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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3902, 19 April 1877, Page 2

The entertainment of the Davenport, Fay, and Divvies combination attracted a moderately good house last night. Mr W. K. M'Lean and Mr G. C. Ellis were on the stage to supervise the proceedings at the cabinet seance of the Davenport Brothers and the dark seance of Professor Fay. During this seance, while the hall was in total darkness, an individual in the back seats, who had been very noisy during the evening, struck a match, but it led to no interruption of the proceedings, as the part had just concluded, and the footlights were immediately lighted. It is needless to say that neither of the gentlemen discovered anything that would disclose the modus operaudi. Mr Davies was as amusing as ever in his exhibition of his powers as a ventriloquist. This is the last evening of the company's performance in Napier. To-morrow evening they will give an entertainment at Waipawa. As our contemporary asks, "Who ever heard of a Prince of Roumania ?" we commend the following from "Martin's Tear Book " to his notice : — "The union of the two principalities of Wallacia and Moldavia was granted by a tirman of the Sultan, dated November 12, 1801, and was publicly proclaimed at Bucharest and Jassy, on December 23, 18G1, the name ' Roumania' being given to the united provinces. The first ruler of Roumania was Colonel Couza, who had been elected ' Hospodar,' or Lord, of Wallachia and Moldavia, in 1859, and who assumed the Government under the title of Prince Alexander John I. A revolution which broke out at Bucharest, February 23, I£6j, forced Prince Alexander John to aldicate, after which the representatives of the people assembled to elect a second ruler of Roumania, when the choice fell upon— Karl I, Prince (Domnu) of Roumania, born April 20, 1831), son of the late Prince Karl, of Hohenzollern - Sigmaringen, formerly lioutenant in the second regiment of Prussian dragoons ; accepted his election as Prince of Roumania, May 10, 18GG. We have been requested to publish the following :— Sir, — Will you allow me through the columns of the Herald, to thank those kind friends who have so generously contributed to the testimonial I have received, and especially those ladies who have taken so much trouble to collect the same. The amounts collected are as follow : — Mrs O'Dowd, £33 9s; Mrs Jeffiires, £17 0s 0d; Mcsdames Lopdell and Robinson, £8 ; total, £58 9s Gd. By so doing you will greatly oblige yours, «&c, Sister Marie Joseph, Meanee Mission Station, April 17, 187". We observe from the N. Z. Gazette that a post office has been opened at Motuotaraia, Hawke's Bay, and that the office at Peka Peka has been closed. It is said that Major Gordon, whose report as Inspector made such a stir in volunteer matters through the colony a few years ago, is about to proceed to Turkey to seek active service there, his services as commanding officer in Auckland having been dispensed with. — Grey River Argus, The Fire Brigade will practise with the steam fire-engine this evening. In the Wellington telegrams, it will bo seen, it is stated that Mr Ormond and Mr Carruthers leave that city for Napier to-day ; Mr CaiTutheivs is going to Auckland. We hear that the town of Gisborn 0 was to be enlivened this week with thre° marriages, the bridegrooms being all well" known ill Napier. On all hands it is affirmed that a brisk correspondence is going on between Russia and Germany, and sonic assert that Russia wants to know whether, in case of war and of victory — which in her case are still believed to be the same thing — she could enjoy the fruits of victory. To this question Germany alone can reply, and Russia troubles herself witli her alone. It would be a large field of speculation to consider in what sun.se Germany will reply, and such .speculations are less tempting now than ever." We (Ranqitilr.i Advocate) are glad to learn that the enlerp rising firm of Riehtor, Nannestcad and Go. have determined upon erecting a steam flour-mill at Pahuerston North. The order for the machinery has been given, and the mill is to be ready to commence operations by the time next season's grain is ready.

Madame lima De Murska (says the London Fi;/aro) appears to bo unfortunate in losing husbands. Shortly after she arrived in Melbourne, in 1875, the lady married Mr Anderson, a. clever young pianist, who died about- Six months after the marriage. Early in 1870 the sympathetic soprano entered again into the bonds of matrimony. This time the object of her choice was Mr John Hill, K.S., R.A.M. . a most talented musician, who had resided in Melbourne for many years, and who distinguished himself as a violinist when lie was associated with Madame Arabella Goddanl dui'iiig her concert tour in the Antipodes. I now hear that this gentleman lias also died in Australia, and that Madame De Murska has returned to San Francisco*, \>ith the intention of organising an opera company. Of course everyone will sympathise with Madame lima De Murska, 'and will lament the fate which appears to so persistently follow her respective husbands. Some little time ago the Aihciurnm expressed its ]>]e;>.siire at hearing that the many proofs of his admiration for Miss Austen's novels to be found in the letters of Lord Maeaulay had led to a renewed demand for hoy writings. "There is," said the Atliempttm, "some hope for English fiction, if ' Pride and Prejudice.' 'Emma,' and 'Mansfield Park' regain popularity. Those who nre familiar with them willnot tolorate the vulgar, flashy novels of the present day." On the other hand, the increased demand for Miss Austen's novels is, the Bombay Educational Record fears, due neither to the "Life of Lord Maeaulay." nor to an improvement in public taste, but to the simple fact that the University of Bombay has put down Miss Austen's novels for certain examinations, and that large orders for them have consequently been sent to this country by students who have " to got them up" for examination. !Sv> long ago as last September <]io Educational Record predicted that the London publishers would be "not a little puzzled oii receiving requisitions for some hundreds of copies of ' Sense and Sensibility ' at what must appear to them a sudden and inexplicable outburst of public interest in the works of Miss Austen," and this prediction, it says, has evidently been fulfilled. A pleasing illusion is thus rudely dispelled. It is, however, some consolation to reflect that an increased demand for Miss Austen's writings simply because Lord Maeaulay admired them, and not on account of their intrinsic merit, could hardly be considered a satisfactory symptom of the improved taste of novel readers. A good story comes to the Siniiin/fJnoii Post eontei'niiig a town-bred curate, who had consented to do duty on Sunday for his friend, the rector of a country parish in the Midlands. The subject of the sermon was the parable of the prodigal son, and in the hope of impressing upon his hearers the joy which the patriarch felt on the return of his s<m, as instanced by his ordering the fatted calf to bo killed", the young curate felt a pardonable pride in dwelling upon a subject which could not fail to lie comprehensible to the dullest ploughboy in the congregation. ' Remember,'he said, 'this was no ordinary calf which was f o be killed ; it was n< > common calf or beast suffering from nuuTain ; no halfstarved calf, slowly awaiting death. No ! it was not even merely a fatted calf ; but,' becoming more impressive. ( it was the fatted calf, which had been prized and loved by the family for mam/ years .'"' A sea of wide eyes and gaping mouths arrested for a moment the eloquence of the Hedging parson, and in the next there was such a chuckling and grins and nattering of old heads below, as had not been witnessed even in the memory of the quaintlegged sexton for more than ' many years. ' " JEglcs" in the Australasian says : — " All the business smartness in the world isn't concentrated in Melbourne and New York. ' In one of the colonies there is a prosperous brewer whose ale has acquired a just celebrity. For the purpose of cooling his vats he imported a machine for the manufacture of artilicial ice. It occurred to him that he might as well make further use of his freezing apparatus by supplying ice to the public. His enterprise was much appreciated, and there was a fair demand for ice. But there was a coincident decline in the demand fur his beer. After devoting a week to personal observation in the licensed houses lie discovered that the supply of ice had induced a demand for light wines. He had killed his own beer trade. The machine got out of order next week, and there has been no ice for sale since !" The Christchurch correspondent of the 0(«(/o Times writes on the 7th instant : — " There was a special sitting of the Supreme Court last week, held under the Lunatics Act, to decide whether a certain gentleman was in his right mind or not, and whether he was capable of managing his own affairs or not. The case was a very wretched one, and two letters were put in as evidence of insanity. Your readers shall judge for themselves. The first is addressed to the Commissioner of Police, and is as follows : — " I was speaking to Mr Duncan this morning, asking him to -write to the Police in Hawke's Bay. But he does not know the name of the Commissioner. Mr Buckley tells me you would. Would you be good enough to write to Him and tell Him there were a party by the name of Powsen went to Auckland from Canterbury in the years S(J or 5!), a Doy, ;l y u 'l> f md & Mother-in-law. The Boy is descended from admiral Powson. He understands all kinds of Tricks, lie is opening the air all day long and dl'eeting people in this Province and keeps up all day and night wispering, and is not at all particular in what lie dues or says and goes on in a shocking way. Something Horrifeying how he acts." He appears mad, Has no feeling at all. He tears people's troats, and compresses the air upon them, and his mind appears so upon, that he is scarcely by of day or night a Mesmerist. Has a very strong will, and He appears to be trying to will a person to do things and he can put feeling into a person the last three nights he has gone on in a shocking way, persecuting people ceo nakedness — drawing people together and He can open clothes ami view the Bodies. He went to live on in proclaimed terribly about 20 years ago, near Hawke's Bay, and served the Maoris with Butter and Milk. He elfeets people's Breath and almost kills people. He should be put to a Lunatic Asylum." The next is addressed to the editor of the l J ress, and is written in a somewhat more connected style. It is as follows: — ■' Could you call the attention of the Government to a person by the name of Powson who was at the Caversham Hotel some years ago. When a boy, Mr Bickerton, of Bath, -wanted him to join in getting up a company to practise tricks in legerdemain and magij and spiritualism. He was at the Caversham Hotel with Mr William Scott, and when there, Mr Scott said he was cutting the air with his voice, and imbibing air, and compressing "ir. It is done by imagination, f believe, and what is called magnetism or mesmerism. How far his practising has reached I do not know, but his voice is heard everywhere Dr. Oarr and Dr. Thompson, in Cashel-street, were passengers, I believe. They are a Bath party. They went to Auckland in the Powson party, and when there, Mr Biekerton was sent for to come down from Canterbury. They settled upon unproclaiiiied territory in Auckland. He keeps up night and day, and his voice is heard everywhere. He mesmerises and keeps up for a time, and, after ho gets tir'_d, drops and causes persons to become drowsy, and causes a death-like swoon to come over a person. I shall be obliged if you will make this known." The verdict was that the subject was of unsound mind, and incapable of mini aging his allaii's. It is stated that from henceforth he will be confined in a private asylum. His name is W. A. Gray, and he is brother to the Hon. Ernest Gray, M.L.O. Why is a note of hand like a rose-bud 1 — Because it is matured by falling d\ie t

The JRancjltiJcel Advocate says: — "A letter has been received by the Chairman of the Rangitikci County Council from the Public Works Office, stating that the Government had decider! to place [ the control of the Rnngitikoi Bridge in the hands? of the Rangitikei County Council, and that the cost of maintenance will bo borne by the Councils of Rangitikei and Manawatu. We think the Government have exercised a wise discretion in coming to this decision ; in fact, we do not see how they could have come to any other, for it would be foolish in the extreme to have placed its cojitrol in a governing body 25 miles away. Tlin Garden says : — "Many people despise poplar as a timber, but it has a golden property — it will not burn. Some years ago a factory at Nottingham took lire on a second floor, and burned to the top furiously, but did not downward ; although tile floor iay a yard thick with clinkers and melted machinery, yet it did not get downwards because the iioors wore of poplar." The unfortunate man Arthur Petersen, who shot himself (says the Post) was the son of a most distinguished Norwegian gentleman, who had held many of the highest offices in the Kingdom of Norway, and who had received the highest marks j of favor his royal master could bestow \ipon him. The late Arthur Petersen arrived here about three years ago, after having been informed by the then Agent-General that he would obtain suitable employment in this colon}'. He came out, and took a situation as school- | master at the Scandinavian settlement, Seventy-Mile Bush, but in consequence of a disagreement between him and the English schoolmaster stationed at the place, he gave up his situation and came to Wellington, where he resided up to the time of his death, earning a livelihood by working as an ordinary laborer. Latterly lie became despondent and took to drinking, with the awful result already known. He was a Master of Arts of the University of Christiana, and was distantly related to a late Danish monarch. Ho also held a commission in the German Legion during the Crimean war, in which he fought. It may be stated that his family are in very distressed circumstances, and that their friends are endeavoring te raise a little money for them. Mrs Petersen also is well connected in Norway, but some months must elapse before her friends could possibly assist her, and unless something is done for her and her family in the meantime they may starve. Under the heading "Fashions and Fancies," the Dunedin S/a>' contains the following :— '* The London papers are lilled with descriptions of the scenes at the recent opening of Parliament by the Queen in person. They accord special notice to the dresses of the ladies present on the occasion. The costume of the Queen herself is thus described : — " The Queen's costume was of black velvet trimmed Avitli miniver fur, a square neck corsage and long fiownis sleeves. On her head was a widow's cap surmounted by a diamond crown. The Koh-i-noor, or " Mountain of Light," that great diamond which has a history almost as old as Christianity, which glittered on the turbans of Indian emperors live centuries ago, and was more than once a king's ransom, blazed on the Imperial bosom, supposed to indicate in its marvellous brilliancy the Imperial addition to the English crown." The Princess Louise wore a garnet velvet slashed with white satin and trimmed with steel ; Princess Beatrice a cardinal velvet, and that fairest of all the royal family, the Princess of Wales, still fair and beautiful in spite of domestic sorrows more than hinted at in public, wore a cream-colored brocade, over cream satin, and trimmed with pearls and diamonds. Her entrance was the signal for the company to throw aside their warps, and the most dazzling costumes were displayed. The Countess of Dudley, a tall, stately woman, some thirty years of age, with auburn hair, violet eyes, and delicate features, is considered the handsomest woman in Great Britain. Her dress was of violet velvet, garnished with Ghantilly lace ; her ornaments, sapphires and diamonds." The Spectator contains the following letter in a recent issue : — " Sir, — A report has appeared in one of your contemporaries stating that the Rev. Arthur Tooth became rich by rearing sheep in Australia before aspiring to the position of a priest, and suggesting that, having a good income to fall back upon, he has posed as a martyr in order to gain notoriety. As I am sure you would not wish a false report unfavorable to Mr Tooth to remain imcontradietcd, and as I can get no satisfaction for him in the ordinary way, may I beg the favor of your allowing me, through your columns, to give the above-mentioned report an unqualified denial. Mr Tooth never made money by rearing sheep or by any other secular calling in Australia or elsewhere ; his whole life has been devoted to his education or to the work of the priesthood, with the exception of a short interval before his ordination, during which he visited Australia and other places, for the benefit of his health. Mr Tooth's friends know that he is the last man to seek notoriety, and his enemies must give him credit for being actuated only by conscientious motives.— l am, Are., W. CitoUL-n. Hateham. February 7." In the case of William Lawrence, the spiritualist, who was convicted at the Middlesex sessions recently, a writ of error has been applied for. A loim^ memorial from the British National AssolM eiation of Spiritualists was recently sent to Mr Cruns, urging the " withdrawal of State aid" from the prosecution of Dr Slade. Mr Liddell, writing by Mr Cross's direction, states that it is the practice in cases of appeal against the decisions of the metropolitan policemagistrates for the Solicitor of the Treasury to act on behalf of the respondents, who would otherwise be unrepresented before the Court of Appeal, and he can see no reason for altering the practice in Dr Slade's case. Mr Cross declines, as being contrary to rule, to receive a deputation on a question arising out of a criminal case still in progress, and points out that the proceedings against Dr Slade were not initiated by the Government, nor did the Solicitor of the Treasury in any way interfere in the case in its progress through the police-court. Another memorial on the subject was sent to the Queen, to which her Majesty replied that she never interfered in any cases that came before the law courts. The Bishop of Ballarat and the llev. William Henderson, Presbyterian minister, bracketed for a joint service on Sunday last, one would have.expected to have been a draw in Ballarat the golden. And so they were in one sense. A large number of people came to see and to hear, but there their enthusiasm ended. The combination team mean it getting money, which is much wanted for an organisation which ignores — isms, and supplies Sabbath Jay services in remote places. There wore i3OO enraptured listeners, and they gave on an average 2.Jd apiece. — Australasian. Dr. Buller returned to Wellington yesterday (says the- Post of Wednesday) after a somewhat prolonged tour in the Wanganui, Taupo, and Hawke's Bay districts. He also visited the lakes and hot springs, and collected a large amount of valuable information relative to the wonderful natural features and resources of that district. The hot springs, he states, are fast becoming a place of fashionable resort for invalids in .search of health and tourists desirous of change of novelty. Bathing In these springs has a wonderful efl'ect in developing the appetite, an- 1 works a salutary chiingo in the case of the dyspeptic. A considerable number of visitors from Melbourne, Auckland, Canterbury, and Wellington were staying at the hotel there. The Chicago Minstrels are now playing veiy successfully at the Theatre Hoyal, Auckland.

At the last monthly meeting of the Charleston Hospital Committee, correspondence from the Colonial Secretary was read Respecting the future payment of subsidies to the institution by the General Government, and intimating that after the end of June, 1877, the amount payable would be in proportion to that received by the hospital authorities in the shape Of public subscriptions and donations. A letter from a settler in the Albury district of New South Wales gays that, " In consequence of the extrenio drought that prevails in the district it is impossible for any one at present to soil whatever property he may possess. Cattle, sheep, and oven land, are at this moment unsaleable, because of the long-continued dry weather , or, if any offer is made, it is below the value of the stock aild property."' The settlers hope for a change for the better, but as yet that has not begun to set in. The public will no doubt be glad to hear (says the Timuru Ifemtd) that the £100,000 grant for the breakwater here has been paid to the credit of the Timaru. Harbor Board at the Bank. The Government in handing the money over have only given us what we had a right to ; .but to receive our rights is always a source of pleasure. The majority of the public here will not be surprised to hear that the money has been applied for its legitimate purpose ; but -that section who always predicted that we should never see the color of it will be moved by feelings of an opposite nature. "We regard the receipt of the money as another important step in the prosecution of a great colonial wurk. An interesting legal case is that of "Metcalf and Wife v. Wigan." The action was for slander. Mr Horace Wigan had engaged Mrs Metcalf nee Miss Beauclerk in a piece called Prince Camaralzaman. It was alleged that while thus engaged Miss Beauclevk broke completely down in singing a song from La Traviata. Mr "Wigan dismissed Miss "Beauclerk, but subsequently paid £50 to her for the purpose of compromising an action for wrongful dismissal. In 1876 — no communication of any kind having taken place since ISGS between them — Mr Wigan wrote of having a " most expensive proof of Miss Beauclerk" s incom- j petencc-. 1 ' The lady adduced a number of witnesses — actors, actresses, and dramatic critics— who declared that Miss Beaiiclerk was not merely competent but accomplished. The defence set up was twofold — that the alleged slander was justified by facts, and that the communication embodying it was privileged. The jury, with the approval of the judge, disallowed the plea. Mrs Metcalf nee Beauclcrk, got- £70, and judgment and execution wore ordered to issue at once. The American type - writer, says " Atlas" in the World, is gradually becoming popular. "With several authors, it has superseded the use of the pen altogether. Some of the people habitually use it for writing letters ; and this gives rise to a curious question. If a man writes a letter or agreement with a type-writer, and signs his name to a letter or agreement with the same instrument, is the document so produced as legal and as binding as one signed with a pen ? Undoubtedly there is a most useful field for the type-writer among the blind. If the stops had the letters in relief upon them, with little practice a blind person might be able to write letters with as great ease as lie could play the pianoforte. It is stated in an English journal that a romantic contest for possession of the property of on Australian squatter is going on in the Court of Chancery, London. The money value of the property is about £50,000, and the man who left this vast wealth was originally a poor Scotch emigrant from the Isle of Arran, who landed in Australia Avith half-a-crown in his pocket. Having died without a will, his relatives are squabbling about the right of succession. Thomas Vivers emigrated about fifty-six years ago, and died at Sydney in 18b'7, leaving 900 acres of grazing land, valued at £14,000, with 20,000 sheep, 2000 head of cattle, many horses, and much general farm stock, the whole valued at £50, 000. Two nephews had also gone out and lived with him a few years. One of these, Robert Vivers, was a character, and distinguished himself as a local preacher and magic lantern exhibitor, and he became editor of the Sydney Punch. Robert seized the whole property on the death of his uncle, declared himself next of kin, and even came to London to take an oath in Chancery to that effect. Now a sister of the dead squatter, Mrs Rae, comes forward to claim the property as next of kin, and accuses her nephew of forgery and perjury in setting up his groundless claim. The case promises to occupy Vice-Chancellor Malms some time. The Pall Mall Budget, referring to the official denial of the rumor that the ex-Queen of Hanover and her children had joined the Church of Rome, says : — '■' As the Royal family of Great Britain stands at the present moment, the first eleven princes and princesses in the succession to the throne are British subjects. In the happily more than remote contingency of the failure of these heirs — namely, of the Prince of Wales and his children, of the Duke of Edinburgh and his children, of the Duke of Connaught and of Prince Leopold, the next heir would be the Princess Imperial of Germany ; Prince William of Prussia, her Highness's eldest son, recently ("invested with the Order of the Garter, being thus the thirteenth in the succession. After the Prince would come his six brothers and sisters. Failing these the Princess Louis of Hesse inherits the claim, being twentieth in the line of succession. Her Royal Highness is the mother of six children. Consequently her next sister, the Princess Christian of Sleswick-Holstcin, is twenty-seventh in the order of succession. Next come the Princess Christian's four children ; next the Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lornc ; and last, of her present Majcstj'-'s issue, the Princess Beatrice (thirtythird). Following these come King George of Hanover (thirty-fourth), the Crown Prmco Eriiust, and the Princesses Frederica and Mary. The Duke of Cambridge is thirty-eighth in the order of succession." Rumors have been current of the Pope's illness. He was able, however, to receive the students of the English college, who presented him with an address and an ottering of Peter's Pence. The Pope is said to have expressed a desire that all the Cardinals, with the exception only of those who may be hindered by legitimate causes, shall attend the next Consistory, his intention being to give it an extraordinary importance. His Holiness has sent a letter to the Catholic associations, touching the question whether Catholics should take part in political elections. He admits with regret that there exist in the Church some differences of opinion on this matter, and says that the ecclesiastical .authority lias not } r et decided whether Catholics should be permitted, and in what measure — above all "in the Pontifical States" — to take part in public affairs. The " Wellington Monthly Price Current " for April is to hand. In noticing the Customs collections for the past nine months of the financial year, it says : — " J.t is a hopeful sign to see that the amounts collected on goods which pay ad valorem duties (drapery, i£c.) are showing some improvement. This is the class of goods which, a.s we pointed out in a recent issue, is responsible for all the falling-oil" in the revenue for the past two yeans, and it is to be hoped that the improvement now observable in it in Wellington may prove to be general throughout the colony. The amount contributed by this class for the March quarter is A. r 15,54(>, as against £1.3.197 for the corresponding period of last year, and a quarterly average of £11,52G for the entire year 187b'."

A short summary of the Parisian fashions of the day may be useful to those of my fair readers who honour these columns by perusing them. It may save them the trouble of wading through the astounding verbiage of those magazines which devote themselves to the clothing of the female form divine. But it will pretty well describe in a few lines what Madame Troise'toiles of Pannier-street elaborates into many pages. Have your dress rikde so" tight arid cjdse-fitbing that yoii cannot walk ; your trains so long that no one else can move without walking on them, your collars so high that you cannot turn your heads, and happily therefore have less chance of turning mine ; your pockets placed so low in the dress that you cannot put your hands into thorn; boots in which you will certainly stumble when you walk ; and mysterious knots and bows so cunningly devised as to render a standing, rather than a sitting, posture, the more preferable. — World. Mr Talmage, of Brooklyn Tabernacle, recently made a sensation by Using the following words :— " All gamblers die poor. You point to John Mdrrissey, He is not dead yet. i wish he were." The journals denounce Talmage. A man named John Donovan was charged at the Marlborough-street Police Court, London, with having while drunk struck a servant of the Chinese Embassy violently on the head in Oxford-street and knocked his cap off. The complainant, Mr Chang Amaon, was sworn according to the Chinese custom, by kneeling and breaking a saucer and repeating the following words, spoken by Dr. Macartney, English secretary to the Chinese Legation : — " You shall tell the truth, the whole truth ; the saucer is cracked, and if you do not tell the truth your soul will be cracked like the saucer." Mr Knox described the conduct of the prisoner as " abominable,"' and said his sentence would show that the magistrates were determined to protect strangers in London. The prisoner would be committed for two months with hard labor. The long-expected trial of the 81-ton gun against iron plates took jjlace recently at Shoeburyness in the presence of a large gathering of representative persons, including representatives of several foreign Powers. The target of plates at which the gun was fired was 120 yards in front of the weapon, and was 47in. in thickness, being formed of 32in. of iron and 15in. of teak in plates of Sin. iron and sin. of teak. The charge consisted of 3701 b. of powder and a blind Palliser shell, weighted \ip to 17001 b., and the shot made a penetration of 46Mn., having gone clean through the first three plates, through the three thicknesses of teak, and bulged and splintered the rear plate. The gun having stood the test well, it was determined to fire another shot with common shell against a single unbacked Sin. iron plate. The target was 12ft. 3in. . long by 4ft. 3in. high. The shot struck the target and drove a mass weighing about a ton and a half into the sea, making a great fissure in the sea wall, and split tip the other half. Parts of the shell went out to sea about three-quarters of a mile. Church of England service will be hel d on Sunday next, in St. Mary's Church, Waipukurau, at 11 a.m., and Motuotaraia at 3.15 p.m.