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Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3480, 19 February 1880, Page 2

Sass Frank Fudge in-the Saturday Advertiser j-r-Alihouflh the Americans are a thoroughgoing matter-of fact people, [p is a mistake to imagine' that' they lack taste for the sublime of beautiful in art. On the occasion of my last visit £o Glirisfchurch, X dropped, across, a . Yankee gentleman whom I hldxrasually met with jn I)unedin, As «c"'Strolled together through Cathedral Squar^'my acquaintance remarked, as lie gazed upon the venerable pile of stone* and mortar with grace, or ' disgrace, ii:»t portion of the city; " I reckon thjs tcrri-iory must haye foopn rojide by some other nation before Britisher? flame here." '•' Wl»y d°, 7°V think so I enquired.?' Because," ho replied, " those crumbling rums yonder

aro 'hoar with the frost of ages,' as some poet remarks. We have .some good specimens of ancient architecture in the States, but nothing so old as the relics of other days, which'we see before us. Ah, stranger," he continued, "I've a wonderful reverence for the glorious past, and I could gaze on those crumbling gables for hours together. I guess you Dunerlinites aro considerably smart and slick in running up new buildings, but you can't touch the Ohristclmrch folk for ruins. They can lick you into a cocked hat in the ruin business, you bet, and this grand old monument of the monastic days is a credit to them. Come along, stranger, and we'll wash down the r«ins at the 'Commercial.'" And we went over to see " Jack" at Cookson's.

An engineer's trial of the new steamer Blanche took place today, and the little vessel quite came up to expectations.

The Mayor received the following liiemo." today : — '.'Tlie Couiniittee. considered the following telegram publi>hed' here as sent by the Duchess of Marlborough's. .Committee—'No funds yet received by us frora the large Australian remittances for the. distress. This Committee carries out thn administration of its own funds represented by a Central Committee, having., as members all the Irish Archbishops, Catholic and Protestant, and worke through near six hundred local representative Committees covering the entire country, and has already distributed £27,000. The demand is daily increasing.' The Committee consider this statement is due to Australasia, whose munificence has already saved thousands from perishing." From the above it would appear that there is some little jealousy between , the Committees' of the fund established by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, and that presided over by the Duchess of Marlborough, the wife of the Lord* Lieutenant of Ireland. . All the subscrip fcions havo, 7?e believe, up to the present time been sent to the Lord .Mayor. ant* • tlio other committee »>ppp»r to h«v* made ; a stateroom- tbfit. no funds kave been ; ve«?<?i?ed from Ausl-ralm, mueli to the nnno.y9.nee of the Lord" Mnyor nnd his Commit I,"a. s j

At noon yesterday the iluasell battery, a large thirty stamper machine, situated about If miles up Tarara Creek, was totally destroyed by fire, the conflagration being occasioned by a boy throwing a lighted match into a heap of rubbish adjacent; nothing could be done to save it. The Missouri battery, which is within a stonethrow of the burnt building, had a narrow escape, the sparks setting fire to the roof, in which a large hole was burnt. We understand that Messrs Whitaker and Russell were interested in the battery.

The Eev. Mr Davies and Mr McCullough have already collected the sum of £10 towards improving the baths at Curtis' wharf and the amount has been handed to the Mayor. To-day Mr Ehrenfried went to see Mr Curtis upon the matter, but the latter gentlemen was in Auckland. However he will return to-morrow. The Mayor will lose no time in having the improvements made, so that bathers may be enabled to enjoy the luxury this warm weather.

It is gratifying to find each day some mention in our cablegrams of the improve^ ment in some branch of trade in the old country, in that of the,, iron industry especially, and to-day we notify an advance in the price of Colonial wool. This is cheering intelligence, and means a great deal for our colony. The value of land will be improved, the many stationholders in the South will be enabled in a measure to retire the heavy mortgages held by the Banks, and altogether the improvement in the markets will materially improve trade in numerous directions.

- At a meeting last night of the Irish Relief Fund it was stated that about £75 was in hand, and it was decided to keep the lists open for, 14 days longer, and then the amount to hand to be sent to the Lord Mayor of Dublin as the Snal contribution from this district.

A meeting'of the Committee of the Liberal Association was held last night, and some business of importance transacted. It is probable«tHat a general meeting will be called at an early date, r «h«n-sd«i& questions' of interest" Wilt-be -discussed;- -:•■■-■■■ \ ■:.■ 'v w: .•:;■■ ,".'.;^i

r Yestebday spine men were conveying a pig to the Tararii slaughter-house. While removing the animal from the cart, it managed to escape, and made straight for 3 the sea. The men chased, bat piggy soon got intbs. water 'and commenced swimming vigorously towards Grahamstown keeping at a respectable distance from the shore. The men of\ course fol-: lowed along the shore, but piggy would not land and swam till the broods wharf was reached. He tantalisingly disported himself in the water for two solid hours, and having had his joke,, quietly surrendered himself to his fate.

The Waikato Times says :— "Our obituary announces the death, on Saturday last, of Yava Hertba, youngest daughter of Mr Bell, who has lately comp to live in Hamilton, from the ThamesJ Yesterday her remains were laid to rest in the cemetery on the west side of the. river, a large number of friends being present at the ceremony. The body was taken to the church at S pirn-, and laid in front of the altar during the first partof the service—-the little coffin covered with the "children's white pall," on which were laid some large while lilies sent for the purpose; On leaving-the chuveh, the. coign w#s carried to the carriage by four young'girls dresspd fn wfoite. These, with fpur others who acted as pal-bearers, were pupils at the Hamilton East and Tfest Government schools, to which Mr Bell has been Jately appointed singing master, and the fact of their volunteering this little service testifies, nob only their own goodness of heart, b,ut to tlje estimation in which Mr Bell is hold,"

Dr Maccabe, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, has issued a pastoral upon the Irish land agitation to the clergy of the Dublin diocese, in which he says : ~" XJnfortunnlely men proclaiming their sympathy for the' people'in their deep distress are going through the country disseminating doctrines which, pushed to their logical conclusioris.'-will strike at the rpqfc of that good faith and mutual confidence which are the foundations of social life. These doctrines Jiaye already, p?pduce4 tlie.ireTiJ results. Theenemjes of our people employ tiiem as Arguments against our just demand $ov aid \ halfhearted friends are driven away in despair; and the real friends of "the people are weakened in their advocacy" of jth.epjgkts of the country. If just debts, fairly demanded, be aofc hojjeptly djscharged, a principle'fatal to the pr6sper)iy bf the" cojantry will bo established," and sooner or later, it syill recoil on tlie heads of those who to-day may seem £o foe $p gainers by its adoption."