The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY MAY 19, 1874.

Thames Star, Volume III, Issue 1677, 19 May 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY MAY 19, 1874.

Qub readers will observe from advertisement; in another column that the Academy of Music trill lie opened on Thursday for a grand fancy fair in aid of the funds of the Wesleyan Church. A telegraph department will be in operation; there will be plenty of exciting raffles and lotteries and other 1 ttle harmless swindles conducted by the most charming syren*, and we believe the entertainment, and the means of extracting money irom the deepest of pockets, will be unparalleled. Thj Times, of the 16th January, contains the following important opinion regarding the operation of the Prohibitory Liquor laws in Boston, Massachusetts:— Mr Martin Griffin has resigned his office of the State Police Commissioner. In connection with his resignation, Mr Griffin says—l am now folly convinced that the Prohibitory Law, as it bow stands on the State books, is detrimental to the cause of temperance, and that it leads to corruption and inefficiency."

, ■ A nuVIiXM at Invereargill recently, desoriblnf the difference between railway travelling *» eW Zealand and in the Home country, spoke favorably of the civHitv shown by colonial conductors. He said that in England the guard thus accosted the firstclass passengers, "Ladies and gentlemen, your tickets, if you please." To the secondclass he said, '• Tickets, please." And to the ° third, "Now then, your tickets." Tb.?Bluff guard looked upon < alt as first-class passengers! The Wellington Tribune, in a late issue ■ay»: —" Hearing that none of ©ur worthy hotel-keepers would sell drink on.Sundays, a person who has a strong hankering after forbidding and forbidden knowledge, gave ' oae of our reporters a£l note to find out if all the. houses were above suspicion.. We . understand he called his temporary employer out of church on Sunday, at 11.30, at which timo he was rather shaky on his legs and confused in his speech, and wanted more money to follow up his researches." Thi Western Times (Exeter papqr) mentions the case of a young couple who were ruined by the Tichborne case. They set put in life with every comfort, but tho husband, much against the wishes of his wife, invested '£14,000 in "Tichborne bonds." After the cross-examination of the Claimant by Sir J. Coleridge, .the young man became disheartened and desponding, and died in a short time, bis early death being attributed • to vexation consequent upon the feeling that he bad lost hij money, and had shown a great ' want of prudence. Patrick Long, the man who was recently tried atDunedin for the murder of M'Donald, at Green Island, and found guilty of manslaughter, has been sentenced to five years' peaal servitude. The accused made a long statement. He thanked the jury for the patienca which they had manifested daring tho trial, and said be was quite satisfied they could not have arrived at any other verdict than that of manslaughter. He denied that he shot at Kicholas M'Douald with the intention of killing hint, or with the intention of killing anyone else, his object having been merely to frighten and disperse ' the crowd. Ho concluded by soliciting the leniency of tne Court. ' The Dunedin Guardian in a recent issue ■ays: —A somewhat remarkable instance of the absurdity of bringing to the colony as immigrants persons who are utterly ignorant of the language of those with whom, they require to associate occurred yesterday. A policeman in Princes-atrcct, was accosted by a Dane who arrived in the Scimitar. He apparently has . made such litlh advancement in English that be could not make himself understood by the guardian of the peace. An interpreter was, however, procured, and then the Pave, who was.in a wretchedly ragged condition, said

that ho could not t>inco bis arrival obtain any employment, in consequence of being unable , _to inako his wants known, and begged to be wnt back to Denmark. The policeman, with . that generosity whioh is bo distinguishable a characteristic of hit countrymen, presented ' him with a half-crown.

A good story of misdirected smartness on the pre of a bank eificial comes from Sydney, say* the Ballarat Miner. A gentleman from Victoria, who is largely interested in pastoral properties, lately visited the ancient city, and wanting a large sum of money he called upon his agents there and obtained a cheque on a local bank, payable to himself only. He predated the cheque at the bank in duo form, but there wa3 some delay in cashing it. The manager came out,' and addressing our Victorian friend said—"Are you Mr P. ?." "I am," was the response. There wag another delay, and presently a constable appeared on the scene, and Mr P found ,himself getting rapidly into hot water. How.; 'the Victorian fared for the next hour or so I' am not prepared to stato, but it seems that it at last struck the manager to communicate with the drawers of the cheque, when, to the banker's amazement, be discovered that he had mad» a mittako which may probably cost him a tubitexttitU aom in damages.

: only business before tho Resident Magistrate's Court this morning was a charge of drunksnness. The accused was on bail, but did not appear, and his guinea was forfeited. Captain Fraser presided.

The District Court was opened by Mr J. B. Stoney, Clerk of the Court, this morning, and adjourned, owing to the absence of Judge Bcckham. This is the third or fourth time, we believe, that the District Court has been adjourned through the non-attendance of tho Judge, arising from fclie irregular means of communication with Auckland.

The fishermen's boats came alongside the Shorfclund wharf this morning almost gunwain under—the boats brought in upward* of 80 dozen of schnapper and a large haul of a fish called called trevally or yellow tail, besides a quantity of flat fish. The trevally is a fish that does not, often frequent our bay, but is a most palateablo fiah. This haul was made opposite the entrance to the Piako river, the whole lot must have weighed some tons. The body of a calf whale or a largo grampus was floating about, but dead, having evidently been killed by being knocked about in shallow water. There is a new rade springing up between the Thames and Auckland, almost all, the flat fish caught on our shores being sent to the Auckland market.

As , atuusiug scene occurred in Swansonstreet, on Saturday List (says the Melbourne Herald). Oar informant states thai; two cabmen were discussing the probable result of the Kilmore election, me of them denouncing Sir John O'Shanassy in no measured terras. In the middle of a.tir.xste against the knight a. burly voice was heard to utter, "You scoundrel how dare you speak about me !" Cabby looked round, ejaculating, "Who's talking about you ! " and saw a lai-ge man flourishing, in a threatening attitude, an imtnense stick. The big one'said, " You scoundrel, I am O'Shanassy." "Then," said Cabby, squaring oat, " put down your stick and up with your props." Sir John, having had lime to cool, quietly walked away.

" iEaiES" writes in the Australasian:—l wonder if the Hobson's Bay United Kailway Company's directors ever became aware of the follbwing imposition. It dates as far back as the collision on that portion of the line then known es the Suburban :—An elderly person, who had once been a leading merchant in Melbourne, but who had latterly succumbed to persistent tipsinesg, on the same afternoon fell out of a cab on" his way to Hawthorn. From that accident his face was much cut, and his eyes were blackened. When he, on the following morning, read of the collision a happy thought occurred to him. He betook himself to the secretary of the railway company, obtained an audience, pointed to hi-i smashed face, announced himself as being very much shaken, and asked how much tho secretary was prepared to give him? That gentleman thought he had done very well for the railway company when he arranged to pay £50, and took a receipt in full of all demands from a claimant who had not boen in either of the colliding trains, and who had carefully avoided asserting that ho had been.

The Grey Eiyer Argus sayg_:— It will be interesting to our firemen to know that a new firo-ladder, which has been in use for some ■time id Milan and many other of the-principal Italian cities, is likely to be introduced into Australia through the exertions df Signor Palmieri, who is a partner of the patentee, Signor Paolo Porta. As the invention is nob yot patented in the colonies, it is not possible to give the details, but it may be stated that; the whole of the apparatus is carried on a small truck, but ma few minutes a ladder 120 ft in height can be raised. The ladder is so constructed that it does not require to be placed against any wall or building, but will remain perfectly rigid without any support. In addition to this it will allow of 10 men bein" stationed upon it at different stages, so that a fire-hose can be carried up and used while the fireman is free /rom all danger. There is another thing- to which the ladder can bo applied, and that is the repair or painting of buildings. By the use of this ladder, the necessity for expensive scaffolding would be obviated. One of the, laddei-a is expected to reach Melbourne shortly. .

; " Anglo-Australian " writes in the European Mail:—" A paragraph nab appeared in v number of pipers to the effect that Mr B. L. Farjeon intends to visit America shortly, for tho purpose of giving readings from his works ; but I ana given to understand that Mr Farjeon has no intention of visiting the United States this year. He has had many pressing invitations to go and good term 8 have been offered to him for a series of readings, and it is from these circumstances probably, that the rumor arose. His engagements in England, however, win not afford him the necessary leisure. Mr Parjeon's works are sjj exceedingly popular in the States, that when he does go—and I suppose he will some day—he is sure of a cordial reception. Apropos of his theme, it way rut be generally known that Mr ITarjeon often reads and lectures to working people in poorer parts of the city, and these duties (I am sure they must be pleasurable to him) are performed without any flourish of trumpets. His new serial story, 5" Jessie Trim," has met with much favor from the critics, and in America, Frank Leslie, in whose paper it is being published, has eagaged a good artist to illustrate it. This is a distinction, which but few English authors have attained."