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Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4567, 24 August 1883, Page 2

Thb Eev. J. Robertson will deliver an address on "The Fatal Mistake" this evening in ibe Congregational Church.

THOTJfIH rerj little wind wa3 noticed on shove last night, the full force of the gale blowing was felt a short distance from land. Great difficulty was experienced in keeping the light, burning at the end of the Goods wharf, the wind constantly blowing them out. The Kotomahana had a rough time of it coming from Auckland, and the s.s. Vivid, which web towing a rait .from Coromandel, had to anchor it opposite Puru and come on to the Thames for shelter. :

The carters ara again complaining of the bad state of the Waiotahi Creek road. The section recently metalled by the County Coun. cil, and that portion maintained by the Borough are in good order, but in other places the drays frequently sink up to the axles. It takes four hours to go up and bring one load of quartz to the flat, and a dray got stuck twice in coming down this morning.

The brigantine Ada C. Owen Bailed this morning, the captain bating decided to go with a little short of a full cargo rather than wait the arrival of the cutter Mana from Tairua, Thr Water Supply Committee of the Borough Council think it desirable that a cod* ference should take place between it and three members of the County Council to arrange upon terms upon which Countj water should be supplied through Borough mains for purposes of motive power, manufacture, &c. Such a facility should be an encouragement to the cemmencement of manufactories and other industries in our midst.

Owing to the neglect of the contractor for the carriage of quartz on the tramway from the Queen of Beauty mine to the battery in keeping his line of rail and trucks in repair, thereby causing damage to the tramway, the Works Committee of the Borough Council recommend that seven days' notice be given to terminate his contract.

The Eev. W. Calder will (D.V.) preach his farewell sermon to the congregation of St. John's Church, Tararu, on Sunday next at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when we anticipate a large attendance.

Omx recommendation of the Borough Works Committee which would have been dealt with last night had there been a meeting, was a very sensible one. It was to the effect that the old culvert crossing Brown street, at the foot of Albert street, on the north side of the street, be broken up, and « new one of larger sizele put in its place; that an open culvert be carrie i past the Pacific H tel to where the culvert crosses the street to join that on the north side of Albert street, and at a short distance seaward, a large side culvert connect the main one with the intake, thus carrying all flood waters into that dam. This is a most desirable wotV, and should prevent the lower parts of the town being', flooded by rains or heavy tides. :

Thebr wa? no meeting of the Borough Council last evening. After waiting the usual time those in attendance were Crs Carpenter, McCullough, McGowan, and Osboroe, and the meeting was adjourned for a fortnight.

The only business done in the Police Court this morning was to deal with two inebriates each charged with a first offence, 5s or imprisonment until the riling of ihe Court was recorded in cash case. T. L. Murray Esq., J.P., presided. /

) The southerly breeze which was bloving yesterday and to-day has had the effect of making the weather exceedingly cold; in fact, old residents state they do not remember such severe cold to hare beeu felt here before. The thermometer to day was down to 45deg., Only 15dcga. above freezing point in a sheltered place. Daring last night a coniiderable fall of show took place on the tops of the ranges, nnd even up, to a late, hour this morning the summits of the high hill* just behind Punga Flat were quite white* while with a glass th snow could be observed on the branches of the trees. A man working at Otunui came in this morning, and reports that at 9.30 a.m. the snow was still falling, and the ground was covered with it to a depth of about an inch. Our readers will remember that a slight fall of snow occurred at Punga Flat three years ago, but then it all disappeared an hour or two after sunrise, and the cold was not nearly so severe as yesterday and to-day.

Newton, the Town Clerk of West Harbor, Dunedin, has been committed for trial for destroying the books of his council..

The following tenders .were received for the Lichfield contract of the Thames Valley and Rotorua railway: — Daniel Fallow, £10,399 (accapted) ; JV Brett and Co., £10,953; Foughey and Darrow, £12,791; Hunt and White, £18,608; J. J. O'Brien, £15,250 : Mercer und Marshal, £16,724 ; H. Metcalfe, £18 249 ; engineer's' estimate, £11,277. The work'commences forthwith.

Angus Ross, book agent, started to walk along the railway line from Stirling to Kaitanga in Southern Otago, on Tuesday night; he sat down and fell asleep, and a train com* ing along struck him and knocked him off the line. He was found noxt morning insensible, wi;h four ribs broken. The night was bitterly cold and vet.

Thb half-o'oz< jn cases of prosecution of Thomas James North, by J. 0 McCormick, solicitor, Auckland, have at last ended in North being committed on one charge of larceny. The Bench considered the' case not strong, but deemed it their duty to cmmit. A BOOTMAKER in Wellington named McLelland was yesterday committed for trial for haying received stolen goods. The evidence proved that the' prisoner had enticed two youths in a large warehouse to supply him with uppers which were stolen, he only paying a nominal price. The lads for stealing the uppers were sentence*? to a month's im> -prisonment each. .*, <Thk Pioneer and Kohinoor diamond companies in Canterbury have co ..bia^dlfc send a prospecting t party of six to dig for larger crystals at Alford Forest. The party is under the command; of Mr Jacobsen The Waste Lands Board have deferred issuing more prospecting (mimrai) licenses or leases •ill after the receipt of instructions from the Secretary of tbo (MdSeldty

The Public Works Department has offered to open a section of the Otago Central railway for the unemployed at 28j a week, but this the men consider inadequate, although the* are complaining of many of their number being destitute.

The plaintiff in the alleged dummying case ot Johnston v Land Board, whom the Dunedin Supreme Court decided against, has made application for a mandamus to compel the issue o a licer-se, und was refused on suspicion of dummyism. has give notjee of appeal. The caae will be.reheard at Wellington in November. . „.-',.'./'. „-■■;■.. -■■ . - ■„-■•< -;':..- ; -vi.-. .■

A Sor/TfiKKN paper urges the formation of ua Anti-Shouting A rv»y,,'the members to be distinguished by the wearing of a whit., ribbon.' •''•• .' ' ■-r" ■■.-■■•_•■■-•■■■'■■■ ■._•,..■-?•.-.

Db. Hkcxob, of felling" on, writes to e^ local paper that in the astronomical column in " Nature," of the 28th of June, the remit of more accurate computations are given of the moon's expeced place during the next great total eclipse of the sun, which occurs on the 9fch September, 3 885. The only land which the moon's ehadow will cross on that occasion is New Zealand, and it now appears that the central lftSe of totality will'pass over Wellington, which will be the most important observing station. Thfl total eclipse will • orcur thereon the morning oEthe..9th of Scp-;. tember, 7hrs. 35mins. Viaeca. of mean New Zealand time, which ia about an hour and a half after sunrise. The duration of the total darkness will be lmin. 23sees. The, total eclipse also passes over Nelson, where it commences at 7hrs. 34mins. 83ecs., but only lasts lmin. Ssecs. ,

A'^Ainr who lately "visited the Houas of Representatives says :—" They laugh and jeer and abuse one another like a lot of express drivers."

A public library is to be started at Te Aroha. .

The rumor is revived that Sir F. D. Bell will soon be succeeded as Agent-General by Sir Johu Hall.

Thb " Loch Ken" -entering the.harbor wa« a circumstance ; her grounding in the mud was provident. She couldn't sail overland so Bhe stopped; ahd wfif ? ,'fhe sawj Charlie McLiver's window in the distane?, and some of the officers and sailors wanted to take for a home voyage bis tobacco, cigars, and other accessories to a pleasant trip.—[A.DVT.]