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Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2040, 10 May 1875, Page 3

, ~ * : —~« — : " The "Auckland Provincial Council will meet for tbe despatch of public bu-i.nefs at 3 o'clock to-day, when his Honor the Superintendent will deliver the opening address. The performances at the Theatre Royal on Saturday night, consisted of the tragic play of "Lucretia Borgia," and the nautical drama.of "Black-eyed {■"usan," In the first piece the principal character, the mostun'crupulousof women, Lucretia Borgia, was played by Mrs Darrell with extraordinary energy aud intense power. '1 here was no sign of lassitude from flrst to last, and the ■- moßt ample' justice was done to a character, which makes gieat demands upon the player,; The character suits Mrs Darrell admirably. We do not mean to Bay thatthere is any natural affinity between her character and that of Lucretia, who has become a type of the most outrageous of her Box, but the great power with which she can express the strongest passions' of women—love,hatred, and revenge—enables her to give a most impressive rendering' of 'the part. Mr Darrell .filled Very well the character of Gennaro, with whom Lucretia,'who his mothec, ; falls' in love,, apd who,' driven' by destiny, stabs, his mother after. having been poisoned by her. Theconiptaigas c-.-mpetent to fill-all the and .. worthily to second the of the two. most prominent characters. !i He house was crowded, and most marked attention was paid to the terrific scenes which .passed before the eyes of thore present,'We'would take exception to the ■ piece' as being • somewhat: too horrible for the: tistesof the present day. We all, know the saying of the wise Greek, who'declared that the aim ! of ! tragfdy was "to purre the soul with te'ror and pity," but people nowadays don't want their souls lobe so operated upoiij at least when they go to the theatre on a Saturday night for amusement. It was all very well for people in old times to go to the theatre to be instructed, or to have their deeper emotions stirred by the representation of-.scenes of crime and horror, but' we' are" different.' As for the ancienisj' the people''who sat' out ihe performance of "Prometheus" or "Orestes 1 ' led a _ more joyous life in their everyday existence "than-we"do,"' We meet with abundance of disagreeable matters outside the theatre, and our greatest desire when ■ we get Inside it Is to be', amused. Besides, every good writer.of tragedy, from/iEschylus' downwards, contrives, amidst all the horrors presented, to enlist our sympathies with the sufferers, but nofeelihg but dislike : fs ; excited,, or can be excited, towards LocreVia, In ihe palmy days of the theatre in England,, .people went to. be in-. strucled, but cheap, printing has almost killed good octifig ; /'We'are content to-rely upon books, magazines,' and: newspapers for instruc-i tirn and '.information, and look upon the theatre as a means' of 'light, agreeable recreation. ""Lucretia Eorgia," tberefore,i with . i its.- : . awfnl... series of murder by poison and poniard, js too much for us. Every character in it-but one is either poisoned or stabbed before the curtain falls. The taste of fifty years asp'' may have 'lain .in the wjy of Shakespeare and high-tragedy, but this educated'and thoughtful age "goes in for" farces, j spectacles, and.;nigger ..break-downs, as a relief. We have quite "'enough, of, the Serious in. our daily occupations, and ,in dealing with, the .questions of Mil), and.Tyndall, and Darwin. The well-known nautical drama of " Black-eyed' Susan" concluded the performance's, and the audience laughed heartily at tbe comicalities of Jacob Twig (Mr. Sam Poole), and .rbggrass!'.,(llfr...Peering). Miss, Clara Stephenson iras very successful as the heroine,, and went through' 1 the business; with a great deal of spirit. ...Mr Darrell. was hardly our notion of William' (whose surname 'is never mentioned),., He was scarcely up to the popular notion of the bluff. English"' sailor. Miss Patty Holt made a capital Dolly Mayflower. Owing to the good encouragement which the company have received, thc-y are to remain for another week, and to-night will be presented .Mr Darrell's drama ef "Under the .Bain," which has been a great success in. Auckland and elsewhere. '..'. '''"'.■"...

A telegram from Napier in the Auckland; Evening Star, says:—'"lhe adjustment of the dispute between Kenafa, of Hawke's Bay,.and Topia, of Wanganui, concerning the ownership of a.large block; of land occupied by Messrs Walker, Moorhouse, Morrin, Studholmc,, Rnd others in the Murumoto, is being proceeded with*, The dispivtants.leased lands to different parties, and are engaged now in-driving off the sheep and cattle of different .lessees' of the Crown, which is paying the piper, for. the natives' rationsand expenses on ;l his r coast,: > A heavy bill will be.the resnlt.- ;/,,'.,,-!.

The barquentine-'Prince Alfred'was towed «ptheThames;on Friday bytheHalla Bookb,!; in order to.'load.' wilh ;4 timber at Mr. Gibbohs's' mill. . When the vessels "got near 'the' telegraph towers, it was. found that the v wires,had.not : been dropped, steamer. ;waastopped, and' after some delay,;, a passage-..was, attempted close to one of the towers, wherethe.wife is at the highest; The masts of the ; vessel passed, under by about a foot. Vessels 6 ught not to" leput to any inconvenience, in .the.navigation of tbe river, and we think that the'authorities of the telegraph office should take means to have the wire submerged,

Eoad making is being vigorously proceeded wlih in the Bay of: Plenty district. We learn I from the local paper-that one hundred men are employed on the Whakatane and Te Tekoroad,both ends, 60 Whakatane and '40 Kbkohinau natives. The Qalatea and Opepe Boad is being rapidly proceeded.with by the Ngaliwhakawa, The length of' the line is seventy miles; but only certain places necessitate any work. Mr Peter Grant was the lowest tenderer for the extension of Katikati'road to the. Thames Goldfields.- His tender-will-be forwarded to Wellington as usual before 2cceptance. Mr Pydne'y Crapp, Koad Overseer, is now employed inlaying off the line of road between Fort Galatea and Ahikereruin the direction ; of Waikaremoana, in the TJriwera country. Tenders are also invited for the repairing and five months' maintenance of that portion of the Cameron Eoad situated between the boundaries of the North Township Highway District and the north corner of'Mr-Parson's farm.

A public occasion will be afforded the citizens and settlers of Auckland to bid farewell to Fir George Arney, the late Chief Justice, upon Ma retirement frou the'colony; 'A public meeting is called for-Tuesday night, in the' Mechanic.?' Institute, under the highest authority; for the . purpose of presenting an address to Sir George .Arney. >-_ . In the East, Coast electoral district no less 202 fresh claims to vote were sent in up • to March 31st, principally from Poverty Bay The East Coast includes the new goldfield at Ohinemuri. '■"..=...... ■', A special train (says the Cross) conveying Mr Henderson : (of the firm of Brogden.and Sons), Captain Pierre and some of the officers of • the 'Internet,' Captain Chapman, oMLM.S. 1 Dido,' with a, few other gentlemen, ran to Mercer yesterday.-. The run was made without the slightest hitch j and the return; including a few stoppages, was done in two hours and twenty minute?, The line is now .completed to Mercer, and there is apparently nothing to . prevent the line being at once thrown open for . public use. .

The ketch 'Pearl,' 97 tons, Captain Murray, ■ employed in the pearl fishing trade, has returned to Auck'and after a very successful cruise, lasting under six months. Fhe last hails from Aitntake, where she filled up with fruit —oranges and pineapples—beckc-le-mcr, and copra, in addition to her cargo of pearl shells. During her pearl fishing expedition Captain Murray experienced no trouble with the natives of the islands where they fished. The schooners 'Eello Brandon'and 'Bjno' were among the Harvey Group when the 'Pearl'cal'cd in, and me now probably on their passage home with cargoes/: ;>.This completes the 'Pearl's' third expedition, which has.been most successful.A petition is to be presented to his Honor the Superintendent, askiug him to exercise the powers vested in him, under tbe Municipal Corporation Act, for dividing the city of Auckland into wards. '

We notice by a Napier exchange that * partridges are becoming very numerous in Hawke's Bay, Several coveys of young birds have.been observed lately in the country districts,' a convincing proof that they arc gradually becoming acclimatised, .-,,.>.