Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5372, 4 February 1879, Page 2

Government House is beginning to assume quite a respectable appearance. Painters have been busy on the enclosing rails for the last week, and the effect is quite cheering as compared with the whitey-brown colour of them some time since. We believe that the Government have given authority to expend £400 on the house and grounds. Is this in anticipation of tho arrival of Sir Hercules Robinson, the new Governor ? Whether or not, this renovation was much needed. The proceedings iu the Domain Board yesterday aro worthy of a more than passing share of attention. The question raised by the chairman was as to the claim of the Auckland cricketers to liberality at the hands of the City Council in the matter of

water supply, Tho pouts in dispute are very forcibly put by Mr. Alitford, and wo trust hid argument will have a good effect. Wo think, upou the (general question of the claim of the cricketers to generous consideration, there should ba no second opiuion whatever. The Chairman of the Domain Board made out a good ease for the cricketers. We shall wait to hear what the City Council have to say in reply. A meeting of tlio Council of the Acclimatisation Society was to have been held yesterday afternoon at two o'clock, but at that hour it was postponed until 4 o'clock. At four o'clock it was raiuing a good deal, and, whether from that or other causes, a sufficient number did not come forward to make a quorum, and the meeting lapsed. An election is to bo held on the 7th March to All vacancies in the Education Bard caused by the resignation of Colonel Haultain, Mr. D. M. Luckie, and Mr. G. M, O Korke, M. H. R. The following gentlemen are candidates for the office : James McCosh Clark, Francis Richard Claude, Theodore Minet Haultain,- Frederick Lirkins, James Mar.'hill Lennox, and Thomas Peacock. We are informed that tlio protest in the mile race run in the Domain on Regatta Day has boen considered, and it has been resolved to run it over again.- The race is expected to come off on next Saturday week. A lady coming up Constitution Hill yesterday evening, to attend Miss Sherwin's concert, stepped into a hole in the very centro of the roadway. It is certainly a very dangerous place. A stick put into the hole may bo pushed down more than 18 inches through soft mud. Not to mention the disagreeableneas of adhesive mud, and the defilement of whito stockings, any person stopping into this hole might dislocate a joint or break a I eg, and then an action for damages would be brought against the City Council. J

Tenders wore opened yesterday at Mr. Hammond's office for the erection of a villa on the Improvement Commissioners' lands viz.:—A. Stevenson, £550; W. Hewson' £556; J. Graham, £567; T. N Horsley £597; S. Jameson, £700; W. Davidson £705. Mr. A. Stevenson's tender was accepted.

Tha arresta made laafc evening were one on a charge of vagrancy and two for drunkenness, and the inmates of the police colls received no addition up to a late hour last sight.

A somewhat ludicrous adventure happened to a gentleman on his way home through Parnell on Sunday night. He observed some men sitting in the water channel, opposite Oaptam Brackenbury's house. They were silent, and seemed desirous to avoid observa„oD', f\ s gentleman was approaching Brookside gate, one of them got on his legs and made a rush half-way across the roar),' and then stood still. It was rather dark The man made another half rush, and as the gentleman could not see the face of the mover, he began to think of the "stickinsup days and nights of the early days, of highwaymen, thieves, robbsry, and Violence. The cause of his trepidation again stood still, and the gentleman walked on with as much complacency as a man shewing his back to danger can command. The next thing he heard was a singular gurgliua noise. He turned en garde. 0e then saw the figure of a man before him, and a broad set of white teeth, from which the following words escaped in jerks: "Gee's a match." Che white teeth were set in the dark face, and-the words issued from the hollow throat of a South Sea Islander, who wanted a smoke. His wants, and the wants in like particular of his companions, were supplied. They greatly enjoyel the momentary terror they occasioned.

We may remind those interested that the settling-up for the Papakura annual races will take place at the Papakura Hotel this evening. This is only for the payment of stakes,—of course bets have been settled before this time.

"An Aucklander" continues his "Jottings by the Way," of which we give the concluding passage : —" A rapid journey by rail (the first part by night), followed by immediate embarkation for Europe, gave but little opportunity for close observation of the couutry between Buffalo or New York, or of the latter city. The scenery, though pleasant, wis not remarkable after that already passed—hilly, with stretches of alternate farm and -woodland, and now apt then a formal-looking little town, the architecture of which was not always an enhancement of the scenery. 'There was an absence, however, of the soul-depressing grimness which some London-bound passengers, via Liverpool, recalled as such an unpleasant feature of that route. New York, without doubt, monopolises the lion's share of grandeur and good taste. Had no more than a passing glimpse of its fashionable attractions, as time pressed. I must pay a passing tribute to its magnificent wharves and admirable arrangements for the reception and comfort of passengers, which were as much Buperior to my outwardbound experiences of Plymouth, as ths good ship City of Richmond and her gentlemanly officers were to the "hooker," or Plimsoll'a pets, to whose tender mercies I on that occasion consigned myself. Had an exceptionally good passage, ami quite a collection of notables on board. Amongst these were Governor Hoffman (who was such a subject of controversy some time ago), and who was followed down New York harbour by a steamer filled with friends, musical. and uproarious ; Theodore Tilton and one of the Russian agents at New York were also on board. Second day out a young Japanese detailed in good English the attempts made by Tiffany to get at some of the manufacturing secrets of his countrymen. The Russian was a painfully mysterious personage to some of the ladies, but while conversing fluently in every civilised tongue spoken amongst us, he managed with the dexterity of his race to evade all inconvenient curiosity. He was a truly gentlemanly fellow, and from his conversation appeared to have been as great a traveller himself as Stanley or Livingstone, and he beguiled the evening and midnight hoars with many a pleasant narrative of travel and adventure. So thus we fared until in due time we reached Liverpool, where we were soon engaged in a more thoroughly British discussion with our natural antagonists of the Custom-house aud the 'cab-rank.' " The auniial meeting of the Onehunga Benevolent Society was held on Friday evening,—Captain Symoncls in the chair. The Kev. A. K. Tomlinson, treasurer, read the report. The committee had met monthly; live cases wero on the list at tlie beginning of the year, there wero now ten. Twenty cases had been relieved during the year ; less relief had been required than usual. The receipts consisted of £12 15s from a concert, £39 contributions, and £15 from Indian Famine Relief Fund. About £47 had been expended in relief, leaving £14 in hand. The Lady-President and other officers were re elected for the ensuing year. The Ven. R. J. Thorpe preached on Sunday, January 26, at Wellington, on the education question, and in concluding his discourse said:—"Possibly some such proposition as that half a day in the week be set apart for religious teaching by the ministers of the respective Churches or their agents, might be accepted even by the Roman Catholic Church, failing theirefforts to obtain a denominational system. Nor can such a proposition he fairly objected to by the secularists ; for while a fair field is offere i' to all religious bodies, the State still keeps the control; the master or mistress is not necessarily the teacher, and a conscience clause would meet the caso of the Jew, infidel, or Mohammedan. I for one am too loyal to the State to think lightly of hampering its action ; but it does seem that now is tho time for entreating that a great hope shall not be disappointed, and for reminding, in all humility, those upon whom the responsibility of the matter rests that they arc legislating for a Christian people. We are drifting into a most uu-Christian position; let us not wait till we reap the consequences of such a course before we make au honest and statesmanliko effort to grapple with the difficulty, and to provide, so far as we can, that the nation wo hope ta create shall be a happy and virtuous people."

The New Zealander draws a parallel between the assaults made 011 Sir George Grey, wlieu Captain Grey, duriug the tiuie of his first Governorship, aud the attacks now made upon him. From the pages of a newspaper then published at Wellington, it quotes a vehement defence of Captain Grey, which was written by Dr. Pollen.

The abstracts of accounts of the New Plymouth Savings Bank for the year 1573 are published in the A r ew Zealand Gazette ot the 23rd ult. The receipts during the year from all sources were £4814 12's 2d. The assets are set down at £3502 14s 9d, and the proHt and loss upon the year's transaction at £938 14s Id. The amount duo to depisitors was £2436 9s lid, and the amount of interest added during the year was £127 10s 9d. The particulars of tu© Savings Bauk at JJokifcika are published in the same Gazette. The total amount of tho transaction for IS7S was £11 9G7 2s Id.

Auckland Lunatic Asylum and Old llos-'.'i-n Auxillar y for the week ending Feb. 1, IS/9 Remaining last week, 195 ; discharged since, 1 ; died since, 1. Remaining : males, 134 ; females, 59. Total, 193.

The following is the state of Her Majesty's Gaol, Auckland, for the week ending Feb. ~'• Oil remand, 3 males; awaiting trial, A miles; sentenced to penal servitude, z4 males ; sentenced to hard labour, 90 males, 29 females ; sentenced to imprisonment, 2 males ; default of bail, 2 males ; Received during the week, 18 males, 7 females. Discharged, 13 males, 4 females, lotal in <mol, 124 males, 20 females.

Tho wife of Mr. Pope Hennessy, the Governor of Hongkong, draws the line of social distinction at merchants aud traders, and consequently refused them the entree within the Charmed circle of Government House. If this exclusive system be insisted upon in fayduey the colonial soft-goods magnates will soon be up in arms. They might excuse Mr. Hennessy exhibiting signs even of lax Conservatism, but that they should be deemed pariahs of society by Mrs. Hennessy —never. The sins of tho wife will bo visited upon tho husband, and he will be made to feel (fie malignity of that party who, by repeated practice, have become adepts in the art of torturing Governors.—"Atticus," in tho Melbourne Leader.

The Taranaki 2fcws says:—"Our shipping intelligence reveals the fact that the trade of the Port of Waitara i 3 rapidly increasing. There are now five vessels in iho river, and seven expected. The brigantine fair Isaac Newton, from Sydney, laden with 160 tons of coal, and 10 tons of bone-dust and drawing 9 feet 7 inches, crossed the baron the 10th, and is now discharging."

" Atticus," in the Melbourne Leader, writes : —The Hebraic money-lender is popul | larly supposed to stand upon the " forfeit of his bond" as implacably as Shylock did. Hardup, of the Sealingwax Office, who has conducted financial operations with both Jew and Christian, denies the correctness of the theory. Someone was running down the rapaoity and harshness of Jewish discounters in his presence the other day. " Don't believe a word of it," replied he ■ "I'm just now in the hands of a Presbyterian minister, and I find him a harder nnt to orack than any Jew moneylender I erer dealt with."

I The Melbourne Lead^ r » * n a recent issue, thus refers to the relation.* between landlord and tenaut in Britain, the probable I changes in tho early future" The price of land is maintained at a high rate through the anxiety manifested by parvenus to acquire a position, and when farmers complain of the-ir burden of rent, they are told that it isf really a small per-centage on the value of land. But there is no necessary connection between the price of land and the ability to pay rent, which depends not on the value of the soil, but on the market price of its products. The system cannot be much longer maintained, because the relations between landlord and tenant are already strained almost to the point of rupture* There must be legislation on the question before long, and probably the first step will be to make the operation of the Permissive Act respecting improvements obligatory, and to visit with punishment any attempt to evade its provisions. Of course there will be a great deal of outcry against interference with liberty of contract, just as there was ao outcry against interfe*ence with property when slavery was abolished. But the conversion of the Permissive Act from a mockery into a reality will have to be regarded as a mere step towards the establishment of absolute tenantright in England, as well as in Ireland. The small end of tho wedge is already introduced, it 3 own weight will carry it onward nntil the time comes for driving it home. Then, and not till then, will agriculture nourish in England."

A Volunteer Company ia to be formed at Ohinemuri.

It would be refreshing to have a translation of the History of Europe & la Russe. The following is a version of the Crimean War taken from a leading Moscow newspaper : " Have the bloated shopkeepers of the Worth Sea Sand Bank forgotten the time when Russian sea:heroes drove their porter-drinking Admiral 'Charley' from the impregnate shores of the fort-girt Cronstadt ? Have the purse'proud aristocracy of the foggy, smoky London metropolis forgotten the day when the serried ranks of Russian steel swept down the slopes of Alma and Inkermann, and carried mourning into half '.he houses of England ? The war of 1854 was glory to Russia and shameto Europe. It took three nations to seize Sebastopol—-a gain of a loss—for they lost more men then we had in all our army.g Russia has doubled, nay, trebled her strength since then ; while the effeminate nations of Western Europe have sunk and decayed. Russia defied three nations in 1854 she could defeat six nations in 1878."

A meeting of the Auckland Teachers' Association will be held, on Saturday afternoon, in the achool-room, "Wellesley-street.

t i 5 dividend of 10s per share in the Bay of Islands Coal Company is now payable at the company s office, Insurance Buildings.

To-morrow evening an entertainment will be given in the Lome-street Hall by Mr. P. Doran's Minstrel Company, for the joint benefit of the widows Moller and Aley. The entertainment is be under the patronage of the G.M. and officers of the Auckland district 1.0.0. F., M.U.