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Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4282, 21 September 1882, Page 2

The Hauraki Engineers parade for inspection to-morrow evening. Bbadle^'s coaoh completed the trip through yesterday from Te Aroha to Thames in six and a half hours. The road is reported to be in a fair condition for travelling. " COMING events cast their shadows before." We wonder if the fact that Mr Browne, Government starekceper, w; s at the Thames two or three days ago arranging for stacking some 450.t0ns of G-overnmenfc railway iron to be conveyed down presently by cutters, is a shadow, the Eubstance of which is the J£opu railway looming large just ahead. The inference that Laycock exhibited false ; form in the race for the Sportsman Challenge Cup is more than justified by the absurdly easy way he defeated, by twelve lengths, the well-known sculler Boyd, on the river Lea, The betting opened at two to one on Boyd, but some whisper of the truth getting out before the start, there were not many layers. Laycock backed himself to win at 100 to 80, which he accepted three times, so that with the stakes his winnings will not fall far abort of £700, an amount he could never hare secured over the Challenge Cup. These races have practically finished Australian scullers in England; they willjnever again be popular or repeated. The Auckland correspondent of a contemporary says :—A shocking scandal is agitating the surface of Ponsonby middle-class society.. A bush contractor returning to his house after an absence of several days found that his place in the domestic circle wa) occupied by a local baker and confectioner. To make matters worse the guilty woaaan was only married a short time ago, £|.ad her friendship with the baker, who is aho a married man, extended back some considerable time. The lady was accustomed to patronise miscellaneous balls, where the baker dispensed the creature comforts. She was taken thither by a youth engaged for the occasion, whom she provided with an evening dress suit of clothes, and was usually brought home by the festive baker.

It appears that the blue gum leaves are remarkable for their peculiar dyeing qualities as well as their curative qualities. A gentleman iv New Plymouth was recently afflicted with a severe cold, and he drank /Copioas draughts of the infusion of blue gum leaves. He was certainly cured of his cold, but, to his utter astonishment, , the hair of his head assumed a decidedly green coloi*, which, to any the least of it, renders bis appearance very peculiar. He attributes the strange occurrence to the gum leaves, but he states tbat the fact of his being cured of a dangerous malady ie full compensation for the slight inconvenience of having his hair dyed green.

The number of boarders afc Bellamy's baa now been reduced to nine, and it ia not at all improbable that ua attempt will be made next session to abolish the institution altogether. Mr J, *B. Brown, member for St. Alban's, is the gentleman who has taken the matter in hand, and his action was commended by a large number of members until a certain discovery was * made about the middle of test week. It was then found tbat while the other boarders at Bellamy's were restricted to simple fare estimated to coat lees than Is per meal, the stern Canterbury reformer was in the habit of regaling himself on potted sausages imported from France at four shillings a tin, and that he daily averages a tin and a half of these delicacies. The members who had been feeding economically on shins of beef and Irish Btew broke out in rebellion at this. The remaining Btock of potted sausages was equally divided amongst the nine hoarders, and orders given that in future the striotest impartiality should be shown in the distribution of any luxuries of the kind.

At* inque?t on Roborfc Powr]', who hung himself, was held at New Plymouth yesterday. The evidence showed that up to about a quarter of an hour before he wsb.found hanging d 1"-3*-. '■ he was engaged in his ordinary busir.o-?. •.; v^- ■ store, and'neither said nor did anylh.;>:» s.o h..'<l ? to the supposition that anything wiu v.Lon.{. The jury returned a verdict of " felo :••-. ?■ ,:l , and the coroner ordered the body is be interred between the hours of 9 and J 2 to-^ight. A Chbistchurch telegram says aomo fif- ! teen months ago the notorious Butler assaulted a fellow prisoner by striking hi n on the head with a wooden stool. The ill-used man seems to have.heon biding his time, for tbia morning he struck Butler twica on the head with a . Btone,,iu his breadrbag, ,knocking him down. He was secured and hanced over to the visit' ing justices to be dealt with. The Timaru Herald says :—" The Home telegrams a day or two ago announced that Mr Roberts of Sydney uurt Mr Mearea of Melbourne liad been created Companions of St. Michael and St. George. This intelligence gave rise to no little, curiosity, because neither of the names mentioned was at all faiiiliar to the students of colonial public affairs. The question everybody aikci was, " Who the dickens are Mr Roberts of Sydney; and Mr Meares of Melbourne, and whatever have t'ey been and gone and done?" On inquiry we find that these gentlemen happened to hold the office of Mayor of Sydney and Melbourne respectively during the holding of the International Exhibitions 1 at these places; and the Queen —a Hi tie ] tardily perhaps—has conferred the Colonial I Order upon them in recognision of their hospitality and general civility to the visitors at that time. How the thing^has been worked we do not know ; but bo it is. Mr Robert? is a thriving publican, and Mr Meares a draper in a large way of business. We wonder men in good positions like those condescended to accept the CM.Gh