LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Another Pas:j iwokr by tub City of DuxEm:*. — The Lyttelton Times of tho 10th inst., regrets to have to add the name of Mr Francis John Morris, of Leithficld, to the list of passengers by the City of Dunedin. Mr Morris had lately accepted an appointment in the Provincial Government service at Hokotika, to take xip which he was despatched with haste. According to the above quoted journal lie succeeded in get) ing on board the missing steamer after her clearance had been effected, and thus his name did not appear in the list of passengers which we have already republishcd from tho Southern papers. Mr Morris was engaged last year, with Mr KochforL, in the Survey the of West Coast. False Pretences. — It may bo remembered that an individual of the name of John Mclntosh was acquit I ed at the laic criminal Sittings of the Supreme Court for having converted to hia own use, a cheque that had been entrusted to him to cash. This person not warned by his narrow cheapo, had again placed hinv -If within the clutches of the law. His present i-lfence is, that of obtaining money under false p-etencos. Tho viefim of the false pretence, •. as Mr John Warmoll of this city, from who i the prisoner had obtained some wearing appan 1, tendering a cheque ■which purpoted to have Livmi drawn by an apocryphal personage of the name of Valentine. Mr \Varnioll believing everything to be correct took this cheque, paid a small sum in monoy to the prisoner, and on presenting the piece of paper at every bank in tho cit} r found that ho was done. John lie In tosh, who is rather an innocent-looking individual, was fully committed for trial. The Theatre Royal. — On Thursday evening, the Odd Fellows Hall, was given up to the Choral Society for thoir usual weekly rehearsals, icsterday evening throe short pieces, were produced with groat eclat. We observed that two or three of our old favorites were not on tho stage. Mi.s3 Maggie Griffiths and Miss Flora A nst cad were not forthcoming, neither was Mr Charles Mussoy the Scenic artist, whoso powers as a supernumerary have boon already noticed by us. This evening tho grand operatic spectacle of " Rob Hoy" will be produced, and we should judge in good stylo, as Messrs Towers & Dunn have been fortunate enough to secure the services of that eminent tragedian Mr Tom Fawcett. Mv 9 Fawcett, nee Miss Creed lioyal, whose well known powers as a songstress are admitted, has also been engagod. UrKiosiTiE.s. — We mentioned in our last issuo, that Mr Foloy had arrived in the Airedale, for the purpose of preparing a place for his Circus. We doubt not that when that amusement is set going many persons with their childish love of Astley's and Butty's hippodrome strong upon thorn, will pay a visit to the genius of the "ring." Pending the arrival of the troupe, Mr Foley has a great attraction at present on view, in tho shape of two zebras from the South of Africa, the Empress of Siam's watch, together with somo valuable trinkets, and the Emperor of China's walkingstick. Tho price of admission to these curiosities is only a shilling, and the sight is well worth the money. We forgot to mention another great novelty in tho shape of a man monkey, not Mr Harvey Toasdale, but a legitimate unconverted animal, who will go through a scries of gymnastic performances of a secular character, which make his appearance a good sot oil' to the fanatical saltatory exercises of the original converted man monkey. Sale or Plants. — We notico by an advertisetixoment in another column, that Mr William Robertson will sell, on Wednesday next, at his Stock and Sale Yard, Willis-street, a collection of rare and valuable plants. Many of our amateur horticulturists will, no doubt, attend tho sale and largely invent, for apart from the plants being a really valuable collection, there is another interest attached to them, namely, that they are grown and reared by a Wellington working-man on Wellington soil. They compare favorably with any collection that might be sent over from Sydney, and would make a gorgeous parterre in any gentleman's grounds. Faxcy Dress Ball. — Gaiety appears to be tho order of tho day. On Tuesday next, tho residents of tin's cily give a ball to the Ministry and fcho new arrivals from Auckland. On the following Tuesday the Civil Service Dramatic Club intone! giving ono of their amusing entertainments, and we understand that a party of gentlemen are making arrangement:) for the getting up of a fancy dress ball at no very distant date. Wo trust that Ihe arrangements for such an unusual and amusing treat will shortly be completed, and that we may soon have the pleasure of announcing the proposed ball as a settled affair. Civil Service Dramatic Club. — Wo have boon requested to notico that the members of the above club purpose giving another entertainment in the Oddfellow's Hull, on Tuesday week, tho 27th inst, when the programme presented will be nn attractive one, as it is to comprise three ■wellknown pieces, namely, " Tho Bold Dragoons," " Going to tho Dogs," and " Bombastes Furioso." i Contractors' Meeting. — The lateness of the , hour prevents our noticing a meeting of the J3uildhiff contractors of this city which was held al; 8 o'clock yesterday evening in the Now 1 Zculander Hotel, Miinuera-strect. The meeting b was convened for the purpose of taking into con- } pidoration matters relative to tho interests of tho trade. Unacknowledged Quotations. — We notico 3 tlint the Advertiser and the Evening Post havo I quof-nd Mr Fox's address to the electors of Itan--1 gitikei, from this journal without acknowlcdgonienf. Tho former journal certainly said that "it ' wn-i taken from tho columns of a cont ompoiwy, t but the hitter simply prints it without airy res mark whatever. As tho address in question was ; enclosed in a privato letter to the proprietor of ' t his journal, and no other copy reached Now Zoaf land, wo think our contemporaries were bound to t- have acknowledged the source, from which it was derived. That tho Advertiser has not done so is evidently from want of courtesy, because it was 1 perfectly aware what is tho usual etiquette ; but a that tho Evening Post has fallen into a similar error probably proceeds from that ignorance 6 which so often accompanies youth, and inexperience.

Erbatttii. — Ball to Ministers. — We beg to correct a typographical error -which appeared in our last issue. The date upon which the Ball to the Ministry is given is Tuesday next 20th inst., and not the 28th inst.. as previously slated. Trrc Skirmish at Wuatino. — In our last summary we published a brief account of a skirmish between a lew of the Mounted Corps and some rebel natives near Whulino, a Maori village lo (lie southward of Opunake liny. The following are (lie particulars taken from the TaranaJci Herald of the 10th in&t. ; — " Lieutenant-Colonel Colville, of the 43rd, who seem 3 exactly suited for the command of an outpost, went down from Opunake to Whatino, a distance of five or six miles, with an escort of the Mounted Corps, While there, some of the men, as we understand, expressed a wish to go a little inland to see what was to be seen in that direction, and Colonel Colville seeing no objection, a small party, consisting of Cornet Johnson and six men — J. Johnson, O'jSTeill, Olson, C. Curtis, J. Hoskin, and A. Harrison — started accordingly. After going about a 1 mile they saw six Maories a little way off, and halted, thinking it might be a " draw." The natives seeing them immediately challenged them to come on, intermingling some not very complimentary epithets borrowed from the English language. As was very natural, this invitation could not be resisted, and our men immediately put spurs to their horses and closed with the natives, who fired one volley as they were advancing and another when they got close up, but the revolvers well used soon put an end to the fight. On our side we havo to regret the loss of Private O'Neill, a good man and every way suited to this work ; he was mortally wounded, and died in about tlurty-six hours afterwards — the gun of the native who shot him was so near his side as to search the flesh. Of the six natives three were left dead or dying on the gronnd, and one or two of the others who escaped were wounded ; but having poor O'Neill to look after and not knowing but that there might be more about, our men did not follow them. Besides their wounded comrade, they brought away three guns, a tomahawk, and a mere pounamu, which may be looked upon as a sign that one of the killed was a man of some rank, perhaps old Nopera of Whatino. Wo should state that during the brief time the light lasted the natives kept shouting Pai Marire ! l\ii Marire / but without producing any visible effect. The mounted men. in this affair have sustained the character of their corps for pluck and daring, and deserve all credit for the way they acted. It is by such acts us this and that of Major Von Tcmpsky at Patea that the war will be terminated." ii my»— iiiii m m