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Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3451, 16 January 1880, Page 2

Pastob Chikiquy may be expected to arrive here abuui 5 o'clock this evening in the Uotoinahana, which has been epeciallv chartered to bring him down. He will be accompanied by M. Parent and a number of Auckland friends. In the evening he will lecture at the Theatre Koval as announced in our advertising columns. *

These was no business at the E.M. Court to day.

There was again a very good attendance at the Oriental Exhibition last evening, and all the visitors appeared satisfied. To-morrow evening, ia addition to other attractions, the Turks will give an exhibi tion of swordsmanship. r

Innttmebable are the anecdotes told of Irishmen and their peculiarities for blanderine, and another can be added to .the list. Is appears that a letter arrived by* a late mail .from Canada addressed to our local poet master, but upon being opened, it was found to be from one D. Lee, to his brother on the Thames. It spoke of family and business matters, accused him of not answering former letters, and ended in requesting a reply at once. The following was added as a postscript, evideutly intended for the postmaster, and gives the only clue to the object the writer had in view in addressing the letter a* he did;— *' I want you to

keep this till the owner comes for it, for it is very hard to get at him The owner will know it when he Hees it."

We hear that several Thames yachts will compete at the forth coming Auckland regatta, including the Volants, Miranda, aud Whisper.

Fhom a gazette notice we learn that the total amount of revenue received for the quarter ending 31st December was £1,237,259, against £1.345.945, for the corresponding quarter of last year.

The fresh in the Thames Kiver is the heaviest experienced for yenrs, and all the low-lying country along the banks is corered with water. The steamer Te Arena is advertised to accompany the Riro Riro to Omahu, as the depth of water in the river at present is sufficient for her draught. She is a most comfortable boat to travel in, and will no doubt be patronised by visitors to the Upper Thames.

Some time ago we mentioned that there was a probability of the Government offering the vacant Judgeship of the Supreme Court to Mr Kobert Stout, late Attorney-General. Our telegrams to day announce that Mr Stout denies ever having been offered the appointment, and states that if he had lie would have refused it. as he has no intention of allowing his political foes to place him on the shelf so soon. Mr Stout is a man bound to shine in the future political history of the colony—'that is if we are not robbed of him by his accepting quiet dignities of a dispenser of justice. His reference to his aversion, being laid on the shelf politically, appears to indicate that it is his intention at no distant date to enter again the political arena.

The ordinary meeting of the Borough Council, which was to hare been \i> Id last evening lapsed through want of quorum.

An aboriginal, who had probably never before seen the "iron horse," caused some little diversion to passers by in Pollen street, near Burton's hotel, yesterday afternoon. The Maori was standing near the hotel when suddenly the locomotive employed by the railway contractors hove in sight. Our coloured friend stood transfixed with fear as (he monster approached. As it passed him, the engineer blew the whistle. This was too much for the unsophisticated son of nature, so, shaking off the legargy of fear which he bad fallen into, he gave rent to a heartrending roar of terror, and started off towards Grahamstown posthaste, saying, at intervals, "taipol" "taipo! " His stock of peaches, which he left on the pavement, was speedily appropriated by the small boys of the viciniiy

AN; "Old Soldier" writes:—The Hauraki Engineers assemble to night for the first time after the Christmas holidays. This fine corps has reached a considerable numerical strength of late under its present officers, and it is to be hoped they will continue to work well together. It is an old adage that "a house divided soon falls",and a split, amongst officers soon leads to disruption and unmilitary proceedings. A little unpleasantness has arisen through a junior officer standing to contest a step in rank, with his next senior in rank. In the interests of volunteering it is to be hoped that a settlement of the difficulty will be amicably arranged. Engineers remain " as you were " rather than become disrupted by such a contretemps, as super* cession might involve you in.

Our calograms yesterday announced the re-election of Leon Gambetta to the high office of president of the French Chamber of Deputies. This wonderful man has figured prominently .in the history of France for the last 10 or 12 years, and perhaps a short memoir of his life will not prove uninteresting. Gambelta was born at Cuhors in 1838. He studied for the law and at the age of 21 was admitted to the Paris Bar, but.it was not till 18^58 that he first rose : ton prominence. He then acquired fame as counsel for defendants in political prosecutions, and showed himself an able and determined enemy of the second empire. He was returned to the Chamber both in Paris arid Marseilles at the general election of 1869. In the following year his name was again prominently before the public in consequence of a speech delivered by him containing a panegyric on the Kepublican form of Government. He was very active during the war, and after the fatal battle of Sedan he became Minister of the Interior, and remaiued in Paris, per forming the functions of his office long after the city had been invested by the Prussians. Anxious at last to stir up the provinces and preach war to the death Hgainst the forces of the Kaiser, he escapedl from the beleaguered capital in a balloon. At Tours he assumed unlimited sway, and made every effort to stir up the provinces to the defence of Paris. He denounced the fall ot Metz as an act of treason on the part of Bazaine, and predicted that once rid of him the French eagles would sustain no further defeat. After the war Gambetta resigned his office as minister, and after a year's absence from the country again entered the Assembly as a member for Paris, and became the leader of the extreme left. In 1872 he delivered a speech in Grenoble which stirred France to the heart, and is said to have led to the retirement of M. Thiers. g Since then he has taken a most prominent part in Fr-neh politics, always retaining great popularity with the mass of the people, and the high honor which has just been conferred on him is an act of justice to a man who has for years striven hard for the welfare of his country.

The work of raising the Taupo has been temporarily suspended at Tauranga, the direr having injured his hand. Evekt profes?inj; Christian should hear Pastor Chiniquy's lecture at the Theatre Koyal this evening, commencing at 7.30. —[Adtt.]