The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPT. 18, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 434, 18 September 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPT. 18, 1877.

Somehow or other our synmathy goes with the Turks in their st'-ugjrfe with the Kus-uaiis. We s-uppo e that is in pome n-ea-sure because Tu key is i lie weaker of the two combatai.ts. r»ews, there ore, of Turkish successes ami Russian disasters has always been welcome to us. Bu", when the Duneclin Star, whose knowledge is so superior that it amounts to nothing short of second .sight, published a slip to the effect that Plevna had fallen, all our preconceived notions of the ability of the Turks to thrash the Russians feil too Strange as it may appear, however, the Star was wrong. Had it been m-ide the dupe of some practical joker? If so, it must be confessed that he possessed the art of concocting a most circumstantial message. It stated that Pleva had fallen after a bloody battle, and that the defeat would have a f<arful effect upon the Turkish cause. Or, was -ihe battle of Plevna fought in the Star office,

and was the information written by their special correspondent at the seat of war in Bond-street? Some egotistical people, with a sixpenny map before them, can point out every move of the contending armies ; and although we would not cherish Ihe thought for one mom<'nt that the principal literary gentleman of the Star would endeavour to

gratify his vanity by indulging in prophecy, when it is just possible that Ins predictions, notwithstanding his extraordinary foresight, might not come true, yet we believe that such things have been done by persons whose egotism and vanity have led them

into all *orts of simi'ar ab-urdities. No ; the editor of. the Star might assert that the article in the Mail which is the subject of a state prosecution for libel was written maliciously, and that the writer had been made a tool of by some northern malignant. This is a perfectly safe statement to make, because those interested would not, considering the source, deem it necessary to contradict it. But a knowledge of geography acquired from a sixpenny map, and of the history of nations, gleaned from penny picture-books in the happy days of childhood, before the germs of egotism had become developed, might lead the editor of the Star astray. We were just congratulating ourselves, in company with a select circle of acquaintances, that Plevna was yet safe, when the terrible announcement—rendered the more terrible on account of the reliable source from which it was gleaned—that " Plevna has yet to fall," caught our eye in the Otago Daily Times, so that, after all. the evil day has only been postponed, and the prophecy of the Star, ' which the Agent-General and others, who think they know all about it, have had the temerity to contradict, in the opinion of the Times is only wrong in date. "We have decided, in consequence of the interest that natural'y nttaches to the subjest, 1 o give a fairly full report of Mr. Fidler's lecture on "State Education." It has, however, been found impossible to do so in one issue without crowding out a quantity of other matter of interest to our readers. We shall therefore give the conclusion of the lecture to-morrow.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before T; W. Parker, Fsq , R. M., Thomas Wilson was fined 03., with the opti'n of twenty-four hours' imprisonment, for being drunk and disorderly in Thamesstreet yesterday morning. The hearing of a few civil cases constituted the remainder of the business before the Court.

A special meeting of the Committee of the North Otago Horticultural Association was held last night at Albion House. Busine s To decide what kind of prizes should be awarded at the forthcoming .-how. Messrs. Connell (in the chair). Steward, O'Meagher, Stemsdn, Lemon, Paterson, Heywood, Leieh, Spratt, and Simpson were present. Mr. O'Mea 7 ier deprecated the system of awarding smsll money prizes, and contended that as the Society was unable to offer large money prizes, it would be better to give ! books on hortiiulture, or piize certificates, which woald be valued more greatly than paltry sums of money. He moved, '"That money pr zes be not given." Mr. Lemon seconded the motion. Mr. Connell said that he would not object to the system proposed if it could be proved to be preferable to the other. Mr. Steward disapproved of small jaaoijey prizes; but he would go further, and, %i necessary, propose that medals be

offered to the hisheskprize-takers, -winners tto.be fellove£|to takkthe^valW'of j&Stk. in Ej'Sgjr *£aid?that he;had heard, objections to . v Mr. Hey wood disapproved* of 'awa'idirig medals at~»th'e die show artdoiot 1 the dther. ,' Mr. Steward's suggestions;' to give medalst'dr' their 'equivalent in money, ,would, he thought, "meet the case. "The motion was carried. Proposed by Mr. Stemsoji,tfand secouded by Mr. Lemon, "That "medals be given as follows :—Pot plants and '-cut flowers {amateurs and gardeners), and fruit and vegetables (amateurs ami gardeners), Ist prize, silver medal or L2 10s. ; 2nd prize, bronze medal or 255. ; third prizes to be certificates of merit.''— Carried. After thanking the Chairman the meeting terminated. Mails for Australian Colonies, per Claud Hamilton, will close at the Bluff at il a.m. to-morrow.

The usual monthly meeting of the Oamaru Hospital Committee will be held this evening, at 8 o'clock, in Mr. Church's office, Tee street.

We understand that the adjourned meeting of the promoters of the proposed Oamaru Stone Co. will be held to-morrow at Messrs. Julius and Balmer's chambers. No doubt, there will be a large attendance, as all in-tere-ted are invi-ed'to attend. The hour of meeting is 4 p.m., and his Worohip the Mayor will occupy the c^air. last Sunday, being Atonement Day for 5638, the Piev. B. Lichtenstein offered up a prayer for the cessat on of the Turco-Rus-sian war, in the Synagogue, .Dunedin.

The Canterbury land sales on Thursday amounted to 11,217 a. lr. 3Sp , as follows : Ash!ey, 756 a. ; Selwyn. 2i)9a. lr. 3Sp. ; Ashburton, 1167 a. ; Geraldine. 160 a. ; VVaimate, SB3sa. ; reali ing L 22.435 B*. 6d.