The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1874.

Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1705, 20 June 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1874.

. - Wa h»TO to Acknowledge receipt from the ■ ■ Government Printer of IS ew Zealand Gazettes Hob. 31 and 32—the latter containing Beport and Beturas showing the result of the Prize ' Firing for 1874.

Ax Exchange says:—The New York Catholic Foundling Asylum has rescued 5000 infants from an unnatural death, and has •nabied 6000 women to rise from misery and degradation worse than death; and although all this has been done in a very few years, the State of Hew York, to its shame, refuses to aid in the meritorious work, for no other reason than that the. conductors of the aeylum are Catholics.

Then are one or two dangerous spot* on the Pollen street footpath which require looking to. One is the wooden bridge at Sealejstreet, which contains a rotton plank. If not replaced somebody will get a sprained ankle or a broken leg one of these nights. The other is more apparent. One of ihe ■mall box drains running under the footpath has lost a pioce of its covering, and, offers as nice a trap for the unwary as can well be conceived. A nominal outlay would remedy these drngers, and Bare the Council from a possible action for damages.

' Obeit preparations were made on the 30th nit., says the Ballarat Star, for the swearing of Chinese witnesses in a case that was to hare been heard in the Court of Mines. Two large cases, containing a score of full-feathered cocks were deposited at the rear of the. Court boase, ready to have their heads cut off in the orthodox way. The slaughtering block and ha'chet were also handy, but owing to the postponement of the case the fowls were spared, for a time at least, an ignominious death on the block. It is questionable, how eTtr, whether the slaughter of the " innocent chickens " will be permitted by the judge. .

, , Smokebs of tobacco do not appear to be " liked by Judge Rogers, for they appeared to give great annoyance to his Honor at the County Court last week.* Several times the .judge complained of persons, smoking somewhere about the precincts of the court-house, "and on one occasion he threatened to adjourn the court if the nuisance was not abated, as he said that he did not want to be made sick " by person • enjoying the fragrant weed. The ' climax came at last, and His Honor affirmed that* he could tell it was Chinamen who were smoking. Immediately afterwards the court- , crier, with a constable, charged a gang of Celestials who were outside enjoying a whiff or; two,: and tho Cbiaamon were of course "scattered in all directions, and the main entrance to the couit-house was looked to proTent persons standing about on the steps.— Ballarat Miner. Ukdkb the arresting heading of " Telegraph Monsters," we have en interesting correspondence oa the legitimate and illegitimate v.se of compound words in foreign telegraphic messages. , Some foolish people, it appears, with a to economy of expense, h-ive been attempting to" pass as one word such extraordinary compounds as " fireinsuraiio*poMcy," "pigirqntonp," " wimmawer," "lanternjawed," &o. The eastern companies ..won't tLiul it any longer, and instigated by the Indian Telegraph department, have published a list of combinations which they re- - fusa to forward as single words, among which appear such words aa "anyone," "anything," Ac. Such revenge as this has elicited loud remon»tr»noe.

A correspondent of (ho Maryborough Standard gives the following derivation of the word larrikin:—"The term larrikin is from two Cockney (tray words lacry:, or lanrey and kick - Leer, to look sidewayß,: but the olher expresses that wild vacant wandering' meaningless look peculiar to idiocy. The original Billy Bnrlqw, native of Whitecrpss street, St. Luke's was a laery kid, so that the worjlii partially a misnomer for the shamefully neglected lads of our day."

One of the members for Eaßt Melbourne, Mr. George Coppin, is a strong advocate for public bouses being opened on Sunday. He holds that the correct restorative after a tltf discourse is beer, ffeeh drawn, foaming and frothy ; and he snya the man should not obtain this by sneaking through the backward* as is the euetom now, but "walkthrough the Bide door, jug in hand, and return with tho vessel frothing over, and looking attractive enough to make a policeman's mouth water." The Argus corroborates this .view, and says : " The public-house is the I poor man's cellar, and he ought to have access to it at all times."

Two curious occurrences are reported as having happened in church recently. The Murray and Hume Times states thafcnot a hundred milesTrom the Border, as a w rthy clergyman was preaching from the text, " And there shall bo light at eventide," one by one the lamps—which,.liko those of the foolish virgins, had not been supplied with their modicum of oil—went out, leaving clergyman and congregation in all but total darkness, nnd causing them to wish for a practical realisation of the text. '""No l'fiht, however, came, and.the. congregation had to disperse to jtheir several homes. The following apocryphal story is also told by nn exchange :-r-" A young mail, who belongs to a 'set' among whom euchre is the principal intellectual study, took a young lady to 'church the other Sunday evening, and fell into a gentle doze before the minister had reached bis'thirdly.*' He cannot explain how it happened, but just aa the reverend gentleman said something about the '.last trump,' the young man earnestly ejaculated,, 'I'll go alone!' The young lady says the nexttime.be can ' go alone,' for she won't go with him. And she left him to go home alone, too." .

The Academy of Music last night' was literally packed; the pit, stalls aud gallery were alike inconvoniently crammed ; and it would be safe to hazard ths opinion that never before hare there been such attendances at this theatre for six consecutive nights. The programme was in most respects the same as that of the preceding evening; and each performance gone through by the several members of the /company was applauded to the echo. A song entitled V Familiar Faceb," formed a new feature itv the programme. In this song references were made to Thames notables (no names being mentioned) ; the hits were good, and the audience testified their appreciation in a manner unmißtakeable; •indeid, one allusian to a well-known gentleman fai ly brought down the house. To-day the troupe gave an afternoon performance in order to afford families and children an opportunity of witnessing the exhibition, and the advantage thus offered was fully appreciated. At an early hour the Academy was thronged ;with little ones. Through, the kindness of Messrs Wm. Rowe and A. J. A loin the whole of the children in Waio'ahi and Parawai School districts were invited. We never saw such a crowd of children at any placo of amusement on the Thames except once before, when Madame Cora promised and gave a present to every child in attendance.