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Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1751, 24 September 1875, Page 2

To-nigVit is to be grand fashionable night at the Prince of Wales' Theatre on the,, occasion of the production of the comedy of "School." and the farce of "Playing with Fire." Mips Lizzie Morgan will sing the pretty ballad, " Silver Threads among the Gokl," and copies of the soDg with music may be procured in the hall.

The disgraceful attempts of the Cross Ccromandel correspondent to injure the Union Beach mine have formeo the subject of very unfavourable comments in mining circles during the last week. The insinuations in yesterday's report, so manifestly impute an attempted fraud by the directors, that it is by no mears improbable legal proceedings will lie taken to put a stop to this continual gratification of personal malice, at the cost of a public company. We .ire surprised that the Cross should so long have permitted it columns to be used in this waj.

There is something peculiar in the Spelling Bee as announced in another column to he held to-moriow night by the I O.G.T. We thoroughly approve of the new departure, making the competition confined to adults. This is the genuine "American Bee" notwithstanding the untruthful assertions made by irritated and angry correspondents to the contrary All the waspishness that has yet been manifested has been due to the mistake of allowing youths and children to compete with adults. But why "school-teachers, journalists and printers " should be excluded we are at a loss to know. Of course it is only to be accepted as complimentary. Still we see no reason why any distinction fehould be made among adults. Ihe only things to be excluded are boys; and if the " Spelling Bee " is to be thoroughly reformed, and placed on a basis on which it may continue to be productive of genuine entertainment, and be useful to many a charitable cause, we would recommend that all the boys who have hitherto appeared at 11 Bees " as competitors with adults should be brought up on the stage and publicly spanked, so that by counter-irritation applied on the least intellectual portion of the person, self-conceit and cheek and prisgishness.and other evil humours of colonial birth, may be drawn away from the head and eliminated. We congratulate the 1.0 G.T. oa their effort at reform, though we fail to see why "school-teachers, journalists and printers" should be included in the same category, with boys and other nuisances, and excluded. We are inclined to fear, however, that reform comes too late ; and that hardly any thing will restore the "Bee" to the position in which leading citizens might have come forward for the fun of the thiug, and unbent themselves for a night for the sake of some cause of charity. However, we wish the 1.0. G.T. success in the attempt.

At the Board of Education meeting yesterday, applications from Parnell for a grant of £1 for assistant teacher's services during the illness of the teacher and for the approval of Mrs Innea as teacher of needlework was deferred. The board approved of the appointment of Miss Philips as junior assistant at Devnoporfc. A number of country matters were also dealt with.

The Good Templars have done a good work in providing pleasant, rational, and cheap amusement for Saturday nights. About five hundred persons assembled in the hall of the Young Men's Christian Association at the last of these gatherings, which is a pretty conclusive indication of their popularity. For to morrow night a grand spelling competition for adults has been provided. The charge for admission is to be one penny as before, merely to cover expenses. We hope that boys who feel disposed to rowdyness will expend their surplus vitality outside before entering the hall, as their conduct inside has been a source of annoyance to those who provide the entertainment and to the quiet section of the audience. Mrs Doble desires us to acknowledge with thanks receipt by her of £30, collected by the Rev. F. T. Baker at Te Kopua. She also requests all who have subscriptions collected in her behalf to pay them in as early as possible to herself, Mr Barnes, or at the IStar office. We are glad to say that the generous response of the public has not merely relieved present necessities, but will place her in a good position for earning a living for herself and little ones. We have to acknowledge receipt of another sum of 10a from " A Friend."

To the Editor : Sir, —Your correspondent signing himself T. B. Hull might have gained the information he pretends to desire, had he enquired of me, wionoutj appearing in public print. The reasons of my not wishing youDg ladies who had played before public audiences previously to compete with those who had not done so would be obvious to persons of common sense, and it is needless to attempt an explanation to others. In order however to give them (the former) a chance, I gave^ a second prize which was an addition to first proposition. Ab to his remarks about friends of the promoters being certain of winning, they are beneath notice, and contemptible. Narrow? minds, however, cannot have liberal ideas and conceptions, and over suspicious people are nob remarkable for honesty.—Youra, &c, W. C. Dunnes, September 24, 1875.

A young man named Robert Douglas, of the barque Harriet Armitage was going aboard the barque Director in Kaipara harbour, and fell overboard, his head striking the gunwale of a boat alongside which stunned him. He went down beneath the surface and the tide swept him past the vessel. Before any means could be used to rescue him the body again sank and did not again come to the surface.

At a meeting of the City Council, at Montreal, to consider the new health bylaw which compels vaccination, a large number of French Canadians, opposed to vaccination, occupied the galleries and assembled outside, and were so noisy that no business could be done. Several volleys of stones were thrown, nearly all the windows broken, and two children were struck. The Council finally postponed action for six months, and adjourned in confusion under a volley of stones.

The bottom has not dropped out of everything. We are sure of it, for we recently sat down on a wood bottomed chair on which a tack was standing on its head. We immediately arose with renewed confidence in our agility. — Boston NeiDs.

A vessel which lately arrived at New York brought the intelligence that the barque Rebecca Crowell, which left New York on March Gfch, for Buenos Ayres, became disabled during a severe gale, three days after leaving New York. Severaltof the spars and sails were carried away, and the captain and first mate were injured to such an extent that they were confined to their berths throughout the rest of the voyage, and rendered incapable of managing the vessel. There was no other person on board except the captain's wife, who understood navigation, and she undertook the task of conducting the barque to the point of destination. The second mate was a young man twenty years old, able to take the helm, but ignorant of the process of making observations. The woman then assumed the command of the vessel, took observations, ascertained the latitude and longitude, maintained her place upon the bridge and directed the course of the vessel. After exercising control for fifty-eight days, during which the vessel encountered violent gales, and shipped heavy seas, the captain's wife, worn out and exhausted with her labours, conducted the vessel, with its valuable cargo, safely into the port of Buenos Ayres. A purse was made up for her on her arrival.

A low brute was hauled up at Christchurch the other day for being drunk and disorderly, and creating a disturbance. He stated in justification of his conduct that he had drunk 14 pints of beer after dinner, and that the row was caused by the landlord of the hotel having set his brother in-law on to leather him. Fancy a publican being allowed to serve one man with 14 pints of beer off the reel !

The Duke of Argyle has fenced in a deer forest six miles round.

Bismarck and the Empress of Germany bow, but don't speak.

A Baroda correspondent of the Bombay Qazrite furnishes the following remarkable and, if true, atrocious particulars of a case of cruelty, which, he says, has created a profound sensation, as well it might. "It appears," says this authority, "that one of Mulhar Rao's courtiers, who was in great favour with his Highness, was looked upon wish jealousy by some of his fellow-courtiera. So, to pet him into trouble with the Maharajah, they reported to his Highness that th<» favourite had been casting amorous glances at the Queen. The poor man was then seized uuder —as I hear it will be satisfactorily proved —the orders of the Maharajah and cast into prison. Special fetters and manacles were forged for him. I have seen them. A great iron bar nearly as thick as your wrist and about eighteen inches long, with thick henvy rings-fitting on it for the hands to go in to secure his arms. These things alone weighed twenty-two pounds. An iron ring of great weight was put around his neck, and a chain was, I believe, attached to it. Huge iron bars with rings attached, altogether weighing thirt-five pounds, were fastened to his lees so that it must have been impossible for the poor fellow even to walk a yard. He could neither stand, sit nor lie down. I am told the weight of the iron attached to his hands must have been almost always on his chest, and the iron around hifl neck must have bent his body down bo that his Bufferings must have been terrible. But they discovered a way of adding to them. For about sixteen days they fed him on chutney made of chillies, and gave him Bait water to driuk. At the end of this time he died. Every one who has seen these fetters feels sick at the very thought of what thia poor wretch must have suffered. All this time there was no charge made against him, and there is no reason to suppose that any notice would ever have been taken of the circumstance if it had not been for the inquiry which has been ordered to be held."

We have a letter from "Honorary" on things in general ami the City Council in particular. Hi? starts off with aboli'ion and Provincial Council, and winds up with the important topic of appeals to the people thus :—" Our City Councillors never appeal to the people ; our City Councillors do anything they think, whether well or ill; they build a market which we have no use for, and tax the whole city sixpence per pound for that ; they build little shink-pots along the streets, and big ones at the principal entrance to the city ; they cause stone pavements to bo laid in all the footpaths whinh is fast fading away ; tne.y make streets, at least tracks, which people call'atreets. The Maori tracks are a thousand times superior. They are about to spoil a good street called Drakestreet, and I for one will help to give a good duck to all cur City Councillors who advocate the spoiling of Drake-street. Oar City Councillors do all these things without appealing to the peome. How is this ? Is it rotten? la our City Council so utterly degraded ? Are they so arbitrary as to ruin people's property without liberty, or compensation for damage done ? We shall wait and see.—l am, &c, Honorary." We would suggest to our correspondent that he should read over his letter carefully in print, mark out all the charges that are not absolutely true, and send what is left back to us.

The Star supplement of to-morrow will be of a very interesting; character and will form a pleasant repast for a pleasant hour in the family circle. Among the varied contents we notice the " Dream of the celebrated Keyser," " Lufcie Rogers," a capital tale by a writer of note; the "Foreign Prince 3in England ;" a biography of the only surviving daughter of Sir Francis Burdett ; four good stories, anecdotes and sketches ; a singular and rare poem by King Robert of France* written in 1450 ; a first-rate poem, " The Emigrant's Dream," by our poetic contributor ; some cake and lollies for the children, and choice selections from the literature of all lands tending to cheer the heart at eventide, and lead to the arcadia of human hopes. Messrs. Oosgrave and Co's spring flower show is unquestionably the finest and most diversified of the season, and presents a sight which would charm the heart of Flora herself, and cause her to wonder that human ingenuity could approach so nearly the fragrant fairy work of nature. These artificial representations of the offerings of the goddess of the garden, are so close, that were it not for the perfume which is wanting to complete the emblems, they might be taken for the dewy realities. Messrs Cosgrave's window has attracted hundreds of pedestrians to-day, who have paused before those splendid illustrations of a hundred flowers which at this time of the year, adorn the hills, valleys and lanes of civilised communities. Scarcely a wild or garden flower is missing from the leafy wreaths so tastily arranged, and we believe that the whole spring calender of nature might be read in the shop-window of Messrs Oosgrave, of Queen-stroet.

Mrs Eohm, known as the "fat ■woman" of Bardum's show, has just died at her residence in East Baltimore, aged 29 years. Her weight was 582 pounds, height 6 feet 4 inches; and the span around the waist 72 inches. A meetirg of the members of the Ponsonby Fcotball Club was held last evening in the school-icom of Saint Matthew's. F. A. Jones, Jsq., in the chair. The chairman haviDg spoken of the physical advantages of the coble psme of football which is now becoming a colonial instil ution, instead of being practiced en fc-hrove Tuesday, once a year, as in the old land, referred to the immediate business of the evening, Mr F. Berries then moved, and Mr H. E. Walpole Sutton seconded, " Tbat Ihe colour of the Club be black and white." The mover considering that these were the most opposite and most substantial colors for the Club to take. Messrs Jones, Mackay, and Sutton were then elected as a committee to look after the uniforms and other club matters. It was announced to*the members, that two brothers were willing to subscribe £20 towards the funds. The meeting clcstd with a vote of thanks to Mr Jones for his able conduct in the chair.

Messrs. Ireland Bros, ard Dittos and Son announce a reduction in all kinds of leather. We hope the shoemakers will make a proportionate decrease in their charges for boots.

Mr J. M. Tunny, Provincial Analyst has reported on the action of the Western Spring water upon lead piping. He is of opinion that this action is so slight as to be immaterial. The report states: —"A piece of lead pipe was clrsed at one end and then tilled with the water and al'owed to stand for 24 hours The water was then poured out and tested for lead, while the tube was filled with a new portion of the water and the whole set aside for another 24 hours, and then the water was tested as befere, and so on for five successive times. Eetults: — Ist, 24 tons water contained 14 grain per gallon ; 2nd, 1-7 ; 3rd, 110 ; 4th, 1-15; sth, 1-15. Thus showing that the water had a gradually elecreesiny action on the leael. In other words, the water was forming an insoluble coating on the interior surface of the pipe. The last portion contains one-fifteenth of a grain per gallon—that is, the water would contain less than onemillionth part of its weight of lead, and even that quantity would be about twice thfquantity that would be found in the water which had stood in the Bervice pipes one night, say, twelve hours. Eut, again, eyeD this last quantity could only be found in the first gallon or so; in fact, enly in the water standing in the Bervice pipes, so that, after the first pojtion had been drawn off, the rest we>uld not contain more than one-twenty-f our-millionth part of its weight of lead."