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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2045, 24 July 1875, Page 2

We regret *to have to record the death, of Mr W. Stone, son of Mr C. J. Stone, of Auckland, and nephew of Mr E. Stone, the well-known shipbuilder at the Thames. Deceased was distinguished while here as" an active member of the Thames-Naval Brigade, and was second representative shot sent by the Thames to Kelson in.. 1873, the year Hoskiris was champion. We believe the cause of his death was typhoid fever.

The committee appointed at the public meeting.on Monday night last to draw up a memorial to the House of Representatives on the land question, have not yet drawn up their memoraJ, a difference of opinion existing as to its terms. They meet again on Monday at three o'clock to prepare the draft for the public meeting which, takes place in the evening.

The Eev. P. H. Cornford is expected from Auckland to preach to-morrow in the Baptist Chapel, Willoughby street.

The subject on which the Rev. John Cartwright will preach to-morrow is "Scripture Doctrine, 'and Fables of men."

We und era t and that there .is every prospect that a match at football will be played between the boys of St. George's School and the boys of the Kauaeranga School at no distant date. We should suggest, however, that some fixed rules be agreed on before the match, commences, so as to avoid any danger of disputes which, may arise.

There is quite a building mania on just new, which at least bespeaks confidence in the future. Messrs Mennie and Dey are building extensive. premises in Queen street for a biscuit factory and general bakery ; another building of some pretensions is going up in Davy, street, and many others in different parts of the Borough, the owners of which, or the purposes for which they are intended, being unknown to us. To-day anew shop was opened by Mr Foss in Owen street, with a supply of meat that was creditable to him. This new place of business has been well designed and fitted in good style, and does credit to the architect, Mr James Slator, and the contractors, Messrs Farrell Bros.

A meeting of the Borough Councillors and members of the various Highway Boards was convened by circular yesterday evening at the Council Chambers. As we did not receive any notice of the proposed meeting no representative of ours was present. We understand, however, that there were present —His Worship the Mayor, Messrs Macnab, Butt, Hill, Brown, Nikorima Poutatara, Brodie and Coutts. The Mayor said that owing to the absence of Mr Dean through illness they had not the minutes of the last meeting, but that they related to three subjects, two of which — "land- for settlement at the Thames," and " increased representation for the Thames" had been dealt with by other meetings. That the third subject was a petition to the General Assembly for new roads, &c. In reference to this it was agreed that a memorial be drawn up and presented to the General Assembly, and that the Mayor and Messrs Butt, Macnab, Hill, Nikorima Poutatara, and Brodie bo a committee .to draw up the memorial.

Messes Sinel and Son, who a few weeks ago so successfully introduced Messrs Collins .and Sons' Family Bibles on the Thames/are still continuing the campaign, and hi addition to "The Book "have now a varied assortment of high class standard work 3, such as Shake-' speare, Burns and Scott, All Round the World, &c, &c. All these works abound with illustrations, and the (get up of them being in accordance with all the other productions of such a well known firm, they will doubtless find a ready sale.

In the Resident Magistrate's Court yes-, terday His Worship spoke a word of warning to those who are penny wise and pound foolish, in the matter of having, what he termed " cheap law," and heap up trouble for themselves and the Court, by either attempting t« act as " every man his own lawyer," or else have recourse to free advice from others, instead of consulting a duly qualified solicitor.

A contempoeaby says:—A full-grown man carries a pound and three fourths of phosphorus about in his body, enough to, make four thousand, ordinary boxes of friction matches, provided he was supplied with sulphur to match, but he' has not enough of this to strike fire, though most men have magnesium enough to make a light which would be seen twenty miles.

Thb police of Otago are no longer to enjoy the privilege for years accorded to them, and to none other of her Majesty's subjects, of wearing their hats in Court. Judge Johnson on taking his seat on the Bench lately, was horrified to find the men in blue with iheir heads covered. " Policeman, hats off', 1' was the judical

dictum, which was accompanied by the information that the Court of Appeal had settled the matter. Strange, says the Star, that the Chief Justice did not recollect the circumstance.

We are informed that a company is being formed under the Joint Stock Act 0f ; .1860,...t0 b,e called The Hercules .Goldmining Company Limitedj for the working of tho claim known as the Buona Ventura situated at Pakirarabi, Tairua. The following gentlemen have been named as the first directors—viz, Messrs W. B. Jackson, L. Ehrenfried, G. S. Graham, Thomas Grieve, and James Say. The office of the Company will be at the office of Mr E. T. Wildman, who is to be the secretary to the Company.

A PBOVINCrAL GoVEBNMENr GAZETTE published yesterday contains a notification that the lessor has re-entered upon six mining leases at Coromandel; the Waitoa Highway District is constituted, and the first meeting of ratepayers appointed to be held on the 7th August..J: Statements affairs of Goldraining companies are published, and several notices under the Native Lands Act, 1873. '-'■■ I

These wa3 no business at the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day.

A telegeam forwcirded to a Southern papers says:—"A suggestion of the Thames Advertiser that Mr Stafford be' asked to stand for the Thames is being cordially received on all. sides." It is scarcely necessary to say that there is not a bit of truth in .this. Outside a select circle of local politicians the "suggestion" did not receive a second thought after its appearance in the columns of our contemporary.

Sir Donald McLean has accepted the office of District Grand Master of English Freemasons for the North Island. . It is likely (says the Otago Daily limes) that the installation will take place at Wellington in October next, and that it will be conducted by the District Grand Master of Otago (Mr J. H. Harris), assisted by the various officers from, the other Lodges of the Middle and North Islands. 'Ihe event will be a most important one in many respects, and it is expected that the installation will be conducted with unusual ceremony.

A Maoei newspaper has recently been started in Ha wire's Bay, brought out we believe, by Maories in every department. It is printed in Maori and English in parallel columns. The Hawke's Bay Herald gives the following extract as a specimen of :the contents of the new paper, the slipshod English, bad spelling and other imperfections of which would seem to favor the opinion that editor, compositors, reader and - devils are all Maories:-—" Here is a talk of a malcony death _of a Native Samuel Riwai of Tikokino, who got intoxicated about te beginning of April, and went to amechine that was thrashing wheat and shoved his arm into the drum, which the drum drawed in and smashed his arm into atoms, and died the next morning. These are the bad evils that are caused by this evil thing, call spirits, and deprives a person of his thoughts, and does' not see that death is before him, and stop, no, still goes on to death, and leaves his wife, children, parents, and tribe in this world to lament his death. So I thought to state to my Maori friends for them to cease drinking this evil water, and join the Good Templars, so that these sort of wrong death will not affect any person, so that a person may stay long to a good purpose in this world, and let it be God alone to inflict deceases on persons to die with, so that the word of the Scriptures will be correct, God' gave, and God taketh, blessed be the name of God. Then different ■tribes may be sorrow, but taken by intoxicated liquor, it will not be lamented. /Likewise my friends think of a system that will save your bodys, and souls, and join the Good Templars, while the sun is shinning." The Herald gives other extracts, j)rincipally from Maori writings, but says that " there is one mischievously-disposed European residing at Hauraki who signs himself ' W.H.K.' and who writes to them declaiming against the injustice x of the Government, and the restrictions placed on the sale of land." Why doesn't, we might ask, • W.H.K.' ventilate his grievances locally. He would certainly gain more publicity than he will in the columns of this MaoriEnglish newspaper. \

Two boys offered some German gold pieces for change in a Paris shop. When required to give a satisfactory account of how they had come by them, they said they had found the corpses of two Prussian soldiers in the old quarries of Montrougo, and on searching the pockets got the pieces of gold. An officer of police went to the spot indicated, and in an abandoned gallery found the two bodies in an advanced stage of decomposition. One of them had been killed by a bullet, and the other by a bayonet thrust.

In a letter to the Cromwell Argus on the Otago University, by the notorious James Gordon Stuart Grant, the following passage occurs :— Dunedin is swarming with political polecats and mushroom lawyers. They multiply like herrings and rabbits. Education is not wanted. Impudence, vulgarity, and pugilism go a great, length in this' paradise of shams and charlatans. The fifth Hector of the High School was honored with a ragtag-and-bobtail funeral. However incompetent he. was, his successor—the sixth Rector—is immeasurably behind him in every .quality, physical and mental. But colonists do not care for classical education. All they want is " a round commercial hand of write." Whatsoever does not minister to the belly is not valued. Hawthorne got his appointment because he did not believe in classics. His successor is of the same stamp. The fact is, the High School is even below many of the District Schools.

Da Cake, the phrenologist and mesmerist recently delivered a lecture in Napier on." The Public Men of Napier," and the following is what he had to say of Mr J. Sheehan:—Sheehan has the :head of a gentleman; if not by birth, he has nature's nobility ; amiable of disposition, amorous, humane, regardful of the feelings of others, but inexorable in his inquisitiveness, patient and persevering in discovering the why and wherefore. No genius, but splendid talent, language, benevolence, wonder and veneration large; painstaking, deliberative, ambitious ; wants enthusiasm, a man of fine feelings ; of intellectual capacity and great promise ; wants dignity; over sensitive to flattery ; full of the generous instincts of jiis countrymen; an ardent temperament, and. the gift of language, who, if he would study his distinguished predecessors, Curran, Burke, G-rattan, and Sheridan, in a way worthy of his talents, will, in the end, make himself heard, not only in the Senate, but the

world. Imaginative, with felicity of utterance, approaching to elegance. Here lies the basis of his success ; unlike the mass of colonial politicians, he is a worker. He will read, think, and be pro-, gressivei" -.