The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED "The Evening News," "The Morning News," and "The Echo." FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1876

Auckland Star, Volume VII, Issue 2030, 11 August 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED "The Evening News," "The Morning News," and "The Echo."

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1876

f-'tt the cause that lacks iMtstancw., For the wrong that needs resistance. For the future in the distance.

And the erood that ye r.*n a*.

Ti' the possession of a good cause, and persistent agitation, command success, the settlers along the Kaipara line will yet win the extern km of the railway from Riverhead to Auckland. Another influential meeting was held last night at Morningside, when the statement of the Minister of Public Works that extravagant compensation had been demanded were discussed and pretty clearly shewn to be a ahem ! Mr Thomas Henderson, whose name, it appears, had been mentioned in connection with the matter, wrote shewing that the sum he had asked for his land, which would be very much damaged, was only £3 5s per acre for a stretch of two miles, one chain wide, not more than twenty aores in all. But to deprive the . Government of the paltry excuse, he would give his land free, and contribute in cash £3 5s per acre for every acre they take to enable them to make the Great North Road a feeder to the railway. ,Mr Bollard likewise expressed his willingness to forgo any claim for compensation. It was, of course, felt that the Government had no desire to construct the line, and that the question of compensation is a mere stalking horse, but the meeting acted wisely in kicking this prop from under the Public Works Minister, allowing him to fall squarely upon the right bottom. The Public Works estimates provide asumof £15,000 for the improvement of the Helensville terminus, or rather for the extension of the line half a mile beyond the present station. About the necessity for some improvement upon the present oxtra- ) ordinary landing-place there can be no doubt whatever. But it is maintained that an expenditure of £2000 will accomplish all that is necessary, and the Kaukapakapa settlers last week passed a resolution condemning the extension beyond the present terminus unless the line is continued to Kaukapakapa, which would save a considerable stretch of tortuous river, and would immensely enhance the value of a large educational endowment. The meeting last night, we think, took up the right position. It; virtually said, we want ever? consideration subordinated to the extension of the line to Auckland. Improve the terminus if you please, but the first, the great question, is the continuation to the city. In comparison with that everything else is insignificant, and

if funds are insufficient, batter let us put up with the present ugly landing and spend the £15,000 on the main line. The extension is, we understand, becoming imperative if only for the preservation of the present line, which, for want of ballast, is rapidly degenerating into a mud sea, and squirts water under the weight of the train with all the force of a patent fire extinguisher. Ballast of a suitable character could be obtained from the vicinity of Mount Albert, were the extension carried out. We have no great hope that the settlers will succeed in gaining anything beyond, perhaps, another promise of equal value with those that have gone before, but we most unhesitatingly endorse the opinion that if there remains one flickering gleam of honour in the Minis^jj^ conscience, the Kaipara line is, ootand to be constructed.

The City Council has announced the issue of £4,700 worth of £100 debentures under the " City of Auckland Loan Empowering Act, .1874," tenders receivable until the lGth instant. The object of the loan is the construction of the new streets authorised by the Empowering Act, and to which prominent allusion has been made in our columns during the past; week or two. The loan bears interest at the rate of six per cent., and is secured on the valuable city endowments, which now yield a rental of £3000 per annum. We learn that the City Surveyor has now prepared plans and estimates of a work which will fulfil the terms of the agreement with the Harbour Board for continuing the Beach Road to the city boundary without cutting down Drake-street, and at a titbe of the cost of the original design. There are 12,800 yards of earth avaihb^ e j n the cliff on which the Freeman's bl^bk house stands sufficient to ' lW J & h road from the lun^'-m* *J T\ i a w i IpsW ctvppfq bf Drake and Wel-lesley-stieets tQ diy bpund&ry, at an ouc.-y of about £1350. This is a much more reasonablejjssheme than the proposed breaking-up of Drake-street at a cost of f between £5,000 and £8,000. It would ' likewise connect with the beach road in course of construction by the Harbour Board from Freeman's Bay to the wharf, and fulfil all the purpose! of the more expensive woriij without damaging the present street, it is estimated that the additional instalment of the £50,000 loan, now called for, with the funds in hand, will cover the cost of this modified continuation of Drakestreet along the beach, in addition to the new streets in the western part of the city which are entitled to the first claims tipon the Corporation*

The prices charged for articles at the Tauranga bazaar appear to have been decidedly stiff. They are quoted :—" Undressed dolls, 7s 6d to 10s, according to the wood they were made out of ; comforters, 25a ; views of Rotomahana, about 253 each; cakes, about 7a 6d per pound, or more when they are raffled, more than twice ; and other things sacrificed in the same way." The late William Rutledge, Victoria, died worth £158,500, and has left £10,000 each to his five married daughters, and an annuity of £700 to his widow, and the remainder to his two sons. We shall be happy to receive for publication in our columns as oar space will admit any of the Rejected Theatrcial Addresses which the authors may think fit to send us. Messrs. Coventry and Jones, of Dunedin and Stewart's Island, have commenced to supply the market with blue-cod preserved in tins. Mr Angus M'Lauphlin, of Marlborougb, recently met with a singular accident. Having risen to call his servant, he wa3 lying down again when ho Btruck his head auainat the bed and put out both jaws Drs Home and Cleghorn were close at hand, and canie to his assistance, bat it was not without extreme difficulty that they succeeded in getting the jaws replaced again afser trying for two hours. The English Grand Lodge of Freemasons are going to contribute £2000 to church purposes, by way of a thank offering for the safe return of their Grand Master, the Prince of Wales ; £1000 towards the fund for restoring St Pauls Cathedral, and £1000 towards the restoration of St -ilbana Abbey. A woman had a very narrow escape while walking lately on the (Jhristchurch and Lyttelton Railway. She seemed to be bewildered on seeing the train approaching, and at a loss to know which way to turn. In endeavoring to leave the line her foot caught in one of the sleepers, throwing her aoross the rails After several struggles, she turned over the rails just in time to escape che engine. It was rather too bad of us, yesterday, to include Mr Wylde-Brown's name in the list of judgments for plaintiff in the District Court. Without some explanation the decision might be supposed to ba an ordinary judgment for a debt, but thin is not the ca.so. Mr Wylde-Brown reuts a houso in Parncll, in respect of which there is a disputed title. Two landlords, namely, Mr Gilberd and Mr Hill, have applied to him for rent, each one warning him againat paying it to the other. To have the matter settled Mr Wylde Brown agreed to submit the matter for decision in the District Court, and hence his appearance as a defendant in that undesirable locality.

An emergency meeting of the lloyal Black Preceptory, No. 140, will be held in the Protestant Hall, Newton, this (Friday) evening, at 8 p.m.

The Board of Education yesterday authorised the Devonport School Committee to procure some desks, forms, &c, which were represented tcbe necessary, and the secretary was instructed to inform them that funds for articles and furniture not absolutely necessary must be raised by voluntary contributions, as the Board wore without resources for such expenditure. The Board granted £16 to Auckland West No. 2 committee, bat declined to a teacher for sewing, the work being done by the regular teachers in all the town schools. A grant of £10 was made for the completion of the Mangare school building.

gi Fj —Would you kindly allow me to make a few remarks on two letters which have been published through your valuable paper ? and I would first say that Templar has spoken false with regard to Mrs Homer singing " Come Back to Erin " twenty times. 1 can prove that Mrs Homer has only saug it seven times in Auckland, and if requested, can state to Templar when and where. With regard to Piper's Son, I may state he has little foundation for stating what he has done ; and further let him consider that Mrs Homer is slightly insulted by him. I therefore caution him, or any other person, against using her name or initials again in any public paper, and, dear Mr Editor, if you would accept this also as a caution to yourself not to publish her name again without cause, you would greatly oblige.—Yours, John Homer.

Messrs Cooke and Cq's stating rink opened at the Devonport Hall, North Shore, last evening and was largely attended, many ladies and gentlemen from town being present. A large number of ladies were induced to tiy on the skates and elicited much admiration by their graceful movements, being much in advance of the gentlemen.in that respect. The rink will re-open this evening in the Auckland market place, and we areglad to see the management is so strict that it is quite select and therefore gaining in popularity every day ; as the large and increasing attendance in the market testify. The admission being only sixpence, and a large and efficient band being in attendance, makes this a splendid promaaada for ladies and gentlemen, and affords a cheap and amusing evening's pastime.: > ■ ::;.';

Mr George Collier is giving his lecture on "The Stage and Actors,," in the up-country towns of Otago, but " biz," is not lively. Dr Fea*herston on one occasion fought a duel with Colonel William Wakefield, then principal agent of the New Zealand Company. The seconds were Mr John Dorset, and Mr (now Sir) Francis Dillon Bell. No one was wounded. This was probably the only duel that has taken place in New Zealand. The action brought by Mr Hogarth and two other,-?, against Mr W. J. Hurst yesterday, in the Resident Magistrate's Court, resulted in favour of defendant, with costs, £3 Bs. The action was brought to recover a balance said to be due on a contract for digging and fencing on defendant- * , ? the North Shore. A -^ o f o Crise's were adjourned Thursday n<nrt> in con . sequel^ ftf the latenesa of the hour . Mr J. W. Carr informs that Mr Martin's lecture on "Water," will be given in the Temperance Hall on Friday next, the 18th inst., and not this evening, as erroneously stated in last evening's issue. The friends of St Matthew's held a conversazione in the schoolroom last evening which was largely attended. The room was decorated with flowers and flags in tasty order. Mr Brown presided at the organ, and songs were sung by Mrs Morrin, Miss Loaf, and Miss Powley ; Mr Houehton also obliged. Mr Worthington read a humorous story. At the conclusion of this part of the programme a "Spelling Bee " was introduced. Mr Worthin»ton gave out the words, and Rev. R. 8. Hassard acted as referee. Miss Haultain succeeded in Winning the prize, which was a handsomely bouud copy of Dickens' " Oliver Twist;" one of the most beautiful in many respects of the works of this popular author. It is understood that a strong effort will be made i 0 Cut down tha Native Department estimates, The destruction of contraband goods is thus referred to by the Wellington Argus : "There is in London Docks an institution known as Her Majesty's Pipe, where condemned goods are burned if the duty is not paid on them. The Customs Department here has found a new use for the Perfect Failure steam launch. On Saturday, to the great envy of a crowd of larrikins, her furnace was utilised for the consumption of a large quantity of cigarettes, on which duty had not been paid. A passage in the New Testament says, " And if thine eye offend thee, pluck ifc out and cast it from thee." The European Mail sa y S : —"Leon Gambetta, the invincible Republican agitator, is said to have deliberately destroyed his left eye when he was a boy at school, if not strictly in obedience to the divine command, yet because he disliked to study the language in which this mandate was originally written. Gambetta hated Greek, and did his utmost to get excused from studying it. But when he found that his entreaties were of no avail with his father, he threatened to destroy his vision. Gambetta p&re, a stern and resolute man, who deemed it a wise father's duty to thwart the whims of an obsitinate boy, was immovable, and told Leon he could pluck his eyes out if he chose, not of course supposing the possibility of such a thing. Enraged at this wholly unexpected answer, young Gambetta tore his left eye from its socket, and informed his father that the right eye should go to keep company with the left if there was no other way of escape from study of the hated language. Happily for France, his father recognising the iodomitable will of his son, at once yieided the point." The following list gives the dates of the principal raoe meetings in New Zealand, foi this year : —Wellington, 14th and 15th December ; Christchurch, 7th, Bth, and 10th November ; Dunedin, 20th November ; Autumn Meeting in March ; Auckland, 2Gth December, and Ist and 2nd January, 1577A by no means complimentary description of the Queen, as she appeared at the opening of Parliament, is given by a Canadian papar. The writer Bays : -" The Queen herself wore plain black velvet; her royal robes were thrown on the back of her throne ; her pretty daughters fluttered about her like brightwinged birds around a motherly old hen. The royal lady may be a joy for ever to the British heart, but she is certainly not a thing of beauty. Her face is heavy and sensual looking She is noted, we are told, for her rare and stately grace. 'No one could mttitake her for anyone hnt a Queen,' said a loyal Life Guardsman. P-e-r-h-a-p-B not ; bnt I say it in a very small whisper. She was a plain centre to her brilliant surroundings— a sort of soap-atone set in diamonds, as it were." A landlady (says a Wellington paper), had a lodger who would not go to bed at two o'clock in the morning, although he was tight, and in arrears beside. So she used gentle force. Next day the indignant lodger informed her that he had appealed to the law for redress, having taken out a summons for aHS'Milt;, in order, perhaps, to square accounts The reply of the dome wa3 prompt •a\v\ to tho purpose. Seeing a horso whip, which lay closie by, ehe exclaimed, " If I am to be summoned, it", shall bo for something," trnd thereupon she administered a sound and summary personal chastisement, which was taken in the moat lamb-like manner, and a fresh information was immediately laid in the Police Court. The Christchurch. correspondent of the Otago Times telegraphs :—Though the price Messrs Brown and Mitchell, of Warnambool, Victoria, have given for Slanderer, by Traducer, dam Gitana, has not publicly, transpired, your correspondent is informed that the figure was £750. He is to stand in opposition to the famous Panic, the crack of the district. Messrs Brown and Mitchell have considerable experience in horses, exporting largely to India. The Pioneer Juvenile Templars, who hold a position in the world of Templary unsurpassed by other lodges for consistency, adherence to principles, and unity of action, have resolved upon a varfety entertainment in the Temperance Hall, on the 25th inst., in aid of the funda of the Temple, and for which an unjuvenile programme will be put forth, including ballads and music, recitations, and a new poem addressed to the girls of Auckland, on the best way of winning the heart of a young templar. Tickets may be had of any member of the temple, or entertainment committee. Referring to the Kaimai goldfield the Waikato Times considers that, without doubting the statement that nuggetty gold, pure in quality, free from the matrix, and in pieces varying up to an ounce, has been found, this is not sufficient proof of the existence of an alluvial goldfield, precisely similar Btuff having been found in the creeks at Coromandel. On Wednesday evening last a very gratifying testimonial was presented to Captain Hazard of the Thames, on his resignation of the captaincy of the No 2 Company of Hauraki Rifia Volunteers. After a parade of tbe Company, attended by 37 rahk and file, Lieut Paul, the commanding officer, addressing Captain Hazard and the Company alluded to the benefit which that officer's services had conferred upon the Company, and expressing his well wishes for his future prosperity. He said he had great pleasure in presenting to Captain Hazard a gold Albert chain and pendant, which he hoped he would wear attached to the gold watch he had already won as Sir Julius Vogel's prize. (Tbe pendant contained a beautiful greenstone with a suitable inscription.) Three cheers were given for Captain Hazard, who afterwards acknowledged the compliment paid him in a neat and feeling speech. Although that would be the last time he should be among them in that uniform he should never cease to feel an interest in the Company. A pleasant evening was subsequently spent by the members of the Company at the j Governor'Bo wen Hotel. .

Mr. Greenshields requests us to Btate tafc Mr. Fry has awarded the prize to Mrs Goodacrefor the best and neatest pair of orn6 silk braces. The non-acceptors for the Melbourne Cup appear in a cablegram elsewhere. Thehandi- ( capper has no cause to be dissatisfied with | the way his work has been received. Twentyfour malcontents out of nearly ninety is not a j large proportion, especially when it is con- ' sidered that other causes besides excess of weight contiibute to the withdrawals. The contents now include the following • c" Bella, Dilke, The Af- '" - • oc, roP' colt, Fish"- - <r *v««yi JJewdrop fii _«»tnan, Macgregor, Nemesis, -xoom, IHorian, Sultan. Nunnykirk, Volo, Naughty Boy, Break of Day, Light of Day, Cornlight, Sybil, Imperial, Spring Jack, Southern Cross, Napoleon, Rapid Bay, Trelinga, Briseis, Windsor, Aldinga, Elmora, Electricity, Janitor, Irish Stew, Gas, Hercules, Meteor, The Deer, Feu d jArtifice, Spark, Torchlight, Mountaineer, Chrysolite, colt, The Painter, Canterbury, Robin Hood, Burgundy, Sovereign, Gentility, Melbourne, Connaught, Disraeli. Sydney entries '• — Clifton, Valentia, Duke, Ginger, The Cardinal, A. T. Timothy, Kismet, Speculation, Ringwood, Sterling, Brunswick, Miss Kingstone, Mendacious. The Selection Committee appointed to see to the choosing of a team for combatting the anticipated Canterbury invasion have not been long in taking action. A match has been arranged to oome off on the Choral Hall ground on Saturday afternoon, between two two teams which include the cream of our Auckland players. Nextjweek it is probable the team will be definitely chosen. It is intended, we believe, in a few days time to institute as far as possible a daily practice. The teams for to-morrow's game are as follows :—Mr Caverhill's team: Messrs. Philson (2), Herries, J. Macky, Ewen, Duder, Cotton, Castelli, C. Sharland, Fairburn. Caverhill, Haultain, Kerr, and Mowbray. Mr Henderson's team : Messrs. Jones, F. Sharland, Whewell, Ring, Gudgeon, Carter, Nolan, Woon, Dacre, Henderson, Green, Hales, T. Macky, Coates, and King. Play commences at 3 o'clock. Players are requested to be punctual. "The Mayor of Christchurch" says the Lyttleton Timis, commenting on the discussion of abolition in the City Council of that city, " has had several bad quarters of an hour, and thinks but little of the new sovereign for whom last year he shouted so loudly and so loyally. In his Mayoral statement, he informed the world, the night before last, that he and his Council, when estimating the waya and means for the coming year, found themselves in a very "awkward position." He and they have at last realised that the bait offered to them was delusive; that, in fact, they have been—not to put too fine a point; |upon iit— gulled. The moneys promised are to be given it is true, but very strict provision is made at the same time that they shall be spent; and it is more than likely that this obligatory increased expenditure will greatly exceed the increased income, the duration of which is limited, while the expenditure, like "the brook," goes on for ever. The Mayor, with rueful face, exclaims that it was impossible for him or his faithful Council to " foresee ' such a dreadful alteration of the Abolition Act. We cannot help pointing out to the Mayor that there was never any impossibility in the matter. Had he reflected upon the arguments placed before him last year, he could not but have come to the conclusion that the Abolition Bill was undertaking the impossibility of making endowments out of nothing ; from which circumstanco he oould have inferred the delusive nature of the promises held out by that specious effort of legislation." In a paper by Dr Hector, describing the New Zealand Court at Philadelphia, it is stated that "in the centre of the court is a huge gilt pillar, 25ft high, representing the yield of the New Zealand goldfialds since 1862. This pillar, which towers above every other object in this part of the building, represents the bulk of 246 tons of 29 carat gold, or 497 cubic feet, valued at £30,810,137, or 151,271,293 dollars gold, all of which information is written on the sides of the pillar in bold characters, and is eagerly transferred to the note-books of hundreds of visitors." There are many admirable specimens of kauri gum, prepared phormuim, and New Zealand woods of every variety. Mr H. Severn's panoramic view of the Thames goldfield is also against the wall, while In various vacant places other maps and views, and fifty sheets of Auckland ferns, and twelve exquisite views of the Rotomahana geysers, by McCombie of Auckland, have been suspended. The area of the New Zealand Court is 1600 square feet, and the number of exhibits entered is 1114. —J. Hector." The Baptist School-room, Ponsonby, will be the scene of unusual highway excitement this evening. The district is posted with large notices, for the electors to " Roll up." There is every appearance of a sultry atmosphere. Resolutions are ready with burning speeches to support them. 'A numerous attendance, including proxy and non-proxy men, is looked for with every prospeot of high old jinks.