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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9241, 19 December 1888, Page 4

The reported capture of Emin Bey and Stanley has not yet been confirmed. The British Government are doing r hat they can to ascertain the true facts of tho matter, and will, if it is found that the two explorers are in the hands of the Mahdi, endeavour to open up negotiations for their release. M. de Lesseps characterises the action of the Chamber of Deputies in rejecting thePauamaCanal Relief Bill asanational disgrace. Public sympathy is growing on his side. The French Cabinet have decided to revert to the single ballot system known as scrulin d' arrondissement. _ Mr. John Dillon, M.P., is about to visit the colonies. The ministerial crisis in Sydney is at an end, the Government having decided to retain office. A meeting of the creditors of Mr. John Buchanan, merchant, took place yesterday, at the office of Messrs. Russell and Campbell. A deficiency of something like £'27,000 was shown in the estate, the result chiefly of bad debts during the last, four years. A committee of investigation was appointed. Mr. Samuel Johnson, now resident at Waipawa, sends to the editor of tho Herald, for presentation to the Auckland Museum, two copies of "The Albertland Gazette and Ocean Chronicle." Mr. Johnson was one of the early Albertland settlers, and came out in the Matilda Wattenbach, and the journals now sent for preservation in the Auckland Institute were printed on board of that vessel. The contents are exceeding interesting even' now, and one can easily fancy that in, say fifty years hereafter, the descendants of those who came in the Matilda Wattenbach will peruse these pages with deep interest. The " Albertland Gazette" shows with what enthusiasm ami noble feeling the passengers were inspired. Wo have a poem on the Oruawharo River, which none of those on board had ever seen ; plans for what is to be done when they get on shore for the benefit of each and all; ft" account of a fatal accident on board to a sailor, the log, crossing the line, details of religious services, etc. We understand that Mr. Samuel Johnson has a bound copy of all the issues of the Albertland Gazette, and we hope that he will see his way to present that also to the Auckland Institute as a valuable historical memorial. Yesterday morning a Mrs. Maud Wannop was found dead in bed at her residence, Bath-street, Parnell. The deceased was in middle life, and had been attended by a medical man, who, however, declines to certify to the cause of death. A post-mortem was held yesterday afternoon, and Dr. Philson will hold an inquest at tho Exchange Hotel to-day at half-past two p.m. At an early hour yesterday morning a young man named Thomas Homewoo , working at the (Sugar Works, called at residence, Northcote, of an old man, a tailor, named William Kinnerney, an found him dead in bed. Homewood, it appears, had ordered a suit, and went round to see about it. Getting no answer to his knock he went in, and found the old man as above. He had be ;n seen about the previous night. Deceas ed was 60 yea" 0 age, and an old 57th :uan. Dr. Philson, coroner, will hold an inquest to-day at tne Northcote Hotel. We observe with pleasure that Mr. Seaman has again been appointed Superintendent Collector of Agricultural Statistics to the district comprising the counties o Rodney, Otamatea, Waitemata, Manukau, Coromandel, Thames, Ohinemuri, and Piako, with interior boroughs.

A Maori named Teira was brought in to ■he lock-up yesterday afternoon in custody pf Constable Hartnett, on a charge of lunacy. He was living at the Mangcre settlement, but being under the delusion that spirits or e continually, chasing him the natives became frightened and would not allow, him among them. * It became necessary, therefore. for the police to look after him, and lie has been brought in for committal to the Asylum. A " Settler " writes from Orewa, respecting the recent attack made by .Mr. Hardy upon the way the rates were spent in the Jtairy Flat district, and. among other thing. ls , says:—" Mr. Hardy omitted to mention that public money has been poured out like water in making roads to his kauri bushes. That being so, what can be his reason for grudging farmers a road and bridge, except that he considers settlement ii nuisance, as spoiling the feeding-ground for a horde of hungry wandering bullocks, ami the culverts as beinc in the way of the rush of his kauri logs down the creeks. Hill, from a knowledge of Mr. Hardy's impulsive character, it is easy to understand that his anger would wax exceeding hot when his enemy is benefited by public expenditure. At the nomination of candidates which took place on the ISth instant at the ofliee of the Point Chevalier Road Board, to till the three extraordinary vacancies which hail occurred in the said Board, Messrs. George Joseph Durtield, Roger Lupton, and Samuel Taylor being the only three candidates, the Returning Oiiieer, Mr. Seaman, declared those gentlemen to bo duly elected.

On Saturday night a young man, whoso name was afterwards discovered to be (liorge Clunes, succeeded in passing a forged cheque purporting to be from Alfred lackland and Sons, on Messrs. Smith and Caughev, the well-known drapers. It was drawn for .t'lS ,">s ->a the Bank -i" Now Zealand, in tho name of •' William War or bearer. Clunes, after purchasing about ft worth of goods, tendered the cheque, which was received with some hesitation as to its genuineness, and got his change, having assured Mr. Caughev, who took the cheque, that it was in payment, of a horse and cart that Messrs. Buokland had sold for him on the previous day, ami that he was a ft-trler from Manut ewa, where he was going that night. How the cheque passed muster with a tradesman is a puzzle. The "A" in Alfred was not a capital letter, and the name Alfred was spelled without an "c" i:i it; the word live, before shillings, was K-elled "fife," and then erased and rewritten, besides other peculiarities which i,; onco arrest attention. Clunes having done so well with the tirm, and with so tie difficulty, tried, it is alleged, two ether firms, but was not so successful. Last night Clunes was arrested in the cemetery by Sergeant McMahon, and brought to the lock-up. He was only charged with the case of forging and uttering the cheque passed upon Messrs. Smith Bail Caughev. It seems that about six weeks ago he was brought up at the Police Court on a charge of false pretences, but got off. His two brothers and father are tow doing tolerably lengthy terms of imprisonment for the celebrated jewellery robbery from the hansom cab on the Queenstreet. Wharf.

Some of the denizen? of Chancery Lane were holding high festival last evening, the shrieks 01 women for the police and the curses of men being borne on the night air. Cetective Hughes went up, and ultimately tmerged from the group of drunken men ; -id women with a well-known habitue of }icunt Eden, Walter Egginton, followed r i the Nation by a woman named Sophy liurke, who was also in liquor and bleeding tu the mouth. She preferred a charge of assault against him. Presently a youth of 17 came into the station, who has also been •' sent up,"' and was under the influence of liquor, end he preferred a charge of assault against Egginton. Another woman also came into the station about the business, but she seemed to think there were enough charges without hers. The detective, on his own account, put in charges of drunk and disorderly, vagrancy, and no visible means of support, so that the agony has been pretty well piled up on Egginton ; but as all parties, always save and except the detective, were redolent of beer, it is not improbable a general fraternisation will take place in the morning.

Further litigation is impending in the case of the Court Eureka new hull. The contractor, Mr. Bell, is said to be proceeding against members of the lodge individually. and some of them have been served with writs claiming amounts to the extent of several hundred pounds. The lodge is of the Order of Foresters, and commenced building a new hall in Wakefield-street, which is partly erected.

A farmer named Patrick Keog'n died somewhat suddenly on Monday, at Waipipi. Deceased had been in indifferent health for some time past, and attended by Dr. Erson.

The London correspondent of the Tuapeka Times gives the following circumstantial account of Sir J. Voxel's literary venture: —Sir Julius Vogel's novel is to be the sensation of the publishing season. It is astonishing the interest which the anticipation of the work has already excited in literary circles in London, and I can bespeak for it a demand which the publishers will have some in supplying. A friend of mine, an ex-New Zealand statesman, who was consulted on one of the chapters dealing with Maori mythology, tells me that the work will be one of joint authorship, on the lines of "The Right Honorable," by Mr. Justin McCarthy and Mrs. Campbell Praed. The ex-Treasurer's partner is a Christchurch lady of well-known literary ability, and a Maori scholar of some note. " The scenes arc principally laid in Maoriland, and include incidents of the war, Sir George Grey and Te Kooti playing very conspicuous parts. While the assassin of Poverty Bay appears in. propria persona, Sir George Grey is easily recognisable in the weakminded old statesman, " Sir Thomas Bland." Towards the close Sir Thomas Bland is impeached hefore Parliament a", either the cause of the Taranaki war, or as having indirectly insisted the enemy in some way, but this is a point on which my informant is nob Fery cle<ir. There is a chapter devoted to the trial for high treason of a Pakeha-Maori, one Richards ; but my informant assures toe that Richards is no other than Mr. C. 0. Davis, who at one time was actually called to the bar of the House on a charge of betraying his countrymen. Richards is the father of the heroine, Hinemoa, a bright and gifted half-caste; and "Hinemoa," I am told, is to be the title of the work. The outline of this remarkable story was sketched some years ago by the lady, who gent the M.S. to Sir Julius Vogel before his departure for London, and for some time past he has been re-writing and revising some of the passages and supplying a few af his own creation. Sir George Grey friends will not like the pose of the old knight as Sir Thomas Bland, the character being a rather contemptible one. 1 am also told that, in addition to this work of the literary partnership, Sir Julius has sketched out a thrilling piece of fiction on his own account; but " Hinemoa" is to be fiist presented to the public.

An entertainment was given by the pupils of St. Patrick's Convent Schools, Hobson-street, yesterday evening, previous to the annual adjournment for the Christmas holidays. Amongst the large audience were His Lordship Bishop Luck and Rev. fathers Hacket.t, Becker, O Gara, Lcnihan, wney, Madan, and the Rev. Dr. Lgan. The pupils sang several excellent choruses, rendered with harmony and expression, and they were loudly applauded. ' Lo Cheval de Bronze," a pianoforte duet, was creditably played by Misses Cuffery and Lynch; and M isses Caffery also performed fin instrumental selection, "Alice. -* I ® 3 1). Lvneh, one of the former pupils of the school, and who is a pianist of recognisec ability, rendered the piano solo, L.«. Churite," showing her musicianly reading and polished technique, and her altogether thorough command of the instrument. Another selection by Miss Lynch was equally acceptable. " Whispers From Erin" is the quaint and appropriate title of a setting of Irish airs, and this ™ a s tastefully played by Miss A. Martin. Miss Glover sang "Jessie's Dream " with good effect. A trio, for two violins and piano, " When Through Life," played by Misses and Master Graham, was well received. Miss A. Lynch was recalled for the song, "Erin, the Tear and the Smile," which was rendered with taste and expression. Two piano ducts were played by Misses A. Lynch, Cuffery, and Humphreys. The entertainment was followed by an amusing sketch.

At the meeting of the City Schools Committee last night, the following letter from Mr. Worthington was read:—"On my arrival this morning, at 9.5, Mrs. McDonald Reported that last evening, at. 5.45, after she had' fastened doors and windows inside the building and was preparing to leave, she heard footsteps in the lavatory adjoining the infant class-room. She hastened in that direction, and saw the two Wilson boys at the foot of the stairs, amd they ran out through the lavatory door into the yard. The elder got through the fence, and she caught the youngeV by the foot as he was going through. The older boy laid hold of her hand, and with a stone struck her violently on the hand, and then throw a larger stone and struck her on tho back of the neck, causing pain, which she still feels. Mrs. Scarle, .Mrs. McDonald's assistant, has had this statement read to her and corroborated it. Mrs. McDonald fur-

tlier states that on going into the infant classroom she found the teacher's (Miss Frnscr) drawer opened and its contents tumbled about. She is certain tho boy W'lson had something in his pocket. Miss Eraser states that she, so far, misses nothing from her room. Mrs. Wilson, the mother of til' 3* boys, wrote:—"i am very sorry to hear hat my boys have not been to school, I will send a boy down with them every day to school. They got a good beating last night, and I leave it to you to do as you like with them." Mr. Worthington writes a note to this letter, as follows :— " T received the above this morning from Mrs. Wilson. I allowed tho boys to remain till i obiain an expression of opinion from the committee whether they are tit to continue pupils of the school. I believe the police will want them in the Court before the end of the week for assault on Mrs. McDonald." After some discussion, the committee decided to ask tho Truant Otiice" to s ß nd in a full report upon the boys.

The. first tea meeting in connection with the liowick and Pakuranga Band of Hope was heli 1 on Wednesday last, in Mr. Gilmour's Hall, Howick, and was a decided success, not withstanding the inclemency of the weather. The hall was prettily decorated with flowers, etc. The tables were tastefully laid out, and abundantly supplied with good things, all of which were generously provided by members and their friends. The following ladies waited at the tables, and carefully fulfilled their duties viz., Mesdames Oilinour and ■ Hiekson and Misses Andrew (-), Arnaboldi, Gill, King, a way, Lindsay ("2), and White. The tables were cleared at eight o'clock, when an excellent programme of music and speeches was entered upon. The superintendent gave an account of the formation of the society, and of the business done at.

its meetings. Tho statement was very satisfactory, and proved that the society is in a prosperous condition.- One hundred jwrsons have signed the pledge, only .'l3 being under 14 years of age, 94 are attending members, and .'l7 have taken part in the progammes. and 11 new members were added to the roll, making a total of 111.

The man, Michael McDermott, concerned in the Swsinson-street tragedy, is progressing favourably at the Hospital, and bills fair to survive. The charge of murder preferred against him comes up at the Police Court on Friday, but the case will in all likelihood be again remanded.

The total number of candidates for the New Zealand University November and December examinations this year is 538. The November examinations were for students who had matriculated. Of the

12 for honours in art four were from Otago, seven from Canterbury, and one from Auckland. For the degree of 13, A., Otago University contributed 41 out of a total of 111, and 38 were from Canterbury, 19 from Auckland, eight from Nelson, and five from Wellington. For the B.Sc. degree one each came from Otago, Canterbury, and Auckland. Fourteen were examined for the degree of Bachelor of Laws, six being from Dunedin, live from Wellington, and three from Canterbury. Wellington was the only nlace with a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Music. Fifteen came forward for the senior scholarships, seven being from Canterbury, and four each from Otago and Auckland. " Out of the total of '207 for matriculation SO are from Dunedin, nine from Invercargill, six from Omaru, 14 from Titmru, 03 from Christchurch, four from (ireymouth, eight from Nelson, 33 from Wellington, one from Wanganui, six from Napier, and ,35 from Auckland. For the junior scholarships 04 came forward : 10 being from Dunedin, two each from Invercargill and Oamaru, one each from Napier and Timaru, 12 from Christchurch, three from Nelson, eight from Wellington, four from Wanganui, and 15 from Auckland. Out of the total of 30 for the medical preliminary : '20 are from Dunedin, one each from Oamaru, Timaru, Invercargill, and Nelson, three from Christchurch, tour from Wellington, two from Wanganui, and six from Auckland.

The novel and attractive entertainment driven at the Opera House by the Gaylord and Silbon company was repeated yesterday evening with great success, and the numerous clever feats performed by the various members of this highly-trained troupe were loudly applauded. The company are announced to appear again this evening and also to-morrow night. A reunion in connection with the\oung Women's Christian Association will take place this evening in the Y.M.C.A. lecture hall. The Rev. J. S. Hill will exhibit some limelight views, anil several friends will render some musical selections. There is free admission, but a collection will be made in aid of the piano fund. ' The recital of sacred music at St. Benedict's Church, which was to have taken place to-morrow evening, is postponed till further notice. The Birkenhead and Northcote Choral Society hold their first concert this evening in the Gladstone Hall, Korthcote The programme includes selections from The Messiah," Christmas carols, part songs, and instrumental and vocal pieces, which will be rendered under the conductorship of Mr. J. E. Parkin. A steamer leaves town at halfpast six, returning from Northcote after the concert at 0.45 p.m. We would remind our readers that the Torea schooner will be sold to-day by Messrs. B. Tonks and Co. ; also, interests in mines and business sites at Te Aroha. The sale takes place at 12 o'clock. A Christmas fruit soiree will be held in Waite's Hall, Mount Eden, on Thursdav evening in aid of the St. Barnabas Church Building Fund. Seven hundred prizes have been contributed, some of them of considerable value, and as every visitor will receive one all will be satisfied. Musical selections will be given in the course of the evening, a wishing well and other amusements provided, and a bountiful supply of refreshments and fruit will be given free to the children. In our advertisement columns will be found a notification from the New Zealand Drug Company, Shortland-street, that they have opened up a large consignment of Japanese "oods direct from Kobe, a very varied assortment, and this class of goods being somewhat out of their regular line of business, they have decided to offer them to the public at direct imported prices. Anyone requiring pretty things for themselves or tor presents will do well to call and inspect and purchase at their warehouse. We notice in another column that Mr. George McCaul is advertising all goods at wholesale prices Having closed his manufactory at the Thames, and transferred the whole of his material and plant to his present premises in Wellesley-street, opposite the Public Library, Mr. McCaul has determined to give purchasers the benefit of direct manufacture, and having successfully carried on business at the Thames for 20 years, should be a sufficient guarantee that the goods manufactured by .him have- .given general satisfaction. As Mr. McCaul is a direct cash importer of ail raw material, and has tlie latest improved American machinery, he is in a position to manufacture and supply all goods at the lowest possible prices. VV e advise intending purchasers to read Mr. McCaul's advertisement, and to take advantage of the opportunity to purchase direct from the manufacturer, and that at wholesale prices. ______