The Press. THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1870. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XVI, Issue 2207, 19 May 1870, Page 2

The Press. THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1870. NEWS OF THE DAY.

A meeting of the members of the Volunteer Engineer Corp will be held this evening at the City Hotel, to discuss the question of uniforms. The annual tea meeting in connection -with St. Paul's Presbyterian Church will take place this evening at the Town Hall. Several gentlemen will give addeases and readings, and Beveral musical pieces will be performed by the choir. The inclement weather last evening militated very much against a full attendance at the Theatre Eoyal. The pieces produced were the same as on the preceding evening. We must confess that we do not like the burlesque of " Ivanhoe" ; it lacks the two very essential items of success in pieces of this character, viz., singing and dancing. The same pieces will be repeated this evening. The Kainer and Christy Minstrels, who, it will be remembered, played a short but highly successful season here a few weeks ago, intend paying us another visit. Tho company are at present in Dunedin, and to judge from the eulogiuras of our Southern contemporaries, appear to be appreciated in that city. They will open here in the Town Hall on the Queen's Birthday, when we have no doubt they will have a bumper house to welcome them. Tho Mendelssohn Society last night held a full rehearsal of their concert, already advertised for Friday. We have every reason to believe that the first performance of "Athalie" will prove a very great attraction to our musical public. The third of the series of Kaiapoi Popular Entertainments was even an improvement on some of the former ones, but the inclement weather tended to lessen the audience. The programme was an excellent one and was gone through in excellent style. The Wellington correspondent of the " Oamaru Times " writes as follows : — ,c The " Auckland News of the Day " announces the appointment of Captain Alfred William East, J. P., as mail agent for the next mail homeward via San Franci&co, and, as I think this requires some supplementary ne«r3, I will give it you. Captain East had never been inside a post-office in his life prior to his appointment, and at that time was in blissful ignorance of the duties attached to ifc. He ie to receive £300 o-year salary, and 10s per day allowance while on board, and one guinea per duy when on chore. He will proceed to Honolulu in the City of Melbourne, in charge of the mails—

which he will not sort—and he will remain there till the arrival of Mr Meldrum Elliott, another mail agent. During his stay of course he will receive both salary and allowance for doing nothing. Mr Meldrum Eliott, an experienced mail agent, well up in postal duties, and one of the late staff for tho Panama line, will do the usual work—will sort the letters going by his steamer, and will receive £250 per annum, without any allowances, or, roughly speaking, about £150 less than the novice, the friend o? the Hon the Postmaster General. Captain East has superseded Mr William Gray, an experienced mail agent, one of the lute staff employed on the Panama line ; a Government servant of many yeai'a' standing, who has been led to suppose he would receive that for which he is qualified, but Hie unqualified Captain East, the friend of the Hon Post-master-General, lias obtained. I men ly state the above facts, which you may rely upon, and which are not generally known, and leave you to draw inferences."