Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7827, 22 December 1886, Page 4

The European situation, according to the London Standard, is extremely critical, the relations between Germany, France, Austria, and Russia being of a character t"> awaken the gravest apprehensions. The Colin Campbell divorce case, which has lasted eighteen days, and has cost, it is said, £15,000, has ended in both suits being dismissed, that against the husband, and the wife. The co-respondents in the case against Lady Campbell —an American named Blood, included the Duke of Marlborough, Captain Shaw (of the London Fire Brigade), General Butler (husband of the painter of "The Roll Call"), and Dr. Bird (a fashionable London physician). The evidence throughout has been of a moat disgusting character. The Auckland Weekly News, confining the illuminated sheet almanac for 18S7, will be published this morning. As some of the country mails close earlier this week, owing to the approaching holidays, the first edition of the News is issued a day earlier than usual. The 8.8. lonic is at this port to take in some 300,0001bs of frozen mutton for the home market, and in addition will take in a quantity of buttsr and wool, &c, It is the aesire of the agents, Messrs. L. D. Nathan and Co., to get the vessel away on her Southern tour early on Friday morning. The Mararoa yesterday from Sydney had a large number of passengers, a good many of whom are tourists. We are informed, however, that the tourist olass in Australia have not yet got over the fright caused by the Tarawera eruption, and are still nervous about visiting "the Wonderland of New Zealand." The timorous feeling may, however, disappear when a few Australian tourists safely get over the journey. At the meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board yesterday the rules and regulations for the management of the Hospital were discussed at considerable length in committee, and, after various alterations, were adopted. A dreadful occurrence at Hampden, in Otago, shows the risks incurred by the importation of ferocious little animals under the idea that they would diminish the rabbit pest. An escaped ferret got into a child's cradle, and eat out the eyes of an infant seven months old. The ferret is said to have escaped, but it is to be feared that ferrets and weasels have been liberated in sufficient numbers to create a danger that they may not be easily kept within control. The Government ought seriously to consider whether the further introduction of these animals should not be absolutely prohibited Information has been received by Superintendent Thomson from the Bay of Islands that the police have recovered nearly the whole of the money and securities taken from the safe at the time of the Ohaewai Post Office robbery. Some of the missing money has been found in » one hundred-acre paddock, among tall fern, and other portions under a atone. A fresh batch of informations have been laid by the police against a number of publicans for alleged breaches of tho Licensing Act. All of them are in respect to Sunday trading. There have been only six permits gran ted by the Building Inspector during the past fortnight, which is a pretty good indication that the building trade in the city is not brisk at the present time.

•illiDg'o! The Sttp'.m. (Sfrt"held tl rJ" by Mr. cases which came up for arminJ«J very considerable importwce A someTw! peculiar case arose out of an aDDlicati^ alter the list of contributors in the New Zealand Smelting Company (LaM * fhe applicant, Adam Porter, had sold let tain shares in this company to Coin* 1 Eraser, who duly presented the transfer S registration. The directors, however, La? poned dealing with the transfer, and gnh. qaently it was determined to wind un th company voluntarily. On behalf of Colon. 1 ? Eraser, it was urged that Porter We l knew when he (Eraser) bought th2 shares that his object was to prevent the company being wound up, but that as they were not registered,' Port*! sat as a director, and voted for th» winding up of the company as owner of these shares. Another case of »om e jportaDce was an application by Mr. J, a" Pond for an order to the Land Registrar to register his title to certain land which had been sold in default of payment of rates After hearing arguments of counsel the order was granted. A detailed report of th« proceedings is published in the usual report of the Supreme Court proceedings. An unoccupied house in Warwick-street Feilding, the property of Constable erice' was burned down at midnight on Monday' It was insured in the National office f™. £300. r At the inquest, held at Batley, on Annig and May, the daughters of Mr. Joseph MaseSeld, a verdict of "Accidentally drowned on Friday while riding across the Pahkaraka Creek " was returned. A sitting of the Slaughterhouse Bench for the County of Eden was held yesterday there being present: Messrs. H. G. Seth Smith, R.M., W. McCullough and S. Y ColliDs, J.P.'s. Renewals of licenses were granted to the New Zealand Frozen Meat Company, at St. Ann's Bridge ; G. Hulme at Panmure, and Enoch Wood, at Mount Albert. At the meeting of the Hospital andChiritable Aid Board yesterday, the Secretary stated that Mount Albert and Waipipi were the only Road Boards which had, so far, paid nothing towards hospital and charitable aid. All other Road Boards bad paid part, if not the whole, of the amounts for which each was respectively assessed. The Waipipi Board, it was true, had given an order on the Treasury, which had not as yet beea honoured. The election of a councillor to fill the extraordinary vacancy in the Onehung* Borough Council, caused through the resignation of Mr. Robinson, took place yesterday, and resulted as follows :— Daniel Hills, 96; Joseph Hastie, 87 : majority for Hills, 9, Mr. Hills was therefore declared elected. Both candidates were present during the day, and the utmost good feeling was mani. tested. There was little interest taken, owing no doubt to the fact that the Council had accepted a tender for the waterworks which Mr. Hastie, it was said, was strongly against. At Abbott's Opera House last evening Messrs MacMahon and Leitch's company drew a very good attendance to witness the second representation this season of the '• Silver King-" The drama passed off with great eclat, the various performers being greeted with every sign of approval for their impersonations. The Silver King "is to be given again this evening for the last time, and to-morrow is to give place to the production by this company for the first time, of Dion Boucicault's charming comedy-drama "Led Astray," The following are the arrangements at the Telegraph Office for the holidays:On Christmas Day, Boxing Day (27th instant), and New Year's Day, the Telegraph Office will be open from nine to ten a.m., and from seven to eight p.m. only. The Telephone Exchange will be open as tsual on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, but will be closed from ten a.m. till seven p.m. on Christmas Day. A goodly number of visitors are beginning to arrive from the country to spend theii holidays in town, and the change in the streets in fresh faces is noticeable. The Western Park is receiving a little attention at present, its walks being trimmed up, and the grass cut down so as to make a suitable resort for the public during the holidays. A correspondent, writing from Whangarei, says: —"1 write to say that polygamy is prohibited in the New Testament, Paul sayß: ' Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband' —Ist Corinthians, chap. vii. v. 2. Every woman cannot have her own husband, if her husband is at the same time the husband of one or more women besides herself. It must be obvious to the meanest intellect that her husband is not her own in that case." The Auckland Naturalists Field Club in tend to make one of their enjoyable excursions on Boxing Day to Mahurangi Heads, the Awhina having been chartered for the occasion. A curious epistle comes to us from New Plymouth, signed "A Taranaki Clodhopper." After reviewing the state of affairs in England, he proceeds to say that the overthrow of the Gladstone Cabinet was owing to John Bull having woke up and found that fourteen of its members were Scotchmen, " while several others were descendants or , connections of the same people." So then John Bull resolved " that, Liberal as he was to the backbone, rather than submit to such an unreasonable dose of Scotch ministers" J (knowing something of their peculiar 3 proclivities) he would eschew Gladstone and all his works." After thus accounting for 1 the fall of the Gladstone Ministry, "A 1 Taranaki Clodhopper" raises the question I whether in New Zealand the Scotch "are , not getting more than their fair share in the I representation.' He says that at the forma--8 tion of the Ministry it was announced b that "No English need apply" The 1 epistle culminates in the revelation of - a plot, as follows" At the coming a election let the English remember that every s possible influence which can be brought to i bear to exclude them from the House, and a especially from the Ministry, will be most rigidly exercised. The combination for this purpose will be the present Ministry, a majority of the Irish, and nearly all the Scotch electors. The lattsr are far m ° re I dangerous opponents than the Irish, For the simple reason that what they do Is ! done under the guise of friendship, whereas I an Irishman hates the English, and does not hesitate to show it. The affection of the Scotch Presbyterian for the Irish Papist, a* a he fondly terms his Roman Catholic brotner, e is well-known, yet at election time, for the a purpose of assisting the return of one of m« 6 own countrymen, or to defeat an Engis a candidate, he will take Paddy ta his hear r and swear he loves him 'like ft vera brother.'" * After the eruption of Tarawera, in Jane last, it was feared that the grass lauds on the ' East Coast settlements which were covere with the shattered debris of Tarawera , Mountain and the bed of Kotomahana Late, would be destroyed for a long time to come. These fears have been falsified by the resu . " On several occasions we have pointed ou that the grass lands appear to have bee benefited by the topdressing of vol2 " dust, and a correspondent, writing " ■ Maketu, on the 10th instant, says:grass is bettor all along this coast, especia j a here and at Matata, than I have seen it m '» this time any other year. All the cattle rolling in fat. The Te Puke can be Been Q from here quite green. The clover is gro e ing so fast that the cattle cannot keep r down." t Frequent objections are made to the ne 8 cemetery at Waikomiti on account 01 6 difficulty of access. Mr. W. J. Courtney 0 writes :— "My reason for troubling you b point out to the living the enormous cos _ ■J have to bear in burying our dead, it 1 4to me that our cemetery has been Bleo . j '• the benefit of cabowners, and at the c r the whole community. It may be some 8 8 new to some of your readers to see a * of carriages following a hearse at tne • seven miles per hour. To my mind our s cemetery should not be more tna t^e e miles out of our city, so as to ena a friends of deceased to pay their last j. 1 of respect to departed friends, ana j( J the wants of all on foot or in carriages. e The 8.9. Vivid is on Saturday next 0 8 mas Day) to run an afternoon « xc " tree t Riverhead, starting from the Q . f rom a r Wharf at half-past one p.m., retu ™' D § oxiD g Riverhead at half-past four p.m. f or " Day (Monday) the steamer will n th# 3 Riverhead until seven p.m., thus return settlers on the river am P ! ® .. fc d a the i from the Ellerslie races. Ont trios to stt Vivid will run twoexours.on n Helier, starting on the first a four it the second at noon, returni 8 a 1 p.m. and sis P'W'

" Storekeeper " suggests that the success 1 which attended the late canvassing should stimulate the association to try again in regard to early closing. He thinks that paying the employes on Thursday and Friday would become general, if efforts were made to make it so, and suggests that the Early Closing Association should appoint canvassers to solicit the signature of those employers willing to pay before Saturday. Mr. R. Jenkinson, the contractor for the foundations of Mr. J. C. Firth's new mill, to be erected on the reclamation ground, is ' pushing rapidly ahead with the work. There are four pile-drivers at work, driven by two steam engines, and he expects to be completed well within the contract time. He is now approaching the spot where the largest nest of piles has to be driven. Here there will be 64 piles driven in an area of 15 feet I square. They are driven to a depth of from 30 to 35 feet, and the necessity for this massive piling at this particular spot is that this will be the foundation for the great chimney stalk of the mill. Eleven sets of plans for the new refuge at Elleralie were received at the meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, yesterday, and it was resolved to engage a room for displaying them, the public to be admitted ti view after the Board had come to adeoision as to the design to be accepted. Yesterday at the meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board a number of applications were received for the positions of House Physician and House Surgeon at the Hospital, and were referred to the House Committee. The applications were all from Australia. The Australasian Insurance and Banking Record has a leading article on the Australasian Bank returns, which thus concludes :— "With the encouraging material prospects of the pastoral and farming interests and of cheaper money, there is a fair ground for anticipating a prosperous 1887. The cloud on the horizon is the unsettled condition of military Europe, but even that might not affect us so unfavourably as is feared in some quarters." A sacred and secular concert will be given by Mr. W. H. Webbe, in St. James's Hall, to-morrow evening. The programme is a varied and attractive one, comprising songs, glees, pianoforte duets, etc. Among those taking part are Messrs. Webbe and Burnham, and Misses Staunton and Campbell. Mr. Bush, from London, will make his first appearance in Auckland, on this occasion in the sacred song, " Nazareth " (Gounod). A number of Mr. Webbe's pupils will assist in the concert. Herr Goldensted and Professor Dowling will officiate as accompanists in several of the items. One of the selections to be given will be " Adeste Fideles" (Christmas hymn), by Misses Staunton and Scraggs and Messrs. Burnham and Bush. With reference to the representations which have been made by Mr. T. Thompson, M.B.R , to the Government on the question of finding work for the unemployed, that gentleman has received the following telegram from the Minister of Public Works, dated from Wanganui"Replying to your telegram forwarded on to me here, re unemployed, I did not reply direct to His Worship the Mayor, as I understood that the Hon. Mr. Tole was taking action in the matter. We are just ready to advertise a large contract on the main trunk line, on which a great number of men can be employed. We also have a contract to advertise on the Rotorua line, and in a very short time one north of Helensville. In the latter place we are being pressed to alter the route, which would cause great delay. These are all the works we have authorised, and on these the men will have to go when those works now in hand are completed." A very pleasant excursion, under the patronage of All Saints' choir and teachers, has been arranged for Boxing Day, to Man-o'-war Bay, Waiheke. The committee are sparing no pains to make the trip most enjoyable, and should the day prove fine, no doubt many will avail themselves of the opportunity of spending a day in this charming spot, especially those who are fond of ferning. The picnic is by no means confined to All Saints, and visitors will be heartily welcomed. Full particulars will be given in tomorrow's issue, in the advertising columns. A very handsome portfolio of photographic views of Sydney are now on view at the City Council offices. They were presented to the Auckland City Council by the Sydney Corporation, in commemoration of the recent Jubilee. The views are 20 x 16, and are over a score in number. They comprise scenes in George, Pitt, King, York, Bridge, Bond, Barrack, Macquarie Streets, and views of Sydney Cove, Wynyard Square, Government House, Domain, and Captain Park's Statue. As the views are beautiful specimens of photography it is, we understand, intended to find a niche for them in the Public Library. By the a. a. Mararoa, whioh arrived from Sydney yesterday, Messrs. Smith and Perrman's Federal Variety Combination were passengers. This talented company come under engagement to Mr. H. N. Abbott, and are to open, in conjunction with iEola, "the human rocket," and Signor Gonazala, on Monday next (Boxing Night) at the City Hall. This company have been highly spoken of in the Australian colonies, where they have just completed a most successful season ; and there is no doubt they will prove equally successful in their season here. . Many of the ratepayers of the Ponsonby Ward are desirous that the three candidates now contesting the representation of the ward, should addresß the ratepayers in public meeting assembled, with a view of ascertaining their sentiments on leading j municipal questions. In order to bring j about such a desirable result, a requisition is in course of signature requesting the can dida'tes—Messrs. Smales, ti. T. Dufaur, and j Elkin—to take an early opportunity of addressing the ratepayers. , The following is the state of Her Majesty's r rison, Auckland, for the weekending Dec. 18, .886 :—On remand, 1 male, 0 female ; awaiting trial, 14 males, 1 female ; boys, 6 ; penal ■ervitude, 34 males; hard labour, 67 males, 14 females; imprisonment, 1 male ; default of bail, 7 males, 1 female ; debtors, 1 male ; received during the week, 13 males, 4 females; discharged, 16 males, 7 females : total in prison, 131 males, 16 females. The final round in the inter-club matches, under the auspices of the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association, took place on the Government House lawn yesterday afternoon, when the representatives of the Auckland and Parnell Clubs for the gentlemen's singles, and the representatives of the Devonport and Parnell Clubs for the ladies' singles played off the final rounds. There was a very large attendance, and a very keen interest was displayed in the contests. Miss Eastham, of the Devonport Club, won the first set rather easily from Miss McCausland, who played for Parnell; but the second was j a very hotly-contested match, and Miss McCausland just managed to win by a game. The third and deciding set was won rather easily by the Parnell representative, who is thus the singles' champion for the season. The winner's sets ran as follow :2—6, 6—5, 6—l. The gentlemen's singles was a very fine contest, and it lasted for upwards of two hours and a half, and some splendid play was witnessed. Mr. W. R. Ridings played for Auckland, and Mr. Morrison for Parneli. The latter gentleman, although rather easily defeated in the first set, placed his balls so well and rallied with such accuracy that he was frequently applauded. Mr. Morrison carried off the second and third seta, and then Mr. Ridings won the fourth set rather easily. For the final set the most brilliant play was witnessed, aaoh player doing his level best to win, and when the games were five all, and each had scored 4 in the deciding game, the excitement was pretty intense. Mr. Morrison, who plays with much finish, managed to make the winning stroke, amid applause. His sets ran as follows : ——6, 63, 6 4, 1 6, 6—5. Although Mr. Ridings was defeated, he succeeded, it will _be seen, in winning three more games than his opponent. To-day Messrs. W. E. Barton, R. A. Carr, and E. P. Hudson leave for Napier by the s.s. Mararoa, to represent Auckland at the Farndon Tournament. As these gentlemen succeeded in bringing back the double and single championship cups last y ear i their visit is looked forward to with much interest. The feature of Professor Woodroffes exhibition this week is the Christmas tree, which is splendidly got up, being adorned with spun-glass snow icicles hanging from Norfolk Island pines, and decorated with over one thousand glass ornaments, fruit, toys, birds, &c. The Christmas tree was the object of much curiosity and admiration yesterday. In one of the windows was displayed a novel piece of mechanism, called "The Abode of Satan"—a glass cylinder filled with water, in which his Satanic majesty ascends and descends, Every child attending the exhibition this week will be presented with a present of glassware.

| _ There are a goodly number of tourists, it is stated, within the last few dayß making their way to the Lake Country. At the end of last week a party of eight visited Mount Tarawera, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. D. J. McLeod (of Auckland), Mr. and Mrs. Teece and Mr. Gribbins (Sydney), Mr. Nicole (Paris), Miss Lawrence and Mr. McAdoo (Fisk Jubilee Singers), with Mr. A. Warbrick gnide. As showing how the trip from Rotorua to Tarawera and back may be done expeditiously and cheaply, it may be mentioned that the party left Rotorua at seven a.m. ; reached Wairoa at half-past ten; crossed Lake Tarawera, and reached foot of Mount Tarawera at noon. As a brisk gale got up, it was doubtful whether the ascent of the mountain could be made, but Miss Lawrence was determined to make the essay, consequently Messrs. McAdoo, Teece, and Warbrick accompanied her; the rest of the party stopped at the base of the mountain. The , gusts of wind threw up the sand in their faces, and carried towards them the sulphurous fumes, half choking them, but they pushed steadily on, reaching the summit at three o'clock. After making a short halt, the party placed their cards in the bottle on the summit, and again made the descent of the mountain, joining the rest of the party at the boat landing at the Ariki. The strong wind favouring they crossed the lake in an hour to Wairoa, and reached Rotorua same night at eight o'clock. Mr; Alfred Warbrick, who came to town yesterday in connection with matters relating to the tourist traffic, called yesterday at the Herald office in relation to the rumours published as to exorbitant charges on tourists visiting the volcanic region. He denies the allegations as to exorbitant charges, at all events, at that stage of the journey. He states they have had their origin in the fact that all the money for horses and provisions passts through his hands, none of which he actually receives but is passed on to other parties. In proof of the accuracy of his statements he instanced McLeod's party, above referred to, consisting of eight, their bill being £1 lis 3d each, and this included expenses for guide, horses, boat and four of a crew. In order to prevent any future false impressions or misunderstanding on the part of tourists, he intends to publish the tariff charges, so far as he is concerned, in the Herald, for the information of the travelling public. The oharpe'of incendiarism against James Saunders Gibbins arising out of the fire at the accused's sawmill, Onehunga, was again oalled on at the Police Court yesterday, before Messrs. J. G. Corbett and S. Y. Collins, J.P. 8, and on the application of the prosecution waß further remanded till Wednesday, the 29 th inst., and bail was further enlarged. A correspondent ("C. W. H.") writes re the Onehunga Iron Works, and the visit of Mr. Smith, of New Plymouth. He says that it is impossible to make iron here as cheap as it can be imported. At the Mercury Bay Regatta, held at Mercury Bay yesterday, we learn that Mr. Ernest Bailey won the Champion Scullers Race there against a good field with ease, 20 lengths separating the winner from the second boat. The win, it is needless to say, has proved most popular here in aquatic circles. Gas consumers are reminded that, in consequence of the Christmas holidays, Friday, the 24th instant, at five p.m., is the last day on which discount can be allowed on gas and coke accounts. | Large numbers of logs are reported at the | booms at Tairna, and they are accumulating owing to the depression in the timber market preventing their being cut up. On the afternoon of Christmas Day a grand sacred concert will be given by the Auckland Garrison Band in the Choral Hall, assisted by a number of vocalists. The full programme appears in onr advertisement columns. The House Steward desires, through our columns, to th'nk the children of the Primitive Methodist Sunday-school, Alexandra-street, for their gift of fruit and flowers for the use of patients ; also the receipt of Christmas numbers of the Graphic and Illustrated London News, and large pictures for the use of the patients, and also a similar present for the Old Men's Refuge, from Messrs. Upton and Co., of Queen-str9et. A Christmas tree and musical entertainment, in aid of the funds of St. Patrick's Cathedral, is to be held in Mr. Laydon's auction rooms, Queen-street, on Friday evening next (Christmas Eve). Besides the musical programme to be gone through, a number of games will be introduced, chess and draughts amongst ethers, a fortune-teller's stall alio proving an attraction. The gifts from the Chriitmas tree will be distributed during the course of the evening. The project is receiving considerable support, and the entertainment should be well attended. A conversazione is announced for Monday (Boxing night) in the same building. Many of the business men of Auckland will remember the deeply interesting address delivered by Mr. Trotter some few months ago. At the meeting this forenoon in the New Zo<\» land Insurance Company's upper room Mr. Trotter will deliver the address.