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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3153, 27 March 1879, Page 2

The packages of drapery which we noticed as appearing in the manifest of the Star of the North, consigned to our enter* prising townsman, Mr Marshall, have reached here, and by an advertisement Mr Marshall announces he is opening the same at his establishments in Albert and Pollen streets.

The County Council call for tenders for a number of road works on the Tapu, Eatikati, Puke-Paeroa and Ohinemuri roads in another column.

A bestaubant has been opened at the Tairua sawmill with sleeping accommodation for thirty persons.

A cokbespondent whose letter is too personal for insertion, writes complaining of the rumored attention of Government to appoint a number of our citizens to the Commission of the Peace. He mentions the name of a brother of a workingman, a learned doctor of .the law, a pro-^ minent mine proprietor, and others, as likely to be gazettjd J's.P., and calls for the Mayor and GounLy Chairman to represent to the Government that as he puts it, " We have enough cf that class of J's.P. in our midst."

This evening a presentation by the mining community of the Thames will be made to Mr D. Eeid at the Governor Bowen Hotel. The presentation will consist cf a handsome silver hunting watch, gold albert and gold mounted penoant, manufactured at the establishment of Mr J. Finlay, Williamson street. The albert is a moat received specimen of the jeweller's art. The wafch bears this inscription overthe date—" Presented to David Eeid by;the mining community of the Thames/ 5

Ma J. P. Hydes' company played a very successful season at Gisborne, and have gone on to Napier. •-■--.■ >

On the 19th instant, at Gisborne, the thermometer stood at 12£degs. Between the sun, the fires, and the want of water, Gisborne must be a pretty hot place.

The number of letters in the Bible stands as follows:—Old Testament, 2,728,1C0; New Testament, 838,380; Apocrypha, 152.155 ; tota\ 3 718,665, excluding the Apocrypha, 3,566,480. The number of acres in Yorkshire exceeds the former total by 110,621, and the latter total by 262,806.—Australasian.

In the conversational 'talk/ about town we have sevsrdi times heard it asked, " Why couldn't we have an athletic, .club here ? " We take this opportunity of answering the question. An athletic club could be inaugurated here with little trouble and less expense. All that requires to be done is that someone should take the initiative, and we are certain r. large number of the young men in tho community would join it. TheAucklani Athletic Clubs started a' year or two back have been exceedingly successful, as a local one would be if it were properly managed. Will anyone take this in hand?

A SENBATioNAirstory of love, devotion^ and attempted murder comes from Sydney. It appears that a few weeks ago a dark, handsome girl, who gave the name of Mrs Eoberts, took apartments in Eaglan street, Waterloo. A gentleman who passed asf her husband joined her. They had not been occupying the house long when it was noticed that a Mr Kelly sometimes visited them, and his visits were generally attended with high words. One Monday after the'usual altercation, Kelly produced a double-barrelled pistol, and aimed it at Eoberts. Mrs Eoberts flung herself between the two men, and received the charge in her shoulder. Examination by a doctor disclosed the fact that the pistol was loaded with corn—not shot, and the devoted girl was not seriously injured. A preliminary examination in-the Police Court revealed the fact that the handsome Mrs Eoberis was a barmaid, her real name being Mary Seymour. She is said to be well-educated, and very respectably connected. The real name of Eoberts is Walter H. Cooper, and he lias a wife and sis children. The wife is said to be also dark and very handsome. He deserted her at Manly, when she took up her abode with her mother. Kelly was a brother of Mrs Cooper, and as he could not induce her husband to leave Miss Seymour, he determined to be revenged. Kel!y seems to be possesed of a grim sort of humour, for after firing at Cooper he explained that he " only wanted to corn his (Cooper's) beef," and that was the reason he did not put shot into the pistol. —Star.

TTndee the sensational heading of " Mysterious disappearance of Mr J. L. Byers, the actor," our contemporary in Tuesday morning's issue relates how Mr J. L. Byers was in a depressed state of mind through the limited success he had met with; how he somewhat mysteriously left his lodgings at the Governor Bowen, telling his wife it was his intention to take a walk round the block; how he was missing for two days, and was fortanately discovered on Tuesday evening at Tararu, having prolonged his walk from " the block " to the Hastings track. We wonder who it was that so shamefully gulled our contemporary, whose perceptiveness must have been considerably dormant when he penned that article! It is perfectly true that the " star " was absent from the wife of his bosom for two days, but instead of takir * a constitutional along the Tapu road, he was engaged in amusing himself with a game that the heathen Chinee did not understand, not one hundred miles from the Bowen.

A few days ago we stated some of the circumstances connected with a native difficulty afc the Northern Wairoa, and, as the matter has been settled so far, we may now state what has been done. Severe! years ago, some forests in the Northern Wairoa were leased by the chief Tirarau to the owners of the Te Kopuru Saw Mills, now in the possesaion of Messrs Brown, Campbell and Co. Up till lately no trees have been cut in these forests except kauri, but timber is now valuable, and the white pine is laid under contribution. The natives deny that they ever mean to give leave to cut anything else but kauri", and, hearing that the kaihikatea was being taken, Tairarau sent two young men to the manager of the mill to

lod^e a protest. This they did, but the manager received them with dire threats of catting off heads, and s > on. The messengers returned to Tirarau, who was hoi-rified and indignant at the threats used, and sent the young men b.ick again with instructions to pull up a; portion of the tramway leading from the bush. This they did, and while they were engaged at the work of destruction a party of bushmen appeared, and a struggle took place ; the natives having, it is said, the clotlies torn off their backs. This, however, was, probably, an easy matter, and certainly it wquld involve no great pecuniary damage. '• Tirarau was furioua on hearing of the affair,, and having mustered a party, he armed them with muskets, and sent them to the scene of contest with instructions to destroy a good bit of the tramway. They were not to assault anybody, nor were they to fire the firs!; shot, but they were to defend themselves if attacked. The bushmen. however, did not attempt to interfere with the natives. An information was, however, tiken out against one of them, and a warrant was signed by a justice of the pesje. The policeman went to serve it, armed with a revolver,

but Tutuwake, the man "wanted," was

absent from the settlement. Some doubts arose as 1:o the legality of the wairant, and as no less authority than Mr Justice Gillies was at hand, while on a holiday tour, he was consulted, and, without ,charging any fee, he said the warrant was worthless, as it must be signed by a Resident Magistrate. The deed of lease of the forest simply conveys " the trees," but the natives allege that by this phrase kauri trees only were meant, as it never was contemplated then that the other trees would be worth cut ing. However, the matter is settled in the meantime by an agreement having been arrived at that nothing but kauri is to be cat till a final agreement is come to.—Herald. In Banco, Judges Williams and Johnston, at Christchurch, gave judgment in the.case of Gacen, appellant, v. Pender, defendant, affirming that billiard rooms form part of public house premises, and under the ordinance must be closed at the same lime. This is a . matter rpf interest to the Licensed Victuallers* iL ; * ./ Pkofessoe Babbett lectured at the London Institution on " the Pbonogr~pb, the Tasimeter, and the Carbon Teleph me." After a brief reference to his lecture of last Christmas, wii»n he announced that an invention bri b made of an instrument by wbi-v-i the voice would be recorded and^eprpduced by simple machinery, he proceeded to give a brief biography of- thfe inrentor, Mr Edison. Born in 1847 of humble parenfs, the schooling he had was poor and fragluentary; but, as in the casa of the illustrious Faraday, ' hi* real education began when his "boyhood ended. At twelve years of age he had io earn his bread by selling newspapers in the cars of trains. In the corner of a luggage van he arranged a small chemical laboratory, where he made experitnetits during the transit .of the car from town to town. He obtained a printing press, and started a diminutive weekly newspaper, the Grand Trunk Herald, printed ia the train itself. West, before he was twenty, he entered a telegraph office, and not only made himself an expert telegraphist, but was able repair and improve the instruments in daily use. He afterwards was employed by the Western Union Company as their " professional inventor." Though not yet thirty-two yea .'s of age he is said to have taken out 300 patents, but it tntist be remembered that by the American patent laws one invention alone has bsen known to have been secured by no fewer than forty-six patents. The public might suppose that Edison invented with facility; but the fact 's that all his inventions are the offspring of incessant work, profound technical knowledge, and ready resource. —Times.

Gbeat activity is being displayed by the contractor for the Exhibition buildings in Carlton Gardens, all the foundations having now been laid, with the exception of the south-west angle, whera the excavations are of greater depth, in order to provide for the cellerage in that part of the building. The bricklayers are already at work on the eastern front of the main hall. The substitution of brickwork for wood in the dome will necessitate the foundations being considerably increased, but no delay is likely to be caused in the other parts of the building. Mr Sangster has a Jarge staff of gardeners constantly engaged, and the work of improvement is proceeding apace. No proper system of irrigation has ever existed in Carlton Gardens, but action is to be taken that will ensure a full and permanent supply of water in the Exhibition grounds. Owing to the deficiency hitherto existing, tbe work of tvenching, &c, has been considerably retarded, but this drawback will not be experienced much longer. In connection with the general management, it may be stated that applications for space and assurances of support are bf ing received daily, the American manufacturers especially evincing great interest in the forthcoming Exhibition. There will be in all a splendid dis lay from the United States ; and, judging by an extract from the British Trade Journal of January .Ist, the spirit of competition is likely to be keenly aroused in Great Britain.—Australasian.

Ox>.e of the San Francisco papers gives an account of a new industry that has arisen in that city, namely, the manufacture of hens' eggs from inexpensive materials. The albumen is imitated by a mixture of sulphur, carbon, md fatty matter obtained from the slaughterhouses, and rendered sticky with mucilage. The yolk is made of blood, phosphate of lime, magnesia, muviate of ammonia, oleic and magaric acids, and colored with chrome yellow. The shells are shaped by a blowpipe irom a mass of gypsum (plaster of Paris), carbonate of lime, and oxide of iron. After the shells are blown the albumen is forced in through a hole in the small end, and sticks to the sides ; then the yolk is added, and after being covered with more of the albumen mixture, the whole is sealed with cement; the complete egg is then " rubbed pretty smooth and laid aside for packing." It is asserted that many barrels of these eggs hare already been shipped eastward for consumption; and as a pleasing adjunct to meat from the " slink butcher," they will no doubt be gratefully welcomed by British housekeepers in search of " cheap and nutritious " food. A Tasmanian telegram says: The Mount Arthur goldfields are attracting considerable attention. The miners are making £Z to £10 per week. All alluvial. No reefs have been discovered yet. The diggings are about 28 miles from Launceston.

In accordar-e with orders necessitated by the fact of the KeJly's being at large, Mr Moffitt, of.the Bank of New South TV ales, Albuiy, (says the Border Post) had a loaded revolver lying ready for use in a draper of his desk at the bank. On opening tho drawer the revolver accidentally fell, and the contact with Ibe ground caused the hammer to fall and the pistol to go off. The bullet went clean through the calf of one leg, about half way between heel and knee, and the other leg being in the direct line of fire, it struck it with sufficient force to make its way through the oioth of Mr Moffitt's trousers. After impact with the other limb, the bullet travelled upwards all along the leg, and a&ain tearing through the c'.oth, finally stopped its course without farther injury. The wound caused a great loss of biood, but no bones are broken, and the accident will merely entail rest for about a month.

This is the strpin indulged in by the Australasian when speaking of Sir Bryan O'Loghlen and the Government policy in Victoria:—The ma'igdant and dishonest policy of Sir Bryan\O'Lo«lilen in withholding news that is public property from the leading journal, upon which the Government is at the time almost wholly dependent for its information, has been further pursued this week, and specially in reference to the opinion of Mr Higinbotham regarding the return of the writ in the West Bourke election case. It is. noticeable that the infamous ring who now administer public affairs in this Colony, while g.'uliiy'ng their passions and their revenge, always take care to make their doing so compatible with the ends of bribery--and corruption. In the present caie, for instance, it is not only the miserably petty malice of Sir B. O'Logblen that is expressed in tae refusal of news. It is also made a means of giving state assistance to the i ireling organ of the Government, which gets telegrams and despatches which are public property, and which pre denied to journals of higher class and greater influence. While aiming an impotent- blow at an enemy, Sir Bryan takes care ."to put money in the pocket of a dependent. The ruliDg principle of the Ministry is ihat everything tr,at is pub-ic. property is at their unrei stricted disposal for party uses, and they | givie effect to this, quite indicFerect whether the property so applied is a £10 : telegram, or ; a state railway system ; or a | loan of five millions of money.

The Wellington Post observes that although it is semi-ofiLciolly announced that ! the Land Tax ifill realise tl 3 sum which | the Treasurer estimated it wculd yield, it •must'nevertheless! be admitted that the I new experiment in taxation is a failure. The. expense of collection is out of all proportion to the amount collected. If £90,C03 goes into the T.'ea.ury as the result of tae tax, the amount takei out of ■the pockets of tho taxpayers is enormously greater. The difference between ■the two amounts represents'ai actual loss to the public. The £9OjOCO of revenue has been acquired at a terribly expensive iCost. The chprges of collection amount to a Ruinous rate of interest on the amount of money obtained. No doubt, however, a krge mass of rateable information Ms been collected under the Land Tax Act, which may be utilised for purposes of taxation and legislation oatside the four corners of the present Act altogether.