Hawkes Bay Herald THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1878.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 4087, 10 January 1878, Page 2

Hawkes Bay Herald THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1878.

The Melbourne telegrams sound starling. It is to be feared that the party calling itself the " Liberal Party " there are drifting into proceedings of a character calculated to disgrace the cause of liberalism, and to produce a conservative reaction which may extend over all the Australian colonies.

We hear that it is in contemplation by the Government to make an alteration in the boundaries of the licensing districts. Most of our readers are no doubt aware that an Act was passed in 1873 of the nature of what is termed a " Permissive Bill." It gave a power the same as, or similar to, what was proposed to be conferred on the inhabitants of licensing districts by the bill introduced by Mr Fox in the late session of the Assembly. It was rendered, however, unworkable, because — in this province, at all events — the licensing districts were each laid out of so large an extent that it was impracticable to comply with the required conditions. What we believe is now proposed to be done, is to make the districts identical with the road board districts. If that be done, it will altogether alter the aspect of the matter, and would no doubt be calculated to render the Permissive Bill an effectual measure.

It has been brought to our knowledge that in some of the up-country places the local postmasters have no boxes in which letters that are to be posted may be dropped. The consequence is that the letters have to be delivered in person to the postal officer, causing considerable annoyance to persons posting their communications. The omission to make proper provision in this respect may have arisen through inadvertance, and probably only requires that it should be brought under the notice of the Chief Postmaster, who will, we hope, see that it is remedied. Yesterday morning the medical officer of the Renfrewshire, Dr Dale, sent word by the pilot boat, asking whether he could have the benefit of a legal gentleman's advice on board the ship. We are not aware what reply was sent to Dr Dale, but of course any solicitor who went on board the vessel would have to stay there until the period of quarantine has expired. We understand that the immigrants are now very anxious to leave the ship, but they will not be landed until Friday, when they will have to take up their quarters in the quarantine barracks. Mr S. Gr. Brandon, whose connection with the branch of the Bank of New Zealand in Napier dates back to a period antecedent to the arrival of most of xis in the district, has, as our readers are aware, retired from his post, carrying with him the esteem of all classes in the community. In recognition, in some measure, of his unvarying kindness, the employe's of the bank have presented him with an address, beautifully illuminated by Mr Percival Bear, and also a very handsome walnut inkstand. The adcjrea.3 runs as follqws :— -"To. S f G. Bran-

don, Esq., Manager Bank of New Zealand. Dear Sir, — We, the undersigned officers, comprising the staff of the Bank of New Zealand at Napier, have the pleasure of presenting you, on your retirement from the bank, with the accompanying gift, as a token of our respect and esteem, and we have to convey to yo\i our feelings of regret at the severance of those ties which have existed so amicably between us. While asking your acceptance of the small memento we desire also to express our thorough appreciation of the unvarying kindness and consideration you have at all times shown us. Wishing yourself, Mrs Brandon and family all happiness and prosperity, we are, dear air, yours very sincerely, Charles M'Shane, C. W. Mackenzie, J. M. H. Lush, L. Von Tempsky, W. H. | Arrow, Frank Bodle (Waipawa), J. P. M'Lean (Wairoa). Napier, New Zealand, December 31, 1877." There was again a very good house at the Theatre Royal last night. At each representation, "The Shaughraun " becomes more popular, and when it is withdrawn it will long be remembered as the best drama that has been put before a Napier audience. We remind our readers that it will be performed this evening for the last time, and as the performance will be specially for the benefit of Mr Wheatleigh he will no doubt have a bumper house. In the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before R. Beetham, Esq., R.M. , Joseph Parker was charged, on the information of the Inspector of Nuisances, with having caused a trench to be made in the reservoir road, and not having a sufficient light fixed upon it. Mr Lee was called by the plaintiff, and stated that on New Year's night he was passing along the road that leads to the reservoir, when he nearly fell into an open trench that had been made in the road, in consequence of no light having been placed on the spot. Mr F. S. Peppercorne deposed that the contract for laying the waterpipes was let to defendant, and by the terms of the contract no more ground should be opened than was absolutely necessary. He could not say whether it was a public road or not, and to his knowledge it had not been taken over by the Corporation. Captain Bower, Town Clerk, stated that the road had. been conveyed by the late owner, Mr Scaly, and the Corporation had authorised a road to be made through it to the reservoir. The defendant gave evidence to the effect that Mr Peppercorne had informed him that no light was required at the trench. His brother had also been left in charge of it. The latter stated that no one had ever told him to put a light at the place, and that the pipes were laid on private property and not on the property of the Corporation. His Worship said he should dismiss the case, as there was no proof that the trench was on the footpath belonging to the Corporation. A correspondent at Waipawa calls our attention to a communication from that township in our contemporary's issue of Monday last, to the effect that some cases of drunkenness during the holidays were dealt with most leniently by the magistrates. As a direct contradiction to this statement, our correspondent points out that on the 27th December six inebriates were fined in the extreme penalty of £1 each, and on the 29th fines of 10s each were inflicted on three others. Great complaints are being made in Waipawa and the neighboring district of the number of horses that have been recently stolen or ridden away from that locality. Should any of the delinquents in this direction fall into the hands of the police, some striking examples will doubtless be made of them. It is reported that eight sperm whales have been captured at the Mahia. We hope the report will prove correct. It will be a good thing for the Mahia people ; eight whales should yield enough oil to make things pretty brisk at the place. At the Waipawa R.M. Court on Tuesday, George Crouch was charged by William Andrews, railway guard, with having assaulted him in a railway carriage, on the 27th December, while in the execution of his duty. Mr Lee, for the defendant, asked for an adjournment, to enable him to obtain some witnesses which he proposed calling. Mr Beetham adjourned the case to Monday next. The dissolution of partnership of the firm of Boylan and Co., carrying on business in Napier as ironmongers, has been dissolved by mutual consent. Mr M. Boylan retires from the co-partnership, and the business will be carried on by Messrs H. T. Ruddock and J. A. Fryer, under the style of Ruddock and Fryer. We have been requested to inform the members of the Napier Artillery Volunteers and Cadets, that Church Parade will take place near the post office on next Sunday, 13th inst., to proceed to the Wesleyan Chapel. Battery to fall in at 10.15 a.m. The Rev. William Lockwood, of Rangiora, was to preach his farewell sermon on Sunday last, prior to his departure for Napier. Mr Lockwood, we learn, has been offered the pulpit of the United Methodist Free Church, about to be vacated by the Rev. J. Parkin, who is shortly leaving Napier. The Rangiora Standard, referring to the Rev. Mr Lockwood's departure, says : — " The reverend gentleman has been associated with the above Church for a period of three yeai's, and for the past twelve months has been permanently located in Rangiora in charge of this circuit, from which his removal will be greatly felt. During his stay here he has won the esteem of not only those of his own congregation, but also that of other denominations by his quiet and unassuming 1 manner." An official communication has been published in the Swedish papers respecting the proposed cession to France of the Island of Saint Bartholomew, in the West Indies. After a statement of the steps taken by the Government in the matter, a short sketch is given of the manner in which Sweden originally became possessed of the island. In 1784, it appears, after negotiations of which the real object was the conclusion o^ a treaty of alliance, the French Go vernment ceded the Island of St. Bartho lomew to the Swedish Crown, receiving in return the right of entrance to the port of Gothenburgh — a right which ten years afterward was granted to other nations. In 1785 the island Avas declared to be a free port, and consequently shortly became one of the most important places of commerce in the West Indies. Since 1818, however, the Swedish Government has recognised that it had no interest in retaining the island, the only colonial possession of Sweden ; and, the matter having frequently been brought before the Chamber, the latter finally, in 1875, declared that the Government was at liberty to negotiate for the cession of • the island to a foreign Power. The most natural course was to offer the colony again to its former possessors, and this has accordingly been done. The inhabitants, French at heart, and of the Roman Catholic religion, having been consulted, have expressed, with only a single dissentient, their wish to revert to France ; and consequently, if the arrangement is approved of by the French Chambers, the Island of St. Bartholomew will at the end of the present year again become a French possession. Some little commotion was lately caused and curiosity evoked, in Auckland, amongst the country people who had come into town to dispose of their produce, by the appearance outside a shop of a, cage bearing a placard with the words " Colorado Beetle, lately introduced. Price, five guineas." The cage (says the Herald) was occupied by a somnolent and imperturbable " flying fox," which hung suspended by its leg from a roost, while immediately in front of it was a lagre potato. A crowd of womerij youths, and a few men kept close

to the window, and in wonderment watched the supposed ferocious monster who had desolated the potato fields of America, and for whose advent people of all climes were waiting in terrified susoense. To many of those who stopped to view the cage and its contents, the matter of surprise was not the offensive animal, but the refreshing gullibility of the not few individuals of either sex who crowded the window, firmly believing that a living specimen of the rapacious beetle was before their eyes. It was most amusing to hear some expressing in the fullness of their simplicity their wonder at its size, and regaling each other with accounts of the nature and extent of its destructive power. During the whole day there was a large crowd at the window. California's great railroad, the Central Pacific, from a trunk line between San Francisco and Ogden, 883 miles long, has spread over the entire coast, stretching out its right arm towards the fertile grain fields of Oregon, and with its left grasping the mineral wealth of Arizona, and operating 1700 miles of track. In 1875, with the Oregon and Visalia divisions, and two insignificant branches, it had 1214 miles of track. Since that time a combination of circumstances has enabled it to join to itself the Southern Pacific Railroad. Three hundred and fifty-one miles of track were completed in 1876, and since then the Colorado has been reached and crossed by a bridge, and long trains of material and supplies have been going forward for months preparatory to extension through Arizona. The total value of the property i owned by the Central Pacific Railway, according to the last annual, report, is ( j 149,666,063 dollars, not including its 11,000,000 acres of land. Messrs Routledge, Kennedy, and Cowill sell, in their rooms to-day, at 2 o'clock p.m., a large lot of drapery, saddlery, American eating apples, books, gig harness, &c. ! During cholera time, a Glasgow joiner was asked by a lady, who was employing him at some household work, whether he would take a glass of whisky now or wait till he had finished the job. " I'll be takin' the glass noo, mem," said the j artisan, " for there's been a power o' ! sudden deaths lately. "