Town News.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 360, 4 January 1879, Page 17

Town News.

The criminal sittings of the Supreme Court will be held on Monday next. It has been determined by the Government to grant a free pass on the railways to each newspaper in the colony. It is stated that further contemplated police changes in Wellington involved the removal to Nelson of Sergeant Fraser, who has been in the local force for sixteen years. Mr. George Hunter's farm, near Wellington, consisting of 5800 acres, was purchased on Monday, with all improvements, but not including stock, by Messrs Jacob Joseph, Philip Moeller, and Andrew Young, for £35,000. The following is the return of patients in the Provincial Hospital during the month of December, 1878: —Admitted, 11 males, 2 females; discharged, 14 males, 5 females ; died, 1 male, 1 female; left in hospital, 39 males, 11 females; total in hospital, 50. Friday's Gazette contains notices of rehearing of several native land claims. The following appointments have been made :—Mr. H. C. Cheeseman as a clerk in the Deeds Registry Wellington ; Mr. C. E. Forbes, to be draughtsman in the Surveyor-General's department. 'The crops in the Wairarapa district are looking splendid, particularly at Masterton. The corn about there is just beginning to turn color, and the farmers expect to reap a good harvest. The rye and other grass crops have been most prolific, and are now nearly all cut. The Anti-Chinese immigration movement is proceeding apace, and the sub-comrnittee appointed to collect subscriptions for the relief of the seamen on Btrike are by no means idle. It is proposed to start a shilling subscription, and probably the sub-committee when it meets will discuss the point.

On Tuesday 6312 passengers travelled on the tramway Hue. Mackey, the defaulting bank manager, was on Friday brought up and remanded. Heavy bail was demanded, but was not forthcoming. A well-known tradesman in town received very severe injuries by jumping out of the tram when it was iu motion on Monday, and is now under medical treatment for the saue. The Postal Department has accepted the coutract of -Mr. B. Taylor for the wh irf and railway service in this city. He will also clear the pillars in various parts of the city, and transport mails to and from the chief office and the Te Aro office. The consideration is £285 per annum. The following tenders have been received at the Public Works Office for the Blenheim contract of the Picton and Blenheim railway; length, about one mile and a half, with bridge over Opawa river :—Accepted : Henderson and Fergus, Dnnedin, £9909. Declined : Davis Brothers, Blenheim, £18,531. A service of song was given in the Kaiwarra schoolroom on Monday night by the children attending the Sunday and day schools, under the leadership of Mi-s Storey and Mr. Evans, to whom great praise is due for their uuzeal in training the children. The chair was occupied by Mr. Harvvy, who spoke in very terms of the children's singing. On Thui'sday next, the mails between Wellington and Taranaki will for the first time be taken via the Mountain-road and luglewood, and after that date the mails to and fro will be taken along that route three times a week. By this route some fifty miles will be saved, and four or five hours' additional time will be given for the reception of correspondence at each end of the line. The " old year out and the new year in" was celebrated in the usual way this morning. The fireworks display was, however, on a very much more limited scale than formerly. Large numbers of people paraded the streets, and the ringing of bells and the playing of music in some of the principal thoroughfares were the chief indications of tbe commencement of the new year. Watch-night services were also held in some of the churches. The following is the calendar for the criminal sittings of . the Circuit Court : —Kate Dawes, attempted suiaide ; Sarah Hannah Jacobs, attempted suicide ; Charles Schmidt, stealing from a dwelling-house ; William Watson, alias Sutton, stealing from a dwelling-house ; James Murphy, indecent assault ; Philip Johu Murtagh, assault, inflicting grievous bodily harm ; Edward Henry McElwaine, arson ; George Webb, alias George Smith, forgery. Several of the accused are on bail. The number of committals will probably be brought up to a dozen before the Court sits, on January 6. The Hermione's immigrants were landed in the Moa on Friday, and a most disagreeable trip across the bay they had. The wind was very strong, and clouds of spray were driven over the vessel, deluging everything. The work of transport was carried on uuder the personal superintendence of Dr. Johnston. There was at the wharf a narrow escape from a serious accident. A slingful of boxes, &c, was being hoisted by the crane, when the rope suddenly broke, and the whole lot tumbled back on the vessel's deck, falling about six feet. One of the hands had a second previously moved from underneath the sling. Had he stopped an instant longer he certainly would have been killed. Messrs. Hastwell, Macara and Co. have given notice that their coaches will in future leave Masterton for Palmerston and N'apier thrice weekly, instead of only twice as heretofore. This arrangement will enable passengers from Wellington to reach Napier in two days instead of three.. The coaches are advertised to leave Palmerston and Kopua on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at an hour as yet unfixed. At the Masterton end the coaches leave on the same days of the week, starting at 3 p.m., and will reach Eketahuna on the eveuing of the same day. The travelling public will no doubt be glad to hear of this great gain in time on this journey, and with the increased facilities offered we may confidently expect that an increase of traffic will shortly follow. It is to be hoped that the service may prove remunerative to the proprietors. The determination of the Postmaster-Gene-ral to place the Te Aro Post Office at Mount Cook seems unreasonably to excite a good deal of opposition. If there is to be a second post office, it is not desirable to pxit it in within a stone's throw of the chief office. The department has in view the accommodation of the people around Newtown and the other outskirts of the city in that direction, and it is proposed not only to have a post office, but a letter-carrier attached to it, so that people of the district may have pretty nearly equal postal facilities with the city dwellers, and the arrangement ought to give satisfaction. It may be added that mails will close just before the departure of • all intercolonial and interprovincial steamers as at the chief office, and there will also be a receiving and distributing telegraph office. There are whispers abroad that the Colonial Treasurer is beginning t.j find out the utter impracticability of his land tax scheme, and that there is great trouble in the Land Tax Commissioners' room in the big buildings on the beach. From various parts of the colony come reports of the great difficulty of getting men who can assess land at its natural value, irrespective of improvements, and the almost utter ignorance of the valuers, when appointed, to know where to begin. Then there are threat obstacles in the way of getting information in regard to land, and the County Council rolls are found to be of very little real assistance. The expenses, too, are exceeding all computation, and leave little hope that the Treasurer's estimate of £90,000 wisl be realised this year. Poor Mr. Ballance ! 1 1 is ft pretty iece of business altogether. P

The Choral Society resumes its ordinary practices next week, eon mencing work with the '-May Queen." It is intended that the next concert shall be of a somewhat lighter character than the past two or three have been, and it will consist of two parts, the " May Queen" forming the first, and the second being composed of soDg°, duets, glees, &c. One effect of the existence of a secular system of primary education is that the conductors of Sunday-schools are infusing more energy into their work, and striking out new methods of instruction. In one school, St. Paul's a system of standards hag been introduced, and instruction is now being given with a view to an annual examination iu a I classes of religious lore, extending from easy questions about tha Lord's Prayer up to ecclesiastical history. A number of friends have made generous gifts to the Hospital patients during the holiday season. In add tiou to benefactions recently acknowledged, Mrs. Bright, Mrs. Clapham, and Mr. jun , contributed donations which were highly prized and most acceptable. It is desired also to acknowledge the liberality of the Wellington papers —the Times, Evening Post, Chrwiicle, and New Zealander, in supplying three copies of their respective newspapers to the institution gratuitously during the past year. A correspondent on board the Rotorua telegraphs to us from the Biuff as follows : The b>. Kotorua, left Port Chalmers at four p.m. yesterday, and got here at eleven this morning. There are fifty-one names on the passenger ]i>t, including nine ladies ; there are several excursionists from Victoria and New South Wales. Arrangements had been made by the company to accommodate a much larger number than tbere are ou board. "Everything, *o far, ha- been very pleasant. The provision made by the company for the comfort of passengers seems perfect, and an entirely successful trip is looked forward to by all. Specimens of antimony and quartz collected by Dr. Hector from Lang'lon's reef, on the West Coast, have been analysed at the Colonial Laboratory. The reef is about 9ft. thick. Specimens from the lower part gave !2&oz. gold to the ton, while some picked specimens from the centre gave from soz. to 320 z., and about an ounce of silver. Other samples were tested with results varying between those before mentioned. In none of these was the gold in the ore visible to the naked eye. From a lower reef specimen, consisting of quartz and arsenical pyrites, yield 690 z. gold to the ton, &nd2jfc<'Z of silver. A member of the geological survey staff is a,t present at Nelson, and has been exploring the copper deposits at Aniseed Valley. He reports having obtained at different points in a line running JM.E. to S.W., samples which on assay have yielded 6 per cent, of metallic copper. It has not been discovered whether there is a continuous lode for the whole of this distance, but where any sinking has been done the deposit has been found to extend to a depth of from 6 to 8 feet. It appears very difficult to extract the metal from the rock. By the ordinary means of crushing not more than 50 per cent, of the copper can be exextracted, the rest remaining iu the tailings, so that if the full benefit of the deposit is to be gained, some more effective process than that yet known must be resorted to. An inquest was held on Thu sday at the morgue upon the body of John Christie, aged about 76 vears, who fell down dead on Tuesday last while at work in a paddock, the property of the Hou. John Martiu. Margaret Christie, wife of the deceased, gave evidence to the effect that deceased though not in good kealth generally, wa*, at the time of his death, in apparently better health than ordinarily. The medical evidence of Dr. Tripe, who made a post mortem examination, was to the effect that deceased died from heat apoplexy—or, what is commonly called sun-stroke. A verdict in -accordance with the medical evidence was returned. Deceased was an old settler, and had for many years worked a eectiou of land of his own at Makara, which he and his wife by their own labor had cleared. The Bangitoto silver mine excitement seems to have subsided somewhat, and people are now beginning to wonder what all the fuss wa3 about. It was stated that some samples sent to Melbourne a short time ago were pronounced worthless. Now we hear that a picked sample has yielded soz. gold and 4oz. 15dwts. to the ton, with 5 per cent, of zinc. Another specimen from the blue lode sunk iu the deepest level gives ioz. 15-lwts. gold and | 4oz silver. It seems the place ought to be i called the Rangitoto gold mine rather than the silver min*". From recollection, we believe the com-pany is entitled under the lease to the gold, but must pay a royalty on it. The Chinese question assumed a new phase en. New Year's Eve, when a couple of unoffending Celestials were grossly assaulted. The two men it seems were on the wharf enjoying the holiday season, with a number of European confreres, letting off fireworks, when a number of wharf loafers set upon them, and assailed them with the most coarse epithets, and began to beat them after the most approved European fashion. The Chinamen managed to get clear, and ran off the wharf, followed by a crowd, and obtained refuge in the Pier Hotel. Inspector Atchison then came up, and endeavored to disperse the mob, which stood yelling in front of the Hotel. After some tr-üble he apparently succeeded, and the frightened Chinamen sneeked out of the hotel; but no sooner were they clear away than a number of fellows who had been in , hiding rushed upon them again and renewed the r>revious treatment. Eventually the two men crot into the Empire Hotel, half frightened to death, to say nothing of bruised limb*. The ; r pursuers remained in waiting for a time, and "then gradually dispersed, but the Chinese did not venture into the streets ag»in till 4 a m The . incident is a disgrace to the city, and'afioicW a peculiar contrast to the boasted mental moral superiority of the European over the poor chinaman.

The amount of revenue collected at the Custom House, Wellington, for the month of December, 1878, was £14,548 Is. 3d. For the corresponding month last year it was £15,123 17s. 9d. For the quarter ending 31st December, 1878, the amount of revenue collected was £47,880 10s. 4d. The corresponding quarter last year it was £45,586 9s. 3d. Some idea of the sort of weather that at times prevails at Hokitika may be gathered from the fact that during the month of September, 15.9 inches of rain fell, the average for that month being 7.3 in. In Wellington there was 6.S in., the average being 4 4 ; in Napier 1.3 in., the average being 1.5 ; in Hokitika rain fell on 22 days, in Wellington on 16, and in Napier on 7. A circular issuied by Mr. Stevens, secretary to the executive committee of the New Zealand Rifle Association, states that the rou-h drafts of the programme for the Nelson meetcomprises eight matches for volunteers only, viz.:—Four for rifles and four for carbines. In these matches the firing for the champion belts, &c, will be taken. For any members there are ten matches, two of which are for carbine, and two for small bores, the latter being up to 1000 yards. There is also a consolation match. Somewhere between £9OO and £IOOO will be given in money prizes at the meeting. The whole of the single girl immigrants who arrived per Hermione have been engaged at wages varying from Bs. to 15s. per week, and a number of the single men have been engaged and taken to Mr. Cake's contract, Wangauui way. The sick persons on Somes Island are getting on well, and will probably be brought over shortly. The Fernglen arrived at Nelson on Thursday with a number of immigrants for that place and some-for Marlborough. As there 1b little or no demand in Nelson, and aB the Wellington labor market continues to be poorly supplied, it has been decided by the department to bring the Fernglen here, and appropriate her Nelson immigrants to Wellington, sending the Marlborough ones on per steamer. Ah inquest was on Monday held on the body of Mrs. McGirr, at the Metropolitan Hotel. The evidence of the husband and the son of deceased was taken, to the effect that for some time past she had been subject to temporary weaknsss of mind, and that at such times she gave way to drink. A little before (Jhristmas she had been drinking, and on the 27th- inst. she was missed when the father and son went home to tea, and then found her in an outhouse, quite dead. From appearances, she must, when discovered, have been dead some hours. Dr. Keating stated that he had madea post mortem examination, and he described minutely the condition of the various organs, which io hi 3 opinion was only reconcilable with a I>ng course of intemperance. Death, he believed, had been caused by effusion of serum on the brain. A verdict to that effect was returned by the jury. A pleasiDg acknowledgment for services rendered was made on Thursday by the promoters of the We3t Wanganui Coal Company, when J. F. E. Wright, Esq., wa3 presented with a handsome gold watch and chain. The watch was an English lever, and purchased at Messrs Kohn and Co.'s establishment. The compliment was well deserved, as Mr. Wright has been indefatigable in his exertions in promoting the starting of the compnny, having v sited the locality of the mine ou several occasions, and acted as honorary secretary for upwards of twelve months. The company promises to be a most lucrative concern, aa the coal procured is of the best description, both for steam and household purposes, and can be obtained in almost unlimited quantity. E. W. Mills, Esq., the chairman of the company, in a few well chosen words made the presentation, alluding to the valuable services Mr. Wright had rendered to the company, and his readiness at all times to assist any enterprise that tended to develop the resources of his adopted country. The following inscription was artistically engraved on the watch:—"Presented to J. F. E. Wright, Esq, by the promoters of the West Wanganui Coal Company, as a slight recognition of his services iu floating the company. E. W. Mills, chairman, 1878." The Education Department has just compiled a new classification of the teachers in the various schools under the scheme set forth in an order-in-council some time ago. The scheme if rathei involved, and so far as can be gathered at present is not likely to give much satisfaction to the persons most iuterested. There are five classes, denominated from A to C, each of which is subdivided into five sections, so that there are really about twenty-five grades. Examination is to determine the class a man shall tike, and length of service, teaching power, &c, we believe, is to fix the particular section in which he shall be classified. To rank in the A class a man must have taken University degrees with honors. B class is to be made up of those who have taken University degrees without honors, and so on. The practical result, it seems to us, will be to push down into the D and E classes nearly the whole of the members of the profession in the public schools. Men of great experience in the work of teaching, whose acquired art of instruction ia far more valuable in framing up the young for the practical business of life than the most profound classical lore, will in popular estimation, at any rate, be degraded to the lowest point in the system. Extensive erudition may be necessary in a good teacher, but it is not all, and any classification that has book learning simply or perhaps even mainly for its basis will never give satisfaction, or afford a means of arriving at a true estimate of a teacher's ability. The classification now made by the department under this system will remain in force till June next, and will in the meantime to a great extent regulate salaries. In March all teachers will be invited to come up for examination, and on the results will be reclassified, such new classification taking effect from the beginning of the new educational year, July next.

The Government, it is believed, to lessen the expenses connected with the collection of the land tax, will gazette all receivers of goldfields revenue and clerks of Resident Magistrates' Courts to be collectors under the Act, and persons liable to be rated will, have to pay their contribu ; ions to either of these ofacials <>n the days mentioned in the statute, due public notice of which will be proclaimed. The Rotorua, from Auckland, on Saturday brought a little centre-board yacht, which, during the afternoon was transhipped on board the Albion. Mr. Bailey, of the North Shore, Auckland, built her to compete at the principal regattas iu the colony. The Toy, as she is name , is a centre-board, diagonal built open boat ; her length is about 24ft. and her beam 7ft. She carries between 6cwt. and 7cwt. of lead on the outside of her keel. Mr. Bailey takes her to Lyttelton first, to see if he can win the Cup ; he will then try his luck at Nelson and Picton, and come back to Wellington in time for the annual regatta, that is if there is going to be one, as our boating men are very backward this year in making a start. The Toy ought to sail very fast, as she has a good bottom, spread* a large surface of canvas, and can carry it if pushed. On Friday night, about half-past eleven, as the tram from the Opera House to the Government Buildings was proceeding along Lambton-quay, it came into collision with a hansom cab, in which were a lady and gentleman. The tram was not going at a high rate of speed, but the cab was knocked completely over. The shrieks of the lady, coupled with the noise of the collision, attracted a crowd, and the lady was speedily extricated from the broken vehicle. She was found to be almost insensible from fright, and was conveyed to Dr. Diver's residence close by. Restoratives were applied, and it was found on examination that the lady had sustained no injury beyond the shock. According to the statement of the gentleman —a well-known tradesman in the city—the accident was wholly attributable to the driver of the cab. He started before the occupants of the vehicle were fairly seated, and rushed his horse right on to the metal immediately in front of the engine. A meeting of the New Zealand Pacific Lo'lge, Mo. 517, EC, was held at the Masonic Hall, B<>ulcott-Btreet, on Friday, for the purpose of i stalling the Worshipful Master and officers of the lodge for the ensuing year. There was a large attendance of the brethren, and the R W. District Grand Master of Auckland wis also present. P.M. Charles White acted as installing officer for the Worshipful Master, and P.M. C. M. Igglesden for the officers. The ceremony was performed in the most effective manner by these officers, assisted by the choir, the organist, Bro. David Gr j y, presiding at the harmonium. The following are the names of the officers installed : —W.M., S. Griffiths ; S.W., Charles White ; J.W., T. J. Ladd ; chaplain, Rev. C. H. S. Nicbolls ; J.D., R. M. Simpson ; treasurer, F. C. Binns ; secretary, J. M. Taylor ; stewards, W. R. Waters and N. J. Isaacs; tyler, E. Buck. The lodge being closed iu due form, the brethren adjourned to No. 10 room, Athenaeum building, where a banquet was prepared for the occasion. Covers were laid for fifty. The preparation of the banquet was entrusted to Brother Beattie. It was of the most recherche description, and gave every satisfaction to the brethren. We have received notice of the publication of a work entitled "The History of Technology," by Mr. C. A. Curtis, of the Te Aro school. The book is written in German and will be published in Dresden. The general object of the work may be said to be to place clearly before the reader the enormous strides that have been made in material progress and the wonderful amount of aid that is rendered to us by science in our daily life. A comparison between the condition of trade and industry in the present day and that of a century ago gives most astounding results. In the preface to thi3 work we notice that the first workable telegraph ia attributed to Ganz and Weber, of Gottingen. This invention is ascribed to several other parties, and the dates given by both French and English authorities who claim the priority of discovery, are so nearly approximate that it ia scarcely fair to claim the full credit of the invention for any one country, when several men in different parts of Europe, who had been laboring at the same thing, and had well-nigh perfected it simultaneously. The whole work has a very scientific tone, aud treats of mechanics, static?, and dynamics, and goes into the historyof the progress that has been made in these sciences. We trust that the labors of Mr. Curtis may be duly rewarded, and that his scientific countrymen may welcome the result of his laborious researches with enthusiasm. A Pakeha-M tori named Moffatt, who has ' not long since finished a sentence in gaol for making powder for natives in the Wanganui District claims that by deeds duly registered iu New South Wales aud subsequently allowed on inquiry, he is the rightful ower of six acres back from Pipitea Point, as laid out on the plan of the city in 1841, that is from Pipitev. corner back to Murphy-street, thence to the continuation of Tinakori-street, including Hobson and Pipitea-streets. He further claims an area of 23 acres which runs in a line north from Pipitea coiner to Pah Kawa or a point the city side of the Waterloo Hotel at Kaiwarra. By deeds which were drawn up and registered in New South Wales at the same time a3°his own, be claims that the area upon which the Government house and Parliament houses are built belongs to the natives as a reserve which was never purchased by the Government. And further he claims that the foreshore from Pipitea Point north, to the Waterloo Hotel, Kaiwarra, is his property, and consequently the site of the railway line and the hill from which the reclamation stuff has been removed. The claim does not excite much attention yet, but Moffatt states that he has placed the matter in the hands of solicitors who advise his claim is indisputable, and that the matter will be brought before the Court directly. The property claimed is of immense value.

The criminal statistics of Wellington for the past two years show that crime is not'only relatively but absolutely decreasing, notwithstanding the large number of persons which have been added to the populat on within the period. In 1876 there were 616 committals, of whom 512 were men and 104 women. In 1877 there 527 committals, 43 o males aud 91 females, or a decrease of 89. During the year just ended there were 430 committals, 358 men and 72 women, a decrease being thus shown of 97 on 1877 or 186, nearly thirty-three per cent, on the number of committals iu 1876. These facts aie gratifying, and seem to show that the local police force cannot be so effete as it is attempted to make out, and that the treatment at the gaol is repressive of crime. It may be added that there are now only some 70 inmates of the gaol, or say about 3 per cent, of the population of the city. We have received a prospectus of au Intercolonial Juvenile Exhibition, to be held at Melbourne. It sets forth that the project has been entered into by a number of gentlemen in Melbourne, in the interest aud for the benefit of the youth of all our Australian colonies. The committee have no personal ends to sain, but they uudertake the responsibility of the exhibition believing—That it will tend to check habits of idleness and care--1663063-1, and to replace them by industry and self-improvement ; that in the designing, modelliug, or manufacturing of articles for competition, talents will be developed and exercised which otherwise lie dormant. After citing other beueficial influences likely to follow the exhibition, the prospectus adds that its educational influences upon the future of the youth of our colonies are likely to be most marked. The committee state that they depeud entirely upon the public for support, and enclose forms of a reply to their application for subscriptions, hoping for the earnest co-operation of parents, teacher?, and employers. Au influential executive committee has been appointed in Melbourne, under the presidency of Sir Redmond Barry, Mr. D. Beath being chairman of the committee. The address is to the Hon. Secretary of the Kxhibition, Collins-street, West Melbourne.

THE HYDERABAD. The telegraphic information published in Monday's paper re the Hyderabad proves to have been somewhat exaggerated. Captains Gibbon aud Holm wood, who returned from the scene of operations on Monday, report that the effects of the recent gale have beeu beneficial rather than otherwise. The ship originally lay nearly end on to the beach ; the gale shifted her round about four points. She has since been brought round about a point and a half, and lies about opposite the main-chain, and in a fair way to again reach the sea, so that reallv her position has been improved. On. We Inesday and Thursday she was moved 78 feet, and on Friday was afloat at half-tide, with fifteen feet of water at her stern. In consequence of the gale it was deemed advisable to allow her to drift in shore again ; but though farther from the sea in other respects she is now iu a better position than previously, and is only making a quarter of an inch of water a day. Captains Gibbon and Holm wood on Monday arrived in town, and will return to the scene of the wreck in a few days, when another attempt to float the vessel will be made. It is now merely a question of weather. If it prove fine the effort no doub will be successful, but if it be rough the contrary will be the result. In view of the labor expended and trouble taken iu the work, it is to be hoped fine weather will prevail. As an instance of the fury of the gale and the high tide, it may be mentioned that a couple of iron tanks used at the scene of the wreck have been washed down the beach—one a distance of twelve miles, and the other twenty miles. The City of Auckland has suffered a good deal by the gale?, and now lies broadside on to the beach. ANNIVERSARY REGATTA. A meeting of gentlemen interested in the promotion of the Anniversary regatta was held ou Thursday at the Pier Hotel. There was an unusually attendance, and Mr. George Allan was voted to the chair. Mr. Kliaby explained that having been secretary last year he had taken it upon hi-.nself to call the present meeting, as time was getting on. He had also written asking for the patronage of his Excellency the Governor, and had received the following reply:— • "January 2 1879. • 'Sir,—l am directed by his Excellency the G.vernor to inform you that he will have much pleasure ia patronising the"'Wellington Anniversary Regatta, to be held on the 22ud inst.— I am, &c, "Fked le Patottreu, <* Private Secretary." The meeting approved the action taken by Mr. Ellaby, resolved to thank the Governor for his patronage, and proceeded to elect officers. The following gentlemen were elected: President, his Worship the Mayor ; Commodore, Mr. G. Hun: er, M.H.E. ; Vice-Commo-dore, Mr. Thomas Buchanan ; Treasurer, Mr. S. S. Downes; Committee, the same as that of last year. The following canvassers were appointed (conditional upon the consent being gained of those who were not preseut):— Lambton—- Messrs Hill, Hayes, and Dransfield, junior; Wharf—Captain Rose; Thorndon Messrs. G Allen, J. Maginnity, and H. J. Logan; Government Buildings—Messrs Whittaker, and Batkin, junior ; Te Aro —Messrs. Graham, and Dixon ; Cook Ward—Messrs. R. Collins, Coffey, and Bert ; Manners-street and Willis-street —Messrs. B. Cohen, aud L. Blund-Jl; Collector —Mr. Williams.—The Secretary reported that the New Zealand Shipping Company had promised the usual Silver Cup, and Messrs. Levin and Co., on behalf of Shaw, Saville, and Co,, £ls 15s. instead of a cup. The programme was provisionally adopted as it appears in our advertising columns, subscription list were issued, and some routine business having been disposed of, the ' meeting adjourned till* Tuesday next.

ARRIVAL OF THE BARQUE COURIER FROM" NEW GUINEA. The barque Courier returned on Tuesdayfrom the New Guinea expedition. It will be remembered that the Courier arrived here about four months ago from Melbourne with general merchandise, under the command of Captain Stanwood. He heard that there was a project on foot to form a company to get up an expedition to New Guinea, by a number of persons in Dunedin and Wellington. He at once saw that there was a chance to make something handsome out of the project, and entered into communication with the heads of the party, stating that his vessel was for sale, that he had been trading to New Guinea for several years, and that he had three trading posts at Astrolabe Gulf, as well as several small vessels already engaged in the trade. The captain painted such a picture of the success of the undertaking that he induced the promoters to buy the vessel, which was ultimately sold for £4OOO. Captain Stanwood promised to meet the expedition at the Astrolabe Gulf, and in the meantime left here.in the Easby for Sydney. He vent so far as to purchase a photographic apparatus which he presented to the expedition in the hopes that some of the passengers would be able to take views of the place. Everything being in leadiness, the barque left here on the 27th September, under the command of Captain Moore, who represented the Wellington capitalists. Two experienced post-traders accompanied the expedition, for the purpose of trading and holding general intercourse with the natives. The cargo consisted of "notions" and such things as would be likely to be thought much of by the natives, but in themselves of no real value. After a month's voyage, during which fine weather and variable winds prevailed, the barque reached her destination— Astrolabe Gulf. A quarter of a mile from shore the lead was hove, and 75 fathoms of water was recorded, with a coral bottom. It was with great difficulty that a good anchorage was found. The general appearance of the country at first sight was not thought much of by those on board. The scenery was remarkable, for the steep mountains, #bout 7000 feet in height, running down to a long low stretch of swampy ground covered with what is known as mango, with patches of cocoa-nut palms and sugar canes. Natives were seen in hundreds, but no trading stations were found. The natives could not understand a word of English, and no one on board could understand them. They came off in canoes, and examined the ship. Their food consisted of small shell-fish and coca-nuts. No trade could be done with them, as they appeared to know nothing about it. Finding that no barter could be done, Mr. Allen, of Auckland, prospected the river beds for gold, but could not even find the color of it. A short distance from where Mr. Allen landed he found a trace of the Sydney schooner Dove, the name of the vessel being carved upon a tree. The soil was good and apparently fertile, but the climate was very unhealthy for Europeans. As late as eight o'clock in the evening the thermometer in the Courier's cabin was° 92 degrees, and a sort of low fever attacked several of the crew. With care, however, they managed to get over it. After remaining a fortnight at anchorage the barque weighed, anchor and sailed round the island, but could find no other anchorage and the expedition was given up as a complete failure, and the vessel was headed for Wellington, where she arrived as above after a passage of 48 days, having during the trip experienced principally fine weather with light and variable winds.

Mr. Allen, who was ashore the whole of the time the vessel lay at New Guinea (about three weeks), speaks in the highest terms of the amiable disposition of the natives, and says he would sooner risk his person and property amongst them than in the slums of any European town. He describes them as of Papuan race, mediumsized, handsomely-shaped, with small hands and feet, and singularly erect and graceful in their walk and attitudes, the women conspicuously so. The women are comely, lighter in color than the men, and have a merry laugh | and pleasant manner. The men wear only a ! sort of grass cloth, wound five or six times xound their loins, the women only a grass fall unplaited before and behind. The children, who are much fairer than their parents, go entirely naked. They are all betel nut chewers, and have jet black teeth in consequence. The only arms of offence they appeared to possess are bows, arrows, and spears, but they never brought arms with them when they saw Europeans coming ashore, but left them at home, and came wearing green boughs us peace offerings. Their kindliness was further exhibited by the readiness with which they carried the Europeans and their arms and luggage ashore from the boats, " giving a back" in the most ready and cheerful way. On the Island of Bilbil, where the Courier people got the best acquainted with the natives, about fifty of the aborigines accompanied them on a shooting excursion through bush. Pigeons, macaws, and a sort hawk were shot, with some pretty green parroquets, but no birds of very beautiful plumage were seen, though the natives gave them to understand that there were plenty. Some timber was cut for the ship's use, and it was found to be very close grained and heavy. The heat, though great, was not felt oppressive, and as there was no swampy ground in the neighborhood the party enjoyed the most i-ugged health all the time they were ashore. Their time was so much occupied in exploring the coast fringe that they only went a few miles inland. The only roads natives have are like sheeptracks, very narrow. The country is described as exceedingly fertile, the soil being of the variety known as chocolate, soft and deep, the grass rank, long, and coarse, the vegetation generally being most luxuriant. A few fitful attempts were made to look for gold, but, as the locality was merely an immense deposit of shingle, with no success. No

metal ornaments of any kind were seen amongst the natives, only shells and boar's tusks. Both wild and tame pigs are plentiful, the natives having them round about their villages, of from twelve to twenty huts averaging about five in each. There are a number of islands on the west side of Astrolabe Bay, and all are thickly populated. Mr. Allen estimates the population around the edge of the Bay at over five thousand. Nothing is grown close to the villages, except a few cocoanuts sufficient for consumption. Their gardens are generally on some cleared spot on higher ground, and are fairly well looked after. In them are grown yams, very good figs and mangoes, passable wild apples, and splendid tobacco, of which the natives manufacture exceedingly fragrant cigarettes, the tobacco composing the body of the cigar being wrapped in another description of leaf. The natives, however, showed a preference for European tobacco, which was much stronger. Their huts are made of bamboo, and are roofed with cocoanut leaves, very thickly laid on, the whole structure being V shaped, the eaves coming to the ground. They have little raised beds made of split bamboo, but seem to have no idea of bedclothes. Very few utensils were seen, except some fine samples of jars and pots, made of clay, by the women. These are manafactured so well, that they stand the fire for a time in cooking the natives food. Those who live along the coast seem to differ from the hill tribes. A few men belonging to the latter were seen. . They are described as forbidding in appearance, wild in gesture, and with long hair down their backsj There seemed to be little in common with the coastmen and hillmen.

A good deal of difficulty was found in interchanging ideas between Europeans and natives, and the success achieved, Mr. Allen says, was more due to the quick perception and ingeniousness of the natives than to the intelligence of the Europeans, as both parties were without an interpreter and ignorant of each other's language. Although both parties were on most friendly terms the whole time, it was only a day or two before the Courier left that the natives allowed their women to make the acquaintance of the strange white men. Their intercourse with Europeans appears to have been very limited, the only word they could recognise was " ainglis." The party while ashore discovered a blazed tree on which was carved the word "Dove," the name of a vessel which leit Melbourne for New Guinea about four months ago, and and has not since been heard of. It appeared from the freshness of the blaze on the tree as if it had been done only about a month. Mr. Allen also saw the bones and egg shells of a bird about the village, which he thinks must be a good deal larger than an emu. The only quadrupeds seen, besides the pig, were a native animal very like a European dog, and a flying fox of a red color. Although the bay was literally alive with fish, they would not look at any kind of bait, and the crew only managed to eatch a few by means of the " grains." They were found very good eating. The natives spear them and shoot them with arrows at night. A fowl of Bantam breed was noticed in the villages, though neither fowl nor eggs were offered in barter. After a good deal of difficulty, due to the timidity ©f the natives, Mr. Allen managed to get some interesting photographs of members of the tribe. Mr. Allen made a note of a few words of the language —fish is eezh, fowl is rnuluk, pigeon is koriak, turtle is madaw, man is tamul, girl is pekinamoa, son is add, water is yo, arrow is tu, gun tabu, sea water is massy. As the Courier's charts were only of use as far as Humboldt River, it was thonght not advisable to venture round the north end of the island, and no other part of the coast was visited. WELLINGTON VITAL STATISTICS. The vital statistics for the City of Wellington for the year which closed on Tuesday are exceedingly interesting. Judging by the results brought out we should say, notwithstanding that the drainage of the city has not yet been proceeded with, Wellington health seems to be improving, for while both the births and marriages have largely increased as compared with the figures of 1577, there has been a large comparative decrease in the deaths. The figures are as follow : 1877. 187 S. ' Births SSS 986 Deaths 338 206 Marriage certificates issued .. 20b , It must be remembered that these are the figures for the city only, and have nothing to do with the district surrounding the city, the residents in which it is feared are not over particular in the matter of registration. However, there were about 300 births registered from these districts. There is one peculiar feature brought out by the statistics, and that is, the increasing popularity of marriage at the Registrar's office. Perhaps this is owing to the fact that that functionary does the job very cheaply, or that the brides and bridegrooms are not troubled with any fussy sight-seers, but whatever the cause the number of marriages at the Registrar's office last year, is nearly a hundred per cent, more than was the case in 1878. The figures are—in 1877, 38 ; in 1878, 62. For the month of December the statistics are as follow : Births : •- ..113 Deaths.. - - • - • - • • • • 28 Marriage certificates issued .. .. 33 It is worthy of note that in no month previously have so many births been registered as during December. PRESENTATION TO DR. MARRINER, The immigrants of the ship Hermione presented Dr. Marriner with a very handsome albert watch chain, with the accompanying address. The presentation was made on Christmas Day, on Soames Island, by Mr. Corless, Assistant Superintendent of the quarantine station, at the request of the immigrants. Soames Island, Christmas Day, 1878. We, the married people, single women and men, immigrants by the ship Hermione, feel the greatest pleasure in presenting to our

dearest doctor a very trivial memento of gratitude for his more than assiduous care during our passage. We cannot find words to express our thanks. We. hope that you will accept this small token of esteem from hearts that would be ready and willing to do anything in their power to promote your welfare. On the same day the members of two messes of the single men presented the following address, together with two valuable pipes:— " Dear and Honored S'r, —We, the undersigned immigrants, of the single men's messes, 31 and 32, beg your acceptance of the accompanying small present, as a souvenir and token of the high esteem we have for you. The kindness and attention you have shown us throughout the passage from Plymouth to Wellington we can never forget. We therefore pray that your future may be a brilliant and happy one, and may you be spared many years to be a blessing to others as you have been to us. '■ Signed by the members of the messes." The single women among the immigrants by the Hermione collected a sum of money to present a testimonial to Mrs. Baillie, who has acted as matron on the voyage from England, and accompanied it with an address thanking her in the warmest terms for her care and kindness to them while under her charge, and also expressing their deep sympathy and condolence for her in her recent sad loss. The address was presented on Christmas Day.

NEW ZEALAND STEAM SHIPPING COMPANY. The directors of the N.Z.S.S. Company, as will be seen by the report which is to be presented to the shareholders at the annual meeting on Friday week, have decided to recommend that the company be wound up. The report is as follows :—"Your directors beg to report that the operations of the company during the past year have been eminently successful : That "a net profit on the working account of £5091 has been made : That a sum of £2358 10s. 7d. has been spent in repairs. The total receipts for the year over that of last year has been increased over 50 per cent., and had it not been for the anomalous position in which the company is placed, a very handsome dividend might have been declared. But it will be seen that the liabilities are very great, viz., £38,638 2s. 9d., and out of this amount £19,000 is paying interest at the rate of 9 per cent., which amounts to over £I7OO annually. This amount would of itself be sufficient to pay shareholders a good dividend. Taking all these items into consideration, your directors have resolved to move the following resolution at the annual meeting to be held on the 10th day of January, 1879, viz., < That the New Zealand Steam Shipping Company, Limited, be wound up voluntarily.' According to the articles of association two of your directors retire in rotation, viz., Messrs. Martin and Burue, but are eligible for re-election, and offer themselves accordingly." The following is the balance-sheet for the year ending 31st October, 1878 : RECEIPTS. £ S. d.

Fares, receipts, towage, mail money .. 34,209 13 1 EXPENDITURE. £ s. d. Coals 7,863 14 5,677 9 0 3,124 11 1 Lighterage, cartage, and transhipment 3,787 IS 11 1,003 5 10 Pilotage, light dues, wharfage, labor .. 1,713 15 1 Advertising 352 19 10 Management at "Wellington Repairs 60S 11 " 2,358 10 3 7 Agents' commission 771 16 1 Insurance 1,429 15 0 Management at Napier -. 282 5 0 143 17 9 Balance profit 5,091 3 1 £34,209 13 1 LIABILITIES AND ASSETS Liabilities, £ s. d. J. Syinons and others 17,S50 0 940 0 0 0 1,543 S 5 Bills current.. 16,518 4 1 Unpaid accounts Asset*. 1,786 10 3 £3S,638 2 9 £ s. d. 30,777 9 1 Cash on hand 87 3 5 Office furniture 195 11 5 Leasehold property 2,575 13 6 Outstandings, here and at agencies 1,417 1 6 Ships' stores on hand 1,152 11 5 Insurance, paid in advance 1,300 0 0 Balance profit and loss PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUN 1,132 12 5 £38,638 2 9 T. £ s. d. 3753 7 4 25 0 0 Isaac Plimmer, vote from Shareholders 220 16 s E. Porter & Co., Auckland 1 18 0 Travers and Ollivier, law expenses 9 14 0 Chamber of Commerce 2 2 0 Dividend to Shareholders 535 10 0 1791 G 2 Sale of Union Company's S shares 80 0 0 70 0 0 £6489 14 2 £ s. d. Profit on Working Account 5091 3 1 Dividend at Union Company .. 2 S 0 Bents 203 10 S Audited and found correct, 1,132 12 5 £6189 14 2 Wellington, 17th December, 1878. D. Kainte, . A-uditor.