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Evening Post, Volume VII, Issue 249, 25 November 1871, Page 2

The credit of Wellington seems to be high in the estimation of the financial world, for the whole of the required money for • the' purchase of the reclaimed land, and for carrying out the water works, was offered and accepted yesterday afternoon. The Wellington Mutual Investment Society were the tenderers at 7| per cent., and the money is now avail-

able at once. We are not learned in these matters, but hear that the loan has been contracted on favorable terras, as the Mercantile Loan Company, a usual guide in these transactions, has raised its rate very considerably. Very recently we commented on the difference between the proffered 8 per cent, or nearly so here, and the 6 per cent offered in Auckland. Since then we have learnt that the Auckland Corporation are so anxious to raise money that they sell debentures very considerably under par. Whether the Corporation of this town has acted judiciously or not in accepting the present offer, remains to be proved, but at least they obtain the 100 per cent, on the loan that is necessary. In common with all ratepayers, we are glad that the matter is settled. We may add that the whole loan is £45,000 ; of thi3 £25,000 is to be devoted for water supply, and £20,000 for reclaimed land purchase.

A rumour, which, we have reason to believe is not without foundation, has been current about town to-day, to the effect that new Provincial Government offices will shortly be erected on the Reclaimed Land. A portion of the accommodation provided will be rented by the General Government and the City Council, and the result will be that the Provincial offices will b 2 got together under one roof ; the convenience of the Government, the public, and officials, will be consulted ; and the cost will be less than the rent now paid for dilapidated buildings scattered in all par to of the city. The opening of the Wangauui Bridge, which the Superintendent and his Executive will attend, will render any steps in the direction of the new buildings impossible till the week after next; but before three weeks from now have passed, our readers may very possibly have the gratification of seeing at least the commencement of the new work.

Mr. C. O'Neill, C.E., informs us that when Mr. Walker, the rifle champion, and also the manager of some Thames Gold Mining Companies, was in Wellington, on his way to Dunedin, a few days ago, he showed him the specimen stones which he (Mr. O'Neill) had-obtained with his own hands out of the various claims about Wellington, and explained the features of the country, and what, he had seen about the claims. Mr. Walker expressed his conviction, judging from the specimens, and from the quantity of the stuff to be obtained, that the claims were most valuable, and that Mr. O'Neill's report had only been too guarded, and not sufficiently strong as to the payable nature of the ground. We may say that Mr. Walker is a man of perhaps as large experience in quartz mining as any one in the Southern Seas, and that he was specially selected in Victoria to manage the Long Drive on account of his thorough knowledge of the subject. We . understand that the Governor and Lady Bowen will take up their residence at the Rutland Hotel during, their. stay at Wanganui, and that his- Excellency and Lady Bowen will likely hold a levee on Tuesday afternoon. Messrs. Anderson Bros, will erect a stand, on the approach to the bridge, to which the public will be admitted on Wednesday, during the formal opening of the bridge, on the payment of a small charge. On Thursday there will be a cricket match during the day, and the Philharmonic Concert in the evening. On Friday the Governor will proceed up the river in a war canoe, accompanied by a large number of natives, and the s.s. Wanganui will steam along with the flotilla, carrying excursionists a"t a cheap rate.—' Chronicle. Intending ! visitors to Wanganui had better lose no time in making arrangements for the trip. The Government steamer Luna will start about six o'clock on Monday evening, conveying his Excellency,; Lady Bowen, a few ladies, and members of bath the Provincial and General Legislatures. The s. s. Wanganui will also start at six sharp, on Monday evening, and will leave to return on Saturday, insteact of on Thuraday, as originally intended.

As will be seen by advertisement, the Wellington Artillery Volunteers proceed to Wanganui on Monday next by the Luna, to assist in the celebration of the opening of the bridge at that place. They willl take two guns down with them, and it is to be hoped will not astonish the natives of that quiet locality with their thunder to an unbearable degree. It' has been supposed that the volunteers who attend would have to pay for their sustenance on the way there and back. We are happy to say that such is not the case; and that all going will- be provided for during their absence. A very smart shock of earthquake was felt to-day at 1.45. The direction of the wave;was northerly and southerly. •We .have received a telegram from Otaki from a 1 correspondent, who states that" a severe shock of earthquake was felt there at 1.44 p.m.. ,< ".:;■::■■..'; ;.;. < .■■.?■> '■ :; ■•*'■■. Appeals against the assessment made for the present year were heard to-day, and a. few alterations made in.the valuations. As a whole, .however, the annual value set down by the assessor were maintained, and those who are dissatisfied have the: power of appeal to the localbench. • The Wanganui Chronicle, of Thursday last says :—An accident occurrecl yesterday to the Taranaki. coach, which;might have been attended with more serious con-, sequences than.happily occurred. After the coach had descended the Okehu hill and was proceeding along the beach, the horses took fright at much the same place as: where the accident happened to the late Mr. Shepardj and galloped off. The driver (Mr. Morgan) not haying full control over the leading horses, in consequence of the reins becoming entangled among . the harness, continued pulling them round and round, but not being able to bring

them to a standstill in this fashion;' he didthe next best thing by running them up against the cliff, smashing the wheels of the coach almost to atoms, whilst the horses went avyay with the^shafe, There were three passengers in the coach before descending the hill: Mrs. Shepard, (who was returning from Hawera), Mrs. Quinn, and 'Mr. J. P. Watt. " Most fortunately they had got out to walk down the hill. Horses were procured at the Brighton Hotel to convey the mail and passengers into town. It seems a strange coincidence that there should be another accident at the same place as the previous, one* and also that Mrs. Shepard should be a passenger both times.

The Colonial Museum is now closed for a few days for alterations. The flax exhibits placed there by the Flax Commissioners, are being removed, and improved arrangements being made that will afford increased space for the exhibition of specimens at present hid away in drawers and boxes. We have been shewn a fine inoki which is being mounted for exhibition, and we understand that it is intended to obtain as complete a list of specimens of all the fish in the harbour s'as' possible/ 'and mount them for exhibition in a similar way. The fish is cut in half, from the snout to the tail, the flesh neatly scraped out, • and the skin stuffed and mounted on a flat board.

The secret respecting the uncertainty as to where the next session of Parliament will be held, is that there are divided counsels in the Cabinet. The Premier and the Colonial Secretary oppose the change, which, however, is warmly advocated by Mr. Vogel and—extraordinary to relate —by Mr. Speaker of the House of Eepresentatives. In taking part in discussions of such a nature—or indeed of any—Mr. Bell is, we venture to suggest, stepping outside1 his line of duty, and he is pursuing now a course which during the last session was an offence to all members possessed of an average.taste for the fitness of things. We can only express a hope that the Premier will in this matter remember that he is' Premier, and not permit the opinions of a colleague who should be subordinate to him, or of an officer of the House,'who should express none on political questions, to bear down his better judgment.

Mention has ; been made of the large quantities of fish which have been thrown up along the beach round by Terawiti. We are informed that gentlemen connected with the Colonial Museum have examined the fish, which are of totally different kinds to those which are caught in our harbor:—indeed, one gentlemen, in a search extending from Island Bay to Pleasant Valley, failed to find among the large heaps of fish thrown up a single specimen of the kinds familiar to our fishermen. One peculiarity noticed in the fish was s a pointed tail, instead of the spreading" fan-tail commonly seen on our fish. . . . Among the specimens recently received at the Colonial Museum is a kakapo, or ground parrot, a native of the. West Coast of the Middle Island. It is a night bird of similar habits to the krvi, and cannot fly. A piece of ;wauton and malicious mischief was perpetrated last night, by some one at present undiscovered, who smashed in the window of Mr. Hughes, Lithographer; The pdlicV are seeking for the perpetrator, and it is to be hoped' that he will be discovered. These "amusements," as they have been termed, have become too frequent, and we hope, not only that the authorities will detect the offender, bat that on detection such punishment as will be a warning in future will be dealt ont. The approaching 'Vice-Regal visit seems to have brought things to a premium in Wanganui., The Chronicle of the 2lst inst. says :—'' The worthy people who, like John Gilpin's wife, though bent on pleasure, have a frugal mind, are getting absolutely dumbfoundered at the price of tickets for the proposed Bridge Ball. The tariff of our contemporary ig said to be something .astounding. He began with a charge of 30s a ticket, and since then, most likely as the Horatian odl-profanunuvulcjus feeling has grown, the price has kept pace with it, until we are credibly informed it was at one time as high as £10 for a lady!s ticket ! If that will not make a select gathering and cause the ladies who are present to be in ' request, we do not know anything in the Brummagem style that will." A neat little swindle, which it is as well the authorities should/be informed of,! is being perpetrated with regard to the postage stamps,; the recent -changes in the colours giving every facility to those who would stoop to such tricks. Thus the old twopenny and the present sixpenny, stamps being the same" color,-tthe\" two pence", at the bottom of the new stamp is torn off, and the. stamp used; for. an old sixpenny one, detection being impossible. In the same way the old twopenny stamp can be made available for the present sixpenny, and thejold penny | for ; the new stamp. We might suggest that the obvious way to prevent such practices would Mt>e to have the value of the stamps, Dot in letters atthe bottom, but in large figures over the whole stamp, a custom which is adopted in many countries, and jwhich, with a little, ingenuity, might be managed so as not to interfere with the tastefulness ofithe de'- v sign. ; : t

;We are glad to learn that the disreputable and riotous house kept by the * notorious'Mrst Bojetieli infWillis-street has; at length been closed,^ and thus an open disgrace in the cenbre or.our city has been, for the present, at least, wiped out. The lessee, Mrs. Bowtell, is in gaol "doing her term," and the opportunity, long sought /by the owner, to obtain possession of the househas been'taken advantage 6f. Resiidents in that neighborhood will .doubtless Ihe glad to learn this, as apart from the nuisance .pi continued; disturbances, they lived in constant fear of the place being setfire to during some of the?almost'nightly drunken orgies which were held on the premises- ' ■ '- ; In the Resident Magistrate's Court today, Mary Ann M'Gregor was sent to gaol for a month as an habitual drunkard : and vagrant. Thomas Smith, for drunkenness, was fined ss: or 24 hours' imprisonment. Joseph Brown, alias Johnson, charged with a: breach" of the 'Harbor 1 Regulations by leaving his horse unattended on the wharf, pleaded guilty, and was fined 26s and costs. ■ ; ■ -'"' ;The Circus last evening was c very-well, attended, and; the programme was rather fuller than usual. The performance had been announced as under the patronage of his Excellency the Governor, his Honor^the Superintendent, and his Worship the Mayor, arid a portion of the seats had been partitioned off for their special 'accotnmoda-

tion, bnb neither his Excellency-nor his Honor were present, and the special seats were occupied -by the Mayor and his family. The programme commenced as usual with ihe marching and manoeuvres of men on horseback ; equestrian feats and tumbling followed, after which Mr. Roberts made some verj' good practice with the horizontal bar, and drew from the audience several rounds of applausa. Equestrian feats by Mr. Murray and his son also were excellently performed ; the duplicate ladder practice was also good. But what caused more amusement than anything else was the steeplechase: ew costume, and the achievements of the Irishman's donkey. The Circus will be opened again this evening for the last time in Wellington.

A meeting of the Directors of the Caledonian Society was held at the New ZealandeVHotellastevening; Therewerepresent —G. Crawford, Esq., in the chair, Captains Bishop, M'lntyre, -Hon.; Sec, and Sellars, Messrs. Da vie, Bayer, Lockie, Stewart, O'Shea, Lawrie, and M'Kenzie. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. The report of the sub-Com-mittee respecting the , programme , was adopted, and will, _we understand, be published shortly. The following; siib-cominit-tees were appointed :—Ground Committee —The President, Messrs. Lockie, Eayer, Gilligan, Stewart, and Lawrie. Printing Committee—Messrs. Gilligan, sand Eayer. Band Committee—Messrs. Eayer, Greenfield, O'Shea, Stewart, and.Davie. Messrs. Buchanan and Fife were added to the Directory. The Ground Committee were requested to take the necessary steps towards the commencement of the erection of a. permanent stand and other necessary buildings on the ground, to wait upon his Worship the Mayor, and to confer with the cricketers on the subject. Mr. Lockie kindly offered to sketch out and submit a plan for this pur pose. Now that this most important part of the business is in the hands of that enterprising gentleman, we may expect to see that done which has long been wanting. We fully expect to see a large gathering on the day of the sports, as the money to be given for prizes to be competed for will amount to nearly one hundred pounds, and it is to be. hoped that the;cricketers .will strain a point to carry out the idea suggested by the Caledonians of having some permanent buildings on the ground. :

We cannot tell whether our contemporary, the Wangamii Chronicle, ov rather its editor, is a henpecked individual, but the following, that appears in the issue of the 21st insfc., would seem to favor feucli a supposition:—" There must be husbands, we should think, who regret that they cannot revive the old Roman rule, which gave the power of life and death to the head of the family in certain cases ; but in the absence of that rule they find a number of substitutes. There are husbands all over the^ country, here, we are sorry, to say, as well as, elsewhere, who drink and misbehave themselves, so that they are killing, their wives by inches, besides inflicting irreparable injury on their children, yet if. you ventured to. tell them* that they are doing wrong, the least thing threatening you would be an action for libel. There is a sad amount of thoughtlessness and a still more sad amount of positive neglect and nagging in domestic life and its arrangements, chiefly caused by the abominable habit of drinking and staying out at night, which requires to 'be put an end to, before there can be even the germs of a happy home." 9 A piece of pure peat was discovered in the bed of the Hutt River yesterday, by the workmen engaged in making the excavations, for the Bridge, which presented some noteworthy and interesting peculiarities. The peaty mass is tightly squeezed together, almost as if it had been subjected to the operation of a- hydraulic press, but yet, on dissecting it a little, the materials of which it is composed, consisting of flax leaves and sticks, toi-toi, and fern leaves, can be severally and distinctly identified. The form and shape of the leaves and stalks of these different plants are perfectly; preserved, though they now exist only in entirely, new material; that is to say, have become peat. Geologists tell us how, in jbhe course of, Heaven knows how, many centuries, immense forests gradually decay, and, by the action of the elements, undergo, a transformation into beds" of coal/ so we suppose this change of flax bushes into peat is simply a process of a similar character. These wondrous transformations, made in Nature's laboratory, are not often seen in actual operation, as in the present case, and > So this f*littl6 discovery * has. set our local5 savans talking,, and many weighty and learned opinions have already been pronounced by some of those who, have been inspecting this semi-botanical, semi-geo-logical curiosity. The " specimen " has . been sent into town, and will be submitted to Dr. Hector for inspection.

-We take the following from a ■ Wauganui contemporary :-—'? One ,of the greatest floods ever seen by Europeans in the Manawatu has taken place.. There, jw.as heavy rain in the end of last week, but the rain alone would not account for the> immense volume of water which has poured along the" river, swelling far beyond its* banks, and deluging an immense quantity of land on either side. The consequences have been very disastrous. The Norwegian settlement has been all but broken up, and its inhabitants have been obliged' to take shelter in Palmer'ston. The road from Palmerston to Foxton, formerly a canal of mud, has, for the time being, become a river in itself. Settlers near the banks of the Manawatu have lost large numbers of cattle and sheep, the carcases 6i which are strewed along the .sea beach. In some instances, we regret to say, even houses have been carried ,¥way, leaving their owners without shelter, and in one instance, at least, compelling them to take to a canoe to save their lives, These are some of the

dangers and difficulties that the pioneers in a new country have to encountei*. Altogether the damage.done'is very serious." The class firing for the season' of No.; 1 Co. W.It.V. commenced this afternoon at. the Adelaide Butts under the superintend dence of Musketry-Instructor Gillon. The firing to-day wasior the third class certificates ; up to 300 yards range, shooting from the shoulder. The following advertisement—extremely characteristic of the western city—appears in a late Wanganui paper : —" It having come to my knowledge that Mr. H. B. Roberts has been circulating a mass of false-; hoods against me, with intent to damage my character, to wit—' That I (F. W. Evans) had ackowledged to having stolen the cash book, bills, and cheques lately abstracted from Mr. Roberts' office, and had made a clean breast of the whole affair, under the influence of a certain pressure brought to bear upon me, in the shape of threats of a prosecution,, &c.' : I now publicly avow that the whole of such statement, together with all and every of the various other statements made by him (H. B. R.) againstirie^'ithathaye-come to my knowledge, *■ are base concoctions, emanating from, and coined by, his own inventive brain, and totally without the shadow of truth." The pnblic know full well that if such assertions were correct Mr Roberts would prosecute me, which steps I hereby challenge him to take, or pay the penalty of being branded as the King of that detestable and evil disposed class of cowardly slanderers, which constitutes the greatest pest of society.—Frank W. Evan s. 23rd November."

The prizes won oh the Melbourne Cup' sweep were paid last night, at Osgood's Metropolitan Hotel. A large number of persons were present, and, as announced, the mare Jessie and the pony Little Wonder were raffled. Jessie fell to No. 10, at 46, and the little prize became the property of No. 21. In connection with the sweep, we may add that the winuer, Mr. Gilligan, contributed a per centage'of £5 to thej festivities of the evening. A race meeting was talked of, but nothing was done.