Local and General.

Winter Entertainments. — The second of the series will come off ,t£ip£e:reningTih Spensley's.Hall^when the. recitation contest will ' form the chief feature of the programme. '/ Scientific. — The " Anglo- Australian " in the European Mail, notes that a paper on F The Southern Alps of New Zealand," by t)r Haass, F.R.S., was read at a recent meeting of the Royal Geographical Society. ; " The Australian Israkblitb." —We hare received the first number of a new journal bearing the above distinctive title. It is published in Melbourne, is in every way creditable to the promoters, and will no doubt recommend itself to those for whom it is specially intended. i Art Union. — On Saturday, an art union of valuable pictures in oil, water colours, and chromo-lithographs, was drawn at the shop of Messrs Steele and Wates, High street. There were two hundred members at half a guinea each, and fifty-four prizes were given. The first prize, a pair of landscapes valued at £9 9s, was drawn for Mr J. Inglis. I Postal. — The European Mail just received says: — Arrangements nave been made for despatching the mails for New Zealand via San Francisco, once in every four weeks in future. The next despatch will take place from London on the evening of Thursday, June 1, and thenceforward mails will be sent from London on every fourth Thursday. On each occasion mails will also be made up in Liverpool on the same day as in London, and in Dublin on the following day. I Sporting. — The Suez mail telegrams, remarks a Melbourne contemporary, show that Baron Rothschild this year has the rare £ood fortune of carrying off the two first prizes in the great races of the Derby and the Oaks. The former was won by Favonius, and the latter by Hannah. It is noticeable that Zephyr, the dam of Favonius, the Derby winner, is sister to Hannah, the winner of the Oaks, both Zephyr - and Hannah being from the same dam by the same sire, foaled in different years. Hannah, also, it will be remembered, this year also carried off the Newmarket One Thousand Guineas Stakes. ! Children's Entertainment, Ltttblton. —The third of the series 1 took place on Friday evening, in the Wesleyan Schoolroom, and although the night was very wet, there was a large attendance. Headings suitable to juveniles were givea-by the Revs W. Kt'Gowan and F. Knowles, and Messrs DOyly and Webb. MrsMorley sang with great taste, * The Pilgrims of the night,' and Messrs Carder, Roberts, and Bradley contributed two glees. Master Charles Woledge sang capitally the song 'Robinson Crusoe.' The entertainment was brought to a close by jibe children singing the- fiymn, " Shall we gather by the river ?" , _.-., | Sunday School Annivbesaby. — The anniversary sermons in connection with the St. James Wesleyan Sunday School were preached in the church,' Montreal street, yesterday, by the Rev. T. Buddie — who is on a visit from Wellington-^-in the morning, and the Rev. A. R. Fitchett in the evening. Mr Buddie also delivered an address to the scholars in the afternoon, and in the evening he preached in the Durham street Church. {The usual tea and public meetings will be held in St. James' Church. this evening. Mr F. J. Garrick will preside, and addresses will be delivered by the Revs. Buddie, Morley, Bunn, Keall, Fitchett and- Kirk. The children, under the direction pif Mr Geo. Daltrey, Jnill sing a selection of hymns at intervals during the evening. j The Suez Mail.— Greatly to the surprise tof the public generally, the Canterbury portion of the above mail was brought overland by the Hokitika and Christchurch coach on Saturday. The Galle steamer must have arrived at Melbourne immediately before the departure of the Omeo thence on July 3. The Canterbury, mails were landed at Greymouth on Wednesday last, and sent on to Hokitika, It appears that the Omeo plight have been tendered at Hokitika, but the steamer Waipara, which usually performs ithat service for Messrs M'Meckan, Blackjwood and Co.'s boats, was i absent, and the JBteamer Lioness would hot> ; venture out, her jnachinery being incomplete. This small affair has been made the occasion of a " wirein " between the principal papers at GreyJmouth and Hokitika. The former could not, ;of course, resist the opportunity of having a fling at the "port" ofjfiokitika, and the ietort was not of the mogt'eourteous description. <? • The Suez Mail News. — From our exichange files we learn that the telegraphic {summary of news by last Suez mail excited 'deep feeling in Melbourne. The Argus says: I — Conveying, as it did, the, news of the terrible calamity which hafr. befallen Paris, the 'capital of Europe and of civilisation, the jcapture of the city by \tn4a Versailles army, (the slaughter of the insurgents, and the desjperate frenzy which drovg|them to attempt jto destroy the metropolis/which they could no {longer rale, we considered, that the importance of the despatches us, for the (second time during the last twelve months' (events, in publishing a&extraordinary issue ion Sunday. We accordingly issued an Sedition at 10 o'clock morning |(July 2). The news of tlie partial destrucjtion of Paris, with all the attendant horrors, iexcited a deep feeling throughout Melbourne, 'and furnished matter of comment and allusion in the discourses delivered in various jplacea of worship. In the morning service, jat St Francis* Church, the Dead March in Saul was played, in consequence of the news of the mortar of the Archbishop of Tarie.

THE COLONIA^^BBVst^BEK I^-iidNDON.— The « Aiiglo%|sjralianspia? -the Mail says of Commons on-Sfr Ma£fij£sjihotibn relative to our relations wj[thith^'&ilpme)i?ha^ served to bring the coloni^gues^oti'again prominently before the public// W/h)& ample material for disctisilQ^^b^^.^b? tlxe^ liberal and conservative^ew^ip'4pers7;i *Atf was anti--Cipatedj his motion was abortive, in.so far_a?_ he had to withdfaw'itrbut neyertheießs it has done goo^fm draTw^ngT "freshjftttentioii-? to *: most important^topic, which ere long will demand more practical consideration from the Government. , A long letter suggested.fey the debate, beadedf; v a£jibe! Empire," appeared a aayor two after m The' Standard, signed " J.V." I have reason to know that its author was Mr Yogel, the New Zealand Special^qmijiiseipner. vflLtt'Wßß mfflde the topic of <ai&<fl£le leading article bysiae editor. Mr Yogel is still in town, and very much- occupied; > >It tV is said; that, haying, so successfully c6mpleted the negotiation-o'f4he loan, he is now endeavouring to . negotiate with the great contractor, Mr AUBrogdeny for the construction of railways in New Zealand. About Wiytehall .they* that Mr Yogel is very enfir^eticlin^yinf? t^^ersuad¥' the Colonial Office and the Admiralty that certain r things -.might beiboneflp^aUy dgjig with' a view the 'naval' "defence of the colony, wilficSitf im^6singla'dditionai' taxation upon this country. I should think_ he will have to charm wisely if he is to succeed in: .convincing. jMr^ Goschen that sbip¥ may profitably be stationed on the Ne.w Zealand coasts. Ido not hear that much is^ being done in the matter of flax competition, about which the colonial papers* spoke, some months ago; but the inquiries as to the moat profitable uses of the fibre, anddUgo ?teto various kinds of machinery, are said to be afoot, under Mr Vogel's direction. He Wi& presented at the last. Levee, held, by, ihs Prince of Wales focthWQ^ee^#^|..tTame|' 1 Palace. The presentation was made fey Lord Kitnberley. ! At a Drawing l'^Roottl'lkeld' by the Queen -the other^ day, Mrs Vpgelvha^ the honour; of be|ng. presented by Cpijnteijs Granvilie, pn, ; behalf ;i of the>i .eoun^ess yol, Kimberley; and at the sanie Drawing,- Room; Lady Chute, and; M^rs Lambert were^pre^ sented.' ImWtadd that Mr Yogel has V;en elected an honorary member of the Club, and generally in offic!al | and t p.slit\iefil circles he ib receiving much attention; ; °;, ;''■'