THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3078, 28 December 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1878.

A a bind programme of sports for New Year's Day, to be held at Tararu, will be published on Monday. The programme consists of a very novel horse race, each jockey to ride another's horse, the last horse past the post to be the winner; also some boys' and girls' races, and for the lovers of dancing the Committee have provided a? monster saloon, and a full string band will be in attendance.

In our issue of Tuesday last it was stated that George and party, Watchman tributers, had a crushing of SOozs. It should hare been Hunter aid party.

About 40 members of the Naval Brigade left for Auckland by the Rotomahana this morning, and a similar number will go up to-night. They purpose having a church parade there to-morrow.

The appointment of Thomas Wayth Gudgeon Esq., to be Registration and Returning Officer for the election of Members of the House of Representatives for the Electoral Districts of Auckland City East and West, Parnell, Newton and Waitemata, is gazetted.

The following table—extracted from the .Registrar General's Report on the vital statistics of the Boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hokitika and Invercargill for the month of November—gives the - population, number of births and deaths, and proportion of deaths to the 1000 of population of each borough:—

Dubing tbe race for the Borough Plate yesterday, for which three horses were started, McGuire, who was riding Skylark on a brand new saddle, was thrown. Skylark then occupied second place, close upon Maewa, Venus being lengths behind. Notwithstanding tbe loss of the Jockey Skylark continued the race, and kept well up with Maewa until coming into the strait when the noise of the crowd caused the horse to swerve off. There was some discussion afterwards, and many appeals iq the stewards as to which was second horse, Venus' or Skylark, but there was no second prize and neither horse was placed, so the stewards were got out of the dilemma.

The members of Court Pride of the North No. 5675, order of Foresters, held' their annual meeting at the Masonic Hall, Queen street, last evening. The Court was opened in usual form, Chief Banger Pearce presiding. The election of officers for the ensuing term was then proceeded with, with the following result:—Chief Banger, Bro. Charles Ahier; Sub-Chief Banger, Bro. Fred Le Manquais ; Senior Woodward, Bro. J. Gallagher, Junior Woodward, Bro. J. Biggars;. Senior Beadle, Bro. A. C. Campbell, P.C.8.; Junior Beadle, Bro. A. Heron. The Chief Banger (elect) was then duly installed, and took charge of the Court, and invested the subordinate officers with their respective badges of office. P.CBs. Gribble, Smith and Wilson were then chosen as auditors, and Drs Payne and -Rowbottom, Court Surgeons. The brethren then decided to celebrate their anniversary on the 29th January next, and a committee was appointed to make arrangements for a soiree and dance on that occasion. The Court was then closed in usual form.

The Melbourne correspondent of the Warrnambool Standard gives the following Cup story :—They tell a capital story of a Sydney gentleman who came over to see the Cup. It appears that he had a lot of money on it, and that he intended to be on the course early in order to lay off, etc. But as evil chance would have it, he got among a few choice spirits, human and alcoholic, on Monday evening, and went to bed somewhere he knew not where, just as the sun was glancing over the hills in the morning, and that without undressing. He slept the sleep of the overcome, but at last he woke up, after a shaking by a waiter in the hotel, who thought he was suffering under congestion of the brain or something of that kind. " Bless me!" he cried, when he at last awoke to consciousness, " why did you not call me earlier; it's daylight ?" " Call you earlier," cried tha waiter, " I might as well call up one of the seven sleepers of Ephesus. Daylight, sir, why its fire o'clock." " Good heavens," roared the sport, " the Cup's over." " And won by Calamia," replied the waiter. "You don't mean to say so," said the Sydney man, his face beaming, " why, I had intended to ■ get out early to lay all the money I had on that horse off! Bless the whisky!" It is the first time a spree tamed out lucky.

Speaking the other evening at a missionary meeting in connection with the autumnal session of the Baptist Union at Leeds, Sir 11. Havelock, M.P., remarked that there were some who thought the quarrel in which we appeared to be un-1 fortunately involved with the Ameer of Cabul was mainly one about a point of honour. For himself he could say if it were a question of what was called resenting an insult, we should take a part totally unworthy of a Christian nation if we allowed such a consideration as that to be the main one that influences us. He believed that in our public and political lite, we were as Christians bound totally to ignore the " resenting and revenging of injury." The question was not between us and that poor savage on the throne of Cabul,' but it was between us and in* fluences which might disturb the tranSuility of our rule in India; and le first condition of the progress of the work which they were met to forward was that that tranquillity and that quiet progress and development of our Indian Empire should not be disturbed. He contended that our rule in India deserved the praise and laudation he had just given. In many respects our rule might be unfortunate, but at all events it had been honest and well-intentioned, and had been shown and demonstrated to have been to the welfare and wellbeing and development of the peoples over whom in India we ruled. He thought that no other influence that might replace us could be directed in such a favourable way as ihe English nation could desire in the extension and development of Chris-, tianity in that distant but important land; and he further contended that the cause that they had all at heart was bound up alone with the tranquil continuance of British rule in India.

At the penultimate meeting of the Social Science Congress, at Cheltenham, Dr Norman Kerr estimated the total mortality yearly from intemperance at 128,000. Dr Richardson said that if England were converted to temperance about 230,000 lives would be saved annually. In a discussion on the same subject in the new number of the Contemporary Review, Sir James Paget consoles those persons who have not yet entirely sworn off intoxicating liquors, by telling them that moderation is '■ better than total abstinence, and that as Jo working power, whether bodily or mental, there can be no question that the advantage is on the side of those who use alcoholic beverages. Doctors differ, and in the same discussion Dr. Lauder Brunton declares that so long as a man is healthy, eating and sleeping well, he does not need alcohol, and is the better without it. Dr Albert Bernays and Dr Carpenter, again, agree with Sir James Paget, and say that temperance in drink* ing is better than entire abstinence.

The El Jawaib, a Constantinople paper, has published a leading article deprecating Shere All's hostile attitude to England, and remarks that war between England and Cahul would profoundly disturb every Mahomedan kingdom, and that Shere Ali, by making war against England; the sole ally of Islam, would draw upon himself the censure not only of all Mahomedan Sovereigns, but of every Mussulman. The El Jawaib expresses its conviction that if Shere Ali would frankly expose his grievances, England would not refuse to give them a fair hearing. ,

The Eight Hon. W. F. Cowper-Temple, M.P., referring to the Afghanistan question at Portsmouth on Oct. 7, said the affront which had been inflicted by that blind, wilful, barbarous chieftain Shere Ali must be atoned for and wiped out, and he trusted the wisdom, experience, and skill of the Indian .Government, the courage of our soldiers, and the resources of our empire would soon overcome this Afghan chief. The Hon. T. C.Bruce, M.P., said the Ameer had been impressed either by the Russians or the reports which had reached him that he had an opportunity of bearding the English and dissenting from them, and it was for us to teach Shere Ali that he was mistaken. The public insult upon England was the outcome of a long-felt feeling on the part of the Ameer, who had been hostile towards England for many years. That feeling should cease to exist, and the only way to effect our object was to show Shere Ali he did not possess the power he thought he did. It was far better to have the matter out now than to allow it to go on and cause increased complications.

Thbbb was a clean sheet at the B.M. Court this morning.

I have still some Pianos and Harmoniums left, and respectfully recommend intending purchasers to make their selections at onoe ; by so doing they m>;y avoid the disappointment of having to go elsewhere and pay high prices for inferior articles.—J. Gbigg, Pollen street.—[Advt.]

Borough. Estimated Population. Total Births. Total Deaths. of Deaths to 1000 of population. Auckland .. Fhames .... Wellington.. Nelson .... Bhristchurch Dunedin.... Hokitika .. [nvereaijjilL. 13,732 I 5,425 10,037 6,603 13,402 22,491 3,244 3,761 50 28 86 . 14 60 72 6 '■ 23 12 4 28 ' 7 13 19 3 3 0-87 0-74 1-48 1-06 0-97 0-84 0.90 0.79 T0ta1....! I 327 " 89 I —— I .. I I ..