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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3315, 6 August 1879, Page 2

The Secretary of the Naval Brigade has received word of the arrival of a consignment of brass instruments for the band 6f that fine corps. The instruments are cornets and fugle horns, which have been very much required.^ New music is received every month.

The monthly meeting of the Water Supply Committee, to have been held last night, lapsed for want of a quorum. .

Wj would again remind our readers of the pedestrian exhibition at the Academy of Music thia evening.

The steamer built for Messrs Moore and Snowling by Y. Savage was launched last evening at 9 o'clock, ixx the presence of a large concourse of people. The little vessel was christened in orthodox style by Mrs Moore, who named her the Vivid. Site is intended for the' river trade, and will be a creditable addition to the fleet of river steamers. Her dimensions are: Length, 55 feet; beam, 12 feet; depth of hold, 5 feet; and she will be able to carry about 49 tons of cargo in the hold. The engines and boilers were manufactured by Messrs A. and G. Price, in the well known workmanlike style of that firm.

It is reported that Ned Kelly is recovering from severe illness, thus accounting for the long silence of the gang.

We hear that the Victoria Loftus Blondes will visit the Thames next week. ,

A special meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Rifle Association was held last evening. As a majority of the members of the Council are members of the Assembly, and there is a proba^ bitity of their being absent on Monday next, owing to the proposed dissolution, it was decided that the meeting should adjourn until the meeting of the new Parliament. The balance-sheet and report showed a satisfactory state of the Association. It was also decided that the programme for the next firing at Nelson should be published three months before the date of meeting. , ' . ■

Tee Land [Revenue receipts for the year ending the 30th June. 1879, show the total lands sales at £737,694. Depasturing, licenses, and nssessment, £92,000; rents and miscellaneous, £40,035; total, £869,729.

Me Hunteb will again contest the City of Wellington, and Mr Devin, in all probability, will run on the same ticket.

At the; B.M. Court this morning two persons named William Avery and Jane Kennedy, patients of the Thames Goldfields Hospital, were charged on suspicion of being of unsound mind, and committed to the Lunatic i Asylum by the E.M., on the testimony of Drs Gilbert and Payne, ,

Gaptaih CqtBECK has definitely determined to come forward as a supporter of a combined Auckland party, under Sir George Grey, for the electoral district of Marsden, on Seymour George resigning in his favor, and contesting Kodney.

The publicans in Te Aro and of the town of Wellington; held a meeting yesterday, and resolved to abide by the resotion passed by the Licensed Victuallers' Association. In all probability the price of beer will not be lowered.

The Government will shortly send another body of Constabulary to further strengthen the military posts on the West Coast. In fact, there are more Constabulary at Mount Cook than there is sleeping accommodation for. Another building for stores and war material* will also bo erected at some point in the disturbed line not yet determined on.

The ship Napier brings to Dunedin 271 immigrants, who will be open for engage* ment to day. The streets of the city a>e already crowded with unemployed workmen, and there is a great deal, of distress prevalent, although the sufferers are hot demonstrative.

It was rumored in town town to-day that. Sir George Grey will not stand for the Thames, as he intends to run for Dunedin, or one of the large southern constituencies, for which purpose he will "stump" squatterdom. We have, however, good reason to believe that it is the Premier's intention to stand for the Thames, though the exigencies of the situation, may probably before the election, necessitate his contesting some other seat.

Owing to there being a considerable; leakage in some of the steam pipes at the pump a stoppage took place to-day for the purpose of having the defects rectified.

In spite of Mother Shipton's arid Enoch's prophecies an astronomical writer says : There will be no catastrophe. iv 1881. The conjunction of the four great planets at perihelion is not going to take place. It is an idle scare. It is true that the longitude of the perihelion of three of these planets will bring them somewhat near each other. Jupiter will be in perihelion, I think, about 1881. Saturn will be in conjunction near that time, and Neptune will not be dear enough to help any mischief that may be feared; while the. position of the Uranus in the heavens in ISBI will be about 148deg. B.A. Every hundred years we have five conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn, and always have had—without the least damage thus far. Being in conjunction so near to Jupiter's perihelion may possibly produce higher tides than usual—as Jupiter's position will be 23,000,000 of miles nearer the sun and the earth than he is at this mean distance. Let us not delude ourselves, nor be frightened by ohimeras.

Considbbabib interest must be taken in Municipal matters in the far South, judging from a recent Mayoral contest for North Inveroargill. The result of the Soil was a tie, and the Returning officer, eing prohibited from giving a vote, a second election bad to be held "tossing for it" not being thought the correct thing. . ;

The member for Geraldine is thus pulled to pieces by a contemporary:— " Mr Wakefield is, in truth, an ass disguised in a lion's skin; He has had to abase himself in the very dust oftener than any man in New Zealand. Mr Wakefield is a vegetarian, he lives upon "leeks," and has swallowed more of them than would sicken an ostrich.

The Wellington Post has started a "Ladies' column," in which household recipes are given, contributions being requested. One fair correspondent sends a recipe for making sweet biscuits, accompanied by a sample. The editor thereupon, remarks " that the lady in question evidently has a proper appreciation of the responsible duties of an editor."

Atebbiblk tragedy in the villiage of Goodward Park, Sydney, has occured. Charles Harvey, a young man, had been paying attention for some months to Emma Wildy, an intelligent, amiable, prepossessing girl, who was engaged as servant to Mrs Weller. On the afternoon of July 4, the mistress left her house, and the servant was reading in the kitchen. Harvey (it is believed Mrs Weller's nephew had prejudicted the girl against him) entered the kitchen, and fractured her skull in four places with a poker, and then went into the yard and tied a bucketful of bricks around his neck, and jumped into the well, and was drowned. Mrs Weller's father, an old gentleman of ninety, hearing the screams, went into the kitchen, just in time to see the girl die and the murderer flying from the room.

A Gazette supplement at Wellington states that the following justices of the peace have been appointed:—Wm. Judea, and William Murray. Mr H.Diver- has' been appointed surgeon; H Kenrick, Esq., is appointed Licensing Officer for Ohinemuri and Tairua Goldfields; W. A. Barton appointed Clerk to the R.M. Court and Warden's Court, Kurnara; P. A. F. Birch, appointed Registrar of the Supreme Court of Napier, and. Clerk of District Court; C. S. Beeves, appointed member of the Otago Land Board; Bey. James Greenholtz appointed officiating minister of the Roman Catholic Church.

A Duhbdiit telegram of yesterday says:—At Fairfax, Alice Groves, 16 months old, was choked by a piece of bread.—Misapplications from Otago have been received to date for space for exhibition at Sydney.—-Objectors to the Land Tax Assessment were heard by Mr Watt, at Port Chalmers, to-day. Three objections were sustained.—The Assess* ment Court will sit at Duneiin tomorrow.

Accobdikg to the latest betting quota* tions lie Loup, Petrea, South Hamilton, Roland, and Fishhook are favorites for the Melbourne Cup. Chester, Bosworth, Woodland, and Wellington are quoted at 100 to 3 against. There are a larger number of entries for the Cup this year than on any previous occasion. :

Tub New York Herald gives an account of a most unusual and exciting scene on one of the wharfs of that city recently. It geems that British agents have been down in Missouri and Kentucky buying mules for the services of our forces engaged in the Zulu war. Five hundred of these animals were embarked on board the Ontario for the Cape, having been brought to New York under the charge* of. 20 young men, some of whom had suffered considerably from the proverbial "cussedness" of their charges. It is added that " remarkably few injuries" were sustained by the men putting them on board the vessel; and by the time the Ontario has completed her 35 days' voyage, it is to be hoped, for the sake of pur troops, that the playful characteristics of equo-asinine animals will be somewhat moderated.

Thk Sydney Exhibition building is progressing most satisfactorily. The interior decorations on the ground floor are nearly completed, • the machinery-hall will be finished on the Ist September, the sheep sheds and other buildings for the pastoral exhibits have been commenced, the fencing round that portion of, the Domain set asfide for Exhibition purposes is nearly completed, and the ornamental pleasure grounds are in an advanced state. The site for the orchestra and choir has been' selected in the building by the colonial architect and musical director, and the grand organ purchased by the commissioners in London arrived per Lusitania, and will be built forthwith. Advices by the mail show that extraordinary interest is taken in the Exhibition in all parts of Europe and America. The British Trade Journal contains a list of about 800 exhibitors, and describes many of the prominent exhibits, illustrating them with woodcuts. About 700 works of art are expected to arrive per Garonne, wljicb/is due here early in August. It if

hoped that the "Victorian and Queensland courts will be handed orer to the respective commissions early next month. Post-captain Mathieu, the French executive commissioner, arid staff left France in a man-of-war on 28th June. Herr Victor Sohonber^, the Austrian Royal commissioner left' Trieste in the corvette Heligoland on 11th May, direct for Sydney, and is expected daily. M. Van Schelle, the executive commissioner for Belgium, arrived this day, per Lusitania, and the ship has 370 tons,of packages, being the first portion of the Belgian exhibits. A large consignment of German exhibits arrived yesterday per ship Saturnus. Advices have been received of 178 packages of Italian exhibits to arrive by the ship Ben Voirlioh,—Australasian.