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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5560, 23 January 1879, Page 2

There is rather a long list for the Supreme Court sitting in banco to dispose of to-day. It is as follows :—For judgment—Nathan v. Turnbull, demurrer (Bell). For argument— Barlow v. Nicholson, rule (Ollivier); McLean v. Nicholson, decree (Ollivier) ; Witton v. Kilminster, for verdict (Brandon) ; Henderson v. Evans, for decree (Hutchison); Wellington Corporation v. Port, for decree (Travers) ; Johnston v. O’Connor, rule (Buckley); Smith v. Gilmer, rule absolute (Buckley); Sinclair v. Daniels, notice to dismiss (Bell); Sinclair v. Daniels, to dissolve injunction (Bell); Gerse v. Taylor, for decree (Hutchison) ; Henderson (trustee of) v. Henderson, for decree. (Bell); Breer v. Gell, rule (Ollivier) ; Mills v. Day, motion to dismiss action (Beb) ; Nathan (trustee of) v. Nathan (Hutchison) ; Henderson (trustee of) v. Evans (Ollivier). Probably the list will not be got through to-day, in which case the business remaining will no doubt be taken to-morrow. There is also to be a sitting in bankruptcy to-morrow, to dispose of business on the paper. On Saturday the midsummer vacation commences, and extends to 18th March.

It is very probable that the tramway will at once bo extended to Newtown. The conditions imposed by the company, that' the residents shall subscribe for a certain number of shares in order to display their bona Jicle belief that the extension would pay, is being carried out, shares going off freely, and the Public Works Committee ot the City Council recommend that certain necessary works be done on the company deciding to extend the tramway. It is probable that the work of extension will be commenced before the month is out. The usual fortnightly meeting of the City Council will be held this evening. An adjourned meeting of the school committee conference is to be held on Friday evening. The man Parnell was brought up at the Police Court yesterday morning for stabbing his wife with a fork, and was remanded until Tuesday. A meeting of the Kegatta Committee is called for to-night at the Pier Hotel, at 8 o’clock, to consider protests (if any) and other business, before distributing the prizes. Mr. Inspector James, who arrived here on Tuesday from the West Coast, takes charge of the Wellington police force to-day. Inspector Atchison, we believe, leaves here at the end of the month, for Nelson. A cricket match will be played on the Basin Reserve, to-day, between the Wanganui and Wellington clubs. The match is advertised to begin at 10.30 a.m. sharp ; an admission of one shilling will be charged.

All parts of the Imperial Opera House were densely packed last night, on the occasion of the fourth representation of “Rainbow Revels.” The applause was most enthusiastic, and the encores were as frequent as ever, thus showing the popularity of the entertainment. “ Rainbow Revels ” will be withdrawn from the stage after to-morrow night, to give place^to “If,” which is said to form a most attractive bill of fare. The new piece will be submitted for the first time on Saturday night.

We were glad to see such a good house at Mr. Oily Hearing's benefit last night at the Theatre Royal. The curtain rose to tho sensational drama of “ Old Adam.” During the interval Mr. Hart sang three of his favorite songs. The performance concluded with the laughable comedy of “In the Pigskin.” In this piece Mr. Deering took the character of Tittans, a low comedy part, and the audience had ample opportunity of witnessinghis versatility. Tho piece was thoroughly enjoyed by those present, and Mr. Deering was several times loudly applauded. The five mile bicycle match between the Hon. Keith Falconer and John Keen was decided recently at Cambridge. Falconer beat Keen by 6yds., in the marvellous time of 15min. Usee., the time of the last mile being 2miu. £3 l-ssee.

It is stated that a gentleman in South Australia has been successful in clearing a portion of his run of rabbits, by using hay steeped in R solution of arsenic.

Mr. R. W. Cary, the manager of the Arctic World Panorama, arrived yesterday from Wanganui for the purpose of making arrangements to show here. Mr. Cary’s venture so far has been a decided success.

- That very clever piece of mechanism entitled “ The Blacksmith’s Bream” is now being exhibited in Willis-street, and is drawing large audiences. The Punch and-Judy exhibition affords an immense amount of amusement, and together with the “ Blacksmith’s Dream" is a good return for the small amount charged for admission.

The Australasian, in a recent article on the land laws of the colony says: —“ The population in New Zealand is utterly inadequate to the cultivation of the land. Hands are not in proportion to acreage. The bulk of the land must either lie idle or must be,grazed upon by sheep; and if land is put upon the market in excess of agricultural requirements, to the pastoral occupier it must go as inevitably as water runs downhill. And the effect of free selection at a nominal price is to glut the market. Directly or indirectly, the whole territory is offered for sale, and in Australasia the consequences are always the same, namely, that the laud naturally fit for sheep-grazing is acquired in freehold for pastoral purposes—and the State parts with its property wholesale for a song. So with the provinces of New Zealand.”

The state of things, says the Argus, in New York under a regime which resembles that of Mr. Berry and his associates in Victoria is almost incredible. It was the policy of the Tammany party to tax property for the ostensible purpose of benefiting the laboring classes, by providing them with employment on public works, although, in reality, not more than 4500 out of the population of 1,300,000 were thus provided for, while an equal number of officials, many of whom were mere sinecurlsts, were living in comparative idleness. Last year the prodigious sum of .£6,000,000 was extorted from the ratepayers ; altogether irrespective of course of the contributions they are called upon to make to the general revenue, and to the protected industries of the nation. Of the city taxes, no less than £1,830,000 is absorbed by the interest on the municipal debt, the principal of which rose in five years from £10,800,000 to £31,500,000 sterling, a large proportion of which found its way into the pockets of the Tammany men, who, as the North American Review says, “ stole not less than fifty millions of dollars,” in the exercise of the power with which they were invested by what that publication calls “an ignorant and untaxed suffrage.” In a speech delivered by Lord Dufferin at a luncheon given to him by the Ontario Society of Artists, he referred to the annoyances which sensitive visitors are subjected to when visiting the Balia of Niagara. He said :—“ And now, gentlemen, I am about to confide to you a mission which, though not directly in your line, is sufficiently connected with your pursuits to justify me in demanding your assistance. In your neighborhood there exists, as you are aware, one of the most wondrous, beautiful, and stupendous scenes which the forces of nature have ever constructed. Indeed, so majestic is the subject that, though many skilful hands have endeavored to transfer it to convas, few have succeeded in adequately depicting its awe-inspiring characteristics—l allude to the Falls of Niagara. But I am further sure that everyone will agree with me in thinking that the pleasure he may have derived from his pilgrimage to so famous a spot, whether as an artist or simple tourist, has been miserably marred and defeated by the inconvenience and annoyance he has experienced at the hands of the various squatting interests which have taken possession of every point of vantage at the Falls to tax the pocket and irritate the nerves of visitors, and by whom, just at the moment when he is about to give up his whole being to the contemplation of the scene before him, just as he is about to feel the inspiration of the natural beauties around him, his imagination ■ and poetic faculties are suddenly shocked and disorganised by having a pistol held to his head and being asked to hand out 10 cents. Some few weeks ago I had the good fortune to meet his Excellency the Governor of the State of New York, and I then suggested to him an idea which has been long present to my mind —namely, that the Governments of New York and of Ontario or Canada should combine to acquire whatever rights may have been established against the public, and to form around the falls a small public international park—not, indeed, decorated or in any way sophisticated by the puny art of the landscape gardener, but carerully preserved in the picturesque and unvulgarised condition in which it was originally laid out by the hand of nature. N othing could have been more gratifying or gracious than the response which his Excellency the Governor of New York was good enough to make to my representations, and he encouraged me to hope that, should a fitting opportunity present itself, he and his Government might be induced, if not to take the initiative in the matter, at all events to co-operate heartily with our own in carrying out such a plan as I have sketched.” The Christchurch Press says ;—“Apart from the natural increase in the value of rateable property in Christchurch, caused by the growth of the city, it would seem to be not altogether unaffected by the choice of the Corporation’s assessor for the time being. For instance, in 1875, when Mr. Huddleston acted as city valuator, the total amount of the valuation list, after passing the Assessment Court, was £150,626. In 1876, when Mr. Cuff prepared the list, the total value after revision was represented by £147,711. In 1877, Mr. Flockton’s revised list showed the rateable value of the property of the city to be £173,559 ; and 1878 Mr. Cuff reduced it to £170,596, which the Court further diminished to £168,080. For the present year Mr. Leach estimates the total value of rateable property in Christchurch to be £216,702. This estimate is, of course, subject to revision, and probably some changes will be made, but these will not prevent the amended valuation from showing an enormous increase on that of last year. Supposing even that the valuer’s statement of increase is reduced by 20 per cent,, which is very improbable, the total increase would still be upwards of 23 per cent, of the total value of property as stated last year.”

It ia quite true (says the European Malt) that personally and in pocket the writer of leading articles suffers grievously from the maintenance of the anonymous. In France the successful journalist may become a deputy, an academician, an ambassador, a minister of state. Thiers, Guizot, Villemain, Sainte Beuve, Fleury, all began their career as journalists or as professors. Some of the wealthiest newspaper proprietors in Paris have been simple journalists. Louis Veron, Nestor, Roqueplan, and Alphoae Royer, successively managers of the Grand Opera, were newspaper writers. Jules Janin, dramatic critic of the Journal des .Dibats, was a member of the French Academy. John Lemoinne, of the Dibats, is an Academician now. The English journalist, however eminent may be the rank which he has taken in his profession, may expect to become just nothing at all. No Academic distinction, no cross of the Legion of Honor, no chance of being appointed to a foreign mission, no chance of getting into Parliament—unless ho have plenty of money, or, in Ireland, priestly patronage : in a word, November, to paraphrase Tom Hood. Stay, when November is dragging to. a close, and December, with waning faculties and poverty, and perhaps paralysis, approaches, the once eminent journalist, provided he have plenty of influential friends to back his petition, may perhaps get a Civil List pension of a hundred a year. In the face of these mournfully obvious facts, it is contended that the English Press would not be half so useful nor half so powerful as it is were journalists to sign their names to their articles.

It ia now computed (says an English paper) that the total amount for which the shareholders of the City of Glasgow Bank will be liable approaches the sum of £7,000,000. It has been decided to establish a consultative committee of Loudon creditors, to act in connection with the committee of Scotch shareholders. A call of £SOO per £IOO stock has been made on the shareholders, payable one-half on the 22nd December, and the remainder on the 24th February next. To illustrate the grand scale on which some of the English estates are laid out, it may be mentioned that the Chatsworth estate of the Duke of Devonshire contains 2000 acres, which he retains for his private park and flower garden, besides thousands more that are rented for farming. His park is bounded on all sides by hills, which cut it off from the rest of the world, and no other house than his own can be seen from the windows of his grand mansion, His flower garden alone comprises 102 acres, wherein sixty laborers are constantly employed to keep it in order. The remainder of the 2000 acres is all in grass and woodland, and stocked with deer. A forester has charge of the estate, and the understanding with him is that he shall have at his disposal all the produce from the deer—venison, pelts, horns, &c. —on condition that he shall keep at least 2000 head constantly in the herd.

“ Garibaldi, the Examiner writes, is not at all satisfied with the Italian outlook. A letter of bis has been published, which, like everything he does, has the great merit of directness. ‘ Oid age ne’er tames the Douglas blood.’ He is never without some heroic course to urge on his countrymen. ‘ Well worthy,’ he says, ‘of Parliament and the Cairoii Ministry would be the three following results ;—l. 'the nation armed. 2. The one tax for all. 3. The priests at the. plough. All other outcome is but misery, and the Socialist tide will end by engulfing the unprepared vessel of the State.’ He proceeds to explain his programme, which is not quite so startling in detail as in the generalised form. We can only quote what the old man has to say of his never-failing enemies, the priests. ‘They-are the heaviest scourge of our poor country. I believe, however, that by patting them to work we should have what happened at Porta Pia—none of them would raise a rebellious word.’ ” The latest satistical returns show that there are in the Provincial District of Hawke's Bay 6317 horses ; cattle (including calves), 27,063; sheep (including lambs), 1,449,256. The total number of horses in the colony is given as 187,768; cattle, 578,430; sheep, 13,069,338.