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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3217, 11 June 1879, Page 2

We have been requested to call attention to the wilful destruction byvspmef person to the property of the HarborBoard. It' seems the buoys placed by the Harbormaster for the guidance of seamen are continually being injured by having holes driven in them, which causes them to sink under water, thereby destroying their utility, and causing expense and | annoyance to the Harbor Board. Anyone i convicted of such an offence could be I severely punished, and steps have been ] taken by the Board to keep a watch i for persons disposed to do such uncalled for and mischievous trioks We can scarcely understand men who labor in the great deep* being guilty of such an offonce, for they% should well known that great damage might be sustained by vessels for want oft pueh marks. The ladder used on the wharf in lighting the lamps has also disappcarecUmnd this for the second or third time. The police authorities have been communicalflgl with, and some of the delinquents mayjkfind, themselves before the titsident Magistrate one of these fine frosty mornings;*,

Atelegeam frbm Cambridge say«:-^ "The natives here are Very bounceable.' 'A 1 settler at Heartt's' Hotel, called for a glasß of beer, and immediately it was put on the counter a native seized and drank it. A second tnd third were called for with like result. The European was exasperated, and let" the Maori hare it i straight from the shoulder, but was set | upon by a number of natives, and, but that he escaped upstairs, would have been] severely handled."

Taubanga ia going ahead^ They are building a new hotel .with 40 rooms there. At the inquest on tho remains of the illegitimate child of Mrs Hart, held yesterday in Auckland, the jury returned ra verdict of "overlaid by misadventure, and found dead in bed." ■ TIiEEE was a moderate houso at the Victoria Varieties Entertainment , last evening. The programmo was carried out faithfully and merited the signs'of approval bestowed by the audience. Misr Baymdnd takes a benefit on Friday night. A queer passage appears in the Rev. J. Buller's book, "40, years in New Zealand." It is as follow*:—" Special settlements continue to be formed —such as Mr Vasey (sic) Stewart's and Mr Broomhall's in the North."

A Southebh paper rito pei-eat^ thusly : •—■'' The fact is, however, that so far as canbo seen, the Native department is no better, than a seat of officialj coruuptuHn thinly< veiled- srith a halo of mysterious i humbug.'* •; But? then what, do i; the 'Southern jpapersiknqw of the,iiNative JDepartment or mode «Pidpalhie^ith the H native difficulty;- We have'-ibeen-imuch amused it reading -the diabolically wide. of-the-mark leaders on Maori matters in Southern exchanges recently. < '

The Manawatu Herald thus illustrates the acuteness of a certain Maori named Kawana Hunia, when under crossexamination by the Besident Magistrate: —Mr Ward briefly cross-examined, him with a view to ascertain the extent of the damage done to the tent; After Hunia had stated his " old woman " had mended it, the Magistrate asked, "Is it noli all right now ? " Hunia replied in the style of the Irish applewoman, by asking, *' If .your "hirt was torn, and you had }t mended, would you consider it as good as it was before ? " Of course the argument of Kawana was unanswerable. ) The following is the Maori cure for diarrhoea and dysentry :—Take, say, a handful of leaf buds of a common shrub known ai koromiko, kokomuka, or kongo* romiko, and boil for half an hour in a quart saucepan; strain off and set to cool; when cold, take' two or three' wineglasses at intervals during the day.

LopD Beaconsfield's diet if described by the Albany Sunday Press, which tells ns that the Premier's chief sustenance is champagne jelly, which he uses three times a day, and each repast of which costs something like three guineas. The restorative qualities of this nutriment, are very great, »»4 to a man of the Premier's sad and meditative temperament and feeble physique must be, invaluable. If this is true, and the price of this invaluable jelly is as great as alleged, it costs the Premier £3449 5s per annum to diet himself.'

Thb Paris correspondent of jthe Standard says the Radical Town Councillors of Paris are again amusing themselves at the cost and trouble of the inhabitants. They hare drawn up a further list of streets and avenues which happen to bear Bonapartists names, and to which they propose to giro Republican titles. Thus, for example, the Sue St. Arnaud is to be called the Rue Lincoln, the Rue Abbatucci is to be changed into the Rue Washington, the Arenue Josephine into the Avenue Marceau, and so on. Some score or more well-known thoroughfares are to be submitted to the childish sensitiveness of these immaculate reformers. If the Town Council go on at this rate Paris will not know herself soon. The inconvenience and confusion caused to daily life by such petty political rancour need not be pointed'out to anybody save to the Councillors themselves, who appear to be blind to all common - sense ,and reason. >

The proprietor of the Empire Hotel, Wellington, has reduced the price of beer and spirit* sold over one of his bars 33 per cent. This is an innovation of 1 the publican's business here. ' The Fall Mall Gazette has long seen through the flimsy absurdities perpet a ted by Lords Bcaconsfield and' Salisbury at Berlin. It says that the Ministerial apologists are " dulling the senses of the country by smooth pretenses and smoothing lies," that Government mores only as " the ox moves when it is being driven to market," and that Ministers are being dragged hopelessly forward " in concurrence with plots, in condonation of the treacheries "and in'advancement to;the traps of our enemies." Most people are looking forward —the Liberals with 1 delight, the Consemtires with terror—to a collapse of the Tory Cabinet. Parliament has. reopened in a cross humour. liOrd Beaconsfield has had no good luck since the year began. Every thing, has gone wrong in all parts of the world, and his Government' is perishing beneath a .weight of disasters, brought on by his crazy policj of " imbecility at home and bullying abroad " (as Mr Bright puts, it). Jingoism is,.bringing forth its fruit, and the Jingoes are dismayed. They have sown the wind and are beginning to to reap the whirlwind. Nothing is

turning out well, and in every direction we find some fresh evidence of folly. Tbo most rabid of ibo Government journals are beginning to admit that prospects are not bo healthy as could be wished, and that Ministers are losing the confidence of the nation.—Star's Home Letter.

The Herald, commenting on the remarks made by Bewi at Orafcei, says:— In the speech delivered at the pleasant native gathering at Orakei yesterday, Bewi defined his position more clearly, than he has as yet done, at least according to European notions. He referred/to his former identification with the Sing party, to his having become convinced that that movement; was a failure, and could not be made the means for preserving and improving the Maori race, and to his having now came to seek what he ca)fs a '■' new revelation." He is somewhat afraid of the responsibility which rests upon him, saying that too much must not be expected from one who has jtist emerged from the bush. He indeed,; puts the matter in vory practical shape when, ho says that things have to be so ordered that "the 1 European may acquire land for '^hil l money, and the. Maori money for his land. _He refers to a matter of importance when he \ fiiiys7:<«lltis'the.selling of liud by people ! who have no title that tiflsalwaya been tjbe '-Mm* of f trouble/*; l The s Kingitjes tiav^thetnselTes "!n&ch- l^blaine, as for the most part' they havei deplined jto recognise ;our ; Courts. ?, Readers• will; qb-:* serve, also, that Kewi places stress upon > the; ppint^hat he .was actiing for Tawhiao, and not against him. : >He says :t--" Now let us all endeavor to see ttomeOlway >ottt ofthis difficulty foriTawbiao." All the', other syeakers concurred' with this vie'Wi- When; Jtewi f fettles with the Governor and {^mierV'a tery^siirbng pressure will f thejii .brought/ to bear upon Tawhiap and; s:tb^e|,immißdjlately around him, who wjll^'piMbj&ably be' dis-r Jbied & accept ,frop lia|||(i r!%fiat tb!eywbutd not have looked at .from ii. \ At at Licensing Court held it ItivWton an application Was made for" a liiDenie for the Caledonian Hotel. The chairman said the home had' been visited Comnlissiohers, and they recommend^ that the applicant shp|ild either' get fa good house-keeper or a wife io look after the house, 1 and he Was advised not to again come before the Court unlessr his hoAse was improved, and one or other of the recommendations fulfilled. ! '.';■'

A scene occured outside the Theatre just before the doors opened, the aotor being one of the tars belongiag to H.MIS. Emerald who had evidently been enjoying himself ashore. Jack was reading the large placard announcing that the Opera would 1 take place, add he made; it out as being H.M.S. Pianoforte, and he emphatically assured the bystanders that there was no such ship in H.M.S. Navy, and that it must'be some pirate. He iwore he would go for the Captain and her crew. He was told that if he wished to see the captain, he would have to pay an entrance fee.—Star.

The Marquis of Lome is just ex* periencing his first difficulty as Governor* General of India. ' Last year the Lieut.Governor of Quebec, M. Letellier, dismissed his Prime Minister, M.' Deboucher, and his colleagues. The step was considered unconstitutional, and the Canadian Priry Council which is Tirtually the General Government of " Canada, recommended the dismissal of the Governor. Lord Lome has declined to ratify the suggestion of his Ministers, and on Friday, April 4, Sir John Maedonald informed the Parliament that . the Viceroy had referred the matter to the Home Government. The position is exceedingly critical. If Sir Michael Hicks-Beach endorses the recommendation of Lord Lome's Ministers, then Lord Lome will hare to be reprimanded. If, on the other hand, the Colonial Secretary supports the policy 6f the Queen's son-in-law, then it soems certain that Sir John Macdonald's Gtveiament/although it commands an overwhelming majority, will resign.—Home News. ' j

Amid all Ihe numerous articles and paragraphs with which the papers have been recently flooded respecting the late 'Princess Alice, I' hare nowhere seen recorded the curious fact that she was married to Prince Louise of Hesse in the dining-room of Osborne House. Yet such was the case. In consequence of the death of the Prince Consort, >tho Queen wished the marriage' to. 'be-,' 'as private as possible; so a temporary' altar ' was erected in place of the sideboard, and the royal pair were united in the apart* mcnt aforesaid. No other member of the royal family has been maided, during the ' present generation, in so retired a fashion. The Princess had, by the way, no bridesmaids. ' r . > i The great bull-stag case (says the Herald) concluded on Saturday evening, after a trial of nine days in the District Court.. The .jury found their verdict for the defendant, with £115 costs, against' the the • plaintiff. The plaintiff, Te Wheoro, said the bull was worth £50, but the defendant said it was worth at most from £4 to £5. . The jury said the bull did not belong to the plaintiff at all.' The sum of £115 only represents the costs on one side, 45133 being the costs on the .other, or a < total of £248, There were upwards of thirty witnesses examined during the hearing, of whom seven were natives. The bull was brought into the paddock at the rear of the Court for the inspection of Judge and jury. His travelling expenses from Mercer will have to be added to the costs in the ease. < i> ' „ Somewhat, less than a hundred years ago there lived in an ancient town a parish minister who was well known for his strictly frugal habits., Having occasion to erect a wooden fence round his garden ground, he engaged two young lads for the purpose, lie himself assuming the double duty of master of works and asaistant'labouror. While one of the youths' was hammering away, the minister bent himself to' keep the erection iteady; but in the course of putting the rails together, the lad broke off one or two nails in driving them home. Angry at what he deemed such waste of property, the gruff voice of the reverend gentleman was heard i in . a loud whisper administering a rebuke : " Now, there's anither of my nails lost 1 . Give me the hammer, and I'll show, you how to .drive a nail! " The youth reluctantly relinquished the tool to : his superior,!who, aiming a blow which would at once have driven any nail to the head,, brought .the 1 hammer down in full force,, upon his,, thumb! Seeing the. unfortunate, smash', the young man sympathising!/ remarked, " IS 00, there's anither o' yer nails lostl gie me the hammer——/' but the senteno*

was cut short, as a motion made by the suffering minister's boot suggested to the boy he had better remove to another locality, which he did with great rapidity.