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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7197, 24 June 1885, Page 2

On the fourth page will be found our Hastings correspondent's letter and articles entitled "Two Smart Preachers " and " Eager Litigators." There was no business at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday. The Napier District School midwinter vacation will commence on Monday next. The F Battery of Artillery will be inspected by Major Butts this evening in gun drillMr J. A. Cunningham has accepted the position of honorary secretary and treasurer to the Sheehan memorial fund. The pupil teachers' examination for the Hawke's Bay educational district will commence on Tuesday next, June 30th. The lowest tenderer for the additions

to the Waipawa and Waipukurau schools, A. Worsnop, has refused to take up the contracts. The body of Mr Liardet, for whom our Wellington telegrams recently stated search was being made by Detective Chrystal, has been found within two miles of the Reramahunga river no the Upper Lake. We understand that arrangements have been made for the issue of a new syllabus containing the standards of education required in the public schools, in which freehand drawing is made compulsory for all standards after 1886. We hear that several complaints have been made recently, by, persons having children who attend the district school, ia reference to alleged excessive chastisement of pupils by a teacher at the school. The matter is likely to come before the school committee. Several well-known gentlemen who were present in the theatre on Monday evening, and were then struck by the startling nature of Professor Baldwin's efforts, particularly the ring test, visited him at his rooms yesterday to ask for an explanation. The professor courteously complied with their request, and their astonishment at the easy nature of the ring test (when explained) I was most complete. j A correspondent subscribing himself as T. Burgess, Woodville, writes as follows : — Sir, — " As my name is wellknown in many of the places where your paper is widely circulated, would you kindly insert a paragraph stating that T. Burgess, late of Hnmpden and Maraekakaho, is not the T. Burgess who was convicted for drunkenness at the Napier Resident Magistrate's Court on the 18th and 19th inst." There was a narrow escape from a serions fire at the Masonic Hotel last evening. One of the hotel employees left a candle burning in the servants' room, and by some unexplained means the flame ignited the window curtains, which immediately flared up. The occurrence was fortunately observed, and several persons dashed into the room with buckets of water, and succeeded in extinguishing the flames before any serious damage was done. A member of the Athepseam Committee wants to know when a .meeting of the committee will be called. For some time past, our informant complains, the committee have been virtually ignored— for instance, the read-ing-room is now closed without the. members of the committee having- been nonsuited. This and other matters should be dealt* with byTthe. committee, »nd not by one or two individual members who assume a responsibility not belonging; to, the% > ; '';; r.

The sheep returns for the , colony for the year ending May, 1884, have been just laid on the table of the House. By this time the retnrns for May last should be ready, but perhaps it is too much to expect the department at Wellington to manage such a simple matter under thirteen months. Previously, when the local inspectors had to prepare the returns, they wore published promptly. So far as Hawke's Bay is concerned, the returns were published in the Raiolce's Bay Altnanaeh in January last, through the courtesy of the then Chief Inspector, Mr Pasley. The usual meeting of the Napier district school committee was held last evening. Present— Messrs F. W. Garner (in the chair), M. D. Spriggs, W. L. White, T. Sidey, S. Spence, T. W. Bear, and S. Freeman. A letter was read from the Education Board, stating that £250 had been voted to th:> committee for the purpose of carrying out the improvements recommended in the architect's report, and which we published some time ago. It was agreed that a sub-committee should meet on Friday next to open the various tenders, and that the work be proceeded with at once. It was resolved to closo the school to-morrow, it being a public holiday. The .Naval Artillery Volunteers paraded at tho drill-sLed, Spit, last evening, Captain do Lisle in command. There was a good muster, 40 rank and filo being present. The men were marched to the breastwork and put through various evolutions hefore Major Butts, who afterwards relieve*! the company from further recruit drill. Major Butts also complimented the men upon their general efficiency, and stated that He had not expected to find the company so far advanced. He advised them, however, although relieved from recruit drill, not to neglect it, but to persistently work up to a high standard of excellence. At the conclusion of the drill the members were informed that . they were to muster opposite Russell's store, near the Catholic school, at 7-45 on Thursday morning. The members of the Napier School Committee, accompanied by his Worship the Mayor and by Major Butts, yesterday visited the town schools. Major Butts expressed himself as highly pleased with the schoolwork, and especially commended the exercise books of the higher students. The Mayor remarked on th<3 defective arrangement of the windows, which he said was likely to injuriously affect the eyesight of both teachers and scholars. His Worship promised to bring the matter before the Education B-.>ard, with a view to getting the evil remedied. After inspecting the iufant school the party returned to the main playground to see the boys at drill. At the conclusion of this the boys were drawn up in a hollow square, and the Mayor addressed them in a brief speech, in which he urged them to strive for proficiency. The proceedings terminated by the pupils giving a round of hearty cheers for the visitors.

Professor Rice publishes elsewhere a statement signed by Frank White, of Gisborne, who declares that the "scene" he created at the theatre on Monday evening was pre-arranged. Mr White was the man who, in apparent | agitation, left the theatre declaring that Psofessor Baldwin must hare opened his private letters to have found out so much of his private history. We have seen and questioned Mr White, who informed us that ho created the scene for a "lark," and that he had pre-arranged it with some frieuds. He added, however, that Professor Baldwin knew nothing of the matter, and that he had no communication with tb.o professor or any agent, and that in signing the paper he did not intend to infer that there was any collusion between Mr Baldwin and himself. This, of course, quite exonerates Mr Baldwin from any charge of fraud. In connection with this matter Professor Baldwin informs us that yesterday morning his agent, Mr Harland, was waited upon by a man who stated that he was a friend of White's, that the latter had been offered £10 to sign the document published by Professor Rice, and that if Professor Baldwin would pay higher the paper would not be signed. This Mr Harland declined to do, saying that Mr Baldwin refused to pay black-mail to anyone. There was again a very large attendance at the Theatre Royal last evening, when Professor and Mrs Baldwin gave another of their successful performances. An influential committee of ini.l „ A At. -A Al -

; rcsugauon sac upon sne stage, as on me preceding evening, the committee consisting of the following gentlemen : — Messrs Tiffien, Brathwaifce, CarnelL, Carlile, Saunders, Banner, and Ootterill. The performance commenced with the celebrated bank-note test, in which. Mrs Baldwin correctly gave the numbers of several bank-notes belonging to prominent citizens among the audience. The "Davenport Tie" was nexj shown, in which the performers (Professor Baldwin and Mr Lacy) were tied in the most careful manner by the committee, the tying being followed by the startling cabinet manifestations given by professional spirit mediums. The pillory trick by Mrs Baldwin followed, and was most successful, the look being careful marked, and the lock and hinges sealed, so that no change of locks was | possible. The " wine trick " was then shown and explained, in such an open manner that any person in the audience could have afterwards performed the trick. In the thought reading the professor failed with Mr Brathwaite, but was remarkably successful with Messrs Tiffen, Saunders, and Banner. The clairvoyant seance of Mrs Baldwin was slightly different to that of the preceding evening, but was even more puzzling. The celebrated handcuff trick was performed and explained, the explanation being so clear that Mr Carlile was able to remove the handcuff from his wrist without key or apparatus of any kind. The iron ring trick was also clearly exposed, the illustration causing much laughter. During the evening Mr Walter sang "The Little Hero," and was deservedly applauded. The entertainment will not be given this evening, in consequence of the theatre being let for a private ball, but a complete change is announced for to-morrow evening. The widow of Garibaldi has made over the island of Caprera to the State upon certain touohing conditions. A hospital for seamen and a lighthouse are to be built upon it, and the hero's grave is to be preserved for ever. This is a " transfer of land " in which, for once, the world will take some interest. The New Zealand Herald records the present domestic history of a family named Dewson, and puts it down to " drink." Dewson is at present in gaol, ' Mrs Dewson is in custody on a charge of receiving stolen property ; one of the children is charged with larceny, and two of the other children, if not three, will have to be kept by the colojiial taxpayer at the Howe-street Industrial Home. . The Wellington Press ,says: —We believe we are right in saying that in some of the public departments of New Zealand there is still to be seen stationery a surviving relic of the old Imperial Bto.ck, marked !' Plantation No. so, and -so." It is a startling thought that within, the .present century the British colonies were still called Plantations, and were/distinguished in the Imperial pfficesi hot by -names, but by numbers. •^:.> ;^;^\^.v; : -;?.v-\'- '.IV'i

A correspondent, writing from Otaio to the Timaru Herald, says : — '' It may interest your readers to know that the white crane is not yet a bird of the past in this district. On Thursday last I and another person started one from the edge of the swamp, where it was standing. We were not near enough to get a shot at it, but even had we been wo should have hesitated to destroy the life of such a rare bird. On taking wing it flew northwards, so it may possibly be seen by others on one of the small lagoons." A remarkable incident is reported from Arlingford, a town in county Kilkenny ([reland). The occupants of a house were alarmed by hearing cries issuing from the chimney, and eventually a young man was extricated from it when on the point of suffocation. \ He then confessed that having been forbidden to make his addresses to the daughter of the house, he determined to get into her bedroom by means of the chimney. Mounting to the roof he entered the chimney, but his progress was I presently obstructed by some pieces o£ timber, and a fall of soot almost suffocated him. He cried out, and so aroused the occupants of the house.