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New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 250, 31 August 1864, Page 4

Fbeemait's Bay.—The state of tbe streets in tliis district, more especially that of the main thoroughfare, through the bay, calls loudly for the attention of the City Board. Never scarcely was Drake-street in so fearful a condition as it is at present, and a single day's rain will render it next to impossible for carts. Napierstreet is no thoroughfare at all, and Wellingtonsireet is asbadnstlierest. Beally the state of this side of the town is a disgrace to the authorities, nor is th«- Provincial Cicvcir.nieut one jot less blameworthy, the nails cut side the western boundary of the city are as bad as those inside the boundary. "Why should this he, when on the easiem side they are kept in good and thorough repair, no wonder that remonstrances loud and deep are raised against the neglect of the authorities, by the residents of the western part of th city. A dray was bogged in Drake-street, opposite Mr. Rose's store yesterday. Thework of tilling in tbe embankment, has, we see, been recommenced, and unless the part of the hay lately fascined is re-metalled, and that speedily, it will be cut up worse than before, and the money then expended thrown away. City Board. —Tenders for certain carting to be done on behalf of the Board,-are. we perceive, invited, and will be received by the Secretary until 4 p.m. tomorrow.

To Masons.- —The Provincial Government, •svc perceive, are advertising for tlie services of a thoroughly competent mason to superintend the work of the prisoners at the Mount Eden stockade. Information as to the duties required. &c.. will lie furnished on application to the Engineer-in-Chief of the Province, Mr. Weaver.

Spirited Conduct.—Yesterday afternoon as a lady was coming into town by one of the Onchunga Buses, she was annoyed at receiving the full benefit of several blasts of tobacco ?moke from a mule passenger, although there are tickets in the inside of each Pus, prohibiting smoking. The gent observing the annoyance which he was occasioning remarked that he would go outside, " Oh not at all," replied the l.icly " I shall go," and quickly as said she was safely ensconced beside the driver, evidently greatly relieved at escaping freni the rudeness of her fellow passenger. Tauitaxoa.—The Queen's ship ' Eclipse,'will leave to-day for Tauranga with a detachment of the Ist. "\V"aikato Militia. The 'Eclipse' will come alongside the Wharf to embark them, and will we believe remain at Tauranga for some time.

Wouk fok toe Water Police.—On Sunday night the 21st. a daring robbery was committed on board the cutter ' Alice', which was lying at anchor off Capt. Porter's place at the Tamaki. The thieves took away a new suit of sails, nearly all the running gear, blocks, sweeps, &e. and indeed everything convenient for carrying away. On the following Friday a boat belonging to the Melanesion Station, which was thenlying on the beaeli was stolen by some person or persons. Biscuit.—Mr. Partington has, we see, reduced the price of the best cabin biscuit to 30s. per lOOlbs., and jJfavy biscnt to 20s. lhere is a large quantity of biscuit imported now from the colonics, square in form, and of a very inferior quality. It cannot, however, be mistaken for that manufactured by Mr. Partington, as those made at the Symonis-street bakery are round, and have the name "Partington, Auckland,"

impressed on eachIn the Supreme Court yesterday the Chief Justice gave the long deferred judgment on the application of Deputy-Purveyor Warwick for four hundred acres of land as a retired officer of Army. His Honor's opinion was stated at great length and evidently very carefully weighed, but althougliniany points wereadducedlavourablc to the claim, the judgment of the Court was on the whole that it could not be allowed, either upon the point of right as a Military Officer or on the point of law as to the method ot seeking redress by mandamus against the Waste Lands Commissioner. His Honor suggested that it dissatisfied with the Court's judgment a remedy was still open to the applicant in the Court of Appeal or by application to the Provincial Council.

City Board of CoMM.issio:sEiis.--Theniembers of this Board met yesterday at their office in Queen-street for the transaction of business. A number of communications were read from Ins Honor the Superintendent relating to Freeman s Bay, Mechanics' Bay, and Stanley-street, of which the particulars will be found set forth m detail in our report . It was announced that a letter had been received from the Gas Company to the effect that they had received advices from Europe of the shipment of fifty street lamps in the " Surat,' now nearly due. Several letters were read from residents of the city complainiug of the state of the roadways, asking that they might be repaired in certain places. Some of these were ordered to stand over, some were referred to the engineer to report on, and others, from persons who expressed a willingness to contribute, were entertained. The Engineer to the Board reported on the state of some of the sewers, aud complained of the manner in which the stonebreaking engine at Mount Eden had been keptThese wiilbe found infullin theEngiacer's reportThe usual accounts were passed, which conc-u-------ded the business of the sitting. Benefit at tiie Prince of Wales Theatre. —On Friday evening the pleasing and. popular actresses Miss Maggie Griffiths ana Miss Julia Corcoran will take a joint benefit, when we hope that, the public will till the spaccious room, of the Brunswick Hail aid. liicii' approbation of the Tiains-taldrtg masae? with which both these ladies have studied to give effect to the several pieces in which they been cast since the opening of the Prince of Wales theatre. The managers have issued an attractive programme for the evening's amusement, the performance commencing with the "Ticket of Leave Man" and concluding with the "liival Pages," aud very appropriately there will be an intermission for dancing, m which department both young ladies have been favourably received over and over again by the Auckland public. Mr. Sliiel Barry has we perceive volunteered his services on this occasion, and we have little doubt that the Brunswick Hall will be filled to overflowing on Iriday evening next.. Pmyce of Wales Theatre. —To-night has been judiciously set apart as a Juvenile night, the burlesque of Aladdin being played first; as the weather glass is now set fair and the performance will not be a late one, an opportunity w' be afforded for parents to take their children to witness the most amusing and best mounte piecc that has yet been presented. no" comedy will also Jbe played on the occasion,- " lot-

Captain of the Watch," of 'which piece we have read many favorable notices. Friday evening next, as mentioned elsewhere, the entertainment will be for the benefit ot Misses Griffiths and Corcoran. The house was very fairly attended ast night, and we hear that many novelties are in nctivc preparation. We (Brisbane Courier) take the following very interesting information from a letter received by the Secretaries of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society from Mr. Kelleway, of Jfelbourne. Many of the plants alluded to in it are already to be found in the Botanical Gardens, but there are others, and also trees, which Mr. Kelleway suggests would be valuable in the more tropical parts of the colony. He says, after referring to various animals which he mentions as likely to thrive iu Queensland—" I would, however, recommend the vegetable kingdom to you, as_ much as anything, as you have such a magnificent field before you in your climate for the acclimatisation of so' many useful trees; take the cocoaiuit, for instance, which I think would grow on many parts of your sea shores, and besides being an invaluable tree, adds so much to the beauty of the landscape. A firm in Colombo, Messrs. Wilson, liitchie & Co., have been know to net- £SOOO a year, clear, ofTof one plantation. English people little know the value of this tree unless tliey have been in India. I would, above all, recommend you to try the cultivation of the coffee shrub, as I feel certain

that in your moist limestone ranges it would pay well to grow it, It would pay equal, if not better sometimes, than cotton; and the first person who shipped a bag of " Queensland grown eotl'ee" to England, would be deserving of the highest honors that could be given him," in opening out a new field of industry, whereby so many additional persons could be employed. It may'take a little time to acclimatise it," like in Ceylon, where all the first planters lost money : hut those who stuck to it are now independent. It is really astonishing what a change the cultivation of this little shrub has wrought in Ceylon, and the fortunes that have been made at it. I reel almost afraid to say all that I think upon • coil'ee-giowing' in Queensland, but to my

mind there is a splendid opening for any moneyed man to try what can be done. The far-famed cinnamon laurel grows iu a quartz gravelly soil, of ■" liicli you have plenty; the nutmeg "might also he tried, and is a truly inagnifient tree; xuany of the spices also would do well. The yellow hybiscus or tulip tree, would be a beautiful tree to plant in the streets for shade, as in Ceylon, and it gives a timber equal to iancewood ; the breadfruit is also a handsome tree ; the cab-bage-tree (not a palm), is also a nice tree for

hedge-rows, from its beautiful green and yellow

leaves ; the tamarind is also a noble tree, and the fruit and leaves well known.; the lime is also a

pretty tree, and surpasses the lemon, in mv iipinion, in many respects, as it bears so abundantly ; the mango is also a delicious fruit, ami should be tasted never to be forgotten; there is also the pumelo, lower lowey, "guava, ..Vc. In timber trees, I would recommend the

ebony, calamander, satinwood, jack, tulip, teak, and others. They are all fine shady trees, very useful in tropieal Australia. The rhododendron grows to a great size in Ceylon, on the mountains. I'or the transport of many of these things, vou would require wardian air-tight cases for plants, while many could be raised from seeds. All would require care at first, and trying different localities until they got thoroughly used to the change of air and clime."

.A ,\tikxt Play 15ii.i.s.—A writer in the Dublin University 3farja:i/te savs:—We once saw a play-bill at Cheltenham headed thus, in huge capitals—"" Extraordinary Unition of talt at—Mr. C. Kemble and thcDog of Montargis. 1 hefollowing©! onehundred audtiftvyear.s old, is preserved in tliePritisli Museum, and is. we may venture to assert, unique:—"At Crawley's booth, over against the Crown Tavern in Smithiield, duriug the time of Bartholomew Fair, will be presented a little opera called— ' The Old Creation of tlie "World,' yet newly revived, with the addition of jS'oah's Flood. Also several iountains playing water during tlie time ot the play. The last scene does represent >"oali and his family coming out of the ark, with all the beasts, two by two; and all the fowls of the air seen in a prospcc-t sitting upon trees; likewise over the ark is seen the snn rising in a most glorious manner. Moreover a multitude of angels, will be seen in a double rank, which presents a double prospect—one for the sun, the other for a palace, where will be seen angels ringing of bells. Likewise, machines descend from above, double and treble, Dives rising out of Hell, and Lazarus is seen in Abraham's bosom; besides several figures dancing jigs, sarabands and country dances, to the admiration of the spectators. " The whole to conclude with the merry conceits of Punch." The Wizaed of The 2\ohtii.—Anderson, the world-famed necromancer, played off his cantrips at our Theatre 15oval this week. About five and thirty years ago he was a performer in a booth which was erected on a causeway at the extreme east end of C'atheart Street, under Scott his bulky prototype. Mam* will remember Scott, whose visage bore the marks of a severe accident, in which tlie one side of his face was completely disfigured by a shot in a mishap in playing off his •' gun trick."J He had loaded a gun and given it to a man in the audience to tire at his (Scott's) face. The man had his doubts as to the shot being still in the gun, and before firing it, contrived to slip a button into the muzzle, and so Scott's lace was disfigured. With the elder Kcan and other great actors, Anderson has the merit- of having risen from the booths, though his talent is of a different kind. Still Ander son, who is an Abcrdonian, it we mistake not, was a respectableand a versatile actor. He has played what is called heavy business, and in one night would play Pob Hoy, and then Jock Muir in the drama of Gilderoy. In his early days he was a tall, thin, delicatelooking lad. with a voice which husked as if indicative of consumption ; but he has outlived all such fendcniy, to becomc a strong and energetic man, who has extended his name as a wizard over the known world, and, we hope, made a fortune. He is of the true type of the men who rise, whatever be the sphere in life they select. The last booth wc knew him connected with in Greenock was one put up with his own hands in a coal-ree at the premises of -Mr. Sword, at the open shore, somewhere about the year 1831. Having erected his booth, he "•'■'rapped his long spare form into a thread-bare iawM-eoioured overcoat reaching to tks ground, and closely buttoned up to his throat, clapped a broad carter's bonnet on his head, both from the "stage properties" no doubt, and alone went iroin street to street, followed by a rabble of gaping urchins, made a noise, shockingly discordant, for he was no musician, on. a squeaking* warioixt, after the manner of" '• Jcei Baggs," ami shea announced that the " Soyal Pavilion of j xancy'' would be open each evening, at the low price of one penny." ~V\ r e mention this to -£ r - Anderson's credit, and are pretty sure that he will not take it amiss, lie has fre-' nucntly visited Greenock since, as the " Great •Vizard of the iVortli," and has always met with merited success.—Glasgow Mail, June 11.