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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4348, 25 February 1875, Page 2

Sir George Grey, it appears, has not only consented to offer himself as a candidate for the representation of Auckland City West, but has also, in room of the late Mr. Williamson, expressed his willingness to become Superintendent of Auckland, if the constituency bo desires it. Auckland is likely, we apprehend, to have just a little too much of. Sir George Grey. One of three locomotives being manufactured at Mills' foundry for the Manawatu tramway, is at present nearly completed. As it stands it conveys a very fair idea of the capabilities of the foundry, but when it is finished, in about a fortnight, it will be an object worth a visit, as being the first locomotive manufactured in Wellington. The plans show that it will be in all respects equal if not superior to the locomotive manufactured by Fraser and Tynne, which was landed on the wharf from Aucldand some weeks back. These Jocomotives, it may be said, form but an item in a long list of undertakings which Mr. Seager, the manager, has in hand at present. An iron bridge for the neighborhood of Rangitikei, parts of alarge bridge in the province of Canterbury, a twenty-horse power steam engine, a large marine boiler for the Stormbird (to cost about £1000), several large steam saws and gear for mills in the neighborhood of .Blenheim, and others for Manawatu, a number of iron columns for the new Museum building, and other works which are now, or have recently been in hand, prove the capabilities of tho foundry to be second to none in tho colony. The locomotives when finished will be properly described. Tho Alhambra, from Melbourne, wa3 at Nekon yesterday, and may be expected here tins morning.

Unimportant telegrams were received by the General Government from the AgentGeneral early this week, but still there is no news of or from the Premier.

His Worship the Mayor proceeded by coach to "Wanganui this morning, having been called by telegram to attend professionally to important business. His stay there will probably be protracted for ten or twelve days. The strong W.N.W. wind which prevailed yesterday morning increased during the afternoon to such an extent as to cause the English barque Ardentinny and the American brigantine Osseo to drag their anchors a considerable distance.

We are requested to direct attention to the fact that the sale of Crown lands in the township of Bunnythorpe, and other parts of the province, will take place this day in the Provincial Council Chambers, commencing at 11 o'clock in the forenoon.

The re-appearance. of the Rev. Charles Clark on the lecture-platform has been fixed for Monday next, and will take place in the Odd Fellows' Hall, which it is much to be regretted was not available when Mr. Clark first arrived here. His entertainments, in addition to their other attractions, are so amusing that they seem out of place in a church, especially in an insufficiently lighted church ; and hundreds who have not yet heard the celebrated lecturer and elocutionist will doubtless avail themselves of this more favorable opportunity of doing so. Monday night's entertainment will, consist of an entirely new lecture on Charles Dickens, with, of course, fresh illustrative recitals ; and we notice that the increased accommodation afforded by the Odd Fellows' Hall enables the management to fix a lower scale of charges for admission.

The erection of the sea-wall in connection with the Thorndon reclamation is being rapidly proceeded with. The main row of piles, which is about half a mile in length, is nearly finished, and the last pile in the row will probably be driven about the end of next week. As everybody is aware, the land for reclamation comprises all within a straight line drawn from the end of the breastwork at the Lion Foundry to the railway station at Pipitea Point. When the main and outer row of piles—which is composed of jarrah timber, shod, and driven seven feet into the ground—is finished, walling timbers, also of jarrah, will be bolted on to the inner side of the piles, the line of walling timber being begun about a foot from the bottom. Each piece of timber will be 30ft. long, and 12in. x lOin. in thickness, with scarps of 3ft. at each end. Near the top of the main row will be attached, also with bolts and scarps, a marginal line of totara of the same dimensions as the walling timbers. The sheathing piles, which are also of jarrah,are 12in. x 4in., and will be driven five feet, then attached by bolts to the walling and marginal timbers. This will form the sea wall, the piles being visible seaward. Another row of piles, of totara timber, will be driven about twelve feet, on the inner .side of the main line, but the pile heads will be invisible at high water. Six feet is the depth to which tills row will be driven, and it will act as a stay to the main row, to which it will be attached by large and weighty iron ties from pile to pile. It has been calculated that nearly five thousand pieces of timber will require to be driven before the sea-Wail is in a proper state to receive the pressure of the earth used in the reclamation. The piles in the main row are driven seven feet"; the inner row will be driven six feet, and the sheathing. timber five feet. Fortunately, the ground is soft and favorable for pile-driving ; and with the gear which was used by the Patent Slip Company, the contractor, Mr. O'Malley, is malting famous progress. Including the small square reclaimed by the General Government, the block now being worked upon comprises 49J acres. - Graceful foliage and the limbs of forest giants are very admiral things in their proper places, but it is very clear that before long the City Surveyor will have to trouble several citizens to remove those limbs which have outgrown the bounds of their owner's property. In the first place they give pedestrians an unpleasant " drip " in wet weather, but there are more serious considerations than these to be taken into account. For instance, at the corner of Bolton-street, on the Terrace, the blue-gums have overgrown the telegraph wires as well as the footpath, and it is not beyond possibility that the first heavy breezes will necessitate a visit from Mr. Lemon's workmen to replace wires carried away.

A successful course of services has been, held in connection with the Primitive Methodist Sunday-school, at Webb-street. Three sermons were preached on Sunday, 21st instant, the afternoon service being specially devoted to the young. On Tuesday evening the annual tea meeting was held in the church, and a public meeting was commenced obout7 o'clock. A crowded audience spent two hours pleasantly, listening, to recitations which were well rendered by the children, and which displayed the good taste of the teachers in their selection. Mr. W. Luke read the report, from which we learn that the number of scholars is 176, showing an increase of thirty-six for the year. There are nineteen teachers, being an increase of five since the last anniversary. The money raised for the support of the school was £ii 7s. 5d., and the expenditure amounted to £H 9s. Id. The school is in a prosperous state, and the anniversary services were quite a success.

Messrs. Purdy and Ashton have decided to contest their walking match- on Monday evening next, on the Basin Eeserve. The amount of the stake is £25 a-sido ; three events—one, two, and three miles, the winner of two events to take the money. The match is looked forward to with considerable interest, Ashton being a stranger to Wellington, but with a fair reputation for speed and style. A handicap flat race will be run during the interval between two of the walking events, the prize, a cup, being giving by the " walkists." Entries for the handicap are to be made at the New Zealander Hotel on to-morrow evening.

The steamer Manawatu left the wharf at half-past three yesterday afternoon on her excursion trip to Nelson. There were about seventy-five excursionists on board, a third of whom were ladies. The steamer also took two racing boats—a new whaleboat and a pair-oar skiff—belonging to the Star Club, crews being on board the steamer. She also took a cricket team. The wind, which had been strong from the W.N.W. during the day, increased in the afternoon, and it was feared the excursionists would receive a severe shaking in the Strait. It lis probable Captain Evans would steam for Tory Channel, and malce a considerable portion of tho passago "in the smooth water of Queen Charlotte Sound. The regatta at Nelson takes place to-day, to-morrow and Saturday being allotted for the cricket match. For the champion whaleboat race the following are the crew to man the Star Club's new whaleboat: —Lennox (stroke), Johnson, Webb, Cornish, and James Ames, O'Meara steersman. Messrs. Webb and Johnson will row the pair-oar in the champion race, and Messrs. Turnbull and James in the amateur race. The following players compose the Wellington cricket team : Messrs. Mason, Werry, Kemp, Armitage, Knapp, Lowe, I. J. Salmon,. Gouge, Lockett, Edmunds, and Cornish. The Manawatu will leave Nelson on Saturday evening, arriving in Wellington early on Sunday morning. Mr. W. 0. Yuille, the Melbourne Argus states, has received instructions from the owner to dispose of the two celebrated New Zealand racers Lurline and Calumny. They would be offered for sale by Messrs. McCulloch, Campbell, and Co., at Kirk's Bazaar, on the 22nd instant. Lurline, remarks the Argus, has a great reputation on tho New Zealand turf, and she showed a taste of her quality at Geelong when she made the running for her stable companion in the Geelone; Handicap. Calumny proved herself a first-class mare by winning tho race. Both mares are considered favorably weighted for the V.R.C. Autumn Meeting.

The last inward Suez mail was considerably larger than that for Now South Wales, and approximated to that oven for Victoria. The number of bags was: For Sydney, 67; for New Zealand, 81 ; and for Victoria, 125. The incoming mail by that route, we learn, left Galle on tho 12tk instant, or two days before time.

There were no cases, civil or criminal, at the City Court yesterday, his Worship being absent at the Hutt Court.

We observe that the Macgregor, then about to start from Sydney with the San Francisco mail via Auckland, was detained for a few hours in Sydney to enable replies to be sent by her to letters received by the Nubia via Suez. The favorite steamship Wellington is, we understand, to be fitted with compound engines, as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made. The New Zealand Steam Shipping Company have called for tenders for the doing of the work.

The Avalanche has completed her discharge with the exception of some railway iron. We understand that this fine ship will, after taking in a portion of her homeward cargo here, proceed to Lyttelton to fill up. Already, nearly the whole of her passenger accomodation has been engaged. A curious case of somnambulism is reported by the Albury papers, N.S.W. It is stated that a boy living at Albury walked two miles, though in a profound sleep the whole time, during which he divested himself of clothing and walked home in his shirt, opened the gate, passed through the garden, entered the house, closed the door, and went to bed. A seven-roomed cottage in Pipitea-street, the property of Captain Holt, was sold yesterday by Mr. George Thomas, in his auction room, and fell to Mr. Toxward, at £7OO. The land —divided in two —has a frontage of 110 ft., with a varying depth. There were mortgages on the property to the amount of £SOO, and at an advance on that amount the biddings commenced. The competition was not brisk, the amount realised was less than was anticipated, and the sale may be regarded as one more proof that house property in Wellington has seen its maximum value for some time to come.

Intelligence has been received in Geelong with respect to the Gisborne Eifie (New Zealand) Match with the Geelong Volunteers, to the effect that the New Zealand men fired on the 9th ult., making a total of 501 points, beating the Geelong men by 34. Captain Porter, of the Gisborne men, considered his corps had fired'badly, and expected to be beaten. The New Zealanders, however, had splended weather, whilst the Geelong corps had a very rough day, which accounts in some measure for the difference in the totals. The current number of the Australasian Sketcher says :—" In New Zealand the attraction has of late been divided between Miss Christian, Miss May Howard, and the Bev. Chas. Clark, the gentleman taking the principal share of popularity, Miss Christian coming next." This is perfectly true as regards Mr. Clark ; but with respect to Miss Christian, it is to be remarked that as yet it is only the people of Auckland whose ears have been charmed and hearts won by the popular English vocalist. Two young men, brothers, described as respectable-lookinar, were lately charged at the City Police Court, Melbourne, with stealing a number of articles of new wearing apparel foom the warehouse of Messrs. Dodgshun and Co., Flinders-lane, a firm by whom one of the young men was employed. The case against them was that the one had been in the habit of stealing articles of clothing, which he managed to convey to the other as he walked past the premises in the dark, and they afterwards pawned them. The prisoners were committed for trial, but not before Mr. C. A. Smyth, counsel for the prisoners, had called attention to the fact that a young man, placed in a responsible position, received only a salary of five shillings per week !