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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9186, 16 October 1888, Page 4

We publish this morning a large number of cablegrams, containing many items of news of great interest. In anotner column will also be found some important; communications from our London correspondent, and a very readable selection of news from our English and American newspaper files. A case of considerable importance to debtors and creditors, more especially to secured creditors, was argued yesterday before Mr. Justice Gillies at the bankruptcy sittings in the Supreme Court. It arose out of the bankruptcy of Mr. Graves Aickin, one of the land syndicate. Tie had sold and assigned his book debts to the New Zealand Drug Company in liquidation of a debt due to them, and the Ollicial Assignee sought to have the deed of assignment made null and void as against him as being a preferential claim. It appeared that in January last Mr. Aiekin had given an assignment over his book debts by waj , oi mortgage to the Drug Company as security for their debt, having previously assigned all his stock as security to the Bank of New Zealand. In June last the Bank demanded payment, and .Mr. Aickin at once informed his solicitor, Mr. J. B. Russell, who is also solicitor for the Drug Company, and a deed of assignment* was made giving the book debts to the Drug , Company as payment for the debt. A week after this Mr. Aickin lodged his petition to be adjudged a bankrupt, and the security was attacked on the grounds that it was given within three months prior to the bankruptcy. His Honor held that the assignment gave a preference to the Drug Company, and therefore declared it null and void as against the Oiiieial Assignee. The case is reported in another columji The University College Council held their regular meeting yesterday, but the business was chiefly of a routine character. The most important feature was the receipt of the long-expected seal of the Council. It is a most elaborate affair, containing four dies in addition to the stamp, and a powerful screw-press, and is splendidly finished. It has cost about £SO. Our San Francisco correspondent writes : —Louis H. Scharrer, an Auckland bookmaker, recently came to San Francisco with 700U dollars, leaving behind him his two children and his wife, who is a daughter of Morris Solomon, of Melbourne. The family followed Scharrer, who declines to provide for them, so the wife sues for separate maintenance, and has tied up his money with an injunction. When she has been long enough in the country she will seek a divorce on the grounds of Scharrer's adultery with a Miss Susie Jordan, of Melbourne. Those interested in theological subjects, and nioru particularly in the direction of what is known as the " wider hope," will find something to their taste in a little brochure which has just been issued from the Press by Mr. T. Fordyce, entitled, " Life and immortality for the Adumic Race." The central idea in Mr. Fordyce's theory is that Christ came to exactly undo what Adam did by his fall, and that if any are finally left to bear the consequences of Satan's craft, and man's ruin, then Satan in so far defeated Christ, and death is not swallowed up in victory ; for "As in Adam all died, .so in Christ shall all be made alive." The pamphlet, which has been neatly printed at the Herald office, is on sale at Mr. Wildman's. There is reason to believe that the fire at Mount Albert, on Saturday evening, was the act of an incendiary. Some of the first persons at the scene of the fire saw in the dusk a man running through the paddock, and on looking through the windows of the burning building a heap of grass in one of the rooms, in a corner, blazing. The building was insured by Mrs. Cover, of Keinuera, in the Union Insurance Company for £60. Counted Trooper Kelly went out yesterday k> investigate the circumstances, but so far nothing is definitely known as to the origin of the hre. We are authorised by the officer commanding the district to state thab there will be a field day for the whole of the volunteers on the 9th November. It is hoped that there will be a good muster, for it is intended to have an instructive day's work in outpost duty and attack formation. The reserve at Mangere has been selected as the locality, and is most suitable in every way. The Mangere hill alFords a most splendid natural ;.;umdstand for spectators.

Amongst the passengers who readier! Auckland by the mail steamer yesterdav were Mr. John Darling, under whose super. vision the majority of the Union S.S. (Jo 'a fine steamers were constructed ; Mr. cock, of San Francisco, the head of tho house of Parrott and Co., a wealthy firm with an extensive California!! and South American trade: and Messrs. P. Byrneand C. H. Collins, two American artists of con. siderable reputation, who are proceedim>-t Q Australia to paint and retouch the picture of a grand cycleorama which is being taken over by Mr. Leigh S. Lynch, a gentleman who has frequently passed through Auckland as the agent of several opera com. panics. The Hon. \V. Bickford Smith M.P. for Cornwall, and a staunch Glad! stonian, is also taking a pleasure tour of the colonies. In yesterday's issue we announced tho destruction of the Northcote Hotel, by fire at an early hour that mm ..ing. There in the house at the time, in addition to tho licensee, Mr. Watkinson, and his wif«, t.;>,; two domestic servants, and Mr. A. O'Neill and another man. Ic is conjectured thati the fire originated in the sittingroom, which was used by Mr. O'Neill, as ho ha<i h; v( | a fire during tho previous evening, The in. mates of the hotel were aroused by a crackling noise and a sense of suffocation from smoke. They succeeded in gettino safely out by the fire escape nt tho rear -J) the building. The insurances were £1400 in the .South British and £500 in the North German on the building, and i'.iOU on the stock in the Norwich Union. Very little of the stock or furniture was saved. Mrs. Somers, the widow of the unfortu. nate miner who wua drowned nearHuntlya short time ago. has, together with tier four children— thu eldest being only ih years, and the youngest, three months —been left in a terrible state of destitution. Suij.-crip. tions for her relief will be received at the publishing oih'ce of the Heicald, Queenstrcet. During tho past session of the General Assembly. Mr. Thos. Thompson, M.JI.K. for City North, took considerable interest in the unsettled land claims of old soldiers and sailors of the Imperial service, and of the military and naval volunteers who served in the Maori campaign. Yesterday he interviewed Commissioner Gudgeon o:i the subject. He was informed that all those old soldiers whoso claims have been approved by the late Royal Commission on Military Land Claims, should apply to the Under-Secretary for Defence, Wellington, for their certificates under the Act passed last session. Nothing has yet been determined as to whether the certificates will be retired by the Governmenfc through a money payment, or to be used to the amount represented in purchase of Government lands. The splendid weather which prevailed yesterday, combined with the natural beauty of our port and suburbs, created a very favourable impression of Auckland in the minds of the through passen?-*. who arrived yesterday by the mail <tean- and many of them made little excursion? to the country and the North Shore during the da 2 , -, and all expressed themselves delighted with the aspect of the country. A meeting of Ofcahuhu ratepayers was held yesterday evening, in the Public Hall, to take into consideration the re-forming and metalling of their portion of the Great South Road. Mr. Sturges occupied the chair, and the meeting was a large one. 'The fact was pointed out by the Chairman that no special rate would be required, and that the Bank had promised the requisite overdraft. After eulogising the .Board for the manner in which they were carrying on the work, Mr. Samuel Luke proposed the following resolution: — "That the thanks of the ratepayers be accorded to the Otahuhu Road Board ; and that thu district meeting thorough!}* approve of their action, and tho satisfactory manner in which they arc re-forming and repairing the Great South. Road." The motion was seconded by Mr. P. A. Brown, and carried without dissent. A curious incident occurred at the Police Station last evening. A little boy of five years of age was found wandering about the streets, and taken to the station, a.s uo would give no account', of himself. He was evidently accompanied by a dog, a little Scotch terrier, who was his companion. The faithful animal followed the constable who had charge of the boy to the station in order to see what became of him ; anil when, at a later hour, Constable Hansen, the acting lockup-keeper, made up a bed for the little fellow in the guard-room, the dog manifested his pleasure by unmistakeable signs, and squatting beside the sleeping child, mounting guard over him. When the nine o'clock "relief"took place, Ser-geant-Major Pratt's huge St. Bernard, " Bruno," came into the station to see the " reiki!" , out, as is hi l custom, but the Scotch terrier would uot suffer him to enter the room, in case he disturbed the slumbers of the little child. The police were greatly amused at the fidelity and affection shown by tho terrier. It is not often that drapers' assistants in Auckland are dilatory in getting off the premises on which they may be employed, when six p.m. draws nigh, as most of them are profoundly convinced of the utility of the rules of the Early Closing Association, but an incident which occurred last evening at Messrs. Smith and Caughey's, drapers, shows that there are exceptions to th< general rule. The firm had closed up, a usual, ut six o'clock, everything being leti secure as it was thought, but evidently someone must have, been napping , , as ;in hour after, a figure might have been descried getting out of a top window, going along the verandah, and sliding down the telegraph post to the street, amid the curious and amused glances of the bystanders. A policeman who came along thought he had r ot a good thing on hand—burglary, breaking or entering, or something of that sort— but was rather disgusted on getting an explanation of the suspicious circumstance. At the Police Court yesterday, four women were punished for drunkenness. Two were fined os and costs, or 24 hours, and two, against whom there were a long array of convictions, for vagrancy and habitual drukenness, were fined £5, or 14 days' imprisonment. The young lad, J. H. Lawson, charged with stealing a horse, the property of John Kane, of Ponsonby, was remanded till to-morrow, bail being allowed, himself in £50, and two sureties of £'25 each. We are in receipt of a copy of Sharland's Trade Journal for the present mouth, and note several articles especially interesting to the medical profession and the trade. Chief amongst them are "Notes on Pharmacology and Therapeutics," " Pharmacy Board Conference," and "Treatment or Enteric Fever" ; while under the heading " Gleanings " there are many valuable titbits of information. " Jottings " chronicle changes of businesses, and other movements in the profession. " The Novelist " includes the opening chapter of an original story by a colonial author, Mr. \V. E. Hal!, of Wellington. This issue well maintains the useful and instructive character of Messrs. Sharland and Co.'s publication. The usual Gospel Temperance meeting was held in the Protestant Hall, Karangahape Road, on Sunday evening. Mr. U. RiOtherhain gave his farewell address. Mr. Enoch Wood bade Mr. Rotherham Godspeed. The choir song " God be with you till we meet again." Mr. R. French presided. The Hon. Hon. W. Reeves and Messrs. Blundell and Atack arrived from the South per Wairarapa yesterday, for the purpose of attending the annual meeting of tlm Press Association. There were in the lock-up last evening four prisoners, on charges of drunkenness.

Attention is called to the sale of Mr. Beetliam's property, situated at Henderson, to be held by .Messrs. L>. Tonks and Co., their mart, on the .Slst instant. This property has been subdivided into small compact areas, and, being specially suited tor small farms or orchards, this .sale otters an exceptional opportunity for securing these classes of holdings. The Henderson railway station adjoins the properly and an everrunning stream almost surrounds it. We note that Messrs D. F. Evans and Co. have been instructed by Messrs Garlick and Cranwoll to clear oil' by public auction their salvage stock of superior household furniture and erl'eets. As the goods in many instances are only damaged by smoke, those about to furnish should not fail to attend this sale, a> - thereat they will have an opportunity oi securing a Hrst-class article, though but slightly stained, at a ridiculously low price. The goods must all be cleared, the sale being imperative, and takes place at Messrs. Uitf" iick and Cranwell'a warehouse, Queen-street; ou FrKUy next.