The Evening Star FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1879.

Evening Star, Issue 4965, 31 January 1879, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1879.

The Attorney-General ia to address a public meeting at Invercargill on Saturday night. The Government havea?ked the Chambers of Commerce in the principal towns in the Colony to act aa local committees in concert with the Royal Commission for the Sydney Exhibition. The Collectors of' Customs have been instructed to co-operate in every way •with the Chambers. M'lntosh's hotel at Black's was totally destroyed by fire on the 2oth inst. It was insured for L4OO, but the • Cromweil Argas ' was not able to ascertain in what office. On ithe 20th an unoccupied building at Bendigo, jformerly known as Mitchinson's store, was burned down. It was insured in the National Office for L3OO. Some lucky miners at Dunolly have "struck it heavy.". For twelve years the Queen's Birthday Company have kept on exploring for the rich reef which the instinct of the true miner told them "was somewhere I there or thereabouts. Their fortunes ran so I low that at one time the manager could not j get credit for a few loads of firewood. I year L78,Q30 was paid in dividends.

The vital statistics for Dunedin for January are : Births, 145; marriages, 43 : and deaths, 34.

The Oamaru and Invercargill municipalities intend presenting valedictory addresses to the Governor.

At the Supreme Court this morning Mr T. S. Graham was fined L 5 for non-atten-dence as a special juror. Mr Varley's address at Knox Church last night was on the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The hymns were sung by Mr Brunton'B choir.

It is reported from Hokitika that the Union Bank there has been served with a writ at the instance of F. A. Learmont and Co., who claim L 20,000 damapeß for an alleged breaoh of agreement with them. The performance at the Princess's to-night will be for the benefit of Jdiss Nellie Holmes, who so ably fills the part of little Eva with the "Uncle Tom" Combination Company. There will be an afternoon performance tomorrow.

A seaman named Patrick Greenaway, late of the barque Clyde, from Sydney, was received into the gaol to-day from Oamaru. where he was sentenced on the 30th instantj by Mr Parker, R.M., to six weeks'imprisonment with hard labor for stealing a watch chain.

At a meeting of the parishioners of St. Luke's, Oamaru, on Wednesday evoning, the Rev. Mr Gifford intimated that he was about to ask for leave of absence, in order to enable him to see his 'friends in the Old Country, and obtain that increased strength and renewed vigor which travelling begets. Seventeen years had elapsed since he first came to Oamaru, and he felt that he needed a change. To this end he had written to the Bishop, asking him to select some person of standing orders to fill his place during his absence. ~

The annual meeting of the Dunedin Saleyards Company was held yesterday. The directors, in their report, expressed the opinion that there was every reason to be satisfied with the results of -the company's operations during the ten months the yards had been opened, and congratulated the shareholders on possessing the best-ap-pointed sale-yards in the Colony. There was an available balance of L 487, which it was agreed to carry forward. The retiring directors, Messrs J. Roberts, Driver, W. C. Smith, J. Shand, and 'A. .Maclean, were reelected.

The Caversham Borough-- Council, at their meeting last night, declined to approve of the plans of St. Clair township, until the streets were properly formed ; resolved to appoint a fire inspector and the eaptain and lieutenant of the proposed fire brigade for the municipality ; to carry out improvements on the Cargillroad, in conjunction with the South Dunedin Council; and; to widen the main south rood, from Forbury road'to East Caversham, for which purpose part of sections 18, 19, 20, and 21, and part of section 12, town district, it is proposed should be taken under the Municipal Corporations Act of 1876.

The damage done by the gale of yesterday (reports the 'N. 0. Times') will have to be estimated at thousands of pounds in the Oamaru district. On some farms harvesting operations have been going on for some time, but very few have yet Had sufficient time to gather in all their crop. A great quantity of crop (especially oats and barley) is ready for the reaper, and on this the high wind must have had a very disastrous effect, and will have completely extinguished the anticipations of those farmers who expected the previous fine harvest weather to continue. In the town the gale was not of sufficient force to do any extensive damage, although we have heard of a narrow escape through the falling of a chimney at the residence of Mr O'Meagher. Altogether the effects of the gale will be felt severely by many.

An exhibition trial ®f one of M'Cormick's reapers and binders was held yesterday at Mrs Stevenson's farm, North Taieri. Owing to the unfavorable weather there were not many visitors. On Monday Mr Hack, in the course of an hour or two, had Mr Llsyd (manager of Mrs Stevenson's farm) at work, and Mr Lloyd has since cut eight or ten acres of green-feeJ for fodder. In the faoe of all the manifest disadvantages the machine worked smoothly from'the start, and mowed down, bound, and threw or rather slid off the crop in sheaves as quickly as the horses could walk down the field. The machine was drawn by three horses, and these and the driver are sufficient to enable it to cut and bind twelve to fifteen acres per day. A late Bombay telegram says:—"With reference to the supervision of Press telegrams from the seat of war, the ' Times of India' publishes a despatch from its correspondent at Kohat, stating that stringent orders have been sent from Simla to the Commandant of the column to supervise all telegrams intended for the Press, which will now be submitted to the inspection of the General in command It is believed that correspondence will also be placed under control. Civilians acting as special correspondents who may be guilty of indiscretion in reporting military matters will be sent to the rear, and military "men offending in a similar manner will be made an example of." The friends of Mr Charles Bright tendered that gentleman a farewell soiree in the Temperance Hall last night, which was attended by nearly 300 persons. After the good thiHga provided had been partaken of the chairman (the Hon. Robert Stout), referred to the necessity for and healthy effects of toleration, and the,. manner in which, by their actions in this community, Freethinkers were able to exhibit a morality that did not require a religious, or rather ecclesiastical restraint. He concluded by expressing a hope that Mr Bright would ere long, return to Dunedin. It had been intended to present Mr Bright with a testimonial, but at the request of a few who intended to subscribe, it was decided to postpone the presentation. Mr Bright, in an eloquent speech, referred to the many obstacles which had been thrown in the way of Freethought, and mentioned that Mrs Hardinge Britten would shortly arrive in Dunedin, and that other Freethought leoturera would follow. At the conclusion of the address he was loudly applauded. During the evening some singing and instrumental music was indulged in, and a reading by Mr Bright from the pen of Mr Thomas Bracken, "Go to the Temple," was given. Altogether a most enjoyable evening wa* ep :nt. A dance followed the addresses.

At the last meeting of the Vincent County Council Cr. Greenback moved :—"That, inasmuch as the gold duty is acknowledged to be an obnoxious tax, and presses hardly and unjustly on the principal revenueproducer* of the County, the Council, to show its sense of the injustice of the same, and in part to remedy it, do hereby resolve to give a bonus of Is per ounce on all gold the produce of Vincent County. This resolution to be null and v6id in the event of the General Assembly abolishing or reducing the present duty." In speaking to the motion the chairman (Mr Pyke) said that for the past eighteen months he had not lost an opportunity at every public meeting he held to ask the miners if they wished the duty remitted, but no decided expression had been g'ven. If the gold duty were abolished, mining property would undoubtedly be taxed. If a roduction was made, the banks would get the benefit, not the miners. It had been so' since 6d was knocked off the duty By ths Legislature. If the Council wished to reduee the duty, let them pass a resolution, and ho would brin« it before Parliament. If the present motion had been to offer 6d bonus he might have supported giving the thing a trial for six montkß, by which time its folly would have beon manifest. Three voted for the motion, and four, including the chairman, against it.

A meeting of the Union of Otago Temple 1.0. G.T., will be held in the Temperance Hall to-morrow evening to confer the second degree. To morrow's oricket matches are—Oh the Caledonian Ground: Carisbrook v. Dunedin (eup match continued). On the Oval: North and Seoullar v. Excelsior; Watchmakers and Jeweller* v. Boot Factory j'andon the Northern Gromd: Albion v. Union. At Kaikorai: Taieri v. Kaikorai At Koitangata : University v. KaitaDgata. The Rignold-Datrell comb'nation are to leave Christohurch to-morrow and open here on Monday night in Henry V. We have before remarked on the completeness,, with which the drama is put on the stage. On uotioing its productjion in Wellington the «N.2. Times' said : The scenery aud mechanical effects came in for a large share of applause, and the general offlcienoy of the troupe was greatly admired. In a great mtasure porha.ss- the generous support of the publie may be accounted for by the

fact that a splendid opportunity, is 'J given of studying Shakespeare under most favorable circumstances. An hour or two in the theatre with good elocutionists and stage accessories gives one a far better: insight into Shatepearian characters than aonths of reading of the text. The elocution and dramatic action of a man who has philosophically studied his part lets a flocd of light into dark places, and brings out into bold relief counttesß beauties of thought and imagery which, to the cursory reader, lie hiddeu iu every line. Especially is this so in Miakspea e's works, and therefore the educational effect of Mr Bignold's impersonation iB atarody to be over-estimated. Add to this tha faot that 'Henry V.' is unlike most other of Shakspeare's plays in that it contains none of the allusions which, a'though commonplace enough in the days of good Queen Bess, are not grateful to the *ars of nineteenth century »oeiety, and we have the clue to the popularity of the performance."