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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7791, 10 November 1886, Page 4

Our cable messages this morning state that a Russian war-ship, with 1200 troops on board, has arrived at Bourgaa. A Russian spy has been arrested at Vancouver Island, while sketching the harbour. The " claimant" has been arrested in New York for impersonating an army pensioner. Fred Archer, the famous English jockey, committed suicide on Sunday, by shooting himself when delirious, produced by fever. The news of this sad termination of a brilliant career on the turf will be received with widespread regret. Archer's name was more widely known throughout the Anglo-Saxon world than that of any other jockey, and none stood in higher repute. His oleverness as a rider, and his straightforwardness and honesty commanded universal admiration and respect in all racing circles, fie was born at Cheltenham, January 11, 1857, and was consequently not quite thirty at the time of his death. Some three years ago—in January 1883—he married the daughter of John Dawson, the trainer. His married life was of brief duration, his wife djing a few months after their marriage. Archer amassed a large fortune, and is said to have left a quarter of a million. The New Zealand Cup, run yesterday at Canterbury, was won by Spade Guinea, Nelson finishing second, end Lochiel third. Details of the meeting will be found in another column, The R. M. B.s. Australia took her departure for Honolulu and San Francisco at two p.m. sharp yesterday with the homeward mails. From here, in the matter of passengers, she was not very largely patronised, although from Sydney she had a fair number. Her mails are due in London on the 15 th December. Among the passengers yesterday by steamer to Kawau was Sir George Grey. There is a probability, it is said, of his selling or leasing his beautiful island home of Kawau, and of his coming up to Auckland and making it his permanent abode. Holiday makers will, from a personal point of view, regret this, as they are not likely to receive at the hands ot any new owner or occupier of the island the hospitable treatment which the Auckland public have ever obtained at the festive season at the hands of Sir George Grey. The investigation into the Great Barrier tragedy, respecting which John Caffrey and Henry Albert Penn stand charged, will be resumed this morning at the Police Court, Mr. Seth-Smith, R.M., presiding. Great public interest is felt in the evidence to be given by Mrs. Taylor, the widow of the murdered man, and of her daughter, Mrs. Seymour, after the exculpatory evidence of Penn, given by the girl Gr.ce Cleary alias Graham. We understand there is no intention of exhuming Taylor's body to settle the rumour as to there being two bullets in the skull. The rumour seems to have had its origin in the fact that there were two bullet wounds in the head —namely, the orifice where the bullet entered, and that where it made its exit. Dr. Walker made a careful postmortem examination of the body at; the date of the inquest, denuding it of clothing so as to search for marks, and also opened the head for the purpose of discovering if there were any other bullets lodged there than that found, and set that matter entirely at rest. From some hints which have been thrown out, evidence will be forthcoming at the trial of a somewhat sensational character, of whoih the publio have beet, hitherto in ignorance. The jteamer Hawea. in her journey from Wellington to the Manukau, met with a severe northerly gale, and was unable to obtain communication with ftew Plymouth, so that the English mails from that port were left behind. Among the passengers by the Manapouri yesterday from the South was Mr. W. L. Kees, who has come up to Auckland to consult with the East Coast Native Land Settlement Company, respecting his proposal to proceed to the mother country to secure settlers for their lands, some 300,000 acres being open for settlement. He intends to place his scheme before the Board of Directors for consideration and acceptance. A political rumour was current yesterday that he was not indisposed to woo the sweet voices of the electors of Waitemata if the prospects of a successful contest were hopeful.

n( T n* g% ne, ;al manager of the of New Zealand, Mr. Dymock, the South yeeterday, on a vUit to Auckt and will await the arrival of Mr S , Ho.re, one of the director, of the bant M.!&!* the *»**»*&& By the a.a. Tβ Anaa, which arrived from Sydney, yesterday, Mr. G. Gledhlll 2 serated water manufacturer, was a passeni, he having returned from the Kimh« B i ' goldfields. Like the rest who hin^T , back from this field. Mr. Gledhilt J * m, very discouraging account of the place Lα its prospect*. Mr. Gledhill anticipate,Sl there will be a very large exodus rom Jj! place by all those who will be able to I ■ ? away. Business was extremely ataenint and there was little prospect of its imrW ing. k^uT-

Yesterday morning the four firemen of th s.s. Tongariro were brought before Suneri tendent Thomson, and formallyohareedwifi. brutally assaulting J. T. B. Dinee, of Are? hill, and remanded for a week, as Mr Din is still confined to his bed through the juries he has sustained at the hands of w' assailants. So severe were his injuries th J a rumour got abroad early yetterday morn ing that he had succumbed. This proved to be a canard, and although Mr. Dinea i literally black and blue, his recovery is oni» a matter of time. ' Railway construction on the North Irian* Trunk Line is progressing. No. 1 aection Punni contract, 15 miles in length ig «•« 1' all ballasted, and will be available f traffic from Te Awamutu in some six week/ No. 2 section, Te Kuiti contract, ten mile!' is in progress, the contractors beine Mp.«. Coatee and Metcalfe. No. 3 section,W W a t £ contract, is nine milea in length.' It j surveyed and ready for tendering. s om bridging will be required in thig gection No. 4 section is thirteen miles, and ig th intervening gap to the Porotarau tunnel This section is about to be surveyed and start will be made at once by Mr. Si'mnao * the resident engineer, and his assistant M* Cameron. • r.

There wae a good attendance of memK.«. of the New Zealand Radical Reform LeW at a special meeting held in the ExceLo' Hall on Monday night, to further diecuse and frame its political platform. Mr. R Boyd was voted to the chair. The following are planks adopted :—The abolition of pi ura j voting, an elective Upper House, a land and income tax in lieu of the property t«free, secular, and compulsory education' with no State aid to denominational schools' and liberal bonuses to encourage the establishment of local industries, it was carried unanimously "That this league wishes to draw the attention of electors to the schedule of travelling allowances to members of the House and their wives, as given in Parliamentary return I.—10." The opinion waa pretty freely expressed that in instances where passage by the Hinemoa is possible members should avail themselves of her services, and privately defray any expense in. curred in the journeying to and fro of their better halves to assist them in their Legulative functions.

As showing the rapid development of the Weet Coast conntry whioh the Manawatu line will tap and bring into close connectioa with Wellington, it may be mentioned that on one station alone—Oroua Downs, belong. ing to Mr. Robert Campbell, M.L.C.—which eight years ago carried only 3000 sheep, there are now no fewer than 30,000 sheep, as well as 15,000 head of cattle. The station alone will send down yearly 10,000 sheep to be frozen, and 1500 head of cattle to market. also 500 bales of wool.

A very pleasant picnic was held yesterday by the Salvation Army at Buckland'e farm, Tamaki. Over 300 excursionists were taken down ,by the steamer Britannia. The day was spent agreeably and profitably, and every arrrngement had been made as regards the commissariat to promote the comfort of the visitors. The party returned by steamer to the Queen-street Wharf between six and seven o'clock, and were played up to the Salvation Army Barracks by the band, under Bandmaster Little, playing en route a series of appropriate selections. It was a subject of general remark the state of efficiency to which Mr. Little has brought the band, and their playing was the subject of commendation by bandsmen who had served in the- Imperial forces. The bandmaster has lately received from home a consignment of new music, bo that the performances of the band may be made still more attractive. The Naturalists' Field Club made an excursion yesterday to the Island of Motnihi, leaving by the Awhina shortly after nine o'clock. Owing to heavy showers and the threatening appearance of the weather at the time of departure, the members and their friends did not muster in the numbers that had been expected. About 45 were on board, fifteen of whom were ladies. The island was reached and the party laaded by half-past ten a.m. Several showers fell during the morning, but as Mr, Williams, the custodian of the quarantine buildings, kindly opened them for the party, no great inconvenience resulted. The afternoon proved fine, though windy, and the member: of the party were able to walk over the island and explore the many pretty bays and beaches. The steamer left the island at half-past five o'clock in the evening, reaching Auckland a little before seven. Notwithstanding the unpleasant weather an enjoyable day was spent.

Among the visitors to Auckland at the present time is Mr. E wen, the resident partner in London of the well-known firm of Messrs Bargood, Ewen and Co., of Auckland, having arrived from Dunedin, where he has been in* specting the firm's branch business in that city. Mr. Ewen has just been making a tour of the colonies, after an absence of 18 years, in order to promote the interests of the firm, and returns to the mother country by the direct; steamer Kaikoura. He was the promotor of the New Zealand business of the firm, and under his guiding hand it attained such dimensions that it was deemed advisable for him to proceed to London to superintend the financial and buying department. The subsequent progress of the firm has proved that the etep was a very judicious one. The new yacht Maratea, owned by Mewr*. Cramond, Benjamin, and Benner, met with an accident yesterday afternoon on her return from Drunken Bay. The weather had been equally all day with the wind from S.W. The cleat of the weather shroud carrying away the matt went by the board. The crew cleared all the rigging and saved the gear. Fortunately the s.s. Chelmsford was pasting at the time, on her return from au excusion to Motuihi, and took the yacht in tow, leaving her at an anchorage oppoiit* Logan's yard at Devonport to be refitted with a mast:

The meeting for special prayer at the Young Men's Christian Association list evening was well attended. The Rev. J. S. Hill condncted the service, and delivered * short address. This forenoon, at half-past twelve to suit the convenience of business men special prayer wili be held in the neff rooms, -when the Rev. Henry Langley is expected to be present. The reverend gentleman will also conduct the service to be held in the evening at half-past seven, end will deliver an address. Mr. Langley will deliver an address to women, under the auspices of the Young Women's Christian Association, this afternoon, at three o'clock in the lecture room of the Y.M.C Association. This meeting takes the place of the n>Q« fortnightly Bible readiHg by the Rev. J' s, Hill.

A special session of the R.W.G. Lodge, 1.0. G.T., was held on Monday evening » the Newmarket Hall by Brother Sir Willis" Fox, D.R.W.G.T. ; assisted by Sister Netld. P.R.W.G.A.S., acting R.W.G.T.; Brother 0. Hill, R.W.G.C.M.; and Brother T. »• Glover, R.W.G.M.; when the R. W.G.I* Degree was conferred on a large number « candidates. This being the first sesiion oi the R.W.G. Lodge held in the colonies, considerable interest was manifested througnoo* the order. Therej were present memoe™ from Totara, in the north; Papakur», in"" , south; Onehunjja, Kaipara, Thames, »|» lington, Warkworth, Turua, and y» Suburban Lodges. After this sublime J exalted degree was conferred, D.R.W.G.T. delivered a very intenJJ and instructive address to the new/ initiated. Addresses were also gi« ' Brothers Jenkins, G.A.C.T., *m$ R.G.W.C.T.. Hill, B.W.G. h »Pl hankl Bailey, G.W.S. A hearty £te ot was given by acclamation to tne xv.. • tfafl Officers, and responded to, when J b motion of Brother Jenkins, Becondea Brother H. O. Searle, the K-^ h Q '£ £ held was adjourned to January 12th, to at Wellington, during the urana Session of 1887. AshborW" A Wesleyan bazaar held at A*** netted £260,

The weather yesterday was certainly little peculated to attract people to the Agrioul. ltural and Pastoral Assooiation'e Show. The downpour of rain on the previous night, and the cloudy, threatening morning had a most deterrent effect, but there was a little nnsbine iti the afternoon, and the attendance ' equently increased. There were about SOOO people on the ground. The blood aud draught stock, cattle, etc., came in for a fall share of criticism; the horses of all classes as they paraded were watched with interest, and there was very keen competition in the matter of dairy produce and batter. The leaping match was a keen oontest, and resulted in a win by one of the highest'leaps ever made at any show here. The athletic sports held in the afternoon excited a good deal of interest. A detailed report of the proceedings will be found elsewhere.

On Monday morning a youag man named George Hair met with a serious accident at Utahuhu. His horse shied, throwing him with such violence to the ground that both bis legs were fractured, and it was found neceisary to send him to the Auckland District Hospital for treatment. Hβ is progressing as favourably as could be expected. It is anticipated that the new St. Epiphany Church will be completed in three weeks or s month. The outside work is pretty well all done, all that requires being done is the finishing of the interior and the seating accommodation.

We have to acknowledge the receipt from the Mount Cook Hermitage Company, Timaru, of a copy of a small pamphlet issued by that company entitled " Mount Cook." A few of the most striking features of that mountain region are given, and the various routes, &c, by which the several places can be reached are stated. For the use of tourists the little pamphlet will no doubt prove very useful.

In reference to Mr. Waddel acting as one of the nominators of Mr. A. Devoretothe office of Mayor, we aro informed that the phrase used in a paragraph in yesterday's paper conveys an erroneous impression. Mr. Devore called on Mr. Waddel, and requested him to be one of his nominators, and Mr. Waddel said that he would be pleased to do so. An "At Home" was held last night at the Convent School, Hobson-street, and was attended at the dance by about 120 couples. Among those present were the Rev. Fathers Kehoe, Coetello, and Lenihan. The music was rendered by Miss A. MeIlhone (piano) and Mr. J. Clough (violin). Refreshments were provided by the ladies' committee. There were 25 dances on the programme including jig and reel. A very pleasant evening was spent. A correspondent of the Lyttelton .Times with a proclivity for arithmetical calculations has been looking at the report of the bankruptcy proceedings in re G. W. Ell. Referring to Mr. Ell's statement—" Borrowed from Nathan at 100 per cent, on I 0 Us, renewable every three months at 20 per cent."—the correspondent says:—"lt may be worth knowing that by the agreement for first interest and renewals every three months, in ten years £1 lent would repreeent the modest amount of £22,150,000. However, it was a speculative transaction, and perhaps the lender will not get quite so high a rate of increase." Our London correspondent writes: — The Standard, ever on the watch for some thing to say in connection with New Zealand finance, notes with approval the anti-borrow-ing speech which your Premier, Sir Robert Stout recently made in the Houee of RepregeDtiti?es, and makes the comment, "here it progress indeed." The Yorkshire Evangelist and Temperance reformer, Mr. Matthew Burnett, has been very successful in his temperance crusade op the northern Wairoa* Kaipara. This will be a matter of rejoicing to thoee who remember how a few years back Northern Wairoa had an unhappy reputation for the number of social tragedies, and the cases of drowning and other accidents which occurred there, mostly through drink. At Dargaville Mr Richard Mitchelson arranged the preliminaries, and Mr J. M. Dargaville, M.H.R., presided at the public meeting. A number took the pledge. At Aratapu Mr. Buraett addressed an audience of 150 in the Aratapu HaD, Mr. E. C. Carr presiding. Some 30 persons " donaed the blue." Te Kopnru and Arapohne, were also visited, as also the Honhanga Maori settlement. Paore, a leading chief, signed the pledge, and a number of other chiefs and natives followed his example. So muoh pleased was Paore with Mr Burnett's mission that he presented him with a mat as a token of respect. At a special meeting of the Hospital Board held on Monday, the chairman (Mr. Waddel) called the attention of the board to the position they were in with regard to the amount set aside for the Old Men's Refuge. It appeared that the architects of the city were not satisfied with the conditions, and held that it was impractible to erect a building of the design and area sketched for the sum named (£4000). A communication from the Auckland Institute of Architects was read, in which were sundry suggestions, which were considered. After some discussion it was decided (1) that the resolution re premium be adhered to; (2) that the time ior sending in of designe be extended to De. cember2lst; (3) that sundry suggestions r3 ground plan be adopted ; (4) that the amount of total cost be increased to £6,500 ; (5) that the convalescent ward be a portion of the two-storied building.

In connection with the Grafton-road Wesleyan Church a home missionary meeting will be held this evening. There will be a free public tea, and subiequently a public meeting, at which the clergy and laymec attending the district meeting are expected to be present.

A correspondent of the New Zealand Timee writes:—"The curiously variable •tar Mira Ceti is now again visible. It will gradually increase in brightness until it becomes a star of the second magnitude ; it will then as gradually decrease until it is no longer visible; It usually remains about a fortnight at its brightest phase. The cause of these changes is still one of the problems of astronomy. The star will be at its brightest this year at the end of the month. The star can be found readily. In the N.E., at nine o'clock, a red star, somewhat isolated, high up in the sky, will be seen. Under this, about h*lf-way up the sky, and a little to the right, is an irregular square of four stars. Under this again, and also to the right, are three stars forming a sharp wedge— two of theee are on the right, and the one on the left is lower down than the (tar on the opposite side, so that the base of the wedge slants sharply to the left;. If a line be drawn joining the right-hand stars of the wedge, and be prolonged the same distance as these stars are separated, the end of this line will touch Mira. Mira is now very hint, and will be the more easily seen by looking at a point a little aside."

The English Illustrated Magazine for October is, as usual, filled with interesting reading matter, and adorned with perfect works of art in the shape of illustrations. The London Times, referring to the issue ot the annual volume of this Magazine, says :— "The 1885-86 volume of the English Illustrated Magazine, which we have received from Messrs. Macmillan, more than justifies the promises with which the work was originally started. Both artists and writers hate done their best to give it a high place in English periodical literature, and the re*Qlt is a magazine which has no rival, in England at least, artistically considered, w bile from a literary point of view it is **tremely good and entertaining reading. vv here both articles and illustrations Bre good, they do not, as is the ca ee with some publications, merely 'ntroduce and apologise for each other. Bu t, after all, the illustrations are neces»«ily the salient feature of this illuer&ted magazine, and it may fairly be said °t them that they will not only hit the Public taste, but will do much to improve it. M »ny of the illustrations that satisfied the Public taete a generation ago are in these *ye hardly worth preserving, at any rate or their intrinsic merits ; but education and SOod taste have grown so much of late years 6 »t artistic work of all kinds has become ° ot only f M hionable, but popular. It may ? e hoped, then, that these admirable draw&R< and wood engravings will increase Oe appreciation of natural beauty and P'oturesque antiquity." ihere were in the lock-up last evening re e prisoners, namely, two for drunken dißo'rd aad Mary Nesbitt > for bein S drunk and

A""' Hunter and Nola « will sell by auction J>ri7B l °' clocl < this afternoon some iplendid * ue «tock from the Agricultural Show. k e l^ f Ur gardeners ahonld ask their store OoV««i r a half -°«>wn tin of the Freezing garden manure,