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Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9387, 10 April 1896, Page 5

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION. Napier last night ab a meeting of the fjftiioiuil Association, Mr It. l>. 1). McLean, 4*n of Sit Donald McLean, was unanimously gtleotcd as a candidate at tho next eieolioii. (THE WELLINGTON CATHEDRAL. jyho Wolli'iptoi* Cutheih.il fund amount* to £5361. The Committee decided to coni tioue to caiiVASs for fuitlver donations in i er ,3er to bo able to take advantage of the otf«r mau'e by tho Rev. \\ . Booth. MONSIGNOR VEUDON. Xhe consecration of Monsignor Verdon iv be«n postpone.! till May 3rd. Archpiihop Redwood preaches the consecration lerinou. A GUKF,N T DAHLIA. Mr Jamea (.Jrbl>j>, jun., curator of the Ounuru Public (Jankw, has forwarded to tbe Oiago Daily Time* v sample of the l,ucb-«poken-of g'esu dahlia. The flower {a much smaller than the ordinary dahlia, md the petals, though in form resembling thoee of a diminutive cactus <Uhliu, say* that journal, ftru in colour and texture like jniuUture leaves. The sport ia more likely to be cultivated as a curiosity than for any inherent beauty it may possees. PRECOCIOUS STRATEGISTS. The following account has been publiihed of the way in which the attacking party of Auckland Volunteer* were outmanoeuvred. A couplo of tho St. John's College Cadets discarded their uniforms, iirtyed thojnselves iv much less attractive and much more tattered clothing, and cro»»ed the river to tho enemy's camp. In the most innocent manner they strayed into the lines, profeseiuij to look for their father's oow». They did not find them, but they »ot into conversation with the astute guards, learned the roads by which they intended to advance, aud the mode of attack, aod then they went ugain in search of their lather's cows towards the river. They didn't find the cows, but they found tho boats by which the attacking party was to cross the X'tmaki. There was no boat guard, and theie juvenile spies placed ou each boat a placard indicating that the boat had been destroyed by tire at aix o'clock that morniug. i'lie attacking party was, of course, out'generalled. TERRIBLE PRIVATIONS OF A SHIPVVIiKCKED CREW. A itory of shipwreck and privation comes from Honolulu by the R.M.s. Miowera. ffhe American sealing schooner Mattie T. Djer, 103 tons, was returning to San Franciioo, her port of registry, when she crashed oo to the French Frigate shoals, 420 miles from Honolulu. In eight minutes the iohoonor was a wreck. The crew, twentytwo »U told, escaped iv the boats, and landed on the largest poiut of land, a huge rock covered and encircled by sand. Their idea was to stop there and save whab they could from the ship. Bub no water could be found. They <lug everywhere in the uad, but not a drop came up except down by the sea, and that was salt. Thf,re was nothing left but to strike out for Und. A number of "gooniee," or toofcj »\bfttroSß, were knocked down vrith Itlcki, and distributed amongnt the botti for food. They had to be eaten nw. The balance of the larder consisted 1 of liz c*ds of fiuit to each boat. The < weather vu fair, and the boata pulled off ( together. The captain, mate and four men were in tho n'rsb, nix men wero iv tne secoud, i lixin the third, and five in the last. Next d*y the men suffered indescribable hard- ] iblpt. Some were half-dressed. The sun < bat down furiously, blistering their haude, i flow, »nd feet. (Coward evening the ac& roietad daehed over the boats. This continud for several days, aud at last the \ ihipwreckod crew reached Und. The men j Unded tired, hungry, weak, sore, and-wet. All of the boata were battered and useless, , and were abandonod where the crewa left ' -'- mm. 'it / THE PREMIER AND SIR ROBERT I STOUT. Sir Robert Stout, in reply to tho Prefliier! , further statement concerning the J •mploymeob of Chinese at Round Hill, writes to the Post:—"l hare already •toted (hat I knew nothing of such employment till 1 read the telegraphed freWrt of the Premier's speeoh at Hokitika. It appears now that the employment was E wore than a year ago. Ab that time Mr C Brans was iv charge, c, Manager appointed C by the Directors in England, aud directly d rwpen.ible to them. The Hon. Mr Lar- " won, Mr White, and myself were bub a c Ioo»l Committee, and we had no power to control Mr Evans iv his management. I il wired Mr Larnach this morning whether he d knew of any Chinese being employed, and we, jnjfc now received hia reply that he had fa , no knowledge and that I had no knowledge ot such employment. I do nob think it to *ay more. The Premier's method* and assertions are valued at a proper figure by tho»e who know Mr Seddon. Unfortunately for tho reputation of this colony the injure ie not high ; and perhaps Kill more eufortunately for this colony Mr fl Beaoon hw no reply to the grave charges of n 112 «HH o! the kw and of political 2 : \ br .°^ hb a S» iDBt hi « Ministry, n d^»n ,lX u ChiMmeQ! To thu depth of •„ WW* * P"«do-Liberal Ministry IS