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Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1703, 18 June 1874, Page 2

A Mb. Ritchie, squatter of Blythevale, Streathem, Victoria, on leaving for England a few weeks ago, instructed his agent to give to the local hospital a yearly Christmas donation rf £10 for five years.

The late rain has bo flooded Kauaoranga Creek that between seven and eight hundred logs were floated down the creek to the booms at Parawai. The booms held well to their holding, and only a few logs got away, thoie escaping going over the booms. The ShortUnd saw mill will soon be in active operation again. It is stated that an immeme number of logs are still to come down from up the creek. '

Thb body of a new-born female child was recently found on the Beat of a closet attached to a lady's waiting room at the Hobson's Say Railway station, Flinders street, Melbourne. The little foundling attracted the attention of some ladies in waiting by its cries, and it is supposed to have been born in the strange place where it was found, and basely deserted by its mother, as the infant was. only a few hours oldt

We (Argue) learn by a telegram received from Briibane, that the bill for the abolition of the denominational schools in Queensland has passed its second reading iv the Assembly by 21 to 11, nnd that the measure is now considered to bo pretty Bafe. There is a strong feeling in a portion of the political world of that colony in favor of assimilating the system of public instruction to-our own, and the bill above referred to is regarded as an important step gained in that direction.

A eonky and very characteristic French story appears in the French Figaro. It runs thus :—" A man enters the shop of a barber to be shaved. He sits down, when a big dog comeß immediately; afterwards, and, sitting down in front of Bin, regards him with a fixed stare. 'Ah! what does this animal mean ? ' cries the gentleman, who feels somewhat uncomfortable. ' I'll tell jou,' replies the barber, meanwhile moving the razor about quickly. ' From time to time Ichanc* (il m'arrive) to cut off an ear of a customer — then the dog eats it!'" The>elings of the customer are imagined.

A remarkable cure of lockjaw has been reported to a Tasmanian paper. A boy named Crabtree, who resides on or near the Georgetown road, was dying of lockjaw. A humane gentleman, who had heard of the tobacco remedy, resolved to try its virtue.in the case of the poor boy. Having got some of the strongest cut tobacco he could procure, it was put into a pot and left to simmer for a few minutes, when a poultice was made of it and ppplied to the boy's chest as hot as he could bear it, and kept there till next morning, when the tetanus began to relax, and in two or three day?, with occasional rubbing of the chest, the boy was wholly cured.

Sometimes clients regret taking their lawyer's advice, but it is not usual, says "Atticus" in the Leader," to find lawyers hating to regret giving it. This week a Melbourne barrister sent his clerk for money tkpt was due to him from a firm of solicitors. A cheque was given for some guineas less than~fn'e~axnount expected, and the clerk inquired the reason. "Itis short the fee in M'Cetera's case, was the reply. Mr ■ advised hi-n to clear out of the colony, and he has done so, but without paying us. Mr. -—— is a young man j let this be a warning to him, never again to advise a client to gat out of the reach of his lawyer till he is certain the bill of costs is paid!"

The Morning says a dog who already bore about his muzzle some not inglorious scars accompanied his master, who carried on his breast the "Victoria Cross, to the Ashantee Campaign, Being of the bulldog breed and with a natural turn for fighting, he distinguished himself on aereral occasions and indeed throughout the campaign. In one instance he rushed into the enemy's ranks, and, singling out one of his naked foes, to bit and worred him that he actually brought in his prisoner in triumph.: He was such a favorite with the men that, ia a heavy engagement, their fire was suspended for a minute to allow of his uninjured retreat from one of his desperate forays. He lives to enjoy- his : return and his honours, and at this moment is one of the greatest pets of Belgravia.

At a special general meeting of the New, South Wales Bifle Association held on the 13th May, to consider the expediency of fending a team to England to compete at Wimbledon, the following resolution was unanimouily carried:—" That this meeting affirms the desirability of lending a team of riflemen, in conjunction with Victoria, to. compete with England, and is of opinion that the assistance in this matter of the Bifle Association of Now South Wales.should be solicited." It was stated that a sum of £2,000 would be sufficient to defray the expenses of a team of ten men out and home and while resident in Er gland. The matter appears to have been gone into heartily, and there is every probability that the colonies of Victori i and New South Wales will be represented ab the Wimbledon meeting of 1875.

A bather ingenious and novel method of serving a summons for debt was adopted by the Daily Times daring the other week. It appears that a Mr Chapman, who has been giving an entertainment in town as a magician, ■ had incurred a debt for advertising-with that paper. Part of the programme nightly was the introduction of a lady on the Btage who, Mr Chapman asserted, bein» gifted with •" second sight," could tell while blind fold any object in the posiession of the audience. To carry out the arrangement it was necessary that he should go amongst those present, and securing an, article, would be immediately informed-by the lady aslo its nature; On Saturday night according to custom he mingled with; the audioricff, receiving from one a key, another a wtitch, than a coin, all of which were immediately and accurately described by the go called "medium." One article, however, was handed to the magician, which the lady inclined to describe. Mr Chapman being persistent in receiving a reply, |ie was reluctantly answered thub in wa3 a summons, and th .fc he was tho party for whom it was intended. The rather novel utilisation of the presumed gifts of his "medium" was not at all relived, and Mr Chapman, when answering the plaint in court, characterised it as ft moat, disgraceful pro* ceeding.

The Ballarat correspondent of the Pleasant Creek News is responsible for the following relative to one of the "jolly " Irishmen at 3 a.m. after dinner at the George:— " Propping himself up against the fountain near a coach factory our jolly Mead euddanly confronts a tall guardiun of the night in solemn blue, and armed with a la»torn..' «Who the devil are you' exclaims jolly party. Policeman—suspecting what was up, and fdnd of a joke—'! »m tny father's spirit, doomed for a certaini'erm to walk the- night.' Jolly party— 4Hi», looker, fafchipirish can'fc walksh night at all, spoeh adjunsh this meetngsh lockup finish up jollynishe. Put resolushn, mischarertan", carried nem consh.' Luckily a second party of jolly good fellows came by at this time, aad took our friend with them."

. Thb patroni of tho Melbourne Opera House, on the 20th ulfc., at the performance of Moie in Egitto,were favored, cays the Age, with a scene extemporised for tlte.occasion, and not included in theoriginal coinpoHtioo. In the third act, where Pharash is seated in state, surrounded by th» officers and ladies of his court, a small female member of the chorus/ who seemed to be indulging in a provoking grin at a very tall lady etapding opposite, created quite a sensation. The lady,who felt.herself aggrieved, unable, to control her feelings, suddenly rushed across the etage for the purpose of punishing the juvenile, but the object of the attack, taking the alarm,, dashed off behind the scenes, shrieking for help. Several ladies followed, and a variety of discordant sounds from the back of the stage, for -some minutes rather interfered with the progress of affairs on the stage; in a sh«rt time, however, order was restored. '

Ak Irishman died lately in London whoso career and attainments entitle him to a niche in the- annals of'literature. The deceased was about fifty years of age, and was as odd a figure as one could meet in a day's ride. He was small but firmly knit, generally wore a white hat and dress coat, and always had an old volume under his arm. He was a confirmed book-worm. Mezzofaati was hardly a more accomplished linguist. He was a graduate of the University of Dublin, and deeply versed in classic lore. He spoke French, German, Russian, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Modern Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Irish and Danish with fluency. His name was Mortimer, and in his youth he had been cabin-boy in an American barque, and subsequently became a medical student in Paris, but had to leave it on account of his connection with the June insurrection of '43. Ho was a very strong man, and utilised his strength by taking an engagement as a Hercules in a circus in Australia. By turns he gave lectures on Shakespere in Germany, was a Griek Professor of Hamburg, had a troupe of ballet dancers in Holland, and was companion of Sir William Don, the baronet aotor, in his wildest continental frolics... In hii time he had been tutor to Charles Lever's children at Florence. Ho cane to the surface one day in the employment of Tom Thumb; another, in the company "of Murphy,} the Irish G-iant, of whom he was a distant relation. He had been in London since the FrancoPrussian war, which had ruined him in fortune. His learning was of very little profit to him, for he died very poor, in the ward of a hospital, and is buried in a nameless giare.—N.Z. Tablet. .