Local and General

Star (Christchurch), Issue 638, 9 June 1870, Page 2

Local and General

. ♦ Oxford Election. — The actual result of the poll yesterday could not be ascertained from official sources.- It was reported, however, that Mr Lee had- been returned. Temperance Movement. — We are requested to intimate that a meeting of the Temperance Committee, will be held to-morrow (Friday) afternoon, at 4 o'clock, at the City Council Chambers. St. Michael's Schoolroom. — The first of a series of winter entertainments will be given at St. Michael's schoolroom, on Friday evening next. The price of admission will be sixpence. Flaxton Entertainments. — The first of the Flaxton winter evening entertainments will take place on Monday evening next, when ttie Rev. J. W. Stack will deliver a lecture on the Maoris of the Middle Island. Kaiapoi Borough Council. — At the ordinary meeting of this Council on Tuesday, there was not a sufficient number of councillors present to form a quorum, and the meeting lapsed. Those present were his Worship the Mayor, Councillors Hall, Kerr, and Day. Ross. — The local paper of June 4.statesthat the Great Ross Extended Company are down to a depth of 208 feet, and that they expect from the appearance of the dirt to strike the terrace bottom very shortly. They have had very little more water to contend with since the last report, and none below a depth of 175 feet. Lyttelton Winter Readings. — The third of this series took place in the Colonists' Hall last night, and the committee must have felt highly gratified at seeing such a large audience, for, although the rain was falling heavily, the Hall was well filled, and those who attended were amply repaid by the excellent programme that was put before them. The chairman, Mr R. H. Webb, having opened the proceedings, remarked, that in spite of the unpropitious state of the weather, the entertainments would always be carried out. Mrs Grant, (piano) Mr Woledge, (violin) then gave a fantasia from Offenbach'B opera of " Orpbee aux Enfers " — which* was 'well applauded. This was followed by a Scotch reading by Mr J. Inglis, entitled "The Party," which was also well received. Mr Hilliers' song, " Mother kissed me in my drearnß," was rendered with great taste, and heartily applauded. The beautiful poem, "The Suow," read with great pathos by Mr C. Warde, was listened to with deep interest, and at the close, the reader received quite an innovation. Mr Plimmer sang " The swallows messenger " with good effect. A lecture on adulteration by Mr J. Ollivier was rendered in the humorous manner peculiar to this gentleman, i .and evoked roars of laughter. In the place of Mr Wontner, Mrs Grant and Mr Woledge gave a duett, followed by a reading by the the Rev F. Knowles, from Tennyson, which was well given. The medley song of " Robinson Crusoe," by itr Woledge, caused screams of laughter, and was encored. Dr J. T. Rouse concluded this portion of the entertainment by a reading ■entitled " The Runaways of Kawau," by the late Mr Crosbie Ward, with good effect. The laughable farce of "No. 1 Round the Corner," in which Messrs Allwright and Bolt kept the audience in roars of laughter, brought a most successful evening's entertainment to a close. The next readings will -take place on FridayJJune 24.

Theatre Rot al. — " Black-eyed Susan " and " Orpheus and Eurydice," were played to a thin house last night. The Incoming Suez Mail.— The April Suez mail is due at Melbourne to-day. The New Zealand portion of the mail will be brought on by the Omeo, which wa3 advertised to leave Melbourne for New Zealand ports, via, Bluff, on June 11. The Bellringers. — This company gave another entertainment at Burnip's Assembly Rooms, Kaiapoi, on Tuesday evening. At the conclusion of the entertainment a public ball took place, and dancing was kept up with spirit to the music of "The bells." From the inclement state of the weather the number of " belles " present did not exceed that of the performers. Inquest. — An inquest was held yesterday at the White Crane Hotel, Woodend, before C. Dudley, Esq., Coroner, and a jury of whom Mr J. Hamilton was chosen foreman, on the body of an infant child five months old named William Cherry Whitlow, who had died suddenly on Monday morning last. The child's mother was committed to the Lunatic Asylum about two months ago for being of unsound mind. She was discharged some weeks ago, and has since shown signs of the same affliction. It was supposed that the child had died from neglect, but on the evidence of the father, and a woman named Harriet Ann Edlin, it appeared that the child had been very delicate from its birth. The jury returned a verdict of " died from natural causes." Meetings of Creditors. — An adjourned meeting was to have been held in the estate of George Joseph Whitley yesterday, but a sufficient number of creditors not attending, the estate was declared rested in the provisional trustee. The liabilities are stated at £295 4s, and the assets at £233 lis; also in the estate of Patrick Frederick Sinclair Miller, but no creditors attending, it was adjourned until Wednesday, 15th June inst. ; also in the estate of Thomas Nicholson Clarkson, but no creditors attending, it was also adjourned until Wednesday, 15th June inst. ; also in the estate of William Leslie, no creditors attending, the estate was declared vested in the provisional trustee, the assets being stated at £65 3s, and liabilities at £487 3s Id. S. John's. — Those who expressed themselves so highly pleased with the series of entertainments given in S. John's schoolroom during last winter, will be glad to learn tbat they will be continued during the present season on a similar plan. The inaugural entertainment took place last evening, and despite the inclemency of the weather, was very largely attended. Besides a pleasing selection of vocal and instrumental music, the proceedings were interspersed with a number of readings from Shakespeare. The entire programme was very well carried out, and appeared to give general satisfaction to the audience. The musical portion consisted of Bishop's glee, " Hark, Apollo strikes the Lyre," sung by St. John's choir; glee, "HaU, Smiling Morn; song, "Captivity" (Henrion), by Mrs Digby; fantasia (clarionet and piano), by Messrs Triphook and R. Parker; song, " Teach me to forget," by Mr W. Day; glee, "Foresters, sound the cheerful horn," duet, "The Elfin Call," by Mrs Digby and Mr R. Parker; and the march " Men of Harlech." by St. John's choir. The selections from Shakespeare consisted of " Twelfth Night," (Lamb's Tales), by Mr W. Day ; " Henry Vni.," act 3, scene 2, by the Rev. J. 08. Hoare and Mr Digby; " Henry V.," act 2, scene 2, by the Rev. J. 08. Hoare ; " Julius Cssar," act 3, scene 1, by Mr Bowron; and "Henry V.," act 5, scene 2, by Mr and Mrs Hcare. I Christy Minstrels. — A higher compliment to individual talent could not have been paid than Mr W. H. Bent received at the hands of the Christchurch public last night. The weather was of a most inclement nature — heavy showers of ram falling throughout the evening— yet one of the largest audiences we have seen in the Town Hall for a long time past assembled' to testify their high estimation of Mr Bent's performances. Standing room was scarcely to be obtained in the hall, and Mr Bent was frequently greeted with demonstrative applause. The entertainment was uuder the patronage of his ■ Worship the Mayor and Major Wilson, C.8., the former of whom was present. The programme, as might be expected, was above the average of even this accomplished troupe, and was throughout a most complete success. It would be impossible, within reasonable limits, to criticise the respective pieces, nor indeed is such a proceeding necessary, for the individual merits of the performers are already sufficiently well known. In the first part a gentleman amateur assumed the tambourine, and contributed "Pretty Little Ada" to the vocal pieces with very tolerable effect, and also went through the other duties devolving upon a corner man with credit. He was warmly encored for the song. The vocal items by Messrs Rainford, Howell Say ers, and Bent were a very choice selection, and more than one narrowly escaped being re-demanded. Mr Rainford 's scena, "Figaro," from "The Barber of Seville," and Mr Howell's " Meet me at the Gate," were more particularly worthy of this. Two comic acts afforded ample scope for Mr Bent's peculiar talent to be displayed, and his influence over the audience was irresistible. The laughter was continuous, more especially in " Les Miserables," a negro extravaganza in which the " business " is very good. The dancing of Mr Carroll, as usual, was greeted with a furore of applause. A flageolet solo by Mr Sayers was warmly applauded, and a cornet solo by Mr Northcott was also well received. Friday night is announced as positively the last appearance of the troupe in Christchurch. This afternoon they have kindly proffered their services in an entertainment to the iamates of the Lunatic Asylum. A capital bill has been , prepared, and Mr Mitchell has volunteered to convey the troupe to the Asylum in a fourhorse coach. They will leave Cobb's office at 1.30 p.m.

A New Idea.— The ladies are coming to the front in New South 'Wales. "A mother " appeals to the rest of her sex to take up the question of immigration, since, as she says, " the men are too muoh afraid of losing popularity to move in the matter." On behalf of the housewives of the colony, she asserts that, while they are contented to be governed by their husbands, they will not (at least without a struggle) suffer themselves and their husbands to be governed by their servants. And with a view to prevent a continuance of this ignominious state of things, she proposes to raise £50,000 by subscription to promote female immigration from Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. "Let us," she says, "for once act in concert ; let v use some of the money now wasted in ' dress,' and render ourselves respectable in the eyes of the world by showing ourselves capable of a great effort for a noble purpose. Is it nothing that strangers come into our houses, and insult us by their impudent defiance before our husbands, our sons, and daughters, and dictate to us what we shall do even with our own children ? Is it nothing, when sickness invades our dwellings, to feel ourselves unable to secure one honest kindly heart to give us necessary help ? So far from it, we are perhaps left to close the eyes of the being deareßt to us on earth. Of what value are all the gewgaws and tinsel of fashion then ?" Gold and Silver Marks. — Many articles of gold, and nearly all of silver, and even electro-plate bear certain marks, some acquaintance with which everybody ought to possess. The marks upon the precious metals are called " hall marks " — probably because, in London, they are put on at the Goldsmiths' Hall. Only one quality of silver is hallmarked, namely, standard silver, in the proportion of eleven ounces and two pennyweights of pure silver and eighteen pennyweights of alloy to evcy twelve ounces troy weight. With gold the case is different, and a person may purchase hall-marked gold of many values from about eighty shillings per ounce, although gold worth less than about one pound eleven shillings and sixpence per ounce is very seldom marked. In 1869 the Goldsmiths' Company.in London discontinued marking gold chains of inferior quality ; and gold watch-cases must be of eighteen carat gold. Some foreign watches marked as eighteen carat gold, bave the cases in part made of silver or other inferior metal. In England also, sometimes, rings marked as gold of superior quality are partly of inferior gold. This is the result of fraud: unprincipled makers sometimes take rings to be hall marked, after which they cut out the portion marked, and insert it in rings of lower value. This is also done with silver, but to a less extent. Politics _n Queensland. — The Australasian of May 21 has the following :— What is called a "pure Merino" Administration has been formed in Queensland ; that is to say, all the members of it are identified directly or indirectly with the pastoral interest. Mr Palmer takes the post of Chief Secretary. Mr Ramsay that of Treasurer, Mr Bramston is the Attorney-General, Mr I Thompson goes to the Crown Lands department, Mr Walsh takes the control of Railways and Public Works, while Mr Prior has been appointed Postmaster-General. Nothing is known of the policy of the new Ministry as yet, but judging from the opinions promulgated by a prominent member of it while in opposition, it will disapprove of state aid to immigration, and will be favourable to tbe introduction into the Land law ,of the colony of a liberal homestead clause, with conditions of residence for a given period before the settler can obtain the fee-simple of his holding. The opponents of the Government do not appear, however, to credit it With either the inclination or the ability to legislate for the general interests of the country, and consider that the time-has arrived, and that circumstances are propitious, for the formation of a liberal and progressive party. But complaints are made of the apathy exhibited by numbers of persons who ought to take an active part in public affairs, while in Queensland even more than in the other colonies, local and sectional interests excite - greater attention, and call forth a display of more ardent [ feeling, than larger questions of national i concern. A Diplomatic Difficulty. — The following '.occurs in "An American Diplomatist, Painted by Himself " : — I had been here but three or four months when, at an interview in the Foreign-office, Lord Clarendon suddenly asked me whether a treaty had been made between the United States and Persia, by which we. had engaged to, lend some naval squadrons to the Shah, and were to be indemnified by the possession of certain trading stations in the Gulf; and he produced two or three long articles extracted from the instrument. What could I reply ? There was no practice of communicating from the department on which I could rely, and I had never heard of the treaty. Fortunately I took a strong impression that his Lordship was making, rather hastily, a ground of complaint against us as a set-off to Crampton's affair, ahd that the alleged treaty was absurdly unconstitutional. I pondered over' the paper he put in my hands for a inihute or two, and, aware that his eyes were fixed with suspicion on my face, I slowly relaxed into a smile, and then exclaimed, laughing, " My Lord, you are hoaxed; this is a document which no American statesman would dream of making; some one bas played upon what he believed to be the readiness of the Ministry to think the United States capable of any enormity." Now this was little more than good luck, and certainly was not founded on any positive knowledge of facts, one way or the other. It struck his Lordship forcibly, but did not convince him; and, at his special request, I wrote to Mr Marcy inquiringly upon the subject. The hoax was proved, but the risk run in denouncing it at the outset weighed upon my mind for some time.

American Journalism. — The Philadelphia correspondent of the Times gives the following : — The amenities of New York journalism were shown this week in a bout between the World and the Tribune. The World Baid : — •* Windust, tbe well-known restaurant keeper of this city, who saved the distinguished philosopher Mr Greeley from the fury of the mob during the. July riots, by covering a friendly table over that humble individual, was caught in a snowdrift a few days ago on Long Island, while attempting to go to his home at Bayville, and would have perished had not a young lady come to his rescue with a shovel. And so even Windust has his reward." To this the Tribune replied : — " The author of the above assertion that we have placed in italics is a liar — a graceless, shameless, villainous, detestable liar ; " and during the evening of the day on which it was printed, Mr Greeley spoke at a meeting in Philadelphia in advocacy of " Temperance." Immigrants from South Australia. — The following is from the Wellington Independent of June 4 : — We learn from various sources of information that a movement is on foot among several German farmers in Adelaide to migrate to this colony, and we are assured that if the slightest encouragement to settlement were given by the Government, in the shape of small grants of land, or a deferred payment, the exodus from South Australia would be very large. The motive for the change is not far to seek. The agricultural statistics of South Australia just published by the Government, shew that the average yield of wheat in that colony is only 5| bushels to the acre for the last season. This is so striking a contrast to the crops of the German settlers in the Rangitikei, who are among the most successful farmers in that district, that it ceases to be a matter of surprise that the Adelaide men should long to put a plough into New Zealand soil, certain of an average yield of from 20 to 30 bushels over a series of years. As the German farmers have always proved themselves such excellent settlers, in whatever part of the colony they bave hitherto located themselves, — and as men of this class would come here with a little money and a great deal of valuable colonial experience,— it is well worthy of consideration whether some inducement could not be held out to them to move in the direction of this province. There is a large block of confiscated land still unoccupied between the Waitotara and the Patea rivers, and as among these proposing immigrants there are some 50 young men prepared to move in a body, a powerful frontier settlement might be formed at little or no expense to the colony. Art over Nature. — In Paris, the city of luxuries, dwells a noted woman whose smooth skin and fresh complexion proclaim her in her teens, but whose sedateness of movement causes the observer to think of a maturer age, and at last compromise with his first impressions by assigning her twenty-five years, though she herself will confess to be one of the antediluvims, numbering no less than sixty-eight winters. This defier of time is a striking instance in her own person of the triumph of art over nature. Thousands have long sought her secret, watched her, endeavoured to bribe her, cajoled her, and even threatened her, in order that tbey, too, might become beautiful for ever. At last she resolved to become the benefactress of her sex— at least those of it who can give her sufficient remuneration. Mme. Maniquet— for so is the young old-lady styled — receives into her house beauties whose lustre has fled, the freshness of whose charms have been withered by the blasting effects of dissipation or obliterated by the tread of Time. She places the faded belle on a couch, applies to her face a poultice composed of an irrita ing ointment and instructs the patient to lie perfectly still, to preserve each feature absolutely motionless , for a smile indulged in during the process will produce a wrinkle, and a frown a furrow. In a few days and nights the face of the candidate for beauty assumes a JobHue appearance, being covered with pustules innumerable. The ointment poultice is then removed — bringing with it the whole skin of the face, and exposing a mass of raw, swollen flesh. Soothing unguents are then applied, and if the patient has remained quiescent, the swelling subsides, the new skin grows smooth, soft, and youthful; the quill-like tube through which the lady breathed and received nourishment is discarded. A mirror is produced, and the patient is requested to admire herself, and prepare to return a renewed creature in face if not in heart, to that world which for a month marvelled at her absence. Pushing Business. — The following is from the Argus of May 20 : — Something very like carrying the pushing of business to extremes was revealed at the District Court yesterday, in a case in which Messrs Thomas and Alfred HaU, trading as Hall and Son, dentists, Melbourne, summoned Mr J. Martin, draper, in Carlton, for £3 lOs., alleged to be due to them on account of four mineral teeth mounted in gold and vulcanite, made for and supplied to Mrs Martin, the defendant's wife. Mrs Martin stated .that she went to the complainant Hall to have some back teeth filed, but that instead of filing them only he whipped one right out against her will. She gave him a sovereign, receiving in change 9s 6d./ as Hall said he would have to owe her sixpence, his charge being 10s. for the filing down, &c. He then advised her to have some artificial teeth put in, but she said she did not want them, and he then asked her to allow him to take a model in wax of her mouth, so that if she should at any future time wish to bave any teeth put in he could make them without delay, and he assured her that it was not necessary to pay him at once even if she got the teeth. She yielded so far as to allow him to take the wax caßt, but told bim she would not have any teeth from him. Subsequently four teeth were sent to her house, but she seat them back, without even stopping to examine them. Hall now summoned her husband for £i 10s, which he claimed for the making and delivery of these teeth; but the husband stated in court tbat

he knew ti othing of the matter till he was summoned. Hail explained that when he 'was chipping off the back teeth for Mrs Martin one was so loose that it came out suddenly. The Bench said that the case was not sufficiently clear to justify them in making any order for the money claimed, and they therefore dismissed the case, but without costs, in consequence of the defendant not having produced a witness whose evidence, it was said, would have made the case much stronger for the defence. Thames Goldfields. — The Thames Advertiser of May 28 has the following : — The fortnightly retorting for the Kuranui Company was completed on Saturday, and gave the magnificent return of 1044 ozs of gold from 370 tons of stone. The returns from this splendid mine. for. the last three months have been very high, and there is a positive certainty as to its continuance. The gold was, as usual, deposited in the Bank of New Zealand, where it was melted and reduced to 1020 ozs 8 dwts, in four fine ingots. Through the courtesy of Mr Kenrick, the company's' manager, we are enabled to give the total returns from the mine for the last three months. On the 7th of March the first marked improvement in the returns was observed, when the fortnight's return amounted to 493 ozs 14 dwts of melted gold. The first return given in the list below was similar to the averages formerly obtained, and since then the yields have increased to such an extent that the returns are now the highest on the whole field. The following are, the returns for the three months up to Saturday last, including the yield in melted gold, and the quantity of stoae put through :— 265 tons, 247 ozs 9 dwts 12 grs ; 232 toss, 493 ozs 14 dwts ; 238 tons, 939 ozs 17 dwts ; 370 tons, 1219 ozs 17 dwts ; 328 tons, 904 ozs 9 dwts 18 grs ; 378 tons, 819 ozs 6 dwts; 400 tons, 909 ozs 17 dwts ; 370 tons, 1020 ozs 8 dwts ; total, 2581 tons, 6554 ozs 18 dwts 6 grs. The result of the crushing for the last month amounts to 1930 ozs of melted gold from 770 tons of Btone. -The company keeps 30 head of stampers at their own battery constantly employed. Expenditure on Government and Drink.— The "Companion to the British Almanao for 1870 " has the following :— The annual expenditure on drink and tobacco amounts to more than £3 6s per head of the entire population — men, women, and children; or of more than £13 for every adult male in tbe United Kingdom. The gross amount seems perfectly fabulous ; but it is competent for any one to test it by the Government returns, which are indisputable. A hundred millions sterling a year on drink and tobacco. Yet we profess to be an economical and reforming people, canvassing every item of national expenditure, down even to the pennibs in the public-offices, and the wages of the dock-yard labourers. The whole expense of governing the United Kingdom for the year ending the 27th June, 186S — excluding the interest ' of the National Debt— amounted to only £47,196,626; yet nearly double this amount was voluntarily expended by the people governed —upon drink. Surely all the Government extravagances that can be conjured up sink into insignificance beside this. What we spend on ardent spirits and beer alone exceeds the entire national expenditure, including the interest of the national debt. Our army, which does duty in all parts of the world, costs fourteen-and-a-half millions sterling; while we spend over thirty millions upon gin, whisky, and brandy. Our navy costs nearly nine millions; and our beer nearly forty-four millions. The whole expense of managing the postal service costs only one-fourth of what we spend on tobacco. Some three millions a year are devoted hy the middle and working classes to life and health assurance; and thirty times the amount to the indulgence of their sensual appetites.