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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4177, 10 August 1874, Page 2

The House o£ Representatives meets at,half-; .past seven o’clock this evening to .discuss, in Opramittee, the, Licensing Bill,brought in by ; 'the Government, and the, numerous amend-: ments in it to. be proposed by Mr, Fox. Mr. 1 Richardson, will also ask leave to bring in a Bill to amend tho Immigration .and Public, Works,-Act, 1870, and the Acts amending that [Act. It is also among.the orders of : the day,. that, the i House, will,", in Committee,of tho; whole, consider a message from His Excellency : the Governor, covering the draft of a Bill for the encouragement of trade with .the Pacific. Islands..., • ■ The June mail from New Zealand, conveyed by the Tartar from Kandavau to San r Fran-; cisco, is rehortod'by telegram as having bfeeni delivered in London on tho 27th July, tho contract date being tho 21th ultimo. The Tartar' is also telegraphed, via Sydney, 1 as having sailed ■from ' San i Francisco with thei'maild fdr the. Cohmies, on the 28th ultimo. A hope may bo: indulged, however, that the date is misprinted, 1 as her day of sailing was. the. 18th of July, and it is scarcely posribld that ten' days'woro lost between London and San Francisco. If time has been kept so far in'that port,thd mail may be punctually delivered this time. It is due at Auckland on the 11th instant. The a.s. Alhambra was tendered off Grey-, mouth on Saturday morning, and would reach Nelson early yesterday morning. She would sail thence in the course of to-day, and may be looked for here in the course of thO .night dr, early to-morrow morning. Tho residents of this city will no doubt, bo gratified by noticing in this morning's shipping report, ■ intimation of , the arrival of throe, barques from Newcastle. For a short time past coals have boon a fame commodity in Wellington, and , ;oqnsidei..ble inconvenience was consequently experienced., in domestic circles.

During the last few nights the comet which was lately reported as having been seen, has been clearly visible from "Wellington, at and after midnight. Those who are about at these hours will be gratified by directing their eyes towards Mount Victoria. The anticipated Ministerial crisis in Victoria has terminated in a somewhat unexpected manner. The illness under which Mr. Francis is laboring—a severe attack of pleurisy—has condemned him to a season of rest, and he has resigned office. Sir George Bowen, it appears, sent for Mr. Kerferd, the Attorney-General of Mr. Francis’s Cabinet, who lias reconstructed the Ministry, he himself assuming “the purple,” but still retaining the office of AttorneyGeneral. Mr. Kerferd, it is stated, mil let the Bill to amend the Constitution drop, and the session is not likely to be marked by any extraordinary business. The lecture on “ Whales, their habits, their food, and their young,” which was announced to be delivered by Captain Tuttle, a whaling captain of many years experience, at the Odd Fellows’ Hall on Saturday night, from some unexplained cause did not take place. At the appointed time the Hall was in utter darkness, while outside were collected a .few persons waiting patiently, and dismally chaunting “ Massa’s in de cold, cold ground.” A facetious minded individual on passing, slightly parodied it by remarking that “he was in de cold, cold whale, looking for Jonah.” No doubt Captain Tuttle will take another opportunity of delivering his promised lecture. In the side-room of the Odd Fellows’ Hall, on Friday evening, there was a meeting of immigrants owing promissory notes, when it was resolved to petition the House of Representatives to remit the remainder of the debt for which, under these notes, they were liable. The meeting was adjourned until Tuesday evening, when a draft of the proposed petition will be submited for approval and signature. Through a misapprehension as to the precise place of meeting, our reporter was unable to furnish a report of the meeting in Saturday’s issue.

On Saturday evening there was a very good attendance at the Theatre Royal to see' Miss Rosa Towers in a now piece called “ Life in the South, or the Adventures of a New York News-boy.” It is a remarkable play—of the perfectly indescribable sort; and when the curtain fell it is probable that not one in a hundred of those present could tell what it was all about. It gave, nevertheless, great amusement, and provoked not a laugh, but laughter in abundance. It gave the little leading lady an opportunity of appearing in various characters —first as. a smart gamin, a New York news-, boy ; next as the heiress of an untold amount of gold, dressed as became a young maiden of “blood and wealth”; and then in a huntingdress as the friend and saviour of a notorious bushwhacker, Black Donald (Mr. Burford), and bent on the assertion of women’s right to take quarrels upon themselves, fight duels, and astonish their opponents with a dead shot with pistols loaded with dry peas. In all these little incidents of young American life Miss Rosa" played admirably. As Black Donald Mr. Burford was at home, and went "through a cleverly-contrived trap scene in “ the ghost’s room” with a celerity that must have endangered his ribs even more than it astonished the weak ribs of some among the audience. Mr, Towers was excellent as the impersonator of a very peppery but very innocent major from the Southern States, who was by no means up to the tricks of the smart fellows of New York. Mrs. Towers was fitted with an affecting part, to which she did full justice. Mr. Hydes, as “ Wool,” the nigger servant of the major, was very amusing. The other performers did their best to give life to the parts for which they were cast. Not the least amusing part of the entertainment was the dual dance by two of the seamen of H.M.S. Blanche, introduced in a high-life-below-stairs scene. They danced cleverly, and were received with thunders of applause. The excellent performances of the small band —and especially of the very clever comet player—must not be passed without a compliment. The circumstances under which Captain Hart, of the steamer Beautiful Star, met with the accident which resulted in his death, are thus described by the Lyttelton Times: —•“ The ship Ballochmyle, having received her stiffening ballast and crew, was waiting to be towed out into the fairway; the agents of the ship, therefore, made arrangements with the agents of the steamer to tow her out. Shortly after 11 a.m., the hawser was passed on board the ship. At the time there was a heavy easterly sea tumbling into the harbor. However, the: steamer took the vessel in tow, and after some time, hauled her clear of the Gladstone pier. The steamer’s hawser then broke, and the ship dropped her anchor. The Ballochmyle’s own hawser (9-inch) was then sent on board the steamer; this w r as passed through the port hawse pijics, fastened by ’ lashings round the bits, and made fast to the mainmast of the steamer. Orders were. then given to .go ahead/. After a ' short time, Captain Hart went aft to see, .how the work was going on ; and when he had descended from the poop, the lashings of the hawser gave way, and, owing "to the heavy sea and the' vessel surging, the hawser caught the captain l bn the legs, throwing him heavily on deck. On being picked rip,‘it was found that the injuries ho had received were very -serious. .Dr/ Smytli, of the, Ballochmyle, was quickly in attendance, as was also Dr. Bouse, who was summoned. A consultation was held, and the : decision was, that' the: right leg Below ’ the knee Pmust 1 be amputated,' and that the com-. pound fracture in the left leg could be reduced. The operation took place' yesterday, Drs. Rouse,: : Smytli, l and Macdonald assisting.” It is stated in another paragraph that Captain Hart bore up bravely , until, as . already reported,. death put. an end-to his■ sufferings when two miles off Otago Heads. ■ ■ Regarding Mr. Pyke’s return to Dunedin,, the Guardian says : —We regret to leant that Mr. V. Pyke, M-H.R., was compelled , to leave Wellington and return to Dunedin before the close of the''session,' in consequence of very severe illness, whiph it was feared would place i ■him on a bed of sickness' for some time. He! was, while in Wellington, subjected to a serious. attack of picerated, throat, which: prevented, him/ from 1 speaking, ’and liis: medical ad-' visers recommended' liis immediate’ .return to Dunedin. 1 : We are ‘glad to learn' that Re ..is since very much ‘ better,, uiid' that he shortly will be able to resume his'ordinary duties. , Wild youths .who come to New Zealand will ’ learii from .the! .following, paragraph in the! Bruce Herald, that they are not altogether, forgotten at. Home : —“An Otago resident nt present on a visit to the Homo country; happened to be present in the late General Assembly of, the Free, Church of Scotland, held, in Edinburgh, . when the. prayers of the Church were ' requested by a widow for a careless, and. only sou resident in New. Zealand; also, by another family for two careless sous who had that day sailed for, New Zealand,’’ . - The Glasgow Herald says “We understand . dhat a commission has heeii sent 1 to this country for a first professor of, theology in the University .'of Otago, 'Dunedin/' Tlaedncome is to be ! £soo' a year, along with a professional residence. This-professorship has been offered to the Rev. L. D. E. Salmond, Eree Church minister, Barry, Forfarshire.' ’' The ' following, paragraph appears in the Dunedin Star :—“The Bruce Herald of yesterday contains a manly defence of Mr. Creighton, editor of the Otago Guardian ; against the attack made upon him in the House of Representatives by Mr. Reader Wood. , Wo sympathise deeply with Mr. Creighton in ' the family illness that has rendered his home duties imperative, and should imagine that when Mr. Wood becomes aware of the causes which have rendered his absence necessary, he will only be too glad to make the amende honorable, not only in the House but to the constituency.” Mr. Hyman, while giving evidence in tho Magistrate’s Court, in tho case of Outrod v. Hyman, stated that the cost, up to the present time, of recovering the cargo,. to those who purchased the Surat, was from £4500 to £SOOO. He also stated .that their loss so far, was between £3OOO and £4OOO. They had paid at the rate of ,£0 per day to the submarine diver.

Mr. James Goldsmith, of the firm of Bing, Harris, and Co., Dunedin, who was entertained by the business men of Dunedin and Christchurch prior to proceeding to Europe by the San Francisco mail, poposes returning to commence business on his own account in Wellington. TARANAKI. The following particulars of a death from exposure, recently reported by telegram from Taranaki, are furnished by the Herald : —• Information was brought into town on Monday last, that a man had been found dead on the Paraiti Road, about a mile from the Devon Road. Constable Dufiiu was at once sent to bring the body into town, when it was recognised as that of Mr. William Waller, who had been living on the farm occupied by Mr. J. Hill at Waiwakaiho. It appears that the deceased had gone to Bell Block on Saturday, and was last seen alive returning to Mr. Hill’s farm on the following morning. His body was discovered on Monday morning, under a furze hedge, and was then warm. The deceased was, according to the medical evidence, predisposed to congestion of the lungs, and his death was immediately caused by exposure to cold and heavy wet, by lying out in the open air. Some of the effects of the gale of Sunday at New Plymouth are thus described by the local Herald :—The glass all day was falling, and towards evening a stiff northerly gale with rain set in. This increased in violence on Sunday, and during the night and on Monday morning the tide rose to such a height as to wash about a chain of earth away from the reclaimed land near where the railway station is to be erected, and to cover the other portion of the ground with debris. The tide also came above the Devon-line Bridge, and a heavy fresh being in the river at the time, the embankment close to Mr, Callaghan’s new shop was washed away. Other damage was done to the back premises of the houses below the bridge, but nothing of any consequence. At Waitara the gale had the effect of parting the steamer Paterson in two, which is now a total wreck. The sea in the roadstead during the gale was truly grand, the foaming billows rolling in upon the beach with gigantic force. At about noon on Monday, the wind changed to south-east, and a strong wind sprang up, which lasted all night, but exhausted itself soon after daylight. This has done some injury to fences, and unroofed a few outhouses, but no material damage that we have heard of has been done. HAWKE’S BAY.

Two ships with large numbers of immigrants arrived lately, within a few days of each other, at Napier. Within a very short time after their arrival all the single females were engaged, and most of the tradesmen. All the others, the local journals remark, will find engagements in a very short time. The English Opera Troupe have engaged the Odd Fellows' Hall at Napier, for a season of a fortnight, commencing on the 17th instant. This will be the first time, it is stated, that an opera has been produced in the Province of Hawke’s Bay. OTAGO. Six Russians are among the immigrants on board the Corona, expected at Dunedin. Mr. Job Wain’s well-known hotel, Dunedin, is to be extended so as to have a frontage to Princes Street. The Southland Times understands that Messrs. Whittington Bros, and Xnstone, of Riverton, have purchased the p.s. Comerang, for the purpose of placing her in the trade between that port, the Bluff, and Dunedin. The works in connection with the tunnel at Deborah Bay are said by the Guardian to be progressing very satisfactorily. Five chains have been completed at the south end. The material through which the workmen are cutting continues of a conglomerate character, which facilitates the progress of the undertaking. A meeting of recently arrived immigrants has been held in the Dunedin Athenaeum, when the following resolutions were passed : “ That this meeting pledges itself not to work for the Government under the certified rate of wages.” “ That the newly-arrived immigrants are reasonably entitled to look to the Government for prompt employment on public works at a reasonable compensation, in accordance with promises held forth to the emigrants ere they embarked for New Zealand.” “ That in' the event of the Government refusing to satisfy its promises made to immigrants, authentic representations be forwarded to the London Times, Daily Telegraph, and Daily News, setting forth the treatment they experienced on landing in the Colony, and that a. Committee be formed to press upon the Government the resolutions passed at this meeting.” The deputation appointed by the immigrants waited upon Air. AlacKellar, the Acting-Secre-tary of Public Works. They submitted to him the resolutions which were passed by the meeting, and in a conversation which extended over an hour and a half, set before him all their grievances. They complained very bitterly of the treatment while in ,the barracks at Caversham. Air. MaoKellar' received them very cordially, and sympathised with: them in the difficulties under which they were temporarily laboring. He . told them: that at present the Government had received applications from. Air. D. Proudfoot for 300 men for his railway contract at Riverton, and for 200 from; Air. Abbott, of the f-Naseby head-race. He told the deputation {hat he noticed one of the objects of their meeting, was to obtain work at- Bs. a day, and that he did not: think the Government would be justified in paying .any more than,6s. or 7s. a day. He advised them to embody their resolutions in a petition to be sent to the General Government, Wellington.

The extraordinary pedestrian feats, with the view of accomplishing a thousand miles in one thousand hours,, .by. Mr, Wiltshire,., and .the same number of . half miles by his better half, have of late been attracting much attention in Dunedin. At a quarter past ten one night, however, says, the Daily, Time?, Mr. Wiltshire, after accomplishing the ‘necessai-y distance, became very dizzy,, and, was completely exhausted, 1 going : off, into ' several fits. A messenger was immediately despatched for medical assistance, and after calling on one or two medical 'men, he at last succeeded in seeming, the services of Dr. Bakewell, who made' All*possible' haste to the marquee. Dr. Bakewell, we, learn, found the patient wandering,' in .his 1 mind, .and thought the .only remedy - would be a lengthened sleep. Mr. Wiltshire has experienced the most difficulty in performing his' distance at two and four in the morning, and’the attendant has latterly to walk : with him for the" purpose of preventing his going to sleep. Mrs. Wiltshire appears to be keeping ■ up remarkably well- under the cix--cumstanees, and ! at a ‘quarter past one this morning performed her t>32nd half-mile in good time. * At 1.30 a.m. Mr. Wiltshire ryas enjoying a - sound sleep. Dr. Bakewell intends.to attend upon- his patient night and day, and taking l a scientific view of the subject, no charge will he made by him.. Mi - . Wiltshire had recovered at I.4s'a.ni. so far as to be able to walk his next distance, and to put an intruder out of the ring in a remarkably clever manner. ‘ WESTLAND. The shareholdex-s of the ■ Greenstone Water •Race Company denoted their appreciation of the sexwices of their late manager and secretary, •Mr; William Evans, of Hokitika; by presenting him on Thursday last with a handsome gold watch ' and ’ chain, 1 on his retiring from the managership, previous to his contemplated departurnfrom the district. The presentation was made in the name oft he Fhareholdei's by Mr. John Hall, one of the directors of the company. The watch box-o a neat inscription, appropriate to the-circumstance, The gold of which the chain was manufactured was taken from the company’s gxound. The West Coast Times endorses the remarks of Mr. Hall, as to the gencx - al respect entertained towards Mr. Evans throughout his long sojourn on the Coast, and regrets that men of such energy and zeal should be tempted at the present time to devote their enterprise to other localities. The retirement of Mr. Beale from the service of the Bank of New Zealand, on his assuming office in connection with the new Colonial Bank, has led to some changes, one of which is the transference of Mr. Roberts, of

the .Banlc of New Zealand, from Hokitika to Dunedin. Mr. Roberts has been Manager in Hokitika for many years, and chief officer for the Bank throughout the West Coast, where it has many agencies established. The public appreciation of the manner in which he discharged his official duties is sufficiently indicated Joy the character of the banquet and presentation which preceded his -departure from, Hokitika and from among an extensive circle of friends on the Coast. His successor has not yet been named. NELSON. The first of a number of immigrant ships to Nelson—the Adamant—is reported by telegram to have reached that port. Most of the immigrants are English—the majority are from Kent, Surrey, and the Midland counties, while Corwall, Devon, and Somerset are also well represented. If the female members of families abgve fourteen years of age are added to the list of single girls, the number eligible • for service will be about 34. The Adamant left Plymouth on the 7th May, and the total number of souls on board was 341. The Provincial Government, says the Colonist of a recent date, are erecting an Immigration Depot on the acre in the Waimea Road, on which the Hospital formerly stood, but as this will not be ready for some time the immigrants by the Adamant, and those by the Charlotte Gladstone, which was' to follow about the latter end of July, will have to be accommodated in the building erecting for a Lunatic Asylum, which is nowbeing got ready for their reception.