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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4199, 4 September 1874, Page 2

We are authorised to say that the statements which have appeared aa to what took place or transpired iu the conversation between Mr. Stafford and MA Vogel. arc,, altogether incorrect. . It is stated that the necessary Order iu Council, authorising the sale of 20,000 acres of laud at Oroua to Messrs. Douglas & Co., was signed yesterday by His Excellency the Governor. The s.s. Alhambra, from Melbourne, arrived off Hokitika last night, and would bo tendered this morning. She Will, therefore, probably reach Nelson early to-morrow, and Wellington on Sunday. It is probable the s.s. City of Melbourne will be heard of from Auckland in the course of the day. That vessel was to leave Sydney on the 29th ultimo, sailing under the A.S.N. Company’s flag, and carrying the Now South Wales and Californian mail; She is commanded by Captain Brown, and was announced to call at Auckland about the 4th instant, for mails from this Colony, then to proceed by way of Honolulu. The telegraph lino between the outer pilot station and the head office in Wellington is now completed and in full working order. In contemplation of this event two daughters of Mr. Sawyer, the signalman, have been receiving tuition in the head office as operators.

The circumstances under which the b.s. Stormbird took the ship Strathnaver in tow are thus stated to us in writing by Captain Doiie, master of the Stormbircl :—“The a.s. Stormbird left Wellington for Wanganui at .7.30 p.m. on the 31st of August, with a light breeze from the south-east. At 8,20 p.m. when abreast the Pinnacle Boole, X observed a vessel’s lights in the offing; at the same time saw a rocket thrown up. On nearing the Heads, saw a ship standing in for the old pilot-station, on the west side of Chaffer’s Passage, under topsails and maintopgallantsail, the wind being light from the south-east at the time.-- When abreast tbe outer of Barrett’s Beef, I burned a blue light to indicate the position of the channel, seeing by the course the ship was steering that she was a stranger, and.ruuning into danger. As she did not alter her course, I steamed, with all possible haste towards her. On nearing her, I found her very close to the reef, so close that I did not consider it safe to cross her bow. I at once steamed under the ship’s stern, and called out ‘Port your helm, and stesr for the light; you are running on to the reef.’ The helm was at once put to port, and * the yards braced forward. The wind at this time was very light and more to the eastward. Seeing that the ship would not, clear Barrett’s Beef,, I called out ‘ Let go the ' anchor ;’ she was now very close to the rocks. I was then asked by some one on board to come and tow her clear of the reef. Xat once steamed under the ship’s bow, and received the tow-line from the pilot’s boat. The ship was then two or three hundred feet south of the outer rook of Barrett’s Beef; too close to let go an anchor, no wind to work her, and setting fast oh the rocks with the south-east swell.” Captain Doiie adds his opinion as to the probable result ha 3 the steamer not been present, but it is preferable that his opinion should he reserved until the occasion of any contemplated inquiry into the circumstances. Yesterday was a somewhat remarkable day, as regards weather, even in this remarkable season. It had blown a strong gale from north-west during the night, at first without rain, but afterwards with very heavy falls. About 2 o’clock in the afternoon, while the north-west wind was still sweeping across the harbor, a heavy rain-cloud approached from the south-east; Mount Victoria was soon in-visible,-and a remarkably vivid and brilliant rainbow was formed on tbe sky. In a few minutes the wind came up from the southwest, then passing into the south-east, the various vessels in the harbor swinging smartly round at theif anchorg, those far up the harbor heading southward, while those ’ off Pipitea Point still felt the influence of a north-west wind. The southerly wind was one of thos§ “ busters ” with which navigators of the Strait are familiar. It was accompanied by heavy rain and hail, which continued all afternoon. The barque Edwiu Bassett had just got out of the .harbor before, the change, of wind took place, but could scarcely have reache(3'a~pnhvfc in the offing from which she could take advantage of the strong fair rind. The Edwin Bassett was reported last night as having put back to shelter within the harbor. The gale, we learn by telegram, was experienced early in the day with some severity at Port Chalmers.

The many among the community who take delight in horticultural and floral pursuits, will take pleasure in the fact that to-day the Wellington Horticultural Society*, will hold the opening show of the season, in the Theatre Royal. It is under the patronage of His Excellency the Governor and Lady Fergus son, who will probably honor the Show with their presence. The hours during which the show will be open will be from two to a quarter to six o’clock, and from seven to ten o’clock p.m. The California Minstrels again performed to a full house last night. The performance was much the same as'on the previous evening, and provoked as much laughter. This evening there will -be quite a new succession of songs and comicalities of rail sorts. The programme will be found in our advertising columns, and it cannot fail to attract a large attendance. By n Wellington telegram'to a Westland contemporary, it appears that, before the close of the session, some steps were taken to ensure at least a survey for a line of railway or road between the ‘East and West Coasts of the South Island, by way of the Haast Bass, in connection with the crossing of which the adventures of Dr. Haast and Mr. Vincent Pyke are memorable events. The following is the telegram, dated August 22 “This morning, the Superintendent of Westland and Mr. White, met Messrs. Macandrew and Reid, of Otago, and Messrs. Kolleaton and Montgomery, of Canterbury. Arrangements were made for a preliminary ■ survey of a line across Haast Pass, as soon as the season will permit. The expense is to bo divided between the three Provinces.” A girl appeared at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, who has early entered on a career of crime. She is only fourteen years old, and was charged with breaking open a child’s money box and stealing therefrom some nine shillings. Other offences of a like nature have been committed by her at places where she has been in service. In consideration of her -youth, and with a vifew of giving her an opportunity of reforming, without being brought into contact with the occupants of a gaol, His Worship dismissed the prisoner, at the same time expressing an opinion that a reformatory was the. pi’oper place for her. A long-needed and very welcome improvement has been effected within the last few days on street crossings in parts of the City, by spreading a coating of gravel screening to a width of several feet, thus enabling foot passengers to cross dry-footed over places where formerly they were obliged to wade ankle-deep in slush and mud. There are other places in the City that would stand the same attention. The cricketers of Wellington should now act with energy and combination towards raising subscriptions for the inqDrovement of the Basin Reserve. Yesterday the City Council voted a sum of £IOO from the Town Belt, Rents Fund towards the object in question, and if the matter is now taken up and worked energetically, the amount should be supplemented to au extent which will enable very extensive and desirable improvements being effected. The much-vexed water-service question has now come before the City Council in a tangible form and received attention. of a committee on the matter will be found amongst the City Council proceedings of yesterday. New Zealand, and the Province of Wellington especially, is apparently receiving a supply of rain, some of which should have fallen upon other Colonies. While we have had scarcely a dry day for three or four months, and it still rains while we write, Queensland has been suffering from a long protracted drought. A Tenterfield contemporary rejoices over “ a genjle rain” of twenty-four hours’ duration, “which, besides replenishing the water 'supplies, should put our agriculturists and others in good spirits as to the prospects of their coming crops-and Spring feed for their stock.” In the Supreme Court of Victoria, on the 12th ultimo, an action was begun by ,v commercial traveller named James R. Anderson, well-known in New Zealand, against Mr. William Coulter, f0r.£244 25., alleged to be due to him by the defendant as commission on the sale of tea and sugar and wines in New Zealand. The Melbourne papers, summarising the case, say :—“ The plaintiff was engaged by the defendant some time ago to go to New Zealand and take orders for goods. He,did so, and the goods were sent to Now Zealand by the defendant, but some of the parties who had ordered goods declined to take them, as they stated that they had not ordered the amount of goods which plaintiff, had directed defendant to send them. The plaintiff claimed commission on all goods, which, he said, had been ordered, and he also claimed about £l3O for travelling expenses. The defence was that the plaintiff had already been paid hia commission on the goods actually sold, and that ho was not entitled to, charge anything for travelling expenses, as they were included in the amount of the commission allowed to him. The jury returned a verdict for the defendant.” Tbe Homo journals state that Sir William Stawell, the Chief-Justice of Victoria, who is now on leave of absence in England, is likely to be appointed a member of the Court of Appeal for the Colonics, which is about to he constituted by the Imperial authorities.

It transpired at the meeting of the City Council yesterday that out of - some £4OOO of rates money, only £B7 now remains outstanding. This statement reflects creditably alike on the ratepayers and the work of collection. Madame Carandini aud her party are nowon a professional tom* in Queensland. Burton and Taylor’s well-known circus is travelling on the Northern goldfields ; and Barlow, of “the blue-tailed fly,” is also entertaining* the lieges. Among the vessels announced in the last Home papers as having sailed for Wellington in June, is the Cartvale, with 418 souls; and to sail in the course of July, the Star of India. It may be a liint to authorities and engineers in Colonial towns that granite and macadam are to be banished frpm the City of London, the streets committee having determined to lay down in future nothing but asphalt© or wood. The very disgraceful state of the Terraco Hoad was made the subject of a conversational comment, at the City Council meeting yesterday afternoon. Councillors Mills stated that on Wednesday evening an accident happened through the bad state of the road, which might easily have been attended with very serious consequences. As it was, a man was injured, and it was a great wonder he was not killed. The Co-operative 'Baking' Society’s cart was capsized, being thrown completely over on top of the driver*, and it was a considerable time before those who rendered him assistance could extricate him from his dangerous position, some three quarters of an hour having elapsed from the time of the accident until the horse was got up and the cart righted. Commenting on the Governor’s speech at the close of the session of the Assembly, tlie Southern Cross of September 1 says “ The opening of the address we should imagine we owe to the Governor himself. The expression of confidence in, and sympathy with, this Colony and its future, could hardly be put into Sir James Fergusson’s mouth by. his advisers, and they have a special value as coming from himself. It is a pleasant thing to know that we have succeeded in favorably impressing a man so well able to form an opinion as the Governor : and it is something more than pleasant to receive his assurance that he will, in the sphere of action to which he removes, deem it not less a privilege than a duty to serve the interests of the Colony as far as his means and opportunities enable him. This is not, we feel sure, the language of mere unmeaning compliment from Sir James Fergusson, and even if it were less heartfelt than we believe it is, it would still be of some value as committing a man likely to have the means of serving this Colony in no ordinary degree to something beyond a lukewarm advocacy of our interests. As it is, we feel sure that in our present Governor the Colony will have a warm friend, and we need not doubt that his opportunities curving New Zealand will be both ample and important; 1 ’ -_ A celebrated Sheffield pedestrian—Mr. A. E. Bird—who was one of Mr. George Coppin’s importations, and who established .the reputation in Victoria of being the fastest runner.in. the Southern Hemisphere, and perhaps in the world, when he followed the advice to “ act on the sqxiare, boy, act on the square,” has now, it appears, settled down in Launceston as a member of the fish-hawking fraternity. He has been for some time on a strict “ toast-and-watcr” principle, and appears to have recovered his best form. He was backed a few days ago to run from the railway gates at Perth to the Duke of Wellington Inn in Launceston, a distance of ten miles and a-hal£, in one hour, for a stake of £2O, aud ran the journey fairly in fifty-six minutes, being warmly greeted and complimented on his arrival. He is now backed, if he can get' good odds, to run forty miles in four hours and a-half i We see from the Tasmanian newspapers, latest to hand, that the main lino of railway between Hobart Town and Launceston, over which there has been so much parliamentary and newspaper fighting, is rapidly approaching completion, and will be opened for traffic in the course of a few months. One of the first advantages of the construction of this line has been the discovery of a fine seam of valuable coal on the estate of Mr. James Lord, within an easy distance of Hobart Town. The seam is five feet in thickness. A aomewhsit curious case , of a hasty and soon-repented marriage is mentioned in the Hobart Town papers. Before the Magistrates of that city a young woman of nineteen years of age, a servant in an hotel at Newtown, summoned her husband, who admitted that he was seventy years old, for maintenance. It appeared that, though he was a teetotaller, he frequented an inn where the plaintiff was serving. The first time he saw her he proposed to marry her, and in five weeks afterwards they were married. The wedding festivities took place at the inn where the young bride had been engaged. The bridegroom tired of the dancing aud festivity sooner than the bride. He agreed to go home, and that he should leave the key of his house in the door, that the bride might enter when she thought 'fit to go home. When she did go, however, she could not obtain admittance. He refused afterwards to see her, or to be reconciled, but could give no other reason for his sudden dislike than that on jfche morning of the marriage he had given her a sum of £3, and that in the course of the evening she had asked him for some more money. The unsympathising Magistrate thought no legitimate excuse for not providing a home for his wife had been given, and amerced the husband in the largo sum of six shillings per week for her subsistence. The Benedict of seventy was a tailor by trade. Two of the members of the House of Representatives who were not among the majority on the question of the abolition of Provincial institutions in the North Island have evidently a good deal to explain before they can thoroughly satisfy their constituents. Of the member for the Grey Valley, the Qrey River Argus says ;—‘/Before expressing an opinion upon the course the member for the Grey Valley has .adopted with reference to the debate and division upon the Premier’s abolition resolutions, wo would wish it to be understood that we entirely dissent from the action of Mr. Harrison. We consider that Mr. Harrison should, on his own showing, have voted and should liave taken care to record his vote in favor of the Government, for the reason he gives for opposing the resolution shows that ho was in favor' of the principle involved in carrying them.” The West Coast Times > is equally exjfiicit, when saying : —“ We do hot know whether the Westland members—Messrs. White and Harrison —intend again to ask their present constituents to return them, but if they do they will, we imagine, have little chance of a successful issue to thcii v candidature. We can say positively that the course Mr. Jolm White has taken in the Northern Provinces abolition resolutions has alienated many of his warmest friends and supporters, and should he come before this constituency again his reelection will be in the highest degree im-. probable.” The following appears in the last issue of the Rome JSfeivs (June 30): —" A good illustration of the mischief and loss arising from entering into contracts for an _ unduly lengthened period of time was given by Mr. Rowsell, of the Admiralty, when under examination last week before the Select Committee on the mode of purchase in public departments. In March, ;1866, the Admiralty entered into a contract for ten years, with Messrs. Hogarth, of Aberdeen, for preserving meat at Deptford. Messrs. Hogarth were to be paid a commission of 2J per cent, on the value of the meat put up, and the Admiralty guaranteed that. at least a million pounds would be preserved annually. The commission upon this amounted to £1043. The year after the contract was entered into, Australian meat was introduced into the Navy, aud such has been the' universal preference given to. it that not a pound of meat has been preserved in Deptford since 1871- Mr. Rowsell said that the Australian and New Zealand meats have given very great satisfaction, aud , that there is no probability of any more meat being required to be preserved at Deptford. Messrs. Hogarth, however, have drawn, and will continue to draw till the end of their contract in 1876, £1043 annually for doing nothing, The dif-

ference in the cost of Australian or New Zealand preserved meats, and the meat preserved at Deptford is 7d. aud a fraction as against lid. and a fraction per lb.” The drama-loving portion of the public will be glad to learn what has really been the experience of Mr. Hoskins and Mrs. Hoskins (Miss Colville), in America. The most contradictory accounts have come to hand. The Latest report is as follows :—“Mr, Hoskins engaged with the management of the Academy of Music, Chicago, to play for one week in a round of old comedies. He found a poor company prepared to support him, failed miserably, only played for three nights, and gave it up as a bad job.” The discoverers of the Palmer goldfield, in the North of Queensland, were Mulligan and party,‘who underwent great hardships, and had many narrow escapes from falling victims to the blacks. They have been rewarded by a grant of £ISOO from the Queensland Government, and the people of that Colony find no other fault with the grant than that it is not enough, considering what the party endured. NELSON. Several notices have lately appeared in the "Westport papers, of the progress of exploration and mining for coal in the Mokihinui district, to which considerable attention seems to have been recently directed. The following is the latest which appears in the Times :—“ At the Mokihinui coal wharf a large heap of coal is now waiting shipment, having been taken out by Seaton and party, who expect that if the weather favors, the Go-Ahead will call there for a cargo on her next trip. The coal brought down by the Result is of very good quality, and there should soon be established a steady trade in the article. In reference to the situation of the seam from which coal is now being obtained, there exists a difference of opinion as to the right of possession. Two leases adjoining each other have been taken up, and license to mine for coal has been • granted by the Waste Lands Board, the one to Rowlands and party, and the other to Seaton and party. The former assert that the latter party, instead of working on their own ground, as first pegged off, have crossed the boundary and encroached nearly half a mile, and are now getting out coal; from ground they have no right to occupy, while the latter party declare they are not encroaching. This is a matter that the Provincial authorities show culpable neglect in allowing to remain in dispute. There is a wide and profitable field for investment in coalmining in the Mokihinui district; in each of the two areas under notice several workable seams of coal exist, but investors naturally enough fight shy, and the promoters themselves are debarred from any defined course of action,, so long as uncertainty exists as to right of possession. Under any well organised system of survey - or competent form of Provincial rule such matters would be settled off-hand,. ‘•Tardy action in tins and many other similar matters tends to provoke remarks from the public that the Nelson authorities are not free from other influences than a desire to impartially discharge public duties.” —The following ’ are some of the latest particulars relating to mining at the Lyell:—The newly discovered leader at the claim belonging to the Lyell Creek Company continues to present a favorable appearance, Pive pounds weight of stone' was brought down from the claim, and crushed at the smelting-house of the Bank of New Zealand. Although but one small speck was visible on the surface of the stone, when crushed up and washed no less than 13grs. of gold was obtained. The two batteries of the Little Wonder machine are working exceedingly well, and about ninety tons are weekly passed through the machine. The Excelsior Company have not yet struck the reef, which is being approached diagonally, but fhe directors appear to be perfectly satisfied as to the good fortune in store for them, and are steadily driving ahead. - WESTLAND. A fatal mining accident occurred at Callaghan Creek, near Ahaura, on Wednesday week. A man named Charles Lorenzen was sluicing in the same claim, and not far from the spot where the unfortunate man Francis Hawke was killed some months ago, when a body of. earth unexpectedly came from the face and buried him. The deceased, says the Argus, was an old resident of the Grey Valley; he sometimes worked at hia trade as carpenter and boat-builder, but was principally engaged at mining in the Napoleon and Half-Ounce districts. He was a native of Denmark, and about forty years of age, Mr. Moriarty’s bill for the production of the report and plan for the improvement of the port of Greymouth, is as follows : —For professional services, £350 ; cost of printing and lithographing plans and reports, £SB ss. 6d ; total, £4OB ss. Cd. There are funds in hand sufficient to meet the account, • The new building for the Bank of New Zealand in Hokitika is fast approaching completion, and will, when finished, be an ornament to the architecture of Revell Street.. Externally, though of less altitude in its walls than its predecessor, it will be exceedingly neat and imposing as a one storey structure. In some sporting notes, the West Coast Times says :—lncreased interest is being manifested in the racing sweeps that are now being got up here and in the sister town of Greymouth, and filling rapidly. Mr. Osborne’s tickets in the sweep on the Melbourne Cup are selling fast, while Mr. Keller’s venture is so far advanced that it is likely to be drawn in a few weeks. Equal interest is felt in the sweep being got up by Mr. Tonks, of the Albion Hotel, Greymouth, on the New South Wales Metropolitan Stakes, and these tickets too are moving off* brislcly. _ With the greatest satisfaction, the Westland Times states that the prospects of the Kanieri Lake water-race, after being under a temporary cloud, have become brighter than ever, and that arrangements have been made for the completion of the whole work, tenders for which will bo called for within a week or two. v