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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2121, 21 October 1875, Page 2

These was no business of any kind before the Resident Magistrate's jCourt this morning. We have received from the Government Printer No. 22 Hansard and Nos. 56 and 57 New Zealand Gazette. No. 56 contains amended rates of postage chargeable on letters, book packets, newspapers, etc., posted in the Colony. The Shortland fishermen got a splendid haul of fish last night or this morning, consisting of schnapper, gurnet and flat fish, the latter being in abundance. The Registrar General's report on the vital statistics of the principal boroughs in the Colony for September shows that this district has recovered its normal condition" as a healthy place, standing lowest in the proportion of deaths to the 1000 of population. At the'Tharnes, with a population of 8281, the total deaths were 9, or TOB to the thousand. The highest rate of mortality was at Christchurch.; where with a population of 10,650 the deaths were 27, or 2*58 in a thousand. Dunedin and Hokitika were the next highest, being but a trifle below Christchurch. There were fewer deaths by 2 during September than in the previous month, and 4 more births.

Mb Foy, who joined the Eoyal Artillery (Foot) prior to the battle of Waterloo, has called upon us to bear his testimony to the excellence of the arrangements in a military .point of view, made for the funeral of the late Bobcrt Eoycroffc yesterday afternoon. Mr Foy, who from his experience is well able en testify to these sort of things, considers tbat the whole affair reflects great credit to the officers who managed the arrangements, and on the men for the imposing appearance they presented, and their steadiness and general efficiency.

Two pieces wero played last night at the Theatre Eoyal, " Playing with Firo" and "Woodcock's Little Game." Mr Lawrence and Miss Carry George appeared in both pieces, and did much to provoke that laughter which the audience indulged in so freely that at one time the actors Were obliged to stop, to allow the merriment they caused to subside, ere they could hare a chance of being heard. Mr Searle in the -comedy and Mrs Searle in both pieces were very good, and Miss Lizzie Morgan indulged the audience with a song which is equivalent almost to saying that she was obliged to give two, an cHcore being of course demanded, as, we believe will be the case wherever and whenever she sings. By particular request she will, we believe, sing the same song to-night as she sang on Monday, " Silver Threads among the Gold." This song has been highly eulogised by those who heard it at the Thames, and it is very kind of the management to allow those who have not heard it another opportunity of hearing a very pretty song very sweetly sung. All who cure for good music will do well to avail themselves of this chance, as it is not likely they will have another. Mr Poolc as Pinchbeck was both natural aa well as comical, and Mr Collier, who is fery popular here, did his share of the work in both pieces, and did it well. To-night a comedy by one of the most popular living writers, Mr W. S. Gilbert, entitled " Pygmalion and Galatea," will be played This piece must not be confounded with the burlesque " Pygmalion, or the Statue Fair," which cannot hold a candle to it in point of merit. To night's comedy is a wellwritten play founded on the mythological story whence it takes its name. It was most successful in London, and we believe in Auckland. It will be followed by the farce of the " Happy Man."

The New Zealand Times in concluding a strongly condemnatory article on the suppression of the Customs fraud proceedings says:—" It attaches such a stigma to journalism in Auckland as it will tako a long time to efface. In the meantime its results may teach some

braggarts of spurious independence to be less < hasty in discovering in others the motives by which they themselves are really actuated, but which they profess to scorn."