Untitled

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2547, 6 March 1877, Page 2

At the Eesidenfc Magistrate's Court this morning Thomas Wilson was charged with beiDg drunk and incapable in Grey

street, Shortland, last night.' Defendant pleaded guilty and was fined 10s and costs, or 24 hours' imprisonment. This .was all the business.

■We have received from Mr J. H. Jefferson a copy of-the February number of the Sketcher.» It is as usual replete with interesting illustrations and well chosen letter press. Amongst the picttir.es are the ladies of three Australian Governors, namely, Lady Uobinson, Lady Bowpii and Lady. Musgrave. There is an excellent portrait of the late Sir Donald McLean, several very pretty views of Australian scenery, scenes at the circus, ; and other illustrations which will undoubtedly help to increase the popularity of The Sketcher amongst its numerous readers.*'

The Grahamstown Wesleyan Choir wiU give .a musical entertainment to-night at 8 o'clock, in the Templar Hall, Mary street. The proceeds of the entertainment, the charge for admission to which is only Is, will go to the Instrument Fund of the church. The entertainment will commence at 8 o'clock,.and the Rev. R. S. •Bunn will take the chair.

We see by the telegrams that the representatives at the Colonial firing left flokitika at 1.30 p.m. yesterday, and may therefore be expected at the end of this week. Jt has always been the custom of the inhabitants of this town-to welcome back their representatives on their return from the competition, and we trust that the Volunteers will on this occasion turn out to a man to receive Vol. Sykes, who obtained the second highest aggregate score in thS carbine competition, and the rifle shootists, each of'whom obtained one of more prizes, Captain Murray having upheld well the prestige of this district. ...

It is not generally known tbat one of those, who took part in the celebrated naval duel in 1813 between tbe English frigate Shannon, 36 guns, and the American frigate Chesapeake, 50 guns, is liv:ng in the colony in hale and hearty health. His name is Thomas Salmon, and he will be SO. years of ajje next month. He is employed as cook on the station of Mr Ford, at Wannaene, between JBye and Bromana. He appears to be likely to do a good day's work for several years to come, and is only too. willing to relate the particulars of the naval conflict in which he was concerned. He narrates with great gusto the fact that it only took them in the ■ Shannon 30 minutes to " polish off" the Chesapeake, and speaks with some pride of the circumstance- that Captain Broke, of the Shannon, and his first lieutenant, were the first to cut their way through the boarding nettings on to the Chesapeake's deck when.the boatswain piped " boarders away." The old man has a-most thorough contempt for the present style of ironclad.men-of-war, which he refers to as "iron pots." The old salt is a " character," and is always ready to spin a yarn relative to his adventures afloat or in the bush.—Australasian.

-/EgjLES in the Australasian writes : — They wanted a piano in Geelong for a public institution. Someone wrote to a Melbourne expert, who selected a grand at £120 from a Collins street establishment. " Many thanks for your trouble," wrote the honorary secretary, " but a lcsal piano- seller has offered us a grand by the same maker, and exactly similar, for £110." Not to be outdone, the Collins street importer announced that he would take a hundred guineas, and tune the instrument after delivery. Arid to this came a final note to say that they had clooed with the Geelong' musae-seller at £100 cash. And then the principal in Collins street discovered that his local agent and himself had been bidding against each other to sell the same piaho^ and had successfully knocked down its price by £20.

.In,a review of the "Life, letters and journals of George Ticknor," published in the Australasian, the following anecdote is told :—" We spent half the forenoon in Mr West's gallery, where he has arranged all the pictures that he still owns." He told us a siagular - anecdote of Nelson, while we were looking at the. picture of his death. Just before he went to sea for the last time West sat next to him at a large entertainment given'to him here, and in the course of the dinner Nelson expressed to Sir William Hamilton his regret that in his youth he had not acquired some taste for art and some power of discrimination. ' But,' said he, turniag to West, ' there is one picture whose power I do feel. I never pass a print shop where your " Death of Wolfe" is in the window without being stopped by it.' West, of course, made his acknowledgments, and Nelson went on to ask why he had no more like it. • Because, my lord, there are no more subjects.' ' D n it,' said the sailor, ' I didn't think of that,' and asked him to take a glass of champagne. ' But my lord, I fear j-pur intrepidity will yet furnish me such another scene ; and, if it should; I shall certainly avail myself of it.' ' Will you ? ' said Nelson, pouring out bumpers, and touching his glass violently against West's, ' will you, Mr West? Then I hope I shall die in the next battle.' He sailed a few days after, and the result was on the canvas before us."