Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7000, 24 April 1884, Page 4

! We learn from one of our cable messages"today, that according to Mr. Gladstone's Government, General Gordon's position at Khartoum is not critical, and that he has not applied for troops to be sent to his I assistance. This is satisfactory—if true. It flatly contradicts air our previous scraps of information about General Gordon. It was only the other day that we were told, on the strength of a letter, written by himself to Sir Samuel Baker, that he had only 500 reliable troops, and that his ammunition was falling short. It has been stated by .Renter once, if not more than once, that he had urgently appealed for British troops. In a proclamation to the people of the Soudan, dated February 26, General Gordon says :— "From the date of my arrival until now I have given you sound advice, and everything has been done to ensure tranquility and put "a stop to bloodshed. My advico has not been listened to, and / am ilterefore forced against my will to send for British troops, who are now on the road, and will arrive in a few days. I shall severely punish all who will not change their conduct. Ton know well that I 4 am not ignorant of anything that is going on, and I write this that you may know my resolution." It is impossible to reconcile the statement of the British Government with these plain words of General Gordon himself. Apart from this matter altogether, the extraordinary incapacity which the Government ara displaying in the management o£ Egyptian affairs is exciting the disßUst of even their own friends in the Press. The Pall Mall Gazette comes out with the startling warning that tho policy of the -Government , will result in a war with France. It is reported that Berber has fallen, and that Sir Evelyn Wood is preparing an army to re-capture the town. ■ ■ . .

A severe and disastrous shock of earthquake wae felt over the Eastern Counties of England early on Tuesday morning. Great destruction of property was oansed,vthe damage in Colchester alone being estimated at £10,000. Two churches and several villages are reported to have been wrecked. Happily no lives were lost, and no one was injured. The shook is said to have been felt in the Strand. It must, however, have been very slight in London, as no damage is reported to have been done. Had it boen even moderately severe the destruction of property in the metropolis conld scarcely have failed to be immense. Earthquakes are not unknown in England, but their occurrence is by no means common. It ia estimated that not more than 255 shocks have been experienced from the : earliest times of which we have any record. None of them caused any great amount of damage, although in'almost every instance, they gave rise to considerable alarm.- Indeed so great was the- dread'in the pnblic mind of these shocks that to avoid the effects of a shock predicted by a madman for the Bth April, 1750, " thousands of persons, particularly those of rank and fortune, .passed the night on the 7th in their carriages and in tents in Hyde Park. . . .

. Sir George Gray arrived in town from Kawau yesterday afternoon. It is his tutenttori to proceed to Christchurch and Dunedin, and ' address public meetings at those places, but--the' day of his departure for the South has not been fixed. Sir George has received a request from a large number of residents of Gisborne, asking-him to deliver an addrens in that town. It is probable, if time and opportunity permit, that the request will be complied with. Sir George ia staying at the Northern Club.

By the Waitaki, whioh left last night for Wbangarei, two boats' crews proceeded with the object of contending in the whaleboat race at the regatta to be held te-day at Whangarei." The'ereWs represent the tonsonby and Waitemata'Rowing Clubs. • The s.s. Waitaki ie to act as. flagship at the' regatta named. ..

! i His Honor Mr. Justice Gillies B at vesk, day in banco. In the matter of the Betted of Jonathan Brown, to compel the Di»*ri2 Registrar to register of title, judgment "■««, ' given for tne petitioner. The appeal fm» the decision of the JDietriefc Judge Tola Cpzena (Re Thermal Spring* Act), 'wsa alai heart). His Honor reserved judgment Th argument is reported in another column.

• When tho Hon. Mr. Mitchelwn, Minute, for Public Works',-was last in AuckUndTa narrow escape from instant "dsath hari occurred at the dangerous railway croisiiT on. the Mount Eoakill fioad.: Repeated!* have accidents taken place at this verv dangerous orossing, but until then no atten tion was paid to the complaints hy «i officers of the Railway 'Department. Indeed! so dead to all humane feelings had the* become in regard to the complaints made respeoting this place, that 6a the oecJ. sion referred to. the general manager in atituted proceedings agaiiut the man Svho ; barely escaped with his life fgt being successful in doing so. The ridicn. loueness ■■■• of the prosecution tttracted the attention of Mr. Mitchulsoh, who drove' out to the place to make an examination of it I him3olf. He saw how duhgerous it especially as the traffic on that road is daily increasing, and'he gave instructions to hav, the roadway carried ever the railway Since his departure nothing more hag been done. The lives and. property of citizens having business oa that line of road ars daily placed in danger. Surely it ig no j necessary to saorifice humaii life and s qaaritity of property before the Government will take'steps to make their own works safe for public use. It is not too much, •to - say that such a dangerous crossing so near a large centre of population as '■ Auckland would not have been allowed to Sexist; for; one day in either the Otago or Canterbury provinces. It is to be hoped Mr. Mitchelson will permit no more trifling with the lives of our citizens by allowing this dangerous crossing to remain info present condition. . - ■

The Papakura annual races were hdj yesterday, and no far as the races were concerned, it musb be acknowledged that' they were highly successful. The attendance, however, was not large. A detailed report of the 'raoss is published in another part of this issue.

The atory of the "lost transfer," in the case. of the petition of Jonathan Brows, heard yesterday in the Supreme Court, readi like a romance. Mr. Brown leased ud' bought 6000 acres of land from the T»nranga natives, in 1876, for whic'a he p\id upwards of £2000. The natives signed the transfer in r the usual form. Mr. O. 11. Quintal was to take the trausfer, for special purposes, to Wellington, by the s.e. Taranaki. 1o guard against aooident, he put the deeds in a portmateau, and the transfer in a trunk. The Taranaki was wrecked on the voyage. The captain of the eteimer ordered Mr, Quintal to take charge of one of the boats, to land passengers. Mr. Whyte, M.8.R., was on board, and proposed to hand the trunk down to Mr. Quintal, in the boat. One of the sailors, however, said there was enough in the boat, and if the trunk was handed down, he would threw it overboard. The Taranaki canted over, her boiler fell out of position, and rolled over the trunk, and no more was erer heard of the trunk or transfer. Thsßatires, when asked to sign another transfer, refused. But they have since withdrawn their objection. The land has cost Mr. Brown £3000. The action of Mr. Quintal in taking precaution against accident, was creditable to his professional forecast of contingencies, of which his client has gained the benefit. His Honor, Mr. Justice Gillies, made an order yesterday, that the District Registrar should register the second transfer from the' natives to Mr. Brown.

Professor Tucker delivered the second of a series of lectures on English literature at Admiralty House yesterday afternoon at three o'clock. There was a good attendance. The title of the lecture was, "The Augustan Age of .English. Literature, or Period of Quean Anne." Professor Tucker began by briefly reviewing the points of the previous lecture, and gave a comprehensive view of England socially and politically for a period prior to and at the time of Queen Anns. The consideration of AMs subject was unusually interesting, and tv ' Made a prominent portion of the lecture. Professor Tnoker has a charming style, clear and easy, yet forcible and always to the point. He stated that the term " Augustan age " had been considered especially applicable to the reign of Queen Anne, and if such a term were applicable to any epoch of English literature, perhaps thai period deserved the title as much as any other, although scarcely in the sense primarily intended. The Augustan age of Roman literature was the most brilliant and productive of all its periods, and' from this cause the term was applied by analogy to modern countries. In Prance the Augustas age -was that of Louis XIV., in England to that of Queen Anne. In many respects the period of Queen-Anne more nearly resembled that of the Augustan than any other ; bat on the other hand it was not the greatest period of English literature—it was not the richest and most fertile, or that productive of the greatest nainw. To his taste the Elizabethan stood out before all others, and the time of Pope, Swift,, and Addison fell into the second class. Anne reigned from 170*2 to 1714, but the Queen Anne period waa not limited to those years, and he thought thii age should have been extended from 1700 to 1745. Some interesting criticisms were made on the works of Jeremy Taylor, Bonyau, Milton, Butler, and Dryden. The lecture lasted about an hour, and was listened to with marked attention.' The leoture neit Wednesday will be " Pope: his life and productions."

A prosecution was brought at the Onehunga Resident Magistrate's Court oa Wednesday for selling on" Sunday, and one for selling after ten o'clock. In the Sunday case the landlord of the Manukau Hotel yras coDvicted ; the other case, which was against the licensee of the Hibemia Hotel, was dismissed. A report of the cases will he found elsewhere.

Messrs. Hellaby msde an application for a renewal of their slaughterhouse license yesterday, and were opposed-by the City Council.- the Bench, however, granted the application. v • . . ■

At the inquest on the body of Edwin Welcome, who was f Quad floating in the harbour on Sunday last, Dr. Murray Moore stated that it "was hie opinion,~'on examination of the body, that death was caused by drowning, and not by violence, as was erroneously printed in the report.of the evidence.

At the Police Court yesterday, before Messrs. Elliott and B. Tonka, five persons were'fined for drunkenness. William- Walsh, who had boen under remand fur eight daye suffering from delirium tremens, was ordered' to paya fine of 20i and cost», 11s; or in "default, to undergo seven day»' imprisonment. .

An event of some social interest; takes place ■ this morning at eight o'clock, a* Bishopscourfc, namely, the marriage of Judge Smith to a daughter of Mr. F. Larkins.

Theßev. Mr. Hitchcock, lately l«bonrin| at the Northern Wairoa, has been instaUea at Northcote as successor to the Kev. Mr. Evan's,' now of the Thames. The Northeote church ia about to be finished in the interior, and made comfortable for the winter. Mr. Hitchcock has entered upon his new dutow with energy and spirit. - The : quarterly meeting of the Auckland Institute of Architects will be held on Monday next, at the Auckland Museum. *» a stated that several special subjects of interest to ,the profession will be introduced and discussed. By a late resolution ladies are admitted to the meeting.

. The tall, chimney stalk at the Sugar Company's Works, Northcote, so long in process of erection is now completed. The_ fern vessel with sugar for the factory is now lying alongside the company's wharf. Q* charging into the stores. A number of new houses are going up at the works, and a" 01 ? the adjacent district, and near BirkennM Q wharf. The Catholic College endowments lea» ed recently'are not likely to:remain long unutilised.- Mr. Hammond, the architect. » inviting tenders for the erection of dwelling-house on these allotments, wo icn have a frontage to the new North Koaa. A meeting of the Lumpers' Union was held at the" British Hotel last evening. * number of new members were enrolled, •» officers were appointed. We understand that a" large number o persons have neglected to see tha. w names are on the burgess roll.' A*" are only a few days more in whioh »PP*' tiona can be entertaineil for placing naio on the roll. — - "

• There were four prisoners in the lock- 0 ? last night, all on charges of drunkenness

Complain tsagainstthe Railway Department Jave been so frequent and so well sustained that it would appear to be almost hopeless to look for a ohange or for redress, bat when it comes to a matter of obtaining money under false pretences" a law Court might perhaps give a judgment against the Government. The department is well proteoted by by-laws and tariffs; the public have no protection at all—at least so the management judge. An instance in point occurred -yesterday. A special train wae laid on for Papakura races, and tickets were issued. A great many first-class tickets were taken at a difference in cost of two shillings, but it was found that for 60 or 80 first-class tickets issued there was only one small first-class carriage attached to the train; and that was placed next the engine. This carriage was made to seat sixteen people; the remainder sixty or seventy first-class ticket holders had to take each accommodation as they could get in the second-class carriages or oa the platforms. The growls were loud and deep. Without trying to aggravate the matter, as it is likely to be tested, we may say that it was decidedly unfair to issue tickets at the increased charges without providing adequate accommodation. To reverse the position—if the second-class carriages were crowded, and people holding tickets for that class went into the first-class carriages, they wonld inevitably be brought'up at the Police Court and fined. Now, rules ought to work both ways, and we are informed that several who •were mulcted yesterday intend to try the question by first demanding a restoration of the overcharge, and if it is hot given they will test their right to recover in a Court of ltw. ■

The annual meeting of the Onehunga Benevolent Society was held on Monday evening. The Mayor, Dr. Scott, vras elected Chairman., The Secretary, Mrs. Hutchison, read the report, whioh contained particulars of the relief afforded. The Treasurer's report gave the income from subscriptions, interest on a bequest, and Government subsidy, at £87, and £79 had been expended in relief. There had been no epidemics during the year to cause an extra drain on the funds. The outgoing officers and the committee were re-elected with Borne additions.—[Own Correspondent.]

The Presbyteriane in the Ponsonby district are resolved upon extending their usefulness. They have purchased an allotment in the Surrey Hills estate having a frontage to Roso-.ttreat of 92 feet, to Murdoch-street of 92 feet, and to Surrey-street of 177 feet, for the purpose of erectiug thereon a church end Sunday-school. The purchaie price was £299. The building will be begun in the course o£ a few weeks, and the allotment purchased a few years ago in Brown-street for the site of a Presbyterian church will be sold, the site now purchased being considered far more eligible than the one io Brown-street, although the distance between the two places does not exceed 300 yards. This new place of worship will be a great convenience to those living .in that district. The population on the Surrey Hills estate will soon be considerable, aa houses in many places are going up rapidly.

In bin-speech to the electors of Thorndon,Mr. Bnnny expressed himself strongly in faronr of practical education, saying. that every lad should be taught a trade. He advocated greater powers for the local committees, and the abolition of plural votiDg at their elections. Inspectors of schools should be General Government officers, aud shifted periodically. . . ■

" Churchman" writes in warm vindication of the abilities of the late Bishop of Eipon. The subject'is not of importance sufficient to justify us in occupying our columns with it. Opinione differ, and probably "Church, loan's" recollections are of the Bishop a good many years before his death.

The residence of Mr. F. Creighton, of Eunua, recently burned down, was, it seems, insured for £800, and the furniture for £200, in the Norwich Union. He estimates his loss at; £200 above insurance. The house was about ten years old. ;■

The Kennedy family were passengers by the s.s. Wairarapa for Sydney last evening, as was aleo Mt. Waterston, of the staff of the Melbourne Argus, who has been making a tour of the colony, and is now returning to Melbourne.

On Monday night a general meeting of the Auckland Coursing Club was held, to ;xeeeivo entries for the Puppy Stakes, to be ; run off on the 29 th instant. A large ■number of members were in attendance, ■together- with the President and Vice- ; President. Mr. A. E. Isaacs occupied the choir. The following number of well-bred yenng greyhounds were entered to make their first trial:—Mr. Whitson's Akbar, Mr. John Jones' Snidergaf, Mr. Hogan's Gitaaa, Mr. Oeborne's Bendermere, Mr. W. F. Backland's Lucifer and Hesperus, Mr. R. McDonald's' Totera IH., Mr." J. McCabe's Joker and East Lynn, Mr. E. Saunders' Endymion. Mr. J. C. Abernethy's First Water, Mr. T. Mcßeady's Maid of Hobart, Mr. C. H. Dodge's Star of the South, Mr. T. Burns' Fleetwing, Mr. James Piynn'e Davitt,- Mr. Browne's Flying Scad, Mr. J. Qaigley'e Miss McGrath, Mr. W. A. Fenton's Unit, Mr. W. Barker's Belle,' Mr. J. Abbott's Avon Water. The draw takes place on Monday, the 28th. :

TLe Taraaaki Herald has the following respecting Mr. E. Welcome, drowned in Auckland harbour a few days ago :—" The deceased gentleman left New Plymouth on Saturday, the 12th instant, for the purpose of recruiting his health in Auckland, as he had been complaining of a nervous affection of the head. It was understood that he had found benefit from the change, and a friend ■who saw him in Auckland two or three days ago remarked that he appeared in good spirits. Mr. Welcome was subject to fits, and it is supposed that one of these fits was the cause of his falling off the wharf. Mr. Welcome arrived 'here in 1863. He was a native of Jersey, and left his native place for Adelaide, but subsequently went to Geelong, where he was in business, we believe, as a wine and spirit merchant. On his arrival in Kew Plymouth he commenced business as an accountant, in which he met with considerable success. His genial disposition and kindness gained for him many friends in Hew Plymouth, who deeply regret his melancholy death. He was about 56 years of •g«.". : .

Professor Button lectured at Cbristchurch on April 17 on "Earthquakes." The professor hasmade a study of New Zealand earthquakes, and finds there are three centres of disturbance—the neighbourhood of Cbek's Straits, a small district in the Hot Lakes, and a district in Southland. These are all distinct from, one another.

Yesterday was fixed as the day to hold the inquiry into the cause of the collision between the s.s. Coromandel and the barge Norah, but as some of the witnesses needed were not in attendance, .the case was adjeurned until the 21st proximo.

The children's tea meeting in connection with the; Wellesley-street Sunday-school took place last evening in the schoolroom, and the after meetiDg in the lecture hall of the Young Wen's Christian Association Rooms. There was a large attendance. The meeting was presided over by the "Rev. A. Fairbrother (of the Lake Country Maori Baptist Mission). The programme was of a varied ' character. Addresses were given by the Chairman and Mr. Thos. Spurgeon, the latter by way of farewell to the children. Songs were sung by Miss Gribble and Miss Bell, the latter accompanied by Miss Main; readings by Messrs. White and Baker; and recitations by Messrs. A. Shaldere, C. H. Brown, and a group of scholars. The children also sang seme choruses and hymns in the interval.

Mr. Goldie, one of the members of the Auckland Board of Education, has sent round circulars to the various school committees, requesting them to get petitions— which he sent -at the same time—signed. These petitions are addressed to Parliament, praying that the Education Act be not interfered with or altered. ' ■:■■•:.'-

The firebell at the foot of Grey-street was rang last evening about five o'clock, but the alarm was not made general, as it was only a chimney in. Lorne-street.

An open Good Templars' meeting was held last evening, at the Temperance Hal], Albertstreet. Mr. David Goldie presided. There was : a.fair attendance.. Addresses were; given on various, phases of : the Temperance question by the Chairman, the Rev. W. S totter, Messrs. E.' Carr; Leyland, and-Will-cex. Songs were, sung by Misses Marson, Cleary, and Phillips, the latter. in Welsh costume, Messrs. Marson. Holland, and Towasend. Mrs. Cottingkam 'and- Mrs. Mason- sang- the 'drietp "The Larboard Vyateh,'.';and.'Me«srii.. Jenkins and Prescotf executed violin solos,; recitations: were also gvenby Messrs. Weir and "'Leyland." 'Miss wa Cottiagham acted- as; accompanist. A ■»erv enjoyable evening was upeat. .

■ Two cricket matches were played on the Domain ground yesterday. The' first was between The Vagabonds and Combined Bankß, whioh was won by the latter.. The scores were : Vagabonds, 75; Blair (18) was top scorer. Banks, 114 for 9 wickets; Barton (34, not out), McCausland (23), A. MacCormick.(l3), and P. Clayton (11) were the principal contributors. Gordon and Grammar Sobool also played a match, which resulted in a win for the former by an innings and 26 runs. The scores.were :— Grammar School : First innings, 44 (Gorrie 24); second innings, 36 (D. Meldrum 14). Gordon, 106. H., Lusk (30), H. .Kiesling (24), L. Meldrum (20), and Gould (18, not ontj. Gordon had a second innings, in which they lost 7 wickets for 79. N. Williams (39) and W. Meldrum (16, not out), were principal contributors. W. Meldrum : accomplished the hat trick in the second innings of the Grammar School.

In regard to the accident to Mr. Aley. in Wellealey-street, Mr. Larkins, one of the contractors has made an explanation which places the matter in a somewhat different light. So far as Wellesley-street wag'concerned, there has been no change in the lighting—one light being placed at each ead and one ia the centre. These lights existed before the accident, and no increased light was given after. The lights are given from lamps eqnal in power to ordinary street lamps. In addition' to this, a crossing 12 feet 6 inches wide is maintained in Wellesleystreet, and further a watchman is maintained by the contractors to keep the lights and look after the works during the whole length of the night. It is but fair to give both sides of the story, and it ia difficult to.see ffhat farther precautions the contractors can take. If the tramways are to be laid facilities must be given for making them, and if there is inconvenience it must be endured in the expectation of the great public benefit which will result.

A meeting of the Auckland Bowing Association was hold last evening at the club room, vVaitemata Hotel. There was a good attendance of the committee, Mr. JW. Niccol occupying the chair. The business of the meeting was to consider the protest sent in byj the Ponsonby Club against the Waitemata Rowing Club receiving the first prize on. the ground of afoul. The association went into the matter naoet fally, . calling several witnesses, and eventually the following resolution was unanimously agreed to :— " That a reply be sent to the effect that as the rules of the association do not apply to other than straigh-taway races, or races in which each boat has a. mark-boat of its own, the association decline to give a decision." At a meeting held at Whangarei by Mr. Federli, after he bad explained the land.of mixed small farming practised in Southern Europe, and having pointed out how profitable such industries would be : if introduced into New Zealand, the following resolution was unanimously adopted :—" That this meeting warmly approves "of the efforte of the ■ Auckland Chamber of Commerce 'in urging upon Government tho necessity of fostering the cultivation of plants adapted to the climate of this .part of the colony, and would impress upon Government the necessity of selecting a site for a nursery or model farm somewhere near the centre of this district of North Auckland, and not being further south than Whangarei." .

Mr. Glover, one of the Blue Ribbon evangelists now so successfully engaged in Australia, writee to a prominent member of the temperance cause in this city, giving particulars of the programme for the next four or five months, which includes a visit herein August. He requests that a strong committee of Christian church members and temperance societies be organised, and energetic workers set on foot as soon as possible. Bis letter is full of business, and no doubt early action will be taken to prepare for the visitors. There is no mention in the letter about the work done in Australia, bnt from the Press of that place we learn that nearly 20,000 new pledges have been taken. Mr. Booth is still laid aaide, suffering from congestion of the luDgs.

The annual meeting of the members of the North Shore Football Club ;was held on Monday evening last. The following officers were eleoted for the season :—President, Mr. W. J. Huret ; Vice-Presidents, Mr. J. J. S winner ton and Mr. A. Buchanan ; committee—Meusrs. J. Sims, J. M. Sibbin, and H. Cooke ; delegates to Association, Messrs. J. Sims and J. C. Webster; Secretary, and Treasurer, Mr. G. M. Reid. : The election of captain was deferred nntil the first club match. The following new members were duly elected : Messrs. G. Tawhai, Ben Marshall, Maynard, W. Slattery, W. Qaiok, H. Grattan, W. Swinaerton, — Somerfield, P. Wood, N. And3raon, T. Farquhar, and C.' Williamson. Mr. J. M. Sibbin promised a trophy to the player who shows best all round play during the coming season.

The Wairarapa Star has the following :— " The representative of Messrs. J. Bycroft and Co., of Auckland and Wellington, who is now on a visit to the Wairarapa, has shown us some of the samples of the biscnits manufactured by that firm. The samples represent no fewer than sixty distinct varieties, or a collection much greater than we ever imagined came within the range of the baker's art. They comprise plain and fancy biscuits, from the dainty macaroons and' ratafias, the sweet' cracknel, light as sea foam, the Oriental and Queen's drops; to the coffee and captains' and saloon biscuits, crisp, light,' sweet and friable." One of the most delicious and wholesome of theae delicacies is the oatmeal biscuit, and, next to it, the milk and arrowroot biscuits are gems of purity and sweetness. Without referring to the various kinds further, we may state that those which were shown to us, though they have been travelling the rounds for nearly six months, were as fresh, crisp, and sweet as if they had-only emerged from the oven. Quite recently a trader between Auckland and the Fijis, after a ten months' tour of the islands,-was heard to declare that Bycroft's biscuits were as.fresh and good aa when thsy first figured in his cabin. On the arrival of the Loch Gree from London at Wellington a sample of the firm's biscuits was produced, -which, after making tlie voyage to England and back, waa as fresh as when first, baked. The secret of this success,'we are assured, lies in the fact that the firm manufacture their own flour, use only the finest wheat, the best fresh butter, and ingredients of the finest quality; and that they have the latest improvemehtsjin the way of machinery and appliances."

A man named P. O'Neil, working at the Provincial Hotel, yesterday got hie hand badly lacerated while working a crane, and Mr. L. .F. Derrick, fruiterer, Newton, got some of the fiDgors of his left hand crushed through a case of fruit tipping up and falling on them. Both accident cases were treated by Dr. Wilkins at hi« surgery. ' .

: The Mutual Assurance Society of Victoria have bought the fine premises in Queenstreet occupied by Mr. Atkin, draper, for £16,000. - They have a frontage of 33 feet. .The society is thus giving-proof of its stability and of the enterprise of the directors, though the institution has but recently started operations in Auckland.

There was another well-attended house at Abbott's yesterday evening to witness the tenth performance of "Youth." This is a run of success almost unprecedented in a city of email population like Auckland.. Tonight the drama will be repeated. To-morrow will be a "grand military and fashionable night."

The Auckland Weekly - News, .. the largest, best, and most readable family journal in the colony, will consist this week of forty pages. Beside being admirably illustrated, it.ls characterised by tho fulness of its intelligence and the variety of its contents. Its agricultural articles are carefully written, its country, coloalal, English, and foreign news full and well selected, and its literary matter both interesting and edifying. It publishes each week aerraons by the most prominent - preachers of the age, serial tales by the ablest authors ,ol" the day, special articles on general topics by well informed writers, entertaining letters from its correspondents in America and England, and a large variety of instructive matter. As a weekly newspaper and family' journal, the Kews is without an equal. This week the News will contain a portrait of Miss Crisp, Lady Superintendent of the Hospital,, who was recently decorated with the Order of the Bed Croaj..

The following tenders - were received by Messrs. Mahoney and Sons, architects, for the erection of offices and .tores for the Loan and Mercantile Company at Olsborne:—Frankham, £6350; Madden, £6000; T. Colebrook, £5995 ; Thompson and McLean,£s77B,; J-.'K. Morgan, £6657 : A. Swaniori and Co., £6640 ; Mathicson and Pollard, £5489 ;~ E. Kay, £6390 ; MeConachie and Son, £5380; W. O. Skeet, £5229; H.T. Jones, £5150. The tender of Mr. Jones has boon accepted. ' '■'''■'.

" The tender of Mr. James Wilson has been acceptod for extensive additions and alterations to the Shakespeare Hotel; Wyndham-strect.- Mr. Hoss, the architect, informs us that' the; vrorksare to be begun immediately, and the whole completed in . ten weeks trom this date.'• ' ': '•