Tho Bishop of Melbourne, Dr. Field Flowers Goe, officiated and laid hands on two afc a time, one hand on each head. I do not think I have alluded to tho Bishop before. Ha is such a benign old gentle man, and he and Mrs Goe are very popular hero. I hear to-day he is a victim to in fluenza. La Grippe is again rampant in our midst, having like Melancholy marked for its own the leaders in tho laud, beginning with Lord and Lady Hopetoun, who have been very bad, and are now spending a few days ab Messrs Wagner's and Robertson's station, Perricoota. Even prominent members of Parliament are croaking, and Signor Guidotbi, bhe most fascinating of Madame Simonsen'sj>ri?MO. donnas, has been attacked. Her attack now even has left her so ill thab sho cancelled her conbracb and reburns to Italy, as it is doubtful when she can sing again. Sho was cast as Valetina in "Le Huguenots," which was postponed to give her the chance to recover; but; she got worse, so Madame Boema, a local singer of some repute, took her place on short notice, and made Valebina as interesting as a lady of 50 or thereabouts could. Guidotti, I may add, is travelling with her " ma," so are all the other female members of the troupe, and one or two theatricals who have baen here lately, in deed ib is quite a craze to have " ma" in tho rotinue, "not for protection, but as a guarantee of good faith." I suppose Laura Villior's "ma" sits up aloft every night and watches every move ment, and then runs behind tho scenes between the acts and dresses Laura, who, notwithstanding, has nob caught on. Lectures on New Zealand. There have been some lectures given on New Zealand lately. I had nob bhe time bo go, bub I hear from bhose who did that they were grossly inaccurate. If they, were only one quarter as inaccurate as tha remarks I hear passed about the place by people who fancy they know Now Zealand because they spent a week at Timaru or went on an excursion to the Sounds, New Zealand must have been pretty well maligned. 