CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 222, 20 September 1888, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE GRAND STAND AT PdttfEies BADDjOGK.

(TO the Editor.) „;

Sißr-rThe recent football matches at Potter's have been so well, attended by; the publio that surely the powers that be might remedy, before: next; season, their error in placing the grand stand in its •pt'esent inconvenieny position. As it is, there is now only one part from whence the spectator can view the;£amci throughout. The majority of the'occupants can only catch a glimpse Occasionally .when the play is in certain parts of the. field, and this by Bedulously craning fof vvai'd. It is, perhapß, too much to expect the moving, of the stand to be at an angle or further ; back, either of which positions would meet the case, but why not alter the boundary fence? Thia would meet thel'ball.—^STdttrß^ etiti.; -Three-quarters,

"Mr. Barnft) of N6vr York," Is tlie «Klei of a novel that has) not" a very topaantio SQun<J, but rea^e^ of'ib will discover that Mir; Barnesb^NewiYork has a yeryeventfal. and far. from uhromantiio career. The plot fcurHfl on a Corsican vendetta: l^the bpeuing ohapfcera ive ba?e,: the narrative of a d6el between an English naval officer and a yoiirig Coraican, in whiplijtho latter ia mortally wounded. His sister Mario&j who haft been oJcpectihe^hina Home, alter a long absence, arrives au too late to see him alive, and vqvfß a vetideUq agafaißt; his slayer, who has already hurried bato join his ship .on JtP way to |l(?yp*» Thenceforwardjshe devotes her life to the pursuit: of this unknown murderer, aS|Bbe holda him, of her brother. By 4 curious and wall-told chain of events she falls in with a.Miss Anstruther and her brother, who turns out, p> be^an English officer whom aha had nursed in.an Alasandrian hospital, whether the pureuit of Her vow had-led her. They iad there mntualy faUen in love, and t^ir love is now renewed. Simultaneously Mr Barnes,: who has beenT present at the duelj Baying made the ac> qudintance of Miss .Ahßfcruther, after on exceedingly laughable episode, has won her love a?ic| been accepted..... Meanwhile Marina's! Corsicah guardian and would-be husband has discovered evidence to prove t'^aii Lieutenant Anst*uther is'the long.; sought murderer of her brother; but before he has told her.this ehe hail, by a great efforts, put away her wioked vow; and. aooepied her aultor'fe love. Count Danella,; resolved that the vengeance shall be accomplished, and Marinar fearfully punished, procures that the wedding shafl take place in Corsica. Here the crisis Is reached. Marina has not; yet been undeceived, and .it' : is uncertain whether her better nature wiU triumph over her Coraican habits of thought: the English people suspect nott ing; and Mr Barnes, wno has reason to'eiiis * peot the truth, is far away in England. It would be nmaii- to the reader and the novelist alike to relate the result. Jfc is at pneo exciting aud unexpected, &a$ it ; te worth while to read the book in order to discover it. The ■ strength of the book lies, mainly in the plot, but the characters are far from being ill-described, and the interest is well maintained to the end., ♦'Mr Barnes of New York" is now published in book fora, and may be had at the Btab Office^ Auckland, or from.any bookseller in the colony. Price, Is. I The Dunedin "filtftf" iayl: "We haya ! reoaived; a han.dßpmely*got<up volume entitled 'The Early History of the Oathblio Church in Oceania,' being a translation from the French of a narrative compiled ftorn the pages'of a diary kept by_ the Bight Bey. Jonn Baptist Francis J?ompalder. The name of the author and hero of the story is held in respect by all classes in the Auck* land olistriOT, where he spent most of his time in New 'Zealand, aud the tale of missionary enterprise unfolded in the seventy odd pages of this work5;will; be perused with interest not only by members of the church to which it is immediately addressed, but by oiJbers who can appreciate? the quiet heroisyn which in> those early day 4 brought';tij» best meij to. thja• fronib, ianc^ enabled..;th^im .to ebow tjlio way ia intrpT ducing civilisation among the natives of the Soubliern Soae. Bishop Pompaliior tracea.the history of the Apostolic vicariate of the 'Western Pacitib" from the time lie was 'eommiasioßod to the work by Popo Gregory XVI. in 1835 unfcii : ,hiß return jto Homo in 1806; arid, though the narrative stwjply purp^rfca te describe the p'antine ana growth of the Chutoa in Oceahia,it also contains much interesting Information in respectr to the- customs bt the people with whom the Bishop was brought into contact,, and thug constitutes a valuable addition to the general literature on the eubject. '■-. The only regret one feels on perusing the work is that the details mentioned are presented, insutth a condensed •form. Bishop ?0m..; palliei; asoholar, ianci naturally' a man of eminent ability, and it would have, been; pleasing reading had he given us tnore 01. his own observations on the incidents: of the stirring .times»when ho first set foot. .in;;.tbia" and \!othe| parts of Oceania. We must,-however, take the book as it i« given. 'i; to vs } and, while regretting ,^ta brevity, we aocejit it with plea«ire ac a memento from one who did his Best fco act wisll Hia* part under eJtOßptipjdiftlty ,'tnrin^', oircumßtances. Bishop Luck has; "written an introduction to the volume, and there. i» b frontispiece giving,; a likeness ef th« aottior. The printing and binding of the volume are such as would set disgrace the Old, Gountry, an d It is a -fearer in the cap' of the Auckland Siajk te km out sach good workV :; ■;-';; - ■"■■■■ -: ■ '■■_ -['_- .- ; , ■:■'.-