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Evening Star, Issue 7195, 25 April 1887, Page 2

The sheep and rabbit department of the Waitaki and Waihemo counties is now administered by Inspector Fullarton and an assistant.

The ' North Otago Times' says that Mr Ussher has reported favorably on the farmers' application to convey grain this season over the Windsor-Livingstone line. A late London cablegram reports that the operation of ovariotomy was successfully performed quite recently on the Queen of Sweden by Mr Hemiessy, a London surgeon.

The Danedin Jockey Club have lodged an appeal against Mr Carew's decision in the recent totalisator case, and it will come on before Mr Justice Williams in due course.

We understand that the Irislimon of Otago intend to present the Earl of Aberdeen, during his stay in "Dunedin, with an address in recognition of his efforts in favor of Home Rule.

Considerable preparations were made at Auckland for giving the Karl and Countess of Aberdeen a fitting reception to-day, but contrary to general expectation they did not arrive by the mail steamer. The Oainaru School Committee have recommended Mr Kennedy Smith for the position of first assistant of the District High School. A minority of the Committee protested against the appointment because the application had not come through the Education Board.

" An Eye-witness " writes to] us that the man Sandland, on being taken out of the High street sewer, was assisted to walk by Mr Robert Hay, C.E., and another gentleman, who gave orders for his removal to his home, and were under the belief that he was taken away in a cab. The correspondence re the invitation to the Prince of Wales to assist in the celebration of the centenary of New South Wales tends to show that Sir Patrick Jennings had not obtained the consent of the majority of his colleagues before asking the Governor to send the invitation, and this probably helped in the breaking-up of his Government. Mr Beetham, R.M., vigorously denounces the Licensing Act in a piece of bungling mid ineffective legislation. The other day he stated from the Bench that the attention of the Legislature ought " to be called to the fact that as the law now stood, it was only necessary for a publican to tell his barkeeper not to sell liquor on Sunday, and tht.n privately order him to sell it, to set the law at defiance."

Very considerable interest is being taken in the election of a School Committee at Port Chalmers, and to-night's meeting promises to be one of the largest ever held in the Port. The Biblo-in-schools party will run Messrs Cook, Thomson, Morgan, and M'Kay, The retiring Committee also stand for reelection, and it is reported that two additional candidates pledged to maintain the Act in its integrity will be nominated. " Our Boys" was repeated at the Princess's on Saturday night to a good circle and fair downstairs attendance. The efforts of the Misses Jones and Messrs Cargill, Hubbard, Branigan, and Stewart came in for a good deal of applause, and in several respects the performance was a decided improvement on that of the previous evening. The Club, who are to be congratulated on their success, will, we understand, shortly make an essay in opera.

The Wellington 'Post' hears that a fire policyholder 1 whose house was .destroyed some years ago, and whose claim was duly paid by the South British Company, recently became aware that the fire was not accidental, but was caused by some person who imagined it was to the policyholder's interest to have the premises destroyed. On ascertaining the fact the policyholder communicated with tho Jnsmance Company, ano to recoup a portion of, their loss securities to the amount of LOOO were handed over by the assured to tho agent of the Company. How greatly insurance stock would rise in value if this example were frequently followed !

A late cablegram to the Melbourne / Telegraph ' says :—" The Wesley an body in England have undertaken a special mission on a large scale in the West End of London. An all-day meeting, in aid of the funds of the mission, has been held in Exeter Hall. Over L 3.000 was subscribed, raising the total fund to L 23,©00. The Revs. H. P. Hughes and Mark Grey Pearse are the leaders of the movement, and the latter has sailed for Canada. The Wesleyans have also determined to celebrate thejubilee by holding universal concurrent services."

The anniversary services in connection with the North-east Valley Baptist Sunday School were held yesterday. The morning service was conducted by the Rev. MrNixon, who, in speaking to the children, selected as his text: "As cold water to a thirsty soul, bo is good news from a far country," and followed up his address by preaching from Mark, xiv. 8 : " She hath done what she could." The afternoon service was presided over by the Rev, A. North, who delivered an address on "Industry and Laziness." In the evening a discourse was delivered by Mr Hunter on ,Corinthians iii. 1: " Babes in Christ." All the .services were well attended.

The ' Lyttelton Times' points out to the Treasurer how easy it would be to restore ihe financial equilibrium, ft assumes that the Government will be able to show that they have, as promised, effected retrenchment to the amount of L 40.000, and L37o,ooo'cjin be obtained by additional taxation through the Customs. An additional 2d on tea would yield L 37.000; an additional penny ,on sugar Ll 43,000; ad valorem duties can be raised by L 50.000; an additional eighth of a penny Jo ,the property tax would realise L 50,000 ; the abolition of. .the property tax exemptions would yield another L50,Q00, and oy a slight increase of JJie'general duties on spirits and the abolition .of the reduction for underproof L 50,000 more would be gip,t. The Opposition are gravely told that these duties " would give us L 400.000 to come and go on without making anyone feel the pressure of taxation unduly," A cantata, '.' The First Miracle," was perj formed in the Lyceum last night before a very large audience, Tho first part of the programme served to introduce some pretty sacred songs, in which the Misses Ingram and Peters and Mr Torrance took part, the former rendering in a pleasing manner "The Better Land," and being loudly encored. The cantata, taken on the whole, was creditably performed. Although most of the music of a recitative nature, tho audience seemed well satisfied, and applauded everything, A strong chorus of sixty performers, assisted by the Association band, lent valuable assistance in making the concert an unqualified success. The Erincipals were Miss Peters and Mr Myers, oth of whom were in excellent voice and rendered thejr music in a manner which proved satisfactory to the audience. A word of praise is due to Mr Parker, who had evidently taken much trouble in training the band and chorus. Mr Rutherford occif pied the chair and'gave a short address. ' - :

A man, not yet identified, dropped down dead yesterday at Belfast, near Christchurch ; and James Kennedy, a " hatter," was found dead on Saturday in his hut at Waikari, North Canterbury. Mr Henry Lake M'riteß to a contemporary stating that the long-sought secret of the sweetness of tone possessed by Cremona violins has been recovered. There ; has been discovered a MS., no doubt looted from a public library during the Peninsular War, the MS. bearing the book-mark "Exßibliotheca de Cardenas," written partly in Italian and partly in French by Antonio Pavardone, which discloses the long-lost secret of the Cremona varnish, and how and of what it is made j while from other sources has been disclosed the secret of the construction of the Cremona violin. It appears that about the fifteenth century the Jesuit fathers entered China as missionaries, under the escort of Father Melheo Pucci. Father Martino Martini, in 1605, speaks of the varnish with which the Chinese were accustomed to cover not only their desks, boxes, tables, an-t other furniture of this nature, but also the walls, the ceilings, and the floors of the rooms, which are ordinarily of wood. Particulars are given of where the Chinese obtained the materials of this varnish. From this recipe a hermit of the order of St. Augustine, Father Eustache Gamert, who was then in Rome, composed a varnish, which was not the same as the Chinese, but which strongly resembled it, and was considered even finer. It appears that several forms of varnish were used by the Cremona school, but all were composed on this foundation. This lustrous varnish, while brilliant to the sight, has a peculiar power of penetration into the pores of the wood, and secures the most important faculty of sonorous vibration. With these long-veiled secrets disclosed, there will be no longer any difficulty, in the hands of skilful makers, in producing violins which represent an absolute equivalence of value, as to mass, sweetness, quality, and power of tone, with the famous instruments of Italy ; so that hereafter all violinists may be armed with instruments of that superior order, hitherto accessible only to the rich, or to executants of the highest rank. This discovery, so important as to the violin, is of transcendent importance wheu applied to the pianoforte.

Cheap fares by rail to Timaru races. Notice to passengers per Arawa appears in another column.

The admissions to the Dunedin Hospital last week were fourteen and the discharges therefrom sixteen. On Saturday there remained 115 inmates.

A woll-attended meeting of millers, millworkers, and engine-drivers was held at the Oddfellows' Hall, Rattray street, on Saturday evening, when the fellowing were elected officebearers for the ensuing term :—President, Mr R. M "Donald; vice-president, Mr J. Marney; tie isurer, Mr J. Downey; secretary, Mr H. Dudfield; and Messis W. Urquhart, J. Sinclair, R. Woodlow, D. Munro, and A Davidson a committee.