THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1879.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3127, 25 February 1879, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1879.

We are glad to notice that the County are taking steps to keep the water in the Waio-Karaka reservoir pure, as they are now calling tenders for fencing it in. We have frequently seen upwards of 100 ducks and geese disporting themselves in the, reservoir, which cannot improve its qualii,y. A meeting of the Domestic Water Supply Committee will be held this evening at the Borough Council Chambers. A reply is expected from the County Council to the letter sent from the Committee asking if the interest—two eights —held by that body, will be hauded to the Borough upon the liabilities of the Committee being taken over. The Shortland Roman Catholic Choir is about to sustain a great loss in the person of Mr E. Haydou, who will shortly leave the Thames for Auckland. Last evening a number of gentlemen con-, nectcd with the congregation met Mr Haydon at the Presbytery, Shortland, and presented him with a handsome gold ring of greenstone and quartz.. An examination of pupil teachers will be held here on the 25th proximo and succeeding days. All assistant, probationary, and pupil teachers, who have not yet entered for the Teachers' Examination, will be required to attend, and nil-candi-dates must produce satisfactory testimonials as to character, health, etc." Visitoes to Katikatt will find it to their advantage to visit the comfortable hostelry ot Mr J. A. Clark at Rereatukahia, where in addition to good accommodation there is first-rate stabling and paddocking. We have received Messrs J. H. Clough and Co.'s Melbourne Station Produce Report for February. Prom it we learn that flour is selling there at £10 to £10 5 s per ton. Me 11. C. Richmond, of the Oriental Lounge and Nevada Hotel, corner of Queen and Durham slreets, Auckland, publishes some intereeting intelligence in the first page of this issue. The Bay of Plenty Times says there has been a warm discussion in the Maori Committee, at Rotorua, and elsewhere, regarding the new army of tax gatherers. An advertisement, calling tenders for a number of works for the County Council appears in another column. We hear that a sailing match will come off on Monday next between Mr Bettis' Hit or Miss and Mr Bottomore's new yacht, Whisper, recently built by Mr Savage. The stakes are £10 a side. The sailing capacity of the new boat is much lauded. The latest form of benevolence is an "Old Men's Home" at Ashburton—a kind of thin edge of the poor house. The West Coast marble has given great satisfaction in Melbourne, being the best stone of the kind experimented on, and it is proposed to finish the Parliament House with it.

A Pbess Agency telegram of yesterday gives some further particulars of the Kaitangata disaster:—" Daniel Lockart was unmarried, and brother-in-law to Hunter. He was to hare been at work to-day, but overslept himself, and did not get to the mine till after the explosion. The men worked with naked lights, and all carried the usual collier's lamp upon the peak of their caps. The gas had lately been increasing a good deal in the mine. Commissioner Hay, who was the second brought out, was on his knee's and face and hands when found, as if groping to avoid the fire damp. Commissioner Hodge, found sitting with his head on one of his hands, as if he had been caught by a blast whilst thinking. Crimming was lying across Hodge's feet. The five men last brought out were all found lying on the ground, one on his face, and the other with his hands to his face. Two appeared to have struggled hard. Thirteen were found in one place all on their faces, as if making ouhvards, and all appeared to have placed themselves in that position to avoid " after damp " except two, who fell over the others, and could not raise themselves again.

The Argus of the 10th inst. speaks as follows of the first appearance of Mr J. Hall's company at the Academy of Music: —" The dramatic season recommenced at this house on Saturday ni»ht under the management of Mr J L. Hall, who styles his company " the Byronic Comedy Company." With the exception of Mr Hall himself, the cast of " Our Girla," which has been selected. as the commencing comedy is entirely different from that of its previous representation at this theatre, and this change will no doubt serve to deepen the interest of the piece. Mr Deering, who, if we mistake not, made his first appearance in Melbourne on Saturday night, appears to have excellent qualification for old men's parts, if he may be judged by this one ofßr Flenaming. As Tipkins, Mr Leston provokes no unfavorable comparisons, but admirably confirms all the good opinions formed of him as a genuinely capable humorist, and the practised ability of Mrs Woolridge gives her the best right to favorable mention forherjacting in the part of Mrs Gunn. After an absence of many years, Mrs Hall makes her return to the Melbourne stage. In appearance she is a good" deal changed from what she was formerly, but her bright, pleasant cheerful manner is the same as when she was so deservedly popular a favorite at the Princess' during Mr Hall's management of that theatre. As Helen Gay t home she appears to much advantage, and illustrates in the most agreeable manner the qualities of frankness and cordially. She emphasises the points in the dialogue with a practised discernment, and yet does not force them into inharmonious conspicuousness. Her sister, Miss Laura Wiseman, who played the part of Lilian Gaythorne, has not been seen on the Melbourne stage since she 'was a child. She is an instance, to the contrary, of the proposition that juvenile ability does not ripen into mature talent. Miss Wiseman has become a very clever and graceful comraedienne, and she made a most favorable impression on Saturday night. During the course of the piece Mrs Hall and Miss Wiseman sang an incidental duet, Miss Wiseman playing the accompaniment. Their voices are not of a pronounced kind, but they sing with taste and feeling and musical skill, and the encore which was demanded therefore needs no explanation." The friends of Mr and Mrs Hall, and especially of Miss Wiseman, will Jbe pleased to find how well old Thames acquaintances are spoken of in Melbourne.

The Poverty Bay Herald of a late date, says :—" Another week has passed over, and still no rain. The districts are described as being much parched, and the grass in many places rapidly drying up. The dairymen threaten. butter at two shillings a pound and milk with a rise of fifty per cent. Even the fowls refuse to l&y e KK 3 under two shillings a dozen, and these very small for the money. Things are assuming a threatening aspect. There have been indications during the last few days of a rain fall. But the rain has not fallen, and the town residents are without water for drinking and cooking, if we except the small quantity of bad and fetid water obtained from the all but exhausted wells. The drought will not, we suppose, continue much longer.

The Dunedin Morning Herald has the following :—" A pig without ears and ' deaf as a post,' is a curiosity of nature which is attracting some attention in the Lower Kaikorai district. The pig is the property of Mr Chalmers, of that locality. It is a sow, and appears to make up for its want of hearing by a quickness in its other senses rather unusual for a pig. This sow has had a litter of pigs, all of which, strange to say, had very long ears, and all of them died. She will have another litter very soon, and people are already considering what the next lot are to be like. She is in good condition. There are neither ears nor opening of any sort where ears should be ; but as piggy has had often to pay a penalty for her deafness, her watchfulness is exceedingly amusing. A 'cute showman should make id pay to exhibit her."

It is said that the electric light, one of the most useful aud wonderful inventions of the day, is likely to be introduced into Blenheim for the purpose of lighting the town, at no distant date, either by the Municipality or by private enterprise.

The Skipper's correspondent of the Wakatip Mail, writing on the 4th instant, says :—" Snow is lying on the ground to the road line, and it is as cold no was any morning in mid-winter, but the change ■was desirable, as it will give a little water for sluicing purposes. I may mention that a remarkably narrow escape from death by suffocation occurred hero on Friday to two well known miners, named H. Dunker and T. Toll. From what I can learn, they were working up a paddock in their sluicing claim when the face of the ground, 90ft. high, slipped, covering Dunker to the ueck and Toll to the waist. No one else was near, but the latter, after some three hours' exertion, managed to get himself clear, and gave the alarm, when his mate was shortly afterwards extricated. Neither of the men were hurt seriously, although pretty well frightened, of course."

The Melbourne Telegraph says :—" A peculiar photograph is now being exhi? bited in the window of Messrs Nicholson and Ascberberg, which attracts some attention, but not so much as would be the caso were it properly understood. Hundreds, however, who stop to look at it as a photograph fail to see its real nature, It represents a head of Christ, not very remarkable for drawing or expression. The peculiarity of the pho-

tograph, however, is that when first looked at the eyes appear closed, but in a few seconds they are seen wide open, and gazing the spectator with a singular expression of sadness. If the face is looked at carefully the eyes often appear to actually open and shut. How this is managed will be easily apparent by a little examination of the light and shade. The same photograph has caused a good deal of excitement in Berlin, whence it has been imported.

Seven million bushels of grain is annually converted into spirituous liquors n the United States.

The circulation of the Melbourne Age is now over 35,000 copies daily.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by Sir Philip Owen, Colonel Probyn, and Mr Sykes, paid a visit yesterday to the kiosk of the Crystal Palace Bible Stand Committee, opposite the Trocadero. They expressed great interest in the work, particulars of which were given them by Mr James Alexander, who has had the superintendence of it, and accepted a copy of the smallest Bible in the world, a book printed at Oxford in minute type and on very thin, silky paper. On leaving, the Prince and Princess each made a handsome contribution to the fund. The kiosk will close this day week. Nearly a million and a half of Gospels and New Testaments in 22 languages have been given to applicants at its wickets, the number last Sunday alone being 41,000, and jEnglish, French, and other influential visitors have evinced cordial sympathy with the undertaking, which is regarded as having been highly successful.

Talking about men losing their senses when they are drunk; it is not always the case, for some men are sharper when they are about so full. A man lately appealed to the station house to be locked up. The sergeant appeared a trifle surprised at the request, and proceed to interview him on the subject. " It's all right, old man ; I know my biz. When I'm drunk tbe old woman can handle me like a child, but I can whollop blazes out of her when I'm sober. Lock me up, for I'm on ter night, and the old woman is waiting for me ter come home. Turn on the bolts, old man." They were turned on.—Exchange.