Page 2 Advertisements Column 5

Evening Post, Volume XVI, Issue 283, 29 November 1878, Page 2

We learn with much regret that Mr. Edward Ditoo, who is a City Councillor for Te Aro Ward and one of the churchwardens for St. Poter's Parish, is seriously ill. A«s all sorts of absurd stories were set afloat before the late election as to the number of votes which could be ta^en under the arrangements made by the Returning Officer, the following statistics will ba interesting, and show that even had the whole of the burgesses (2250) voted, the votes easily could have been taken :— ln the first hour 250 votes were reco'ded, and a similar number iv tbe next hour from 10 to 11 a in.; in tbe fo' lowing hour, 200; and from 12 to 1, 250. At 1.20 pm. 1000 votes had been given, and at 430 the number bad reached 1400. During the hour and a-hali, from 4 30 to 6 p.m., only 90 votes in all were polled, while as we have shown nearly 400 could have been taken in that time. | To-morrow being St. Andrew's Day, the I banks will be closed in accordance with the Bank Holidays Act. A telegram from the Agent-General announces the sailing of the ship Boyne, for Lyttelton, with 391 immigrant*, and the Hudson, for Wellington, with -250. Both ships sailed prior to the 21st. A cablegram from Reuters Agency, dated Sydney, announced the fact of the wreck of the Auckland schoorier Tuhal Cain on Ono Island, one of the Fiji group. The Tubal Cain, a fore-and-aft schooner of 92 tons register, was launched by Messrs. Nicbol and Sons, North Shore, to the order of Mr. J. M'Ewin, blacksmith, on 17th September Her dimensions were — Length of keel, 85ft. ; breadth of beam, 20ft.; depth of hold, 91ft. After being fitted out for sea, she was chartered by Mr. Henry Wilson to proceed to Levuka, and she left on her maiden voyage on 18th October, under command of Captain E. Lewis. At the Theatre Royal last night "Pink Domino? s" was repeated. After to-night the piere will be withdrawn, a new programme b;ing announced for to-morrow. Judge Mansford to-day delivered judgment upon the point raised by the defendant's counsel in the case of Hall v.Birch, which was heard at the last sitting of the District Court. He over-ruled the objection taken to the notice to quit, and refused to enter a non-suit. The judgment for the plaintiff, therefore, remains unaffected. Mr. H. D. Monk, of the Post Office Hotel, has just made great improvements in his billiard and dining rooms; The former now contains two splendid prize tables, by Alcock. Many lovers of music who were unable to attend Miss Amy Sherwin's concert last Wednesday will rejoice to learn that this gifted young lady will be able to give a farewell concert while passing through Wellington on her way to Auckland, where she joins the February San Francisco mail steamer. Miss Sherwin, we understand, intends to visit Italy. Hor next concert in New Zealand will be given in Dunedin, whither she goes to-morrow. In the Appeal Court yesterday, after we went to press, the arguments in Breen v. Gell were heard. The action is one commenced in the Supreme Court at Wellington, and involves a dispute between the plaintiff, who is a builder, and the defendant, relative to the building of three cottages. A demurrer was raised by the defendant, and decided in his favor by Mr. Justice Richmond. The plaintiff appealed, and the Court yesterday reversed the decision of the Court* below, the Chief Justice, however, differing from his colleagues. Another well-known and old settler, Thomas Wilson, of Waikanae, has just' departed this life For about forty-five years Mr. Wilson, who was one of the earliest of the settlers, has lived in this province, and had many friends among old and young alike. As an old sailor he was rough and off hand, but was always kindly hearted, and upright in his dealings. He was tolerably successful in life, and leaves i behind him some valuable property in land and sheep. The usual weekly meeting of the Star of Wellington Lodge was held last evening, when there was a good gathering of members and visitors. Sister Fegan, with her well-known ability, presided at the piano, and played the tunes of the order, which were sung. The treasurer presented the financial report, which showed that, after the expenses for the past quarter were paid, there was a good balance on the right side. The W.C.T , who has worked well for the Lodge from the beginning, congratulated the members upon the good work which had been accomplished. A very remarkable living curiosity is now on exhibition in the shop next to the Working Men's Club, Manners-street, and is well worthy of a visit. It is a young "sea elephant " captured on Macquarrie Island by a sealing party. The young animal, which answers to the name of "Jack," is not yet half-grown, but displays remarkable intelligence and docility, fondling one of his keepers and playing about with him very much in the manner of a gigantic puppy, while " Jack " displays a marked antipathy to his other keeper, by snarling and barking at him like a cross-grained lap dog. "Jack" has a fine head, somewhat like that of a well-bred bull dog; his eyes are singularly large, beautiful, and expressive. The fins strongly resemble a human hand with very long fingers united together by a web; the resemblance is very striking in the nails, with which the animal occasionally scratches h mself in an unpleasantly human manner. "Jack" had managed slightly to cut one of his hinder fins on a projecting' nail, and when an attempt was made to examine the trifling injury, he raised himself erect against the wall and cried loudly, just in the way a frightened child would do. Altogether " Jack " is a most amusing and interesting fellow, and no one will regret paying him a visit. Children especially will be delighted with his many drolleries. Twenty-seven applications have been received by the City Council for tho post of night-watchman at the Boulcott-street tower. At the half-yearly meeting of the Wesleyan Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society, held last night, the following office-bearers were elected : — President, Rev. A. Reid ; vice-presidents. Rev. W J. Williams and Mr. A. Goddard; secretary, Mr. W. J. Helyer; treasurer, Mr. W. E. Fuller; librarian, Mr. Smith ; committee, Messrs. Grant, Tiller, Gell, and W. G- Tustin. The report of the committee was very satisfactory, and showed the society to be in a flourishing condition. It is proposed to hold a ram fair in connection with the Wairarapa Agricultural and Pastoral Association. March is named as the probable date for the show. A valuable little French poodle, able to perform a number of tricks, was recently stolen from Dunedin. Constable Smart yesterday found the dog at a house in Wellington. A man named Edward Carey, employed on one of the Union Company's boats, has been arrested at Dunedin, charged with stealing the animal. The creditors of Messrs. Reynolds and Collins, contractors, met yesterday at Mr. Fitzherbert's offices. They refused to assent to a proposed arrangement, and decided to liquidate the estate in bankruptcy. A movement is on foot for the establishment of a Board of Conservators for the Hutt River, and a meeting of ratepayers of the Hutt Valley has beea called for Saturday evening, at the Lower Hutt Sehoolhouse, to consider the question. For some time past the ladies of Karori have been making preparations for a bazaar in aid of St. Mary's Church building-fund. It has been decided to hold the baziar on the lljh. and 12th of December, at the Wellington Athenaeum. The only gentleman nominated on Saturday for the office of Mayor of the Borough of Grey mouth was Mr- R. Nancarrow, the late Mayor, and- he was declared duly elected accordingly. On Monday next the Rev. W. J. Habens, Inspector-General of Schools, will lecture upon •' The three-fold writing on the Cross," in connection with the Young Men's Christian Association. A picture of Kelly, the bushranger, taken from a photograph, is given in the Sydney Mail, and in a notice of it that journal says :—: — " That the epithet ' inhuman ' is not a mere rhetorical flourish to suit the circumstances, a ifoment's study of Kelly's features will suffice to show. The low, ape- like forehead, the Mephistophelian upward elope of the eyebrow, the coarse jaw, and gloomy expression, are distinctly animal ; and the physiognomist will recognise at once the outward traits 'of a craature born to crime, instinct with the" vices ' — and perhaps endowed with the virtues — of the savage." The Hoskins Dramatic Company opened at the Imperial Opera House last night with "Our Biys"and "O'Callaghan on his Last Legs." A Queensland paper (Ipswich Observer) announces the approaching marriage of Lord Henry George Russell Phipps, third son of the Marquis of Normanby, to Noruia Caroline, second daughter of Mr. James Leith Hay, Police Magistrate. In Hampshire a ve-y dramatic thing has happened. An old man, "80 years ot age, and quite blind," has gi<*en himself trp as a murderer Many years sgo he and his brother (since dead) waylaid and murdered a man. and buried him in a certain spot— in which, indeed, his bones hate sines baea found. He says that he could not so to his death with so dreadful a secret on Ms mind. Being blind, the unhappy wretch was no doubt more a prey to remorse than he otherwise would have beea. Ho had nothing to dMraut his mind, and beheld his crime enacted again and again. A lunatic with a novel " craze. " fa at large in the Manawatu Gorge. Jt appears that the man has been loitering about the ferry tor some days, crossine in the punt, while no sooner would he be conveyed to one side than he was most anxious to get back to the other. It is not mentioned, however, whether the traveller paid for these trips. A constable has been sent to investigate the matter.