STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT.

AUCKLAND, N.Z., SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1883,

RANDOM SHOTS.

[By Zamiel.j

__,» write a neighbour, name to lash, Bffi?Ss-vnta ithought! -for needful cash, f_£e write to please the country clash, S0™ 0 ' And raise a din. „.. m_ an aim I never fash— tor me.»- — i write for fun.

mt aphorism " Godliness is profitable unto jl things," is usually given a very broad interpretation, but there are some very doable evangelical gentlemen who do I -_t hesitate to take it literally in their dealings with the concerns of " the world rt__t now is," whatever may be reserved for : a, world which is to come. A good story jjj circulated v short time ago about one if these practical Chri»tiant>, whose snb jjntial Anckland investments attest most | j|itly that the childrea of light are not all f jofoaocent of the ways of the world. He judbeen attending most assiduously at the hjd.ide of a yonng gentleman staying •t .distinguished residence in Remuera, wboae lile'- sands were rapidly sinking and amid much excellent spiritual consola tion, managed to intersperse some pleasant worldlylOOnveisotion abont his own share and property specs. He had embarked heavily is Moanatairis prior^to the last «nnrt aod then stood to win _ handsome xM-iom on hia investment. The collapse LiMTOr, ww- unexpectedly, and the «_tleman at whose hoase the sick fun waa ataying, and who had been an auditor of these edifying interviews, could _.t resist lhe temptation to get off a joke noon tbe pious counsellor of his friend. Meeting him in town jo»t after the collapse Tn'Uapge, he approached with grave face ind_*id, "I'm co glad I met you; I have _,nree_t message from poor Blank—he's «iV bad." "Ah!" responded V., who, toiicltding it must be Borne words of suirituai thankfulness, assumed at once his nißt heavenly mien, " What did my poor lag friend Bay?" "Well," quoth tbe oilier ''He spoke very tenderly of your mit'kindness to him, aud the incalculable irvice you bod done by opening bis mind j, the troth." " Yes I Yes 1 It warms use's heart to bear this;" interjected V., taming with benevolence. "And," con tinued the host, with imperturbable conn iell__ce, "he wished me ti tell you he ttildn't die happy until he knew whether ,01 .ad cleared your Moanatairis before ItriaU." Tableau ond exeunt.

xxx r_is story, however, is only illustrative m passant, as an introduction to a mach utter example ef worldly wisdom that com pletely turned the tanles on the "children _ ihii world." V. was the chairman of a aapany formed for th* purely philanthropic pirpose of negotiating tend sales on behalf „ the poor natives.- The company came into conflict with powerful rivals, and .amalgamation was resolved upon. The ton- arranged provided for the transfer of ill tha business of V.'s company to the otiar, in consideration of a sum of £600 to my preliminary expenses, and give the directors a solatium for their services, The .negotiation waa brought to a saeceeetnl .sue through the business tact of one of tbe dlreotors. Tbe balance for division after paying expenses, was something under .£4OO. and, as there were six directors to ■toe it amongst, the chairman per- C ay„ that each individual share would jiMtmt.to very little. A brilliant __u_ht itruck him. Going to two of his co-directors, he pointed out that they three tad iwue the heat and burden of the day, and ought to get the lion's share of tbe .modest plunder. Put in that delicate and tniMul way by a mau of such excellent £ iciplea and discernment, how could they cut ? and so it was agreed that the tlree should vote themselves £100 each, baring the other three to scramble for the nnudniag fraction of £100. The unsus pecting director who had carried ont the negotiation from which the £600 accrued las not present at the meetißg convened for ib division. What was his astonishment in hour or so later upon being informed flat he had been awarded £27, and two co ■Mora similar Bums, while the bland V. _1 hia two friends appropriated unto them- Kins £100 each. Not being a profane past)-, he refrained from those words of ill portent in which wicked men find relief to their pent-up feelings, but he vowed that the trio should be made to disgorge, and >_■ been as good as bis word. x.x x My bat week's paragraph about the "lights of property," and now these are I limited by New Zealand law, was, alter aU, bat a mild illustration of how impotent the real proprietor is as compared with the •occapyinj, tenant. A Christchurch landlord _) been the victim of far more outrageous ■"slings and anows" than tormented tbe ▼icUnti in Auckland's typical case. A Mr Bates rented an office to a Mr Buck, and _* rest' being in arrears, tbe first-named gentleman climbed the stairs on a recent morning and solicited payment. Mr Buck meekly urged that he was " unprepared," whjteuponMr Bates (-omewhat indiscreetly, perhaps) called him "an old thief," Buck rose to reply, and Bates adjourned to the sSaif-head in a hurry, but was there collared bj the outraged tenant; and after a little "difficulty," Busk brought on the famous aposkriori argument, applied it to Bates's coat-mil, and sent the latter gentleman farnsiaiis the same way as he bad gone up—via., bead-foremost. This was de cidedly rough on the sacred rights of pro perty ; but the cup of bitterness was not Ml lor the unfortunate Bates until Buck ned him for £20 damages in the R.M. Court, Bates then lodged a counter-charge ot assault against the "bucking" tenant, «d both caaea were heard together. Mark, Mir, how the law vindicated tbe landlord's rigbt'to collect his rent. By the month of Htßeetham, it told Mr Botes that he de wed all be got; tbat he (the 8.M.) would probably have given him the same — the circumstances; bnt that, as an •Mult had undoubtedly been committed, m offending Buck mnst pay a fine of one halfpenny 1 The law, in its majesty al impartiality, gave judgment for Bites in the civil action, but allowed Jim no costs in either case. I suppose tbe My kicked, sadly snubbed, and much dieted Bates went home with a deep conviction of the enormity of his crime in trying to collect rent, and a sweet sense of palitude that he bad not been compelled j»pay £20 for the precious luxury of call ins Buck an aged appropriate of the results of other, people's labour. He is doabtlcss now a long way on tbe road to conversion to the doctrine of Henry George, Jut all rente should be collected by the Sale. xxx "The old man eloquent," in bis Interest ing address on Tuesday night, showed in a wiety of ways (as Mr Firth pointed out)

that sentiment has always been the most powerful incentive to human action, tie did more—he provided in bis own person a living illustration of the truth ; for was it not sentiment of tbe most exalted ami noble description which moved our worthi est Knight to give to the people of Auck land bis priceless literary store* ? Yes, it was, undoubtedly, and it will be a sorry day for the world when such sentiment cea'es to rule the hearts cf men ! Whilu Sir George was paying a just tribute to the generous acts of Mr Mackelvie, Mr Uostley, Judge trillion, Dr. Campbell, and others, a voice from the audience put the query, "And where do you place Sir George Grey ?" It was not for the gallant Knight to answer that question himself, but the people of this city, and its uuburn denizens of centurion hereafter, will know how to answer it by enshrining deep in the most sacred recesses of their affection and esteem the name and fame of the veteran warrior statesman, whose zeal for learning, and whose love of doing good, have endeared him to the living generation of New Zea landers. xxx Sentiment, however, is a ticklish subject to deal with; from the sublime to the ridi culous is but a step; and betfftuu pathos and bathos the line of demarcation is almost imperceptible. Thus it did not surprise me to find that tbe "grand old man," in the course of his oration, supplied an example of hvwfacilis descensus Averni. He was expatiating on tbe inspiring effect of gazing upon obtain autograph letter*, a«d in introducing a letter signed by Queen Victoria the day after her accession, dwelt with a lingering tenderness on the picture of this fair girl burdened with the cares of State, and learning so yaung the art of Empire. This sort of " gag " was begin ning to " fetch " the loyal audience, until Sir George disclosed that the occupation of Royalty consisted of signing several hundreds of engrossed letters — signing them painfully and laboriously, as only a half-educated school girl can who is anxious to do her be»t This was the occu pation of Her Majesty the day after her ascension to the throne from which she should eway the sceptre over three hundred millions of subjects; and as tbese letters were to tell people to do what they had all done without being told, Sir George cor rectly said that the Queen's Ministers had set her, as her first lesson in Royalty, to do " absolutely unnecessary work !" " Yes, and they've kept her at it ever since 3" 1 muttered a Democratic friend into the car of Zamiel; and though the latter is as loyal to the Throne as any Briton can be, he could only feebly protest againsi the truth of the repartee. So it happened to jmy friend and I (and I donbt doi to many \ Others) that Sir ueorge's appeal to the loyal sentiment missed its mark and produced the opposite effect. But how do I know that it missed its mark? la not the donghty Knight of Kawan an advanced Democrat! And may not that official letter, so painfully signed by the virgin Queen Victoria, yet be uaed as a weapon for the overthrow of Monarchy and the introduction of Democracy ?

Does the attribute of infallibility really clothe the personel of a mining company's board of directors, as " Divinity doth hedge a King ?' and are the individual members thereof sacred from ■wholesome' public criticism! Frequently, from their own point of view, decidedly so. " Who cares for newspaper scribblers ? What have we to do with outside talk V snd bo on. Just so. There i* something very comforting in ■ metaphorically snapping one's fingers at people who "want to know, yon Know." There Is a luxury in feeling self-sufficient, »nd in being self-laudatory; in feeling mutual admiration for each other's superla tive sagacity, and, from the charmed circle of a board, regarding with lofty contempt the opinion* of outsiders. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that meddling " out siders," whose money is at staks, will talk, and in the case of a certain mining company the observations made are not of the mildest. For the matter of that, however, people who stand to lose heavily through what closely resembles most culpable reck lessness, are not apt to cast about for soft and craamy adjectivea in expressing their views. In this company there were 7,500 unallotted shares, wbieh a short while ae<> would, If sold, have fetched at least £7,000 The directors, for reasons beat known >o themselves, but no doubt thoroughly un selfish, did not see fn to realise. They preferred incurring an overdraft of over £3,000 at the Bonk.taking it for granted, of course, that vast deposits of gold would be dug out presently. They made up their minds (or what they call by that term) that it would be so. But, just at this i-oiut, the infallibility test fail* miserably, and '" the consequence is they are jammed totally, and the shares a'int a quarter their former vaMey" ("Patience.") For this state ot things, do blame whatever is due to the secretary of the company, but what ever occult reasons the highly intelligent, far-seeing directors may have for juitltying their action, are at present shrouded iv mystery. XXX An inspection of the latest additions to the Free Library suggests the question, Who is responsible for the choosing ot the books ? But this query, It would seem, is more easily asked than answered. No one appears to know exactly how or by whom the selection is made. Popular wisdom has it that too many cooks spoil the broth, an adage which, unless I am greatly mis taken, receives illustration in the present case. The Library Committee of the Council, not pos«esslng any very extensive knowledge of books, presumably take the advice of ©utsiders who, though they may have a wide acquaintance with general literature, of course are in comparative ignorance as to the actual contents of the Library. The result is evident. Books are ordered .which are already on the shelves. No one will perhqps complain that there are several copies each of most of the novels of Dickens and Bulwer Lytton, though there is a, danger of getting too many of these. It is when works of an expensive and not very popular charac ter are duplicated that complaint is justifi able. The most flagrant case noticsable after a cursory examination, is that of Horace Walpole's Letters, in nine large and costly volumes. The Library already contained the work ; and very bad manage ment is apparent in the Bppearance of another set, which hoven'c the excuse even of being a newer and better edition. Wal< pole's correspondence has interest no doubt tor a certain class of readers, especially for those fresh from a perusal of Macaulay's brilliant e?say thereon; but sarely all the wants of the readers in ques tion were supplied by the existing copy. There are several other instances of dupli cation worth notice, There are now two

copies of each of the following, and I can not help thinking that one would have sufficed:-Disraeli's "Life of Bentiock;" Forster's "Goldsmith;" Craik's "Furiuit of Knowledge under Difficulties" (the second copy being a most inferior edition); Knight's "Dictionary of Mechanics," three larce volumes ; and Koget'e 'Thesaurus." When the next instalment of books is about to be ordered, it would be well if the librarian were consulted a little more than has been tbe case hitherto, for I am quite sure he is not the person rebponsible for these blunders. I give him credit far Knowing wbat books are under bis care. The collection is not so large that he has not the run of the whole of it. xxx The library is badly in want of a catii loejae. Even those who are pretty frequent visitors to it only know about half of its contents. The books ou the upper shelves Being out of the range of vision-nnlesa tbe knowledge-seeker is prep irod to be running up and down the ladders every miuute or two—constitute a terra incognita, aud will remain so unless an index is provided I am quite aware of the difficulties in the way; ona of which, and that not the hast, is the classification of tne books uno>r their right headings. It is a very e.isy matter to mane ridiculous mistakes here, and even ripe scholars are by no moans exempt. The custodian of a libraiy in the south of England, in cataloguing tbe collection in bis charge, came across Thackeray's nevel of ".Esmond," vim placed it among the biographies and mo moirs, misled by the title page. Id ugh Miller's "Old Ked Sandstone" was in dexed by the same genius with the novels. These, of course, are glaiing blunders, but tbe following were mode by a librarian of learning and experience: among the bo tanical treatises he c'assed, "Flowers of the South, from the hortus siccus of an Old Collector;" "Fickle Flora and her Sea side Friends j" " The Lotus, or Faery Flower of the Poets." The first named i« a selection of translations from ihe Latiu aad Italian; the second is a child's Btory book ; and the third, of course, has nothing to do with botanical flora. Misleading titles such as the above are the pitfalls in which librarians are most likely to come to grief. xxx In my little tinpot way 1 am a moralist, and I am never happier than when inditing a paragraph from which a wholesome lessoo may be drawn. Trie story I am about t» hand down to posterity was related toihe partner of my joys and sorrows by a neigh bour daring one of those over-the>back-fence corroborees so dear to the female heart. A worthy man in this city owns a row of four or five houses in a very respectable locality. One of tbe "desirable residences "—»» the land agents call them—happened to become vacant; he advertised bis intention of re letting it. Before very long a gentleman agreed to take the house at a weekly renthl oi 18s. This arrangement had scarcely been made, however, before a well-dressed female made a descent on the owner, and by offering him a higher rental and a bonus, induced him to agree to give her a lease of the house for six months. Wiser in be generation than the first would-be tenant, she had a lease executed, and the dishonest owner lived for a few days in a state of self-satisfaction — happy in having per formed wbat he considered a very clever stroke of business nut mark the re sult, oh ye unjust house-owner*; ye unprincipled worshippers of Mammon The well-dressed female turned out to bo a lady of doubtful reputation, and very soon it became bruited abroad that the " goin'* on " at JNo. 2 Mulligatawny Terrace were "something awfuL" One by one the tenants in the adjoining bouses gave notice, and now our friend Blank is the possessor of four unoccupied and un lettable bouses, and a—well a mansion very much occupied. Poor Blank mourns over his diminished revenues, and refuses to be comforted. Is there not something ter. rible in the grief of unsuccessfully villiany ? 'xxx One evening recently an Auckland "masher" went forth to "math." Hear ing that one of the arrivals by the Kangiti kti had been installed behind tbe bar of a fashionable Queen-street hotel, ho deter mined to proceed thither and if possible add another conquest to his lengthy list. Lean ing across the bar in the most approved negligently graceful manner, he whispered softly, " I believe you came out in the Rangitikei; I came out in the Weatmeath, but I do wish now that I bad come out in the Bangitikei." This speech was accompanied by a sweetly alluring smile. The Hebe eyed him all over from his low-crowned little hat to his daintily gartered boots. She said, ''You came out in the Westmeath, did you ? Well, 1 heard they were a scrubby lot." The masher kicked bimself, and in revenge asked the girl if her hair was all her own. ''Look here, young man," was the sarcastic response, " I don't believe you came out in the Westmeath at all. You're so witty, I believe you must have come out in the Punch-bowl." The masher swallowed down bis liquor, and went out into the cold, piti less night with anger In his heart and dignity below par. xxx The bachelors of Auckland, or at all events a considerable proportion of them, are in trouble, and Mrs Dr. Potts is the caußo. I do not mean to say that they have surrended at discretion to her accom plishments or charms, and yet I do mean to say that she has involved many of them in scrapes from which they experience nome difficulty in extricating themselves. When the learned lady arrived here, she ihsued notes of Invitation to sundry of our female population, each one being fully and fairly addressed. It has not transpired where the doctor obtained the list of citizens whose wives were to be invited, but it is absolutely certain that the list in question contained the names of quite as many bachelors as benedicts. The embarrassing result has been that inammus havebeen thrown iotoa high statouf indigna tion by the receipt of letters directed to daughters-in-law whose existence they had never dreamt of, Bons and heirs have hastily packed portmanteaux and hurried lo tho country to escape the torrents of paternal and maternal wrath, betrothals bavo been rudely interfered with, and family circles rendered unhappy. And all this han hap pened because Mis Dr. Potts thought our bachelors were married, and sought to en lighten tho wives who are yet -to them— in embryo.

Many of the embarrassing cases to which I have referred might be cited, but one wiU suffice. There is amongst the circle of my acquaintances a youth so bashful that the mere acknowledgment of a lady in the street would be sufficient to call bluib.es of the deepest crimson to bis cheeks. His

admiring sistei a have looked upon him as too innoccit to "look at a girl," while they have believed that the feat of crying "boo" to one would be a test too great for bis nhyaieal or moral courage. Imagine their surpris-, therefore, when a few days ago the postman brought a letter purport- iris* to be addressed to this model brother's wifri. The possibility of a mistake never occurred to them. A social revolution swept over tbat household, tears and male dictions were mingled as far as they possibly could be, and dire threats of vengeance on tbe "nai-ty thing," in the event of her "coming there," were given utterance to. When the unfortunate youth returned borne to the family domicile that evening, he was greeted with a scene which might have btten considered sufficient to startle him out of a year's growth. It is all over now, but that young man is anxious that a law should be introduced making it criminal to "call a fellow a married man when he isn't one,"

Punning, or a play upon words, has, for at least a century, been associated with conns of law, and the gravest judge does notconsider a.okeademeuoingot his judicial dignity, A good pun, even from the Bench, lias tho salntory effect of causing a good humoured smile and lightening briefly the anxious mind of a client. Mr Barstow and Mr Macdonald frequently saw fit to indulge their airy fancies called forth by some ludicrous exhibition of an incautious wit ness or defendant; but now one rarely hears a witticism from the presiding maeU trate, and never from a serioußly diaposou justice ol the peace, who feels the weight of ■eaponsibility upon him. Some of the most eminent lawyers of past days have iudulged in puns—some puerile, others pointed to tbe amusement of weary watchers for re sults. Some of these sallies sparkle like sunlight upon dusty folios, full of useful hints. The French people claim a mon opoly in this sort of thing, yet they have nut produced more comic writers than Eng land ur America. The French claim that their language naturally lends itself to the lion mot, and possibly they are right; but, on the other hand, it ia almost in capable of being used for punning pur poses, to which English lends itself so readily. The pun, even under the solemn eyo of the law, is often deemed the lowest form of wit, and unquestionably a play npon words is poorer than a play upon ideas, but in the bands of Hood and a few others, the fun bas been made to embrace both, and the result ia almost the perfec tion of wit.

Three Persons Shot.

A DERANGED MAN CAUSES A SENSATION IN PARIS. New Yobk, April 20,-The "Herald's" Paris correspondent telegraphs : The Boule vard dcs Italiens waa the. theatre this evening of a scene by which the lives of three people were imperilled, and for which no serious explana tion can be given. About 4.30 o'clock a -lussian named AtochoUer, who is known on the Bourse, drew a revolver on a police agent named Moroseili, who was standing in front of the Passage de l'Opera, and would hove shot bim but for the inter fci c ue:e of bystanders, who threw themselves upon him. He contrived, nevertheless, to discharge six shots, by which three persons were severely wounded. Their names are ''oesac, learoo, and Mine. Alaire, all three of whom are dangerously wounded, from enquiry which has been instituted, it appears that alter quittingjtho Bourse, Ato choUer repaired to a shooting gallery in tho Passage de l'Opera, where he practised until 4 o'clock. Then he loaded his re volver and attacked Maroselli on leaving the passage without any explainable motive. The attack is supposed to have been com mitted in a moment of mental derange-: ment, caused by losses on the Bourse. When in the hands of the police, the prisoner kept repeating that the French were dogs, and that he was glad he had killed one of them.

The Peckham Mystery.

Mr Cartbb concluded the inquiry, at the MontpellicrTavern, Qaeen'srood, Peckham, into the circumstances attending the death of Mr Thomas Dawson, aged forty-nine years, a commercial traveller, residing at No. 7, Fennel!'a Boad, who was found with his throat dreadfully cut on the 14th inst. The inquiry had been adjourned in con sequence of the strange disappearance of the widow on the morning ot the day fixed for the inquest, and whose body was washed ashore at Hastings on Monday last, and on whom an inquest had been held, and a verdict of suicide while temporarily insane returned. Tho snm of £30 in notes and gold was found npon the widow.—Mr Geo. Etberidge, surgeon, stated that on the morning of tbe 14th inst. he was called to the deceased, at No. 7, Pennel'a Rood, and on entering the back parlour he saw him scaled on a chair, leaning against a chest of drawers, and covered in blood. Witness examined him, and fonnd that he had a large and deep incised wound iv hi- throat, extending six inches, the windpipe and all the arteries being severed. Dawson feebly muttered tbat he had done it himself, and tbat the razor would be found behind a box in the room, where it was subsequently found covered with blood. The deceased expired (fifteen minutes after. In answer to the coroner, witness said Mrs Dawson at the time informed him tbat she left home on tbe morning in question to make a purchase, and on her return shortly after found Dawson with bis throat cat. she did not assign any reason for tbe act. William Henry Howes stated that he last saw deceased alive some weeks ago. Wit ness saw his wife's sister (Mrs Dawson) dead at the Hastings Mortuary on Monday last. His wife received a letter on Monday morning, which bore the post-mark of Hast ings, dated March 7. It ran as follows : "My dear Sarah—l cannot live longer to see tbis dreadful trouble, sohave determined to jump into the water. Forgive me. (Signed) Mary."—There being no evidence as to the deceased's state of mind, the jury returned a verdict that he died from an injury to the throat which was self-inflicted, but they had no evidence to show his state of mind nt the time of committing the act.

Tbo Committee of the Liverpool Free Public Museum have resolved to hold a loan exhibition of objects illustrating the history of navigation. Representations of ancient and mediaeval ships, on coins or old pictures and prints; ancient maps and charts; primitive compasses and other nau tical instruments, will all bo included. It was to be opened this month.

GOSSIP FROM STAGE AND STUDIO.

[By Euterpe.]

Prof. Hblmiiolz has been knighted by the Kmperor of Germany. riiscock's Federal Minstrels have made a decided hit in Melbourne. The price of the "Cornhill Magazine" will shortly be reduced from la to 6d. Jules Verne's new work is entitled " God frey Morgan, a Californian Mystery." A volume of sonnets by the Earl of Boss lyn is announced by the Blackwoods as in the press. Saint-baen's new opera, " Henry VIII , J" is a great success. The music is enthusias tically spoken of. Bland Holt and Co. having finished their Melbourne season, have opened in Sydney with "Mankind." It is understood in London that "lo lanthe " is to be the last of tbe Gilbert and Sullivan " lopsy-tnrvy " operas. Oscar Stjernholm is tbe latest discovered tenor. He is from Nilsson's country, and may be called another Swedish turn-up. Kegan Paul, Trench, & Co. are to be tho English publishers of tbo new edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works in 12 volumes. The " Hibernla," a monthly published at Dublin, and written by Irish men and women, has entered successfully upon its second year. The Austrian Arch-duchess Valeriei though only 14 years of age, has written some poems in the Magyar tongue, and is now engaged with a drama. A play by Deipit, called "Le Pere de Martial," bas achieved a great success at the Gymuaso in Paris. It is a violent assault on the Beveuth commandment, as usual; B. A. Freeman has collected into a volume some of his papers on English architecture as illustrating English history, which will shortly be published by Mac millan. The " Musical Times" announces tbe decease of Mr Adolph Gollmiok. " composer of pinnofnrto pieces, well-known in this country [England], Germany, and Aus tralia," It appears that the newspapers and periodicals of all kinds issued in the United States and Territories now reach a total of 11,196—an increase of 585 iv twelvemonths. In England there are 1,962 newspapers. The Lcipsic City Council announces the fact that tne anonymous authoi of tbe four act opera, " Bianca and Guiseppa; or, the French before Nice," which appeared in 1853, was no less a person than Wagner. Geo. Darrell't "Naked Truth" is not finding much favour in the Victorian met ropolis. It is said to be a trashy production. In the playbills tbe irrepressible George calls himself "the celebrated actor-author," An ancient life of nt, Patrick in Latin has recontly been brought to light In a manuscript in the Royal Library, Brussels, which formerly belonged to an Irish mon astery at Wiirzburg. It will shortly be published, Miss Annie Leaf, Miss Lambert, and Messrs Cbas, Harding, E, St. Clair, Beau mont, C H, Templeton, and B. L, Skinner are members of a " Boyol English Opera C 0.," which is "doing" the country dis trict, of Victoria. Mr A. C. Swinburne calls his new vol ume of poems on various subjects " A Century of Roundels," and Mr J. A. Symonda has nearly completed a new volume of sonnets, which he calls " Vnga buuduli Libelluß.",

On the occasion of the Czar's recent coronation, four operas by Russian com posers, including Rubcmtcin, were to have been played, and an orchestra of 1,000 players was to have performed on the squire before the palace. The new tenor, Herr Bote), who was discovered in Hamburg a year ago, and raised from his avocation of cab-diivinp to a position on the lyric stage, has created quite a sensation. With proper culture it is said he will develop into a second Maiio. Harry Saville (at present in Auckland) and his wife Rachel Tours de Veno Saville, are bringing an action for the recovery of £1,000 damages from Mr W. Gilbee, a Mel bourne surgeon, on the ground ot his having assaulted the female plaintiff. It is likely to prove a cause celibre. The next volume in the English Citizen Series will be ' Local Government," by Mr M. D. Chalmers. This will be shortly fol lowed by a joint volume on "Depen dencies." Mr J. S. Colton, the present editor of the " Academy," treating India, anil Mr E. J Payne the colonies. The Harpers make the Übersl offer of $3,000 to young American artists for the best original drawing to illustrate Alfred Domett's " Christmas Byma," suitable for publication in " Harp r's Magazine." Only artists nnder 25 years of age are entitled to compete, and already 1,100 applications have been put in. According to an American "special," Sir Julius Benedict, in the course of a recent interview, pronounced Verdi's " Troyatore" to bo "rubbish," Verdi's "Aida" and Bizet's "Carman" to be '.'trash," and Sullivan's "Pinstore" to be "rot.' He prolerred Mali bran to Patti, and considered "Oberon" and " Faust the best operas ho had ever heard. From the " Critic" I learn that M. Chas. Gounod bas sent to the French Choral Society, L' _sp£rance, of New York, a new cantata entitled, "La Statute de la Li berie," It Is composed for male voices, accompanied by a military band. It is said to be large in style, and very effective, and of the sumo class as the famous soldiers' march in "Faust." Gounod's "Redemption," though received with rapture in England, does not, seem to fiud much favourin Germany. _n esteemed correspondent sends me an extract from the leading musical paper of Leipsic, in which tho oratona ia pronounced to be "a very weak composition," The critic also says that, "In the redemption, tbo composer seems to have thorongbly exhausted him self," and he predicts for it a short life. Nous verrons. "Once Thero Wos a Man," is the original title of a serial story which " Tbe Continent" is about to publish, and which B. H. Newoll (Orphans (J. Kerr) has written, after a long ictirement from active literary life. It is said the story differs materially in style from Mr No well's former humorous work, though the elaboration of an intricate plot gradually develops [a huga underlying joke, the denouement of whists, is reserved until tbe very end.