STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT.

AUCKLAND, N.Z., SATURDAY, JULY 28, 188 c

RANDOM SHOTS.

[By Zamiel.]

Some write, a neighbour's name to lash. Somo write -vain thought!—for needful cash, • Somo write to pleaso the country clash, And raise a dm. For me, an aim I never fash— I write for fun.

That experiment in philanthropy and fili buster, law-making and land-sharking, known as the New Zealand Native Land Settlement Company, has not succeeded in getting its little bill through the House. A project upon which bishops and " bigwigs " alike smiled with approval, and on which even the Aborigines' Protection Society looked with bland complacency, has en. countered the opposition of the Govern ment; and the pretty picture of smiling Maoris counting their big rent-rolls and placid pakehas pocketing heavy dividends is not so bright as it was. The measure introduced into Parliament with such a flourish of trumpets, which was to regene rate the Maoris by relieving them of their land, and which was either to kick Johnny Bryce from the Cabinet or send the Whita ker-Atkioson Government to everlasting smash, has been dropped like a hot potpto. It was a Napoleonic scheme, but the hero of Parihaka has been its Wellington, and the House of Kepresentatives on Tuesday night was its Waterloo. Latterly the pro moters of the bill would have been glad to pass only the preamble; but even that small mercy has b3en denied them, and Mr DeLautour has withdrawn the entire mea sure. Of course, the accommodating member for Mount Ida will be ready to accept all responsibility for the failure, and to exonerate the "good men and true" who compose the Company from any share in the obnoxious proposals. Has he not already admitted that the chief clause found its way into tbe bill by mistake ? And will he not be willing to coucede that the whole affair has been a gigantic mis take, from its initial inception through its every stage, down to the attempt to " nobble " the Knightot the Kawau. " The Mistakes cf Moses," about which Bob lugersoll and others make such a noise, will henceforth take a back sc.it, and "the mistakes of Mr DeLautour " will pa»s into proverbial philo-ophy instead. However, ■cxpericntia doeet, and I expect to find that when a iresh start is made by the LaDd Comp my they will eschew all attempts to run witn Virtue and Voracity in double harness, and will go in for the pure and un adulterated, if old-fashioned, game of "grab."

The Minister of Immigration, like the revered Mr Weller, has apparently a horror of widows. By his regulations, the local immigration officers are forbidden to accept the nominatii-n of any lady coming within that category. The wherefore of this re striction is not very manifest, for if friends here are willing to undertake the burden of helping members of this unfortunate and unjustly-abused class to a sphere where they can earn an honest livelihood, and per chance pick up another spouse, why should official prejudice bar the way? Widows now, to evade the prohibition, are obliged to pose as single girls—a little deception •which perhaps is only too congenial to some of them when excluded by the stringency oi a harsh Government prohibition. And what lamentable consequences may not this subterfuge have upon the peace of un suspecting men, who are taken in by the deceit, and discover when too late that the eloquent warning of Weller, the elder, has failed of its due tffect, not because of any want ot faith in the sagacity of that close observer of human nature, but simply because the Government have conspired with the " vidder " to secure the conceal ment of those titles which serve as dis tinguishing pennants to the trim little craft against which the Ministerial edict has been directed.

A rumour from tbe Empire City runs to the effect that there was a sad commo tion in the Government Insurance Depart ment over the return of payments made to the several officers. The return was hield back as long as possible, but it had to come forth, and the combined talents of the highly-salaried officials could discover no more ingenious way of accounting for the £3,000 paid to Mr George Thome, jun,, than the note intimating tbat this officer pays his own travelling expenses. Sir Julius Vogel was considered a tolerably dear traveller, and the cab bills of Johnny Sheehan sent a wail through the land, and drew tears from the eyes of honest John Bryce ; but, of all the travellers who ever travelled at the expense of a green and gullible country, George Thome, jun., is the prince, tiia emoluments last year were equal to the pay of two Cabinet Ministers, or a couple of Supreme Court Judges. Now, if anyone refuses to recognise financial genius of the highest order in the skiU with which the milch cow of State has been made to yield its nourishing juices into the pail of this enterprising Civil Servant, he must be blinded by a personal prejudice against Mr Thome. Parliament having now obtained the return it longed for, and having been officially assured that Mr Thorne travels at his own expense, will be giving nothing more than a graceful recog nition of his eminent services by passing a special resolution authorising him to— travel.

How many times have I, "Zamiel," the übiquitous, been accused of " cutting" some fascinating damsel, when my whole nature had been for weeks fermenting into bitterness by the thought that the same fascinating damsel had been "cutting" me. How, too, when I found how the land lay', did not I take up that lofty position of superiority which the lady seemed to accord me, and tepidly, instead of vehemently, dis avow the deed ! " When and how to recog nise." A long essay might be written upon this question of whom we should acknow ledge having met, and how we should do it. In democratic communities like those of the colonies, where there are no very clearly defined social strata such aa exist at Home, the subject should not be attended with nearly the same amount of difficulty, and yet it appears to be very imperfectly understood. As between persons of similar sex, and the same period of life the difficulties' of knowing what to do are, no doubt, greater than when a woman meets a man, or an old person meets a young one, and those who hesitate or bungle over the matter may reasonably enough be excused. But in the latter instances there arc two broad rules it is impossible to mistake, though Auck landers do appear to mistake them, The

first i-<, that on older person may always rightly salute or acknowledge a younger one they havo met, and look for a response ; the second in, that a woman should be always tbe first to recognise a man, and the last to speak to him. The prerogative of a woman in civilised society isto indicate by distinctly inclining her head the man she desires to recognise. It is then the duty of the man to return the salute by uncovering, or, if already uncovered, by bowing in return. After that, it becomes the prerogative of the man to make a further advance, which may be cordially acceoted or not, as the woman may prefer. If women hesitate for men to bow to them, tbey abdicate their privileges. If they do not bow decidedly, their hesitancy or backwardness is opt to be mistaken for aversion or coolness. It is for women to know exactly how to regulate thebow.inorder that men may know the precise footing on which they stanrf with women, and so not subject them to unwelcome intrusion. For a woman to apprehend being "cut "by a man ought to be quite ou» of the question, because as the man possesses the privilege ot speaking first, he can never be seriously incommoded, while to return the salute of a lady is never actually unpleasant. For any woman to pass a mm without bowing, and then accuse him of " cutting " because he did not uncover or incline, is ridiculous.

" My kingdom for a horse I" was the cry of the defeated Richard at a moment when he was not quite himself; and your own "Zamiel," though not subject to fits of temporary mental alienation, has recently made an nrgeut call for a noble animal of the equine species. Equestrian exercise is especially nsetul for stimulating a slug gish liver, so I lately bought a steed to carry me between my office and my resi dence in the suburbs, tie was not exactly

" A Tartar of the Ukraine breed Who seemed as if the speed of thought Wero in his limbs."

He was rather of the kerosine-tin order— a charger accustomed to ride with a canister tied to his tail, and warranted not to shy at a haystack ; iv short, an animal in every way suited to a staid and elderly gentleman of my sedentary habits. Such was my horse, and thereby bangs a tale. The other night, I went to the livery stable where I put him up, and in answer to my demand

Bring forth tho horse! the horse was brought;"

I mounted him, and in company with a friend, also on horseback, I set out on my homeward canter. But from the outset it was evident that there was something wrong with my Kosinante ; he jibbed, and capered, aod pranced about from one side of the road to the other in such a fashion that I began to fear that I should be E itched off. " What's wrong with your orse to-night?" said my friend. "Got too many beans to-day, I think," was my reply. " Not very likely to get that where he was," retorted my friend, who is a man of the world. Uur conversation was cut short by a demonstration more vigorous than before on the part of my horse, which compelled me to hug him round the neck with a greater show of affection than I really experienced. This made my friend look at the brute more closely, when he at once cried out—" I say, Z., has your horse a white foot?" "No," quoth I; but on looking down I saw that the animal I be strode was white in one foot, and then it dawned on me that I had got the wrong horse—that those stablemen had by mis take given me a vicious un-Sampled brute instead of my own gentle steed. Exceed ingly thankful tbat I had not got my neck broken, I descended from the back of the frisky animal and led him the rest of the way home ; and next morning I suddenly remembered that walking was quite as healthful an exercise as riding. Of course, I have since recovered my own horse, and have repeatedly trusted myself to his safe and steady jog-trot ; but I have changed my livery stable, and take the additional precaution of settling the animal's identity each afternoon before I mount him.

The prevalent extravagance iv religion is confessedly a re-action against the for malism, frigidity, and gentility of the regularly appointed clergy. The latter stand at one extreme, the Salvation Army people at the other. One party has gradually frozen all interest out of the teaching of religion and its services ; the other has brought religion into utter con tempt and turned it into an excitement and a pastime. By aU means let us have plain outspokenness, candour, and courage in our ministers, together with a more evident charity and less priggishness; but there is no reason why we should fall into the opposite error, and deal in slang, music hall tunes, nonsensical doggerel, and every species of emotional extravagance which ignorance and low tastes can invent. We do not want common sense divorced from devotion in the fashion which has been re cently exhibited with painful frequency. A short time since, a woman preacher (it is worth noting how these periodical outbursts of emotional religion produce preaching women with mushroom rapidity) was hold ing forth in one of the outlying townships not far from Auckland, when she related a characteristic anecdote. She told how she was once listening to a "revivalist" iv America who declaimed with great vigour against the wearing of jewellery of any description; it was sinful, he maintained, to wear even a wedding ring. Hearing this, the narrator was seized with a sympa thetic enthusiasm, aud tore off the offensive hoop of gold, and threw it to the floor. She has never worn one since. Com ment on such ridiculous unreason is needless. Argument would be thrown away on a person capable of such conduct. One is not astonished to learn that when the husband of the same sbining'llght was lying dangerously ill in the house of a stranger, she was many miles away ex horting and preaching. It goes without saying that a woman's first duty is to attend to domestic affairs, and that this female's sick husband's needs were more pressing on her attention than the ex pounding of a doubtful theology in execrable grammar. If a woman is anxious, after giving all duo and necessary attention to her home and family, to engage in Chris tian work, there are plenty of avenues open to her, where she may find abundance of labour of a useful sort, without her mount ing the pulpit steps and usurping functions to which she is not called.

Who has not at times suffered from nervous prostration, with all its attendant miseries? '^Zamiel," for one, does not blush to admit that he occasionally sustains attacks of mental exhaustion and accom panying "wearine*s of the flesh"—as, for instance, after finishing his weekly budget of "random shots"—and he has sought diligently for a remedy for the distressing complaint. The search was a vain one for

long, but at last a friend brought under tny notice a pa'ent medicine known as "hop bitters," which was guaranteed by a long list of testimonials to be a panacea for an the woes of the dyspeptic, an infallible stimulant to sluggish livers, a pure and non intoxicating "pick-me-up," and a perfect cure for the nervous orostration of sickly or sedentary toiler?, I devoured with avidity those testimonials irom clergymen, eoitors, and authors, lauding the virtu, s of the wondrous compound, and I got thoroughly ashamed of my olil/ashioued expedients of smoking tobacco til! tay nerves were soothed aud taking a braudy straight when I wanted bracing up again. With a hopeful gleam —(no; I don't mean "hop"-ful)—l s>y, with a hopeful glenm in my eye, I read fur ther, that this delicious beverage had saved many from habits of intemperance ; that the manager and all engaged in its manu facture were earnest temperance workers, and that the American Company who owned the patent spent thousands of dollars yearly in temperance aud Christian work; and i remembered also that in their z-al ior cold water, the company had offered a large sum of money as a prize in an international rowing contest.

So I took to hop bitters, and, save that they were rather more nauseous to the taste than my " brandy straight," they produced the same exhilirating and brac ing effect which I had formerly expe rienced from the latter beverage at times of depression. Naturally, I began to pride myself on my total abstinence principles, and was even on the point if offering my valuable testimonial to the in estimable value of the bitters, when a letter which I saw in the " Christian World" rather opened my eyes. Mr Joseph Malms, of the Grand .Lodge of Good Tem plars, writes from Birmingham that he has nad a bottle of the drug examined by a competent analyst, whose report is as follows:—"I have examined a sample ot 'hop bitters,' and declare it to contain— alcohol 796 deg., 12 percent. ; extractive matter, O'3S per cent. The sample aualy sed was contained in a yellow glass bottle and measured 16 lluid ounces. The alcohol distilled possessed a hard oppressive smell, which I believe to be due to an abnormally large quantity of amylic alcohol (fusel oil). The 'Hop Bitters' examined bore the label of the Hop Bitters Manufacturing Co., of Kochester, New York, U.S.A., and was re tailed at 4s Gd per bottle." "It will tnere fore be seen" (says Mr Malms) "that instead of ' Hop Bitters' being an uniutoxicating medicine, it is about as intoxicating as the average ale or beer, and is as alcoholic as if one-fourth oi it consisted of whisky, or of any other ardent spirit ot which 50 per cent, is alcohol. These facts are well known, and have been widely exposed in the United States." Weed I say that, after reading the above, I have relapsed into the use of "brandy straight" whenever I feel in need of a stimulant ? Still I do not imagine that what I have written will injure the sale of those rather bitter hops ; I incline to think that an increased con sumpt will follow ; for all those frail teeto tallers who are steady back-door customers to the publicans will probably discover that they need a little hop bitters for their stomach's sake, and for their very frequent attacks of nervous prostration !

If all that uncharitable folks say about the pettifogging meannesses of some subur ban congregations be true, it follows a3 a conclusion that the pariahionera are not all saints; indeed, a moderately keen scent would detect something very suggestive of —well, not the celestial—mingling with the "odour of sanctity." Occasionally there come to Bght individual instances of "powerful mean" actions, which are really too good to be lost in oblivion. For example, there was a wedding one day, and at the close of the ceremony the bride groom, on retiring from the vestry with his bride, handed to the officiating clergyman a sealed envelope. " Wnat delicacy ! how thoughtfully he does it," reflected the Key. Mr , quite touched by the way in which the no doubt handsome fee was presented. On opening the envelope subsequently, he found, to his disgust, an account for a cooking stove which he had purchased some time before. Tho frugal stove-man, you see, saved a postage-stamp by taking and delivering the account himself. The much-bad minister preached a most power lul discourse the following Sunday on the sin of money-loving, but as the bridegroom had started for Howick on his wild career of honeymooning, it was thrown away as far as its application to himself was con cerned.

Take, again, the foUowing, as a neat example of what a churchwarden of spot less shirt-front and Al orthodoxy can do. In a pleasant suburb of Auckland there was a vestry meeting the other night, at which one of the churchwardens tendered his resignation in consequence of his re moving his valuable person and services to town. Of course, there were the inevitable " ca' me" compliments and regrets ex pressed, more or. less sincere (especially less), that the parish was to Dee Mr H.s presence and assistance in the arduous duties appertaining to a churchwarden. There was also, of course, the equally in evitable reply, in a voice husky from emo tion, that he "had always the good of the parish at heart;" and, moreover, that "he had tried to do his duty, aud hoped he had succeeded;" and, furthermore, that "he would always regard the pariah with affection, and do what he could, In his humble way, to further its interests," &c, &c, &c. At the close of the meeting a list was produced, to which the signatures of the vestrymen were solicited, promising voluntary subscriptions towards the gas fund, all present signed cheerfully ex cepting the churchwarden who was "always willing to do what he could for the parish." Bis alleged reason was that he would be going away. Vestrymen never indulge in profane swearing—well, hardly ever—but several did remark emphatically afterwards that "may they be canonized "-or some thing—"if that ain't mean and no mis take."

XXX

By-the-by, I heard a hearty laugh a few days since at the corner of a street leading out of our principal city thoroughfare. There was such a hearty riDg in it that I looked round to take stock of the laugher. The man was stout and well-proportioned, with a round, good-humoured iacc—just the sort of man to laugh. That charming essayist, Charles Lamb, wrote, " A laugh is worth a hnndred groans in any market," and I could not help thinking that laughter ia constitutionally advantageous, for laugh ing men aro almost invariably fat and happy-tempered. Cromwell, and Johnson, and Mark Lemon often indulged in a ring ing laugh. Thin men are not good at laughing, as Shakespcre has shown in Csesar'i allusion to lean Cassius, who never

laughed. Comedians and players, Garrick, Grimaldi, Liston, and Toole have sent thousands from the theatre laughing and in batter humour with themselves and all the world. Most people like at times to laugh, and wisest men ana deepest thinkers take opportunities of escaping from wearying studies into the realm of comedy. Ihe loud, boisterous laugh of the man at the corner was first-class and inspiriting. Gil bert Abbot a Becker, a most serious magis trate, wrote a comic history of England, and contributed many bright things to "Punch;" aud beloved to spend an hour with the darkies in a Ldndou music hall, and literally roared with laughter on wit nessing the greatest absurdities. His excuse was, "I love to laugh." a man is not necessarily ignorant aud incapable of better thoughts because he enjoys a bit of tom-foolery ; he laughs and feels a tem porary mental relief in seeing the antics of the " perfect cure." He knows there's nothing in it, but it makes him laugh. Dean Kamsay, by his Scottish anecdotes, set Scotchmen laughing from one end to the other of " Caledoma, stern and wild." xxx

That people must laugh was evidenced by the crowds which attended Maccabe's facial contortions and funny sayings. Since the exit of Maccabe, Mr Paddy Doran;has come forth, and this local comedian may take credit for making serious persons laugh. Paddy's recent season at Abbott's Opera House made one fat citizen laugh immode rately. " Lord/how he laughs," said a pre cocious youth with a bit of blue in his jacket. " How the de'il can I help it ?" said the man; "baddy's long-tailed coat and sacken trousers are irresistible." Paddy achieved a triumph, the big man laughed, and a score of persons followed suit. ,

Paddy Doran, therefore, was more suc cessful in raising a laugh than was Arthur .Sketchley at the Theatre with his Mrs Brown. Arthur Sketchley (Mr Hose) — peace to his memory—was disgusted with the want of appreciation of his popular old lady by Auckland citizens, and equally disappointed was Creswick at the reception of his splendid passages from Avon's im mortal bard. Laughter is the outward, vocal sign mirth the inward, perpetual cause. Mirth is peculiar to man." The most sagacious animal, although it may be pleaded with gentle treatment, has no per ception of a witticism, and cannot llaugh. Iv a few instances, however, animals can laugh, but such laughter is imitative and meaningless. The human mind is endowed with the special faculty of laughter, shew ing that the Creator intended laughter to be employed in concert with His will. Laughter has its beneficial effect upon the individual ; it neutralises sorrow, is analo gous to sneezing, and in its results acts as a medicine. It excites the blood to greater rapidity of action, conveys a different im pression to all the organs of the body, and in the opinion of some humorists laughter has the effect of lengthening a man's Hie. Other well-meaning persons have considered that laughter is wrong, and according to Goldsmith's line, "speaks the vacantmind," believing apparently that nature should be robed iv a sable surplice instead of a vest of virgin green beneath laughing skies and sparkling rivers. That laughing man at the corner of Vulcan Lane was a sportsman, believing no doubt in

Sport that wrinkled oare derides. And laughtor holding both his sides.

There was "trouble" both on and off the stage at the Theatre Koyal on Monday evening. The play "dragged" unmis takably, and the players, with very few exceptions, paid too frequent visits to the wing for the purpose of consulting the busy prompter, while it follows as a matter ol course that the dialogue contained a con siderable admixture of " gag." It was scarcely to be expected that the audience should quietly sit under such an infliction, more especially as their indulgence had already been drawn upon by the fainting of the leading lady and the temporary suspen sion of tbe play. The first premonitory symptoms of disfavour and impatience came as usual from the "gods" of the pit, proverbially the most uncompromising of critics when their bile is once turned ; but the infection rapidly spread to the stalls, while the laughter of the circle soon swelled the diapason of disorder from the lower regions. On the stage, as may be expected, matters did not improve under such circumstances. The recourse to "gag" became more frequent, and there were numerous periods of painful suspense in terrupting an animated dialogue, while the sorely-laboured prompter struggled up to scratch with the required words.

At length the denizens of the pit began to assert a leading part in the performance. Tbey threw in promptings of arudeandcomic character, volunteered a few forcible stage directions, and kept up for somo time a close running fire of uncomplimentary commen taries, These verbal annotations attained their culminatingpoint in amannerthatcon vuleed the "house" with a regular guilaw of laughter. A passionate dialogue was proceeding between an aged general (Mr Walsh) and his lovely niece (Miss Sheridan) on the subject of his nephew's misconduct, the general denouncing the tarnisher of the family escutcheon, and the lady work ing upon the old man's feelings in very high " faiutin" fashion by references to the young scamp's infancy, "waving ring lets," "clear, blue, fearless eyes," "infant prattle on the general's knee," and so forth to the customary bitter end. It was in the midst of this ultra-sentimental gush, which the actress's melodramatic delivery and action only served to render still more ex travagant, that a voice of sepulchral hoarse ness and preternatural strength bellowed up from the "pit," "Oh, kiss him for his mother and have done with it." The tones were so suggestive of utter weariness and long-suffering patience that the audience could not resist such a stimulus to hilarity, and the words were too distinct and direct to be disregarded on the stage. As soon as the laughter had subsided, the general strode forward, and, with indignant mien, reproved the base inciter to unnecessary osculation, at the same time stating that the lady had not quite recovered from her indisposition. After this the rebuked dis turber hid his diminished head, the "pit" became less assertive, and the performance slightly improved.

" The King's Dragoons," at the Sydney Opera House, took the public fancy as much as either " Manola" or "Boccaccio." It has just been replaced with "Lea Man teaux Noire," which had a run of seven months at the Avenue Theatre, Charing Cross, in 1882. Jennie Lee is playing "The Grasshopper " at the Theatre Royal.

GOSSIP FROM STAGE AND STUDIO.

[By EuTEitrE.]

SAUA Beknhakdt's life is insured for £16,000.

Signor Giorza, composer of the Sydney International Kxhibitioa Cantata, has left Sydney for Italy.

The History of the Tyrol," fiom the earliest tune down to the present day, by Egger, has been published in Innsbruck.

Lieutenant Herman, the ventriloquist, has purchased Thompson's American War Diorama, and ia exhibiting it in New South Wales.

William Black's new story, "TheStraßge Adventures of a Milkmaid," is to be pub lished in " Harper's Magazine," embel lished with thirty.four engravings.

Nine huu tired pounds per foot and a total of £45,000 sterling have b?en paid by Mr W, H. Paling (music publisher, See.), for land in Sydney upon which to erect a music warehouse.

" Komany Rye " does not seem to have pleased the Melbourne critics. The "Leader" speaks of it as " that precioug hotchpotch ot vulgar scoundrelism and mock sentimentality."

Mr George Darrell has secured the Theatre Boyal. Adelaide, for six months from the sth November next. It is his intention to play combinations, winding up in tbe JEaster of next year with his own dramas.

Mr Bland Holt intends to tike a trip home about Christmas time. He contem plates tbe sending of a company with sensation plays to New Zealand, but he himself will be uuable to accompaoy it.

A commentary on the life of Mary Queen of Scots, based on a translation of a diary kept by her during her residence in Glasgow in 15G7, by Bernh. Sepp, appeared a short time since in Munich.

Kook's Egyptian War Diorama, which is very well spoken of, is being exhibited at the Queen's Theatre, Dunedin, while Miss Juno and her company are at the Princess.

Stanley and Darbyshire's Juvenile Opera Company re-open at the Christchurch iheatre Koyal on August IS, and Heir Bandmann is in treaty'for tbe same place for the month of November.

The Melbourne Liedertafel, now a very powerful musical combination, have just givan their 15Sth concert. The ttrand work of the evening was tbe performance of a dramatic cantata by Carl Beinecke entitled " Hakor Yarl."

In view of the public interest now being directed to New Guinea by tbe recent pro ceedings of the colonial authorities, Messrs Sampson, Low aad Co. are about to publish a new and cheap edition of Signor D'Alberti's " New Guinea."

Prof. K. B. Anderson has nearly com. pleted his translation of Frederic Winkel Harris's " History of the Literature of the Scandinavian JNorth, trom the Most Ancient Time to the Present." It wiU be published about September ty S. C. Grigg

General Humphries, of the D.S. Army, has written another war volume, which the Scribners will publish. Itiscalled "Gettys burg to the KapidaD," and follows the army of tbe Potomac from July, ISP3, to March, 1564. It is a companion volume to the Campaigns of the Civil war Series.

The health of Miss Jenny Watt-Tanner is now improving, aud she has resumed her place on the Melbourne stage. Her place in Mr Wybert Keeve's company had been ably filled by Miss Maggie Knight. Mr Prank Gerald (Frank Pearson) is a member of the same company.

Captain Barry and his 70ft. whale are located in a specially-erected building in St. Andrews-street, Uunedhi. Onare'cent occasion, the papers say, the Colonial Munchausen entertained a number of three ladies and sixteen gentlemen at dinner within the jaws of his whale.

Frani a London paper I perceive tbat Thomas Burdett Howe, 4,7, an actor, of Arlington Park Gardens, Gunnersburv, has been fined for being drunk and in capable at Kfngsland Koad, Shoreditch. The description seems to fit the heavy tra gedian, J. B. Howe.

Frederick N. Crouch, the composer of " Kathleen Mavoumeen," is a grey-haired man, who lives on poor fare in Baltimore. A tattered coat of Confederate grey keeps some of the cold out. He is now out of employment, is too old to help himself, and has a wife and five children.

An English clergyman has just compiled a volume on "Shakspeare as an Angler," in which he attempts to prove the poet's knowledge rf the gentle sport by collating all the references t'. fishes and fishing to be found throughout his works, the barbers might now have a "try" at the divine bard.

Alexander Stuart, tbe recently deceased son of Dr. Stuart, ot Dunedin, had a talent for versification, and he has left behind him a manuscript book of poems, many of them said to be of considerable merit. One entitled " Retrospection," written about two months ago, was read by Dr. Salmond on the occasion of the funeral sermon.

Flotow's executors have discovered among his papers the manuscriot of a com plete grand opera in five acta, entitled " Sacountala," and the scores of a comic opera called " Les Musiciens," and of two operettas, "Le Deserteur" and "La Ven geance dcs Fleurs." In another portfolio were a number of unpublishod songs, two concerts for a pianoforte, and a mass.

Gilbert and Sullivan are working hard at their new operatic collaboration. The first act was finished when the mail left, and Mr Sullivan was to take it with him on his holiday trip abroad. Some reports say that it is founded on "The Princea*," and others allege that it is based on a " Bab" ballad. At any rate, it is to be ready for the Savoy by October.

At a stage dinner recently given in Mel bourne, George Kignold, in replying to the toast of his healih, said that as an actor he had always striven to elevate his profession. The ideas of people diileretl a good deal as to facts In regard to what was " Christian," but there was a code of Christian morality which it was the pride of the English to uphold. He wished to see it reflected in the drama. (Hear, hear) To be sure

Tho Drama's laws tho Drama's patrons (five, That thosu who livo to please, must plcaßO to live.

And you could not always have exactly what you wonted, but his aspirations were all towards making the stage a power tor good.