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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5561, 24 January 1879, Page 2

The places where the valuation lists for 1879-80 for the Wellington Highway District may be seen are advertised in another column. We hear that several owners of yachts are arranging for another race, which is to take place some Saturday afternoon suitable for the occasion.

One of the wings of the new hospital has been completed, and yesterday a number of gentlemen, including the Hon. Mr. Fisher and the Hon. Colonel Whitmore, visited the hospital at the invitation of the trustees. The visitors expressed themselves satisfied with all they saw, and specially with the building and the brickmaking. After making an inspection the visitors sat down to a dejeuner, and a number of toasts were proposed and responded to. A meeting of the Regatta Committee was held in the Pier Hotel last night. The business transacted was not of a very important nature. A protest was received from the captain of the ship Hermione against the Neptune receiving second prize iu the ships’ gig race, on the ground that the crew who pulled the boat were not seamen belonging to the Neptune. The master of the brig was in attendance, and admitted that two of the boat’s crew were not seamen belonging to his vessel. The committee, after due consideration, sustained the protest, and awarded second prize to the Hermione. A protest from the captain of the Pleiades was received complaining that the Hermione fouled the Otaki in the open boats sailing race. The protest was not allowed. The amount of money collected on the wharf and the flagship for admittance was stated to be £59. A vote of thanks was then accorded by the committee to the different masters of vessels in harbor for the assistance they had rendered to tho regatta generally. The meeting then adjourned until Monday evening, when the prizes will be distributed. All those who read the account of Captain Boyd’s conduct when the ship Piako was found to be on fire, and which we published in a recent issue, will be inclined to agree with what a Lyttelton contemporary says on the subjeotin the following words:—“There can be no doubt that the lives of the 288 emigrants and of the crew were saved by the splendid coolness and steady courage displayed by Captain Boyd under most appalling circumstances. It will be seen that the Piako, after having been scuttled in the Pernambuco roads, was successfully raised, and according to latest advices was again on her way to Lyttelton, where she is expected to arrive from Feb. 10 to Feb. 15. It may well be imagined that the eminent services Captain Boyd has rendered will not be lost sight of.” It is said that Mr. Sheridan, of the Queensland Government service, is about to publish a book on the Sounds of the West Coast of Otago. Mr. Sheridan accompanied the Rotorua on her late trip, and has qualifications for the work. A manual in the hands of excursionists to these grand and beautiful inlets would be of great service. Perhaps, however, if the account written many years ago by that able journalist and genial gentleman, the late Mr. Alexander Reid, were reprinted by some enterprising publisher, it would form as good a guide as is requisite for the West Coast Sounds.

At the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday the following civil cases came on for hearing :—Judgment summonses—J. Ballinger v. H. Austin, claim £4 12s. 4d ; defendant was ordered to pay 10s. a week. H. Bennett v. J. McColl, claim £ls 10s. ; defendant was ordered to pay the amount by the Bth Feb., or to be imprisoned for six weeks. In the following cases judgment was given for the plaintiffs, with costs : —Mace and Arkell v. Barrett, claim 12s. 6d. ; Evening Argus v. O. Moody, claim £1 3d.; Dr. Kesteven v. Henry Simmer, claim, £2 2s. ; C. Mclntyre v. W. Grant, claim £1 18s. 4d. The Court then adjourned. An appeal against the decision of the Resident Magistrate in Blake v. Sellars has been set down on behalf of Captain Sellars. It will be remembered that the boy Blakeyvas awarded £SO as damages for injuries received from a rocket fired from the defendant's ship. A technical objection is taken to the finding. There is every prospect of the forthcoming race meeting being a great success. Those in a position to know state that the general entries, which by the way close on Monday night, will be much larger than in previous years. The special trains from the Wairarapa are sure to bring down a large number of visitors, and as the trains from- Wellington will run every half hour, the city will be pretty well drained of its population for the day. The booths, gate, and right to print cards will be submitted to public competition on Saturday by Messrs. Laery and Campbell, and no doubt will fetch good prices. This year the committee propose to sell the grand-stand booth, with kitchen, luncheon-room, &c. The members of the Choral Society met in large numbers last night for their usual practice at Mr. Bennington’s rooms, when several of the choruses from Smart’s cantata “The Bride of Dunkerron,” were satisfactorily rehearsed under Mr. Parker’s direction. This work is to form the first part of the next concert; the second part to consist of a miscellaneous selection for vocalists and band. The committee have experienced considerable difficulty in finding a convenient room for their weekly meetings since they have had to vacate the Provincial Hall. Mr. Bonnington kindly placed his rooms at tha disposal of the committee, but the distance for those members living at the Te Aro end is found to be so great that very few are able to attend. All over the district (says the North Otago Times), the crops are looking much better than even the most hopeful would have expected a month or two ago, and the average may fairly be set down as very little below that of last or of former years. Tha effects of the drought are seen in some places by the unusual shortness of the straw, and in others by the thinness of the crop. South of Oamaru the latter effect is chiefly observed, the nature of the country happily preventing the hot winds from doinv anything like the mischief they perpetrated nearer here. The extreme dryness, however, operated in the direction indicated, and injured what, in an ordinarily good season, would have been a splendid crop. Notwithstanding this, however, the wheat and oats on the other side of the Horse Range, no less than those on this side, will turn out well. The welcome rain of yesterday, which promises to continue for some days, while it cannot be of any great service to the wheat, will do wonders to the large area of oats still green. Harvesting operations, which were becoming general, will naturally be retarded for a short time, hut any loss in that direction will be fully compensated.

The Education Commission had a meeting yesterday, but there was no business transacted worthy of special mention. The schools under the Board of Education reassembled yesterday. There was a fairly good average attendance all round, we believe. There was another capital attendance at the Imperial Opera House last night. “ Rainbow Revels” will be produced for the last time this evening. As an instance of the usefulness of friendly societies it may be stated that last quarter the Britannia Lodge Odd Fellows, M.U., paid away £139 as sick funds and £77 as doctors’ fees. The revenue returns of Great Britain for the quarter show a substantial increase, which we hope indicates that the general depression in trade is gradually giving way to a better state of affairs. A small specimen of marble from the Caswell quarries, on the West Coast of Otago, which are being opened up by Mr. Munro, of Dunedin, may be seen at the Times office by anyone interested. From Victoria we hear that the diamond drill at Creswick was down 125 ft,, 100 ft. 9Jin. having been bored through basalt during the week, the drill working very well. The manager reports that the drill is now down 225 ft. 10in., that depth having been sunk in a little over a fortnight. The best day’s work was on Thursday, when 32ft. Sin. were bored. The revenue returns for Victoria for the past quarter were published in the Gazette during the first week in January with much promptitude. The total revenue for the quarter ended 31st December, 1878, was £1,138,106 11s. 3d,, as compared with £1,100,828 18s. for the corresponding quarter of last year, showing a net increase for the quarter just terminated of £37,284. The revenue for the year ending 31st December, 1878, was £4,595,307, as compared with £4,512,261 received during the preceding twelve months, showing an increase for the past year of £83,846 2s. lOd. The sale of Hunter’s acres in the Athenaeum Hall is attracting the attention of a large number of business men. The ground was visited yesterday by a large number, who, plan in band, were inspecting the different sections, all being delighted with the view, which stands unrivalled by any sites in the city,— in fact the visitors had a grand opportunity of witnessing the regatta on the cheap. The harbor dotted with white sails, and the water sparkling in the sun’s rays, was really a grand sight. The great feature of the sale is that Macdonald-crescent is made, metalled, and kerbed : and Perbival-street will also be completed in a few days,—a feature which is worthy of imitation, and which has never before been done. The terms are exceedingly liberal. Full particulars will be found in our advertising columns.