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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4267, 23 November 1874, Page 2

The Albion, from Melbourne, reached The Bluff, and the "Wonga Wonga arrived at Auckland, from Sydney, early on Saturday. Tho news—by Suez, San Francisco, and Torrea Strait—thus camo to hand simultaneously, a curious instance of tho extent to which the means of communication by mail and telegraph with the old and new world are increasing. Tho items o£ intelligence thus received are generally interesting, but not such as to call for special remark. It will bo noticed that, like the Otago, tho Albion, was detained off the Solander by signal fires, and remained tho whole of tho night ondeavoring to communicate with the shore, and at daylight not being able to observe any person. The Otago, it will bo

remembered, conveyed a message to The Bluff from the sealers on the Solander, desiring that assistance should be sent to them. Whether this was done we have not since learned. _lf not, it should be promptly given, because (leaving the question of humanity out of sight), it will not do that mail steamers should be detained—as the Albion was—for an entire night, unless to render aid really required by distressed seamen. We observe that the Marquis of Normanby ] and family were conveyed from Brisbane to Sydney by the new Torres Strait mail steamer Legislator. At Sydney his Excellency is the guest of Sir Hercules Eobinson. The Hero, by which the Marquis and Marchioness will come to Auckland, may be expected early in the present week. The steamer Manawatu wan announced at the Shipping Company's office on Saturday to make an excursion round the harbor. At the hour appointed, owing to insufficient publicity, but a few assembled, and it was decided to postpone the excursion till Saturday next. We direct the attention of purchasers of property to the extensive sale that Mr. Wallace will hold to-morrow at his land mart, Hunterstreet, as advertised. There is in the sale eleven valuable acres in one block, suitable for either building purposes, a farm, nursery, or ornamental grounds. Mr. Eainford, the popular bass singer, will return to Wellington at the conclusion of his engagement with Madame Goddard, when it is proposed by a number of musical amateurs to tender him a complimentary concert. His present engagement will probably extend over four or five weeks, so that plenty of time will be given to make such arrangements as will ensure a completely successful concert. The three dwellings off the Adelaide-road, belonging to the Wellington Land and Building Company, the lease of which for forty-one 1 years was advertised for sale on Saturday last by Mr. K. .T. Duncan, were not disposed of, the price offered being somewhat less than the reserve placed upon them. It is understood that the properties are likely to find a buyer at or near the reserve price. The last mail from San Francisco was delivered in Sydney exactly to date by the steamer City of Melbourne, which, however, left San Francisco two days after date. The City thus gained two days upon time in the run across the Pacific. As much ignorance appears to have existed as to the probable movements of the City of Melbourne after leaving the Golden Gates as prevailed here, one of the Melbourne journals stating that three or more days were lost on the passage by a detour to Auckland. This detour, unfortunately, was not made. The stewards of the Wellington Jockey Club must have been well pleased with the result of the sale of privileges for the Wellington races on the 3rd and 4th proximo. Mr. R. J. Duncan's auction room was crowded on Saturday last, when he sold the gates, right to erect booths, &c. The gates, after considerable competition, were purchased by Mr. R. Lyon for £3lO ; two, refreshment bars in the grand stand fetched £SO, Mr. Henry Hall being the purchaser. Nos. 1 and 2 licensed booths realised £lB each, being knocked down to Mr. T. TJrwin ; Mr. P. Donecker buying No. 3 for £l7 ; and No. 4 falling to Mr. Valentine at £lO. The confectioneers' booths realised—No. 1, £B, 3?. Dowsett ; No. 2, £9, Mr. Morgan. The right to erect two fancy bazaars was purchased by Mr. Marks for £5. Three stables were bought by Mr. Pounceby for £9 15s. The bidding for the " c'rect card of the races" was started at £l, considerable animation being evinced by bidders, and ultimately it was knocked down to Mr. H, Blundell for £SO. The total proceeds of the sale amounted to £5lO 15s. Last year the amount realised was only £194. The running match against time takes place at four o'clock this afternoon, on the Basin Reserve. The pedestrian concerned in the feat is Thomas Skeliie, the champion longdistanced runner of New Zealand, who undertakes to run ten miles within the hour. There appeal's to be considerable difference of opinion. I '.. ._.- ,__,., —.„ „o wuu mere wrrrue u. considerable amount of speculation on the result. Should the weather prove favorable it is anticipated that there will be a good number j on the ground. We regret to hear of the death, yesterday, at the Hutt, of Charles W. Hunt, at the early age of twenty years, from brain fever, the result of neuralgia. Mi'. Hunt was well known among the "Volunteers as one of their best marksmen, and will be much regretted by them, and by all who knew him. He won the gold medal, and also the clock given by the Wellington Veteran Company, two years in succession, and was one of the team selected to represent Wellington in the rifle contest in Melbourne last year. The representatives of the insurance offices which held policies over the barque Anne Melhuish, having declined to continue their risks, unless the vessel were placed on the Slip and examined—the supposition being that she had touched ground at the Heads when entering the harbor on her last voyage—the barque was taken over to the Patent Slip, and examined, under the authority of the Marine Board. It was found that two of the planks, if not three, presented proofs that a rock had been touched, at some time since she had last been examined. The necessary repairs will at once be made, and the ship go to sea again staunch and stout. The Wesleyan district meeting services were brought to a close yesterday, and the remaining ministers will leave for their respective circuits to-day. The Rev. Mr. Richardson, of the Hutt, yesterday morning in Mannersstreet, preached an impressive sermon to the young, and Mr. Smalley in the evening from Revelations xiv. 4, delivered a powerful and interesting sermon. The members of the body in this city were specially favored, having no less than four services. The Rev. J. Aldred preached at the Te Aro pa in the morning to over fifty, many of whom had come several miles to hear their old and respected missionary. He also preached to a comparatively large congregation of Maoris at Pipitea pa in the evening. The Rev. Heteraka Warihi was in town and conducted two services to his countrymen. The other ministers were laboring in the counti'y districts. The Revs. Messrs. Smalley and Russell leave to-day by the Rangatira, whilst Mr. Aldred, who has been supplying the place of Mr. Lewis for the last three months, sails by the Phoebe. A correspondent, writing from Whareama, under date the 18th instant, says :—"The Whareama Bridge has been in a dangerous state for some time. Last week, Mr. Chamberlain was sent over here, and he has done the best he could to render the bridge safe until the proper material can be got from the Taueru saw mill, where the timber is being cut. The only difficulty that remains is to get the timber to the place where it is required, as the road down the Mungapaki, so long promised, is Btill in a state of nature. Will it ever be otherwise f Let us pray for a change, if it be only to get this road to Masterton." Between Friday and Saturday the barometers south of Cook Strait commenced to rise, but the wind continued to blow from the northward. Very little alteration of pressure occurred at other places. From the north, clear sky and fine weather was reported at all parts except Taupo ; but cloudy and gloomy sky at places southward of Hokitika and Lyttelton. At Port Chalmers and Queenstown, atornry winds from the north-east were experienced. Yesterday afternoon the glass had again fallen a little in the south. The Hon. Mr. Reynolds was a passenger for the South by the steamer Tararua, which sailed yesterday. A fish, weighing 301b5., resembling a ling, was hooked and successfully landed on tho wharf yesterday afternoon. A man named James Wilson, for whoso apprehension a warrant was received from Picton, was apprehended at Mungaroa on Saturday evening last. He will be brought before the R.M. this morning. The township of Patea is - now in regular communication with Nelson by steam. The Wallace is the vessel engaged in the trade. She takes up general cargo from Nelson, and returns there with cattle and sheep.

A new weekly religious journal has been begun in Melbourne, under the title of the Southern Cross. It is edited by the Rev. Dr. Cameron. Mr. J. C. Brown, M.H.R., has been sent by the miners of the district he represents— Tuapeka, in Otago—to examine and report upon the Palmer goldfield, in Queensland. A presß telegram from Auckland, reporting the arrival of the Wellington barque Anne and Ja»e at Newcastle, mentions that a man named Henderson, who shipped at this port as cook, threw himself overboard on the passage and was drowned. Referring to His Honor Judge Chapman's late address to the Press Club of Dunedin, Mr. Wakelin, of the Wairampa Standard, adds the following note :—"The press with which was printed the Gazette and the Spectator is now employed in printing the Standard, of which Mr. Wakelin is one of the proprietors." The Queensland papers report the arrival in that colony of Mr. William Jay, one of the representatives of the English Agricultural Laborers' Union. He visits that country, as Mr. Holloway has done New Zealand, to examine into its capabilities. He intends to visit the copper and goldmining, as well as the agricultural districts. At a late sale of short-hom bulls in Victoria —Mr. William McG'ulloch's—the amount realised for ten was £2780, or an average of £278 per head. The highest price was obtained for Prince Charlie, a red and white bull calved in March last, for which 590 guineas was given by a Victorian farmer. The next highest lots brought 400 and 390 guineas respectively. A Wesleyan Minister—the Rev. Mr. Ingham, of Ballarat, Victoria—was lately accused of preaching as his own a sermon by Mr. Talmage, an American clergyman, the discovery having been made by some young men who were practising shorthand by taking down Mr. Ingham's discourse to his flock one Sunday. The charge was investigated by the Wesleyan ministers at their late district meeting at Ballarat, and was found proved, They recommended to Conference that Mr. Ingham should lose a year's standing in consequence. The Wairarapa Standard reports the capture, one day last week, of a rather free-handed young resident, one " Pauley," who cleared out from his lodgings at Masterton with the property of a fellow lodger, and other effects. He was apprehended at, the Gorge by Constable Mackenzie, and taken to Featherston, where a pleasantly-inclined magistrate rewarded him with six months' imprisonment for his efforts in dishonesty. Speaking of the recent dismissal of Mr. George Hodgson by the Provincial Treasurer of Nelson, the .Grey River Argus —publishing the correspondence—remarks :—" We have come across some queer instances of official tyranny in our time, but we never heard of anything approaching to Mr. O'Conor's action in this case. If the Provincial Council has the slightest respect for itself it will take the earliest possible opportunity of making a repetition of such conduct impossible." The amount of the stakes paid over at the close of the late race meeting at Melbourne was £8,352 10s. The highest taken was by Mr. J. Wilson, who received £1495. Mr. A. Chirnside wss next, witli £1145, (of which £ll4O was for the Melbourne Cup), Mr. J. Tait, of New South Wales, was third, with £1127. Mr. De Mestre (N.S.W.) had £485, and Dr. Bathe (Victoria) £437 ss. The other winners obtained smaller amounts. The total of the Stakes amounts to a large sum to be offered at one colonial race meeting, and that colony not an old one. It was not in the race, for the Melbourne Cup alone that Lurline failed to distinguish herself on the Flemington course. She ran also in the Royal Park Stakes, which were won by Dagworth, who beat Goldsbrough by a neck, with Protos third. Lurline started at six to one against her. For a time she showed with a chance in the race, running third. When half a mile from home (the race two miles) she UiuupcO-liack hna.l-.ar, Vko «_- -~ .<>-_»!•». 43 sees. In the Flying Stakes (three-quarters of a mile), which was run on one of the days following the Cup, Harricot was fifth, though at starting the betting about him was even.