THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1880.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3483, 23 February 1880, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1880.

It is proposed to give a concert early in April for the purpose of raising sufficient funds to erect a bridge over the Kauaeranga river, opposite the Orphanage. A bridge is very much required for the convenience of the inmates of the Orphanage and visitors to it, for all who have gone there have found how unpleasant it was to be compelled to get into a small boat to cross the river. The practises for the concert will take place at Mrs Kilgour's, and the principal amateur singers have been invited to lend their assistance.

His Worship the • Mayor received a telegram on Saturday from Mr Hislop, Secretary to the Education Department,--Wellington, stating that [£lSQQTtbo~ vote to the ThsLxaesJJighSchool, would be paid Jordaj to-the cie&it of the Board i'u the Bank of New Zealand, Grahamstown. Capt. Wildman and the remainder of the team of shootists for Nelson leave by the. E-otomahana this afternoon. We hope that the good name so long held by the Thames will still be maintained by our representatives at the present gathering. The men who are going are some of our besi marksmen, So we need not be surprised to hear of more victories for our district.. The Josephine has cleared out with 60,000 feet of timber from Bagriall's Mill for Lyttelton. The race between Messrs Haszard's and Porter's boats came off on Saturday. The course was from the Goods' Wharf to the Miranda. The boats started at about 1.30 and kept close, together for the greater part of the distance, the Wild Duck (Mr Haszard's boat) ultimately winning by about 10 minutes.

Pastoe Chiniqtiy has informed the people of Hokitika that it will not be possible for him to visit that district, owing to his engagements necessitating his leaving Auckland for San Francisco by the mail steamer on Ist April. The strong wind which blew this morning at about 1 o'clock carried away" Messrs O'Brien and Cos. engine-shed in Queen street. Several fences were damaged. Captain Wiidman has received a telegram from the Captain commanding the Dunedin Naval Brigade with the result of the tiring of the team on Saturday against our blue jackets.' Our men, it will be remembered, made 652, and the Dunedin team it seems only scored 567, so the Thames won-by 85 points. f ;: It" will be noticed that Messrs Thornton, Smith and Firth have made considerable ' reductions in their prices current, taking no less than £2 per ton off the Crown brand, and £1 per ton off the.! T.S.F. brand. I

'"" One who has Suffered " writes to the Herald as follows:—Sik,—l see by the Thames Advertiser that Mr W. Kowe is allowed an extension of time to complete the purchase of the Caledonian mine, and also that the Thames County Council had received a letter from the Chairman of the Caledonian Gold Mining Company with reference to purchase by the said company of the mine. Now, Mr Editor, what manner of men are these Councillors P Are they honest and wishful to do the best they can for the community they represent? or have they thrown all manly feelings and love of justice to the winds, and work prompted by petty spite or self-interest, thereby ruining the goldfields, and preventing Auckland capital from - opening up the valuable deposits that, esist in their midst? To me it appears that the sale of the mine was a mere farce, and that no legitimate bid was given for it at all. The ground is of far more value to the present company than to anyone else, for the present company is formed, and could raise enough to give a fair and marketable price for it; whereas I feel certain that Mr Kowe, or, in plainer words, " the Thames County Council," will not do nearly so well by forming a new company (and it is a question jf they can forma company at all). Money is not sp plentiful as to induce people to rush and take up shares in a,worked out piece of ground and pay calls on an uncertainty, merely to satisfy the "dog ia the manger" principles of a few Jacks-in-office.

The Free Lance says, in a sub-leader: —It is unfortunate for the amnestied French political prisoners that they have arrived in Auckland in the ( silly season ' on public journalism, and that in the absence of anything sensational in the way of actual war on the West Coast, or of enormous vegetables, they have necessarily been turned to account for the daily production of ' original matter," by our contemporaries. In another portion of the article, the editor says ;-^" We do not wish to see that good understanding existing between the French Republic and New Zealand disturbed, and, therefore, whilst unwilling to interfere with the evident determination of our contemporary to precipitate a general European conflict, we think that France ought now to bo let alone to work out her own destiny without the embarrassment of a New Zealand difficulty."

If the report of proceedings' at the Presbyterian Synod published in the Star correct, the Rev. Pr Stuart the the leading Presbyterian of Dunedin, must have caused grjesroas pffence to the choica circle in and out of Synod who hang on the lips of the Rev. Lindsay ll&ckie nnd Mr Baunerman when he actually had the audacity to insinuuto, in very plain terms, that there was a difference of opinion regarding the value of the work done by Pastor Chiniquy and bis maener of advocating- his objects.

"It was necessary to remember,'* said the Doctor" that Pastor .Ohiniquy came from a country oontainiug 20,000,000 of Protest ants all (he way to these colonies to ask funds for hits priests' house. Why should he be necessitated to come here for funds?. Wliile' ho (the speaker) would not say that he looked with suspicion upon the pastor in the matter, yet he desiderated information, about the object of which these subscriptions were asked. He never could understand why it had been necessary, in order to' obtain funds for a simple boarding house for young priests in Montreal, that the pastor should have left those young men without his care and come to spend a couple of years here in collecting money." Dr Stuart evidently thinks that, it is hardly the mission of one Christian' denomination to abuse another, and that the stirriDg up religious rancour is hardly a work of charity, and brotherly love. All honor to him for standing like a lion in the path of unintelligent prejudice and bigotry.—Standard. :

A geicket match between the boys of .the Kauaeranga and Parawai schools took place at Parawai Gardens on Saturday. The following are the scores :—Katjaeeanga.—'lst Innings : Hilton b G. Ofcway. 1, Moore b Johnson 1, Gerring b 0. Otway 5, Edmonds b O. Otway 0, Brown c B. Spencer 0, Martin c Stevens 0, Wilson b Johnson 0, Newton c and b Otway 0, E. Moore (not out) 0, byes^ 5; total 12. 2nx> Innings:' Moore (run out) 5,. Hilton b Johnson 3, Edmonds c Spencer b Otway 8, Brown c Johnson b Otway.4, Gerring c Spencer b Otway 1, Martin (hit wicket) 1, Wilson (not out) % Edmunds b H.JDtway 0, E, Moore b H. Otway I,^m^d^Mes IT ; total 43. PABiWAi—lst Innings: E. Spencer __(frftr\wicket) 6, JB. Spencer "b -EdtnondsO, H. Otway b Gerring 3, C. Otway c and b Edmonds 0, Johnson (not out) 13, A. Adlain c E. Moore 3, Stevens b Edmonds 0, Webb b Gerring 0, Willett (run out) 0, byes 6; total 31. 2nd Innings: Johnson b Edmonds 6, C. Otway (not out) 8, H. Otway (not out) 18; total 32.

We (says the Fiction Press) have gold, silver, lead, copper, coal, iron, plumbago, and other minerals within this district, besides other natural productions, the existence of which has beea clearly' demonstrated, but it has remained for quite recent times to show that there is a possibility of a discovery being made that will eclipse all the others. A few days since there was exhibited in Pictbn a number of small stones pronounced by experts to be diamonds, and some of them were sent to obtain the opinion of Dr Hector. The stones shown Were small-in size, but the best-had been picked out, and it was stated that one had been sold for £30. For obvious reasons the exact 1 locality of the find was not divulged, but should it turn out as is anticipated, diamond diggings will bo added to our other industries, and some lucky fellows may prove fortunate enough to obtain a second Koh-i-noor at the Marl borough Diamond Fields. ' - ■

Paley says there is a peculiarity in the judicial constitution of this country which does not carry with it that evidence of propriety which recommends almost every other part of the system. It is true the rule which requires that juries be unanimous in their verdicts. To expect that twelve men,'taken by lot out of a promiscuous multitude, should agree in their opinion upon points confessedly dubious, and upon which oftentimes the wisest judgments might be holden in suspense ; or 10 suppose that any real unanimity or change of opinion in the dissenting jurors, could be procured by confining them until they all consented to the same verdict, bespeaks more of the conceit of a barbarous age than of the policy which.could dictate such an institution as that of juries. Lord Oirery thinksthe point most liable to objection of the jury system is the power which any one or more ef the twelve have to starve the rest into compliance with their opinion; so that the verdict may possibly be given by strength of constitution, not by conviction of conscience, and " wretches hang that jurymen may dine."