SHIPPING.

POUT OF A1 TCKLAND

The fino schooner Cleopatra, for the Fijis, has been detained till to-morrow. She has room for a fevr more passengers. The fine barque Island City will sail for Gladstone on Frirlav next, carrying passengers for the iipw goldfield, Queensland.

COMMERCIAL.

Evening Stab Office,

Tuesday afternoon. Mr. S. Jones held a large sale of groceries, oilmen's stores, &c, at his mart, to-day. There was a largo attendance, and satisfactory prices were obtained.

Mr. George Sibbin sold, at his mart, to day, a quantity of very fine potatoes, butter, &c, and obtained fair prices. The allotment in Upper Queer.-street, sold by order of the Registrar of the Supreme Court, fetched £300.

THE MAILS.

For Thames, this day, afc 4.30 p.m., and to

morrow, at 8.30 a ra. and 5.30 p.m. For Vfangarei, and Russell, por p.a. Samson,

this dny, afc 4. p.m. For Mongonui, per Ivanhoe, to-morrow, at 10

For Australian Colonies, per s.s. City of Melbourne, to-morrow, a1 3 p.m. Late letters, bearing a fee of 3d. in addition to the postage, will be received till 3.30 p.m. For Sydney and the Australian Colonies, per s.s. Hero, on Thursday, the 18th instant, at 2 p.m. For Fiji, per Sea Gull, on Thursday, 18th

instant, at 3 p.m. For Wangarei, &c, per s.s. Go-Ahead, on Thursday, the 18th instant, at 4.30 p.m. S. B. BIS 3, Chief Postmaster.

POLICE COURT.

The following is the rota for attendance of Magistrates at the Police Court for the week ending August 20,1870 :—

Wednesday, August 17. —L. D. Nathan and Jas. Naughton. Thursday, August 18.—Jos. Newman and Jas. O'Feill. Friday, August 19.— G. B. Owen and G. P. Pierce. Saturday, August 20.— R. F. Porter and T. Ritchie.

BIRTHS.

Andeews.—At Mnwhera Quay, on 2nd August, the wife of Mi-. H. F. Andrews. Collector of Customs, Greymouth, of a son. GBIBBIE. —On August 15th, at his resi dence Knrarmi Hill, Thames, the wife of James Gribble of a son.

MARRIAGES.

DICKET —Sands. — June 14th, at Hills borough church, by the Rev. Howard B. St. G-eorge, Incumbent, assisted by the Eev. Owen H. Phipps, James Dickey, Auckland, New Zealand, to Sarah Sntton, eldest daughter of William Sands, Esq., Hiilsborough, County Down. Ireland.

Baxter—Eaton. —On the 9th. instant, at St. Martin's church, Stamford, by the JRev. C. J. -Dyer, M.A., dompstic chaplain to the Marquis of Exeter, John Lea Baxter, of Cot tinghavn, Yorkshire, to Elizabeth, third daugh ter of William E;.ton, Esq., M.D., late of Grantham. No cards.

DEATH.

Wilson. —On August 11, at her residence the Terracil, Hape Creek, Eliza Anne, the beloved wife of Mr. William Wilson, draper, Shortland, aged 31 years.

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1870.

The final solution of the question re lating to the settlement of the port of call on the San Francisco mail route is approaching. On this side of the Pacific.it may be regarded as settled, so far as the claims of Auckland and "Wellington are concerned; and the

mail has just brouglit tidings from America showing ihat on the east side of the Pacific calm consideration of a distant controversy has induced a very pronounced public conviction on the question. The mission of Mr. Collie to the colonies has been produc tive of much good, and, had he executed that mission in a differ ent way, and without such an tagonism towards our northern city, we should not now have so satisfactory assurances of the alliance of Sydney and Brisbane, and the total indif ference of Melbourne on the subject. We can have no hesitation now in seeing that if the fixing of the port of call is to be dependent on the wishes of the colonies which are likely to join in subsidies, and to use the Trans- Pacific mail route, the consideration of Wellington must be waived, and although this is the principle of guidance in selection as expressed in the bill pending in the American Con gress, and is generally accepted as just by the American people, yet the people of California cannot help pre judging the case, a" d giving significant hints. Geography is so wholly on the side of Auckland, that the Xews of the World thus expresses Califor nian views :—" At the same time, we are bound to say that unless New Zea land and Victoria pay the whole of the subsidy, it would be absurd that the through steamers from here would go away south aa far as Cook's Straits. To do that would be to avoid New South Wales and Queensland alto gether, and to make the passage to Melbourne longer and exceedingly unpleasant, for the rough weather ex perienced on the New Zealand coast when a latitude so far south as Wel lington is reached, is well known." But a new claim is coming promi nently to the front; and, as we stated from the first, our controversy is not with Wellington but with 3?iji. As geography fights for ' Auck land against Wellington, so can no one deny that the proper route in the interest of all the Australian colonies is via Fiji. But what result this inevitable place of call will have on the interests of this city, and of New Zealand, will be dependen! on the nse made of our opportunities. The American journal ridicules the objec tions of New Zealand to a branch line connecting with Fiji, and affects to regard the matter as but a difference in name. Bub there is a very wide distinction between our travellers and trade connecting themselves with a trunk line, subject to all the contin gencies of crowded boats and irregular sailing, and their leaving our coasts ?n the steamers that will land them in San Francisco. And as the conti nental colonies have their Suez and Torres' Straits and Cape routes to fall back upon, and we have only our single Pacific route of any practical advan tage, it is earnestly to be hoped that no consideration will ever induce our Grovernment and Legislature to be parties to any arrangement that will remove New Zealand from the trunk line. If a branch Hue connect Fiji, let it be with Australia; but as a matter of vital interest to the commercial pros perity of New Zealand we must insist at any cost, that the through mail-boats come to New Zealand. That Fiji will be in the trans-Pacific route is as cer tain as that the shortest line between two points is a straight line; and from the vantage ground we now hold in possession of the route, it is ours to foresee the coming of the inevitable, and bend it to our interests.

"We remind our readers "that Mr. B. N. Jones takes his benefit at the Prince of Wales theatre this evening. An excellent programme is announced, and we hope to see a crowded house to-night, and show Mr. Jones that his past endeavours to please will not be allowed to pass unrewarded.

We are informed by a friend that two ravens, evidently recently come out from the acclimatization grounds to see the world, were this morning quietly pecking about at the foot of Hepburn-street. The birds appeared quite tame, and will afford a strong temptation to mischeivotis urchins to exercise their " shang hais." We trust that the ardent friends of our young New Zealanders will use their in fluenca to protect the ravens as well as any other birds that may be trying to find homes for themselves on the " self-reliant policy."

The G-lassblowers 1 entertainments in the City Hall continue to draw with unabated interest. Last night there was an excellent house, and the curious skill of the manufacturers was the fhemo of often expressed and warm admira tion. The number of pretty gifts bestowed at the close of the entertainment affords a very marked feature in the gratification and plea sure of visitors.

The following meetings in Bankruptcy took place yesterday, at the office of the "Provi sional Trustee, Supreme Court.: —Stevenson and Campbell, lstmeetingr,adjourned; Andrew Austin, Ist meeting, adjourned. The Pro visional Trustee became Trustee in the estate of Thomas Bourne (2nd meeting). John Mowbray became Trustee in the estate of John Cromwell (Ist meeting), also in the es tate of Henry Potter (Ist meeting).

It is notified that the nomination of a per son entitled to serve as a representative of the Thames District, in the Provincial Council, will take place at Shortland, on the 23rd iustant, at noon.

POLICE COURT.— Tuesday. (Before H. Morrow a^d H. D. Morpeth, Esqs., Jus I ices) DRTTNK.ENNE3S. 8.. Long was fined 5s and costs, or to be imprisoned 24 hours with hard labor, for a first offence; and W. Colliver and Margaret Bainsbury, for second offences, were fined each 10s and costs, or to be imprisoned 48 hours with hard labor. THKEATENING- liAXTGTJACKE. T. Mulvany was charged by Anne Mulvany with threatening to take her life, on 13th .August. Mr. Brock for compla'nant.

Anne Mulvany deposed: lam wife of defendant. On Saturday he came to mj house, and said he " would be one with me to my heart's content," and that he would cut my throat. I ran out of the house for pro tection, and have been obliged to stay from home for fear. On my return he had broken all my furniture. I now hold a protection order from this Court. This is the third time he has done so. I have been obliged to take away my family from the bouse.

Sergeant James McCafferty deposed: I visited the house yesterday, and found almost everything in it broken. Prisoner has already been convicted and imprisoned for assault, breaking windows, larceny, threatening lan guage, and has been bound over to keep the peace, and is only three months out of gaol.

Ordered to find, security himself in £50, and two sureties in £25 each, to keep the peace for twelve months. "IAECENY, VALUE £16.

Edward Groar was charged with having, on the 29th January last, at Karaka Creek, stolen from William Essie a silver watch, eleven pound notes and half-sovereigns, to the total value of £16.

The prosecutor being in Shortland, though all the other witnesses are in Auckland, the ease was, on the request of Mr. Broham, re manded till Friday. Bobert Leary was charged with stealing from a clothes line, belonging to Mrs. Sheridan, of Pitt-street, shirts, socks, Ac, value about 20s.

The case was remanded till Thursday, The Court then rose.

THE MECHANICS' INSTITUTE ENTERTAINMENT.

The entertainment last ni^ht at the Mechan ics' was received by a house absolutely crammed, and the committee that gave the proceeds of the Carandini benefit to the poor sufferers by the Tauranga have learned that a. good deed is not lost. It cer tainly speaks well for the good-heartedness of the people of Auckland to find them crowding to the hall last msht, and re turning to the committee of the Institute their generous gift. The entertainment was an eminent success, and to Madame Mohler, Mr. Connor Roach, Mr. Neill, and the musical family who kindly aided, a debt of gratitude is due. The '; Auckland Ethopian Troupe" of debutants was exceedingly successful, and will, we have no doubt, in future, become a very attractive feature in connection with the In stitute. The whole affair passed off with eclat.

THE PROPOSED FORCE FOR SER VICE IN NEW ZEALAND.

An idea has been for some time prevalent in military circles that arrangements were being made for raising a force in this country for the service of the Colony of New Zealand. It was certainly a part of the? missioi of the Colonial Commissioners (Dr. Featherstone and Mr. Dillon Bell), to make arrangements for organising snch a force should they deem it practicable; and those gentlemen, whose services on behalf of the colony have been most unremitting, have been in communication with the authorities at head-quarters on the subject. The Duke of Cambridge promised to render every assistance to facilitate the volunteering of officers for New Zealand, but an insuperable difficulty seems to have presented itself as to the means of securing the service of levies made here _on arrival on the other side. This and other difficulties which have paesented themselves havo caused the Commissioners, after mature deliberation, to decide on not raising a force in England for service in New Zealand. —English Paper.

AUCKLAND RIFLE VOLUNTEER BAND.

To the Editor of the Evenings Stae,

Sib, —Having noticed in one of our morn ing papers complaints against the Volunteer Band for refusing to march out with the battalion the last march-out night, I cannot refrain from making a few remarks on it. On the night in question, the band were at practice, as is usual on Thursday evening, when they got notice that they were to play the men out for a march, consequently our bandmaster having to go to his employment, the band did not care about going without their leader. If they want a hand, let them do as the otber provinces do that have a band, and as the Volunteer regulations, I believe, commands all members enrolled in the Volunteer force to pay the sum of one shilling per month, out of the number of Volunteers enrolled at present, that would keep their band in good order, and place at their option to march out when they pleased. —I am, &c. B.D.

The Independent has the following : —lt ap pears that some lion, members or other per sons have a decided penchant for Hansard and Parliamentary papers. During the pre sent session hon. members have made frequent complaints of losing such trifles as copies of papers, &c, but it has now readied its culmi nating point, as during the afternoon sitting yesterday Hr. Hall complained that his pigeon hole had been ruthlessly cleared of its entire contents of Parliamentary literature. This is really a most distressing case. Jove without his thunderbolts would bo infinitely better oft' than the hon. member for'Heathcote without his Parliamentary records. To somewhat paraphrase Shakespeare, the hon. member for Heathcote might with Shylock exclaim—"lf thou do take away mine Hansirds, you do take away the means whereby I speak." We therefore trust that the perpetrator of this act of annexation will, on reading this, over whelmed with remorse, make immediate and complete restitution.

The Execution in Tullamore Gaol.

On Friday morning (the 27th ult.) at eight o'clock, Lawrence Shiels, aged 24, and Marga ret Shiels, aged 29, brother and sister, were hanged in Tullamore gaol for the murder of Patrick Dunne, committed exactly three months ago. The awful event is thus described by a writer in the Dublin freeman: —

Perhaps in this land of swift and sudden bloorl Miere never was so bad a deed for so poor a cause. This brother and sister actually murdered the man for nothing. There had been a wordy jealousy about a path to turf cutting. In time it grew into hatred, was proved by assault, avenged in murder, and culminated in execution. The two beings who were hanged this morning, a brother named Peter, and an aged and infirm father, lived together, and .managed some forty acres of land. The woman had always been of quick temper, high passion, turbulent in words, and threaten ing. It is stated that she had been feared and avoided. Patrick Dunne, aged 30, married, and supporting his widowed mother, was a hired servant; and in his disputes about the path and the turf merely protected what he believed was his employer's right. Peter Shiels assaulted Dunne, and was sent to gaol for six months. Margaret Shiels made no secret of her intent. She said she would shoot the man when her brother came out. Her neighbours, hearing her dreadful threats, tried to soothe her, and advised her to go to the priest. The woman replied that she would hold a basin on one's breasb while a man cut his throat. The fiend was roused in the woman, and was never laid. She seems to have taken her younger brother Lawrence into the bloody business. I cannot help thinking that the im punity which follows many Irish crimes hard ened this unhappy pair in their murderous design. The young man openly took a broken pistol to a blacksmith, who repaired it for a shilling. He bought caps and shot in the town. A knife was sharpened for him. And the murder of Patrick Dunne, perhaps sudden ly conceived, was thus of deliberate malice determined. There was really nothing to palliate this savage revenge. The imprisonment of their brother was not unusually long; and his assault must have been furious to warrant six months' incarceration. On Saturday evening, the 26th February, Dunne passed the brother and sister as they stood on the road to Toher. He bade them good night, and they replied with a bullet. The woman shot him twice. His throat was roughly hacked with a knife. The pistol was broken, but not until they had shot him eight times. He was then huddled into a drain hard by, and left with life enough to live in agony. He was taken up, made a dying declaration before a magistrate, and expired in a few hours. He charged his death on the two Shiels. With the carlessness of consequence which they had shown from the first, they left the pistol and the knife on the ground. Here was evidence circumstantial. The man fled to Queenstown as. an emigrant, but was arrested at the ship. The woman went home to her old father. .... The days that seemed dreary and interminable seemed swift as night came on, and " the span" narrowed and fled from time as May 27 approached. The woman, whose youth had lent to her cruelty and unrelenting vigour to her revenge an abiding passion, now yielded to the solicitations of religion, and prepared for her miserable end. Her brother from the first had shown signs of contrition. He seemed afflicted while his sister was stub born, and was more keenly sensible of his un happy position. But when every hope was broken, and doom was as certain as death itself, they become one in the awful prepara tion. The clergy were with them always, and fortitude and calm took the place of anguish and dispair. They saw their relatives, for friends they had few. They parted from them calmly and without a tear. They spent last evening in prayer, and retired late to sleep the last sleep of earth. The young man slept through the night, but the woman rose at four. She prayed fervently, and waited in r.olemn quiet the coming hour. The Rev. Dr. Kane, the parish [priest, the Rev. Mr. Leo nard, the Key. Mr. -3-affney, and the Key. Mr. Flood, cinates, came to them soon after six. At seven they went into the chapel, and Mass was cele brated. Half-past seven was told by the booming of the gaol bell, which the law directs ' shall sound for the hour in wh"ch the execution is done. Now a black flag is hoisted from the capital in front of the prison, boding of the dreadful work within. Now a man of broken gait, his face hid in crape, his eyes glaring through rudely slashed holes, comes through the little door. And now a man with his hands pinioned and a priest at either side; and now a woman with her hands pinioned and a priest at either side. The man's face was young, but " care sat on his faded cheek." His pinioned arms but the more broadly opened his great chest and showed his stal wart form. His brows ran in a deep black line across his forehead. His hair lay negligent and wild. His lips were faded and moved in prayer. His sister, square and strongly built, spoke in a firmer tone, and her suppli cation was heard above them all. Each walked without assistance the hundred yards to the gallows, but when a curve brought the thing full in view Lawrence Shiels faltered for an instant and looked b-hind. The Litany of Saints was continued, but his responses were fitful and broken. His sister, with unshaken voice, and face that never paled, walked on. They now knelt down and made an act of contrition. The woman arni-pinioiied as she was, rose without assistance. She did not observe the way whereby 'she might have walked erect to the drop, but quietly stooped to half her height under the bar in front, then turned round, and looked straight into her grave. She prayed loudly all the time. The young man shook hands with tbe gaolers, and then with the clergyman, and walked on to the drop. Mutuall they turned and" grasped the nearer hand of the other, and so they stood together. The hangman was nervous and disturbed. His crape had become awry and he did not see well. He pinioned the hands of Margaret hields, and included in the folds of her dress the rope which hung beside her. He then pinioned the man, and tbey neither seemed to blench. The error noticed must be undone. The women's dress is loosed, and the rope withdrawn. Now Shiels looked at his sipter, and at the ten men who silently stood by. The hangmrn, all distraught, was walking down the step 3 into the vault when he was recalled. He came back, enlarged the noose, and put the rope on the woman's neck, adjusting the knot to the side; he did the same for the man ; and then put on their whit* caps. At this Bupreme moment the

words of the absolution were heard ; then the booming of that dreadful bell; then the bolt was drawn, and the hangman fell upon his knees; and Margaret and Lawrence Shiels were gone to their great account. We all knelt down, and prayers were offered for the repose of their souls; and the Litany was recited, and the Miserere and the De Profundis. In half an hour there was but little stir below, and there was a sigh of the violent deed that had been done. Later in the day an inquest was held, death certified, and duly recorded. Their malefactor's grave wa3 ready, and received them ; and what niayhap began in a look, a word unkindly spoken, was ended m death and degradation.— Bwjlish Paper, June 10.

The Men in Women's Clothes.

(From The Times.)

Fob a whole month the public curiosity has been fed, though probably not satiated, by the details of the most extraordinary case we can remember to hare occurred inj|our time. The " revelations " came to an end on Mon day, and the two prisoners, Boulton and Park, were committed for trial at the Central Crimi nal Court, bail being refused. The existence of such a scanda[ is a social misfortune. .The charges made by the prosecution are such as are seldom advanced in this country, except against the lowest, the most ignorant, and the most degraded. That there should be in English Society a-i association of young men, with ramifications not yet defined, some of the members of which are accused of the most hateful immorality, while the relations of most of them to each other are supposed tt> hare been familiar and indelicate beyond expression, is a thing of which we cannot help being ashamed. We have been accus tomed to associate such offences with the sensuous civilization of antiquity, and with tbe barbarism or demoralization of certain races in our own day. But we are not pre pared to find even tie suspicion of them attaching to youths of respectable family and position. The world might fancy that it had a general knowledge of dissipation as practised in the nineteenth century ; but the evidence in this matter might surprise an Old Bailey attorney, or a police inspector, or a gaol sur geon,-or any other person who thought he had not much to learn of the wickedness of the world. However the case may end, we cannot but feel that this androgynous clique aid its associates have committed the worst possible social outrage, and will fully deserve «ny social excommunication with which they may be visited.

Some of them appear to be merely fools. We hope that as many of them as possible will be able to convince the world that they belong to this comparatively respectable class and may claim immunity from any worse suspicion. How " drag" originated we do not pretend to know. But it appears that for some years past it has been the fancy of some empty-headed, effeminate young men to play female parts in amateur theatricals. The public stage may have suggested by contrast, to the theatre-going youths the idea of such a transformation. The modern burlesque relies for success on the adoption of male costume by handsome and well-made young women. The leading actresses all want to be young Princes, and so forth. An assiduous study of this noble form of the drama may, perhaps, have put it into the heads of one or two of these young men that it would be a clever thing to turn the effeminacy of their own features to account by playing women's parts, just as women on the regular stage make up as young men. Tkis seems to have been the beginning of a course of disguises which, on the assumption most favourable to the prisoners, have been carried far beyond the bounds of decency. As far as we tan learn from "the evidence, Boulton and Park were the first of the set to act women's parts and to go about in women's clothes. They seem to have possessed considerable theatrical ability, and, no doubt, attracted curiosity and made many acquaintances. .

It is, of course, conceivable that when young men were known as players of female parts, and as cultivating generally an effeminate ap pearance to fit them for the career, they would be addressed jestingly as women by the men of their acquaintance without anything more criminal than very miserable taste. This, of course, will be the defence, and it will be the effort of the prisoners' counsel to persuade the jury so to interpret the letters which have been put in evidence, some of which have been read, while others will first be made public on the trial. But, whatever the relations between the prisoners and their friends, there can be no doubt that for more than a year they have carried on the practice of appearing in " drag," and, indeed, parading the towji in it. Their conduct was so audacious that one can hardly imagine them to have been conscious of the scandalous nature-of their acts, the interpre tation that must be put upon them, and the danger they would inevitably run. They went to theatres, took private boxes, talked with this man and that, and, whether dressed as men or as women, contrived, it would seem, to convey the impression that they were women. It is in evidence that they were frequently turned out of public places, and though we would not give implicit credence to all that is stated by such a class of witnesses as deposed to this part of the fctory, yet it cannot be doubted that the prisoners were well aware of the scandal they gave, that they were too thoroughly warned for their later offences to be considered a frolic, and that on any supposition they have been guilty of an outrage on propriety with which the law ought to deal.

The most curious part af the story is the influence -which theee personations had on other young gentleman of similar tastes. If the prisoners had been more cautious, and abstained from alternating their costumes under the eye of the * une policemen and the same beadles, there i? no saying how far things might hare gone in a year or two. "Drag" might have become quite an institution, and open carriages might have displayed their dis guised occupants without suspicion, except to the initiated. If anything can add to the scandal of the case, it is that at a ball given at a London hotel, at the expense of a youth just of age, nob less than six men in women's clothes should have appeared, the giver of the ball himself being one. The fact that some thirty men should have been present at such a scene, and consious of the disgraceful travesty makes us rejoice that such practices have received a check. It will be said, in defence of G-ibbins and some of the others, that their acts began and ended in mere folly. Be it so j but there is a folly which verges so nearly on criminality that ib ought not to escape the severest reprobation, even if tfeere

were no punishment provided for it. 8;j the ball -were not a sufficient escapade, ■wo find Gribbins and another going' to the boat race in broad day. According to Gibbing himself, "We went in a brougham hired at the hotel. Our faces were powdered and painted. We had false hair and chignous, stays, ladies' toots. We met two gentlemen at the boat-race," &c. Taking tie most favourable vitw of thi3 young man's conduct, can any one doubt that he richly merits some of that wholesome correction which is applied to his juniors in years. At all events we must protest against any more sham women being allowed to parade their ■ effeminacy in future under any pretence. The law is supposed to have a weapon in itg armoury against such an abuse; and if this proves to have been blunted by time, it may be re-sharpened by the Legislature. Men in chignons leering at other men from a broug ham are bad enough, but the outrage is mor» intolerable when they presume to go to places of public entertainment like a theatre, fre. quented by ladies, and are enabled by their disguise to enter rooms reserved for women. We find it was the practice of several mem bers of this epicene college to appear in public dressed with such care and success that it was ; almost impossible to recognize their sex. Should any one of them intrude himself among decent people again, it would be pardon-,, ---ablefor any gentleman present to take the W.1"' into his own hands, and inflict on the offends* ! a suitable castigation at once.

HONOURS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

The Queen has been graciously pleased to ' apj>rove of thewords " New Zealand" being borne on the colours of the following regi ments, in commemoration of their services in that country during the years 1845-6-7, 1860 ---1-2-3-4-5-6 :—The 12th, 14th, 18th,; 40th, 43rd, 50th, 57th, 58th, 65th, 68th, 70th, 96th, and 99th Foot. Scrolls with the above words, for attachment to the colours, can be obtained on application to the Director of Clothi nj, Pimlico. —English Paper.

Tke following report of the cruise of tin '• Blanche in search of the possible survivors of the Matoaka is from the Wellington Inde pendent : —The Blanche left Sydney on the 2nd July, and after a ten days' trip reached Cam ley harbour, Auckland Islands. Examined the coast carefully for any sign of the cast-; aways, but without success. Before leaving the Islands, the Daphne arrived, and«nade m kuown to the Blanche the object of their., visit. The people on board the schooner were I taken on board the Blanche, and landed at Port' Ross, while the Blahche went, round the island. On completing the circuit the anchor was dropped in Port Ross on Saturday, and ; they remained there all day Sunday. All the ; boats were sent out to different parts of the , coast, some of the Daphne's crew being in each boat, with instructions to light fires during the search ; but they all returned unsuccess ful. The case in which supplies had heen de posited was found broken open, quite empty, . exposed to the weather, and with considerable wa' er in it. The case was emptied, dried carefully, and a fresh supply of provisions, < clothes, blankets, and other necessaries put into the box, and the whole sealed up. Every thing that experience could suggest was done to discover any trace of people, and to make still more certain the heavy guns of the Blanche w^re fired at regular intervals during her stay, and the reverberations through the ' hills must have been heard and elicited some v sign of life if any human beings were there. ; - The spot pointed out as the place where the G-eneral Grant was lost, is not a care, as has 1 been the impression." The first annual report of the Mutual Life Association of Australasia to the 30th June, has been issued. The head office is in '; -yduey, and the directors report a succe?sful first year. Out ot 585 proposals submitted, .. 290 have been accepted for sums amounting i to £115,471 6s 3d. In the assurance branch premiums amounted to £6883 2s 6d ; in the endowment branch to £233 Is sd. One claim of £500 has been paid and their other claims amounting to £1,253 8s 7d. The total re ceipts amount to £7,168 12a lid. Tke dis bursements to £3,632 12s 4d, leaving.* balance in favour of the Association of £3,536 Os 7d. Mr. William Bell, juu., has been ap pointed agent for Auckland. Return of sick treated during the week end ing Saturday, August 13,1870, at the Pro vincial Hospital :—Remained last return, ?') 71; admitted since, 9 ; discharged, 6 ; died, s L 1; remaining, 73. Males, 60; females, 13. Arrangement of cases : —Fever (typhoid). 1 j syphilis, &c., 4 ; dysentery, 1; cancer, 3 ; rheumatism, 7 ; phthisis, 11 ; epilepsy, 1 i delirium tremems, 1 ; tetanus, 1 ; paralysis, ._ 8 ; bronchitis, 3 ; heart disease, 2 ; dyspep sia, 1; albuminuria, 1; stricture, 1 ; abscess . and ulcers, 8 ; wound s and contusions, 6; ' amputations, 3 ; resection, 1 ; dysuria j 2."* fractures, 2 ; nesosis, 1 ; cutaucous, 2, de-.V bility, -4. A man died 10th iast., of pul-"'^ monary consumption. In a lately published work, entitled "Lire* ; i of Eminent Sergeants at Law of the English '■-■■ Bar," an amusing anecdote is related of.: • Sergeant Whitaker. The sergeant was travelling the Norfolk Circuit. " A friend," says the author, " at one of the assize towns offered him a bed." The next morning the lady of the house asked how he had slept, and hoped that he found himself comfortable and warm. " Yes, madam, yes ; pretty well : on the whole. At first, to be sure, I felt i-' little queer for want of Mrs. Whitaker; but;!,;' recollecting that my portmanteau lay in the". > room, I threw it behind my back, and it did ; every bit as well." The Customs authorities at the TkamtS contemplate removing their offices frond . Shortland to Grahamstown, in accotdanw with authority received from G-overnment. \hi We are glad tojlearn that the Alburn* Company have declared a dividend of fiw shilli- gs per share. One of our boys has been visiting at his Uncle Ben's. He said while there his uncle made a scarecrow so natural, it not only scared off every crow that saw it, but one crow was so '< frightened, that he turned white in the face, I went, and brought back the corn which heh«d , stolen three days before.

THE EVENING STAR, AUGUST 16, 1870.



NOTICE|OF EEMOVAL. ■ PHILLIPS BEOS., WHOLESALE AND EETAIL TOBACCONISTS, TQTSGt to inform their friends and the pub gdnerally that they have EEMOVED from Lower Queen-street, to niore^convenient [and centrally-situated premises, No. 88, QUEEN-STREET,; Opposite Wyndham-atreet. PHILLIPS BEOS.; 88, QUEEN-STREET. ; crr¥ of Melbourne; NOTICE TO INTENDING- PASSENG-ERS FROM AUCKLAND TO SYDNEY. « "VTO TICKETS will be recog- ArcJNy*- J^l nised on board this <w£ll\lt\^- steamer unless the same have been issued by the undersigned, to "whom the PASSAG-E MONEY must be PAID. CRUICKSHANK, SMART, and CO., • Agents for the Charterers. HigH-street, Auckland, August 15, 1870.



THE undersigned begs to notify that there | is neither relationship or businesi con- ' nection between him and the THOMAS WiLSON Q-ARLICK now passing through the Bankruptcy Court. • , J. TONSON GABLIOK.