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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3321, 14 August 1879, Page 2

Mb Letdon will hold a sale of cattle, fowls, furniture, &c, in accordance with his advertisement, on the premises of Mr George Brown, Parawai, to-morrow.

The Eei». H. Wood, who came out by the " Laugstone" recently, and who accepted an invitation to supply the pulpit of the Baptist Church here, has been obliged to withdraw, his medical advisers deeming it necessary that he should have rest for some time, and reside in a drier climate. He is to proceed to Adelaide.

The bad times affect our, friends the " corner men " much. 2| per cents are apparently things of the past, and they stroll up and down, wearing out their boots on the wooden pavement, and rubbing the Post office pillar shiny with their backs. Some of them during the last day or two have been trying to turn the coming election into capital by making votes a marketable commodity. We were this morning gravely informed that there were sellers at 4£d, but few buyers, „ and business generally dull. They hoWe as^'the day of choice approaches that prods ffwill advance, and business become brisker.

In our advertisement columns notice is given of the removal of Mrs Cashell (formerly of the Thames) from Hobson street to more convenient and commodious premises in Shortland street, Auckland, known as Harbour View house. These premises, which Lave just been added to and renovated, arc most conveniently situated to the wharf, railway station, principal business and public offices, and the tea baths, and consequently possess great advantages to travellers and others visiting Auckland.

A cbBBBSPONDENT who was perched in a waggon in the laager dnring the battle of Ginghilovo, reports, to the World that the line of regiments lately arrived from England, consisting "6f young soldiers, fired wildly as much as fifteen rounds a man, whilst the Die Hards (the 57th), who are old soldiers returning from foreign service in India, fired only five rounds a man with more execution. After the battle the General complimented the officers and men of the Die Hards on their splendid discipline and coolness under fire.

The parable of the prodigal son appears to be played out. We met a young man the other day who some twelve months since we bid farewell to, as he was about to return home to the " Guv'ner," On congratulating him on his return, we asked if his " guv'ner" killed the fatted calf on his reaching his domestic hearth. " No, bedad !" was the reply, " but he nearly killed me, and so I made myself scarce, and came back here as an emigrant."

A eemabkable instance of virtue behind the bar was brought before notice the other day by a party who has recently returned from a trip to the Southern Island. " Who broke that pane of glass, my dear P " he enquired of the beautiful Hebe, at one of the hotels he visited. " I did," replied the gentle and bewitching maiden. " And how came you to do that?" VI pushed a man's head through it." "And what was that for ? " " The villian tried to kiss me ! " •• I haven't been there since," says our informant. "Women, you see, hare in one way or another caused me a good many doctors'bills, and I don't intend to run up another."

The other Sunday ail Auckland clergyman took occasion to make some strictures on the practice of interlarding the common phrases and things of daily life with religious sayings. Me thought it was calculated to bring religion into contempt with a large class of men, rather than to inspire a feeling of devoutness. For instance, he thought a meeting would be none the less likely to eventuate without the mystic symbols " D.V." than with them. The statement reminds ug of an incident that took place in Auckland some time ago. An Auckland school teacher, about to open a private school, notified the fact in the daily papers, but that the public might be under ho mistake about the matter, the learned pedagogue announced that the school " would open, Deo velente, on Monday morning." The " printers' devil" was familiar with D.Y., but the Deo volente beat him. After wrestling With it, the phrase ultimately appeared in the newspaper as Deo volante. The state of that schoolmaster need not be described.—Herald.

Thb horrors of military, service which now prevails in Franc© is strikingly illustrated by a case wbieb has just been heard before one of the courts of appeal in that country. A man named Pesquefc was arraigned for having shot at his own son and deprived him of one arm, with the view of enabling him to escape conscription in the army; The trial took place in the first instance before the correctional tribunal of Eouen about six weeks ago, and an account of it appeared in the Gazette dcs Tribunaux. The inferior court was of opinion that the charge had been made out against the father, but acquitted the son; although it seems somewhat improbable that the act would or could have been committed without the connivance of the victim. A sentence of two years' imprisonment having been pronounced, the prisoner appealed, and was fortunate enough to find that at the second hearing the Public Prosecutor was inclined to be on his side. The grounds of the second decision, which reversed the other, were that the wound injury would have sufficied to save the young man from conscription, whereas the loss of a right arm would incapacitate him not only from military service but also fjom being of any use to his father in the trade which he carries on. Pcsquet was accordingly convicted of the minor offence of wounding through imprudence, and sentenced to two months' imprisonment and a fine of 100 francs. The second judgment was not altogether satisfactory, inasmuch as it admitted that the wound was " absolutely inexplicable," while it went only so far as to declare that " it was possible to imagine it the result of accident." But the significance of the whole story lies in the fact that the inferior court, upon very slender evidence, approved the accusation. It shows that the hatred of the industrial classes in the country for military service not only exists in a very strong form, but is well known and generally acknowledged to exist. The " most military nation of Europe," which is sometimes supposed to be always longing for war, and at the present moment still specially thirsting for revenge, is composed to a great extent of peaceable folk who may be seriously imagined ready to shoot off the right arms of their sons rather than send them to serve their time under tho colours.— Home News. ■ ■. ■ .