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Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2832, 13 March 1878, Page 2

Yestebday afternoon armed by the Tongariro, Mr Sherman, Inspecting Superintendent of Police for the North Island, accompanied by Mr Inspector' Thompson, in charge of the Auckland District.

We have heard that a petition is being got up in Shortland praying the authorities to take a favorable view of the case of Constable Nixon Scott, recently convicted of assault, on tho assumption that he is the victim of a conspiracy.

We understand that a project will soon bo put on foot for the amalgamation of the Xoung New Zealand, Welcome, and Homeward Bound mines in the Wattekauri district, for the purpose of putting in a low level tunnel to prospect the g.-eater depths of these mines. Many of the shareholders are in favor of such a plan being adopted.

We are informed that a running match between Mr W. Curtis, of this place, and Mr Lovelace) of Coromaudel, comes off on Monday next. The event will be run in three heats, viz., 100, 150, and 200 yards.

It is not, perhaps, generally known that the Thames district contains two of the oldest inhabitants on record in any country. One gentleman returns himself in the Census papers now collecting as 402 years of age, and his wife as 305. They must have married, however, in very modern times, for their eldest child had not yet reached 13 years, and their youngest not as many months.

A Philadelphia paper aays that there is a merchant in that city of forty^-seven years' standing. That merchant is certainly entitled to a seat.

Mb William Cabpenteu sold by auction yesterday the freehold property in Pollen street in the occupation of Mr Fagg> which, after an animated competition, was knocked down for £57.

Db Somebyille has been preaching to the Natives at the Hutt, Wellington. Hia address is said to have interested them very much, and at its conclusion they were entertained at lunch.

The new steamer Tongariro took rather a long time on the trip down yesterday, but it is stated that when some trifling alterations have been made to the machinery she will attain a good rate of speed.

The Borough asphalters are now at work asphalting the footpath in front of the Pacific Hotel and Academy of Music. This work was very much needed, as the recent high tides had displaced the timber of the unsightly wooden footpath, which was altogether out of keeping with the well kept appearance of the buildings in front of which it runs.

The new editor of the London Times is Mr Chenery, who has been for years one of the leader-writers. He is a man of fifty or so, nn M.A. of Oxford, and a profound Oriental scholar, in which capacity he received from the Sultan in 1869 the honor of the membership of the second class of the Imperial order of the Medjidie. For some time he was Almoner's Professor of Arabic at Oxford, and in 1870 he was appointed by the Committee of the Convocation of Canterbury, one of the revisers of the authorised translation of the Old Testament.

The Hon. Mr Stafford's parting address to his Tinaaru constituents is very brief, and contains no reference whatever to cur ent political questions. After stating that for family reasons he is about to go to England, and that it is thereforenecessary for him to resign his seat in the House of Bepresentatires, the address goes on to say :—" At the termination of a somewhat extended public career— during which an amount of generous confidence and support has been given to me. for which I shall ever be grateful—-I can, though conscious of many mistakes, honestly claim that whatever may have seemed amiss in my political action, should be deemed an error of judgment, and that, as an old settler, warmly attached to New Zealand, I have throughout been influenced but by a singleminded consideration for what I belie Ted at the time to be for the public advantage."

We (Herald) learn that the Neir Zealand Land and Mortgage Company, which was announced some time ago in connection with the BroomhalL settlement scheme, has, in popular parlance, "burst up." Perhaps it would be more correct to say that the company would not float in the London money market, and that the prospectus has been withdrawn. Various causes are assigned as the reason, the chief of which appears to bo that of business jealousy on the part of certain leading commercial houses in London, who trade with New Zealand. They looked upon the proposed company as one which would be likely to take some of their- trade away by making advances upon wool and produce, and therefore could not be persuaded to lend a helping hand. The London Times also gave the proposal a very unfavorable notice, and it even said that somo of those who sent Mr Bloomhall to New Zealand were opposed to his ambitious loan company. Private letters were received recently from Mr Bloomhall explaining the reasons for the collapse of his scheme, but it does not seem clear whether he will now abandon his proposed Temperance Settlement at the Upper Thames.

The Spectator, writing in the Morning Herald (Dunedin) pays Mr and Mrs J. L. Hall a compliment in the, following :-y Mr J. L. Hall has made an appenl on behalf of tho legitimate drama which deserves to meet with a generous response on the part of the play-going and'theatreloving portion of the Dunedin community. Some of the cynics may say that Mr Hall puts in a word for the drama and two or three words for himself, but in such an opinion not many will concur. During a long residence in the Colonies, I can j safely venture to affirm that no two i persons hare more steadily aimed at | maintaining a high moral tone on the j stage and its surroundings than Mr Hall j and his charming little wife. Few mem-; bers of the corps dramatique take a keener interest than they do in the success and \ welfare of the stage as a legitimate means of instruction and amusement. No one can ever hear from their lips any of those objectionable " asides " partaking of the character of the double entendre. Not many display their unwearied courage in catering for the public taste, in the belief (just and reasonable, I admit) that, i 1 the long run, merit will be crowned with success. Mr Hall's protest ought to remind us that if meritorious elFort deserves encouragement it is our especial province to afford it. It is not to the credit of the place that every charlatan who " honors " us with a flying visit should reap the fruits of the harvest without laboring for it. The indirect, or rather, I should »ay, the material and direct support given to these out-of-the-way entertainers of ours, furnishes a strong hint to theatrical managers that we don't need them, and that they had better seek " some fresh woods and pastures new." lam quite sure we have not come to that state of things yet.

Thb Ashburton Mail says:—" Whilst walking on the beach near the mouth of the Bakaia some few days ago, a farmer of the neighborhood, Mr Sutton, found a bottle that had been washed ashore, and its being all covered with barnacles indicated that it had had a lengthened voyage. Upon the outside being cleansed, it was found to contain a carious woodwork miniature imitation of the crucitixion, there being a cross the whole length of the bottle, the cross piece being the whole width; the upright part standing on the transverse pieces of wood, also the width of the bottle. A ladder leads, up to the cross, whilst there are at either sidesmaller crosses. There is also a representation of a spear, and of another with what is meant to represent a sponge on the end of it, whilst at the foot of the cross is a rerj good imitation of an old-fashioned Bible, all carved in wood, a hammer and another instrument, but what the last is intended to represent cannot be made out. The whole is v«ry neatly carved in common wood, and fixed together without a flaw. The wonder is not so much at such a thing being washed up by the sea, but how the wooden structure got into the bottle, as the bottle is a common brandy one, with the usual narrow neck, and quite free from any scratch or defect. It is surmised to be the work of some pious Bailor, and must either have accidentally got overboard or be a waif from some ilifated wreck.

Mr Reeb, says the Herald, has set up in the prophet line of business. In speaking recently at a meeting of the Wesleyan body at Napier he stated that the world was on the eve of the greatest war which had ever taken place, but that it would be the last, and henceforth universal peace would prevail.

The London correspondent of the Western Morning News writes:—"One of the most interesting autographs I have ever heard of—one that would be worth its weight in bank-notes—belonged to the late Emperor .Napoleon, and most deeply concerned this country. It was a letter from Nana Sahib to the Emperor, offering to make him master of India if he would declare war against England. This letter Napoleon kept as a curiosity amongst his papers at the Tuilleries, and I presume it was destroyed by the Communists. But what a lesson it should be for the panicmongers. At that date Napoleon was the bite noir of fhe alanr.i <>i9 > just.as Alerrander is now. Tempted to make war upon us at a time of our sore distress, he answered the tempter by allowing our troops a free passage thrcjgh France on their way to India.

Some happy stage-hits have resulted from or originated in accidents, and the odd hop skip and jump so effective in the delineation of •' Dundreary," was brought about in this way- In the words of the elder Sothern—" It was a mere accident; I have naturally an elastic disposition, and during a rehearsal one cold morning I was hopping at the back of the stage, when Miss Keene sarcastically inquired if I was going to introduce that into Dundreary. The actors and actresses standing around laughed ; and taking the cue, I replied—'Yes, Miss Keene; that's my view of the character.' Having said this, I was bound to stick to it; and as I progressed with the rehearsal, I found that the whole company, including sceneshifters and property-men, were roaring with laughter at my infernal nonsense. When I saw the public accepted the satire, I toned down what, was a broad caricature to what can be seen at the present day by any one who has a quick sense of the absurd."