THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 1879.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3316, 7 August 1879, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 1879.

„ As will be seen in our advertising columns, Mr 8.. J. DeLias, who deserves the thanks of the theatre-going portion of this community, will bring his latest sen'*tfttio^tli»' vTTbTorli'':XoMs'':Blbnaes~tb' the Thames for a few nights only. This company excel in burlesque and extravaganza, and have been doing a big business in Auckland for the past three weeks. |The bill of fare is most enticing, presenting, as it does, all the hew 'operettas and extravaganzas, and their " specialities " are too numerous to particularise.

There was a fair attendance at the Academy of Music last- evening to wit* Scat the walking match between O'Connor, ie champion, and George Waite, a local ped, for £5 a-side. O'Connor first walked 2 miles by himself, and , was then joined >by Waite for the last mjle, the latter receiving 68 yards start. *O'Connor slowly but Barely gained on the local man,. and had caught up to him in the first half mile, finally bating him by about ,2s. yards. The champion walked the three miles in 22mirit. SSsecs. O'Connor was proceeding to the steamer to go to Auckland today when he was met by a local gentleman who guaranteed him £10 to stop till Saturday to Walk 10| miles in IJhours, as he had been backed to do it in that time, O'Connor agreed, and this feat will be performed at the Academy of Music on Saturday evening next. , The proprietor of this journal,-now in Wellington, has arranged with the mana* gers of the Press Association to supply the latest and fullest' news from all sources, so that we will now be in a position to present our readers with news from both the Press Agency and the Press A»« sociation, he beinga subscriber to each of the newi purreymg associations. - It will be remembered that at tti« recent fire in Owen> street by which the Commercial Hotel was destroyed, the Empire Hotel was at one time in great danger of catching fire, which, however, was fortunately prevented by several volunteers led by Mi 3. Young. The, ! proprietor of the hotel, Mr MoDowell, so greatly appreciated, Mr Young's action on that occasion that yesterday he waited, on him and asked bis acceptance of a ' valuable meerschaum pipe as a memento of his services on that occasion. The Press Agency telegraphed from Wellington the following 1 items yesterday .-—The dissolution.will'probably take place on' Friday br Saturday.—The Wakatipu this afternoon took over sixty "excursionists from the South for the Bydney Exhibition; also , the Mammoth Minstrels.*—There was another earth* quake shock felt here about ten minutes after three this afternoon.—Mr Ballance has determined to contest the seat for Wanganui against Sir William Fox, the junior member. A powerful committee has been formed to secure the return of Mr Bryce and Mr Ballanoe.—Mr Snelson, the Mayor of Palmerston, will stand for Manawirta,' against. Mr Haleombe.—The committee of the Working Men's Club have presented Mr Hutchinson with a card of life membership in recognition of his services to the institution.—lt is re* ported that Andrew Young intends offering himself as a candidate for the city in the Liberal interest.—An effort is being made on behalf of the Naval Brigade' to get some boats for boat drill, and also some pieces of ordnance with, if possible, a smart little vessel fitted out as a gunboat. An Ashburton farmer named Watkins, who was prosecuted for larceny of a horse which he received from a storekeeger to shoot, bat sold instead for £3 10s, wai acquitted, by the &.M., as there was not a felonious intent. A mebxino of about 20 of the supporters of the present Government was held last evening at Invercargill to consider the political position and decide upon a candidate to be brought forward at the coming election. P. M. Firm, Esq., solicitor, was in the chair, and after some discussion Mr Feldwick, the present member, was nominated. A committee was formed to secure his return. It is stated that the proprietors of the Saturday Advertiser have commenced an action for libel against Geo. Darrell, for statements published in a " squib," en* titied Fiparo. The following are the latest Otago electioneering mems.:—Mr Thos. Dick, at one time Superintendent of*Otago, will contest; Duncdin at the forthcoming general election. He is a staunch Bible* in-School supporter. The probable can* didates for Wakatipu, are Mr Thos. Fergus, Mr W. Mason, Mr G. McCassey, Mr H. Manders, and Mr McFinn. Queenatown will support Mr Mason; the Arrow, Mr Fergus; neither Mr McFian nor Mr Manders will obtain many votes. Mr McCasiey will stand a first rate chance. Mr Barrow will oppose Mr Cutten for Taieri. Mr Seaton will not seek reelection for Caversham. Mr Bastings will not contest the seat for Waikaia at the forthcoming election. Beaumont has declared for Mr Clayton as the representative of Tuapeka. The total population of New Zealand is 414,412, distributed as follows:—-Auck-land, 82,661; Taranaki, 9463; Welling* ton, 51,069; Hawkes Bay, 15,015; Marlborough, 7557; Nelson, 25,128; Westland, 16,932; Canterbury, 91,922; Otago, 114,469 ; Chatham Islands, 196. This is exclusive of Maoris. There are 53,737 bachelors, aged 20 and upwards; and 28,071 spinsters, aged 15 years and upwards, leaving an excess of 25,666 bachelor's over; spinsters. There are 63,424 husbands and 62,609 wives, the excess of husbands over wives being 515. At least the cenius says so.

Says JEgles:—A worthy breeches maker is a candidate for shire honours in the '• Colac district. He is justly eloquent in his rigorous denunciation of amateur magistrates. He declares himself opposed to the latter system ''on account •of the lamentable exhibition daily paraded before oar eyes of men oevupying the position of justices of peace who are unable to interpret the law io its simplest form,- and who are hot fitted by nature or education to be the upholders of a loi'ty tribunal, or, the administrators of justice. The accession of any new Government to power floods the country with nonentities, who ire consequently

endowed with magisterial functions for the time being, while the law of the land is thus dragged into the dirt and justice evaded. For the truth and illustration of the above, we have only on any occasion to visit the Colac Police Court." It is impossible to withhold concurrence with such _views as these, speaking generally and without special knowledge of the particular sins of the Colac Bench. But really this candidate undertakes a good deal when he offers advice gratis to everybody. : —-" If elected, as I am confident I shall, be, I shall on all occasions be happy to be waited on by my friends to give. them advice." Certainly the article he offers is inexpensive to the giver, and probably of little value to the seekers who may wait upon this modern oracle.

A labgb meteor which has fallen in Emmet County Java, has excited much interest amongst scientific men. It appeared to those,who observed it, to pass from north-west to south-west, and left a track of smoke not unlike a fuse shell, only a great deal, more. The report was distinctly heard here as well at points further east. The shock of the missile striking the: ground could be easily felt at this distance. It tore a> hole in the ground twelve feet across at the surface, and threw sods as large as a man's body ,aXdistance.of ten rods. A number of men set to work digging after the, meteor, and found it buried fifteen feet below kbe surface, ten feet of which was hard clay. The largest piece taken out weighed 431 pounds, and there were a number of smaller pieces. Those who saw it strike' say it! exploded in the ground. It consists of meteoric iron very dense, and thought by some to contajn silver ore. It has a ragged outside, covered with a whitish substance which can be tßken off, leaving the' hard metal. : It is a curious fact that the •vent; is likely to give rise to a lawsuit. The two large specimens—-one weighing 431 pounds' and the other 150 pounds—are supposed to be in the hands of the parties who dug them from the earth, and who are now engaged in the incipient stages of litigation With the owners of the lands for their pessession. Professor Heinrich of lowa University visited the spot, and it was even with difficulty that be gained sight of the monster. Professor i>Thompson saw the 160 pound specimen, bat the larger one was hid away,; merely to gratify avaricious partiea whip were afraid the owner of the land might atfrve replevin papers for its possession. Little pieces are hawked about for $1 and $5, 1 and even $10 are asked for the precious, little blocks, while the prices set npon the larger pieoes are away up beyond the reach of ordinary pockets. :: f; |

Gbkbbal Gourko has expelled from St. Petersburg no fewer than twenty thousand persons unprovided with passports, and accordingly not entitled to lira in the capital. A/ similar explusion has taken place at Odessa and in the other large towns placed under military control. Bow many of the people expelled hare hitherto found it possible to arrange the matter is easily imagined by those acquainted with Russian men and things. Once about it, the Kusaian authorities teem to profit by the present opportunity for wholesale punishment. By a decree of the Minister of the i Interior, ragrants, beggars, and people without risible means of subsistance, instead; of being sent to thoirnatire places as hitherto,' will henceforth be bundled off to Siberia, or. as it has been latterly called with 'a grim joke, Nihilaria. —Home News. :'^ ; - ;:■;-:.^- ■• ■■-'; "■ '■ '■■ '■