The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1874.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1856, 14 December 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1874.

At the Eeeident Magistrate's Court, this morning, the case of James Hicks, who was brought before the Court the other day on suspicion of being of unsound mind, was remanded again, Hicks baring been taken to the Hospital yesterday. Hicks is one of the "Volunteer ■hootists, and, it » said, sadly wanted to adjourn himself yesterday, to the •hooting ground, for a little rifle relaxation. He is reported to be better this morning.

Mr E. W. Pttcket wishes us to state that the letter to Sir Donald McLean from Te Moananui, in which Mr James Mackay was spoken of as a " snake wriggling in the grass " was not written in bis office and with his knowledge, but that it was concocted in " the outer office." It would appear that Te Moananui had little to do with the latter further than to put his name to it. The Bible was ransacked for a figure of speech to adequately represent the wickedness of the pakeha Mackay. He was even put down as " the roaring lion going about seeking whom he might devour, when Mr E. V. Dixon came upon the scene and suggested the snake business as being more appropriate.

A Taubang-a auctioneer and commission, agent, in a report furnished to the Bay of Plenty Times, says:—As regards country lands particularly, the farm sections awarded to military settlers —it is no use disguising the fact—ia a miserable failure; there are not ten men, officers included, of the right wing of the old First Waikato Regiment (some 600 strong) that are occupying the farm sections awarded to them. Thousands of acres are lying waste, and in many instances owners cannot he found. If I hare 50 or 100 acres for sale, and an inquirer requires 300 acres, I am completely nonplussed, as I nvty have a thousand acres in the same block for sale, but absentees are owners of the intermediate sections; no Bale is consequently effected, and a good settler lost to the district. I certainly can testify that during the last 12 months Tauranga has . lost settlers representing £40,000 sterling, . because they could not get blocks of land as they required—Tiz, 400 to 1500 acres, although 60,000 acres, of good land are lying waste in this district. I hope a change may come over the spirit of the dream for the better before long.

The following Personal Paragraph is from an American Newspaper:—Miss Grant, daughter of President Grant, who married 1 Mr Sartoris, an English gentleman, is thus spoken of in an American paper:—"Nellie . Grant bad only twenty five trunks full of clothes *hen she staited across the ocean. [Fourteen years ago, when she drove the old blind horce in a bark-mill, she kept her duds in a soap-box. The whirligig of time, along with a few raids through the South and some contracts, work wonders." Commenting on the above, the Louisville Courier Journal says:—"The full grown white man who would write thus about an unoffending little .female woman, merely because her father happens to be a political fraud, deserves to have the grave of his mother-iu-law run over by a drove ef wild jackasses."

Gents' clothes cleaned, dyed and pressed. Gents' light* suits cleaned, ss. N.B.—ln future all, goods and orders will only be received at the Thames Dyeing Establishment, Kolleaton street, Shortland.

We understand that at a meeting of the Parawai School Committee held early this morning it was resolved that the Beard of Education be requested to cancil the Q-azotte amalgamating the four districts of Tararu, Ktuaeranga, Waiotahi and Parawai.

The Otago Guardian has the following facetious paragraph on the late case at the Thames for breach of the Licensing Act by the employment of a barmaid after the hour prescribed by the Act: —The Thames barmaids hare had the law in favour of th«ir retiring ip bed nt 10 brought in force. Since the passing of this clause in the Act, tho morals of barmaids in general, and of spoony young men in particular, have considerably improved in the»e par's. We are informed that it is contemplated by the Auckland and Thames barrr aids to follow the example of the sempstresses towards Mr Bradshaw, and present Mr Fox, in token of the appreciation of his endeavours in the cause of their morality, and his solicitation for their early retirement, with a cold-water bath and a clock, especially constructed by a local watchmaker, which will strike 10 at every hour, as a constant reminder to him of the time when, footsore and weary of " killing," they may retire from the bar to their virtuous couches. The ex-Premier's lady is to share in his good fortune, and will receive as a present at the hand of these Hebes a watered-silk dress, this being considered th« most suitable selection which could be made.

At a Good Templar fete at Oawestry, Shropshire, two of the " brethren," who were playing at kiss-in-the-ring, came into collision with such violence, that one of them died in a few minutes.