THE Evening Star PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2921, 26 June 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1878.

Mb A, Hume received a telegram from Warden Fraser. to-day telling him not to proceed with tre removal of the Golden Arrow battery,as hehadsren the Minister for Public Works and an arrangement had been arriv \ at by which the complications surrounding the forfeiture and sale of the battery site could be amicably settled. Warden Fraser went to town yesterday to interview the Minister for Public Works on Ibis and some oiher matters coming w'thin his department.

TjSK^organ—rec'tal at St. George's —Clmrcb. last night was well attended considering the inclement nature df the weather, and the pVograrrme was gone through in a most creditable D'anner. Mr Trewheela presided at the organ, and played the accompaniments and Several voluntaries in a most efficient manner. Fire anthems were exceedingly well rendered. A solo, "In native worth," by Mr Airey was a meritorious peformance, and the rendition of "He shall feed His flock," by Mrs W. H. Reed, was exquisite. Mrs S tarinier was heard to great advantage in {he solo "O, rest in the Lord," which, with Mrs Heed's solo, were certainly the best features of the' evening's performance. To Mr Catran is due a meed of praise for his song in the solo and quartette " Lord God of Abraham." Credit is also due to Mr Steward, Mr,a S tannier and Miss Day for their excellent vocalisation in the same piece. The solo quartette and chorus by Messrs Catran and Mills, and Misses Murriah and Probert was also well rendered. The Misses Steward made their debut in the duet " Awake! put on strength," the singing of which did them great credit;. A quartette by Mesdames Head and Stannier, and Messrs Airey and Mackie was fairly sung, and the same may be said of one sung by Mrs Stannier and "Miss Day, and Messrs Brown and and Steward. The whole affair was very eojojable, and wo trust to hear it repeated at an early date.

Dcking the afternoon sitting of the Native Lands Court yesterday it was decided to take the evidence re the ■Waibarakcke East Block along with the Te Aratitilia c.»se, which will greatly facilitate matters. To-day the double case was being proceeded with. The Waiharakeke West Elock will ">o heard separately.

" Mud Scbapeb" writes: Mr Editor, —Will you allow mo a space in your valuable jouroal to contradict a statement made by your correspondent " Viator," to the effect that he saw Ulai Ape working amongst us. I beg leave to deny the soft impeachment.

Everybody will be soriy to learn. from our telegrams that Sir George Grey is suffering from a severe cold at Waitara, contractcl while travel ng during the late inclement weather;

A et.iend of ours lately had an unexpected adventure at a certain hotel in Auckland. Being addicted to that British institution which has astonished some " foreinners " on the Continent, namely "a tub," he made his way at an early hour of the morning to the bath-room. But the arrangements of this particular bath-room were puzzling to strangers. He saw a multiplicity of taps and pushing valves, but after stripping to the buff he found a difficulty as to the means of obtaining the usual quanty of water. Getting in'.o the bath and besmearing himself with soip, he wished for a sluice. He first tried this tap, then the other. After some ineffectual attempts to get water our friend tried tta valves, pushing vigorously one after the other. Suddenly he found a stream of cold water flowing from one of the taps, and he immediately placed his head under the same, forgetting that he had turn d on all the taps in*the bathroom. He had not long been enjoying his cold water douche when suddenly he was assailed by a hot current in the right ear, which gave him a considerable start. He could not account for this, but on enquiry he found that one of the valves he had pushed was a bell signal to turn on the hot water, Our friend has been careful ever since to be instructed in the mysteries of the bath-room at every hotel where he puts up.

THEDuncdincorre9pondentof the Bruce Herald says:—" Tbere are a number of wild young men about town, whose mission appears to be to we-r good clothes, and to accost unprotected females in the streets. The other'night a good looking and smart girl who earns her living as a domestic servant, was returning to her employer's home with a tolerably heavy load of groceries, and other provisions, when she was accosted by one of the youths I have referred to. " May I carry that basket for you, Misß," said he, with the most insinuating of smiles. " Yes, if you like," said-the girl, and the youth relieved her of her burden, and walked by her side, trying to make arrangements for an interview on a future Sunday. While he was pouring his honeyed words into her ears, that girl took him round two blocks, and almost back to the place whence he came. Then she asked him if he was tir d, and he said "rather." "Well," said she, "give me my basket, and let me go in, for I live just here. I'm not such a fool as I look." , The young man is of the same opinion.

At Milton on .Sunday morning, says the Morning Herald, a cuse of death by starvation occurred uader most distressing' circumstances, the victim being Mrs Corston, the wile of a laboring man who works at Douglas' sawmills, at Waihola. It appears that at about 4 o'clock on that morning, she gave birth to a child; there being no one in the house at the time to render assistance. Aoout an hour after: wards, a neighbor who had been sent for by the deceased emved, and found everything in a deplorable state—ten children sleeping in one of the rooms, with scarcely any bedding, while the mother had only a counterpane and m old coat with which to cover herself: Shortly afterwards another neighbour arrived, and also Dr Stewart, but although everything was done for the poor woman; she gradually sank. There was neither tea nor bread in the house, and although the children were sent out to obtain the commonest necessaries, they did not succeed, as they had not the money to p-y for them. As scon, however, as the sad affair became known food and clolhing were provided in abundance, the Rev. Mr Chisholm being the first to arrive at the horse. The family has been residing in Tokoma:riro daring the li\fc fourteen ypars. The husband of the deceased did not come home from Waihola as usual on Saturday night,. as of late there has beea a good deal of broken time in connection with the work at the sawmill. The deceased was the mother of eleven children, the eldest of whom is 17 ye^rs old.'

Five men owa one-fourth of Scotland. One Duke owns 96,000 acres in Derbyshire, b.es'desv^st estates in other parts of Eagland pnd in Ireland. Another with estates all orer the Uniled~Ki gdom, has 49,000 acres in Sussex end 309,000 acres in Scotland. Tflis nob.'eman's park is fifteen miles in circumference. Another Duke has estates which the high road divides for 23 miles. A Mavquis there is who can lide a hundred miles upon his own landi .There is a Duke who owns almost an entire county stretching from cea to sea. An Earl draws £200,000 ye ;rly from his estate in Lancashire. A: Duke regularly- invests' £80,000 a year in buying up lands adjoin-' ing his already enormous estates. A Marquis enjoys a million a year from land. An earl lately died, leaving to his heirs £1,000,009^ sterling and £160,000 a year income from land. The income from land derived by one ducal family is £600,000, which is increasing every year by the falling in of leases. One hundred and fifty persons own half England, seventy-five persons own half Scotland, thirty-five persons own half Ireland, and all the lands of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, are owned by less than 60,000 persons, 1 . "

When Mr Gladstone was in Ireland last year, he travelled on one occasion incog, io the County Wicklow, in a thirdclass carriage, to see what the peasant classes are like. He got into a chat with a frieze-coated fellow passenger, and the conversation turned ca Irish landlords. The ex-Premier's companion denounced in unmeasured language nearly all the landlords ?n the country. Lord Leitrim's name.was mentioned. "Be jabers, your honor," f aid Mr Gladstone's informant, " he's the worst landlord in allOireland!." "Then how is it," said the author of the Irish Land A.cfc, "that he lies not been shot ?" " Bedad, I dun know, your worship," said Paddy, " except, maubes, sor, it is bekase what's every man's business is nobody's business."

A writer in the Melbourne Leader says : —r" It is quite possible to ba too.,cautious in affairs of the heart. A little impulsiveness and inconsideration often succeeds best. A young lady came to Melbourne recently and attracted a good deal of admiration, as was but natural, t-ince, in addition to her fortune "of £7000, she had a very fair share of good looks. One suitor she favored above the others, and would have taken him if he had asked her ; but he was too sensible, and before committing himself he took means to make quite sure that the money was all right. Meanwhile a more daring aspirant spoke the fateful word, and was accepted." • ■„..,■■

Does the War Department contemplaf^ starting a newspaper should Kngland have to take the field P asks the London correspondent of the Wanganui Herald. It has recently given to a London firm de .Untf in printing material an order for five complete printing offices, with all the requisites of type, sticks, chases, and galleys; the whole is to be fittd in an ordinary transport waggon. There is a skilled staff of printers, who are for the present to be attached to the Transport Department at Woolwich.