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New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 4230, 4 June 1875, Page 2

The s.s. Tararua arrived at the Bluff last evening, bringing the Suez mail and later English and Australian news, which will be foand in our telegraphic columns.

English history ha 3 been enriched with another sign-post. By cablegram we learn that Galopm, belonging to Prince Batthyany, has won the Derby of 1875. This famous race, popular alike with all classes of society in the old country, was run on Wednesday, the 26th May last—just eight days ago. We are not in a position at this moment to say how many norses faced the starter, or to give any gTaphic description of the race, but are assured that the blue ribbon of the turf was carried off by Galopin, whose betting stood by latest, mall news at 7to 1. Captain Machell's Claremont was second, the betting with him being 12 to 1 j and Lord Falmouth's colt by Maccaroni out of Repentance was third, the betting against the colt being 33 to 1. Camballo and Garterly Bell were reckoned the favourites, but Galopin was also a promising candidate, and met with substantial support. With regard to Claremont, this horse was the sensational yearling of the Srst sale at Cobham, when he was put up at a thousand guineas, and on Captain Machell simply adding " two," he was knocked down to the captain's plucky bid. He is by Blair Athol out of Caimbra, and has not previously repaid any of his purchase money. He ran second to Camballo at Stockbridne aud third to Balfe and Dreadnought at Newmarket. Lord Falmouth's colt, by Maccaroni, ran once last year, when he carried off the. Clear well Stakes, and gave promise of turning out the best of the noble owner's powerful team which were entered for the Derby. The ninety-sixth Derby Stakes has thus been taken by Prince Battliyany, perhaps one ol: the most honourable supporters of the English turf. It is a custom with many classes of society to date in the mind events and innumerable social memoranda by the name of the winner of this or that Derby. Thus with these people, the plain matter-of-fact old 1575 will be less potent as a record than " The year that Galopin won the Derby."

On Monday evening Sirs. Darrell will take a farewell benefit at the Prince of Wales Theatre, the selection being "Money." On this occasion Mr. and Mrs. Darrell will positively make their last appearance. Added to the high respect entertained for Mrs. Darrell, both in her professional capacity and in her private life, it may be said of that lady and her husband that they have been extremely hard-working on the stage, and have endeavoured to do justice to all they have undertaken, in which work they have been ably and willingly seconded by Miss Clara Stephenson and the- rest of the company. During the season, over fifty pieces have been placed upon the stage, including six from Mr. Darrell's own pen. But there are few unacquainted with stage business who can realise what fifty different plays mean in three months, nor the amount of work and anxiety entailed in their production, It can, however, be said of Mr. and Mrs. Darrell,— and with them we of course include the company geaerally,—that their work has been not only done conscientiously, but well. Of the dramas from Mr. Darrell's pen, it may be said that they afford evidence of considerable talent, which wants but a fieM for development.

"Under the Baa" and "The Four Fetes'"' are plays worthy of production on any stage; although the latter wc conceive to be r comedy exhibiting greater power than any of the writer's former attempts, and we shall not be at all surprised to hear of Mr. Darrell's name being added at an early date to the listofthose colonials who ha ve made f.irthemselves a name and a position in the larger threatrieal fitlds of America and England. U'e feel sure that Mr.-. Darrell will be accorded a bumper house on Monday evening, —she is, at least, thoroughly deserving of it.

It is a well-known fact amongst engineers that steam-gauges are oftimes unreliable through giving incorrect readings. As a proof of this, a test took place recently at ! Cardiff of sixty-four new steam-gauges. Only fifteeu of these were found to be right, while the remaining forty-nine- were out from seven pounds to hali-a-pound to the square inch. Persona employing steamengines are in the habit of relying upon the accuracy of their steam-gauges, and it is therefore very essential that these should be rendered as correct as possible. After tke late boiler explosion in Upper Queen-street the owner of the boiler declared that the engiue was working at a pleasure of 45 lbs. a few minutes before the accident, while it was clearly shewn by practical men that the boiler could not have exploded under a pressure of at least 100 lbs., thu* shewing that the steam-gauge must have been faulty. Mr. G. W. Heslop, the engineer, of Short-laud-street, has lately given the subject much attention, and has just completed at great trouble and expense an instrument for thoroughly and efficiently testing steam-gau-es, with a view to adjust, repair, and re mark them when rendered necessary. He has issued a notice to this eSect in another column, and users of steam power would do well to avail themselves of his important services. The apparatus just constructed is stated to be the only instrument in the colony for testing steam-gauges.

"Beneath the Wheels" was repeated to a fair house last evening at the Prince of Wales Theatre. To-night "The Streets of New York " will be repeated, and is quite good enough to merit a large house. It is well acted, and well placed upon the stage. Oil Saturday night, by way of a novelty, the management intend to produce a play which enjoyed, perhaps, the greatest notoriety of anything ever placed upon the stage of London, —"Jack Sheppard." For over 400 nights this piece was played at the Lyceum, Mrs. Keeley being the great exponent of Jack, and Paul Bedford of Bluenose. In London it has recently been re-produced under the title of "Old London Bridge," but why the management here should resort to a name entirely out of keeping with the plot and strange to the ears of a colonial audience, we are unaware. As a depiction of life in the days when Jack Sheppard was the hero of his class, the piece vrill at least be a novelty to not a few, and will serve to bring back to many others the memory of their early " theatre-going" days. On this occasion it is intended to be essentially a managsr's piece—it is to supply a novelty, and as novelty is what the public appear to appreciate, they would certainly go a long way before they would meet with a theatrical novelty greater than "Jack Shepperd" in these days.

His Honor Mr. Justice Gillies sat in banco yesterday, and gave judgment in the case of the Cross v. the Dedwood-cum-Ponsonby Trustees. The particulars of this judgment will be found iu another column. His Honor reduced the whole ease to s technical blunder in a Provincial Act, and refused to mulct the Cross in costs, because they were the victims of the blunder. His Honor was occupied the whole of the afternoon with bankruptcy cases, and disposed of a large amount of business. The case of George Thorne, jun., was adjourned to Friday (this dav), and theca3e of Webb to Tuesday next. The proceedings will be found reported in another column.

On Tuesday, the Sth instant, Mr. .C. Dennea will give his second lime light entertainment in aid of tk'j funds of All Saints' and Baptist Sunday-schools, at Ponsonby Hall, when he will exhibit a series ot beautiful photographic views illustrating a tour through America ; also, c. series of y of Scotch scenery. The exm'uiiion will be enlivened by pianoforte accompaniments, anil by a selection of in which the choir will assist. The musical portion 01 the entertainment will be under the direction Oi Mr. Kees.

A meeting of the Hoard of Education was hold yesterday afternoon. A very large amount of ordinary business was transacted, and several matters were adjourned. A.report of the meeting appears 111 another column.

It can, at least, besaid that in the multitude of our -New Zealand J. P. ships teemly scenes ana displays of personalities and crass ignorance arelnot to be recorded against them. On "the other side" i? would appear to be a common occurrence. Here is a sample supplied by a Melbourne contemporary :-Judging from some r,™ ceedings reported in the last issue of the Jamieson Chronicle, country magistrates nrT fer the study of Gilbert a'Beckett's rv J-' Black,-ton* to that of Archbold's " H e P f' e - . Jericho Police Court, o"a the oth instant, a man named O'Keefe is reported as having moned for selling grog without a The complainant stated that he "shout r> some brandy for his mate, that thev thpn called in a mend who also shouted sime more brandy, with which they w t re by the defendant Other end™" PP w received corroborative of this s»-,t-. mi . and after hearing the case, the Wii-' magistrate gave the following dinary decision " Well, as = [ am ; acquainted with any Act of tliu Le-isla" ture which prohibits a man from 'shout ing'—for by that 1 take you ti> mean that you called out at the top of vour voice I must dismiss the case." JJTow.'ir justice was intended to be administered, this is very like a failure; and if it was meant for a », L d'.sprit, we may say with Sir Frederick. Blount, "Vewy poor wit—vewy ! • In the same number of the Jamieson there appears a report of what took phce ou the day following at the Woods Point P O W Court, when, we are told, the justices "w re at loggerheads," as usual. A small-debt case was being heard before Mr. P.M., Dr. and llr. Vincent. The' only witness who could give Material evi dence was Dr. >ash, and he volunteered to make a statement from his seat on the Bench. Mr. Ogier commented on the impropriety of such a step, and the following colloquy ensuedi) r . X. . L knou . ho | to conduct mysel! on the Bench better than Mr. Ogier does Mr. O : I will not sit on this isench and hear such remarks. Dr >T - Then leave it, we can do very well without you. Mr. O. : Case adjournal for fire weeks. Dr. X. : Wbat, adjourn a case without consulting on either your ri"ht or left ? Mr. O. (to Mr. Vincent) : Are von agreeable ? Mr. V. : Oh, yes. Dr. X. : Depend upon it your rudeness will not avail you much with me. Mr. O. : I meant to be most polite. Dr. X. : Strange politeness, which no one can see but yourself/' Such unseemly proceedings as these enly serve to bring the administration of justice into contempt, while they also tend to shew how little discrimination is soiretim-s exercised by the law officers of the Crown in this colony in the selection of persons to act as

A " Country Settler" writes :—Sir, —ln your leading article of Thurday's date, a.? also at the public meeting held it Utahuhu, in reference to the railway charges, I do not observe that any reference is madu to the convenience it would be to passengers to and from the more distant stations, suchasDrury, Pukekohe, and Mercer, if return tickets weremade available for the day following tli3t on which they were issued. As it is at present, there is practically almost no such thing aa a long-journey return ticket —by the afternoon train, actually none, while even by the morning train it is very difficult for persons coming from a distance (who, from the very fact of their coming from a distance, haye generally a good deal of business to do) to get their business done :.n time to return by the afternoon train. The few hours between the two trains soon pass by, while country people are not so accustomed to make the most of minutes as townspeople are, nor are they so well acquainted with where to go, and how to obtain the various objects of their requirements. To lay out a few pounds economically and to the best advantage always requires a little time, which is jusfc what the present arrangement of the railway fares does not allow of. It may be said that return tickets are not generally available on the following day," even on the home railways, but circumstances are so very differeut there in almost every particular that it is not necessary for us slavishly to imitate the home practice. All that should be necessary is to establish a clear case that such a course would be beneficial to the funds of the railway and to the pockets of the public to ensure its being adopted.

The Paris correspondent of the London Quten remarks : —There is always a mania going on for collecting something or other in Paris, and the mania at present is furniture. A taste for furnishing and for decorating reception rooms and boudoirs -with objects of art is quite as developed in France as the love of the toilet; in fact of late it has broken bounds, and has becomo rampant. Our ek'jantta and our best-bred women are to be seen consulting; their upholsterers with as much anxiety as their milliners, and our talons are being rapidly converted into museums. Aristocratic reception rooms are now filled with cabinets of rare China, old Sevres, Japanese enamels, white marble busts, and jardinieres of costly old China, tilled with exquisite flowers. The noTelty at the present time consists in the total absence of uniform furniture. In their stead we have a variety of fancy chairs of every conceivable shape, and the silks and satins with which they are upholstered are those usually manipulated by a dressmaker rather than by a cabinetmaker. The most splendid Venetian brocades, copied from some fabric of the sixteenth century, and the richest Genoa velvet dresses are now purchased for chairs and sofas.

The marked and steady success of thy boarding-out system is a very encouraging fact (says the Melbourne Argus). At the close of last year there were no less than 730 children thus disposed of, and this number, it is well ascertained, may be considerably enlarged with perfect safety. Making due allowance for tbe inevitable element of " human nature," it is found that the foster-parents take a really conscientious, if not a quite parental, care of their little clients ; that the local ladies' committees maintain a kindly and watchful supervision over their welfare; that the neighbours around take an interest in them, and that, as they grow up, they mingle unnotedly with the general society around them, —which is the express result intended to be gained by the plan of boarding the children out. They are, in a word, restored to the State as effective units in the population.

We regret exceedingly to learn that Mis 3 Christian was last night so ill as to be compelled topostponeherconcert. We needed not (nor trill the public) the assurance of a medical certificate that it was from serious illness that Miss Christian could not fulfil her engagement; for, in addition to her illness and consequent disappointment, Miss Christian is a pecuniary sufferer, from the laet that she had made her arrangements to leave by the Hero for Melbourne, to-day, a step she will now be unable to take. e trust soon to hear of the lady's recovery ; and we think we can assure her that, whenever her concert may take place, the fact of her having had to delay it will not militate against the attendance. What sort of men are the larrikius of Sandhurst likely to turn out if they are allowed to persevere in their career of rowdiness and license ? The Advertiser states that, a icw evenings ago, Mundy-street was for hours the 3oene of their excesses, and that on Monday evening, "between the comparatively early hours of eight and nine, Wu-liamson-street, between Hargreaves-stree* and the Mall, was to such an extenin the hands of the roughs that no respectable man could with any degree of comtort traverse it, and unprotected females ran tac risk of being grossly insulted."

The Exchange Hotel, Queen-street, has chained hands, the business C , D . purchased by Captain Joseph Elhs, former > of the steamer Golden Crown, and af^erwa, i of the Prince Alfred, barqueutme. lie - ness of the hotel will henceforward be conducted by him. The house having bev thurousjhlv renovated and repaired, -aul, no doubt," under his management euutmne to receive the same support ' .Y;, " unuer the proprietorship Oi Mr. Owho has now become landlord o* the Hotel, Mechanics' Bay.

Recent public criticism on Wesleyan •Church government, says the Melbourne L'td'r, has had » most salutary effect upon the clerical Methodist mind. Tho charge i -ainst the conference was that it was confined exclusively to the ministerial representation, ami that the proceedings beinfj conVictid in secret conclave, placed tho laity in the position of being led blindly to accept tho principle of clerical infallibility; in other Wl , r ,ts, whatever the conference of ministers decided upon, the members of tho Church were to adopt unhesitatingly, and without discussion or protest. The Church government based upon so arbitrary a rule could not iK'ssibly be safe iu these days of general enlightenment, and it is creditable to the discernment of tho Methodist clergy that thev "nave hastened at the first alarm of danVer to put their religious house in order. At the meeting this week of the eonuectional committee of the conference, they have dc cidtd t" admit lay representation in equal proportion to the clerical, and to remove from tin'.i-vlves the stigma of being a secret Church enclave they have resolved to throw open their meetings to all members of the Wesk van denomination. These are liberal conce.-fions that must have tho ultimate effect of greatly strengthening Wesleyan Methodism. No doubt the lay representatives will tind some cobwebs to sweep away that may at first alarm the ministerial mind, but iu the end the alliance is bound to prove advantageous to the clergy, by the stronger interest that the lay element will manifest in the maintenance of an active Church organisation. A "Settler" makes the following remark upon the gum tax : —ln an article in the Weekly Herald of May 22nd, on the prop< sed tax on kauri gum. you fear the consequence to gum diners, by whom I snpposo you mean those men who have no settled home and no other employment. But there is a more temperate, if not a more industrious class, on whom it will press much more heavily ; that is, the pioneer settlers and their families. Within the range of my own observation, there are men who, after spenuing their little capital aud working hard for years, are still unable to obtain from their land the necessaries of life and have to fall back on kauri gum. Widows, by its aid, have been enabled to keep a homo for their children, free from the temptations of a large town, and without becoming a burden on charitable institutions. Parents who, from physical infirmity, are unable to work, are dependent on the exertions of children under 1j years of age in the gum field. And these aretbe people who will have to pay this tax, in addition to the household rate, when, by their position and circumstances, they aro debarred from receiving any benefit therefrom. Any person of common sense must know the producer will have to pay the tax. As you invited expressions of opinion on the subject, I ventured to send yon mine. •4/'ro:«:>.i of the recent appointment of a successor to the late Emperor of China the Syifiiitor says : " the law or custom of succession to the Chinese throne appears to be gradually becoming clear. Like everything else Chinese, it is quite unique, very odd, and not a little inconvenient. Iu the event of an Emperor dying childless, and without appointing a successor, the throne falls to the nearest male of the Imperial House young enough to have been the late monarch's son. The object of this strange proviso, which might keep up a succession of babies, is to avoid the anomaly of an emperor performing the ancestral services for a predecessor who could not have been his father. The Emperor cau nominate his successor, but his choice is limited to the reigning house, and by the same etiquette about age. The China correspondent of the Tints says the nomination is often forged, the forger supporting his nominee's claim by force, but he cannot introduce a name beyond the rules." The match between the Ponsonby and Grafton football clubs will take place in the Domain to-morrow (Saturday) afternoon ; — play to begin at half-past 2 o'clock sharp. The following players will represent their respective clubs :—Ponsi ibv : W. Jones, Harris, Wilson, J. Mackay, T. Mackay, Town-hend, Lewis, F. A. James, Sutton, lbbetson, O'Sullivan, Dignan, H. Dunnet, Barton. Grafton : Snodgrass (captain), Whewell, Beale, Rollasnn, Rose, Ridings, Moss, Garland, Castelli. Mcars, W. Mason, Ewen, White, Are-hard, Green. A match has been arranged between the Auckland and Ponsonby Clubs for Saturday, the 12th im-tant. Sjnie hordes have such brittle feet that it is dillicult to keep their shoes cu. This is often caused by a sudden change from excessive and long-continued wetness to ex. treu-e dryness. The best treatment is to rub the soies aud shells of the feet with a mixture composed of the following : —Tar, two parts ; beef suet, two parts ; whale oil, four parts ; beeswax and honey, one part each; melt over a slow lire, and mix wtlL A large photographic picture was taken yesterday by Mr. R. H. Bartlett, at the Junction Hotel, of a number of the sporting fraternity, including the brethren from the South, together with the winning horses and their jockeys at the late Autumn Meeting. The group taken consisted of nearly three hundred persons, who had ar.jcmbled for the purpose. The picture is a. good one, and will be on view in course of to-morrow. The Returning Officer, who failed to appear at the Police Court on Wednesday last, when a case in which he had laid the information was called on, appeared before the Bench yesterday, and was ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings. He explained that business had called him away from the | Court, and apologised feir his absence. i The Revision Court for the electoral district of Eden has been adjourned until tomorrow morning, at 11 o'clock.

Applications are required by the committee of the Auckland Dispensary for the post of medical oilicer to the dispensary. Dr. Kenderdine having resigned that position. A meeting of subscribers is also announced to take place at the Mechanics' Institute on the ISth instant. An extraordinary meeting, for the purpose of voluntarily winding up Nolan's Candlelight No. 1 G.M. Co., will be held at Mr. F. A. White's office, Sliortland-street, to-day, at 3 p.m. The quarterly meeting of the New Zealand Agricultural Society will be held tst the British Hotel, Queen-street, to-day, at 1 p.m. A notice appeal* elsewhere in reference to the increase of capita], by the lHSue of new ;shares, in the Tookey Quartz Mining Com.pany. Notice is gjventhat Frank Rowe, licensed ■carter, has disposed of hie business to Henry Elliott. Tenders arc required by Mcs-rs. R. Keak and Son, architects, for additions and alterations to the Cosmopolitan Hotel. A bankruptcy notice re Kdward Dixon, accountant, appears elsewhere. Tenders are required by the Provincial Secretary for leasing the Tokatea Tramway.