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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3115, 11 February 1879, Page 2

The new books purchased by the Thames Mechanics' Institute with the, grant from the County Council hare arrived, and will be available for circulation shortly. The books are all standard works—-chiefly works on biography and history.

The only businesguaf-&sii?^CCourt this mosm&fr~was one case of a horse at large, in which the defendant was fined Is and costs. J. Skene and E. F. Tizard, Esqs., J's P., presided.

At the the County Council meeting yesterday the Chairman (Mr A. Brodie), and Cr J. Brown were nominated to represent the County at the meeting of the U.P.A. directors and others in Auckland on Thursday.

We are informed by some of those who have examined the specifications for the first contract in connection with the railway reclamation on the foreshore, that the work will cost between £10,000 and £12,000, and from 80,000 to 100 000 tons of earth will be required for filling.

The barge built by Mr Eobt. Stone, of Shortland, for the Bay of Islands Coal Company, was launched this morning from the ship building yard in the presence of several hundred persons. Although the launch did not take place till about an hour after the time announced, it was very successful. The dimensions of the barge are : Length, 80 feet; beam, 23 feet; and she is capable of carrying 200 tons of coal.

We learn that a cricket match has been arranged between the champions of our two local cricket clubs—the Thames and the Union—to be played at Parawai on Saturday. The Union have been going in for practice much more heavily than the elder club of late, and a close match is expected.

A cobbespondent of the Herald's at Ohinemuri states that an organised movement will be pade to constitute the Ohinemuri District a separate County. It is intended to get up a memorial for signature, setting forth the special circumstances which have necessitated the signers to take such a course. The petition will be got ready in time for the meeting of the Assembly.

The Christchurch Press says Thomas Henry Shepherd was summoned for riding in a railway carriage without a ticket, and refusing to pay his fare. The railway constable said the accused was intoxicated at the time. Mr Thomas, who appeared for accused, explained that the defendant was a tourist proceeding from Auckland to Dunedin by the

Wanaka. On tbe occasion in question he had a return ticket from Lyttelton to Christchurch, and by mistake got into the wrong train, and proceeded as far as Eolleston before he discovered his mistake. No imposition was intended. The defendant's luggage had all gone on to Dunedin, he had lost his passage, and had.been locked up.since the occurrence. Under the circumstances, he asked the Bench to dismiss the case. The Bench took the yiew of Mr Thomas, and dismissed the case.

It is worthy of observation, says the World, that the author of an admirable little volume on the domestic life of the French people attributes many of the most striking excellencies of French servants to the elevation bestowed upon them by the doctrine of equality of classes. "The respect," he tells us, "which they have for themselves generally-induces them to the respect of their masters: The English servant is always struggling to maintain his imaginary dignity by sticking out for the infinitely small privileges which, by degrees, and under the pressure of necessity, have been conferred upon him ; the Frenchman, feeling that his rights as a man are absolutely on a par with those of his master, attaches vastly less importance to his rights as a servant, and is consequently ready to do whatever you ask, provided you only ask in a way which pleases him."

Here is a "i^rinkle" for" the Land Tax gatherer, wnsx>h he can make use of or not just as he likes. The owner of a block of land situated within a hundred miles of any given point of the Welling-ton-Wairarapa railway line (Valley section) had occasion some months ago to value his sections in view of an appropriation made for railway extension purposes. £27 sterling per acre was the sum put down dti the occasion. Two or three days before yesterday the Bathe authority was requested to pat a valuation on the same property for land tax purposes, < and he set' it down at the modest sum of £2 per acre. Comment on a transaction of this sort (says the Carterton Guardian) is surely not necessary. *: '■

The Inangahua Times states that a melancholy fatal accident happened at the Blackwater ofr Wednesday evening last. A man nannd John Birachree was putting in a tunnel at the base of a steep face, lie was ».ming a double-ended grubber instead of ijhe ordinary pick, and while in a stooping position a fall of earth took place, striking, the unfortunate man across the loins, ana in such a way that in falling the poor jfeU6w's body came in contact with one of *&c sharp ends of the grubber, inflicting a frightful gash. 'The iron entered the .man's body to the distance of six inches in the region of the pelvis. Assistance being at hand he was at once dag out, when the full extent of his injuries was*ascertained, and a cart being ktudljr ikqfc&y Mr George Barman, the sufferer wa£ conveyed to Reef ton. On the way, howejer^the poor fellow died.

A peeliminabx inquiry was held in the Custom ftouso^Dunedin, on Saturday, before the Collijpr of Customs andCapt. Thomson, concerning Wm. Taylor, who met his dreatil to falling from the mast of the Easterhill when on her voyage to that port. 3#aM#ip<*< master of the Easterhill, defOjifdgtfrt, the lad in his fall struck the tjo^Jugja, ,ani must hare been killed before Tfacliing the water, as the body abnk^aiejjfT'P 1 There was no use in thiiWitfJfr a^Oiife-buoy or bringing the ship to. A^lteerage passenger named Hill said h»,jMttcb«d the body for five or 10 minutes +»& did not see it sink; nothing wan 4qj# on board to pick it up. One of the seamen jumped overboard and nearly reached the fjody, but he was quite;, done up when Be got back. Henry Bur* nett, a passerifter, »aid'that lie bettered the lad was killed by the fall. The inqairy wu adjourned till Monday.

The annexation of ; England by' the United State* is, in the opinion of the New York iKen^d, a question of time. England's trade is departing; her commercial supremacy is threatened .from hall-a-dozen quarters; her manufacturers maintain themselves in foreign markets largely by turning out shoddy products ; her finances! are threatened with disorder; her people are over-taxed; her armaments are too costly jjf^yen her wealth; she is too deeply mortgaged tb keep up her style of liVinf ;'Vnd there is but one way to Bare her, and that is annexation to the United State*. Mr Gladstone, the New York Heraldjipj^jjnj?s_JhJnlks, is be■gTnuing"^imly to see this. TheTifiafiJ&r of democratic ideas, in England also leads to this conclusion and none other. The New York Herald is not certain that the American people, who have rejected Cuba and will not have' Mexico, would consent to receive England into their communion of States—the advantage would be so greatly on the tide of the Old Country. But there is no doubt that Mr Evarts would readily correspond with Lord Beaconsfield on the subject, and if necessary pave the way with his accustomed urbanity for Ehgjand to knock at the doors of Congress for admission to the Union. There she would be safe ; and in these troublesome times it is a good deal to be merely safe.

The Marquis of Lome is suffering expatriation as the penalty of being allied to royalty. In a letter from a friend well up in London gossip (says "Atticus'')l am told that the Marquis was desirous of leaving England on account of his little differences with his wife's eldest brother. The Prince of Wales, with all his good nature, is a stickler for court etiquette, and on. one or two occasions has protested against his brother-in-law partaking of the privileges of royalty, even if limited to the use of particular doors and staircases. The Marquis resented the distinction drawn between the position of himself and his wife, and the Earl of Beaconsfield, acting upon a hint received from high quarters, afforded him the means of making an honourable escape from the snubbings to which he was continually being subjected.

An exploit of a peculiar character (says an English paper) is reported in the last number of au Italian military paper. Qa the morning of the 3rd inst. a party of officers, consisting of a captain and eight lieutenants of theSth Begitnent of Cavalry left Milan at three o'clock to ride 310 miles in five days. Starting from Milan they were to ride on the first day through Bergamo to Rovato; on the 4th, from Rovato, through Brescia* toYerona; on the sth, from Verona, through Mantua,; to Modena; on the 6th, from Modena, through Reggio and Parma, to Piaoenza ; and on the 7th, to return to Milan through Pavia. The horses ridden were** the chargers of the officers, and were not of any particular breed; neither had they boen trained in any way for the journey, the object in view in undertaking the

expedition being simply to ascertain what an ordinary horse might be expected to achieve, in case of emergency in actual warfare. Of the nine officers who left Milan seven arrived on the sth at Mantua at half-past ten in the forenoon, and left at 11.30 a.m. for Modena, but on the 7th three only reached Milan, arriving in the town about half an hour before midnight, having therefore ridden the 310 miles in 108 hours.