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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2127, 28 October 1875, Page 2

At, the Resident Magistrate's Court! this morning there was a clean sheet. ! We learn that a banquet will be given to Mr William> Berry on his leaving the Thames to assume the editorship of The New Zealand Herald. ntr ,Wj3 are informed tliat the horse track to' Tairua by way of the Kauaerariga Valley has been finished by Messrs McMaster and Tetley. Already between one and two dozen paekhorses have been taken along the route thus formed, which is large enough for two to go abreast. We understand that there is every probability or a boat race taking place about Saturday three weeks between a four oared crew composed of members of the bank of New Zealand and a crew got together by Captain Brassey of the Naval Brigade. Both crews have commenced practice and, we believe, training. The analogy between mice and men extends further than the proverb, which informs us that, " the best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft sgee," and cannibalism is a fault common to both kinds of animals. Being troubled wif-i mice in our office, we adopted the best j course open to us, and that was a visit to |Mr Benshaw's store. Armed with what his wisdom advised as the most effectual i cure, we journeyed home, and duly set the trap, according to information received as to the authentic way. Our venture met with success. Two mice as victims, testified to our skill as trap-setters, but alas for the nature of mice, one, which, from its size, might be the Queen Mother of the gang which infest us, had been half-eaten by its fellows, who had taken away her chief source of enjoyment, probably, by devouring her inside, which had been scooped clean out to the bones. The Auckland Star gives the following particulars regarding an incident which might have had a serious termination but for the prompt interference of persons present: On the arrival of the boat from the 'I hames yesterday evening, there was a large number of persons present, and several cabs. One of these latter had been sent down, specially to convey Mr AHom, J.P., of the Thames, and his daughter to a friend's house. They took their seats in the cab, and, as soon as they did so, the dftver showed such indications of intoxication as to be utterly incapable of controlling his horses. The consequence was, that he allowed them to approach to a dangerous proximity to the corner of the T and the main wharf; and, had it not been that some bye-standers checked the animals, the cab with its inmates must have been dragged over the end of the projecting T, and engulphed in the tide, with little, if any, chance of being saved. As soon as the horses were brought into obedience, Mr AHom called upon the police to take the driver, Thomas Walters, m charge, which was accordingly done. The man was taken to the lockup, and will be brought before the Bench this morning. Mr and Miss Allom were in great jeopardy at one time, and, no doubt, full justice will be meted out in this case, as a warning to persons who have the lives of citizens entrusted to them not to misbehave in their calling. (The driver was fined for his offence next day).

A fatal accident occurred last evening on the works now proceeding beyond Mercer for the extension of the Wailcalo railway. A young man named "Fdward O'Neill, aged 2-1 years, was working for Mr Gcraghty, sub-contractor on Messrs Martin & Brittain's section of the line. V esterday afternoon, in company with another man, he had been employed excavating. Shortly before five o'clock a lai'ge mass of earth, which had been undermined, showed signs of falling, and O'Neill endeavoured to step quickly backwards, when he fell, and the earth came on top of him. No time was lost by Mr Geraghty in gettine the unfortunate man out, and the earth was soon cleared away. The sufferer was th^n alive, but notwithstanding the attention paid him, he expired about an hour after the accident, no doubt from internal injuries. An inquest is to be held at Mercer to-day. The decease^ was a single man, and has a brother working on the line; his mother resides at Onehunga, and his brother-in-law, Mr Swartze, watchmaker, in this city.—Auckland Btar.

The Otago Daily Times is almost alone in its peculiar views regarding the shooting or Cyrus Haley- Writing of that event the Punedin Thunderer says :— The catalogue of the dead man's crimes was so astounding that the common instinct of self-preservation warns us that even one night of freedom, one opportunity of acquiring arms or doing mischief, would have resulted in more deaths than one. G'yrus^ Haley had arrived at that last state of degradation when it would be improper to liken him* to a wild beast, since he had sunk much lower. His hand was against every man's hand, and Warder Miller's act is no less deserving of commendation than if he had struck down a tiger or a mad dog.

The Auckland. Echo say 3:—The church-going public, non-renters of seats, wjll be indebted to Mr G. P. Pierce for his action taken in the Synod yesterday in proposing a resolution, which was ultimately carried, that the seats in the Church of England places of worship should not be retained for the renter after the bell ceases. In many cases they have been retained until after the Absolution, and even later. The consequence of this has been that many strangers go purposely late to church, so as not by any possibility to place themselves in the awkward position of taking other people's seats. (We should have thought that this was a matter for the decision of the various vestries, rather than the Synod.—Ed. E. S.)

The following letter of thanks has been forwarded by Mrs Goodenough to the No. 1 Melbourne Lodge of Good Templars, in reply to the letter of condolence forwarded to her by that society :—" 169, Macquarie street, Sydney, September 22, 1875. Gentlemen. I beg to thank you sincerely for the kind expression of the sympathy of the Melbourne Lodge of Good Templars in my very great sorrow, as conveyed to me in your letter of the 10th instant. It cannot be otherwise than soothing to me to see how my dear husband was appreciated in these colonies, and to receive such sincere sympathy as.

is expressed in your letter. His noble life was, indeed, a fit prelude to his happy death, which again was but the entrance to a still happier life. I beg to thank jou again for your kind letter, and remain, gentlemen, yours faithfully, Victoiua H. Goom> tough. D, Bobertson, W. W. Ferguson, K.sq'a."