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Evening Star, Issue 7308, 5 September 1887, Page 2

The Zealandia, with the London mails of August 10, left San Francisco on August 26, time-table dates. The Alameda, with the New Zealand mails of August 15, arrived at Sau Francisco on September 3, one day before her due date.

The ‘ New Zealand Times ’ is responsible for the statement that a number of Volunteer officers in the Wanganui district failed to pass the recent examination, but owing to their representations on the subject the examination has been considerably altered and made much easier.

The last performance of “ lolanthe,” which took place on Saturday evening, was witnessed by a large audience, the circle and stalls being fully occupied. The opera went well from beginning to end, and the principals’ efforts were rewarded by uproarious applause and liberal donations of bouquets. At the conclusion of the first act the audience demanded a general parade before the curtain, and Mr Finch was deservedly singled out for a special round of applause, it being recognised that his coaching had had much to do with the success of this series of performances. A vote of the ratepayers of the Borough of Port Chalmers was taken on Saturday in reference to raising a special loan of L 3,500 for erecting new municipal and Government offices on the section at the junction of Beach and Grey streets, at present occupied by the Customs and Harbor Departments. The poll resulted in the loan being agreed to. The total number of votes capable of being polled was 538. Of these 364 were recorded in fuvor of the loan, and four against it. The number of voters who polled was 292. An exceptionally well-informed authority informs the Melbourne ‘ Telegraph ’ that the P„cv. Mr Stephenson, the member of the deputation to Tonga who returned from that island with such curious promptitude, made his mission so absurdly brief, not because the Tongan Government imposed at the outset an impossible condition, viz., the immediate withdrawal of the Revs. Moulton and Crosby, but because of the King’s personal unwillingness to meet Mr Stephenson, as that gentleman had made public statements of an injurious character concerning the King. The number of boiler explosions that occur in Victoria continues abnormally large, whilst the deaths caused thereby have increased as much as 50 per cent, during the past year. The comparison with other countries is unmistakeably bad. In 1886 there occurred in Victoria one explosion in every 287 boilers ; United States, 1885, one exydosion in every 855 boilers; Great Britain, 1886, one explosion in every 2,000 boilers ; Germany, 1885, one explosion in every 3,000 boilers; or as three to one in the United States, seven to one in Great Britain, ten to one in Germany ; and the number of people killed in Victoria, 1886, one in every 350 boilers ; United States, 1885, one in every 512 boilers ; Great Britain, ISSG, one in every 3,333 boilers; Germany, 1885, one in every 3,545 boilers. The larrikin of the Victorian Legislature (Mr D. Gaunsou) was severely snubbed by Speaker Lalor the other day. There was a want-of confidence motion on the Order Paper, and Premier Gillies took the constitutional course of moving the postponement of all other business until that motion was disposed of. Mr Gaunson interposed with the observation that Todd had laid it down that any amendment to the Budget proposals did not necessarily imply a vote of want of confidence. Mr Speaker replied : “ Todd is no authority ; we never recognise him,” and Mr Gaunsou said he would then like to know who was an authority. “lam,” thundered Mr Speaker, amidst the heartiest cheering from both sides of the House, who rejoiced at the discomfiture of Mr Gaunson.

Probably the most remarkable will eve r made was drawn up in Pittsburg on February 17 last. The testator, Ambrose Rctharge, who was fifty-two years of age, after disposing of 10,000 dollars in real estate, directed as follows :—“ I direct that my body be taken to St. Michael’s Church, and, after the proper religious services arc performed, that it be given in charge of my family, who will convey it to Samson’s Crematory, and there have it burned to ashes, the ashes to be put into a small bottle and given in charge of the German Consul at Pittsburg. This gentleman will then forward my ashes to the Consul at New York, who will give them in charge of the captain of the German steamer Elbe, who will place them securely in his ship for the ocean voyage. When at mid-ocean I direct the captain to request one of the passengers to dress in a seafaring suit and ascend with my ashes in his hand to the top of the topmost mast, and, after pronouncing a last benediction, to extract'the cork from the bottle and cast its contents to the four winds of heaven.”

An incident in the history of the Broken Hill Proprietary Company is given in a notice of the mine by the ‘ Sydney Morning Herald.’ The story is an interesting one. A game of euchre for one-fourteenth of the mine was played, and although a full share did not represent the stake, the then value of that share depended on the result of the game—depended, indeed, on one man holding more trumps than his opponent. The scene occurred at Mount Gipps homestead one night about three years ago, when Mr M’Culloch, the manager, and Mr Cox, an employd on the station, played euchre to decide whether the latter should give the former L 1,50 or LI 20 for a fourteenth share in the Broken Hill mines, which were just then being prospected. Mr Cox won, and has since had reason to bless the genius of the man who, to please his royal master, the mad King of Prance, invented a pack of cards. Monte Carlo has been the scene of many a huge gambling transaction, but it is doubtful if ever the result of a single game equalled the present value (nearly L 200.000) of the stake played for in the Mount Gipps homestead. Mr Cox was not particularly anxious for the share; but with what different emotions would he and his opponent have dealt the cards had they known what would take place within such a short space of time. An inquest was held on Wednesday at Napier on the body of a station hand named King, who poisoned himself with laudanum. On the 29th nit. he was paid off for a fencing job on a station with a cheque for Ll4, There was no evidence as to what he was doing in the meantime, but on the previous Saturday he turned up in Kaikora in a bad state of delirium tremens. Ho went to the store, where he was well known, and went searching for himself among the patent medicines while the woman in the store was busy with a customer. He came to her, and, giving her a LI note, told her to take Is fid out of it, but would not tell her what for. She went to see what he had taken, but missed nothing. Next day he called at the Patangata Hotel, on his way back to the station on horseback; and next morning, with a couple of nips inside, and a bottle of brandy (with the cork loosened) in his pocket, he started for the station. On the way he met a lad who had been working for him, and made him go on to the. hotel and fetch another bottle of brandy, saying he would go back for it if the lad did not fetch it. The boy went and got another bottle, and overtook King, hardly able to sit on his horse, he having nearly emptied the first bottle. The boy got him home, and by 8 p.m. he bad finished the second bottle,] He then got his coat, and from a pocket took a phial of laudanum, which he had taken at the Kaikora store, and drank the whole of the contents. The lad and the man who was staying up with him tried to prevent him from taking the laudanum, but were unable to do so, and at 2 a.m. this victim of “ knocking down ” was dead.

Mr Barton, of Portobellp, has just completed a lecturing tour on a, small scale of the surrounding school districts on behalf of Dr Barnardo’s mission. The lecture was interesting, and thatthe subject wasaworthy one goes,without saying; yet the result (about L 8) was hardly commensurate to the amount of labor undertaken. Mrs Elizabeth Austin, to whom Melbourne owes her hospital for incurables, has just opened at Geelong twelve cottage homes for the aged poor. The buildings cost her L 2,400, and she has given LSOO to the maintenance fund, the public of Geelong having subscribed an equal amount. Already eleven out of the twelve cottages have been filled, the ages of the inmates ranging from sixtyfive to eighty years. Never weary of welldoing, she is prepared next year to build four more cottages if they arc needed. All respectable society in New Caledonia (says the correspondent of the Sydney ‘ Evening News ’) just now is indignant at | an affair which has just been decided in Court. It appears that a gentleman, named Lagorse, a Government clerk, was quietly returning home from the illuminations on 14th of last month, in company with his affianced sweetheart and her family, and met two gendarmes on the road. One of these officials left his companion and forcibly mixed himself up with the family group, using the foulest language. Mr Lagorse naturally objected to this, when he was immediately arrested, and, with a revolver pointed at his head, conducted to gaol, and left for the night in a filthy coll with a lot of drunken ticket-of-leave men. Despairing of getting justice, the injured man published an account of his wrongs in the ‘ Independent,’ and was at once prosecuted by the Attorney-General for daring to address a letter to the Press, he being in the Government service. When the trial came off last week the evidence against the gendarme was so overwhelming that the Attorney-General abandoned that part of the prosecution, and demanded the application of the Press law of July 29, 1881. This law, it appears, does not allow anyone to write to the Press complaining about any action whatever of public officials. The young man’s advocate said he dare not make a speech in his defence, for his feelings of indignation were so intense he knew he should exceed the too great license now allowed to lawyers and be called to order by the Judge. Mr Lagorse was condemned to pay iCs fine and_costs, but not a word of blame was said against the gendarme. The ‘ Independent ’ has a very strong leading article on the affair, and the public indignation is great; but wo can do nothing, because in this land of liberty and equality every vulgar civilian or “ pekin ” has to bow his neck to the insults of every man who has a stripe on his coat sleeve in sign of being clothed in a little brief authority.

Mr Ross’s committees meet on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Standard Investment Society’s meeting on Wednesday, Concert to-morrow in aid of High street School funds.

Members of Hand and Heart Lodge attend funeral to-morrow.

Tea meeting and entertainment to-morrow in Dunda’s street Church. Several of the characters in “ lolanthe ” were “made-up”by Mr Coverlid, hairdresser. The newly-formed Caversham Fire Brigade turned out last night, a false alarm having been caused by the ignition of a gorse hedge. The admissions to the Dunedin Hospital last week were seventeen, and there were an equal number of discharges. On Saturday there remained 107 inmates. There was one death (Elizabeth Webster) during the week, Mr Braithwaite has sent us a copy of Mr WS. Pulford’s pamphlet, in which the secretary of the Sydney Frcetradc Association makes a crushing exposure of the fallacies underlying the ‘Age’s’ axtioles on the fiscal systems of New South Wales and Victoria. We venture to say that precious few Protectionists have studied or will attempt to make themselves acquainted with Mr Pulford’s arguments. We understand that though tho negotiations for tho amalgamation of tho Garrison and Ordnance Bands are progressing favorably, it is not intended to merge the two bands so as to destroy the individuality of cither. Tho combination will for tho present extend only to tho series of open-air concerts which are to bo given in the City this summer aud to any public entertainments at which their services may be required. The usual monthly meeting of the Northeast Valley Baptist Blue Ribbon Society was held on Friday evening last, when the Church was fairly well filled. An interesting programme of recitations, readings, and musical selections ■was gone through, and a thoroughly enjoyable evening was spent. Mr A. Adams occupied tho chair, and gave an address strongly advocating total abstinence. At the close of the meeting several persons signed the pledge and donned tho blue.

The following applications for patents have been received :—For weeding the ballast on railways, to bo called “The Railway Track-weeding Machine,” James Iblw Lawson, Invercargill civil engineer, and Albert Edward _ Orange, Riverton, railway inspector; for an improved tripod harrow, by Robert Cockerell, Invercargill ; for making soap, by Walter Blake, Christchurch ; for improvements in rock-boring or drilling machines, by Frederic Arthur Halsey, of North Farrytown, county of Westchester, State of New York ; for an improved means for increasing the draught and consuming the smoke from steam boilers, by Mario Augustin Doapeissis, St, Kilda, Victoria; for improvements in the treatment of auriferous minerals, by Jules Weirich, of Beziers, Hcranlt, France; for improvements in gas engines, by William Harper, of Melbourne; for improvements in the construction of organs, by George Finoham, of Richmond, Victoria ; for Galbraith’s aimoi n iron oxide deodorising furuacs, by David Ranken Shirrcff Galbraith, Auckland ; for reefing sails, by George Tracey Stovers, of Auckland ; for regulating pressure of gas through the meter, by Charles Heath, of Auckland ; for washing clothes, by Henry Faucourt, of Dunedin, settler; for an adjustable saw handle, by William Adamson Bramley, of Whangaroa, Auckland,