THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 1880.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3502, 16 March 1880, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 1880.

Mb Eolleston will leave for the Thames on Wednesday,'his principal object in visiting that district being to inspect the Te Aroha block^and make arrangements for its sale and settlement. WeJiave* no doubt that the people of the Thames will afford him every facility for seeing the whole district.—Herald.

The Banks will be closed to-morrow, St. Patrick's Day. ,

The proprietors of Block 27 have completed arrangements for selling the freeholds on the block. We have no doubt but that the opportunity offered will be largely taken advantage of by the present leaseholders.

The Works Committee of the Borough Council yesterday accepted A. Butler's tender of £97 19s for repairing the Tararu sea-wall. The other tenders were: M. Casey, £117 10s ; T. Dunlop, £299 10s.

The schooner Josephine arrived at Lyttelton on Saturday, and is now discharging her cargo. She will load with produce for this port, and may be expected here in about a fortnight's time.

We would remind our readers of the anniversary soiree at the Grahamstawn Wesleyan Church this evening; Amongst the speakers will be the Bey. Shirley W. Baker and two Tongan notables, whose remarks will be interpreted by Mr Baker.

The scholarships examination in connection with the Thames Boys and Girls High School will take place in the High School, Baillie street, on Thursday next, commencing at 10 a.m.

We would again remind our readers of the Anniversary Soiree of the Grahamstown Wesleyan Church to-night.

We have received from the General Post Office copies of the time-table of the mail services between this Colony and England. It is very neatly got up and reflects credit on. the printer. /

Last night's Auckland Star says:— ■*• The determination of the Eev. S. Edger to commit the awful enormity of delivering a*' Sunday evening lecture on Dickens; has had a visible effect upon the Eey. A. Webb. Last night the Baptist divine had prepared for himself a rostrum at the foot of Wellesley street, and as the degenerate admirers of the great novelist filed past on their way home from the Lome Street Hall, his,voice in reverberating- accents told of "the wrath to come." With the lungs of a Stentor he denounced the conduct of those who inculcated the doing of good to their fellows, while dishonoring their God, and warned them of the fearful? peril to which they were exposing themselves. A fair number of people listened to the gentleman.

These was a clean sheet at the E.M. Court to-day.

Thb Free Press appears this week in an altered form. The proprietor now presents his readers with a well got up double-demy sheet. We wish our plucky contemporary every success.

The Eev. Shirley W. Baker, Wesleyan missionary to the Friendly Islands, delivered a lecture at the Shortland Wesleyan Church last evening on Tonga and the Tongese. In the course of his remarks he stated that Tonga had been discovered by Tasman, the, Dutch navigator, in 1643, and at that period the natives were much further advanced in civilization than any of-tho savages of the South Seas. They had a Government of their own and wore caliqos and muslins long before England bad any idea of making these goods. The harbor was second only to Sydney harbor, and a much finer one than that of Auckland. Illustrating the fertility of the islands, the lecturer stated that cabbages were fit for the table three weeks ; after planting. Their exports were cotton, coffee, oil, &c , and he could not help saying that this trade should belong to New Zealand. The education of the people was good, many of the youths attending the college being well advanced in the most difficult subjects. Their manners, he said, were essentially Hebrew, and their language the same. The virtues of the Tongese were enlarged on, and their rigid observance of the Sabbath made a matter of comment. In conclusion he hoped they would follow him with their prayers. A cordial vote of thanks to the lecturer was passed, which concluded the proceedings.

Speaking of smart things, a friend of ours tells a story of the early days of this goldfield. The manager of a famous mine crushed 200 tons of mullock, and the clever fellows who bought the tailings at a cheap rate tore their t hair for a long time afterwards. This is no tale of imagination.

Wb have received from the author, a neat little pamphlet entitled "The ruin of the turf in New Zealand." The work is an essay by " Kosmos," the well known sporting writer, and the following extract from the, author's prefatory note will explain at what he's driving:—" I think it advisable to state that this .Essay is no Bookmaker's attempt to crush the Totalisator., I have endeavoured to make it a fair and, I hope, clear statement of a very great danger that threatens, unless promptly checked, to-bring the New Zealand Turf to utter destruction

I can only hope that the appearance of this little Essay may lead to a thorough discussion or the whole question; nor