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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3372, 13 October 1879, Page 2

The press throughout the colony are loud, in their complaints about the management of the Telegraph Department, and the want of attention to the requirements of the fourth estate. At great expense newspaper proprietor^ pay agents in all the centres of population, both in the colony and the adjoining ones, and through the want of system- and proper organisation the Telegraph Department in many instances defeats all the efforts made to supply the public xvith the latest and most reliable items of news. The special wire paid for by the papers of the colony, was wrung from the general manager against his will, and. in opposition to his declared opinions. From this circum-

stance Mr Lemon seems determined i n every way to throw obstacles in the way oF rendering it. of use to tho subscribers. By th» term " spec al wire," it should not be miderstoed that a wire has been ereefod upon ■ which only pre*s messages are transmitted, for the only speciality iv the matter is that certain hours are appointed after the- public business has been finished in which press messages aro transmitted. Not many days ago wo were called upon to pay for a message that had been sent during special wire hours ; but our correspondent knowing the obstacles thrown in the way of getting messages through, and desirous of our getting the message, marked it " collect," which of course had the desired effect. It could not go as a special wire message, but if paid for it could-go through, although on Ibe press wire. If Mr Lemon has not the capacity to manage the ever-increasing department he should resign and allow a more competent man to take his place.

We learn that many of the children for the Orphan Home were sent from Auckland without a change of clothing. We caunot commend the authorities of the institution in which these poor children were preriously cared for, or for their consideration or kindly feeling for their wants. It should have beeu apparent that coming to a new home suitable clothing would not be awaiting them, and they would have to continue to wear their one suit until others were mado for them. We are sure our mention of the fact will be a suificient appeal to these mothers who, with little ones of cheir own, may be able to spare a few articles for those poor waifs so much in need of them, and to those charitably disposed who can afford to purchase at the drapers a few suits of under-linens suitable for children from two years to eleren years of age. A few ladies might during the present week organise a sewing bee, and in a few hours the necessary under-clothing might be made. It is proposed to ask the Thames ladies to get up a bazaar in aid of the Orphanage, and little should be required to induce such an undertaking being commenced at once.

In another column will be seen an advertisement notifying the fact that on the 23rd inst., a calico ball will be held in the Academy of Music, for the benefit of the Thame3 Orphanage.

The firing by the If aval Brigade for the Little prize and other trophies took place on Saturday. The aggregate now stands Lieut. Gordon 316, Seaman Armstrong 307, P.O. Thomas 301, P.O. Walker 300, Lieut. Lawless 298, Seaman Parslow 295, Seaman Fagg 292. The ranges for the other prizes;wcre 200, 400 and 500 yards, fire shots at each distance. The principal scorers were P.O. J. Thomas 54, Seaman Parslow 52, Lieutenant Lawless 51, P.O. A. Thomas 51, Lieutenant Gordon 49, P.O. Mitchell 47.

A pbivate telegram informs U3 that the Grey party are confident of being able to regain power. Both parties are working up every available vote, and the division on Mr Macandrew's motion will be decisive for this session.

Mb James Mackay may be expected on the Thames in a day or so as he has arrived in Auckland, and is now awaiting instructions from the hon. Native Minister. We have great faith in Mr Mackay, and his knowledge, of the native character is not surpassed in the colony. He is personally acquainted with the natives of this place, and we shall not be surprised to hear of his having induced Pakara and Epiha to surrender themselves to the tender mercies of the law. It will go hard with the special Commissioner if he does not succeed in the task he has undertaken.

The Hauraki Engineers competed on Saturday for several valuable prizes, including the double barrelled fowling piece, presented to the corp3 by Mr Hazard of Auckland. The carbines with which this corps are armed are perfectly new weapons, and some brilliant shooting has been made by those who were formerly adepts with tiie longer weapon. The fop score on Saturday was made by Sergeant Cloutt, entitling him to first place for the Hazard gito, with ss, added by Lieut. Denby; the 2nd "prize, a meerschaum pipe, was won by Sergeant Clarke; the 3rd by Sergeant Kellsall, a gold pencil case, presented by Mr J. Leydon; the 4th prize was won by Sapper Hale for the first aggregate. The prize, " Lady Godiva," is a steel engraving of the Coventry heroine preparing to set forth on her irksome and self-imposed task. The band of this corps are to be clothed in a regulation undress Engineer baud uniform, and to encourage local industry tenders are called for from tradesmen by advertisement. The bandmaster, M.r O'Sullivao, has been at much pains to render the performers perfect in military music, and when they possess a handsome uniform, the liaoraki Engineer band will proudly assume their motto, " Nulli Secundus." The company drills three nights a week, viz.. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights. , There is room for one or two eligible recruits in the ranks.

A bull-dug appears to hare made things exceedingly lively at a benefit recently given to Mr William Delany, at Feilding. The dog a very large and ferocious animal, obtained surreptitious entrance into the hall, aud every time there was any applause, the brute, no doubt under the impression that it was " set on" some one, made straight for the nearest individual. No less than five persons were bitten, and, as it has since proved, one of them severely. One individual cauterised his wounds, but was still laid up for several days ; the other did not exhibit the same amount of prudence, and is now paying the penalty of his neglect.

Theee was a clean sheet at tho B.M. Court to-day.

The anniversary services in connection with the Thames Baptist Sunday School took place, yesterday, the Key. A. W. Webb, of Auckland, preaching both morning and evening. The Her. Mr Watkins addressed the scholars in the afternoon. The collections amounted to £10 12a. The anniversary soiree takes place this evening at the Church, Willoughby street.

Mb Eiwahds, of the Thames Hematite Works, is continuing his operations with considerable enterprise. Ho has not? on stock about 3000lbs of paint ready for the market, and orders are coming iv freely. In addition to the paint, Mr Edwards is experimenting with the hematite in various stapes, and has succeeded in manufacturing a very superior paste for knife-cleaning and other domestic purposes. We have a sample of this latter article at our oflice which may be seen by the curious.

Mr Healy, a Brown street fruiterer, has adopted a novel plan of drawing attention to his waves, viz., that of naming the different varieties of fruit in his window after the Thames candidates for senatorial honors. " Ehrenfried's Pets" " Howe's Pcarmains," and " McCullough'ts Golden Pippins" are all fiae looking varieties of fruit.

The Pnkurangi Hunt Club had a sue oessful race meeting on Saturday. In the Steeplechase Don Juan won, but was disqualified owing to a foul with Waterloo (second horse), which was declared winner; in the Maiden Hurdle Young Stead mere first, and Tramp second ; for the Members Hurdle Race ■Harry Mount first, Don Juan second, Shaughraun third..

The Bay of Plenty Times, referring t our paragraph that Mr Wilkinson intended being a candidate for the Mayoralty, says :—" We hope Mr Wilkinson will accede to the request of his friends, as from what we know of the feeling of the Thames people, his appointment to the Mayoralty of that borough would be highly popular with all classes. The proprietor of the Advertiser is a most amiable and unobtrusive gentleman, has claims on the Thames municipality such as few others can boast, aod it would be a graceful tribute to his abilities and sterling worth, to recognise his services to the Thames district by conferring on him the highest civic honor which the people have it in their power to bestow." The editor certainly likes to speak well of brother scribes. We wish all members of the fourth estate would do likewise.

Sm George Grey, in February last, sent a telegram to the Home Government when the news reached this colony of the distress in the agricultural and manufactory districts. The following ia a copy of the message:—"The New Zealand Government regret greatly the distress in the mother country. It respectfully informs the Imperial Government that six thousand able-bodied emigrants could at once find permanent and profitable employment in JSew Zealand, iv addition to a large number whose passages are being paid by the colony. The Agent-General is directed to place his services at the disposal of the Imperial Government, should it desire to forward the unemployed and their families to the colony. He will indicate the classes of labourers in demand who may by industry and perseverance become their own employers.—Gbey."

The Tablet, the Catholic organ, published iv Dunedin, in a leading article says :—" It appears to us that the mo live of all this opposition to the Ministry, in addition to a desire for place, is a personal hatred to Sir George Grey-— a hatred founded on a variety of reaions. Some people cannot endure anybody more respectable in means, talents, and services than themselves ; others can never forgive anyone who thwarts them in grinding their axe and refuses them the billet their ambition seeks; and others, again, pursue with unmitigated bitterness their political opponents, fearing the enactment of measures which for a variety of reasons, not always creditable, they deleft. Theie, however, are always kept in the background, aud the good of the country is paraded as the only motive of opposition. The good of (he country! "

A claimant ha« arisen for the whole of the land between Prince's Bridge, M Ibourne, and the bay at Sandridge, a distance of about four miles. The land has beeu valued at five millions sterling.

The skill in finance of Gladstone and Beacousfield is compared, to the credit of the former, in the following statement: While in office Mr Gladstone remitted taxes to the amount of £13,000,000, reduced the nation's debt by over £26 000,000, and lefi his successor a surplus of several millions. Lord Beaconsfield, on the other hand, has imposed taxes to the amount of £5,233,000 over the amount remitted, and created a deficit (not including the Zulu account) of £4,250,000.

• A Russsan physician, M. Malarevsky, struck by the prevalence of shortsightedness among the literary men, proposed that books should be printed a white ink on black paper, and has made experiments with fifty persons, which tend to confirm his view.

One of iie Russian Grand Dukes is married to a German girl of humble birth. " Society "at Moscow snubbed her. So the other day the Grand Duke caused a hotel where many ladies of " society" were accustomed to sup with their admirers, to be surrounded by police. The ladies were called upon to give their names and their addresses, and then their husbands were sent for to identify them.

The latest Parisian fancy is that at a recent ball, the ladies were given books of cheques, on which were printed " Good for the—dance." These were filled out, signed, and given to intended partners, who presented them at the proper time for redemption.

In Central Africa a large number of Jewish .Negroes have been discovered. Nearly every family possesses the Law of Moses on parchment. They trace their origin to the first captivity, when some of the Hebrews fled to the desert, and intermarried with the natives.

Xing'Alphonso of Spain is engaged in procuring subscriptions for a church which he proposes to erect to the memory of his late consort, himself donating £10,000 for that purpose. It is said iv official circles thnt his marriage with the Austrian Archduchess Christine will take place the coming autumn.

The newly-formed New Zealand Agricultural Company advertises in the Loudon papers that the company is prepared to arrange with a limited number of farmers and their families, to proceed at once to New Zealand, -to settle on the company's estates. •

Mb Jenkins objected, in the House of Commons, to the erection of a statute to the late Prince Imperial in Westminster Abbey, but Sir S. Northcote replied tuat the Government attached no political significance to it.

The London correspondent of the Hartford Courant, in a recent interesting letter, says that the locket which the Prince Imperial wore when killed, and which the Zulus left upon his body, contained the famous " Voudoo" stone given by a West Indian woman to Josephine when the widow of Eeauharnais. This was scrupulously treasured by her until she gave it to her husband, the First Consul, who wore it in every one of his campaigns. On account of his superstitious regard for it, it came to be considered the. amulet of the Bonaparte family. Napoleon 111. wore it constantly during his captivity at Hani, and while

the Second Empire existed it was to be seen at Compiegnc, in a little red shrine. The Prince inherited it, and wore ifc in a locket covered with miniature paintings. This amulet is a piece of carved quartz, prepared by negro hands with certain mystical ceremonies.

The other evening a lady was all dressed, ready to go out, when her husbund, wearing a beaming smile, entered, carrying a small package in his hand and said—" I have got a surprise for you my dear; a lovely little present."—"Oh! how nice ? '.'—" Something original—an ornament for the hair. Just sit down and let me arrange it. Now shut your eyes until I tell you to look in a glass. You remember reading about that French lady making such a sensation by wearing a live beetle ? "—•• Yes how delightful ? " —" Well this beats a. beetle all hollow. It's the sweetest little live mouse—" The impression gained by the experiment was such that the husband says he shall not try any more jokes with his wife— women don't understand jokes.

On a recent date Professor Fowler lectured on ' Matrimony.' Being ,no longer young and beautiful, but, being on the contrary, baldheftded, and married, this subject has no charms for us. We know more about matrimony in a minute than Fowler could tell us in a week, and we would say right here and now, for the benefit of Fowler, thnt, disguise it at he may, matrimony is a conglomeration of grocery and butchers'bills, kids' soothing ■yrnp, old clothes, private bottles, 10 cent socks for yourself, sealskin sacques for your wife,, and going out on a jamboree with the boys at night, and coming home in the morning with a lie in your mouth and half a dozen tied under your arm. Fowler cau'fc fool u« about matrimony.— Exchange.