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Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3024, 24 October 1878, Page 2

The district officers of the Oddfellows' Society will arrire here this afternoon from Auckland, and a meeting will be held to-morrow afternoon at 3 o'clock, at the Oddfellows' Hall, Bhortland, for the purpose of conferring degrees. To-mor-row evening, the district officers will be •ntertained at a dinner at the Queen's Hotel, by the Thames brethren. j "G. A. Ebddish " writes on the " Leatham v. Mackie " case, applauding' the action of Mr Bullen and condemning | coumel for defendant. As the langnage is extremely rigorous, and we do not care to mutilate ccrrespondeits' communications, we hare to exclude this one. Majob Mubbay has received to-day two medals for one Bryan O'Loughlen, formerly in the 70th Begiment. The one is the Indian Mutiny medal and the other for the New Zealand war. Some very good scoring was nude at the rifle range this morning, for practice, and amongst others Mrjor Murray—at 400, 5C3 and'6oo yards, seven shots at each range—made 72 out of a possible 84. :' :- . ;. ; .. A mebtino of the Union Cricket Club was held at Mr Lawless' shop, Brown street, on Wednesday evening, when Mr A. McMillan was elected captain vice Mr Harrison who has left the district, Messrs Clark and McLiver were elected secretary and treasurer respectively. General regret was expressed at the resignation of Mr Masters the secretary. We have been requested to contradict a statement that a match between this club and «he second eleven of the Thames Cricket Club Will come off shortly. This hps not been thought of, nor will, it be until the members are belter initiated into the art of trundling the leather and handling the willow.

A meeting of persons interested in deep sinking on the Thames peninsula was held in Auckland yesterday. A resolution was passed endorsing a telegram sent to the Hon. the Premie? by the Thames County Council on Clie 21st inst., and strongly urging that assistance should be given to deep sinking, in the same way as has been done by the Victorian Government. Further sinking, it is believed, would settle the question of wheiher gold exists at deep levels in this colony. At one of the deep shafs at the Thames the prospect at the lowest level, 560 feet, is very good, and at the shaft of the PumpAssociation a better channel of country has been come to. The conditions attached to the grant for the eneourgement of prospecting are inapplicable to quartz mining at deep levels, and the amount voted insufficient. It is desi.able that the amount should be inc-eased, and the conditions altered, so that prospecting at low levels may be subsidised in the same way as surface prospecting.

Mr W. L. Bess, member for City East, addressed his constituents at the .Choral Hall last night. He reviewed the work of the session, explaining fully the nature of the land tax and other measures introduced by the Government. He said that on any question affecting its existence the Government had a majority of 24 or more, but many were men who thought for themselves, and would act independently on minor matters." He foreshadowed for the future active steps by the Government to secure reciprocity, and spoke of the possible visit of Sir George Grey to Australia to piomote unanimity of feeling among the colonies. He said he had the assurance of the Premier that the recent meetings with the natives were most satis* factory, and the only reason that every thing hoped for was not accomplished then was that the chiefs desired time to make their people familiar with the terms and the new order of things. He confidently believed that the Waitara meeting in March would result in an agreement for the construction of a railway through the King country. At the clore a vote of confidence was returned.

A South African paper says:—Of the military officers who recently came to the Cape, Captains Clery and Brunker are, we hear, to go to Griqualand West; Captain Woodgate will be attached to General Thesiger's staff; and Captain Harvey is emp'oyed in examining military reports. Major Bussell will proceed with the Commander of the Forces to the Transraal, where in all probability he will receive charge of the cavalry in that territory. It is said that Colonel Dean Pitt, C.8., who has been for some months on special duty at Cape Town, will shortly return to England.

Thk following, communicated by the Auckland Star's Waikato correspondent, seems to bear upon the question of Coroners sitting on the Bench as Justices of the Peace:—Yesterday the Crown Prose* cutor, Mr Brookfield, and Dr. Beale crossed swords through Dr. Belle's proceeding to sit on the Bench in Figgett's case. Mr Brookfield said he declined to hear the case if Dr. Beale sat. The case was highly important, involving a charge of attempted destruction of life, and an unqualified person sitting as Justice of the Peace would illegalise the proceedings and cause the Grand Jury to throw out the bill. Dr. Beale had not taken the oath as a Justice of the Peace, nor had he been gazetted as such. Dr. Beale was obliged to withdraw.