THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O' CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3046, 19 November 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O' CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1878.

It will be remembered that some time, ago the Resident Magistrate! of Auckland and Thames were appointed a commission to enquire into certain alleged defalcations of a firm of contractors for supplying rations to the sick and destitute. The matter was first brought under the notice of Mr J. Graham, Believing Officer, by Mr J. B; Mason, Thames; The Commissioners took evidence here and in Auckland, and seat their finding to the Colonial Secretary, from whose office the following letter has been received :—-"Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 4th .Nov., 1878.—Sir,—I have the honor by direction of the Colonial Secretary to inform you that the result of the'enquiry held into the subject of a complaint made against you by Messrs 3?. Hewin and Bro. in September last has been .to show that you wers perfectly justified in the course you pursued, no other being-open to you consistently with your duty to the public— I have &c, G. S. Coopkb.-—J. Graham, Esq., Believfng Officer, Auckland." VVe presume the Government will not let the matter rest he.re. - ' As influential Reception Committee has been formed in Auckland to welcome the Australian Cricketers, who are expected to arrive by the incoming San Francisco mail steamer, City of New York. The Mayor of Auckland (Mr. H. Brett) who is absent from Auckland, like a brick telegraphed that if money were wanted | he would give £20 towards making the reception of the Australians what it should be. The matter has been taken up most cordially by the Aucklanders, and if the steamer arrives to time the Australians will be received in a manner that will show them that their successful efforts to maintain the prestige of the Colonies is appreciated. • . ■ A meeting of the stewards of the Thames Annual Race Meeting ,will be held at the Commercial Hotel this evening. The smokers of Italy have struck against the abominable cigars furnished by the Government (whjph, as in France, has a tobacco monopoly), and will only use pipes until a reform has been effected. All through Venetia the cry is " Down, with the cigars 2" In Padua there are placards upon the walls, "Smoke cigars by day and you'll be thrashed at night." At -Kuyigo posters implore good citizens to imitate the Mjlane.se and smoke no' cigars after the Ist of July, and .circulars bearing a similar prayer have been circulated at Mira and other points.

From thej^ew .Zealand Times we learn that at the sports of ..the Wellington Athletic Club held on#ie Prince of Wales' Bilrthday, Mr dB):-;'l^y, formerly of the {Thames, was'successful in carrying off the Championship,' as he took no less than four first and several second prizes. The| events in which Mr Davy distinguished himself were■' the* following:—Club race, 250 yards, handicap, first prize, cup, E. Davy (scratch) first, time 28secs.; Running long jump, open, first prize, cup, E. DaVy second, 15ft. lOins. (16 feet took first prize ; Club Handicap, distance 100 yards, first prize claret jug, E. , Davy (scratch) first, time llsecs.; Open 440 yards race, first prize card basket, E.Davy (scratch) first; Open Handicap, 158 yards, E. Davy (scratch) second, prize oak and silver cup, time 18secs.; Club Hurdle Eace, 120 yards, first prize salt cellars, E. > Davy (scratch) first, time 18 sees; Steeplechase, distance about 1000 yards including six water jumps, 12 hurdles and two gorge fences, open handicap, first prize fruit stand ; E. Davy was the only one at scratch, and took second prize, a travelling clock,

There was a clean sheet at the B.M Court to-day. '

A piece of stone, thickly impregnated with gold, was picked up amongst the mullock now being used for filling in the extension of Shortland Wharf. This is not the only portion of road here which is literally " paved with gold." Some day or other the gas or wajer-pipe ,man will be coming upon a small " pile." .

A painful but rather uncommon accident happened at Tararu road yesterday afternoon to a child some five or six months old, a son of a carter named Murdocki living near the' Shellback hotel. It appears that the mother left the infant in a cradle in charge of another child, and, on returning in about half an hour, was horrified to find that a retriever puppy had got into the cradle in her ahsence and had bitten off the child's urethal tube to the sphincter, and had gnawed at the other parts. Dr. Payne was called in and ordered the removal of* the little sufferer to the hospital. Last night it was feared that the injuries would prove fatal, but this morning seemed: in a fair way of recovery.

We hare receired the November number of Lloyd's Next of Kin Gazette,, containing information re missing friends, heirs-at-law, legatees, intestacy, bankruptcy, dividend and unclaimed money register. It is conducted in the same style as De Bernardy's English paper, and is published at 56, Little Collins street, Melbourne. In the list of "unclaimed monies due to soldiers or their representatires" we notice the name of "Wm. Keliall, Prirate 74th Foot." -

Ws are sorry" to learn that Mdlle. Charbonnet's concert tour has been abandoned for want of success. The following appears in an Auckland paper: " Advertisement.—[Copy].—Wellington, November 9,1878. —It is hereby agreed between Madame Ellen Charbonnet and Mr H. IS. Montagu, that the agreement between them dated August 23rd, 1878, and relating to the Concert Tour of Mademoiselle Charbonnet through New Zealand,: shall be cancelled as from this date by mutual consent. Madame Charbonnet hereby acknowledges that up. to the present date Mr Montagu has acted as agent with great zeal and industry, and that he has upheld Mademoiselle Charbonnet's professional reputation in every possible way; that all Mr Montagu's accounts up to the present date hare been perfectly correct; and that the present Concert tour is given up only on account of the losses incurred, and to prevent further lqss.—(Signed) Ellen Chabbonket, H. Neville Montagu. Witness—Chas. Bonriington."

The Geelong Advertiser says: —"A marriage in haste, was celebrated the other day, and the happy couple did not know each other's names until they had arrived at the altar. It appears that a widower residing a short distance from town went to one of the registry offices for the purpose of hiring a housekeeper. He fell in lore at first sight with one who' promised to attend to his wants, and the pair marched off to the church, where the nuptial knot was tied. A laughable scene, however, followed, when the clergyman gently reminded the bridegroom that the fee of £7 had to be paid. The demand was considered excessive, the bridegroom remarking that he had that.morning given exactly £7 for a good milch cow, and he wasn't disposed to pay that sum'for the light work of declaring man and woman husband and wife.. The bridegroom reminded the rev. gentleman that the ceremony had been performed, so that there was no necessity for a fee being required afterwards. This was not held to be a good excuse, and the newly married one promised to pay the fee by instalments."

It is rather hard, says "Atticus" in the Leader, on jurors who cannot come to a; decision on the merits of a case they have to try to be nofe,only locked up all night, but to be told—as some gentlemen were a few days ago—the next morning by the Judge that he is surprised they could not arrive at a verdict, and that in consequence of juries being unable to agree .there have been many miscarriages of justice of late. Locking juries up is at best but a ' barbarous plan for endeavoring to secure unanimity. The judges, themselves disagree, and give their reasons for doing so at full length, but no one thinks of locking them up. The Press disagree, the public disagree, members of Parliament, the two Houses of Legislature, the clergy of all denominations, and to come home to domestic life, every married couple diaa ; gree, without fear of being locked up (Ml night and lectured in the morning. We have very often see:criminals' who richly deserve punishment, but who escape with greater impunity than the twelve unfortunate men whose only crime was that they were jurors who couldn't see things with the same eyes as the learned Judge.

Hefebbing to the rumoured changes in colonial Governorships, the London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, writing on September 27th, says : .Nothing is yet known of the reported appointment of the Duke of Buckingham to succeed Sir George Bowen. This was evidently an- Indian rumor. It is not beyond the range of possibility that such an appointment will be made, but you may judge of its improbabilty when I say that nothing is known of it is to this hour in those official quarters in v London where you might expect to obtain information on the subject. In fact no appointment or selection has-been made in regard to any of tbe Australian Governorships. Sir Hercules Robinson goes on for an indefinite period, and it still seems to be the opinion of those best able to judge.that he will be succeeded by

the Marquis of JSTormanby. One circumstance only is likely to disturb the routine of the colonies on your side of the globe, namely, the expression of a wish on the part of some nobleman or. leading |tipporte;f\of/the Government" to take an appointment in New Zealand or Australia; At the present moment I am unaware of any such step, and certainly the selections of the Duke of Buckingham is regarded, in London at least, as exceedingly improbable.

A whites in theDunedin Age says :r— At a Spirit .Circle in this city a few evenings ago the enquirers got more than they bargained finv Four gentlemen, who I may state are well known and highly reputable citizens, were holding a dark seance. One of the number, a recent convert to the new faith, who had developed into an excellent medium, fell into a trance condition. Suddenly a luminous figure shone through the dark* ness; it appeared to be that of a boy, and it shone as a white light.. The mosf remarkable feature in the phenomenon was that tne figure, after moving up to one of those present, and subsequently travelling to the occupier of the house, appeared to possess the faculty of growing larger and larger. As it increased in size, and seemed gradually to fiJl the room, one of the visitors cried out that he,' felt something choking him, and attention being directed to the medium, he was discovered to be cold and benumbed as if lifeless. There was a general retreat from the room, and after some minutes of suspense the " medium," to the relief of the rest of the party, followed. The affair has been much talked of, and the facts can be vouched for. "