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New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 251, 1 September 1864, Page 4

Pkince ok "W axis Theatre,—There was not so good an attendance as.usual'at this popular place of amusement, the pieces performed were the "Captain of the "Watch, "and "AJaddin." In the former the principal characters of tho Captain and Christina we're well played, the former by 11 r. Barry, and the latter by Miss Julia Corcoran; Miss Fanny Young as'Kntryn performed her part excellently. To-morrow night the performance will bo the same. We should notice that the managers have adopted the Tegular practice of issuing half-price tickcts.

Tim Wynyajiv) Pier.—We desire to draw tlie attention of the " powers that be,"to the present. state of the Wynyard Pier; the whole construction is in a rotten slate, and we would particularly point out the danger of tlie northwest side which is left entirely unprotected. Tho fact el' this wharf being frequented by nurseTtir.ids and children makes tho danger doubly dangerous. We trust (lie authorities will look to this ns soon as possible.

Tim competitive DE.stGNs for tlio public "buildings to be erected in Auckland, will remain open io public ins]>cetion until after Saturday next. The}" were visited during yesterday by n lartro number of persons, and the various plans seemed to contain matter of interest to all. The tuilding in which they are exhibited, the ? remises lately occupied as tlie New Zealand Teralp office, during the building of our spacious premises in "Wyndham-strect, is well suited for the purpose, the lofty room being well lighted from the glass roof.

Foot Baces. —According to announcement two foot races took place yesterday afternoon, at tlie Albert Barracks, at 3 and 5 o'clock respectively. The first race was botween Hoarc and andMcShune for £10 a side, distance 200 yards. The men were well matched, and the race was wonbv Hoarebya barelength. Thesecond match beingliy the winner of the former and Sullivan, for £5 a sido, distance the same as before, which was won easily by Hoarc by more than six lengths. We understand that other matches .are in contemplation. To Carpenters and Jotukrs.—Tenders for the erection of two houses at Parnell, will be received by Mr. Kcals, until 6 p.m. of the Bth

A. " Leader" from Hell's Life in Sydnei/ y will bear reproduction. We have seen nothing like it in the Colonies since the ' heavy metal' article of a wild and irritated local contemporary of a few weeks since. Our local contemporary- must, however, be content to play second fiddle also to the Sydney " indignant." The f>y<fne>/ Jlell's Life says : —V Our puerile contempory with a periphrastic virility only equalled by his peptugesimal ieonoelasm will no doubt in his next abdominal issue endeavour to overturn our arguments yvith liis usual convivial superciliousness, hut let him do his worst —yvs defy not! and as for his best, as the Syvan of Erin, Bobert Burns, remarks in liis "Young's Night Thoughts,"—" There's no such thing." That he knows nothing we compute to liis ignorancc, and while we inculcate his allegations, we shed tears for the alligator, and though we pretcrr.rally declaim from the sardonic evacuation of personalities, we would venture to insert liydrostatically, that if he would dye his whiskers, live cleanly, and give the old woman her ninepence, he would be a better and a yriser man. Our readers may not be aware that four beans do not make five, unless one be added to them, under yvliich circumstances, thev do .' and w-e defy any 1 calculating boy,' let him be ever so eager to do nothing for his country's good, to say no. Let him beware what he says, or, if he does so, he will have an opportunity of trembling in his shoes for the nominal charge of sixpence."

Tns Ifrw Bishop of Kioeh.—The Imi dr/» Spectator, contains the following account of the newly appointed Bishop of tliis diocese in Africa :—" We learn that the first pure negro ever elevated to the episcopal see (though very far from the first true African, witness the great St. Augustine), is to be a black man, the Bev. Snmuel Crowther. His life has been a stirring one. He yvas born fifty years ago in the Yoruba country', one hundred miles from the Bight of Benin, when his name was Adjai. In IS2I lie was earned off by a Mahommedan tribe, exchanged for a horse, again exchanged and cruelly treated, and finally sold as a slave for some tobacco. He was captured by an English man-of-war in 1522, and landed at Sieiru Leone. He was baptised in HS2S, when he unfortunately changed the characteristic named Adjai to that of* Samuel Crow ther. He accompanied the first JJJger expedition, came to England, yvas educated at the Church Missionary College, Islington, and ordained by the Bishop of" London. He went on the second Kiger expedition in l-STif, and wrote it is said a very able account of it. He has translated the Bible into Yoruba. has been active in xiiissionnry work at Akefsa, and is, says the O/o/ir, from which yve fcorroyv this account, a'strong though temperate evangelical. IS'o doubt the African Church lias always inclined towards a predestir.arian, if not an antinomian, view- of Christianity. Mrs. Crow ther is also a negro, who apparently retains her native name of Asano. Why native African should ever take imitative English names when they become Christians is not easy to see. If the African t/eniu* is not to be christianised, yve shall get nothingbut a parasitic Anglo-h-axon Christianity out of thcru.

"White /,nd Bt-ack.—We take from the Rtadn-, the subjoined account of tlic manner in which the same Britain, which would insist on thelsew Zealand colonists spending £50,000 in pampering black savages with sugar and flour, and new institutions, treats the* children of those who have deserved the lasting gratitude of the nation :—"Miss Watt, the only surviving child of the great British bibliographer has lately died at Glasgow, in a workhouse. Hardly a fit place this for the country to have let the daughter of such a man die in ; hardly a fitting reward by our country for the production of a work of which the latest writer on bibliography (Mr. S. -Austin Allibone), confirming the opinion of many predecessors, has said:—"Having examined every article pertaining to British authors (about 22,500) in the work, we consider ourselves qualifipd to pive an opinion . . . . the ' Bibliotheca' of Dr. Watt will always desprve to be valued as one of the most stupendous literary mouurncntß ever raised by the industry of man.' Xast- year a petition was presented to Lord Palmerston praying for a grant of £100 a year for the benefit of Miss Watt. The petition was signed by Alfred Tennyson, John Puskin, Thomas Carlyle, George Grot'e, Sir Fredcriek Madden, Holman Hunt, Mrs. Gaskell, and many another name of note. An answer to it was promised in February, but none came till last week, some days alter the death of the poor lady had been announced to one of the Premier's secretaries. Then a fellowwretnry wrote to ask if Miss Walt could be supported on £50 a year ; if so, that sum might probably be given to her. It was well, perhaps,"that the offer came to a corpse.

Sivgi'lar Duel.—On the loth inst., an odd modification of the duel took place at Heidelberg. A Snabian student was found lying on the ground bathed in blood. Ho had, it appears, insulted verv grossly a foreign student of the University, and, instead of the ordinary duel, it was decided to draw lots which of the two should commit suicide within a fortnight. The lot fell on the Suabian, who, at the end of the time hearing ot his father's dangerous illness asked, and was refused, an extension of the delay. lie then shot himself, hut somewhat unsteadily, so that the bullet glanced off at the ribs, passed through the lung, and was extracted from under the shoulder blade. There were hopes of the man s life, so far as the wound was concerned hut he persisted in the assertion that ho would complete his purpose, as ho had promised " not to wound himself reriously, but to put ail end to liis life, and he would keep his •promise." Why does this form of duel, which, if any duel were defensible at all, seems by iar the most logical, impress us as so much more wickett than that which endangers and mav destroy two lives instead of one ? Both duellists alike take an equal chance of death, and the final act looks, externally at least, more like suicide than murder a less revolting crime. Probably because a suicide imposed by another is both suicide and murder and involves a frightful pitilessness in the man who having escaped the contingency of death himself, still insists on his adversary fulfilling the promiee. Also the withdrawal of all the tonic effect of pride and passion which accompanies a meeting, leaves the burden of deliberate obligation to solitary crime on one mind, and of murderous responsibility on the other, in even more marked and painful relief. A Shylock is bad enough, but a Shylock who could insist on his victim doing the butchery himself as well as suffering the consequences, is a more refined and therefore deepoi-dyed villain.—Spcclutor, 2otli June.