THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3069, 16 December 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1878.

The Major •Elect will assume the duties of the office at noon on Wednesday next, and we hope to see Mayor and councillors uniting harmoniously for the public good. The year of notice on which the elect of the people is about to enter will be no sinecure; he will not hare abed of roses to recline upon. There will be sheer hard work to do to make the best of the times, and the responsibilities lately assumed by the Council will necessitate very careful financing. TKere has been, if anything, an undue haste lately by Councillors to commit tb# Borough to a certain course of action—notably in regard to the Charitable Aid business, by which the ratepayers are saddled with the maintenance ot a Hospital, Old Men's Refuge and Home for J "Destitute

Children. These acts of the Council may turn pot to be wise and judicious, but with so many older boroughs declining the,same responsibility, and the chance of further legislation being resorted to next session to put the question on a colonial basis, we are not alone in thinking that, the absolute settlement of the question so far as concerns the Borough might have been postponed for a time. However.it may be that the incoming Mayor will have cause to congratulate himself that the matter has been disposed of before he assumes office ; and on all other questions to be settled we are sure he will give his best attention to them, and endeavor to work in unison with Councillors.

A domestic affliction has overtaken the Royal Family of England, which will plunge Her Majesty, and family into deep grief, and cause mourning in most of the Courts of Europe. Her Royal Highness Princess Alice of England, who has been reported as alarmingly ill for some days past, died on Saturday morning at seven o'clock. This amiable princess, tb.9 second daughter and third child of Queen "Victoria, was horn on the 26th of April, 1843, and was married on the Ist July, 1862, to Prince Frederick William Louis Charles of Hesse-Darmstadt, a German Grand Duke who has made himself popular with the English people generally. The sorrow caused to the Queen will be shared in by many of her subjects throughout the empire.

We would call attention to the alteration in the date of holding the annual meeting of H.A.C.B. Society. It wag to have been held this evening, but has been postponed until next Monday, so as not to interfere with the Bey. Father Henneberry's mission services. ; ■ '

The distribution of: prizes for the Kauaeranga Boys' School, and the four prizes offered for competition to all the pupils attending the common schools, will take place. in the School-room to-morrow at two o'clock. In addition to the usual proceedings the pupils will give the rehearsal scene from "The Midsummer Night's Dream," with a prologue written for the occasion. The caste will be as follows:—Bottom (a weaver), J. Christie; Flute (a bellows mender), C. May; Snout (a tinker), F. Ahlgren; Starveling (a tailor), E. yon Bernewitz; Quince (a carpenter), R/H. Gibbons; Snug (a joiner), W. J. May; Puck, A. Souter. . „ ,'' ..;".,..,'..'._, ■■

An immense shoal of mullet of all sizes were to be seen at high water, close to the beach at Grahamstown this morning. If some enterprising fisherman had been out with a net he would hare made a small fortune.

A ndmbeb of persons took advantage of the fine weather jesterday afternoon to Say a visit to the Puriri Mineral Springs. Ir Jack Connell took out a large cab load.

We would remind the stewards and all Sersons interested in the Thames Annual Laces that a meeting will be held at Stephenson's Marine View Hotel this evening, when nominations must be lodged. '■■■■:.'■

The cricket match T.C.C. t. U.C.C was completed on Saturday, and resulted in a victory for the senior club. Owing to the magnificent bowling of Boxall, the second innings of the T.C.C closed for 42. The effective bowling of Whitford and Burgess, however, disposed of the Union boys for 22 runs. J. Smith, of the Union, made the highest individual score—ll, and Gellipn's, of seven, was the next.

A junior Civil Service examination was commenced at the Custom House to-day, the candidates being under the supervision of Mr E. F. Tizard, Collector of of Customs. The following competitors were present:—Masters Gillies, senr., Gillies, junr., R. Hudson, Cropp and Dunn.

. Mb James CeaiQ:, sold by auction at the Exchange Buildings at noon to day, the rights and privileges on Hospital Demonstration Day and afterwards the rights and/privileges on the two days of the Race Meeting. There was a large attendance, and in many instances the bidding was spirited. The privileges on Demonstration Day realised the following prices :—Publican's booth inside gardens, £8, Dunn ; publican's booth outside, £20 10s, McDowell. Small booths inside gardens—-No. 1, £1 ss, Smith; No. 2, Wood, £2 6s ; No. 3, Bennett, £2; No. 4, Connell, £17s. Refreshment stall out' side Gardens, Vaughan, £2 ss; Skittle alley, M. Casey, £1; quiots, 2s 6d, C. Fugill; aunt sallies, 6s, Sims; cards,L. Melhose, 10s—total, £39 10s Gd. For the Race Meeting the following prices were realised:— Five refreshment booths in Gardens, £19, Dunn; publicans' booths outside Gardens, £47, McDowell; refreshment booth outside, £7 15s, Dris* coll; cards of races, £3 7s 6d, L. Melhose. This, with the exception of the £19 for the inside booths,- makes a total of £58 2s,Bd to the Race Committee; the £19 goes to.Mr Bennett.

The Wellington Post prints the following telegram, sent by Mr Macandrew to Sir It. Douglas :—" To Sir Robert Douglas,M.H.R., Whangarei.—Being desirous to hurry on the construction of the Whangarei railway, &c, Idirected the necessary action to be taken at once, but I regret to hear that owners of land through which the railway is proposed to be taken, are demanding what seems to be exorbitant compensation for that which will enormously enhance the value of their property otherwise. Might I ask you to be good enough to urge upon them the propriety of being reasonable in their demands, as otherwise the Government may not feel justified in proceeding with the work ?—J. Macandbew."

Some very painiul circumstances are connected with the case of Robert Sellers, says the Auckland Star, who was committed for trial yesterday on a charge of obtaining money by false pretences. The accused had, it appears, been paying his addresses to the daughter of a highly-res-pectable farmer in Tauranga. A week or two ago lie gave it out that he had been left a large amount of money by a relative in England, and wa9 going Home. On this representation the girl married him, and they came to Auckland and spent the honeymoon; putting,up at the Victoria Hotel. Two days after the wedding, he was arrested on the charges preferred against him. The distress of the unfortunate bride may well be imagined.

Scene, Pollen street: Cabby lashing into refractory horse ; small boy looking on with his hands in his pockets. Small boy loquitur; '• Say, cabby, don't hit the poor'orse! Tell his mother."

A most disgraceful act was perpetrated on Friday night, the 22nd ult., at Specimen hill, near Daylesford. The Advocate reports that Buscall and party had taken a contract from the Rising Star Quartz Company for the drawing of the timber from the shaft of the Spelling Bee Company. To accomplish this dangerous work a stage was erected at the 170 ft. level, which was suspended by a stout rope fastened to the logs at the top of the shaft. On Saturday morning, when about to commence work, it was observed that .some miscreant had nearly severed the rope, apparently by repeated blows from an axe; leaving only two or three strands to support the heavy weight which the platform in the shaft was required to sustain. It was providential that the state of the rope was observed before the men went down the shaft, for had they descended without discovering the cut in the rope, nothing could have saved their lives, as the breaking away of the stage would have precipitated them down the shaft, which is 400 ft. deep.

A collision between a steamship and a gigantic fish in the vicinity of the Tong 'Tong Islands, is reported by the Times of India. The Messageries Maritimes steamer Anador, on its voyage to Shanghai, was suddenly brought to a stop by a violent shock. The cause of the collision was found to be a large ray, or flat fish, estimated by those on board to weigh from 80001b. to 10,0001b. The monster was lying asleep on the top of the water, when its repose was rudely disturbed by a " dig in the ribs " from the stem of the steamer. After the first alarm had subsided, effort's were made to haul the creature on board, but owing to its unwieldiness, all attempts in this direction proved fruitless, and the fish, doubtless even more shaken than the passengers on the boat, was reluctantly allowed to move off and seek such remedies for the injury it had sustained as are to be procured in the mysterious deep. .-■■:■:-,..;■ . ' '■::■■■ .. ;' r; ■ ;■■■■,. ' ■

The Sunday Times gives the following account of a miraculous escape from the dreadful catastrophe of the Princess Alice on the Thames:—" Ab an instance of a miraculous escape from the ill-fated ship, we may mention that two ladies and two gentlemen—named respectively Misses C. and M. Wyatt, Mr S. Bristow, and F. W. Pinks, residing in the neighbourhood of the Old Kent Road, the last named in Cooper's Road, and the other in Coburg Eoad—took tickets to Gravesend. After ■pending the day there, the party were wending their way to the pier, when one of them remarking on the fineness of the evening, and the rather early hour of returning to ' town, suggested that they should defer their journey by the Princess Alice and go later on by train. This arrangement was agreed to, and on the disaster becoming known the next morning, their joy can be easier imagined than described. '

At the District Court, Hokitika, on Thursday, Francis Foster, was indicted for that he did, on or about the 6th day of September, appear before P. A. F. Birch, Registrar of Marriages for the District of Kumara, and did falsely, maliciously, and knowingly make ; a declaration that there was no lawful hindrance or impediment, in the way of kindred or otherwise, to the solemnisation of a marriage between him, the said Francis Foster, and one Ellen Cashman, whereas the said Ellen Gashman was | the sister of the deceased wife of the said Francis Foster, and also for that he did, on the said date make a false declaration that the place of .abode of, the said Ellen Cashman for three days prior to the said declaration being made, was in the Kumara District, within which district the said marriage was intended to be solemnised, the same being a misdemeanor under the provisions of " The Marriage Act, 1854." Mr South prosecuted on behalf of the Crown. Mr Button appeared on behalf of the defendant, wno pleaded, Not Guilty. The bulk of the evidence taken was similar in all respects to that given at the R.M. Court at Kumara, already published. The witnesses were W. G. Murray, surveyor, Dr Dermott, Patrick Maguire, Thomas Kidd, P. A. F. Birch, and Inspector -O'Donnell. . The only new witnesses were Father Martin, who produced the certificate of the first marriage, which was signed by Father Larkin ; and Detective Brown, who stated that on the 29th of September he had occasion to see the accused on other business, when he admitted to witness that he had made the false declaration, saying he was sorry for it, but it was no use denying it. Mr South summed up, going carefully over each item in the evidence, and Mr Button made a telling appeal, to the jury in defence. His Honor summed up, the substance of his remarks being considered favorable to the accused. After an absence of an hour, the jury returned to Court with a verdict of not guilty, and the defendant was discharged.—-Ex.

A Punishment of Drunkards Bill has been introduced into the New South Wales Legislature, and this is what Mr Buchanan, an ex-M.P., has to Bay about it:—" Ihis Bill, in its every clause, is a flagrant violation of every principle of liberty, so much so that I think the Speaker should be authorised to read to the House a chapter of John Stuart Mill's book on ' Liberty ' every day before beginning the business. And what does that Bill do? It provides that any respectable man who may have got a little top-heavy, through good-fellowship, may be walking quietly and inoffensively home, interfering with nobody, but little dreaming that a policeman has his eyes upon him, and who will give him a summons next morning to appear at the Police Court to answer a charge of drunkenness, where the policeman will have it all his own way, and the poor victim not the slightest chance. And the worst of it is, if this occurs three times, the Bill gives the Magistrates the power to send to gaol for six months. lam not sure, not having the Bill before me, whether a third conviction for simple drunkenness empowers the Magistates to imprison for six months; but even if it requires three convictions for being drunk and disorderly, the punishment is outrageous, and the whole spirit of the little abortion of a Bill is the spirit of ignorant, blind oppression. Every man has a right to get drunk, so long as he interferes with nobody and gives no annoyance; and how any assembly of enlightened gentlemen could for one moment dream of enacting that a policeman should have power to summons any man whom he saw walking along the street—it may be somewhat unsteady, but occasioning no annoyance to anyone—before the Police Court to answer a charge of drunkenness is, to me, surprising indeed." ; «

An old lady bearing of a pedestrian's " great feat," wondered why they didn't interfere with his fast walking.