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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4286, 15 December 1874, Page 2

His Excellency the Governor will hold a full-dress levee at Government House, on Wednesday next, 16th inst., at twelve o'clock noon. The Marchioness of Normanby will hold a reception at Government House, on Thursday next, 17th inst., between the hours of three and four o'clock p.m. With reference to a letter which appeared in yesterday's issue from Sir. Kevans, of the Wairarapa, on the subjeet of the progress being mado with tho Kimutaka tunnel, we understand that the Government engineers are much dissatisfied with the present rate of progress, and that very peremptory notice has been given to the contractors that they must use more energy and employ a far larger number of men immediately, or the Government will interfere in such a manner as will ensure the contract being carried out. The s.s. Tararua, from Melbourne, arrived off Hokitika early yesterday afternoon, and was tendered, but the tender, owing to the state of the tide, would be unable to get back into the river until this morning. The Tararua, however, would be enabled to proceed on her voyage. She will reach Nelson this afternoon, and may be expected here to-morrow night or Thursday morning. During Sunday tho barometer fell steadily in nearly all parts of the colony, and by yesterday morning generally stood about three-tenths lower than it did on Saturday. At Westport and Greymouth the sky was mostly clear but cloudy, and gloomy weather prevailed at all other places. Between Auckland and Lyttelton the winds were from the north-east, but further south the glass had risen slightly, and the wind had changed to the southward. We are glad to observe that Miss Aitkcn (Mrs. J. L. Bunteu) will, by request, give a reading in the Odd Fellows' Hall to-morrow night. Miss Aitkeu, we learn, is about to return to Europe.

The Luna will leave for Canterbury and Port Chalmers this morning at 10 o'clock with, the English and American maila Mr. Dransfield addressed the ratepayers at Gillespie's Hotel, Tinakori-road, last evening. A unanimous vote of confidence in him was passed. Six drunkards were dealt with in the customary manner at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. A case of assault was remanded till to-day. The out-going mail, via Suez, will be despatched by the Tararua, on Sunday next, the 20th inst. That via San Francisco will not be sent out . from. Wellington until Wednesday, the 23rd inst. The delay of over three days in despatching the Cyphrenes from San Francisco was not made up on the run across the Pacific, in consequence of the unfavorable weather met with. The ship, therefore, could not be got ready at Sydney in time for the outward voyage punctually to date, and hence a delay of two days. The Times' summary will be published on the morning of Saturday next,, so that it may be posted by way of Suez. . We may add, that it is possible many expectants of letters by the Cyphrenes may have been disappointed, as it was only known in London that a mail would be made up for New Zealand by way of San Francisco half-an-hour before it was despatched.

The fine new and very largo steamer Easby arrived in Wellington harbor at a very early hour yesterday morning from Port Chalmers, for the 'first time. She will now be a regulartrader to this port on her voyages to and from Sydney and Newcastle. Capt. Kennedy was warmly congratulated by many of his old friends here on his succession to the corny mand of a ship so large and good. The Easby brought on Melbourne mads transhipped to her at Port Chalmers from the Claud Hamilton. It may be interesting to know what is the strength of the female vote in a municipal election, or that to take place on Thursday for the Mayoralty. We find that in Te Aro Ward the ladies muster more strongly than in the others, there being sixty-four female electors there, having eighty-six votes. "In Lambton Ward there are sixteen, with thirty-two votes ; and in Thorndon forty-two, with sixty votes. Total—l 22 female voters, possessing 178 votes. This morning the Government p.s. Luna will take a quantity of oil and stores on board for the Southern lighthouses. She will proceed as far south as the Snares, from whence it has not yet been determined which coast she will return by. Mr. Seed, Mr. Blackett, and Captain Johnston will visit the several lighthouses on the route. Colonel Moule will also be a passenger. In answer to a correspondent, BdVs Life of September 26th says : —" Mountjoy walked 79 miles per day for six successive days in June, 1840, on a turnpike road, and Captain Barclay ran 110 miles in 19h. 27min. Men like Mountjoy, Townshend, Fuller, or Captain Barclay would beat a horse easily in a journey of 400 or 500 miles." Ten of the town volunteers who had qualified as company representatives at the colonial prize fixing, fired yesterday morning for district representatives. Out of the ten only one, Mr. Rountree, of the Scottish Corps, succeeded in qualifying with a score of eighty-four. Captain Crowe, of the Veterans, had three to make with his last shot, which proved to be an outer, and he failed to qualify. The morning was not favorable for shooting, there not being sufficient wind to take the haze and smoke off the range. The happily rare spectacle of a military funeral will be seen here to-day. The late Mr. P. Flannagan, chief clerk to Messrs. Hart and Buckley, was a member of the Wellington "Volunteer Artillery company, and his comrades will follow his remains to the grave, and bury them with military honors. Members of the corps are requested to attend. A Cricket match was played on Monday on the Basin Reserve between the College and the Red, White, and Blue Cricket Clubs. After some good fielding on the part of the Red, White, and Blues, the College Cricket Club won by one run and nine wickets to spare. The scores were —Red, White, and Blue: First innings, 51 runs ; second, 26 ; College : first, 73 runs ; second, 6". At a meeting of the committee of the Horticultural Society, held at the Museum on Friday evening (Mr. Ludlain in the chair), it was decided that the next show should be a two days' show, the second day to be in the nature of a horticultural bazaar and musical soiree. Plants not disposed of in the day will be sold by auction in the evening, the society receiving 20 per cent, out of all sales. This will form a new feature at future shows. All exhibits for sale will be ticketed, with the prices marked upon them at which they can be purchased.

The final entertainment of the series, given by St. Peter's choir, takes place this evening at the schoolroom, Ghuzuee-street. The programme to be submitted will be exceptionally good, the choir having made great preparations for a thoroughly successful concert. The object for which the series was initiated has been most successfully attained so far, and the final entertainment will be no less creditable to Mr. Hammerton than the rest have been. Preparations are going on for the great American Circus Troupe which will arrive here on Thursday by the s.s. Wellington from Nelson. The site secured for the tent is on the reclaimed land, at the corner of Johnston and Featherston-streets. It is a spacious piece of ground, and on it will be put up a marquee capable of seating a thousand people—for in Messrs. Bird, Blow, and King's circus seats are provided for the patrons of the pit as well as well as for those of the stalls and circle. It is also worthy of notice that the audience will not be offended with the smell of naphtha or kerosene, Mr. King having made arrangements for the lighting up of the circus with gas, which will be supplied from the mains of the Gas Company. The proprietors, we have no doubt, will do all in their power to make their visitors comfortable. We shall take another opportunity of referring to the members of the troupe more at length. The p.s. Mauawatu, which left on Sunday evening for Flaxboume, returned to port last night. She was to have brought back a cargo of wool, but on arrival at Flaxboume there was found to be too great a roll on the beach to admit of landing or shipping wool, and, after waiting for twelve hours, Captain Griffiths deemed it prudent to return to Wellington. At a meeting of the Wellington Co-operative Baking Society, held last evening in the sideroom of the Odd Fellows' Hair, a provisional committee, to conduct the affairs of the society for a month, was appointed. The meeting adjourned till that day month, when a committee for the ensuing year will beelected. The New Zealand Steam Shipping Company have announced trips for Boxing Day—Monday, the 28th instant—which are certain to be well patronised. Steamers of their line will take pleasure-seekers to Queen Charlotte's Sound, entering by Tory Channel, and returning via the north entrance. A finer marine excursion, -amid the most beautiful scenery, could not be desired. A deputation of influential Sydney merchants lately waited upon Sir Hercules Robinson, in reference to the 4th clause of the Fiji Provisional Constitution, which is in the following words :—" That no proceeding or suit shall be brought or instituted in any Court in this colony to recover any sum of money on any cause of action accrued prior to the ,Ist of January, 1871." Hiß Excellency having taken into consideration the representations made to him by the petitioners, caused to be forwarded to them a letter from his private secretary, of which the following is a copy:—" Gentlemen, —I am directed by his Excellency to inform you that he has this day signed a proclamation to be inserted in the Fiji Qazcttt providing that no proceeding or suit shall be brought or instituted in any Court in the colony of Fiji to recover any sum on any cause of action accrued prior to the Ist January, 18CS 0 , and repealing clause 4of the Provisional Constitution."

Blondin, we understand, intends to make his tour of NeW Zealand early in the new year. ■■..■. A passenger by the ship Balloehmyle, from Lvttelton to San Francisco, named Dr. Edward Smyth; fell overboard on the 6th of September, ■ and was drowned. He-was-a native of Dundee, and twenty-sevon years of age. ' The Tribune of last night says : —" It is only the barest justice to the telegraph agency to say that they sent, no telegram to the Auckand Echo, such as the Times this morning says they did send, about the reception of_ the Governor here. It must have been a private telegram to that paper." The Echo of the 11th instant contains the paragraph quoted by the Times yesterday under the heading" AngloAustralian Telegraph Agency," and it occurs in the middle of the message. We yesterday expressed a belief that the message as printed was not forwarded by the agency, and we are glad to learn that our surmise was correct. Nevertheless, the Echo prints the false message, and attributes it to the agency here. No doubt they received it from some private correspondent in Wellington, and took the unwarrantable liberty of attaching it to the Press Agency telegrams. The late presentation at Auckland to Captain t'aiichild is thus noticed by the JV«o Zealand Herald: —" A very pleasing ceremony took . place at Government House. This consisted of the presentation of a chaste silver inkstand by Capuiin Fergusson for and on behalf of SirJames Fergusson, the retiring Governor of New Zealand, to Captain Fairchild, the commander of the Government steam-yacht Luna. The presentation would have been made by Sir James Fergusson personally but for his unexpectedly sudden departure from Auckland. Captain Fergusson, in making the presentation, conveyed to Captain Fairchild the pleasure felt, by his Excellency at the. attention at all times shown to himself and suite by Captain Fairchild. He trusted the gallant captain would accept the small keepsake as a memento of Sir James Fergusson's visit to New Zealand. Captain Fairchild replied that he felt proud in the possession of such a gift coming from such noble hands, and that the recollection of the Governorship of Sir James Fergusson, and the remembrance of his estimable lady, would ever remain on the tablets of his memory. The inkstand is a handsome ornament, valued at £2O, the manufacture of Messrs. Kohn Brothers, jewellers, Queen-street. On the inkstand is inscribed "Captain John Fairchild, with Sir James Fergusson's kind regards." The competition between the steamshipowners of Liverpool in the American trade is now so great, and the feeling so antagonistic, that two of them —the Cunard and the National—have for some time carried passengers from New York to Liverpool for fifteen I dollars (£3) ; while the Scotch line sold their "" v ikets at twelve dollars (£2 83). It has been ascertained that between May and September, at these cheap rates, fifty thousand emigrants left New York for England. We observe that among the passengers from San Francisco by the Cyphrenes were Mr. and Miss Amy Stone, who were proceeding to Sydney and Melbourne to fulfil engagements with Mr. George Coppin. The hands of Mr. Coppin, however, are at present so full that letters received by Mr. Stone induced him and his daughter to remain in Auckland for the present. They will play a season in New Zealand before proceeding to Australia. The Cyphrenes, moreover, had quite a number of musical celebrities on board. Among them were the Baker Comedy Hibernico Company, who give an entertainment illustrative of Ireland, her songs, scenery, and legendary lore; and a party of artists, male and female, styled the Howarth Comedy Company, their speciality, too, being Hibernian. A clever ventriloquist, Mr. E. D. Davies, from the London Polytechnic and Niblo's Garden, New York, accompanied by his daughter, a clever pianiste, were also on board, under engagement to Mr. John Bennett, of Sydney. Lastly, among the notorieties was Mrs. Carrie Bichards, who appears to have left her husband in San Francisco to proceed possibly to England, and returned alone to Sydney. She distinguished herself, it appears, on the passage, in imitation of the Zavistowski girls at Sandhurst, in Victoria, where they whipped with a 1 parasol, on the street, a loose-tongued solicitor. I The Cross says of her :—On crossing the Line the usual ceremonies in honor of Father Neptune were observed, and, as usual, gave rise to much amusement, and tended to relieve the monotony of the voyage. One of the ladies on board was annoyed, and finding that one of her silk gowns was slightly damaged by a few stains, immediately accused her fellow-passen- , £Wgr of having done it, stating that she knew it nad only been done for spite, and produced a horsewhip, with which she inflicted one or two cuts on the back of the astonished passenger, who quickly wrested the lethal implement from the dame ; and, having done so, explained—not to her, but to his other fellow-passengers—-that he was blameless in the matter, a statement which, as we are informed, was accepted as truthful. There will, no doubt, be a good attendance and considerable competition at the sale of freehold property by Mr. B. J. Duncan at his auction mart to-day. Two dwelling-houses in Pirie-street, and a similar number in Hainingstreet will be offered for sale.