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Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1804, 14 October 1874, Page 2

The Warden's Court Tvas adjourned to-day by the Clerk. Mr. Meyers is expected down by the Crown to-day, and tho case of tho United Pumping Asssociation v. the Queen of Beauty Company will bo heard to morrow.

We are informed that Mr. Wm, Eowe ha? received a telegram from the Superintendent stating that Dr. Philson and 31r. R. B. Lusk have been nominated to conduct the enquiry into the alleged mismanagement of tho Thames Hospital. These gentlemen are expected down by tha Crown to-day, and will commence the investigation to-morrow.

Itf the Dunedin Municipal- Council, Cr. Beck proposed, at a rccsnfc meefcinp, that no member should bo permitted to speak for more than five minutes on any subject under discussion. The motion was lost, the movei* only supporting it. In this instance the sense of the Council was in the possession of the minority.

Thb Bend ig© Advertiser supplies a laughable illustration of the perplexities that may arise from the legal importance still belonging to the stupid old fossil laws in relation to oaths. A magistrate "swore a constable at Bendigo tha other day in an urgent search warrant case, and after the constable was gone the justice found out that ho had sworn tke officer on a copy of Byron! What maybe the result wo will not attempt to prophecy. ,

The deepest mine ia Cornwall is said to be Dolcoath, now about 350 fathoms, or 720 yards from the. surface. One man hart been ■working in the mine for forty years. During all that time ho has lived five miles from the

mine. So that he has walked ten miles a day in addition to his Libor • and a cdeuktioii ■which has just been made shows that; this man has during his forty years walked 120,000 miles, which is equal to five times round tbo world, and half the distance to the moon.. Ik addition to the handsome graphoscopo presented to Mr. preighton by the members of the G-uardian newspaper staff, the Olago Times saya: —" Earlier in the day Mr. Oeighton was presented by a number of his private friends with a massive and handsome silver salver, as a mark of esteem. During

his short stay in Dunodin Mr. Creighton has mado a large number of friends, amongst those connected with the Press and others, and his departure will be regretted by a great many persons."

The monthly convocation of the Abbotsford Royal A'reh Chapter was held in the Freemasons' Hall last evening.. The attendance was not so large as usual, owing to the prevailing bad weather and the fact that some of the companions were engaged at the Choral Society's concert. Bro. P.ftL J. C. Doull, of Lodge Ara (who also holds the office of Provincial Grand Secretary, 1.C.) was exalted to the E.A. degree. Several other brethren ■were expected from town, bufc were detained owing to the uncertainty *f the steamer's departure from town.

Exclusively a printer's joke. Why 5s a compositor continually " petting " out of an empty caso liko an actor ? Because ho ia always cv the " boards."

SEVEBAT,imporc,unfc alterations have recently been made in the " couslifcutious" of tha Haßonie Grand Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland, in order to assimilate their proccodure. Amongst tho most important alterations arrived at is that which fizes tho term of office for officers in Irish Lodges at twelve months instead of six as hitherto, thus making the election annual instead of bionnv.il.

A divohcb ca3o, respondent in which is not unknown here, wus disposed of in tho Melbourne Supremo Court recently. Hannah Julius praye 1 for a dissolution of her marriage willi James Julius, better known as G-eorgo Loyal, who ia a celebrated acrobatic performer in the minor theatres and music halls, and at one time justly celebrated for his clever imitation of Verletti's feat of ■wheeling a bicycle nlong tho tight rope. Evidence of cruelty, adultry (with a parson whose professional 'liama is Madamo Zuilo,) and of desertion, was given, and there being no defence, tho court mado the rule absolute for a dissolution of the cuirrioge.

!Rj!G-AEPir& the health of Prince Leopold, the London Medical Record observes:—"A god deal of prominence h--a been given recently, and on former occasion, to telegrams concerning tho serious illnesses of Prince Leopold. It may be well, therefore, to explain that the iiinesses to which reference is thus made are nothing moro than the accidents which from lime to time rarely fail to embarras a young roan who suffers from the particular form of constitutional deiicacy to which the young Princo is liable. Ifc has been already made known that Prince Leopold ia one of those pc-sons who have an inherent thickness of blood, which makes every slight scratch give rise to n m;ro or less serious hemorrhage, and. makes the litlla accidents and bruises which are incidental to active life matters of more or less, serious subsequent inconvenience."

Whilst Mr. Gathorne Hardy was spraking in the 15>use of Commons ajrainst•■ihejPub.lic "Worship Regulation Bill, an aimisras: incident occurred. A grey cat entered the House, either by the Opposition gangway, or the Cleric's table. When it was seen it was leisurely proceed ing across the floor; but; ai a shout Grimalkin became frightened out of its wits, and instead of rushing back the way it came, it dashed across the 'shoulders of lion, members sitting upon lhr< front Ministerial boKches, and jumped over a succession of keadc, until it vanished by a side door. 3S"o on© listened to Mr. Hardy any more, and facetious members, of course, endeavored to improve the occassion. The cat, it was Baid, knew that in the person of Sir W. Harcourfc and Mr. Ha^dy himself, there were " rats " about, and had thus been attracted to the House. Others-said that there were so many trimnrers in the House, that they naturaljy wanted to sea which way " the cat jumped," and Grimalkin had come in io gratify so reasonable a wish.

The agent for the collection of t'lo Education Bate is about. He expresses surprise at the number of bachelors on the Thames under the age of 21 years. In Christian charity it would be wrong to assume that persons affect to be be minors to escape the rate, as the rate is minor itself. An instance is told of a simple looking young man "who aged'" himself aS seventeen. When • the collector called r»fc the house where this young man rodded he had to wait for some time, when the young man came down in his shirt sleeves, and to the regular enquiry lisped that he had' seen seventeen summers, and, if spared, had confident expectations of seeing one or tyro more. "Do you shave ? " asked the collector. "'No ; " replied the other, as if surprised at ths. question. " Then what is that patch of dirty lather upon your face ? " sternly demanded the collector. "Oh ! " exclaimed the young man, scraping off with his hand a lump of fermented soap, " that is a sud which mother threw at me for Betting a cock to fight old Brown's turkey." The collector saj • that tho surface of that young man'a face swarmed* with sheared roots oi* a luxuriant crop of whiskers.

The following statement is related hj the South Australian Uegister:—" That tr«th is stranger than fiction is again proved during tho latest voyage of the ship Portland; which lias just eailcd for Wallaroo. On the passage to China, the vessel waa bowling along through tho Archipalago prior to reaching the China Sea, when the wind fra-hened, and it became necessary to furl the skysails. Tho master had a smart youngster on board, whose activity had frequently bean the subject of comment, and as soon* as the sail was clewed up he scampered aloft to furl it. It was a long disfcancs to the skysailyard, about 180 ft. to 190 it., but the tar mounted till ho reached the sail and snugged it up proper]}'. Turning round to return he lost his hold and fell the whole distance without touching a rope. He must have been immediately killed but for tho captain's gig, a lightly-built boat, which wa3 resting on the skids. His weight knocked out a few of her planks and timbers, and ho then fell to the deck. Consternation was general, nxd a. ru»h was made to the spot, where tho spectators were agreeably surprised when it waa found that, beyond a slight bruise on his elbow, the lad was uninjured. Smashing the gi(? waa considered a small matter when it bei*amo apparent; that'it had saved fcbe youngster's life. Ths lad astorished the ship's company next day by j going aloft to loosen the mainskysail.

We are getting more civilised daily. An organ grinder has visited us : tho organ is cob one of your modern inventions buc!i as we have soen in Auckland before—not an instrument drawn by a quadruped and with claims to mechanical-effects in the shape of accompanying automaton figures wound up liko clocks —but the real genui-e article, a good old one-legged organ with the Governmentstroke Imndl?. And the man who turns that handle is tfco real Simon Pure—a foreigner, whose every action as he shifts along telU of a long acquaintance with his profess on, and, like poor Joe, with a thorough knowledge of the long and wsary course of for ever " moving on" before tho inexorable "peeler"—and in every wrinkle of whose weather beaten countenance we are forcibly reminded of homo. This organ affords gr.-at amusement to tho small youth of the town, who have been following tho organ grinder about thi3 afternoon, listening to the inspiring strains of Hurdygurdy, and profoundly spocu'ating as to the construction of the works inside. One individual was much affected with the music—a liking for which is a matter of taste—aud

■ . ■■■■*,■■ . hailed tho organ grinder as an old friend : perhaps the sito of him awoke, recollections of clays at. hoir.e almost forgotten in tha busy scouca of colonial life. Anyway this man gave tho grinder half-a-croTin, for which the grinder —and ifc i<3 a mournful record of ingratitude— made.the politest of grinrleis' bowa, and went without; grinding out another tune. This man is supposed to be one of our immigrants under the presentscheme, and the reason of his venturing so far may be found in tho fact tfiat in England tha organ grinders are being prosecuted, having become too thick to bo endurs-ble. It is nice music occasionally, bub lot any one suppose a-long dirty court in London in /which, two or three organs are grinding in opposition, a host of the dirtiest children screaming with delight and. dancing like inspired furies to the opposition tunes of "All Bound My hat," " Yankee .Doodle," and " Just before tho battle," while several half starved do%n aro yelping fearfully—imagining this, ho will very likely come to the conclusion that tlie English Government aro right in considering theee grinders a nuisance.