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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1990, 21 May 1875, Page 2

A^t- the garden's doiirfr, Ohineihufij on Wednesday the plaint ,of Charles McLean 5 against 1 James Verrall for forfeiture of his share iifothe £rospectors' claim on the ground" of! nonworkihg was heard. After hearing the;evidence the: Warden reserved judgment. On Thursday the share was declared forfeited, but Warden. Fraser said he would exercise the power conferred on him by the Act, and remjt the forfeiture on payment by defendant of a fine to cover the expenses of complainant. A similar complaint against Philip Holes, another of the prospectors, was "withdrawn.

; In the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, William Harper was 1 charged with being drunk and incapable in the public streets of Shortland.; His Worshipcautioned the prisoner against coming beiorehim again, remarking that he had ju»t come out of gaol. A fine of 10s and costs, or 24 Kours' imprisonment was the penalty; n

It is some time since we were called upon to record anything in the way of "selling off" or " immense reductions " in the_ clothing department. To-day we are reminded that Messrs J. Cosgrave and Co., as . calling a sale of drapery and clothing at their establishments in Owen and Abert-' streets. The stocks in these establishments embrace £20,000 worth of goods.' Cheap drapery and winter clothing will now be the order of the day.

We are requested to fctate that Mr E. H. Power has a collection of seeds, including forest trees, shrubs and flowers, small quantities of which he will-be happy to'distribute to persons on application. These seeds are obtained by the Acclimatization Society (of which Mr Power is a member) to encourage the introduction of exotic plants and trees, and persons who take an interest in such".work would do well to obtain a supply of the seeds, which may be found to embrace some rare and valuable specimens of trees and flowers. H : *

With the New Zealand Herald, as a supplement, was published yesterday Mr C. T. Wren's list of trees, &c, for 1875, with prices attached, with tables showing the number of plants required to plant an acre of land, plants from 3 inches to 30 feet apart,, and also a mile in.length, plants 3 inches to 30 feet apart.

The Cases gave their last performance but one yesterday at the Academy of Music, introducing now characters and new scenes. The"' 1 tea party " scene between Sairey Gamp and Betsy Prig was capitally done, Mr Case appearing as Betsy. Mrs Case appeared in a splendid Indian costume as a Parsee Girl, and the programme was brought to a conclusion with a racy little sketch called " Married and Settled." To-night will be a farewell benefit to Mrs Case; when her entertainment "A Trip to the Rhine" will be given, besides some of her best character delineations, dances and songs, making the biggest and best programme of the season. It is also announced that every purchaser of a front seat or gallery ticket will be. presented with a carte de visite of Miss Grace Egerton.

In the present issue of the Star is concluded the address of Professor Tyndall to the British Association at Belfast. The publication of the address in our columns was undertaken at the request of several subscribers, and we are glad to learn that the address has been carefully read and appreciated by scores who would not have had a.n opportunity of perusing it in its entirety but for its appearance in the Star.

Some time ago the barquentine Prince Alfred, on going up the Thames River, had a narrow squeak (so the Captain said) of carrying away the telegraph wires or the- vessel's topmast. It was stated at the time that there was not a foot to spare, or something of the kind. The Ethel went up the other day,-and although she is said to have taller spars than the Prince Alfred, there was a clear fifteen or twenty feet between the top of her masts and the telegraph wires. The telegraph people explain this by saying the latter vessel kept the channel, and the Prince Alfred did not. Shipmasters perhaps do not know that the telegraph wires axe of steel, and that if they come into contact with them they are just as likely to carry away a spar as the wires. •

A gentleman who has just returned to Wellington by the Easby from a tour through a portion of Australia, gives a very poor account of Sydney. He says there is an amount of wretchidness about the streets of that city which one who has not seen would hardly credit it. 111-clad beggars meet you at every corner, and urge their claims with a persistency which is only repulsive, but it is done in the greatest good humour.

Dttbing the debate in the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales'ion Mr Nelson's motion, relative. to the cost of the telegrams that passed between the Government and ihej Agent-General 'in London, some rather warm expressions," the Sydney MorniDg Herald states, were used. And, among others, the word ' cowardly' was applied in certain ex-_ pressions to one hon. member to which exception was taken; another hon. member declared that the adjective was frequently used in the same way in the House of Commons—but, if so, that is no justification, and the member who used it thought so, as he withdrew the expression, and frankly apologised to the House for having used it. Previous to this another prominent member of the House had made use of a term to which the Speaker's attention was directed, and Mr Allen having given it as his opinion that it was not Parliamentary, an instant withdrawal and apology followed.

A stokt is told, says the Otago Guardian, about a verdant agriculturist who came to grief near one of Councillor Woodland's pets—the drinking fountains in the Octagon.- A few evenings ago, intent only on quizzing the features of unprotected females, the gushing you.th followed, and ultimately addressed, *a" young lady in endearing, but not appreciated, terms. The offended one, it is paid, did not deign to reply, but with her umbrella struck "Mr Impudence" so sudden and severe ajblowTon the head that he reeled. Hastily retreating, too^ he brought his features into violent contact with the aforesaid fountain, and then flew, none * knew whither. The most amusing part of the business, however, is that the unfortunate'fellow, while innocently relating the particulars .of the affair, discovered, .that he had actually been making a confidant of the husband of the lady accosted, and had thus rendered his position more unenviable still.

The Maryborough Advertiser (Queensland) of Aprill7th, says:---"TkeEock-ha,mpton papers contain full reports of an anti-Chinese meeting which was,,, held there last week, for the purpose,of liarrr-: ing a long string of wordy resolutions concocted by Mr Eea, who appears fo have been the prime mover in the whole affair. The proceedings are characterised by both journals as having been excesrively turbulent, and it seems to have been by no means clear, even f^o those who took part in them, how many of the resolutions, and which, were carried. A few of the more respectable and thoughtful citizens vainly essayed a protest against their acceptance as the deliberate opinion of the people of Eockhainpton, for the unwashed of the place, who: were evidently aching for a row, and no doubt with good reason, thought that the Chinese rush toCooktown formed as good a pretext for one as. anything else, had taken measures to have it all their own way. We have no space to republish the resolutions. They breathe the narrowest spirit of national exclusiveness, are spiced with pointed references to Lambing-flat, .and contain a recommendation to withhold miners' rights from all but Europeans and Americans, on the ground that only they> engage in prospecting. The Mayor pre> sided, but found it necessary, at one particularly uproarious part "or the. programme, to make a speech which sounded very like an apology for occupying the position.

Augustus I! elyebton, a member of the celebrated family *of that name, was brought before the Police Magistrate, of Wellington, end charged by Philip Moeller, proprietor of the Empire Hotel, with stealing a chair, valued at 6s. Constable M'Williams said that at ten o'clock the other morning he saw the prisoner going up Willis street with a chair in his possession; his_attention was called to the fact by a person, who said the prisoner had taken it from the Empire Hotel; prisoner planted the chair in a gateway, and the constable arrested him; he appeared to be drunk. Another witness, named Mason, saw the prisoner come from the Empire court yard with the chair. When the prisoner was asked if he had any questions to ask the constable he said, in a dignified manner, "What do you mean, sir, by 'planting the chair P ' What an expression for an officer of the law to use; you ought to be asbamed of yourself. I am. surprised at your Worship not correcting an officer who uses such slang expressions." In answer to his Worship, whether he had anything to say, the prisoner remarked : —" Look at the chair, your Worship—it would not bring a shilling at an auction. I will leave to your Worship's long experience whether there is any conclusive evidence against me." His Worship thought the evidence of the theft was most conclusive, but he could not conceive why he had taken the chair, unless it 1 were to sit upon. Prisoner—Probably, your Worship, I was tired, and took it to rest myself; but I certainly know nothing about the matter. He was sent to gaol for a month, where he will have time to consider his position. ?