THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M Resurrexi. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1877.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2593, 30 April 1877, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M Resurrexi. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1877.

The struggle has commenced —the first blow has been struck. The long threatened hostilities—the war which has; been long considered as inevitable, has been reduced to a certainty, and the dogged determination and hereditary hatred, of the Russ is once more opposed to the fanatic Turk. Our calograms to-day, furnishing news up co Friday last, tell of the Russians having crossed the frontier, and of the. movements of the main army of the invading force; and of a first battle in which the Turks were routed 'J but leaving indefinite the question as to the passage of the Danube, which it would be a point for the Turks to oppose with all their forces. Owing to the changes which many of the towns and villages in Turkey and its tributary Provinces have undergone, and the faulty nature of the maps at our disposal, it is difficult to follow the movements of the Russians from Galatz to the present situations, but probably the places mentioned are known by other names on even modern maps of Turkey in Europe, about which little is really known except by a few adventurous travellers and geographers Some stirring news may now be expected day by day, and the end cannot be conjectured, even if the contest; be left to the decision of the two nations now at each others throats.

Mb James CBAia sold by auction at the Exchange to-day, at 12 o'clock, all the book debts in the bankrupt estate of Mr J. E. Banks. The debts amounted to £600, and they were bought by Mr Harcourt for £10. ,'

The N. Z. Herald records the death of Mr William Niccol, formerly landlord of the Masonic Hotel, Auckland, at the age of 56.

We learn that Mr Wxllirm Eowe has beeii appointed a director of the Piako Goldmining Company in room of Mr John Murray, who has resigned. The directors of- this company are Messrs 0. J. Stone andJ. L. Wilson of Auckland, and Messrs W. Rowe, John McCabe and John Brown, Thames. Mr Rowe is a large shareholder of the company, in the formation of which he took an active part, and since resumption of work he has manifested great interest in the company, and will continue to do so, we; have no doubt, now that he has assumed additional: responsibility as a director.: . ;

.Mb J. H. Jefferson, Pollen street, has favored us with the Australasian Sketcber for April 14. The following are the principal illustrations in the number:—Casting . cylinders at the Fulton Company's Foundry; Volunteer Encampment at Sunbvry; Interior of St. Mary's (Roman Catholic) Church, St. Kilda; the late Archbishop Polding ; Melbourne Regatta —Sketch from the Umpires' Boat garoos in Danger; Portraits of Bannerman and Kendall, premier batsman and bowler in Australia v. England. The letter press or news portion of the number is excellently compiled.

The following telegram has been re* ceived from the Pres3 Agency, Wellington:—The Telegraph Department hare received a cable message from Madras to-day notifying that telegraphic messages for .Russia and Kbumania must not be transmitted across Turkish wires or through Turkish territory.

A meeting of Masters and Past Masters of Lodges holding under the Scottish Constitution was held at Mr Tyler's office in Auckland on Friday last. The following were present:—JKev. J. Hill, P;M. Sir W. Scott Lodge; A. Brodie, P.M. Sir: W. Scott;: W. C. Walker, R.W.M. St. Andrew ; A. Dewar, P.M. Sir W. Scott; A. E. Tyler, P.M. Thistle, Westport; T. Macffarlahe, P.M. St. Andrew; T. L. Murray, E.W.M. Sir W. Scott; L. J. Bagnalf, P.M. Lodge of Light,. 1.C.; T. Kawdon, Tyler Sir W. Scott. Mr Tyler was called on to preside. The ficv. J. Hill made a statement of the, proceedings, which had. been taken for the establishment of a Grand Lodge for the North Island of New Zealand in connection, with Scottish Masonry. After some conversation a resolution was unanimously agreed to that circulars should be sent to all the Lodges, under the Scotch Constitution in the North Island, requesting them to send delegates either in person or by proxy, to a meeting, to be held at Auckland, on the 31st of May, for the purpose of making the necessary arrangements for the constitution of a Provincial Grand Lodge for the North Island, and the installation of officers. —Abridged from Herald.

In the Warden's Court, Coromandel, on Friday, before Major Keddell, the Inspector of Miners' Eights (Mr Mcllhone) obtained convictions against fifteen persons for being engaged in mining operations without miners' rights. On Saturday,

in the case of Driscoll, at the suit of the Inspector of Miners' Bights, which was adjourned from the previous day, the Warden fined him £5, and costs amounting to £8 9s. The Warden informed him that the case waa not likely to end in that Court. The defence which he set up was a mo3t impudent one, and for the sake of the Warden's department could not be allowed to rest there.

A cruel hoax has been perpetrated upon a young couple who were about to be married at the Snyagogue, Birmingham. When the marriage ceremony was about to be celebrated the following telegram was received from London :—" Stop marriage at once. His wife and children have^ arrjved in London, and will come on .to Birmingham." Upon the telegram being shown to the bridegroom he protested his innocence. The bride, however, swooned, and notwithstanding his protestations the bridegroom was hissed by the crowd putside. The news of the supposed deception having soon spread, the: bride met with hearty expressions of sympathy upon returning tb-the house of her relations. The Jewish authorities in London were communicated with, and it was found that a hoax had been perpetrated. It is understood that the young couple whose marriage has been so cruelly postponed will shbrjtly be united. ■ l

The Christchurch Press says :—We bave lately received, from Press Agency and private correspondents programmes of race meetings intended to be held at different places, and for the telegraphic transmission of the same we have had to pay. Agents and correspondents who thus favour us are evidently under a misapprehension as to the distinction between "news" and advertisements. We (Otago Guardian) may add " them's our sentiments," and further, we protest against jockey clubs making use of the Press Agency and our columns to inform those interested the date upon which nominations and acceptances are due. The information can be just as well given through our advertising columns, and with a great deal more satisfaction to us. The Press Agency might with reason accept this hint. , . .

The magistrates at Tadcaster have sentenced a man named Leatham, who appears from the reports to be in a good position of life, to be imprisoned for two months for audibly cursing her Majesty the Queen during Divine service in the schoolroom, iwhere public worship was being conducted by a clergyman of the Church of England. The' offensive language was used twice, while the prayers for the Queen and for the Royal Family were being said. The defendant was very violent /when remonstrated with, and it required four men to put him out of the room. He' pleaded before the Bench that he had been a liberaU supporter of the church and schools in the parish, and that he had sent a letter of apology to the clergyman. 1 He uttered the exclamation, he said," spontaneously," having shortly before the service been talking about the Queen's taxes."—Pall Mall Gazette. ' ,

A cobbespondent of Public Opinion says it is not generally known that Burns was not the composer of "Auld Lang Syne.". In a letter to Thomson (of the "Seasons") Burns expressly states that the song is not his, but that he wrote.it down from hearing it sung by an old man, and Burns invokes theblessings of heaven on the head of the unknown ministrel. The same correspondent informs ua that " Black Eyed Susan" was not written by Dibden, to whom it is generally imputed. .-:.-■.••■•. .•■-'.■