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Evening Star, Issue 4942, 4 January 1879, Page 2

The final performance will be given at the circus to-night, when "Turpin's ride to York " will form the chief attraction. The troupe appear at Milton on Monday night. The Bristol University College counts among its professors this term the wifo. of the principal, who has undertaken to teach political economy to the students in that department.

At the Princef b's Theatre last evening the Kelly and Leon Minstrek repeated their programme of the previous night. Mr Beaumont Read received an encore for his exquisite rendering of«« Sweet Chiming Bells," and the same compliment wa3 paid to Mr Courfcwright and Japanese Tommy in the " Gens d' armes " duet from " Genevieve de Brabant." Leon gave his delienations of fast and fashionable American ladies with his accustomed truthfulness to nature, and the entertainment wound up with the amusing comic opera "Choufleuri." A new programme will be submitted to-night.

The following extract frcm a Syoney paper throws some light on an intercolonial telegram published by us a little more than a week ago:—"A shocking calamity has occurred in the Naomi, New South Wales. Vour young girls have been drowned. The ictims of the sad accident are Emily Lamb, 1.7 years of age, daughter of Mr lamb, of tl lis town, and granddaughter of Mr James L: ; lyman, senr., of Deep Creek ; Eliza Maude R< wisay, 13 years of age, stepdaughter of Mr Cliarles Lilyman, Royal Hotel, Wee Waa ; an a Mary and Annie Humphreys, 11 and 12 years, daughters of Mr George Humphreys, of l.Vee Waa. It appears they were crossing the Naomi on a log, when suddenly it gave waj ', precipitating all of them into twelve feet of water. They Lravely endeavoured to save one another, but all perished. All the bodies have been recovered. Miss Lina Pallc tt was also nearly drowned, but was saved by Mrs Humphreys, her aunt, and xaoihi. r of two of the children drowned.'

Owing to the steady fall of rain which prevailed daring thiß day the continuation of the Caledonian sports had to be adjourned till Monday. No precise date has yet been fixed upon for the opening of the railway line through to Invercargill, but the event will probably take place about the middle of this month. The number of immigrants nominated at the Dunedin office during the past month was 72 souls, equal to 58 statute adults; an.l at the Invercargill office 26 souls, equal to 23 statute adults.

At the Magistrate's Court, Port Chalmers, this morning, before Mr Elder, J.P.,Norman Campbell and Auguste Holsen, seamen of the brig Star of the Mersey, were charged with disobedience of orders. They pleaded guilty and were ordered to be put on Doard.

Pour men appeared on summons at the City Police Court this morning charged with disorderly behavior on New Yeai'd morning. Three of them were fined L 3 each, in default a fortnight's imprisonment, the fourth being fined L 5. The fines in all the cases were paid.

The challenge recently issued by the North Dunedin Rifles to fire a friendly rifle match against any company in the Colony ha 3 been accepted by the City Guards, the match to be fired on Saturday next at ranges of 400, 500, and 600 yards, five shots at each distance.

The following summary of weather observations taken at Leeston during the last six months, will give some idea of the weather experienced over a large portion of the Canterbury Plains during that period:—Days on which no rain fell, 145 ; rainy days (principally partial), 37; days of south-west wind, 40; days of nor'-westers, 116. The first and last items effectually spell "Dry season."

The monthly meeting of the Taieri County Council at Outram yesterday was attended by the chairman (Mr Roberts)/ Messrs Charters, Shand, Allan, Findlay, Bunting, and Andrews, but the mo3t of the" business was of a formal character. An allowance of L 75 was made to the engineer for past services, and on the motion of Cr. Charters it was decided to hold future meetings at Mosgiel. Yesterday's' Gazette contains notifications of new telegraphic regulations ; that the Hon. G. M. Waterhouse, MrW. L. Travers, and Mr Mason have been re-appointed Governors of the New Zealand Institute; that Messrs J. C. Brown and J. Harrop have been appointed Visiting Justices of the Lawrence gaol; and that Messrs J. Sperrey, S. Y. Collins (Napier), and Thomas Mackay (Nelson), have been added to the Commission of the Peace.

The ' Clutha Leader' reports that, taking into consideration the cold stormy weather experienced in the beginning of summer, the crops in the Waitepeka district look remarkably well. There is every prospect of an average crop, but it will be a late harvest. Ryegrass is in general a rather light crop. We have heard of one instance where the fortunate owner expects to net an almost fabulous price per acre for ryegrass seed. Potatoes and turnips are well advanced, and promise abundant crops.—ln the Oamaru district the cereal crops are looking well, and should favorable weather prevail between now and harvest time, the average yield of grain is expected to be higher than for years past. It seems that the seamen's strike at Sydney was settled much on the terms offered by the strikers three weeks' ago, and then indignantly rejected by the shareholders of the A.S.N. Company. The then offer of the seamen's union was to this effect: " That the company should retain Chinamen in the Hong Kong trade and in the F4ji so far as the Black Swan is concerned. In the New Caledonia trade, that they take the men back in the same position as before, paying all wages due from the date of the strike, the men who had pone to work since the strike not to be interfered with. If the company agreed to this and guaranteed to keep the strikers on at the same wages for twelve months the men would deposit LSOO as security against their breaking their agreement." This morning at about noon while Dr Stenhouse was proceeding in his buggy to Ravensbourne, and crossing the rocky walling from Union street to Logan's Point, the horse took fright near the bridge, and began to back towards the side. The groom thereupon leaped out, but the doctor kept his scat and endeavoured to control the horse, but in vain, and the horse, buggy, and doctor were precipitated into the stream below. Dr Stenhouse speedily extricated himself by swimming, but it proved a more difficult task to save the horse and carriage, and had it not been for the valuable assistance rendered by the men working at the quarries, these would inevitably have been lost, as a strong current was running. The horse was severely cut, and has been put under the care of Mr Mar.-, quis, veterinary surgeon, Rattray street. The buggy and harness are also badly damaged, but Dr Stenhouse has escaped with a few bruises, none of which are likely to prove serious.

It will be a piece of good fortune (remarks the ' Timaru Herald') if no lives are lost at the Rangitata Bridge before the railway traffic over it is restored. The present practice of passengers crossing the broken bridge on foot, by means of planks laid along the bearers, may be better than a total stoppage of the traffic; but it is altogether too dangerous to be commendable. A few days since, one of the railway men had the narrowest possible escape from drowning, while coming over the bridge in this manner with passengers. He had reached a point where there was nothing to catch hold of, when a gust of wind came and threw him off his balance. He fell, fortunately into an eddy of back water, and Mr Archer, of Timaru, who was behind him, with great pluck and presence of mind, scrambled down after him, seized him by the wrist, and drew him wo again on to tho bridge. Had he fallen into the running stream, or had he struck the piles, or had there not been a strong and prompt man close to him at the moment, he must inevitably have been drowned.

A meeting of the Dunedin tailotß will be held at the Douglas Hotel on Monday evening at 7.30. °'

It was John Hanann, and not John Hamaan, who was fined at the City Court yesterday for drunkenness.

Through commmicat on with Chri tchu-ch has been restored ; all traffic can pass over the Rangitata bridge.

Installation of officers of the teith Lodge, 7,0.0.P., will take place in the Albany street nail on Monday evening, at 7.30. In response to the invitation by the Evangelical Alliance for prayer throughout the world, meetings will be held in the hall of the First Church every evening next week at 7.50.