The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-12-30

divided in regard to the bill abrogating the
treaty, and gave out as the reason for postponing
present consideration Of the question, that they
wanted additional Information from the Treasury
and State Departments ia connection with the
bill. 0rth. the absent member OF the commission
will cast the deciding vote. but n message has
been received from him % the effect that be will
not come to Washington this session.
The half-crazed Hebrew, Salmi Morse, who, In
an evil day for himself composed what ho was
pleased to call a - Passion Play, - after the fash
ion Of that given every nine or fifteen years az
Ober. Ammergan, was reported not long ago to
have made successful lodgment OF himself aud
his religious dramatization in New York and to
have everything in order 30 produce the play in
due solemnity on Christmns eve. IL now appears
that there is revolt among the actors, who are
amateurs, and have been unable 10 procure writ
ten contracts from tho manager for permanent en-
gagement and suitable salary. They have OBJ
tanned the impression that il the play is not
booted as IL was in San Francisco where IL started
that is ii the New York press and public will
tolerate 1.-THE wary Saimi will turn them on
and strengthen the cast by the engagement OF
professional actors and prepare for n hit and q
long run. The amateurs tail TO SEQ the amuse-
mcnt OF rehearsing Tor months and being dis
missed If the play is a success, nOV are they quite
persuaded that they will not be assaiiod by un-
comfortable missiles il the mob by any chance
proves prejudiced against the piece beyond Mr..
Morse power TO gauge. Ina any case they wish
~ " va tENtiTh lNrr AnA uoN0 OAEAhta@
a conspiracy to banlk completely on the hrst
night unless Morse accedes to their not unreason-
able demands for contracts
California s latest experiment has been IN 0s-
trich farming. A cargo Of twonty-one ostriches
was shipped from the Cape OF Good Hope con-
signed to II Fresno raucbcr. They were two
weeks on their way from New York, and have es-
tablished their right to all the amiable character
istics popularity supposed to belong to them by
kicking their keeper viciously and by devouring
a precious ring from the hand OF an unwisely
bold admircr who undertook TO stroke the head OF
one OF them whose fine eyes he took FOR a war
rant of it's good disposition. The cost Of ship
ping them was about 50, 900, and the value OF
their feathers is from $500 70 500 a pound, their
diet is about as epicurcan as a goats 80 that UNI
less the climate does not suit them, there seems no
reason why they should not thrive and prosper
here.
One of the Englishmen engaged in this big bird
experiment paid n short visit TO your Isim5ds
some time ago, and told me The other day that he
had his eye on the islands as n likely place 20
start an ostrich farm. II the trial is successful
here you may look for n cargo OF the long-necked
feather treasurers before long.
A SIS 900 claim has just been happily settled
by the Mexican Government in favor OF General
Lew Wallace, Minister To Turkey. He entered
the Mexican service in 1865 at the time of the
French invasion and made an appeal TO Amer
leans ut large 10 follow his example, an appeal
against which tho French protested as a violation
Of the neutrality laws, but as the United States
were favorable TO an expulsion Of the French from
no serious efforts were made 10 have
Wallace arrested. After Maximilian's downfall.
General Wallace returned TO the United States
filed II claim for SIS 900 for services render
ID, against the Mexican Government, and early
IN Decembe was awarded the money. II was
Turing the time that he was rendering those
services that lac made the studies for hs
ong, carefully constructed Aztec novel The Fair
All scientists aud scientifically given laymen
we're duly agitated over the transit Of Venus. i'm
pressing upon the prolane the unspeakably sad
act that this was the very last transit Of Venus
which any living astronomer could witness, since
he next one will occur in the distant year 2004,
md until then we must try to live contentod with
he last calculation Of the distance of the earth
the sun-ior the purpose Of discovering this
s what il appears transits Of Venus are good Tor
or and rejoice to know that the distance is
inety-two instead of ninety-fiye millions Of miles,
a limit of error Of about half a million OF
niles on either side. CoMRADE.