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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4886, 18 November 1876, Page 2

, The outward San Francisco mail despatched by the City of New York yesterdy afternoon, consisted of 2842 letters, 3446 papers, and 162 books for Europe; and 288 letters, 216 papers, and 24 books for America.

We were informed yesterday evening that Mrs. Coleman, who. was shot by her husband, was improving rapidly yesterday afternoon. Dr. Grace attended her at twelve o’clock, when she appeared very much better. Hopes are entertained of her recovery. It was reported yesterday afternoon that a child had been drowned in a pool of water in Taranaki-street. The report was incorrect. It appears that a little child belonging to Mrs. Sherra, of Taranaki-street, fell into a pool of water at about two o’clock yesterday afternoon. The mother saw the accident, and went to the rescue. Dr. Harding attended, and the child soon recovered.

The Court of Appeal adjourned yesterday afternoon until Wednesday, as the sittings of the full Court under the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act, 1867, will take place on Monday. There are no less than thirteen causes set down for trial, of which nine are for hearing. The following is the list of cases, the places where they arise, and the stage of ■‘proceedings in each case :—Grant v. Grant and Bethel, Wellington, for decree absolute ; Thomas v. Thomas and Hayes, Dunedin, for decree absolute ; Gann v. Cann and Howard, Dunedin, for hearing ; Grace v. Grace and Arepata te Ngatioa, Auckland, for decree m; Grant v. Grant and Challender, Wellington, for hearing; Cameron v. Cameron, Wellington, for hearing; Gordon v. Gordon and Wilson, Wellington, for hearing ; Smith v. Smith and King, Wellington, for decree absolute ; Stanley v. Stanley, Wellington, for hearing ; Forrest v. , Forrest and Hayes, Dunedin, for hearing ; Dyson v. Dyson and Forward, Christchurch, for hearing ; Brown v. Brown and Fall, Nelson, forbearing; and Pell v. Pell and Shepherd, Nelson, for hearing. A special general meeting of the Wellington Cricketers’ Association ,was held last night at the Pier Hotel, Mr. Buckland in the chair. A letter was read from the Marton Cricket Club, asking when the association would send a team to play the Marton district. It was resolved that, in view of the English match, it would not be advisable to send a team until after the English Eleven’s visit. The secretary was instructed to ask if the Marton Club would send an eleven to Wellington,’ with a view to having Marton representatives in the match . against the Englishmen. ■lt was also resolved that each club which has paid its subscription to the association should choose one of its delegates as a member of the association's match. Some opposition was offered to this by Mr. J. A. Salmon, but his objection was overruled and the motion carried. A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the meeting. Mr. W. W. Johnston, Italian Consul, was yesterday waited upon by six Italian immigrants, accompanied by Mr. Strachan, the interpreter. They stated that they were in a starving state, and.totally unable to help themselves in consequence of their inability to obtain employment. These people are allowed to sleep in the Depot, but are not provided with food, and therefore they had to go without, as they stated to Mr. Johnston. That gentleman . informed them that the Italian Government' did not authorize him to', afford them ’ any relief, but he advised them to represent their case to the Premier. The Italian deputation acted in accordance with his advice, and were told that a reply would be, given at 3 o’clock. At that hour they were informed that their wants should be supplied for a time until employment could be found for them. One of the learned counsel, whilst arguing a case in the Court. of Appeal yesterday, got into what might be termed a “logical dilemma.” The case under consideration was an application to set aside a protection order made by a Eesident Magistrate, and the learned gentleman asked pathetically, was a husband to be committed entirely to the hands of a magistrate, who, in all probability, was both incompetent and ignorant., Their Honors had been pretty unanimous in giving the magistrate the moral support of their united opinion, and Mr. Justice Johnston at once drew the logical inference from the learned counsel’s remarks, and he, poor man, looked very red and uncomfortable.

The civil list at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday was unusually light. The following were the oases that came before the Court; —Munro. w. Carkeek, claim, £6 155.; judgment summons. Defendant was ordered to pay the amount within one month, or to go to gaol for one' month. J. A. Williams v. W. McLean. This waa an action brought by the plaintiff to recover from the defendant the sura of £3O, the value of a photographic lens alleged to be retained illegally by the defendant. Judgment was given for the amount claimed and costs.'

The pit and stalls of the Theatre Royal were very well attended last evening, and there were a few visitors to the dress circle. “ Aurora Floyd” was the principal piece. It was put upon the stage very fairly, Mrs. Bates playing the part of Aurora with characteristic ability. But Mr. Deering is deserving of special praise. It may be confidently asserted that the character of Softy, or Steve Hargrave, has seldom been impersonated with such genuine effect as it was last night by this gentleman. It is only fair when an actor distinguishes himself that his success should be acknowledged, and there is no doubt that Mr. Deering’s acting in the last scene of this piece was of a very high order, and fairly fascinated the audience. The struggle in which Hargrave engages with John Hellish (Mr. Metcalfe), was more natural than anything the' writer has seen. As a rule these stage contests are very tame affairs, the conquered party, dropping in the right place asif he were a machine, and becoming suddenly like a stuffed figure. Messrs. Deering and Metcalfe, however, went at the business in proper style, and really struggled bard, as could be plainly' seen from the extraordinary positions into which : they got themselves occasionally, and when Softy is overcome by the assistance of Mat Harrison and Madeliaon, his acting was really fine. He was dragged out, and then the other-characters in the play would have made their little parting speeches of congratulation before the fall of the curtain had those other characters been permitted, which they were not,; for the audience, though not large, applauded to au extent that was simply deafening, Mr, Deering being called from different parts of the house. Evidently it would not have done for t Softy to make his appearance' again, after having been dragged away in disgrace as a felon, and then to make a graceful bow in acknowledgement of the compliment, so the curtain was dropped whilst.the audience were applauding, and it was raised again, disclosing the group of actors, Mr. Deering being, ■ in the centre of them; and decidedly the centre of attraction. This gentleman may be congratulated on a success so decided. The performance concluded 'with the farce of “ Nan, i the Good for Nothing.” ■' To-night the sensational drama of “ The Corsican Brothers” will be produced.

An hotelkeeper at the Kumara has sold out for £I9OO.

The Carterton Local Board has by resolution decided to come under the new Rating Act.

Mr. Levin, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, accompanied by Mrs. Levin, left by the mail steamer. City of New York, on their way to England, yesterday. Barlow’s Circus did not show last night. The company depart by the Murray to-night, the captain having delayed the vessel to accommodate them.

The Hokitika bakers have lowered the price of bread, whilst those at Greymouth have raised it. This has excited comment in the local Press.

Yesterday afternoon, when the small two-ton crane on the wharf was lifting a heavy piece of iron it toppled over, and the top portion fell on to the s.s. Murray’s deck, but ■ fortunately did that vessel no harm. The crane itself was smashed to pieces. Yesterday afternoon Sergeant Ready arrested a man named Aldridge on a warrant charging him with larceny of certain property belonging to a man named Hoskins. He was taken before a justice of the peace, and remanded till this day. He will make his appearance at the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning. A distressing accident happened to a young man named Howe in Taranaki-street yesterday. Whilst examining his horse’s hoof, he accidentally slipped and fell, and the horse at once commenced kicking. The unfortunate young fellow’s head was laid open by a kick from the animal, and his throat and eyelid were considerably damaged, Dr, Diver was sent for and attended him.

The Athenaeum buildings and attachments were sold by public auction yesterday by Mr. J. H. Wallace. The sale was held on the. site of the Athenaeum. The iron fence and stone steps were sold to Mr. Waters for £49, the first bid having been £lO. Lot 1 having been , thus disposed of, those in attendance, at the invitation of the auctioneer, then entered the building, which was next offered, and fetched only £lO, the bid of Mr. Williams, and the,,, only one made. Neither the foundation-stone nor the gas fittings were included in this purchase. A number of articles of furniture and books, papers, &c., were then sold, realising fair prices. In the case of Frederick Butler, charged with assaulting William Quee, a further adjournment was granted at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, the Mayor and Mr. R. J. Duncan being the presiding justices. On Monday last, when the case was called on, Mr. Buckley for the complainant was present, and an adjournment was applied for by Mr. Martin, of Somes Island, for whom Butler was working. The adjournment was granted. When the case was called on yesterday defendant was again absent, and Mr. Martin stated that he had been unable to attend owing to the late boisterous weather, there having been no communication between the island and the shore for the last few days. Mr. Buckley complained of the delay which had occurred, his client and three witnesses having had to attend on two occasions, but he would agree to a further remand if defendant paid the costa which had been incurred up to the present time, and gave bail for his appearance on some future day. The Bench ordered defendant to pay all costs arising out of the case so far, and bound him over in the sum of £lO to appear at the Court at 10 o’clock on Monday morning next. The Auckland correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says that everything in business is very dull, and property much depressed. People will not operate where confidence is not felt, and the sooner vigorous effort is made to restore that confidence the better. The mining world is the only one in which there is any activity. The Upper Thames goldfield is getting firmly established, and the first escort of 13580z5. has arrived in Grahamstown. The works at Tairua and Ohinemuri are extensive, and there is every hope of a good return when the delay and dead work incidental to all quartz-mining are over. The Thames is also looking up. Many of the mines are doing very well, and among others the Red Queen, which is one of the oldest oh the Thames. Its history is curious. It was opened in 1868, and a company formed in 1869. It is situated next to the Caledonian, and is worked through its shafts and drives. For years the company has gone on spending money and prospecting ground that had gold, but did not pay. The calls have always been met, however, as people did not like to give up their shares. Its capital had been all called up. The company was £l2O in debt, and literally on its last legs, when the tributers hit good gold, and the percentage from them put the company a little into funds for further prospecting. They have a large reef, which was only discovered a few months ago, and on crushing fifty tons from it found an unexpectedly large yield of 3ozs. to the ton. This has given a new fillip to the company, and thirty men are now at work on the reef, with every prospect of success. The other mines in the neighborhood are also looking well, and hopes are rising that we shall have something good during the summer. Speculation in shares is, however, dead, and it is to be hoped will not be revived. It is that which has done so much harm and caused so much loss. The money spent on actual mining is comparatively trifling when we look at the enormous return there has been from it, and mining must continue for generations to be one of Auckland’s firmest supports. Coromandel is doing well, and the Union Beach—her premier mine at present—is nearly free of the water so stupidly allowed to gain upon it. Lately a little girl was frightened to death in Canterbury. A number of boys and girls, ; who were mostly children of the working class, were at play on the village green. It would appear that a little girl named Sarah Jarvis, naturally of a most timid disposition, was chosen as the victim of a practical joke. A mischievously disposed lad named Richard White dressed himself up as ghost, with a mask surmounted by a white cap, a short black cloak, and a long white skirt. Thus habited he waited at the comer of a lane through which Sarah Jarvis had to pass on her way home. As she approached he gave utterance to a hollow groan to attract her attention. The effect was electrical. The poor little girl sank to the earth in a state of insensibility. The shook to the system was so great that she expired on the Monday following. We notice by the Melbourne papers that arrangements are in progress in Victoria, for issuing a rainy weather chart, similar in character to those published in England and America. It is now some months since Mr. Ellery, the Government Astronomer, initiated a, scheme whereby the various colonial Governments might combine to arrange a thoroughly reliable system of weather telegraphy. ' The late serious shipping disasters on the coast tended to urge the matter forward, and as only a few details have now to be settled with a neighboring colony, it may be expected that the system will very shortly be brought into active operation. Observations taken at the various stations at 9 a.m. will be at once telegraphed to the Melbourne Observatory, and from the data thus received the weather chart will be made up and delivered to subscribers about noon of each day. The compilation and publication of the chart is to be undertaken by private enterprise. Dr. Stark’s investigations and statistics of the relative mortality of town and rural districts in Scotland are published in the Edinburgh Medical Journal. Of the striking facts brought to light by Dr. Stark, the following appear to be among the most important:—That were all the town children of Scotiandreared in the country, at least 8000 lives would be annually saved to the papulation; second, could the mortality of the towns be brought down to that of the mainland districts, upward of 13,000 lives would be thus saved to the population, and every individual living in the large towns would, on an average, live ten and .a half years longer than he has any chance of ■doing at present. Still further, if from the rural districts were excluded the towns with populations varying from three thousand to ten thousand inhabitants, the mean age at 'death

would have been about 40 years instead o£ 35, and could the mortality of the towns be brought down to that of the purely rural districts of the mainland, then the average life of the town population would be increased about fifteen years. A Gas Company’s Bill before the Victorian Legislature contains clauses providing for the testing of the gas, both as regards its illuminating power and its purity. Clause A provides that the standard argand burner shall give a fourteen sperm candle light. By the following clause the company is ordered to erect testing places, with apparatus, at its different works, and the “ local authorities of any district within the limits of the Act” are authorised to appoint a gas examiner, whose duty it shall be to apply the tests. The London correspondent of the Canterbury Press says :—“The action of the New Zealand Parliament in voting £BOOO to the family of the late Dr. Feathers ton has created much satisfaction here amongst New Zealanders, who know how zealously the late Agent-General devoted himself to the public service. The five Misses Featherston left Plymouth two days ago for New Zealand, in the Northumberland, via Melbourne.” The Dunedin papers mention that Mr. Kennedy, Scottish vocalist, has forwarded a draft for ten guineas to the Working Men’s Club, in fulfilment of a promise made by him before leaving Dunedin. Mr. Kennedy and family, at the time of his writing, were commencing a tour in their native land, where they were received with enthusiasm. The old veteran contemplates another visit to the colonies at the time he promised, in 1880, when he may rely upon a cordial reception from all lovers of Scottish song. Magistrates are often puzzled how best to deal with those oft-appearing culprits, the determined votaries of Bacchus. The Huddersfield Bench has apparently hit upon a new plan ; whether or no it will work well remains to be seen. Recently a man named Wright was brought before them. Of course the fellow expected to hear the usual “five shillings and costs,” oracularly pronounced by lips sacred to legal utterances ; but he was .mistaken. The Bench discharged him—on what terms ? On condition that he should sign the temperance pledge, and report himself to the Superintendent of Police for a month as having kept it. Wright rightly agreed to the terms ; and in order to make sure of their man, so that no time should be lost in his signing against tippling, or in enjoying a draught from the crystal spring, a policeman hauled him off to an officer of the temperance society. It is possible this will make a new man of Wright; the only drawback to our enjoyment of the story is, that our informant significantly added that the magistrates themselves (Messrs. Briggs, Jones, Marsden, and Taylor) did not offer to take the pledge. Writing on the chances of war,’ the Pall Mall Gazette points out in how much better a position England is at the present day than she was during the Napoleonic struggle. “In 1797 we had to contend with the mutiny at the Nore, the most serious that ever menaced the safety of a maritime state; in 1798 Ireland was in rebellion, and a French force on Irish soil. There was much disaffection in England and still more in Scotland, which was practically unrepresented in Parliament. Ex officio informations for libel, and even executions for high treason, were only too common. In 1812 English soldiers were at once employed in driving the French out of Spain and putting down the Luddites at home. Our Ministers again—the Duke of Portland, Spencer Perceval, Lord Liverpool—would hardly be called men of genius by their warmest friends, while the genius of Pitt was not that of an administrator. Such a driveller as Lord Chatham was at the head of the Admiralty from!7Bß to 1794, and was afterwards entrusted with the command of the Waloheren Expedition. Another selection of Pitt’s, for the Government of the navy, Lord Melville, only escaped condemnation for malpractices by a party vote. As to the War Office, we can scarcely be said to have had such an institution. The conduct of the war was supposed to be divided in uncertain parts between the King, the Prime Minister, the Secretary of S|ate ‘ for War and the Colonies,’ the Commander-in Chief, and the Secretary at War. It was the King who named the Duke of. York to the command in the Low Countries. After his Royal Highness had been defeated at Dunkirk, at Bois-le-Duc, and at Boxtel, Pitt suggested a courtmartial, but ultimately the Duke was only named Commander-in-Chief of the whole British army (February 11, 1795 b The Wardle and Clark scandal compelling him to resign in' 1809, he was reappointed in 1811, and was soon quarrelling with Lord Palmerston, because the Secretary at War insisted on having a voice in the administration of the army. British military organisation is still far from perfect, but it has at least emerged from this primitive chaos, and the nation has definitely assumed the supreme command in the person of a Minister responsible to Parliament.”