Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4201, 7 September 1874, Page 2

The information that the Californian mail was despatched from San Francisco on the 'l7th ultimo is at least pleasant' news. Tho Maogregor, we presume, is the vessel which will bring the mail, and ' Captain Grainger would, no doubt, find instructions from Mr. Hall awaiting him at Honolulu as to whether he should proceed from that port to Fiji or to Auckland. The proper date for the Macgregor’s sailing was the 15th, so that she was only two days late. If the vessel takes Fiji in her course she should be due in Auckland on the 13th instant, but if she comes direct from Honolulu she may reach New Zealand about the 10th instant. It is well the outward

mail was sent via Suez, as the City of Melbourne has evidently sailed fx-om Sydneydirect for Honolulu. The last mail from London, via Suez and Melbourne, was delivex-ed in Sydney in fox-ty-five days from London. New South Wales contributes nothing to that line. Among the passengers booked in London for Messrs. Money Wigram and Sons’ nexr steamship Durham, for Melbourne, were Mr. and Mrs. Kirkcaldie, of this City. The traffic return Of the Hutt railway for Axxgust was £463 15s. ; of which £49 15s. 7d. was derived from freight and the carnage of live stock. Inquiries are made by the Under-Secretary, through the Gazette, for Frangois Tissot, a Swiss, xvho xvas last seen txvelve or eighteen months ago on the road between Maori Creek and Greymoutlx. In the week which ended on 'the 21st ultimo, forty-eight messages were sent from and forty-five to the Colonies by the tranaAxxstralian line of telegraph. The largest number wex-e sexxt fx-om New South Wales and the-largest received by Viotox-ia. Notice is given thx-oxxgh the Gazette, that the Bev. Patrick D. Moore, of the Roman Catholic Church, Wellington, and the Bev. Isaac Zachariah, of the Hebx-exv Congregation, Wellington, are officiating ministex-s within the meaning of the Marriage Act of 1874. The ship J. A. Thompson, from Liverpool, still x*emaixxs at anchor at the entraxxce to the harbor in company witlx a barque which arrived yestex-day. Prom present appearances, it is doxxbtful if either of them will be able to reach the port to-day, a stiff gale prevailing fx-om the north-west. We understand that the meeting of the General Committee in coxmection with the new Te Ax-o . church, which was appointed to he held on Tuesday, the Stlx instant, has been postponed for the purpose of enabling the subcommittee to obtain designs of the building. Due notice of the meeting will be. given as sooxx as a date is fixed. Mr. Burford, Mr. Hydes, and a dramatic company of ten, took their departure on Saturday by the steamer Waipara, which sailed for Hokitika. They pxxrpose giving a series of performances in that town, and at Gx-eymouth and Westport, visiting also the inland toxvnships on the Westland and Nelson goldfields. They will probably be joined by Miss Clara Stephexxson and members of her company, who are already established favorites on the West Coast. During the month of August the estates of txvelve persons who died intestate were placed under the chax-ge of the Public Trustee. The largest estate (£600) xvas that of Luigi Valli, xvho died at Clyde; and the next largest (£200), that of Thomas Sex-vice, of Hokitika. One of the twelve deceased pex-sons xvas found dead at Jacob’s Eivex-, and one was droxvned in the Waikato. The Gazette contains a copy of a despatch from the British Ambassador at Pax-is to the Eax-1 of Derby, covering a letter fx-om the French authorities intimating that the Minister of Marine very xvillingly authorises Captain Jaequemart, of the French xvar vessel La Vire, to accept the sex-vice of plate the Prox-incial authorities of Otago desire to present him with, in x-ecognition of his services on the occasion of, the xvreck of the emigrant ship Surat. The Minstx-els xx-ere again successful on Saturday night, having a croxvded house. The px-ogramme xx-as the same as on the previous evening, and xv-as x-ex-y well received. Mr. Herman's solo on the violin xvas clever and amusing. Mr. Amery and Mr. Mavor still suffer very heavily from the cold they caught in Otago, and it was not a little noticeable both in their eolos and their duetr As it xvas, they xvex-e rapturously applauded. What the company do, under the very great disadvantage of hoarseness under xvhich all the leading singers suffer, shoxvs xvhat they have done, and are capable of doing, xvben ixx good voice. The “business” xvas comic, though vex-y light; and it is hard to say xvlxether a “Sceneat the Circus,” “ The Doctor’s Shop," “ That Eascal Harry,” and “ Obeying Orders,” xvas most provocative of laughtex-. A vex-y funny bux-lesque of “II Trovatore”—in xvhich, hoxvevex-, there was some very good singing of music from that opera —concluded the business. The company pex-form again to-night, for the last time in Wellington. They proceed to Auckland by the s.s. Phoebe, xx’hich is expected to sail at midnight. One of the items passed by the House of Bepx-esentatives in Committee of Supply was £SOOO for the purchase of a steamer, in addition to the proceeds of the sale of the Luna. In moving the item, Mr. Vogel said : —The Luna had been of considerable service to the Government in connection xvith the Postal and Native Departments, but she was found to be Bomexx-hat expensive. 'When she xvas purchased, it xvas thought she xvould be of great service, principally in entering shalloxv harbors, for xvhich she xx-as specially fitted on account of hex- light draught ; but it had since been found that she was seldom required to enter shalloxv harbors, and that a better sea-boat xvas required. It xvas proposed noxv to send Home for a good sea-boat, of the latest construction, which could be worked at a sijxall cost. A steamer xvhich xx-as coming out to the Colony had been offex-ed to Captain Fairchild, but alter an inspection of her plans, it xx-as thought better to have a boat built specially, the cost of xvhich, it xvas believed, xvoxxld be defx-ayed by the amouxxt asked for, added to the proceeds of the sale of the Luna.

Many of those who have been residents of Dunedin, Greymouth, or Charleston, will roremember Mr. James Johnston, the proprietor of hotels in these places, each known by the name of the Melbourne, and will regret to learn that the old host is dead. Mr. Johuston was one of the first to supplement the then mcaore hotel accommodation of Dunedin at the time of the rush in 1801, by building an extensive hotel in Maclaggau Street, which building was subsequently burnt' down. He was also a caterer for the public by organising memorable steamboat excursions, and by leasing the refreshment rooms at the Dunedin Exhibition. In Greymouth he built one of the principal hotels in the place, which was rebuilt after the large fire by which he was a second time a sufferer. In Westport and Charleston he was also a hotel-keeper, mid his name is known far and wide as a somewhat eccentric but gonial host. Latterly fortune did not favor him, and he betook himself to Southland, to renew, in a smaller way, his old occupation, but he has not long survived his removal thither, having died a few days ago at the Bluff. At the last meeting of the Auckland Institute, there was one paper read by Mr. J. Stewart, 0.35., the subject being “ Notes on the origin of the Mottled Kauri.” He held that it was an open question whether the mottling arose from an abnormal growth of the tree, or was the result of disease ; he rather inclined to the latter hypothesis. There was nothing analogous in the mark of the mottled kauri, and the beautiful spots which ornamented the bird's-eye maple at Canada, the latter being probably caused by the enclosure of the buds during the growth of the tree. Mr. Hay said the mottled kauri was not usually a denizen of low-lying ground or valleys, but grew more frequently in elevated situations. He regarded the mottle as something in the nature of a deformity arising from some orgauic disarrangement. The friends of “ the claimant ” have not forgotten him, though they have been unable to save him from Newgate. A letter has lately been received by a gentleman in Ballarat, Victoria, from Mr. Guildford Onslow, who dates from Kopley, Alresford, Hanti, in June last. He makes inquiries as to a stat im?nt respecting a schooner named the Osprey, and adds :—“Everything is devoured with interest hero in connection with this sad sad case. Should you ever fall on the track of A Orton, please say I will give him £IOOO and Lord Divers £SOO to come to London and prove himself the sou of George Orton; a free pardon, and a free passage to return to Australia. Should you over find him, and will telegraph, I will pay all expenses by telegram on the bank at Melbourne.”

The English Opera Company, who are nowperforming at Napier with great success, will arrive here towards the close of the week. The Company will begin a short season at the Theatre Royal on Monday night, the 14th instant, with “Satanella, or the Power of Love.” The season will probably last a fortnight, and in addition to operas already produced here, they will place “Martha, or •Richmond Pair,” and “ Eaust” on the stage. The prices will be somewhat modified, and a successful season may be anticipated. The company, we understand, are in fine voice. We have received by the Alhambra “The Australasian Sketcher” for the present mouth (dated sth September). It is a remarkably good number, and in the style in which it is produced surpasses any publication of the kind with which we are acquainted. The front page is occupied with a scene from the new American drama, “Struck Oil," now being performed in Melbourne by Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Williamson, from the American stage, whose portraits are given in the upper comers. This is a wonderful piece of drawing and engraving. So also is “ Mud Pies,” from a picture by Miss Livingstone in the Victorian Academy of Art. The large centre page pictures are “the Deciding Course for the Waterloo Cup,” and “ Sunday afternoon on Sandridge Pier,” and both are very good. There are two pictures of New Zealand scenery, views of the glacier at the ’head of. the Waiho ri% T er, in Westland, and both are very grand. The Department of Agriculture in Victoria, . which is associated with that of Lauds, has, in a very short period, become rather a large fact. We have before us the second annual report of the Secretary for Agriculture (Mr. Wallis). It forms a book of three hundred and sixty-three pages, profusely illustrated with wood-cuts of prize horses, lithographic plates of grasses, and other subjects. Amongst the engravings are the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, in England ; the Royal Academy of Agriculture and Forestry at Hohenheim, Wurtemberg ; the State Agricultural College in Story County, lowa, U.S., &o. Besides the report of the Secretary, which serves also as an introductory paper, there is a report of the chemist of the department on soils, and a report on Victorian State forests. There are twenty papers, many of them illustrated, on such subjects as agricultural education, Australian grasses, diseases among stock, orange culture, cultivation of the hop in Victoria, Australian wood-boring beetles, the apple, meteorology of Victoria, sericulture, flax and flax machinery, cultivation of the vine, &c. It will be gathered from this that the report is a perfect store-house of information, and a strong proof of the attention which the Government of Victoria is now giving to the subject of agriculture. We have already alluded to the BeecherTilton scandal. The New York Herald of the 6th of July writes as follows of the preacher’s sermon on the previous day :—“Mr.. Beecher’s sermon at Plymouth church yesterday was the feature among the pulpit discourses, not because it was mucb more striking or original than any of the others, but because it was not the sermon which everybody expected him to preach. It was the religion of joy that he preached, when it was believed he would have something to say of his own griefs. There was not one word in the discourse about the grave charges which affect his standing as a Christian minister. This may have been wise, but most people wilLdoubt its wisdom. The Christian minister ought to be above suspicion, and one little sentence, ‘not guilty,’ from Mr. Beecher’s lips yesterday morning would have been better than all his fine words about the religion of joy.” A correspondent of the Westport Times calls the attention of the Government and the public to a matter which, he thinks, might be remedied. He refers to the absence of allowances to witnesses attending coroners’ inquests, to give evidence as to the discovery of dead bodies, and in support of bis complaint he mentions the following circumstances ;—“ A person some time since found the body of a deceased person on the beach, and duly went and gave information to the police, and was detained in town over the coroner’s inquest some three days, at an expense of ten shillings per day, besides two or three shillings paid for ferries ; being at the same time compelled to neglect important business of his own. After the inquest was over, he asked the coroner if anything would be allowed him for his loss of time, or for finding the body. > The coroner informed him that nothing'waa allowed either to wituessess or jurymen summoned on a coroner’s inquest, and in cases where persona sustain any direct loss by having to appear as witnesses it was requisite they should make out a special claim upon the Colonial Treasurer, and as to gratuity for reporting discovery of the body, he had no power—nor knew of none —to make any allowances.” Mr. James Evans, who lately started to explore a supposed pass suitable for a railway between Westland and Canterbury, has returned to Hokitika. He gives an account of his journey, which is both interesting and romantic, hot springs and glaciers being some of the physical features which he describes; but he did not find the pass, though he is sanguine enough to contemplate another excursion.

The following paragraph appears in the Nelson Colonist of Saturday We learn from a reliable authority that Mr. Creighton, M.H.R., is about to leave Dunedin for England, where he will act as an Immigration Agent.” A Boston (TJ. S.) pedestrian was engaged in July last in an endeavor to walk five hundred miles in six consecutive days. He accomplished

the first 115 miles in 23 hours 12 minutes 12 seconds. HAWKE’S BAY. The Halcione, which has left Napier for Wellington, is said to have on board a gentleman who, previous to his departure, eased a friend of about £l6, who set the police on the track, but they were too late to catch him. A telegraphic message, says the Herald, has, however, been sent to the Wellington police, which will probably have the desired effect. We (Telegraph) regret trf hoar that a respectable hard working man of the uanle of Edward Saunders, who has been in the employ of Messrs. Hart and Mclvinlay lor some years, met with an accident lately which resulted fatally. Saunders was a dray-man, and, although we have received no particulars, we believe that it was in extricating his team from one of the many difficulties incidental to a dangerous road, he was knocked down and run over. In reporting the arrival of 6000 trout ova by the steamer Kangatira, the Herald says ; —They wore stripped by Mr. Young's own hands, from the ilesh of a fine fish, weighing sixteen and a-half pounds. After seeing them placed in the breeding boxes, and put on board the steamer, Mr. Young himself came up" with them, saw thorn landed here, and remains for a time, in order to see that they are properly treated. Of the whole, all but about two percent. have been lauded alive and in good condition. It is nedless for us to enlarge upon the value and importance of the undertaking, but the fact that it has been so far particularly successful is a matter of congratulation, and that all this has been done without its costing the Province one penny beyond, perhaps, the actual travelling expenses of Mr. Young, should not bo forgotten. NELSON. The return of the Wealth of Nations claim (luangahua) for the month, was 3290z5. ISdwts, of smelted gold. On August 29th, a meeting of the directors was held, when a dividend of Is. per share was declared. The whole: of the crushing plant is working in a highly satisfactory manner, and there is plenty of stone to operate upon. Several of the new arrivals by the Adamant complain that they cannot get employment in Westport, that the railway contractor will not give them work, and that no ono else needs their services. The Provincial Government, says the Times, might well afford to make some temporary outlay on the roads that will give any men needing employment the means of earning at least their tucker-. Some of the new arrivals have applied, through the Mayor of Westport, to get their passages back to Nelson paid by the Government—a request not likely to be granted, but, in justice to the men, work should bo given them.

A number of the Nelson Provincial Councillors purpose proceeding to Westport, to be present at the ceremony of turning the first sod of the Westport and Ngakswau railway. The following gentlemen have been nominated as candidates for election to the fourvacancies in the Nelson City Council : Messrs. M. Lightband, W. Haddow, J. H.. Levien, T. H. Stringer, J. R. Mabin, WWright, J. R. Hooper, W. Jennings. The following particulars as to some of the Reefton and Lyell mines have recently been, telegraphed':—The Energetic claim cleaned Up on Saturday -with a result of 23Sozs. of amalgam. Mr. Bray, the mining manager, has resigned. The reef in the Italian Gully mine is improving. The reef varies from six to eight inches in thickness. The crushing for the Just-in-Time claim is turning out satisfactorily. Crushing was resumed by Anderson’s machine on Monday. At the Lyell, the Break o’Day began their third crushing to-day. Stone from the Maruia claim will be crushed after the Little Wonder’s crushing is completed. Rich stone is reported to have beenfound in a claim to the north-east of Mill’sCreek.