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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3215, 9 June 1879, Page 2

The speech of Sir William Harcourfc, M.F., on 10th April, to the Liberals: of' Sheffield strongly denounces the foreign policy of the Government. Some idea of the tenor of his remarks may be jformed from the peroration, which is as follows: —" If you are satisfied with the present condition of public affairs, you will renew the lease of the Government and insure the continuance of a policy which has brought us to the state in which we find ourselves. But if the people of England desire, as I believe they do desire, a re* turn of security, tranquility, prosperity, and peace, then the voice of this great city will utter no divided,councils, but by a decisive judgment will pronounce against the system which has brought us nothing but danger, debt, disaster, distrust, disquiet, and distress. The London; Times, commenting on this remarkable speech so sparkling with epigram, sarcastically observes :—•" This alliterate summary of',,the" sins •of the Government iieeds only the addition of. ... "damp,", and Vdarknessf to make it exhaustive ■ and oomplete..; Sir William Harcourt would have no great difficulty in proving with aa much cogency as is required in addressing a popular audience, that the Ministerial policy is chargeably rwith the prevalence of bronchitis; the absence of sunshine, and the, rainy east' winds of. ; ; ths past winter/ But, looking'hearer home, we may express ;the hope that pur^own Government will continue to show a bold, though cautious front in the present crisis of native affairs, so that it may not fall to the lot of a future New Zealand Harcourt to denounce our native policy as inscrutable, inconsistent, irresolute, imbecile, idiotic, and inglorious—terms which we fear may be applied to many acts of the past. -..■:.

THE-Victoria Varieties' Troupe, opened at the Theatre Royal on Saturday to a fair audience. The first part consisted of the performance of a portion of the dramatised version of " Uncle Tom's, Cabin." The great feature of ihe;jplay; was the acting of the; two little Misses Glover, who took the parts of Era and Topsy,,and. exhibited great precocious* ness. The gentleman who assumed the role of Uncle Tom was evidently a tyrp. The acting of Mr and Mrs Glover was very «[bbd—'the former as St. Clare, and the latier as Ophelia. In the interval several songs and dances were given. The performance concluded with " The Bonnie Fishwife/ which excited the risibilities of the audience. .: ° The cutter Lady Eath arrived here on Saturday from Tapu. She was dismasted, and the crew had the greatest difficulty in preventing her from swamping in the gale of Thursday and Friday last.

These was a clean sheet at the E.M. Court this morning.

The body of Henry G. Marler was con* veyed to the steamer Enterprise on Saturday for interment in Auckland. . A number of the friends of deceased followed the body to the steamer.

Me Gobdon Aslant, who has interested himself so much on behalf of Gleich, the Adelaide defaulter, intends to prosecute the Inspector of Police, for money and valuables found on Gleich,. when arrested.

Complaints are being made by Taranaki settlers of the inferior quality of arms supplied to them. It is understood the Government have sent Home ordering an ample supply of. arms, ammunition,, tents, and clothes.

The following is the weekly state of. sick of the Thames Goldfields Hospital from Ist to 7th .Tune, 1^79 :tt," Statistical Nosology.—Zymotic diseases-remained 3, remaining 3 ; constitutional-r-remained 1, remaining 1; local—remained 5, admitted 1, remaining 6 ; developmental—remained 2, remaining 2 ; violent—remained 5, discharged 2, remaining 3. Totals—remained 16, admitted 1, discharged 2, remaining 15 ; outpatients 24." ' '

Aftee eight adjournments the . two Italians concerned in a desperate affray (noticed in our telegraphic columns some weeks ago) in which ona of their countrymen was nearly killed, were committed for trial on Saturday. The doctor said had one wound on the abdomen been an eighth of an inch deeper it must have been fatal. "-■ '■■" •'■• ■'i:'i:'! -; :\' !v ;

The Mayor of Chris tchurch has taken / a great interest in obtaining work for the unemp o~"*"i, and we learn "by telegram that on Saturday the Mayor hoped to forward the unemployed to the Waipara section. They will be supplied with tents, tools, and possibly firing. j

By our telegi'ams it will been seen that one of the oldest and most respected Masons in the Colony has passed to his long home. Bro. Lazar, it will be remembered, came to Auckland to install Bros. F. Whitaker and George S. Graham into I their office as Provincial Grand Master;. The notice of his death, though riot unexpected, will bo deeply felt by many brethren on the Thames.

The following were the amounts of the several tenders received by the Borough for the b iam road, Mr "Butler's being accepted :—Giles Meddiffs, £150; C. F, ( Brown, £130; E. Waite, £119; A. MeLaughlan, £98 15s; J. Langford, £115 ; A. Butler, £95. ;

A landslip has damaged the County Race above Wormoll's property. It will take a week or more to repair.

We regret to learn that Mr. Samuel Cochrane, an old and respected colonist, died in Auckland 'yesterday." For many years he was an auctioneer in a large way of business in the provincial metropolis, and latterly has v represented the New Zealand: Government in the North of Ireland ;as Immigration Agenti '*"' Mr Samuel Cochrane Mackay, of this town, is a.nephew of the deceased gentleman. <

„'.;'"., JL'„,toothless, resident of this place recently went to Auckland for the purpose of getting a dentist there to supply him with a set of false teetb. He was so much pleased with the new: incisors that on returning home in the steamer hie must needs put their chewing qualities to. a practical test, and, sad to relate, soon felt sea-sick. This necessitated a rush to the side of the vessel, and onf relieving 'his surcharged stomach, his teeth dropped from his; mouth, and are now probably a matter^ ; bf ; wonderment ,to.; the, finny ...denizens of : ,th,e;.Water«'ofl Jhe'i&ulf.x-;o ;

A fire broke out on Saturday night at H. B. Morton's wholesale stores, Customhouse street, Auckland. The prem^^^ : were <jgttt'tedj''and-'the;• "■ißoiitpntlß-'-'iKartiaUJy 'destroyed/J bjit the iHiil^inj^' ;Swas not greatly damaged; The building was insured ia the South British, for, £1,000, and the stock in tlio Eoyal for £1,000- ■ . ■ The , gold laurel wreath intended; for presentation to the Earl of Beaconsfield as the" people's tribute to the Premier; may now be seen, by ticket of invitation, at Messrs. Hunt and Roskell's, 156, New Bond-street. Mr Tracy Turnerelli, with: whom 1 the idea of presenting'this wreath originated, wished it to be entirely the j gift of the working men .and women' throughout the United Kingdom, and the amount of each person's subscription was limited to one penny. The wreath, which has been executed 'by Messrs. Hunt and Roskell, is valued, cost-price/, at £220, and it will, therefore, represent the contributions of 52,803 persons. As the wreath lies on its deep crimson-, coloured velvet cushion, it ris an exceedingly beautiful object. Four branchlets of bay twisted in pairs are fastened at the thicker ends by a golden i tie. Every leaf, each stem, stalk, and. berry is a carelully-studied imitation of the part it represents, and the /aces and under-sides of the leaves being veined and worked over with a fine-pointed tool so as. to produce the appearance of the pores,' the play of light and shade on surfaces so varied is veiy great. The models"were specimens of the laurus nobilis, the sweet- ' smelling bay used by the Romans for the corona laurea. The wreath weighs rather more than 20ozs, and the gold used is 22 carat —of the same fineness as a sovereign, only the alloy in the wreath i» silver instead of copper. There are 46 leaves, and on the back of each may be seen, on turning over the wreath the names, one, two, or three oneach leaf, of the eight towns in the United Kingdom that have sent or promised contributions. As subscriptions continue to come in, it is' proposed to add a stand for the wreath, an oaken oasket, and an illuminated address, and the names of future cbntributary towns will be engraved on these.—The Times. A cobeesponpent to the Wellington Chronicle, signing himself " Twenty Shillings," says:—" The present times are evidently put of joint when bankers resortto an effort to make private detectives of their customers. At foot herewith I append a circular issued by the Colonial Bank to its clients, and which for im-' pertinent command has rarely been equalled, while the system it inaugurates is so opposad to all British ideas of honesty and fairplay, that it deserves—as it will assuredly receive—the condemnation ,of every upright business man, in, the community. It has its ..amusing side also, for the Bank , evidently forgot' to enclose ,a, ~ list of its customers to whom they had given overdrafts or discount accombda-; tion—an absolute necessity for the informant to have before he can act the spy with succeis. The directors of the Colonial Bank ought to be ashamed of, themselves.' lam sure no other body of directors would have so far forgot business prudence as to act with such unheard of meanness." The following is the circular referred to in the foregoing letter:—" The Colonial Bank of New Zealand, Wellington, 13th May, 1879.—Y0u, are req^sted to give me immediate notice of anj^solveneies, or meeting of' credito/8 of your customers when the Bank is interested, either by discounting bills or indirectly. —Yours fcithfully, R. Bbowne, pro Manager." - '

A TELEGEAM from New Plymouth says:—Professor Fraser, the phrenologist, who weal on visit to To Whiti, has returned. Te Whiti received Fraser in a friendly manner, and he felt his bumps. Mr Fraser will probably give a lecture respecting his visit.

Each day brings items of news which go to prove tLat the natives are determined to try forces with the Government, and are making preparations for the contest. A late telegram informs us that from smoke sesn in the forest it is thought that a stronghold is being constructed at the back of Parihaka, near to the mountain. The natives report that a tunnel is being driven, from Parihaka to the facs of a river at the Cliffs, as a means of retreat.

Thk latest infection that the citizens of Auckland have caught is the Kewi mania. Everybody has seen him, smelt him, or read of his doings in the papers, and a favored few have had the supreme enjoyment of shaking him by the hand. Doubtless the poor old man is bored to death with all this fuss which is undoubtedly being carried too far. Even the newspaper reporters and press' agents seem to have caught the infection, as by our telegrams to day we have the important intslligence conveyed to us that Rewi has bought a travelling eatchell at Wiseman's. All our readera vrill be so' glad to hear it, and they doubtless hope the old man will like it. Wonder if it will be patent leather or calf skin P bah!

", At the next general election," says a writer in the London Truth, "the secession of Lord Derby will tell greatly against the Conservatives, fie is the incarnation of that plain solid common sense that distinguishes Englishmen. His presence in a Cabinet is a guarantee to those who object alike to Imperial', and radical exaggeration that the business of the Government will be carried -on Bengibly and not sensationally. I trust that the jealousies of the old Liberal Cabinet hack* will not hinder his "being accorded a high place in any future Liberal combination.

;E v, Bbfoebthe ; worldis many weeks older we shall hear of a divorce suit being instituted in England that will cause no little talk and scandal in what Anglicised Frenchmen call" Le'lgh Life." The injured husband is : a peer,anot yet thirty years of age ; the respondent is several .years' younger,; and; they daughter iof ja wealthy commoner of-pld family ; andithe co-respondent is.a groom, a young fellow, of : twenty-one. Eyeryattempt has been made by the, lady*s ; (family to hush the matter up, but .without success, the husband declaring that he will not remain unable ; to marry for therest of his days. The most curious part of the story is that the now disunited couple have not been man and wife, more. than two years.— ■Tru'th.;;t" < v?ri-:ri;. l:a>.i- s'xF-A-hJ- \

Land jobbery, seems to bo done on a gigantic scale in Queenslond. The new Government seems to have ft;warm side for 1 squatters. In order to allow them to obtain at their own terms a renewal of pastrql leases from, the Crown, 4^ has put up for sale at short notice, the lease off 12,500 square mileii^-jof country. The reserve is £2 per square mile, or three farthings per acre.. This vast area of territory, as large as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which; has :.a population of four millions, and nearly equal to a seventh rof the Colony of New Zealand, will all bje disposed of in one day. The sale will take.,place,,eimultaneouslyinrseveral districts'. '"The lots will ran from 1 twenty to three hundred square miles. The short notice and the, simultaneous sale are evidently intended to 1 allow previous tenants to take it up again on their own terms.. There has been a good deaj of indignation, and a good many deputations, bat to no purpose. „ i f 1 Otrs old friend the Diorama, of the husso-Turkish War" is pursuing its career through the land, offering prizes for the best and worst conundrums as usual. In Wellington the winner of the first prize perpetrated the following :—" Why should the proprietor of the diorama be consi- < dered the strongest man in Wellington P —•Because he is able to shift large cities with ease, and frequently brings down' the house in doing so." As this was the .best, a faint idea of the quality of the worst may be easily formed.