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New Zealand Mail, Issue 766, 5 November 1886, Page 16

News was received on Wednesday by the Telegraph Department of the interuption of the Darwin telegraph line between Charlotte Waters and Alice Springs. An early restoration of communication was expected. We have to acknowledge the receipt from the publishers, Messrs Simpson and Williams, of Christchurch, of a copy of “Notes on Minor Tactics for Cavalry” by Major Slater, N.Z.V. It is a neat little volume, giving instructions derived from the best authorities.

The s.s. Mana made several trips to thefortifications, Somes Island, and Lowry Bay" on Wednesday, taking on each occasion agreath many pleasure-seekers. A purse, containing a number of old silver and copper coins, was picked up on the Queen’s Wharf on Wednesday morning by theHon John Johnston, who reported tho circumstance to the police. The purse bore the inscription of “ H. Wyatt.” , The Rotorua, which arrived from Picton on Wednesday morning,brought with her twoprisoners from Blenheim. One named Eddlestone, convicted of larceny, was sent over here to serve a sentence of IS months’’ imprisonment in the Wellington gaol. The other prisoner, whose name is Ahearn, for disobeying an order of the Picton Court forthe support of his illegitimate child, has received a sentence of two months’ imprisonment, to be served in Wellington. The interesting history which we have published elsewhere, and which was published in the New Zealand Times on Wednesday morning, about the localities through which the Manawatu railway passes, was read with great eagerness by the numerous passengers in the speeial. train from Wellington to Waikenae, and copies of the paper were in large demand. In. one of the carriages only a single copy was to be had, and at the urgent request of the passengers the fortunate possessor read the- “ Page of History ” aloud for the general benefit, his exertion beiuggreatly The interest of the various places on the linowas naturally much enhanced by these items of information as to their past. The s.s. Huia revisited the wreck of theTuion Wednesday afternoon, taking with her Mr C. Seager (the managing director of the Company), the diver, and a party of workmen. Diver Gough, after again goingdown to the wreck, brought up some blankets from the ladies’ cabin, a portmanteau, a ladies’ satchel, and some of the anchor cables. He also recovered a one pound note which had. adhered to one of the seats. Mr McKellar, Collector of Customs, Wednesday held a preliminary inquiry into the circumstances connected with the wreck, but the evidence adduced will not be made public until afterthe Magisterial inquiry, which will probably be held this week.

Mr James Reid, tailor, of Lambton-quay, had a narrow escape from a severe accident on Wednesday. On the return trip of the train from Waikanae, Mr Reid was standing on the platform when, a few miles on this side of Paikakariki, he lost his balance and fell, over. Efforts were at once made to stop the train, but as the engines were soma distance from the particular car on which Mr Reid had been standing, it was not easy to bring the train to a standstill. Presently, however, ifr was done, and the train was backed along the line a mile or two to the place where the accident occurred. Here Mr Reid was picked up, not badly hurt, but considerably shaken. He was at once attended to by Dr Mahon, who was one of the passengers, and he pronounced Mr Reid to be uninjured. iT A very successful meeting was held at the Roman Catholic Church, St Mary’s of the Angels, Boulcotfc-street, on Wednesday night, in connection with the formation of a society called St Patrick’s Guild. The rules for the guidance of the Society, and the object® for which it was established were clearly explained by the Rev Father Kerrigan. The meeting was very largely attended, and the people listened to the rules with marked attention. It was announced that there was to be formed from the Guild a benefit society. The Society is to be composed of male and female members. Last night’s meeting was purely religious. It was opened with prayer, and closed with some fine singing from the choir and benediction of the blessed sacrament. The clergymen present were the Rev Fathers Kerrigan, Moore, Prendergast, and McKenna. At the meeting 130 joined the Society. Another meeting is to be held early next week, “Observer” writes:—“The curiously variable star Mira Ceti is now again visible. It will gradually increase in brightness until it becomes a star of the second magnitude ; it will then as gradually decrease until it is no longer visible. It usually remains about a fortnight at its brightest phase. The cause of these changes is still one of the problems of astronomy. The star will be at its brightest this year at the end of the month. The star can be found readily. In the N.E, at 9 o’clock, a red star, somewhat isolated, high up in the sky, will be seen. Underthis, about half-way up the sky, and a little to the right, is an irregular square of fomr stars. Under this again, and also to theright, are three stars forming a sharp wedge. —two of these are on the right, and the one on the left is lower down than the star on the opposite side, so that the base of the wedge slants sharply to the left. If a line be drawn joining the right-hand stars of the wedge and be prolonged the same distance as these stars are separated, the end of this line will touch Mira. Mira is now very faint, and will be the more easily seen by lookings at a point a little aside. 1 saw it first on last Friday night.” On Wednesday, between half-past 12 and I o’clock, two - lads named McDonald and Hamilton were with some companions fishing off the end of the Queen’s Wharf, whelk they, in some unexplained manner, tumbled into the water. The cries of their companions attracted the attention of a man from one of the Brunner Coal Company’s coal hulks, who went to the rescue, and, but for bis prompt action, the consequences might have been fatal. The boy Hamilton was got out at once, none the worse for his bath. The other boy, who had been longer under water, was taken to the Pier Hotel, where Dr Cole, who had been telephoned for, at once employed restorative measures. Upon regaining consciousness the boy states that another boy “ pushed him in, and then ran away.” Great credit is due to several gentlemen for their solicitude and attention in their endeavors to resuscitate the boywhile acting under Dr Cole’s instructions, notably Messrs J. Bowern, J. Saunders, Cohen, and one or two others, whose names we have been unable to ascertain ; also to Mr and Mrs Kimbell, who were unsparing of their trouble, and to Mr T. Wilson, who, with Dr Cole, conveyed the little fellow, to his home in a cab. "We hear that he is progressing favorably, and in a few days will be able to get round again.

There was no criminal business for -transmission at the Resident Magistrate’s •Court yesterday morning.

The Shaw, Sarill and Albion Company’s h.s. Arawa left Capetown for New Zealand ports on Saturday last. The Arawa brings -the Australian cricketers.

The Hospital Steward acknowledges, with "thanks, the receipt of a quantity of butter and milk from Mr A. Cruickahank, of Huntley Farm Dairy; old lines from Miss Augarde and Mrs Pilcher, senr.; 36 numbers •of Good Words from Mrs Tarn, of Mount Cook School.

Wednesday was observed as a general holiday in town in honor of the ceremony of driving the last spike on the Manawatu line, most of the places of business being closed. The day was very fine, and as large numbers of people went out of town, the streets were very quiet. Between 300 and 400 persons travelled on the line, the great attraction being the cattle show at Carterton.

A passenger by the Hawea from South, named Mrs Moloney, who arrived here on Wednesday, had the misfortune to lose £l7. It appears that after leaving the Hawea Mrs Moloney proceeded to Smith’s boardinghouse, in Willis-street, and she had not been long there when she missed the money. She at once reported the matter to the police, and a •vigorous search was instituted, but no trace of the money was found. Te Whiti’s followers, who were recently sentenced to a month’s imprisonment for riotous behavior at Mana, were released from prison on Wednesday. A number of Maoris and Europeans were assembled at the gaol gates to witness the departure of the prisoners. Having been without the pleasures of a smoke for a month, it may be imagined they were not long in availing themselves of the opportunity of enjoying their favorite weed.

Judgment for plaintiffs was given in the following cases at yesterday’s Bitting of the Magistrate’s CourtG. A. Strike v George Salter, £7 17s 3d; Hislop and Co. v Mansford, £1 11s ; P. Hayman and Co. v LittleJohn (Palmerston North), £25; Judah Myers v Fredk. Jones, £22 7s ; same v A. Wilkenny, £l2 11s 9d ; E. W. Mills v William Davies, £6 7s lid; Robert Somerville ▼ Reuben Hind, 10s ; Colonial Investment and Agency Co. v T. R. Murray, £37 10a; Robert Martin y Francis Perry, £4 7s 2d ; W.': ; «nd G.- Turnbull v Johtij'Nemo, £lB Is lOd ; Charles Gawler v Gerttge Mercer, £8 10s; Mary McNeil v John Coleman, £3 12s. The prescription of “the cat ” for crimes of violence is not quite fallen into disuse, and its effects would seem to be most salutary. William Collins and Gilbert Murphy ■were flogged in Brisbane Gaol recently. The former wa3 sentenced to eighteen months’ hard labor and twenty-five lashes for assault and robbery ; the latter to two years’ hard labor and thirty lashes, for robbery with violence. Collins had first to receive punishment. As the cat descended on his bare back he howled with pain. At the termination of his flogging he exclaimed that he had received enough and did not want any more. Murphy was then stripped to the waist. As he was being led to the triangle, he broke away and made a rush at the flagellator, and struck him. The latter turned and fled round the gaol yard. The prisoner was ultimately secured, and the flogging was duly administered. Both men appeared to have suffered considerably. Their wounded backs were afterward dressed with ointment and flour.

Someome having started among the working classes of Great Britain a penny subscrip, tion to procure a testimonial t© Lord Salisbury, Mr Tracey Turnerelli has found it necessary to disclaim any connection with the affair. “lam justly proud in every way,” he says, “of the Beaconsfield tribute, and* doubly gratified to find that the halo •which encircled Lord Beaconsfield when alive has increased a hundredfold in brightness and extent now that his treasured memory alone remains among us. It is true that the tribute was not accepted; but the public are now fully cognisant of the reasons—testified in 13 State documents in my possession—which obliged Lord Beaconsfield, out of respect for her Majesty the Queen, to decline this typical imperial diadem—this laurel wreath—offered to him by the English people, as the Roman peoplehad done to Caesar, and the French people to Napoleon I. As regardsthe Salisbury testimonial —whatever be the form it may take -I wish its originator the same amount of success I had ; and I wish him also, as the best of good wishes, the same amount of abuse and vituperation I was privileged to enjoy—the greatest compliment, I believe, that can be paid to similar tributes. The noblest and bestdeserved testimonial would be inevitably damned by silent indifference.”

Dr Oliver Wendell H«lmes has put into the mouth of one of his characters a_ very amusing description of “ music pounding.” He says, “I have been to hear some music pounding. It was a young woman with as many white muslin flounces round her as the planet Saturn has running round it. She gave the music stool a twirl or two and fluffed down on it like a whirl of soapsuds in a hand basin. Then she pushed up her cuffs as if she was going to fight for the champion’s belt. Then she worked her wrists and hands, to limber ’em, I suppose, and spread out her fingers till they looked as though they would pretty much cover the keyboard, from the groaning end to the little squeaky one. Then the two hands of hers made a jump at the keys as if they were a couple of tigers coming down on a flock of black and white sheep, and the piano gave a great howl as if its tail had been trod on. Dead stop ! —so still that you could hear your hair growing. Then another jump and another howl, as if the piano had two tails and you had trod on both of ’em at onee, and then a grand clatter and scramble and string of jumps, up and down, back and forward, one hand over the other, like a stampede of rats and mice more than like anything I call music. I like to hear a woman sing, and I like to hear a fiddle, but these noises they hammer out of their wood and ivory anvils—don’t talk to me ; I know the difference between a bullfrog and a woodthrush, and ” (Here he was interrupted and stopped.)

In consequence of Wednesday being a public holiday, the ordinary sitting of the Supreme Court was postponed. A curious tendency to increase in the proportion of female children born has recently been noticed in Paris. Normally, the male children outnumber the female in the proportion of 103*5 boys to 100 girls, but for the last few months the proportion of girls born has undergone a remarkable increase. Taking 23 weeks, the average has been exceeded in 11. The same tendency appears to exist all over France.

Recently, on completing a ten-year service as Stipendiary Magistrate of Glasgow, Mr John Gemmel, in the Central Police Court, said that during that period the number of cases in the Central and St Rollox districts was 166,864, of which 152,598 had fallen to his lot, or an average of 15,260 per annum. The numbers, he pointed out, had fluctuated considerably in the several years, showing that police offences were much more numerous when the working classes were well employed than when trade was dull; and it was a matter of deep regret that, despite all the efforts to raise the moral standards of the masses, a large number of the working classes, when earning good wages, spent so much on strong drink, and made little, if any provision for times of distress. The fines imposed in the 166,864 cases were £72,051, of which there was paid no less than £37,479; and it might be safely assumed that at least four-fifths of that amount came from the pockets of the lower classes.

The dearth in tenor and soprano voices of the first excellence at present is driving English musical entrepreneurs to despair. It is quite remarkable. Thus the Gaiety Theatre management was lately afraid that its new opera, Dorothy,” would have to be abandoned for want of a tenor singer. Mr Redfern Hollins, known to the frequenters of the Promenade Concerts, has at last been engaged. There has been even a longer hunt for a soprano for a London theatre, where it was notorious that “salary was no object.” The searoh has so far been in vain, and probably the management will have to make the best of things, and fall back on a “hack” singer. In this respect America is quite as much at a loss as England. The Americans, however, have sent to Germany for a tenor, and Herr Albert Niemann goes to them for three months at a salary of £3500. This includes neither travelling expenses nor cost of living. Evidently it is very well worth anyone’s while to be a tenor or a soprano.

On visiting Torre dell’ Annunziata the correspondent of the Standard at Naples found that one-fourth of its 26,000 inhabitants had deserted the town, not bo much alarmed at the numbers attacked as by the virulence of the cholera. During the first three days of the outbreak not one person who was attacked survived. Up to Monday night, September 6, of 103 cases 63 proved fatal. The authorities find the greatest difficulty in persuading the people to allow the patients to be removed to a well-situated lazaretto, the people preferring to die in their miserable houses, crowded by sympathising neighbors. The correspondent counted 21 persons, mostly women and children, in a room 12 feet square, where a poor boy was writhing in agony, in an atmosphere so foetid as to be unendurable ; while in the lazaretto he found only seven people, all of whom were doing well, except one woman just breathing her last. Thirty patients were in private houses, where they form most dangerous centres of infection.