MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 2 June 1880, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

♦ — It wonld appear that Mr Sketehley's readings are not appreciated in Auckland, if we are to.jodge from the follow* ing paraeraoh which we extract from the « Auckland Star .—There were some amas. ing features in the entertainment at the theatre. Some of the people had com* with rather hazy notions of what the character of the entertainment was to be. They had expected to see Mrs Brown ! attired in garments appropriate to her sex, and that the entertainment wonld be more realistic than it was, Ihey patiently bore the first few pages of Mr Sketchley's reading in the hope thai it formed a kind of prologue to the real fun of the entertainment, bat when they saw Mr Skefchley sitling there and reading stolidly on through page after page, their patience gate way, one deity bawled out * Oh, dry np, and send oat Mrs Brown.' Others wanted to know when the old lady herself would dei?n to make her ap. pearance, and being informed that tbe reading comprised the whole business they incontinently departed, giving r»nt to their disappointment in ancomp)imen« tary language. The critic of the Spirit of the Times, a writer wbo has bad extensive experience of things theatrical on both sides of the Atlantic says !-"* The Pirates of Penzance' is one of tbe greatest, most legitimate, and best-deserved successes ever produced in New York. The Fifth Arenne is overcrowded at every performance, and nobody ig satisfied with a single visit. Our presentiments of its success bare been more than resized, and Messrs Sullivan and Gilbert will earn the difference between New York and London profits. Properly bandied, •The Pirates of Penzance' will make both of them millionaires, and 0 Oyly Carter rich enough to huy a special milkwhite steamer to carry them back to old England. • • Enterprising Transatlantic meat ship* pers appear ta be a little aback by the success of the Stratbleven experiment. Hitherto they hive bad nearly a monopoly of the trade; and have certainly organised the supply Satisfactory and well. But American beef and mut< ton cannot compete in the long ran with Australian, as the latter is superior in quality, and can be landed in England at a lower price. There is, indeed, every j reason why we should encourage the Australian shipments. Although far from entirely dependent npori external resources for onr meat supply, it is yet an 1 undoubted fact tbat we do not raise sufficient food for home consumption within the United Kingdom. Far fetched as the idea may seem, itfis within tbe range of possibility that the British isles might be invested and starved out, So absolutely true is this tbat the fact has always entered into tbe calculations of Army administrators who have sought to fix tbe strength of onr military farces. We might, indeed we ought, to have an unlimited fleet, but we I do not want an army larger than to repel a landing of say 800,000 invaders. | Enemies strong enough to put more than E thin it) the field Wduld not invade us at all — they would try to starve us out. Tbe picture of relief expeditions, of food convoys, and blockade runners carrying cargoes of meat and grain, is not an agreeable one to Britons, who have so long declare! they never would be slaves. But it is not wildly impossible either. The moral of it is that we shou d always keep the islands well victualled with vast stores of biscuit and tinned mfat.— Home News. Jbe Austrian Diet has yo«ed £15000 to defray the expenses of the Empress's fox-hunting trip to Ireland, a thing which would not be done, probably, by nny other legislative body in Europe. ! The retinue tbe Empress took^ with her was enormous. Twenty-fire «it down in the stewards' room, and sixtynfive in tbe servants' ball every flay at mealsninety in the household. Tn the stables are about fifty horses, thnagh out of these only six are for her Majesty's own riding.