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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2544, 2 March 1877, Page 2

A public meeting of the ratepayers of the Kauaeranga Highway District is to be held this evening, in the girls' Schoolroom, Sandes street, at 7 o'clock, to consider the advisability of merging in the County. As considerable iuterest is now taken in this question by local governing bodies there- will probably be a good attendance.

It it with regret we have to record the death of Mrs Mahoney, the wife ef Mr W. Mahoney of the Lady Bowen Hotel, which occurred about half past four o'clock yesterday afternoon, of consumption. Although the nature of the deceased lady's complaint was such that her death has been looked upon as near, the sad event, now that it has come, is not the less acutely felt by the bereaved husband and family, and many sorrowing friends.

The Otago Daily Times says:—" We hear from Auckland that a curious rumor has been current there for some time, and is now very generally believed to be the fact, namely, that a Special Commissioner from the Imperial Government has been for the last two months in communication in Wellington with the Governor, with a view to obtaining information as to the condition of the colony. The Commissioner referred to ia said to be an officer of the Diplomatic Service, detached expressly from Ihe mission in Japan."

It is said that the Prince of Wales has proffered his serrices for-: active duty in case of war. Of course the heir apparent's is too precious a life for him to be lent to the front, but if there is to be a big affair, and we want India's resources, then —as the Prince is so popular' there —his reappearance among his friends the rajahs would stir up the Mahommedan enthusiasm to the highest point. If the prince is compelled to remain at home, and has the cup of hope dashed out of his hand, he will probably succeed Lieut-General Steele in command at Aldershot.

One Sunday two girls, pupils at an Illinois seminary, were about leaving their rooms for church, when a dispute arose as to which had occupied the most time in dressing. The discussion waxed warm/ a bet was made to be decided on the spot, and three other girls;, were called in as judges. The contestants removed their clothing, and at the call of " time " sprang to the contest. For a few moments the air seemed filled with flying bits of feminine drapery—shoes, stockings, garters, &o.~and the winner was all "hooked up," and her bonnet on in seven minutes and thirteen seconds, the other girl coming out in less than half a minute behind.

The Home News, referring to the new editiom of " Old New Zealand," says :— " Old New Zealand " has all the merits of truth and all the charms of fiction. ' The " Paheka Maori" is now delighting us at home, and rightly, for no European has ever given a wittier or more vivid picture of savage life, if indeed it be fair to call such a noble though probably doomed race as the Maoris by so uncomplimentary an adjective. Middle-aged men remember the first edition of "Old New Zealand " as a shabby book with an unpretending exterior. The second edition appeared in 1863, and the present reprint, which is in excellent and attractive type, is furnished with a brief preface by that smart but flippant nobleman, Lord Pembroke, the very antithesis of his fathex*, Sydney Herbert, whose bronze effigy facing the War Office has, during the recent rain and gloom, looked more austere and sombre than ever.

An Exchange says:—-However great may be your natural aptitude for the game of cricket, you hare a great deal to do before you can acquire the combination of mechanical skill and good judgment which makes a fine batsman. Of course practice must come before theory. Unless you can hit a ball it is of no earthly use to you to know how it ought to be hit; and your first lessons may well be solely in hitting. Go to your pi'actice and endeavor to hit hard, no matter how or where, every ball that is bowled to you. Your eye and hand will thus become accustomed to work together, and the habit of judging accurately the pace and rise of the ball will be acquired, while your muscles will gain freedom and power. Do not grasp the bat as if your Lands were glued to it. Let there be ono joint, at your wrists, and another joint, as it were, between your hands and the bat, both joints having free play tillthe actu»l moment when the bat strikes the.ball, but becoming at that moment more or less rigid. Do not shuffle your body about in ungainly attitudes; but be firm on your legs. Good hitting comes first from the wrists, secondly from the arms, and only in a small degree from the body.

The Melbourne correspondent of the Hamilton Spectator is responsible for the following story :—" Among the passengers by the Suez mail steamer were an old resident of Queensland, returned from a visit to England, and a tall, lanky, raw-looking youth, from one of the inland counties. As the young fellow gare out that he was visiting the colonies tor the purpose of buying a station, the old squatter became communicative, and, spoke of his possessions in Queensland, his lands, his herds, his flocks, his horses, and his copper mining interests. Some hitch occurred in the young fellow's affairs financial. He was disappointed at the non-receipt of money, but was able to show letters which appeared to be from respectable citizens in London. His first move was to borrow £1500 from his colonial friend. Within a few days he had succeeded in obtaining £5000 from tbe old gentleman, who became suspicious, obtained proof that the letters were not genuine, and put the matter in the hands of the detective police. A hunt for the young Englishman is going on by tlie smartest officers in the force, but though it is known that he is somewhere about town, he has contrived so far to keep out of the way of arrest."