The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY MAY 16, 1874.

Thames Star, Volume III, Issue 1675, 16 May 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY MAY 16, 1874.

The buddlo and Chilian mill, purchased by :'. Mr Kennan during his visit to Australia, it would seem, /will not be ftttnched to the Bright Smile Company's battery, Mr Kennan having, perhaps, further objects in view.

The Dnnedin Guardian states that there is in Dunetlin gaol a prisoner for debt, who hos been incarcerated for ten months fora debt of £36. The detaining creditor is the Sheriff, and the debt is for costs of Court.

The Magnet Variety Troupe will give a performance at the Academy of Music this .evening. The programme appears in our advertising columns. Only a few nights ago the troupe gave a performance in aid of the Ladies' Benevolent Society. It was well patronised, and has been highly spoken of by person* who were present. <,

; "A Braeress" wishes to know whether a 'Mayor can sit on the Bench as a justice of the

Peace by virtue of his office. We moy .in- ! form " A Burgess "that he cannot; but it is the custom of the Government to appoint Mayors of Borough to the Commission of

the Peace, and we have no doubt Mayor - Davias will soon be placed on that honorable They grow, potatoes of rare dimensions in the Western district of Victoria. The Fortland correspondent of the Hamilton Spectator i says:—" Some have been grown here this ': year at the rate of 15 tons to the acre. One hundred single potatoes filled a sack, and weighed 184 lbs, one tuber alone weighing 3 lbs 10 ozs, and when eaten was found to be thoroughly sound and good." Th« gas works of Nelson appear to Hve ' " caved in." The retorts are understood to have been defective from, the first, and two s'of the three gave way soon aftwv they were put in us*. . The last of them failed on the night when the Kennedy Family were giving their firrt performance in Nelson, and in the middle of the entertainment the supply of gas failed, and kerosene and candles had once more to be resorted to. At a meeting of the Board of Education held on Thursday the sum of £4 was voted to Waiotahi for fittings ; the payment of the Tararu teacher's salary was authorised; the appointment of Mrs. Tregoning, as werkmistress for Waiotahi was confirmed; Mrs. O'Connell was appointed teacher of needlework for Kauacranga. The members of the Board preterit were Dr. Campbell (in tha chair), Colonel Haultin, and Messrs. Lusk, Prime and Luckie. There ha* been a difficulty with our locaf ' fire brigade* in obtaining sufficient lengths ol hose, the funds at their disposal being limited. Tha Shortland brigade has gone in fora supply of canvas hose, as being less expensive than leather. It lias proved to be fully equal to leather at their first practice, and we are informed that similar hose will bear a pressure of 80 pounds to the square inch, and will last while in. constant use for nine months without leaking. • CIBVEB fellows are the managers of the Theatre Royal, Melbourne. A writer in Melbourne says of Lottie's " benefit: ' —One would naturally have thought the poor little widow was going, to make something handsome, as her friends were numerous and active, and s roi.g efforts wero made to fill the ' theatre. The result was that out of a houre of £242, Mrs. Angell received, according to the. published account, tho was of £20 for expenses. As a good sound commercial speculation I should imugine the managers of the Boyal would prefer giving a benefit in aid of some charitable object to any mere sordid attempt to benefit themselves.

Li Iron, an English newspaper principally deroted to the interests of the metal -which its name repre?e>.t», I find the following - paragraph:—" A lady passenger, -writing to a St. Louis paper, guys sh» crossed the Atlantic during the pasb summer in the Ville dv Havre, and shu j rononnces tho vesael to bare been • rotten hulk not fit to float." She also makes the following extraordinary statement: "—"I scuttled the ship in half a dozen dif- .' ferent places with hair-pins and paper cutters. I tell the unexuggerated truth when I say that lying, on the sof* in the state cabin I dug into the punky wood two or three inches away from the port-hole with a puper-knife till! struck tho glazing of thin iron which forms the outer coat. 'Xtm Shortknd Fire brigade had a good practice with their new appliances last night. The .water was turned off for a time at the Karaka bridge, in order to 'get additional pressure/ The doublo-delivory hydrant was brought into use and two lengths of hose affixed, each of which throw a good jet of water over"the large two-storey building of Mr. Litcbfield. A third hngth was then attached to a hydrant some distance away, and though' the force was slightly diminished a good •team of water was thrown, which would hare done good service had there been a fire. The brigade officers and men expressed them■elves highly pleated with the cunvaa hose. Some practice was had with the hose reel in laying down hose, the usefulness of which was soon apparent. The brigade men show a great interest in their work. We are informed that the gratuities rewired from different atniNfc for MrrioM rendered at the late fir* hw all b#« put into thf iqaJntaMaoe fend.

•; The following is, let ushope;;a unique specimen of servautgaliam. Some time during the holidays a girl' in the employ of alady of this town went to a friend of her mittrees and 'Asked for the loan of a fashionable part of a. lady's wardrobe, as her mistress wanted to go, out visiting. The request was complied with. They then went to another lady and asked for the loan of a pair of boots, and to another for the loan of some other article of dress, all requests being instantly complied with. Nothing further transpired till BOine days afterwards, when one of the lenders sent to the house of the lady and requested the return of the thing loaned. She denied all knowledge of the affair—the girl was called in, and acknow ledged having got the article, as she wanted to go out. Her mistress was completely taken aback at her - barefaced impudence. During the day or the following morning the other articles were gent for, andj;when interrogated the girl acknowledged having all the articles in her possession. It is almost needless to add that her mistress dismissed her on the instant.—Exchange.

Thh Port Denison Times states that a man named Benson/ familiarly known as Yorky, has succeeded in destroying the alligator that carried off the poor lad at Euri Creek. The* brute was over twelve feet long, and of very great age, probably over IGO years. This was indicated by the condition of his monstrous teeth, many of which were pone altogether, and tha remainder much worn. He also showed shears and severe marks of former battles, having lost a considerable pieca of one side of his snout, probably bitten off by some rival alligator. Inside the stomach were found the skull and hair, and some of the bones of the boy. Among the bones were some of the vertebra?, already much worn by the action of the stomach, and also softened, probably by the gastric juice. Yorky had to watch patiently for the monster, and sacrificed much valuable lime and much personal comfort in the performance of the task, and has certainly earned a reward. We have been told tnat the Gf-overntnent have offered him a reward, and thiuk that it is but right that it should be so.

Thb Bay of Plenty Times of Saturday last says:—lt was particularly pleasant on Thursday to witness so largo a meeting of officers and men of the Ist Waikato Regiment assembled tit the Masonic Hotel, to devise some mode of expressing estom for Captain Eraser, who formerly commanded a company of that Regiment from the period of its formation to its dismemberment, honorably to himself, and with a popularity amongst his men which has survived the time of active military service, in which the first Waikatos took a very prominent part. Captain Fraser earned popularity by personal courage, affable manners, and generous disposition; and his popularity did not forsake him when he retired into civil life. His subsequent appointment to the re*onßible offices of Resident Magistrate and Warden, at the Thames gave sincere pleasure to his numerous friends in Tauranga, who were delighted to welcome him back on one Christmas-time, to a place which fiad been for a considerable period his home, and with the early settlement of which his name and efforts are inseparably connected. At that Christmas-time he regaled the men of his Old Regiment with princely hospitality, and a few personal friends thought it not proper to permit him to depart on this occasion without; some acknowledgment appreciative of their individual regard. An advertisement appearing in this journal bearing the signatures of two much, respected former officers of the Regiment, had the effect of calling together a large concourse, who were unanimous and cor. ial in their support of the proposed complimentary banquet. It is gratifying to witness good feeling of this description. These friendly re-unions promote kindly intercourse, and preserve old associations, and none more than out selves can sincerely and candidly rejoice in the observance of a festive gathering such as that now proposed.