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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2498, 8 January 1877, Page 2

These was a clean sheet at the Eesident Magistrate's Court this morning.

The meeting of the Borough Councillors with the County Councillors has been adjourned from its original fixture to-day until Wednesday next in order to allow the Couflty Councillors, who meet tomorrow" for the #rst time, to hold their first meeting beforehand, and discuss the matter which is the object of the meeting, viz., (he desirability or amalgamating the Borough with the County.

A coBBESPONDENT, by pigeongram from, Paeroa, says : —" The fiev. Mr Mulgan preached to good congregations yesterday —-in the morning at Paeroa, and in the afteraooci M.b Mackaytown.—Mr James Mac!)ay amved from up country at 11 o'clock last nigb£.-~-A gjbopkyard is being put up at lapsey's for MrCpajg's next cattle sale. Some cattle ape expected from Napier.—A good number of miners and others have returned to the district."

We have New ,■ Zealand Gazettes of dates, December 23, 28 and 29. The first mentioned contains the appointments of the judges of Assessment Courts under " The .Hating Aefc, 1876." Captain Fraser is appointed Judge for the Borough of Thames district, and the Waiotahi,

Kauaeranga, and Parawai Highway Districts. The Gazette of December 29th contains a proclamation fixing the places and dates of first meeting of certain County Councils.

The following business of local interest was transacted at the meeting of the Central Board of Education in Auckland on Friday last. We draw attention to the fact that an open scholarship was won by 11. Skeen, and a district scholarship by Wilson Skeen, both sons of Mrs Skeen, head teacher of the Waiotahi school, and Mr R. Skeen, N.Z. Herald agency :* Regarding Puriri we learn that the educational district is to be extended to the Wharehoa Creek:—Scholabships Candidates. —Masters Clayton, E. Skeen, and J. Cotitts, were announced to be the successful competitors in the contest for the open scholarship, and Masters William Elley, Arthur Burgess, Wilson Skeen and James McGarrigle in that for the possession of the district scholarships. Tabaeu School.— A communication was received relative to the appointment of a male teacher. On ■ the motion of Mr O'Borke, seconded by Mr Prime, it was resolved that the Board should adhere to its determination not to recognise any appointment of schoolmaster without autho- | rity, and not to authorise more than a girls' school for Tararu. Puribi. —Application was made for educational provision for the district. Mr Adam Porter attended, and explained to the Board the position of affairs and the method whereby the request of the settlers . might be conveniently acceded to. It was resolved to enlarge the Ohinemuri educational district, so as to take in Puriri.

To-day we were shown a handsomely illuminated address which is to be presented to Mr Charles Ahier this evening, by the members of the Grahamstown Fire Brigade. Mr Ahier has been secretary of the Brigade for four years, and has only lately resigned that office. The address is the work of Mr JY Patterson, Owen street.

The crew and outrigger for the Interprovincial Champion Kace at Nelson, to take place there on the 17th inst., left here this morning by the .Kotomahana bound to the scene of contest. They will be joined in Auckland by Messrs Henderson and Dacre who will pull with our men in the inrigged gig race. The boat for the whale-boat race is still in the hands of Mr Savage, builder of Shortland, who is himself to take this boat to Nelson on the 13th instant. The prizes for the three events; our crew pull for amount to £250.

The Ballarat Courier writes:—"Mr David Kennedy, Jan., son of Mr Kennedy, the well-known and popular Scotch singer, has written a book, entitled "A Four Years' Tour through Australia, New Zealand, Canada, &c," and a copy of this work reached us by the last mail. Mr David Kennedy, who is quite a young man, must be warmly complimented upon his production, which displays considerable literary ability, combined with keen powers of observation. Melbourne, Ballarat, Sandhurst, Wagga Wagga, Sydney, Brisbane, Gympie, Launceston; Adelaide, Dunedin, Invercargill, Wellington, Fiji, the Sandwich Islands, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and other places, are most happily and. lucidly described ; and a number of sketches are given, and numerous incidents related, between- these chapters. The book is published by the Edinburgh Publishing Company, and deserves to enjoy an extensive European and Australian* circulation, owing to the interesting facts : it contains, and the excellent literary style in which every one of the narrations and sketches is written."

TrfE S. M. Herald writes :—" To improve the breed of horses fabulous sums have been spent in England, and no trifling amount in India and the Australian Colonies. But if the accounts of Mr Valentine Baker are trustworthy, we have all hitherto failed to meet with the finest breed of horses in the world. This equine prodigy is to be found on the Persb-Turkonian frontier. It is capable of galloping forty or fifty miles without stopping, and will then amble at the rate of five miles an hour for a hundred miles more with only a few intervals for rest. In four days it can perform a journey of 650 miles, not as an extraordinary trial of endurance, but in the regular course of business. It has a pedigree going back to the days of Tamarlane or Timour, the great model conquererof the 14th century, whose career is so graphically narrated in the pages of Gibbon, and who is said to have introduced 14 000 of the best Arab mares into this part of his immense dominions"

The London World, per last mail* notices Mr W. G-. Grace, the cricketer' among its celebrities at Home. Mr Grace, it says, increased in weight during the cricket season of 1876, notwithstanding the hard work he underwent. His weight is 15.5t.71b5., which does not prevent him from being an ardent follower of the hunt, well mounted, with the Duke of Beaufort's hounds. Mr Grace's top score of the 1876 season, 400 in one innings, was made in three afternoops during which he remained at the wickets. In consequence of such enormous scores, it is proposed in England to introduce a new cricketing law, increasing the distance between the wickets. Mr Grace is described in the World as a very indifferent billiard player, although cricket is said to be akin to billiards. He is fond both of shooting and fishing, which, with hunting and a desultory study of his profession as a surgeon, fill up that* portion of the year not devoted to cricket.

The Darling Downs Gazette (Queensland) claims to speak with authority on the subject of cricketing, having had considerable experience. He says:" With regard, to batting, oar hits used to be famous. There was one hit on the knee we pot which was enough of itself to confer celebrity on any man. 'We were a marked cricketer from that day; and with respect to scoring, could we have hatched oil all the duck's eggs we prodijcs.d, we could have stocked a poultry fa?m. Tf^ej appeared all to be good sitters. As to bowling, there was no man more esteemed among bowlepa than ourselves. We were invaluable for giving # good analysis. Our defence was so admirable that it was seldom our wicket was put down. The usual system adopted was to bowl about two balls et ojjr legs til) we got nervous, and kept dodging about in fronjfc /of phe wicket, when the bowler would send in a straight one and hit us again, upon which the umpire would come up. We would welcome him from our writhing-placo on the grouud, under the idf ja that he was come to sympathise ; but he would, as a rule, only smile cheerfully, and remark that we were ' out, leg before wicket.' As a fielder, again

we excelled. We were generally posted at ' long off,' and entered into the position heart and soul, leaving nothing undone to be as 'long' and as 'off' as possible. Some coolness ensued with the captain, however, owing to that authority making an uncalled-for remark that he preferred having his fielders where he could see them without having to use a telescope."