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Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1936, 20 July 1869, Page 2

The Post Office. —We have heard loud complaints as to the state of the approaches to the delivery windows at the Post office. Not only is the footway in a disgraceful state ; hut the verandah is in a most dangerous condition, The sooner the thing is attended to the better. The Garrick Club. —We have been informed that the Benevolent Institution has received a doua iou of L‘2B 15s from the Garrick Club. The proceeds of the recent performance atnoiuV ed to L 35 I.Bs ; from which the Club deducted oue-fifth for their private charity fund. Arrival of the Lapwing at Fiji. —We are glad to learn by a telegram received by Mr. William Hay, bookseller, that the Lapwing which left Dunedin for the Fiji's on the 7th of May last, had arrived at Levuku previous to the departure *of the Jcannie Duncan, which arrived at Lyttelton nu Thursday iast. This, we hope, will allay the anxiety of the friends of passengers who left this city by the Lapwing.

The Pitt Street Works. —The candidates for the office of Mayor have in their election addresses, dwelt at considerable length upon this subject, and in each cas the work has been condemned on account of its expensive character. The work having been executed by prison labor, the. gaol .authorities have been greatly blamed, and a great outcry has been raised against the employment of convicts ill the. construction of city works in future. "Whilst so much has been said, on the subject, there has been nothing said as to the causes of the alleged extravagance. Some of the Candida* es had the manliness to acknowledge I bat the City Council themselves are blamable for the expensive character of the works When they were commenced, the horses and drays that were required were supplied by the City Inspector of Works, and operations were proceeded with vigorously. '! hen a dispute arose as to the employment of Mr Barnes’ horses and carts, and they were eventually taken off; the consequence being that the works came to a standstill. All this time, however, the pay of three warders at 9s a day was running on. Work was' resumed for a while, wlu u the horses and dravs *were again taken off. At length the wet weather set in, and very little work could he done ; but still the warders’ wages were running on. The wages of the warders will, on inquiry into the matter, be found to he the heaviest item in the expenditure. It is is but justice to the gaol authorities that these facts should he made known.

The Princess Theatre.—Last evening, at the Princess Theatre “ The Cric' et on the Hearth,” and the burlesque of “The King of the Peacocks,” were played. The chief interest of the evening was in the burlesque, which is sufficiently amusin',', and well put on the stage, to render it very attractive. Some burlesques have no plot. This has one- very simple, but very intelligible Th King of the Peacocks is a bach - lor; the Prim-css Kosetqa is a maiden. >he has he rd of his majesty, and determined to marry him She despatches her brothers with her portrait and the King falls passionately in love with her. The hindrances to their meeting are her being thrown overboard by a Chinese captain, under the influence of rum, at the instigation of the Baroness Von Hugermugger, and the helps to the happy termination of their troubles are an Irishman, a green dog, and a May fly. The scenery is very finely painted, and as no complex machinery

is necessary, no hitch occurred. Miss Forde, Mrs S. Howard, Miss Jennie Nye, Miss Matthews, and Messrs Howard, Joyce, Bell, and Ing is, sustained the principal parts, and played them well. Miss Forde’s singing, Mrs Howard’s dancing, Miss Nye’s miscellaneous engagements, Miss Gassy Matthews’s haggery, the drollery of Messrs Howard and Joyce, and the activity of Mr Bell, combined with the beautiful scenery and appropriate music by M. Floury and haul, to render the piece successful, and we think it likely' to become a favorite.

The Thames Goldfields. —We notice that shan-broking in connection with these fields has commenced in Christchurch. Two of the new companies have agents in the city, and upwards of fortv shaves in one of then), “ The Victoria,” were disposed of yesterday'. The shares are L 5 each. — L;/f----tdton Times.

Mystekious Announcrmext. —The leading paper published in Hokitika has the following in its issue of July 7 13 : —lt is with regret that wc have to record that defalcations on the part of a well-known laixa and estate agent of this town have been brought to light. The criminal, against whom warrants upon charges of embezzlement have been issued, has absconded. Colonial Bank Notes.—His Honor Mr Justice Richmond, in the course of a recent trial for larceny, at Nelson, is reported to have said that the bank notes issued in this Colony were not fit to be handled, except with a pair of tongs ; they wore a perfect disgrace to the banks, and wore calcnlated to disseminate all sorts of loathsome diseases. Anything so beastly as the paper currency here issued could not be found in any other country in the world. The remedy was in the hands of the public, wjjo, -when such filthy rubbish was handed over the counter, should refuse to take it, and should demand cither clean notes or gold,.

Forte natk Men. Mi- Sydney Evelyn Wright, in reference to a paragraph appearing in a Wellington contemporary, and copied here, stating taat Mr W. F. L. Liardct is the sole surviving representative of the old stock of the Evelyn family, writes tons {Press) as follows ;—“ I observed among the locals in the LyUclloii Times of this morniiK'’s issue an article commencing ‘Fortunate men,’ in which it. says Mr W. F. E. Liardet (a relative) is the ‘ sole surviving representative of the old sto k of the Evelyn family.’ Desirous to correct any erroneous impressions that may 7 arise from such a statement, I beg leave to inform yon that I am the eldest branch of the old family, and consequently its representative.” Should Mr Wright he able to substantiate his claim, the whole of the greater part of the Deptford Dockyard, valued at L30l),000 will revert to him.

Taranaki. -Tho Taranaki Provincial Council has been prorogued till the 10th. It will soon dissolve. Patea was thrown into great excitement recently. The forces wer Tali out on an expedition, the prisoners being left in charge of three Ngatipor.ms, who informed the settlers that the Hau-haus intended brcikinv into the store for the purpose of seizing the tomahawks and attacking the town that night. Colonel Lyons’ return prevented any mischief. On the Bth le Kooti, with two hundred follower?, was .at Tuhua, Eanghoti, on the road to Tokangamuim. Tawhiao has sent a message ordering the Kingites to return. The J/erald’s correspondent says that it is To Kooti’s object to depose Tawhiao, and he thinks he may succeed. The Maoris stopped the erection of the West Coast telegraph at Paikaikariki.

Auckland. Our files are to the lOfch iust. A correspondent of the Auckland Herald says :~-“Tc Ecoti is still at Maraerau, and will remain there until the \Vaikatos are assembled at Tokangainufcu to receive him. Everything I am glad to he able to state is quiet, and the settlers are reassured. It is stated that he wishes to be proclaimed King. About l,oooozs of go d were yester ay brought up from the Shotover and lodged iu the Union Bank. The share market has been as active as ever to-day, and many interests have changed hands. All Nations have been sold at L 24, Eurekas : A parcel has changed hands at L 3 and LI. Long Drives have fetched oyer L2OO, Specimens from this company’s claim have been taken out to-day which exceed in richness anything before met with here. The United Company on the Waiotahi Creek, next the Golden Crown Extended, came across some good stone t<> day. A quartershare in the John ©’Groats changed hands to-day at LIOOO. Dixon’s No. 1 had a very good find to-day.

Velocipedes in Melbourne. —The athletic sports on the M. 0 C. ground, on the ] 2th July, were witnessed by 15,000 people. The chief attraction was the velocipedes, which is thus described by the Afi/us: — “ The racing was not, on the whole, as good as was expect d. A great many of the machines entered, including several from Ballarat, had to he withdrawn, in consequence of thp postponement of the meeting ; and this thinned tfie field very much. The exhibition, however,' was qpite sufficient to prove beyond doubt the iunn asurable superioity of the bicycles over tlibir tbreewheclcd competitors. The performances of the latter, indeed. Were ludicrous in comparison. It was also evident that the Colonial velocipcdists have s- mething to learn in the manag- meet of tbe bicyle. Mr Finlay, of Fitijroy, appeared to be the only one who had properly acquired the knack of propelling these machines, apd he carried all before him. He appeared to be in much better tr,lining than either of his opponents —Mr Ivey, of Ballarat, and Mr Waraock of Emerald hill—and had also the advantage of a rather larger driving wheel. His chief superiority, however seemed to lie in his position in the seat, which enabled him to economise his forces by pressing the tmbiles forward as well as down with each motion of the feet —gain ng power like a practised rower—while his opponents had simply the straight up and down motion, b striding their mac ines as a cavalry man sits a horse. In the final heat. Mr Finlay did the two miles in llmin, 29,lsec , thus attaining a speed of nearly twelve miles an hour, which must be regarded as very good, considering that the course was over a turf which always heavy at this period of the year, was unusually soft, owing to recent rains. The Thames Goldfield. —The accounts from these diggings continue to be very encouraging on the whole. A crushing of a parcel of specimens, weighing 5501b5, from the I ong Drive claim, was finished on Monday, at the Kuranui Company’s onestamper machine, and yielded the surprising

return of 2.092 ounces of retorted gold, winch w;is yesterday deposited in the Bank of New Zealand, and handed over to Mr Smith for melting and assaying purposes. Besides this*', between 10 and 12 ounces are expected from the cleanings tip, which will swell the total to upwards of 2,090 ounces, an average ■f 3oz Idwt 9gr to the pound, a yield unparalleled in the annals of quartz mining, when we take into consideration the short time which has elapsed i-ince the last specimen crushing. We were shown a sample, of the stone yesterday at the machine, which we have little hesitation in saying is ounce for ounce of gold and stone. Amongst the lot crushed, however, was some of an inferior quality, which had a great effect in reducing the average. About loOlbs of very rich specimens have been taken out since the crushing commenced The result of the crushing for the All Nations Chum, at the, Kuranui Company’s machine, was retorted yesterday, and, including the specimen returns, amounted to upwards of 1000 ounces of retorted gold from about 50 t"ns of stone. This was deposited in the Union Bank of Australia, and handed over to Mr Muir for melting and assaying. No doubt this splendid return will have a great effect in increasing the price of the scrip of this company.—ln the John o’ Groats Claim, the shareholders have struck on a reef nearly seven feet through, thickly impregnated with gold. The day following (the 3rd), three-quarters of a share sold in Auckland for LI4OO, and an eighth for L 250. The last crushings for the Golden Crown Company showed a decided improvement. The* result of the crushing for the week ending the Cth (between 59 ami 54 tons) amounted to 3500z of gold. On the 6th, an eighth of a share in the John o’ Groats claim sold for L3OO. The same day the City of Glasgow, adjoining the Long Drive, took out 50lbs weight of stuff equal in richness with that crushed by this famous . claim. It is estimated to contain three ounces to the pound. The Lake District.—The Arrowtown correspondent of the Dim dun Tune*, writing under date the 12th inst., says : i “The frost has been very severe these last few days, and mining operations, excepting on the' Hats and river beds, are interrupted, 'the bed of the Arrow Liver, near its junction with the Kawarau, is affording employment to a considerable number of nun, and some very good patches of gold have been struck. Messrs Trueman and Co., who are about working the river bed upon a well organised principle, commence operations hi a few days a short distance above the township ; that gold exist there in large quantities there is little doubt, and whoever is successful enough to reach the bed rock will he handsomely rewarded. The Municipal Eelections at Queenstown are engrossing public opinion. The present Mayor, Mr J. VV. Robinson, has expressed his intention not to stand for re-election; however, a requisition to him to do so is in course of preparation, it being the prevailing opinion, and I think rightly, that Mr Robinson is the most eligible man in Queenstown to fulfil j the office of Mayor ; while his largo interest in the district is a guarantee that be will j continue to exert himself in forwarding its j advancement. Messrs Mallaghan and Haljensteip have also received requisitions ; the latter replies in the Wakaiip Ma(l to his would-be supporters under the designation of La iies and Gentlemen. For such an act of gallantry, Mr Haliensteiu ought most certainly be elected.”

Mr Birch will address the electors this evening, at Royal Hotel, Walker street, at 7.30, and at M'Gregor’s British Hotel, George street, at 5.30.