Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6534, 26 October 1882, Page 4

AcTSP. aa abnormally brief recejs the Parliament haa met for an autumn session. The special business which ba= called the LeL'islatr.re together at this cnus-a! pcrioJ is the reform of the rules of procedure in the House of Commons. It will be remembered that at the commencement of la£t sesiicn Mr. Gladstont-'s proposals in that directica

were discussed at great length, lut were finally abandoned in eonsei:u?::ce of tbe grav« and pressing character of :':;e public business. The Premier sursequeiit'y annuneed that an autumn session -.v.iiM te h=!-. : . for the purpose of them, and it is understood that the session will ie, if possible, exclusively confined to that particular business. Bat it is too much to expect that the Opposition will :>■_■ to preserve a stoical silence on the hr.porrant ev<_-r»is which have recently occurred, ani2 we may look forward, therefore, to scxe lively debates on the Egyptian poiioyo: :ie Government. Their conduct in t;;e Kgyptiaa business is open to some sharp criticism irezi the Conservative ranks, and U altogether distasteful to Radicals of the and Bright schosl. It is probably with 3. vies- of appeasing the more extreme =-:cti:r. of the Radical party that the names of Sir Charlc3 Dilke and *Mr. Fawcett are ir.Mtioned in connection with s-ats in :ne CAbinet. The elevation of two numbers o: the Government to :hs jc-=::ib3 of Miiijjters of the Crown ivciid no doubt have a coaciliating tflect cr:3 the mors aavanced Eadicals, whose •-=■

approval of the foreign policy of the Government might, if it found unbridled expre=s:C3 in the House of Commons, prove extrsi:.---}' awkwar.l. But apart from this i: |= not improbable that Mr. GU.istoce in* the nec-saity of having His basils strengthened in the Cabinet, in act:e.:|>a:ioa cf the Radical cons:::at:cd changes which he contemplates before :b« the present Parliament is dissolved —sue!: *= the assimilation of the boroujh aud cr-~:y franchise and the re-distributicn of sea--I But there can he no question that Sir Ci-i-Dilke's admission to the Cj.bin?t v.-cv.M directly tend to the alienation of the KC-re moderate section of the Liberal party. Mr. Chamberlain's sadden and unexpected elevation to office, ss a reward for the success with which he had worked the caucus—aa institution borrowed from - merica, and wholly subversive of political independence —was a pill which they found it harJ to swallow ; but Sir Charles Dilke, a3 a Caticet Minister, would be even more objectionable. The republican eccentricities of his earlier manhood are not yet forgotten, but a reconstruction of the Cabinet is inevitable The s£cession of the Duke of Argyll, Mr. Forster, and Mr. Bright,!has left it m a weakened sna disjointed condition, and eminently in of patching.

During the recent rebellion in Egypt it ■was currently reported that the Sultan was in secret communication with Arabi, and ODe of Sir Garnet Wblseley'e first acts on landing at Ismailia was to cut the telegraph wires connecting Constantinople with Cairo. It is now announced that voluminous correspondence between the Sultan and Arabi has been discovered by the British authorities in Egypt. The contents of the documents have not trauspired, but their disclosure will be looked forward to with Rreat curiosity and interest. It is also alleged that the Khedive is implicated, and that lie is afraid of the rebels making some unpleasant revelations. The terrible cyclone at Manilla has happily not been attended with anv creat loss of life, but the destruction of property has b«en considerable, and 60,000 persons have been rendered homeless. The autumn session of the English Parliament opened on Tuesday, and today a vote of thanks to the army for its services in Ej>ypt j will be proposed, in tho House of Lords, by j Earl Granvillc j Mr. Gamble, agent for the Pacific Mail j S S Co has received a cablrjjr.im from San Francisco, statin- that the s.s. City of New York sailed for Auckland, via Honolulu, on Sunday last, October -liml. -she may, therefore be expected on Mouday, November l."tli or possibly on Sunday, the 12th, should she be fortunate in having favourable j weather on the trip across. j We understand that His Worship the j Mayor has received a letter from Mr. Dick, j Colonial Secretary, a.-king him to convene a mectiuf of those interested m hospital management, with the view of nominating gentlemen to act on a committee, winch would take entire charge of the hospital. It is the intention of the Government to reserve the , right to appoint a .-ertain number ol members to the committee. There is now, there- | fore, an opportunity of ,n '" 1M . ,, ; 1 "f.. : j tern of local control of loe.il m.-tit .t...us , and doing away with that centralised ■ management which has been so frequently | shown to be faulty and ineffective. \\ e have also of late heard imiiy • •omplamts respecting; the attendance at the huspital aud , the foud. It is allied that the attendants are usually men who have been patients in the institution, and who arc not the most suitable nurses for sick people. There are ' complaints of a wearisome sameness in the dietary, aud that the food is not nicely and : attraotivelv served up. There is now an opportunity to remedy all those alleged ilc- , feet?. We have no doubt but that the meeting called by the Mayor will be well attended. It is reported that Mr. Fentou, Chief Jud-e of the Native Lauds Court, will retire at the end of the present niuuth. Mr. Fentou, for various reasons, has been anxious to leave office for some time past. It is also stated that the person most likely to be his successor is Mr. Brooktield, solicitor, at present one of the Judges of the Court. In this connection we may :uso mention a rumour which we have heard namely, that the Lv.nl.m Ne«- Zealand Xativft L-ind Com- ■ panv have writt-jn to Mr. Fent-n, asking him" to Income their agent for the acquiring ' of blocks of land for the company. Mr. ' Fcuivn is, as a matter of course, known to : everv native in tile colony, aud having so long" helil .i hijh position, is looked up to by : them. He has been Cuief Jiiiljje of tho , Native Lands Court since its institution, in ' lStit, and so has taken part in most important tr.i-sactious. • His Honor Mr. Justice Gillies sat in banco

vesterday, and disposed of some bankruptcy business." John Joseph Pooley, a contractor of Auckland, and Joseph Merritt, of l'aureceived their orders of discharge. , The prcceedings of the "builders'" meet- ' in.' held last nU'ht in the South British Bui! aro interesting, as disclosing certain traue relations which have a very dec'Je.i influence upon the progress of a town or city. The parties to the dilfereuee.* there indicated are the employer, the architect, ami the contractor. The builders have resolved to take their stand upon what is " fair an.i jast," and they propose a code of conditions, compiled by themselves, au.i revised by Messrs. Heskcth and Richmond, as mi ultimatum. The "Institute of Architects'' have not given any reasons for their refusal to comply with the demands of the builders, who say to the employer, "You must Ic ■ responsible for the failure, incompetence, or injustice of your architect the same ris for the misconduct of any other servant.' . There is likely to be a conflict between these "branches" of tho building trade, which mav have results of considerable importance. , The remainder of the Auckland and Thames representatives who are to compete ; at the Rifle Association meeting at Duuedin leave to-day at noon by the s.s. ivrawata. Captain Mahon, of the Victoria Company, having obtained leave of absence from the Boird of Education, proceeds with them. The competitors who leave to-ilay are Sergeant Taylor and Corporal Rose of the Victoria Company, and Sergeant Hay and Sergeant James of No. 3 Company, besides ton r.f flip Thsmf-s Naval Bris7:ide

and Volunteer Weir of the Thames Rangers. Auckland will bo represented in the competition for the rifle belt by six members of tiie Victoria Company, two of the No. .", and two of the Kii-iiiccrs, ten rifles in all. Volunteer Weir "is the only Tlia.m s representative in the rifle matches. For the carbine belt there are thr_e members of the A Battery of Artillery, and ten of t!ie Thames Naval Brigade. " Although the representatives from Auckland and the Thames will be greatly outnuinbere.il at this competition we expect to see them give a good account of themselves. The men proceeding to Dunedin to represent the Auckland and Thames shooting men, ate good steady shots, who may be relied on to score well, and we have no doubt but that individually and collectively they will do their best to secure one or both belts.

The comet is still ol.served in the morning sky, but its brightr.'.-ss has greatly diminished. It is stated that a email supplementary tail has appeared oa the southern edge of the tail, pointing to the south, hut we failed to ncti:i this .peculiarity this morning, owing, probably, to the extreme faintness of the e0::...t. Mr. Charles Bailey has just completed the construction of a wnaleboat, which has been built expressly for the North Shove and Auckland Kejjattat. The dimensions and lines of the boat are in perfect aceorda-jce with the regnliition oi the clubs, which is as follows :—Length not to exceed thirty-live feet : beam net to be less than four feet ; depth not to be le.-s than nineteen inches at midship section, from top of keel to gunwale ; sheer not to be less than eight inches ; thickness of plank not to be less than 5-lCth of an inch ; planking to be of kauri ; timbers to ba of hardwood, three-quarter inch by half inch, to be placed not more thasi eight inches from centre to centre ; lining nine inches wide, each side of kelson, 5-ltith of an inch thick, and to reach from forethwart tc after stretcher ; to be rowed with five oars, ami steered with oar. The crevr which will man her went out for a trial pull yesterday evening, and the result was ' perfectly satisfactory- sl >e has a very pretty appearance in the water, being var- ■ nished, and having her garboard streak, I which is composed of two very broad kauri ! boards, French polished. This will doubt- \ less gis-e the boat a great advantage in the water over other bolts differently con ; Etracted. Everything has been fitted with j the greatest nicety, and she is certainly a credit to the bnilder.

I A meeting of sons of old colonists was held last evening at Captain D. H. MoI Kenzie's office, Fort-street. Mr. H. HenderI eon presided. There were also present I Messrs. Tudehope, Black, Bain, Aberuethy, j Sansom, Finlay, Hickeon, Hodge, McDonald, j Millar, and Craig. Messrs. Tudehope, Duff, ! Connelly, and Craig were appointed a com- ! mittec (with power to add to their number) ; to make the necessary arrangements for a I return ball to the old colonists. Mr. J. J. 1 Craig was elected secretary. The intention is to hold the ball on the 29th November, in the Choral Hall. Before the meeting ' separated various minor details of business I were arranged. I Tho institution of the Rev. Humfrey i Davis to tl.c incumb«n=y of St. Thomas' ! parish will bo conducted by Bishop Cowie, I in St. Thomas' Church, this evening at halfpast 7 o'clock. The offertories will be devoted to the extension of Sunday-school i accommodation. There is already an apart- ! ment iu the basement of the school-room, ' under the platform, and all that is needed to utilise it as a class-room is that it should be be floored and lined. Mr. Murphy, the champion ball player of Auckland, has received a pressing invitation to go to Invereargill, to take part in tho matches which are to be played there on the 9th of November, aud lie will probably proceed South next week. The crack players of Dunedin, Timaru, and other Southcrcn towns will there, aud no doubt some exciting matches will result. Mr. Murphy is, of course, anxious to get all the practice he can with the best players pending the match, which is to take place at Christmas, between himself aud the champion of Sydney. Mr. Wayland, Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages has, after a prolonged service of 28 years, obtained from the Government 12 months' leave of absence, to enable him t'j visit the Old Country. Mr. Lord, of Wellington, will take his place during his absence. The City Council authorities have received a communication from the Government at Wellington, stating that they do notthinkthe sitf applied for on the hospital reserve for a 1 ick liospit.il would be a suitable place for such a building, .is owing to the smallucss of the reserve it would be too near the hospital, and also tuo exposed to public view. The Government suuyost that the lock hospital should be, as in other places, near the gaol, so that the gaol ami police authorities should be able to maintain u complete supervision over llm establishment. Yesterday tho Mayor and City Councillors, accompanied by Mr. O'BrieQ, t>.e Governor>f Mount Eden Gaol, inspected the debtors" prison, as well as two or three suggested sites on the gaol reserve, but nothing was definitely settled. Tho Mayor and City Councillors do not seem to be particularly depressed through Dr. Wallis's agitation, as the City Surveyor's department is at present engaged in preparing plans for the now lock hospital, and which will be submitted to the Couucil at au early date for approval. " Long«top " is desirous of knowing whether the proposed cricket team for the Siiuthcr'i tour is to bo looked upon as representative or as a party only ou pleasure bent. If the former, he takes exception to the mode of selecting it. He considers that tho Selection Commitl-ie would have done better if they h.ij. at ukco selected the team. A list of the elect should have been sent to every member of the honoured b;>nd, with a notiC-3 that a definite answer would be required on a fixed day as to his willingness or n>it to play. A man feeling the honour of b_i:ig selected would have bestirred himself

in every way to go, and to fit himself for the contest, whereas with the present state of uncertainty a man who is told off to practice, subject to the whims or otherwise of the Selection Committee, feels that he may be castoiTat the list moment for sorreone not nearlv so L'ood a plaver, but who may be able to contribute towards the expenses. Some of the best plnye'-s iu Auckland are of those who cannot afford the sacrifice of a mouth's time ; but if we are to have a team worthy of the past and present go, they ought. Our correspondent is of opiuioii that if tho public are t.> be appealed to to contribute towards the expense of the tour J they should clearly understand for what purpose they are giving their money. Two Inilp, aged 10 and 17 respectively, named Mollor and Wright, were committed for trial yesterday on a charge of stealing a gold witch and chain, the property of the mother of the younger prisoner. The story of the case is simple enough. Moller stole the articles and Wriyht pawned them, and between them they spent the money— £2 10s. Every cent was gone when t'ie prisoners were arrested. How pawnbrokers could be in-luced to advance money on valuable jewellery to youths of this description is one of the things they may understand, but no one olsn does. Perhaps the salutary lesson taught by the Resident Magistrate recently in refusing to make an order for the repayment of the money advanced on stolen property may have a deterrent effect, and induce brokers to exercise in-jre caution.

; The main stone pier for the transit instruiaent of the United StaUs Transit of Venus Expedition wa« put in its place yesterday, ami holes for the otlier piers wero cluir. The carpenters also commenced work cn'tlie transit building, and expect to finish in .1 day or two. Professor Pritcliett is superintending the work. The exact latitude and longitude of the transit instrument will shortly be ascertained. The Government have done all in tlieir power to assist the Expedition ; having free use of tlie telegraph, mail, and railway. Mr. Percy Smith, Assistant Surveyor - General, lias given the astronomers the use of his instruments, and has also assisted them in a. great many ways. From Auckland, the ingress of the transit will not be seen. When the sun rises, the transit will be about half over. Mr. Kilwin Smith, Chief of the Expedition,

_ .jiintii, —! is expected to return to Auckland from Waiwcra next week. Those of our correspondents who take an interest in the proposition of connecting the waters of the Waitemata with those of the Manukau will find thu initial stage of the scientific consideration of the subject in the report of Colonel Mould, K.E., which was published in the Auckland Provincial Council Blue-book of ISGO, and which can be seen in the Free Public Library. The colonel states that he has no doubt of tiie practicability of the scheme, but thinks the cost, which he estimates at £22,87G, for a canal 8A feet in depth, would not bo a remunerative expenditure for the Province of Auckland to undertake at that time. In connection with such undertakings things havo ereatly altered since. The above sum would be thought quite a bagatelle now. At the Police Court yesterday a man named Maurice Fitzmaurice Finchin was arraigned on a charge of larceny as a bailee. It appeared he rented, or purchased on the deferred payment system, a piano from Mr. S. 11. Webb, and having mistaken ideas of his ownership he pawned it. The matter was explained, and the case withdrawn on the defendant returning the piano and paying expenses. The annual procession of the boats of the Auckland, North Shore, and Ponsonby Rowing Clubs, will take place on Saturday afternoon. The Auckland and Ponsonby boats will proceed over shortly before 3 o'clock, to meet the North Shore boats, when they will return in single file up round the hulk, and then down abreast.

The marriage of Mr. J. A. Tole, M.H.K., to Miss Eleanor Blanch Mary, daughter of Mr. Edward Lewis, took place at St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday, and a great crowd assembled to witness the interesting ceremony. The cathedral was crowded, and so were the approaches to it, long before the appointed hour, 12 o'clock. Mr. Tole being a member of the cathedral choir, the special honour of a musical service was accorded, and for some time before the ceremony Miss Shau.ihan played Mendelssohn's " Wedding March." As the bride, leaning or. her father's arm, entered the church, followed by the bridesmaids, three sisters of the bride, and Miss Tole, daughter of Mr. William Tole, ■ she became the focus of general interest, and all faoc3 were turned towards her. ; She was dressed in pure white satin, with a wreath anil veil. The two principal leridesmaids were dressed in blue, and the other two in pink silk. As the bride entered the church Miss Shanahaii played tho "Coronation March" (Meyerbeer) most effectively. Mr. John Tole, brother of the bridegroom, was best man. The remainder of the bridal party, who were provided with seats in tho front, were Messrs. D. A. Tole, Kilwanl Tole, the Misses Tole, Mr. and Mrs. W Tole, Mrs. Lewis, Miss Kelly, and Mr. C. Lewis, the bride's brother. The ceremony was impressively performed by the Very Rev. Walter McDonald, assisted by the Rev. fathers G'Mahoney, Riordan, and Golden. At the close of the ceremony the " Wedding March" was again played by Miss Shanahan. The bridal party then drove to Ponsonby, and subsequently the happy couple proceeded to Waikato by the afternoon train to spend the honeymoon. We may add that the six carriages for the bridal parly were supplied in the most tasteful manner by Mr. S. Young, from the Greyhound Livery Stables.

A man named William Henry Croseley, whose name is not unfamiliar in the records of the Police Court, was arrested yesterday by Detective Brenuan, under th» Vagrant Act, on a charge of having no visible means of support. From investigations made by the police some graver charges will he preferred against him. It appears that he has been employed as a clerk at the Karikari Mills, Manukau, and obtained through certain representations nearly £.10 of jewellery, &;., from Mr. Goodson, of the Arcade, Queen-street, ostensibly for a person residing in that district. For this alFair a charge of obtaining goods on false pretences will probably be laid to-day. A considerable portion of the jewellery has been recovered. Crossley is also alleged to have successfully passed himself off on the stationmasters and guards on the Onehunga railway as a police detective under the name of James Henry Clifford, travelling free, his excuse at not showing his pass being that he had lost it. He is stated to be the son of a deceased clegymau in the Tauranga district, one of the Katikati settlers, and, like Plummer, a man of ability and education, but like him seems to turn his talents in the wrong direction.

The "reckless competition in insurance business is beginning to tell its tale. There are no less than fifteen underwriters at Lloyd's winding up, being satisfied that, with the present ratio of loss and premium, there is no money to be made in the business.

The delivery of the refrigerating apparatus imported by Fisher and Co., attracted a good deal of attention yesterday. Few had much idea of what the huge castings were meant for, and during the proccn of the heavier portions (one of which weighs 3 J tons) being jacked off the vehicle along ekids into tho Quuen-street shop, large crowds collected. The apparatus has been imported by the ship Ashmoro. It will be erected at the back of Fisher and Co.'s premises under the supervision of Mr. Crawford, who is, we believe, to mauage this branch of the firm's business.

There were in the lock-un last night two niea and a woman on charges of drunkenness. William Henry Crossley, for having no visible means of support, and Isaac Wilsou for embezzlement.

Constable Kelly, of Mercury Bay, brought up last night two prisoners by the steamer Staffo, namely, John Ruid, sentenced to six months' imprisonment for indecent exposure ; and John Smith, who was arrested (on warrant issued from Whangarei) on a charge of obtaining money on false pretences. .

Sergeant Gamble and Detective Brenn.in arrested yesterday afternoon a man named Isaac Wilson, on a charge cf embezzlement. He belongs to Kotorua, but has been working as a contractor at Waitara, in partnership with a man named R.obert Seagar. The arrest was made on a warrant issued from Taranaki, anil is for the alleged misappropriation of a cheque of £20.

Twopersons were sent to the Lunatic Asylum yesterday afternoon on the testimony of two medical men. One of them was a man named William Thorne, and the other a middleaged woman, Mrs. Weston, tho wife of a Maugawai settler.

A number of the vessels in the harbour carried their flags half-mast high yesterday out of respect to the memory of Mr. James Richmond, who died at the North Shore early yesterday morning. Deceased had lieen intheemploy of Messrs.Cruiekshank and Co. for a number of years as chief clerk and book-keeper, and was well known and •nuch respected in Auckland. lie leaves a widow and three children, who are resident here.

A precis of the new volunteer regulations, in manuscript, has been forwarded from Wellington to Major Withers, and it is probable a meeting of volunteer oliieers will shortly be convened to consider the questions which are involved in it. One would haTo thought the Government would have issued this ljrecis in the form of a printed circular, so that officers and men alike would have had an opportunity of considering the matter, prior to the questions coming up otlicially. As a matter ot fact, tho officers commanding companies are as yet completely in ignorance of the proposed changes, though the above regulations are supposed to come into force on the Ut of January next.

The Times of September 5 contains the following advertisement—" Professorships in New Zealand : — The Government of New Zealand intend to appoint two Professors for the Auckland University College, in New Zealand ; one to fill the Chair of Classic! nnd English ; the other of Mathematics aud Mathematical Physics. The salary of each Professorship will be £700 a jear, with an allowance for passage and outfit. The appointment will be made for five years certain, but is intended to be permanent. Candidates must send in their applications on or before the 31st of October next. Further information and the forms on which applications must be made, can be obtained at tho office of the Aj'jnt-Genoral for New Zealand. Walter Ivennaway, Secretary, No. 7 West-minster-chambers, London, S.W., August 23, ISS2." Two other Professors have been Kent for siuce, to teach Chemistry, Geology, Mineralogy, and Botany."

To-day Mr. G. W. Binney will offer for gale by auction a large number of allotments in tho Ponsonby district. The cluster of allotments are named Waterview, nnd are the property of Mr. S. Coombea. The property is well known to many citizens, having been inspected by many on Saturday last. Tho aale begins at noon, at the auction room of Mr. Gabriel Lewis. At the same time Mr. Binney will sell a largo number of other properties, some in tho city, and several farms in country districts of varying sizes. Particulars will be fonnd in another column.

The largest milldam in the province, if not in the colony, has just been completed by Mr. Fagan, contractor, to the order of the Union Sash and Door Company, on the watershed of the Tairua district. It is 300 feet in width, and 300,000 feet of timber was absorbed in its construction. It took Beven months to complete, and cost £2000.

Wβ notice that the popularity of the newly-started Commercial Club is increasing, as the directors have resolved to issue 100 additional shares. Applications are to be sent in to the secretary, High-street.

The special meeting of the Auckland Presbytery, convened to consider the case of the Rev. Mr. Breach, of New Plymouth, takes place on the let proximo, at St. Andrew's Church. Mr. Breach has been cited to appear before the Preaby tery, but it is not yet known whether he will do so. Hβ has, however, applied for a copy of the charges to be preferred against him. There was a policy of insurance on the church at New Plymouth, which was burned down during the dispute, but the insurance company declines to pay Mr. Breach, in whose name it was insured, on the ground that he would have no special interest, or to pay the trustees who had neglected their duty in the matter. As a matter of law, it is stated that the company's action is quite justifiable, but it was hoped that the company -would have seen its way, ex gratia, to have met the Presbyterian Church authorities halfway.

Tho Mount Eden Domain Board have effected considerable improvements in planting trees on the slopes of the mountain, erecting seats at various points of view for the accommodation of the public, and otherwise improving tho approaches to the top of the mountain. There are one or two places on the carriage drives where there are dangerous unprotected embankments, but these will be securely fenced off as soon as the Domain Board lias the necessary funds.

There is a splendid specimen of the kauri growing in the Hikuraugi district, Whangarei, stated to be the largest kauri tree in the North. It is 15 feet in diameter and the barrel 90 feet without a single branch. It has been computed to contain 155,000 feet of timber. There is said to be a kauri tree at Mercury Bay, 25 feet in diameter, but the barrel is considerably shorter than that growing at Hikurangi.

The railway authorities intend to begin the running of trains earlier than usual for the Cattle Show on the 9th of November, thereby giving tho public an opportunity of returning in time for the North Shore Regatta.

His Worship the Mayor and the city councillors, with tho exception of Messrs. DacreandDevore, accompanied by the Waterworks Engineer(Mr. Errington) and the Town Clerk (Mr. P. A. Philips), went out yesterday to inspect the Kyber Pass reservoir, in connection with the proposed improvement of the pressure of the city water supply. It is proposed either to heighten and enlarge the reservoir, or construct a service reservoir at Mount Eden crater, the water being pumped from the Kyber Pass reservoir by an engine at that station. After inspecting the reservoir the party proceeded to Mount Eden to view the site of the proposed reservoir at the top of Mount Eden. The proposal is to construct the reservoir at the lower hip of the crater, feuce it ia, but to leave it uncovered. Provision would bo made for a storage supply of eleven million gallons of water. Nothing definite was arranged, the visit being merely one to euable the councillors to becomo more thoroughly acquainted with the locality, and the configuration of the ground, when the question of the exteesion of the water supply comes generally before the City Council.

The revised time-table of the Northcote and Ponsonby Steam Ferry Company will be found in our adver isement columns to-day. The Grandstand bar, Good Templar booth, fruit stalls, stabling. Ac., at the Aericnltural Show, will lie let to tho highest bidder, to-morrow, at Messrs. 15. Tonks and Co.'s auction-room. The Rev. T. Spurgeon will givo his popular and highly entertaining readings from •John Ploughman," this evening, in the i'onsnnby Hall, in aid of the funds for the erection of the new Haptist Clupcl. The readings will be illustrated by tho well known limelight views.