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Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2963, 14 August 1878, Page 2

At the R.M. Court this morning, beforeMr E. W. Puckey, J.P., one person was punished in the usual manner for drunkenness. This'was all the business.

To-day we had much pleasure in inspecting a large collection of South Sea Island curios at Mr Drew's Theatre Boyal Hotel. The collection has taken many years to accumulate, and the owner has more-than once refused large sums of money for it. The articles are chief's clubs and other weapons of savage warfare, all collected from different islands. Amongst the weapons is a hatchet head fixed on a beautifully carred handle, which is especially interesting, as it was taken from the island Bishop Patteson was murdered at, at the time the village was visited by a man o':war. There are also shields, fishing hooks, paddles, idol,s, toys, combs, necklaces, and many others, the whole assortment making a very complete little museum of the work of savage artificers, and is well worth a visit of inspection.

The animal meeting of the Thame3 Land, Building and Ive3tment Society will be held at the society's office, Albert street, this 1 evening at 7.30 o'clock, when the annual report and balance-sheet will be presented. We'understand that the Secretary to the.Harbor Board, for $at little incident related by him of a.member, of Parliament, ,b.as received from an hon. member of a Southern constituency a demand for a humble apology, with the alternative of an immediate action for defamatory libel.

At a conference of local bodies held this afternoon for considering the proposal to give an extended guarantee to the Bank on behalf of the Water Supply Committee, it was unanimously agreed to increase the guarantee to the Bank from £1500 to £2500, and to talie into consideration the guarantee for the proposed extension of the supply when the Committee has rating powers.

At to-day's sitting of the Native Lam.3 Court, the same case as occilpied yesterday and the previous day was being heard. -

Tomobeow night tbe Theatre Eoyal will be opened for a short season of three nights, when Mr Lytton Sothern will appear—supported by Miss Lizzie Morgan, the members of tbe Cricketers Amateur Dramatic Club and some lady amateurs—in the character which has been made world famous by Mr Sothern's father, and in which the son has shown that he possesses the peculiar talents for rendering the same with great success. Mr Lytton Sothern has made the tour of the Australian Colonies, playing a round of characters made so much of by his father. In many places he has been subjaclrd to the criticism of men who could judge by comparison between father and sou, and the verdict, while in no way detracting from the established reputation of Mr Sothern, ,senior, has beea extremely flattering to the son. Of the amateurs we need say little. Their performances have always been well received, and they have been the source of pleasure to the community as well as gain to many deserving objects. Of Mr Sothern's impersonation of Lord Dundreary the N.Z. Herald's critic (no mean judge) says:— "Mr Sothern'sDundreary appears tosuffer no abatement of interest, for there was a numerous audience last evening—the fifth performance of " Oar American Cousin." The character is so peculiar and nondescript that people once thrown into the vein for enjoying it, find this melanje of shrewdness, quasi imbecility, refinement, colloquiaiism, oddity, and nonchalance, a most extraordinary combination of humour, sometimes persistently logical in a wrong direction, and sometimes cut short aud diverging into surpi ising ramificationf. Mr tiothern has evidently the power to seise the inclination for merriment and to sustain the fun once commenced." We may mention that on Friday night there will be a benefit for the widows and families of the men drowned in the harbor last week.

According to the report of a meeting of Horth Island members on the main trunk railway to Taranaki, furnished by the Herald's Special at Wellington, "our otber member" is disposed to be more generous than his constituents would like. At the meeting, Sir R. Douglas moved, and Mr Williams seconded, " That the question of the distribution and construction of railways in the North Island be referred to a select committee," and accompanied it with a strong speech against the Taranaki line, saying that such places as Whangarei, Thames, and other places in the North, would be taxed for a line from which they would gain no benefit.* Whereupon Mr. Rowe said he did not agree with Sir It. Douglas. He was quite willing, and he believed eTeryone cisc was also, to sacrifice the public works of hia own constituency to a great work of this kind, wFiich was of paramount colonial importance.

Ma Seyuaoui- Geoigo's Bill comes on for the second readiu^ on Thursday. It consists of two clauses : the first is the short title; and the second as follows :— At the expiration of one month after the close of the present session of the General Assembly, the whole of the several Acts and Ordinances mentioned and referred to in the schedule hereto, shall be deemed and taken to be repealed, and thereafter the duty heretofore levied, collected, and paid at the Customs upon gold,previous to exportation from New Zealand, shall wbrolly cease and determine. The schedule abolishes all the Gold Duties Acts, both of the Assembly and the Provincial Councils. It is not likely that this measure will be carried. It is opposed by. nearly ail the members for the goldfields districts, as well as by the Counties within which the gold fields are situated. The gold duty is a locil endowment, cad those interested in that endowment say if Parliament abolish it, and thus deprive the localities of a valuable endowment, Parliament must provide a substitute for the endowment thus lost. Mr Rowe says he will move that the bill be read this day six months. The Government are indisposed to pass the .bill, but are prepared to, go the length of carrying out the proposals made by S<r George Grey at the Thames, to give power to the local bodies interested to abolish or reduce the duty as they thought fit, making it a sort of permissive measure with the local bodies. This would throw the onus on the localities, and deprive them of all right to demand compensation. It might also create different r..tes of gold duty in different parts of the colony, and would thus tend fo alter the inland revenue tariff at the instance of local bodies. My own impression is that no alteration.will be made this year iv the gold duty.—Herald.