Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5494, 26 June 1879, Page 4

From our Wellington telegrams we note that the Government are about to adopt a coarse with regard to the clearing of coastal steamers, &c, which will prove a great convenience to the masters, and also facilitate the despatch o£ these vessels. Wo infer, from the context of the message, that a clearance given at Dunedin to a steamer that is running to Auckland, as the Union steamers do, via intermediate ports, will be enabled to make the trip without having to enter or clear at each of the porta, but are bound to make the entries at the end of the month, as in the case of the numerous cargoboats is done here. Whether this plan will work satisfactorily remains to be seen, bat a period of three months has been granted to try the scheme. The preparations for the citizens' ball this evening, in honour of Sir Herculea and the Hon. Lady Robinson, are on a most extensive, and even a splendid scale, a3 compared with previous demonstrations of the kind. The decorations of the Choral Hall are most elaborate. The floral decorations have been entrusted to Mr. James Mason, of Pavnell. ETery carriage in the town is engaged. There ia no doubt the assemblage will be the largest ever known in Auckland upon a similar occasion. The stewards have made a request that an early attendance will be giveo, the object being to receive His Excellency, Lady Robinson, and family, upon their arrival at the hall. A reception by a large and brilliant assembly at the moment of arrival could not fail to be regarded, as it would be, in fact, a manifestation on the part of the "citizens," who give the ball. The ball will commence at half-past 8 o'clock. Wβ are sorry to hear of the serious illness of the Rev. George Brown, the pioneer of the New Britain Mission. He is now in Sydney suffering from an attack of the fever so prevalent in the group of islands where he has been labouring. His children, we are informed, have been sent for from Auckland. Mrs. Brown is still on the mission field. The Supreme Court was yesterday occupied with an argument upon demurrer, which raised a very nice point. The late Robert Craw, of the firm of Craw and Knight, asphalters, left to his widow the whole of j his personal property, and to hie son his partnership share with the obligation to pay the widow £3 a week. But the son disclaimed and renounced the legacy to him "in favour of his mother." The widow brings the action against thesurviving partner for an account. She claims under the " renunciation in her favour" by the son. But the learned counsel for the defendant (Mr. Tyler) argued that the effect of a disclaimer aud renunciation was not to give to another the thing referred to. That the effect in the present cise was to put the partnership interest into the personalty ; and, therefore, only the executors, and not the plaintiff, could bring the action. His Honor took time to consider his judgment. In Binkruptoy: James Berghau, late store-keeper (Kaipara district), received his discharge. A rather peculiar occurrence took place a few days ago on the Waikato railway. Messrs. Motrin had shipped some 40 head of cattle to Auckland from the Waikato. To the surprise ef those in* charge it was discovered, when near Tuakau station, that the door of one of the vans, containing eight cattle, had become open by some means, and a further search shewed that its late occu pant had jumped out while the train was in motion. Some of them were afterwards found near the line, maimed and injured, but others are missing. It is not known how the door of the cattle-van became opened, but no doubt the question of responsibility will bo fixed when the matter is inquired into and the missing cattle discovered. From a Ngapuhi chief, who assumes to speak on behalf of his people, we have received a document, of which the following is a translation :—"This is an utterance respecting a certain man whoso name is Sydney Taiwhanga, to acquaint the great personages among tho Europeans, and tho .Europeans generally who are residing in Auckland. That man is like unto the smallest of the Maori birds, the name of which is the tiariraka (fantail fly-catcher), and its song is, tit! tit! When at work, its plumage is displayed, stretching farth its wings and fanning with the feathers of its tail, and the balls of its eyes are distendfd beyond their civities, its motive being to move the leaves of the great forest trees, so that the gnats may fly forth to be caught and oaten. Dβ not suppose that the Ngapuhis regard the sentiments of that boastful person. Not at a'l. He is th:! author o? his humbugging nr.ictioi'S."

Nearly £1000 was spent in strengthening the Beeohworth gaol daring the Kelly scare, A private telegram received in Melbourne intimates that there is a strong upward tendency in the cotton market. Thf leading manufacturers, including Horrocks's, have advanced their prices one farthing all round. The following paragraph occurs in the Nen Zealand letter of the Insurance anc Banking R'.cord for Jane : — The Fire In surance Companies have been veryheavilj hit during tbe past four months, not less than £150,000 having been lost by then during that time, and all offices now 100 l very narrowly at any new risks offered Doubtless, heavy losses have been the causi of the collapse of the Hawke's Bay Insurance Company, and the contemplated retirement of one or two English offices is rumoured the alleged causes being heavy losses anc low rates. Were, in fact, fires to continuf at the same ratio for a few months more, ai in the past four months, we should probably have some practical experience of the surviva of the fittest of Darwinian celebrity. The Chairman of the Auckland Harbou Board, by an advertisement which appear in another column, draws the attention o masters and owners of vessels, and others to various clauses of the by-law of the Boarc which will come into operation on the Iβ j.oximo. Copies of the by-law may be ob tained upon application at the office of thi Board. Persons interested will do well t< make themselves thoroughly acquainted with the provisions of the by-law. On Friday evening, tbe captain and officer* of H.M.s. Emerald will give a ball at th< North Shore, in the Naval Depot. The bal will be a large and fashionable one. His Excellency the Governor and the Hon. Lad 3 Robinson and suite will grace the ball with their presence. The captain has issued a large number of invitations, and already s great many citizens have sent in notes ol acceptance, and everything indicates thai the coming ball will be highly successful. The depot will be handsomely decorated with flags, &c, for the occasion. We have been desired to state that all ladies and gentlemen attending the ball on Fridaj evening must take advantage of the Ferry Company's boat leaving Auckland at 8 p.m., as no other boat will be available. "We stated the other day that a very " strong " article had published in the ffawke's Bay Herald, in regard to Major Jacksoo, Major Mair, Mr. Searancke, and Mr. Moore (meaning, we presume, Mr. Moon), of Waikato. We learn by telegram that actions for libel are to be raised against the newspaper. The new dramatic company, which will occupy the Theatre JRoyal after the close of the present season of comic opera, have advantage of a very high reputation to recommend them to public favour. All the members havo obtained considerable popularity, many of them have attained high professional statue, and some of them have achieved successes confirmed by public recognition in English, as well as colonial, theatres. Mr. Or. D. Chaplin is an actor of the highest mark; Miss Rose Osborne is eaid to be a most sprightly and graceful comedienne, besides being distinguished by an intelligence equal to any role in tragedy or comedy for which she may be cast. Mr. Bland Holt (a son of the late Clarence Holt) and Miss Lena Edwin have obtained great public favour as "burlesque" actors. The other members of the company are—Messrs. L. H. Lawrence, L. McGowan, Joseph Solano, Charles Burford, E. D. Mowry, S. Levy. J. Sullivan, Miss L. Marsh, Miss M. Marsh, Mrs. L. McGowan, Miss Kitty Le Clnir, Mrs. Julia Marah. Mr. Chaplin and Miss Osborne arrived here by the Rotorua. The remainder of the company will arrive by the s.s. Hero. There was a crowded meeting of the members of the Auckland Branch H.A.C.B. Society, held yesterday evening. Much interest was manifested in the election of officers for the next half-year. The following were chosen:—Messrs. Michael Connolly, president ; John Patterson, vice-president ; J. Gallagher, treasurer; B. Cronin, secretary ; P. Fogarty, warden ; J. O'Reilly, guardian ; C. Little and P. Bartley, sick visitors ; Dr. "Wine, medical attendant. The balance-sheet for the past quarter showed the society to be in a healthy financial condition. A large accession in membership also took place during the quarter. Votes of thanks were passed to the retiring officers. The directors of the Caledonian Gold Mining Company, at their regnlar meeting, considered the complaint forwarded by the mine manager, Mr. James, in relation to the alleged irregularity on behalf of Howe's Caledouian tributers, as to their dealing with specimens. He had suspended the operations of the tributers, pending the decision of the directors. The ground of complaint was, tbat the tributers, by their agreement, were obliged to deliver all specimens, or stone in which gold was visible, to the manager, at his office. On one occasioo, while a crushing was in progress, some stone of this nature was got out late at night, and the man who was then in charge, as the manager's office was shut, sent It to the battery. Next day the matter was duly reported to the manager, and the result was the suspension of operations, and the complaint referred to the directors. We are informed that the directors, having considered the matter, endorsed the action of their manager, and were of opinion that an act of indiscretion bad been committed by the tribute company, and if repeated, the tribute would be forfeited, The directors also requested that the pay-sheet of the tribute company should be submitted to them, in order that any names might be removed therefrom that were objectionable. Rainer's Diorama of "The Russo-Turkish tVar " was exhibited again yesterday evening to a good house. The exhibition gave general satisfaction, and the view of Constantinople by night was loudly applauded. After the exhibition concluded presents were given away as usual. "A Leaseholder" writes to express his gratification tbat the City Council are waking up to the consideration of the law charges connected with their body. Our correspondent states that he, with others, had some time ago to pay nearly £9 for their leases, while they were not told at the sale what would be the cost of the legal documents. When the Council were appealed to, they refused to mitigate the charge, aud so made the wrong their own. A bazaar iu connection with, the United Free Methodist Church of Auckland will ba opened to-day at the shop in Queen-street lately occupied by Mrs. Butterwortb, and will be continued on Friday and Saturday, The committee promise suitable amusements, recreation, and refreshments, and we have no doubt the bazaar will receive a liberal patronage. Mr. Statham Lowe has been gazetted traffic manager on the Auckland section of tho New Zealand, railways, aud Mr. John Potter Clarke as accountant on the same section. Tho block of native land in the Whangarei district known as Opuawhanga jSo. 2, containing G7S4 acres, h:ia been declared waste land of the Crown. The Tauranga Domain Bsard has been brought under the provisions of the Public Domain Act, 1868, and Messrs. Win. Fraser, Edward M. Erlgecnmbe, William Kelly. Joseph Ellis, and John Charles Younor, have been gazetted the members o' th-.- first Bj.irr7.

1 nJ if II I ha * Mf - Hu « h Carleto » (formerly well-known as a member of the Honul of Representatives), is atiU employing w! leisure in England, writing in the letdW , musical journals a series of very able 3 learned letters .n mus.cal theory, a subject which always was his favourite study durin! the many years of his sojourn in New 7»» land. His last letter to the Musical RicorJ '■ occupies three columns with copious illustra tions. ; Mr. F. Cherry writes that our notice of i h;n case with fine Upper Mahurangi Board was " slightly inaccurate in the date of m v paying the rates into the bank." Mr. Cherrv aays he was advised that he had a valid de. J fence, but had no confidence in the Bench." , He then states the particulars of a case ia ; which the Board is concerned, aud as to which proceedings are now pending in the Supreme Court. . A correspondent from Razorback, Pokeoo i complains of the decision of the Board of r Education towards the people of Queen's [ Redoubt, in closing up the school in the face of 49 children on the roll, 47 of whom were _ wiihin the radius of three-quarters of a mile ■ Our correspondent uses some strong language j about certain persons in the locality. '~re have reoeived a pamphlet, printed in t Melbourne, entitled, "Papal Idolatry i AnExposura of the Dogma of Transubstantia- . tion and Manolatry," by R ev- Charle3 > Chiniquy. > The well-known chief Tapihana has sent 1 a letter to His Excellency the Governor with the view of opeuing his eyes to the i present position of affairs, and affording a ! few hints as to how ha should conduct liiral self. Tapihana, we may mention, was one i of the prisoners taken at Rangiriri, and was the leader in the escape from the Kawau. He ia also (perhaps) a much calumniated -man, hiving been blamed for instigating 'some of the murders about Ramarama before the War. One expression in Tapihana's letter is somewhat curious. He says the Governor must be like a horse, and do his work in blinkers ; meaning by this that he must not allow himself to be distracted by object 3 or pretended lighta on one side or the other, but must go straight forward; lie must not listen to what persons may say on the pakeha side or the Maori side, but take his own course without distraction. The half-yearly meeting of the shareholders in the New Zealand Insurance Company ie advertised to be held in the company's buildings on the 9th July, at 2 o'clock, to receive the half-yea.rly report, &c. The transfer-books are to be closed from the 2Gth, inst., nntil after the meeting. Lot 43 of the township of Whakatane, Province of Auckland, containing one acre, has been temporarily reserved as a site for a Supremo Court, and police station. An attiole in the Nineteenth Century, March number, on the drink-difficulty, concludes as follows :—" Let me conclude by relating what occurred at a meeting in one of our northern counties : It was a species of temperance meeting. Three excellent clergymen spoke. They harped on the clastic and indefinite word ' moderation,' condi-mning intemperance, but setting up Timothy as their model man, morally and constitutionally, lauding and magnifying sobriety, but commending the temperate consumption of alcohol. When they had coucluded an elderly farmer rose and said : —' I've heard that kind of talk for the last 40 years, and I can't see that people are a bit more sober norr than when it commsneed. It reminds me of what I once saw take place at a retreat for inbeciles. It is the custom there, after the patients have been in residence for a certain time, to put them to a kind of test to see whether they are fit to leave the asylum or not. They are taken to a trough full of water, with a small pipe continually running into it, and supplying it. They are given a ladle, and told to empty it. Those who have not regained their senses keep ladling away, while the water flows in as fast as they ladle out, but them as isn't idiots stop the tap !'" A Brisbane telegram says :—" Miss Charters, the sister of Mr. Warden Charters, and who was married last Wednesday to Mr. Michael Cultone Browne, has been found dead in the bush half a mile from her home, with a garter tied around her throat, and blood issuing from ber ears." The son of Mr. Krupp, the Prussian manufacturer of artillery, is on a visit to the Sandhurst mines. The following telegram explains a cable message published yesterday from Melbourne: —"A petition has been presented to Judge Molesworth, praying for the wind-ing-up of the Provincial and Suburban Bank, on behalf of the E. S. and A. Bank, to whom £12,700 is immediately due. It was urged that it would be more advantageous to have the winding-up in court than by the shareholders. The petition was accepted, and the hearing was fixed for the 19th June." The application has since been refused. The Wangcinui Herald states that a story is current that one dabbler in Alaori intrigue, during a recent visit to the West Coast, actually submitted an offer to the plains natives that, if they would raise a fund of £2000, he would go home and place their claim to the cancellation of all confiscation before the Privy Council of England. The fund was not raised, fortunately for the natives. But the ill effect of such counsel ia not hard to conceive.—Wellington Post. The evil of compelling girla to study too hard, seems to be attracting attention also in Canterbury. The Presi says :—During the diecussion of the Board of Governors of the Canterbury College respecting the ages of competitors for the exhibitions of the Girls' High School, Dr. Coward stated that he himself knew of two esses of mental overwork, through the girls being too young. One of these terminated fatally, and the other resulted in a long illness. He spoke most emphatically against making the ages too early at which competitors should enter. The Melbourne correspondent of the Olago Daily Times, says :—Tho Hon. Eli Perkins's great American discovery, Chincona tubra, or Peruvian bark, which professes to be an absolute cure of intemperance, and to produce a lasting aversion to spirituous liquors, is moving the Melbourne temperance societies to action, and the publicans to objurgations not loud but deep. Report says it has been tried here with good result. ITufortunately the genuine article is hard to be obtained There is plenty of Peruvian bark, but the one required out of tbe 80 different varieties is that taken from the small limbs of the red variety, aud called by the druggists, "quilled bark," because it come from twigs about the size o£ a quill. Should any of your chemist 3 have in stock a larger quantity than tbe exigencies of your abstemious city may require, they may find a profitable market here. "He offered to do it for less than the piper would come to!"— Such was the mournful lament of a printer in this city over the malpractices of an enterprising competitor. He was running wild, going in blind, crazy for "business at any price," and would offer to furnish 10,000 policies, or 100,000 calendars, or any other item of insurance supplies, for less than the cost of the paper! He wanted to " get the business on his books," and he had been around the insurance co/npanies so much he had caught the infection, and was adapting his practice as a printer to the current methods of the underwriters. He cut a tremeudous dash for a while, anrl then failed miserably, aud ran away to California, and we make record of the fact, suggesting that the insurance ppop'e draw t .eir ovu moral.— SlovJ.ior.