THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1880.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3650, 7 September 1880, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1880.

Our cable news to-day contains the confirmation of the news of the crushing defeat of Ayoub Khan's beleaguering force by the British under General Eoberts, who was besieged in Candahar. ffihe defeat appears to have been a severe ■n. as we learn from other sources that chief lost all his artillery, and of war. This defeat be the means of destroyfor the sovereignty the power of his Britain's protege, terminating the have had a fierce -

These %vas but, t. limited auditory at tho Service of Song at the Shortland Wesleyau Church lssfc evening in aid of the funds of the Sunday School. The subject was "The Groat Teacher." The Her. Mr Watkin presided, and Mr J. A. Miller gave the connective readings. Mr Pascoe accompanied on the harmonium.

Messes Frnaer and Tinne, of Auokland, have purchased the Imperial Crown battery for the sum of £500. We have received the Muse of Saturday last, which contains a critique on the choir of tho Sepulchre's church, and a piece of music entitled " Trianon," by Henri Kowalski.

A iBIiEOBAM informs us that Bince Sunday the number of nntives who have come to ftsreo at Parihaka have been increasing at the rato of twelvo per diem, until it reached 68 yesterday. None of l,ho«e have been arrested. Yesterday the West. Coast Settlement Bdl was distributed at Parihaka in the Maori language, and the penal clauses pointed out to the natives assemb ed in the meeting house. To-day upwards of eighty natives marched down to the fence, carrying a green bough, stake or o her fencing material, and the fence was erected in less than a minute. Many of tht cc were mere boys, and those were told that, tlio punishment for such as they waa a good ducking, which was promised them if they returned, and they were t' en told to go home. The remainder, 59 in number, were placed in an iron building in camp, and are to b*> immediately despatched to New Plymouth, there to be tried before a J.P. Some are noted characters, among them, Kahia, onco an assessor, and Nuku, half-brother to Titokowara, and others.

I? any arguments were wanting to point out the fearful effects of an indulgence in strong drink, surely the following, from an Auckland contemporary should be a warning: —" The last of a family of drunkards, Kate Taylor, alias Poulgrain, died this morning in the Provincial Hospital after several years of intemperance. The mother of the unfortunate woman died from the same cause in Parnell some three years ago, when an inquest was held on her body in a neighbouring hotel. Her sister died in a state" of intoxication about the same time, and an inquiry held before Dr Philson into the cause of death at the Auckland Hotel. The stepfather, Isaac Taylor, was found dead on the floor of a 'houso in Chancery Lane, which caused an official enquiry, and now the last of this wretched family has closed a five years career of immorality and drunkenness in tho hospital, where an inquest will be held to-day upon her lifeless body. No comment is necessary.

The adTent of Sir Arthur Gordon as the future representative of the Imperial authority in this colony (says the Dunedin Christian Record) will, no doubt, be hailed with satisfaction amongst us from a religious point of view, inasmuch as that horseracing, balls, and theatres are not at all likely to be patronised by that nobleman. Bir Arthur, who is the fourth eon of tbo late Earl of Aberdeen, holds evangelical views of the truth, and is not backward in exemplifying suoh in his walk and conversation. The Protestant religion in Fiji has had his full sympathy and Bupport since ho assumed the reins of government there, and his departure thonce will bo regretted by the respective churches in that colony. As a man of uniform integrity and deportment, he will not punue a different course i^New Zealand.

The Wellingtoa correspondent of the Herald Bonds the following :—As some exception has been taken to all debts due to taxpayers being included in the schedule of taxable property without any provision for bad or doubtful ones, I may explain that it is the value of the debts, and not their amount which is to be returned, and the value of such property is to be the basis of luxation. Consequently, a mau will value their debts aa goods, doubtful, or bad, at what he has reason honestly to believe he will get out of them. He will value good debts at their full amount, doubtful ones at* such discount as would represent his probable loss on them, and bad debts ac nil, or thereabouts.

Who in Waik&to will now say that the sun of the " Great Pro Consul" has set, or that his flag is tore, as Mr Squeers elegantly puts' it? This weak, doting old man, as his enemies have been wont to cull him, has still strength enough left to kill the Cambridge ewe lamb. People have been accustomed to liken the old man to a column tottering in decay ; and they may be right. The frosis and snows of age are creeping over him, and the crumbling column occasionally shoots down »tone and mortar enough to do damage, and in the present instance just about sufficient to bury the long desired and well-deserved Cambridge railway.—Waikato Times.

-"The following curious story is told by the Parlinmentavy correspondent of the Wanganui Herald:—" I have just heard of one of the most extraordinary affairs that has perhaps ever occurred in the history of officialdom, and I can vouch for every word I am going to relate. An officer of the Government, who is described as a Commissioner, addressed a few days since a telegram to Sjr George Grey in Maori, asking Sir George to tako pp his case against the Government, and promising some startling disclosures. Sir George handed the telegram to an interpreter, who translated it, as if it had been written by a nutive, who signed himeelf an Assessor. Thinking it referred to one of the native Assessors who bad been dijtnissed, Sir George showed the telegram to Mr IJryee, desiring to know the cause of the dismissal. The Native Minister replied that it was only one case out of 27 Assessors who had been relieved of office in order to promote retrenchment. Sir George Grey then asked the Minister if J}B would be good enough to state the reaeon on the telegram formally, so that he could reply. Mr Bryco took away the telegram, and handed it to an iuterpreter, who brought it back with the st.artliug information that it was from a Commissioner, not Asaeßßor, and that the said Commissioner was a well known Government officer. The Minister duly informed Sir George Grey of the discovery, whereupon Sir George observed tbnt, considering the way the Minister had got the information, he should not take tiny no ice of it; but the Minister sharply replied that since jt came before him he would notice it 5 and so the matter stands. It is ovWont the officer telegraphed in Maorijbecauee of some lurking fear thattho Telegraph Officer could not retain so great a secret aB a high oflicial intriguing against his Ministerial beads. It will be interesting to ■know the future career of this Commissioner. ,