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Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3057, 2 December 1878, Page 2

All the banks id Grahamstown were closed to-day in honor of the patron saint of the land of cakes. Most of the places of business closed at midday.

A deputation, consisting of Councillors Ehrenfried and Speight and Messrs Dean and J. P. Hall, waited on Mr Oliver Wakefield, Under Secretary for Goldfields, to-day with reference to the obtaining of a portion of the vote for prospecting to push on the south drive from the U.P.A. shaft to the Piako shaft. The deputation strongly urged on Mr Wakefield the necessity of this work being pushed ahead at once. Mr Wakefield, in replying to the deputation, pointed put that the Government grants for prospecting were £5000 for the South Island, £5000 for the North Island, and £5000 for the discovery of new goldfields, and as they would doubtless know, they were bound by the regulations. He could not giro them a favorable answer, but it might be possible for them to get a rote next year. He promised to place the circumstances of the case in the best possible light, and arranged with the deputation to visit the 640 feet level of the U.P.A. shaft to-day. The deputation then thanked Mr Wakefield and withdrew.

The anniversary services of the Willoughby street Wesleyan Church, Shortland, took place yesterday. The little church was -crowded to suffocation during the three ; services —■ morning, afternoon, and evening. The raised seats were occupied by the children, who formed the choir, and sang very effectively their anniversary hymns, and for which they had been practising for some time. The fiev. Mr Bunn officiated both morning and evening, and the Uev. Mr Laishley addressed the children in the afternoon. Mr Bunn announced that the collections this anniversary would go towards meeting the intended enlargemen of the church, as the attendance at Sun* day School was so great that it was absolutely necessary to make more accommodation for Sunday School scholars and teachers, and therefore appealed to the congregations on that behalf,, and we are glad to say, from what we casually heard, that the response was hearty, and a good collection resulted. On Tuesday, according to advertisement, the anniver* sary soiree will take place. '

The cricket match between the second eleven of the Thames Cricket Club and the Union Cricket Club was played, at Parawai this afternoon. It resulted in a 'draw in' favor of the Union— T.C.C. all out for 42, U.C.C. one wicket down for 29'njns.

Ovrn own correspondent at.CoromandeK by telegraph informs us of a victory for Coromandel to-day against the Thames Cricket Club in one innings, with 17 runs to spare. The numbers forwarded however, seem to show a majority of 19.

The only business at the R.M. Court this morning was the punishment of a drunkard in the ordinary manner. Col. Fraser occupied the Bench.

„ It is anticipated, says the Herald, that when the reduction of duty upon Australian wines comes into operation in January next, a great impetus will be given to the trade, and in order that importers may take the proper steps'to; participate in the new duty, the Government Gazette of November 9 gives the following form of certificate to be made on the entry by the skipper at' the port of .exportation :—" I .— -. ,of ———-, carrying-on business at •———, under the style and title of.———, do hereby declare that the wine specified herein; and entered to be exported from this port to the port of - „ New Zealand, is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, really and bona fide the produce of the colony of ————, in Australia. The above is to be declared before the Collector of Customs at the port whence it .is •hipped. The same Gazette also contains the new form of declaration for gpods ad valorem ,viz,:—"l ' ,■'' " ,of —-~——,

do hereby declare that I am the importer (or agent duly authorised by the importer) of the goods contained in this (or in the entry tendered herewith), and that I enter the : said goods as of the value of,:-~—•- (money in words at length), and I do further declare that the; invoice now produced is the genuine invoice of the manufacturer, merchant or person from whom the said goods were purchased, in the country whence they were shipped; that it contains a true arid full statement of the cost to me (or the importer), and of the* quantity of the whole of the", goods contained in the several packages described in the said entry ; that no drawbacks or discounts of any kind, except such as have been actually allowed to me (or the importer), are included in the said invoice (or invoices), and. that no different invoice (or invoices) of the said goods has been furnished to me (or the importer)." This form is to be signed by the agent or importer, and declared before the proper officer. ■' •'. •■'.■•■■

We learn from an English paper that a notification has been issued from the War Office to the .effect that the present "Volunteer year " —the nineteenth of the organisation of the forcel—will terminate on the 31st October. The returns are expected to prove that the total strength will be the largest yet attained, bringing the figures tip to, if not exceeding 200,000 of all arms of the service.

The itev. Charles Clark (says " Atticus " in the Leader) is about returning to England to re-enter the ministry, after his prolonged and successful career as a lecturer. I am told— but I cannot vouch for its truth— th&p Mr B. S: Smythe, - his gifted agent, has been studying theology under the reverend gentleman, and that he also will enter into holy orders and serve as curate to bis late principal. All his old friends in Melbourne will wish him every succesp in his new sphere of action. ' ! |

The Nelson Colonist remembers that the Parliament began to sit on "the unlucky day," Friday, and is half inclined to attribute the barrenness of the session to that cause. It says :—" After consuming fourteen weeks in idle talk, the members of the General Assembly are sent back to their homes. Any person who is inclined , to be superstitious might fancy that the old dread of beginning anything on Friday is justified by the history of the past session. A Government that rose to power on the most lavish promises, of reform that have ever been heard in this Colony, has wrecked its reputation for no other discoverable reason than a desire to prolong its tenure of office." ■:■■■■.'•..

Eumotte is busy (says the Wellington correspondent of the Auckland Herald) as to changes in the Ministry and the Civil Service before the next proclamation convening Parliament. Bo doubt, in some instances these rumours are well founded; but at present it would be as well to class what I am about alluding to as very likely probabilities. The Colonial Secretary and Commissioner of the Armed Constabulary, Colonel Whitmore, it is believed, will shortly be leaving for Europe, and, as a consequence, will resign his position in the Ministry. It is not yet known who is.to succeed him (not Sir Dillon Bell, at all events), but possibly Mr Sheehan may have to take his defence duties in addition to his present profolids during the recess, and pending other arrangements. [The rumour regarding Colonel Whitmore has been denied.J

Miners who hare any dealings with dynamite (says the Leader) had better make note of a peculiarity which it has been found to display. When it is placed in water it is decomposed, not chemically, but mechanically. Its sand falls to the bottom and its nitro-glycerine floats on the top. When this happens, as it frequently must in wet holes, the miner has to deal not with dynamite but with nitroglycerine. Any slight elevation of temperature is then sufficient to cause an unexpected explosion. It follows that dynamite should never be employed where water is likely to reach it. Many unexplained accidents may thus be accounted for. The discovery of this property of dynamite was made by Major Ford, who has done good service in placing the miner on his guard against an unseen danger. 4Fhe fact may be of use another way. If a little nitro-glycerine is required for any special puupose it may be obtained from dynamite with less risk than in any other way. If anyone is disposed to try the experiment he must, however, do so at his own risk.

....In an ably reasoned out, • vigorous article, the Sydney Morning Herald replies to iwo articles (one in the Nineteenth Century, and another in the Fortnightly Review), both of which advocate the introduction of Chinese into the Australian colonies, and condemn the colonists for being selfish in trying to keep them out. The Herald shows very convincingly (says the Post) that they have been a great serious danger to the colonies, and proves, from the writers' own words, that they are the scum of the population of the worst districts in China; that they outrage public opinion by hideous

immoralities; ignore or defy judicial or municipal institutions, form secret societies and associations among themselves, "manage'to afford by their low miserable kind of living to undersell and underwork white men as mechanics, laborers, and servants." i Yet, for all that, these writers 'would'have the colonies give the fullest freedom to the incursions of these clever barbarians, who, say they, only seek " set-one! place* as a "cheap race." The Herald shows that not only are their immorality, vagrancy, insubordination, and other vices objected to, but the great objection, as shown in San Francisco and as has been shown in Queensland,-is that the Chinese threaten as " labourers and even tradesmen to take the i laces which, in British colonies, should be reserved for British subjects.": This supplanting, we cordially agree, is what the colonies have to guard against.

.In the present number of the Cornhill Magazine there is a very striking account of the Edinburgh .Review, in the back numbers of which the author has been taking; his pleasure—frather sadly. He tells us—and he is a, man of the highest authority (says the Argus) in critical literature—that these ancient articles, which used to make such a noise in\fce world, are oh the whole but poor stuff, and that they would in these days fail to obtain admittance into any magazine of similar—or anything like similar—pbsition to that which the old Edinburgh occupied. The literary criticisms of Jeffrey, as tried by the verdict ot posterity, are certainly most unfortunate, since they would lead us to believe that Byron, Shelley, Keats, ancl Wordsworth are at present of no account, and that we are all worshipping at the shrine of Samuel Rogers!'' 1 ' '•". :V ■ ■■'■' ■■.;"•■ ■'.;■• '■■ i

The English Whitehall Keview, aftsr; magnanimously observing " that natural delicacy prompts us to refrain ixom telling any anecdotes personally relating to our august sovereign," goes- on to tell this wonderful one:." It was at oneof H.R.H.'s garden parties at Chiswick. A well known and popular M.P.'(heir to a peerage, and at one time the handsomest man in the house), who had on several occasions enjoyed the privilege of friendly intercourse with the sovereign, sudienly espied the. Queen, and unfortunately having that day —as was not unusual with him—extended his study of the effects of alcoholic liquors too far for perfect sobriety, boldly and frankly walked up *o her and said, with a genial smile and extended hand: ' I reJly beg your pardon—your face is very familiar to me; but I; can't; recall your name !''.' . !

Of the late Charles Farrar Browne (Art/emus Ward) a.writer in Scribner's Magazine says : "He is remembered by Clevelanders as one of the most verdant-, looking youths (hat ever set: foot withiri the civjr.v ., He wore a slouch hat, from be^ neath which protruded a mass of straight unmanageable yellow; hair. He had long limbs, and was.'lean and lank. His features were prominent, and set off by a nose that was decidedly Tennysonian, and was an oddity in itself. His clothes were seedy and ill fitting. ,= . ... He walked with a lose shambling gait. „ .. - : . : ,-.• . After he Lad been in the city come time he began to pay more: attention to his toilet, and at last, even became foppish. When he began lecturing he became more particular than ever. He even took with him a hairdresser to curl his hair—which Nature intended should be worn unjcurled—and affected a large diamond pin and an immense diamond ring. . . . Whether on the street, in the office or the home circle,, he was always;the.same kind, witty, jovial person." j

In discussing•-•the Married Women'p Belief Bill, which ihas been introduced into the Legislature' of New- South Wales, a correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald Bays :~" Sir,-r The anti-marital feeling with men in modern society it admitted to be widespread. Many cautious and intelligent bachelors sensibly argue,that' it does not pay ' to take upon themselves the heavy responsibilities of matrimony. Bather than run the', risk of being placed under the thumb of a self-willed and refractory wife, they form illicit liaisons by which they escape nearly all matrimonial liabilities —such being the case, the question naturally suggest itself whether this bill, which gives additional power to the non-responsible party in the connubial contract, will not, as in England, make still more wary that scarce phenomenon, ' a marrying man.' The Legislative Council will, doubtless, con-, aider this phase of the measure in deliberating upon it, as possibly by hasty legislation we may, to avoid the dangers of Scylla, be wrecked on Chary bdis. Mr Windeyer, in introducing laws to benefit the simple, industrious, and virtuous, forgets that those very enactments give a fearful power to the knowing, lazy, and vicious." . ;

A bathee ludicrous incident happened at a lawn-tennis party given the other day within a 10-mile radius of Government House, Calcutta. One of the gentlemen of the party was a young man rather proud of his legs, and the better to call attention thereto he had lately invested in a brilliant pair of scarlet silk garters, which were ostentatiously displayed at the bottom of his knickerbockers. During a game he fancied that one of bis cherished ornaments had come off, as he saw a somewhat similar article of apparel on the ground close to him, so he picked it up and put it in his pocket, not noticing an angry look on the face-of his lady partner, who happened to be a married lady. Very shortly after, before the game was finished, the lady refused to play any more, and'walked off into the bouse, tne young gentleman retiring into the refreshment tent. Arrived there and, as usual, looking down at his legs, he discovered both his own bright ornaments in tbeir proper place, and began to wonder where the other.one could have from. Nothing further would probably have happened had not the young man, with the vanity of youth, a few days afterwards boasted to some of his friends of his bonnes fortunes, at the same time displaying his treasures, and hinting rather too plainly the name of the lady to whom it belonged. Nothing remains a secret long in India, especially if there is a spice of scandal attached to it, and consequently the report about his wife reached the husband's ears. Arming himself with a horsewhip, the husband waited upon the young man, who thought that discretion was the better part of valour, stammered out his explanation, and wrote a humble apology to the lady as dictated.

An anti-hymeneal punster says that the recriminations of married people resemble the sounds of the wavei on the sea* shore—-being the murmurs of the tied.

Every dore has A cote, and every dog pants.