and the franks themselves nearly'all forger^,

The now riflo rauge at Earnwui will bo open* I to-morrow. At tine o'clock it will be handed over from the Provincial Government, and thereafter a mutch will be fii'od, open to all volunteers for an entrance fee of half-a-crown. Entries must be made this evening by 9 p.m. with Captain Hazard. Should the weather be fine ft largo gathering may bo expected. : Thebe is at present on view at the store of Mr. Edwin JBinney, Albert-street one of the latest productions of.Mr. Hannaford's artistic I gestiui. It is a aceno on the Upper Boaley, I Province of Canterbury, and represents the | glacier scenery of New Zealand. It i« a fin« painting and exhibits the perfection of colour, as travellers in the locality attest, and it is intended to bo disposed of by art union in Auckland in a short time, along with a number I of other picl ures by Mr. Hannaford and some jby other painters. We cannot attempt any artistic- description of this picture. It is, however, a charming ' wort, handsomely mounted by Mr. Leech of Auckland, and is valued at something' like throe hundred guineas, we believe. The Home News says :—A curious incident occurred on the last night of the opera at Drury Lano on July 18. At the cad of the opera, when, amid a hurricane of applauie, Mdlle. .Albani was called before the curtain, a gentleman-in the grand tier threw a bouquet and box at the prima doana, the latter of which unluckily Btruck her with considerable force in the centre of the forehead. The author of this calamity was observed to throw up his arms with a gesture of despair when he saw the lady place her hands on her forehead, and instantly retire to her private room, where some simple remedies were applied with good effect. Perhaps it should be added that the restoration was a little assisted by tho discovery that the guilty box, whon opened, contained a tiara of eplendid diamonds. " Dubing- the hearing of an assault ca«e at the E.M. Court tha other day, says the Otogo Witness, a learnod counsel argued that certain allowances should bo made to persons who displayed their muicular abilities under provocation. He mentioned that in a. school conducted by Dr. Waugh, in Ireland, aome years ago, the boys wero habitually carrying tales to tho master. The consequence was that not orco manly boy remained at that school, and the learned counsel left after having been th>ro throe weeks. Being under tho impression that the same rule was in force at tha next school he attended, counsel, on j one occasion, informed the schoolmaster that J a boy had improperly' conducted himself. J?ho master immediately called the c.:lprit, upon whose back he placed the learned j counsel, and gave him (counsel) tho *' soundest thrashing ho over had in his life." Counsel never told (ales again afUr that. Tho narration of the incident caiued some amusement. .'■■'. Some time ago the Mayor intimated to tho Council that members must comply with the j terms of the Act in •'conducting • their dis« ciwsion: that is to say, they wero to limit their eloquence, each member- being allowed to speak to a question once only. For a time there was a ; noticeable improvement in the manner of conducting the debutes—each Councillor re^giously erected himself upon hi» two legs and addressed tho Chair, and said all ho r-nd to say while in such a position. This is a. healthy system ; because it lends a dignity to the preccedinga, bosidoa Enabling the business to be disposed of in ' reasonable time. Howavar, the rule has not been adhered to, and an immenso amount of time is literally wasted for th>s want of something ' approaching parliamentary order. Last night the Council at times resomblod more a free and easy dUcumon club than what it actually is. On a subject arising, Cr. No. 1 would hold confidential conVer»e with Cr. No. 2; Cr. No. 3 would confer briefly with Crs. Fo. 5 and No. 6 j and Councillors with less regard to the particular direction of their " sentiments," would ex;p«tftrte generally. Cr. Ehrenfried suggested | —as he has many times suggasted ba fore — that meetings should bo held fortnightly : tlie which suggestion is likply to be adopted | shorMy. Hitherto tha sitting of the General. Assembly has rendered it necessary to hold woekly meetings; now, however, there is nothing to prevent the Council extending ! the interval between the sittings: as the business could, if properly conducted, bo dhpo*el of with as much, if not more dispatch than is at present attained.