Hawke's Bay Herald. MONDAY, APRIL 16, 1877.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3899, 16 April 1877, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. MONDAY, APRIL 16, 1877.

There seems to be a good deal of likelihood of a number of the road boards being merged into the counties, a course which no doubt has much to recommend it. A few days since we mentioned as one reason for this course the expediency of obtaining something approaching to uniformity in rating and valuation ; but there is also this that may be urged, that in some road districts the works which the roail boards have to maintain are altogether beyond their means. An instance in point is that of the Home wood Bridge, towards the building of which assistance was largely '• given by the settlers of the neighborhood. That bridge is within the dis- \ trict of the Patangata Road Board, and . in the event of anything serious occur- ;

ring to it the cost of putting it in repair -would be certainly beyond the \ means of that board. The onty "Way out of difficulties of tke kind is the course Mr Johnston proposes to pursue — to decldi'e all the roads (including the bridges) county roads. But when that is done of what use Avill the road boards be 1 Their functions being gone their continued existence as governing bodies would be simply ridiculous, and it appears clear enough that, all things considered, the sooner they set about getting merged into the counties the better it will be for the districts which have been under their control. The mode of 2>roceediug for merging road districts into counties is set out in the 37th, 38th, ana 39th clauses of the Counties Act. The ratepayers of a road boainl district desiring to bo merged into a county must present a petition to the Council, praying that body to abolish such district. The • petition must be signed by not less ' than one-third of the ratepayers, representing in the aggregate not less than half the rateable property m the district, and it must be published ! in the district not less, than one month before presentation. The Council may, if it thinks fit, declare the road board of the district to be dissolved, if within two mouths from the presentation of such petition there be not presented a counter petition, signed by an equal or greater number of the ratepayers, possessing in the aggregate not less than one-third of the rateable property in the district. The signatures to the petition or counter petifcian must be verified by " solemn declaration," and if any representation bo made to the Council as to either the declaration or the signatures being false, the Council may cause incpiiry to be made, appointing commissioners to conduct it, and they will have power under the Act to summon witnesses and examine them on oath, and to call for the production of books and papers in relation to the inquiry. When the road district has mei'ged into the county the assets, liabilities, and powers appertaining to the abolished road board will vest in the Coimty Council. It will be observed that the County Council cannot of its own motion abolish a road board, but that the proceeding must be initiated by the ratepayers ; still, as we have pointed out in referring to Mr Johnston's proposal for declaring all the roads county roads, the County Council can place the road boards in the position of having do work to do, and so abolish them in effect without doing so in accordance with legal form.

The necessity of obtaining the services of an engineer, not necessarily as a permanency, but to report as to what county works were requisite, in accordance with the provisions of the Counties Act, was brought up by Mr Mackersey at the last meeting of the Waipawa County Council, but was allowed to stand over. It is evident that this must be done without delay if the new local government S3'stcm is to be worked at all. We might go further than this, however, and say that i\m system cannot be effectively worked unless an engineer is permanently employed. One engineer might very well serve all the three counties, providing that he had competent working overseers under him in each. If the three Hawke's Bay counties would combine to employ one, they should thus be 'able to offer such a salary as would .secure the services of a highly competent man. If they had an engineer to report as to what works were necessary, and to lay them out if adopted, and make occasional tours of inspection during their progress, the details of supervision might very well be left to the working overseers.

The state of things in. reference to some of the municipal revenues is still very unsatisfactory. The mode at present, in respect to those that are conferred by the Financial Arrangements Act, is that they are collected by the Collector of Customs. No doubt that officer does his duty satisfactorily enough, so far as his duty extends ; but it does not extend beyond receiving the money, and that scarcely seems to fulfil all requirements. The Collector of Customs, in fact, just takes the money that is brought to him, and it is no concern of his that some of those who have to pay license fees omit doing so. It thus becomes a highly desirable matter that municipalities should have their own collectors of license fees, so as to ensure the hunting rip of defaulters. The reason that municipalities do not possess that privilege, is that the fees in question were provincial revenues and the authority to collect them now vests in the Governor. We understand that the Borough of Napier has been in communication with the Ministry, with the view of obtaining the delegation of the power to collect the fees, and it is hoped that after a little delay the request will be complied with. It was thought that there might be some difficulty about apportioning the revenue in respect to some of the license fees, but it is not easy to understand how any diliiculty can arise as the law now stands. The Financial Arrangements Act defines in precise terms that (1) if the license is in respect of premises, the revenue shall be paid to the county or borough within which such premises are, and (2) if hi respect of a person, the revenue is to be paid to the county or borough within which the person lias his place of business, or, if lie lias no such place, then his usual place of residence.^ It may be said that it is a manifest injustice that in a case of an auctioneer's license the fee shall be paid to the borough because the auctioneer has his place "jf business there, while in actual fact his sales are made outside the borough. It must be admitted that on the ground of equity there is a good deal in this, but still it does not affect the present state of things, and so we cannot see why a supposed difficulty about apportionining the revenue should be a bar to delegating the power to collect revenues which are in such very precise terms conferred upon the boreughs. The request of the Napier Borough is evidently a resonable one, and seeing that in the case of the Dunedin Borough the power in question lias been conferee!, it would be scarcely fair to refuse it in the instance of the Borough of Napier.

On Saturday last a Sunday-school treat was held at Taradale on a somewhat large scale. Through the kindness of Mr Rymer, coaches were placed at the disposal of the children residing at Meanee and Puketapu, who were convoyed to the parsonage at Taradale, where, through the kindness and generosity of many friends, a thoroughly happy afternoon was spent. The lateness of the season somewhat militated against as many friends being present as on former occasions, but the number of the young folk was, if anything, greater. The afternoon was passed in round games, races and scrambles, and was brought to a close towards 4 o'clock, when tea was served to some 200 children and their friends. Owing to the shortness of the afternoons ' at this season of the year it had been ' arranged to finish up the merry-making I :

by a magio lantern in the schoolroom. This was done to the satisfaction of all, being enlivened with music and ft song or two. After a concluding hymn, the Rev,, ; P. C. Anderson called for a few rounds m ' cheers for Various friends who fiavi helped, commencing with Mv Itymer's name. The rev. gentleman was cheered with three tiiuos three in return, and after a ; few words of encouragement from him to those present to pull together for the future, all dispersed to their homes by about 7 o'clock. Few more successful church gatherings have ever taken place in Taradale. At the Resident- Magistrate's Court, on Saturday, Thomas Paton was charged with using indecent language in a public place. Tha prisoner admitted the offence, but at his Worship's inquest the apprehending consbable and the prisoner's wife stated the nature of the language used by the prisoner. Li mitigation of the penalty attaching to his r»ffohce, the prisoner stated that he had gone out to the Criterion for some soup for his sick son, And when lie came back he found the doors locked upon him. Ho had suffered very much from abuse, heaped upon him by his wife and Ills daughter, and oven his son, « lild of 15 years, had gone so far as to hit him in his own house. It was under this provocation that ho had used the words with which lie was charged. His Worship ordered the prisoner to pay a line of £2, or in defaitft-, to be imprisoned for seven days with hard labor. — Richard Winter surrendered to his bail, charged with haying stolen £14G in bank notes from William Henry Sehulte. Mr Sheehan appeared for the prosecution, and Mr Lee for the defence. Mr Sheehan said that he. dici not intend to occupy the time of the Court for more than a few minutes, as it was not his intention to otter any evidence in support of the charge. He had come into the case after the prisoner had been first brought before the Court charged with the robbery. At his (Mr Sheehan's) request a further remand was obtained in order that the police might have tin opportunity of discovering evidence that would support the charge-, but they had not discovered any. It would be useless therefore for him to proceed with the case, knowing that there \Vas no chance of his Worship committing the defendant for trial. Under those circumstances it would be wasting the time of the Court to proceed with the case, and he would therefore withdraw it. His Worship : Then, as there is | no evidence, to be offered, the case is .at an end. Mr Sheehan. : Yes, your Worship, the cost? is withdrawn. His Worship : Very well ; the prisoner h discharged. The prisoner bowed to the Court and withdrew. There was no other business before the Court. The Davenport, Fay, and Davios combination company drew a very good house on Saturday wight. The performance commenced with ah overtitrd on the piano, played with -ek-eeedingly q-nod execution by Mrs W. H. Davenport. "The same lady alScr played several airs, selected with very good taste, during the cabinet part of the performance. Mr Routledge and Mr Pulford acted as supervisors both during the cabinet performance of the Davenport Brothers and the dark seance of Professor Fay. There can be no doubt that the supervisors discharged themselves of flic duty they undertook faithfully, with the utmost cave, and to the best of their ability, and it was no fault of theirs that they made no discoveries. They sounded the cabinet all over ; they peered into every corner of it, inside, outside and underneath, and yet they sawnothing that was riot seen by all the spectators-. The ventriloquism of Mr Da vies was really very amusing. He is evidently a master of' his art, though it must be admitted that lie was not so successful with one of the figures as with the other. The liguro " Joe," however, more than compensated for the shortcomings of his companion. Some of the local hits were very laughable, particularly a reference made to the present ecclesiastical controversy, in connection with making a betting "book." Another of the hits was in relation to the letter "B." The imaginary little girl inside the box was asked what were the things flying about in the garden, when Joe interposed with " Bad luck to me, when I lived at Taradale it was Joe Richards' cows that were flying about my garden." We need scarce say that it brought clown the house. Professor Fay's dark seance is certainly the best part of the entertainment. Never were the senses better cheated. It had the novelty, too, that it was carried on for the most part entirely in the dark, for, as the professor said, every sensible person must know that such a performance could not bo conducted in the light. This was a candid admission, and proves what a useful, good sort of entertainment it is, since there is no approach to that nonsense about assistance from invisible spirits which is the pretence of other "professors." We may mention that there was a noticeable moderation on Saturday night in the noises made by the youngsters at the back which have been so great a source of annoyance. The improvement in this respect is, we believe, due to the attention paid to the comfort of the audience by Mr W. Evans, the agent to the combination company. We regret to hear that the Tongoio Beach Road, which had been finished, has been washed away in several places by the late heavy Hood. It is said that practically the work will have to be doneall over again. The part damaged lies within the Mohaka riding of the Wairoa county. Judge Rogan, we hear, is about to hold a Native Court at Taupo in the beginning of May. ° The plant necessary for the completion of the Napier Waterworks is on board the Andrew Reid, a New Zealand Shipping Company's vessel, now 00 days out from England. It is expected that the waterworks will be completed by the beginninoof summer. ° Judge Symonds has arrived from Poverty Bay, and will open the Native Lands Court at Waipawa to-day ; j but it is quite probable that no business will be done, and that the court will be adjourned until to-morrow. The only case there is before the court is sure to be hotly contested, and may probably take more than a week to be disposed of. During the hearing of the case, Smith v. Nairn, in the R.M. Court last Friday, a somewhat novel point was raised in connection with cancelling stamps. The point arose on an objection made by Mr Lee (for the_ plaintiff) that the stamp v ". * n , e . receipt signed by the plaintiff, Smith, was not properly erased. It, however, appeared to be clear enough that although under the old enactment & if the stamp upon a receipt was not cancelled by writing upon it the initials and date of the person giving the receipt the document could not be put in evidence, by the Act of 1875 proof that the stamp was affixed at the time that the receipt Avas given is sufficient without cancellation ; but the person giving the receipt nevertheless remains liable to the penalty of £'v for his neglecting to cancel the stamp. In the course of the argument the Magistrate (Mr BeetJiani) remarked that that being the reading of the law as it now stood, there appeared to be nothing to prevent the stamp being used over and over again, Mr Sheehan (who appeared in the case for the defendant) admitted the difficulty, and added that it was one for which at present the legislature had made no provision. A small quantity of coal from a mine of the Lower Waikato was recently tried on board a steamer at Auckland with the best results. As a fuel it is stated to bu excellently adapted for stationary purposes, perfectly smokeless, and almost unequalled by any coal produced in the colony for freedom from sulphur. It is a clean coal, is comparatively free from clinker, generates steam largely, and is not injurious to the bars.

Our Hampden correspondent writes : — " The opening eivtertsiiivmeiit for the season was lately given; but it wanted several of the elements which, on former occasions, used to contribute to the success of our social gatherings, such as the short lecture by way of centre-piece, the sweet and inspiring voices of the ladies, and also the instrumental music. Still, notwithstanding these drawbacks, Mr Burcham, who acted also as chairman, managed to engage the_ audience fin 1 the greater part of the evening, and the opportune arrival of Mr Tye imparted fresh zest to the entertainment. This gentleman's talents for comic singing are so well known that they require no comments from me. Votes of thanks to him and the chairman were ! carried by acclamation. " In a previous issue we. stated erroneously that the Waipawa County Council had Appointed Mr Bishop to act as valuer of the outlying districts of that county along with Mr Tye. What .the .CWncil did was to recommend first Mr Tye, and subsequently Mr Bishop also, for appointment by the Judge of the Assessment Court, and the Judge has appointed Mr Tye to the office. The districts he will have to value are Central Rnataniwha, Epcraima, Porangahau, Tamumu, and M.iknvotu. \Vc hearth at though the members of the Hawke s Bay County Council have all been supplied with, free railway passes, the members of the "Waipawa Council have not been similarly privileged, and that in "attend ing the last meeting of the Council they had to pay their fares. This is no doubt an oversight, and only needs mentioning to be rectified. The Napier correspondent of the" Canterbury Press telegraphs as follows to i that journal ':-~ H It is feared that the harbor works will not be a success. The only benefit gained so far is that the bar is being removed further into the bay, while the rush of water is now so great that it is almost impossible for vessels to come in while the tide is going out. Practical men say that the works will do more harm than good, and that £75,000 is thrown into the sea." It is a somewhat curious spectacle (says the Wail-ato Times) that of one half the Waikato (Waikato County) accepting and vigorously working the new form of local self-government and the other half (Waipa) Avestward of the Waikato river refusing to have anything to do with it, and throwing itself with perfect " abandon" jnto the arms of the Central Government in "W ellingtoh. ilet this is exactly the position of affairs — the two opposite forms of government will be worked side by side, nay closer still, for from the very nature of the case they will be yoked together. Whether the ox nnd. the horse, contrary to the injunctions of Deuteronomy, can lye so worked without cruelty to_the slower animal, remains to be seen. W e very much doubt, however, whether the experiment will be successful. Already, in the matter of the Hamilton Ferry and the packet licenses, the smarter of the two is showing signs of an impatient desire to take advantage of the situation: The following theatrical items are from the Canterbury Press of the 7th hist. : — " The Simonsen Opera Company, who by the way have been joined by Signor Carmini Moiiey, are in Hobart Town, but Dame Fortune appears to be still unkind to Mr Simonsen. The Fakir of Ooln, with Mr Jem. Mace in his exhibitions of living statues, is doing, good business in Sydney. Mr Pauipier's well deserved good fortune still adheres to him, and he is drawing crowded houses. Wilson's .circus is in Adelaide. In Now Zealand, the Chicago Minstrels, after a prosperous season in Napier, have opened in Auckland to very good business. The Lydia Howarde Troupe follow Mrs Scott-Siddons in AVellington, and in a few days Dunedin will be without a theatrical company, as Mr George Darrall has announced the last night of the Princess's under his management. Mrs Dan-ell has left for Sydney per Rotorua, having been advised by her medical man to seek a milder climate. Ml- Emmet opened in ' Frita' at Auckland on Easter Monday, for a short season." A curious story is told by a man recently arrived from Melbourne. Calling upon the head official of a Government institution, he first made application for relief, and then stated that he arrived here about three weeks ago in the Arawata ; that he had been an inmate of the Kew Lunatic Asylum, Victoria, and that two officers of that institution, having placed him on board the steamer, gave him £2 to provide for his pressing necessities on landing in New Zealand. His name is Michael John O'Connor, and his appearance and manner were strongly corroborative of the statement that lie was or had been a lunatic. It may be open to question whether the statements of a person of deranged intellect are to be relied upon, but these particulars were circumstantially narrated by O'Connor, and it would be difficult to believe that he invented them. Under these circumstances, it would seem that the Ivew Asylum officials have been guilty of conduct which should be brought under the notice of the Victorian Government at the earliest possible moment. It is to be hoped the Government will at once institute inquiry into the facts. If they should be borne out by proof, the captain of the Arawata has rendered himself liable to a heavy penalty for bringing O'Connor to the colony. The public of New Zealand will desire to hear more of this case. — Wellington Arc/tin. An odd case of " prospecting a legacj'" (says an English paper) came under notice at the Bury county court recently. The defendant in a suit, in answer to a question put to him as to a sum of £500 left to him by his mother, stated that it had " gone to where it was owing." It then came out that he had paid it into the hands of an innkeeper under an agreement drawn out by a lawyer that the legacy, little or much, should, when it became tangible, be given to the innkeeper, who was to keep the defendant until he died and then bury him respectably. The defendant being a ' • middleaged man," the bargain does not appear to be a very profitable one for the inn-keeper ; for in these days, when centenarians arc by no means uncommon, it is not impossible that he may have to keep the defendant for the next half-cen-tury before burying him respectably, unless, indeed, the innkeeper is the first to " shuffle off this mortal coil," in which case it is to be presumed that the duty will devolve on his next of kin. It is not an unusual custom in some parts of the country for persons who have an unexpected windfall in the shape of a small legacy to pay the amount thus received to a neighbouring publican, and then "drink it out ;" but bold indeed must that publican be who undertakes to keep a man through life and bury him respectably when dead for an unknown amount. A bargain of this nature may lead to indefinite benevolence, all the more distressing because it is compulsory. ° A lady friend, who has helped me in the same way before (sa}'S the Melbourne correspondent of the Otttr/o Tlmci) £;ive,s me the following items, as of possible interest to lady readers in Dunedin : "How many times we have hoard it said of the chignons with which female heads were lately decorated, ' Will those frightful protuberances always be worn / Will ladies never see how unshapely and unnatural these appendages make them look V Well, they are worn no longer, and arc as much passed out of dale asithe fashions of our grandmothers. Perhaps ladies have tardily come to .see that they were hideous and ugly. "Perhaps their effects, in the shape of premature baldness or intense headaches, brought about the change ; or perhaps it was but a whim of trver-changiiig fashion. But, whatever tlio cause, they are gone, utterly departed, and now, as wo walk through the streets or sit in the dress-circle of the theatre, we look round and wonder at the transformation. • Fashion is a stern

tyrant, but this time a reasonable one Has decreed that only the natural hair is to be worn, and that all foreign appendages are to be discarded. The hair now is simply bi'ushecl back, and coiled in a simple knot at the back of the head, low down gn the nape of the neck. When the head, if small and. shapely, and the eai'B delicate and "shell-like;'* aS the novelists aay, nothing is more becoming, but it is rather hard on those to whom Dame Nature has been more generous in size than shape. They must deeply regret the forsaken and well-nigh forgotten pads wjiiclr, after all) covered many bleiniahes and reclaimed many faces. Hats are worn of navy blue and prune colors, straw, and generally trimmed with plush of a darker or lighter shade than the straw. Plush, after being consigned to shelves and corners for many years, has come to fehq. front ranks of fashion, and being a novelty, is seized with avidity, and promises to be the favorite trimming through the winter. At the Christmas season our stationers had quite a crowd of cards suitable for sending to friends wishing them the compliments of the holiday season.. They found favor AVitli the public, and. sold so rapidly tliat now, As the Easter holiday's are approaching, Easter cards are being shown in the windows devoted to fancy trifles, and the}' will probably take as well and sell as quickly. It is very seldom that in England elephant labor is utilised, but an instance occurred recently in London which is worthy of record. The road at the junction of Waterloo and York roads has been lately broken up, and the other clay an omnibus proceeding from Stamford-street inwards the Wandsworth-road was so heavily laden that the horses were endeavoring in vain to get over the piece of ground. One of the Sanger's elephants, ] under the charge of a keeper, passed along the road. Seeing the helplessness of the horses, the keeper gave instruclionS t'6 Ihe elephant, who lowered his head, and, placing his forehead at the rear of the 'bus, pushed horses, vehicle, and passengers beyond the obstacle which impeded their progress. This was witnessed by a large number of people, who loudly cheered the actor in the incident. The farmers in the Waikaka, Gore, and Mataura districts (says the . TuapeJca Times) have reason to be well satisfied with their crops this season, the yield having been splendid. The wheat in the Waikaka district has turned out well, and has fully set at rest any doubts that may have existed as to that district's capabilities in that respect. A flour mill is one of the requirements of that fine district. The World briefly reviews the characteristics of the lead era of the Conservative party in the House of Commons as follows:—" That Sir Stafford Northcote has immensely improved, and that practice, combined with the confidence of his position, has infused into his speaking a lightness which was much Wanted is true. Mr. Cross also sekloni fails to make a plain, sensible, second-rate statement, resembling, from the force of early associations, ndthing more than the speech of the chairman of a bank, at a meeting of shareholders. Mr Gathorne Hardy, when once roused, is capable of contributing a series of effective and fervid sentences to 'the discussion. Mr Ward Hunt has no other merits than those of the simple country gentleman, who is thoroughly in liis place at Quarter Sessions, and thoroughly out of it in that office the cares of which he finds so engrossing. Lord John Manners is as gentlemanlike as he is feeble, but he possesses one important quality, the result of a long parliamentary experience, that of hitting some of the superficial flaws in an opponent's argument. Outside the Cabinet the Ministry can look for little assistance. In all but purely departmental debates they must trust to themselves. Colonel Taylor and Mr Gerard Noei, who occupy posts the incumbent'ss of which are usually able to help the Cabinet in general discussions, have not the gift of speech ; Sir Charles Adderly has still to master the details of his office ; while Mr Sclater - Booth's thoughts are exclusively, and not ineffectively, devoted to the portfolio which he holds. Lord Sanclon indeed may prove a valuable ally to the Cabinet, as he would have been a very useful member of it. He has an extensive knowledge on various subjects, which Sir Michael-Hicks lacks ; and while the Irish Secretary is fluent only, the Vice-President of the Council is impressive and fluent at the same time. Among the Under-Secretai-ies Lord George Hamilton is the only one of any practical utility to the Government. He does not possess either depth, or variety of information ; but he has remarkable readiness and aptitude of speech, and j>ossesses a rare power of getting up a subject at short notice. Mr Lowther might be of more accoxuit if he would take more trouble. Mr Bourke so hopelessly bungles every topic which he touches, that he is now allowed only on very rare occasions to speak at all on affairs relating to his office. When this permission is accorded, he invariably commences his remarks with a statement that he will not follow the arguments which have previously been brought forward, and then proceeds with an address laboriously prepared at his office, delivered in tones that are scarcely audible, and couched in a diction that is almost childish. The Otugo Daily Times says : — As the traffic upon the railways increases, it must be expected that claims from consignees will be sent in to the railway authorities more frequently than has hitherto been the case. This matter is dealt with by the Public Works Act, which makes the Minister of Public Works primarily responsible for the safe custody of goods (in which term live animals are included), from the time of their reception at a railway station until their delivery to the consignee, and so far as " ordinary goods" are concered, he is placed upon the same footing as a common carrier. His respon- j sibility is equally full with regard to pas- { sengers. The Governor is, however, empowered to make bye-laws declaring certain kinds of goods, of a nature liable to injury, or goods of above a certain vaiue, to be " special goods," the effect of which is to compel the person despatching the property, upon delivering it at the station, to give the station master a written statement of its nature and value, and to pay a higher rate of freight ; otherwise, the liability o,f the Minister is limited to a sum of £10 a package, £15 a head for horses, £8 a head for heat cattle, and 15s a head for sheep or swine. In any case, the Minister is to be exempt from liability for goods left at a station at the owner's risk, as may be provided by the bye-laws of the line ; while actions against him for damages must be commented within three months, or else the claimant will be barred from the assistance of a court of law. The Act, on the other hand, permits the Minister to make special agreements for either insuring the goods against damage, or protecting himself from liability, and to charge proportionate rates of freight. The Railway Department can thus, if it pleases, enter upon a goods insurance business ; but we do not observe any clause in the Act authorising it to insure passengers against accidents — a branch of insurance which has assumed extensive proportions at Homo. The 152 nd clause ought to keep railway servants alive to their duty, since it declares that " every person employed on or about a railway shall be responsible for any damage caused by the wrong-doing or neglect of such person ;" and the amount of the loss may be deducted from his salary ; while in addition, regulations may be framed subjecting him to special penalties of not more than £1 for slight breaches of duty or misconduct. The vaiue of enactments of this kind, however, depends upon the manner in which they are enforced. At the annual sale of stock at Robertson Bros , Colac, the total amount obtained for 200 head of cattle was £20,000, being an average of £100 per head.

The following is Dr, Skae's report on the Napiei 1 Liinatic Asylum :— ." This asylum has been inspected by. me on this and the preceding clay. It is very clean and in good .order, but extremely- Bare. The patients ai*e alt very quiet, and none ftfe, tinder restraint, or in seclusion. They appear to be as well cared for as the nature of the accommodation and the means of treatment at command permit of. The register of admission and the inspector's book are the only st&ilvfcory books kepi. It is \ n frequent practice, apparently with a View of saving expense, for the medical officer of the asylum to grant one of tile certificates on which a patient is admitted. This has been done in the cases of the Last eight, patients,received. I have called attention to this fact, os {liis is contrary to the 17th section of the Lunacy Act. — Fbed Skae, Inspector of Lunatic Asylums.— Napier, 10th April, 1877." On. Sunday morning (ihe Bristol Times says) a young man and his " intended " presented themselves at a Ndn conformist chapel in Bedniinstef td be niarrie'd. A few of their" friends, hearing of their intention, thought they woiild like to witness the ceremony, arid accordingly about a dozen of them assembled in the ' chapel. The bridegroom happened to look through the vestry, door while wait- ' ing for the arrival of the minister, and seeing such a large company of his friends, stoutly declined to go through the ceremony. "He'd be blowed if . he would gratify their curiosity ;" and , nothing would induce him to lead liis afnanced to the altar. He chose rather to pay the fees and postpone the wedding to another day, when it would come off in the presence of none but the necessary witnesses. It is rumored in England that the Russians are being inflamed to a new crusade by an enthusiast Avho is like a reincarnation of Peter the Hermit, so fiery are his utterances, and so insanely devout his purpose. This man is described as a very wealthy citizen of Moscow, formerly in the Russian army, who declares he has a mission from God to rouse the Russians to a holy war which shall sweep the Turks from Europe and release the Slavs from their oppressors. Beginning at Moscow, where the council granted some millions of roubles towards the military preparations, this prophet went southward to the Czar's seat of ] Livadia (Prince Gortschakoff introducing him to the presence) and there announced to him the will of the Most High. Since then the preacher tells the populace that he is permitted to say that the " father of the people" will not fail the cause of God at the coming crisis. When he returned to Moscow, it was the triumph of a conqueror. The magistrates, municipal councils, and the corporations headed a procession of the inhabitants that nocked to lead him in, This isa wild story, but we cannot say an impossible one. A private letter from Constantinople in the World says : — " There never was a more complete Jlusro, and I fear it is entirely due to the want of tact of our Special Envoy and his better half. They openly threw themselves into the arms of Ignatieff, and proclaimed their hatred of the Turks. Of course Igiiatieff made use of them, and pushing Lord Salisbury forward whenever anything disagreeable had to be clone, soon made England more hated than Russia. In a few weeks all our influence with the Turks was completely gone, and it seems to me that our policy has become chaotic. Lord Salisbury first tried to bully the Sultan, but the latter behaved with great dignity, and has shown much moderation. When it was certain that the Conference would miscarry, the Sultan, through Hobart, proposed a private interview with Lord Salisbury in order still to try and arrange matters, and I hear that he was prepared to make concessions. Lord Salisbury only sent his secretary, and after this all hope was over ; for it was looked upon as a studied insult. Lady Salisbiuy has shown still less tact and more violence. Colonel Valentine Baker has refused to take service in the Turkish army until the attitude of England is known." The Wanganui papers have been saving lately that Mr H. M'Neil, the well-known contractor, was very ill, and in a most critical state. That seems rather inconsistent with the assertion of the JRangitikei Advocate that Mr M'Neil was driving about in his buggy the other day.