TAHITI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 177, 7 June 1864, Page 3

TAHITI.

15v the arrival of the brig 'Papeete,' from Tahiti, yesterday morning, we have the following particulars : — Admiral Kingscombe had arrived in Tahiti, in J-I.M.S.S. ' Sutleg,' from Callao, and sailed again from Vietoria, Vancouver's Island, some t jure days before the 'Papeete left. The oidv vessels lying at Tahiti when the brig left, were the French Frigate ' J sis,' from Sydney, hound to France ; the French gun-boat | ' L:i Tonelie Treville," and tile transport sliij) i " Pirade.' I A large number of vessels were hourly ex--1 pec ted from France. ,\ khivai> 01- TitoncAi, Fiji-its.—Yesterday morning, the brig * I'apecte arriveii in harbour : from Tahiti, bringing a large cargo of oranges, eucua nuts, bananas, \c. The Tahitian orange has always been considered ol the best <|uahty imported, and from what we could see of this vessel's cargo, it surpasses any yet oil'ercd for sale. We hear that in all probability the cargo will lie offered to public competition shortly, and those who wish to purchase a " luscious" article, would do well to attend. The cargo lias arrived in iirst rate condition. Young -M kn's Chkistian Association.—The bazaar to raise a fund for the re-erection ol' rooms for the Young Men's Christian Association, is, we perceive, announced to take place on Wednesday and Thursday, the loth and Kith ■ of this month, in the Odd Fellows' J J all.

SuriiEstE Couht, Civil Cases. —T!ic : civil cases to bo tried before the Supreme Court will be commenced to-day at 11 o'clock. "' At Me. Samuel CocHiiANEVsftJe'yestfcrday' tlie village of Wark worth was put up, but a'l,cr : ihe' sale of a few lots it was found that, in r eou- • sequence of the. unfavorable weather and the ' thin attendance, there was so little life in tho ' sale that the proprietor withdrew the property; lor the present. The prices realised "for tlie Jdta ' sold, ranged from 3s. 6d. down to ls.'p'er foot; ' At the same sale there was sold a Small house;' and ground in Napier-street for. £162,; and!' Lamb and Melvin's debts, amounting 'to over • £900, which were bought by Mr. Jt. Keid 'for * , • ' . ' -The Inquest on the body of Thomas Greene, . who was shot by Sergt. Boyle, and died on Saturday last, will take place at the Commercial ■ Hotel, Otahuhu, this da)', and the trial of Sergt. Boyle has been put off till next session, when it. is supposed that he will have to answer to the higher charge of murder. . Monument to Colonel Nrxo>'.—A public meeting of the lioyal Cavalry Volunteers, Defence Force. and all who desire to do lionor to the memory of the late Colonel .Nixon, id convened for Saturday next, and will be held in the Kxcliange Hotel, at three o'clock on the afternoon of that (lay. Fire.—Yesterday evening, at about half-past nine o'clock. Ihe town was alarmed by the cry ' of tire and the ringing of the bells. It turned out. that the chimney of the_ "Crown and Anchor," in AY est Queen-street", kept by Mr. Priestly was on tire. It burned fiercely for some time, and caused considerable alarm —the night being dark tlie glare was distinctly seen from a distance, and most people thought the time of this block had come. The fire brigade were quickly cn the spot, and assisted inputting out the ilames. Odd Fellow's Hai.l.—Last evening Mr. Thatcher presented the public with a new song, as when does he not ? The first to take note of anything worthy of notice in the town is sure to' be the Inimitable, and accordingly last night the subject of the new song was the visit paid by the men-of-wars-men in the morning to the -lYeft' Zcalandcr otlice. The song is very good as far as it goes, and that is only as far as the comic side of the subject can be stretched, and the naval representatives in the house'expressed their approval vociferously. Madame Yitelli and Mr. Small contributed their share to the evening's amusement, and Mr. Thatcher played' a solo very neatly on the piccolo—an instrument which he plays even better than the flute. There will be no performance this evening, the llall being required for other purposes. Te>dehs for the removal of two corrugated. iron block-houses are invited by the Superintendent of Government Stores, Edward Sing, Esq., and will be received until noon of Thursday next. Malachite fhoji tiie Peak Dowxs Cofpeb Mixes.—There have been large quantities of this material discovered in the Australian Copper mines, and we learn from the Sydney Mum iny Herald tliePirectorsoftliePeaks TJowns Copper Mining Company are about to send home, per ' Orwell,' the large block of malachite brought down some time ago from their mine. As this is, perhaps, with the exception of the celebrated Kussian block, the largest mass of malachite which has ever been brought to earth, it may be worth the while of the curious in such matters to take the last opportunity of viewing the same, which we believe may be done by calling at the company's otlice in Pittstreet, during the next two or three d;.ys. We may state that for ornamental purposes tho malachite is much superior to the European, possessing, when cut and polished, a richer color, with a semi-transparent opal-like gleam." Sales of \Ykecks. —To-day and to-morrow tliere will lie a sale of a wreck, the one, to-day, by M essrs. Mabin and Graham, of tlie'Nile' near Bon Accord Harbour at the Kawau, and the other, of the' Arthur M'Kenzie,'at Port AYaikato, by Sir". S. Cochrane, to-morrow. Tin: cargo of the 'Forres' will, we perceive, be sold by auction to-morrow, by Messrs. Mabin and Graham. Comfoht roii Australia. —" Many Qf the geologists believe," says a Canadian paper, " from the isolated geographical position of Australia, its strange productions, curious physical character, and the low degree of development attained by its flora and fauna, that it is the newest born land on the. face of the globe.' This was the opinion of the author of' A'estiges of the Is atural History of Creation.' A German writer, however, disputes this. He says that ew Holland maj- be likened to an old man rather than a child ; none of the newer formations so widely diffused over Europe cover the primitive rocks ol Australia. No revolutions have visited the surface since it rose from the ocean. The whole of Australiais surrounded by i oral reefs, and reel' building corals grow only in considerable masses where the ground is gradual! v sinking. Australia has done playing its part in the physical history of the world, and it will doubtless'be broken into a group of islands like the Polynesian isles. The entire condition of the country, the desert-like character of the interior, the "number of salt lakes, the rivers, terminating in swamps, &?., indicateanapproaching geological change, which, however, may not take place for some thousands of years." What .may happen to Widows ik Newcastle.—Listen widows and perpend : —AYe quote tlie following, only somewhat abriged, from the IXciccct.ille Chronicle, of the Btli ult.: — "About a fortnight back an advertisement appeared in the Sydney Morning Hcrahl for a lady manager or stewardess, to take the management of a club in the Northern district, for which a small cash deposit would be required in the way of security. Several ladies answered the advertisement, and two of them were waited on by a gent representing himself as Mr. Smith—a partner in the great firm of Gordon, Smith, and Company, storekeepers of Armidale. He waited on the ladies separately, and having made enquiries relative to their respectability and qualifications, stated to each the duties she would bb called on to perform, the salary she was to receive, —£100 per annum, and a quarter share in the profits,—and wound up by. drawing a graphic picture of the scenery surrounding the Austra-' Man Squatters Club—her destined home in. Armidale. His oH'er was accepted,'and a day was fixed upon for their start per Hunter Kivdr steamer to Newcastle, on their way to their destination. The two ladies—one was advanced in years, the other was quite a young widow — were kept in ignorance of eacli other's engagement. Arrived on board the steamer they mqt the complaisant Mr. Smith, who most gallantly took charge of their luggage, arid artfully contrived matters so that by consigning the elder lady to the ladies'cabin and keeping the younger one on deck, neither was made aware during ilio voyage of having a rival for the post. Arrived. at t In- wharf at Newcastle, the younger lady was escorted first with her luggage to an hotel in the j neighbourhood, and after doing this Mr. Smith. ! huiried back, and apologised to tho elder lady | lor his temporary absence ; then, with imper- ■ tumble composure, gave orders for removing her luggage to another hotel, to which he accompanied her. Having delicately seen to her.comforts being provided for. lie walked back to tho hotel where lie hail left thesyoung lady and took up his quarters there. He then proceeded'to point out to her the dangers of travelling on tlie Great Northern road—the probability; ot encountering bushrangers on the road—and suggested that as a precautionary measure, merely, she would commit to his safe keeping theUtionCy or jewellery she had in her'possession, until finally installed as .manageress.of ,th.e.Great jS orthern Squatter's Club." Putting pn a lousiness air she told liiui it she considered further security desirable she would exchange her uioiit-'y

%>MalalMtagniK!nM9Maaaa9m9 for ® draft. Mr. Smith assumed an ; air of injured innocence, and protested that he •made the suggestion only from a desire to protect her property. He then posted off to the elder widow and made the same representation to her; but. Widow No. 1, being a tpry strong-minded woman, was quite capable of taking care of her money and herself too, and told Mr. Smith so. He soon became- convinced that he had failed in his scheme to become custodian of the Indies' purses. He returned to tie jounperladyin a reflective mood, and whilst promenading in the balcony, his eye encountered the form of the vigilent inspector of police "fit Newcastle, when he suddenly recollected some forgotten business, and seizing his hat, hurried off in search of an imaginary horse he said he had left at Wallsend, and since that time Smith lias not been heard of: it if supposed that he skedaddled by thnt evening's steamer to Sydney. The strong-minded widow getting nneasv about his absence, called at hi 9 hotel next day, and seeing some of the young widow's luggage marked " Mrs, , Great Squatters' Club, Armidalc." demanded to see Mr. Smith, but learnt that he had not been seen since the previous day. She then demanded an interview with the owner of the luggage—her rival in the management of the Great Northern Club. The ladies met. and explanations ensued; they congratulated themselves on their fortunate escape from the duplicity of a designing scoundrel, Inquiries were made bv telegram to Armidnle respecting the old established firm of Gordon. Smith, and Company, as also to the exact locality where the Great Northern Squatters' Club was situate, and it was ascertained that neither of them have " a local habitation or a name."—[This appears to be either the same case, or one of a similar nature, to that referred to in the letter beaded " Heartless Imposition," and subscribed " 3VT. Watt," which appeared in Thursday's Herald.— Ed.] Bbsidej.'t Magistrate's Court—Monday, 6th June.—There were no cases to be tried at this Court, excepting the almost unprecedented number of sixteen drunkards, who suffered the usual penalty of 20s. fine or 48 hours. There has only been one other occasion within the last two years when the number of drunkards has rivalled this. The Magistrates on the Bench were W. Gisborne, Esq., and George Graham, Esq. Thr \Vhabf.—Xotiee has been issued from the Superintendent's Office to the effect that on and after the 6th instant, the following clause of the Wharf Regulations will be enforced :— 10. No firewood, palings, shingles, stone, or timber of any kind shall be placed or deposited on the Queen-street Wliarf out of any ship or boat to the northward of the cranes, but shall be hoisted into carts. And no heavy weights of any kind shall be placed or deposited on any part of the wharf. And no firewood, timber, or other articles shall occupy more than ten feet of space from the side of the wharf, except onlv while landing. All goods, wares, and merchandise of anj description, including timber of every kind, shall be removed off the wharf ■within forty-eight hours after being landed; and no boat or vessel of any kind shall discharge cargo at either of the cranes before eight o'clock in the morning, or after five o'clock in the evening, without permission from the Port or Harbour Master. Any person guilty of a breach of this clause of the shall be liable to a penalty of not more than £20 nor less than £5." This will certainly aid in devoting the wharf to the purposes for which it was intended, instead of permitting it to be converted into a crowded store-way, but it will not be sufficient without an extension of the wharf itself. Ships foe Sale.—lt is an unusunl thing to see more than one ship of a presentable size offered for sale at one time in Auckland. At the present time we have two, a clipper brig the ' Princess Alice,' of 237 tons register, and 400 tons capacity, and the clipper barque ' Chance,' 285 tons register. They are both fine and serviceable ships, and would pay running between here and Australia. Tenders, we perceive, are advertised for by Mr. Keals, Architect, for the erection of "a ■warehouse in Durham-street. Plans, &c., to be seen at the officc of the advertiser. Dcnedin Post Office.—The following extract relative to the Post Office at Dunedin, will show that "Down South" they are not going to be trammelled in their cost, but with a noble independence of spirit they have sent in tenders of all amounts up to £55,730 for a building, the amount appropriated for which was £20,000: —"We described the approved plans some weeks ago, and it will no doubt be remembered that they have been prepared for the General Government by Messrs. Mason and Clayton, of this city. The conditions of tender required that the cost of the building in stone and in brick should be stated ; and the following are the results :— Stone Brick. £ £ Lloyd and Co 36,500 ... 30,750 Winchester and Clayton 39,922 ... 28,790 C. Abbot and Co ... 35,150 ... 29,200 Hugh Calder 55,730 ... 49,730 Pearce and Paekham ... 53,566 ... 35,759 Mackay and Goodfellow '1-8,340 ... 31,470 . William Geggie 51,000 ... 34,000 Comwell and Horsman 53,269 ... 31,496 _ James Mackenzie 55,700 ... 31,150 ~ Dalton and Co 34,621 ... 28,800 The amount appropriated for the work by the General Government was £20,000 ; but whether that sum will be regarded as the maximum remains to be seen. None of the tenders have been (accepted ; and nothing will be done in the matter until the Postmaster-General has returned to town and there has been a consultation with him. The Provincial Government are to be paymasters so far as any contractor is concerned; the amount being repaid out of the contributions of the Province to the General .Government Revenue. Peuilous Adventure.—The English sailor, and more especially the boatman, is the most daring and hardy man on his own element of any in the world. We take from the Marl: borough Press of the 28th, an account of a most daring adventure undertaken by a crew of these men, who came up from Waikouaiti to Havelock .in an open boat. "On the morning of the 26th," says the Press, " a boatman, named Bradshaw, and five companions, cauie alongside the wharf, having made the passage from Waikouaiti, in the Otago Province, to this port, in an open boat, no portion of it being decked or covered over, even in the most temporary manner. The . passage occupied ten days, and it was only at Maoraki, near Waikouaiti, and another port "that the men were able to touch at, to obtain a supply of provisions. For .two days the men were compelled to live upon porpoises, which they secured with the harpoon. Before arriving in Queen Charlotte's Sound the boat was . encountered by a most terrific gale of wind, and there is no question, but for the skill of those . to whom the management of the frail craft was intrusted, every soul would have met with a watery grave. On arriving here, the six men received the hearty greetings of the watermen, when they had learned that such an exploit had been so successfully carried out, in the face of difficulties. Yesterday, Bradshaw and his party once more took to their b«at and the water, to go up the Pelorus Ssund."