THE Thames Advertiser. MONDAY. SEPT. 21, 1874.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1863, 21 September 1874, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser. MONDAY. SEPT. 21, 1874.

One of the largest, and one of the most interesting, if not most useful, papers laid- before the Assembly during last session was that respecting the. South Sea Islands, by which Mr Yogel sought to support his proposal for the formation of a South Sea Company on whose expenditure the Government of New Zealand were to guarantee 5 per cent., and,for whose sake, the colony could not avoid undertakingsome unknown responsibilities over islands scattered over a large part of the immense Pacific, and inhabited by many different tribes of savages. The scheme is of a difficult and doubtful character, but we would by no means pronounce against it.. Within a.few years some of the Powers of Europe, or the United States of America, will certainly exercise control over these islands, and it would be of great importance for New Zealand, and especially for Auckland, if 'the commerce of the archipelagoes could be centred here. Eudeavours have been, made to get.Great Britain to assume a charge of almost every group in these sea", but the thirst for extending her dominion has passed away from our mother country, and this is perhaps not to be wondered at, seeing what dear bargains some of her' distant pos-; sessions, largely inhabited by savage peoples, have been of late years. Fiji is even now making another attempt to be rocognised as one of England's family, and Sir Hercules Robinson is about to make a visit. on behalf of the British Government. Unquestionably Great Britain is the-fittest power -to exercise control over these islands. Her commerce is the greatest and most .widely extended, her people the most adventurous and apt in colonisation; all the waste places of the earth on which the European race, can live in comfort have been or are being filled up by men of English descent, till the archipelagoes of the Pacific alone remain to be pos-: sessed.

These papers consist of ministerial memoranda, addresses to her Majesty respecting the labour traffic of the islands,- despatches ! from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and information as to .the.,area, population,; trade, Ac., of the principal groups of islands. It is .shown how important it is : to' British interests that a protectorate of the Fiji and : Navigator Islands should be : established, so as to secure a coaling station for the steamers traversing the Pacific, and for English commercial interests generally. The idea of a South Sea Company originated with Mr Coleman Phillips, who had aided in arranging for the ment of a bauk in Fiji, and -who proposed to form the company afc home. Mr Vogelj however,/ thought tho idea might be worked from New Zealand, and hence the.South Sea scheme of last session.'Previously, 'Mr Yogel : had urged upon the Home Government the advisability of taking some steps to establish an authority amongst tho islands of the Pacifid, either directly or through New Zealand, the ultimate! object being, as slated by Mr Yogol, " the establishment of the Polynesian Islauds as one dominion, with New Zealand the centre of government, the dominion, like Canada, to be a British dependency." The Home authorities are, however, difficult to move, aid in'reference to the request to allow the New Zealand Government' to make , such arrangements with the chiefs of the Navigator Islands as will protect New Zealand interests, Lord Kimberley says" Her Majesty's: Government would not, howevor, be disposed to sanction any steps which could lay this country under qbligations to interfere in the affairs of these islauds." Thus in the meautime Mr Yogel must content himself with proposing a commercial company with trading stations on the-different islands. ' There canlbe : no doubt,, however, that in these islauds, aa in India, on tho West Coast of

Africa, and elsewhere, commercial intercourse by a company recognised and guaranteed by the Government would, bring about an interference with native affairs. Some m understanding would take place on an island,, the natives would rise aud perhaps destroy the trading stations, and unless we were to give up all, we would have to levy a force and reduce them to subjection. Whether, then, wo could carry on successful trade is very doubtful. Probably Mr Yogel will take advantage of his visit to Eugland to press this matter on the attention of the present Government, and from Mr Disraeli he. may obtain more countenance than from Liberal Ministers. In the event of any arrangement being come to, the missionary societies will be placed in a position of some difficulty. There has been a perpetual feud between .them and the traders, the reasons for which are • very obvious, as stated in the Parliamentary paper referred toby Mr Sterndale, whose letters in >. the 'Southern Cross' have attracted bo much notice

Throughout the Pacific, for the past 25 years, there has been a constant struggle for the mastery between missionaries and .merchants, eaJh being intensely jealous of the influence over native affairs obtained by the other. Merchants .make the greatest profits out of savages, for • the reason that savages are content to sell thqir produce for blue beads,' tomahawks, and to. bacco. When these savage 3 are brought under' the influence of the missionaries, they are instructed to demand payment in piece goods wherewith to clothe themselves, and in coin for the purpose of subscribing to the funds of the missionary societies, This reduces the profits of the merchants, who bitterly resent 'such interference.

I Of the beauty of the scenery of these 1 islands, of the softness of the climate, of the abundance of the spontaneous fruits of the earth, those, .who have seen never "can say enough.'' 'Cocoanut palms, bread-fruit, bananas, oranges, limes, grow around the houses of the natives, while,,the interior of most of the islands is described as a "mere wilderness of the most gorgeous tropical vegetatioaj groves, dense to dark] ness, of palms and plantains, citrons and. mangos, bread-fruit everywhere, and wild yams trailing themselves into a matted jungle."-- Contrary to what most of us have learned in youth, the coral which girdles them, it seems, is not • the product of an insect secreting lime-stone from the sea, but a vegetable, growth, proceeding , from a high point of land, and gradually becoming hard. It is true that .this is the abode of innumerable insects, but they have nothing to do with the..growth of;the structure. So that all the: elaborate morals drawn from the patient labours of the coral insect fall to the ground. Round most of these islands,is a barrier of coral upon .which the "great surge of the Pacific' breaks. The entrance is on the side opposite to that of the prevailing trade wind, while in the centre ate calm lagoons, where the water is so clear that'an object-thie.size of a man's hand liay be seen at a depth often fathoms. Here is 'Mr Sterndale's description of the lagoons of the Low Archipelago'

The aspect of the bottom is that of a wilderness of marine vegetation of the most wonderful forms and'gorgeous colours, seeming in some places to be spread over the ; surfaoe of sloping liill?, in others to be growing out from, the sides of tall pillars or towers pierced with vast cive?, in which the refracted beams of the stinshiae causes the water to glow witli the colours of the opal, and the innumerable species of zoophytes clinging to the rocks to glisten like gems, while between the huge caverned masses are wide spaces- floored with sand perfectly level and white as snow, upon which the great green mounds covered with coral trees throw fantastio shadows, so that in leaning over the side of a cauoe and contemplating these so , remarkable appearances, one cannot escape being reminded of the fabled grove of Aladdin, or of that garden.which Don Quixote imagined himself , to have,seen in the grotto of Montesinoa, "Elmr.s liello amenoy: deleitoso que puede criar la uaturaleza." Amongst all this are to be seen great multitudes of fishes of the most extraordinary shapes and hues, gold and purple and violet and scarlet, jet ! black, mottled, and every shade of greeen.

—Most of these islands are clothed with verdure to the summit of every eminence, and seen from the deck of a vessel are like gardens placed irt the

One most remarkable feature connected with the'islands is that on some of them, inhabited, by.barbarous races unacquainted with the use of. metals or with any mechanical art, are the remains and monuments of an ancient civilisation. Here"is a, description of one of the Navigator Islands

The Island of Upolo, like Savaii, is only inhabited upon the sea coast. This was not the case formerly, as the whole interior exhibits evidence of ancient prosperous settlement. It consists of sloping ridges and wide elevated plateaux, rising one behind tho other;up to the crown of the central range, very much of which displays vast areas of rich table-laud covered with luxuriant forests, in: whose silent depths are to be seen the ruins of ancient villages and building's of strange form,, composed of massive stonework, i One easily recognises the fact that all the available land in those localities has been at one time industriously cultivated, from the remains of boundary walls, causeways, reservoirs and ditches for purposes of irrigation, and similar works, affording proof , that in some early unknown time the population was much more denso as; well as more energetic and industrious than at present,

—In respect to Strong Island, which is north of, the : equator, and thousands of miles from the Navigators, we have'the following:—. : -

There are, nevertheless, some peculiarities iu the character, of 'the Strong islanders, which render them capable of civilization in a higher degree than most Polynesians, They are a people who have degenerated from what must , have been in some respects.'a much more perous and enlightened state than that in which we now find them. A groat part of their land is covered with ruins' 'of the moat massive description, built upon a general- plan such as could only have been conceived by men of power and : intelligence, acquainted 5 with mechanical appliances for raising enormous weights and transporting huge blocks of stono considerable distances both by land and water. These works, .wliioh; strike even civilised men with astonishment, could'only have been effected 1 by the labour - of' thousands of men working in concert and under command, and they, prove, from their aspect and the evident intention of some of them, that their builders : must have had, at the time of their erection, \. s some form of settled government andsjstem-of religion. '' " " " —Of a neighbouring island the writer saya-■ The interior.is altogether uninhabited; tta , natives have ' a superstitious dread of it, .

'rTntr-^—T—■ *-■——i—TI fh~~ i ..cannothe readily persuaded to go any distance inland. As on Strong Island, so on Ascension, there are many ruins, the work of the same ancient people, only very much larger and extensive. Hundreds of acres, in some localities, are covercd by the remains of walls, canals, and earthworks, of the most stupendous character. One can easily imagine, from .-their appearance, what dense population must once have inhabited this place,

—At some time, a fragment of history anterior to the civilisation of Egypt may be i*escued from these ancient remains, but the probability is, that they will.'.remain as . inscrutable- as the ruined cities in General America.

One of the first questions which will present itself is, whether in undertakiug tho government of these islands it is possible to colonise them, or whether interference must be confined to protecting our trading stations and playing off one tribe of natives against ..another. It is obvious that this question mainly depends upon, whether a European race could labour in these islands and prosper , and increase from year to year. In the papers laid before the Hoiige this question is dealt 'with by Mr Sterndale. He says The reign of prosperity that will in time be inaugurated is now inconceivable; many islands now unprofitable, and almost unknown, will acquire a greater value than that of some of the West Indies, forasmuch as they aro suited to the cultivation of every valuable tropical product, with an advantage which the Indies do not possess, and which is not to be found in any other tropical region of the world. .That advantago is that of a climate beyond every other conducive to health and longevity, a perpetual Eummer of so delightful a tempera- ' ture that working men of Europe or the Australias May there devote themselves to a life of pleasant and profitable labour without inconvenience or detriment to their constitutions. In proof.of this the traveller may see at any time, in the Navigators and other islands, within a few degrees of the Equator, Englishmen from ■Australia and New Zealand felling timber in forests and stripping it into plauks iu saw-pits without sheds or roofs to protect them from tho sunshine. They do not complain of the heat, and they seldom suffer from sickness, not being more liable to it there than. elsewhere. Had the islands of the Caribbean Sea possessed these conditions, they ; would have formed, at least a hundred years ago, a..congeries of prosperous States,- peopled by communities, of happy, independent, hard-Working Europeans, instead of beiug regarded, from their insufferable sultriness, and the deadly miasma carried from the neighbouring continent, as the " graves of white men." Ihe yearly increasing difficulty of obtaining coloured labour in most of the suitable localities of the torrid zone, and the consequent great expense, preclude the possibility in those regions of formiug profitable plantations on a small scale, and so act as an insuperable barrier to the speculator of limited capital. In the Pacific Islands this hindrance tO;indindual enterprise does not exist. There a family or small company of determined practical' working "white men can perform all their labours with their own hands; and by the introduction of animals; and should their extended operations necessitate the engagement of hired help, they can readily obtain the assistance of Polynesian natives at a rate of wages which', while just and sufficient to the barbarian leaves a fair margin of profit to those who : employ them.

—On this important point, however, we think there is room for doubt. In some of the : islands, doubtless, European's. could do all as pictured above, but in many others it would be impossible. In the Fij is, in the Navigator or Samoa Group, iu the Friendly Island,", in Rarotonga, and the neighbouring- .islands, European colonies would possibly flourish, but in the more northerly islands, _ lying close Upon the equator, we think permanent European occupation would be impossible.-.

The natives of these islands are all more or less akin- to the Maori race, although ; there is an enormous difference'between the inhabitants of the various groups of islands, The - ' most civilised are the natives of Tonga, and of this island Mr Sterndale writes

, The' Government of Tonga is liberal, enlightened, and respectable, It is Protestant, but there is'no oppression of other creeds permitted; lhe laws are just and strictly enforced; there is no respect of persons before the law; the king himself sets the example of obedience. The Btatutes are printed, and distinctly understood by all the people, All the great islands are divided by broad roads, laid out by a European tngineer; they are formed and kept in repair by the,labour of such as have been convicted of crimes.:. There is an efficient police, and for the defence of the country all the able-bodied men are supplied with arms (i. e. a musket and bayonet) by their Government, and are required to attend a regular drill twice every week.

-The other extreme are the natives of the Kingsmill Islands, which lie on the equator,-who are : brought to labour on Samoa, and concerning whom the Eame •writer says:,—

The Kingsmill islanders, on arrival, present an example-of the lowest type of Pacific Bavagea—naked, brutal, and wolfish in aspect; having lived, absolutely without laws; having subsisted solely upon cocoa-nuts, fish, and the fruit of the screw palm; seamed with the scars of incessant .affrays the result of the state of chronic intoxication in which their brains have been steeped from childhood from the use of the fermented toddy of the cocoa-nut tree- a large proportion being afflicted with cutaneous diseases and various forms 'of syphilis, introduced among them by the crews of whaling ships.

—In this paper, we are told all about what the islands produce and what they maybe made to produce—about the beech-de-mer, the spunge, and turtlefishing, about the cocoanut trade, and the pearl-fishing on islands which have been but rarely visited. On this point, we may quote the following respecting Samoa, which, may be taken as a type of many islands:—

Among the products more especially suited to the climate and local conditions of Samoa, as proved from experiment, may be enumerated cotton, coffee, sugar, tamarinds, tobacco, indigo, Yanilla rice, cinnamon (a tree analogous to which is found indigenous), true nutmegs, ginger, arrowroot, and the various oil-producing trees. Among those which could be unquestionably introduced with success may be more particularly mentioned cinchona and tea. For tho cultivation of the latter, no climate or country presents more favourable conditions. I speak with confidence, having a thoroughly practical knowledge of the subject, There is no reason why Englishmen, • having once conquered the popular .prejudice that tea cannot be successfully cultivated or manufactured by Europeans, or outside certain localities, Bhould not enter upon , this industry in the great islands of the Pacific, especially a? the amount of labour require! is so small in comparison •with that necessary for the cultivation and preparation,of coffee, sugar, cotton, or tobacco. Tea adapts itself to various temperatures in a. manner impossible to coffee, is extremely hardy, and bears a crop which defies rains or humcanes; it luxuriates on high and sloping hinds, tsoecialy those of ancient forest, where the giant trees are allowed at intervals to remain, affording a'shade in which it delights, .It is of products one of , the most suited to the high •woo' Hands of Samoa. *-Ihe prospect is somewhat fascinating

to the imagination that New Zealand should exercise control over these innumerable islands as mistress of the Pacific, directing all their commerce to her shores, and sending out to them the products of a temperate clime. But great caution must be used. So long as traders merely call here and there, the natives and them may manage to get on pretty well together, but circumstances would be changed if factories were erected on every, island, and the trade mauaged by men who iu mauy cases had little experience, and who knew, or believed, that they had a powerful force behind them.

The Hon. Dr Pollen, Colonial Secretary, and, in the absence of Mr Vogel,' Acting Premier, came down to the Thames on Friday evening, and left again on Saturday. On Saturday forenoon Dr Tollen visited the Moanataiari battery, the Kuranui Hill tunnel, an<] the works of the Pumping Association, In the afternoon, he went to Shortland, where he had a meeting with some of the principal natives of the district at Mr Puckcy's office, Te Moananui, Tarapipipi, and W. H. Taipari were present. The first-named made strong complaint to Dr Pollen respecting the system of issuing 4 raihana" or licenses by Mr Mackay, for lands at Ohinemuri, To make this complaint was the object of the meeting, and Te Moananui was very strong upon the subject. Dr. .Pollen said very little in reference to the complaint, and, we believe, made no .pledge about it. He said that Mr McLean would soon leave Wellington for tho East Coast, where he had to attend a meeting of the Ngatiporou tribe, that he would then come on to the Thames by Taupo and Tauranga, and that he would stay in this district for some time in order to arrange matters,

A dividend of 5s per Bhare in the Bright Smile Company has been declared, payable on Thursday next, which on 5,500 shares makes the total amount to be divided £1,375,

A detachment of the Naval Brigade, under an officer and petty officer, mustered for shell practice on Saturday morning at half-past six, but owing to a cutter lying in the line of fire, the practice was adjourned' to Tuesday morning.

The Knight-Gourlay Troupe gave two performances on Saturday. There was a good muster of children at the matinee performance, but in the evening the attendance was moderate. The entertainment provided in each instance w<s good, and the company would no doubt have had better patronage, duriug their stay.,at the Thames only for the continued inclemency of the weather.

A soiree will be held at the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Shortland, on Tuesday next, when addresses will be delivered by several clergymen and others. The occasion is the. anniversary of the church.

The bridge over the Hape Creek, which was for so long a subject of contention, and which was known as Butt's Bridge, has now been completed as a joint work by the Borough Council and the Parawai Board. It is a most substautial structure. Indeed, we may remark that most, if not all, of the works' undertaken by the Borough Council appear to be gone about in workmanlike fashion.

Mr Thomas Trumper, compositor, who for thelast five years has beeu engaged on the Thames Advertiseii, being about to leave for Sydney in consequence of family bereavement, •his fellows of the companionship met him on .Saturday and made him a.presentation as. follows" Thames Gtoldfield, New Zealand, Sept, 19, '1871 To Mr Thomas Trumper. Dear Sir,—ln taking your departure from the : Thames for Sydney, we, your fellow-workmen and friends of the Thames Advehtissh office, desire to testify our respect and esteem towards you by begging you to accept the accompanying expression' (£lO 12s) of ouv regard, with sincere hopes for your future welfare. Wishing yourself and family prosperity and happiness,—\Ve remain yours, 4c., William Smith (on behalf of the companionship),"—MrTrumper thanked the companionship for the presentation, and for their good wishes towards himself and family, which had been evinced not only on this occasion; but on many others since his arrival at the Thames.-

The Rev. J. Crump delivered a very in. tereating lecture before the Auckland Youug Men's Christian Association on Friday evening last, on "Music: Its system of notation and methods of teaching.'' There was a large attendance, Col. Haultaiu occupying the chair,

We are informed that, in consequence of the inclemency of the weather, the rehearsals of the Choral Society have not been so well attended, recently as they should have been, considering the concert is so soon to take place, and that unless the members muster in sufficient force this evening, the arrangements will have to be altered.

We understand that a telegram lias been received from Mr Sheehan accepting the invitation for the banquet to be given to him tomorrow. It will be seen that a meeting of the general committee is to be held to night, at the Nil Desperandum Hotel.

It will be seen by our advertising columns that tenders are called for supplying the requisite ironwork and fittings for the forty-one Btamper battery proposed to be erected near the Karaka Creek by Mr 11. Kennan.

The ' Golden Crown' will not m:.ke her usual trip to the Thames to-morrow, in consequence of laying up for cleaning and painting.

The storekeepers in the Waikato have,banded themselves into a protection society, with the object principally, we learn, of putting an end to the —to say the least—unbusiuess like proceedings of certain quasi wholesale houses in Auckland, It appears that it is the custom of some of those houses to send travellers round to solicit orders from settlers, The storekeepers in the district have determined not to purchase goods from the houses they have placed a cross against on that acsouut,—Waikato Timcs,

The Wellington correspondent of the llcrald e egiaphs as follows respecting the proceedings of the Superintendent and Provincial flecrataiy i,!)nfW M n; T" Tllc I Jr °vincincial Oovevi ment of Wellington aro wanting to'sell every Tood o land owned by them! Bunny and llwThl '1i !° exhaust the provincial stp£'° """»*»

An accident o a somewhat similar nature to that which befel the late.Mr Gribbto occurred on board the schooner 'Effio Meikltf yesterday morning. Two of the crow were employed at he hand-winch discharging cargo, when one (a Maori) got within range of the handle, whilst the whip was being overhauled. He received a most violent blow on the temple, inflicting it severe wound, which, bled profusely and reuderedhim for a time insensible, Captain Kennedy had tho injured man at once conveyed to the Hospital; and, after a medical examination, it was ascertained that there was every probability of his recovery.

Mr Deader Wood writes to the Cross' in reference to Mr Vogel's remarks ou his account of the caucus meeting held by the supporters o£ ?he Government after the passing of the abolition resolutions. Mr Wood concludcs as follows As regards the- genetfal result of Mr Yogel's meeting, I see very little difference between his account and mine. No resolution was arrived at expressing that result in terms j but that the general understanding was that tue abolition question ehould rest on its own merits, and that the two other matters referred to in the resolution should not be included in tho bill, I have no hesitation whatever in declaring. I had an opportunity, a day or two ago, of speaking to Major Jackson upon this subject, who told mo that was what he understood lalw,"

The following is the state of the Thames Goldfield Hospital for the week ending Sept. 19:— Remained fr.im- last week, 22; admitted, 4; discharged, 7; died, 0; remaining, 19. The diseases are as follows:-Fever, 1; fracture, 4 ; spinal injury 1; ornychia, 1; injury by explosion, 1; debility, 2; wounds and injuries, 1; eczema, 1; asthma, 1; abscess, 2; lumbago, 1; bronchitis, 1; delirium .tremens, 1; ascites, l. : Remaining—Males, 14; females, 6; total, 19. Out-patients, 27,

We (Herald) published a telegram in our columns some few mornings back announcing that the shareholders in the Gfreymouth Coal Mine had sent, or were about to send, home to England for steam colliers with a draught of water sufficiently small to cross the bar haibaur of that portion of the West Coast, and steam up the river, while at the same time carrying heavy cargoes. Since tbeu, Mr Wickes, late Mayor of Qreymouth, and one of the principal shareholders of the mine, has come to Auckland, and upon making inquiries among our local shipbuilders,, he has learned, as much to his surprise as to his satisfaction, that steam colliei'3 may be .built and launched in Auckland at a price which will not exceed that of the saihe kind of vessels built in England when the cost of the outward voyage is added. The Greymouth • mine will shortly be iu a position to guarantee a turn out of six hundred tous of coal per diem, and will be enabled to employ at least six steam colliers to meet the demand made upon the mine by our own aud the sister provinces. One of our local shipbuilders intends to supply plans of a steamer with a view to obtaining an order for the building of at least two three of those required.

Tho Mayor of Auckland aud several Councillors waited upon his Honor the -Superintendent on Friday last to ask, amongst other matters, if the fees under the Dog Nuisance Act would not be handed over to the corporation.— Hia Honor said that was a question upon which he had no-power to decide.—The Town Ck-rk said that the Thames Municipality received the fees.—His Honor said that not only the Thames Corporation but also the various Highway Boards were recipients of the fees under the Act. In.regard to Auckland he had no : power to'grant the request.—The Mayor asked if anything had been done regarding an addition to the Auckland police force.—His Honor replied that the Provincial Council had appointed a certain number; if extra ones were appointed where would the money come from to pay them with?— His. Honor was of opiuiou' that the Mayor aud City Council should have a ; civie police under their. own control, .and that they should pay them, the armed constabulary still remaining in their present capacity. If a disturbance should now arise in any of the outdistricts every policeman would- be liable to be drafted off, and Auckland left without a single .constable. .

i A very singular letter appears iu the New Zealand Herald o£ Saturday, signed by the fiev. Mr Comford, minister of the Baptist Church. We should have thought that the subject was hardly one for newspaper discussion, aud we cauuot help saying also that Mr Comford might have shown a*more Christian spirit, even towards an erring brother than he has done. The letter is as follows:—"Sir,—' The pure inventions and misrepresentations put forth by Mr Cass are worthy only of contempt aud scorn, 'lhe Church to which he applied refused him a regular dismissal, because it had known notbiug of him foe upwards of eight years; or by established mstorn he would have been at once received to membership. He says • the credentials were 'correct;'l said, they were 'not satisfactory.' Had tlioy been satisfactory, the ' views he privately hold would not have been enquired into or regarded. It is simply and abominably untrue thai he was not enrolled a member ' solely because.he believed in the personal reign of Christ.', We liava several members who hold the opinion, and at least one deacon, and these are not the le-s beloved because of it. Equally false is it that by my ' casting vote' lie was' deprived of the privilege he practically and injuriously abused, The statement is a malicious and wicked fabrication, and its author unworthy of consideration,- From oft-repeated conversations we have together had on the subject, Mr Cass also knows it is not true that his 1 change of views' occasioned his being denied the Communion. The cause'was'his labouring to create divison, or as himself described it, his determination ■' to fight the Church to ihe last; '• This was supplemented by the fact, that after months of patient admonition, when the Church pronouueed its decision lie refined to submit to it, aud compelled the members, when they had assembled, to'partake'the Lord's Supper, to depart abruptly and forego the ordinance! The remonstrances of myself and the deacous were of no avail. Such was his fighting determination, that he told me he was ready ' to use force,' aud that if the deacons had attempted to proceed with the celebration by 'passing liiin by,' he would have withstood them in aisle, and made that impossible! ■ When the Church was informed of Mr Cass's determination, it had clearly no alternative but to Sgive place unto wrath',' and depart in peacc, leaving the supper of the J.ord untouched, There and then terminated the last shadow of a claim on my notice which Mr. Cas3 may have had. Thus he placed himself far behind the last man I could consent to meet for the discussion of any topic of Christian doctrine. His new creed was marvellously quick in bearing fruit, and few men will be surprised when I say that I have too much respect for the Church, and for myself, to recognise him as a Christian brother, or care for anything he may say or do: (Matthew, 18th c. 17th v.;"

; One of the landmarks of London is to be removed in tile course of the improvements of the met:o[iliß. Your readers who have visited this city will remember the large mansion at the southeast corner of Trafalgar square, facing the Nelson column, and known as Northumberland House. Like many of our old aristocratic mansions, the record of its owners recalls to mind the names of some great actors on England's political stage, and might supply materials for a chapter on the vicissitudes iu the fortunes of noble families, Of the originial mansion, called Northampton House, built in 1605 for Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, and son of Lord Surrey, the poet, little remains except the arched gate-way by which the courtyard in the center of the building is entered, The first owner bequeathed the house to his nephew, Thomas Howard, Karl of Suffolk, who changed its name to Suffolk House, A daughter of the second Karl of Suffolk having married Algernon Percy, tenth Earl of Northumberland, the house, forming part of the marriage portion, took the name of its new lord. Here, iu 1660, General Monk having been invited by the fiaii to meet other distinguished royalists, the restoration of Charle3 II was planned. After seeing many, changes in the succession to the title of its owner, and having by the marriage of an heiress passed to the "proud Dulce of Somerset," who lived here in great state, the Northumberland House has at last been sold to the Metropolitan Board of Works, historical associations and all, for the sum of £179,000 ($2,489,500), and when the public have had an opportunity to view their purchase the building will be demolished. Property does not diauge hauds without expense here, eveu whea it is to bo (13stroyed, and the st imp duty on the conveyance amounted to £2,500 (§12,500), while tho Duke's solicitors had to be paid £1,000 (§5,000) for their trouble.