Untitled

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3842, 22 April 1881, Page 2

To-mobbow at noon the Te Aroha battery will be formally opened. The directors intend to mark the occasion with a luncheon, and invitations have been sent to a great many persons in Waikato, Auckland, and the Thames.

' It will be seen, by reference to our telegraphic column, that the late Lord Beaconsfield will not be accorded a public funeral, it being his express wish that his obsequies should be of a private character, and that his remains should be deposited alongside those of his wife. A man of the deceased Lord's worth is certainly entitled to a public demon" stration of the people's grief, with a last resting place in storied Westminster amongst the ashes of Britain's best and greatest. The little village church at Hugbendec will receive the mortal remains of the fiist and last Earl of Beaconsfield, one of the most brilliant men of the century. '

A COITCEET will take place in Paeroa on Wednesday next in aid of the Paeroa Catholio Church. Many of our well-known amateurß have offered their services for the occasion, Mr Wiseman will sing one of his local songs, and may probably compose one for the occasion. The steamers will leave at an hour to induce Thames folks to take a trip to Paeroa and attend the concert.

We learn that Sir George Grey will not be here this week. Membeks of Court Pride of the North are reminded that their adjourned fortnightly meeting takes place this evening.

Wa understand that although the seller jof the properties offered by Messrs Gellion and Co. at auction yesterday were prepared to allow two-thirds of the purchase money to remain on the land at 8 per cent, interest, not one of the purchasers accepted the offer, but all stated their willingness to pay cash when the deeds were prepared. A TEiEGHAM from Dunedin says an important intimation was made known at yesterday's meeting of the Land Board—that there is a scheme on foot by the Education Commissioners for the sale of large education reserves in this province, and funding the proceeds for education purposes

A batheb amusing incident occurred on the trip of the Volunteers to the Waikato, and out of a Very simple circumstance. One of a large number of men, who occupied an open waggon on the railway by some means got a fire spark into one of his eyes, and which caused him considerable pain. As soon as a halt was made, one of his companion* extracted the spark, and while doing so a large number of men had congregated round, many coming from a distance, thinking something had happened seeing a number clustered together. One of the strangers, coming up hurriedly, asked what was the matter, and upon being told, at once volunteered to net the part of a surgeon, informing bis audience that he was a farrier by trade, and had had lots, as he termed it., of experience, in such matters. His services were at once accepted, and the person to be operated upon, seeing that there was a good show for a joke, and to satisfy the anxiety of the man with the " lots of experience," at once put himself in a position to undergo the operation. Now the jokist was not exactly like the lady mentioned in one of Lover's songs who " had one leg that was good, and the other of wood," but he had one eje that was good and the other was of glass, and he allowed the " farrier with lots of experience " to operate on the glass one. Need we say that the experience was of little avail under such circumstances, but so confident was the man that if the fire spark was there he would get it out, that he persisted in his efforts for a long time, looking at the eye from every point of view, never imagining that it was other than a good one. He would have kept at it even longer, had not one of the bystanders who knew the circumstances burst out in laughter, and the man with glass eye himself ended the scene by making the eye ring by touohing it with the blade of a knife. We leave our reader to imagine the feelings of the man with " lots of experience."

Lobds Cairn* and Salisbury are the rival candidate for the leadership of the Opposition, rendered vacant by the death of Lord Beaconsfield. It is rumored that Lord Salisbury's chances have been endangered by the secret pledges given M. Waddington, French Minister for Foreign Affairs with regard to the Tunis difficulty, which it is thought may possibly compromise England.

At the recent sittings of the Supreme Court at Hokitika, before Mr Justice Gillies, an appeal from ex-Judge Weston's charge to the jury in Hislop t. The National Bank of New Zealand, Limited, was heard. The facts upon which the appeal turned were that Hislop received a remittance from Nelson through the defendant's bank, payable at Reefton; that on applying for payment thereof, the bank .induced him to sign a receipt therefor, and thereupon informed him that they »hould holl the money (£ls) against an old acceptance of his which had been made payable at another bank, and had been long since dishonoured. In an account which the bank opened Hislop was credited with the draft, and debited with the overdue bill. Hislop disapproving, drew a cheque for the remittance, and upon payment being refused, an action was raised in the District Court at Reefton for £200 damages. Upon the law, as laid down by the presiding Judge, the jury found for plaintiff, with damages, £50. Upon the Judge's charge an appeal was instituted. After hearing counsel on both sides, Mr Justice Gillies said: —The case presented no difficulty. The question "was —Had the bank a right to appropriate the ameunt of the remi'tanoe towards a pre-existing debt ? The bank had no such right, as it received the money upon an obligation to pay as directed by the customers. In this case, the customer directed the bank by his cheque, to pay the amount, and gave no authority to the bank to debit his account with the amount of the dishonoured bill. fJL'he ordinary principle of set-off does not apply in cases of banker and customer. The duty of a banker on receipt of his customer's money, is to pay out such money us the customer directs. The bill has not been made payable at the bank in question, and, therefore, there was no direction to the banker to pay such bill. The learned Judge's direction to the jury was right, and the appeal must be dismissed, with costs, against the bank.

"How are you coming on with seabathing?" asked a gentleman of an invalid.—Splendid! I bathe three times a day."—"How do you like it?"—" The doctor says I must take a toddy alter each bath to restore the circulation ; that's how I like it."