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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2607, 17 May 1877, Page 2

We understand that Mr C. P. Quint, an.' honbrafy member of the Naval Brigade, has presented five pounds as a prize .to be competed for between the Thames Scottish Company and the Naval Brigade. The money has been handed oyer-to, Mr Symington, a member of the Scotch Company, and also, an.honorary member, of the Navals, who has been deputed with two officers of the Navals to arrange the terms of the match. We believe it will be decided to fire with ten men a-side, and that the teams will be; picked from those men who were not; colonial representatives, or district prize winners for 1877, and we have no doubt that a keen contest will take place for the prize." We are glad to see a match of this kind coming off, as the companies have not had a smack at one another for \ a long time past, v .■'■']

Ms F.R. Gr. Woqdwabd, we notice, has placed his services as' auditor at the disposal of the " ladies and gentlemen " burgesses of the borough. Having before filled the office for which he is now a candidate, and given satisfaction, he has a very good recommendation, which will probably stand him in good stead should the choice for borough auditors this year come to an election contest.

; The friends and patrons of Mr R. Wiseman, tailor, will he pleased to learn that in consequence of the * increase of business, and to keep pace 'with the times, he has lately removed * into those extensive premises foimerly occupied by James Reid, draper, Brown street, - which he has altered to meet the requirements of his business. He has a lot of superior materials in hand, and every facility for turning out good work, so that his customers may rely upon getting satisfaction in material and workmanship. The Evening Post of Monday night has the following paragraph relating to the defaulting keeper of the Lunatic Asylum :—" Ingwerson, the well-known deputy-superintendent of Mount View j

Asylum, applied a little time ago for a week's leave of absence, to proceed to Canterbury on 'urgent private affairs.' This was granted, and he departed, taking with him a trap and horse, which were his own property. He did not return at the close of his period of leave, but applied .for extension, a request which we believe was granted. When the time had again expired, and Mr Ingwersou still failed to: return, inquiries were made, and it was discovered that he had sold his horse and trap, and taken his passage direct from Lyttelton in a vessel bound for England. It further transpired that Ingwerson had. borrowed various sums of money, such as £20.and £25, from some of the attendants, both male and female, connected with the Asylum, and had thus made tip a purse for travelling expenses- It is also stated that he telegraphed from Cbristchurch to several friends in Wellington, to the effect that he was in urgent need of funds, and desired to borrow £20 till his return to Wellington. By these means he also obtained additional funds. It has been known that for a considerable time past Ingwerson was in embarrassed pecuniary: circumstances. ;He had contracted a penchant for horse flesh, buggies, and other pleasant but" expensive pleasures, which ill-suited his modest salary. He was considered a very efficient officer of the Asylum, his fault being a free-handed system of living personally, which of course involved him in debt and difficulty. It is /understood that he was a good deal in debt all round ; whether before taking his final departure he gave the bill discounters a benefit by raising money on personal security, we are not yet aware. Ingwerson had a pleasant, ingratiating manner; and made himself generally liked, so it is probable that some too-confiding friends may have cause to mourn ' that he is gone from their gaze like a beautiful dream,' and that • they will neve? - see him any more.' "■•

Wine of Nelson manufacture is gaining'in repute. The Nelson Mail notes that Mr James Smith, has gained a prize for Nelson wines at the Philadelphia Exhibition, and also that,in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney Mr Smith finds his principal market, his wine being sold there at prices ranging from 36s to 42s per dozen. . ;

It is reported by tbe Dunedin Guardian that during the last few months scarcely any perceptible change has taken place in the condition of Mies .Ross, better known as " the Taieri fasting girl," who has now been confined to her bed for eight years. She is unable to take any more nourishment than -she. was at the time when her extraordinary case attracted so much attention. Physically she is so weak that it is almost impossible to move her from one room to: the other, but her mind is unimpaired, and she instantly recognises those who hare visited her before, no matter how distant the date. She can converse intelligently, but her voice is very weak, and. her breathing; quick and painful.

As showing the want of genuineness which characterised the - recent; unemployed demonstration, we (Otago Daily Times) may statethat only twd'oi three men applied;.for, work at the,; Public Works ; Office, Dunedin, although His Excellency, in reply ; to the unemployed petition, stated that-the Government were prepared to fiiid work on the railwjiys for all who.needed it. :r . "" "'.;■ ' I

Ma KoLiJESTON said, in his recent address to his constituents :—I think the shape that the Counties} Act should take in' the future should be such as to prevent any clashing with the* road boards.,. T They isbould have powers—limited >■ he wever, -tp a certain extent—-to take lands for public works, and also the control—also in a modified degree—.of main arterial roads. There ought also to be clearly,defined What are main arterial roads, and how far they come under the control of the counties. The counties, should act aa assistants to the districts—not taking over their work, but as connecting links, and to see that the work of. the districts is carried out. It seems to me that we should have larger and fewer counties than at present, and I think that it was a mistake not to include" the boroughs in them. One of the functions of the counties is the distribution of charitable aid, and this matter the townspeople are as much interested in as those in the country.

The Lyttelton Times thus comments on the situation in the East:—" Once established in Constantinople, the Russian will be a better neighbor than the Turk. The order and enterprise that he will" introduce into the country that has so long lain fallow under the blight of misgovernment, will make his connection most valuable to those who are fortunate enough to secure it. Englishmen are fond of complicating the position by trembling for India. If the Russian has designs on that Empire, it will be long before he can carry them out. At present "an overland march on Hindostan is simply impossible, and the obstacle in the way of seizing the Suez Canal is the conquest of Turkey."

■ Pbince William Henby, afterwards William IT., when a midshipman, was present at a ball at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and being struck with the charms of a young lady ipresent,..selected her for his partner in a country dance, afr the conclusion of which he laughingly told her that if he should ever attain power, she heed only send him a copy of the music of that dance, accompanied by a request, and that he would, it' possible, attend to any demand so authenticated. Years rolled on-:, the lady married, became a widow," and a grandmother. Prince William Henry became King William IV.; the grandmother, in 1835, forwarded a copy of the music to his Majesty, accompanied by a letter reminding him of his promise, and concluded by asking for an ensigncy without purchase for her grandson. In a very few days she was honored with an autograph letter from the King stating his perfect remembrance ,of the dance and the promise referred to, and his intention to accede to her wish with respect to the nomination of her grandson to an ensigncy without purchase, which accordingly took place in May of the same year.

, The writer of the Gossipy article which appears iv: the Melbourne Argus under the heading of " London Town Talk" says in a recent' letter :—I read that you are setting up aquariums in Australia. Do not put the alligators and alligatresses | in the same 'compartment,; with their young, otherwise the same thing will take place as has just happened at Brighton. A little alligator was suddenly missed. The father and mother professed; ignorance, except a blink of," the dull eye of the ' lady, which (in connection with a. slight moving of her under jaw) excited the curator's suspicions. Ho prized her mouth open, and found a small scaly leg, which, being pulled, produced the missing v

infant. It was quite unhurt, and it is supposed that its mamma had had no intention of hurting it. It had found her mouth open and crept in, and she was 100 lazy to object to the intrusion. This puts the insouciance of our maternal aristocracy (hitherto supposed to be unrivalled) completely into the shade. ' ;

The Paris Temps publishes the; follbv*ing. letter frdrn Bessarabia respecting the liussiari: forces there:—The army is composed of four corp3 of infantry, each having two divisions, of four divisions of cavalry, and twelve regiments of Cossacks. The artillery consists of about 400 field guns, and there nre four brigade equpiages. The strength of the force is about 14f),000 men, 120,000 of, them,.cavalry. The personnel and materiel are good, the soldiers are pretty well clad and armed, and the cavalry is well mounted. The Cossacks form an excellent light cavalry. Thp artillery are well horsed. The administration, however, leaves much to be desired. The equipage; train is entirely wanting in the .Russian army, and the lack of this important'part of the materiel is seriously felt; and the commissariat, ambulance, and-hospital services are hardly organised at all, or, at any rate, very badly. Great efforts are being made to remedy all deficiencies. , The field hospitals'are' already arranged; thirty will follow the army, and. nine of these are already in working order. Thirty others will keep in the rear of the army, each of them accommodating 600 patients. The International Society of Assistance for the Wounded ha 3 offered the Government 16,000 beds on' paying If. 30c. per day for each patient. . :