For the Star Bowkett Society's appropriation of J2300 last night, £BS os was accepted.

The Municipal Band will perform in the Rotunda to-night. A collection will be taken in aid of the uniform fund.

Captain Edwin telegraphed to-day :— Moderate to strong winds from between north-east and north and west; glass "fall: weather warmer.

A cottage struck by lightning at New Plymouth had. about eight or ten upright weather boards knocked clean out of the corner of the building.

The Feilding Star, states that since the abattoirs were opened in that town there has been a marked improvement in the quality of the meat supplied to local residents.

The Eoscious Dramatic Company produce the "Ticket-of-Leave Man," in Zealandia. Hah, on Wednesday and Thursday, September 7th and Bth. The company are actively rehearsing this play, and intend to stage it in first-class style. Popular prices are being charged.

Vocalists who took part in the previous production of " The Messiah " in Palmerston, are reminded of the practice that will be held at All Saints' Schoolroom to-night, in connection with tho forthcoming visit of the "famous English basso, Mr Watkin Mills.

In the football match, Taranaki. v. Auckland, played in the Northern city on Saturday, one man had his nose broken, another had a knee wrenched, and a third had his collar-bone--fractured. And yet (says an exchange) it is said that the game was " lacking, -in interest from a spectator's point of view."- -

By the death of Mr John Munro Sutherland, which took place at his residence, Eitzherbert-strect, on Monday; another old settler has passed away. The deceased gentleman -was aged 5S years, and had been in the colony for over 43 years. He was for many years a resident of the Havelock (H. 8.) district. He leaves a widow and a family of four, all grown up, to mourn their loss.

In the House last night when the Pre mier announced that' he would accept Mr Masscy's amendment on the land question as a want-of-confideneo motion, Mr Geo. Fisher exclaimed: "Good on you, Dick, old boy.'" . Later on, when the Minister for Lands was speaking, Mr Fisher interjected : "Go on, Tarn, go on! This is the racehorse they call Slow Tom 1" This' is a sample of the " wit" a long-suffering country pays £300 per year for.

The twelve-year-old son of Mr Insoll mot, with a serious accident at Dannevirke .on Sunday while playing near the engine shed in the railway"station yard. The boy, in company with other children, was playing on the turntable used for reversing locomotives, and his left leg was crushed against a concrete embankment. He was conveyed to Mr Gordon Lloyd's residence, and Dr Dawson was sent for. The boy is now reported to be progressing satisfactorily. ' - ~.- " ° '

Amongst the performers at the concert to be given in All Saints' schoolroom to-morrow (Thursday) evening will be the Eev. S.J. Handover (of Wellington), Miss N. Drew, Miss G. Drew, Messrs li. Maclean and W. H. Hutton, who will render vocal items, while instrumental selections ' will be given by Messrs Woolley and P. Tombs. Tho concert promises to be an attractive','oncv as the promoters are sparing no effor,i"s to secure for patrons a pleasant evcninf.'s amusement. ?. I The fact that the platform for the mcr_ibers of the orchestra, at the Orchestral Society's concert at the Zealandia Hall last night, had to be built out from tho stage indicated that it was hardly suited to the occasion. We understand that tlfb drop scene had to be lowered and thf) platform built so as to prevent the musift losing itself in-the lofty reaches of thjb wings. - A calico sounding board, placed over the stage proper, would greatly mjt-. prove the sounding qualities of the haill and we commend the suggestion to tlie Hall executive. |

At the Police Court this morning tin. old man named John. Jones was fined 10s, and ordered to pay cab hire 2s, |h default 48. hours' imprisonment fo|drunkenness. ' Mary Smith, alias Paf. ker, was fined'los, and ordered to pa|' 3s cab hire, in default 4S hours'iniprfcs sonment, also for drunkenness. A firs! offender was fined "os for a similar o& fence. G. Baide was convicted and difcharged for drunkenness and refusing fr> quit licensed premises when requestc'sj. For using indecent language he was sentenced to 14 days' hard labour, and for resisting the police was fined 20s, Sp default seven days' imprisonment. Mr Thompson, S.M., presided. \

The Emperor of Japan, thohgh-hejias-.Qccupied his:t]rrone;foi<'sevcn-and^thirty years,'has never, been;:outside :his own country. -.--■- ■.'.'■;■'.■ 77: 7':77:'.;77i';-'--':

/.' 'An addition of:88 ,'ne\v private '-boxesis- being made to the 'at tho Post Office, the- total' number .now being 210. : - ;■ ■■-. ;:;;:■-,..;.; •;,.:; :';'-'.;.-

On page 2: Details of.:the:Licensiiig Bill introduced info; 'Eirliament: lasu mght. .On page, 3: "o,blft .news. -Oa page (i: Apiti .news. On. page' 7: General news, ■■ '": A':-A'mA:A:i.-'-'

.. ..The, ushers p^.the,Orclie.st'l'al.So'ciety'. concert last night-; deserve a7vbrd V'^f praise .for-the efficiency with whichHhey ■■ attended to the; convenience of the.'afidience, there .'being no crowding.oiv confusion.' , . '.. : ;:.

The- Tourist Dcpartmout is advised that the Waimaugu geyser, nearlTotd--rua, -which-- for about two months.has been inactive, rose on Mo'ndav to'--; ;i> height of 100 ft. At 4.20 p.m. yesterdayWaimangu played Up .600 ft, and now continues active. Many strange things happen in. America,' but'one-: .of'the strangest was that' .which occurred on the afternoon of July 11,.when atPittsburg a well-known haspball player' was killed .by lightning, and at another town miles away a player was struck by lightning, hurled several feet, and killed. Two other players were ■stunned, hut will recover. ■■'■■■, In lAic House- last night, Mr Seddonmove;! his motion on the land question, to Mr Massey, leader of the Opposition, moved an amendment in favour iof tho freehold. Mr Seddon accepted tho.amendineii'j as a wantrof-confidence motion, and the debate will proceed from day to day without the intervention of other business.

' In connection with-.the hockey fracas at Day's Bay, it. is said that one of tlie teams occupying tho'.ground'to the exclusion of the girls was a team from the Wellington Young Men's Christian Association. Mr Fred Pirani was hearti 1 v cheered for the part he had taken in the affair, the crowd also singing " For he's a jolly good fellow." In the class-room in one'of the Christchurch schools he o visited the other day, the Governor found a blackboard covered, with a number of questions in arithmetic. His Excellency looked at the board, and the first thing that; he saw was; " deduce Ml 19s 4_d to -half-pence."- " Ah," he said,-quietly. " I could do that very easily." *

The following is the Municipal Band's programme to be played in the Band .Rotunda, 'to-night:—Quickstep,"Kanga-roo "; waltz, "Love's Serenade".; march, ■. : " Lancastrian"; . lancers, " Houp-bi" ; polka., " Mischief "; waltz, - ".Leonora"; selection, " Sydney by Night." ; march, " Bucephaleon " ;'"God Save the King." William Blascy,.machinist at Mr-Gar-ners'timber working mills, at Hastings, met with a serious accident on Monday morning. He was caifght in some shafting, and'was whirled round twice before being released; Medical aid was al'once , called in. and although no hones-were broken the injured man was sent to ihe Napier Hospital, as it -was feared that he was hurt'internally.' At night his condition had slightlyimproved.'..'. ,'/ , The Japanese claim to be .considered <i civilised people can npd6'ngfei?be§dcnied by their most -severe critics. When Field-Maishal-Oyama'left Tokio for tho front early last month aband on the railway platform almost drowned the cheering with wliich'hundreds of Japanese and foreign dignitaries sent him on his way, by a vigorous performance of " Aula Lang Syne.'' ■ ~ According-to the "Year Book" out of the 70 members' of tho House there are only 12 farmers and '9 sheep-farmers, vimholders, graziers or 'stock-owners. The great industries are' certainly not adequately represented, hut this (an exchange points out), is to a large extent due to the apathy of farmers themselves, who allow lawyers, chemists, journalists and others to represent them, _hou«hthey hiivd.uo interest in common with those of the great primary producing interests. ■■■.:■■.*■'

- A cable" from Sydney advises the death of Father Fanvel, who was.parish priest at Temuka for '25 years. He was previously, a missionary in .Fiji for ten years, till his health broke down under hardships and hard fare. He built a fin _ stone ehurcn at Temuka. and another at--1 leasant Point, and established Convent Schools at both places'-under- Josephine nuns. -Deceased had been an; failing health for some time, and was visiting' Australia to recuperate. • He was a native of Normandy. France, and- was 71 years of age.

During a lecture by Mr Bedford at Petone m support of the International Correspondence Schools, Scranton, he dwelt upon the importance of students being taught to " express " themselves,' and in i tms connection ho claimed that tuition, by mad gave just the needed training. He went on to'say mat drawing was 7. subject demanding much more attention than it got at present. For instance,- a man niic-ht;with his eyes see a cow, and yet not -cc one,.for if he attempted to draw on paper the impression left on his lmnd.-by what he saw, the result would bo amusing rather that"instructive. At the conclusion of the-lecture, the Chairman, Mr G..London, Mayor of Pctone.,. illustrated this point with good efiecfc by. relating an incident which occurred to him some short time ago when on a u-ip to the Old Oountry. AVlulst.. at Naples' he, together with a friend, decided to cvplore the city. They had little doubt but that they would be able to navigate themselves about. ' When, however they desired to return' to their, ship, they iound thatrthcy were at sea." Unfortunately they 'could Hot: speak Italian, and'the gendarmes who acted as police could not speak English. . He and his companion attempted by dumb show to demonstrate to one of. them that they. had lost thefr way,'hut lie could not understand them, and probably took them for mild lunatics. A brilliant idea, then struck Mr London, and producing a pencil from his pocket'he rapidlysketched a ship and displayed it to the the jnan-in uniform. Even -this was not sufficiently plain. In despair, ho piit a few.final touches to his sketch, .hrowiiv*' in a' little more smoke, etc., and displayed ' it to a second gendarme. This, official immediately noddedhis recognition of tho same, and signed to- the wanderersi to: follow him. In a short time he triumph^ antly conducted tho weary travellers . 0 " the railway station." .What Mi-.:Lo>i-don meant to represent a ship h e t6_]'for a locomotive. This htfcle illustration caused much merriment..

The McConniek Big 4-Mower ;< "the machine to cut grass.*

For bronchial coughs' take - Wnn,l ;.> Great Peppermint Cure. l s & _ Come mother! Paynes' aye giving -advt °" dl boots a»d 2?oS

Mr--Seddon announced in.the House yesterday •.that--.no' other business will bo taken until the debate on the land question is concluded. ■ ___ t

■..-. -Mr Jas. Syinons, of Foxton, has been appointed buyer of hemp in the Manawatu for- the firm of A. S7 Paterson and Co., Wellington.

Mr Canton, of Palmerston North, the newly-appointed inspector in connection with the- Carterton high -pressure water supply, is expected to arrive there at the beginning of September.

A team of footballers frorhHeretaunga College is at present; on a visit to Palmerston. A match between theni and the High School was being played this afternoon.

Mr A. _s. Ongley, of Hokitika, has taken up his duties as clerk in the office of the Palmerston North Magistrate's Court. Mr Ongley is a well-known cricketer, having made a name for himself in this respect on the West Coast.

In an interview at Dunedin, Lady Plunket spoke of the attitude of the modern girl towards married women and those older than herself, and said that even to her ownmother there was alack 6f that deference and courtesy which was atone time indispensable as a mark of good breeding. " I notice it here," she said, " even more than in England. Girls do not dream of rising on the entrance ot married ladies, and will even allow their mother to get up and come to them on little trifles, instead of instantly rising and going to her."

We have to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of the special football edition of the IN ew Zealand Mail from Mr Essex, news agent, Palmerston North. This edition has been issued to commemorate the visit- of the team of British footballers to New Zealand, and is decidedly well got np, the illustrations being clear and distinct, and giving one a good idea of the physique of the Britishers and, also, of the colonials who played against them. The history of the tour, by a special reporter who was present at each of the matches, wdl be found excellent reading and gives one a good idea of the tour generally and the style of playing.

The angriest man in Australia is an Eaglehawk resident, who sued the Electric Tram Company at the Bendigo County Court for £97 damages, alleging that he had been pitched bodily over the front of the car, owing to the driver wrongly applying the brake while travelling at high speed. .Having got plaintiff down the tram played handball with him for about a hundred yards or so. The defence set forth, in all solemnity that the company was not liable, inasmuch as the " plaintiff had left the car while in motion "—which the plaintiff did not deuy; in fact, that was just.what he complained about. The defence didn't hold good, but it suggests a lot of things to a Sydney contemporary. Supposing a large'dog overtakes you with his teeth despite your best efforts to leave him while in motion, it says, the same plea ought to come in.

When buying a DENTON HAT see that the leathers are embossed " THE DENTON HAT." One price everywhere, 10s 6d.