Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5657, 5 January 1880, Page 4

. The cab!c , from Aden to Durban. Natal, is now completed.

The directors of the Albnrnia G.M pany have declared the dividend to be the rate of £1 per share, equal to £8000 carrying forward about £900. '

Inspector Goidic reports that dnrin-> «, month ending 31st I'ccember, 1879, th«»' were 2G deaths registered within the city r ! Auckland ; the numbe_r during the correj. nonding month i-f IS/S, was 22 deith. There were three deaths in the hospital"] nr ' in,s the month of December, 1879.

A curious cjse of poisoning from w«ari ni , coloured stockings was brought un let o ar notice on Saturday, by a gentleman who (j a! recently returned from a trip to Engla Cl j It appears that when coming from Lond OD ' he purchas.d stockings marked with string of a dark red colour, which he wors after arriving in Auckland. He observed that the colouring matter marked his legs ant] feet, bnt did not snspe t anything \ nas until the mirks became painful. The colouring matter wa3 poisonous, and result was that erysipelas set in, aad th ß gentleman in question ha 3 been confictd to his bed-room for about three weeks.

On Saturday the election of a member oi the Borough Council. of Parnell, to till tK, seat vacated by Mr. J". W. Robinson, elected Mayor, was hel l in the office of the boroaiij Maaakau Road. There was only one rat-', payer nominated (Mr. W. H. Skinner;, ha wai declared by the Eeturnicj 03e»r Air. G. M. Mitford duly elected.

Tha only arrest 3 made by the p-jHo.-daring Saturday and yesterday were tkose who are locked up for bein» iatoxioste.l There were no fewer than eight of those iu the cells last night.

Tbc usual Evangelistic services, a: t O . Theatre Koyal were conducted by the Kev Mr. Jon s and Mr. Vices, who give a»p ro '. priate New Year addresses. The choir%anp an anthem entitled, "A Happy N tw Year " There was a very large attendance. Dr. Ktn. derdine preside!. The collection in boxes last Sunday night to defray expend, amounted to £2 4s.

The' Oriental Exhibition is drauio- to a close, and this will be the last during which an opportunity will be afforded the public of inspecting and investing in th« various cuiios from the Holy I_an4. Every visito- obtains a present, so tint n-j one need be disappointed.

After a long stay in harbour, Lf.M.s. C< rmorant will to-morrow in.ming sail tor Wellington. We ore sure that many of onr renters will regret to learn this, as th» | officers and cr.-w of the ve-ssl hive madj themselves qnite a host if frienis in this port, who will only bo o g'ad to renew their acquaintance at some fntureday. With regard to the men, they leave Auckland with the name of b:ing one of the most orderir of the crews of Kugash war vessels that have vibited ou' port. The asiistance that* body of them have occasionally given in aid of jome charitable objeot or other wi'l long be remembered by the public of Auckland. With our readers, we trust to see Captain Bruce, officers, and crtw once again at anchor in tho Aateis of the Waitemata.

The Oamaru Mail, referring to the proposed Oanaru-.Xasei>y railway, says :—"As thebnstof tho survey would be immaterial compared with, the importance of fettling forever the feasibility aud desirability of acq'iieacir.g in the request for a line into the interior from O.'inatu, we thiuk tint the Government might yield'the point without making any great sacrifice of either money or principle. The Government have consented to Biirvey a line from Helensville northward, in the Auckland provincial district, through country that is almost as bad as it is possible to tiud in the colony, and where a ratlw.vy would have t-j depend mainly upon timber and gum for freight. We impu'.e no motives of self-interest to tbi Government. We only ask them to do tin same for up, and if it is found that the country through which the sug£;este 1 railway would have to pass is anything like aa bad as that in the vieiniiy of the projected Helensville railway, wa will forever hold onr peace."

The ceremonies in St Patrick's Cathedral yesterday evening were of a most imposing character. His Grace Archbishop Steins officiated at Vespers, and at the benediction of the Bie=sad Sacrament. Rev. Father Waiter Macdonald acted as assistant priest; Father Downey, as deacon ; and Father O'Dsvyer a3 sub-deacon. Father Adelaar also assisted in the sanctury. There was a crowde-1 anil most attentive congvegatioD. His Grac?, at the close of Vespers",' preached a logical and instructive sermon, taking for bis text, Ephes'an?, sth and 20;h verses— " Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of. our Lord Jesns Christ." The discourse was listened to with marked attention.

The Southland Timds of the 25th 'ult., referring to the districts railway line* wbioli the Government purpose to assist, saya :—The WaitneaJ Plains line has been projected entirely in the interests of -Metsis. Driver and Larnacb, Mr. McCaughau, and the other shareholders iu the New Zealand Agricultural Company. This company's object is to cut up its extensive estates into farms, and to encourage people to come from Bri'ain to become the tenants of these, and eventually their owners. But so far its object has not been extensively, if at all, : attained, an 1 it is doubtful if it will be for a very con-iderabla time. The wisdom, therefore, of allowing this company's railway to absorb " a considerable portion " of the £600,000 is not very apparent to as, nor, we feel assured, will it be to the practical minds of Mr. Hall and the majority cf his colleagues.

The Hobarfc Town Mercury of the Ist December, records tbe drowning of L>. C. Christiau, at Pieman river, on the2sth Xov. He was a grandson of Christian, of the Bounty mutineers. The following are the details of the accident Deceased had sailed in a brat at the mouth of the Pieman river, aud on reaching the bar tbe sea ro?e, and he took do .vn sail to pall back. "Whilst doina so, several swells broke over the boat and ti.led it. He swam towards the .-bore, but on seeing that; the boat was being earned away by the current, he turned back to try to save it. Christian called for help, but before Mr. li-chirdson, who made an effort ta reach him, coald render him any assistance, he had sunk. The deceased was an expert swimmer, and under ordinary circumstaacrs could easily have gained the shore, lie had been in the territo ial police for about 12 month?, and went as master of the Alice Maud when Mr. Swan made a trip to the islands in the Straits a short time ago. He is spoken of as bei-rr a well educated and useful man. He was a native of Norfolk Is'and. and was the grandson of Christian, one of the Pitcairn Islanders, who took the sh : p Bounty. He lnm-elf had sailed for several years out of Hol.art Town ai a whaler, and was a genera! favourite."

\Ye have the honnnr (says the 0t;; o 'o Times J m comuior., no doubt, with many of our contemporaries to iee=ive a letter from the Lord Oil * ace! !< r, Karl Cairn*, appealing in behalf of the "Dr. Karnar-'o Homes " for Destitute Children in the liasfc of .London. \\ e see several of the home papers comment on this appeal, has been sown broadcist at houir*, as one directed to the development of tlie sr»obbUh instincts of ina:iUinl. VTe can o:dy sav If it will do yn y good to tlij iiist tutloas, we shall be happy to haad over the appeal, Lord Chancellor's signature, crest, and all, to the benevolently disposed.

The Otayo Daily Times, discussing the ijiiesfcion of taxation, says : —'* One of our greatest regrets over the property tax is that we do not believe, after all, that increased taxation of any kind ought to be necessary. Without being prepared to say that under all it was not well to increase revenue to meet the deficiency, we can verj well see that if the land fund grows again if will all be spent, and the property tax will all be spent also ; ami so would taxes on bter, i;*nd, income, and all other necesof life. It is the tendency of Colonial GVovernments to spend up to the full iuu me they can get. Xo colonial Premier ever really thinks of economising bis resources witii a vivw to a surplus which might allow him to remit taxe3. The Question is always how to raise more, not how to spend less. It is, of course, clear thai: this kind of thiug must h:tve an end. A tinats must come when the public will say, wil.l not be taxed any more; we will con* our elves some of orr luxuries in the way local grants, post-offices, or what not; but — no more taxation, .Now, it is Quite cle^ 1 * that we not to wa't until a crisis conies to say this." The Wangamii Chronicle says : Mr. Hurley* the secretary of the Fire Brigade, received by the last tail Francisco mail, a sample of what is known as 41 brown thread lined with vulcanised i:diarubber, wbtf* renders it completely impermeable by water. This article i? said to last longer and .dry more rapUly than ordinary hose. It 13 contemplated ordering a thousand feet by the next maiL

||" Englishman " writes " Kindly f; a question that is bothering several | What day does .New Year's Eve fall i£y Northern friend from the Land o' [(oatmeal) insists that the evening of 'of January is ; whild I, that it is the f Dec-mber. 1 am told that it ia a [ in Scotland to keep the evening of ; of January, and they maintain eve ening are the same. ' Who is right?" vening immediately preceding .New : Day is called New Year's Eve >land and Scotland, just as in the £ "Christmas Eve," that is, the immediately before Christmas; Hir Eve," the evening immediately §I|Easter Bay; "flullow Eve," or iSotfeen," the evening 'before Hallow's gllSa'nts'Day (November 1), and so on. pir corrfspondeut is really a native of Island o'cakes" he must know that the llfening of the old year is observed as §j|Year s Eve," for few people go to bed B|ght, so that they may be ready, when Slock strikes, to be the "firstfoot," fay the first visitor during tlie new year, He they wish well. We believe the Sffiis -bserved in many parts of the |fe . r : rty to forty years ago was] sM '-,:: lly observed, [n cotland ... is generally observed a? a ||l of Christinas, as in Eng|gti and the evening of New B' nu.'>Uy occupied by balls, fee.; but throughout the gli I the evening immediately Sp; r ear's Day has been from Jag;- regarded as "New Year's

, . 9 Governor's visit to the IBilK-' ikato Timet of Saturday llliify dercules KubiDSOn, after 'illilliKr " retarn fco Auckland has to leave for WellingSjgpSggFt. ti . ning, two of his daughters . for Sydney on the 9th pl|m|pßut fur this private matter Sir Herhave remained in the North to the race meeting of the Waikato p3forl : -Glub The present visit, it is siid, is EWirelyaof a business character, and may the purchase of some of our best eiocal'Tacniy stock for his Excellency's stable. ESSfeiHSn. Mr. Whitaker also corned up with PthiPGOTfrn>r, with the object, we under|trf»lJi£rtpf 11 iking arra"gement3 for enabling P delegates, Messrs. Foster t and ~Gjfant to visit; Te Aroha and other I s "Hoofed luey will, we believe, be accomKpamedJjin their expedition by the District fe-Sflrveyor, afr. Lawrence Cussen. Messrs. fGtWJt ttnd Foster have everywhere been fittingly received since their arrival in the tdlHtrtctJ-aiul have expressed themselves well f-pleased'with Hie agricultural appearance of country. What has puzzled - ijihem nicst has been the large quantity of vjrrass?G\re r }Mvhe r e abounding at midsummer. ? 3?iidav night they wire the guests of Ji r. J.->B. Whyfce, of Hamilton. i'lhn;;iiip Argus learns that Mr. i odd, whose work on "Par.iaGovernmeut in England" has come as one of the standard textconstitutional law aud practice, is sttreparins lor publication a sequel to it, Tts iikelv to be of still greater utility ] t will be entitled " Parliamentary IjllJpverpm' lit in the Colonies," aud will lie S|S«de(l into iivc chapters, dealing witb as §tmmy>iialipnt as>_e ;ts of the subject, the la?t liroating of the relation of the form of govern-PiOttehtS-Jn the various dependencies of the SEnxpire- to the position aud functions of a l<Hjnsiifcntioml governor. %jMdlle. Jlma do Murska, after an absence ;c£>four V'j;i - from England (says the Pall kMall Ga n ), will make her re-appearance |Son-London the winter op-ra sea-on given I vat; hsr' M c;-ty's Theatre. She will once K-immnmnn y The romantic figure of Senta afiii'jVYagner / " Fiyiog Dutchman," in which jsiihpitook ti: principal part ten years ago a: Kith&same t -itre. She will a!3O undertake ('the charac' : ai Lucia, in which she achieved yfeer 'fifSt t-' ■ at success on the Anglo Italian E--stage.jj|fl' ! 'iuorali," and of Filiua in Am- | .••Jjroiafflo'hoiuas's " Mignon." |