THE FIRST NAVAL ENGAGE. MENT.

Whek a cable message came yesterday afternoon announcing a Spanish victory over the United States flaeb at the Philippines we doubted It. Tho news, it waa stated, oame from Spauloh sonroes, and oae of the amiable characteristics of the Don Is that he oan lie like the Father of Lies himself when his own prowess is his topic. When a farther message atatod that the Governor of the Philippines reported that after the fight the Amerloan warships skulked behind merchant! vessels to avoid farther attaok we doubted no longer. We knew that the Spaniards had been badly beaten, and we were qnlte prepared for the third meisage whloh stated that the Spaniards had been completely defeated, and several of their vesiels sank. Bat to give the Don his dae he mast have made a gallant fight of it to the beat of bis ability. At the time of writing no farther details are to hand, bub the fact that they fought until their ships sunk rather than surrender shows that though the Americans were too much for thorn they did not dlsgraoe their country. They went out from harbor to search for ihelr foe, and thay found him, and with the finding came dioostroue defeat, It is to be feared that the loss of IKo will have been Rroat. The rapidity with whloh a modern warship of even the very firat class, fitted with numerous watertight compartments, can olnk when vitally Injurud, was shown by the way the Viototla went down wben accidentally

rammed by the Gamperdown, The Spanish vessels were moid ol them old, and had no watertight oogipftrtmentß, bo the probability Is tint (bey went to the bottom with ail their orews, It la a ahooktog thing to oontsmplate, bub to ia °U War. " Yon oan't make an omelette without breaking eggß," waa the Oynloai remark of Marlborongh when bti ofecera remonstrated against an order whloh wan certain to Involve great loss of life. And if Spain and Amerloa mnst fight It is better that the first battles should be deoltlve oneß, for that will tend to shorten the war and In the end Involve leas loss of life than If they were lnconelußliro. The feeling of kinship, added to sympathy with the States In the cause she hoo taken up, will make ns In the colonies rejoice that Bncoeas has attended her in the battle, To that sympathy has to be added the praotlo&l thought that the Spanish fleet In the Paolfio has been so crippled that It oan no longer be a serlons menace to commeroe. We have nothing to fear from the AmerU cane, bat there was reason to fear the Spnnlards as long as they had the power to strike. Bat with a large part of the Seat gone to the bottom, and the rest crippled, their power for mischief is effectively aootcbed, If not entirely destroyed,

Oar Walpawa and Danevlrke correspendents' letters will be found on the fourth page, A meeting of the Napier Navals will be held at the diillshed this (Tuesday) evenIng at 8 o'clock."** The provisional specifications have been accepted of Joseph Hallett, of Taradale, for an Improved rein-holder. We are Indebted to Mr J. N. Williams for the following record of the rainfall at Hastings daring April ;— lßth '47ia, 19th ,321n; total, '7Bln. Mr K. W, Kirk, Government biologist, at present in the Walrarapa on baeiness conneoted with the Department of Agrl< oulture, will visit Hawke's Bay shortly. Oping to the non-nrrlval of bnyers from the South, Mr H. M'Lean's wool and skin sale under the auspices of Mr W. V, Dennett has beoa postponed to Monday nest,

At a meeting of the Hastings Operatic atid Dramatlo Soolety, held in Mr Merryweather's office, tt was deoided to hold a ball at an early date to open the seaion. At the annual meeting of the Manawatu A. and P. Association Mr A, M'Hardywas elected president, and Mr J. H. Williams, . of Hastings, a vicepresident wlthont opposition. The early train from Napier yesterday morning broke down at Te Ante, bolng taken on to Kaikora by tho express. The nsnal 10 p.m. train consequently did not reaoh Napier until about 11.35 last night. The Chrlßtohusfih Press of Thursday Is informed that the Southern millers have raised the price of flour £1 per ton and that It is now quoted at £12, This step, the paper's Informant addn, Is to ba followed by a corresponding rise In Christohuroh and Canterbury that day, Dnring the March quarter the amount Of deposits In the 23 savings bank and money order offices In the Napier postal district were £3S,<tf7 Is lid, withdrawals £34,567 4s 4d 5 esoeis of deposits over withdrawals, £3909 17s 7d. In oonseqaenoe of the rise In the pries of flour most of the Wellington bakers have deoided to Increase the price of broad from 3d to SJd the 81b loaf, ftlour li now selling in Wellington at £11 12s 6d per ton, or about) £1 a ton more than it was (etching a mouth ago, The Grejmonth correspondent of the Canterbury Times states that Mr Rawson, C.E., who lately visited the towc, was Instructed to report privately to tha Government on a plan for blowing up the breakwaters, or so blocking tbe port that in case of war it would be Impossible for hostile warships to make use of the coal reßouroßß of Brunner, The Hawke's Bay Crloket Association met laat evening, the president, Mr B. H, Williams, In the chair. A committee was formed to work up an entertainment in aid of the funds of the association, of which Mr Alex. Martin wbb appolntod secretary, The meeting was adjourned till Monday week, so that there might be a large attendance to decide who are to be the ohamplons in the senior competl. tion for the season just oloßed. The M'Mlnn Minstrels opened at Hasblngs in the Prlnceaß Theatre hat night, and were very favorably reoelved. The Tegner brothers oreatad much fun bb the two M'Glnnltys, and Items by Misses Lilian Mooro and Ethel Lanrle were muoh appreciated. An enthnslastlo encore was given to Mr Elton for his Imperaonatione. The entertainment concluded with a comlo sketch, "Last Night." The company ploy in Hastings again tonight.

Captain Edwin wired at noon yesterday :— Wind strong between north-east , and north and wast at all places northward of Napier and New Flymonth, and galoo with rain from the same qnatter at all other places, Barometer fall everywhere soon. Sea heavy on all western coast and on east coast south of Napier. Tidea high on all western ooast and on eait ooast south of Ealkonra ; low between Napier and Eaßt Cape ; good and increasing everywhere else. A Boolal to welcome the Rev. W. G, Panonson will be held in the Trinity Wesleyan schoolroom this evening, when a programme of vooal and Instrumental mnsio will be gone through, with refreshments daring an interval, As Mr Parsonson holds the honored position of being the president of the Ohnrob he represents, it is hoped a large andlence will gather together to meet him. A collection will be made to defray expenses.

Mr A, M'Hardjr has had the mltfortnno to lose a valuable horao la a very mys« terions manner. He purchased the horse Clip, wbloh wns second to The Master In the welght'oarrying olaes at tbe Manawata Show last November, from Mr Btemer, of Hawera. The horao wat sent by (rain to Hawke's Bay, and in tbe absence of Mr M'Hardy was pat in a loose-box at the hotel for the night. Id the morning no trace ot It was to be fonnd, and it is oonjeotnied that it was stolen.— Standard. The following la a list of tbe preparations Btads by the Afaeris la iba way of food at the funeral of Major Kernp :— la the centre of tbe pah rose a great pile ot provisions 80ft long, 7ft) high, and severe! feet in breadth. In .front of It were ten biff pigs tied to stakes, find on top of It, impaled on sticks, were 199 one pound notes, to be given away os presents, to representatives. The heap of food con« talned oil the materials for a gorgeous feast, There wore 26 saoks of potatoes, 14 ions of flour, 48 large boxes of bisonlte, 127 bags of sugar, 17 tins of biscuits, 10 nooks and 5 boxes of dried fitb. 18 boxes of tea, 3 hogßheads of beer, 2 oaiei of whisky, 10 baskets of mutton birds, 2 sacks of pumpkins and melon*. Oar Woodvllle correspondent writes under yesterday's date:— The harvest thanktglvlng services of Holy Trinity Church were held yesterday, The ohnrch was very prettily decorated with ever* greens and' iloweri, whilst offerings of fralt, &0., were placed upon the altar. The Rev. W. Colenso, of Napier, officiated In the morning to a large congregation. In the evening the Rev. J. C. Ecolea, onrator of the parish, preaohed a powerful sermon to another large congre* Ration, taking bis text from Deut. xxvl— 2, the Rev. W. Connor reading the lessons.— The shooting season has properly started, as was shown by the f aallade that has been going on from early yesterday morning. The Napier Guards and Rifle Volnnteora mastered In good numbers at the Garrison Hall last evening, and after the government inspection the batalllon was taken out on the Parade, and Captain Cbloken acted as Major, assisted by Captain Hughes, aotlng adjutaut, and the Staff Sergt-Mejor. Considering that the men have nob had batalllon drill, similar to that gone through for a considerable time, they are to be complimented on their fine display. The Major telz d the opportunity of practising the men for the feu de joie to be fired on Her Majesty's Birthday. It is pleasing to note that the two corps are arranging for a friendly shooting match on May 24th, and in order to make it Interesting the committee have deolded to fire a senior and junior match. It 1b to be hoped that this may only be the beginning of many each com. petitions.

On Sanday evening a young man named Walter Calne Scott was foand dead la bed at Moroney'a Hotel, Walpawa (writes onr correipondent). It ap« pears that ha led b somewhat irregular life, and wan at tlmea Id nead of medical attendance, and bad been under Dr. Reed's oare at Intervals (or the last two years. On Saturday night be was apparently well and attended a performance at the Odfellowa' Hall, bat about 11 o'olook Dr, Reed was sent) for, who anp. plied him with some medicine that wee to bo taken in two teaspoonfals every four hoars, bat he appears to have emptied the bottle, whioh contained 24 doses, with this fatal result. An inquest was opened yesterday afternoon befoie Mr S. Johnson, Coroner, bnt on the application of the police It wan adjourned till Wednesday eight to enablo Inquiries to he made at Onga Odrq, where he usually lived, and elsewhere. Deceased waa a remittance man, and well connected at Home,

The Amy Sherwln concert season will open in the Theatre Royal to-morrow night, A most attrnotlve programme has bsen prepared, and lovers of muiio are promised a treat. Writing of the Pattl concert at the Albert Hall, London, an English oiitlo saysi-" The most nrilstlo saooets of the concert was that of Madame Amy Sherwln, whose pure Bnd lovely voice was shown to perfeotlon in Godard'a 1 Berconse, 1 which was rapturously ecored. Later she sang Bemberg's ' Nympba et Sylyalns,' and was ' recalled again and again. Madame Amy Sherwln owes I nothing to the way she does things— l mean her manner when on the platform Is , very simple and quiet, there Is no fussiness, no catoblog airs and graces. She has a beautiful Titian head and a complexion that at right Roes with it. And she has the rare advantage of looking well when she is singing. I don't think I ever bow so radiant a faoe as hers bs It was when she wbb singing the last verse of the ' Berceuse.' "

Invention says that tbe unsettled state of the European atmosphere finds an Index in the great Brltlih war barometer at Woolwfcb, When storm oloads lower over the horlfton the Wodlwldh CrAuea ate bnsy, and there are none idle now, nor are there any idlers among the army of nearly 17,000 employe's. Tbe gun factory is oglare, with the 54 great furnaces, whlob, in addition io 15,000 tons of shoti ana shell, turn Oat yearly 7000 tons or guns, ranging from Woolwich infants of 100 tons down to mountain mole howitzers, In the laboratory 900 ball-cartridge machines are turning oat from 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 cartridges weekly t the carriage depart* mantoan produce yearly 65 field batteries, 150 naval or garrison gun oanioges, 24 turret carriages, and 350 transport oarrlsgee ; 000 maohineß are bnsy in the shot and shell department ; the torpedo faotory breeds yearly 200 fish torpedoes, and all the vatt machinery of the place is just now driven to the fullest oipaolty,

At the Magistrate's Comb yesterday, before Mr Tarnbnll, S.M,, Charles Rollo, charged with having forged and attered a obeqae for £8 12) 6d, purporting to be signed by H, Hlokey, was remanded nntil Friday. The Sergeant intimated that the aoonied was arrested In Wellington on his way to Sydoey.— John Golding was ohaiped that, being a prohibited person, he did enter the Ferry Hotel, Western Spit, and obtain beer. Tbe defendant pleaded galUy, bud stated (hat bis order only applied to the Napier district, and he believed that the Western Spit was outtide the boundaries. The S.M. said that was no exouse at all. The hotel la question was in the Napier dlstrlo) t besides, a prohibited person oonld not legally enter any licensed premises in the colony. Orders made with regard to certain dlstrlots applied to ths hotelkeepers of these dlstrlots only, bat io far as the prohibited persons themselves were concerned, they had efFaob throughout the oolony. Sergeant Mitchell reminded tbe Court of the utter indifference prohibited persons still showed in entering hotola' as to the trouble they might get tbo licensees Into. The S.M. lined Golding £l, with Sa costs. -^Joneph Rodder, for vegranoy, was farther remanded until Friday.— Probl. bltioa orders wore issued against Frank Stanley and M. Eelleher, to have effcot in the Napier and Hawke's Bay licensing dlitrloto,

tVlth regard to the Matauraeleotlon we [Post) are glad to be able to say that In a certain event that is likely to happen— and will be understood by thoie interested Without partlonlarlsatlon— the Hon, 6. F. Klohardaon will bs again a candidate for the seat. The date of tbe electlou has not yet been fixed, but It may be approximated, On Thursday last a Gazette notice deolared the seat vacant. Tha Electoral Act provldei that as noon as conveniently as may be after such notioe the warrant of the Speaker shall issue to tns Clerk of Writs, who shall forthwith iesaa the wild, which Is returnable within 21 days. Making allowance for the necessary advloes antecedent to the Issue of the writ, it appears that nomination day will fall on or about 20th May, while tbe act provides that the polling day mnat be seven clear days thereafter. As to the probable result of tbe olectlor, private advices to hand seem to show that while Mr Ward, the proposed Opposition oandidate, apart from Mr Biohardson, is an estimable and capable gentleman, long resident in tbe dlstrlot, he cannot win against Mr M'Nab, whose position will be strengthened by his lately nnderstood independence of the Government. He will, It seems, In event of eleotlon, be really a member of the Left Wing. There appears to be a strong feeling locally that Mr Richardson Is the only possible Opponent able to win against Mr M'Nab under the olroumstanoeß, and according to preient appearances he Is a likely oandidate,