Untitled

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1979, 8 May 1875, Page 2

The Thames Scottish Volunteers will assemble for Church parade at ten o'clock to-morrow morning.

A meeting of volunteer officers is convened for this evening at. the Pacific Hotel, to take into consideration the question of getting better access to the rifle range during the winter months, and other matters connected with, or of interest to volunteers. The hour of seven is fixed, for the time of meeting.

We are requested to state that Mr Charles Basstian will leave the.Thames on Wednesday next for the South. During his stay here he has been wonderfully successful in the treatment of corns and bunions, as a number, of townspeople have testified, under their hands andj seals. If there be any: in our midst; yet.i suffering from corns or bunions, they had better; at once avail themselves of., the; skill of Mr Basstian, who has proved himself a successful operator and chiropodist. He ;has a celebrated corn liquid, bottles of which can be obtained. '. •

We learn that Mr Moore, the newlyappointed teacher, to the Thames school, will take charge of that institution on Monday next., Mr Moore has been connected with; schools for 14 yearsj and holds, we believe, a first-class certificate under the present Board of Education. Mr Moore has lately been teaching a school at Waiuku.

The advantages of life assurance have received another illustration in the melancholy death of Mr Jules Langseine, who committed suicide the other day in Dunedin. Mr Langseine's life was insured in the Government office for £1000, but it was generally supposed that the amount would not be. paid under the circumstances. Mr Gisborne has telegraphed that when the policy was issued, four years ago, suicide would have entailed forfeiture; but, by an Order-in-Council in 1873, this was limited to forfeiture within twelve months—conserquentiy the money wiir be paid.

This morning's tide was very high. At the flood, there were many points, on the Beach road above Holdship's rendered quite impassable. Richmondalreet, opposite the Volunteer Hall, was flooded, also the footpaths, and the sea encroached to the garden fences of many houses along the beach. Every high tide experienced shows how much the sea has encroached. Many old landmarks have disappeared, and others are fait being washed away. Unless some steps are taken to protect the road and property against the encroachment of the water, the consequences: to many will be very serious. We remark that nothing has, been done towards making the footpath above Bictimond's Hotel, destroyed completely by the last severe gale which visited the Thames. It is a feat of no little difficulty to walk along the same place at night, and the residents are of necessity much inconvenienced.

A dubious mode of fish-hatching is said to be followed in China. Having collected the necessary spawn from the water's edge, the fisherman place* a certain quantity in an'empty hen's egg, which is sealed up with wax and put under the sit-ting-hen. After some days they break the egg, and empty the fry into water well farmed by the sun, and there nurse them until they are sufficiently strong to be turned into a lake or river.

Theeb was an execution in a Maryland town one clay, attended by, the usual motley crowd of men, women and children. Just before the victim of the law was swuug off, the Sheriff in charge mounted the scaffold, and, with exquuite tenderness of feeling, remarked: " There is a good many boys and girls here, and you big people must' fall back against the fence and let the little ones come up around the gallows, so as they can see." The big people took the hint, and the "little ones? arailed themaelres of the opportunity of crowding close to the gallows. 'Jhen the ropo was adjusted, and the condemned criminal was strangled to death in presence of the interested spectators, the process requiring just twenty-fire minutes. The scene afforded a fine illustration of the prevailing standard of civilization and decency in that region, and the extra touches of brutality are explained by the fact that the criminal happened to be a negro.

In summing up in the libel case brought against Th» Times by Mr Eiibery, the Lord Chief Baron is reportpd to have delivered himself as follows on the law of libel in relation to the Press :-—" Undoubtedly the liberty of the Press is the precious and priceless' inheritance of the people of this country. I trust that the youngest among us will not live to gee the day when the liberty of the Press in this country shall be weakened or impaired;' and. sure I am that, so long as ihe bench of justice in, England jscon-< stituted as it how is, the Judges ■of the : land will ever hold the liberty of the Press sacred and indestructible. Let us, however, apply this doctrine, which is part and parcel of the law of the constitution of England, to the case under sideration. It is within the^ liberty of the Press and it is the undoubted privilego and right of proprietors of newspapers t'6- denounce a fraud which has been committed or attempted to be committed upon the public, and to warn the public against the fraud. It is their privilege, and their right to comment freely and fearlessly tipon all public events, upon all public questions, and upon all matters whatsover of interest to the people of this realm. It is not within the liberty of. the Press, it is not the privilege, it is not the right of the proprietors of any newpaper, to defame the private character of any man living in this realm, or to charge any individual with fraud or any other species of crime unless he can prove and establish the truth of the charge in a court of justice."

Gentlemen who are living apart from their wives, says the Otaga Guardian, no matter what the caure, would do well to read the report of a case yesterday heard in the Resident Magistrate's Court. A certain person was summoned to pay an account for a quantity of goods supplied to his wife. He pleaded that they had been living apart since last October; but the Magistrate ruled that, as he had not advertised in the usual way, to caution the public that " he would not be responsible for any debts contracted by his wife," the Court must give judgment for the amount claimed, and it did this notwithstanding the hardship of the case. So, to gentlemen whose wives have run away, we would say, " Advertise! advertise ! advertise!"