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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4224, 3 October 1874, Page 2

The intelligence will be" read with satisfaction by persons capable of understanding the significance of events, that-.a telegram was received in Wellington yesterday, stating that several members of the family of King Potatau are en route for Auckland —the first visit they have paid to that city since the last war. By the courtesy of the Inspector of the Police we have been furnished with the following particulars respecting the seizure and destruction of an illicit still near to Palmerston. As Messrs. Mitchell and Palmerston, surveyors, and Mr. J. M. Collier, of Poxton, were in the bush about two miles in the Eangitikei direction, they came upon an illicit still in full working order. There were two men employed at the place, and they at once made away into the bush. The gentlemen mentioned broke the head of the boiler, brought away a sample of the spirits, a portion of the worm and stillhead, and they cut up the remaining portion of the still, and spilled the greatest portion of the spirits on hand. Constable Donnelly proceeded to the spot on the 27th ult., accompanied by Messrs. Mitchell and Palmerston, and they fouud the place in the same state as it had been left. They removed the boiler head and cut the worm into small portions. Two casks, a vat, and a trough could not be removed, but they were left empty. The two men who absconded were believed to be Jesseys, of Oroua, and a person named McDonnell. Por the last few days most of the cases at the Resident Magistrate's Court have been amongst seafariug people, and all consisting of charges of disobedience. There are now no fewer than twelve or fourteen men under sentence in the Wellington Gaol for this breach of the Merchant Shipping Act. If the disagreements are altogether to be attributed to the seamen, and not caused by any excessive severity of the masters, a very refractory lot must have" come into this harbor in a very short space of time. The last occurrences of the sort alluded to were brought up yesterday in the cases of a colored man named Christian Messer, who was charged by the master of the barque Malay with being drunk and absent without leave; and a man named George Thomas, charged with refusing duty on the barque Asbburton. The former received a sentence of seven days, and the latter four weeks' imprisonment, each with hard labor. There were two cases of drunkenness dealt with at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday. There was no civil business before the Court. The coming in force of the Act for the abolition of imprisonment for debt has not caused many vacancies in the Wellington Gaol, as only two persons were in a position to avail themselves of its provisions. Whether this is owing to tho forethought and caution of tradespeople in not giving credit to persons unpossessed of sufficient worldly goods to levy distress on, or to their forbearance with callous or unprincipled creditors, is best known to themselves. At anyrato, let them have the benefit of tho doubt, and suppose the latter to be the case. The trade of Wellington is v increasing very satisfactorily, if the Customs returns are to be accepted as evidence. The revenue from that source in the quarter ending with September was £35,451 19s. 4d., as' compared with £22,551 14s. 9d. in the corresponding quarter of 1873. So large an increase as £12,900 could not possibly have been expected. We understand that" in consequence of the severe weather only three horses were present at the show of sire horses at Greytown, viz., Mr. Russell's Marquis, Mr. Martin's Lord Raglan, and Mr. Mitchell's Tom o'Shanter. A great number of horses were expected had the weather been fine—there being a greater number of sire horses in the district than at any previous time. The show is looked forward to with considerable'interest. A sitting of the Vice-Admiralty Court will take place at the Supreme Court at eleven o'clock to-day, for the completion of preliminary steps in connection with the trial of the Strathnaver salvage case. We understand that Mr. Gordon Allan conducts the claim for Messrs. Turnbull and Co., and that Mr. Travers appears on the other side.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Monday next, at eleven o'clock a.m. Not less than 1555 tons of coal were shipped from Newcastle for New Zealand ports in the week ending the ISth of September. Five tons of coke were also shipped. Pilot Holmes reports that yesterday morning there was a very heavy south-east sea at the Heads, the heaviest that he has noticed this winter. At nine o'clock in the morning it was breaking right across the channel. It is intimated in the Gazette that Ernest Charles Kelling has been appointed Clerk of the District Court and Clerk of the Resident Magistrate's Court at Reefton, vice H. Lucas ; and William Mayberry to be Clerk.of these Courts at Charleston, vice E. C Kelling. "Astronomy for Beginners who live in the Southern' Hemisphere," is the title of a little work by Archdeacon Stock, which has just been published by Mr. T. A. Bowdeii, of Featherston Street. It seems to have been prepared with great care, and we have not the least doubt will be found very serviceable. A massive stone monument has been v erected in front of Greenwich Hospital, in memory of the officers and men of H.M. ships Curacoa, Miranda, Esk, Harrier, and Eclipse, who fell in the New Zealand wars of 1863-5. The monument is erected by their surviving comrades. On one side it bears the words, " New Zealand," and on the others the names of those in commemoration of whom the monument is erected. One unpleasant effect of the late severe weather has been an increase in the price of beef and mutton, from the scarcity of stock fit for market. The best roast beef is now 7d., and mutton 6d. per lb. This means an increase of Id. and 2d. respectively. Housewives will no doubt rejoice when finer weather will have enabled the butchers to supply themselves more freely, and bring down prices to their former level. The subscription list in aid of the man Marshall, who had his foot injured whilst working on the wharf a few days ago, has now reached the useful amount of £2S, which sum has been handed over to the unfortunate man, who has expressed much gratitude for the kindness and sympathy shown to hiim An interesting disco very—if true—is reported by telegraph from Christchurch. It is to the effect' that two live moas, a mother and her "chick," have been captured alive in Browning's Pass, in the high lands between Canterbury and Westland. The mother stands eight feet high, and the young one five feet. The birds are said to be on their way to Christchurch with their captors. The tenth monthly number, for October, of " The Educational Gazette," has reached us. It contains large and interesting selections, a leading article on "The Pupil Teacher System and the Salaries of Teachers," several other original articles, and some useful suggestions for teachers. It is well printed, but a better quality of paper is desirable. The births in Wellington registered during the month of September were 52, being 5 more than in August. The deaths in September were 35 against 16 in August. A gradual increase in the death-rate may reasonably be expected as a consequence of the increasing population. The very great increase appears, however, to have been largely due to the inclement weather that has lately prevailed, judging by the increase in infantile deaths and the causes of such deaths. In August the deaths of infants under one year were 3 ; of children between one and five years, 4; and of persons five years and upwards, 9. In September the numbers of such deaths were respectively 16, 5, and 14. Of the total deaths under five years, 11 were caused by influenza, which thus seems to have been epidemic ; 3 were stated to have been from pneumonia, although in some of the cases where the death is given as from influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis, &c, also made their appearance; 1 adult died from pneumonia. There was 1 death from diphtheria and 1 from croup, children of nine and ten years respectively. Of the adults 5 died aged sixty-six and upwards to seventynine. One person comitted suicide by ingGreat difficulty has been experienced in loading the mail steamer Cyphrenes with coals at Newcastle for her outward voyage, in consequence of the vessel's length, and some late harbor i - egulations/as to the-use of the cranes. One of these runs to the effect that "No steamer (except one actually carrying passengers or mails) which is of such dimensions that she cannot be berthed at No. 8 crane without interfering with the berth space of No. 7, is to have jjriority over sailing vessels." This regulation was intended to meet a complaint a 3 to preference given to the Dunedin steamcollier Easby, and is regarded as a proper one, -because the steam-colliers should not, any more than sailing vessels, occupy more than one crane at a time. But the Cyphrenes has created a difficulty, which is thus explained and commented upon by the Pilot: —" What of the huge leviathan the Cyphrenes, now in port, and requiring some 2000 tons coal ? In the strict terms of the new regulation, the Cyphrenes cannot go to No. 8 crane, for her length is such that, if loading her forward hold at No. 8, she will approach astern sufficiently near No. 7 crane to keep it idle; and again, must go to No. 7 as well as No. 8, or her main hold cannot take in the coal required. Brought from the stream yesterday and placed alongside the Columbia at the wharf, to wait the departure of the Blackbird steamer from No. S, and the Schiehallion from No. 7 crane, the Cyphrenes, the Hai'bor authorities and the wharfinger informed us, is to take both berths as soon as they are vacant. AVe should be sorry to see a fine vessel like the Cyphrenes—the first of her class that has visited Newcastle— sent away again in ballast, but really we fail to see how in consistency with the new regulation we have quoted, she can be allowed to monopolise two cranes. One thing is clear, the Cyphrenes, although under a mail contract, is not ' actually carrying passengers or mails.' If she is allowed to load, on what ground can objection be-made hereafter against the loading of the Easby, or other vessel of a similar class 1" The Chinese are hospitable when they have the means, and have a pleasant way of showingit at times. A Chinese storekeeper commenced business a few days ago at Waipori (Tuapeka), and to celebrate the occasion he invited some two hundred Chinese and European guests to a splendid dinner, in which fat pigs roasted whole, and fowls of every kind, figured in great numbers. A local reporter adds that the Celestials did not follow the example of Europeans on such occasions, as they all went home sober. Ho might have added that the storekeeper was a 'cute one, for what better advertisement than a good dinner could he have ? Injustice has been done by the " Loafer in the Street," who writes in the Canterbury Press, to the hou. member of the Assembly for Hokitika (Mr. White), the ladies generally, and the married ladies in particular. The " Loafer " says :—"There was a pretty brisk debate in the Assembly on the honorarium to members. Did you read it 1 There is little doubt that hou. members would have voted themselves their allowance, but there's no pleasing everyone. The member for Hokitika objected to having to undergo ' the turmoil of three months' celibacy,' and wanted the House to vote a sum sufficient to enable members to bring up their wives and children with them. The House couldn't see it. Is it possible that some members may prefer the ' turmoil of celibacy' to the harmony of home. I have met men of this sort." The " Loafer,", w r e have remarked, has been unjust. What Mr. White did say was that he had suffered the "torture" of celibacy. Victorian preachers appear considerably disposed to plagiarism. The latest detection has occurred to " a popular though somewhat juvinile clergyman," who lately preached a sermon in a Ballarat church to the great edification of his hearers and the winning of golden opinions for himself. Unfortunately two or three young men of the congregation had been practising phonography that day, and they discovered, to their great surprise, that the sermon did not differ much from a published discourse by the Rev. Mr. Talmadge, of the Tabernacle Free Church, Brooklyn, New York.

The Lynch Family of Bellringers, who have frequently visited Wellington, are now performing successfully in Tasmania. The Resident Magistrate at Dunedin, a few days ago, sent a drunken fellow to prison for fourteen days, for having been guilty of an act of indecency. The astonishment of the fellow, who evidently expected to be let off with a fine of five shillings, was considerable. The efforts of the acclimatisers of Otago have been unusually successful, especially as regards English song-birds. In the neighborhood of Dunedin chaffinches in numbers are now building their nests in the gardens, and thrushes are numerous at Roslyn and in the valley of the Water of Leith. - The Melbourne Aryus takes for the text of a leading article in a late number, the action of the Ministry and the General Assembly of New Zealand, with regard to distillation and the local distilleries, as affording the very strongest encouragement to the freetraders, and the very greatest discouragement to the protectionists of Victoria. The Bromley troupe do not appear to have followed up their intention of proceeding to the new diggings in the north of Queensland. In. September they were performing—" highlytrained monkeys" and all—at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle.. Burton's well-kuown circus company was also in Newcastle. Temperance crusaders (says the San Francisco Bulletin) will be horrified to hear that the French Minister of War has ordered that large stone jars filled with brandy and water shall be placed in each barrack-room for the use of the soldiers. The Minister has issued this order at the suggestion of the military -. medical authorities, who consider this beverage indispensable for the health of the troops. - We observe the agency for Reuters Telegram Company in Australia is to be conducted for the future by two gentlemen, Messrs. F. Linden and E. Collins, who have recently come from England to manage its business there. The former gentleman, who was presented at Court before his departure as a representative of Baron Reuter, held the position of British consul at Lima for several years." Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Bates, of the American stage, and who have lately played successful engagements in Melbourne and Sydney, have arrived in Auckland, where they will begin a professional tour of the Colony. They are de-" scribed as accomplished artists, .and probably the public of Wellington will have an opportunity of seeing them as they make the usual circuit of the islands. Mr. and Miss Stoneham, and Mr. Verner—artists who, we believe are new to the Colony—have also arrived in Auckland from Australia. - The P. and 0. Company are no doubt doing their best now to take advantage of the disarrangement the San Francisco service has given them. They are not only making fasttime, but putting on superior vessels, and now we see they are announcing that special cabins will be reserved in the mail steamers between* Melbourne and Galle for passengers from New Zealand. Mr. Holloway is now at Mangonui, in the northern part of the island. From thence he proceeds to Bay of Islands, Hokianga, and by land to Wangarei, across to Wairoa, taking in Waipu, and Port Albert, down by Kaipara to Auckland. He has determined, on the advice of the Provincial Government, to extend his time beyond that originally fixed by the General Government. On return he will go through Waikato to Tauranga, thence by the Lakes to Napier and Wellington. The Rev. Mr. Collier, the Chicago poet and preacher, made a speech at Norwich, England, a few weeks ago, in which he related having been to a small countiy-Kbuse near that city where were preserved the great John Wesley's account-books. Turning over 1 these authentic memorials, he found, on a cursory inspection, that when Wesley was at college, being twenty-seven years old, he spent £9B a-year, which was a large sum for a studious man 150 years ago. Only £l6 of this went in charity. Among the items he found "beer," "tobacco," and strangest of all, "lost at cards" so much—half-a-crown or so once or twice—and this at a time when John Wesley was a member of the " Holy Club." Mr. Adam, the Immigration Agent for Otago, was in the extreme north of Scotland in July last, and writes to a friend in the Bruce district an account of his more recent travels. Travelling from Lairg to Tongue, in Sutterlandshire, he writes, "On the road the coach stopped and picked up an elderly gentleman who had been angling. On seeing him I said to him, ' Come up beside me; I want some one to talk to.' The old, gentleman smiled, and said, ' Well, I will do so ;' and as we were the only passengers, we talked away about twenty things during the three horn's we were on the coach. Once or twice I wondered at some things and people he seemed to know, and as he had previously said ' I see you are a public man,' I was 'so persuaded he must be a public man himself that I isaid, ' What is your name, please ?' ' John Bright.' ' What,' I ' said, ' the great parliamentarist ?' I said that I was glad I did not know him at first, as I should not have been so free and easy with him ; but that I was proud to have been with him on the journey to Tongue, and arranged with him to come down to my lodgings, and I would show him a large number of beautiful photographs of Otago scenery and puWj» buildings." Mr. Adam spent some time with Mr. Bright, but his report of their conversations is not very entertaining. "He seemed," says Mr. Adams, "to know well'about the public men of Sydney and Melbourne, but I had to give him some idea of Mr. Vogel and others. On showing him a, photograph of the runs and stations of Mr. Stafford and Sir F. D. 8011, he asked me very playfully, ' How those gentlemen looked after being knighted ?'" We observe that the effort of the Sydney creditors of Mr. H. H. Hall, the manager of the Australian and American Steam Shipping Company, to sequestrate the estate of that company, has failed, for the present at least. An application to the Commissioner of Bankruptcy on the subject was dismissed on the ground that the petitioner's claim was not maintainable, as the petition did not disclose the names of any of the company's shareholders.