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Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3065, 11 December 1878, Page 2

An al fresco soiree in connection with the Tararu Wesleyan Sunday School was held at Tararu Gardens yesterday evening. The weather was everything that could be desired, and the novelty of the entertainment and the understanding that there was to be " strawberries and cream ad libitum," had the effect of drawing about 250 persons of all sexes.and sizes to the Gardens. The affair was undoubtedly a novelty, but the free strawberries and cream turned out to be a myth. Tea was served on the green from five o'clock to seven, and, notwithstanding that it appeared that sufficient provision had not been made for the large number present, it was very enjoyable. After tea, a harmonium being on the ground, the choirs of the Shortland and Grahamstown Churches sang several anthems to a limited auditory, the majority of those present preferring to amuse .themselves in round games under the willows, so that the secular portion of the concert did not eventuate. The young people attending the Sunday Schools seemed to enjoy themselves ex* ceedingly, from the zest with which they entered into kiss-in-the-ring, jolly miller, and other juvenile amusements. On the whole the affair was a success, and would have been more so if the committee—if there was one —had attended a little more to the amusement of visitors. Financially the soiree must hare been a success, as the expenses could not have been heavy.

The advance agent of the Madame Cora and Val Vose " show," Mr Kaphael (who has been instrumental in introduccing more than one good entertainment to the Thames public) has arrived to make arrangements for the appearance of Madame Cora and Mr Val Vose. It will be noticed that the Academy of Music has been secured, and the initial peformance will take place on the 17th inst. Madame Cora will be remembered as a clever magicienne and a liberal distributor of gifts, and Mr Val Vose made his first bow to a Thames audience as a leading feature of Smith's Combination Troupe, one of the cleverest and strongest companies that ever visited the Colonies. As a ventriloquist Mr Val Vose stands unrivalled. His familiar folk, his versatility of dialogue, and complete command, over his features and voice help to render his entertainment one., of the most attractive ever Been. We have no doubt the company will have a successful season.

In a Gazette of the sth instant appears the rules and regulations under " The Stamp Fee Act, 1875." in respect to Resident Magistrate's Courts through the colony. On and after the Ist January next " all or any of the duties, fees, fines or penalties, for the time being, payable in money in any public department or office connected with the public service, or to the officers thereof, shall be collected by means of stamps," denoting the sums payable and not in money.

In October last, after the Piako battery had stopped work, it was discovered that a quantity of new and valuable blanketings, especially imported . by the Piako Company for battery purposes, had been stolen, it was supposed, about three weeks prior to the.'discovery of the theft. Information was guen to the police, who discovered traces of the stolen property having passed through a broken window in the battery.and searched several suspected parties' houses without success, , To-day a boy named Wilson, while bringing down wood from the bush, found a quantity of the blanketings in an old drive near the Major claim, Una Hill; The stuff had been cut up into blanket lengths, and was bound with red worsted, being evidently intended for domestic purposes. The thief, on hearing that a search was to be made, had evidently secreted his spoil in the old drive. Information of the discovery was given to the police, who have taken charge of the property.

The New York Herald says :—Truth, and sometimes very sad truth, comes from the lips of childhood. The best criticism on the character of the times in which we are liring was evolved /rom the inner consciousness of a small boy. "Well, my child, what profession do you propose to follow when you grow up ?" He looked thoughtfully for a moment, but all at once his eye brightened as he replied. •' I shall be a trustee, sir." It seemed a strange and somewhat indefinite selection to make, but the boy's mind was running on a straight track, and he knew precisely what he was after. " A trustee! and why, my son?" "Because, sir, ever since father has been a trustee, we've had pudding for dinner, and before that we had none.

In one of the French galleries of the Paris Exhibition there was a marvel of labor and industry which has been manufactured by a cutler, of Mpn.tron, in the department of the Pordogne. It consists of 100 microscopic knives enclosed in an ordinary sized cherry-stone ; They have all boxwood handles, open and shut in the ordinary way, and yet they do not weigh more than seven grains in all.

At the U.M. Court this morning an elderly woman was charged with using indecent language. She failed to appear, however, and a warrant . was ordered for her apprehension.

The prospect of Borough Councils continuing to be subsidised by the Government at the present rate of £ for £ is anything but reassuring. The Hon. Mr Macandrew recently said he wa» afraid that the subsidy was " a very uncertain thing."

At a meeting of the Parawai School Committee, held yesterday evening, there was a full attendance of the members, and a letter from the Board of Education was consider3d, recommendiag amalgamation of the Thames Districts by unting Kauaeranga and .Parawai, aid Tararu and Waiotahi; or, by uniting Tararu, Waibtahi and Kauaeranga, and leaving Parawai as at present. It transpired that considerable opposition will be made to this arrangement by the Tararu and Kauaeranga, Committees respectively. The Parawai Committee unanimously resolved —" That in the opinion of this Committee it is not desirable that the Parawai School District should be amalgamated with any other district." A conference will probably be held by the Committees upon this subject. .

We are sorry to have to record the death of Major Clare, which took place yesterday at his residence, Cambridge. The deceased had been ailing for some time, and recently bis illness took a serious turn, dropsy being the disease, and his recovery being regarded from the first as hopeless. Major Clare was Captain and Adjutant of the 3rd Waikato Regiment, and subsequently served in the Armed Constabulary. He also engaged in farming pursuits in the Waikato. Previous to his coming to Jfeir Zealand be had served his country in the army with distinction. He will be missed from an extensive circle in Waika,to, having taken an active part in local public affairs.

It is not one libel action but a heap we shall have to answer for at the suit of Mr Brassey if all cur contemporaries say be true. One says Mr Brassey is " going for us " for a libel published on the 28th ultimo, another that the offending matter appeared in the issue of the Star of the 30th, and now we notice " our own correspondent" of the Herald records that ''the paragraph containing the aliened libel was published on the 13th instant." Under the circumstances we are getting slightly confused. There may be more Brasseys than one, and "our own " may be gifted with second sight to tell us what shall be done on the 13th instant.

A melancholy incident is mentioned by the Herald as having taken place while the Meg Merrilees lay at Appamama, on November 14. A topsail schooner was sighted in the morning, and as she bore up it proved to be the Auckland schooner Gael, Captain Ohlsoh. Mr Brevin ran' up the ensign' to half mast, and the Gael passing close alongside, Captain Ohlson crie.d out, " What's the matter P. Do yoU want assistance ?" The reply went, " Captain Moller has been murdered," and immediately on tb.e dock of the Gael there was a commotion,' the chief officer fainting, he being a brother of the deceased, Captain Moller. Those on board the Meg Merrilees forgot this fact in the excitement of hailing a sister ship, and hence the result of the sudden unfavorable news., Mr Moller recovered conscious* ness after a short time.

A Home correspondent writes to a contemporary :— By the way, old New Zealanders and others interested in the Colony are much astonished at the prices realised for good wheat and other land at recent sales. I was speaking to some of those who hare a stake out with you the other day, and they all regretted they had not gone in more strongly for freehold land when it was to be had for the bidding at two or three pounds an acre, when it now fetches twenty, or even more. The interest felt by the British public in the Colony does does not abate, and I understand that the number of letters in response or relative to the advertisements of the Agent-General's Office, which pour into Westminster Chambers every, morning is something incredible, and as they are mostly from possible emigrants, they all have to be gone through carefully, involving the expenditure of much time and labor. There is plenty of material to select from, and you may justly complain if the right sort do not come out. Apropos, I hear that the first day after their names and titles appeared in the papers as' attending the Lambeth Conference, the Bishops of Christchurch and Dunedin were inundated with letters from all parts of the country, asking for information 1 about New Zealand. I saw the Primate last Sunday, looking remarkably well.

The Times of India, of a recent date, records the death of Lieutenant-Colonel B. T. Clarke, Bombay Staff corps. It says :—" The deceased officer complained of a slight indisposition on Wednesday, up to which date he attended to his duties in the Executive Commissariat Office at the Presidency, and his illness was not supposed to be of a serious nature until Saturday, when alarming symptoms set in; and on Sunday morning the disease was pronounced to v . be diphtheria, under which he rapidly sank. An upright and conscientious man, an able official, and a perfect gentleman, he was deservedly respected ; and his lost will be severely felt not only by his brother officers of the Commissariat Department in which he had served so Jong and with such distinction, but by numerous friends. Colonel Clarke served with the Central India Field Force under Sir Huge Kose in 1857-58, was present at the seige' and capture of Ratghur, the operations before the Fort of Garrakota, and its subsequent capture, forcing of the Muddenpore Pass, battle of the Betwa, and subsequent pursuit of the enemy, siege and capture of Jhansi, action of Kbonch, and subsequent pursuit of the enemy, action of Muttra, battle of Gallowlee, the taking of Calpee, and capture of Gwalior (medal and clasp). He has left a widow and four children." Many relations and friends of the deceased gentleman reside in this Colony. He was connected with Sutherland, and was well known in the North of Scotland.—Ex.

A charactebißTlC anecdote of Garibaldi is related in a " Life " of the General, jvcently published. One evening in 1861 he wos met by a Sardinian shepherd, who was lamenting the loss of one of his lambs. Garibaldi at once proposed to his staff that the mountains should be explored for the little vagrant, but after an unavailing search the soldiers retired to rest. Wot so the General, however, for the next morning Garibaldi, who wai

accustomed to be the first man awake in the camp, was found by his attendant in bed and fast asleep. On being aroused he opened his eyes in some.alarm, and instantly inquired if the rest of the house was awake or not. He was relieved on receiving, an answer in the negative, and stretching his arm under the counterpane of the bed, he brought to light a tiny lamb, which he handed to his friend, urging him to take it with all speed and without being observed to the disconsolate shepherd. The friend had just time to remark that by the side of the bed was a saucer, in the bottom of which remained a few drops ot milk.

Thk Act which provided a Constitution for the Dominion of Canada ordered that the Constitution should be "similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom." If we may credit a paragraph which appeared in a Home paper recently, one of the Canadian Provincial Governments has improved upon the English pattern. A change of Ministry having recently taken place, a newspaper which had hitherto strongly opposed the now dominant party, applied for a share of the Government advertising. An answer was returned (by the Minister of Public Works, we presume) that hearty support of the Govern ment was a sine qua non to Ministerial favors in the direction indicated ; and the conductors of the newspaper were re r quested to reply at once whether they would comply with Ministerial requirements; The answer 1 wired back wes very American in its tone: "Confounded sharp curve ; but—will take it." We need scarcely say, that paper continues to be a paying concern. —Dunedin Herald. :. ■. .. , „., .. ■. .. „. ;.- , .-:,. , ;