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Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4979, 24 December 1884, Page 2

CHBiSTMiiS ,/3>pjr will be held in St. George'd Church tormo^rq^ as advertised in

We would again jvmind our readers of the grand drawing room entertainment to be given in (he Academy of Music this evening. The promoters have taken every care to arrange an excellent programme, and we hope to ccc their efforts to cater for the*public entertainment rewarded by a full houee. A dance will follow the performance.

With this issue we present bur readers with a Corisfcma ssupplement, containing original poetry, a. seasonable story, an interesting article on a new process of quartz treatment and other readable matter. rlbe Stab will not be published to-morrow or Friday evenings. An engineer on the Government staff paid a visit this week to the site of the proposed line of railway from Kopu to Te Aroha, with a view to the commencement as speedily aspossible ef a section of the work. He has returned to Auckland, and will doubtloes report on the subject to the G-overnmont. The p.s. Anne Milbank should have arrived here thiß morning with paßsengera and cargo from Auckland, but she did not show up as expected, and on the arrival of the Kotuku it was learnt that a portion of one of her cylinders had given w»y when she was near tbo Sandspit, and she could proceed no further. Her passengers were brought on by the Kotuku, and the vessel waa t:> be towed back to Auckland by the Jiotomabana this morning. The re-arrangement of the time-table is that) the Anne Milbank misses to-dny's trip, and comes down from Auckland to-morrow night. We ar« unable lo say whether the owners are actuated by a deßire to keep people afc the Tbatrea for the holidays or not, but their "neglect to "put another boat on from here to Auckland to-night will causa a great deal of inconvenience to a number of persons who wished to spend Christmas Day in Auckland. Fbom what we can learn there is every necessity for the people, through their member, taking prompt and determined action in tbo matter of the construction of the railway beyond Kopu. There is by no means a large sum at present available for the carrying out of the work, and unless vigorous stops be at once token to have it. proceeded with, its construction is likely to bo seriously delayed.

The greater portion of tbe road contracts let by tbe County have beon completed and handed over by the contractors. The chief works have been the road making from Paeroa to Rotokohu, across the swamp; the road at Hikutoia from Corbett's to Banks', and the contract in the Kauaeranga Valley from the Recreation Ground to Murdoch's farm, all of which were carried out by Messrs Trainor and Pvnch. The road undertaken by Mr A. Butler from M'ckaytown to Owbaroa is very nearly completed, and will probably be handed over in about a fortnight; this will put tbe Thames Tauranpa road in passable order excepting as regards bridges along the route, and there is every probability oi: the contracts being called for ere long.

A slight local interest attaches to the arrest of Win. Sheehan in Auckland on Monday last, as narrated in oar telegrams yesterday, owing to tbe fact that Constable Herbert was a few weeks ago deputed to keep the man under surveillance, which he did during Sheehan's visit to the Bay of Islands. Consequent upon the Mariner Company being absorbed into the Saxon, those shareholders who paid the last 6d call have bad it refunded to them. We understand that at a meeting of the directors of the Dart G-.M.C0., held in Auckland yesterday, it was resolved not to re-erect the battery for the present, but to go on working the block above No. 4, and crush at one ot the other mills in the district. We have been favored with a number of "Once a Month," a magazine published in Melbourne and edited by the Rev. Dr Mercer. The excellence of tbe number before us may be accepted as »n earnest that " Once a Month" will be a very satisfactory and readable addition to colonial literature. Chsßbckie (Chairman), Coutts, Moore, Murdoch, MoCombie, Pitkethley, Steeoiman, and Townsend, attended a special meeting of the Thames County Council held last evening. Accounts for wages and sumo due to contractors were passed for payment; the dog registration fee was fixed at five shillings per bead. Crs Brodie and Townsend were authorised to sign contracts on behalf of the Council. Information was re» ceived to the effect that Government would on the compledon of the work subsidise to the extent of £46 13s 4d, the formation of track to Wick's battery at Waitekauri. The grants made by Government to the Council during the year under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act were stated to be £2752 — £717 for ronde and £2035 for bridges. The Council haviDg to spend of its own revenue £252, makes the total sum to be devoted to roads and bridges in the district £3004. On the Thames-Coromandel road £1694 will bo expended on tbe erection of ten bridges. £350 is set aside for tbe Komata bridge over Takerei's creek. For roads at the rate of 30 per cent, of the applications was granted, and in the matter of bridgei?, the applications wore granted in full. A circular relating to the abolition of the office of Gold Revenue Receiver, referred to in another column, wasreceived.

At a meeting of Thames Golden Crown shareholders held in Auckland yesterday, the resolutions re increasing the capital by the issue of 15,000 new shares was confirmed. In Chrisfcchurch last night a man, 30 years old, named Wm. B. Kidman, committed suicide by cutting his throat. Ho had been drinking heavily for the laafe week. It is understood fchafc the hearing of the application made by. the defendant in the libel action Vogel v. N.Z. Times, has been postponed till the first sitting after the Christmas vacation.

John William Ceabtbee was oomrnifc'ed for trial at ChrißtehurGh yesterday on two charges of horss-stealing, and four of the larceny of a quantity of building materials. The cbbb for the prosecution is that he took the horses (value nearly £100) from paddocks near Christchurcb. and drove them toTimaru, where he pub them in the sale yards to be sold by auction. The building materials (value about £QQ) were stolen from houses in courß.e of erection, and eevej-al drums, of !i~seed oil and white lead from the scopes of fie Farmers' Co-operation Association. He was in the hftbit of going out at night with a horse arid tjfjip jin October, whpn it js supposed he committed tueee is,rgpn£eg, Mes Bttll/EB, widow of the late Rev. Buller, died at Christchurch last evening, having survived her husband only seven weeks. Rev. G-eo. Morrice, Presbyterian minister of Balelutlia, was drowned on the Ocean Beach, at Port Molyneaux, yesterday, vrhe c he was staying for the hojiijays. Sirs Morrico was bajfching, and, getting into deep water, Mr J£orri,ce went (o her aseislanco, but lost his owu lii#? Mi*b Morrioe was got out by tome Maoris, audVegfo^e4 t^ (jnimation. Mr Mor« rice's body wa« recovered. QFhe a^ijjp ogcurred in view of the nurse and children, of whom he leaves five. . Flies and Bugs, Beetles, insects, roaches, ants, hpffebuga, rats, mice, gophers, chipmujjks, jcL^re^' cjit by " Kovgh on Eats.— Kempthornc, Ei'ossej.' $b t} Auckland. , •■*■•*; Ti. ..■' Hop Bitxebs has restored to sobriety and health perfect wrecks from intemperance. Peruse all

The Poochow correspondent cf the Cihna Mail wrote on October 25 :—Everything appears to be quiet both in the Settlement and the Cifcy. The forts on the River Mm are being rapidly constructed, and, under the new regwie, the Foochow •« Braves " will, I imagine, regret having ever enlisted. Although in some quarters the Chinese have been credited with having fought bravely in the recent engagement, yet; it is very evident the Chinese themselves hold a very different opinion upon the subject, as the new forts are now being enclosed in strong fencowork, the gate of which will bo locked immediately tho first shell or shot is fired, and consequently the imprisoned "Bravea" will be encouraged (?) to fight rather than run away.

The China Mail of November 4 publishes the following from its Canton correspondent: —" You will have heard that Cheung, ExViceroy, is dead. The native papers reported him dead two daya before he actually was. But the fact that such .truth-telling sheets reported him dead might perhaps account for his decease. The purity and reliableness of the native press muet be maintained."