THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1877.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2609, 19 May 1877, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1877.

With to-day's issue "of the Star is published a list of objections t© persons not being entitled to have their names retained on the Electoral Koll. The objections are all n^ade by Jackson Keddell, Esq., Kegistration Officer, and the main objection-is that the names published are; "already on the roll." The reason they have been sent in again for registration is that an Act of last session required every Town Clerk or clejjk to other local body to makeup a list of voters and. send it in to the - Officer before the: 31st March. The hearing of these objections will be merely a formal matter. ...

We ; are in formed that the objections to the:granting of the Candlelight lease have been withdrawn.

i 'The Hiberiiica Companji t^members oiF which have been fiere for some days, will open at I the Academy of Music on Monday night. : Their entertainment has been well "billed," some of-^the specimens of printing,which heralded their coming being mostartretic;spccimensof "mural" literature. • The entertainment, judging from the programmes in circulation, will be of a character to attract and to please "instructive and amusing. - -

As will be seen by referring to our advertising columns, Mr D.Philp is a candidate for the office of auditor to the Borough of Thames. This makes two candidates for the auditorships, but it is probable that more: will come forward before the time for nomination ceases.

It is notified in the New Zealand Gazette that His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to promote 2nd Class Sub-Inspector William Stone Pardy, of the JNew Zealand; Armed Constabulary, to the rank of Ist Class Sub-Inspector, from.the Ist May, 1877. '.j, ■.■

. A " caution" on evasions of the Stamp Act appears in our advertising columns to-day, re the transfer of mining and other company scrip. The. provisions of the Stkmp Act with reference to this matter are rery ; stringent, the penalties heavy, and the\risks. great;. but there is no doubt that if it were attempted to enforce the Act with regard to the transfer of mimngishares,'*the market would be virtually closed. Transactions in shares would have to be! as carefully executed, and would involved almost as: much time and trouble as transfers of real estate.

The public^notification of the Inspector of Miners' Eights has had the effect of bringing to the recollection of some miners that their rights wanted renewing, others perhaps that they had no rights and had better protect themselves by procuring them. Since the advertise^ ment notifying the projected inspection appeared, there have been issued 121 rights, which is a greater number than had been issued during a period of six weeks prior to the notice being advertised. The Maori land owners will be able to appreciate the benefits of advertising after this.

Pheasant shootiDg, as most sportsmen as well as others are aware, commences throughout the provincial district of Auckland on Monday next, hiving been deferred this yeai- from the Ist to the 21st May. Up to the present time'2l licenses have been taken out in this district, 12 of which were issued to-day, and no doubt on Monday morning at an early hour the slaughter among the birds will commence. We have not heard that birds are uncommonly plentiful, but they must be so in Taranaki, for in Auckland and over the goldfield pheasants have not been by any means scarce, but they were always Taranaki birds, the killing and taking of game in that district having commenced three weeks earlier than here.

Fboji a comparative return published in .the Nevv Zealand Gazette of the number of telegrams forwarded, the

revenue received, and the value of Government telegrams transmitted for the quarters ended 31st March, 1876 and 1877,, we" find that the business of. the department has largely increased.- During 1876 quarter the number of telegrams forwarded was 270,312; during 1877 quarter, 292,308; increase, 21,996; The cash received for the periods was—lß76, £15,470 3s lid; 1877, £16,337 9s Id; increase, £867 5s 2d. The value of Government telegrams was for the first quarter in 1876, £4331 7s Id; for the corresponding quarter 1877, £4546 2s 8d; or an increase of £214 15s 7d. No doubt the accession of business at the Thames during the last three months has had a great deal to do with the marked increase in the work of the department.

The following table, showing the population, number of births and deaths, and proportion of deaths to the 1000 of population in the principal boroughs of the Colony, is compiled from the Registrar General's report on the rital statistics of the Colony for the month of April, 1877, and published in the New Zealand Gazette of the 10th instant :-?•

The death rate is the low

est wo remein-

ber to have seen recorded

The Otago Times of the 25th April says :—" The extraordinary feat.of eating twelve dozen oysters within an hour was accomplished by a young man of slim proportions at one of the city oyster saloons on Monday night. He easily won the wager that was laid against him."

A becent'telegram from Christchurch says :—Mr. Turner, who had part of his face torn away by a bull some days ago, is out of all danger. It is pronounced the most extraordinary case that ever came under the; notice of medical men here: ;

, It may not be generally known, forwe believe that it has not appeared in any printed account of the Arctic Expedition, that while with his sledging party the beard of^pommander Albert Markham turned white, but resumed its usual dark color in about a month after getting back to the ship. This, moreover, was not a solitary case. All the others turned white/ like the foxes and hares. —Newcastle Daily Chronicle.

Up to the, present time the colony of Victoria itlsfspent^ upon her defences. This is shown by the information embodied in - the late Volunteer Commissioners' report. Remarking on this fact, the Argus says it is simply disgusting to think that, that ■ colony is not in a position .to await the'issue of events with calmness and confiehce, and that the event of possible war finds them unprepared to guard their belongings or defend their honour, and still musing on the best means that can be adopted to secure the safety of that colony.

There is an attempt tq be made to raise the-Vanguard; The sum.to be. paid, for the^ship, if delivered, is about 1£1,70,C3p. Should she not be r ,broughTto.the surface; she will, be sold as she lies for about £20,0c0. " ; ; .

The Times says that the innate qualities of.the hostile armies, in previous. Kusse?. Turkish wars were" probablj then whai they, still remain j- -the solid and disciplined Russian infantry. had an easy superiority in the open field ; the Turks were admirable; in the;; defence of fortresses and for patient endurance of want and hardship.

The Australasian's Adelaide correspondent furnishes the following statistics of tbe wheat, crop in. South Australia, the falling off in which may in some measure account for the recent rise in wheat and flour .:—Our wheat statistics hare at last been published, tiner "delay"-"being.- oeea« sioned: by (the; sdjj^culty, experienced in gathering information in the remote districts of the colony. The actual number of facres^Bpwnifoiiiwheat was 1,082,949, being ißi^l'29 * acres in excess of ' the I previous season—a rate of progression tbat-has'-ne^crb'eeii equalled. But owing to the limited rainfall, which produced a drought in several localities, the total area' reaped was only 871,057 acres, or 27,763 acre? Jess than in 1875-6. The difference was not all lost, for 149,424. acres were cut for hay; .-but the odd: 62,000 acres would no', doubt represent .. land on which the crop was actually lost, or not worth the trouble of cutting.- The average yield was 5 bushels 25lbs on the area sown, or 6 bushels 431bs on the acres actually reaped, the gross produce being 5.857,569 bushels. After making ample allowance for seed purposes and home consumption, there will be left for export an available surplus of •fully 80,000 tons. Of this nearly 35,000 have already been shipped, so that the quantity on hand is about 45,000 tons. This is a small result as? compared with the 210,000 tons we had for sale to foreign customers last year; but there is still room for congratulation when we remember that at one time it appeared as if there would be a total failure of the harvest.

Extensive preparations are making at Hurlinghani for a mediaeval tournament, in which four Saracens and four Christian, knights will participate. The Prince of Wales will be present in the field, as the Soldan Suleiman, and will hare command of the Saracen warriors. The designs for the Prince's costume are supplied from the South. Kensington Museum, and when completed will represent days of antiquarian research. Princess Louise has laboriously overhauled the British. Museum for a design for the needlework embroidery on the Prince of Wales' tunic. The spectacle will be one of the most splendid seen in London for years. The delicate qiieslion will come, however, when a choice is to be made for the Queen of Love and Beauty. It has already been decided to settle this point by ballot, but it is currently reported that the choice has as good as fallen upon an Irish belle.

The Australasian says:—" There is some talk of an Australian team being got together to visit England during the coming season. Whether anything has been really done in the matter we are not aware. The, trip would no doubt be a very pleasant one for those engaged in it, but we very much question if an Australian team would draw in the old country as well as an England eleven - will here. However, 'nothing venture, nothing have/ tind we wish the promoters success."

Kegarding the departure of Midwinter for England the same authority remarks : —"This well-known cricketer left the colony on Saturday by the Durham, for the old country. We do not anticipate thnt his stay there will be more than a brief one, and he will pi'obably be back again in this colony by the time the next season commences. We believe his intention is to play in some of the best matches at Lord's and the Oval, just to show the old folks at home what a colonial player can do." Midwinter is, taking him all round, probably a3 good a cricketer as any in Australia. If he is allowed to practice at rLords and get used to the difficulties of that ground he might find a place mi the gentlemen players matches, and the r.esult would be a good test as to his real merits.

■ I -■■■■■ Borough. Estimated Population. Total Births. Proportion „,„. , of Deaths to lotal, iqqo of Deaths. population . Auckland .. Thames ..:.. Wellington.. Nelson Christchurch Dunedin...; Hokitika .. i 12,024-. : 4,466 16,130 5,554 12,815 . 23,365 • 2,905 48 10: 01 18 35 74 10 14 1-16 4 -90 i 24 1-49 -4 ' '72 10 -78 18 : '77 U 310 83 ... ' T0ta1.... .202 I