The Evening Star MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1839.

Evening Star, Issue 7983, 12 August 1889, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1839.

Tub want-of-confidence motion on the Ward-Hislop business epic The and went with unprecedented W lKi2int! P suddenness. This is about the only aspect of the affair that can be regarded with complacency. There can be no doubt that the Colonial Secretary's explanation of his conduct was unsatisfactory. From the statement which he delivered in the House on Friday afternoon it might almost be concluded that he is wanting in correct notions of Ministerial propriety. It was in the highest degree indelicate, to say the very least, that he, one of His Excellency's Advisers, should have interfered in any way with a matter in which he himself, as a member of the firm who acted as Christik's solicitors, •was so intimately concerned. Yet he says that he saw no harm in doing so. It is little wonder that the House should have been exasperated rather thafx conciliated by such apparently invincible obtuseness. For the manner in which Mr Hislop acted there is, in fact, no possible excuse. But we do not very well see how the Premier could have consented to the appointment of a committee of inquiry. Our morning contemporary says that anything which becomes matter of discussion in the House may be remitted to a committee. Surely not. The conduct of the Ministry is certainly one of the most legitimate subjects of discussion ; but it is an entirely new doctrine that the conduct of the Ministry, say in a matter involving their existence, could be referred to a committee. This would at least be at variance with all our notions of party government. The action of the Colonial Secretary, 80 long as it was not disavowed — i.e., so long as Mr Hislop remained a member of the Cabinet—was, according to the constitutional theory, the action of the Ministry; and we hold that the Premier was perfectly justified in regarding Mr Larnacji's motion as

a party question. He could have done nothing else consistently Avith his position as the head of a responsible Government. Tt was most unfortunate that .such a necessity should have been put upon him ; but he is perhaps to be admired rather than blamed for not sacrificing the Colonial Secretary. He had already been compelled to part with one of his colleagues, and if he had gone on dismissing them his Government would have become "small by degrees and beautifully less." The gaps could of course have been filled; but it is evident that frequent dismissals would have brought the Ministry not only into discredit, but they would have been also contrary to the spirit of Parliamentary government. The rule is that a Ministry ought to stand or fall as a whole. Gradual reconstruction is, we repeat, if not unconstitutional, certainly a sure source of weakness. Mr Hislop's mistake was perhaps as glaring as Mr Fisiinn's—perhaps more so—but it had somehow become to a greater extent the mistake of the Government, and if the Premier chose, as he did, to retain the Colonial Secretary as one of his colleagues, he was bound to resist the appointment of a committee to inquire into the matter. It was, indeed, a very pitiful necessity—a necessity which ought never to have been forced upon him—and Sir Harry Atkinson was to all intents and purposes compelled to adopt the course which he took. The result was probably much nearer a defeat than he expected. Indeed, but for the forbearance of some of the members, his resignation would most likely have been placed in the hands of the Governor before this; and, with such a result, the cause would have deserved the epithet which the Premier bestowed on the WahdHislop affair. This most undesirable consequence was, however, averted. The defeat of the Government would, as was stated during the debate, have been disastrous in the present condition of affairs. It would at any rate have caused great inconvenience. The House accordingly declared its confidence, though not its entire confidence, in the Ministry. However unsatisfactory the statement of the Colonial Secretary may have been, the country will be glad that the House declined to pass such a censure as would have involved the resignation of the Ministry. Thero is talk of another want -of - confidence motion; this time on the subject of the Property Tax. Had this tax been a new proposal there might have heen ground for such a motion ; but, seeing that it lias been in operation for years, and that no feasible substitute has yet been proposed, it is hardly credible that a majority of the representatives would agree to embarrass the Government on the question at the present time. Better to remit the whole subject of direct taxation to the constituencies at the next general election.

At Woodville recently Constable Carmody refused to administer a flogging to a boy, in accordance with the decision of a Beuch of Justices, and wa9 discharged from the force in consequence.

At the dinner of the Black Watch, on June 13, a remarkable Hkenes3 of the late Colonel (General Sir Duncan Cameron), who died at the actual time that his old regiment were drinking his health last year, was exhibited in the ante-room. The portrait, when quito finished, is to be presented by the old officers who served under him to the firat Jiittalion—the 42nd Royal Highlanders —of which he held the active command for so many years. Amongst the passengers by the steamer at the Bluff to-day we observe the name of the Rev. Principal Rainy, of Edinburgh, one of the delegates from the Free Church of Scotland to the jubilee of the Presbyterian Church in Victoria, and who is paying New Zealand a visit. Principal Rainy is expected in Dunedin tc-morrow, and will, we understand, preach in the First Church on Sunday morning and in Knox Church in the evening. Ho will be entertained at luncheon at the City Hotel at half-past two on Wednesday, and will lecturo in Knox Church on Wednesday evening at eight o'clock. At tho Amberley Police Court on Friday, Richard H&tchorn. who, according to the ' Lyttelton Times ' report, described himself as "a respectable tradesman, and strongly objected to his case being reported and his name appearing in the newspapers," was charged with indulging in a game of chance at the Seadown racecourse. The police were able to prove that he was a habilid of racecourses ; that his table showed about 90 per cent, in favor of the " bank"; ihat prisoner had in his possession tokens that he was in the habit of passing to drunken men ; and that nine previous convictions hod been recorded against him. He was sentenced to a month's haid labor.

At the Port Chalmers Presbyterian Church yesterday morning the Rev. J. Ryley stated that he had recently received an offer from a friend to give a sum of LIOO in reduction of the debt on the church providing a sum of LSOO was subscribed for this special purpose before August. 1890. On first reading this he had despaired of accomplishing bo much, but the offer had during the past week been laid before the Deacons' Court, and, after a consultation, had been accepted. Already he had been amazed at the success of the effort they had entered upon. Everybody he had spoken to gave it their sympathy—he had met with no refusals—and at the present moment twenty-one personß had between them promised LdOQ; th.e anniversary might be expected to give them another LIOO { aad he now fully anticipated that by the end of the y<#r a sum of LBOO would be raised. The debt on the ,church building stands at L 2.000.

An unusually painful case of a man who? had occupied a respectable position " going' to the dogs," is thus reported in a recent issue of the 'Age'.:—"A young man of aristocratic bearing was placed in the dock; to receive sentence. The prisoner was' Charles Albert Sinclair. He appeared to be. not more than thirty years of ago, and had pleaded guilty to breaking into the house of, Mr Andrew Chirnside, at Werribee, andj stealing four gold cups and a quantity of other articles of plate and jewqllery. Accused handed up a written statement, which was read by His Honor's associate.. His story was that he came of a good; English family, and became a wealthy! coffee planter at Ceylon. Lssiug his fortune in the general ruin of that industry, he came to Victoria. He went from office to office seeking employment, but without success, and eventually took the position of a scene shifter at the Bijou Theatre. Next he acted as butler for. Mr Chirnside. That gentleman swore at, him, and a disagreement took place, in con-, sequence of which he left. He then entered : j the employ of Messrs Ball and Welch, drapers, Carlton, as a clerk, but falling into the hands of a well-known money-lender, and being hard pressed, he committed the robbery in question, so that he might by one stroke free himself of his "liabilities without his difficulties coming to the knowledge of his wife. She had been born a lady, and would be unable to support herself or her child. He trusted, therefore, that His Honor would deal leniently with him. The prisoner's last employers gave him a good character, and the Judge, stating that he would not shut out all hope fcy imposing a long term of imprisonment, ordered the, prisoner to be kept to hard labor for two years, with the first four days of every six months in solitary confinement.

The funeral of tho late Mrs Morris, wife of Mr Morris, the well-known missionary, who died at her residenco, Mount Pleasant, on the Sth inst., took place yesterday in the new cemetery, Port Chalmers. It was largely attended, and the Rev. J. Ryley officiated at the grave.

The 'North Otago Times' understands that a case will come before the n.?xt|9ittiugs of the Supreme Court at Oamaru iu which it will be sought to set aside a license granted by a licensing committee in opposition to the local option vote taken in the district. Our contemporary properly complains that the duty of enforcing the existing law should entail heavy expense on private persons.

The heavy gale that was blowing from tho North-east yesterday caused considerable damage to gardenß, and also to buildings of light structure. The concert hall at tho Exhibition suffered considerably in conscquenco of it being in an incomplete stage and in an exposed position, and in the afternoon workmen were directed to take the necessary precautions to prevent further damage being done. Windows in several houses situate on the Town Belt and in various parts of the City were blown in, but no serious damage was done. The German Empire does not pay its functionaries on an absurdly extravagant scale. Prince Bißmarck receives L 2,700 a year and a residence. The Foreign Secretary gets L.2,500, including free quarters ; tho State Secretary, LI,BOO, including free quarters; the State Secretary of tho Imperial Court of Justice, L 1,200 and a house ; the State Secretary of tho Imperial Treasury, LI,OOO and a house; the State Postmaster-General, Ll,2ooand a house; the Minister of War, LI,BOO, with a house, fuel, and rations for eight horses; the Chiet of the Admiralty, LI.BOO, with a house ; the Chief of the General Staff, L 1.500, a house, and rations for bix horses. Fourteen commanding generals got L 1,500 each, with free furnished quarters, and rations for eight horses. With regard to ambassadors, those in London and St. Petersburg are paid L 7.500 each; those in Vienna, Constantinople, and Paris L 6.000 each. A very important mercantile case was decided in Wellington on Wednesday by the Chief Justice, that of J. E. Nathan and Co. v. Clarkson and Sons, The facts admitted at the time the argument was taken were that William Clark had been carrying on business in Wellington ostensibly as W. Clark and Co., but really as agent for the defendants. The plaintiffs sold goods to him and received a promissory note for the amount, without being aware of Clark's agency for defendants. When Clark became bankrupt the plaintiffs ascertained that there had been an agency, and proved against the estate, receiving a dividend in due course. Subsequently they sued the defendants for the balance of the price of the goods on the promissory note. The question which the Court was asked to decide was, whether the plaintiffs must be treated as having conclusively elected to treat the agent as liable and not the undisclosed principal. His Honor held that the plaintiffs had elected to take Clark as their debtor in respect of their note, and could not thereforo recover from tho defendants. Costs according to the scale wero allowed defendants.

Mr Goad, the lecturer of the United Kingdom Alliance, has first-class reports and testimonials of character and work. The North of England 'Bo Wow' says : "Mr Coad is one of the shrewdest, most sensible, and liveliest temperance lecturers wc have ever had in Newcastle. lie is a true son of the people, and bas that native eloquence and perfect honesty of purpose that go straight home to an English audience. He is a man who has risen by his own intellectual force, and has by simplicity cf character and unimpeachable integrity won all hearts capable of appreciating sterling worth ani unselfish aims." A Manchester correspondent writes :—" Mr Goad's method of treating the subject of temperance invests it with great freshness and interest. His peculiar fitness for mission work has been very conspicuous. What distinguishes Mr Coad from most other temperance advocates is his overflowing mother wit. He is full of quaint: ness and originality. As a teller of an anecdote he has few rivals. The mission was the greatest ever held in Manchester. Night after night tho vast hall was well filled, and on some occasions was densely crowded." This mission resulted in the taking of 9,000 new pledges. In order to allow their patrons to witness the football match Miss Wilson and Mr Towsey fixed last week's concert for Saturday night, and judging by the attendance the change was a very welcome one The programme was an usually good one. After the ' Oberon' overture had been played by Miss Wilson and Mr Towsey, Mr James J ago sang ' Across the border' very acceptably, and then came the feature of the concert, a trio by Messrs Schacht (violin), Fernandez (cello), and Towsey (piano)— Beethoven's Op. 11. —which was played in a manner that fully sustained the reputation of tho executants. Signor Fernandez (who lovers of music will be glad to hear is to form a member of the Exhibition orchestra) was heard as a soloist in Osborne's ' L'Adieu,' which was splendidly played, his thorough command over his instrument and its beautiful tone being markedly demonstrated. There was, of course, a vigorous encore, and in response he gave Zerblni'a arrangement of Paganini s 'La Campanella,' a less sparkling composition, but faultlessly played. Mrs Williams was in excellent voice, and besides singing two German songs with a thorough appreciation of the composer's spirit, gave 'Keep thy heart trus to mo' (Robaudi) with taste and feeling, and, as in tho other case, had to repeat the song. Mr Jago also made a second appearance, being heard to decided advantage in ' Hear me, gentle Maritana.' Mr Schacht, besides accompanying Mrs Williams in one of her songs and assisting in the before-mentioned trio, played Vieuxtemps'a 'Lo Rossignol,'which afforded him au opportunity of showing his intimate knowledge of the technique of his; instrument. Mr Towsey's solo was Schubert's Sonata, Qp. 42;" and Miss Wilson played the Andante in F (Beethoven) and ' Sylvia' (Delibe), both performers being [ heartily applauded. The Princess's Theatre was packed in every part on Saturday evening, when another change of programmo was made by the 'Buffalo Minstrels. The Native foot- 1 bailers were present by invitation, and during the first part of the performance numerous jokes, etc., in which the names of the Maori players and prominent local footballers formed a conspicuous part, were heartily laughed at; while the well-known football song, 'On the ball,' excellently rendered by Miss Lillie Warner, caused several enthusiasts to join in the chorus. The respective contributions of Miss Devereux (' Meet me at twilight'), Will Hugo (comic song, 'lt was gone'), Miss Priscilla Verne and Dan Tracey (an American sand dance), Charles Hugo (' Who's going to wear them,' which was sung by special request), and Miss Tessie Cleveland (' When the blue birds build') were received with favor by the audience, and a football finale, entitled 'Maoris v. Qtago,' created roars of laughter, the eccentricities ol Tom Thumb and C. Hugo being mirth - provoking in the extreme. No cause for grumbling could be found in the second part of the programme, for what with a " knockabout" song and dance by Messrs W. Hugo and Alf Wadley ; the clever oharacter impersonations of Miss Priscilla Verne, who introduced a pleasing song ' The florist'; a duet by Miss Devereux and Mr D. Skeats; Charles Hugo's laughable specialties ; an acceptable contribution in the shape of a song, 'l'll ne'er forget thee,' by Miss Cleveland; Irish songs, reels, jigs, etc., by Dan Tracey ; more specialties by MiBS Verne ; and a couple of farces—the demands of the audience were fully satisfied. The Spanish Students played several Scottish airs, and, being encored, responded with some quaint national selections. The audience were, however, not satisfied ; and Senor Gatzambide danced his pleasing tambourine waits;. To-night there is sure to be a bumper house, the occasion being a benefit tendered by Mr Charles Hugo to the City Fire Brigade. The performance will be under the patronage of His Worship the Mayor, the City councillors, the various suburban brigades, and the Dunedin Naval Brigade. The Ordnance Band will head a procession of the brigades, whioh will start from the main station about 7.20 this evening.

Mr Justice Williams left for Invercargill this morning.

A deputation of ratepayers from Firßt Ward, Mornington, waited on Mr Horsburgh on Friday and asked him to allow himself to be nominated as councillor for the vacancy for that ward in consequence of the death of the late Mr Campbell. Mr Horsburgh, in complying, said that if elected ne would do all in his power to forward the interests of the ward.

Lodgo St. Andrew, 432, 5.0., meet to-morrow evening.

Dunedin Naval Artillery muster at seven o'clock this evening at the Fire Br'gade Station.

It will be seen from our advertising columns that Mr William Watton continues business in the coal trade.

The Committee of the Tailoresies' Union request all tailoresßes and machinists to meet them to-morrow evening at 7 30 iu the Young Women's Association Rooms, Moray phce. The House Committee of tho hospital acknowledge with thanks tho receipt of the following donations:—From workmen at Owaka Station, L 5 2i 3d; from Mr Thomas Brown, Owaka, LS. Tiie hospital returns for the past week are as follows :—Remaining from previous week. 102; admitted during tha week, 17; discharged, 19; death, 1 (Joseph Ferrow, Waihola); remaining at end of week, 99. The Mornington Wesleyan Bible and Mutual Improvement Class held their weekly meeting on Friday evening, the Rev. L. Hudson occupying tho chair. A lecture on chemistry, illustrated by numerous experiments, waß given by Mr J. Mellor.