The Otago Daily Times WITH WHICH IS INCOROPORATHD THE OTAGO GUARDIAN. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1579.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5407, 18 June 1879, Page 2

The Otago Daily Times WITH WHICH IS INCOROPORATHD THE OTAGO GUARDIAN. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1579.

The burning of a portion of the Atlienicum library is not an unmixed misfortune. It will at least enable the Committee to refurnisk the rooms with some more recent and more valuable literature in place of the rubbish which has long encumbered many of the shelves. It appears to us that the reading tastes of the people of Duuedin are as yet but imperfectly developed, and we need to tempt the palates of the rising generation with something which, while worth reading, ia readable, even by the half-developed savages who form a large portion of most average communities. Judged by the standard of any English town, we are undoubtedly a bookless generation. It is possible to go into a score of homes with every evidence of wealth in each, and not find five hundred volumes in all of them put together. The daily papers, the Home News, perhaps the Illustrated or the Graphic, ure the only supply—the only reading in -which the wtll-off indulge themselves. When the day's work is over, the gentlemen's chief delight is to talk of their toils, their successes, or their failures, whilu the ladies mind their babies and—shnll we say it?—their gossip. JSvcn in the matter of novels we are not forward in the race. A. recent paper in " Old Ebony " says : " A popular writer is accustomed to gauge civilisation in foreign pacts by the test, Do they or do they not take my serial novels and we are sorry to say that the flourishing Colony of New Zealand stands loivest in the scale judged by that standard." "We are not the least surprised at the verdict. Indeed, it is impossible to study the non-reading habits here without coining to the conclusion that if there are any countries where less is read, they can positively never read books at all there. Every now and then some burning question arises, and then, for a few weeks, the shelves of the bookshops or of the Athecreum are ranfacked for any cuirent works on the debated question. The fire goes out, and then and there the flickering flame of zoal for knowledge goes out with it. Even without the corroboration afforded by the strictures mentioned in Bluckwood'a paper, we have abundant evidence that among the class -which frequent our Athenaeums and Mechanics' Institutes, the zeal for literature is a very weakly plant. Some of those ex-committee-men and would-be-committee-men, and others who have interested themselves in the Athenosum question of late, have prescribed for the disease under which that institution suffers. For our part, we do not think that the paucity of subscribing membera is due to any kind of mismanagement, or any error on the part of the present or former managers. The disease is simply this, that the number of subscribers is but a paltry thousand, and that number is not enough to enable the institution to furnish all the most interesting new books. The circle is complete ; the Athenteum is not patronised as it ought to be, because there are not enough reading people in Dunedin, and there are not enough reading people in Dunedin to enable the Committee to furnish all the most interesting new books, and so attract more members. With all due respect for theremediesthat have been proposed and their proposers, we do not think that the most charming librarian who ever made himself agreeable to the lady members would cause any very considerable addition to the number of the subscribers. By all means let us have a librarian who can combine civility with efficiency; but after all, an attractive librarian is not likely greatly to increase the membership, and there is something rather ludicrous in the suggestion. Is he to render himself attractive to each and all of the additional two or three thousand members that the Athenaumi ought to have, to bring it up to a fair average standard 1 When he has got the members, is he to keep on being attractive to old and new members, on pain of feeling that if his attractiveness diminishes for a month or two, the new-born love of reading will die out of the souls of the new adherents? We have liad several opportunities of inspecting the book lying ready for the suggestions of members. The conclusion we arrived at was, that there was a very insufficient demand indeed for books. As a rule the books put down in the suggestion-book, unless for some very obvious reason, are ordered. The difficulty is in getting the suggestions. There is usually enough, and more than enough, money in the Committee's hands to enable them to carry out all the reasonable proposals of the members. The real difficulty is in getting the proposals. It was very rightly determined some years since by the Committee that, since novels were wanted, novels should be supplied in quantities. The best of the new novels published year after year in London find their way to the shelves of the Atkenajum, not quickly enough indeed, but very surely. We have several times seen members of Committee marking oft' book after book in the catalogues sent out from Home, in despair of being able to complete a large order without doing so. No doubt a better way of filling up an order could not be found, only it just shows the truth of what vre have said — that the demand is not in existence, or the suggestion-book would be overflowing with the names of works which the funds at the disposal of the Committee did not enable them to purchase. Moreover, there does not seem to be much probability of any change in our habits. This may be guessed at from the fact that it is not the young men but the older ones who ai-e the chief patrons of our libraries. Very likely it is the inevitable consequence of the condition of thinge here. We have for the most part something else to do than to read. We are almost wholly without that class of person which may be found in every English town, who must read or die of ennui, because he has absolutely no- ■ thing else in the wide world to do. Notwithstanding the criticism to which we have referred on New Zealand reading habits, we take leave to think that we are fulfilling our mission in a more satisfactory fashion than if we had scores of idle souls here who lived entirely to read the novels of the day. The pity of it is, that we are very apt to plume ourselves, quite unconsciously, on being rather literary than otherwise. We speak of the

Athemeum as if, were it only properly managed, it would be filling a great void—the truth of the matter being that the people of Dunedin are not as a rule given to reading books at all. " Hence these tears," as often as the " condition of the Athenajum" question becomes the burning one. The Committee has, however, now an opportunity to reconstitute the library at the expense of the Insurance Company, and we have no doubt that it will do its work well, if it gets over the crisis of to-night's meeting as it ought.

The orclioaty meeting of the City Council was he!d yesterday afternoon. There was not much important business before the Council, but several questions were debated at considerable length, and final action regarding them nai deferred. One of these was the suggea tion contained in the Gas Comrritteß'd report, that a steam pnmp, at a cost of LSO, should bs procured for the Gasworks. The object for which the pump IB required is to utilise the surface water near the works, and to fave the Gas Department the charge for water supply. Several of the councillors were of opinion that the charge for the water to the Gasworks should be reduced, as the supply of water j was abundant, and the co3t of the pump would be an additional charge against the Corporation, although it might reduce the cost of the Gas Department. This matter was referred to the Water Supply Committee. Another question which caused much discustion was the recommendation that churches should be charged for the water supply, but the Mayor explained that the charge could only be made against churches when tbe water was laid on, as churches were exempt from the water rate unleßS they ufel the water. After discussion, this matter was referred back to the Committee for further confederation. A propopal was made by Cr. Fish to dispense with the services of the medical health officer of the city, and the question was allowed to stand over until the next meeting of the Council. The other matters dealt with were of an ordinary character. A report of the proceedings is given elsewhere.

The special general meeting of subscribers to the Dunedin Athenseum and Mechanics' Ins'i'.ute, convened for this evening at 8 o'clock, will be held in the Temperance Hall, instead of in tbe lower hall of the Athenoeum as previously advertised. It ia to be hoped that the meeting will not do anything so detrimental to the interests of the institution as to cause the pre3eat Committee to resign, as there is not the slightest prospect of gctticgagood committee if fall confidence is not place i in those gentlemen who hold office at the present time.

We hear that Mr E. H. Carew, Resident Magistrate and Warden at Lawrence, will probably fill the position of Kesident Magistrate in Dunedin during the absence of Mr J. Bathgate. It is also probable that Major KecMell, who is now on his way from Auckland, will take Mr Carew's place at Lawrence.

Mr M. W. Green gave the Becond of his series oflectures on "Spiritualism TJn veiled" at the Garrison Hall last overling, to a larga audience He quoted from several books written by Spiritualists, showing how they contradicted one another in reference to the reincarnation or transmigration of eouls. While some American and French Spiritualists believed in this doc trine, Mrs Hardinge Britten was utterly opposed to it. The lecturer maintained that Spiritualism was opposed to all law, human and divine, destructive to all morality, and to the distinction between right and wrong. At the close of the lecture several questions were put by two of the audience and answered satisfactorily. Mr Dick occupied the chair. The lecture next Tuesday evening will touch on tbe dangers of spirit-mediumship, through being hurtful to individuality, power, and self-con-trol, as well as being an incentive to the com

mission of crimes

The following report of the health officer on the city, Dr Gillies, was received by the City Council yesterday : —" I have the honour to repert that the general health of the city is good. Since my last report only one death haß been reported from typhoid fever, and only ona patient received into the Hospital suffering from that diseass. I have again to draw your attention to the fact that numerous complaints are being made by people living in the lower part of the town against the discharge of house water, sewage, &c, into the street-chan-nels, both from private dwellings and from shops. I think your Worship will see that there cannot be an excusu for committing such offences as I have specified while it is quite easy to connect the bouae-pipe3 with sewers."

The Fire Brigade's silver cup is insured for £100, and njt £50 as stated in yesterday's issue.

The large iron gates at the new Fire Brigade station have been found to ba unsuitable, and they are to be replaced by wooden oner.

The Kesident Magistrate's Court was held yesterday in the old Couithouse, which h»B recsttly been undergoing repairs. It presents & rery cleanly appearance to what it did pi eviou4y, and the atmosphere seems frea from the taint which was so unpleasant in bygone times.

A meeting of the Presbyterian congregation at Prebbleton, Canterbuiy, was held on the 9rh inst., presided over by the Rev. J. Elmelie, representing'the Presbytery. A unanimous call was given to the Ksv. A. Blake, M.A., formerly of Kaikorai, to be their minister. We understand that Mr Blake will probably be inducted on the Ist prox.

Mr J. C. Brown, M.H.K. for Tuapeka, was married on Monday to Mrs Halley, widow of the late Dr Hallay, of Lawrence. The ceremony was performed by the Eev. Father Crowley, and was witnessed by a large number of persons. The wedding party left Lawrence by Bpecial train at a quarter past 12, and joined the express at Milton, reaching Dunadio. at 3.28 p.m.

It will be seen from a proclamation published elsjwhero that children dealt with under the "Neglected and Crimiual Children Act. 18G7," in the Provincial District of Hawke's Bay, ara to be sent to the Reformatory School at Caversham.

A yourjg lad will be brought befora the Police Court today charged with using obscene language. The u=e of bad language about the streets by larrikins has been getting very noticeable of late, and should be pat a atop to.

A fire broke out last evening at about 6 o'clock, in the premises of the Dunedin Broom, Brush, and Fibre Company, in Great King street. Mr A. M. Parker, who manages the business of the Company, left the place at 5 o'clock, and while in his house close at Land was informed by his son of the fire, which wa3 soon put oat. The origin of the occurrence is not known. Some damage was done to the material used for making the broom3, brushes, &C, by the water used to put out the fire. Mr Parker believes the Company is iniured, but does not kuow for what amount.

At the City Council yesterday, Councillor Boss directed the attention of the Gas Committea to the state of the road leading to Roslyn. He mentioned that from thirty t» forty yourg women had to travel thia road morning and night, and said that it would be better that oil-lamps should be erected than that it should be allowed to remain in its present uulighted condition. It was understood that the Committee would consider this matter, and also a complaint made by Councillor Carroll that on Saturday last the lamps in George street were extinguished at midnight.

Mr A. Mollison, J.P., sat at the City Police Court yesterday, but the only business he had to dispose of was an information against a man for drunkenness.

"A former lady subscriber" of the Athenteum haa written us a letter for publication, strongly recommending a particular individual for the post of librarian. It appears to us that this letter ought to have been sent to the Committee, and not to us; and with the lady's permission we shall be happy to forward it to the Secretary, although we entirely differ with har as to the suitability of the individual in question.

Mr <J. Batbgate, K.M., yesterday sat for the last time on the Bench of the Keoident Magistrate's Court, previous to his going Home. Mr Fulton will preside to-day.

The contract -was signed yeiterday for the Dusedin railway reclamation. Meurs E. Fritchard and Co. are the lucceisful tenderers, nd th« amount of the tender i« L58,487 10s.

We understand that in the event of the Hon. B. Stout resigning his seat in th« House, which is now almost certain, Mr James Macau sey will te put forward as a candidate in the Ministerial interest for the lepresentation of Dunedin.

In the list of insurances on the properly destroyed by fire at Wellington, publiihed yesterday, the amounts reinsured are charged to the company which actually lose?.

A woman when coming down Breakneck Hill yesterday nfttrnoon fell and broke her arm. She was conveyed to the Hospital, where the limb was set.

The Cape Standard of May Bth publishes the following :—" The lecture and concert which was announced for last night by the Eev. Charles Clark and Miss Christian did not como off, the talented artists and their clever manager, Mr Smythe, having made a hasty departure for England the previous afternoon. Some surprise was expressed yesterday at what appeared to be a very sudden change in a promising programme, and we have not heard any satisfactory explanation of tbe movement."

The District Court stands adjourned till the 30th inst.

Mr Thomas C. Burt ha« again submitted his scheme for the disposal of the city sewage to the consideration of the Mayor and Corpora lion of Dunedin, and his letter has been referred by the Council to the Special Drainage Committed. In his letter Mr Burt referred to the previous experiments, and repeated the statement that the system would be found

efficient, and that it wou'd iuvolve a lesj out lay than any other drainage scheme proposed. An estimate was given -which showed that the cost of the plant and its erection would not exceed L3400. The scheme as laid before the Council by Mr Burt is as follows :—(1) To separate the nightEoil from the water by sat sidence; (2) to deodorise tbe residuum so as to destroy all offensive smell; (3) t» clarify and deodorise the water ; and (4) to destioy all the deleterious elements in the sewage water bo that it might be run into the harbour. The chemicals used were ta be sach a3 would not destroy the properties of the manure, but only deodorise it, and Mr Burt undertook to dispoea of the sowage in accordance with this scheme for the sum of L3500 per annum for any term of yeais that might be agreed npon.

On the evening of Monday, the 16th instant, the Rev. Wm. Bannerman deli ered a lecture in the Presbyterian Church, Anderson's Bay, on " Freethinking: the abode of Idolatry, and the home of Polytheism," in which he showed the influence which Christianity has exerted in overthrowing idolatrous syattms of worship, and that infidelity, while frie from idolatry in the ordinary sense of the term, from the veiy nature of things involved its followers in conceptions of the Deity far short of the reality—in short, made a god for themselves different from the true God, and eo acknowledge another than the (rue God, which is idolatry. As the conceptions formed by each Freethinker necestarily depended upon the strength or weakness of his reason, the amount of information he had acquired and the use which he made of it, aud us theßa are all very various among Freethinkers, as among other men, there must of necessity be as great diversities of opinion among them as to what God is—in other words, there must be many gods within the tpbere of Freethought, which is polytheism.

A case interesting to masters and apprentices was beard before Mr Watt, K.M., on Monday at the City Police Court. Henry Stentiford charged John Thompson Telfer with unlawfully neglecting to instruct the said Henry Stentiford properly. A further complaint was laid that the said John Thompson Telfer did unlawfully illtreat the said Henry Stentiford by assaulting him; and he therefore prayed that such order and direction as the equity of the case required might be mad?, in accordance with section 14 of " The Masters and Apprentices Act, 18G5." In cross-examination of the apprentice it was elicited that he was 19 years age on the 7th inst. Without going into the merits of the case for the defercs, Mr Hay contended that the complainant must fail on the ground that he (the apprentice) was more than 19 years of age, and that by " The Masters and Apprentice3 Act" no indentures could continue to bind an apprentice who had reached that age unlesß the indentures contained a clause exempting them from the operation o£ the Act. After argument by Mr E. Cook, who appeared for the complainant, his Worship ruled the objection to be fatal, and dismissed the case for want of jurisdiction. The Australian Insurance and Banking Record thus remarks on the judicious action of the Associated Banks during the excitement caused by the suspicion' of the Australian and European Bank. Ought we not to have an Association of Banks for common protection in New Zealand?—" The influence of the Associated Banks was disp'ayed in a very marked way on Friday. The mere announcement that they bad determined to defend the City cf Melbourne Bank against any claims presented, if such were required, at once all.yed the excitement, which had on the pravijU3 day been at fever heat. This influence was in a smaller way what would be effected in a LonJou panic by tha su^psrsiju of the Bank of England Charter." A correspondent of the Melbourne Argus, wiititg from Fiji, siya : —" The finance and commercial returns j,ublished in the Gazette of the 3rd May show that trade has doubled itself in three years. Still the people growl. The Lemidasloft Calcutta for Levuka on the 3rd of March (this vessel arrived at Levuka on the 11th May with small-pox on board) with 450 adult coolies, a very rrime lot of men. They are to be paid Is per diem when at work, and find themselves. Neither the Fijians nor the Polynesian labourers have satitfiedthe planters here. It remains to be seen whether they will be belter pleased with the Indians." It dooj not app?ar to be geaera'ly known says the Melbourne Argus) that an international show of live stock is to be held in connection with the forlhcoming Sydney International Exhibition. Over 500 prizes, chiefly e insisting of silver medals, ore to be offered in this department, and the commissioner! generally offer strong inducements to the breeders of stock in this and the other colonies to participate. A disposition has already been manifested by several leading shipowners to exhibi^ and at their request Mr Casey, the executive commis3ior.er for this Colony, has elicited the fact that the show for sheep will extend over a period of 10 days, but the exßct date has not yet been fixed. Mr Casey in, however, assured that the Sydney Exhibition building will be finished by the Ist of September, and that every exertion will be made to open in (he first week of that month, as advertieed. The roof is nearly completed, but there is a considerable amount of work to be performed in connection with the dome and four towers, and a strong effort will have to be made in order to have everything ready in tince for the inaugural ceremony. " At the head of the craft of ' special correspondents,' there is," the Globe remarks, "a well known writer, rendered famous by his exploits during the Franco-German aud KussoTurkish Wars, whose brilliancy of style is not lees conspicuous than his extraordinary physica' strength and courage. His more rec6nt won derings in search of exciting news began with a rapid flight to Cyprus. The field there proving rather sterile, for there is nothing sensational in the process of gradually creating order out of chaos, the island was dubbed a ' fiasco,' and our knight-errant looked about for more pro raising ground. It presented itself almost immediately in Afghanistan, whither the wanderer proceeded in hot haste. He casually dropped in, however, at Simla, although this involved a considerable deflection from the ■hortsst road to the frontier, but the halt did not prevent his presence at Peshawur at the outbreak of hostilities. Here he was comfortably circumstanced at last, with plenty of fresh excitement every day, bo long as the Afghans showed a bold front. But life grew wearisome amid the monotony of Jellalabad, and he accordingly paid a flying visit to Lahore. Backwards andforwards he then oscillated between that city and the front, until the dearth of news became unbeerable, when some bird of the air whispered to him that there might be stirring work in Burmah, and he accordingly made a ' bee line' for Mandalay, a distance of tally 2000 miles, by rail, sea, snd river. Having only a few days at his disposal, he loat no time in obtaining an interview with King Thee Baw, which passed off without any exhibition by th* latter of the fatal spear of Kiiig Tharawaddi

This being accomplished, the pilgrim started off again for Lahore, for the purpose of being within hail of the frontier on the renewal of the Afghan campaign. Scarc«ly had he reached the Punjaub capital, however, when the terrible news of the Inandnla disaster made him turn longing eyes towards South Africa. The Cape is not very accessible from Labore ( as no ateamora go there direct either from Bombay or Calcutta. But what are such triflicg difficulties to a reetle-s ' tpecial' ? Nothing at all in the case in question. For within a very few diva the wanderer was off en route to Kur. rachee, whence a strainer would convey him to Aden, and another carry him thence to ZnluJand. A glance at the map will show that this gentleman has managed to get through a vast deal of ' globe-trotting' within a briaf period, besides contributing largely to the English Press, and embarking in various controversies in India." Mr Forbes is, oE cours, the "ape. cial" referred 10.

We learn from a Cape paper that Missionary Witt, who stated that the Kaffirs generally were treated by the colonists like dogs, was himself convicted on the 9th of November last of presenting a loaded gun at a Kaffir girl who had refused to do his family's washing.

In consequence of the loss of books, especially in the department of light literature, sustained by the fire which broke out at the Athenaeum on Monday eveniDg, the reading public are likely to bejdeprivcd for nomej time to come of the convenience afforded by this institution. There is a way of obviating this undesirable state of things, and that ia for the Athenaeum Committee to come to an arrangement with the Otago Education Board whereby the latter might agree to supply works that are chiefly fought after at the Atherosum. It appears that the Education Beard have procured quite a large number of books fiom Great Britain for the me of the public libraries, and an ad, ditional consignment arrived yesterday, per the ship Otago, from Glasgow. The volumeß ate substantially and uniformly bound, and several copies of each m'ght be obtained. The list of books juit published by the Board shows that the selection of novels, tales, &c, 13 both numerous and judicious ; and if some arrangement of tbia kind could be arrived at we feel sure that the interests of the readiag pnblic would be well served.

Judging from a graphic, and what appears to be a truthful, account in the Gazzetta Piemontess of the Royal visit to laola Bella (writes "Atlas" in the World), the Queen's English is already suffering from her short absence from her own realms. It would, indeed, ba too dreidf ul to think what eflect a long absence might hava. For instance, struck by the beauty of the isle, the Qu-en is said to have exclaimed, "O, beautiful! Very fair 1" Having gathered several leaves from the first

laurel she saw, she handed them to the "celebrated Scotchman Brown," exclaiming, "To England all this!" A small gondola was almost filled with leavei, branches, and flowers, the Queen remarking to her retinue, "Take care; all this is vere precious!" Afterreadingthii

verbatim report of the Queen's observations, lam quite prepared for the remark made by one of her suits, th»t he bad never remembered her in a happier nncd. What may have also contributed to this state of mind was seeing plants "that are never seen in England, or only in a sickly condition in a conservatory." It is not very uncommon (an English paptr remarks) to hear of ladies being appointed as overseera of the poor, but a lady surveyor of roads is a decided novelty. The Buckroee division of the East Riding of Yorkshire is noticeable for its determination not to adopt the Highway Act, and in confirming the parochial appointments of surveyors for that division S recently, at Norton, the magistrates appointed Mrs Ann Simpson as surveyor for the parish of Kirbygrindaly-on-the-Wolds. An English paper is responsible for the following:—"A curious case has just been tried at Berne. It was an action by a Paris hosier againat the Ksv. Dabadie, an Old Catholic priest and disciple of Fathnr Hyaointhe, for recovery of the price of a pair of' false calves' supplied to the defendant. It seems that the Old Catholic clergy have returned not merely to ancient dogma?, but to the fashion of wearing gowns looped up at the back, and it ia only natural that they should wish to show their legs to advantage. The surpriiing plea put forward by the defendant was, that he had paid for his calves with a bottle of claret offered to the plaintiff. The Swiss Court declined to aucept this view of the matter, and ordered that the Kev. Dabadie would have .to pay cash for his fine legs." The Cologne Gazette publishes a remarkable letter, written from St. Petersburg by its cor. respondent just prior to the attempt on the Czar. It describes the successive stages of the revolutionary movement. The secret confederacy, according to this authority, now covers the whole of European Russia, and counts as many as 10,000 working members, not to speak of numberless agents uninitiated, who yet have taken the oath of loyalty. It has agents in all departmentsof the State,andis well supplied with money. Its secret presses have been worked with diligent skill and ever-grow-ing audacity. It has circulated everywhere kills, placards, and pamphlets oE the mest revolutimarylcharacter. "The army," we are told, "was deluged with them; the labourer found them in his pocket in the morniug." The revolutionary committee announced its determination to suppress the private chancellery cf the Emperor, and to sweep away the court camarilla. A list of 200 names was published of persons whose dismissal was demanded. Underneath was the threat to "shoot, stab, and murder " till these demands were satisfied. A journal entitled Land and Liberty has sines been circulated, a sort of official gazette, whose utterances rival the fierce frenzy of the Keign of Terror of the French Revolution. Under the thatfow of this übiquitous conspiracy, the imagination pictures all s:ciety lapsing into a chaos of fire and blood; but it should be remembered that, dark and ominous as are these facts, they describe only one phase of Russian life. Among all the nations of the East, without doubt the Japanese Empire ia the most appreciative of European app'.iancas and inventionsA short time since the Yokohama and Yedo railway was opened, and surveys were then ordered for a YedoKioto railway, which ha" also advanced some stages. By last accounts another line — the Kobe-Kioto — was being vigorously proceeded with, and a tunnel of 740 yards had beea succe-sfully cut through, notwithstanding the very hard nature of tho work. It was expected that tha line would be opened for traffic in September, or even earlier under propitious circumstances. Signor Morley's opera, "The Two Brides," was repeated at the Princess Theatre last evening, »htn there was another large and fashionable attendance. The opßra rin much more smoothly than on the night of its fiisS r«presenta'.ion, and the performance gave great satisfaction. " The Two Brides " will again be produced this evening.

The second representation of Me George Darrell's diama, " Back from the Grave," drew another well-filled house at the Queen'g Theatre last night. The performance passed off with evtry success, the lcadirg artists receiving recall] at the close of each act. The spectacular effects are very fine indeed. That of the coiners' den on fira is the most realistic thine of the kind ever seen in Dunedin, and tho second vi-ion ia manage! in a remarkably sucees-ful and pleasing manner. The fire scene was last night warmly applauded, and Mr Darrell, on coming before the curtain to bow his acknowledgments, took tie opportunity of saying that there was no danger whatever of the spreading of the fira. The members of the Dunedin Fire Brigade gave their services upon the stage merely to aid in lending the realistic effect desired ; but he could assure the audience, since he had seen the Brigade at work at 1 o'clock the previous morning in earnest, that they were men who could prove themselves equal to an emergency. This opinion waa ene held also by the audience, judging from the applause which followed the speech. The drama is one well worth «aeing, and we bare no doubt of its being well patronised in Dunedin.

The O»m»ru Coursing Meeting wiU tike placo on the S4th instant. Beturn tickets at single fr« will be l.sued on the 2Srd and S*th lntta-t from all stations, available lor return up to and Including the 28th it.aiant. The meeting of the General Committee of the Kaltang«ta Belief Fand b postponed till Wednesday, the 26tn Jnttant, at 8 p.m.. In the Temperance H»U. We have received from the Victorian Government the reporU o! the liintng Burreyors and Registrars for tho quarter ended Slat Murcn, 1879.