Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Monday 20 July 1885, page 4


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MONDAY, JULY 30, 1885.

THE arrival of Mr. Booth, the temperance orator, is an event which ought to create a good deal of excitement, and which may perhaps do some good. The excitement, at all events, is certain. There has been much preparation by men accustomed to prepare

outbreaks of enthusiasm. The adherents of

what we may venture to call the teetotal sect, or at least their leaders, have been working themselves and their friends into the proper mental condition for an outbreak

of enthusiasm. The devotees are now waiting

for the affairs which is to descend upon them from Mr. Booth's platform, and will be ready to fling themselves into the required state of frenzy-the mental intoxicationwhich he is expected to produce. To some thousands of worthy people there will now be a short season of keen enjoyment. They will revel in a period of pleasing exaltation of spirits an ecstatic mental deliriumsuch as accompanies these " awakening mis-sions," and after having had what Mr. Booth would probably call an exceedingly good time, they will again subside into the monotony of everyday life. A great consumption of fervid oratory and blue ribbons will take place, and a great many people will take the pledge. Some will keep it, for the most part people who, having no tendency to excess in drink, might go on con-suming alcohol without harm all their lives. Others, who having drunk moderately without harm to themselves, will be persuaded that they have been doing wrongand in a fit of unreasoning enthusiasm they also will take the pledge. When they break it afterwards-as many of them will-they will have stained their souls with an artificial

sin, because by the impulsively given promise they will have made that wrong which was in itself harmless. Of these a proportion may even become drunkards, because having once associated the idea of moral wrong with the enjoyment of a boon which the Creator has given for the moderate use of his creatures, they will never again be able to touch a glass of liquor without that moral deterioration which accompanies the doing of an act which the doer believes to be wrong. On the other hand, there will be some converts among weak self-indulgent people, who would simply slip into drunkenness because they have no moral stamina whatever, and to their feeble natures the pledge-with its visible symbol-will afford a needed support. Finally, there will be a certain number of genuine enthusiasts of the class from which in all ages and in all places ascetics have been drawn, who will deny themselves the indulgence of liquor in the hope and belief that they will thereby

benefit their fellow-creatures.

We have-we venture to think fairly sketched the probable result of the mission now beginning. There may be-indeed there probably will be-some cases of individual benefit from it. But we doubt very much whether the harm done by these carefully calculated and prepared enthusiasms does not outweigh the good they may effect. The teetotallers seem to

us to mistake the end to which their efForts should be directed, and to misunderstand the effects they produce. There is an evil patent to all mankind in the abuse of liquor. Excessive drinking, although only one form of criminal self-indulgence, is one of which the effects are marked and horrifying. It is a form of self-indulgence, too, which, when it has hardened into a habit, cannot easily be broken. The true measure of the work done by the teetotal

organisations is the extent to which they have diminished-not drinking which is harmless-but drunkenness. We all know that there are nations where drinking is almost universal, while drunkenness is extremely rare. It has been said of the modern Greeks, for instance, that drunkenness is almost the only vice in which they do not indulge. In Italy again, and Spain, there is far less drunkenness in proportion to the population than in those

States of the Union or counties of Great Britain, where teetotallers have achieved their greatest triumph. And yet in those countries abstinence from liquor is almost unknown. It is not by the number of blue ribbons distributed, or by the length of the pledge roll, that we can measure the good done. We question very much whether pledges or ribbons ever affect more than the outside fringe of the great mass of act For potential drunkards , they chiefly reach the people who would be in no danger of excess if teetotalism had never been heard of. To talk as Mr. Booth did on Friday about breweries and public-houses shutting up as proof of the good done is not enough. The competition in the liquor trade in England is tremendous, and eager over-trading is quite enough to account for the facts cited. Besides, there is nothing to show that teetotalism has produced any appreciable effect on the amount of liquor consumed in Great Britain, The amount varies certainly ; it is less in bad years when trade is depressed and workmen have less to spend, and it is more in good years when cash is plentiful. But, taking one year with another, it does not show that diminution which should be apparent if the teetotal crusaders had produced an effect at all proportionate to the efforts they have put forth. And we very much doubt whether there has been any real diminution in the drunkenness of the community and the misery resulting from it. It may even be questioned whether teetotallers are not creating drunkards by producing an impression on whole classes of people that drinking a glass of wine or beer is a sin, and thereby driving weak-minded people to indulge in a sly surreptitious manner the very way to turn them into solitary seekers and the most hopeless kind

of inebriates.

If, as we have often pointed out, the teetotallers would leave off tilting at windmills and apply their energies to the cure of the real evil, the world would gain more than it does from their efforts. Let

them abandon the hopeless attempt to induce

mankind to give up the use of alcohol-an I attempt in which they will never succeed unless they find some other stimulant to take its place. Having accepted the inevitable in that respect, let them turn their attention to the drunkard, but in quite a different fashion from what they now follow. Let them brand the sneaking coward as he deserves-the man who persists in indulging his depraved tastes at the cost of misery to all who depend on him. Let them combine their influence and bring it to bear on the Legislature to make the penalties for drunkenness heavier for each offence, so that when a man feels tempted to exceed he may know that a gaol-not a mere reprimand or trifling fine will await and punish his excess. Put the gaol brand on drunkenness and thus stamp out all the

foolish tenderness with which the customs of

a past age have invested the disgraceful offence. The ordinary teetotal orator makes of the drunkard a sort of abject hero, a something to shed tears over to make much of and all his denunciations are reserved for the drink or the drink-seller. We say, on the contrary, " Brand the sneaking coward as he deserves, and to gaol with him if he does not mend and refit himself to perform the duties and receive the respect due to a continent self-controlled citizen."

Let there be regulations of the drink traffic by all means. Get rid of all special temptations or allurements to drink j forbid young people of either sex from entering a public-house if you will abolish barmaids ; do all you can to remove temptation from the weak. But the thing we have to put down is not the consumption of drink, it is drunkenness. If the sea is pouring through a leak in the dyke you do not try to pump the ocean dry, you set to work to mend the leak. You cannot so

change man's nature as to induce a whole community to refrain from stimulant of any kind-and alcohol, in the shape of good wine or beer, is the least harmful stimulant known-but you can make drunkenness as rare an offence among Englishmen as it now is among races of a far lower moral standard, if only you will go the right way about it.

IT seems as if we were to have a renewal of the anxieties which weighed upon us at the beginning of the year, and that the Russian, trouble was about to recommence. According to our telegrams the massing of troops at Saiakhs, the point from which the Russians entered and occupied the slice of Afghanistan which Mr. Gladstone surrendered to them, has been proceeding, and the Government of the Czar is assuming a very arrogant tone in treating with Great

Britain. It will be remembered that the

terms of peace-with dishonour-were the cession to Russia of all the territory she claimed in Afghanistan with the exception of the Zulficar Pass. That was the only concession Russia made, it was the one result Mr. Gladstone could claim for all his warlike demonstrations, and more significant still, it was the only point on which the Ameer Abdurrahman seemed strongly to insist. The present trouble is that Russia has now discovered Zufilcar to

be necessary to her, and insists on having it. Whether it is worth while for England having conceded so much to fight over this point, we cannot judge. Probably in itself it is not worth a quarrel. But where is to be the limit of concession? Sanguine people, who believed in the good faith of Russia and the wisdom of the Gladstone Government during the last complication, argued that the former had really no sinister designs, that her claim was in the main a reasonable one, and that if concessions necessary to the comfort of her new Turcomans subjects were allowed, she would come to a fair arrangementaboutthefrontier. Well, she has got all she claimed for her Turcomans, and she has M. Lessar's frontier. She has indeed got so much that without even credit-ing her with any good faith or any intention of maintaining permanent peace, it might be supposed she would rest for a time. Indeed it is possible that she may not mean more than a threat now, just to see whether Lord Salisbury is as squeezable as Mr. Gladstone. On the other hand, the Russian war party may be pressing the Czar's Government to make the most of the present favourable

opportunity when the prestige of England has' fallen in Asia, and that of Russia is in the ascendant. The issues of peace and war are with Russia. If she is determined on it, it will break out ; if not, and we confess that it is not very apparent why she should fight now, there will be peace for a while yet.

It ought to be a source of gratification to us colonists to know that the war preparations of the Empire have not been suspended, and that we are probably far better prepared to fight than we were a few months ago. This is particularly the case as regards the ocean. If war should break out now it is almost certain that the Russian cruisers would be so closely watched that they could do us little or no damage. Our local defences are in a far better condition than they were, and the chances of an attack have greatly diminished. At the same time it must be admitted that the chance of coming to actual blows, should the relations between the two countries again become strained, is far greater now than a few months ago. The first crisis came on with an unexpected suddenness which rather bewildered people in England. They saw the Government hesitating and apparently not quite sure of the facts about which it was disputing, and they were bewildered by the clamorous assertions of Russian advocates that the whole quarrel was a mistake. Since then they have become familiar with the position, and unless we misread public opinion in Great Britain there is a deep feeling of resentment and disgust with the part England was made to play. It would not take much rubbing of the unhealed sore to make the smart unbearable, and then there would be an outbreak of public fury which a Government could hardly resist. Besides, what is the good of resistance. The nations are ripe for war. There is in each a general conviction that war is inevitable, and the sooner it is fought out and settled, the better the chance of a real peace.

A VERY successful meeting in connection with the Blue Ribbon Gospel Temperance Mission, was held at the Exhibition building yesterday afternoon. Mr. Booth delivered an address, dealing chiefly with gospel temperance, its objects and scope. As a result of the meeting 339 new pledges were taken, and 658 persons donned the ribbon.

INAUGURATION services were held yesterday in the new Baptist Chapel, which has just been completed on the Thompson Estate. The Rev. W. Poole, of the Vulture-street Baptist Chapel, conducted the services in the morning, and delivered a sermon on Luke xxiv, 47th. Mr. Glover preached in the afternoon, and Mr. Cavanagh in the evening. The new chapel, which is a branch from that in Vulture-street, is situated in the centre of the Thompson Estate. It is a very neat wooden building, shingle-roofed, with sitting accommodation for 120 persons. The building is in a fine situation and in a rapidly rising locality, indeed the growth of the neighborhood has been such as to render a new chapel necessary. The interior of the building is well finished and most comfortably seated. The platform where the clergyman officiates, is similar in design to that in the Vulture-street chapel. It may be stated that the building was designed and its erection superintended by Mr. Mark Taylor, free of all charge. At each of the services yesterday a collection was made on behalf of the chapel fund. For some time to come the services will be conducted by supplies from other chapels, there being as yet no fixed minister. In connection with the opening of the chapel, a tea-meeting will he held in it on Tuesday evening.

THE annual inspection of Companies A., B., C, and D of the 1st Queenslanders, was made by Colonel French and staff, consisting of Major Grieve and Captain Des Voeux, on Saturday afternoon, The men met at the Boundary - street drill - shed, and there-after marched, with the band playing, to the old racecourse, where the inspection took place. There were 170 men on parade. Lieutenants Cardew and Blake were in charge of A Company, Lieutenant Gartside of B Company, Lieutenant Curtis of 0 Company, and Captain Pain and Lieutenant Jamieson of D Company. Lieutenant-Colonel Mein was in command. The men, having formed up in line, received Colonel French with a general salute. The march past then took place. The companies were afterwards put through the manual exercise, firing exercise, and field drill by their respective officers. At the close of the inspection Colonel French briefly addressed the men. He said they presented a different appearance from that which they presented last year when he first inspected them. In all points there had been a steady improvement. They were a fine lot of men. The officers, though some of them were new at the work, handled their men well, and this was particularly noticeable in the drilling of D Company. The non-commissioned officers were all up in their duties in short, all who wNjro present were well up in the whole drill. He should like to see their regiment the first in the Defence Force, and he had every hope that it would be so. He trusted the men would aid in making it so by bringing forward good men to join it, and by aiding the officers in keeping the men to the front. He expected that their complete outfits would be here by the end of the month. In conclusion, Colonel French stated that a class was to be started on the 10th of August for the instruction of officers and non-commissioned officers. The class would meet from half-past 4 to half-postoat the Petrie-terrace barracks. Three ringing cheers were then given by the men for Colonel French, and the band then struck up " For he's a jolly good fellow." The men then marched back to the drill-shed, the

and playing all the way.

ONE of the most interesting exhibits at the forthcoming Bowen Park exhibition will be that now in course of preparation by Mr. W. Soutter, curator of the Acclimatisation Society's gardens. In addition to a collection of rare and economic plants, there will be exhibited some specimens of work connected with an industry, much neglected in this colony namely, fibre manufacture. Among those samples already prepared are Papyrus grass, of which thousands of acres are growing in the colony, and from which can be produce! a fibre as fine in quality assilkitself. Aloes, Agaves, the Dracona Draco, and a species of palm known as the Raphia Russia The last named is indigenous to Ma "aga car, but can be easily grown in Queensland. The only tree of this kind in the colony is growing in 'the society's gardens, and is at present i r a t cding condition. The manner in which these seeds grow on the fruit spikes is extraordinary and worth seeing, if only as a curiosity. Fibre of a very stout order can be manufactured from this palm as will be exemplified by Mr. Soutter. Another interesting preparation is that of a kind of matting which is being produced from the Pandanus units, which can be of ely grown in the colony. In Mauritius, sugar bags are manufactured from this matting.

The Colonial Secretary has received the following telegram from Mr. H. M. Chester, dated. 17th instant: "Arrived at Townsville at 7 p.m. this day, all well. Landed boys at forty-nine places in twenty days, without the least difficulty with the natives. Have put in at Townsville for provisions." From our shipping columns it will be seen that the Victoria left Townsville on Saturday night for

Brisbane direct.

It is notified in Saturday's Government Gazette that Messrs. William Horricks and John Keefe, having repudiated a tender for the supply of 3000 cubic yards of broken ballast, for section 6, Northern Railway, have been disqualified from successfully tendering for any Government works for a period of twelve

months from date 17th instant.

" THE Shaughraun" will be performed for the last time at the Theatre Royal to-night, Thesucceeding production which will be of a very different character will be the comedy Friends." It had a remarkable run in Sydney a few years ago, under the management of Mr. A. Garner, " Friends' was the comedy which served to introduce poor Fred. Marshall, Miss Annie Taylor, and several other clever artists to colonial audiences, which brought about a reform in dramatic representation and led ap-to the formation of the powerful triumvirate, Messrs. Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove,. The company at the theatre will receive an important addition to their ranks in the personof Miss Amy Rochfort.

THE well-known English comic vocalist, Mr. Harry Rickards, and a company specially selected in London by Messrs. Rignold and' Allison, will open in Brisbane for a season of three weeks at the Academy of Music, on Saturday, 8th August.

"THE death of the last Irish Parliament" was the subject of a very interesting paper, read by the Rev. S. Robinson, B.A., at the Johnsonian Club, on Saturday night. A dis-cussion initiated by the president in an able

speech followed. THOMAS

STEWARD, a passenger by the Q.S.S. Company's steamer Truganini, either fell or jumped overboard from that steamer while she was entering Hervey's Bay at half-past

10 o'clock on Thursday night. The event was witnessed by several of the other passengers and the alarm having been promptly given the engines of the steamer were immediately re-

versed and a boat lowered within four minutes of the time when Captain Harrison was apprised of the occurrence. The deceased never appeared above the surface, and every means were used to effect his rescue but without avail. Deceased took a ticket at Bunda- . berg for Sydney, and was under the influence of drink when he went on board. It is supposed that he has left a wife and family in Bundaberg, where he carried on the business of

a tailor.

THE official reports for the twenty-four hours ended at 9 o'clock on Saturday morning show that rain has fallen at Cape Moreton, 0-35in.j, Cooktown, 960a.; Inskip Point, 0 32in.; and Port Douglas, 0 10in.

A CORRESPONDENT sends us a few additional particulars respecting Sir R, Loyd Lindsay,

| now raised to the peerage :-" Young Lindsay

began life, as your notice states, as an officer in the Guards. From this it might be inferred that he was wealthy ; such, however, was not the case ; he was a poor man, took to soldiering as a profession, and was appointed adjutant to his battalion. In that capacity he was present at the Alma, and subsequently took his part in the siege of Sebastopol, winning, as you say, , one of the earliest Victoria crosses distributed. Indeed, if my memory is not at fault, he was one of the first batch. After his return from the seat of war, society was certainly astonished to hear that the nearly penniless Guardsman was affianced to Miss Loyd- Jones (not JonesLoyd), the daughter of Lloyd-Jones, afterwards Lord Overstone. She was an only child, and her banker father was one of the wealthiest

men in Europe It was said of him that he -lived on the interest of the interest of his income. There was, however, nothing mean or sordid about him. He lived in every comfort, but his tastes were simple and the reverse of ostentatious. His accumulations were therefore enormous, and his daughter the best match in Europe. After the first surprise was a over the verdict seemed to be that the father had only done right in allowing his daughter

to be mistress of her own destinies and that she had been right in her choice. She had abundant money of her own, and in marryingyoung Lindsay she was matched to one of the finest fellows in England. It was bruited about at the time that the father, when speak-ing to a friend about the arrangements he had made for them, said that he did not believe in young people having too much money and, therefore, he intended to give them only £40,000 a year. The story is probably apo-

crystal, but the mere fact of its having been current is characteristic."

BY a typographical error in our leader of Saturday last, the storage capacity of the Enoggera Reservoir was greatly understated. The figures should have been Storage capacity, 1,000,000,000 gallons; delivery capacity of mains, 1,250,000 gallons every twenty

four hours.

A MEETING of gentlemen will take place in the Town Hall, to-morrow evening, for the purpose of electing officers and the enrolment of founders of the Queensland branch of the Geographical Society of Australasia.

MR. W. STARK, an old and respected resident -o Redland Bay, received a severe kick in the side while feeding some horses on Monday last. He was picked up in an unconscious state and. carried to his house, where he lingered on till Wednesday morning, when his injuries proved fatal. His funeral was largely attended by theresidents of the district, with which he has been identified for many years.

THE assemblage at the Theatre Royal last

night at the United Evangelistic service was a - -very large ; not a dozen chairs were unoccupied, and there were a large number standing in the dress circle, the great proportion of the audience being young men. The City

Missionary took the chair and read a portions of Scripture from the revised edition of the Old Testament, Mr. O. Moira], the town missionary in connection with the Wesleyan Church, and Mr. Logan led in prayer. The singing was led by the Evangelistic Choir, of whom about thirty were present, several being away suffering from severe colds. The hymn " Where is my Wandering Boy To-night ?" was very sweetly sung as a solo and chorus, and seemed to be highly appreciated by those present. The chairman cave a few remarks and

then called on Mr. Wm. Jones, the general secretary of the Y.M.C.A, who was suffering

from a severe cold, but gave a short, earnestaddress on the parable of the "Lost Sheep," and said that sometimes he thought the gospel was put too cheap, that we cannot be saved ey coming only, but we must give up also ; re-pentance to night and going back to the sameshe next morning was not the repentance of God's word. The address was listened to with much attention. The amount put into the plates at the door was £3 IN 9d.

THE first annual meeting of the Bellevue Presbyterian Church, South Brisbane, hithertoknown as the new Presbyterian Church, washeld on Friday evening, the Rev. W. Anson Smith, interim moderator, in the church. The

report submitted from the committee of management showed that £12-22 had been raised

since the formation of the congregation. A

new church had been built at a cost of £449. The Sabbath School report intimated that the number of scholars in connection was ISO and 15 teachers. The meeting then considered the desirableness of calling a minister, for although the Rev. Mr. Carson has officiated for nearly four years he has only been a supply, and it was unanimously agreed that the Presbytery be approached with a view to a call. The election of a committee of management for the ensuing twelve months was then proceeded with, and also auditors. Thanks were voted to the interim moderator and session, and also tea Those gentlemen who had given services during the initiatory proceedings. At it has been

found awkward to continue calling the chair LAW" Presbyterian Church, the title will in future be " Bellevue." Devotional exercises and a vote of thanks to the chairman brought the meeting to a close.

DR. THOMSON will tonight continue his course of lectures to the Volunteer Ambulance Corps at the Divinity Hall. The lecture is "On. some Medical Matters and Poisons," and will form the eleventh of a series of thirteen. The course has been largely attended by visitors, and a good deal of interest has been shown in the subjects from time to time brought forward.

THIS following are the magistrates whose names appear on the roster for attendance at the Police Court during the current week : - Messrs. R. L. Armour, W. A. J. Boyd, J. D. Campbell, B. Cunningham, J. Fenwick, B. T. Gartside, G. Harris, J. Jackson, T. Lehane, W. H. Marshall, W. J. Munce, A. R. H. Pietzcker, G. D. Russell, W. Steele, E. W. Walker, and G.

Wilson.

IN accordance with the arrangement made on Friday, Mr. Murray, as representing the Blue Ribbon Committee, waited on the traffic manager on Saturday, and subsequently on the Commissioner for Railways, to arrange for special trains to run to the Exhibition building during Mr. R. T. Booth's mission. It was arranged that, on the committee guaranteeing £50, or £5 each for ten trains-that is, five trains to and five trains from the Exhibition building-the department will undertake to run a special train each night at 7.35 from Roma-street to Bowen Park, and a return train leaving Bowen Park at 10 p.m. Return tickets will be issued at excursion rates namely, 6d. first-class and 3d. second-class.

A LARGE coloured map showing all the railways open for traffic, under construction, or proposed, in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, is about to be issued. A glance at this map shows how the adjoining colonies are directing their railways towards the borders of Queensland with the avowed object of tapping our trade. This map has been prepared in the office of the Chief Engineer, Brisbane, for publication with the Commissioner for Railways' report, and was lithographed at the Government Lithographic Office. The Commissioner is to be congratulated on the idea, and the draughtsmen on the admirable manner in which they have carried

it out.

A MEETING called by advertisement, of the employés of the various cordial and aerated water manufacturers was held at the Grosvenor Hotel on Friday night. The meeting was a fairly representative one, men being present from all the firms in the city. The convener of the meeting, Mr. J. O. Johnson, was voted to the chair, and explained the object of calling them together namely, to form an association for tho purpose of reducing the present hours of labour, which are in the hot months excessively long, and to prevent the probable fall in wages consequent upon the low prices ruling in Brisbane for aerated waters. Discussion followed, and it was unanimously agreed that it is ad-visable) to form an association for the above objects, but in order to give many other employes, who through one cause and another were unavoidably absent, an opportunity of attending, it was thought best to adjourn the meeting till next Wednesday evening at 8 p.m., when a large muster may be looked for.

AMONGST the improvements contemplated at Southport is one which will greatly facilitate the business of shippers besides adding considerably to the comfort and convenience of the frequenters of the township i.e., the projected alteration to the pier and the erection of commodious baths, the latter to be supplied with hot water in addition to the customary swimming baths. The jetty will be so constructed as to be 3ft. wider, and supported on iron piles, and whilst now roscrubling the letter L in the ground plan, after alterations are completed it

will show the form of a T. It is anticipated that by means of the improvements thus made two or three steamers will be enabled to berth at the pier, The baths will consist of an open space for swimming purposes, and will be an enclosure of 60ft. by 40ft. surrounded by strong galvanised iron netting for the protection of bathers. Rooms are to be provided on a platform running round the enclosed space. A feature in connection with the affair is the erection of hot-water baths. These are supplied by pipes, and situated in a cottage on the shore.

A CONSIDERABLE quantity of pulp fruit is imported into Brisbane as well as Sydney and other Australian capitals, and the question of duty payable thereon has frequently been raised. This pulp is simply fruit boiled down in large quantities without the addition of sugar, water, or other ingredients. The fruit, it is contended, is boiled merely for the purpose of reducing the bulk, and so saving freight and other expense. When received it is not sold, nor is it saleable, but it is merely imported by the jam makers to assist in their industry. A case was recently decided by Mr. Justice Williams in New Zealand which will doubtless be read with interest throughout the colonies. The matter came before the court in the nature of a special case. The Collector of Customs had deemed the pulp in question to be a " preserve" within the meaning of the Act, and the plaintiff had accordingly paid the sum of £8 18s. 9d., being the duty at 6d. per lb., on 1430 lb. of the pulp which had been imported from Hobart. Exception, however, was taken to the collector's interpretation, and his Honour was asked to determine the point. His Honour in giving his decision, said: I feel perfectly satisfied that this production does not come within the meaning of the term "preserves" as mentioned in the schedule to the Customs Act. I read the sentence, "Jams, jellies, marmalade, and preserves," as specify-ing the three species of one genus, and that lastly given as a generic term, so as to include any species of the same genus which are not before specially mentioned. The term "preserves" ought to be construed in an ordinary and colloquial sense, unless it can be shown that there was a special trade meaning attached to it. In the ordinary colloquial sense the term "preserves" is a generic term, and comprises confections of fruit prepared for consumption. The three principal species of this genus are no doubt jams, jellies, and marmalade It may be, for aught I know, that there are other species of this genus, and the generic name " preserves" was in my opinion put at the end of the sentence for the purpose of covering any particular species that were not covered by the terms jams, jellies, and marmalade." I can conceive of no mortal man

or any housewife for a moment considering

that this boiled fruit comes under the head of "preserves." It might just as well be contended that if fruit were packed in ice or placed under the action of some antiseptic to prevent fermentation, that it came under the term " preserve." It would be preservation in one sense, but I do not think for a moment it comes within the ordinary sense of the term "preserve" as used in the conjunction in which it is used in the schedule to the Act. The answer, therefore, will be that the contention of the plaintiff is correct.

THE amount deposited in the Wharf-street Penny Bank on Saturday evening last was

£8 6s. 6d.

"SNAKES" will be the subject of a lecture to be delivered by Dr. J. C. Ellison in the School of Arts Lecture Hall next Friday evening.

MEMBERS are reminded that to-night is the subscription night of the City and Suburban Permanent Building and Investment Society.

THE last masquerade ball of the season in

connection with the Scandinavian Union is

advertised to be held in the Academy of Music on the 4th August.

THE programme of a concert to be given in the Academy of Music on Friday evening next, as a benefit to Mrs. James, will be found in our advertising columns.

DURING the week ending 18th instant, 236 saloon and 237 steerage passengers arrived in Brisbane per steamers from the South, and 175 saloon and 143 steerage passengers left for the Southern colonies.