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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4207, 14 September 1874, Page 2

The revenue collected at the Wellington Custom-house during the week ending Saturday, the 12th, was unusually large, amounting to £6650 2s. In a quotation from a southern paper in Saturday’s issue, it was given as rather a notable occurrence that duty amounting to £I2OO was paid on drapery alone at the Custom-house in Dunedin in one day. Wellington can far exceed that, for on the 7th inst. duty amounting to £l3ll 7s. 6d. was paid on drapery alone ; and on the 10th inst. £1331 os. Id. was again paid for drapery alone ; so that in two days in one week the duty on that line of goods amounted to £2615 7s. 7d. The Hon. Mr. Vogel and the Hon. Dr. Pollen left Wellington for Manukau by the steamer Luna, at an early hour on Saturday morning. Mr. Vogel, who is accompanied by his family, and by his Secretary, Mr. Fox, will probably remain for a little time at Auckland, and proceed thence to Sydney, and subsequently to England. Mr. Vogel anticipates being able to be back in Wellington within five or six mouths from the date of his departure. The election of five persons to constitute the Board of Commissioners for the Johnsonville district is appointed to take place on Monday, the 21st inst. The Wellington Veterans and Cadets will parade in the Artillery Drill-shed this evening. The s.s. Otago, from Melbourne, should make her appearance at the Bluff in the course of the day. The s.s. Macgregor, from San Francisco, should also he heard of soon by way of Auckland, bringing the English and American July-August mails. A most agreeable change, was noticeable in the streets on Saturday, through the use of water, and every one had cause to rejoice that the City Corporation had at last been roused to the urgent necssity of having the dust laid. An extraordinary general meeting of the Wellington Patent Slip Company (Limited), is announced to be held ,on Monday week, the business being to confirm the special resolution passed at the meeting held on the 12 th August to be a clause in the articles of association. The lease of the right to supply water to the shipping at the wharf will be put up to auction to-day, at noon, at Mr. Wallace’s auction mart. The charge per ton is not to exceed 4s. His Excellency’s yacht left her moorings on Saturday morning for a short fishing excursion down the Bay. She went up the harbor before a strong north-west wind at a slashing pace. The Blanche returned to her old position in the course of the evening. A very interesting scene was witnessed on Saturday afternoon, at the Maori pa on Te Aro, The Eev. J. Aldred, who is now in Wellington, called in to see those to whom he had so often ministered in years gone by. Immediately the Natives heard that their old missionary was among them they collected together and held a tanyi, They seemed much affected as their missionary asked after the names of some who are dead, and of others in various parts of this island. Mr. Aldred took the opportunity of exhorting those present not to forget lessons taught in early days. The singularly variable character of the weather this season was again illustrated on Saturday and yesterday. On Saturday the wind blew fresh from the north-west, and continued to do so all day. During the night the breeze died away, and at daylight there was a calm. An hour or two afterwai'ds a very strong breeze set in from the south-east, blowing with great violence all day long. Occasional hitter squalls with rain occurred throughout the day, while at other times clouds of dust were driven along the streets. Towards night the strength of the wind decreased, but the day was one of the most unpleasant of the season. Notwithstanding the threatening weather there were large congregations at the anniversary sermons preached at the Manners Street Wesleyan Church yesterday. In the morning the Eev. J. Aldred preached an earnest and impressive sermon; and in the evening the Eev. W. Morley, from psalm Ixxxiv. 5-7, preached a most eloquent sermon, arresting the attention of the congregation by a lively description of the old Jewish festivals, and by making practical applications from the various events connected therewith. It ■was truly one of the most powerful sermons ever preached in the Wesleyan Church in this City. We remind our readers of the tea and public meeting to be held to-morrow, when the Eev. J. Aldred will take the chair. Football seems to have died a natural death in Wellington, and all idea of raising a team to go to Nelson appears to have been abandoned. The time is now approaching when cricketers should rouse themselves and push for an improvement in the ground before the actual playing time of the season is upon them. Money is available, which only requires to be applied with judgment and energy to effect good alterations. It is to he hoped that cricket will be carried on with a slightly better display of interest and spirit than has been accorded to the winter game. A young man named Henry Cartier, steward of the ship Dorrette, lying at Lyttelton, was brought up at the Edsidont Magistrate’s Court on Saturday, on remand, charged with desertion. His Worship, ruled that the objection of Mr. Ollivier, for the defendant, previously raised, on the informality of the warrant, held good, and discharged the prisoner. He was then arrested on a fresh warrant, issued on information laid by the police in Wellington, and was again discharged, the defence being that an agreement had been made by the mate of the ship,’ acting as agent for the captain, in which agreement the case had been compromised by the acceptance of au offer of certain payment by the prisoner’s mother, in consideration of the charge being withdrawn. The late Mr. William Ewing, of Crum, Glasgaw, has made by will some peculiar and interesting legacies to the Universities of that city. He had a very fine collection of Bibles, and in his general library was a rare and valuable set of black-letter ballads. Those, with a sura of £6OOO, ho has left to Glasgow University, the money being intended for a foundation of three Tutorial Fellowships of £BO each. To the Andersonian University ho has bequeathed his musical library, and a sum of £6OOO for fellowship purposes. ■■ The long-expected manager —Mr. Parsons—of the Poverty Bay Petroleum Company lately arrived from America. Ho sailed so long ago as the 11th of January, but the vessel by which ho was a passenger met with had weather in tho beginning of her voyage, and put into St. Thomas’s for repairs, where seventy-eight days were spent.. Operations aro now to he begun without delay, Mr. Parsons having last week proceeded to Gisborne.

Sir Donald McLean is expected to visit his constituents in Hawke’s Bay at an early date. The Irish Church Temporalities Commission have reported to the House of Lords that the church property, if sold, would realise £16,743,000. A new street, between King William Street and Fenchurch Street, Loudon, is about to be formed, at a cost of £370,000 to the Metropolitan Board of Works. Messrs. Davis and Mitchell are reported to have completed the purchase from the Natives of all lands coastwise from Tauranga to Matata, running twenty miles inland. The final payments have been made! Arihia, an intelligent chieftainess of the Arawa tribe, recently scalded in a boiling spring at Ohinemutu, while intoxicated, died on Tuesday from the effects of the accident. Mr. John Brown, ferryman at Kennedy’s, Upongongara, Wanganui Eiver, was drowned one dark night recently by falling from his punt into the river while crossing for a passenger. Deceased was a single man, aged about forty; had been many years on the Wanganui ferry, and was much respected. It is anticipated that the railway between Napier and Paki Paid will be completed and trains running before the end of the year. The station works in Napier "are now well advanced. A new road is being opened up at the expense of the Province to connect the central business portions of the City and the station. A very perceptible earthquake shock was felt in Gisborne during a heavy storm of wind and rain on Wednesday the 10th. It occurred at about ten minutes past ten, and lasted several seconds. Another, and this time a fatal accident, has occurred in connection with the construction of the Waitaki Bridge. The following are the particulars as furnished to the North Otayo Times: —At eleven o’clock on Wednesday morning last, it would appear that Mr. David Hunter, of the firm of McGavin and Hunter, contractors for building the Waitaki Bridge, was standing on a girder superintending the placing in position of a cylinder. By some cause unexplained he missed his footing, falling into the river, which at that point was about ten feet deep, and was carried rapidly down the stream. Life-buoys were thrown out and a boat immediately despatched to his rescue, hut Mr. Hunter, being unable to swim, sank before the boat reached him. The body was recovered soon after. Deceased, who was thirtyfour years of age, leaves a wife and two children. The accident excited considerable sympathy, and the funeral, which took place at Oamaru, was numerously attended. A presentation of New Zealand war medals to some Natives is thus referred to by a correspondent of an East Coast paper ;—“ Xhaka Whanga, Paora Apatu, Toha, and Paora, Eerepu, of Moliaka, have been decorated with the New Zealand war medal ; accepted and deserved by the first as his right; received and acknowledged by the second as Native Assessor of weight and influence ; chaffily (if such a word is admissable) by the third ; and made a subject of momentous import by-the fourth, who, you will remember, has made himself conspicuous lately by various eccentricities. Toha—who, by the way, is a bit of a wag—lias said that he does not remember any valorous action of his own whereby he should be thus distinguished, and attributes Paora’s elevation to the rank of medallist to his exploits in chopping telegraph poles and burning a part of his own

Our obituary notices lately included au intimation of tiie death of Mr. William Smith Atkinson, of Nelson. His death is thus alluded to in the Taranaki Herald ;—“ The late William Smith Atkinson died at Nelson on Thursday, the 3rd September. This announcement, which was published in Saturday's issue, will, we feel certain, he read with sorrow by all who knew him. Mr. W. S. Atkinson came out to the Colony in the year 1845 ; and, on the arrival of his brothers at New Plymouth, in 1852, he travelled overland from Wairarapa to join them. He was an excellent Maori linguist ; and, in those early days of the settlement, this was a very useful acquirement; On the war breaking out in 1860, be was appointed captain of a Native Contingent Forceand, during the whole of the disturbance, was of great service both to the Government and the officers of the Imperial troops. In 1865 he was appointed as Grown-Agent to look after the interests of the Government in tho Native Compensation Court. In 1867 he filled the offices of Curator of Intestate Estates and Inspector of Bankruptcy for this district ; and was also Lloyd’s Agent for Taranaki. In 1868 he was gazetted Eesldeut Magistrate at Wairoa, on the East Coast ; and in 1872 he accepted the office of associate to His Honor Judge Eichmond, with whom he remained up to the time of his death. Amongst his personal friends and those who had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with him, the deceased gentleman was much esteemed for his intellectual and social qualities ; and his death will be deeply regretted by all.” The Scandinavian immigrants who were carried past New Plymouth in the s.s. Taranaki last week, were lauded safely on tho steamer’s return. The Herald thus refers to this addition to the population of the Province : “ There were twenty-four men, sixteen women, and ten girls, and eleven boys under eleven, together with seven babies under twelve mouths old, thus making an addition to our population of sixty-eight souls. The nationalities are Swedish, Danish, German, and Italian. They appear to be a healthy and cleanly lot of people, and will, no doubt, prove a desirable acquisition to the settlement. The greater part of them have been accustomed to farm work—can milk, plough, and shear. Mr. Hulke, the Immigration Agent, informed ua that when he inquired of the men if they could shear a sheep, the women laughed and said that was their work They all seem very anxious to get land on deferred payments, and, in contrast to the English emigrants who protested against going into the bush, the Scandinavians are most desirous of going there. Several of them have accepted engagements—one at £1 per week and his board ; whilst four Germans have t&keu 4s. per day temporarily (understanding that that is not tho current rate of • wages), to enable them to judge at what rate they will be able to contract to cut up wood for charcoal burning. Two or three were offered road work, but they expressed a preference for going on bush land, if it could ho obtained on terms of deferred payments, at from £1 to £1 10s. per acre, and they could get two or three days’ work a week, at five shillings a-day. The Italians are not spoken of as being anything like the other foreign immigrants, but we have uo doubt they will make good laborers when they become accustomed to our work. Taking them altogether, however, we have no reason to regret tlii» addition to our population, and wo could readily absorb a considerably larger number of tho same kind.” A road from Cambridge, to join that between Taupe and Tauranga, is described as very much wanted. We (Waikato Times) understand that tho road could bo made for about £IOO per mile. It has been suggested to make a road direct from Cambridge to Tauranga ; in our opinion, this road would not be so useful as one made to join tho main Hue between Taupe and Tauranga, and the former route would be more costly. The advantage of making tire lino wo suggest would he the facilities it would offer to travellers to proceed to Taupe, and thence to Hawke’s Bay or to Tauranga. The Taupo correspondent of a Hawke’s Bay contemporary furnishes the following particulars of the trial trip of the s.s. Victoria, recently launched on Taupo lake, and built to the order of Messrs. Watt Brothers, of Napier: —“ Steam having been got up, the Victoria left Tupuaeharuru at 11.47 a.m. with a number of passengers for Tokano, taking the cutter Lady of the Lake in tow. At noon cast the cutter off, and proceeded on her voyage, stopping twice to allow the bearings of the engines to cool. Arrived at Tokano at 3.47 p.m., having steamed at the rate of eight and a-half knots throughout, steam having been kept to 501 b. pressure, the revolutions being 122 per

minute. On the return trip, left Tokano at 11 a.m., and arrived at Tapuaeharuru at 2.30 p.m., thus making the ' passage in three hours and a half, the computed distance being thirty miles. At the trial of speed, the Victoria did the six measured miles in thirty-eight minutes. The dimensions of this smart little steamer are as follows : —Length of keel, 60ft.; over all, 68ft.; breadth of beam, 12ft. 6in.; depth of hold, sft. Gin. She is rigged as a fore-and-aft schooner, and presents a handsome appearance. She is fitted up with fore and aft cabins, and is substantially finished throughout. She is propelled by a fifteen-horse high pressure engine, manufactured by Mr. Nasmith, of Napier, and the building of the vessel was superintended by her master, Captain Sellars. Among some further correspondence connected with immigration, there have been printed two letters from Mr. James Adam, Provincial Immigration Agent for Otago, to the Provincial Secretary, Mr. Turnbull. In the first letter, dated April 25, Sir. Adam says; ■ —“ I have the honor to acquaint you that a great many persons have been seeing me in reference to emigration, both in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. I am sorry to say that a great part of my time has been employed in rejecting those who received schedules from subagents in various parts of Britain. A more unsuitable class of emigrants for a new country it is difficult to imagine, and yet these are the very persons who crowd forward in the greatest numbers. During the last three days I rejected 113 applicants of this class. lam sorry to find that a sub-agent in Ireland has turned over to the Agent-General all the rejected applicants, of this office. I have written to Dr. Featherstou to see if this cannot he rectified, but have got no anwser. The principle is bad on which sub-agents are paid; it is a mere question of numbers with some of them, and entails a most rigid supervision. I have had an advertisement in the principal papers in Edinburgh for 500 women, which has been responded to as well as I expected ; for even in this country domestic servants are not easily got—they all want to be shop-girls now-a-days.” In a second letter, mitten on May 4, he says :—“ Since writing you in April, I have had a great many applications from domestic servants and needlewomen. I published the letter of Mr. Anderson (manager of the clothing factory), which he sent me last month, authorising me to send two hundred needlewomen, and which has been responded to to such an extent that I was kept in my office to ten o’clock last night. The June ships will have a number of most respectable young women, whose testimonials .are excellent.”

The Auckland correspondent of the HawJce’s Pay Herald has the following remarks on the “ exaggerated account of the effigy foolery at Auckland,” which was communicated by telegrajfii:—“l, in a former communication, warned you that an exaggerated account of that childish demonstration would be circulated throughout the Colony. I witnessed the affair, and gave you my impressions of it, and see no reason to modify them, except that the effigies were contained in one cart instead of two. It is perfectly misleading to say that ‘thousands of people of all classes’ were ‘ hooting, groaning, and yelling.’ A few Provincialises acted so, but there were not many of tljem, probably, at the utmost, not more than a couple of dozen Provincialists; the other people present made not the faintest manifestation of ill-will for the Premier or those gentlemen who supported his memorable abolition resolutions. ‘ The police could not make the slightest attempt to interfere,’ eh ? Well, it so happens that there never was any occasion for police interference—a more goodtempered crowd I never saw or expect to see ; but mark the impudent attempt to mislead, ‘ The police could not make the slightest attempt,’ &o. It appears, further, from his precious telegram that ‘ a man stood up and, amid uproarious demonstrations, read an address of condemnation of the members represented.’ The simple fact is, a man did try to read such an address, but the people declined to hear it; indeed it was clearly evident all through the proceedings that public opinion here, so far as it may be said to have been represented, was by no means hostile to Mr. Yogel and those other gentlemen who have so dreadfully scared the Star people and the other ultra-pro vinoialists. ” HAWKE’S BAY. A meeting is to be held in Napier to-day (Monday) for the purpose of establishing a Philosophical Institute, in accordance with the New Zealand Institute Act. An inquest was held at Pohui on Friday week, before S. Begg, Coroner, on the body of Edward Saunders. The evidence showed that the deceased had come to his death by his dray upsetting. He was found lying with one arm beneath one of the wheels, and his head in the mud with a bag of sugar upon it. He was extricated almost immediately after the accident, but was past recovery. It was also proved that he was in a state of intoxication when the accident occurred, and that to this cause it was attributable. The coroner wished this fact to be embodied in the verdict, in order that the accident might not be attributed to the fault of the road ; but the jury—as is too common in such cases—declined to indicate the source of the mischief, and found that Edward Saunders “ came to his death by the accidental overturning of the dray he was driving.” NELSON. A largo number of Germans from Nelson, the Waimeas, and Upper Moutere congregated at the latter place oh Sunday week to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the arrival of their pastor, the Rev. J. W. 0. Heine. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Meyer, of Ranzan, in the tastefully-decorated German church, which was crowded to excess. Shortly after the conclusion of the service, about 130 persons sat down to a friendly luncheon in a building suitably fitted up for the occasion. After luncheon a silver tea and coffee service and a purse of sovereigns were presented to the Rev. Mr. Heine, with an address. After the rev. gentleman had addressed the assemblage, a congratulatory address was handed to him signed by the Lord Bishop of Nelson and the Church of England clergymen residing in the district. CANTERBURY. The Press learns that the Rev. J. Wilson, the Yen. Archdeacon of Christchurch, has been compelled to resign his connection with the Church in Canterbury, and his college appointments, in consequence of failing health* and the immediate necessity for a change, recommended by his medical advisers.