STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT.

AUCKLAND, N.Z., SATURDAY, OCTOBER IS, 1883.

RANDOM SHOTS.

[Br Zahiel.]

n.».n write a neighbour's namo to lash, IS write-vain thought '.-for needful cash, SrJJ,„ write to please the country clash, 301 And raise a din. lor I write for fun.

jjtes a -week's oblivion, "Zamiel" once wore makes his bow; likewise his apology, jfo consideration on earth would have made Mm forego the pleasure of his weekly gossip -th the"readers of the Star, save one, and that one most unfortunately came into pw-he was distinctly and definitely for bidden. X the reader has ever written a tetter to the papers he knows what auto mata those editors are, and he will there fore see I had no choice but kiss the rod an d bow to the despotic command. I j ~ if thn reador has missed me, with wonder the reaa my Tr a cavpin- criticism ? I may natter ° f that o ■ hebdomadal tittle-tattling ? y leasure, while all the while, Lha^SrSrthinksmeahorridbore. he auick nay pronounce me spiteful and LurnC and mean. No matter; I don't mrtlcXrly care about seeing myself as Svra see me so "here we are again," none ?e^se > nope,of our short separation. Sow tha I think of it, there is a very Sufficient reason why the readers of these weekly notes should not regret the tem porary retirement of "Zamiel." They doubtless had as scant courtesy shown to them as I had; but their " Summary treat roent" was of a different stamp from mine. I was summarily disposed of to make room for the Monthly Summary, which I have reason to know has proved a most popular feature of the Star. There now, friends, tou need not protest that you would rather have had my random remarks ; I know you ' don't mean it, but thank you all tho same. And now let us to business. X X X The Redmond campaign in Now Zealand proves to be not such a terrible affair as timid people were led to expect. I suppose itis always thus—things are never so good or so bad as we hope or fear they will be. from various articles in the local Press, ns ■well as from reports which reached us from Anstralin, I, with others, had got imbued with the notion that the Redmond Brothers ■were a pair of tierce demagogues, wild of aspect as of speech, and violent in action as in temperament; men who would sow sedi tion broadcast, and set the whole commu nity by the ears; desperate villains with infernal machines concealed in their bell toppers, and dynamite stowed in their boots; bloodthirsty fiends who would gloat over tho Phcenix Park tragedy ; and un gallant wretches who would say injurious things of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. ' Old Kick himself :s said not to be as black as he is painted ; and I am glad to say that in this respect, if in no other, the Messrs Kcdraond resemble the Great Adversary. They prove to be, indeed, the very anti thesis of what was feared. They are simply a couple of handsome youths, with souls fired by love of their country, and tongues tipped with that peculiar gift ■which comes of kissing tho " blarney stone." Mr J. E. Redmond has lectured here on Home Rule, and his whole de meanour has been that of a gentleman anxious to avoid even tho appearaneo of offence. His tone and sentimonts have been alike temperate. Ho has raised no bad blood (he has, howover, "raised" £225); he has gone, and we aro just "as we1 were"—not one whit "dafter or wiser" on the subject of the wrongs of Ireland and their core. True, the younger and more fiery brother—he who is a iugitivo from an English warrant against him for ssditious utterances—has not yet spoken in our city; so I am, perhaps, "hallooing before lam out of the wood." I venture to predict, however, that the fiery William will "roar like a sucking pigeon" also, and will do as little harm as liis big brother lias done. Their object in Australasia is simply to gather money, and among . intelligent Irishmen such as wo havo hero they know that fair and temperate language will best serve thatend. Though Mr J. E. Redmond did not say anything new about Ireland, I ■wak glad to see that he recognised the great troth that her complaint is one in which "the patient must minister to herself." As Byron said to the degenerate Greeks, so Redmond says in effect to the down-trodden, Irish:-

"Hereditary bondsmen 1 know ye not Wio would be free, themselves must strike the blowy There has been too much dependence upon others—-too much crying of " God aave . Ireland," while they forgot to save them selves. I agree with the justice of the claim for Home Rule; but while just it may be inexpedient. Let the Irish show that they deserve to be entrusted with self-gov ernment, by healing their own wretched dissensions, purging their ranks of the workers of outrage, and devising means for enforcing their claims, and Home Rule might be theira to-morrow. But they have not done these things, and I claim the ■ right to be sceptical as to the efficacy of colonial cash to help on the desirable consummation. XX X One could hardly help feeling sorrow for Mr Redmond's appearance on the platform nnsapppried by any Irishman of position or note,.more especially as his lecture was unexceptional m matter and tone. I fancy that this young gentleman, who came to teach the. colonists, has learned quite as nraoh as he imparted. His onslaught upon, leading Irishmen in all the colonies for Withholding their aid was unjust and un gracious, especially from one who makes such large claims upon our faith in the disinterested purity of his colleagues of the land League, despite so many ugly facts that have come out —the flight of the League's Treasurer and others of its leaden. la he not entitled to credit Irish men who discountenance agitation in the colonies with a sincere desire to prevent the creation here of those bitter feuds which nave aided in driving them from their own land ? There were always plenty of sympathisers among the colonists for the cause of Home Rule in Ireland, and if the policy of Dr. Butt, its author, had. been followed, the favourable feeling rapidly rising in England would ere thig have made itself felt in the House of Commons. Dr. Butt, however, was driven into a premature grave by the

violence of his extreme followers, and what has been the result ? The substitution of boycotting and other acts of intimidation for argument, to say nothing of the out rages for which the League disclaims re sponsibility, has destroyed the strengtli which the Home Rule movement was gain ing in England and Scotland. Mr Red mond has learned in these colonies that Englishmen, Irishmen, and Scotchmen can live at peace together under one Govern ment ; that they are chary of lending their countenance to any movement which tends to foment race strife ; and that they think the very principles of Home Rule demand that they shall leave the people of Great Britain and Ireland to manage their own affairs, without intermeddling on one side or the other in a cause about the merits of which they may be very poorly informed. The £12,000 collected by Mr Kedmond in the whole of Australia contrasts rather badly with the enormous sum subscribed spontaneously in these colonies a few years ago for the relief of Irish distress. But if the pecuniary result is not great, I believe the moral lesson will have a wholesome effect on the policy of the League, as it appears already to have had on Mr Red mond personally. For my own part, I wish the Irish party every success in their agitation for land reform and Home Rule, but I cannot go the length of outrage and treason, and the League is already dis covering that very few men whose support is worth having can. Mr Parnell's aban donment of his proposed visit to America looks as though ho were already convinced that the bluster of O'Donovan Rossa and the Chicago braggadocio are more likely to make the British lion show his teeth than to drive his tail between his legs. XXX Mrs Dr. Potts has kept her promise to re visit Auckland. I wondor how many of her old patients who had paid half the stipulated fee on the last visit turned up with the balance, and how many came to fall on the dear lady's neck and weep out their confes sions of gratitude for miraculous restoration. The whole policy of such lectures—or at least some of them—like certain medical works which are circulated broadcast, is to my mind questionable. Oh ! but I hear some one say, to the pure all things are pure ; perhaps so, but modesty is not yet an absolute myth. Dr. Potts may be the exponent of a severe morality, but in my innocence, I cannot help thinking that the strict money-making principles on which the whole thing is run, are not exactly suggestive of simple philan thropy. And, even giving credit for " tho very best of intentions, some of these lectures, like the indiscreet tactics of opponents of tho Contagious Diseases Act, according to my judgment, are more likely to produco moral deterioration than moral or physical health. XXX It must bo borne in mind, howover, that Iby no means wish it to bo implied that all, or oven a majority, of Dr. Potts's lectures como under this condemna tion. No study is more necessary to the happiness of humanity than a knowledge of physiology, and in many of her lectures Dr. Potts handled her subject in a manner that left nothing to be desired. But there are branches of medical study which cannot be discussed appropriately outsido tho medical lecturo hall or consultation room, and the exposition of which, in all their revolting technical details, before mixed audiences will not extend practically useful knowledge, however it may assist in crowding the lecturer's con sultation rooms. Tho thin attondanco at. Dr. Potts's lecturo on "Husbands and Wives" should convince that lady that the English taste is not educated up to tho point necessary for tho appreciation of such lectures. Thero are topics over which society is none the worse for preserving a decent reserve ; and in this age, when cheap medical books adapted for family use are found in almost every household, there is no need for casting aside the veil of modesty altogether in order to preserve the peoplo from ignorance I am myself decidedly in favour of female doctors for women's diseases. They can form a juster estimate of the ailments of their sex, especially when they have gone through the trials of maternity themselves ; and women will more readily submit thomselvos to examination. The change is entirely in tho direction of delicacy, rather that indeli cacy. But I have no notion that the cause will be advanced by women who have gained access to the medical profession discussing before mixed audionces, and in thinly - veiled languago, subjects which, though familiar to every doctor, and for the matter of that to every man of intelligence, are kept for use in his practice. x. * x Dr. Potts's ideal of woman is one that will suit the boarding - house - quartered American woman to a tee. As a girl she is not to skip nor run up stairs ; never, on any pretence, to take a long ride, and if she ventures on driving, then to go over the stones very gently. She must never lift a table or box, or sweep out more than one room a day, for fear of her poor back. There seems imminent danger in standing up, and to lie down is not with out its perils. Walking the streets appears about the safest thing she can engage in, and in this—if there are attractive shop windows about —the female mind will heartily concur ; but even that is not with out its perils if she have to go up hill, while an entirely new set of dangers beset her if she should walk on the level. I had a general notion that women were rather ticklish ware to handle, but hare come to the con clusion since hearing Dr. Potts that nothing will save the sex but strict confinement' in glass cases, to be brought out for admiration on special occasions. Just fancy our buxom colonial lassies who have been used to the saddle from infancy, who attend every morning to their dozen cows, moke their butter, bake their bread, dispose of the household duties, and finish up the day with a dance at neighbour Jones's, riding five or six miles each way, and coining home to the peaceful rest of industry and health ! Just fancy these girls being forbidden to ride 1. Why, as well sentence them to death at once. Cuddling is all very well, but I'll stake my common sense against Madame Potts's medical knowledge that more weakly women are made by excessive caution and pampering than ever were produced by robust exercises; and the prevalent sickliness of town-bred ladies as against the"healthfuluess of hard worked servant girls or buxom country lassies is the best proof of it.

The shot of mine the other week in which I incidentally alluded to the word " Jingo " has been reported by one critic as wide of the mark. As I cannot plead guilty to actually missing the target, I beg leave to put myself right with "Bull's Eye. He has, let me inform him with all due defer

ence, misread what I wrote, and if ho glances over again that portion of my remarks which he quotes in Monday's Star, ho will, I think, see that lie has imported into them more than is really there. I did not for a moment intend to convey the notion, that the word "Jingo " was invented under the Beaconsfield regime some six or seven summers ago. Why, I had sworn by " Jingo !" just as " Bull's Eye " did, in an English school, I won't sny, how many years ago. I ought to remember that forcible oath, seeing that I was onco overheard using it by the head-master, and had to write so many lines for the crime. "What I meant to say was that the expletive of a certain ridiculous pong sung at the West minster Aquarium, and very popular with a portion of Lord Beaconsh'eld's followers, was aptly seised upon as a name for that ignorant, noisy crowd. Such, indeed, was the fact, as I remember well; and " H.H." comes forward with a confirmatory extract from Justin Macarthy's " History of Our Own Times," which settles the matter. I thought it worth while to make a note on the reason for the bestowal of an old name on a new class, because such facts are apt to be forgotten. A generation or two hence some student in etymology may bo wondering how old St. (lengulphus's revered name came to be linked with the blatant herd who lovo their own land so much that they would be quarrelling with every other ; but his inquiries will not bo without result if the circumstances are put on record in numerous places. How many words and expressions there are which one would like to know the origin of. An accident gives their, a start, they fight their way to a place in the common speech, or, it may bo, to a respectable position in the literary lan guage ; but the steps of their riso, together with their beginning, are lost in obscurity, because at one time no one thought such trivialities worth wasting paper, ink, and precious time on. lam much obliged to " Bull's Eye " for the advice he tenders re specting "The Legends oflngoldsby," but I suspect I have been acquainted with those inimitable narratives as long as he has, and that my familiarity with the localities described therein is greater than his. Can "Bull's Eye," or any other reader hereof, tell me whether there really was a saint named Gengoulph or (iengulphus ? i do not mind confessing that my knowledge of the calendar is of the slightest. xxx " Going through the Court " is not with out its little'troubles, both inside and out side of the Court-house. An instance of this occurred a lew days ago in I'itt-street, Hoar the middle of the road two men and a boy were standing, one of tho mon giving vent to his wrath against tho other on account of being "done" out of somo money. By tho time 1 had got parallel with the disputants, the rago of tho injured man boiled over, culminating in " You're n robber I" (with a stronger word in bo tweeu). This proved too much for the bankrupt, und ho at once marched up to mo (as, I happened to bo tho only person within a few dozen yards of tho mon) with a polite request for my "name and address," in order that he might bring an action against his reviler. But "'Zainiol" was hardly there, and ho said hod rather not, as ho couid hardly afford tho time to fo witness. " I wish you would," urged tr Bankrupt as he walked alongside of me. Then in a low voice, not sufheiont to wake tho dead, ho explained, "I havojuat gone through tho Court, und ho ia one of my creditors." Still it wasn't good enough. By this time tho reviler had put a distance betweon himself and Mr Bank rupt, and things assumed tho even tenor of their way. Taking this little incident into tho same scale-pan with weightier con siderations, I have resolved to do my level best to keep out of the Bankruptcy Court as long as possible—in fact, till 1 remain "Tlit/Last Man" un-whitewashed, and then go through under protest. At tho present rate, it will not be very long. XXX Tho superficial and unrebukod talk from some of our small Bethel pulpits, by lay preaeher.s especially, is remarkable. These professed teachers of tho people seem to have full liberty to say what they like without fear of contradiction ; nobody in terferes with them, and on' they go, you know, liko the garrulous Sarah Gamp so aptly pictured by Dickons. I chanced to pass into one of these suburban places of worship on Sunday evening, and saw a well meaning young man (1 have no doubt of that) mounted in front of his audience. I am not going to tintl fault' with his theology or his stylo of delivery, but regret that ho should have gone out of his theological thoroughfaro to attack tho theatre, tho circus, and amusements generally, not logi cally or philosophically, but simply because it was the proper thing for a proper young preacher to do. I am not going to give a resume of the young lay-preacher's sermon : I know he would not liko mo to do so. 1 will only touch upon his denunciation of tho theatre, which hoconsideied a.san essentially immoral institution, at best but a necessary evil, springing from the incurable depravity of human naturo. Possibly this young man's idea was caught from the traditional objections of pious old women in out-of-the way country places, who give mftch time to old-fashioned needlework, who are sus picious of literature, and inherit many of the prejudices of the times when poor creatures were burnt for witchcraft, and when a strolling player was a brand which no devotional energy could snatch from the burning. The time is not very remote when a minister or a clergyman in the stalls wasaphenomenon. Nowthemoroliberal and enlightened of theclergy freely acknowledge that a well-conducted theatre is a school of taste, and an actor, such as Henry Irving, an ornament to society. Despite the surface utterance of tho lay - preacher, the fine, graceful actor just mentioned b one of the few men of rare capacity ond force of character who educate tho pufric, and it is from the educational standpoint that the stage should bo viewed. There is no more difficult or fascinating art than that of acting; there is no world, which em ploys so many faculties as tho world behind the scenes. The ciFeets which seem so simple and spontaneous; the incidents which are so picturesque and natural; the ease of movement; the grace of combina tion, and the harmony of colour, are all the product of a complex organisation which is brought to perfection by scholarship, unrelenting study, skill, and continuous labour. If only a tithe of the good people, including small lay-preachers who denounce the stage, would apply themselves to a rational study of its elements, they would do a great deal more for the moral tone of an indispensable art than they can accom plish by pious vituperation. XXX As I was enjoying a good soup and a slice or two of under-cut, with sundry concomi tants, in one of the city restaurants the other

! day, my attention and curiosity were sud detJSy brought into play. A friend who sat nex^me said, at first in a low tone ; " There is," said he, "a young man in this dining room, and sitting very near us, who has successfully played the part of a philanthro pist (but is, withal an out-and-out scamp) upon a large and repectable community, and, indeed, hoaxed an intimate friend of my own. Would you like to receive a sliort sketch of the esteemed gent in ques tion '!'-' Of course I answered with a ready " Yes." " Well," said he, " about the year 18S0, Mr was in Sydney, and being in close sympathy with the Rev. Mr Dowie's Congregational Church there, Mr ■ determined to live for a while upon his wits, and gave out to the brethren and sisters that tidings had just reached him of the death of a dear and wealthy relative in England, bequeathing him £25,000. The news spread, and at last Mr tol'.l the church, officials that he had made up his mind to give them £10,000 towards their" church. Of course, ho rose rapidly in general estimation, ami was called a dear good fellow from tho pastor down to the pew-oponor. Being young and not ill-favoured, he was all and all with the ladies, for (he " dear creatures" always love1 a liberal soul. Indeed, ho could havo kept a dozen of them upon the string, but being "upright," ho would not play with their feelings. XXX Theory in church circles ran, "Whataboon! what a munificent donation I" The Sydney papers extolled the giver, and even tho Auckland papers received a cablegram from Sydney announcing the fact. But tho parting day was near. He had to go to England to secure his fortune, and ho stepped on board the Zealandia for San Francisco via Auckland. There was on board tho steamer a wealthy gentleman passenger—a Mr Small, a silk mercer in England, who had been out to Fiji to in spect his plantation there, and visited tho Sydnoy Exhibition. Mr Small was also a Congregationalism and, thinking to ex tract from this Mi- Gruutheart a donation towards his church in England, he generously gave an invitation to spend a short time at his residence on arrival at Homo. Tho cordial welcome wasacooptcd. Beforo leaving Auckland, a friend of Mr Small took them around our beautiful city, and they gazed upon its varied loveliness. They ascended Mount I'alcii, and expressed their delight with the rapturous view there from. Indeed, the inheritor so lingered about that tho Zoalaudia had almost gone away without him, and a boat had to sail out into the stream to catch her. Nothing of a special nature transpired during the voyage, but the warmest sympathy" was exchanged, and on arrival they took up their abode at Mr Small's residence, but instead of only spending a few days, almost six months were devoted to the dear friend. At last tho hoax was discovered and tho " fraud" pressed home. Tho inheritor suddenly cleared out and went to Franco. Soino time after, Mr Small received from Paris a deep mourning card, announcing the decease of the " donator "—but it was never believed ; so Mr Howie's and Mr Small's churches wore left lamenting. Tho inheritor came back to Auckland, and has now attained the distinguished position of counter-hand behind one of our Quoen-stroot millinery establishments, where, no doubt, ho will in duo time create a deep impression upon the fair sex. He has become quite a model young man, flaunting about a mourn ing handkerchief with a deep black border, and exhibiting on his manly bosom tho modestest little bit of blue ribbon, xxx Did you over, dear reador, when prompted by an overpowering feeling to bo chnritablo, present sumo street beggar with "just a few coppers to keep him from starving," and then watch him until ho quietly dropped into the nearest public house, and regaled himself with long beers at your expense '! Many a time have I seen this little game carried out successfully, and once - but, only once—was I myself vic timised by one of these sturdy beggars. Begging seems to lie no great crime now^ and it is no unusual _ thing for persons to bo stopped in our streets and solicited for stray coppers under all .<*orts of pretences. Tho novel methods adopted by somo of these " cheap travellers," however, are highly amusing. A good story in point, which I present gratuitously as a hint for any enterprising sturdy beggar, is going the rounds of tho American papers: A certain man in a Western city, failing to secure work, went around begging for something to cat. Everywhere he was refused, and finally ho wont into a vacant store-room and sent after a newspaper reporter. When tho scribe appeared, the man said, "I havo been commanded by tho Lord to fast one hundred days, and I think I can accomplish the feat, for tho Lord says that I must." The reporter published a long account of the man's intentions, and quite a sensation was created. Tho Chiof of Police went down and told the man ho must eat, that tho Lord might command him to starve, but that tho city would havo to bury him. Tho man sworo that ho would not eat, and tho Chiof went to a restaurant, and ordered a heavy meal to bo sent to tho fanatic. Tho meal came, and the man, merely eating enough to sus tain life, put tho remainder into a carpet bag. The Chief of Polico came again, a/id asking tho man if lie had eaten he replied that ho had not, but that ho had given tho meat to a tramp. The Chief sent another meal, which found tho "grimsack" reposi tory. Then tho Church ladies came, loaded him with sandwiches and cakes, aud when the carpet bag would hold no more the man thanked the people, shouldered his larder, and started off, remarking as lie went: "Enough to last me down to Texas." Therefore beware of the beggars ! xxx

From tea-meotings and polemical discus sions, I struck off at a tangent a week or so since into tho dry-as-dust regions of his tological analysis and discovery. It was absolutely necessary, my medical adviser assured me, as a means of invigorating my brain tissues, which had been reduced to a state of complete atrophy by the exhaustive agents I have named. I am, however, an individual of strong moral convictions, andthoughaknowledgeandsomo experience of the hypocrisies, subterfuges, and shame less frauds of this worldmayhavedeadened, to some extent, their pristine sensitivoriess. still the scientists, by the strange effron tery and insufferable licentiousness of their languago with respect to the domestic lives of the lowest classes of the animal creation, actually cause me to stand aghast with horror, and to repeat to my shocked inner consciousness the frenzied de mand of the nigger stump orator, " Then why Should we wonder at crime?" To be plain and frank with you, gentle reader, Piofeseor Huxley has just come to tho front

with tho unblushing assertion that "a single oystev contains 1,000,240 of progony." Unless this statement can be at once dis proved and nailed to the counter —and we must nil confess that the silence of the oystermen looks very suspicious—it is hi<»h time that something were done to repress this wholesale immorality. Oysters daily come in contact with our best and most proper people, and if this kind of goings on is to be winked at in a single oyster, what on earth are we to expect of the married ones ? Well may the moralist ask, " Where arc the police ?•" XXX The body politic at the Const.tbt'.'lai'y Station is in the throes of internal dissen sion, embittering the hearts, provoking the bile, souring tho sauvo disposition, and poisoning tho felicity of the Auckland policj. "Zamiel," of course, knows every thing, and tho cause and effect of this1 great (rouble lias come within hiscognizance. Only a few months ago, the exigencies of? the sesvico demanded tho removal from; a Southern station to- Auckland of any icsthetic constable, whose refined language* (when nt his eveningdevotions), urbane dis position (when "mashing" his slavey), and general tendency to bo "limp and cling "' (when on duty in tho vicinity of a lamp-post) have recommended him to the study of his moro plebeian comrades. Charmed by the combination of virtues which characterised tho new " bobby," he was an object of deep and con fiding interest for a long time, but within the last few weeks this feeling has changed to ono of tender solicitude—for the future disposition of tho man in blue. On a recent opening, the " curled darling " of the force was indiscreet enough to use a big,big- D in tho hearing of the a>stnetic policeman, whose own language, it must be remembered, is exceedingly refined, and tho consequence was a court martial and a subsequent fine of 5s and costs. Tho force breathed hard, and awaited tho coming events which had cast their shadows before. "Intoxicated by the success of his first prosecution, the man of "lilies and rose-leaves" allowed himself to bo whirled on towards further conquests. Other troubles followed, and ere long ho placed his superior officer in possession of an effusion in which ho pleaded that his feelings might be spared the infliction of submission to tho orders of a sergeant whoso " vinegary disposition " wag speedily converting his milk of human kindness into —well, perhaps, buttermilk, which is said to bo the most approved food for cf.lvcs. Ex cellent suggestions on the best mode of im proving tho service and teaching the ser geant in question the proper performance of his duties followed, but for once his verbosity was afforded free vent in a direc tion in which it would not cause injury to tho object of his solicitude. The Superin tendent was too old a bird to be caught by such chad', and quietly put his loot down on the complaint. Feeling now runs high in tho barracks, and there are ominous threats! of tarring and feathering the splenetic Patrick. XXX What I might term " a narrow escape from a terrible catastrophe" occurred in the breezy suburb of Dovonpoit very recently. It happened on one fine day when a certain well-known ship-building linn had a largo amount of work on hand. There is a steam engine on tho promises which is used for cutting timber, and on this particular occasion it is alleged that somebody had tampered with the safety valve, for all of a sudden there occurred an immense escajxs of steam, and a cry was raised that tho boiler wns ■ about to burst. Every workman lift tho vicinity ill a twinkling, and as each hoard the unusual agitation bohind, ho thanked his stars that he had been saved from a horrible death. But it deserve. to> bo chronicled that thero were a few bravo, men amongst these scared timber workers, for, quite wanting in consideration for tho great danger which they might bo incurring, several of the men undertook to alarm tho residents in the immediate neighbourhood, and in a brief space of * time the inhabitants of most of the houses fronting the beach road woro hurrying overywhero and anywhere except in tho direction of tho dreaded steam onginc. All eventually managed to reach a, spot of safety, from which thoy kept a watchful eye upon tho ship-yard, which every moment was expected to be the sceno of terrible disaster—tho boat-shed sailing in tho air, propelled by sundry pieces of tho boiler, and all the stray timber scat tered far and wide over the dec{> waters of tho Wnitemata. But such things woro not to be, for in duo course all ovidenco of an impending explosion died away. A few daring spirits ventured to inspect the engine, and, greatly to their joy, found that "tho old iron horse " was " played out," whereupon they felt inex pressiblo disgust over their foolishness in creating no much alarm. Having spread the news that " all was well," they returned to thoir work, and the neighbours to their houses. That boiler, however, is still looked upon with a mixed feeling of wonder and awo, and its extraordinary exhibition will bo long remembered in the distinct.

SELECTED POETRY.

UKST.

How can tho weary yearnings of the sonl Bo satisllcd, and sink to pcacoful rest, And the wild storms and sorrows that control Tho Rlail froo sunshine of tho human breast? How can tho deathless spirit happy be ? Only, O Lord, thro' Thco!

Thy yoke is easy and Thy burden lltrht, Thy paths aro pleasant and are full of peace. And Thy strong lovo in its meridian hci«Jit Imparts swcot pleasure that shall never coasor Where shall wo tlnd a joy intenso, divine, Saviour, like unto Thino!

Earth's pleasures—call it pleasure that which 1 turns Tho soul from life to endless nvsery ? The restless fever only faster burns Life's thin, short wick, but ne or can satisfy. Ah, no, wo need a nonce more calm and doep Than worldly pleasures keep.

Weary and sad we yield ourselves to Thoo, And on Thy bosom pour our ffriofß and tears t Tho tears aro dried, tho cares and anguish flee At Thy kind whisper-" But a fow more A fowrnoro years—and on the shining shore We'll sin and sigh no more!

O blessed thought! that lights our astoe'a

Shines°tliro' the clouds with calm. benignant smiles. Sweeter ami dearer than the rich perfume Wafted along tho breeze from tropic iel^S— Wherever in our pilgrimage w> be— We still are close, to, ftce t