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Evening Star, Issue 6711, 1 October 1884, Page 2

Our supplement to-day contains correspondence, an account of the bombardment of Foochow, a report of an extraordinary slander case in which some clergymen well known in Dunedin are concerned, sporting and theatrical intelligence, literary lines, and other matter.

The Hon. the Premier returned to Wellington this afternoon. Over 3,000 girls are taught needlework in the public schools of the Colony. The Hamilton-Morrinsville railway was tt rown open for traffic to-day. The body of Herbert Hawke, who was drowned while crossing the Waiohine, has been recovered.

The number of persons drowned in the rivers of the Colony from 1840 to June 30, 1883, was2,lll. The Victorian Railway Commissioners claim to have already effected an annual saving of L 90.000. The Selwyn County Council urge the Government to make substantial eudowments for charitable aid.

The Canterbury Acclimatisation Society intend applying to the Government for a grant in aid of another shipment of salmon ova from England.

David Alexander Evans—whose real name is eail to be Hopkins—who cut his throat at his lodgings in Auckland la9t week, died in the Auckland Hospital last night.

Six deaths have occurred in a week at Barmedman (N.S.W.) from a peculiar epidemic which prevails. The first symptoms are shivering and sickness, after which the flesh of Uie patient gradually becomes black.

The equity suit Campbell v. Kennedy and others has been discontinued. From our report in another column it will be seen that the defendant Kennedy has agreed to sell to Mrs Campbell the property in dispute for L 3.900.

The dwelling of Mr John Waters at Blue Spur, which was burned down on Sunday, was insured in the National Office for L2OO. An empty ten-roomed house at Papatoitoi (Auckland), which was burned down last night, was insured in the Union Office for L 1.500. A Greymouth telegram in the Tuapeka paper reports that a very sudden death occurred there on Monday afternoon. A Mr Norris was dining with his family, roße from the table, and went to bis bedroom for a few minutes, returned to the dining-room, and there fell dead at his wife's feet.

The cost of the Dunedin Gaol inquiry was L 729, of which the two Commissioners drew L 315, exclusive of L 59 for steamer fares; the secretary, over L 200; the witnesses, L 27 ; and the lawyers (Messrs Sievwright and Stout and Dick and Stuart), L 42 ; whilst L 25 was paid to Mr Turnbull for acting as stipendiary magistrate at Nelson during Mr Curtis's absence.

A sacred concert was held in St. John's Primitive Methodist Church last evening, and was well attended. An excellent programme of choruses, solos, etc., had been arranged, and was capitally gone through. Miss Home contributed the well - known "Miserere Domine," and she also gave "The Better Land," and "Rest in the Lord." Mr Christie deserves praise for his solo, " Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep," which was well received by the audience. The other soloists were Miss Mollison and Mr Littlejohn. Herr Mosch gav« two pianoforte solos in a creditable maimer. Mr Newbury was set down for two solos, but he did not appear, as he was suffering from indisposition. The entertainment was in aid of the library fund. Heavy damages were given against the Ne'.v South Wales Government on the 18th nit. in an action brought by Goodsell Bros., brickmakers, of Marickvillc, against the Commissioner of Railways, to recover L 52.000 compensation for land resumed for railway purposes, and const quent loss of profits. The case, which occupied a week, resulted in a verdict for the plaintiffs with L 22000 damages. At the time of the resumption of the land the Government offered L 1,700, being the valuation of the land for building purposes ; but the defendants refusing to accept, the matter was referred to arbitrators,, who were not able to agree, and the question was submitted to an umpire, who awarded L 24,000; but this the Government refused, and hence the action. While United States Consul Griffin was in New York he received instructions from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to make a special report on the condition of the labor market in New Zealand, the average cost of living, and the average rate of wages. Mr Griffin (says the ' New Zealand Herald') received the instruction on the Ist August, and furnished his report on the 15th. He cable 1 to Sir Dillon Ball, Agent General at London, aud telegraphed to Mr Creighton, agent of the New Zealand Government at San Francisco, for the necessary statistics, which arrived in time for his report before its completion. The report contains seventeen tables, showing i he rates of wages to be higher and the cost of living lower in New Zealand than in any colony of the Australasian Group, and indeed more favorable than the relative rates in the Western States of America. All the leading industries in the Colony in which labor is employed are described, including mills, factories, and timber and flax mills, the butter and cheese industries in Auckland, the soap and candle factories in Auckland and Dunedin, the woollen mills in Dunedin and Chnstchurch, and the jewellery manufactory at Dunedin. The Nelson * Mail' recounts the following adventures of a sailor named Watson, who made his escape recently from the barque Seatoiler while that vessel lay at the outer anchorage. After leaving the ship on a ladder and some other of the ship's fixings it name on very rough, and when about halfway to the Boulder Bank Watson was capsized and lost his craft, but almost immediately caught sight of it, and, swimming for it, got on board again and commenced making for the bank above the lighthouse. The sea at this time was running very high, and when about 150 yds from the land he was thrown from the ladder again. On recovering himself he looked about for his craft once more, but owing to the rough water failed to catoh sight of it. He says that he now fully believed that his last moments were come, as it seemed to him that despite his terrible fight against the waves he was not getting any nearer the shore, but after a severe battle with the elements he succeeded in dragging himself on to the bank, more dead than alive, Having recovered from his exhaustion, he eventually made his way to the Lyell, which he reached after some difficult travelling, and was then arrested by the police, The second of the course of lectures on botanical evolution was given in the lecture hall of the University last night by Mr G. M. Thomson. He detailed his experiments with carnivorous plants, the action of some of which was so wonderful that they might almost be regarded as sentient beings ; and explained how insects, and in some cases small fish, were entrapped by such plants and digested by th* juices contained in their glands. On putting a piece of raw beef into one of the glands of one species of these plants, the other glands were observed to bond towards it, and in a few hours all those on one side of (the leaf had clustered themselves around the piece of meat, which, as the process of digestion proceeded, could be seen to grow paler and paler, and gradually diminish, till in three days there waß very little of it left. The plant would readily digest some substances, while of others it would not absorb a particle, anl after feeding on some substances it displayed a decided dyspeptic tendency. The manner in which fche well-known "lawyer," the e'ematis, the hop, and other plants climbed was explained. Regarding the two last mentioned, it was pointed put that each species always climbed in the same direction, the one turning from right to left and the other from left to right. This was not merely accidental habit, but one of great antiquity in the specieß.

Oia«o Bowing Olub meet on Saturday eveniag. Received: Kohn end Oo.'a and HUlop and Hooper's time-tables. Otago Annual Regatta Committee meet at Po.*t Chalmers to-morrow at 7.30 p m. The first of tho Saturday evening popular concerts will be held on the 4fch lnst. ia the Garrison Hall.

The closing onteitilcment of the Trinity Oburch Musical and Llteraiy Society will be held to morrow evening.

We loam that the postal authorities are not to blame for Inaccuracies in the bcurß of departures of sea-going vessels. The mall notices (supplied to the Press are framed In accordance ylth tbo Intimations of sailings *mt ro the Post Cirice by thp shir*' agents Tie Changchow's time of nadir)i; nas been further postponed, in accordance with notioe from Ghristchuroh,

Supporters of the Factory Act meet to-night in the D.Y.M.O.A. roomß.

The whop of Mr Brundell, where the table of fancy woods to whloh we made reference on Saturday is on view, is in King street,

The current number of the ' Illustrated New Zealand News' contains portraits of Beach and Hanlan, and views of Wellington from the head of BUI street, the famous Pink Terrace, and of Passage Point Cove, Dusky Sound. Mr Henderson requests us to correct a mistake that crept into our report of the meeting at Bavenßbonrne on Monday night, He should have been made to say that the Committee refused to appoint the nominee of the Board's secretary, whose name was not sent to them by the Board. Mr H J, Walter brought with him from the well-known nursery of Mr Lalng, tf the Hubt, specimens cf some fine camellias, among which Is the now celebrated scented vatlety. Mr Lalng claims to have grafted < he magnolia on to the camellia, with the retult that the latter delicate flower attracts some measure of the former's scent and retains a light pink hue. Mr Lalng is hopeful of producing a camellia that will possess some of the qualities of the verbena. Mr Ooote, on behalf of the employe) of P. Haymau and Co., to-day presented Mr H. Herman, who is about to proceed to America after eight years' service with the firm here, with a handsome penoll-caae and locket. The latter bore the Now Zealand coat of arms on its face, and on its reverse side the Inscription; "Presented to Mr Hugo Herman, as a souvenir from his fellow employ ci at P. May man and Oo.'b, Dunedin, 30th September, 1881." While the present age has baen remarkable for the many inventions tending to render dwelling-houses healthy, no satisfactory method has hitherto been adopted for disposing of house sewage where the water closet system oannot be applied. It seems probable that the difficulty has been solved by Roberts's patent process, a notice of which appears in our advertising columns. We were yesterday shown a model of the invention, which seems well calculated to carry out the design of the inventor. The arrangements are simple, cheap, and easily adapted to any buildings. To towns where there is no drainage, inns f and private houses, the system is invaluable, besides affording the means of easily and effectually utilising the sewage for garden or agricultural purposes. We regard the invention as a safeguard against those diseases which are engendered by noxious sewage gates.

Messrs Curwen and Sons have filled a gap In publishing a number of easy caatatai for oholrs and vocal musical societies of moderate powers. Especially acceptable must these publications be to church choirs, for it 1b one of the necessities of our church methods that money for different associated objeo's Bhall be raked by public entertainments, and the only sacred mu»lo hitherto procurable has been Sankey'a hymns, anthems, and the somewhat difficult works of "themasters." In the cintata in question a judicious blend seems to have been effected. "David," the cantata to be given in St. Andrew's Church to-morrow night, is a good specimen of the class of music to which we refer. It traverses the time between the choosing and anointiag of David and his ozonation, and frequently follows the ezaot worch of the sacred history. The music is varied and pleasing, albeit it smacks in parts of Sir Arthur Sullivan. Several pretty solos are scattered through It, and the concerted parts are invariably even ; while the finale " Blessed is he that cometh" should be very effective if well rendered. The cantata has been in rehearsal for a considerable time.

The following applications for patents have been made:-A save-all spring candlestick, by John Thomas Warburtori, of Port Chalmers; lmprov. ments in steam - engines, entitled "Blanck's Siogle and Double aim Economical Revorsible Rotary Engine." by Karl Luckaß Blanck, of Melbourne; a floating cradle breakwater, with or without a breakwind attached, by Edward jictoa Gibbon, of Wellington; an invention for adzing and boring railway-sleepers, by Daniel Fallon, of Auckland; an invention for manufacturing woven wire fabrics, and oalled "The New Zealand Wire• weaving Machine," by Charles Darius Hinckly, of Auckland ; a patent medicine to be oalled "Williams's Mixture." for corns, fistula, piles, etc, for external application only, by Henry Gill Williams, of Auckland ; '' Matzen's Wool-scouting Mi chine," bjr Peter Mfttzen, of Auckland; improvements in washing machines (being a communication by Thomas Will taker, of Bolton, England, engineer), by James Whltaker, of Auckland; an Improvement in gas apparatus, by which a steady white flame in produced, and the consumption of gas much diminished, called the " Albo Carbon Light" (being a communication by H. and D. Vale, of Hamburg), by Hermann Fnhrmann, of Chrlstohurch; an invention for trimming gorse fences, to be oalled the "Klrwee Gotse-euttor,'' by William. James Simpson, of Klrwee; improvements in appliances for filtering water or other liquids (being a coinmmiicatlon from abroad), by Francis Hugl< Snow, of Adelaide, South Australia.