STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT.

AUCKLAND, N.Z., SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1883

RANDOM SHOTS.

[BY ZAMCEL.]

it. n neighbour's name to lash, *»£ »-vSfn thought l-for needful cash, Please the country clash. *"w w * And raise a din.

„. onidnuncs are dying to know, you H about that mission to the Kawau. iimered that the voluble champion 1'" -flietaire, baviag fallen penitent and i -. on the bo>om of "the bloated *f,» was chosen to win over the * ad old man" to a little private bill "8* . c m paoy intend introducing next • to facilitate the acquisition of native **' Aff eck's eloquence, however, wag Its* £ 9 wat y knight, and Mr Kees re- town a sacick""' but w' Ber> man •fnetautour was deputed to take tbe w for Pufiell i« hand, but hau hardly ** h'ed tue kr g>" when the venerable "''"fahded the tocsin of war, and warned *". '' jto tempt not his virtue. He \ Vob'iect to the Cotnpany-ot which, by vhe w»3 oaco secretary—but would Mth »nd nail afP' 116' K»»ntiag special $ Tbe affair has wrought sad havoc !a ranks of the inner circle of the •flbbies. Seymour George and fdldbavdeone unconditionally with K»nd nw hencbm»u from the classic the do >ghty member for Eden 0 .dmirer of the Laud League and BfJ iM tioa must, of course, testify by ZZ »nd exainulo his undying enmity j f*Z all landlords and speculators in K in eeneral, and those of tbe innocent tt?n«f NatWein particular. (N.B.- S£ suburban sections and 2000 acre ? ihvavs excepted.) The murmur of H& floats in the air, and it a 2 isn't come to the survwing members 5?hP fiithfttl little band will grip each Jtar W tbe throat before the session is jjUorer.

An on difc says that Sir Seymonr G- orge ijT retire from politics at the end ot next Son. »"d S° iat*business la Auckland.

Hiscnrrently rumoured that the member Jnity Weit has bopped the fence, and Mill position of "independence" L that he goes to Wellington an nJel supp"rter of the present Mm S. He cannot dance to Montgomery's Sjj»hil«tuep*ufcy Macandrew dictates K|. Itii a measure most Aucklanders Uiardtostep. The disinterested Liber- corabiaation which sold Jjpsrty leader who bad gamely fou?ht an mil election, is one of those thinxs that all largely npon tne imagination, and in ihse materialistic days mea walk by Miami not by faith. But why didn t the lite Mr D. see that when he walked into fe looby aaainst the North Island Loan g! Hia abate of the Government over jjjßill at the meeting on Thursday was ,rery clever attempt to draw a red her- Macros? the ecent. He quite forgot to Motion tbat the obnoxious proviso was ml in the Bill when introduced, but was luted 01 the Government by Southerners ilo palled them through on the "VVunt-of toftaeiiee motion, which Mr Dareaviile aid other Aucklanders stupidly allowed It Montgomery to fasten on the North bland Bi'lway Bill. However, better late than never, and if the member for CUy West goes down to Wellington resolved to rote against the Whisker or any other Government that refnses'to press on imme diately this great national work, the mis takes of his political infancy may be for »iveo. The star of the respectable lay figure from Akaroa is not just now in the ascendant, and if 'he Government are to be onsted from their fortress, it will have to be irith heavier gnns.

A good story is going the rounds about a jistiognished light in the financial world, ihom curiosity, led to the barracks of the Hilvationists. Being unfamiliar with the isyaof the army, and fond of the chief Kits in assembly rooms, he innocently fond a place among the front row of peni his gathered for knee drill. At the word deommaTid the repentant recruits fell prone ipoo their marrowbones (as Johnny woman would elegantly expi ess it), leav agthe anlazed and blushing banker stand :j alone and gazing blankly over the rows il bared polls, 'looking for some means ot ait, At this moment the eagle eye of iptsh Ned Wright lighted upon him, and sicatinKa clever forward movement, he fjced his hand with fatherly tenderness poa the grizzly head of the impenitent iner, and with an encouraging "Kneel iirn, my mat," pressed him uaiesistingly ithi floor. The clieots who had occasion upend "a warm qaorter-of-an-bour" io brittle back room oo the folio wing day, stify with one voice that there are hearts iicn the emotional fervonr of officers twerman and Wright only bake the uder.

He latest illustration of women's wrongs reported from Wanganui. That district, ades being famous for the production of Ufa, has now the distinction of being c ficst place in tha colony where a Maori »Wen tried by a jury of his peers. Thi« ik place, a fsvr days ago, during the sit i?of the Supreme Court, when Wnnxanui ano leas than foui different kinds of lie). There was first of all the Grand «J, which must only be niuued with re at, and printed with big initials ; then

■at was the common jury; the Maori 7, which is not a "common" jury; and •ti and most uncommon of ail, a jury of 'tons. The reader may tuink tiii.i is

fcr a recognition of women's right* ; but "is where tae wrong comes in:- ---»! common jury of white men were paid nm ot £36 for their services; the 'common Maoris got " utu'1 to the tune 83 Ss; bat the ladies—my ink almost WlMied aa I write it-got the princely Bsfnothing ! It seems tnelawprovi^e^ ilaaempannelliogof a jury of matrons, 'lie discharge of difficult, delicate, and frtwt functions; but makes no stipu tal for payment. This i 3 surely an *ple of the ''subjection of. woman," «ot the utterly selfish and one-Bided laws <<! by men in their own interest; and 'Boner it is altered the better.

'•instance of the depravity of human j~6i as an orthodox preacher would Bay, J'sMbited daring the present week in ■™ice Court, in the case of a young Wall grown, modest, and not bad look» SI The case of Mary Inkster, unfortu ■ is not a singular one in this pleas- Sy of oniß. Mary, evidently, from her

personal appearance, had no fault to find with her shape or make : she bad been well formed by the plastic hand of Nature : she was tal', fair-haired, and, withal, presented an apparently modest (ace to the Court. Her weeping mother might have erred in placing Mary in an hotel—at the bar, pos sibly, of injustice—where giddy youths "do congregate;" and while there, it appears, the gaities of a barmaid's life usurped the lessons of the Sunday-school. Occasionally, if report speaks truly, Mary did not reject a wee drap from the hand of tbe Tempter, and thus, and thug, by degrees, the girl slid down the wrong way. In her mother's emphatic words, "Mary became wild and bolted." The mother searched for her child, found her, and after many entreaties, induced her to return home; but scrubbing and stitching now were foreign to Mary's disposition. "She bolted." The maternal heart was sorrowful, and the mother poured into tbe ear of Henry Clarka he story of her woes. Sbe complained bitterly of Mary's mis conduct and ingrati tude. The sympathising officer had beard something about the fugitive girl, and found her by the light o{ the moon " »m»ng the tombs" of tbe cemetery. He persuaded her in her mother's plaintive strain, "Mary, come home.". Again she promised to be god, but just as she was about to scamper away, the sagacious officer took proper pre cautions, and arrested her. The magistrate did not wish to send hsr to prison, although she had pleaded guilty to a charge of vag rancy, and the case was held over till the appearance of her mother, who narrated a few of Mary's life incidents. Mary wept tears,Beemingly of repentance; told the Bench she was so very sorry, and would go home and be a good girl if her mother would receive her. Mrslnkster's eyes brightened with iu ward joy. exclaiming, *■ take her, yes, oh yes I" The apparently penitent gfrl was ■restored to her mother, and they left the Court together. «o sooner, however, bad tbe girl reached High-street than she kicked up ber heels, and laughingly exclaimed, " here's oil, mamma," bounded away like a forest deer, and was soon out of the mother's sight. Mrs Inkster aeain pave vent to her tears, returned into Court, and said, with tremulous voice, " Mary has bolted again."

While our local matrons are congratulat iog themselves upon the forethought of an enterprising Government in importing a car^oof domestic servants, the girl-forsaken bachelors of tbc place are looking at the latter matter in quite another light. Ke quirng wives, and wiih a bevy of two huu dred blushing damsels to select from, the prospect was elyeian. When news of the steamer's arrival was bruited abroad, tbe wiiarf wits haunted with dozens of the male "persuasion," all eager tosee "thosegirls." Nor was the excitement confined to tbe re sidents of tbe city. Oa Monday last two gay and festive youths arrived in the towu Horn one of the Northern Wairoa settle ments with the expressed intention ot obtaining wives from the Westmeatb. Whether they luiva formed acquaintances with willing lasses and arranged the impor tant matter, this deponent sayath not, but he feels certain that when the immigration Department introduced a shipment ot " do mestic servants" to Auckland, they had no iv tuition that the ladies should start house keeping oa their own account.

A recent shining light of one of our local Sunday-schools has fallen from grace. He attended a (Salvationist service, but more with the object of inducing a. theological discussion with one of the officers than of obtaining a spiritual benefit. Towards the close of the service, tbe captain approacbed him, The sucking theologian was deter mined to be brave, and whispered to a comrade his intention not to cave. /vccoH iug hits politely, the captaiu enquired— "Do you love Jesus," and the youth, taken off his gnard and scarcely compre hending the question, sturdily replied with his previouslynprepired answer, " wo." The "oilicer" shuddered, hurried to the platform, aud commenced an earnest prayer on behalf of tbe young man in the third row from the back whu was fast hurrying towards destruction. " Our mutual friend" found himself the object of bnndreda ot reproachful glances, and suddenly made his escape. He is now in mortal dread that his superintendent shall hear of the little affair.

The inhabitants of the city are labouring under an access of politeness beside wtiioti tbe shade of the defunct Cbestertield may hide its diminished head. It must have des cended in the form of some nub tic ether from regions celestial, or perhaps it has come to us impregnated with our daily supply of tha aqutcous Haiti, for it has manifested iiself in the moat unlikely places, aud is n > respecter of persons. Singularly enough, too, it not only stimulate* and predisposes t) me moat extravagant exhibitions oi suavity, but it exacts a corraspondiag intens ity of courtesy in return. Under iia ameli orative influence, Mr Miag Quong is led to advertise hu humble apology to Mr Thomas Quoi, fqr presuming to insinuate that Mr Quoi had so far demeaned himself as to abstract money from his pockets; and, controlled by its gentle and benignant power, the Town Clerk cannot even perform the prosaic task of inviting competition for drainage works without proclaiming the new era of things by tue reminder that "Tenders mast be aA&ttue&respectfully for the work tendered for." Purioinms uf umbrella* at public gatherings »re approached as "borrowers," and entreated to return the loans at tbeir earliest convenience; defaulting book makers en route to " fresa woods and pas ture* new" are effusively welcomed, lion ised, and feted With champagne suppers ; and the extraordinary doings of " Captain " Ted Wright and his henchman Jormuy Btiwerirmn are celebrated in dailjr "heroics" by the special correspondent of the "Herald," who is attached to the headquarters of the "a'Army." What dots it all mean ? Uan it portend a return to toe ecstatic delights, poetic rapture, and Elysian tranquillity of tbe Golden Age, or is it the first grey dawn of the long-expected rnilleim.uin ? 1 pause for a reply.

The extraordinarily low prices charged for the mipplies furnished by tender to public institutions hava always been a bone of contention between the thrifty house wife and her family purveyors. The con ditions require that.these stores shall be <>t first-class quality, and the published prices have acted as an "eye-opener" to retail purchasers, and have sometimes astonished the trade. One would naturally assume that in an hospital, at any rate, where the supplies are constantly under the doctor's -eye,, and where the lives of patients may dependon ha vtng t be best of diet, these things

would be sharply looked after. It would appear, however, from an application that hai been made by some of ihe contractors for hospital supplies that tbe term " first' class quality " is a term npim to varied in terpreSntioos. J hese contractors- have re presented to th'! committee that since they have taken over tho management their re presentatives in charge of tho institution have been too particular about thtj food supplied. They actually had the temerity to expect everything to be of tbe very beat quality, and they positively would not t«ko inferior article*. So rutMed were tho feelings of these coutractors that they wautedan increase ii> the prices of the goods that must be supplied of lirat class qual'ty, and in some instances the advance exceeded 25 per cent. At a meet ing of the committee at which the subject was brought up, one of the members pro ceeded to make a calculation of tbe num ber of possible d'iiuhs th it uii^lit hatre been caused through inferior food, while another volunteered the cheering intelligence that the patients would for the future be sup plied with wine ;it 2U per galloa, instead of being calied upon to consume Govern ment " slops " at 18s. The advance of price applied for was agreed to. I hope the advent of a Ideal B.iard will secure to patieuts the best article at a fair price to the contractor. Any laxity about the quality is unfair to ttiuderom who submit prices iv the belief that everything except the beat will be rejected.

When Artcmus Ward made one of his characters ask —" What's the waijes for a great and glorious career?" he meant to insinuate that the remuneration to the g. and g. "careerer" was usually rather inadequate —that, in other words, ttio g. and g. c, liko Virtue, was often " its own reward." Still, martyrdom may be uude to "pay," even in this matter-of-fact ag j, as has just been suggested by an occurrence in the materialistic city of Ouuedio. 'ilia editor oi the " Otago Daily Times " recently wrote several articles of the "slashing" type denouncing " dummyisin," and paint iug unequivocally to a. leading shareholder in the newspaper company an being con cerned in bogus transactions at the recent land sale?, .Following sioiyiy on tlie heels of tbie, we gut news that tne editor was to be dispensed with ; and tben came a nicely • worded paragraph to thu eifeot that the public of me Southern city was about to present the noble rnanyr to duty with £1,000. Editors all over the oolooy rejoiced at tbe news -particularly at th« thousand pound item—nud not a few were prepariu« to go in for martyrdom, quite pleased with the wages offered fur the "great and glorious career." Even 1— occasional scriobier for the Press as I am - indulged hopes of being able to write some thing which »hould at one atroke bring me the " sack," iramortalitv, nud a thousand pounds, not to speak of a certain prospect of my services being sought after at a premium 1 But alas ! for the vanity of earthly hoDes, When the other side ot the question was laid open by the. alleged 11 dummy," who has the very prosaic naina of Smith, the brave and independent editor sank at once to the position of a very smal beer patriot indeed, according to the gentleman of the name cf Smith, the editor had got his conge for incapacity several weeks before "aunimyiW was hinted at, and the " BlashiDg" articles were nut only the weapons of a mean retaliation, but were a complete reversal of the foimer policy of the independent editor. "Farewell those visioned drowns of fame • and a thousand pounds !" Toat literal party, Smith, ban taken all the ro mance out of the ioc'dent and has crushed the glowing aspiratious of d zeus of poor but honest Press writer?, yearning after martyrdom and all that sort of thing; betides weakening one's trust iv human nature by hinting at the dread possibility that there is " durauiyiam" in other spheres ttian the purchasing of pat.toral lauds.

The bicyclists of Auckland arc holding their fust public scries of competitions in the Domain this afttruooo. With bounii less audacity they iuute the preseuce and patronage nf a luDg-iußering.public, whose shins they have barkgd at euudry timesaud places, whose angelic tempets they have sorely tried, »nd whose lives they have placed in peril by reason of their nocturnal escapade?. It is surely a proof of the ad vancing civilisation of the age; that the people of the city do not rise en masse in wrathful indignation, Hock to the scene of the "yratory revels, and glut their ire by offerFnc up a holocaust ot victims. lam neither a bloodthirsty nor an irascible mau, but I confess to a feeling of secret satisfac tion at the knowledge that these modern Centaur* do occasionally meet with mis haps which in Bonie slight degree serve as a retributive punishment; for the prauks they love to play upon the unsus pecting wayfarer or a love sick couple. One such misadventure of a rather comical character bai just been related to me, aud I souple not to pubii-h it abroad. A spruce young bicyclist who prides himself upou the exceptional proficiency of htR manege, haii b».cn accustomed for nomn time psst to perform daily upon a piece of green sward iv front of the parental domicile, so that the inmates a< well as the passers-by may see, admire, and applaud the accom plished ease and grace of his ovoluti us. One afternoon, quite recently, he bad an audience more ouinerouatban usual, »ndhe resolved to essay some fresh and daring ex ploits, feeling certain that the old tricks were beginning to pall and that more novel ties were required. The > family w»re grouped, upon the Verandah in gratified ex pectancy, a row of bareheaded urchins hud manned the fence, and a motley assemblage of nursegirls, curioin h<ra.sewivee, and stray pedestrians stood out in the street to watch the performance. A duck-pond, about four feet deep snd of good size, was situated naar the fence, and around it the bxycliat began to navigate from the house and back again, each time desenbiug a sharper curve and approaching more clo.»ely to the brink Success and liberal applause from (he youngsters, however, turned hia head, and his exalted pride sustained n grievous fall, Approaching closer than ever to the margiu of the pond, the earth suddenly gave way, and in the twinkling of an eye riiier and steed were precipitated headlong into the mnddy waters. There was a great commo tion in the pool during the next few moments, for the bicycle was uppermost, and only the nether portion of the bicyclist's body was exposed to view. After a few desperate attempts to rid himself of the incubus, he managed to thrust his slimy head between the spokes of the wheel, but only to be greeted with shunts of derisive laughter on all aides. He spluttered ont mud and wrath for a short time, but be coming gradually alive to the fact that he occupied anything but a dignified or im pressive position, he slowly crawled ont on

hands and knee, and. leaving hi* wrecked machine to its fate, beat a hasty retreat to tbe bouse. It is dangerous now to joke with him upon the subject.

" One touch of nature makes the yrhnh world kin." Dear, dimpled, simp^riny younfj. ladydom, thro? above ajptly quoted aphorism is the introduction to a paragraph I intend writiDg for ywir especial informa tion and entertainment. 1)0 not pre»up pose that my complimentary introduction is like the sugar conting of a nau-eous pill, or the whi.ewash on the external wails of a ifiiol it is not a dust irdly attempt to preach a sermon, or drive- home a moral. Accept my afsurauce that it is nothing of tbe kind, and hear me out. Wh>-n- (he Key. W. ttrewn, the worthy South S-a Island missionary, was here the other d..y, !he dropped a taw hints in my hearing i aoent the '" carryings on " of the unsophis ticated inbabiiants of tbe piiraeval island of New Britaiu. Though I shall be com pelled to dr.iw largely on my imagination, the theme is an enter tainmg our- ami I will do my. level best " to hold the minor up to nature." We're the spectators. Let us imagine the scene. To slow mu-ic the curtain roll* up for the first net in tha powerful drama of M The New Briton in litre," It is a village festival. The dark-skinned youths ami maidens, likedafjurrre-tyre*, •' tread a guy yet classic measure" under the umbragm.us foliage of the noble thiiigumyb>b*. Though the dance has nothing of the can can in it, the music is decidedly of th« ktrosine tin order, with symphonic.-* of the tuneful-grid iron school thrown in, for the sake of variety. The old heathens have a nice little picnic all to- themselves under tbe trees, and as they di-enss the prospects of the next copra crop- they daintily pick the bones of ttui enemies slain in the last skir mish. But who is the youth who stands apart trout the dancers, and sadly refuses the proffered snack of iiieassnd uis/gor ? It is Galucifer. the young cniof of theKickula boos! A (■lunce will tell he is in lovh ; an other, that his love is not requited. What, Ualucifer the victim of unrequited love 1 He the progeny of parent* with pedigrees us long a» those of a- stud company mare ; the Beau Brummcl of his tribe, scraignt as the cocoanut palm, wiry a* its fibre, eyes like stars, mouth like the business putt on of a Piiestman dredge —he an unsuccessful suitor impossible. Alas t 'tis ho ;at leant, hs thinks ao. His heart is Bet on the fair slumpkioa, who, even now, amidst the merry dancers, iliris with a whole tribe, aod steals the hearts nf a hapu Galu ciftr chews twelve quarter-inch hairs from his moustache, and mentally resolves to call and reproach the fair ouo that very evening Act 2. Scene : a whare or mi-mi. The moon U nhining with efl'iiigent splendour and the trees ttiro n chequered shadows on the ground as Galucifer ap proaches the dwelling of his fair one. Like one hundred million other lovers, he pau»es at tbe back Rate, and whistles softly. Love in all climes and ages has been tempered by a well-grounded ,iear of the girl's old man No aign from the banana-thatched dwelling, be whistles softly agUu. Tim bul-bul sings in the branches of tbe ti-t cc and the mosquitos impart to tbe surroundings "th« drowsy hum of insect b entiling life." What ca<es our lover for mosquiios, su ho more shrilly whistles the ih<ii two or three bars of "Boot and Sivddlo. ' Ha I a sylph-like form ap projehci. The expectant lover aiuootheH his woolly locks witu one haari, and with tbe other, arranges tlie set of hi< Sunday g')-to-niectiog fig-leaf. A clump of bamboo conceuls tho advancing nguru. Galucifer l ushc-i forth to hiigor upnraid his Slumpkina according to the uuinour nhe is in. lint it is not the maiden ; it is the ierribla old chief, her father, tic seizes Galucifer, who there and tben receives what in civilised countries would be called a booting. Let us draw a veil o'er the ►ceue. Next morniug the seat of a new pair of iig-leaf pants, a broken waddy, aud a feather ncad-drets, mark tbe scene of the tnigedy. And so tbe world wag-. Lovers' paths are as rougu under the hew Guinean moon as anywhere else, and a whistle at a l'ousonby back fciice is every bit as danger ous to the whistler aa <i moon-light vigil outside a mi-mi in the cannibal islands.

How the Londoners are Amused.

Them: are thirty-six theatres in London. They repiesent an investment rfpon laud of 0vcr£40,000,003, in buildingsof £125,000,000' aud in other property of Builiciunt to make the gross amount £100,000,000. They em ploy at least 10,000 persons—actors, stage hands,' and people in front of- ihehou^e. These are in dir.-ct aud continual service. They give iuduectly omploymcm to as many more. The seating capacity is 75,000. The average attendance each nit;ln is 51,004, as shown by the Lord Chamberlain's reporis. The average admin-ion is ooe shilling eleven pence ha'penny. The average tut urn, then, is about £-1.000 a performance. Thii is for every paiiormanco, which incudes matinee*. Met of the theatres give matinee-t—some of them two and even i hreo a we«k. The average is struck upon the last year's re turns, and this is an interview andsta'e ment from the Lord Chamberlain's play reader, who revises piny*, exercises an autocratio authority over theatres, bully rags managers, aud in decent or not as the SDint moves him tie is usually decent. His name is Mr Pigot, an ex- Vmrrister. He hai an office down near SSt. James's Palace. He lias kept theio statistics, not do much becau-e tneir compilation forms a part of his official duties, ai because h« h interested in them, and has the best opportunities U gather them of anybody. His du tie* are to license plays, and when he has nii'i h play cannot be pit on, that settles it. There ia no appeal. Salmi Morse appealed from one Court to another in Now York, but had ho applied to the Lord Chamberlain and received an adverse answer, that would have ended the matt t then, and there, and he would havfi saved his money. fot that the Lord Chamberlain ever meddles with plays; lie is too important ao. official for that, unri the supervision of this branch of hia duties is perfunctory, quite. He has charge of public buildings and pali aces, has an office at Westminster, and is a very high and mighty mao all round. But the play-reader is a retiring little chap, with a literary turn of mind and a stem sense of duty. Whenever a play is to be produced it ip|sent to him, with a fee of one guinea for each act. He immediately sends a receipt for the guineas and that is the last you hear of them. Within a week you get notice whether you can play the piece or not, or if anything has got to be expurgated. It is not necessary for him to indicate why he will not allow any play or part of it, He only says^yoa or no, and there's an end

GOSSIP FROM STAGE AND STUDIO.

[By EuTEKn?.]'

Sir Annum Gordon is writing for one of the reviews au article on Fiji,

The Alhambra Theatre is to be rebuilt at a cost of Homething like £27,000.

New York journalism is advancing. A newspaper in Chineee lim been atart.-d.

Mr Brombv is lecturing on the West Coast upou " The English in Ireland."

Clark and f yman's Mnldoon Wienie Party are mediating a descent upon this colony,

"The Romany Rye," a new sensational p'.ay, " ran" six weeks at Sydney.

Professor Proctor's new work. " The Great Fvramid—observatory, Tomb, and i emple, " is now being published.

O)i det that Gounod's " Redemption" will bo included in the Choral Society's land.

Mrs Bland Holt (Miss Lena Edwin) is so danccrouely ill at Melbourne that sbe is not expected to recover.

A company with a capital of £120,000 is being formed for erecting an Opera House in Adelaide.

Mws Ikthilile Blind has nearly ready for publication he? biography of George Eliot, upon, which she has, expended considerable time'and care.

I& Adelaide, Zulu Thompson is still show iny his diorama ; and the "Mascotte," by last advices, continued its lengthy run at the Theatre Koyal.

Sir. John Steel, the Scottish sculptor, is engaged upon two statues of Burns—one tur the Thames Enumukment, and the other for Dunedin.

Miss Alice Rees has made a highly sue cesslul debut in Italian t'pera, appearing as Aminn in *"La fonnambula," and since as "Lucia," in Donizetti's great opera.

At oue of the London West Knd theatres, the custom bas been introduced of handing cups of coffee to the occupants of the dress circle between the acts.

Of modern author", William Black makes the most inoocy, aud James Puyu next, while Miss Braridon heads the list of moneyi making author esses.

eleven hundred new wigs will be required in the representation of the nioe plays in whien Mr Irving is to appear during his forthcotni j.< American tour.

'' Ouida " concluded her series of " Frcs. coes" ia the March number of " Bel£;ravia." 1 hey are said to be full of bright thing?, biting *arca«m and keen satire.

Wybert Keeve is playing at the Mel bourne Bijou 'I heatre with a comedy com pany, containing inter alias, Miss Jennie Watt-Tanner, Mis* Majjgie Knight, and Mr Frank Gerald (Frank Pearson).

Anton Dvorak, the Bohemian composer, has jast Knishxd a " Stabat Mater," which, it is said, is " likely to become one of toe m.st popular works ia th«> repertory of modern ecchsUstical music"

"Nurobei 1," the pseudonym of the mysterious Fenian head-centre, servos both us titl« and theme for a new play, which M. Grisier, the French dramatist, ha* now in bund.

.There ate 1,902 newspapers published in the United Kingdom, distributed us fol lows :—Knxlund, 1,530, 356 of which belong io London alone ; Wales, 75; Scotland, 184 ; Jieland, 152 ; lales, 21.

The Corporation records of Stratford-on- Avon (Slukcpeare's birthplace), which d.ite almost from the time of the Conquest, me to be reproduced by the atitot'pe pro cess, and given to the world.

The English translation of Professor Duncker's " Hißtory of Greece," was in tbe Press when the mail left, and was to have been published about the end of May or the beginning of Juiie.

Messrs Civssell, Potter, and Galpin were to ha»e issued last month, in serial form, a popular edition of "The Dove Gallery," containing 250 of the art^t's liuest draw ings.

Mis< France? Saville (otherwise Miss Frances Simonseu) has taken thn place cf Miss iSva Davenport in the Moni»t»ue rurner Opera Company, ami her husband (Mr .smith) has secured the post of business manager.

Messrs Griffith and Farren have published an English translation of the Countess Gas paiin'a brochure on the Salvation Army, " Lisez et Jugez : L'Armdc—fcjoi-disant— du Salut" ("Kead and Judge : ihe Army so-called—of Salvatiou.")

Josh Hckersgill is busily engaged with tho preparatiuu lor x»ew Zealand of b dio ramn, the aubjecc of which is "Mark Twain's Inuoceuti Abroad." >t will com (imsc 75 l»r«o pain'ingd, and will be ready about the i!nd of June.

In both the new editions of Shakespeare which »re being nrepjreo in England, " Titus Andrornicus" ia tr«»t' d as spurious) as welt as "The Two Noble Kinsmen," Messrs Furnival «nd Stouu ma editing " The Old-Spelling Shakespeare."

"Silence, yon coarse brutes!" This is what Mr Kignoid was forced to say re cently to certain ili-bred rnffiaus in the pit of the Thca're Koyal, Sjdney, when they continually interrupted Miss Novaro and himself during some ot the most interesting passiißCj in the piece.

The Tambour-Major Company, in a dis handed state, has found it* way back, from Mew Zealaud, Ace rding to the '■Bulletin," this id the third upera B .utfe troupe that has pn.ved a disastrous finan iill failure in this colony. Our cuntempo rury, however, is by no moans remarkable for veraciiv.

"Manola," Lecocq's latest opeia, has succeeded "Boccaccio" at the Sidney Opera Uonse,but it ia declared to be mucti inferior, musically, to ritbor '• Madame Angot" or "birolld-Girofla." A duer, a trio, and " The Song of the Onion," are the most popular numbers in it. he Jinale is preceded by a spectacular ballet of all nation.*, represented by picturesquoiy attircd nymphs bearing national fl ga

This is how the Melbourne "Leader" lets down George Darrell and his new play : —The " Sunny South" still keeps the boards at the Opara House ; even " Back from the Grave or "Onwardn to the Tomb" would now be a welcome change. Bush buccaneers, dandy dige;i!r<, and the everlaatiug effervescencu of the actor-author and grand hierophant of the colonial stage, are becoming so consumedly too too and co utterly utter, as to cause us to wish the transcendental Gcorgicus in the seventh lisa yon of restbeiic sublimation,