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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4208, 15 September 1874, Page 2

The heavy southerly gale which prevailed on Sunday and yesterday forenoon, and which was particularly severe during yesterday morning, appears to have been very local in its character. The wind was in the same quarter (south-west) along both coasts of tho Middle Island, but from the West Coast the reports were that the bars were smooth or good, and the wind light. Erom Eoveaux Strait the report was to the same effect as regards wind and sea. At Timaru the sea was light, and the wind seemed to freshen into a breeze; it was only in Cook' Strait that it became severe. At Wanganui and Taranaki there was a high sea and a strong wind. The Phoebe, however, was able to cross the Manukau bar for the South in' the morning; and the Ladybird, which went South on Saturday afternoon, made her way in good time to Lyttelton, which she left again yesterday for Port Chalmers. The storm, therefore, would seem to have been confined to the Strait and tho West Coast of the North Island. The proceedings at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday were of quite a lively nature, and occupied some four ' hours’ hearing. Amongst other charges was one against a woman for stealing the sum of £BO from a Maori chief named Tapa to Whata, whose Don Juan inclinations cost him dearly. The principal witness was a man named Murthell, by whom the robbery was watched, and who deserves great credit, not only for his conduct in the matter, but also for the very clear and intelligent manner in which lie gave his evidence. A sailor, who was in company with the woman when Murthell went for police assistance, and who attempted to rescue her from him, was, it seems, although found with her when the constable came, allowed to go without being searched or detained. The stolen money has not been found, nor lias the sailor been seen since ; and it is probable that his identity may not be secure, although suspicion strongly points to the conclusion that he received tho money'from the woman in the interval which elapsed between his attempt at rescue and the return of Murthell with the constable. The woman was committed for trial. It is stated that tho clemency of the Crown will shortly be 'extended to Alexander Macdonald, who was lately convicted and sentenced to three years’ penal servitude, for shooting at and wounding one of the horses in the mail coach, at Oroua Bridge. This is a course we recommended some time ago. Tho rumor, however, requires confirmation. The police have succeeded in breaking up a regular den of infamy that has been in existence for some time past in Wellington, and yesterday secured a conviction against tile principals who conducted the place. The liouso has long been a great nuisance, and almost a terror to all the respectable people in the neighborhood; and the evidence brought out at tlie Court gave instance of the gross immorality that often exists in the heart of a place for months without sufficient grounds being available for the police to take proceedings. Numbers of quite young girls were said to frequent tho house, and almost every night it was full of sailors and others, drinking and quarrelling. Women’s shrieks and Curses, mingled with children’s screams of terror, made the ’ night hideous, and those living in the locality could not get to rest until all hours. Tho two women and a man who wore before tho Court on a charge of vagrancy, were each sentenced to a term of imprisonment, the woman who conducted the house coming in for tho full allowance of three months. The adjourned meeting of the Lodge Waterloo takes place at tho Masonic Hall this (Tuesday) evening, the business being initiations and passings.

The are no cases set down for hearing at the sittings in Banco of the Supreme Court to-day. The bankruptcy sittings commence to-morrow. The planet Venus, now the evening star, is at present plainly visible all day long. It will be easily found to-day, as it will be close to the moon. The brighter the day the more plainly is the star seen, a fright white spot against the blue sky. A soiree is to be held by the Star [Boating Club, at the Odd Fellows’ Hall, on Friday evening next. . fTho Choral Society is to be present, and-the soiree is to conclude with a dance, commencing at half-past eight o'clock. Steps have been talc;n to prosecute the suit for salvage at the instance of the owners of the steamer Stormbird against the ship Strathnaver. The amount claimed is .£IO,OOO. The discharge of the cargo, which had been continued up to Saturday, last, was stopped yesterday. The ship J. A. Thomson is now landing twelve cylinder plates, weighing 28 cwt. each, for the Wanganui railway bridge. They will be taken to Wanganui by the s.s. Stormbird. Two other shipments of iron for the same bridge are yet to arrive, consisting of 210 tons by the Cordelia, and thirty tons by the Cartvale. M The cattle steamers at Wanganui have had anything but a profitable time of it for the last month ; during that time neither the St. Kilda nor the Go-Ahead have been able to make a trip, owing to the severe weather that has prevailed. They have put out several times, but on each occasion were obliged to put back and laud their cattle. The right of supplying water at the wharf for six months was sold by auction yesterday by Mr. J. H. Wallace for £290, to be paid by monthly instalments in advance. The amount was £lO in excess of the sum paid for the previous six months. Messrs. Jackson and Graham, lessees of the wharf, .were once mofo the purchasers. A case came before the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, which, for peculiar and conflicting evidence, has not been equalled in AVellington for a very considerable time. Two young men, named Monaghan and George, were charged with being drunk and assaulting the police on last Saturday night; and in his evidence, the prosecuting constable swore most positively that it was George who struck him and not Monaghan. Another member of the force, who assisted in the arrest, swore just as distinctly and positively that it was Monaghan who committed the assault. The discrepancy rvas somewhat remarkable, as it is generally very difficult, even in the strictest cross-examination, to cause the slightest difference in the depositions of policemen; but on this occasion it came out “pat” without any severe interrogation. The circumstances connected with the occurrence must have been confusing. Then followed several other witnesses, whose testimony was even more conflicting. One quite shocked the morality of a constable, by imputing to him the use of an expression more forcible than polite. The very proper officer of the law indignantly refuted the imputation, modestly adding that “he was t'orougly incappable ofmakin’ ushe of sich a warrd.” The witness who caused the most laughter in the Court was an individual who, “ although only a laborer, you understand me, Mister," was evidently very desirous. of impressing the Court with his candour and straightforward manner; and treated those present to his ideas of proper conduct and language in a street row; “ which, however,” he said “ he was very eai-eful to avoid, not having been very long in the Colonies, although he had lived a bit at Home.” The manner in which he gave his evidence certainly impressed those present with the idea that he had no desire to be at loggerheads with the police of this town, one of whom it appeared he was on very good terms with at present ; being, as another witness swore he boasted, a chum of Constable Gray. Not the least “ curious” part of his statement was that the moon was shining brightly at the time of the row. It certainly existed in his heated imagination only. The evidence altogether was so contradictory that the Magistrate dismissed the case. The following items of AVairarapa news are furnished by the Standard :—An effort is likely to bo made to re-organise the Greytown Cavalry, and a meeting for that purpose will shortly be called.—The contractor for the bridge over the Buamahunga river at Te Ore Ore has been making great progress with his work lately. The stringers* will all be laid across by the end of this week, and as the hand-railing is, we believe, being prepared beforehand, there is but little doubt that the work will be finished within the specified time, which elapses in about five weeks.—The contractor for the Government immigrants’ cottages at Masterton, Mr. Egan, has commenced operations. He had to bring all his men up from AVellington, wo believe, as carpenters are not procurable in this township at present, on account of the numerous buildings that are going up. Mr. Allen, too, has commenced work on the Greytown ones.—The Rev. E. Neilsen is a Norwegian . missionary of the American Methodist Episcopal Church. He recently resigned an income and position in his native country in order to minister to the Scandinavians who are now scattered throughout this Colony. The Government kindly offered to defray his travelling expenses while visiting the various Scandinavian settlements of the Colony and preaching to the settlors of that nationality in their own language. He has already visited the camp beyond Masterton, and held five services there. The. people there expressed much gratification in having an opportunity of listening to a clergyman from their own country, and promised to support him as far as lay iu their power. On Thursday evening last he preached in the AVosleyan Chapel, Greytown, to about twenty Scandinavians. He left the following morning for AVellington, Palmerston, and Napier.—The Bank of New Zealand has decided upon opening a branch office at Masterton. A convenient site has been purchased, opposite Messrs. Edmondson, Sellar, and lorn’s new premises, on which the new office will be erected. In the meanwhile, if temporary accommodation can bo obtained, the office will bo. opened before the new building is completed. AVo gather from a letter addressed by the secretary of the Otago Central Mining Association to the Hon. Julius .Vogel, and published as a Parliamentary paper, that the Association is as tired of Provincial Governments in the Middle Island as many persons are of them in the North. The Secretary, whilst acknowledging the receipt of a memorandum from the. Premier, said that “ The expression of personal sympathy with the wants of the gold miners was particularly assuring at a time when more than over their position with regard to other interests required careful consideration.” Then ho thought that if “ it were possible to clearly define what share of legislative administration really was within the scope of the Provincial Governments and what must necessarily be looked for at the hands of the Colonial Government, the first great step in setting at rest dissatisfaction arising from legal uncertainty would have been taken.” The Otago Association had, it appeared, undertaken to defend some minors who were sued on account of the discoloration of the water of a river they used for sluicing and other purposes. The Provincial Government, when appealed to on the subject, offered to send the matter to the Supreme Court for decision. The Association, not unreasonably, concluded that “at the present time, to submit specially a goldfields difficulty to the Provincial Government is to burke redress or inquiry, for the usual course appears to be to transmit such difficulty to AVellington, ti be again resent to the local authorities, then again to filter through endless channels ; so that in the end, the object, often a most desirable one, is, if not attained by less legitimate means, allowed to subside altogether.” Therefore, the secretary wrote to say that the members of the Association “ felt'very much gratification” at the interest in their affairs manifested by the Premier. But they thought that if it could be devised by the General Government “ how the relations of the goldfields to the different Governments could be clearly defined, they would feel still more deeply indebted,” The Provincial Government of Otago, although it has received such a largo measure of praise during the past session, does not equal the expectations

of the Mining Association. But then it may be questioned if the fault is not a vital one, necessary to a dual government, the exact relation of the component parts of which may not be accurately defined. A warning to errant husbands is conveyed in the following advertisement which appears in the Sydney Morning Herald ; —“ Mrs. Emily Barber, who has not had any news of her husband for many years, intends to get married unless she hears from him within a month.” The Rotorua correspondent of the Tribune telegraphs ;—“ The Te AVhenua meeting is over. J. C. Voung, Esq., represented the Government. The Natives from the Hauhau settlements talked of overland purchase and roads. The tone of the meeting was favorable to Government action.” The latest information from New Caledonia is that it has been decided to remove all the Communist prisoners from New Caledonia and Isle of Pines, to Billepe, an island lying off the north end of the main island. The transport Aloeste "has arrived from France, with convicts. An order of banishment has been enforced against a lady connected with one of the Communist prisoners, and she was banished from the island at three days’ notice. .The experiment of introducing trout to the Province of Hawke’s Bay has unfortunately failed. The ova were brought from Otago by Mr. Young, and, from first appearances, great hopes were entertained of the fish being successfully hatched, and of the rivers of the Province being stocked, but already all the young fish and the ova have died. According to our telegrams, there seems to be suspicion that this result is not altogether due to natural causes or to accident, but it is scarcely possible to suppose that anyone could be so evil as to be guilty of wilfully interfering with an experiment so interesting, and in which every reasonable person must have taken a lively concern. A clever pianiste of Colonial birth, who has lately returned to the Colonies, is thus spoken of by the Melbourne Daily Telegraph: —“Miss Griffiths, a native of Victoria, was born in Richmond some twenty years since, and is therefore entitled to receive some special notice. Her father, Air. Joseph Griffiths, was one of the founders of the Melbourne Philharmonic Society, and also its honorary leader for eleven or twelve years. He would further be known to many of our readers as having been one of the councillors and afterwards Mayor of Richmond. He left the Colony some four or five years since to accept the management of the local branch in London of the Australasian Insurance Company. Miss Griffiths went with her father to Loudon, and was not slow to follow up the musical education which she had already received at her father’s hands by joining as a pupil the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied as a pianiste for four years, and was awarded a first-class certificate, c 'he subsequently appeared in London at several high-class concerts, and returned to this Colony a few months since. It is asserted of her, that she has few, if any superiors, or even equals, in the higher walks of classical music, and her selections for performances on the occasion of her first appearance show that she is not afraid of challenging our critics.” “A tale of a hat” is thus told by the Sydney Morning Herald :—“Rather an amusing incident occurred on Tuesday night last at the meeting held by Air. Parkes iu the Victoria Theatre. A well-known politician and an admirer of the Premier had been accommodated with a seat on the platform, and, carried away probably by the eloquence of the speaker, or catching the public enthusiasm, he indulged in an intermittent fire of applause. The top of what is colloquially known as a “ bell-topper ” was selected by the gentleman referred to for the purpose of giving force to his approval; and as the audience in the body of the theatre became more excited and demonstrative, so did the politician, and the bell-topper was considerably knocked about. At last the three hours’ speech came to a close, and rapturous applause from all parts of the house followed. The politician catching the infection came down upon the chapeau in a series of energetic raps, ■winding up with a final effort which threatened to demolish the roof. The meeting over, the enthusiastic supporter became cool, iu fact somewhat chilly, and hurriedly put his hat on. His vision immediately became - obscured, and as the rim of his hat came into contact with the bridge of his nose he awoke to the alarming fact that the hat he had banged about so unmercifully was the property of somebody else, and was half a dozen sizes too largo for him. It is, however, satisfactory to know that any unpleasantness arising out of the mistake has been amicably settled, and the owner of the damaged bell-topper, who is a prominent and youthful member of the Assembly, has received ample satisfaction from the enthusiastic politician, who is a recent addition to the Legislative Council.” AVestport and Greymouth may well gain hope for tho future from the present condition of things at the port of Newcastle. Lately the Colonial Treasurer of New South AVales met his coustitueuts at Newcastle. They are justly dissatisfied with the inadequacy of the port arrangements for shipping coal, and were inclined to cast the blame on the Government ; but the Treasurer put the case in a way that was no doubt flattoi'ing to Newcastle, and not ungrateful to his colleagues. He said “It appeared to him that the difficulties under which Newcastle labors have been brought about by circumstances that neither the Government, nor the people of Newcastle, nor anybody else could control. The fact was that Newcastle, like a very fine and well-born child, had outgrown its strength. It had gone ahead faster than was ever expected to be possible, and had reached a position in forty years which, in other parts of the world, centuries were required to attain.” Captain Tuttle, who was announced to deliver a lecture in Wellington, but did not, betook himself to the AVairarapa, and, regarding Ids progress there, the Standard says:—-“ This now well-known whaler has just completed a lecturing tour through the AVairarapa district. At only one township was he able to capture an audience, and then the haul was not a big one, his house, when rendered down only yielding, we believe, sixteen shillings and sixpence. AVhaliug in the AVairarapa evidently won’t pay. AVo hear tho captain intends to proceed to Nelson on a similar venture, and we trust he will be more successful iu striking ‘ile’ there than ho has been here. It is a pity that he did not succeed in speaking his piece at Alasterton, especially as he undertook to prove that something very like a whale swallowed Jonah, which mooted point would have suggested to the Debating Society of that township a fine subject for discussion.”