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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7562, 15 February 1886, Page 4

Our cable messages to-day contain several interesting items. The divorce case in which Sir Charles Dilke was co-respondent has bad a somewhat singular termination. The marriage was dissolved, but Sir Charles Dilk' was acquitted of the charges brought again** him by the respondent. Mrs. Crawford is the sister of Mrs. Ashton Dilke, and it will be remembered that she alleged and confessed to her husband that Sir Cbarle' Dilke had been guilty of great improprieties during a visit which she paid to him at hi» house. The result of the case has not entirely cleared Sir Charles Dilke, who abstained from going into the witness-box, and there seems to be much divergence of opinion as to his cooduct. All the members of the ne* Ministry have been re-elected. Lord Rap" dolph Churohill declares that civil war » Ireland would follow the granting of » separate Parliament to the country. The steamship Arawa, of the Shaw, SaviU. and Albion Company's line, arrived at Dunedin from London on Saturday morning l» 8t * She has 517 tons cargo and thirty-six p* B " sengers for Auckland. The passengers ana periodicals are to be forwarded to Auckland by the Union Company's s.s. Penguin. which leaves Dunedin to-day, and is consequently due in the Manukaa on Saturday next. The general cargo will be sent on to Auckland by some other of the Union Company's steamers. Particulars of her outwar passage appear in our shipping column"The s.s. Doric, of the same company i l' ne ' left Wellington on Saturday for London direct. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church held a forenoon sitting on Saturday. The report on religion and morals, wnio had been introduced on the previous evening. was brought up for discussion, and as near every member present spoke, the den lasted for several hours. The only diMentw" to the report was the Rev. Mr. Killen, w» . characterised it as imperfect. Finally report, and the resolution proposed by* Rev. Mr. West, and seconded by the w • Mr. Treadwell (ex-Moderator), were »dop» e The only other matter brought up wa» » report of the committee on temperas. introduced by the Rev. Mr. Br win. and u the motion of the Rev. Mr. Maonw* seconded by the Rev. A. McCallam, "» report was adopted, after which » Assembly adjourned until ten o'clock tow morning. » St. Alban's Church, Mount RoskiU BjJ was opened on Saturday last. The Prim* of New Zealand preached. the opening sermon.

Daring Saturday afternoon and evening a fomewhat novel entertainment was given ma marquee erected at t foe corner of Customs and • En-streets, and a djacent to the Waverley Sel. It consist* *1 of sword-swallowing feats by Professor E. «giardo,, an exposure of ■niritualism, and clever conjuring tricks. Taurine the afternoon and evening a large camber of persons wit messed the performonce. Mr T. Peacock, MJH.R., and Mrs. Peacock entertained the m« tubers of the General Assembly of the Presl jyterian Church of N eW Zealand at a gardoi a party on Saturday it Mr. Peacock's residi race, Shelly Reach, Ponsonby. The greater number of the members of the Assembly r, and nearly all the Southern ministers and. o Iders attended, the Moderator being present , as well as the Revs. Messrs. Sutherlani I and Borrie, the delegates from the Church of Otago and Southland. There was a Iso a large attendance of invited guests, there being in all almost 200 present. The ' host and hostess tad procured the attendan se of the Artillery Band, who, under Bandmi ister Hunter, performed a number of choici > selections. The weather during the afterno on was beautifully fine, and all present enjoy ed the beauty of of the views of tho harbour and surroundings.

Our Coromandel correspa ndont writes that while John Lynch, jun., w» s riding towards the Tiki he was thrown frt )m his horse and Beverly injured.

At a number of the churches in the city yesterday, tomperano 3 sermons were preached, in view of tho approaching election of licensing committees. Appeals were made to the congregi >tions to help to maintain the existing control of the drink traffic rather than to allow t nings to go baok to what they were bef»N.*e the present committees were appointed.

One of the sailors on boaj rd the Wild Wave met with a nasty accident while assisting in loading that vessel at the Auckland Timber Company's wharf at Whsingaroa. Apiece of timber fell upon his hand, completely severing part of his thumb.

In view of the approaching election of Licensing Commissioners, .-a meeting of tho Wesleyan Methodist congregations will be held in Pitt-street Wesleyan lower schoolroom at half-past seven this evening. Addresses will be given by the Revs. H. Bull (President of the New.Zt aland Wesleyan Conference), C. Worboys, A. J. Smith, and Mr. It. Arthur.

There was a very large attendance on the Domain Cricket Ground on Saturday afternoon, between 600 and 700 people. The attraction was the first day's play of the «up match, between the Auckland Cricket Club and the Gordon Cricket Club.. The eleven of the latter club batted first for a score of 151 runs. Mr. L. Meldrum played a splendid innings for 61 runs, and when the stumps were drawn the C.C. had made 15 runs, without the loss of a wicket. 'his match is regarded as the club contest of the season, and the result of next Saturday-'k play will be looked for with great eagerness.

On Friday evening last, about itix o'clock, a trap, containing Mr. and Mrs. Neumegen and child, Mr. Barnett (Mr. Neumegen's brother-in-law), and Mrs. DeLias, was being driven down the hill near Mr. T. Morrin's residence, Remuera, when the horse became restive, and plunged towards the fence on the roadside. The wheal of the trap struck the fence and smashed it in two plaoes. The Occupants of the vehicle were thrown out, and were rather bidly bruised and shaken. Mr. R- C. Carr kindly placed his trap at their disposal, and had them driven into town.

The evangelistic service at the Theatre Royal was largely attended last night. The Bev. J. S. Hill presided, and the address was given by the Rev. W. West (Canter* bury), who spoke with much earnestness, taking his subject from John xiv. The Rev. R. Mcßinney (Mahurangi) also took part in the service. The Rev. W. Riddle gave an impressive address at the Y.M.C.A. prayer-meeting on Saturday night.

Sections m the township of Featherston, Wairarapa. are at a terrible discount. Mr. F. H. Wood sold one the other day by auction, and it only fetched £12. The price paid for the same section some years ago was £125.

The manager of the freezing works at Walitor* was charge I a few days a. with slaughtering cattle on a Sunday, in view of a public place. After some lengthy argument the Resident Magistrate said that if the company made the slaughtering more private, the killing of cattle on* Sunday being a necessity, the case wquld be dismissed. This having been acceded to, the case was dismissed accordingly.

The first of a series of fortnightly lectures and chamber concerts will be given in the Auckland School of Music, corner of Cook and Hobson streets to-morrow night. There will be an opening address by the principal, Mr. W. H. YVebbe, followed by a concert of a miscellaneous character. Particulars appear in our advertisement columns.

It almost unnecessary to remind our readers of the organ recital and sacred ooncetrt at St. Patrick's Cathedral, as the fine programme, which will be found in our advertisement columns, speaks for itself of the cJbiss of music to be rendered.

The fraternity of Mutual Imps had a special, meeting last evening, Brother M. Gallagher, A.F., presiding, being ably assisted by Brother Keith Wilson, L.A.F., and bin officers. The object of the meeting was to welcome the brethren of the RickardsLeete Company, and also to take farewell of Mr. Ge OTge Darrell'B Company.

At a? tout half-past twelve o'clock yesterday an emh ryo fire, in one of the most thicklybuilt pi irts of the city, was detected and extinguj shed. At the time named Captain Payne observed some suspicious smoke Issuing 1 rom the rear of Mr. Waters' premises (lately Dallen's Coffee Palace) through a doorway in the lane leading at the back ,ot the theatre Royal, from Victoria to Darby streets. Foreman Harley, of the Ancklaaat! Fire Brigade, happened to come op at the time, and his attention was directed, to it. He procured a ladder from Mr. Stewart, of the Working Men's Club, and climbed over the roof, and then observed that tb<e fire wits in a passage above the kakehouse of the restaurant. He despatched a messenger to Superintendent Hughes to acqpaiiot him with the circumstances, but the did not arrive, and Foremen Harley, having discovered the seat of the fire, with the assistance of Decretive Hughes and sosciie bystanders burst in the door, and finding a water tap in close proximity, soon put out , the fire, i'he origin was not hard to trace:. There was a wooden ash-box about 12 inch eis wide and 2 feet in length almost hill of a thee. ' The back portion of one end was burnt through, and the fire had comttunicw led with an adjacent sack- of coal, which i i'aa almost • burnt to cinders. There IB no di mbt the fire was caused by live ashes being pj need in the wooden box, and had the smoke j.aot been so quickly observed the consequt jnoes would have been much more serious. | Had the embers smouldered until night, aj id then burst into flame, the damage in such i i closely-built block might have been disastrous.

It will no doubt be gratifying to New Zealand (no learn that Mr. W. 15. Barton, of the Auckl land Cricket Club, was proposed by Mr. J. a, Blackham to bo a member of the Australia]! i Eleven aboat to visit England. On the Melbourne Cricket Club (under whose auspices J the team go), considering Mr. Barton's », omination, it was resolved that he could not 1 be included, as the team could only consist of Australians. However, it may be taken as » high compliment to Mr. Barton's ■kill as a; batsman and all-round cricketer that he she! mid be the nominated one of the colony, '

The sis " hours' walking contest between Bars. 8. Goodman and W. E. Stevenson, for the district championship and * stake of » £25 a-side, took place in the Theatre Rrtyal on Saturday evening, and resulted in, favour of Goodman, as his opponent retired from the track at 8.30 p.m. when 17 mil es were to his credit. He was then sufferii lg from pains and vomiting, woodman warked leisurely on until near the en d, when; hi? spurted for some laps, and putting up a record of 29 miles and 12 laps for the six ho urs' spin. Thirty.five laps of he track wen i required to complete a mile. ■the attendant :e was very meagrenot more an 150—an i we understand that the winner, who v vas entitled to the stakes and door money, 1 eas expenses, will be a loser over the match/. \ ; '

n p e mer ' a 111 three-masted schooner E. • Clark— one of the vessels named in connection witkj i the supposed wreck off Cape j ana an Die men—anived in harbour on urday last, with » part cargo ° aait '

An accident occurred on Saturday afternoon to Mr. A. MoArthur, prinoipal of the Training College. He was ridlpg on the Archhill Road, and leading another horse at the time with a short rein, when the latter horse was startled at a couple of horses turning a corner rather sharply, and jerked Mr. MoArthur from his saddle. Although he fell very heavily, and sustained a severe shaking, it is expeoted that he will be able to resume his duties in the course of three or four days.

Just before the cricket matches commenced on Saturday, and when there was hardly a current of air to temper the heat, a very sudden whirlwind occurred in the Hospital corner of the ground, where a number of players were practising. Hats, caps, and all light cricketing gear were whisked into the air for a height of several hundred feet, The phenomenon was a most sudden one, and lasted quite half a minute.

During the examination of Messrs. Robinson and Gordon, bankrupts, on Friday last, it transpired that the bankrupts, who are contractors, were in need of £300 in order to purchase machinery to enable them to carry out a contract on the Thamea-Kopna railway. They borrowed the money for six months from a brother contractor named John Taylor, for which assistance they gave him six promissory notes for £S3 6s Sd each, £500 in all. ; ■ The Mission schooner Southern Cross took her departure for Norfolk Island on Saturday afternoon last. She took from here thirteen passengers, including the Right Rev. Bishop Selwyn, and the Revs. Dr. Codriugton and A. Lester-Kaye. The departure of the schooner was witnessed by a large number of people, who had assembled at the end of the Queen-street Wbarf for that purpose. For the convenience of subscribers to Mrs. Burcher's art union, the collection, which no* n inn hers fifteen pictures, has been removed to the builiHuc* recently occupied by Moiars. Shorn brothers, opposite the Victoria Arcaiid. Wo direct attention to the sale of new and modern household furniture, which Is to be held to-di»y at olovan o'clock, at the r«3ldence, near the Junction Hotel, Epsom, by B. Tonk» and Co. The furniture is of the best description, and lias not been in use for any length of lime Thero is a first-class piano by tho well-known maker?, Collard and Collurd, and in addition to the complete household furniture, a Rood horse, harness, and buggy, which can be thoroughly reeommonded. The sale takes place at eleven o'clock this day.