Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 664, 9 July 1870, Page 2

Local and General.

St John's, Lyttelton. — The | Rev. W. McGowan will preach in this church tomorrow morning. - Canterbury Railways. — The Northern Railway Bill, now before the House of .Representatives, has passed the first reading." r^ The Ballot Bill.— Tbi3 bill was read a time in the House of Representatives, , on July 6, amid the cheers of hon. members. JW Magisterial.— A t the Chvistcburch MagisCourt this morning, Josiah Hodges was fined 10s by C. C. Bowen, Esq., R.M., for having been drunk and incapable whilst in charge of a horse and dray. Court of Appeal.— rThe Court of Appeal sat yesterday. A six hours' argument ensued in the case of Jonathan Earnsbaw, con-, victed at the March assizes of fraudulent bankruptcy. Dr Foster appeared for the appellant. The Court of Appeal sustained the . . conviction, consequently Earnshaw will have to undergo his sentence.

THE FINANCIAL STATBME^Tv-r-It WAS &n---nounced in WeJUngton-fchatr the coalition of Auckland members, under Mr Gillies and Mr Header Wood, did not intend to oppose tbr financial policy of the Government, but merely to discuss it on its merits. - Telegraphic. — The Wellington papers state that Mr John W. Blackett, representing the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, of London, has been in communication with one of the leading Wellington merchants, who is furnishing him with introductions to the leading public men of New Zealand. The object is, to lay a submarine cable from Tasmania to Southland. Thb In-coming San Fkancisco Mail. — The s.s. Phoebe will be due here on or about July 16, with the San Francisco mail via Honolulu. Mr Gray, Inspector of Postoffices, who has been to New York to arrange with the United States Government for the conveyance of the mails, is expected to return by her. She will also probably bring the first Euroj can mail by the San Francisco route. Disability op Public Officers.— The Hon. Mr Fox has given notice of his intention to move the following resolution in the House of Representatives:— That it is essential to the independence of Parliament, and to the efficiency of the public service, that colonial -officers receiving salaries under the appropriation of the Colonial Legislature, excepting those who hold political offices, should not in future be eligible for appointment to the Legislative Council, or to sit in the House of Representatives, and that a Bill be prepared and introduced into this House to give effect to this resolution. The' San Francisco Mail S^vice.— The following is an extract from a letter of the Hon. C. J. Pharazin's to a gentleman in Wellington :— I have arrived at the conclusion that for the present we shall not make any impression on the M'Culloch Ministry as regards subsidy to Webb's San FrancisCo line of steamers, since the last advices, informing us that a subsidy of 500,000 'dollars from the United States Government is likely to be granted. I have persuaded Collie to reduce his terms. He now offers to do the service for £30,000 from Victoria, and £20,000 from New Zealand, Wellington being the port of call ; this is conditionally on the States paying £100,000. I called on M'Culloch this morning with this proposal, but could make no impression upon him. He is bent on ocean steamers via the Cape to do the service in 45 days, and cannot see any advantage in this American line. I think people here are favourable to it, but you cannot get up any demonstration amongst such a large population, as you can in a small community like Wellington. We shall try Sydney, and as the delegates for the Conference are here, Collie will be able to make some progress before going there. He has already had an interview with them, and has stated that New Zealand will never grant a, subsidy unless Wellington be made the port of call. He seems to think that, although he will have a smaller passenger -traffic by goiqg to Sydney, he will save considerably in coaling. I should like Fitzherbert to learn what I have written, as well as other parties interested. The following letter, dated Auckland, June 11, is from Mr Hall, the'contractor for the existing service, the Hon. Postmaster-General : — Since I had the pleasure of addressing you on 21st April, I have made the voyage to San Francisco and back to this port. lam happy to inform you that I have succeeded beyond my most sanguine expectations in making arrangements for the future conveyance of passengers and mails between Honolulu and San Francisco with the North Pacific Transportation Company, which company, after my explaining the nature of my contract with the New Zealand Government, fully approved of my proceedings, and are prepared to carry out my engagements to the fullest extent. The Idaho was taken off and the Ajaz substituted, which vessel made the voyage in nine and a-half days, and her return trip, it is expected, will occupy ten days. In July, the John L. Stevens will take the place of the Ajax. She is expected to do her voyage in eight days from San Francisco to Honolulu, and the return in nine days. I had two large steamers offered me to take the place of the Wonga Wonga and the City of Melbourne, at a far less rate of charter than I am now paying the A. S. N. Co.; but, after thoroughly investigating them, I found that they would not accomplish my portion of the voyage in less time than, the present steamers do. The steamerß I allude to belong to Mr Webb, of New York. They are side-wheel boats of over 2000 tons burden, and said to be very fast; but, on ascertaining the rate of speed they accomplished on their former voyages, the average only showed about nine and" a-half knots, and that rate would be diminished when loaded for a long voyage. The manager of the Pacific Mail Company advised me not to make the same mistake as they are now labouring under, but to have by all means screw steamers properly rigged for sailing. They have three side- wheel steamers of between 3000 and 4000 tons'burden plying between San Francisco and China, ruunipg 6400' miles, which distance occupies 36 days." The distance between Sydney, Auckland, Honolulu, and San Francisco, which we are now performing, is 7400 miles, my portion being 5300 miles. This distance, at ten knots' per hour, will require 22 days' actual running time. I find that this will be the highest rate of speed the Wonga Wonga and City of Melbourne can attain to, and require great pushing to keep that average. You are aware that those boats were represented to consume 22 tons of coal per day on 10 knot speed, whereas the consumption is nearer 35 tons to get that speed. My present detention on each vessel has been three days in Honolulu; in future, 24 hours will cover all. The Hawaiian Government are now building a wharf expressly for the accommodation of my vessels. On my arrival in Sydney, fuller details will be forwarded to you.

<«^ccLiMATizATi«fc^A.ttEnglisli trout, bred in the Society's gftr^enfeis oii, view- at. Mr Duncan's seefl.sn^p. The 'fish is the, first large one found dead in the ponds, and weighs IJIbS. O > ■.■:.'.■■■ ::: Theatre Royal.— There was a good house at the Theatre Royal last evening to witness the performance of " Leap , Year" and the farce of " Lend me five Shillings." To-night the great Shakesperian play of " Richard the Third," will be put on the stage. Public Libraries, &c— Mr Haugbton has given notice of the following motion in the House of Representatives : — That this House is of opinion that it is desirable that newspapers addressed to Public Libraries, Athenaeums, and Mechanics' Institutes within the colony should pass free through the Post Office. 5 Borough Schools. — In the House of Representatives, on July 6, Mr Tancred moved for leave to bring in a Bill to provide for the establishment of schools within the limits of boroughs. The time was so short before adjournment that he requested the Bill might be allowed to go to its first reading at once, and he would go fully into the subject on the second reading. The Bill was read a first time, ordered to be printed, and the second reading -fixed for Wednesday next. This Bill, -we. believe, was prepared by the Canterbury Board of Education. The English Commissioners. —Mr Carleton, Chairman of Committees in the House of Representatives, has given notice of the following motion :— " For copies of all correspondence not. yet laid on the table having. reference to the mission of Commissioners Featherston and Bell to England; also, of- all correspondence, including telegrams, concerning the non-appointment as Commissioner • of •Mr Cracrof t Wilson." Rumour has it that the latter gentleman is somewhat sore upon -this point, and conceives that in this as in re the Ghoorkhas, he has been rather hardly dealt with. •Avonsidb Entertainments. — A most successful entertainment was given in the Avonside schoolroom last night. Every available seat was occupied, and some were compelled to - stand, whilst the programme was exceedingly well carried out. The items of which it was composed were the part songs " Star of the Morning " and " Oh how I love my mountain home," by the choir ; vocal duett, " See the land in s'ght appearing," Mr Henry Thompson and Mr R. Davis ; ( reading, (Dickens) " Schoolboy," the Rev. J. 08.. , Hoare; vocal duett, Mrs Rolleston, and : Mrs Robison ; reading, " The Traveller," Mr Bird ; duett piano, Mrs Haast and Mrs Rolleston; reading "The Victim" (Tennyson), .Mr Cowlishaw; Song, "The Standard bearer," Dr Haast; cornet solo (Bellini), Mr T. W. Maude- recitation, " Brutus and Cassius," Mr F. E. Wright; song, "Resignation," Mrs Robison; song, "England, Europe's Glory," Mr Thompson, the whole concluding; with '?jGod,Bave the Queen." The music, both vocal and instrumental, we may flay, was, of .an excellent character, and .the readings were all much appreciated, excepting Mr Bird's, which was very considerably too long for an entertainment of this kind. Dr Haast and Mr Thompson received double encores for their songs, and a very liberal amount of applause was generally bestowed jby; the; audience,, thus evidencing,. their .great appreciation of the pleasant evening's amusement afforded them. Changes in Pams.— 4. writer in -All the Year. i?OK»rf. says.:— The. principal changes that strike me to-day in Paris, after an absence of abaut a dozen years, are, that the whole population of the boulevards have become fat; and that the tripping little grisette, with her pretty cap and neat inexpensive dress, has disappeared from the streets, and been replaced by the demoiselle dv magasin, who dresses in a yellow-braided jacket and high-heeled boot*. In like manner, the brisk little fellows who lived' on fried potatoes and vaudevilles, and went humming about their shopwork, have become discontented prigs with mutton-chop whiskers, who pasß their evenings in organising str kes, and the rest of their time in dreaming of une serieuse position sociale . I observe, also, the importacion of spurious British manners and customs on the most extensive scale; ridiculous imitations of the ugliest parts of English dress, such as pur hats and ungainly boots; the general use of yellow hair-dye and monstrous wigs; lastly, the decline and fall of French cookery, This plump people, though they have grown so round, no longer imagine delicate dishes, as in the hungry days before, the first revolution, when they all had such empty stomachs and such hungry minds. They have become so satiated with succulent food as to be indifferent to the finer art* of the kitchen. No new culinary invention of world-wide reputation has been discovered in Paris since the " Mayonnaise;" and every recent addition to French fashionable dinners is of foreign importation, .There is a grievous Jist , of them, "Romp-steack }l la moelle "— a thictc chunk of tough beef with clumps of marrow lying in a glutinous lake of brown sauce; hard knobs of roast mutton ; hash. . Finally, even turtle soup, melted butter, cayenne . pepper, and hot gin-and-water have made their appearanceatthe^beßt tables. The hot gin-and-water is indeed called " krock," but under this name it is nationalised ; and its effect on the lively Parisian temperament is to make it suddenly and wildly boisterous. The caf&3, full of that universal out-of-door life which made Paris so .delightful to the passing traveller if he lingered but a day there, are gradually but surely giving place to clubs and more sedentary habits. The Government officials, retired officers, professional arid literary men, who formerly only slept and dressed at their lodgings, now retire into dark entresoU in charge of a. nurse, who cultivateß them like mushrooms. There they dine and live, appearing only on the boulevard towards 5 o'clock for their absinthe, or,i horrible to relate, their " gin and bitters." Cabltle. — The correspondent of an English provincial newspaper writes : — " I am sorry to inform you that the condition of

Carlyle is [giving a great deal of; uneasiness to bis friends. He, has long .been' -known to be an unhappy man, although when in the mood be is the most delightful company imaginable. Still it is not often, that he is in the mood, and then, with his bitterness and fierce sarcasm he makes it bad times for those who are beside him. Of late, too, his gloom, moodiness, desire for sequestration, and irritability when disturbed have much increased. Friend after friend who had borne with him long out of respect for his real nobility of soul, have been gradually alienated by his capricious temper, and now the grand old man may be said to be almoßt alone in the world with his old Scotch servant from the hill country of Dumfrieshire. Mr Buskin was the longest suffering, but he, too, knows no longer the way to Cheyne-row. 1 heard the other day an amusing, story of Carlyle. An american author of eminence came. over bearing a letter of introduction from Emerson, one of Carlyle's special favourites and warmest admirers. Carlyle'has a habit of answering his door himself,- a practice rather diaconcercing, I should say, to hawkers, beggars, &c, and indeed to applicants of another stamp. This particular Yankee knocked, and Carlyle opened unto him. The man, taken aback, for he knew Carlyle well by his photographs (as who does not ?) asked hesitatingly "la Mr Thomas. .Carlyle at home.?" The sage's reply was.a loud and emphatic "No,'? followed by slamming, the door with so much abruptness that the American's nose made a very narrow escape. He has a large room at the top .of the house lighted from the roof, where all his favourite books are, and pasted on the. wall are portraits, some fine, others common— of those whom he regarded as his heroes — Frederick the Great, Gustavus Adolphus, and a number more. This room is his sanctum,. and few there be who are admitted into it : I have never known more than two— besides his secretaries, whom he, was wont to change very often, and to whom he did not always behave, it was said, so considerately as he. might. There is something peculiar in the. tenure of Mr Carlyle's holding of his bouße in Cheyne-walk. He has not the remotest. conception of who is his landlord. He saw the advertisement of the house to let, with directions to communicate with Messrs Coutts and Co., wrote and received a reply accepting his offer, and directing that he should annually pay in his rent, if convenient, to Coatts and Co., "account Cheyne Walk.'? further, the rent is fixed so low (£25) as to induce the idea that the arrangement sprung from a desire to accommodate the great author rather than to profit by him as a tenant."