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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2777, 8 January 1878, Page 2

It would appear that this season the rarious fruits in our orchards are ripening very early. A day or two ago we were shown by Mr Jonathan Hoiles of the Parawai Gardens, two fine purple-cheeked garden peaches perfectly ripe. We hare alio recently seen some fine ripe specimens of apples and apricots of local growth.

Theibe was a narrow escape from fire in Queen street to-day. A lot of shavings at the rear of the Queen's Hotel got on fire, but prainpt aud energetic measures were adopted, and the fire was extinguished before it had time to communicate with the adjacent buildings.

The Marquis La Marmora, whose demise is announced in this day's calograms, was a general in Victor Kuianuel's army nnd a prominent Italian statesman, having been a member of Count Cavour's Ministry. He was in command of the division sent to co-operate with England and France in the Crimea, and at the close of the war he received the Order of the Bath and Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. He was born in 1804.

The United States Minstrels will open at the Academy of Music on Thursday night ia one of their recherche performances of rocnl and instrumental music and accompanying features of a minstrel performance. This company numbers thirteen star artists, whose reputation is world wide. Wherever they have appeared they have received the unqualified approbation of the Press and public, and we hare no doubt that the verdict of the Thames people will be equally favorable.

Somebody writing from Hill street, Block 27, wants to know "if we or any of our readers can say if there is any law to punish publicans for supplying persons who are already drunk with liquor." We believe that there is such a jaw— that it is embodied in the Licensing Act, and if our corretpondent feels aggrieved he or she had better apply to the Inspector of Police.

At the K.M. Court this morning there was one case of assault on the charge list, butaß neither party appeared the case was struck out. Messrs Puckey and Goldsmith, J's.P., were on the Bench.

The father of a family has represented to us that theie is, on n vacant allotment in Davy itreer, a large boiler perched up on blocks in what appears to be a very unsafo position, and that there is a possibility of the said boiler toppling over one

of these flays and pounding up a few children into mince meat. Now, a few children are not of much account in some people's eyes, especially in such a prolific district as the Thames ; but that boiler is no doubt an eyesore. It looks as if it bad balanced itself on a forme, or pot on its back like a fat sheep and co:ildn't right itself, but was waiting for a puff of wind or a friendly push to get back to the ground. Either of these may happen when little ones are playing about. It such should be the ease there will be an nwfnl mess, weeping and lamentation, n " Crowner's 'quest," and people saying to each other 11 Who'd hare thought it?"

With The Australasian of December 29 was published as a supplement an Almanac containing besides the usual calendar some useful information, and printed on One thick paper.

The districts of Hamilton East and Hamilton West hare been constituted a Borough under " The Municipal Corporations Act, 1876."

The Herald furnishes the following regarding Osman Pasha : On the 31st of last month the following appeared amongst our cablegram! :• —" The body of Osman Pasha has arrived at Bucharest en route to Moscow, where it is to be interred." A curious transformation must have been effected in the transmissidn from Australia, as the telegram appears in the Sydney papers in the following shape : -r" Osiuan Pasha, whose death was reported, has arrived at-Bucharest, and will be interned at Moscow." So that the hero of Plevna, instead of having committed suicide, is still alive, and in ploce of being taken to Moscow to be interred, is only to be " interned" (or kept a prisoner of war) at the ancient Eussian capital.

Thk Brisbane Government has (says the Herald) received a telegram from Mr Beddome. Police Magistrate at Somerset, stating that Mr Goldie, botanist, has discovered gold inland from Fort Moresby, New Guinea. The master of the Mission schooner reports that he saw fine gold in Mr Goldie'i possession ; and a later telojjram from Mr Beddome says a lot of specimens have been seen in the possession of the Eev. G. Lawes, of likely looking stone, but there is no gold visible. A bottle of black sand from the same place shows one speck that may prove to be gold.

The Melbourne Herald has the following : —A proprietor of one of the large landed estates not very far from Golac has been the subject of a very good story which has been going the rounds for the last day or two. He is somewhat noted for the hauleur of his demeanour, and for his noli me tangere air. A short tim« ago he sold several casks of tallow to a local tradesman, who in turn sold them through one of the woolbrokers of Geelong. When the tradesman received the account Bales, he found that the tallow had brought him a profit, and he at once sent a cheque to the squatter for the amount of his purchase. It was with no little surprise that he re« ceived a letter a day or two subsequently, enclosing his cheque. The letter directed his attention to the fact that the body of the cheque was filled in, " Pay Mr-^—y' and requested him to send another filled up, M Pay , Esquire." During the interval wbidfrhad elapsed between sending the cheque and receiving it back again, business had not gone well with the tradesman, and he found that he would not be able to carry on without calling a meeting of his creditors. Instead, therefore, of the squatter receiving a cheque with esquire appended to his name, he received a circular calling a meeting of the tradesman V creditors. The estate is expected to realise 2s 6d in. the pound. And now the friends of that squatter chaff him aud *ay it serves him right.

The following extracts from the " Table Talk of Napoleon the First" are extreoifcly interesting at the present moment. One day. Napoleon said : " I could hare shared the Turk! h Empire with Uussia; we haro disnussed the question more than once. Constantinople nlways saved it. This capital was the great embarrassment, the truo stumbling block. Rus-iia wnnted it, and I could not granl it. It is too precious a key; it alone is worth an Empire ; whoever possesses it can govern the world." "All the Kmperer Alexander's thoughts," said Napoleon at St. Helena, " are directed to the conquest of Turkey. We have had many discussions about it. At first his proposals plensed me, and I thought it would enlighten the world to drive tuose brutes the Turks out of Europe. But when 1 reflected upon its consequences, and saw what a tremendous weight of power it would give to Uussia, on account of the number of Greeks in the Turkish, dominion who would naturally join the Bussians, I refused to consent to it, especially as Alexander wanted Contantinopie, which I could not consent to, as it would destroy the equilibrium of power in Europe."