THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1881.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5995, 3 February 1881, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1881.

It seems to be doubtful what will be the measure of success attained by the Intercolonial Conference which, has been sitting at Sydney. Stupidly, as we think, the Conference'excluded the reporters of the public journals, and thus there lias been published no full statement of the proceedings. ■> Of the doings of Mr. Dick, the representative of the colony, nothing ■ is reported; probably he arrived top late to accomplish anything. ..It certainly appears that for anything that has been done he might as well have stayed here. We have no desire to impute any blame to him, but there will be a feeling of regret that on an occasion of this kind matters should have been so bungled that the importance and in-

terests of the colony should not, have been representecL in '' the 8 way" tliey, ought to have been. ...That the -.Conference will be productive of good, and advance, the question of -federation, there can be little ,doubt, but it is evident from' ' the ; ; later proceedings that there has been a latent feeling-, of jealousy, between New iSouth Wales' and-Victoria. .The conflict of opinion between these two colonies "on the fiscal question is clearly a sore point, and one not likely to be overcome at present. All the colonies are content to adopt an uniform tariff, but Victoria adheres to her protective system, and the delegates erroneously, we think, appear to deem agreement ort this subject a condition precedent to federation. It is another instance of the; fatality of preconceived notions. There is nothing in federation which renders an uniform tariff , imperative. Federation is profitable and advisable if there can be agreement on a sufficient number of subjects of importance to render it worth while to undertake it.

: It is probable that the success of the Conference will be confined to minor matters but, yet subjects of importance. There appeared at one time a good prospect of unanimity with regard to a federal council, but this has been obscured by a proposal of the representatives of South Australia that three Ministers from each colony should constitute the Council. On this .suggestion the voting was equal, and it will probably prove fatal to the project. The idea seems a crude one, and unlikely to be workable. We may point out what seems a fatal objection, that the representatives would be the representatives of party, whereas that, should be the very element which should be excluded from the Council. In the colonial legislatures all parties are represented, whereas under the proposal only that one would be represented which would be dominant at the time, it being agreed that loss of 'a seat in the Council should follow the ■loss of office. The object to be attained should be to remove the Council as far as possible from the sphere of party politics, and so facilitate the accession to it of the best men of each colony. Only in this way could it command the influence and respect which it is desirable it should possess. At the picnic given by the Mayor of Sydney to the ■members of the Conference Sir Henry Parkesmndetheemphaticannouncement that New South Wales was prepared for, federation; but, although these Conferences promote that result, it is doubtful whether it will be brought about except in one of two ways, the Imperial Government taking the matter in hand, or by two colonies, say New South Wales and Victoiia, coming to an agreement on the subject, and then convening a Conference, and offering a matured plan. It is far too difficult a matter to be evolved from a general discussion amongst a number of gentlemen, all having different ideas, and haATJQg nothing tangible before them. Work of this kind cannot be done in i that way. A premature proposal was made to the Conference suggestive of the colonies undertaking to contribute to the cost of their naval defence, but it met with no favour. This involves a very large question, the proportional responsibilities of the Imperial Government and the colonies, which the Conference did well to avoid. The .proposal led to the rather amusing result of a recommendation to the Imperial Government being carried to strengthen the British squadron in these seas. The Conference must be held to be right, but it must have escaped its attention that the Imperial Government has expressed its consciousness of this necessity. The Miranda, recently arrived from England, is an instalment of the change. With regard to the course which the Conference deems advisable should be pursued with respect to the Islands trade, and the protection of the traders, little has leaked out. Representations to the Imperial Government have been agreed upon, but not disclosed. The Conference was in a position of some difficulty. It required information from Sir Arthur Gordon, and he was willing to supply it, but though telegrams passed between himself and Lord Loftus, nothing came of them. A hitch of this kind suggests that prior to the assembling of a Conference the various colonies should be requested to state the subjects they will bring forward, which would enable the colony convening it to be prepared with the requisite information. There has been a want of gumption in this matter, because, had Mr. Dick been communicated with here, Sir Arthur Gordon could have placed the necessary information at his disposal. At the picnic given by the Mayor of Sydney, the "Victorian Premier took a high flight, alluding to a time when the affairs of India might be under the sway of an Australasian Empire. These be big words, and will make Eavl Kimberley ope wide his eyes. In more sober mood Sir Henry Parkes preferred as a more reasonable prospect the arrival of the time when the islands of the South Pacific would form a portion of an Australasian Empire. Supposing federation to be accomplished that is almost ; inevitable, unless it should be forestalled by the accomplishment of that greater hope but so difficult a task—the federation of the Empire. Mr. Berry, was nearer the mark when he referred to Australasian federation as a tiling to be worked for, and waited for patiently. That it will not be accomplished without many an effort the proceedings of , the Conference sufficiently prove.

* We are informed, on the bestautfcn -t.— pat the paragraph which lately agSffijf a Sydney contemporary, and was bther newspapers, that Chief Justice <W of Fiji, was removed from.Mauritius mtv , " Application of the colonists and transferred to Fiji on a smaller salary, was a pure t^T" eation. Mr. Gorrie, who was a Puisne Jnd in Mauritius, was promoted to' he ChiVf t B<S tice of : Fiji by, Lord OaraarvoJthen Secretary of State for the Pni« • The inhabitants of Mauritius (who mainly of French descent) presented h! ' with the most numerously signed testimonial of regard which had ever been " any English official. The salary of J° Gome as Chief Justice and Judicial Cn missioner of tha Western Pacific i 3 'larger than in Mauritius; "mra

' Captain Hume, the new Inspector *r Prisons, and late of the Imperial service • ' speoted Mount Eden Gaol yesterday 'lr ' visit was made quietly, and none of t£T Visiting Justices were there, so that he W a fair opportunity of finding the prison bite-every-day state. He found no bath or inv provision for one in the sanitary arranne ments of. the gaol, and will at once havpi suitable one constructed. In other respect lie found the building m a satisfactory cori dition,'considering the resources at the di," posal of the gaol authorities. It is admitted on all hands that new gaol buildings con structed of stone, are, required, and'theJ eould be built at moderate expense' W utilising the materials from the adjacent quames, and employing prison labour as has been done in the construction of the outer * wall which encloses the establishment. C->ti tain Hiune is going about his mission in a yery practical and unobtrusive fashion. He is to meet the Visiting Justices at an' early date, wiien no doubt an interchange of views will take place as to prison management anil discipline.

"We hear from ?time to time loud com." plaints of the unprotected state of the Domain. The case heard in the Police Court yesterday confirms the justice of these complaints. Ladies and children cannot enter the enclosure for fear of molestation I'rom vagrants and other ill-disposed persons who" make this place their haunt. ■ The ordinary meeting of the Auckfraiil Presbytery was held yesterday. 'Several matters of importance to the 'PreslmtrYan Church were disposed of. It was announced' that the nejrt session of the General Assembly Svould be held in Wellington on the Sth of March. The Rev. Messrs. Runeiuaii Norrie, arid Mcßae were appointed to represent the Church in Auckland at the Assembly. A call from the people of Mangere and Ouehunga to the Rev. Jauies Bruce, of the Waikatc, signed by 160 members and adherents, was sustained. A report of the proceedings will be found in another column. '

I Henderson's Mill has become ambitions, and is now the, proud; possessor of a public pound. Trouble seemed to surrcniart .that pound from the time of its introduction to the Waitemata .County .Council, but it •was not anticipated that ridicule would have been passed on such a public institution. But the ridiculous prevails in spite of reason. A. painter and letterer was employed to paint the notification.board, but just as he had completed the board to the hist line or two, Detective Jeffrey, armed with the authority of _ the law, pounced on the unfortunate painter, and took him into custody on a charge of incendiarism. The job had to be completed, and a very pretty job, indeed, he made of it. Orthography and grammar were alike excluded from those unfortunate two lines, and in one the letter r is omitted from the word charge, and iu the other the letter n is left out of advertisement. ' These mishaps, perhaps, are not of great consequence, and they amuse people who have occasion to visit Henderson'3 Mill, but if the Waitemata- County Council .does not desire to remain a laughing stock, the sooner the lettering on the lower portion of the board sit Henderson's Mill pound is altered the better. We were shown yesterday a fine sample of Lincoln ram wool, grown by Mr. l\leNiccol, of Wairoa South. For brilliancy of lustre, length, and legnlarity in staple) we have seen very few samples to surpass it, and consider that it is a credit to the grower of the flock, and an evidence of what our climate and fine pastures, in conjunction with proper crossing, can produce. The wool whence the sample came was purchased by _ Captain Daldy, and the latter gentleman is about to send it to the Museum, where it will be exhibited amongst the other local products.

The following memorial has been signed by all the Puhoi German settlers, and forwarded to • Mr. Seymour Thome Georae, member for the Rodney electorate, for transmission. Mr. Sheehan, who is also well acquainted with the district, has promised to interest himself in the matter. We trust that the reasonable request of the petitioners will receive the favourable attention of. the Government:—"To. the. Hon. J. Hall, Premier and Postmaster-General, —The petition" of the iindersigried settlers resident at Puhoi, in the provincial district 01 Auckland, respectfully showeth that your petitioners are thinking amongst themselves to parchase a steamer to trade between this district, known as the German settlement, and the port of Auckland. That up to the present time your ■ memorialists have endeavoured to maintain a steamer to connect it with our provincial capital so as enable us to dispose of ouv produce, but owing to the trade not being sufficiently remunerative, our efforts have hitherto been unsuccesfnl; but with a subsidy granted or guaranteed by your hon. Government for a term, we feel satisfied of the future success of this part. We, therefore, humbly pray that our appeal will meet with your early and favourable consideration."

The prospectus of the "New Zealand Land Corporation (Limited) in 10,000 shares of £10 each," states the object thus :—'"The New Zealand Land Corporation (Limited) has been formed for the purpose of purchasing land in New Zealand in large blocks, and disposing of the same in lots, either as virgin land, or after it has been improved by fencing in, ploughing &c, ready for cultivation, and for other kindred objects. It i≤ wellknown," the prospectus proceeds, "that large fortunes have been realised by individuals who have been engaged in this business in the colonies, and there is ample scope for the employment of capital by this corporation in similar operations in Sew Zealand. No. 1 on the list of directors is George Cavendish Taylor, Esq., director of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company, chairman ; and director No. 2is George Elliott Barton, Esq., late -Member for the city of Wellington in the Parliament of New Zealand, 45, Godolphin Road, Hammersmith,. W., London."

The presentation of prizes and certificates of proficiency and scholarships to the successful pupils of the Pcnsonby Public School will take place this afternoon at the schoolroom, at a quarter to 3 o'clock. Among the prizes to be given is Sir Julius Vbgel's prize, which'has been awarded to the holder of the certificate of , proficiency with the highest number of marks.

The New Zealand Times has a notice about the establishment of a brush manufactory, and adds :—" We practice as well as preach, for we have decided to purchase from the Messrs. Trevellie, or their agents, all the brushware requisite for the use of the Tlnies and Mail office."

■ "F 6." -approving: of the position' %•%; chairman of-theGraiton Siad' School' eommrttee: . He--says' :—?'■ If dchool- cbmmittees?riegleet/the ! opportunow in tKeir'hands to'introduce .a.httle more new the. Central Board,-they will' only have themselves;' to. blame when; -Tffer a : few weets of •"'comparatdyejihildnessiBoardismbreaksout again'Svith its ordinary and ; usual arbitrary treatment of the com-; mittees NoW' .'is' the : ■ ;timb for the comi miitees to strike, and :, teach a -lesson _to men riot,to carry things with, too high a iv hand over their constituents, nor altogether ,; igriore their -.opinions and' wishes.' .",,".',;.':,... ''.'"•". \ ■'.'"''..■• ■'.-.

At about half past' ten o'clock last night the Newton firebell ring an,alarm and .the Fire Brigade was promptly; communicated: •ffith from the. valve-house. It transpired, howe ver > *^ at *h< , P au se of. the ajarm was;a scrub fire a long.way out on the Great North Bold and it was not considered necessary to adopt any steps, forits.suppression. ~ Mr. W; H.'Lingard made an arrangement ■fldth his opposing creditor (Mr. Williamson) before leavinc: Auckland. :It 'will Jbe recollected that "Mr. Williamson,'by his agents; proved againet" Lingard's estate for £580. The basis of- the settlerhent was, we understand, that Mr. Lingard shonld pay £250_t0 Williamson, or his» agents/ '• This 'would re- ; present very nearly 8s" 6d in the pound on; the principal claiiri against the estate. It is not stated that the other creditors (Messrs. Searell and Craig) made' any objection to his settlement. The money, we are. inormbd, has been paid. ' TVebelieve'the question of the liability of a husband for 'his wife's : debts will come before the Resident Magistrate's Court today. The plaintiffs are Messrs. Somerfield and Leek, and the defendant is Mr. George Staines- . The much 'vexed question as to •what extent a wife may pledge her husband's credit will come up for argument. The paragraph, in reference to the rifle match'between two teams of the Auckland, and Wellington/ telegraphists, published in , yesterday's issue, is . somewhat misleading. The number on either side originally was six but.the sixth man of the Auckland team, and their ..best-shot ,(Mr. Titchener), w was obliged to leave'.for/the South without firing,, consequently only five Auckland men competed against Wellington's .sixl.- : -An average was taken for, the,sixth man,, the average for. Auckland being 44, and thatiiumber/has to be. added to the score, which brings it up to 266 ; Wellington winning by only 15 points, iusteai of 59, which makes a, considerable difference. \

Respecting the Lixke school soiree field on January 20, Mr. Thomas Seaman writes :— For the satisfaction-of many; inquirers, will you kindly give in-'your; columns the financial result Ofi the above entertainment :—Receipts by sale of tickets, £29 7s 6d ; donations, £1 6s 6d;' sale of unconsnined-provi-sions, £ri '■ 14s : total, J£33 8s; Expenses including provisions, hire of crockery, steamerprinting' and l -advertising, and labour, - £18 6s Sd.'leavimi a balance in- , hand of £15 Is 10d; r which would-have" been still - larger ; bat !, for the unfortunate' misunderstanding; respecting the ■-steamer^ 1 whereby' all ■ travelled ■ free instead of paying Us >6d each' for-return ,1 tickets. The result, however, is highly satisfactory to the; promoters, and .they, tender thanks many" friends '"wb-'o"encouraged them by their presence. '"'"..

After the business of the Regatta Cominitteehadalmost concluded on settling night, Mr. Brown (of Sims arid Brown, shipbuilders) dropped in for payment of a trine of.£loo, won by the Sovereign in the schooner race. : Captain D. H. McKenzie, inipresenting the prize, made a brief complimentary speech,- to which Mr. Brown responded appropriately, alluding in highly eulogistic terms .to. Captain M. Hooper, who sailed the Sovereign in so,, skilful a manner in the race; Champagne was then introduced at the expense of Mr. Brown, and several 1 toasts were drunk, including, " The Umpire" (Mr. Harper), "The Starter" (Captain John McKenzie), "The Treasurer" (Mr. Thomas Henderson, jun.), and "The Secretary " (Mr. H.J7Ellis). .Xor was '-'The Press " omitted, and Mr. Joseph.Bennett, in speaking thereto, said he had had many years' connection with all kinds'of sporting matters in the Australian colonies, but nowhere had the' same attention been paid thereto or energy displayedih gathering intelligence thereof than bythe Auckland Press.. Mr. J. ~D. Wickham responded to the toast. But by no means the least iinportaht feature of the meeting was the promise by Mr. R. E. Isaacs of a silver cup'as a contributien towards next regatta. __'~ . •:

We have to acknowledge the receipt of the first denominational organ of the Baptists —entitled the ;New . Zealand Baptist, and edited by the Rev. "William C. Spencer. It is got up in pretty: much the same style as the New Zealand ..Wesleyan. The leading article sis "The Baptists in New Zealand," by' the Rev. J. Upton Davis, being- the sub?' stance of an address delivered at Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin, and :the -best contribution to the history of the denomination: in the colony which has .yet' been written. It contains also a thoughtful address ' by. the Rev. A. W. Webb, on '' Baptist Principles,"- originally delivered at the denominational : Conference at Christchurch. There is also a very practical paper by Mr. A;.J. Morton, of Christchurch, on. "Securing the. Attention of Sunday-school Scholars," as well ''as a contribution by.-' "C.E.T.H:" on " The Second Coining of Christ and the End of the Worlil." In the review column ia a lengthy critique of Mr. Spurgeon's new book, "John Ploughman's Pictures." The children are not forgotten in the selestions, a couple of interesting stories being inserted for their.edification.; Church news, special notes, and general., extracts ,make up a very readable number, and aupplies a much needed want in connection with the denomination.

A Waikato correspondent urges, in' view I or the existence of, small-pox at San Francisco, and our intercourse with that -port, that the Vaccination Act should be strictly enforced, as the only sure defence, against that dreai disease. ' .. ..::■■■■.■:■'■ ' . ■■ ■■■<■■■ It is just a quarter of a.century'■yesterday. since the wreck of the ship Josephine Willis, hound from London to ■ Auckland, which was run into by the. Limerick steamer Mangerton in : the English Channel. On that sad occasion about seventy lives were lO3t. Among the saved, and' one of the very few who afterwards came on to' Auckland,'■ j was Mr. Ripley, owner of the York.'Hotel,,■ Newton. Mr. Hipley was of the' seven wno clung for hours to the spare Rafter \tbe"{ s Mp went down, and has' good, .reason to remember the., sad. occurrence,',,' One of the roost distressing episodes of the wreck was we: drowning/. of two of.the children—son and daughter— of Mr, W. R.-Logan, of : j Utahuhu. They had beeii left in Scotland to Jinish' their .education, arid were'on,their Way-out, in charge.of Captain. Canney, to i°m. their father 'at -Auckland. '.The .yottng.; lady, '■!aged ;, 17,;', : was ~',well, ~ nigh, as itwo passengers! and. one of the officers gallantly: rescued: her when ■ "le ship \veht do\vn, and gpfc, hei to a S? r !,. After; cjinging ; to ..it for some time, ™JBS; Logan succambed : to exhaustion, and Was swept; away, as the sea broke' over it. be worthy, of remark that when the Willis J made ,-;her first; and only ■ ™?P ; to; ■• Aucklandj among • !hor passengers now prominent citizens. Of ;-. rj^eif may Vhe J mentioned 'Dr. .'iKeriderdine,. 'sr;"Brown5 r ;"Brown (professor, of music);' Mr. G.. MMdship, and others.. • '

- [ The Police Court yesterday was a''considerable time :; over/twoleases.!'; The; first Was a'charge'against 'WalteruHeighton, a young 'for using offensive ■language on Karkngahape ; Road, and damagingf;a ; lock,:. the J property ot-Mr. Burley. Several.-witi nesses had 1 'given- positive; evidenceh on behalf of : the pros'eeutibn-;- so: strong'was jt as to bs- convincing;- But the -defence' brought t .-up quite '-as , ' formidable anarray : df ' witnesses'; to; -prove an;' alibi, to, .' the i: effect 1 that''this -'sober > young man'was "[ in bed' at- 10 o'clock , i on the night iri ; question.'.His , Worship was by ,no r rneans convinced of -his innocence;;but 'gave him the benefit of-a doubt.-'" The other' case' was a charge of assaulting tbepoundkeeper at Mount Eden, preferred 'against TimothyHayes. Twelve cows of his had been impdunded, and Tim went to try his persuasive eloquence'and'itears upon Mr. Ball, with a view to having them released. He got ten away, and returned next day, offering os, the , fee for the other-two, telling Mr. Ball' that a man who was so soft as to-let the cows away without payment was only fit for the Lunatic Asylum.' He called again, and Mr. , Ball-.wrote ; an order to the persoii : iri; charged of the paddock to give the cows, but having. received the ss,'put the order in his pocket,' just to show Hayes that other people could be smart too. This so enraged Tim that he jumped off his horse and seized Mr. Ball, apparently with a view to obtaining' possession of the order, exclaiming, as he did so, ''Robbery, murder, and 1 Sir. McShane ! -' Mrs. Ball came up and. abstracted the order from her husband's pocket, and threw it on the ground. Tim's story' caused rriueh . anirisement. He said the twb women handled hirii very roughly, and almost tore his trousers off. Now Mrs. Ball does not appear either a strong or vicious woman, and Mrs. Bennett is too pretty and gentle to lie guilty of .any' such rude act. . All the witnesses for the prosecution were consistent, which is iriore f than can be-said for those for, the defence. One heard Tim shoiyfc " robbery," but riot ','murder." and thought the tight was between Mr. and Mrs. Ball; another : heard Mr. Hayes say "murder," but not "robbery, " arid thought that Mr. Ball was dragging Hayes over a fence: which was very urilikely when the physique of the two is compaiv'fl. Eventually Tim, who could not pay 30s poundage fees, but could pay lawyers, was ordered to pay £3, and £4 odd costs, or spend a fortnight in caol. ■ , '"'-''

' A Maori lady, who had partaken freely of .■vfaipiro,' was noisily, demonstrative at the . wharf. yesterday afternoon near the water-, men's steps.. Her liege lord bundled; her into a boat' which was then taken a consi-; derable distance 'into the stream, '' and: anchored. - Still the screeching and waving qf'arms continued unabated.-: This'provoked her : husband beyond endurance, and , •he seized a strap "and tied'her down to the bottbnii of the ■ boat. This had" the desired effect, for'soon be experienced the pleasure of seeing her sink into a peaceful slumber: ■'

', Mr. Thomas James Medland,'TryphcSna, : - Great Barrier,' making a number; of, I; on behalf of himself ;,and .' his 'fpllbw-settlers.' He objects'toi being taxed [by, the' Rodney Ccranty Council. " He 'must remember,' however, that the' Great Barrier :Islandlis',liable, to ■ the property tax, '.and: p'rbbab { ly' I that'has. been the 'object'"of ' the', valuation.; -The settlers on the Barrier ; have' indeed niany disadvantages,'and they certainly eaiinot besaid to have reaped advantages from the public works expenditure in anything like the same ratio, as most of those on'the mnin land. Our correspondent complains greatly of the ; mail communication. '. He says :—"I was at the Post-office on the Bth of January. At that time there were four weekly papers due, and no mail in. I wish to know if the mail could not be sent to Blind Bay, and left at some respectable settler's house, who, I have no doubt, would forward it to the post-office as soon as convenient, for we all get our letters and papers by the same mail. I hear that unless the boats clear out for Tryphena they bring no mail. The boats often clear for Blind Bay, and might as well bring a mail when there is one. Our worthy postmaster here has often to take the mail to Blind Bay, to send it away, or our letters woiild be much longer before they arrived in Auckland. I hope that the Government will see it to be their duty to slightly subsidise a steamer, so that we may have a regular weekly communication with Auckland ; for it is a disgrace to any Government to keep, us shut up as we are at present. The place can never go ahead as long as things remain as they are.: We want a steamer for passenger traffic as well as for mail purposes. ~ If the' members of Parliament had to go 50 miles in one of our firewood boats, with head; wind, say two or three times a year, they: wovild have some sympathy for us; and, if so bad for a man, •what must it be for our wives and families ? There are no.-.- conveniences for men or> women, and to be .on board these little I vessels for two or three days is complete ! torture. There is one thing more I wish to refer to, which affect 3 most of the settlers and boatmen that come here. Perhaps the public are not; aware, 'that we . have to pay sixpence wharfage for every ton of firewood landed in Auckland. This makes it hard to compete -with the coal trade. Could you let us know who fixes this rate ? Is it the Auckland Harbour Board, or the Government, for it certainly is too much by one half. I suppose the wharfage alone amounts to something over £200 a-year for. firewood from j the Great Barrier, and we receive very little in return." The Harbour Board fixes, the. rate. .. . .- ■ ; .. ■

The Wairarapa Standard has the following: —"A communication has reached us from Auckland headed ' Taranaki Land Swindles,' which we have no inclination at present to publish. It is : not alone that the communication bristles with libel: not that we ■ have a disbelief of the truth of the statements made, which are to ourknowledge substantially correct; nor from any tenderness towards the parties implicated that we adopt this course of action ; but from the belief that the subject had betterbe dealt with by the General Assembly. Last session there were equally damaging statements made, known to many members of the Legislature, as to land swindles in this portion of ■ the' colony r but no M.H.R; cared:to movein'the matter, although Vincent Pyke, in a fit , of hot indignation, vowedthat he would ventilate' the scandal fully. ' There seems, however, no especial hurry about the matter, and the facts will lose none of their importance by'being kept for a more convenient season. v <'- • At a late hour ,iast' night"the only prisoners' in the police cells were A. : Cawey on a charge of drunkenness, and tiwo on rerhandl • < • ■ / . ; ,....,:■.' .... : v : Among the -passengers by the. s.s. Te Anau, from the gouth,. was Sergeant Hogan, formerly of the 1 Auckland police: : -' It will be remembered that -lie' was transferred to Havelock, : in <■ the 1 Middle- Island. . ; The Southern climate did hot agree with'him, and he tendered his resignation, in ! order : t6 return to Auckland, -where he purposes settling. , ' •- '' ";'. ''.' '" '"[ .'■ ,' , J ."..-', , \ '--J ■ The following is the return of; sick'treated , at the' Provincial District' Hospital for ,th?' | week ending Saturday,- January 29,' ISBI r Remained.last return, '95; admitted/since,.! 13 ; discharged, 6 ; died 1; remaining,, 101 ;', males, 79 ; females' ' 22. Arrangement; of j esses : Vzymotic, 15; constitutional,'.'6';" J local, 43 ; developmental '21; violent'. 16.';' One : death occurred,' viz. .• : S.TV '' aged.'; 40 j years, female, on 24th instant., of'paralysis,,! Thanks are returned to Mrs. Sau'nders for a ■dumber of illustrated magazines'forwarded'; by Mr. C. Wood. '' ; • : ■; •■•

i t Theiaamual.meeting.of ,th.e,Pitkekoke East. ; Public.Library,; was. hejd ,on'- Tuesday,. the,' ; 25th : January*/ at," : the,.cliurch,~,;^Puke]i:ehe., ; East,; fortbe purpose ef electing a committee. for: the ensuing: year. . f Mr.,!Rqbinspn)Was. •; voted? to* the chair. :u iix.".^7.^J,'Cf>mrte' r ■ treasurer ,to;the'Library iCpiiimittee,, readrfche ' balance-sheet: —Income :...Balance 'Jrqui. last, year; 3s ; sd;, subscriptions",, £5 Ss;. proceeds. .of lecture,, £2 16s;: .total, £8 7s sd. Experi 1 -', diture:: : ;£6 18s 7d; : balance,in hand,; £1 8s 10d. The following persons were elected a committee -..—Messrs., jtobirison, jun., Comrie, and McDonald. The newly-elected committee met, arid :M'r.\Gun- ; son was chosen chairman,-Mr. Comrie secre- . tary,; Mr. -McDonald treasurer, and Mr. Sharp, jun.,. librarian. .-,,

, ,Our Mahurangi . correspondent, writes ■:— Our ;forthcbming cattle show is expected to ! be a' great success. , Very ■handsome silver medals (beautifully.executed by,the Messrs. Teutenberg, of Auckland) will be;awarded to. the owners of all the best . animals , exhibited. The steamer , -Rose Casey will leave the Auckland wharf- on Thursday, February 10, at, 11 o'clock; returning to Auckland.at, 4 a.m.;on the 12th., The Hpbson Band will' ■be .in; attendance. A large marqee (kindly dfferedby.Mr. Such) will, be pitched on the ground for the especial accommodation of ladies. ~ In fact, the committee are doing all ' in; their power'to make it a success. A farce. by, Auckland amateurs and quadrille party will be given on the evening of the show day in the Maharangi public, hall. ■■■.'■

\ '■ The Rev. 'W: Taylor, of the United Free Methodist Church,- has' been transferred . from' Auckland ■to Addington, --near Christchurch, arid will leave for'his new circuit in , three weeks. The Rev. Mr. Hodgson will be his successor in Auckland. - ■.... ■ : . The Lytoelton Times says :—" Mr. Oliver arid his';railway tariff will,, sooner or later, ruin any Government. . As Pubjic.Works Minister he is utterly incapable, arid his incapacity, is heightened by his conceit. He has had no; official or political experience,'' and, if he. had, we doubt of his ability to profit by it. And yet he .struts .about his ■ little stage as if he monopolised .statesman-. ■ ship: and administrative ability. Hehas no breadth, of. ; view, no grasp of mind, i and no strength of purpose. He is obstinate when lie is wrong, and he vacillates "when oeca- ' signally he happens to be right. Already his colleagues have been forced to relieve him : from, the office of Minister of Mines ;. and trumpery nature of the excuse on the score of over-work, has been shown by their transferring their duties to another Minister, who has much more to do!. But Mr. .Oliver's unpardonable in the.' eyes' of,the Cabinet, is that he has induced it to agree to. a railway tariff which is injuring, the revenue,•..■and. is [alienating parliamentary siypporters. Mr. Hall is very forgiving to his friends, but,, as at present, he can neither spare, a single shilling nor a single vote, he draws the fine at this terrible tariff. 5 ,'.

Mr. liippiat has -made the Acclimatisation' Gardens look, bright and beautiful with a variety of flowers, which are now in bloom.' The place is a delightful resort for those who may' -have • an hour' or two of leisure :to spend there. Mr. • Lippiat has been , thoroughly successful as a florist, and the present'state of these gardens is creditable to him.■■-*•'•••■ : .■'■'.:*'■■■.,.:■■■ \:;i .;,-_\--- •.:

,' We observe exhibited at the premises of E. Wooding, book importer, Grey : street, a beautiful .oleograph of Bearis's celebrated picture "The Halt of Prince Chai'les after the Battle of Culloden." The original was exhibited at the Royal Academy in IS7S, and valued at one thousand guineas. It has been, purchased by the National Fine Art Association, London, for the purpose of facsimile re-productions in oil colours. This work of Mr. . Bearis's represents not the Battle of Culloden itself, but a scene on the banks of' the Nairn during the retreat of the' Highlanders. Only some seventy human figures come into view in the picture, and rightly enough, because the troops did not retreat in a body, but in small groups. The surrounding scenery and the April sky are faithfully depicted, down to the nicest artistic details.

A social gathering of the members of the Dunedin Freethought Association was held on January 2S, "in commemoration of the birth of Thomas Paine." Mr. R. Stout deliv-ered an address on Thomas Paine, in which he remarked that probably nothing could show the growth of liberal opinions in the world better than the manner in which Paine's memory was treated now and the treatment it received 10 or 20 years ago. In former times no one could publish or sell Paine's works unless they chose to run the risk of a criminal prosecution —nearly a dozen persons had been indicted for selling Paine's works—but now they could be abtained at nearly every booksellers'. Paine had been reviled as an Atheist, while the fact was that Paine' never was an Atheist, but was a Theist, the founder of- a Theist society in Paris, and had left it recorded in his will, which was executed a few months before his death,. that he was a believer in one God. Mr. Stout dwelt upon Paine's career in England, America, and France, and referred to his imprisonment for opposing the execution of the French King, to his intellectual vigour and culture, his great mathematical knowledge and mechanical skill. Paine was a truly great, and a deeply religious man, a man of unflinching courage, and one who abhorred anything that was Why Thomas Paine had been slandered as he had been it was not necessary to fully' discuss, for no man who ran counter to the religious and political opinions of his day could hope to escape calumny.