SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3247, 3 July 1872, Page 2

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

INTRODUCTORY.

I* a fortnight from..yesterday the Parliament of the Oniony v/ill once wore. Jb© in tsamvn. Humours have of laU: been rifo that when the Assembly a»«t» the Mmfetry will encounter a formidable Opposition, recruited chiefly from the rank* of their former aupportent. The fir«t indication of an ftntagonJHtic movement of this kind appeared about two months ago in the address rand by Mr .Fir/iiEHßihtT at &ha opening of the lato bcwhou of the Provincial Council at Wellington. Mr FiTzisKUUKiiT complained that tho Gener»\ Government, when a«ked to delegate to him, as Superintcndonb of tho Province, the power of contracting for tiie construction of one of the railways authorised by the Aaaemhly, declined to comply with las request. Mr Fnz~ HKitBKKT reminded the Council tbatthrj Province are charged with the cost of the conKtruction of their respective railways, and he contended that so long as ifat system prevailed, the Provincial authorities should be allowed to exer-' ciflcs some control in carrying out those -works. When Mr Fitbiikkhkrt delivered thin address, it was generally thought that all he was aiming at was the abolition of the system of charging the coat of railways against the Provinces. Time, however, has shown that lie intends to ask the Assembly to transfer the power of administering tho Public Works and Immigration Scheme from the Colonial Government to the »Suporintendcntß. Of course, tho Ministry are alarmed at the prospect of an Opposition arising from such an unexpected quarter, and ttieir organ in the capital of the Co- ■ Sony. the Wellington. Independent, has l>oen condemning the course which Mr PiTZHKKUKKT and lti« friends propose to take. .Should Ministers be defeated -on tho question, upon which, it ifl said, the th rente netl Opposition will bo banded there can be no do'.ibt that a dissolution will be sought for and obtained. In the meantime, tho public do not view the political situation with anything approaching to feelings of aatisfaction. No no"' party which lias not fur the watchword, 'The more economical administration of tho public funds/ can possibly hope to possess ilia confidence of the electors. Tho revision of the schedule to the Railways Act, is st matter which requires immediate attention at the hands of tho Legislature. It :is notorious that many of tho linen authorised by the Assembly, if constructed, cimnnt possibly pay working expenses, and that their appearance in tlio schedule Avas due to a system of Jo/'-rolling which was puniued last session. It is true that Ministers contended that all the lines which were nanctioned would pay, but no data were laid before the Assembly to enable members to form any estimate of the probable traffic returns to be obtained from tho various railways. During "the recess, however, Mr Jam us Buogi>kx hfiH visited all the Provinces, and persorc&l ly inspected the districts through -winch -tin; various projected railways are to pass. He has already given it as his opinion that some of these lines will bo perfectly useless, and wore tho Government to come down to the Assembly with the railway schedule revised in accordance with Mr Jskoooj:n\s advice, the wasteful ox|xmililuro of a very large amount of public money would be saved to the country. Ah to what the nature of the general business of tho session will be, but -little is known. None of tho Ministry liavo addressed their constituents during the recess. About two months ago Mr Vooki. had arranged to meet the electors of Auckland City East, but unfortunately, ill health compelled him to abandon his iuteufion. Tho Education Bill, it is known, will bo again brought forward. The correspondent of a YVel--lin«'ton paper reports, that on a recent occasion Mr Fox. stated m public that the measure; would be a Government hut not a Ministerial one, but that the Premier did not seem to be sanguine that it would pi^ss this session at all.

The* polling for the election of a member to represent Waikouaiti iv the House of lloresentatives took place on the 12th ult., and resulted in the return of Sir Davi ii Moxuo by tlie largo majority of 174 votes. The votes recorded for the respective candidates were as follows :--~Monko, 2:52 ; Wkhrtkk, , r»8 ; Phkktox,-1-1-; Jrim;iiKS«N, 25; 'Thomi'.sox, 12; and Curncx, 10. Tho representation of tlie Coleridge district is being contested by three candidates, viz. :--Kcv. Mir .Hi.rirrr, Mr Haht, and Mr Jkijsox. All the candidates are supporters of the (iovemment, and the election it is thought will result in tho return of tho former.

Great consternation throughout the Colony has been caused by the appearance of small-pox in Wellington and in Auckland. At the former place, Mr Kayj:, the mail agent of the Nebraska, .stayed behind on the downward voyage of that steamer. Upon the disease Ixmig pronounced smallpox, Mr Kavk ■was at once removed to (ho Quarantine "Ground, near Wellington, and it is reported that he is now convalescent. •*One of the Constabulary in attendance on him, however, has also been attacked ■with the disease. The case at Auckjaud, which broke oufc a few (lays later than Mr Kayk's, was that of a man named Thompson', who hail been a pasj.onger from Wellington to Auckland hy the Nebraska. He died after a few days' illness. No .satisfactory explanation has as yet been given with regard to tho origin of the disease. It lias boon alleged that it whs introduced by the Nebraska, and the occurrence tjf a ease of small-pox at Honolulu, said to have been brought by the Nebraska, gives some colour to this contention. On the other hand, the fact that both .persons contracted the disease while-in Wellington, suggests the possibility of tlie small-pox introduced by the Scandinavian passengers, who camo by the ship England, not having been eradicated.

Tho universal opposition ■which is '•being mnuifc&ted in Victoria to the

contract which Mr Duffy entered into with .Mr We»b and Mr Yogel, and the .refusal of Congrusu to imbsiduie Mr Webb's steamers, naturally c&um a doubt to arise* 'in, the public mind aa to Mr Wkob's wiHingnetw to fulfil the present contract. The public have had every reiwon to be disaatisf i<*d with the manner in which the contract has hitherto been carried cut. The boats specified in the agreement have not yet been placed on the line. We are constantly hearing of the Dacotah being ready I and being about to leave New York, but she ought to have been running in tho Hervice more than a year ago. There is an impression that the Government have been unnecessarily lenient witJi the contractors, and that the latter ought to have been called on long ago to fulfil their part of the bargain as fairly as New Zealand hats carried out hers. Altogether, circumstances seem to have conspired at the present time to render the San Francisco mail service very unpopular in this Colony. The outspoken language of Senator.* in Congress respecting Mr Wkbh's steamers, has ojxmetl the eyes of people here to a phase of the question to which their attention had not been previously directed. Nevertheless, the desire is not on the wane that there should be regular and rapid communication between ■: New Zealand and America; but the Colony cannot continue to contribute the heavy subsidy which it now pays, and no new contract will command the confidence of the public which docs not provide for the employment of suitable vessels, and the parties to which uro not .prepared to carry out their agreement oh between man and man. SOCIAL. The B.b. Albion, with a portion of tho Suez mail (transhipped from the P. and O. Company's steamer Nubia at Port Phillip Heads) on lx>ard, arrived at the Bluff on tho sth June, and reached Port Chalmers late the following cven-ig. The remaining portion of the mails. w,.ich was brought fo> Hokitik>). by the b.s. Tararua, did not roach Oiago till the 23rd .Tune. The p.H. Nevada, with the inward English mail vut San Francisco on board, arrived at Auckland at 11..'J0 p.m. on the 21st June, four days and a half after time, notwithstanding that uho hnd been overhauled at Honolulu. She reached Port Chalmers shortly after daylight on Sunday last, the :*Oth June. The latent dates brought by her from London are .as follows :—By pout, to May 2nd ; by telegraph to San Francisco, to May 23rd. The mails thua occupied 50 days in reaching Dunedin from London, l>eing !) days over the timetable allowance. Tho session of tho General Assembly •wiH be opened on Tuesday, the 20th inst. Negotiations between the City Corporation ancl the Dunedin Water Worka Company, for the aale of the Company's works, resulted in an offer made by the Company being accepted by the Corporation. A new Anglican Church is about to bo erected at Portol>ello. Snowstorms, sharp frosts, high and biting winds, rain, and streets in a frightful state of mud, rendered June anything but an enjoyable month in Otngo. In oomo parts of the Province tho frost was ho severe that mining operations were seriously affected ; at Invercargill it snowed for three days, the fall of snow being tho heaviest known there for fifteen years. In fact, the weather was quite unusual for Otago, and the general remark was that it wan "just like home weather." Skating and snowballing were largely indulged in up-country, and in Homo places the ico was thick enough tc bear oven horses. Sir David Mouro., ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, has been returned by an overwhelming majority, as a member'of that House to represent the district of Waikouail.i in the room of Mi George M'Lean, resigned. Tho othei candidates were Dr Webster, and Messrs Preston, ilutchcson, Cutten, and Thompson. The wife of a country settler, who lately came on a trip to Dunedin without her lord's peniuattion, got into liquor, and then into the lock-up. She was duly brought up at tlie Mayor's Court, and lined in a small penalty. Her affectionate spouse has expressed his indignation, not at the sentence, but at tlie insufficiency thereof. Writing t-o a gentleman connected with the Police, he says :—"Deal Sir—l see by thin day's Daily Times that you have had my wile in charge for drunkenness. I hope the next time you will give her three or six months." Tho following appointments as teachers in the Province have been lately made :— Mr and Mrs Macklin, of the Kaikorai School, to the Main District School at Queenstown, in the room of Mr Kenneth Sutherland, resigned ; Mr A. Y. Smith, of the Waihola Gorge Main School, to the second mastership of the Oamaru Grammar School, in the place of Mr Andrew Fleming, resigned ; Mr David Fleming (who holds a Government certificate of tho second class under the Otago Education Board), to the newly established school in the northern end of Oamaru town ; Mr James Sinclair, of the side school at Clarke's Flat, near Lawrence, to the side school at Hillend, near Balclutha, in the room of Mr Henry M'Coll; Mx James Oliver, of the Waiareka school, to the school at Kakanui Mouth.

Tho Green Island Christy Minstrels gave another of their popular entertainments on the sth ult, in the Drill-shed. There was a good attendance, and the programme was excellent. In fact, the performance was thought superior in every respect to anything that ever took place before in the district. Messrs Fastier S. Johnston and G Turner acted as " Bonos," and Mr Miller as " Tambo," in a creditable manner. Messrs Heers and Johnston sang with their usual success, and the songs by the corner-men wero rapturously applauded. Negotiations were entered into with the Provincial Government by a deputation of citizens, since the publication of our last Summary, with the view of having reinstated in their former positions those members of tho Police Force who, whilst stationed in the city, struck work for an advanced rate of wages. Tho request mado was refused by the Government, who intimated that they did not see their way to depart from the decision previously arrived at by them. A trial action is, wo learn, being brought by ex-Sergeant Coneys against the Commissioner of Police, with a view to testing whether tho late meiubera. of tho Police who have struck have not a claim for damages. These are in this case laid at £250. The grounds of action are, that the Sergeants wore dismissed in common with tho Constables for the same offence, the intermediate stage'of reduction having been ignored ; and that the Commissioner did not pursue the provisions of

the second section of the Police OrdLnance of 1864, not having apprised tiic force that notice EWI been given to the Superintendent of any complaint, and not having permitted the men to appeal to the Superintendent and Provincial Council. The 13th ult, being the Presbyterian Fast Day. was observed in Dunedin generally a«4 holiday, and divine service was held in the Presbyterian Churches. Mr JL J. Burns delivered a lecture on " A "visit to Britain," in the School-room at Walton, Green Island, on the 18th ult. Mr Thomas Hdworth was in the chair. The lecture was highly appreciated, and a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Burns. Since the tuning of the School, several very successful entertainments have been held, all being largely attended, At present, there are on the Hay school roll 53 scholars : and at the evening class, which has been opened at tho request of the young men in the district, there is an attendance of 20 A meeting of I the Dunedin Band of Hope was held on the 7th ult., when the foUowimr Committee of Management for the ensuing six months was elected:— Mcssn Morris (chairman), Cameron (vicecliairman), Blackford (librarian), Lonton, Sutton, Jones (treasurer), Lear, Marsden, Farland, Bryant, and George (secretary). The following Kontlemen are gazetted Justices of the Peace for tho Colony:Mr R B Martin, Dunedin ; Mr John Reid Eiderslic by Oamaru, and Dunedin; and'Mr Adam Holland, of Blackstone Hill Station ■ A number of Past Masters, Mastery and Wardens of the different Lodges of Freemasons in Dunedin, met on the Oth tilt atßro. J. Aikman's, to give a parting presentation to Bro. R. Jopp, prior to his leaving this Colony for Australia. Bro T Gore RW. Master, O. Kilwinnini LodKO, 417, 5.0., having been called to the chair, proposed in a few appropriate words the health of the departing brother, presenting him at tho same time with a written testimonial, and a handsome jewel of the order. Bro. R. Jopp resnonded in feeling terms to the good wishes of the brethren, and thanked them for the handsome presentation made to ■y m A Hociety has been formed in Dunedin, for tho purpose of investigating Spiritualism A meeting was held on tho 20th Jilt; to make preliminary arrangements. Mr Henderson Carrick presided. An address having been delivered by the Chairman, a Constitution was adopted, and the following office-bears were elected for tho ensuing year :—MrT. Rcdmayne, President; Messrs R. Stout and H. Carrick, Vice-Presidents; Mr Arthur Beverly Treasurer • Mr R. Wilson, Secretarv • Messrs Logan, Moody, Beeby, and Christie Business Committee. There are now 81 members, several of whom are ] a j ieß At 'the annual meeting of Lodge St. Andrew No 432, S.C., hold on the 24th ult., at the Masonic Hall, Dunedin, the ceremony of installing office-bearers for the ensuing year was conducted by the retiring R.W.M., Bro. W. Caldwell, in the presence of some sixty or seventy momhers of tho craft, including deputations from Lodges Otago, Kilwinning, and Celtic The following are the names of the brethren installed :—E. J. Schlotol, R WM. • J. Stewart, D.M. ; E. Cameron S M.' •G. M'Gavin, S. W. ; T. Condon Jw' • D Bannatyne, Treasurer ; C 'jerram ' Secretary ; Bro. Watson. S D • Bro R Hill, J.D. ; Bros. Shepherd' ' and Mussong, stewards ; W. S. Stewart I.G. ;W. Low, tyler. About fifty retired to the refreshment-room, where they enjoyed "a feast of reason and a flow of boul." The Sons of Temperance, Antidote division, TSTo. 78, held their anniversary soiree'in the Weuleyan Hall, Dunedin, on tho 21st ult, tho Rev. Thomas Roseby, M A LL B Deputy Most Worthy Patriarch, in tho chair. There were about 300 present and tho room was decorated in a really tasteful manner. After tea there was an address by the Chairman, in which he stated that the first meeting of tho Society was held on the Bth Fobruary 1871, so it had now been over 15 months in existence. The number of benefit members on the roll was 115, and of honorary members 11, making a total of 12C and the amount of cash in hand, clear of all liabilities, was £240. Tho Chairman spoke of tho peculiar benefits attaching to Societies founded on the Total Abstinence principles, illustrating hisargument by comparative statistics of the Sons of Temperance and other benefit societies, He drew attention to the fact that divisions of the order had been organised during the hist few months at Christchnrch, Oamaru, Waimate, and Timaru, and urged upon the audience the importanco of joining earnestly in the present agitation for tho passing of the Pormissfvo Bill, and of promoting the cause of tomperanco by increasing the number of individual abstainers. Addresses wore also delivered by the Rev. Di-. Copland and tho Rev. Dr. Stuart, and a humorous reading was given by Mr Jago. There was some excellent singing by Miss Webb and the Misses Jago and Messrs Marsdon and Sinclair. Mr Towsoy was the pianist. A lecture in aid of the building fund of the North Dunedin Presbyterian Church was delivered by the Rev. Mr Roseby, in that church, on the 7th ult,, on " The Life and Works of Dr. Samuel Johnson." The lecturer gave an interesting sketch of Dr Johnson's life, with extracts from his works, concluding with an analysis of his character, in which ho set him forth as one of the wisest and best men of his time. The lecture was attentively listened to throughout, and at its close a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Roseby. With regard to wife-beating, a correspondent who signed herself " Jane," and dated her letter from Mosgiel, wrote to the Bruce Herald aa follows :—" A cure for wife-beaters. This is a subject that I havo thought much upon, and have often tried to solve the riddle how to euro these gontlemen from their bad habit The following having come under my notice, I forward to you, thinking the remedy too good to be lost to posterity. A case of this kind having taken place not many miles from Dunedin, a deputation of ladies waited upon the unmanly follow, and informed him that if he was ever guilty of the like again, they would cane and ' trot' him to the water trough and give him a ducking. Its effect was wonderful, and knowing what Ido of those ladie3, I do not hesitate to say that they will put their threat in practice upon the next occasion. Now, I am no advocate for women's rights in its broad sense, but here is a case where women might with justice form themselves into a union for their own protection. - Let them take a lesson from the above, and wife beating will be a thin" of the past." To this letter the Editor of tho Herald appended the following note :—" Wo cordially agree with our fair correspondent, and trust that tho intimation of their intentions will continue to have tho desired effect" The Presbytery of Clutha met at Lawrence on tho 11th ult. for tho purposo of inducting tho Rev. Mr Cameron to the pas'toral charge of tho congregation, vacant by the translation of the Rev. Dr Copland to Korth Dunedin. Tho Roy. I

Mr Chisholm, of Tokomauaro, preached an appropriate discourse from 1 John v. 22 and 23. Ho then narrated the stop* which led to the induction, and after! putting the questions prescribed by the formula, admitted Mr Cameron to tho pastorate of the "congregation. The Rev. Mr Kirkland, of Inchclutha, delivered an address to the minister and congregation on their respective duties. At the close, tho newly-inducted minister was welcoined cordially by the congregation, who shook hands with him as they retired. The whole circumstances of this settlement give promise of the utmost harmony and prosperity. On the following evening a soiree was held, which, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather—the ground being deeply covered with snow -was attended by a large gathering, more, indeed, than found sitting room, After the tea and aowmpanimenta had been disposed of, the Rev. Mr Cameron presided over the meeting. Mr btenhouse gave ft statement of tho financial affairs of the congregation for the last two years, from which it appeared that there had been raised for ordinary, congregational purposes (irrespective of Waitahuna), which was connected with the comgregation) £o4i 10s; for missions^ £08 1* «d ; for debf/ on I*wrenoo, £280 By, and for church at Blue hpur, 4,200; total, £1091. The expenditure for the same period amounted to £1074 3s Gd. During the last five years £2950 had been raised for church purposes, being an average of £590 per annum. ■ Addresses wen? dehvered by tho Revs. Messrs Bnll, Wesleyan Minister ; Kirkland; Menzics, Congregational Minister ; Allan, Ohwholm, and Dr Copland; also by Mcsbw M Nicol and Brydie, elders, and Paul Ah Chin, Chinese Missionary. Tho Otago Acclimatisation Society held their annual mooting on the. 27th ult. The report of the Council of the fedciety —a voluminous and exhaustive one—is published with other particulars, in another page. Mr W D. M-mson was re-elected chairman, and Mr J. T. Inomson, vice-chairman. __...,, , A meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of New Zealand, b.C, was held in Dunedin, for the installation of oflicobearers on the 27th ult. Bro. W. H. Reynolds, R.W.S P G.&.M., P»«dedi assisted by Bro. Hislop, and Bro. Gore, P.G.J.W Tlle following Brethren were installed into their respeclivo offices :—Bro. A. R. Livingston, PG, Secretary ; Bro. J. B. Park, I .G. Chaplain ; Bro. J. H. Loary, r.&.b.D. ; Bro. 11. M'Donald, P.G.J.D. ; Bra Hammond, P.G.R.B. ; Bro. Beusel, P.G.D. C. ; Bro. Burton P. G. Jeweller ; Bros. Fergusson and Macandrew, I.U. Stewards ;* and Bros. Chapman and G. Smith as P.G. Sword-bearer and lylon A telegram we published on the 2<th ult. refers to a legacy left to tho Wellington Hospital by Mr George Martin formerly of Martins Hotel, Stafford street, Dunedin. Mr Martin's death is thus recorded by the Independent, in its issue of tho 21st ult. :—" A well known and very worthy citizen—Mr George Martin, one of the proprietors of the Pier Hotel—died last night after a painful lUness of twelve months duration. ihe deceased was well known mls ew Zealand for many years, having been in business in Dunedin for some time ; but for tho last seven years he was a resident in Wellington. During bis management of the Pier Hotel, which, in conjunction with his partner, ho built, he won many friends by his tact and genial and happy disposition. The deceased had, by pnidonee and economy, succeeded in obtaining a moderate competency, and was thinking of paying a visit to his friends in another land, when the hand of death cut short Ids aspirations at the early ago of 38." m A Masonic Ball was held in the Masonic Hall, Dunedin, on tho evening of the 28th ult, aud was undoubtedly the most successful affair of the kind that has taken place here, in spite of the wretched weather; while tho restriction that Masons alone should be admitted, appeared to have the effect of increasing rather than diminishing the number of the dancers, Above 200 persons were present, and dancing was kept up with tho greatest spirit. The Regalia worn wero prmcipally the Regalia of the Provincial Grand Lodge of New Zealand, S.C., tho Royal Chapters (English, Scotch, and Irish), and of tho several sister Lodges of Masons in Dunedin. All the arrangements, which wero superintended by sub-eom-mittees, were satisfactory, and supper was served in excellent style by Messrs Donaldson and Galloway, On the 21st tilt, the pupils of the Milton Hall School, Stuart street, on the occasion of the clo.se of the session, presented their teacher, Mr Robert Gardner, with a handsome writing desk, as a token of their regard. Mr Gardner ucknowleded the presentation in suitable terms, thanking the youthful donors for their very handsome gift, as well as for their kindly feeling toward him. At an ordinary meeting of the Dunedin Mutual Improvement Society, held on the 11th ult, Mr Low read an interesting paper on "How wo spend our Leisure Hours." Ho defined leisure hours as those spent away from business, in which we could store our minds with usehil information, or follow tho-bent of our inclination in the pursuit, of pleasure. He condemned the reading of the London Journal class of light trashy stories, so popular at present. He spoke in terms of praise of the writings of our standard novelip-ts, and also of tho pleasure and profit to be derived from leisure hours spent in the enjoyment of the .. legitimate drama, and condemned the low and pointless representations so common on the stage. Ha also condemned in strong terms, the habit of standing at street corners, and lounging about hotel bars, wasting valuable time and spending money which should supply necessary domestic wants, or provide for a future day of adversity. He also spoko at considerable length of the benefit to be derived from the study of the lives of great and good men, who have gone before us, taking the dark spots of their character as beacons whereby we may shun tho same faults, and the good points as goals for our ambition. A lively discussion fojlowed, in which Messrs Bolt, * uller, Kiddell, Fisher, Carrick, and Bevendge, took part. At a subsequent meeting, a very instructive essay was read by Mr \Y. Bolt, on the state of Europe a contury ago. The essayist confined his remarks to the social and religious condition of Europe, dwelling upon the influence of the nobles and clergy, the ignorance of the masses, tho monopolies of the privileged orders, the abuses in the dopartments of justice and education, the profligacy and wars of the time, and the various attempts at reform. Ho gave credit to the.Press, as being the great moral educator of tho world. A discussion and a vote of thanks followed, Mr Caldwell's last annual report (publiahed iv our last Summary), regarding the state of the Dunedin Gaol, is very favourably reviewed in a leading article in the Australasian of tho loth June, In the course of this article our contemporary remarks:—" It is-creditable to the practical good sense of the people of Otago, and to the intelligence of the Go-

illu&tration of the views put forward. A few good anecdotes were also well dovotailed into tho i-emarks. The lecture occupied fully an hour and a half in delivery^ and the interest of the audience was unflaggingly maintained to the lust. At the close, on the motion of Mr James Allan, a hearty vote of thanks wim accorded to Mr Bathgate, and a wish was expressed that ho would, on an early day, give them a few more specimens from the rich mine he had opened up. On tlte subject of toothache, our Green Island correspondent wrote as follows, a short time ago : —" No more wrenching of the gums—no more toothache, for we have discovered a sovereign remedy. Tortured by this painful disease, and almost bordering on frenzy, a man working in the fields, lay down close to tome bush. In his agony he seized the leaves of the tutu plant, and pressed the juice into the aperture. Strange to relate, the cure was instantaneous, and he has since frequently applied tho same remedy with equal success. Whether the juice of the plant will prove effectual in all cases I am not aware, but a knowltdge of the circumstance is well worthy of beingnichod in our Colonial Vadeinecum." Steps are already being taken to ensure the success of the next cricket season. The Citizens' Cricket Club have accepted a tender for improvements to their ground, on which £100 has already been expended. The new piece of ground will be about forty yards square, and when finished, it will bo a first-class piece of cricketing ground. At a recent meeting of the Duncdin' Cricket Club, it was suggested that it would be advisable to try to obtain a Challenge Cup, to be played for by all the Clubs in the Province.; and tho following gentlemen were elected to act as a committee for that purpose :— Messrs Deal, Murison, Tin-ton, Sale, Collinson, Lamach, Rattray, J. F. Watson, Holmes, Anderson, and Allen ; and to report to the next general meeting what probability there was of a cup being got. j The annual festival of the Deutschei Verein was hold on the 21st ult, at their hall, in Shepperd's Hotel, Dunodin. The room was tastefully decorated, and an excellent repast provided by Host Shopperti for tho Indies and gentlemen present. Tin President, Mr Mccc, tilled the chair ; am Mr Ueissol acted as Vice. The Presideiv proposed tho first toast, "The Empero: William," which was received with thre< times three. " Her Majesty Queen Vie toria and tho Royal Family" was nex proposed by the Vice-President, the com pany singing "God Save the Queen.' " Tho United Fathorland and Ijnmarck' was then proposed by Mr Otto; "Tin Deutscher Verein," by Mr Meyer ; "The Ladies " by Mr Holtzhauser ; and "Tin

rarnor of Dunedin Gaol, Mr James C'aldwell, yrho yraß formerly a warder at I'entridtjc, tibpriiUhe experiment" of rendering a prison self-supporting has been courageously tried in that city; and, it is jiratifymg to add, with complete success. If we mistake not, it was commenced two or thws© years ago ; and we tony remark, in passing, that it has exercised no appreciable effect upon the local labour market, and that at the present time the rates of wages paid to artisans and operatives generally-in Dunedin are somewhat higher than those current in Melbourne," After Btating that the "broad result" of the work done is an excess of earnings over expenditure of £443 lls 9d (< the Australasian concludes as follows: — *• Similar results, we are aware, have been arrived at in some of the prisons in the United States ; but hers we hare an institution, belonging to a British Colony a few days' sail from our own shores, where the experiment has been fairly tried and has bsen fully Bucceusful; and none of the Australian Colonies ought to be above profiting by the example thus set them by the gaoler at Dunedin.'" The usual half-yearly meeting of the Dimedin Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F., was held in the Royal George Hotel, Dunedin, or the 27th ult. The officers elected for the ensuing six months were :—Bro. Hamilton, N.G. ; Bro. M'Alister, V.G. ; Bro, Lawson, Sec. : and Bro. M'Pherson Warden. The half-yearly meeting of the Hand and Heart Lodge of the M.TJ.1.0.0.F. was held at the Oddfellows' Hall, Dunedin, on the 25th nit., for the purpose of electing officers for the ensuing six months, and transacting other business. The brethren elected to fill the various offices were :—Bro. David D. Little, N.G. ; Bro. A. Hastio, V.G. ; Bro. C. Wimhurut, E.S. The newly-elected officers were duly installed, and tliankcd the brethren for the mark of confidence which they had received. Bro. Mercer was appointed Warder. On a recent Sabbath, after the Church service, Mr William Clark was presented, at his house, on behalf of the inhabitants of Caversham, with a handsomely bound morocco Bible, of the largest size, as a mark of their appreciation of his conduct in saving the life of a child. There has been very Tittle done in connection with sporting matters during the past month. On the 26th ult., the Resident Magistrate at Dunedin was occupied for several hours hearing a case against Mr Sydney James, as Secretary of the Committee of the recent Tradesmen's Races. It was virtually an appeal from the decision of the Stewards upon the protest lodged by Mr Gourley, the owner of the third horse in the Birthday Handi-

cap, against the payment of the stakes to tho second horse, Saladin, on the ground that tho latter had been led away from

the scales before the jockey had boon declared weight. Tho Stewards upheld tho protest, but Mr Rossbotlmm, Saladin'a owner, was dissatisfied with this decision, and brought an action against the Secretary for the recovery of tho stakes. Tho action, to a certain extent, was a friendly one, as the Stowards consented to waive all technical objections, in order to have the question tried upon its merits. After hearing a great deal of evidence, the Magistrate decided that a breach of the rules had been committed by Saladin's jockey, and confirmed the decision of the Stewards by giving a verdist for defendant.

The announcement that " Mr John S. Johnston, Barrister-at-Law," would deliver a lecture on " Scottish Poetry," in tho lower hall of tho Athenaeum, Dunedin, attracted not more than twenty persons to that place on tho evening of the 21st tilt., but had it been known what a treat was to be given to the public, the room would have been crowded to over-

flowing. Mr John Mercer was pressed into the service aa chairman, after Mr Johnston had rendered his ofltccH un-

necessary by introducing himself. Mr Johnston, it would appear, delivered this lecture some years ago in I)unedin, and he was evidently desirous that the public should not be ignorant of the fact, for he remarked, times without number—"Ladies and #ontle-

3 Times :—" Matrimonial. —The two bache--2 Jors residing on tho Alexandra road who <* some time ago advertised in tho Tuapoka 8 Times, beg to inform Maggio Black and - Flora Macdonald that they arc still dc--1 sirous of achieving matrimonial bliss, and ? with a view thereto would bo glad to cor- » respond with those ladies. Should Maggie - and Flora feel similarly disposed, they fc will oblige by forwarding their address to i 'Cupid,'Tuapeka Times office." Subsequently one of the ladies forwarded to 3 the same paper the following reply :-.- ---■ " Tho late Miss Flora M'Donald begs ros- - j pcctfully to inform the two gentlemen 3 | who are still in soarch of wives, that as »ho • has a few days ago entered into the bonds I of matrimony (it being leap year she took J advantage thereof), sho is at present unable - to comply with their valuable request; I and while wishing them every success in 1 their matrimonial enterprise, she sincerely i hopes that they will not prove so faiut- - hearted to their future correspondents as > they have done to her, or tho probability ' is they may jump the broom stick like - Flora MD. P.S.—Miss F. MD. may t also state that she has been ao extremely t happy during the past days of her wedded r life that she has not had occasion to wield ■ the three-legged stool. Dunedin, June • Bth." United Evangelical Services for the l- promotion of religion have been held I during the month in the various Preaby- > terian, Baptist, Congregational, and '■ Methodist Churches at "Dunedin. The > services were numerously attended. The i Rev. Dra Stuart and Copland, and. the Rev. Messrs Williams, Reid, Sutherland, Gow, Roseby, Blake, and others took part therein. :

men, on this my second occasion—" The fun was great, and "dog cheap," tis the Americans say, at the prices charged foi admission. Mr Johnston, however, was serious, and somewhat paradoxically informed his auditory that if any of them wanted a "go in," they had only to "Bter. out." Tho challengo was not accepted, possibly because tho»e present were already in erircmia with laughter, Ai length, after scenes had occurred baffling description, tho more than Job-like patience of the Chairman gave way, and he vacated the chair, receiving from the audience a vote of thanks, to which the lecturer added a pair of candles, though the presentation was rather precipitately made. The audience then beat a. retreat, and the librarian turned off the gas, putting a much-needed extinguisher on tho proceedings. A very pleasant and successful social meeting was held in the Drill Shed a! Green Island on the 21st nit. For a considerable period evangelical services were held in the Foresters Hall, initiated by Mr Colee, and afterwards regularly sustained by himself and gentlemen reiiident in Dunedin, principally of the Baptist persuasion. In consequence of the steady increase in tho attendance at these meetingH, the building of a place of worship was contemplated. Recently, the Foresters' Hall having been offered for sftle, it was resolved to secure it for evangelical purposes. The money for the purchase of the building was advanced, free of interest, by a gentleman who does not wish his name 'O be disclosed. It is now to be reseated, in order to give additional accommodation, and, if necessary, it will be enlarged, sufficient ground being retained for that purpose. To celebrate the event of the purchase, a

soiree was resolved upon. The Rev. Mr Williams presided. Mr James G. Bcotfc, who has taken a deep Interest in evangelical proceedings, explained that these services were commenced at his request,

in order to supply a want long felt, in the district, aud to as not to interfere with

those of other religious denominations. Addresses were delivered by the Rev. Mr Williams, the Itev. Mr Arnott* and Messtu Coke, Ings, Blair, and Ptirdie. Tho proceeding were enlivened with the singing of glees at intervals by the excellent choir of Hanover street Church,

u'.der the leadership of Mr Brownlec. After a hearty vote of thanks to the speakers and choir had been passed, all departed after tho benediction, .highly pleased with the evening's entertainment. On the 21st ult. Mr J. liafchgate, M.H.R., delivered a lecture at East Taieri, under the auspices of the members of the local Athenaeum. The attendance

was good, and the chair was occupied by the Ilev. W. Will. Tho subject of the

lecture—

"Those famous Scotsmen, Burns,

Scott, and Hogg" —was handled by Mr Bathgate in a manner which at onco arrested the attention of the au'dionce,

who gave expression to their approbation by repeated applause. The leading characteristics and chief merits in the lives of

Host and Hostess,'' by MrSteinmetz ; Mr Shcpperd responding in suitable terms to the last. Tho tables were then cleared

away, anil dancing commenced with vigour. Two memorials to the General Government—the one from ladies and tho other from gentlemen resident in Dunedin—are now in course of signature, their purport being to "recommend Mrs Caroline Howard as a competent peruon to assist in tho selection of female emigrants in England." Tho memorialists go on to say that Mrs Howard "has been for many years engaged in Duncdin in conducting a Labour Office, and we believe that her experience and abilities as a public lecturer would be found in out useful in England, not only towards inducing emigra-

tion, but also in supplying to female emigrants useful information upon the subjects on which they need to bo informed." Mr W. H. Caldor, M.11.R. for Jnvcrcargill, addressed his constituents recently, and received a unanimous vote of confidence. A concert was given at the Masonic Hall, Dunedin, ontho 21st ult., in aid of

the Widow and Orphans Fund of tne Star of Otago Lodgo, A.1.0.0.F, and attracted a large audience. Mr Mosa

presided at tho piano. Songs were sunc? by Messrs Westropp, Joseph, Lyons, and others ; there were dunces by Messrs Haig, Hannagan, and Dixon, and finte solos by Mr Wright. The following buHineiwliko advcrti»ement appeared recently in tho Tuapeka

the bards were rapidly sketched, andsiome apt quotations made from their works, in