THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, MAY 20, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2889, 20 May 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, MAY 20, 1878.

The anniversary of the Thames Baptist Church will be celebrated by a soiree and public meeting at the church, Willoughby street, Shortland, to -morrow evening at 6.30 o'clock- After the tea addresses will be delivered by various ministers and friends. At the Board of Education's meeting on Friday last, a Waiotahidistrict school teacher was.granted an allowance instead of a house. ' It is understood, says the Herald, that the Government contemplate appointing a Thames resident to a seat in the Legislative Council before Parliament meets. . We (Auckland Jlrraid) are informed that the creditors of Messrs W. Wilson and Co. have decided to give Mr Wilson a present of £50. At the E-.M. Court this morning three individuals were'charged with drunken* ness, and failing to appear their bail was forfeited. Captain Goldsmith, J.P., occupied the Bench. A meeting, convened by Mr G. Symington, of volunteers who have been injured by the repeal of the "Volunteer Land Act, 1865," was held at the Governor Bowen hotel on Saturday evening. There was a fair attendance, and Captain Murray was called to the chair, Lieutenant Farrell acting as secretary. The Chairman explained that though the meeting might appear out of order, as it was- usual that any grievance should go through the captains of companies, yet so many volunteers in various companies were interested in. this question that it was only by such a meeting that united action could be taken, and that they could make their wants known collectively through the proper channel. He might inform them that the Volunteer Land Act, 1865, was repealed in 1876, which, however, took effect from 1873, so that all who had joined since '73, and the repeal of the Act were not entitled to their scrip. He also referred to the disadvantage under which they labored through there being no land in this district in which the scrip could be exercised. Lieut. Farrell suggested that those who had joined since 1876 should petition parliament on this matter, and he moved the following resolution:—-" That the officers commanding corps be asked to form a committee, and that they request their respective companies to appoint one member to assist them to draw up a petition embodying their grievances for presentation to the House of Assembly through the proper channel, and that the said petition be laid before an adjourned meeting for approval on this night three weeksr" This' was seconded, and being put to the meeting was carried nem. con. Mr McCullough was authorised to call the next meeting.

Lately, a gentleman who, in consequence of a severe cold, had found it necessary to obtain a most unpalatable gargle from the chemist, thrust the bottle, which by the way, was enveloped in a wrapper bearing the chemist's address, into an opening beside his door in the sight of an observant Fijian, while he went a few yards further to execute a small commission. On his return, the addressed paper was in the middle of the roadway ; the bottle, with a good nobbier gone out, carefully put back again, and the unsophisticated aboriginal was standing a few yards off with a look of outraged dignity on his speaking features, which told, as plainly as looks could tell, what an utter contempt he entertained for practical joking which could thus take advantage of an utter stranger, even through the sacred medium of his dearest appetite. —Fiji Times.

This is tlie way an American journalist describes a personal encounter between two citizens:—Dennis McCartky, editor of the Virginia Chronicle, had a fight at 4 o'clock p.m. with. Thomas O'Brien, President of the Workingmen's party in this place. At the National Guard Hall last night O'Brien said : " McCarthy is the most cowardly cur that ever wore a collar." McCarthy asked O'Brien what he meant by the statement, and he denied it. Witnesses were called whocorroborated the report, and McCarthy pasted O'Brien on the bugle—first round and first knock down for McCarthy. O'Brien went to grass, but quickly rallied and came to the front in battle array. Mac's bunch of ,fives came in contact with O'Brien's left optic, closing it entirely—second round for McCarthy. .=■ O'Brien led out his right duke for Mac's potato trap, but the blow was adroitly parried by the knight of the quill, who countered heavily on the orator's lug. Closing, the combatants fell on the ground, with O'Brien's head in chancery. McCarthy proceeded to build upon the representative workingman a head of monstrous and grotesque proportions, but at length the champion of oppressed labor was released and incontinently took to his heels, leaving the newspaper man in possession of the field of battle. -No arrests. The men are about equally matched, though O'Brien is somewhat heavier. The verdict of the general public is, " Served him right."

A coerespondent of the Alexandra Standard writing from Wood's^ Point says:—•" For the past two years a resident of this town, Mr J. C. Mahan, has at considerable trouble and some expense been training a lot of lyre birds, male and female, and considered his pets of the value of £200. Mr Mahan had intended to exhibit his birds, and had written a pamphlet on their "Habits, Pood, and Haunts," which he intended to publish, and was about making arrangements to take the birds to Europe. When, however, the other morning he went to give them their breakfast, he found them all dead. Investigation proved that some mean person—it is Supposed , to be a neighbour with whom Mr Mahan has not been on good terms for along time—had poisoned the whole of his pheasants, thus at once wrecking all his hopes of ultimately'receiving the just reward of his untiring labour—labour which had been been pursued day and night, winter and summer, for the past two years, as their food for the most part had to be procured in the bush, consisting, as it does in their natural state', of ants' eggs, grubs, &c." A wbitee in the Leader tells the fol- j lowing anecdote of the great match between Fifteen and Eleven of Australia: j

—'• An amusing incident occurred during (his match which I do not think has seen the light previously., In the early part of the second inn'tigs, whilst the brothers Bannerman were together, the younger called a run, which 0. Bannerman responded to, but was then ordered back. Having gone too far to retreat, aud finding his brother standing unmoved in his crease, the elder brother exercised his birthright, and catching hold of the younger brother by the collar, dragged him out of his ground, which he himself then immediately occupied, with the remark, " You're better out than I am." The result was that A. Bannerman lost his wicket, but his side won the match. Such an instance of presence of mind in an emergency deserves to be recorded.

Kobin Hood, the author of " Sporting Notes from Home " in the Australasian, relates the following :—The Sundownpark Club first spring meeting, held at the beginning of the month, would not merit more than passing remark were it not for the melancholy fact that on the second day, in the Selling Steeplechase, one of our best gentlemen jockeys, the Hon. Greville-JNugent, better known as " Mr St. James," met his death whilst riding Longford, as the horse fell with him at the water jump, and Lockhart, who was close behind, struck him with one of his fore shoes heavily as the'unfortunate gentleman was rising from the ground. Mr St. James, notwithstanding this second injury, struggled to his feet and tottered a few paces, but he then fell again, and was carried in an insensible condition to the stand, where he died next day without having again recovered consciousness. Poor Mr St. James—or "the Limb," as he was called by his friends, on account of a lameness caused by a crushed foot when riding., in Ireland—was most popular with all classes of sportsmen, and as a cross-country rider had few equals, and certainly no superiors. A singular incident is told in relation to his death. It seems that on the day before his last race he quarrelled with a lady to whom he was much attached, and, in a moment of passion she told him she wished he might break his neck the next time he rode. This lady was present at Sandown, and saw him brought to the stand, when she sank senseless to the ground, and her feelings now must be very far from enviable ones. ,

.2Egi.es in the Australasian writes as follows: The liberality of some of our wealthy landed proprietors is widely known, but the following notable instance of generosity should not be allowed, to be lost to the world. A squatter, residing near Heartburn, and reputed to be worth six' figures," some little time back paid a visit to the old country. On one occasion he employed a-railway porter to convey his luggage some short distance, and he munificently rewarded him for his services with twopence. Now, the official^ turning over his two coppers, discovered a half sovereign between them. Hurrying after our lord of the soil, he breathlessly inquired whether there, was not some mistake, or was the golden coin intentionally given? "I was so astounded " (to use M'Hurdle's own words), " at the honesty, the downright honesty, bf the man, that I immediately gave him another twopence!" The Lyttelton Times of Thursday says :—" Two of those operators whose little amusements appear to constitute the chief attractions of a race meeting to many., visitors from the country, and not a few less verdant dwellers in town, received their deserts at the Police Court yesterday. Some of those whose greed of gain was greater than their discretion, were called as witnesses, and told a doleful tale of how they had been duped. The first prisoner dealt with was Peter Pasche. lie was charged with playing at an unlawful game, the said unlawful game being played on a board which.had been constructed with the deliberate intention to swindle. On this board (which was covered with a cloth) a piece of wood like the needle of a compass spun round. When the needle stopped at certain marks the man who put down his money was to receive three to one, but this it did not do, as by means of a concealed spring Pasche made it stop at the blanks. The spring was worked by pressing a pin into a very small hole in the wood, and it was some time before the Police could discover the modus operandi. The centre board of the table was hollow, and contained ' the works.' It consisted of two thin boards glued over one another, the spring which stopped the needle working between them, and as the boards on each side were solid it was not till the middle board was broken that the fraud was exposed." As already stated in pur telegrams Pasche was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment, and a three-trick operator named Tames Ryan was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.