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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4272, 28 November 1874, Page 2

The s.s. Alhambra, from Melbourne, may be expected in the harbor to-morrow morning. She has made a fast run, her time to Hokitika having only been four days twenty-two hours. During Thursday the barometer continued to rise over the whole colony, and by Friday morning had generally reached 30'40, a position about l-10th higher than that from which it commenced to fall on the 18th ult. Fine and clear weather with moderate winds, mostly from the eastward, were reported from the stations yesterday. We re-publish in another column the opinion given by Mr. Travers, as solicitor for the city, as to the legality of the action of the Provincial Government in the sale of the foreshore of the reclaimed land. AVe do so in consequence of a complaint made by Mr. Travers of inaccuracies in transcribing the opinion, as printed in yesterday’s issue. AA T e may add that a rumour was current yesterday to the effect that in consequence of that opinion, the Provincial Government were likely to abandon their intention of proceeding with the sale. A cricket match will be played this afternoon between the Armed Constabulary Cricket Club and the Colts Cricket Club, play to commence at 2.30 p.m. sharp. The following are the eleven chosen to represent the Colts ;—Maxwell, Hadfield, France, Lynch, Lowe, Bishop, jun., Waterhouse, Alderton, McKenzie, Bishop, Campbell; emergency men, Pickett and Barraud.

Ample recreation and amusement will be afforded the residents of the Empire City this afternoon. Punctually at 2.15 p.m. the steamer Napier will start on a fishing excursion to the Heads, and as there are plenty of salt water Waltonians eager for the sport, and as the tide will prove favorable, no doubt the finny tribe will suffer a thinning of then' numbers. It is intended by the members of the rowing clubs to open the boating season this afternoon, if the weather will admit of it ; and although the determination as to the day was arrived at hastily, the muster of crews will probably be considerable. The season would have been inaugurated at the proper time, but that the boats belonging to the several clubs were sadly in need of repairs, which could not be effected by the usual opening day. As it is, several boats belonging to the Star and Wellington clubs are still in the boatbuilders’ hands. A cricket match on the Basin Reserve, between the Colts Club and members of the Aimed Constabulary, will also add to the events of the day.

At a meeting of the Waste Lands Board, held yesterday, an application from Mr. John Sutherland for CIO acres of pastoral land was submitted, together with Mr. A. 13. Wilson's certificate as to the quality of the land, when the Board declared the land to be pastoral. A letter from Mr. W. W. Taylor was read requesting the Board to declare sections SIX and 812 (2190 acres), in the Warearaa district, pastoral land, and the evidence of tho Commissioner of Crown Lands having been taken as to the quality of the land, the sections were declared to he pastoral. An application from Mr. C. Pharazyn, for eighty acres of land at Peatherston, was read, when, after some discussion, the Board decided that as the laud was included within the boundaries of a township, they had no control in the matter. An accident occurred at the Hutt Railway station, Pipitea Point, on Wednesday evening, of a painful nature, to Mr. M. Maher, who is employed there. He was engaged in the goods shed, when a heavy cask of cement fell upon his foot, severely crushing the toes. It is feared that tho largo toe, if not two or more of the smaller ones as well, has been broken ; but the swelling has been so severe that the precise extent of the injury sustained has not yet been ascertained.

“ The Great American Circus,” we observe, has ai-rivecl in Auckland, for a tour in New Zealand. It is Messrs. Bird, Blow, and King’s. Numerically it is very strong, and it includes several members of the famous Chiariui Company, and a number of Australian performers of excellent quality.

Pour quarter-casks of brandy, thrown up by the sea on the beach at Manawatu, have been taken to the Custom-house, at Wanganui. A number of cases of kerosene still remain on the beach. They formed, no doubt, part of the cargo of the schooner Alma, which lately lost a largo portion of her cargo in a gale off Westport. A celebrated old chief, says the Auckland Echo, has gone to his rest. He had reached the age of fourscore and ten, and had during his long career been sensible of the benefits brought to his country by the civilising agencies of the Anglo-Saxon intruders. Old Ngahuruhuru with his dying breath urged on his friends to accept tho rule and conform to the customs of the pakcha. His words will not he without avail, for he was much respected among his people, and was in every respect a specimen of a man in advance of his ago. His decease will be felt alike by tho pakeha and the Maori. Ho was an Arawa. Tho Charleston Herald reports that a real live full-grown frog, of a dull-green color, was caught on Thursday afternoon by Mr. T. G. Macarthy, of Charleston, at the hack of his brewery. About two years ago, ono was seen near the United Methodist Pree Church. As these lively creatures are generally considered to have no place on tho list of New Zealand’s reptilia, the question naturally arises—how came they hero ? The Herald thinks it more than probable their presence hero arises from spawn having been attached to tho roots of the young fruit trees, which have been imported in large numbers into this district during the past throe or four years. A match between J. G. Harris and Delaney will bo run this morning on the Basin-reserve. Harris gives Delaney five yards out of 100, for £lO aside. The event will come off between half-past eight and nine o’clock.

The California Minstrels have been playing with great success in Nelson. There last entertainment was given without blackened faces. Since its opening the Napier (Hawke’s Bay) railway has given a profit v of £6O per week ; the receipts being £9(l per week, and the expenditure £36. The Herald says a good many persons predicted the line would not pay. For Madame Goddard’s sake we are glad, but for our own we are sorry, that her great success in Dunedin has induced her to give there the extra concerts she intended to have favored the people of Wellington with on her way to Auckland. Going North, she will only pass by Wellington. An editorial article in the Te Wananga, published by Henare Te Moana, at Napier, says the Echo, contains the following :—“ We have learnt since we thought of starting a paper that the first English newspaper was printed about 250 years ago ; and up till now they have gone on improving every year. This is our first attempt, and errors may have been overlooked, which to some of our readers may appear strange, and we would, therefore, ask for your patience for the present.” Our Maori friends at last have learned that the pen is mightier than the sword. We are glad to learn from the Wanganui Herald that the surveys of eighteen miles of the Wanganui-Manawatu railway line beyond Turakina have been finished, and the plans and specifications have gone to Wellington. A portion of the Wanganui railway bridge has arrived in Dunedin, and will immediately be transhipped to Wanganui. The survey of the second ten miles of the Wanganui-Waitara railway at this end will be finished about the middle of next month. The Government, while pushing forward the former railway with commendable promptitude, have, for some inscrutable reason, been dilatory with respect to the northern line, the circumstances rendering it of the first importance that no delay should take place in connecting the Patea district with Wanganui by rail. We quote with pleasure the following paragraph from the New Zealand Christian Record of the 14th instant :—“ The Bev. Charles Clarke, of Melbourne, may shortly be expected in New Zealand. We do not presume to settle off-hand the divided opinion which exists concerning this highly gifted preacher ; but our strong conviction is, neither the church nor the world has done him justice. The church has been too ready to frown upon a man who has dared to slight the conventionalities—they are no more—on which she insists, as remorselessly as ever Dame Fashion insisted upon the out of a bonnet ; while the world, which phase we may not unaptly translate by the ‘ the press’— has written him down, ‘an actor.’ This latter criticism reminds us of a remark of Dr. Chalmers on Edmund Burke. ‘ Men thought him superficial,’ says Dr. Chalmers, ‘ simply because they were themselves arrested at the surface.’ ‘ Callboy’ and ‘ Prompter’ are far too. apt to see in a great preacher, gifted with oratorical power, only another edition of the Bandman or Barry Sullivan, with whom theatrical criticism has familiarised them. And this, we are convinced, is the explanation of this trite and obvious criticism of Mi-. Clarke. We shall welcome him to this land as a Christian man, and as a Christian minister.” We may add, however, that there is still some doubt as to Mr. Clarke’s movements. Though he is severing his connection with his congregation, it does not follow that he will permanently leave Melbourne. It is proposed by his admirers to build a special hall for him, where he may meet his people untramme lled. Probably Mr. Clarke will visit New Zealand while the new hall is in course of construction, or preparation.