PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2360, 11 February 1865, Page 4

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

In the Provincial Council yesterday, Five petitions were presented from, persons claiming to be pnt in possession of land, under the regulations of the Auckland Waste Lands Act. In reply to a question put by Mr. Swanson, Mr. Caklkton stated that it was not inteuded to use fascines for the repair of the Great North Eoad, between the fifth and sixth milestone, and the approaches to the Whau Bridge. Mr. Galt,aughbr withdrew his question as to when the repair of the Onehunga road would be proceeded with. The Council went into committee for the consideration of his Jlonor's Message No. 7, relative to the Hawakawa coal-mines ; and after considerable discnssion, progress was reported, and leave asked to sit again. The Vagrant Bill was further considered in committee, and leave granted to sit again on Tuesday. Council rose at ten minutes to six o'clock.

The Auckland and Drury Eail way Commissioners have recommended the acceptance of tenders for the first and second sections cf the railway, Mr. Peter Grace being the tenderer recommended for the first, and Mr. George H. Cheesemau, of Onehunga, for the second. "We understand that his Honor the Superintendent lias accepted these tenders and the sureties offered, viz. : — For Mr. Grace, Messrs. Coola. han and Sheehan ; and for Mr. Cheeseman, Mr. Calkwell, faimer, Panmure ; the second, so far as we have heard, has not yet been named. The proposed suieties -will attend at the office of the Superintendent to-day anil enter into the necessary bonds. The fiist section is to he completed in sixteen months, and the second in twelve months, from the date of the contract. In our local columns yesterday, reference was ma do to a remark by Mr. Swanson in tho Provincial Council to tho effect that ho hnd besn threatened with tho lock-up by a policeman for interfering to prevent tho officer ill-treating a drunken man. We may state that in a conversation wo had with the Commissioner of Police yesterday, we learnt that the first intimation be had of tin's breach of discipline by one of the force was ' 01^ reading our paper, and that ho thereupon made inquiries into tho case, and lias resolved to punish the man by dismissal. It is' "only fair' to the Commissioner to state that owing to the increase of office work in his department, he has been compelled to entrust the superintendence of tho force more than formerly to the sorjeant-major ; and so lato as the day Mr. Swanson mado his statement, Mr. Commissioner Naughton had impressed upon his serjeant-major tho necessity for tho exorcise of forbearance by the men in the discharge of their duty. Evory well-foundod oomplainfc against the force will be attended to by the Commissioner at all times. The members of the Provincial Council would do well to read and inwardly digest "the" letter of our correspondent " Elector." There is a great deal of talk, and a great absence of work, in the Council. We give no rekson for this, except that it is a natural failing amongst men that they like to hear themselves talk. If they adopted our correspondent's suggestiou they would be able to gratify themselves iv that respect, and be of considerable use to the province' besides. We hope they will take the hint. Tho Superintendent will receive tonders; until noon of Tuesday, 21st instant, for the cutting, forming, and metalling of a road leading from Epsom towards the Threo Kings. We have been informed of a recent pitiable case of kleptomania— the uufortunate subject of it in this instauce being a tnairied lady, moving in the middle walks of life, and the mother of a large family of children. On Thursday last the lady culled with two of her sons at one of the ldading clothing establishments in Queen-atretjt, and requested to be shown some articles of wearing apparel. After discarding several parcels of goods exhibited, she left her sons examining a pair of trouseis afc the end of the counter, and proceeding to the other side of .th« 'shop, interested herself in the inspection of a number of chenille' hair nets and ladies' belts. The shopman, casually glancing at her, noticed th r e' performance of a very dexterous piece, of sleight-of-hand, whereby a cheuille net was whisked out of the box on to ,the , lady'» shawl, and the left arm being .then doubled up, another movement of the right hand sufficed to roll the r net into a small . ball, and it was then thrust into , the pocket. One of the sons had by this, time completed the purchase of the pair of trousers, and the tbrfee left tho shop. The lady, however, had only proceeded about a couple of yards from tho door, when she was called back, and informed of the charge against her. She returned at once to the shop, and' a' scene then; took place — ths lady, with many expressions about "outraged innocence," entreating to be permitted to depart, and tendering all the money she had to b"e s'et'at liberty? She' at last,' however, ,'tookT from beneath her Garibaldi jacket' a'fancy'fcalk which ahe

acknowledged to, KswelVakW^A^policemanrw^ called iii, and sbe>;w4is the gWd^rooin/ ,* bnto-was -ultimately^released^afcrthe^iarneSt awij&ita£ v tions'of herfhugband and olifldren, * who promised that she should be at once remVved out of the to'wd and out of the way of temptafcioii. As names have not been mentioned there can be n» harm done in/ further laying that the same lady succeeded, about * month ago, in abstracting a piece of hacon from\» shop counter^ in Qu^en^treet^unobservedyy'&eihop-. woman, theNletectionin this case being by>*» gentle* man outside. \ > • \ i ' Ihe devotees of the Pai Marire superstition/* have distinguished themielves on many occasions by the Vociferation of Hau ! Hau! Hau ! not unlike, in the hearing of our soldiers, to the loud barking of V > number of dogs. The superstition is hitherto considered a great niysttry. .CanJ any clue to its solujtion be arrived at fronvtheLfollowing fact ? " The •Mussulman! frequently use'the name Hu, or Hou, ,whioh hat almost the tame signification as Jehovah ; ithat is, He who is. They place this name in the beginning of their rescripts, pas>sport«, and letters patent ; they pronounce it often in their prayers ; somelso,frequently)andxso t vehemently, crying'oiit: with all their strength Hou ! Hou ! Uou ! that aY last they are stunned, and fall into fit"), which they ecstacies." — CahneCs Dictionary, JchovaJi,^, 615. Bohii 1 * 13t7t Ed., 1855. A public-house robbery was reportod to the police last evening. It appears that a seaman and a person named Edward Butler were drinking in company jwith others at the jWaitpmataj Hotel ,j last , evening, Iwhen the former had occasion to take out his purse, containing £6. Butler, it is supposed, saw it, and bofore many minutes had elapsed contrived to extract the purse and money from the seaman's pocket. The ,man missing his money, and, suspecting the thief, .loft the house in search of a constable, aud returned , with constable Duffy, on duty on the wharf, who at once took the suspeoted thief into custody. On being searched at the police-station the exact sum stolen ,(£6) jwas foundon his person, but the purse was missing. The prisoner will bo brought before the , Resident Magistrate tliis morning. • Two young girls of loose character, named Martha Cushion and Mary Ann Sinsbury, esoaped from "the City Mission School on Thursday evening, and were appehended yesterday by Constable Ternahan, near Cabbage Tree Swamp. A cricket match ia to take place this afternoon on the. Onehunga pricket Ground, between the members of theOnehuuga Cricket Club and the Waiuku Club. The memliers of the Waiuku Club arrived at Onehunga on Thursday evening by water from Waiuku, and went through some very creditable practice yesterday. Our Lyttelton friends must be exceedingly "hard up," judging ifrqm an extract from a paragraph.in the Cantevbwy Standard, which' paper ' is" informed that a debt of £103 on account of his Excellency's reception, that was to be. had to be i met by a bill lit three months' date. ' The extract is 'as' follows :—: — " Why, at the last meeting of the Municipal Council, when the subject of ways and means was brought on the carpet, the members had to undergo the severe mortification ,of having the whole of his Excellency's affair gone into. Ihe Town Clerk was instructed to writ 9 to the Provincial Government asking them for the sum of £100 promised towards the expenses of the Governor's reception, and we are also told that Mr. Fairhurst's account of £103 for the same concern was ordered to be paid by a bill at three months', date, ,We would humbly suggest to bis Excellency that he ought, as some compensation "for his heaitless conduct, to meet this bill when it becomes ,due." A detachmont of about forty men of the 68th .Regiment embarked yesterday for Tauranga. Another of those disgracoful melfies which are :o : o so frequent occurrence now took place on the Queenstreet Wharf, last evening. Two men of colour, named John Vincent and James Francis, seamen, had been drinking together, and quarrelled on' the wharf. Knives were drawn, aud James Francis was stabbed in the face and head so severely that he had to be removed forthwith, and 'his wounds dressed Constable Duffy came up and arrested the offender, John Vincent, who will be brought before hia Worship this morning. A resident of Chancery-lane, named Bridget Curtis, was yesterday convicted of assaulting and usiDg threatening language towards a person residing in the same locality, named Hannah Pell, and ordeied to find two sureties in £30 each 'to keep the peace for the next six months. It will be seen that one of the events of the Otahuhu races, which 'are to come off on<thej 4th and sth April, is the Otahuhu GraudHandicap of 10 so vs., with 100 soys. added. Entrances are to be addressed under cover to the Secretary, at the Criterion Hotel, Otahuhu, on or before the 6th March next. Michael Doyle, a private in the 68th Regiment was convicted, at the Police Court," yesterday, on a charge of assaulting and attempting to rob a person named James Rogers, on the night of Tuesday last, in Wellesley-street. He was committed to take his trial at the next criminal sitting of the Supreme Court. It will'be seen by 'a reference to our j advertising columns that the Registration Committee of the Northern Association is summoned to meet this day at' foxir o'clock, , at the Chamber of Commerce. > The names of the committee appear in the advertisement. In reference to "Emilius Louis Morod," the Canterlwy Press, of the 31st ult , says :— -" A 'correspondent wiites to inquire whether this gentleman, who has been figuring in the Police-court ia A uckland, and of whose history we gave one incident ia our last issue, under the title of '.Religion, Love, and Law,' is identical with a Monsieur Morod who was in Christchurch" some two years .ago. - We believe we are right in stating that ho is the same, although we have no positive information to that effect. 1 ' ' ' . ' , . There were three cases of drunkenness disposed of at the Police Court yesterday. The adjourned , meeting of the >Nixon Memorial Committee is to be held to-day at "this Chamber of Commerce, Fort-street ; and as the business is the selection of a de«en, for the, proposed monument, ifc is to be hoped that there will be as full an attend* ance as possible. A notice will be found in our advertising cplumns from the Major and Adjutant of Militia and Volunteers to the effect that, jiwing to complaints made of the indiscriminate ball practice on the firing giound at Mount Eden, no firing will be allowed in future between the hours of 8 a.m. and S p.m. At the Police Court, yesterday, a charge was preferred agahwtthe masters of three vessels for a. breach of the Wharf Regulations Act, in having moored their vessels without giving notice- to the Harbourmaster of their iutention to do so. His Worship alluded to the importance of adhering to the regulations in order to prevent the confusion<that would r otherwise result from an infraction of the regulations. Two of the dtfendants appeared, and;haviug admitted the charge, a mitigated penalty of £5 with costs was inflicted. One of the parties did not appear, and as there existed a doubt as 1 ttvo v whether! fiisl Qhrisjian^namt was con ectly given iv the summons issued, the case was postponed. "The Corsican Brothers",, was reproduced at the Theatre Royal last* evening "for the benefit of Mr. P. Howe. Mr. Dillou personated the double cha- , racter of Louis and^Fabian, tha brothers, aud Mrs, _ Dillon that of Emily de Lesparre. The piece passed off very successfully, and the beneficiaire was much * »P^f u^ d :^%.^L 1 ?f^ e '%<? u /*ain at theoloie. s The amusing Irish comedy of " His Last Legs," with To-night Mr. Dillon makes his last appeal ance at this .Jheajh-e in the^character Jof I»go y j be well p>troniz«d, -' l - J] IJSt -V y„"'""'/■'y „"'""'/■'

At, the .Prince pE^W»]e«j Theatre, ,last .eyeningT Bucfestone's Adelpni drama, in three 1 actV.'ontilled " Vicfcodflo j or, I'll sleep on it,"^was produced for the firifc time iri Auckland "before a moderate house. The incidents of the piece wore ' well worked out. Mias Cleveland took the par b of the 1 heroine, 'and sustained the interest throughout with mnoh ability. The varioiu phasei of the very thrilling, dream jvere pourbrayed with much skill up to the oloie of it, when Yictorine wakes to consciousness, and realises the happy prospect before her. Miss Cleveland will take her farewell to-night, anda* it will be the second and last opportunity of seeing the piece there wilL doubtless be a good house. Dennis Nagle, who was brought up at the Police Court yesterday, on remand, charged with stealing a coat of the value of 155., from William Banks, at the North Shore, was further remanded until next day, in the absence of a material witness.