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Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3002, 28 September 1878, Page 2

The anniversary services in connection with the Primitive Methodist Church will be held to-morrow. Sermons . will be preached by the Bey. R. 8. Bunn in the morning, the Eev. S. J. Neill in the afternoon, and by the Bay. J. Nixon in the evening. The anniversary soiree will be held on Tuesday.

In the front page of to day's paper will be found a column of interesting matter, and in the fourth page a capital article from Punch, "Advance, Australia!" in which an imaginary interview between the Prince of Humorists and the Australian Cricketers is capitally hit off, the weaknesses and shortcomings of the Home people deHcately alluded to, and compliments paid to the Colonial representatives of the game of Cricket.

Membebs of the following companies are reminded of their usual monthly church parade to-morrow :—Naval Brigade, Engineers, Bangers and St. George's Naval Cadets. The Brigade and Cadets muster at the Naval drill shed, and the Engineers and Bangers assemble at the Scottish drill hall.

As will be seen by referring to our advertisement columns the Boyal Combination Troupe have decided to repent their excellent entertainment this evening for the same laudable object as the first was given. It is to be hoped the public will encourage the young performers by patronising their , entertainment, as they are always ready to devote their talents to any charitable object.

We (Herald) notice that Mr W. W, Bobinson, of cricket and football notoriety, has secured the services of C. Bannerman, well known as the best bat in Australia, to pick out a really good stock of bats when in England, and send them over to " Billy." The bats have arrived, and may be tried. .

Theee was no business at the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day.

The rather clry-as-dust proceedings at the Borough Council meeting the other evening were enlivened o;;ce or twice by several little amusing circumstances. One of these happened when Or McGowan was advocating very strongly the preparation of a plan of the section of the railway line between the Kauaeranga river and Gfrahamstown. As an argument in favor of the plan, he said that they need not be bound by it. It would not be a cast iron one. Cr Price then raised a laugh by, in his usual dry way. remarking regretfully ." Wish it was.' 1 Several of the Councillors evidently thought it ironical. A young a)d very new Councillor then balanrr d himself on his pedal extremities and made the very parliamentary and modest request, that a report and copies of all correspondence relative to so and so be prepared and laid on the table. The other city fathers guffawed loudly, and the new Councillor with the longing after Parliamentary formulas, was informed " that the limited staff at the disposal of the Council rendered compliance with that request impossible."

The Hauraki Engineers paraded for the monthly inspection required by Government last night. Major T. L. Murray wai the inspecting officer, and was received with a general salute at open order. He then proceeded to inspect the ranks, after which LLat. Barlow put the company through the firing exercise, which was executed with unusual precision. Lieut. Denby also exerc'sed »the men in the tnrnual exercise in an equally smart and efficient style. At the conclusion of the inspection the Major addressed the corps as follaws :—" Captain Small, Officers and men of the Hauraki Engineers, I have had much pleasure in inspecting your company, and I must say that I am very much gratified at the manner in which you have acquitted yourselves. Your ar_rs aad appointments rre unexceptionably clear, and the manner in which you gave a volley was estremeiy good. There is not room in your hall for any extended movements, but from what I have seen I shall be most happy to forward to Major Withers a favourable report." A splendid velvet smoking cap: was then handed to Sapper Kellar, Major Murray remarking that it gave him (Sapper Kellar) encouragement to hope for success at the District Belt competition, although he was fortunate in receiving such a very handsome consolation prize from Mrs Barlow, which should content him to lose the belt. An oilpainting, presented for competition by Sepper Thorburn, was presented to Sapper Armstrong. The corps will parade for Divine Service to-morrow morning.

A cobbespondbkt of the Bay of Plenty Times says:—"The No. 2 Party of Stewart Settlers have had a very rough experience so far, but have how selected their land, and seem well pleased with their prospects. They intend to commence operations at once, and. obtain returns from the land as soon as possible. Great .activity is being displayed in the, building trade, several substantial houses being in course of construction. Carpenters are, however, scarce, and there is a little difficulty experienced in getting material on the ground when a*nd where required." ■

We learn that the friends of Mr D. M. Luckie intend presenting him with a testimonial, as a mark of appreciation of his abilities as a journalist and good qualities as a citizen. Mr Luckie, for some years editor of The Southern Cross, and more recently of The New Zealand Herald, has accepted a similar position on the Evening Post. He is an accomplished writer and politician, and will be a great acquisition to the staff of the Post.

The Eight Bey. Dr Cowie, Bishop of Auckland, received a telegram from Bishop Selwyn yesterday (says the Auckland Herald) to the following effect.:—He had been picked up at sea by the steamer Wentworth in the first instance, and landed at New Caledonia. The same steamer picked him up again and landed him at Sydney, and he has just taken his departure for England by the Suez mail. Many friends whom the young Bishop made during his previous visit to this city, will regret that they have not had the opportunity of condoling with Bishop Selwyn in his bereavement, and strengthening the brave heart which has started in his father's footsteps. Bishop Selwyn is, however, anxious to reach England, under existing circumstances.

Ababs are nature's gentlemen, as different from the Turks as an Englishman is from a Neapolitan lazzarone. I remember a story that I heard when, in Syria, of an Arab. He had a garden, and in his garden he was accustomed to place his frugal luncheon. One day he saw the son of his neighbor stealing his luncheon. The Arab at once ran away. A friend met him, and to him he explained what had occurred. "I suppose that you are going to the cadi?" said the friend. "No," replied the Arab, "I'm running away lest the boy should see me, for it would be a terrible thing for him when he is grown up to be aware that he is a thief."—Truth.

The London correspondent of the New York Herald writes under the date of June 16, upon Socialism in Europe, that it is asserted " that London is the headquarters of the Socialists, and that on the Monday following the attempted assassination, the Foreign Office in Berlin received a letter, posted in London the Saturday before, warning them that the Emperor, and, if possible, Prince Bismarck, would be assassinated on the very day that the attempt was made. There is, without doubt, great perturbation among the reigning families of Europb, who feel themselves helpless against the terrible peril that may surround them and know not whose turn may come next. At any moment, in some.back room, in an obscure street, a hand may be dipped into a ballot bos, and the fatal lot drawn forth which consigns some other high personage to death." '

The Constitutionnel (Paris) says it is in a position to announce that the mar- • riage of Prince Louis Napoleon with the Princess Thyra, third daughter of the Kin;; of Denmark, is now a settled affair. His Majesty has just given his consent to the union. • The date of the wedding is not yet fixed. The event will be of so-ne political importance, as the son of Napoleon the 111. will thereby become allied to five or six reigning and sovereign families. On this subject a correspondent of the Standard at Copenhagen says :—" I am able to state on the highest authority that the report of the King having sanctioned the marriage of Princess Thyra with Prince Louis Napoleon is-entirely devoid of truth."

APbopos of the multitude of Harbor Bills, the New Zealahder tells the Allowing story, that was circulated just after the opening of the session:—" Just previous to his departure from hiß electorate, a member of an inlrnd constituency, was asked by some friends—o'er a parting glass -what measure he intended to introduce for the benefit of the district ? " I don't know," said the M.H.R., " I calculate a Harbor Board Bill." But we have no harbor," was the rejoinder. "It don't matter," was the reply. "We might get the Harbor some day, and it would be very handy to have the Board.ready, you know.

A special co-respondent of The Standard supplies the following regarding the nationalities and languages of Cyprus :— " I have already alluded to tka possible confusion of tongues, and my previsions have been realised; one might literally say of this plate that "the language of all the earth" is here confounded, and the origin of those who speak is as varigated as the vocabulary. There are French, Syrians, Armenians, Egyptians, Maltese, Soudan negroes, aid Jews from Jerusalem itself; Germans, Batons, Turks, and Greeks,. besides , our own people, with .their a ny diversities, both from the United Kingdom and from India. -■ Native - born Cypriotes are in the minority —in Larnaca, at. least. They speak a ride patois of the Romaic, or modern Greek. Lacking Greek, Italian, with a few scraps of Arabic and anything th^t comes b..ndy thrown in —a species of very fret lingua Franca — is the usual medium of intercomraun'ea' ion. But English will soon be learned; the hope of gain is a k en spur to the acquirement of foreign speech; indeed, the better classes, and there are a few of that order, have already begun to take lessons in English from a preceptor who rejoices in the un-Sazon name of Constantinldes, the editor of the Gazette Cyprus that is to be. Such is the anxiety for mental improvement, and I should not be excessively surprised to see some .of the humbler natives go about with the slate and pencil, as the Maoris used to do at Nelson a few years ago, begging Jack ashore to set them a copy.

The World says :■—Count Andrassy is able to transact business in four languages at least, and therefore he may well be excused an occasional mistake in English, which he certainly speaks better than any member of the Queen's Cabinet can French, although of late years he has had little practice. Some one was congratulating him upon the successful line that he had t;.ken about Bo~nia. " Well," he said, "I thought the time was come to take the bull by the corns."