Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4127, 4 February 1875, Page 2

Tho ordinary mouthly meeting of the Domain Board lapsed yesterday for want of a ([iioriini. The only members present were his Worship the Mavor and Mr. 11. M. Mitford.

We regret to have to record the arrest j yesterday] morning of Mr. F. C. Leggett, clerk to the Provincial Council, on the charge of embezzling the sum of £SO. Some twelve months ago, it appears, this amount was handed to Mr. Leggett by the Speaker of the Council (Mr. O'Horke), the purpose beiug to obtain a draft for remittance to Messrs. Ridgeway and Sons, for books purchased for the Provincial Library. Not receiving the amount, Messrs. Ridgeway wrote out about it by the last mail. Whereupon an enquiry took place. Mr. Leggett was yesterday morning questioned upon the subject, and the result was his arrest upon a charge of embezzlement. The case will bo brought ou at the Police Court this morning. -Mr. Leggett lias always borne a very high character, and had won the esteem and respect of a large circle of friends. We need, therefore, hardly add that the news of his arrest has occasioned much surprise and pain to all who know him.

A meeting of the creditors of Mr. Fish, chemist, was held in the premises in which he lately carried on business, .yesterday afternoon. Seven gentlemen were present. Mr. Thomas MacfFarlane, the Oilieial Trustee, took the chair. Mr. Brock appeared for the bankrupt, and Mr. Hesketli on behalf of the National Bauk of New Zealand. Oil the advent of representatives from the Press, tho question was raised as to whether they should be admitted. The consideration of this question appeared to occupy far more time that was necessary. Mr. Brock said that the deed had not been fully executed, aud unless there was a prospect of its being given cfl'ect to, he would not advise his client to answer questions until he appeared before the Court, as his doing so would only be a waste of time, and might place him in an unfair position. Mr. Hesketh considered that a bankrupt should answer the questions of his creditors unconditionally, and that he might as well say to his Honor Sir George Arney, I will not answer questions until you have given me a certificate of discharge, as to decline to respond to the enquiries of creditors unless the deed of release was completed. The position assumed by the bankrupt he considered was a very unusual one. Mr. Brock replied that there had already been a meeting of creditors, at which the bankrupt, who desired to conceal nothing, but rather to assist, had answered questions freely, and had given all the information in his power. The question whether reporters should be admitted or not was put, anil their exclusion was carried by four to three, tine of the expelled reporters, however, afterwards attended as representing a claim against the bankrupt's estate. A number of question ; were put to the bankrupt, which were frankly answered. He did not commit himself in any way. The answers were not important, even to the creditors, and certainly did in it disclose any fraudulent proceedings, or any attempt at them ou the part of the bankrupt. The meeting closed with the understanding that he should prepare for his creditors a statement of his losses from bad debts and other causes, and place before them as clearly as possible the circumstances eounected with his bankruptcy. To this the bankrupt and his solicitor readily assented.

The grand concert of tlio Choral Society, in aid of the funds of the Young Men's Christian Association, will take place this evening in the Choral lla.ll, S;, monds-sti-eet. The programme is a varied and attractive one. Miss Christian and Mrs. Smythe have kindly consented to assist on the occasion. The Choral Society have in the handsomest manner come forward in aid of the Association, in its eil'ort to grapple with the financial burdens which have for many years pressed heavily upon it ; and we liave 110 doubt the result to-night will be a bumper audience and a substantial addition to the funds of the institution. The concert i 3 under the patronage of his Honor the Superintendent and his Worship the Mayor. The first anniversary of the Hiverhead Good Templar Lodge was celebrated on Tuesday evening, at Mr. Lamb's mill, by a soiree. There was a large gathering of members of tile order and their friends. After the disposal of the tea, a meeting was held. Brother Kenton, W.C., occupied the chair. The report was of a satisfactory nature, over "►0 persons having been initiated during the past year. Messrs. J. Lamb, J. Welsh, jun., and others, addressed the meeting, the pleasure of the evening being enhanced by the rendering of choice vocal music by the choir, assisted by Miss E. Lamb and Mr. liussell. The remains of an old and much-respected colonist, the late Mr. John Anderson Giltillan, were followed to their last restingplace yesterday afternoon by his Honor the Su >erintendcrt, J. Williamson, Esq., the members of the Provincial Executive, Mr. J. C. I*'irth. and a considerable number of the professional gentlemen and leading citizens of Auckland. The burial service was conducted by-the liev. Mr. Dudley, Incumbent of St. Sepulchre's. The family of the deceased have the heartfelt sympathy of many who knew and esteemed the one they now mourn, and not a few are participators in their grief. There was another good house at the Prince of Wales last night. Some of the sleight-of-hand tricks of Professor Jacobs were very cleverly performed, especially so "the fortunes and misfortunes of a handkerchief,'' which was manipulated in a most extraordinary manner and with much cleverness. All the Professor's tricks are very cleverly performed. The Girards threw their legs about as only they can do. Maggie Knight danced very nicely, and the ventriloquism of Professor Jacobs was as amusing as ever. Altogether, the entertainment it a very pleasant one. " Knocker" has discovered a new sensation in Wellington. The Chamber of Coinhas been re-established in the Empire City, and we have been informed of the fact no less than half-a-dozen times in as many consecutive telegrams. We shall be glad when the Agency a«aliens to the fact that this "-us has been worked out. Anything or nothing for a change would be agreeable at present. Our Thames correspondent supplies us by wire with the report of a row between the natives ami the miners, relative to a piece f ground disposed of u la Maori custom — twice over. The row does not appear to have ended altogether amicably, but tie miners took occasion to acquaint thc.r dusky brethren with the fact that they weie ai'iiled and ready for any emergency. We observe by advices per last mail that leather shipped by Messrs. I>. Gittos aril Sou to ixmdon per Hylton Castle, which li t here in August last, was sold by auctii n there at 14jd per lb. This was the highest price obtained at the sales ; and the qualify of the tannage was highly commended. These facts speak well for our local industries. The condition of afl'airs in Xew York and the Eastern States generally is frightful. It is said that at least ten thousand men and women are out of employment in the ei:v named, and whole families are "without tae necessaries of life. Hundreds gathered at the Guilds'doors daily clamouring lor food, and the treasury, even to its reserve fund, is exhausted. The Melbourne Ifvrnhl learns that Signor Orlandini, the splendid baritone of "he Agatha States troupe, is reported to have gone mad in San Francisco The death of his wife, Madame States, to whom he had been married after a divorce from her former husband, William States, who had drank himself into insanity, is stated to be the cause. The hiomjahua Herald and the Charleston Iferald (Nelson South-west Gold(ields), are both of opinion that too many public-houses are licensed on our South-west Goldlields, and " that it would be a gain';to the community, and certainly to the publicans, if the licenses of nearly one-half of the houses now open throughout the district were withdrawn as the licences expire." The new Union Bank of Australia building at Wellington is to cost £4,550, and the ttyle "is to be Grecian of the Doric order."

We published recently a warning from a London mfedical journal against the incautious use o hydrate of chloral. An example o£ the dangerous character of the drag is given ill Public Opinion of 21 : " The evidence giveD before a recent inquest at Manchester deserves attention, as proving the great danger attending the use of certain i drugs that have come into fashion during late years. A man named Alfred Holme, being troubled with some sort of nervous headache, was recommended by a friend to try hydrate of chloral as a remedy. Following th'S foolish advice, he sent for a Goz. bottle o! the compound on Monday, and within 24 hours he was found dead. According to the m:dical evidence, the man's death was syncope curdi >•, produced by the action of the hydrate on a weak heart. The doctor who gave this testimony a!so stated that hydrate of chloral is very little understood even by med'eal men, he himself being ignorant as to whether its effects are cumulative. This allegation of general want of knowledge regarding the power of the medicine was corroborated l>y the ehemist who sold the dose to the dead man. Yet, although it was his opinion that the hydrate of chloral ought not to be given except under medical advice, he appears to have made little inquiry when making up the prescription brought to him by Holme's daughter, a little girl about eight years of age. As the bottle contained tioz., while the label directed a tablespoonful to be taken every two hours, the unfortunate man was virtually instructed I that he might with safety drink within every I 24 hours what was almost certain to kill any one with a weak heart. The sad results following tne use of the medicine in this case will, it is to be liopef, render hydrate of chloral and similar strong physic less fashionable. Unless perfectly acquainted I with their constitutions, people who fly to these iciuedies fur relief may inadvertently I be running the risk of death. "

The Melbourne ii'tcll;/ Time* is rather warm upon the subject of the Gladstone controversy, and concludes an article upon the subject with the following remarks :— "After fondling and coquetting with the Church of Rome for years, the ex-Premier suddenly turns round, aiul comes out as the self-appointed champion of supreme Protestantism. He thought that making concessions to Koman Catholics would keep him in otiice, and having found that that was a mi; take, he 'jumps' on them with the idea that the action will help him back to power. The consequences of his proceedings do not appear to have been considered, or if they were, they did not trouble him, and yet they were of the most momentous nature. He has wantonly raised a ruction for which there was not the slightest necessity, and it was a public iniquity to set Her Majesty's subjects by the cars over a matter about which no one was concerned. If any occasion had arisen to doubt the loyalty of the Koman Catholics, it would have been then time enough to make them take sides as between the l'ope and the Queen. They have been satisfied to let the question rest in abeyance, at least so far as the public is concerned, and if there was even a private understanding that the head of their Church was their chief authority, such a tacit recognition was perfectly harmless. The liistory o? Great Britain has proved that whenever matters came to a crisis there are no more loyal subjects than the Koman Catholics, and while their actions proclaimed ' God save the Queen,' it mattered nothing that their theories were in favour of the Pope's supremacy."

The following is from the Washinytwi Republican:—"One of the most mysterious problems now puzzling certain ollicials of the district of Columbia is that of ' Little Ivat}-.' Eight years ago, one cold October afternoon, a little barefooted* hungry girl walking Pennsylvania-avenue, soliciting alms. She was bright, winsome, and appealed to strangers' hearts with something more than the mere insignia of charity. A gentlemen met her. She modestly extended her palm to him. He made no response. Xiiere was something in tli> :!d's look which rivettcd him to the iio stood as one translixed, and gazed with deep earnestness into her face. There was a look that reminded him of one very dear, ' llesh of his tlesh, and hone of his bone.' He simply asked her for her name, and she replied * Katy,' and without another word he measuredly"walked down the street, tilled with thoughts of an empty cradle at home, murmuring to himself the words of the song £ Katy s Come/ The mournful refrain of the song had hardly perished with the setting rays of the sun when he paused before the registrar's ofliee of the district. Entering it, he deposited I OOdol. worth ot ashiugton Corporation stock, with the single remark, ' In trust for Little Katy.' This was on the 4ch of October, ISUG. The stock was then worth GGSdol. The interest 011 it up to this time (October 1, 1574) is 400dol. The entire sum, ],063d0]., sti J remains on the registrar's books in favour of ' Little Katv.' The gentleman's name who deposited it no one knows. Who ' Little Katy' is 110 one knows; but the fact is still a'.ive. Who will unravel the mystery, and w hat Kate will get the money

The CulonUt says :—The Victorian members of Parliament receive £31 >0 a-year, and tho.se of New Zealand £157 10s per session. .Since the honorarium in Victoria lias been lixed at the amount named, a poorer but much alilcr class of representatives has been the result, and the people generally acknowledge this. Everybody in Xeff Zealand knows that in our Parliament there are many useless and brainless men, and it is the duty of the people to get rid of jhese at the earliest opportunity, and substitute others whom they think will be more desirous of promoting the welfare of the ecuntry. We have all deard the story of one of the hon. members who, during the whole of the session of 1573, only brought forward one motion, and when the time for its consideration arrived, he was absent from the House playing billiards, ami consequently it was thrown on one side. We do not pay our representatives in order that they may be provided with money to play billiards when they .should be attending to their duties, and it is such men who should be got rid of as speedily f.s possible. Another instance is atlorded by a contemporary of the fact that greatness has its penalties.—"Messrs. ! K la Uue will (say» the Athvifi'um) issue this season a pack of novel playing-cards, in which, whilst historical personages of the present time are introducid as tile honours, the traditional nuainliie's of the old playing-cards is preserved, so that the card-player'£ attention is li''t disturbed.'' We could imagine the feelings of some eminent divine, possessing a. horror of cards, upon iirst learning that his portrait was doing duty as a "knave'' throughout a considerable portion of the civilised world. It is understood, says the Lyltelton Times, that Tainhouriiii will not attend the Duuediu Autumn Meeting, lie is handicapped in the cup race at !>st. 7 His., and his performances at Wellington having had the ell'eet of imposing an additional 71hs. upon him, his owner intends visiting the West Coast, instead of going South. Lieutenant Darwin, of the Royal Engineers, a son of the celebrated Dr. Darwin, is on a visit to Wellington. The Ball given by the Thames folks to the Colonial Representatives will take place on Monday next, at the Academy of Music, Graliamstown. Forfeited shares in the Otttgo Gold Mining Company will be sold on Monday next, unless the calls and expenses are previously paid. The City Council give notice of the intention to tix the levels of kelson-street between Victoria and Wyndliam-streets. Messrs. Clarkson and Co. have been r,ppointed sub-agents for the sale of Singer's sewing machines. The annual meeting of the Auckland Dispensary will be held in the Mechanics' Institute, at 4.30 p.m. to-day. The annual meeting of the Northern < lub will be held at 4.30 p.m. to-day.