ST. ANDREW'S DAY.

? A general desire has been expressed that Tuesday next, St. Andrew's Day, should be observed as a public holiday, as well as being merely a bank holiday under the Act. The Wellington Racing Club have provided some excellent sport for the day, which most people would like to be able to enjoy, and the railway authorities are willing to run trains at oheap rates provided the day is declared a public holiday, Government offices closed, &c. Most of the leading merchants, we believe, have agreed to close on that day, and it is probable that many of the retail tradesmen will follow their example. It is much to be desired that some definite steps should be taken in the matter, so as to avoid having one of those wretched half-and-half holidays which inconvenience everybody and please nobody. We hope therefore that the Government will see their way to comply with tho request of the deputation which waited on them to-day.

The polling for the election of Mayor for the ensuing municipal term takes place tomorrow. As is already known, there are four candidates — Dr. Diver, Mr. Dwan, Mr. Hutchison, and Mr. Young — and the polling will commence at six o'clock in tho morning at the Academy of Music, Lambton Quay, closing at six o'clock in the evening. The declaration of the poll may be expected to be made in the course of an hour and a half afterwards. A telegram received to-day from the Hon. tho Native Minister states that some more survey pegs were pulled up on the Parihaka Block last night, but active measures were being adopted for securing the perpetrators of the offence and for guarding against its repetition. Mr. Dwan will hold his final meeting at the Arcade to-night, " when civic matters will be more fully discussed;" and Dr. Diver will hold two meetings this evening — one at the Primitive Methodist Schoolrom, Donald M'Lean-street, Newtown, at 7 o'clock ; the other at the Academy of Music, Lambton Quay, at 9 o'clock. In another column will be found a letter from Mr. Andrew Young, one of the candidates for the M ayoralty in to-morrow's election, which deserves and will well repay a careful and attentive perusal, as both the subject and the suggestions made are of great importance to this city. _. ~"' At the conclusion of Dr. Diver's meeting last night, the Hon. G. M. Waterhouse, in returning thanks for a vote of thanks, said he regretted the questions asked of the candidate had not been upon a broader basis of public policy instead of little matters of detail. If the colony or a city was to thrive they must rise above these small and petty matters and deal with questions of a broad public character. They must not look at it from a Thorndon point of view only, but have regard to the interests of the city as a whole and of the colony generally. These remarks were received with applause. An official holiday will be observed at the Government Buildings on the day of Sir Arthur Gordon's arrival, and notice has been sent round that all the public offices in Wellington will be closed on that day. There were some errors in the Press Association's telegrams of the weights for the Wellington Cup, published ia our yesterday's issue. Piscatorious' weight was telegraphed as 7st 91b, whereas it should have been 7st 51b. "Lure" should have been "Luna," the former not being entered for the Cup. Randwick should have been added to the list : his weight is 7st. A meeting of Mr. Young's committee will bo held this evening at 7 o'clock. A meeting of the creditors of Henry Thomas Ashton, clerk, of the Lower Hutt, was held at the Supreme Court this afternoon for the purpose of considering the debtor's application for his discharge. Mr. W. R. Waters, the creditors' trustee, occupied tho chair. It was proposed that the debtor's discharge be recommended, but as there was no seconder of the proposition it fell through, and the meeting then adjourned. One of the most able judges that England has ever possessed has just died, in the person of Sir Alexander Cockburn, Lord Chief Justice of England. The masterly intellect which enabled him to grasp all the points of the most intricate case, his profound knowledge of the law, and his remarkably lucid method of expounding its subtleties, combined to make him especially noteworthy among the many great men who have occupied his exalted position. Sir Alexander Cockburn had an exceedingly agreeable manner, and a silvery voice, which it was always pleasant to listen to. It is no exaggeration to say that in his hands a dry right-of-way case became almost as interesting as a threevolume novel, and no juryman ever listened to his admirably clear and interesting resume of the evidence without feeling that there was much to bo learned, and no little profit to be derived from a day on the Queen's Bench, even although business had to be neglected for that purpose. Everyone will remember how Sir Alexander Cockburn presided over the trial of the Claimant, and his remarkable charge to the jury, which, although a -marvel of condensation, occupied upwards of three weeks in delivery. The late Lord Chief Justice was born in 1802, and was the son of Mr. Alexander Cockburn, formerly English Minister in Columbia. He was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, called to the bar in 1829, made Solicitor-General in 1850, and Attorney-General in. 1851. His AttorneyGeneralship was chiefly remarkable for the masterly manner in which he conducted the prosecution of Palmer, the notorious poisoner. In 1856 ho was appointed Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, succeeding Judge Jervis, and in 1859, on tho elevation of Lord Campbell to the Woolsack, he was advanced to tho high office of Lord Chief Justice of England. In 1871 he was chosen arbitrator on behalf of England in regard to the Alabama claims, and the brilliant manner in which he fought for the interests of Great Britain, together with the famous protest he made, are matters of history. Hi 3 death will be deeply mourned among all sections of English society. Mr. Benjamin Cohen was summoned to appear at the Resident Magistrate's Court this mornintr to answer a charge of having violated the Municipal By-laws, by hiring a hackney carriage recently and refusing to pay the legal fare at the termination of the journey. He stated in extenuation that the cabman demanded a greater fare than he had been in the habit of paying during the last few years for the very same journey, and this amount he at first refused to pay, though, with a view of keeping the matter out of Court, he yesterday interviewed Mr. A. G. Johnson and offered to do so. Mr. Johnson, however, informed him that he was not suing to recover the fare, but the matter having been reported to him in tho ordinary way, he had no alternative but to proceed against him for a breach of the by-laws. In fining Mr. Cohen la and costs, the Magistrate characterised the by-law in question as a most ridiculous one, adding that the City Council might just as well pass a by-law providing that it was an offence for a man not to pay his tailor's bill whenpresentsdto him. He doubted, in fact, whether it was not ultra vires.

A deputation from the Wellington Racing Club, consisting of Mr. Walter Johnston, M.H.R., Colonel Pearce, Mr. Andrew Young, and Mr. W. V. Jackson, waited on the Government this morning to urge the desirableness of Tuesday next, St. Andrew's Day, being proclaimed a public holiday as well as a bank holiday, and of all offices being closed on that day. The Hon. the Colonial ~ Treasurer replied that the Government .would be quite willing to accede to the request of the deputation, provided it could be made clear that no inconvenience would be caused to the public. The Supreme Court would sit on that day, and it would be necessary to ascertain the views of the Judges as to the advisablenes3 of postponing the business. An announcement elsewhere notifies that the grand street parade in connection with Cole's Circus and ' Menagerie will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday next, the 30th instant, commencing at 2 o'clock. The opening performance within the monster marquee, which will be illuminated by the electric light, has been deferred until the following day (Wednesday). The s.s. Rotomahana has been chartered to convey the company from Auckland on their southern tour. Field-Marshal General Sir Charles Yorke, G. 0.8., whose death is recorded by cable, was son of the late Colonel Yorke, and was born in December, 1790. He was consequently in his 90th year. He entered the army at an early age, served with the 52nd Regiment throughout the Peninsular War, and was present at the battle of Waterloo. He was appointed Constable of the Tower in succession to the late Sir Wm. Gomm, in June, 1877. He obtained the rank of Field-Marshal in the same month. The sale of privileges in connection with the approaching spring race-meeting was concluded at the auction mart of Messrs. Laery and Campbell yesterday afternoon after we went to press. Mr. Tabor was the purchaser of the two refreshment booths at £A 5s each, Mr. Morris of the fancy bazaar at £\ 15s, Mr. R. Somerville of the right to erect stabling at .£1 2s 6d, Mr. T. H. Smith of the oorreoji race-cards at .£ll, Mr. Walker (Manners-street) of the "right for all games and amusements, except totalisators," at £4 10s, and Mr. Jamicson of tho gates at The total sum reaches .£lßl 7s 6d. A novelty in local industries is being started at Island Bay, by Messrs. Smith and Moore, in the shape of a poultry farm, devoted exclusively to the rearing of poultry, the production of eggs, the hatching of chickens by both natural and artificial means, and their rearing for the market, all on a large scale. The undertaking ought to be very successful. Some exceedingly promising specimens of coal have been shown to us which were obtained from a seam in the hills opposite Fernside Station, on the Wellington and Masterton railway. The locality of the seam is distant only about three miles from Featherston, and the indications are remarkably good. The coal is of a hard, compact crystalline structure, and burns extremely well. It is greatly to be hoped that a good payable mine will be developed, which would be an immense boon to Wellington. A man named Owen Cameron, a patient in the Hospital, was locked up this afternoon upon a charge of creating a disturbance in that institution. It is alleged that he got drunk, and threatened to fight some of the inmates. This is a sample of a certain class of "sick" persons who obtain medical aid at the expense of the public. An application was made to Mr. Shaw, R.M., by Mr. Fitzherbert this morning, that a prisoner named Thomas A. Kennedy, who was lately ordered to contribute £2 per week towards the support of his wife and family, and to find a surety of .£IOO for the due fulfilment of the order, might be released from custody on paying .£IOO into Court out of his own money, he having been unable to find the requisite surety. Mr. Sandilands, who represented the prisoner's wife, did not object, and some technical formalities having been arranged, the application was granted. The Government Buildings enclosure is in course of extension to Featherston-street and Whitmore-street, the present fence being moved outward so as to include the vacant patch in the rear of the Buildings marked on the map as a Government reserve. We understand that Mr. Hollister, who was one of the Terawhiti prospectors, claims to have discovered a gold-bearing quartz reef on Mr. Pharazyn's land, Karori Road, near the Botanical Gardens. The reef is stated to be of bluish stone, with a surface 6 feet wide, and traceable for a distance of 150 yards ; and a sample is said to have yielded a fair prospect of gold upon being crushed. We are informed that arrangements are now pending for the erection of machinery on the ground. For " Enquirer's " benefit we may quote the proviso in the {19th clause of the " Municipal Corporation Act," in reference to the votes exercisable by burgesses. It runs as follows : — " At every election of a Mayor or Auditors each burgess shall have only one vote, and there shall be only one pollingbodth^ at some central part of the borough." A cricket matoh between the Featherston and Masterton Borough Clubs took place on Saturday afternoon last, resulting in the decisiva defeat of the latter club, whose ranks, however, were considerably weakened owing to the absence of several strdng players. The Featherston men were the first to ro to the wickets, and were not disposed of until they had reaohed a total score of 116. The first innings of the Masterton team had the effect of placing only 44 to their credit, while the second innings augmented their score to 115. Tho Diorama Exhibition at the Theatre Royal was repeated last night before a fair audience. Lieut. Herman did not appear in his ventriloquial entertainment, as he was suffering from hoarseness, but M. Chalet supplied his place. In the distribution of gifts, Mrs. Maunsell, of. Moles-worth-street, was declared the recipient of the suite of furniture. The annual tea and public meetings in celebration of the fourth anniversary of the Methodist Free Church Sunday School, in Courtenay Place, were held last evening, and were numerously attended. The Rev. H. B. Redstone presided. From the annual report, read by Mr. Kershaw, it appeared that the number of scholars and teachers had increased to 19d and 23 respectively this year, as compared with 153 and 17 respec- { tively hist year ; and a balance of .£1 10s 6d was at present in the handß of the treasurer. Addresses were afterwards delivered by the Rev. J. Hinton, Mr. Parker, and others, and the evening was spent in a very pleasant manner. On Sunday last the anniversary services were held in the church. The Rev. W. J. Williams preached in the morning, and the pastor, the! Rev. H. B. Redstone, delivered an address to children in the afternoon and a sermon in the evening. A cabman named Walter Edmonds was proceeded against by Mr. A. G. Johnson, before Mr. Shaw, R.M., at a late hour yesterday afternoon, for demanding and taking from Dr. Dunkley, a passenger by steamer to Wellington, more than his legal fare. He was fined £1 and 7s coats. Two lunatics, named Robert Poynter and George Roberts, underwent medical examination this afternoon, and were committed to the Lunatic Asylum. At a meeting of yacht owners, held last night at the Pier Hotel, it was resolved to form a procession of yachts on the arrival of the Governor. Mr. Thos. Kebbell was appointed commodore, and Mr. Batkin vicecommodore. Mr. Angelo Forrest, the accomplished organist of St. Peter's Church, Willis-street, is, we regret to learn, about to remove from Wellington to Auckland, where we understand a business opening of a very attractive nature has presented itstlf. Mr. Forrest leaves in about three months' time. His loss to the local musical world will be a very great one, and not at all easy to replace. The Perseverance Lodge, 1.0. G.T., held its weekly session last evening at the Good Templar Hall, Lower Hutt, when Bro. J. Godber, from town, occupied the chair. There was a large attendance of members. Brother D. Hall gave an address upon " The social aspect of Temperance," and referred to the good that had been accomplished by the order. Bro. Douse (also from the city) gave a humorous, yet instructive, reading. Sister Haynes kindly presided at the harmonium, and her father, Bro. Haynes, L.D., gave the concluding address. A sale of rural lands in the Ongo and Oroua survey districts, situated ten miles from Feilding, was held at the Crown Lands Office at noon to-day. There was only a small attendance, and the bidding was not very spirited, in fact the only sections which brought any competition were five in Block XV., Ongo district, which were knocked down t:> Mr. John J. Williamson at an average of £ZQ each above the upset price, the total paid for the five sections being .£1 290. Mr. H. B. Halswill was the only other purchaser of Ongo District land, securing one section in Block XV. for .£2BB, the upset pric9. In the Oroua District, Mr. J. Haining purchased one section at .£lB4 16s, Mr. Williamson one at £287 18s, and Mr. Halswill one at 15s 6d. The sections ranged from 176 acres to 320 acres. The lease of suburban Bection No. 122, Featherston, Block DH., containing 1 5 acres, was sold for £8 per annum to Mr. Hodder. The unsold cash sections will probably be again offered after the expiration of the usual 30 days' notice. ¦ Applications for the deferred payment sections in the Kiwitea Block, Manawatu, will be received to-morrow, at the Crown Lands Office, between the hours of 9.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. The upset price of the land sold was .£2596 4s 6d, and the prioe realised .£2746 2s.

We aro requested to state that there will be'a temperance meeting at the Upper Hntt to-morrow (Wednesday) evening, when it is expected that the Rev. Mr. Grant and other gentlemen will address the meeting. Citations from no fewer than ninety different legal authorities were made during the hearing of the appeal case Wright v. Wilson, concluded in the Supreme Court to-day. The Appeal Court sat again this morning, when the case Wright v. Wilson was concluded, their Honors reserving judgment. The Court then adjourned till to-morrow morning at 11 o'clock. A meeting of the Boa^d of College Governors is convened for Thursday morning at the Provincial Buildings. Croskery, Basell and Co. hold an important sale of cattle, horses, implements, and furniture at Pahautanui to-morrow, at 1 o'clock, by order of the Snpreme Court. As there is some very choice stock to be Bold, farmers and dairymen should not miss this opportunity.