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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4259, 13 November 1874, Page 2

A requisition, very numerously and respectably signed, addressed to Councillor Dransfield, requesting him to allow himself to be put in nomination for the Mayoralty of Wellington, was shown to us yesterday. It has not yet been presented, but will probably be so in the course of a few days. The name of Mr. Moorhouse was also pretty freely spoken of yesterday iu connection with the approaching election. Although tho barometer commenced to rise fast at Wellington and adjacent ports soon after 9 n.m. of Wednesday, it continued falling iu tho North until about noon. After that hour, the restoration of pressure became general. The strongest winds seem to have been felt at Opunake, where it blew a south-east gale from 2 p.m. until 10 o’clock that evening, when the weather moderated. By Thursday morning, tho barometer at most places stood above 29'00, winds- between south-west and north-west prevailing over both islands, with fine weather, excepting at tho Bluff and Ealclutha, where the winds were strong from west. Amended Regulations under the Government Officers’ Guarantee Act, 1870, were gazetted yesterday. Regulations framed under tho Government Insurance and Annuities Act, 1874, have also been issued, as well as regulations for tho Civil Service Examinations.

The civil sittings of the Supreme Court at Wanganui having been concluded, His Honor Judge Johnston may be expected to arrive by the steamer Stormbird, "which is due early this morning. The Rev. John Chapman Andrew, the Rev. Donald McNaughton Stewart, D.D., the Hon. William Gisborne, and Theophilus Heale, Esq., have been gazetted Fellows of the University of New Zealand. ' About midday yesterday, a small boy, who had been fishing on the wharf, endeavored to slide down one of the piles and pursue his pastime on the girders. He unfortunately missed his hold, and fell into the water, but was promptly rescued by the bystanders. The result of the deliberations of the Standincr Committee of the Diocese upon the plans 'recently submitted for the new English church at Te Aro is that Mr. Tringham’s plan is to be accepted, with some necessary modifications. The Napier landed the immigrants by the Star of India, without accident, yesterday morning. Numbers of them were to be seen about the streets during the day, and a more orderly and well conducted lot of people never landed in Wellington. i The Provincial Library Committee have just received a consignment of books from Logland, comprising the latest scientific works, and the most recent contributions to the stock of general literature. The hooks, which are all uniformly bound, cost £l2O in England. The barque Elizabeth Graham, which has arrived at Lyttelton from London, brings two smooth-skinned Berkshire pigs, imported for Mr. Hunter, of this city. They are described as being remarkably fine animals. The same vessel; has also brought two fine setters and a litter of five pups. Madame Arabella Goddard's second concert takes place to-night, under the patronage of His Excellency the Governor and Lady Fergusson, who will honor the entertainment by their presence. The very excellent programme appears in our columns, and from its attractiveness we aro not surprised to hear that the reserved seats are filling up rapidly. Madame Goddard has had such wide experience in her round-the-world tour that she evidently knows how to compile a programme to please her audience, and we have no doubt that to this fact, and her great versatility of talent, is to he attributed in a great measure her enormous success in every town and country she has visited. The fantasias which Madame Goddard has selected for this evening are interwoven with difficulties, and in this class of music it is a well-known fact that even in London first-rate players, such as Halle, Schumann, &c., have attempted to play Thalberg’s “ Home, sweet Home,” hut have failed to equal the performance of Madame Goddard. By advertisement we see that for the convenience of residents at the Hutt a special train will leave Wellington at 11 p.m., thus enabling them to return home after the concert. The following are amongst the appointments that were gazetted yesterday : —To be registering officers under the Miners’s Bights Extension Act, IS72 —W. H. Kevell, Esq., for Westland ; C, Broad, L. Broad, Joseph Giles, and E. Guinness, for Nelson ; Provincial returning officer, M. Price, Esq., Okarito ; registration officer for Westland, for the purpose of framing electoral rolls for the election of Superintendent and members of the Provincial Council—G. G. Fitzgerald,’ Esq.; to he local analyst for Auckland—J. M. Tunny, Esq. ; Samuel Carroll, Esq., to he a provisional trustee in bankruptcy in Wellington. His Excellency has approved of the undermentioned gentlemen (amongst others) now holding commissions as honorary captains in the Cadet Corps named, receiving substantive commissions: —Honorary Captain Henry Edward Tnckey, Wellington Grammar School Cadets, 31st October, 1870; Honorary Captain Sylvester Coleman, Marton Cadets, 10th April, 1871; Honorary Captain William Howard Holmes, Te Aro , School Cadets, 13th November, 1371; Honorary Captain Samuel Neil, Wanganui Cadets, 19th April, 1873; and Honorary Captain Eohert Johnston, Blenheim Cadets, 17th Novemj3erHlS^i„.We u rft?SrrJi3/j!tiiii'tiiH : St I t'rie Marton Eifle Volunteers with the Koyal (Rangitikei) Eifle Volunteers, has accepted the services of the Wellington Artillery Volunteer Cadets, and disbanded the Otepopo Eifle Volunteer Cadets, and the Egmont Eifle Volunteer Cadets.

The panorama of “Paradise Lost,” was again presented at the Theatre Royal last evening-. The house was fairly filled in the lower parts, and the audience thoroughly appreciated this excellent work of art. The amusing drama of “Dominique the Deserter,” concluded the entertainment. It will be observed with pleasure that on Saturday there will be an afternoon exhibition of the fine panorama of “Paradise Lost” for the accommodation of schools and families. The doors of the Theatre Royal will open at half-past two o'clock, and the exhibition of the panorama will commence at three o’clock. This will be the last opportunity the public of Wellington will have of seeing this fine work of art. With reference to the charges brought against Mr. Henry E. de Bathe Brandon,' lately Chief Clerk and Accountant of the Stamp Department—charges lately investigated—the following appears in the Gazelle of yesterday: —The Commissioners have reported,— Ist. That certain specific char-ges so made “ had been proved, and the truth of them in fact admitted by Mr. Brandon.” 2nd. With regard to the charge of habitual negligence in the discharge of his official duties, “That, on the whole, whilst it is certain that Mr. Brandon’s conduct has been irregular, wc do not think that the irregulaiities proved are sufficient, apart from the specific charges, to support a charge of habitual negligence.” And whereas the Commissioners have further reported as follows ;—“ We think Mr. Brandon should receive some punishment for the grave irregularities he has been guilty of, but that dismissal from the Civil Service of the colony would be an unneccessarily severe sentence It is hereby notified, in accordance with the provisions of section 32 of the Civil Service Regulations, that Mr. Henry Eustace .do Bathe Brandon has been removed from the Stamp Office, and will bo appointed to another Department of the Government, and that his salary , has been reduced from £3OO per annum to £2OO, at which rate it will bo paid from the date of bis suspension from office.

An excellent arrangement has been arrived at by the Superintending Engineer of the New Zealand Railways as regards the fares of children travelling to and from school. It is provided that annual sooond-clasa tickets shall be issued to such children, irrespective of distance, for a sura of three pounds for the year 1875, with a proportionate reduction on tickets taken out in the second, third, and fourth quarters of the year respectively. Those tickets, of course, must only bo used by school children, and penalties are attached to their use in any other way. ' At times yesterday it was almost impossible to move on the Queen’s wharf without endangering life or limb. The greatest ingenuity was exercised by draymen and express drivers in getting to their several destinations, and pedestrians were compelled to wait their opportunity, and dart between vehicles with an agility which many were unaware they possessed till then. The Douglas, Helen Denny, and Oneco wore discharging cargo rapidly, and a number of coasters taking on board outward cargoes. There was, besides, the landing of the immigrants’ luggage from tho Star cf India; all of which tended to make yesterday an exceptionally busy one on the wharf. There were twenty cases of breaches of tho Public Health Act, 1872, on tho charge-sheet of the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning, but only one case came before his Worship. William Mitchell was fined ss. and costs for non-compliance with the vaccination clauses of tho above Act. Tho remaining nineteen informations had been withdrawn, tho law having been complied with since the issue of tho summonses. Mr. Hammorton, who prosecuted under tho Act, stated ho desired tho public should understand that the statute must bo complied with in this respect. He, however, did not wish to press for tho full penalty against Mr. Mitchell.

An ordinary meeting of the Board of Education takes place on Monday next, the I6th inat., at ll o’clock a.m. By proclamation in the Gazette of Thursday, under the Native Lands Act, 1873, the Chatham Islands have been added to the Province of Wellington. The Ministry have thought it necessary to prevent for the present the importation of grape-vines and grape-vine cuttings, and a proclamation to that effect has been published. It will he observed that the gates, booths, bars, stables, &c., in comiection with the forthcoming Wellington Races on the Hutt course, will he sold by auction by Mr. Duncan at his rooms on Saturday, the 21st instant. A reward of £SO is offered by Mr. Andrew Young, of Cobh and Co., for information which will lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who opened a mail-hag in the coach between Wanganui and Otaki, and stole a registered letter containing a goldwatch and chain, on Monday the 2nd or Tuesday the 3rd instant.