THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2924, 29 June 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 1878.

The subject of volunteering has been somewhat exhausted in the columns of our contemporary of late, but at the risk of further infliction upon tbe public we .cannot but refer to the impetus lately given to the volunteer movement in the district. The transition of No. 3 Haurakis to No. 2 Scottish has revived the martial spirit of its members, and enlisted many other good men who will, under the altered, circumstances, devote more time to the duties expected of them than they would if enrolled in one or other of the existing companies in which there might be a lack of enthusiasm. The formation of a second company of Thames Scottish will do much to foster the spirit of volunteering in the district. It will bring together on stated occasions a larger body of men than could be expected to assemble under the usual conditions): and the parades will afford greater scope for military movements of a character much needed to fit men for active service, should such a contingency ever arise. As a mere suggestion we would hazard the opinion that the formation of a battalion on the Thames would be a step in the right direction. It is admitted that the district occupies a foremost place in volunteermatters. The companies show up better than in most other districts' on special oc- | casions, as well as'at the monthly parades; i and if a battalion were formed, so that -arrangements could be made for a closer cooperation between the different companies, we believe the efficiency of the several corps would be increased, and their fitness to cope with an enemy would be very, much enhanced.' The Wo. 2 Haurakis have applied to be made into an engineer corps. We trust the Government will approve of the proposal. In. case of war* either with an internal or foreign" foe, an engineer corps would be invaluable. Engineer and artillery companies should undoubtedly be encouraged as well as rifle companies, and there is little doubt but that under present circumstances the Thames could exact from the Government very- good terms for extending the volunteer movement in almost any direction. ,

The great meeting of chiefs—Native and European— at Waitara.has begun under rather inauspicious circumstances. The weather has been decidedly unfavorable, but there has, nevertheless, been a little talk. The report of this as published by our contemporary yesterday—subsequent to our summary of proceedings—we did not consider worth reproduction. It was but a repetition of the same old song, " Welcome, O ! friend. We are here to settle matters." Perhaps in time there may be something done of a tangible nature at Waitara. The big chiefs are there: Eewi, Wiremu Kingi and others. The results of the meeting, as far as colonists are concerned, depend very much upon what Ministers may do. We do not anticipate any great results, but there may be some subtle influence the Premier and Mr Sheehan can use which we know not of. The Waitara meeting may be an epoch in the history of the Colony, and Sir George Grey may earn everlasting gratitude for his self-devotion in braving the elements to attend the meeting. We hope it may be so, and that from this time forth there may not be known such a thing as a native, difficulty. To day's, telegrams afford little hope of this. Eewi has asked that Waitara may bo given back. This giving back pf confiscated lands appears to be the burden of the Maori Chieftains' cry, and, as Eewi says, the question of railroads, &c, can be talked

about afterwards. We had thought Eewi was possossed of more sense than to ask for a return of the Waitara land; in fact, to sonio.peo|di» it will be news to hear that he has any claim on it. Perhaps he is speaking fur his friend William King, who really had grounds for a grievance against the Government.

The punishment inflicted on the native Hunia yesterday, for assaulting and obstructing the police whilst in the execution of their duty, will, we trust, prove a salutary lesson to those natives who are .disposed to act/ in defirnce of the law. We are informed that one great reason why the natives recklessly break the law without apparent fear of the consequences is, because in most instances, when a Maori is hauled up for some petty offence, he is generally fined, or sentenced to imprisonment with fhe option of paying a fine. For some reason or other—we.have never been able to discover the cause—a native who renders himself amenable to European-/law, is looked upon something in the.lightofa martyr by his countrymen, and they all willingly subscribe to pay any pecuniary penalty that may be inflicted. His Worship the li.M., in giving judgment in the case above referred to, made some remarks which it will be ,well to impress on our Native friends. (Owing to the lateness of the hour at which the case was finished we were unable to publish these remarks yesterday.)- Captain Fraser said in this case he thought the police had behaved admirably, and had done their duty well. He wished it to be impressed on the mindS'of the natives, and especially at the present when such a number were congregated tor' gether, that a policeman in uniform could not do wrong. If he did they had" a remedy. As we have before stated, all hope and believe the salutary punishment inflicted on Hunia will have a beneficial effect on the native element of our population.

At the EM. Court this-morning the only case was that.of a breach bfßorough By-laws against a cabman named Butterworth, for taking a wrong position on the cab stand. Mr J. B. Mason, Inspector of Licensed Vehicles, proved the .offence, and the. defendant was fined 5s and costs. Capt. Fraser occupied the Bench.

; . We would remind memberßof the No. 2 Scottish that they are to meet for drill at the drill shed at 7 o'clock sharp this evening. Many of the individual members who have not belonged to volunteer companies before are shewing a praiseworthy desire to master the rudiments of drill, and drill instructors and instruction books are at a premium. Apropos of the large number of the broking fraternity who have enlisted under the banner of the No. 2 Scottish, we have heard a naughty wag. suggest that a gentleman who has made himself active in beating up recruits may have promised each and all of the share manipulating community who join the company 'unlimited overdrafts. The large number-of; "scrip" men in the. ranks is pointed to as the result of this generous inducement. Assuming this to be trite, if it were not that they did not want " paper" men generally, we think our staff to a man would enlist on the same conditions.

We learn that P. A. W'hitaker, Esq.i Provincial Grand Master, S.C., of Free-" masons, will pay an official and fraternal visit to Lodge Sir-Walter Scott on Tues. day evening next. ■ . ■■;■'

In our advertisement columns appears a notice informing members of the Prince of Wales, Lodge, .No. 20, P.A.F.S., desirous of having their names placed on Dr E. H. T. Gilbert's list, that they must give their names to the Secretary before Monday, July Ist. .

Tendees were opened to-day by the Water Supply Committee for the right to supply the shipping with water at Shortland Wharf and tlie Goods Wharf. The tenders were as follows :—Captain Butt, Is Ed per thousand gallons at Shcrtland. and 4d .per thousand gallons- at the Goods Wnarf; Captain Souter, l'Od per thousand gallons at/Shost'land Wharf and and 6d per thousand gallons at Goods Wharf. The highest tender in each case was accepted. The water is to be charged according to quantity consumed as registered by meter, but as the meters are not down yet, the price for the first month will be fixed same as the second. The tenderers have the exclusive right to supply shipping with water.

At the half-yearly meeting of the Cure G-.M.C0., held at Auckland yesterday, the directors' report, showing a very satisfactory state of affairs, was read. Amongst other thing's it was stated that the directors had agreed? to join with the Golden Crown, Caledonian, and other companies, to put in a prospecting drive on a reef cut at the (540 feet level south cross-cut, the supposed course of which reef was through the Cure ground. The mine manager's report gave an elaborate account of the work done in the mino during the last half-year. The. balancesheet showed that the receipts for the term had been £1754 Is Bd, while the expenditure was £39 19s 5d less. (The result of the last crushing is not included in the receipts.) £344 8s 5d of an overdraft from the last term had been paid off. The dividend account showed that the total amount of dividends declared was £17,000. Mr Howard was re-elected director. ; .

At an inquest held on the body of the late Mr. James Foley, who was killed on the Onehunga railway line, a verdict was returned to the following effect:—" That deceased, being unlawfully on the railway line at Onehunga, was accidentally run over by the train." To wbich the following rider was added:—"That no blame is<attached to the railway officials." The funeral of the deceased took place yesterday afternoon at the Symonds street cemetery, and was largely attended,. the Eev. Father O'Hara, of, Otahuhu, officiating at the grave. Mr Foley, senior, who resides in the Tauranga district, was unable to be present. ,

Accoeding to the report in the Auckland Star, S'r George Grey, in addressing Eewi and the assembled natives at Waitara, said :-^-The whole . generation has grown up into one people.living together, we cannot separate, and if England was to go to was I had thought of raising a native army, both officers and men. And I wish to see natives wealthy and prosperous, and to make their land secure unto them. We are hereas a great nation, becoming one nation. Inter-mar-riages arc of frequent occurrence. There are lew who have not some European relation. Let us therefore try well—and faithfully try —to help. Let the chiefs come forward for the Government to execute laws.

A baeqtje made its appearance off Tavaru this morning. She is supposed to be a vessel from Newcastle with a cargo of coals for the Thames Gas Company. The Harbor Master has gone off to her. • Her name was not made out.

A telegbam announces that Mr W. H. Gutten is a candidate for the representation of Taieri, the seat rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr Donald Eeid. Mr Outten is a very old settler in Otago, was for many years .Commissioner of Crown Lands, and in the early days owned The Otago Witness, in connection with which Mr Outten and Mr (now Sir Julius) Vogel started the Otago Daily Times. The other candidate named for this seat (Mr U. Gillies) is also a very old settler, and brother to Judge Gillies of Auckland.

, We chronicled but lately a poor fellow dynamited out of existence on the C.P.P. The painful fact would seem to be worn quite barren, but in conversation with a friend a few evenings since, who met recently while travelling a' manufacturer of nitro-glycerine, we find our error. He was remarking to the manufacturer of this playful explosive something about its deadly risk. " Why ye?," said he, "it is a sort of resky ; but then, you see, it has its good points. When a man gits set up by dynamite there ain't anything left of him, so to speak—at least, not enough for his friends to cry over —lie goes/out sudden, and stays out. There ain't no long sickness, a-wearing his wife's life out a-nursing him; no doctor's bills, no casket, no hearse and carriages', no choice lots in a fashionable cemetery, nor a fancy tombstone. His widow gets all this outlay—and perhaps she wants it bad to get along with poor cretur. , Then there ain't no croWdin'. of the house to see how you - look; you're layin' round loose enough, but you ain't on view—not any." Here the dynamite man paused a moment, and then broke out: " And that ain't all—it just sails a man, this does, when it hits him—he ,goes up as fine as sand, and when he comes'down he may fall ir\to a field that they are going to put in wheat; and the next thing that happens is, he conies up in the grain; and its just as like as not, when he gets into the flour, they'll serve him up at his own breakfast table in a batch of hot rolls," and here the disciple of explosive evolution laughed softly. ; " But your wife, she must suffer from apprehension." " Oh, no,! Mary Ann's none of your faint-away kind; she says I'm a born fool, that's all:'she's safe on chances,' that woman; she knows how to take a risk, she does."—Winnipeg Standard.

'• Atlas " in the World says : Poor little boy! His surviving parent died last week, leaving him £300,000. But he kne;v nothing about his fortune, and had only Jheard of orphans as objects of charity, and he said with childish sim-. plieity-—" Papa is ..dead, and now mamma is dead, and I suppose they will put me into an institution ! "

A mince living away back in. the ranges, and having a taste for music, may supply himself with the means of pleasantly improving his leisure houra by purchasing a portable harmonium for £7 10s ; weight only 451bs; 4 octaves. Apply, to J. Gbhjq-, Pollen street. , - : ,' • .. " ' •• ;

Ladies,, a continuance of your esteemed patronage is respectfully solicited. Since I introduced Sewing Machines on the Thames seven years ago, I have had: the pleasure of adding to the comfort'of an immense number of homes, and shall: still- do my best to maintain piy reputation for selling the beßt Machines ,1 can obtain at the Lowest Prices. A/ large supply just? received.-*- J. GbKKJ, Pollen street.—[AdyT.] :