THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, OCTOBER, 15, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3016, 15 October 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, OCTOBER, 15, 1878.

The present condition of the Thames may be described as critical —that is, in respect of its immediate prospects. Of the' future we have not a doubt. Whether the splendid block of land over which the. Native title has been recently extinguished is to be' handed over-to an- English Company managed by Mr Broomhall, or whether it is to be transferred to the Waste -Lands Board to be administered according to the land law in force, we cannot say. But this we do know, that the Thames people have a claim upon that land that ought to be indisputable. Heads of families who have lived here for years have been buoyed up under adverse circumstances by the- hope of some time being able to possess a piece of land inthe upper country, the Canaan of the district. Many—alas! foo many, who remained here and spent the best part of their substance, have gone away in despair of ever possessing the land; but there ia still a noble army of martyrs holding oufc in view of some time participating in the distribution qf the broad acres which have been so long looked upon .with, longing eyes, and which it is now within the province of the Government to dispose of as they may seem fit. The Native title has been extinguished, and the land is absolutely at thq disposal of the Government. Will they administer the land or will they give it to ttrangers—that is, hand it over to the Waste Lands Board for the latter

body to complete their arrangements with Broomhall ? y The recent debate in Parliament shows that Ministers are divided on this point. The Attorney-General appears to be in favor of ratifying the Broomhall contract, and thereby countenancing a job that was conceived in Auckland amongst capitalists and others likely to be pecuniarily benefited. The Premier and the Native Minister are opposed to this scheme. They know as much of the Broomhall. business, and the previous engagements of General and Provincial Governments with the Thames people, as

any one, and, to their honor be it said, they oppose the .transfer to Mr Broomhall—who has proved .himself to be a mere adventurer—.of a splendid block of land for a speculative purpose when there are men on the spot who ure hungering for a plot of land on which to make a home for themselves and their children. Let us, then, advocate the retention of the Aroha Block by the Government, and its being thrown open for Thames settlement, as it was long ago promised, if this can be done with credit, and in view of the invidious position in which the action of the Auckland Waste Lands Board has placed the Government. With the block of land comprised within the country recently acquired by the Government, and. others to follow, (including the freehold of the Hauraki Goldfield), it is within the bounds of probability that the future of this district may realise the prognostications of Captain Cook — the great navigator, whose centennial is nearly approaching—when he said of New Zealand :—" If the settling of this country "should ever be thought an object worthy " the attention of Great Britain, the best " place for establishing a Colony would be " either on the banks of the Thames, or "in the country bordering upon the Bay "of Islands. In either place there would " be the advantage of an excellent harbor; " and, by means of the river, settlements " might be extended, and a communication "with the inland parts of the country; " vessels' might be built of the fine timber ''which abounds in these parts, at very " little trouble and expense, fit for such a "navigation as would answer the purpose. ." I cannot, indeed, exactly assign the depth " of water which a vessel, intended to navi- " gate the river [Thames] even as far up as "I went with the-boat, should draw, because this depends upon the depth of " water that is upon the bar, or flats.swhich •• lie before the narrow part of the river, "for I had no opportunity to make myself "acquainted with them; but I am of " opinion, that a vessel which should draw "not more than twelve feet would per- " fectly answer the purpose." If such a distinguished navigator and close,observer could pass an opinion.like this, who shall say what will' be the future of this Thames now that it has been opened as a goldfield—of which the great navigator had np conception—backed by its resources of timber, agricultural pursuits, coal, and other industries? Shall we. then submit tamely to see one of the greatest boons—the land—alienated from us, or shall we make an effort to have it reserved for those who have striven for it and secured its possession P Auckland influence and Auckland jealousy may do much to retard the progress of the Thames as a Port, but the time will come when this will be the outlet of the inland country; when the connection with the railway system has been completed ; when the Aroba and intermediate blocks are settled with an industrial population, and -when our mines are worked with a more systematic and intelligent" prospecting than they are now. Then will be. seen the realisation of Captain Cook's foreseeing and prophetic utterances.

The condition of Mr McKelvle—so miraculously rescued from a fearful death in the Queen of Beauty mine on Friday l ag fc_i s still precarious. Although not any better, he is not apparently worse, and hopes are entertained that he will pull through all right, though his recovery may be more protracted than was at first expected. At McEJelvie's expressed wish it was proposed to send to Auckland for Dr Phiison to examine him, but.today Drs Kilgour and Payne met the House Surgeon in consultation, the result of which was a hopeful view of the case, and McKelvie was satisfied to wait until to-morrow to see if any change for the better would take place in his condition, which it is hoped, will be the case. The symptoms are of a serious character, but such that time may remove. McKelvie is a member of Lodge Sir Walter Scott, 5.0., and was visited today by the E.W.M. and K.W.P.M., arid should it be deemed necessary, or the patient desire it, the services of Dr Phiison will be secured. The gentlemen in consultation this morning, we understand, expressed their approval of the House Surgeon's treatment of the case,

A long letter in to-day's Advertiser has been the topic of conversation. Everybody wants to know if some illiterate numbskull has been guilty of forgery —like Nodder's " John Bull." One says it is a wretched rigmarole of erratic rot; another that it is *the vapid vapouring of a vanquished valetudinarian; a third, that it reminds him of the meaningless meandering of a maudlin muff; the maximum of writing and the minimum of sense; . a memorable memorandum from a medium mendacious miscounsel who is suffering from an attack of cacathis scribendi and doesn't know it. But perhaps the best definition of the letter was a borrowed one, from the immortal Will, namely—

"A tale of an idiot Full of sound and fury, \ • Signifying nothing." . " • In the first and fourth pages of today's issue will be found report of Legislative Counoil proceedings, and an article, Daniel O'Connell's attack on Benjamin Disraeli. , '

At the B.M. Court to-day the only business was the punishment of one inebriate for. drunkenness and incapacity yesterday. 'Captain Eraser, 8.M., presided.

According to news received by the Cologne Gazette from China, the Chinese authorities are making fresh efforts to obtain possession of the southern, parts of of the island of According' to the .same informant, it was discovered, a short time ago that Bishop Bavello and other French missionaries were detained as prisoners in the capital of the Corea, and that their lives were in danger.

A Times correspondent writes:— Admiral Lord John Hay, shortly .after his landing in Cyprus, determined to despatch so .Nicosia, the capital, a body of fifty marines. Nicosia is twenty-five miles distant from Larnaca, and it .was arranged that the men should start at two o'clock in morning, upon mules, the calculation being that they would thus arrive at Nicosia before the heat of the day. Unfortunately, and uncomfortably for their.riders, the mules were sent otF without drivers, and. a tragedy, both humorous and serious, was the result. The mules, after a time, refused obedience, and distributed themselves, some still ridden, some riderless, over various parts of the country. Most of them turned for their homes in Larnaca, and were abandoned. The men, who were compelled to continue their march on foot, were provided with no better protection against the sun than their Glengarry caps, and, not being able to reach Larnaca before four in the afternoon, no less than ten of them —ten out a body of fifty—;were knocked down by sunstroke. Their exhaustion is described as extreme. The road to Niconia, though not a good road for, vehicles, is passable, and is not unusually trying,to travellers on foot. Two companies of marines have since made the journey, and, by starting earlier in the night, have marched through safely and without suffering.

The development of trade between Hong Kong, the Straits, and the colonies in Australia and New Zealand has, says the Argus, induced the Eastern and Australian Mail Company to divide their service into the mail line, which, starting from Hong Kong, calls at Singapore, and from that point carries the Queensland mails outward and homeward in connexion .with the Peninsular and Oriental Corn* pany, and a direct line between Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne and New Zealand. The latter is intended to be a monthly service, and in futherance of it a new steamer sailed from Wear on July 3. The Memmiur is a vessel of about 3,000 tons burden, and registered in the highest .class. She was built by Messrs Doxford and Sons, and is commanded by Captain Darke, late of the steamer City of Santiago. .

They are a quaintly vigorous people in Birkenhead.' This is like an extract from a chronicle a century or two old, but nevertheless it is sober truth. A woman was seen going through the streets of Birkenhead all covered with flour and treacle. It seems she had been too intimate with her brother-in-law, and a letter from her addressed to him, making an appointment, fell into the wife's hands. Instead of the husband meeting his sister-in-law, the wife made arrangements with about forty or fifty of her friends, and money was freely spent in flour and treacle, which, being applied to the person of the offender, rendered her a pitiful object as she made her way through the town, followed by a crowd of 'women who jeered her as she went' along. This is a specimen of the civilization of the nineteenth century.—Ex.

A cable message in the Melbourne Age, from London, states :.■—". Sir William Jervois, on his return -to England, after he had concluded his inspection of the Australian colonies for the purpose of suggesting an efficient defence scheme, was consulted by the Imperial Government as to his views upon the Australian' defence question. Sir William Jervois hag intimated to the Imperial Government that no Australian system of defence by land can be made complete unless some central inland locality, connected with the capitals of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales by railway, be chosen as a site for an arsenal, in which all munitions of war with the exception of, perhaps, guns, could be stored. It is ' understood that Wentworth, on the River Darling, has been recommended for the purpose of a central depot', and the suitability of its position is based upon the fact that it is the point at which the Victorian, South Australian, and New South Wales railway extensions will meet. If the Australian Government agree to the proposal, it is believed that, the Imperial Government will also give their assent to its adoption."

A stockman on Sir Thomas Elder's station at Cooper's Creek was a short time ago saddling a skittish colt. The youngster got a chance, and administered a kick on the skull which would have brained any ordinary person. Flinthead went on tightening the girths, gently swearing to himself, as a prefix to, " Ab., you , you've got summut to kick at there."—,