SALES BY AUCTION.—THIS DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1130, 28 June 1867, Page 3

SALES BY AUCTION.—THIS DAY.

Messes. C. Author and Son will sell to-day, at 11 o'clock, at Messrs. Harrison and Keid's, Parnell, groceries, oilmen's stores, scales, fittings, household furniture, &c.; also, tlie grey mare " Polly," harness, saddle, &c. Messes. Bright and Co. will sell to-day, at tlieir mart, at 11 o'clock, a large assortment of drapery and fancy goods, 2 sewing machines, &c. Messes. Samuel Cochraneand Son will sell to-day, at 11 o'clock, at their stores, under instructions from J. Mackay, Esq., Civil Commissioner, bottled whiskey, old torn, rum, &c.; also maize, and butter: also, under instructions from the senior Commissariat officer, silver electro plated ware, boots, gaiters, spurs, &e. Mb. Chaules Davis will sell to-day, at 10 o'clock, (by order of the trustees iu Mr. Niccol's estate) at his late residence. Grafton Eoad, the whole of the household furniture and efleets. Mr. llenky Hidings will sell to-day, at 1 o'clock, at Higgins' soap and candlc manufactory, Chapel-street, the whole of the plant, consisting of boilers, tanks, candlc moulds, &c. Mb. C. Stichhuey will hold to-day at noon, at the lJoyal George Hotel, Newmarket, a clearing out sale of wines, spirits, beer engine, bottled ale and porter, furniture, pigs, horses, &c.

Thf, Northern Division Election.—Wo liavo not yet rcccivccl all tlio returns from tlio several polling places. Tliere can be no doubt, however, of tlic result. At Helensville, for instance, not a single vote was polled for Jlr. Staines. The remainder of the returns ■will doubtless be in in a day or two, when we will publish the numbers m full. Newton Literary Association.—The adjourned debate on the subject—" Eeponsible Government, is it expedient will be resumed this evening. On the last occasion the discussion was conductcd with much ability and spirit, and the proceedings of this evening will no doubt be equally interesting. Resident Magistrate's Court.-—This Court sat yesterday from 10-30 a.m. until 3 p.m. during which time some 50 cases were disposed of, none of which were of special interest; during the sitting of the Court Mr. Joy on behalf of the defendant in the cause if c Caul v. Dr. .Ncsbitt applied for a rehearing on the ground thjit a material witness had turned up since the former hearing of the case, whose evidence would reverse the judgment. Saturday next was fixed for hearing the application. Distinct Court.—A sitting of this Court will be held to-day, for tlic purpose of hearing the case of Mulligan v. Weston, which is a claim for £100 damages alleged to have been sustained through the defendant's negilence while acting for the plaintiff. A special jury is to be cmpaunclled, and the ease is expected to be of more than ordinary interest. Fire in Victoria-street. — At about a quarter past five o'clock, last evening, a firo broke out ou the premises of Mr. Polton, coachbuilder, Yictoria-strect. The lire appears to have originated in a shed used as a wheelwright's shop, and which is contiguous to a small building abutting on the street. In. tlic shed was a quantity of shavings and also a few tools, but at present the origin of the lire is involved in mystery. Mr. Polton himself docs not reside on the premises, but at the North Shore, and his apprentice informs us that at five o'clock, when he left off work, he locked the doors and saw the place all secure, leaving a dog tied up at the southern extremity of the workshop. There was a blacksmith's forgo in the shed, but the lire could not have arisen from this cause, as it broke out in a spot some distance from it. The spread of the fire was very rapid, and, notwithstanding that the fire brigade, the police, and a large crowd of persons promptly congregated on the spot, the whole building was soon enveloped in ilamcs. However, aplentiful supplyof waterwas obtained from the nearest stand-pipe, and the hose being laid on, the llames were quickly extinguished, and further disaster averted. A considerable number of the tools were saved ; but an unfortunate dog, chained up in the shed, was burnt to death. The workshop was completely destroyed, but we believe £20 will cover the loss sustained. We understand that the building was insured in the Royal, but we were unable to ascertain the amount. During the lire an incident took place which we think worthy of honorable mention. Contiguous to the shed destroyed was another workshop, which was in danger of sharing the same fate, but which was saved through one fortunate circumstance. It happened that Mr. J. Cooke, of the Great World Circus, had found his way to this spot, and seeing the danger, and haying no better means at hand, with characteristic ingenuity tincl prcsciicc of mind lie doffed liis liut, ftud obtaining a plentiful supply of water from a barrel near the gable end of the building, used his castor as a bucket in so effectual a manner as to temporarily prevent the gable end from being ignited until the hose could be brought to bear on the spot. The danger over, Mr. Cooke very coolly walked off, satisfied his services were no longer required, and conscious that his presence would be shortly looked for iu another quarter. The lire again broke out at 9.20 p.m., bvft was promptly extinguished.

Educational.-—Tiio pupils of tlie -Misseg Yibert and Austin will reassemble 011 Tuesday next, tlie 2nd proximo. Larceny.—A inan named Clune was arrested yesterday by detective O'Hara, on tliecharge of stealing a watch and chain from tlie person of a captain of one of the ships in harbour. Young Men's Cheistian Association.- A lecture will be delivered in the rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association, at 7*30 this evening, by Major Heapliy, Y.C., subject—" A Glimpse at the Unwritten History of New Zealand." The course of lectures for the current year is advertised in another column, and judging from the well known abilities of the gentlemen whose names we observe upon the list, and the subjects selected, we anticipate a fund of instruction and entertainment. The following well known names are among those who will deliver lectures :—Dr. Jakins; Bev. D. Wallis; Eev. G. S. Harper; Eev. J. T. W. Davies, M.A.; Rev. J. Mandeno; John White, Esq., E.M.; Thos. Macfarlane, Esq.: Eev. Dr, Kidd, L.L.B. The Bbig Feting Cloud.—The passengers on board this vessel are again likely to come prominently before the notice of the public, Jas summonses have been served upon several of them, for a breach of the Passengers Act, by preventing the removal of the provisions by the oflicers and crew. We are informed that the removal of the provisions was looked upon by the passengers as a deliberate attempt to reduce them to starvation, or to induce them to abandon the vessel, and that being persuaded that they had a substantial claim upon the vessel for maintenance, they took steps to prevent the cutting off of their supplies. Be this as it may, the case has assumed a somewhat serious complexion, and these unfortunate people's troubles have not ended, it would seem. Mr. Wynn, we believe, has been engaged for the defence, and case wall be heard on Wednesday next. Eelative to the table of rates of foreign postage in New Zealand Gazette No. 33, of 6th. instant, a copy of which may be seen at every post-office in the province—the Chief Postmaster lias requested us to call attention to alterations in the table of rates of postage on newspapers forwarded by way of Panama, and on letters by the same route for British America, the United States, the West Indies, Sandwich Island and certain places in Central America. Alluding to the popular feeling against the centralising tendencies of the Stafford Government, exhibited in Wcllington, the Otago Daily Times says : —" It -will be well indeed if the : lesson be taken to heart, for Otago is not the only Province in a state of incipient rebellion. In Auckland their reigns an entire conviction of , the incapacity of the General Government in the management of Native affairs, and very little would turn discontent into something more active. They demand there, as Otago demands, to be let alone to manage their own affairs. They begin to understand that a ' self-reliant policy ' in the hands of a grasping Government means the absorption of every source and exereise of power. Other Provinces, if the shoe does not actually pinch them, will be wise enough to see that it is likely to do so ; and, in short, the Provinces •will require something more than being allowed to exist at the pleasure of the General Government. They 'will demand substantial guarantees that, for the future, they may be left to put into practice that " selfreliant policy " which has been mere eant in the hands of the men who filched it from Mr. Weld, and turned it to their own uses. Otago's case will only be an episode of the whole subject. The battle of Centralism verstis Provincialism will have to be fought out this session, unless the Government, frightened at the storm it has invoked, seeks, by temporising, to allay it. There are not wanting signs that this will be attempted. It was significant that Mr. Bicliniond, at Queenstown the other day, threw out a hint that possibly the Municipal Bill might not be pressed this session. Again, large efforts are being made to bribe some of the other Provinces. Threats, too, of a dissolution are being circulated, and admonitions are being warily given that nothing ought to interfere with the treatment of the money question. It is not unlikely the Ministry may break tip immediately after the Assembly meets, and it is not improbable that it will be reconstituted, and some compromise attempted with the Otago question. Wholesale Attempt at Incendiarism:.—The Olago Da Hi/ Times of the 17th inst. says " Considerable speculation was caused yesterday by the discovery of what appeared to have been a determined and somewhat elaborate attempt at fire-raising in the business centre of the city. At the usual time of opening the retail places of business—about eight o'clock in the morning— it was discovered that tlie door-panels and window-sills of nearly all the premises on tho High-street and Princes-street sides of ihe triangular block which fronts the Government Buildings had been, more or less, saturated with kerosene. The kerosene had apparently been spilled most abundantly on the door-steps of the - fancy warehouse of Mr. A. Moses; and it was found that underneath the High-street door of those premises and the door of a small office which is immediately contiguous, a quantity of tailors' wadding and flannel rags had been placed. Theso were also saturated with kerosene, and some attempt had been made, evidently from the outside, to force the material into the premises, under the different doors. The attention of Constable Baxter, who had come on for day duty in that quarter of the city, was first directed to the circumstance by Mr. Moses when he was about to open his warehouse, and it was upon a more minute examination being made that traces of kerosene were discovered on the woodwork of all the contiguous bildings up to the Union Bank in High-street, and to Messrs. Kirkpatrick's warehouse, in Princes-street. The appearance indicated that a considerable quantity of kerosene had been used,, but as it is a fluid which rapidly diffuses over such a simple surface as that on which it was throw n, the quantity may not have been so large as, during the day, it appeared to havebeen, and might have been contained in a vessel which would not, by its size, attract special attention, if it were seen in the hands of any one passing through the street during night. That it had been spilled, and that the wadding had been placed under the doors with some intention, and not by accident, was obvious; but it did not appear that any attempt had been made to light the wadding which was found. It is impossible to say for what purpose such an act was committed—whether it was a deliberate design to set fire to what is one of the most valuable blocks of buildings in the city, and one which, if it once caught, would involve the safety of an immense mass of property by which it was surrounded; or whether it has been the work of -some one having a dangerously eccentric taste in the matter of practical jokes. Some mystery attaches to the fact of " a woman dressed in black" having been seen seated in the morning on the steps under which the wadding was found, but it does not seem to be ascertained whether she was the person to whom any suspicion might attach, or whether she was merely a visitor to that part of the towp, awaiting the departure of the coaches from the Empire Hotel, and who had casually sat down to rest herself till the hour of starting. In the meantime, all the circumstances arc being carefully investigated by the police. Tlie premises occupied by Mr. Moses arc of wood, and so are the shops and stores immediately contiguous, and although communication with the rest of the block is cut of by the brick wall erected by Messrs. Kirkpatriek and Co., between Princes-street and High-street, a fire occurring in any of these premises would not be easily stayed from ex- • tending to adjoining property. Mr. Moses, we was not protected against loss by insurance, and his stocky as are the stocks m the adjacent shops, isi very valuable description.

A.N.V. —Tho usual monthly parade of this corps will take place this evening, at 7 o'clock sharp, at the stores of Messrs. Edmonds and Jakins. Tho band will be in attendance, and members will parade with arms and accoutrements. Mount Altiekt Highways District. — A special meeting of the ratepayers ot this district is convened for this afternoon, at 3 o clock, at the school-room, NYhau lload, when business of importanco to tho ratepayers will be brought forward. The Melbourne correspondent of the Ballarat j Star states: —" A scheme is on foot for the purpose of doing in Melbourne what has already been done for the important towns of America, lingland, and the Continent of Europe—that is, to provide hotel accommodation on a scale commensurate with tho requirements of our metropolis, and in a stj'lo that cannot at present be obtained by families staying at tho existing hotels. "With greater luxury aud comfort, .a promise is also held out of aconsidcrablc decrease in the present charges made at first class hotels. Kooms are to be fitted up en suite to suit families who desire to be o,uite private, whilst the single bedroom and tabic d'hote for bachelors are not to be overlooked. . There are to be several classes of boarders, the accommodation, situation of rooms, and luxuries ot course varying with the price. The hotel is to be a grand and luxurious home to even tho most modest and economical of its customers, proTiding him with every convenience, such as reading and writing rooms, library, and everything deemed necessary for the satisfaction of the isolated individual or family biped. The proposed Company is to be called the Great Victoria Hotel Company, and the capital is set down at £50,000. A site has been chosen at St. Hilda, opposite tho railway terminus ; and customers are to be, I understand, provided with passes at the charge of the Company. The block of land is a corner, 20-1 feet by 250 feet, and tho building and furniture are calculated to cost some £30,000. The number of persons the hotel is calculated to accommodate is between is between two and three hundred. The Zostebops Doesaxis. — In our notice yesterday of tho small birds which have lately scattered themselves over this province, the name, by a mistake of the printer, was given as T>/usi crops dursalis instead of Zostcrops dormdis. Police.—Three persons were punished for drunkenness at the Police Court, yesterday. Bridget Condron was sentenced to 7 days imprisonment for using profano language in Chancery-street, Patrick Doyle and Thomas Beresford were remanded on charges of larceny, and Josiali J. Dell charged with attempting suicide by taking laudanum was also remanded.