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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2078, 1 September 1875, Page 2

Mr W. J. Speight, Grand Worshipful Chief Templar, will deliver a lecture on the objects of. Templary at the G-ood Templars Hall to-morrow evening, the chair will be. taken at eight o'clock.. From the happy way Mr Speight has of handling his subject as a lecturer, as w.elj as the full exposition he is likely to give of the Good Templar object, of which many have a very vague idea, we shall hope to see a large attendance. "

Tse candidates for municipal honors are already busy canvassing for the votes and interest of the electors.. Not they alone, but their friends, some of whom have been most assiduous during the last few days amongst the burgesses, soliciting their " votes and interest."

At the Resident Magistrate^ Court this morning there was a charge of drunkenness to be disposed of, but the inebriate was on bail, the amount of which was estreated for nonappearance.

We have now on view at our publishing office photo-lithographic copies of two specimens of penmanship by* Mr J. McKain Meek. One is a history of the Australasian Colonie3, the other a tree representing the colony of Victoria. As specimens of what can be done by untiring energy and perseverance these works are worthy of inspection. The artist certainly possesses a wonderful facility with* the pen, while, his works display considerable inventive power. The original of the history of Australasia alone occupied one year in perfecting, and with frame and mountings cost several hundred pounds.

We are requested to state that the trustees of the "Good Templar new hall will meet at Mr A. Dewar's house, so as to audit the accounts before Mr Dewar leaves for Auckland.

A meeting- of the delegates appointed by the various societies regarding the alteration of the Friendly Societies Act is, we see, convened to meet at Mr Honiss' house to-morrow at 7.30. It is understood that Mr L. J. Bagnall will attend.

A coEREsroNDENT writes to the Otago Guardian from London :—" You will hare read of Salvini, the tragedian. I have been to see him twice. Prodigious ! I have never in all my life, under any circumstances, even immediate danger of death, felt so appalled as at some of his acting in Othello. As to the last act, upon which the critics are so hard, it is undoubtedly murder—savage, ferocious murder; and suicide—savage and ferocious suicide. But then murders, like revolutions, are not made with rose-water, and I am quite sure the Moor of Venice meant killing when he once began. Anyhow, the whole conception is magnificent, and I think the execution equal to the conception. I went to the morning performance, when all the actors in England were present. Such a scene ! Did you ever see a whole house rise to its feet as one man, shouting and waving hats and handkerchiefs for fully five minutes. The excitement was such as I could not have imagined with a professional audience. During the murder-scene two women went genuinely into hysterics. It was such a performance as I never expect to see again. Every point was naturally taken up from the start, and Salvini naturally played beyond himself."

We have been requested to notice that Mr Cartwright's Sunday evening dis- ' courses have been discontinued for the" present.

Tjie special correspondent of the Cross at Wellington contributes the following : —r" An interesting chapter- respecting the natives of .New Hebrides appears in Commander Markham's " Cruiso of the Eosario." He specially refers to the poisoning of arrows, and the invariable results which follow these wounds—that is, death from tetanus. Commander Markham was unable to collect reliable information as to the native religion'and traditions, though he had seen idols they profess to worship, but he thinks, they have no idea of a divinity, or a hereafter. Large houses are reported to be set apart by them for disembodied spirits. Their weapons consist chiefly of bows and arrows, spears and clubs; bnt on the southermost island, where they had much intercourse with white men, many of them are armed wilh muskets, supplied them by slave-traders as wages or bribes for procuring ' labourers.' Their bows are made of the casuarnia, about sft. long, and drawn from the shoulder. The arrows are of reed, from 3|ft. to 4ffc. long. All the arrows used in war are poisoned, and are not feathered. " I was unable," says Commander Markbam, "to discover the precise nature of the poison with which their arrows are tipped whether it is animal or vegetable. But I was told that on the death of a native the arrows were stuck into the kidney fat of the corpse, and allowed to remain until decomposition takes place. Men wounded by these .poisoned arrows invariably die from tetanus, and the only way I could account for the wonderful recovery of one of our men who was wounded at JNTakapa, was,, that the .arrows were immediately plucked out" before the poison had time to disseminate itself, and copious hemorrhage followed. I learn that the Santa Cruz natives poison their weapons in a similar way/,. -L^as reading this book of Markham's just as the extra containing the ann6uncement of Commodore Goodenough's murder was put in my hands. I think it is worth; sending you ihe .extract. ■■■:. .■ '.' ■';*•: ': ■'■' ■'■- •: ■••. -"i