Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Issue XVI, 3 December 1879, Page 4

In a cablegram elsewhere, it vvi'.l be see-n that Mr. Koebuck, who for many > ears re. preseuted Sheffield, iu the House of Commons, is dead. He was grandson of Dr John Roebuck, of Sheffield, aud maternally descended from the poet Tickell. v u is.j| he became a barrister of the Inner Temple' and was elected member for Bath after the Reform Bill. Iu 1549 he stood for Sheffield which city ho represented till 1563, when he lost his seat through his denunciation of the tyrannical proceedings of tin Trades' Unions. It was through his action that the famous " Sebastopol Committee" was an. pointed, of which he became chairman, and which led to the resignation of the Aberdeen Ministry. Mr. Roebuck was a buhl and unspariug orator, aud remarkable for caustic wit and ironry. Of late years his intellectual powers have been on the wane, an.l he has failed to catch tho ear of the Houseindeed little survived save the shadow of a great name. Mr. Roebuck was born in ISO' 2 and was consequently iu his 77th y c ar. The general public, especially those who have hern looking forward so eagerly t J an opportunity of acquiring lauds in Uie Te Aroha block, will be as much astonished and surprised as were the members of the Waste Lands Board yesterday when they learned that a new claimant had arisen for the choice of tho block iu the person of Mr. Themis Russell. The grounds of tho claim are an arrangement made between Mr. James Maekay, as agent for the Government, with Mr. Russell, aud a copy of the letter of the former to the latter was enclosed iu the lotter forwarded to the Native Minister and the board. It appears that, at the time Mr. Maekay was engaged purchasing a block of land for the Govern, meut, Mr. Russell's agents were negotiating the purchese of the same black. Mr. Maekay wrote to Mr. Russell stating that, if he withdrew from opposition to tho Government in that purchase, the Government would, on the completion of the purchase of the Te Aroha block, give him a Crown grant for the land in respect of which the present claim is made. This is a new phase in the many difficulties which have resulted from every effort to have the Te Aioha lands settled, and no doubt tho decision of the Government will bo looked forward to with keen interest. We yesterday referred to the fact that the infant daughter of the principal keeper at the Tiritiri lighthouse had beeu lying dead at the island from Friday last till Monday morning, durius which time the signal of elistress bad been hoisted, but without effect, and that it was only through the attention of Captain of the Here, that assistance hael been rendered : anel « e coir.menttel on the seeming neglect as gro«;> and cruel. Captain Burgess is much hurt .: our remarks, ami we must do bim the ju-■ ice ot relieving him from comments which he has taken as personal to hinis:-.'!*. He repn seuts to us that the signal was ret seen, and that a similar difficulty oecasiouaUy occurs because of the unsatisl'actwy nature of the signalling arrangements. It appears that in ISG7 Captain Burgess was iu communication with the Mariuc Department at Wellington on the subject, which suggested to him to frame other s-guals. and subsequently an absurd code was forwarded l.y the department and Captain Burgess's ingestions set a*ide. Yesterday Captain liurgess represented the matter to the Harbour Board, which instructed its secretary to take the necessary steps to get a chaugc effected. Our comments, therefore, are likely to he productive of good, anel Captain Burgess lias been aided in tho attainment of the object which has been hung up for just twelve years. That the parents of the child shou d have been placed iu so unhappy a position was jußtly provocative of indiguant remonstrance, and we are glad that so apparently cruel a matter should have been susceptible of satisfactory explanation. Th« Hikutaia natives still seem determined to take the law iuto their own hinds, anel resist Mr. All-.-y's occupation of thi Kakaramra block. This block is a portion of the estate purchased by Mr. Al'ey from Mr. McCaskill, and for which the "latter gentleman received a crown grant some years ago. For many years the block has been a elisputcel one. anel on several occasions it has been before the Native Lands Cou-t, but in every instance the decision has been given against the natives. The lanel is ve-ry good, anel Mr. Alley is anxious to bring it under cultivation. Two or three weeks ago, Mr. L:mg, instructed by Mr. Alley, commenced to survey the block, but was stopped by two women who were ins'.i----gat-:d by Tamati Paetae. The matter was brought before the Resident Magistrate's Court, anel Tamati was bound over to k-ep the peace, and was also cautioned to be careful not to take the law into his own hands again. On Saturday last, as Mr. Mr. Alley were measuring a portion of tho lard which had been cleared by contract, a party of native', headed by Paetae's brother, came upon tho ground, and called upon Messrs. Alley and Long to cease measuring the land. anel, on their paying no attention to the natives, the latter seized the chaiu<. A struggle ensued. Mr. Alley, however, was assisted by the contractors, and eventu illy succeeded in driving the natives away, aud afterwards completed the measuring. In consequence of this actiou on the part of the natives Mr. Alley has beeu compelleel to pay off the contractoi-s aud, for the present, stop clearing tho laud. In an Australian telegram iu yesterday's issue was recorded the death of Captam Holt, at Sydney, of cancer in the stomach. Some two months ago he left Wellington to i take the managership) of the Syelney branch ! of Reuter's Telegram Company. The dei ceased gentleman formerly resided in Auek- ! land, having been at one time private s cretary to Sir George Grey, anel afterwards to Mr. James Brogden, the great railway eontractor. For some years, in eonneeti >n witu Mr. McCarthy, he conducted the Press Telegraphic Agency iu iNew Zealand, and f"™ J which he retireel to accept the ne-.v appoi.t----j ratnt. He married Miss Council, the j daughter of an old and respected cdiui.-t, Mr. Council, of the n'rin of Council and Ridings. The tidings of his decease will oe receiveel with regret by the large oire eot friends maele by him during his resid.uce in this province.

A man, Darned Gtorgo Camp, wasarris'el yesterday on a chargo of maliciously i»juriug property, by smashing a mirror in thi Cosmopolitan Hotcd. The only other arrests were two on charges of drunkenness.

The \lburnia G.M. Company Directors A ve3 'erday at the office of the secretary S r " "Garland, Wyndbam street, aud after „ a 's,dtatioo declared a dividend of 17s 61} r>er share, upou 8000 shares, or a sum equal to £7000 from the proceeds of the past months' operations. There ir also a balance Srried forward of about £700, which, with the reserve fund of £4000, gives a total in tho hands of the company, after paying the dividend, of £4700. The manager of the Company, Coromandel, reports that the shaft is now down 60 feet in good country, and that he recommends the directora to let a contract for driving about 50 feet, in order to intersect the New Golden Pah Leader. The mine 13 now beiui drained by the deeper workings of the next claim, and no difficulty will bo experienced on tho score of water. We understand that Captain Logan, of the as. Hero, has been snirmoned to appear 3t the Police Court this morning for a breach oi the harbcur regulations, in landing cattle upon the wharf on Monday, without a permit from the Harbour Master. Captain Lean has been in the habit of doing the same thine for the last 12 years, without any dissent from the authorities, and iu the present instance one of the officials was pre3cnt, and did not interfere or inform Captain of the cocs quences, or demand to see the permit. At the Lice-sing Court yesterday applications were heard "for licenses for two houses —ono to be eree'ed, and on* to bn added to, situated, one at each corner of the junction of Customhouse aud Hobsni streets. The Bench declined to grant a licei.se under the circumstances, hut intimated that had either bouse been erected in accordance with the plans submitted, and built of brick, they would errant one liccose. The solicitors representing both applicants immediately undertook to guarantee to ereot the buildings as shown, and in accordance with the rulinc of the U-nch, provided a license would be granted. What the result may be we do not know. It is manifest that both licenses will not be granted. However, we are informed on the most relia le authority that Mr. Gleeson, one of the applicant", will at once proceed with the erection of his place. The plans are ready, and tenders will be called in a few days, as soon, in fact, as specifications are drawn up. It is estimated that this new hotel, which is to bo titted up as a family hotel, in the most elaborate manner, will cost about £6000. Mr. Fenton has just completed a very learned aud arduous labonr, namely, a map of the g-ne..l-;;y of the Pelasa from Deu.'.iHon downwjrds. It is presumed that the ceneology strengthens the proofs alread3' advanced that Homer's hero, s and heroine are not mythic il, but real, although prehi'torij personages. Theauthorof "Juvenilis Mundi" (Mr. Gladstone) is the most enthusiastic student of Homer now living, aud he could not fsil to be interested in this verv learned la' our. But it might be made use'ul in another way. Just now the Germans are arra-ging history into a science, and we hear such words as the "crossfertilisation " of Hebrews upon Aryans ; of Egyptians on Hebrews ; of the Hellenes, or Greeks, upon Hebrews ; of Assyrians upon all the Asiatic stocks ; of the relations between the Roman stoic and the farly Chri-t:;n.=: ot" Imperial Rome npon Western atv.i Northern Europe ; of Papal Rome in the same Held. It would be curious if cianv 0: these easiest geneological branches should be found to hive their counterparts in a dirT-.rent hut cont-mporary form of civil.s.ation. The work is very curiously re"3r.:.':. from snv poiot of view, and reflects cr?-V.-. en the learning au.l industry of tho lath r. sunrise is sometimes expressed that while Auc ..'-. in re-;:ect of climate and soil, is the -jo;: favourable of any of the proviucs L >: :„■■.■ Zealand to the growth of flowers, thr--. -ho a lei be here no established bortii- . society. Such a society was establish: some years back, and so far as its rihii . i.ns were concerned they were a briiii.i.; success in every way, except the monetary resuit. The population was then much smaller, the growers fewer, and the horticultural knowledge much less than now. We observe that there is a new horticultural society about to be established. The following 'advertisement appears in another column :—"A meeting of the subscribers to the proposed Auckland Horticultural Society will* be held in the Museum Buildings, Pricce3-street, on Thursday, the 4th inst, at' 2 p.m., for she election of office-bearers ani to transact other business. Signed, T. F. Cheeseman, secretary." We wish the new scciety every success. The " big strawberry" mania has set in at List. At Mrs. Farrow's establishment, <Jl;-err-street, were exhibited yes-terday some line srecimens of the Marguerite variety, as l-;u. A3 a hen «.'?. They were not picked, but " samples eTf the sack," and were grown 3t :r,e North Shore, but the name of the 2r.r-vr.-r has net transpired, as he do?s not wish his garden to be "jomped." Strawberries and cream are amongst tbe choicest delita.iss of the season, and may be safely induljei in by tbe young, but they will not sto: "1: that. Already the small boys are cast;:;; longing eyes on the green peaches', ad -0 ,n the first peach of the season with 1 he-:-, c warm flush on its verdant cheek, will i:.-innate itself into the confidence of the ;rr jressible diminutive juvenile, and will plav with his stomach as with a handbell ■•■■; : and tbe fond mother, anxious to i!!:«v :he intestinal strife, will pour castor v.! ajoa the troubled waters. Although it is beyond question the duty A the vithori'Us to prevent a rush of cab-irivc-rs to the platform, on the arrival of the train, at the railway statiOD, somi provision -iicnM le made by which passengers would be er.ibled to have their luggage conveyed to the cab or conveyance waiting for tbem 0c Monday evening, a cab was ordered to meet s. lsdy and gentleman coming from Wiiki-.0. ihe cabmau having the fear of the law. and in view of a recent conviction, Hi not >:are to go on the platform to remove his fir.-'.-. Iwjiizae. Theie were no porters »Tii!a'-'.e. and as a dernier resort, the gentleKir. tx'i to employ two boys, and pay them -s fur '-moving his luggage a few yards, to the cib. Th; examination for the civil service will take i/ace on 'Monday next, under the soi'eritecdence :A Mr. Williamson, Deputy Registrar of the .Supreme Court. There are i: ~Ur.<j;.iates altogether—l 7 for the senior Eiai-i.i'.ion, and 34 for the junior. Th; ceremony of consecrating the new Mis.:::;,. Hall, erected in Newtoi for the Edt= b-dge, will take place at 1 o'clock today. vv, at its conclusion, a meeting of the p:st.-:.t (Jrand Lodge, E.G., will be held in '- The event will be celebrated by a S'-iire? a-d ball in the evening. At the close of the ordinary business at the licensing court yesterday, Mr. Superintenptu: Thomson drew attention to comp!a;tiN f-f a prostitute having been kept as a lnr:i-.:.-i at the Nevada Hotel, upon which he »:• subjected to a "quiet rise" by the l«!i:h iu this wise -.—The Chairman : " But *e sin:; want proof of his?" Mr. Thomson : J:. -re is the strongest evidence, your The Chairman: " Hearsay evi- «»■-•:. Mr. Thomson?" Mr. Thomson : ','oa. no, your Worship, substantial eviGeac-.- :" This gave rise to hearty laughter 'p t. _• hench, the bar, the public seats and ' 3 r-'-_ ; u t the court, and when it subsided r - i:juj3on said that as the woman had °i" : - —ut away, he would not press the coiEj.hunt, but he thought it only right that " 6 ah ,uld briny the matter under the notice " tl« bench.