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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7271, 9 March 1885, Page 4

Our cable messages this morning state tost Official despatches have been received bv VBritish Government, which strengthen th hopes of an amicable settlement bein* con. to between England and Russia on the Afghan frontier question. Lord Wobelev has issued an address to his troops, mini? j, hopes to lead an army into Khartoum before the end of the year, and that preparation must be continued for an advance to taks place in the autumn. Earl Granville Lis expressed his regret in the House of Lords that annoyance has been caused to Prince Bismarck by the publication in the Bins Book on the Pacific question of despatches of a confidential character. His Lordship dwelt upon the importance of the maintenance of friendship between England and Germany. Lord Carrington has been appointed Governor of South Wales.

At Remdnyi's concert to-night the great violinist will play the Dead i'jarch in Saul transcribed for violin alone, with an interpolated cadenza, composed by himself.

The San Francisco mail steamer Australia arrived in harbour shortly after one o'clock yesterday, after a splendid passage from San Francisco, She' comes well patronised by passengers, and also brought a large amount of mail matter. By two o'clock "her mails were all landed, and at four p.m. the Union Company's s.a. Penguin steamed away from Onehunga, bound for Southern ports, harin" on board all the mails for the South received by the Australia two hours before. The postal and, railway^. authorises certainly deserve a word or praise for the prompt manner in which the mails were hanaled yesterday. Early to-day the mails received by the Australia will be delivered in Wellington—in fact almost simultaneously with their distribution in Auckland.

An inquest was held at the Asylum on Saturday by Dr. Philson, Coroner, on one of the patients, Hami te Hara, who died ot consumption on Friday. The deceased had been sent to the Asylum from Mount Eden Gaol A verdict to the effect that decease! died from phthisis was returned. Another patient, named John Conlson, died yesterday, and an inquest will probably be held to-day. There is a very dangerous siding road on the Hunua-road, near the railway station, at which a Mr. Toomey and his son and another boy, while in charge of a team of bullocks, had a very narrow escape. The exact spot if known by the name of Kauri Clamp. The road is cut out of the side of tne mountain, and it is narrow more than 15 or 18 feet in width, and on the outside there is a sheer fall of about 100 feet. As there are several sharp angles to turn, it may easily be imagined that it requires veryskilfulguidance under the most favourable circumstance! to bring a laden bullock-drAy along this road, especially as the incline'j» pretty steep. Mr. Toomey'« dray was" laden with a htavyloj; of timber, and the wheels gliding out towards the edge, one of them, went over. Fortunately, however, the log rested oil the bank, and with the assistance of some men who were engaged en the road they were extricated, but the escape was a very narrow one, for had they gone over the team would have been killed, and Mr. Toemey and the boys would have stood a very great risk of losing their lives. The road at this place wants widening very badly, and also to have some of the jutting angles cut away. The read is an important one, for there is a great deal cf very valuable timber in the district tor 20 mile 3 back which is now virtually locked on account of the dangerous state of this portion of the road which is the only outlet of the district. We do not know who is responsible, probably the local body, but if the matter is not attended to before the winter the road will be impassable for heavy timber traffic.

Amongst the passengers by the Australia, from San Francisco yesterday were—MajorGeneral E. 0. D'H. Fairtlough, who served in the colony with H.M. 14th Regiment, during the Waikato campaign. He is on a tour of travel, and after visiting the places of interest, proceeds southward. Sir K. W. Camming, who come 3 here with a similar object; Mr. H. W. Heath, of this city, who returns after a visit to San Francisco. Mr. Brady, the eminent naturalist, for whom Sir George Grey has been waiting in to^ «i? also a passenger from Samoa. Sir K. »»■ Cumming and Major-General Fairtlongh are putting up at the Star Hotel, Albert-street. The usual Evangelistic service was held last evening at the Theatre Royal. Mr. Thomas Buddie presided. The Rev. J. »■ Hill delivered an address. Notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the weather, there was a good attendance. There were five prisoners in the lock-np, last evening, four on charges of drunkenness, and a boy named Herbert Good, brought up from Nelson by the Penguin, having pee? committed by the Kelson Bench to the Kohlmarama Training School, to be brought up in the faith of the Church of England. The extraordinary general meeting °*™* shareholders of the Otshuhu Public Hal. Company convened for last Wednesday evening, for the purpose of authorising the directors to borrow £300 for improvements and additions to the hall, having lapsed tor want of a quorum, iu accordance with tee provisions of the Companies Act, 1S&-, » meeting was adjourned to Wednesday nest, March 11, at eight p.m. Lord McDonald was a passenger for Sydney by the R.M. sjb. Australia, which toofchw departure last evening. At half-past one o'clock on Sunday nonfat last a fire broke out at Onehunga, by whic the stables owned by Mr. Ploughman « burned down. At the time of the breads out of the fire the stables were unoccupied aud consequently how the fire originate" a mystarj. The property was uninsu i , the policy having been allowed to lapse ou , three days previously. , The following is the report of Bng • Captain Little, "of the Prison Gate Bng*>• Refuge, for the week ending March w . Number of meals given, S7 ; beds wpFj» 33; persons admitted, 9;• d.schargea^ still in Home, 7. , Received f , butcher t lll une, from Messrs. Garrett, Fegan, iju Hellabv; bread, Mr*. Howie nn M » f> Waddel and;Tremaine. Donations Ritchie, £1; X" Friend, £1. Coal and w wood required. - Owing to the arrival of the mjj, ports oTs.tur.fay-. . riefcet match are over. In tS»e-mutch Auckland JJjftj, Auckland, Mr. W. K. Barton scored cut of a total of 332 lor Auckland.

Sir Luke Leake, Speaker of the Legislative Council of Western Australia, accompanied the Misies Leake, returned from thn Hot Lakes on Saturday, via Waikato. He found the "wonderland of the colony" quite up to expectations. He is staying at Langham Houue. - At the Police Court on Saturday, before Mr. H. G. Seth Smith, R.M., one drunkard w as mulcted in the usual penalty. Dures Russell, charged with.i sleeping . without lawful excuse under the house of his wife, .Agnes Russell, Hargreave-street, was sentenced to fourteen days' hard labour. William Sheehan, the accused in the Castletownroche murders, was further remanded to Thursday, 13th inst., when it is expected Sergeant Denny will have arrived and the accused's counsel have made a copy of the depositions. John Connolly, charged with setting fire to a house in Russell-street, Ponsonby, with intent to defraud the South Eritisa Insurance Company, on March 5, was remanded to Thursday. 13th inst.. at the request of Sergeant Pratt. John Pennalligan, charged with a breach of the city by-laws by burning furze in Lincoln-steeet, ponsonby, was fined Is, and costs £2 12s. John Jackson, Karaka-street, Newton, had an order issued against him to contribute °s 6d per week towards the support of his son an inmate of the Kohimarana School. The anniversary services of the Ponsonby TUntist Sunday-school were held yesterday in the Ponsonby Hall, The Rev. Thos. Suureeon preached in the morning from 1 uke chap. 2, v. 52, " And Jesus increased ju wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." In the afternoon the Rev. \V. E. Rice gave an address, his last in Auckland, on " Try," and in the evening the Rev. C. Carter preached his farewell sermon £g pastor of the Ponsonby Baptist Church, from the concluding portion of the 25th chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. There were good congregations at all the services. Collections were taken up in aid of the Sun-day-school. To-morrow the usual soiree will take place, when addresses will be given by IJevs. Thos. Spurgeon, Jones, C. Carter, Whytock, and other ministers and friends. The Victorian Irrigation Commission examined the works in Frisno, Pulavo, and Kern counties, California, during the week ending February 16. Mr. Deakin and his colleagues bad been well received by Governor Stoneman and Senator-elect Leland Stanford, and every facility was afforded for -.rosecuting the investigation. Mr. E. Sheldon Cunningham, specially detailed from the Argus staff to accompany the Commission, posted the San Francisco Press fully on its objects by well written articles. On Saturday the directors of the Plump to a Park Company and the committee of the Coursing Club drove out to the grounds on Mr. McLaughlin's estate, Papatoetoe, to make a general inspectiou, and also arrangements for laying off the inner circle and the site for the grand stand. They were mt Jon the grounds by Mr. McLaughlin, and went over the grounds. The outer fencing is all complete, and the inner portion carefully cleared, while for a considerable distance around the bottom there is swampy ground and high tea-tree, affording excellent cover for the hares, and on the upper portion there has been planted a considerable extent of rape and clover for feed. The site selected for the new grand stand is on a rising "round close to the railway station, and almost midway from where the kares are to be slipped and the end of the oval, so that each course must be in full view from start to finish. There is one slight exception to this, a small hollow where the hares might disappear for a few seconds, but th'n is to be filled up. The inner ring was flagged off, and all arrangements made, and as the posts and wire are on hand no time will be lost in the ; oraction of the fencing. The visitors were much : gratified at finding the, work so far advanced, 'but especially with iiaciing that feed was so plentiful, as there were some complaints that there was a scarcity in this'direction. There are about 200 hares already in the park, and about a dozen of these which were disturbed' on Saturday were strong, healthy, and swift. The clover is coming up nicely amongst the rape, and the latter will prove amply sufficient until the clover is well established. After a very pleasant day's outing the directors and committee returned to town about six o'clock, well pleased with their visit and perfectly satisfied that there would be no difficulty in having everything ready for the coursing season, which will probably be opened on the 24th of May, the Queen's liirthday. It will.bo seen en reference to our advertising columns that tenders are called for'the erection of wire and other fencing (labour only) required on the grounds.

At the Onehunga Police Court, before the Mayor (J. D.Jackson), and Mr. A.J.Dickey, J.P., Martin Scollen pleaded guilty to breaking a pane of glass and disturbing Mrs. Flatman, the occupier of the house, at midnight, and was ordered to pay for the damage done, ss, and fined 20s, with costs 7s, or in default one week's imprisonment with hard labour. Mr. Seaman, as Returning Officer for Waitemata, reports having received at New Lynn station on Saturday the names of Messrs. Benjamin Carrol, Alfred H. Eastwood, Neilson" Gordon Lennox, Thomas Matheson, and Edward Woonton. as candidates for the Manukau Licensing Committee, and having declared the same to "be duly elected, being only the required number to constitute the committee. The police have as yet not be?n able to throw any light on the Mystery of the sea, comprised in the rinding of the body of a female infant, on Shelly Beach, last Friday evening, wrapped in a gunuy bag. The body has been in the water several days, judging from its condition. Dr. Lewis held a post mortem examination on the remains at the morgue, on Saturday afternoon. The umbilical cord had not been fastened ; the ' lungs floated in water, showing that the infant had breathed. As indicating that the infant met its death by violence, the skull was found fractured in two places. The inquest tikes place to-day, at half-past two p.m., before Dr. Philson, Coroner, at Glee»on'a Hotel, Lower Hobson- street. Sergsant Denny, of the Irish Royal Constabulary, who arrived by the Rimutaka in connection with the Sheehan cage, did not arrive yesterday from Wellington by the s.s Penguin, as was expected. There are over 3300 a week now using the City Baths. On Saturday afternoon there were nearly a hundred in the baths at a time. It is computed that several thousand persons have learned the art of swimming since the baths have been opened, and on that ground alone the institution has been of incalculable benefit. The meeting of French Literary Society ■was held on Saturday, Mr. S. Clarke in the chair, when the Rev. Mr. Goldstein gavo a reading of Edmond About's work entitled "Le Captaine Bitterlin." The rev. gentleman gave the reading with much humour and was highly complimented for his delivery and the choice of reading, which kept the tudience interested from beginning to end. It will be remembered that recently the Chamber of Commerce requested the Government to arrange the departure of the direct mail steamers, so as to give the Auckland public a longer time to send replies by that route to letters received by the San Francisco mails. The Government declined to accede to the proposal, but promised to bear the suggestion in mind when the time-table came to be altered. The Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce (Mr. John Reid), however, received a telegram yesterday from Sir Julius Vogel, which shows that Government have relented and agreed to the suggestion ti the Chamber of Commerce :—" Have arranged until further revision of time-table that Thursday's boat for Auckland shall connect with direct mail steamers." The effect of this concession is that, on the present occasion, our Auckland merchants will have over three days' grace to send replies by direct mail steamer to their correspondence by the mail steamer from San Francisco. At St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday Mass was celebrated at eleven a.m. by the RevFather Lenihan, who announced that the Dew cathedral would be solemnly opened on Sunday next, when the Bishops of Wellington and Dunedin would bo present. His Lordship Bishop Luck will officiate at solemn High Mass, and-'His Lordship Dr. Redwood will preach both morning and evening. City ratepayers who have not paid their fates should bear in mind that if not paid shortly their names will a;>pear in the default-.rs' list and wnnot appear on the bur B 'os« roll /or tho ensuing year, preventing the exercise of the privilege of voting 'or municipal elections, or licensing committees. Mr. James Slator, architect, engineer, Draughtsman, etc., as will be s s en by advertisement a, *5 . he c "' uma - ha « removed from Coombes' arcade to Canada Buildings, over Messrs. Upton and w, statione*