Amusements.—This Evening. The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1879.

Evening Star, Issue 5040, 30 April 1879, Page 2

Amusements.— This Evening.

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1879.

Quocn Theatre—I*' 1 *' Two Men of Sandy Bar.” Garrison Hall.—Choral Society—** Elijah.”

Mr Alexander B.irfcleman, who has retired from the Colonial Bank to go into business on his own account, was yesterday presented with a handsome clock and some pieces of plate, winch were subscribed for by the officers of the Bank throughout the Colony. # The whole of yesterday forenoon was occupied at the Port Chalmers Police Court hearing a charge of disobedience of orders preferred by the master of the ship Oregon against the following seamen :—Vander Doll, Charles Peterson, August Peterson, and Johnlredickson. Mr Mouat appeared for the captain, and Mr Dick for the seamen who wore discharged and the captain ordered to pay L 3 3* costs. Mr Watt R M presided. "'

If anything were wanting to show how utterly indifferent the Natives are to the privileges conferred by the francld.se. it is ■supplied by the fact that there has not been registered on the electoral rolls of Napier and Olive this year the name of a singleJUiiuai. J.he circumstance is well worth recording because it so completely bears out wheut we (JNapier-'lelegraplv) have always maintained, that the natives as a race neither understand nor appreciate our system of representative government.

Mr H. B. Johnston, of Christchurch, is mentioned as a candidate for the Coloridgo

There will be no sitting in banco to morrow, the Courthouse being required for the Governor's leve"e.

The Governor is going to make a short stay at Palmerston on Friday morning in order to receive an address from the Borough Council. °

The argument in the case of Morris (cr.. ditors' trustee in the estate of Stewart arm Gow) v. M'Neil and another occupied the Supreme Court the whole of to-day. Mr J. H. Atkinson, of the Invercargill Post Office, is appointed permanent San Francisco mail agent, and is succeeded as chief clerk at Invercargill by Mr R. Tait. The Governor and suite to-day visited the Mosgiel Woollen Factory Company's works. To-night they attend the choral concert, and to-morrow at noon His Excellency holds An undress levee.

The London newspapers have scarcely taken any notice of Mr Berry, but correspondence has been printed in the 'Daily News/ «Pall Mall Gazette,' and ' Globe' oh the subject of his mission.

The 'Southland Times' hears that the Government are about to call for tenders for the extension of the Riverton railway for six miles—namely, from Otautau to Opio. This is the first section of the Otautau and Nightcaps hue. °

. By some means the threshing mill belonging to Mr William Bowman, which was at work on the farm of Mr J Stenhouse, Goodwood, caught fire on Wednesday last, and became a complete wreck. The * Palmerston Times' says that the engine and machine were insured in the South British office in the sum of LSOO.

Charles Lewis, a farmer residing at Silverstream was received into the gaol last night, remanded to Macraes on a charge of stealing three steers, five heifers, one cow, and one bull, of the value of L7O, the property of Keenn Claffery, of Macraes. The prisoner was arrested by constable GalWher, at VV hare Flat, yesterday. The vital statistics for the Dunedin district for the month ending April 30 are : Births, 155; deaths, 58; marriages, 54. For the corresponding period of last year tho returns were: -Births, 159; deaths, 41; marriages, 37. There have been more mar' riages during the month ended today than in any month during tho last five years. At last night's meeting of the St. Kilda borough Council a letter was read from Mr Proudfoot, intimating that the Governor-in-Oouncilhad consented to the tramway agreev T h Mft y° r suggested that action snould be taken, in conjunction with South Uunedm, in the direction of having the tram so laid that there would be room on the roadway for vehicles to pass each other, but the opinion of the majority of the Council appeared to be that the tram should run in the centre of the road.

In reply to „ne resolutions passed at the Waikouaiti meeting re the stoppage of the express trains at that place, Mr Convers works has already communicated his deoi. V ied to him, lt would be going beyond my aT'Tw Say o° the y subjec£ Vi*? Aetoßiunatson expressed in the ro' Solutions that the question shall be again referred to the Government renders it unnecessary that I should deal with it." A post offiqe clerk in France has invented a new sort of envelope which wW reC ord the post-marks m color on tin letter inside, even more legibly than the original stamp, which is often blurwd and rendered indistinct by too much or too Ufa e ink. The result is accomplished, oy applying to the inside of the a cheap preparation by a process -fiat does not increase the price of the envelope. The pressure of the dark stamp countermarks on the letter inside, in a distinct and durable manner, the figures and letters of the stamp. The introduction of this envelope will be a boon to business men who have correspondents who forget to date their letters.

Under the heading "Kerosene Dangers," the « English Meohanio ' of February 7 says : -—"A correspsnde&t mentions a source of danger in using kerosene lamps which seems tu u\ • Q S enerallv overlooked—namely, the habit of allowing lamps to stand near hot stoves, on mantelpieces, and in other places where they becomo heated sufficiently to convert the oil into gas. Not unf requently persons engaged in cooking or other work about the stove will stand the lamp on an adjacent mantelpiece, or even on the top of a raised oven ; or, when ironing, will set the lamp near the stand on which the heate.l iron rests. It is needless to enlarge upon the risky character of such practices.

The following fire brigades have joined the United Firo brigades Association of NewZealand since the 7th April, making twentytwo in all up to date :—Mornington, Caversham, Auckland, Kaiapoi, Naseby, Napier, Temuka, Timaru, Wanganui, Masterton, and Picton. The following brigades have still to send in :—lnvercargill, Cromwell, River ton, Waimate, Volunteer Fire Brigade Welling, ton, Reef ton, Westport, Greymouth, Hokitika, Newton, Auckland, Kumara, Clyde, Pakoerston North, Gisborne, Poverty Bay, and Tarauaki. When all the returns are in the Association will immediately take steps to promote the interests of fire brigades throughout New Zealand, and endeavor to procure for them the same privileges that other volunteers enjoy. The London papers generally write in strongly condemnatory terms of Lord Chelmsford in connection with the Isandula disaster, which it considers as mainly, if not entirely, due to his defective strategy and failure to appreciate the conditions of warfare with such a crafty and resolute enemy as he had to deal with. Sir Daniel Lysons has been mentioned by several papers as likely to bo appointed to replace Lord Chelmsford, but the report has received no official confirmation; on the contrary, the * Standard' recently stated that no change in the chief command was contemplated. Lord Chelmsford has been defended against the attack made on him by letters in the 'Times' from two or three distinguished officers, as well as from his brother, Lord Justice Thesiger. These apologies for his conduct mainly consist in throwing the responsibility for the Isandula disaster on Colonels Durnford and Pulleinc, who are dead. Colonel William Fielding says that Lord Chelmsford did what any general situated as he was must do—he relied upon the reports of his staff. Those reports were wrong, but he himself was right.

"Wo thank Mr J. B. Bradshaw for a copy of h ; s 'Share Report and Investors' Guide' for May. ■ -z ■

A concert and ball will take place in the North Duncdin Drillsked on Friday evening, in which the members of the (Jivil Service Dramatic Club will appear in a furoe,