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New Zealand Herald, Volume IX, Issue 2520, 22 February 1872, Page 2

In our Home Letter, published yesterday, we stated that the earth-closet question seemed to have been shelved as impracticable by the City Council. We are happy to hear that this is not the case, and that on Monday last the earth-closet by-law was confirmed. This by-law must be submitted to the Superintendent for a mouth, and if not disallowed, will be gazetted and brought into force. We are very glad to have the opportunity of making the fact generally known.

We are glad to hear that our local artists will be contributors to some considerable extent to the exhibition of pictures to be held ia Sydney at the close of the present month. Letters from Sydney state that the exhibition id likely to be a very successful one. The keenest discrimination will be excercised by the hanging committee, and no paintings unworthy of the name will find a place on the walls of the gallery.

" The Auckland Prices Current and Trade Keport," is the titlo of a trade circular prepared by Mr. Mason, for despatch by the outgoing mail per Nevada. Mr. Mason is a gentleman well known in commercial circles in Auckland, and the prices at which he offers his circular should command a ready sale and large circulation.

The only case of public interest in the Police Court yesterday was the investigation of a charge* against Mr. Hey wood, proprietor of the Auckland Hotel, for having two " bars" open, each abutting upon a public thoroughfare, contrary to the provisions of the Licensing Act Amendment Act, 1871. Mr. Beveridge appeared for the defendant. The matter is of very considerable interest to publicans, and the facts, together with the Magistrate's remarks, will be found reported in another column.

A first meeting of the creditors of the estate of John Beaton, carpenter and builder, was held yesterday in the office of the Provisional Trustee in Bankruptcy. There was a full meeting of creditors, Mr. Kirby in the chair. The bankrupt attributed the insolvent condition of his estate to the liabilities connected with the construction and opening of a bowling alley at the rear of the Duke of Marlborough hotel, Queen-street. The gross liabilities were set down at £1200 odd, and the assets were estimated at £900. Mr. Thomas Macifarlane was appointed creditors' trustee ; Mr. Eirby and another supervisors.

What has become of the Provincial Council bluo book for the last session ? The session was a short one, and most of the printing was executed during the period of sitting. We have frequent occasion to consult the records of the Council in regard to public questions, and the delay in the publication of the last volume containing the Acts and votes and proceedings of the Provincial Council causes great inconvenience. In this subject we are net singular. We have heard several members of ttie Provincial Council express their surprise at the delay. We trust the printing will be expedited.

A party of five left Auckland yesterday afternoon in the yacht Zodiac, for Piako, on the East Coast, on a prospecting expedition. It seema that some very good accounts have come up from this place within the last day or two, good gold being said to have been found in the locality. The party will be absent about a fortnight.

The regular monthly meeting of the Prince of Wales Lodge, 1338, E.C., will be held at half-past seven o'clock this evening.

We would call the attention of our readers to an advertisement respecting another curiosity to be seen at the Occidental Hotel, viz., a pig with eight legß, two bodies, four ears, and two tails.

A premium of £50 is offered by the Provincial Government for the best design for a new and permanent Provincial Hospital building for Auckland.

The nomination of candidates to take place prior to the return of a duly qualified person to serve in the General Assembly, will take place at Hamilton, at noon, on the Ist March ; the polling (if necessary), on the 9th March.

A bonus of £2500 is offered by the General Government f»r the first hundred tons of printing paper produced in the colony by machinery. The required quantity must be produced before the 30ch June, 1873. Tho weight of each printing ream is to bo not less than thirty pounds.

We understand that a arranged to come off between Siennr n e<tl the celebrated one-legged dancer and ato ' known Auckland pedestrian, for £10 8 " e " The distance to be run is 100 yards. Donato to have a start of 40 yards s I eccentric race will, doubtless, create <.„!! ■ j aa able interest, and is sure to be large number of spectators, It i 3 tn'l - 1 in the Albert Barracks on Saturday next* 6 Yesterday afternoon a large party 0 f 1 ,v and gentlemen was entertained on i 5 H. M.S. Blanche as a return for the ball °? rti to the officers of that vessel at Gnr». lTea House last week. n ®est The annual meeting of the members n f ,l Mechanics' Institute takes place Hiia . 8 at 7.30 p.m. At this meeting the ann' U? i' election of office-bearers takes place and there has been a good deal of disctiv 31 this subject lately, and as much interest, 011 been shown in the matter, we havo j . tu at there will be a large attendance nf berb> meM - Wo have to acknowledge from UlO (J OT ment pi'"iter the receipt of a Parliament. Ty papers, of no public interest Mr. James Lowrie is gazetted Ki.i master for the Po'rt of Kaipara. Fbo ' Jf ' A number of applications to register j • Stock Companies are published in'tii.l" 1 ' New Zealand Gazette. 6 lait The services of the Opotiki Rifle y 0 i u teers have been accepted. By a gazette of the 10tU February ,1, public hall, YVarkworlh, Uppsr llahjr an „. e is made a poiling-place for the district ° f Rodooy. * All rates due to the Ararimu South Hiol, way Board District not paid within fou-teen days, will bo handed over to a solicitor for recovery. The adjourned meeting of the Auckland Co-operatire Building and Investment Society will be hold at the Young Men's Christian Association on Monday evening next. A meeting of the shareholders of the Uorth Pacific Gold Mining Company will be held oa the 29th instant, at Grahamstowu. Thos. Macffarlane, Esq., Curator of Intestate Estates, has been appoiuted trustee in the estate of James Berry, deceased. A call of two shillings per share has been made in the Sons of Freedom Gold Miuin» Company. 0

The first half-yearly meeting of the shareholders of the Standard Gold mining Com pany is convened for the Ist proximo.

We regret to notice in our obituary columns of this morning the death, in Syuiouds-strcet of Mr. James Kemp, sen., of Kerikeri, Bay of Islands. Air. Kemp was one of the oldes t settlers in the province. The funeral takes place to-day.

The anniversary tea meeting and soiree ia connection with the Wesleyan Church, Grafton Road, will take place this eveuing.

Tonders are required by the Parnell Hallway Board for certain works to be executed in the Parnell district.

Our Thames contemporary, the Guardian, may not be aware of tho fact that for the last ten days not a singie copy of his paper hi" reached Auckland. Weunderstaud that some six or eight parcels of his papers are travelling daily in the steamer without an owner, the Auckland agent not sending for them. Wc feel a deprivation in the loss of our usual exchange with the Guardian.

We go from homo to learn news. The Independent of the 17th says :—" A rush lies taken placo to the kauri gum diggings at Mercury Bay, Auckland, and nearly all the miners have forsaken their claims to look for gum. About HIOOO worth is being obtained weekly."

Messrs Bailliere and Co., of Melbourne, have succeeded in procuring in Hull a complete file of English papers from 1799. The file is composed of the Morning Chronicle horn. 1799 to 1820 and then tho Times takes up the continuance. The journals are bound in volumes, and most of them have already arrived in the colony. A few volumes have to come to hand to complete the dates from 1799 to 1871. As showing the difference in journalism of the past and the present, we may mention that the account of the battle of Waterloo in the Morning Chronicle takes upou'y about a third of a column. After the account of the battle follows a list of killed and wounded, occupying nearly a column. The whole matter is compressed into a space that to us of modern days seems incredible. Many a column would be now occupied with so important a battle as that of Waterloo. Our forefathers were, however, compelled to be satisfied with what they could get.

The manager of the Pickwick claim yesterday informed us that between Saturday and Monday some evil-disposed persons poured 3 quantity of fat over a small heap of quartz which "was to have been forwarded to the Manukau machine, for a trial crushing, this week. A reward of £10 is offered for information of the offenders.—Advertiser, Feb. 20.

The steam-launch Fairy paid a visit to Te Hira and Mere ivuru at the fishing station yesterday. The party were received very hospitably, and returned in the afternoon, highly delighted with the trip. On passing over the mud flat off Grahamstown, her propellor came in contact with one of the many snags which lie there, twisting her shaft, and breaking off part of one of the blades of the propellor, thereby causing a temporary stoppage in her usual Monday's trip to Ohiuemuri. The shaft and propellor was at once taken out, and taken to the wellknown foundry of Messrs. Price, and she will be ready to resume her trip by the midnight tide, having time enough to return from the Paeroa, Ohiuemuri, to-day at her usual time. Mr, James Mackay is at Waihi respecting (be wire and other business. Ho will be at Ohinemuri to-day or to-tmrrow. Te Hira and several influential natives will go up from the fishing station by the steam-launch Fairy, to attend the meeting.—Advertiser, Feb. 20.

Tho rich stone taken ous of his claim iast week by John Anderson, was of a very superior sort. From the little parcel taken out ho has obtained 25 ozs. of gold by the aid of the berdan. The claim is only two men's ground, and the leader running through it has yielded to Anderson several magnificent returns heretofore of much greater value than the present. It is only one of the tributaries of the old Kapanga lode.—Coromandel >> r ( February 21.

Tho Taranaki Herald of the 17! K instant contains a long article, headed " Hon. Hr. McLean's Progress Along the Coast." T° judge from the article, nothing but difficulty awaited the Native Minister, and nothing but success attended his " diplomacy."

The Taranaki Herald has a detailed account of the return of Williitn to Waitnra, on his way to attend the native meeting at Pariaka. 'l'his is the chief whose opposition to the sale of tho Waitara block brought on the war in 1800.

We never could see the virtue of the boast which is so often made by the papers ana magazines, that so large a portion of their pages is original. Sucii originality is often maintained to the detriment of the paper. The beat exchanges of our acquaintance are by no means those which have the greatest amount of original mat ter. There is more of editorial tact and talent required to mase proper and practical selections, than is put in requisition by the production of the vaunting original papers, who seen to consider originality as the only requisite for a good periodical. A good nowspaper is alffsj ß dependent upon other resources than its ownAnd the boast of a periodical that it is entirely original, is too often like the boast of a library if it should claim to have the P ro " duction of only ono author.—Exchange.

Information was brought to the Crom^ e ' police, ou the 29th ultimo, to tho effect to* a Chinaman, named Sin Ken, hail been ac* cidentally killed in the vicinity of the Fraser River, about eight miles from Clyde, on tua previous Sunday.