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Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 24, 10 January 1877, Page 2

We remind our readers that the Suez Mail closes at the Palmerston Post Office to-morrow (Thursday) at 3.30 p.m. The s.s. " Napier" will leave Wellington for Foxton this (Wednesday) afternoon, and will leave Foxton on Thursday immediately after the arrival of the afternoon train. By far the best of the sheet almanacs which we have seen is that of Messrs Nation and Sons, of Wellington. It contains a very large amount of useful information, and the typography is excellent. We heartily congratulate our contemporary the " Waka Maori " on its resuscitation. It announces that henceforth it is to depend upon subscriptions, but that it hopes for an increased cumulation, which hope will, we trust, be realized. In the report of the proceedings of the County Council, which appeared m our la9t issue, there was an error m the division-list for the election of the Chairman, the name of Councillor Liddell being substituted for that of Councillor Thynne. The Ayes were Councillors Gower, Sanson, Thynne, and Macdonald, Councillor Liddell being Chairman pro tern. Messrs Manson and Bartholomew have got their new saw mill near Feilding into thorough working order, the tramway connecting with the railway being finished, and timber of every kind known m the district ready for sale m large quantities. The two portable engines used m the old mill — one. 12 the other 14-horse power — are now for Bale. The new engine is nominally 15-horse power, but can be worked up to 25. The Wellington Districts Highway Board have hit upon a way of evading that provision of the Eating Act which requires that every ratepayer shall receive notice of the valuation. The clause contains a proviso " that the omitting to give such notice shall not invalidate any such valuation " ; and therefore the Board have decided to save the expense of postage, which would have exceeded £10, and give no notice. According to recent accounts the- Devil is on a visit at Compiegne, and has taken up his abode m a house m the Rue St. Joseph, where strange noises are heard at night. Whether the object of the visit is political or otherwise does not appear, but the visitor can hai'dly have much time for amusement, if a tithe of what is said of him be true. On last Sunday afternoon, between the hours of 1 and 5 o'clock, a robbery was committed on the premises of Mr Snelson of Palmerston North. The thief or thieves were evidently well acquainted with Mr Snelson's domestic arrangements, for they not only hit upon the time when all the household were from home, but, after effecting an entry into the house, went to the dining-room and took the key of Mr Snelson's office from a basket on the mantlepiece. They had apparently provided themselves with a piece of iron for breaking open the door, but they were saved the trouble of doing so by finding the key of the back entrance, which the servant, ,on going out, had deposited m the usual hiding-place. From the safe, which was unlocked, they extracted £75 m cash together with bills, cheques, and other paper to the nominal amount of £500. A clue has been obtained which may possibly lead to detection, but for obvious reasons we refrain from publishing any particulars on this subject. About 11 o'clock on the same (Sunday) night, another resident m this township heard some one apparently attempting to open his backdoor, which was unlocked, and on the attempt being repeated, but not till then, he thought of locking the door. The truth is that, from crime of this serious character having been hitherto unknown m our young township, we have become somewhat careless as to the locking of doors and all such precautions j but now that this Eden-like sense of security has been so rudely dissipated, we shall " change all that," it ia to be presumed.

The Gazette of Thursday last contains, among other items, a proclamation reserving for sale on deferred payments fortyeight sections of land m the Sandon district, varying m extent from 82 to 200 acres, and comprising altogether an area of 8,580 acres. The time of payment extends to 5 years, a house of at least £10 m value to be built, and one-tenth of the land to be cleared, cropped, or laid down m grass, during the first two years. There are also thirty-five sections of from 200 to 300 acres, which can be applied for on the same day as those above mentioned — namely, on Tuesday, the 13th February next, at the Land Office, Wellington. The upset price is, m all cases, £1 per acre. Notice is given that the Sheep Inspector has cancelled the clean certificate of Mr Lethbridge, of Turakina, for a separate flock of 1,400 ewes. Retrenchment has begun m the Armed Constabulary, Inspector Turner and 11 Sub-Inspectors having their services discontinued after the 15th of the present month. Sir Donald McLean's funeral has just concluded. Between two an 4 three thousand people were on the ground. Personal friends of Sir Donald headed the procession, then the Victoria and Scinde Masonic lodges, about 80 members ; next came the Good Templars, about 60; Odd Fellows, about' 40 ; some Hibernians, and then the general public. The Rev. David Sidey, of St. Paul's (Presbyterian) Church, conducted the church service ; then the Rev. D'Arcy Irvine, chaplain of the Victoria Lodge, E.C., conducted the Masonic service. Some Masons formed round the grave, and went through • the ceremony ; others were prevented from doing so by the pressure of the crowd. The hymn, " A few more years shall roll," was sung, and the procession then re-formed and marched home. Telegrams were received yesterday from Wellington stating that if the funeral could be put off the Stella would come down with the members of the Government and others. Mr Ormond replied that it was impossible to put it off. Major Atkinson then answered : — " Ministry would be with the mourners m spirit." — " N. Z. Times." Certain folks at Bulls have an odd way of wishing their neighbours a happy new year, namely, by smashing their doors and windows. We learn from the " Advocate " that several residents of Bulls have received the compliments of the season m this form, and are going to return them m the R.M. Court. The same style of new-year festivity was adopted m Wanganui and Turakina, and the " Wanganui Herald " is indignant that the " first-footers " were not treated as at Bulls. That celebrated collision between the Hurunui and some other vessel seems to be a mystery as great as the Flying Dutchman. The rumour after being contradicted has, we notice, been lately repeated with parti-, culars m a Press Agency telegram which,however, ends with the following oddly contradictory statement : — " The Hurunui -shows no indication on the hull of being m collision. The passengers and crew state that they felt no shock. The " Church Chronicle" for the Diocese of Wellington increases m interest. The issue for the present month contains, m addition to a large amount of information on subjects connected with the administration of the Church of England m this Colony, a critique on Sir William Martin's pamphlet on " Church Legislation m 1874" ; an article on the character and career of King Saul ; correspondence ; and a series of Sunday School Lessons. In the year 1874 the export of wool from New Zealand was 140,952 bales, m the year 1875 it was 148,034 bales, and for threequarters of the year 1876 it was 157,877 bales. The " Rangitikei Advocate " says :— The proceedings with regard to the elections generally seem to be m a great state of muddle. In two only of the seven ridings "of the Rangitikei County has the returning officer published an official declaration of the members returned. The question arises — Can a councillor take his seat as such until this has been done ? We pause for a reply. The Napier "Daily Telegraph" says that m the libel case against the " Waka Maori," the defence to be set up will be that of justification, and Dr. Buller, we understand, is leaving no stone unturned to acquire the necessary evidence. This libel action will have special interest to Hawke's Bay readers. All Mr Russell's Maori transactions, we may be sure, will be dragged to the light of day on the part of the defence, while, on the other side, plenty of subjects for conversation will be provided m the interesting matters that will be disclosed connected with land dealings with natives by what is termed " the Hawke's Bay Land Ring." Wiremu Reweti, of Kopironui, tells us (" Waka Maori ") a wonderful talc about a boat, having on board five persons of the Ngatiwhatua tribe, being capsized off Kaipara m a gale of wind during the year 1874. The boat, he says, and the crew were safely borne to the beach by a numerous company of Taniwhas, or sea gods or mermaids, m consequence of one of the crew having repeated an ancient Maori charm as the boat was being engulphed. Of course we believe the story. It is with great regret, says the " Hawke's Bay Herald" of Tuesday the 2nd January, that we have to record the death, at the early age of 20 years, of Mr Octavius Had-

field, second surviving son of the Bishop of Wellington, and accountant m the Napier branch of the National Bank. It is not two years since he first came to reside amongst us, and during this short period he had so completely won the esteem and regard of all who have had any intercourse with him, that we may safely say that there is not one of our young men whose loss will be so universally deplored. It was not *ill last Thursday that his friends noticed anything amiss with him. Though evidently unfit for work on that day, he would not leave hi 3 post until absolutely obliged to do so. On Friday evening he was removed from his lodgings to the residence of Bishop Williams, where he remained till he died, between 9 and 10 o'clock yesterday ingW. B. Wood, who on Saturday, the 30th December last, made an attempt at suicide at Patea, is m a fair way to recovery. The " Fatea Mail " says that the unfortunate man was stopping at the house of Mr Shaw, settler, m the Whenuakura Block, and m the absence of the proprietor, deliberately sharpened an old carving knife, got hold of a bucket, inflicted five wounds m his throat, and bled himself into the vessel m question. Owing, as he states himself, to the weapon being too blunt, the wounds were not as serious as intended, but they were so severe as to cause him to faint, and on Mr Shaw's coming home, he found him prostrated with nearly a quarter of a bucket of blood alongside the would-be suicide. Assistance was at once obtained, temporary bandaging ap* plied, and Dr. Walker was sent for post haste. All that could be done was done by Mr Shaw, and on Sunday Wood was taken into Carlyle, and housed m the temporary hospital, where heis now being treated. The person, m question is, we understand, well connected at home, was formerly a medical student, and, m consequence, went by the soubriquet of " the doctor." The Auckland " Evening Star" gives the following particulars of the case of Wareham, the man mentioned m a telegram m our present issue as having been reprimanded by Mr Justice Gillies : — We understand that Mr Wareham of the Waste Lands Office, has innocently fallen into trouble through attempting to do a kind act for a person who scarcely merited it, and certainly deserved no sacrifice on the part of a gentleman of Mr Wareham's standing. Mr Wareham was acquainted at home with the parents of the young man Draper, convicted on Tuesday on four charges of embezzlement and forgery. Draper's parents are highly respectable people, and on their account Mr Wareham wrote a private letter to his Honor Mr Justice Gillies before the trial, representing the young man's case m a favourable light, and begging that he might be lenientjy dealt with. The result is probably very different from what Mr Wareham expected. Writing to judicial authorities with' reference to cases sub judice is held to be contempt of court m the eye of the law, and we are informed Mr Warebam has been* summoned to appear at the Supreme Court to answer for his offence. This is what the " Standard" says of reporting the first meeting of the Wairarapa West County Council : — " We have reported the proceedings of the General Legislative Council, under the Presidency of the Go-vernor-in-Chief, Sir George Grey ; we have reported the 1 proceedings of the Wellington Provincial Council when the late Mr Gibbon Wakefield was a, brilliant member thereof ; we have reported the debates m both the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives when members like Featherston and Fox, Fitzgerald and Sewell, took a prominent part m their deliberations ; and we have reported the proceedings of the Wellington City Council when, under the presidency of Mr Dransfield, a half-dozen members have sought to deliver their sentiments at once ; but never had we such a difficult task assigned us as that of reporting accurately the proceedings of the Wairarapa West County Council, owing to the simple reason that most of the speeches were — and we honestly believe were intended to be — inaudible." The Indorsement op Babon Rothschild is the best guarantee of the soundness of commercial paper. The autograph of that great financier on the back of a. negotiable instrument would make it as good as a bank note. In like manner the indorsement of the distinguished physicians who have, above their own signatures, approved and recommended Udolpho Wolfe' s Sohiedam Abomatic Schnapps as a pure and most desirable stimulant, diuretic, and stomachic, is conclusive as. to its efficacy.— Abvt. Mr Duncan Chisholm, inspector of the railway surface men between Tokomairiro and Balclutha, has a velocipede with which he runs along the line at the rate of ten or twelve miles an hour. The machine is made to fit the rails, and is very easily driven. A member of the New South Wales Legislature recently gave notice censuring the Governor for his protracted absence from the colony without appointing a LieutenantGovernor. His Excellency's absence was occasioned by a tour through the New South Wales country districts en route to Victoria where he stayed to witness the races.