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New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6817, 22 September 1883, Page 4

In another column will be found the opening chapters of a new novel by Bertha M. Clay, which promises to. be one'of the mO3tV; interesting stories ever published. ■ 1 The great Premier of England has returned to England from a yachting cruise in the Baltic. Mr. Gladstone has bad several attacks of illness lately, which have arovised the apprehensions of the whole people of England, but although he is now in his seventy-fourth year he has managed to reestablish his health, Stnd generally by a trip - at sea. A telegram from Sydney informs us : of severe shocks p.f earthquake having beenexperienced in New South Wales. la a cablegram in yesterday's issue giving' the price of Scottish pig iron free on board m the Clyde, it should have been 47s 6 i per; ton, instead of £-1 7s 6d, ' - At the. meeting of the Board of Education yesterday, the subject of Mr. Worthington's - election to the Council of the Borough of ' Parnell came up for discussion. Mr. Worth-. idgton's letter will be found in another. 1 column. Mr- Cooper, whose opinion as a lawyer is ot value,, considered it an invasion pf the " rights of the ciiizen " to say that a ; schoolmaster shall not take part in public business so long as it is not shown that the ' efficiency of the school is impaired by his doing so. He considered the regulation of the Board ou this subject ultra, vires. A resolution by Mr. Goldie asking a return of children from Parnell fif any) at City East ; School should he ande before coming to a decision, was carried. ..o.s-?;'-Mr. W. H. Hales, Disti ict Engineer, was a passenger last evening from HeleaSville by the evening train, having been up in tbe district in reference to soma matters in connection with the Waste Lands Board, on which it was desired t.q have his professional ■ opinion. \ ■ A case under the Malicious Injury to Pro-' petty Act came np for hearing yesterday in the Police Court, in which Mr. Phillips, the

manager, and Mr. Trace, one of the employe of the Manganese Company, were sued for destroying a house claimed by Mr. McLeod, of Waiheke, as his. property. It is alleged that the house w.rs on property purchased by Mr. McLeod, but not built by him. Judging from the line of cross-examination pursued by Mr, Kussell, the defence seemed to be that the proparty is not Mr. McLeod's, bat part of a public roadway and landing, and that the house which was taken down wa3 erected at the expense of the company, and occupied at intervals by the company's employ I?. The case wag not concluded yesterday,. and stauda further adjourned; until. Wednesday.. The debatn of Considerable interest upon the proper sshosl age of children was raised at the Education Board yesterday by a resolution of Mr. Theophilus Cooper to rescind a previous resolution of the Board altering the school age from five years to seven years of age. Mr. Cooper carried his resolution. I The discussion will, be found in another

column. .'. A petition is now being largely signed praying the City Council to fill up '• he bottom of Greysstreeir, wliich would greatly improve the gradient of that street. Greystreat is one of the mpst important avenues ; froui town, and. must always be so, as it conduets from Qaeeu.street to the districts where the mass of the population resile. The opening of the Surrey Hills estate will also locate a large population in a place which ja reached from, town most readily by Grey-street. The obstacles which will have to be overcome are cow trifling compared to what they will ba in a few years, or perhaps months. * The ordinary meeting Of the City Schools Committee was held yesterday evening, MlBrame in the Chair. The principal matter diacDHsed was the dirty state of the classrooms of City East School. It appears that birds get in through the louvre openings of the building, and the "tick" or parasites belonging to them drop into the school. _ 1 wss said that "all the schools" in the city were in the same condition more or less. Messrs. Carr and Offer were appointed a Committee to examine tire other schools. The committee adjourned to Wednesday next, to receive their report. The proceedings arc reported In another column. A telegram was. received yesterday from Mr. Edward Ryan, in charge of the Southern Cross Extended mine, .Karangahake, a3 fojlowa ;■ —* l Struck good gold, not through reef." At. the next meeting of. the City Council* Mr. Laßoche is tomoviß :—"That the tngineer be instructed to prepare plans and specifications for cuttinc and filling for Synionds- : street and Kyber Pass to permanent levelsA shot and shell practice will be in at the North Shore to-day by the a Battery 6£ Artillery.

Mr. David Koss, architect, formerly of Dnnedin, has patented a double-purpose sanitary self-acting closet seat, a large working model of which may be seen on view at his office, Qaeen-street, by those interested in matteia o£ sanitary science. The seat is self3Ctin({ as regards its rising motion, being hung on pivots at each side, and is made to rise up by having attached to it by two hooks or otherwise a counter-balancing weight. The advantages of it are : (1) Cleanliness ; (2) economy, as it does away with the necessity for a urinal, - and the Co3t of tho same; (3) its compactnew, as the " double-purpose " seat can be conveniently placed where there is not room for an ordinary eeat and eeparate urinal. The advantage of its adoption in largo hotels and public shools is very obvious, oud requires no comment. While paying a visit to Helensville the other day, we were struck with the wretched '' condition of tho building set apart by the Government as the residence of the district police officer, Constable Naughton. The building has been, apparently, constructed of second-class materials, and on one side the foundations have rotted away, giving the dwelling more the appearance of an Lish cabin than the dwelling place of a Government servant. Constable Naughton, owing to the peculiar situation of Heleusville, i 3 one of the hardest worked officers in our country districts, his district extending over 3 ten-mile radius from Helensville, necessitating his travelling from home by railway about four days a week. The Government can scarcely expect the public to respect the representative of law and order, in the face of the disregard shown by the authorises themselves as to whether he and his wife and family are, or are not, deceutly housed. How the decencies of social life can be observed, ■with six of a family, in such a shanty as that occupied by Constable Naughton, is a mystery. He has been stationed at Helensville for seven years, which is a sufficient guarantee that he enjoys the approval of hia commanding officer, and the gooiwill of the residents. A slight alteration has heen made in the dates of Mr. Pool-y'a competition for amateur musicians. It has been thought that llondiy evening, instead of Saturday, would enable many -.vho are engaged in business on the latter ei'euing to show their interest in these trials of merit by being present to give their vote; and as the Saturday popular concerts have been practically closed to them, tho Monday conipetitious will doubtless attract a large number to the Theatre Royal. It is to be hoped that we will see many valuable acquisitions to the liat of local musical talent brought forward. For the first contest—" baritones and basses " — there are already eight names entered, and a3 the list closes on Wednesday, no doubt the number will be increased. An entertainment was given in the Newton West School-room last night by the scholars of the school. There was a good attendance, the place being about two-thirds full. In the unavoidable absence of the Chairman of the committee (Mr. J. Warren), Mr. Birnie kindly accepted the chair. The Chairman gave a short address, after which a good and varied programme was gone through in a very creditable manner. A number of songs were sang by the children in the Tonio Sol-fa method, tin rendering of which reflected great credit on their teachers. Readings and recitations were given by the scholars. Mr. Mason gave a humorous reading, entitled "The Definition of a Boy." The Chairman then read the result of the standard examination, which showed that 75 per cent, had passed in the first three standards, and 95 per cent, in the fourth and fifth standards. There was also a spelling bee, which created much amuse, meat, especially among the children. Tie prize was carried off by Miss Isabel Taylor. The preliminary programme of the Auckland regatta, to take place on the 29 th of January next, appears in our advertising ' columns. The programme includes the s Champion Trading Race, for vesseh fifty l tons register and upwards (any rip), except- r ing cutters : let prize, £150, champion flag j; and cup ; 2nd prize, £50 ; 3rd prize, £25. 0 There are 16 races in all. Cups and trophies i will be added to the prizes on presentation oi same to the committee. 1 The Avondale Brick and Tile Company £ have let a contract for the manufacture of a certain quantity of bricks at Cater's Brick Factory, recently purchased by the company. The company have forwarded to the new brick factory, just built by them, a number of grinding pans, &c, and it is anticipated that the manufacture of bricks there will be commenced next week. t A telegraphic bureau his been opened this week at Parnell, at the premises of Mr. c Robinson, chemist. This will be a great 1 convenience to the public, and is sure to be 1 largely patronised. i Tfie Waitakerei Railway Station is having I some additions male to it, in order to its ' being made available as a po3tal and tele- ' graph, station. This improvement will be ' regarded by the settlers as a boon. ' Another of the old identities of Auckland, . and New Zealand, has passed over to the \ great majority. Mr. John McLeod died at , Newton on Tuesday, after an illness of six • weeks. His funeral yesterday was attended . by a large coacourse, amongst them numbers j of those who, with him, helped to build the ] foundations of the colon3'. Mr. McLeod j arrived in the colony, with his father and 1 mother, in the year 1539, by the barque j Diana, from Sydney, and livf dat the Bay of < Islands until Heke's War. In this war he j took an active part as a volunteer. At the j close of the war, he went to the Australian : goldfields, residing for some time at iJallarat | and Bendigo, and visiting various rushes, but . he finally made up his mind, after a checquered j career, to return to New Zealand. He re- ( sumed his trade as shipbuilder at Wellington, j about IS mouths ago, and sub-equently took ] .a contract for railway works at Tauranga. < Taere, he contracted a coin , , which eventually , proved fatal. Mr. McLeod leaves a wife, but | n> family. ; A meeting of the North Devon Gold i Mining Company, which was to have been ' held yesterday, at Mr. F. A. White's, for the purpose of considering the question of whether operations in the mine should be continued or suspended, lapsed for want of a quorum. At the Police Court yesterday, His Worship the R.M. gave judgment in the casp against Messrs. Jaggart for pursuing their avocation as photographers on the Lord's Day. He had reserved his decision on a point raised for the defence that the Imperial Act o£ Charles 11., under which the charge was laid, did not apyly to photography. His Worship, however, in giving judgment yesterday held that it did apply, and imposed a fine of 53 and co->ta on each defendant. A second charge against the eame defendants was withdrawn by the police, Sergeant White stating that the police had no desire to persecute anyone, only to enforce the law. On Thursday morning last, at Coromandel, Captain W. D. Hargrave, late master of the steamer Coromandel, was presented with a niceiy illuminated and engrossed address, by about fifty residents! of the district. Mr. Andrew King, in thu absence of Captain J. Thomas, made the presentation, and, in doing so, referred to Captain Hargrave's popularity, and his ability as master of a steamer. The address is as follows :— "Cautain W. D. Harp.rave. Dear Sir,— Hearing with regret thai; you have resigned your position as master of tlie s.s. Coromandel, we cannot allow you to depart without expressing in some sympathetic manner, our appreciation of your qualities as a steadv, attentive, skilful seaman, and gentleman. We h»ve had many opportunities of observing your conduct while iu command of the steamer during tLa past four years, and l\ave frequently had occasion to be thankful for courtesies ■which can only be shown by the master of a vessel; but we have been more particularly pleased with the manner in which you have always attended to the comfort of ladies and children travelling under your care. We have also great pleasure in giving you some little recognition of the confidence we have had in travelling in the steamer under your command. In wishing you our present adieus, we hope soonito hear of your occupying a more lucrative position ; and that all your future undertakings may be eminently prosperous, is the sincere wish of the. many friends you bave in Coromandel." Captain jlargrave, in accepting the testimonial, said it was a source of pleasure and gratification to him, from the fact that he believed and knew the sentiments expressed in it were sincere. He regretted being severed from his friends at Coromandel, but wherever his future lot was cast he would always remember tbeir kind feelings towards him. Three cheers were given for Captain flargrave and Jiis family.

i 1 A very pleasant conversazione took plai i- last evening at the North Shore ia the Devo: ? port Hall, the object being to welcome bac 8 m"? ? ev " Bate*, the worthy incumbent < a Trinity Church, Devonport," Thore was - very large attendance, and all expressc J themselves well pleased at seeing Mr. Bate b once more amongst them, and in good heal 1 1 Altogether a most pleasant evening wa i spent. ? The monthly meeting of the Epsom Mutua Improvement Society was held in the read •iJL§' r r om on Tuesday last, at the usual hour , ( y John Jamieson was to have read a pape I ? Q ' "hat a Change in New Zealand," bu instead of bringing the subject forward ii ' that he introduced it in a speech o twenty minutes' duration. In the course o his remarks he briefly pictured the state o things as they existed when the miasionariei : came to New Zealand, and then poiated ou the results o£ their labours among thi Maoris, attributing most of our genera i prosperity to missionary effort. A good dea of adverse criticism followed, although hii estimate of the value of missionary enter i prise was for the most part endorsed. One very old settler was present, and gave somi very interesting reminiscences of Queen-street Auckland, as it was 40 years ago. Alto gether the proceedings were of an interesting character. The Circus was crowded yesterday afternoon and evening. In the evening every available seat was occupied, and the per formance was most successful. This afternoon, at two o'clock, there will be a school and family matinee. The Dramatic Company at Abbott's Opera House closed their season last night! The piece selected for presentation was "The Streets of New York." To-night the Court Minstrels and Hibernicon Comedy Company will commence a short season. This company were most successful in Sydney. An mportant sale of town, suburban, and rural lands will be held in the Crown Lands Office on the 24th prox. The situation aud extent of the land to be sold will be found in our advertising columns. Several sections near the Lake will be offered ; also sectious at Opua, One-Tree Point, Bay of Islands. The Past-Grand officers of the Auckland District of 1.0.0 F., Manchester Unity, who procee'ed to Helensville on Thursday, to inaugurate a new lodge of tbo Order at Helensville—the Delta—returned to town yesterday by the foivtioou train, after having had pleasant social intercourse with their brethren. We have to acknowledge the courtesy of the operator at the Helensville telegraph-station, Mr. A. J. Percival, who, at considerable personal inconvenience, transmitted our telegraphic report of the opening of the new lodge, at a late hour on Friday night. Sergeaut Bulford left recently for Melbourne, in order to bring back to Auckland a young man, formerly employed in one of the local banks, who, it is alleged, is in difficulties respecting his accounts, and has been arrested in Melbourne. The defalcations were discovered, it is stated, after his departure from Auckland. The Auckland Weekly News (illustrated) is the best and largest weekly journal published in the colon}-, and contains an ample and well-assorted collection of general, commercial, poli* tical, mining, agricultural, and sporting intelligence; the latest English, American, and Continental cablegrams, recording the principal events throughout tho world; special contributions from our travelling correspondents; tales by the most popular novelists ; apd interesting items relating to art, literature, science, music, and the drama— tho whole combining to render it tho most attractive and readable weekly journal published in Now Zealand. The opening chapters of a new story, '-The World Between Them," by Bertha if. Ciay. are given in this week's issue. On Thursday next Mr. R. Arthur will sell the property at Mount Eden of the late Mr.ll.Rawlings. The prope ty U designated Rawlirgston. and has been surveyed into nine allotments, situated in tho neighbourhood of the properties of Messrs. W. K. Bridgman, Cranwell, and others. The allotments aro well situated, and, as the land is volcanic, the trustees expect them to sell readily. The sale begins at noon, and lithogra' li plans of the property have been prepared, and can now be obtained from the auctioneer. Mr. A. Vollbracht manager pro tcmof the Tobacco Growing and Manufacturing Company, advertises that he is willing to furnish socd and infor* mation to all who are desirous nf growing tobacco.