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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3906, 24 April 1877, Page 2

We hear it is likely that a counterpetition to the one which has recently been taken round for signature, in reference to merging the Meaneo Road Board into thcHawke's Bay County, will bo prepared, and it promises to be numerously signed. The present petition has already been signed by more than the number of ratepayers required for the purpose. The seal of the Wairoa County Council is a somewhat elaborate aft'air. In the foreground of the centre there are two human figures — one that of a Maori in war attire, spear in hand, and the other that of a missionary holding a roll of paper in his right hand, which he seems to be offering to the native. The scene intended to be represented appears to he on the sea shore, for there is a steam vessel in the distance. In the back ground several hills are shown. Encircling the centre-piece there is the legend, • " Wairoa County Council Seal, JS\Z." At the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, Honi (a native), who had been arrested for drunkenness, and had been released on depositing £1, forfeited his bail as he did not p\it in an appearance. James Collins and James Mackintosh, two inebriates, who had been incarcerated in the lock-up since Saturday, were discharged without being lined. There was no other business before the Court. A gentleman who has visited among other institutions the Napier gaol, writes in high praise of the excellent way in which it is managed, cleanliness and good order being the prevalent characteristics throughout the building. He states that besides the other prisoners Mr Miller has about 80 canaries under his charge, and that it is intended to liberate pome of them, with the view of ascertaining whether they can be acclimatised in -Sew Zealand. Another feathered inmate of the prison that our correspondent mentions is an emu, the relict of a pair who some time ago had the run of the yard in that part of the gaol apportioned to debtors and prisoners waiting trial. Thomas Boyd. who was mentioned as the captor of the. whale, had the good fortune yesterday of catching in the inner harbor a kingfish weighing 57> lbs. He also killed a shark 14 feet in length. Both feats, we hear, were accomplished witli a boat-hook. The whale was cut up yesterday afternoon, and it is intended to try it down to-day : the yield is expected to be *>0 gallons. The whale, we learn, was of the '• Seamperdown " species. Black swans are very numerous this season. A correspondent writes to us that on Sunday he saw several in the swamp, almost close to the Xtipier railway station. From the " County Diary " we take the following agenda for the present week : — Monday : Remind road boards that before Ist May returns must be sent in to the Colonial Treasurer of the ratable property upon which rates have been, or might have been, levied during the year ending 31st March last, and of the total amount of all general rates actually received. Tuesday : County clerks should remember that the 134 th section of the Counties Act requires that a special meeting of the Council, for considering balance-sheet and statements of assets and liabilities, &c, be held in the month of May. It is necessary to give seven clear days' notice of such meeting. Wednesday : A copy of the rolls of the several ridings must be kept at the oflice of the Council, and a copy of the roll of eacli riding at the places in each riding of which public notice has been given, and to be open for inspection. Saturday : The clerk should now have in hand the return required for payment of subsidy, duly signed and declared to bj* the chairman, and ready for posting to the Colonial Treasurer. The Widianqa says : — " We hear on good authority that the promise made by the Attorney-General, Mr Whitaker, to the House of Representatives that he would draft a new Native Lands Bill during the recess has been fulfilled. A new Bill sweeping away all existing Acts lias been drafted by Mr Whitaker with the assistance of Chief Judge Fenton. We hope the Government will secure the confidence of the natives in this important matter by circulating the Bill amongst them in the Maori language at least a month before Parliament meets." A lecture will be delivered this evening at the Methodist Church, Wiipawa, by the Rev. S. Macfarlane, of Christchurdi. The subject will be " The mason's lad who became a P.D." On Thursday evening the rev. gentleman will deliver a lecture in the school-room. Tamumu, on "Home, sweet home." Both lectures will commence at 7.00 p.m. The "\Vaipuk\irau Hospital meeting "will be held in the Town Hall to-day (Tuesday) at 2 p.m. Agiii >d attendance is requested as business of importance in connection with the proposed inland hospital at Waipukurau will be brought forward. Messrs Routledgc, Kennedy and Co. will sell to-day, at their room.s, under a bill of sale, the whole of the stock-in-trade and furniture of the Criterion Hotel. The sale will commence at noon. We are requested to draw attention to the important sale of wines and spirits which Messrs Margoliouth and Banner will hold this day at their rooms, Tenny-son-street. The sale will commence at noon. During the last few months (says the Olacjo GiKU'dhtii) scarcely any perceptible change has taken place in the condition of Miss Ross, better known as " the Taieri fasting girl, : who has now been confined to her bed for over eight years. She i.s unable to take any move nourishment than she was at the time when her extraordinary case attracted so much attention. Physically she is so weak that it is almost impossible to move her from one room to another, but her mind is unimpaired, and she instantly recognises those who have visited her before, no matter how distant the date. She can converse intelligently, but her voice is very weak, and her breathing is quick and painful. Although Her Maje*ty is now taking an active interest in public matters, her health, according to the JJ,-i/isli Jtfcd'ical ■Joi'i'iwl, is by no means good. .It states : — " There-appearance of Her Majesty the < L >ueen in public life at the opening of Parliament has been hailed with great satisfaction by all classes. It must, however, we fear, be accepted as inevitable, that however much the Queen may desire to gratify the loyal wish of her subjects by taking part in State ceremonials and discharging the social duties of her exalted position, the physical conditions of the Queen's health are such as to preclude the possibility of her enduring tlve heated atmosphere (jf crowded rooms, or the fatigue of prolonged ceremonials. The prostration which they induce is such as man}* persons suffer on sea voyages ; and the discharge of her onerous political and official duties taxes Her Majesty's strength in the utmost.'' The Ihlj'ast Xi-ir.slillcr, which is cehsbrtitjd for its* '-down" on New "c:>.l;u:d, recently devoted the greater part of an article to pointing out the great danger residents in the colony were subject io from the " katipo." We wonder how many people in the colony ever saw a katipo, or even know what sort of a thing it is." — Argus

In Dunedin, tho English Match Committee, after defraying all expenses, have in hand a small balance of £15 or thereabouts. The total subscriptions to the English and inter-provincial match, which were collected simultaneously, were £210, 22 persons subscribing three guineas apiece. The expenses of the inter-provincial match were £40. There should be a good opening for a hairdresser in Gisborne. Wo had one once, but he has taken to waudering about with the Native Lands Court in its perigrinations, leaving his customers to cut their hair, employ tho friendly services of an amateur, or wear their hair uncut. — P. B. Herald. A circular just issued by the National Rifle Association gives some important changes in the system of targets to be hereafter used at the Wimbledon meeting. The bulls' eyes are to be reduced in size <it all ranges, and we aro to loso the "centre" as a term of marking. The word to be used in its place will be " magpie," because the disc to be used for marking this score on the target will be "pied" black and white. An incident which occurred here a few years ago, says a London letter, may pei'liaps serve to illustrate the jealousy which exists upon the question of precedence amongst the different ambassadors. Musurus Pasha had the misfortune to lose his wife, who died at a ball given by the Prince of Wales. At the first "draw-ing-room," or reception, held by the Queen after this melancholy event, the Minister brought his eldest daughter to fill tho place of the deceased lady, and, as her mother's representative, Miss Musurus had precedence on all other ladies of the Diplomatic Corps who were present. Whereupon the wife of the Russian Ambassador immediately left the palace, protesting that the daughter of the Turkish Minister had no claim to this superiority. This created, of course, intense excitement, and after a careful enquiry into the forms and observances of etiquette, it was found that the Russian lady was in right. However, by way of balm to the wounded feelings of the representative of the Sublime Porte, the Queen invited his daughter to spend a few weeks at Windsor Castle, an honor which, it is said, had never been vouchsafed to any of his brother diplomats. And so the incident ended. The .Evening Argus of the 10th instant has the following : — At a meeting of the incumbents' vestrymen of St. Paul's and St. Peter's held last evening, it was resolved to recommend the respective vestries to adopt '"' Hymns Ancient and Modern," and to transmit the following resolution to the vestries in connection with the recommendation : — "Many i of tho lryiuns in this selection having j been objected to as containing statements | and sentiments contrary to sound doctrine, it is thought well to guard against misunderstanding by reminding the congregation that it is used in thy Church merely as a matter of convenience, because it is thought to contain a larger number of good hymns and tunes than any other available hymnal, and that it has no claim whatever to be regarded as an authoritative book of the Church of England." The Otago IXiil// Times says :—• " What may fitly be described as a crisis in the the" educational affairs of the colony lias just taken place. Thanks to the secresy with which tho proceedings of the 'Senate of the University of New Zealand are veiled, this crisis has been almost unobserved. When we inform our readers that a vigorous, well plotted, and almost successful attempt lias been made to reduce the standard required for degree examinations in the Colonial University, they will understand that to speak of it as a crisis is by no means to use exaggerated language. Fortunately the attempt has been frustrated by the energy and determination shown by Professor Shand, who has lately been North attending the session of the Senate." The Masterton Small Farm Association have decided in favor of prosecuting their claim for the Makahaka block in preference to the Mangaono block. The blocks are situated in the Seventy-Mile Bush. The latter is ten miles nearer Masterton than the former, but is more broken. The Waste Lands Board were desirous that they should take it, as there is still a difficult}' about the extinction of title of the Makahaka block. Mr Mansford (says the Otago Da ill/ Times) gave a clear exposition of what he considered the duty of a Magistrate when, during the hearing of the charge of assault against Richard Wilson, at Port Chalmers, Sergeant Hanlon suggested an inspection of the place where the assault was committed — " If your Worship would condescend to visit the place," remarked the sergeant. "No condescension," smartly replied the Bench " 'tis part of my duty, and we will visit the place at once." A correspondent writing to the Potca Jfail of the admiration and delight expressed by the Maoris at a view of the "graceful glidings'" of the local rinkists, mention that with the £400 about to be paid to the same natives a rival establishment is projected f<>r the colored aristocracy of the neighborhood. it is not generally known, says the Art/is, that one of those who took part in the celebrated naval duel in 1810 between the English frigate Shannon, 157 guns, and the American frigate Chesapeke, .~>o guns, is living in the colony in hale and hearty health. His name is Thomas Salmon, and he will be eighty years of aue m-xt month. He is employed 'as cook on the station of Mr Foul, of WannaeiK', between Rye and Dromana. He appears to lie likely to do a good day's work for several years to come, and is only too willing to relate the particulars of the naval coiillict in which he was concerned. He lKUTaies with great gusto the fact that it only took them in the Shannon thirty minutes to " polish oil" 1 the Chesapeke, and speaks with some pride of the circumstance that C^qitain Broke, of the Shannon, and his first lieutenant, were the first to cut their way through the boarding nettings on to the Chcsapeku's deck when the boatswain piped " boarder's away.'' The old man lias a thorough contempt for the present style of iron-clad men-of-war, which he refers to as "•' iron pots.'' Preaching in the cathedral last week (.says the O'riiji/iie of January 20), the Bishop of Manchester alluded to a 'sad misunderstanding in reference to the coining mission in that town. The Bishop .said that he knew not who was i.o Maine, am! did not eaiv to know. He had read tlie letters written on the matter, and ■soi He of them were very bitter ones, but he did saw as Bishop of the diocese, the circumstance was a very lamentable one. Were they always to present the spectacle of a divided house.' Was tho taunt still fo be levelled at them, " See these Christians, how they ' hate' one another." Could tile}- m»t forget their differences, even for an hour '. Tho latest Yankee notion is that said to have been introduced at one of the New York drapery establishments. When a lady enters the "store" an attendant hastens up, and asks if she wishes to " buy " ; or to " shop." If the former, she is conducted at once to the counter where ihe article .she requires is retailed. If tlw, latter, on the payment of a certain sum she obtains a ticket, at tho .sight of which the shopmen in the different departments allow her to turn over all the goods in stuck. She can then, if she wishes, depart without making a purchase. The manager of tin* Bank of New South W'.il..-., fiokitika. de-lined to tender for ilx'CoUMlv Council's a-i-uiinv, ;is he was duiiUiVl if the Council could liovrow any money during the f ifst. yeav of ib. existence. Hokilika has started a Debating Society, at Lho second meeting of which, says the local paper, there were fifty members present, " inclusive of ladies,"

The course pursued by the Government of making no allowance to municipalities for the sums disbursed in charitable aid has led in Wellington to the Mayor refusing- to grant assistance to any applicantsj and consequently the Government have had to make arrangements for the administration of the charitable fund. The following paragraphs on the subject are from the Evening Argus : — "When the Government subsidy became payable to tho Corporation the other day, his AVorship found that all his charitable disbursements were duly debited to the Corporation, and the amount deducted from tho sum payable to the city account. Not liking this system, we now learn that his Worship turns a deaf ear to charitable appeals, and refers the applicants to the General Government direct. Wo do not know how Dr. Pollen and Mr Bowen like this." " The Mayor having declined to continue the administration of charitable aid and referred all applicants to the Government direct, Ministers have been so annoyed during the last few days that they have determined to again place the administration in the hands of the Inspector of Police, from whom, indeed, the j duty should never have been taken away. Mr Atchison was communicated with today, and will in future be the person to be applied to by those in need of relief." A shilling rate has been struck by the Lake County Council, Otago, and the amount of revenue estimated to be received therefrom has been put down at £7500. In reference to the increasing prevalence of prostitution in Wellington the Argus remarks : — "lt is an unfortunate fact that the evil is growing into large dimensions in this city — not large in proportion to the population as compared with other places, but enormous in comparison to Avhafc existed here a very short time ago. No one who walks our streets of an evening, or visits the stalls of the theatre, can fail to remark the change which is taking place, and it is not difficult to guess that the usual results will follow here. The practice adopted by the Canterbury police is, we fancy, leading to an extensive emigration from Christchurch, and \\ ellington seems the place of settlement much favored. Unpleasant, nay repulsive, as the subject is, we make no apology for drawing the attention of the authorities to it, in the hope that they will regulate as far as possible what they cannot altogether suppress. " Sharks are so numerous in Hobson's Bay that the Victorian Government has issued a Gazette notice offering rewards for their capture at the following rates : — "Sharks over 2ft and under "oft, Is Od each : sharks over oft and under Bft, Gd per foot ; sharks over Bft and under 10ft, 8d per foot ; sharks over 10ft, Is per foot ; female sharks with young, 2s additional." A correspondent of the Argus objects to the limitation of reward to sharks over two feet in length, on the ground that it will be a temptation to the fishermen to let smaller ones captured in their nets escape, instead of killing them as at present. In the same Gazette 10s reward is offered for every discovery of shags' nests, and the Avriter very -pertinently asks — '"'Why should the poor shag be persecuted ub oro, and the baby sharks provided by officialdom with wet-nurses, at the cost of common sense and humanity V