GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 6579, 19 May 1882, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

It lias been calculated that tho beer duty paid by New Zealand publicans averages about £IOO a-year each. This is partly made up to them by the reduced quality of the article -vended. ... ,' • Formal proclamation is made in last week’s “Gazette” that Her Majesty in Council has been pleased to assent to the Di'oroe and Matrimonial Causes Act, 1867, Amendment Act, 1831, of this colony. The Christchurch Exhibition jurors have awarded Mr J. Gear, of this city, a certificate of gold medal for exhibits, of preserved soaps, and a bronze medal for preserved meats. Mr Crease, of this city, has also been awarded bronze medals for exhibits of spices, ginger, dandelion coffee, egg-worker, &c., In the recent fire at, Invercargill, which destroyed the Bank of Australasia premises,-the strong-room of that establishment stood the ordeal well. The walls, built of rough stone and brick, and a good trustworthy dopr’ by Chubb, kept the contents intact An ordinary safe used by Mr Lnrasden, watchmaker, in whose premises the fire broke out, proved /perfectly useless. 11 Lambton, being the only one of the four licensing districts into which the city has been divided in which a majority of ratepayers have expressed themselves in favor of increasing the number of licensed houses, has apparently attracted the attention of. those persons who are in search of suitable hotel premises. We notice that three new licenses will be applied for at the ensuing annual meeting of the Commissioners. A good deal, says a Masterton paper, has been said and written ‘ about the decoy elephants employed by the elephant hunters of India ; but it may be a curious fact for naturalists to learn that Mr Walter Petry, a local butcher, has had for a long time a decoy bulloek which is in the habit of leading the way to the yards when beasts have to be slaughtered, and then jumping over the backs of his dupes as soon as they are speared. The animal from its calfbood has been trained to the work, and seems to take a delight in it. At a special meeting of the Marton Borough Council, held on Thursday last, an offer from Mr N. Merchant, C.E., to report on the schema for supplying the Borough with water was considered. Mr Merchant's offer was to do the work for five guineas per day, and to supervise the carrying out of the scheme decided upon for 5 per cent, on the contract price. A motion was carried accepting the terms, but it was understood that the Mayor should telegraph to Mr Marchant and ascertain definitely whether the five guineas included travelling and hotel expenses or not. The ao'fioe received information on Monday from Constable Bennett, stationed at Carterton, that Giles’ Marquis of Nonnanby Hotel, at that place, had been broken into daring Saturday night last, _ and the following articles stolen : £1 m silver, two bottles each of brandy and whisky, valued^at £j ids. No clue has yet been obtained as to the perpetrators of the theft. The particulars to hand are that the barman, on going to his work at 6 a.m. on Sunday, found the till drawer on the floor, the contents gone, and the four bottles of spirits missing. Access to the house was apparently gained through the front window. Mr Wm. C. Chatfield, architect, recently completed plana for an hotel now in coarse of erection at Martinborough, near the Wairarapa Lake, to the order of Sir Buckeridge. _ The building will be two stories high, with a balcony all round, thus affording a capital view of the lakes and surrounding country. It will enjoy two frontages of soft and 86 ft respectively, and, being situated on the mam line of traffic, should command a large connection, not only from the resident settlers, but al=o from the numerous sportsmen who frequent the locality. ‘ The interior of the house contains dining and commercial rooms, separated by folding doors, which, when greater space is required for meetings, Ac., can be opened, and a spacious room secured of over 40 r t in length. The other space is taken up by a large billiard saloon, three parlors, bar, tap-room, 4c. Upstaira there will be twenty-two bed-rooms and three sitting-rooms. The building, which is being constructed of wood and iron, will, when completed, make one of the most comfortable of the several excellent hotels ia the Wairarapa district,

Mr J. P. Maxwell, General Manager of the New. Zealand Railways, has withdrawn bis resignation,, tendered some time since, and will, underpresent arrangements, retain the appointment. The “"Wanganui Chronicle’’ estimates that 10,000 sacks of grain have been sent from Eangitikei and other adjoining districts this season for shipment from Wellington. Some successful deer-stalking is reported from, the Wairarapa. , A few days ago a party went * out from the residence of Mr J, C. Buchanan, M.H.R., ; to ' Long Bush, some distance down the valley, and secured no less than seven. Several stags’ heads. have been seat to Wellington in order to be worked up for purposes of ornament. I When a. deputation from the City Council waited on the Hon. Major Atkinson some weeks ago with reference to the proposed Te Aro reclamation, he held out a hope that the Goverhment.wonld consent to a special case being stated for the Court of Appeal to decide the legal question in diepnte between the Corporation and the Marine Department. This has beep done, and the case—The Attorney Generalov, the Corporation—is now on the list. At a special general .meeting, of the shareholders of the Wellington Gas Company, held in_ this city, the. Directors were empowered to apply to the General Assembly, for leave to introduce a Bill enlarging the: powers of the Company by authorising' them to engage in the'manufacture and supply- of gas or any other kind of light within the Provincial District of. Wellington. ...- 1 .The Wakamatina correspondent . of the ‘i Marlborough Press” writes that the Golden Bar;rcef shows, 10ftof stone. West, the promoter, states that the';angle.of the reef is about 1 in 4, and varies a point'each way from eas£ to west, and that there is gold through the %h'ole of .the stone visible to the naked eye'. This, if correct, 1 means a fortune for all the shareholders, - T ’ . ,1, The Christchurch “ Globe ’’ thus refers .to a Wellington exhibit iu the New Zealand Court at the exhibition.“ One of the most effective stands ;in the'exhibition is that of preserved meats sent by Mr J.: Gear, Wellington. This cpmprists a large trophy built up -in the form of a pyramid! Every description of tinned or. preserved meats ! and soups are represented, including miihy \ specialties only; by Mr Gear. Of course, until the teat of opening the'tins bjr.thejoclgeafi gope through,, one is unable to pronounce upon the quality, but tho very names on the labels are suggestive of-good cheer within. Some idea of the variety and size of' the exhibit i may be : gathered from the fact that over three tons weight of meat in ita’preaer'ved, and prfessed .state is in the, trophy.Our local preservers will' have to look • to their laurels in the face of so formidable an opponent as Mr Gear!” ' "',, T

Some-little excitement was evmqed. on. the Cjueen’e Wharf on a, vqcept Sunday, about a quarter of an hour after thedeparture of the Penguin. When that-iveseel was>dff. Point Jerningbam she was seen to torn and head back’ for the: wharf. - ;All manner'of causes ■were - assigned’"for it, -and -public- crirfosjty-' reached boiling point. Numbers of people, riished anxiously down from: the) Terrace and main thoroughfares to kriowithe ’ cause. The sequel was soon presented when, as the steamer; glided alohside the. wharf, the chief officer (Mr Popham), with fatherly care, handed oyer tosome one ashore a little girl about six years of age, who had been an involuntary passenger. Much credit-is ’ due - Captain Anderson for so considerately returning with the little wanderer to its anxious parents." The child is, we understand, the daughter of aMrKing, residing in Webb-street. ’ . : ‘ J

The numerous casesiot typhoid fever which, have recently occurred, at Napier appear to' have given the place a reputatioh which is hot by any means to be envied.-, ,By way ; of illustration we may mention that the landlord of a well-known hotel in this city has given 1 strict instructions to refuse . accommodation to any person hailing from the place, and thatas a consequence no .fewer than five passengers by the Rotorua received a polite intimation at bis bar that the house was already crowded with lodgers.

Some two or three hundred people. assembled on the Railway Wharf recently on the Hiuemoa’s arrival, in the hope of obtaining a glimpse of Te Whiti and Tohu.' They were, however, doomed to disappointment, for, beyond a few persons, who had either business to transact, or were seeing friends away, no one was allowed on board. Captain Fairchild, with, his : usual forethought, apparently anticipated a rush, and so moored the .steamer about ten feet off, and ran out the stage, which was closely guarded by several constables. The prisoners ensconsed themselves under the deck house forward, and were apparently unconcerned at the public interest evinced ashore. Thiy were closely guarded from intrusion, and no person was allowed to hold converse with them. They were dressed in the . ordinary gaol clothes—moleskin trousers, blue serge jumpers, and wide - awake hat, each article bearing the New Plymouth prison brand. Both looked cheerful and well. On arrival of the Hinemoa at Lyttelton they will be taken direct to the Addington Gaol, and remain there until the date when they stand their trial at the Supreme Court session, to be held at Christchurch in June next. We may mention that Te Whiti had a conversation, of course in Maori, with Wi Parata, in the presence of the Government Interpreter. In. reply to a question as to what he thought about ,his removal to Lyttelton, he answered oracularly, “The dead man says nothing,”.and he further added that he did not know whether It was for life, of death, referring probably to thh uncertainty whether liberty or further imprisonment awaited him. He expressed an anxious desire ;that the other chiefs who had been imprisoned from Farihaka should be also sent to Christchurch for trial with him, as he considered he was accountable for, their arrest.

The usual fortnightly practice meeting of the Wellington Sal vage Corps was .held at the Brandon-atreetFiro Brigade Station on May 2. Notwithstanding that the members had their energies sorely taxed early in the morning, on the occasion of the Panama-street fire, the rollcall proved that there was not a single absentee. After • practice, a business meeting was held, at which Captain Shannon presided. The following resolutions, proposed by the Chairman, were unanimously agreed to ; “ That, to meet any technical difficulty which may arise in the construction of the Juries Act, 1880, the name of the Corps be changed to the Wellington Volunteer Fire and Salvage Corps “That Captain Shannon advertise requesting volunteers to join the Brigade.*' Volunteers will be required to find an inexpensive uniform, and to pay a small annual subscription towards a fund for meeting general expenses. Capt. Shannon presented the names of twelve citizens, who are in business, and who had intimated to him that they were prepared to join the corps. It is intended to increase the strength of the corps to about 100, and it is believed that wheu it has reached this strength it will prove really efficient in cases of fire. The officers and men hope that the required number will shortly be enrolled. Under : it» present organisation we may expect to see the brigade become one of the most useful bodies in case of fire in the city. The mercantile community appears to be inclined to give a liberal support to. the. corps. We may add that at the meeting the Secretary stated that he had received a cheque for £5 from Mr; J. Hughes, as au acknowledgment of services' rendered on the occasion, of tha late fire, and the donation was ordered to be acknowledged, ' ' ' ' The Fortrose correspondent of the “ Otago Daily Times*’ writes I regret having to report the failure to recover’ the bullion, &c., by the diving pirty at the scene at the wreck of the 8.8. Tararna. The efforts of this party, have been strenuous, and have extended over nine, months’.' It appears that the divers, have found the bottom quite clear of sand and composed of ropks, boulders, and beach, with a considerable .amount of kelp or’ seaweed to contend with ; in fact, the description given of 1 the course of the track made by the steamer !wheh coming upon the reef is compared by the diver to a 1 lane enclosed with a twelvefoot ’ hedge of kelp, and this- .was found to retard operations so much," in’ consequence of its becoming entangled about the air-tube, that a knife was needed constantly a.t hand to cut the weed and free; the tube; The course of the vessel was traced for some distance by-this, and when found , she was in two distinct portions. These have since become . so, much broken; up that, the’ ' fair Is appears to coyer nearly an acre of the "bottom. . The ’storeroom’ was found to ba covered by a portion of the deck. This, In’ consfeq ; ueEcO r of the girders dr* beams of the ■ deck’being of irbnj hatd settled down so closely "that dynamite has bad to be used to remove it. -I hear some’ rice, brandy,‘&c., have been . seen about where the 'storeroom ; was .’situated,; ; and aome. lemonftde was recovered, which, after bping taken (to > .Mr O. Druntpn’s, station, wpS . found rtpjbe .quite uudamagecl by, its, .long suj)I'metefan. ;'but‘ncidung pfr.any.yaloe.has been •xopoyered.', 'fine“clear weather v and calm se'a "of the ’ past 1 ' weeltj the men 1 appear to', have decided that' any further'efforts 1 are use-' less, as, if anything was to be |done, it could then have been effected.”

Delegation of the Governor’s powers under the Customs’ Regulation Act, 1858, to H. A. Atkinson, as the Commissioner of Customs, has been gazetted. . -

A Mrs-Agnes Blair has been appointed an additional -public vaccinator - in the • Drury district, and announcement of such appointment is gazetted, 1 Mr Eller, who was burnt out at the recent fire in Willis-street, desires us to acknowledge with his sincere thanks-the following subscriptions collected on his -behalf Per Miss Whittaker, £4O; Mr Raymond, £3 10s; and Mrs Voseeler, £3 10s ; total £47 10s. The following changes have been made in the Stock Department :—The services of John Ivo Gerse, as Inspector of Sheep, Deputy Cattle Inspector, and Registrar of Brands, have been dispensed with, from the 14th February, 1882 ; Inspector William Mackenzie has been removed from the Wanganui to the Wellington • Subdivision, at reduced salary, from the 16th February, 1882; Mr Grattan Sherwood Cooke has been appointed, from tho 80th September, 1881, to be an Inspector-of Sheep and a Deputy Cattle Inspector in the Marlborough and Waiau Sheep and Cattle Districts.

The tea meeting in connection with the fortieth anniversary of the Congregational church. Woodward-street, took place on the 11th instant. A number of the ladies of . the congregation had provided an excellent supply of tea, cakes, &0., and a large number sat down at the various tables. At 7.30 p.m. a public meeting was; held, when there was again a very large attendance. A number of interesting addresses w.ere delivered-by the Revs. West, Foraaith, and others, the intervals, being filled with appropriate music.- The proceedings did not terminate till 10 o’clock. .

There is no scarcity of hares this season,' if we (“ Eangitikei Advocate’’) may judge by the bags that have been made by sportsmen in the Manawatn district. Twelve hares are not h bad day’s work for three guns, but that number were obtained by Feilding gentlemen on Saturday last, besides several ducks—and another party from the same town got that number a few days ago. A good many hares have been seen lately within the township of Halcombe, so if there are.any sportsmen there they will not have to travel far to obtain a PUSS. ... : ’ .

! ..The report of. the .Wellington Public Hall Company, which was presented at the tenthordinairy:annual general meeting of shareholders on the Ist May, shows a balance to credit of profit and loss account.of £7Bl 9s lOd. -The Direotorsrecommend a dividend of 10 per cent., and that the balance be. carried forward. The feoeipts during) the; year were £1155. :6s 9d theatre rent, and £503 ground-rent;. £Bll 8s lid.being the amount of the balance brought forward Among the items of expenditure are £IBO for.inSurance, £ll9 repairs; £l69.grouhd; rent, and £lls salaries ; while furniture has been written, off, to the. amount of £2OO. A large'portion of, the scenery is.-stated,'tohave, been renewed during' the year (mainly.by theatrical managers leasing the theatre)., -Mr •E,’Pearce, one. of the Directors, who is. now in England, has been authorised, to obtain ' 60.0 seats of an improved'pattern for the..dress circle. , , .. -i .

; Says the “Inangahua Times” The beauties of the scenery on the Christchurch {West Coast) road would appear to be well-known at; ■Home, as no fewer than .eight English tourists, recent .arrivals, have - journeyed jthrpngb to, Hokitika within the last six weeks. .Two of the number —a young: son of the .Earl •of: Kimberley—and a newly-fledged, English, imedico recently paid a visit, to Reefton, and after remaining a week proceeded overland to Nelson.- While here they visited the Keep-it-Dark, Welcome, and other mines, their'time, however,. being chiefly occupied . in', making collections of birds, insects, and botanical specimens, They spent several' days at the Inangahua Junction, and were by Mr F. Courtney shown over a portion of the wonderful limestone caves in the vicinity. The weather wits, however, very unfavorable for the inspection, the main entrance being flooded Up with water, but after wading in to the arm. pita the party caught sight of the magnificent stalactites ahead. The sight was nothing hew to Mr Courtney, but the visitors fairly overflowed with enthusiasm, and proposed that they should doff their, clothes and swim in! But although Mr Courtney “dearly loves a duck,” the idea of paddling about the cave, mother naked, with a lighted candle on his head; like a floating lighthouse, for the especial edification of budding nobility, was to him scarcely a sufficient set-off against the possibilities pt rheumatism; and the tourists had, therefore, to rest satisfied with an inspection of a collection of moa bones, and other curious relics obtained from the cave under more favorable circumstances. ;

That “possession” was not always “nine points of the law ”in the early days of Port Nicholson the following story will testify :—A number of Maoris induced judge Hals well to get them a small schooner built by a local shipwright, and when completed the boat was handed over to her owners; but a considerable portion of the contract price was still unpaid. The builder appealed to the - Judge, as bis employer, for payment. Having disbursed all the funds belonging to the Natives, Mr Halawell declined to pay, and referred the builder back to the Maoris.. Recourse was then had to the law. But here another difficulty presented itself. The only available property of, the Maori debtors was the schooner, and this the legal adviser of the builder advised him to seize. A favorable opportunity occurring, this was done while the vessel was anchored off Pipitea Point and all her crew ashore. The builder, having made the seizure, placed a man in possession as shipkeeper, and went away satisfied that he had now some prospect of getting the balance due to him. Not so, however. Hardly an hour, bad elapsed before the dusky owners becanie ! aware of the usurpation, and six canoes immediately put off to the vessel. Finding only-one pakeha aboard they proceeded to assert their claim in a most peremptory manner. Two of the Natives seized the man’s feet and one his head, and then deliberately threw him overboard. Fortunately the man could swim, and he reached the shore safely. But the unfortunate shipbuilder had to postpone further attempts to recover the vessel until fate was more propitious. , Mr \Y. McLean, who has recently returned from Melbourne, has brought back with him some specimens of the Caswell Sound marble cut and polished by skilled workmen in a manner that fully reveals the beauty and pureness of the material. The specimens comprise a slab mounted on a table, two cubes, and a block of smaller dimensions than the table, polished on the surface, but with the edges -left rough hewn. There is also a medallion representing a profile of the Queen as seen on current coins of the realm. The - specimens! are most excellent proofs of the adaptability of the marble for all purposes to which it is usually put; and the fact that the Company have now 400 tons on grass, and the quarry so well opened up' that farther supplies are easily attainable, should give an impetus to the : . venture, and lead to the marble being now very speedily brought to a profitable market. -The specimens on view at Mr McLean’s auction! mart will, in a few days, be sent to the Christchurch Exhibition. We may.add that, during the time they wtre on view at the,Exchange, Melbourne, they attracted much attention, and expressions of surprise that a treasure_so valuable as the Caswell Sound marble quarries had remained so long unutilised.

A copy of ' the report read at the thirtythird annual meeting of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, held at Sydney on the 26th ultimo, is before' ri», and it presents the usual satisfactory features. During the year 6469 proposals, assuring £2,141,163, were accepted and completed, the new premiums on which amount to £73,690, of which £7038 represents single payments. Claims during the year amounted to £196,361, including £27,261 bonus additions, and twenty-six endowment assurances also matured, amounting to £12,466, including ;£3244 for bonus additions. The : accumulated fund 'of the society now stands at £3.829,185, showing an increase of £449,674, . the balance of receipts, over disbursements during the year.; Hire least satisfactory portion of the £ report is that showing the number of policies forfeited durum the year Of nssurance policies/1593, repressnting £481,125, ’ and '43 . endowment policies, r jrep'resehtrD'g £64so,'were forfeited ; .7fl4‘assuranco policies, represeiitsng r £274.800, hud'ss endowment policies, representing £B9OO, wbre also surrendered. Considering, however,; the magnitude of the business transacted by the'Cempany/the proportion of forfeitures and turrenderi is 1 •by-no.nwaris large.' The’report mahe'3mthtion ! that: l the ‘principlei'adopted by STS, of sustaining overdue .polipieroUtbf suWender value, continues to be a bbbm bo’ 1 ’the members.'’ At' the 31st ‘D.Ccejnher last thpre vyere bh thd'booka' .of the pranjfums oh - which ha cl become.overdue, and which' were being J khpt‘in fovce ont bf : the surrender valtle. 1 ' But -for'this JiSSpil; ftghU&bn 1 % largenumber of these' policies, .yfonld'probably- have become void. The preminmiriadvahbed bn 1 account of such policies, together with the accumulated nterest thereon, amounted to £49,351 0s 7d.

. Mr A. de’B. Brandon, W. M. of the Wellington Lodge, ; E.O., received by the last San Francisco mail'the warrant to establish a lodge of the Rose Croix degree in Wellington, and of which he has been appointed the first M.W.S. . The date of opening will be announced in due course'; ■ . By the last English mail;we ; received “The American Exporter” and “Goldie’s Catalogue,” both American publications excellently edited and printed, and full of useful information. “ Tickle’s Colonial Prices Current ” also came to hand from London. It is fully up to average excellence. Tt may not be generally known that our Wellington fishmongers do a considerable business in the export of sharks in a cured and fresh condition. One firm—Messrs Lawrie and Frenandos —send about 90 dried sharks to Wanganui every week, and when there is a chance of this Maori delicacy arriving in a fresh condition, it commands a high price there from,the.Natives. .. .

; The Rising Star Juvenile Temple held its jveekly session on the Bth instantj Bro. W. Toomath in the chair. .The Superintendent, Bro. Hall, gave an - address upon the nature of '.he obligation. As soon as the prjceedings the Rescue Lodge held an open meeting and entertainment, when several gentlemen spoke on the evile of intemperance. The “ bine jackets ” from the Vi iratitla, and members of the Lodge, gave a variety of songs, recitations, and readings, all of which apparently were appreciated by the audience.. Sister Dixon presided at the piano, and contributed largely to the musical part of the entertainment. A very pleasant meeting was brought to a close a few minutes before 10 o’clock! '

In the Resident Magistrate’s Court on April 27th Mr Hardcastle gave judgment in the'case of E. D’Oyley Carte v. Oimino. The defendant had been a member of the orchestra in Mr ■ E. W. Cary's Juvenije “ Pirates” Company, and, ns such, took part in the performance of the “ Pirates of Penz mce” in various towns of the Wanganui, .Bangi tikei, and Manawatu districts after the expiry of the license which Mr Cary had obtained from'Mr E. T. Gillon. the local representative Of the plaintiff. His Worship- gave judgment for one penalty of 40s, which was all that was pressed for.' Special importance attaches to the judgment, because it clearly demonstrates that not only the master, but even, the most insignificant - servant can be held responsible for any breach of the Fine Arts Copyright Act. The full judgment , appears in the usual column, - ’ 1

l There is a ruffianism which finds expression In words only, but which is ' none the less deserving of punishment. The news of the dastardly; ■ assassination of the. Secretary; and Under-Secretary for Ireland in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, sent a. thrill- of horror through the community, and this was felt even by those Irishmen, who maintain, that their country suffers from, wrongs.for which she cannot get redress. Yet, only on Tuesday, we heard.a man, speaking in a public place, justify the,crime; and assert his readiness to return to his native country and earn;his'living by shooting landlords at a shilling a bead. The fellow, was. not • kicked, shut he should have, been. * Erom the provisional meteorological returns received : by hDr;- Hector' for the month Of April,' we find that ht-Auckland the mean temperature in shade- was 63’2, - nearly one degree above the average ; the maximum temperature, was 75, and the minimum 48’8 ; the total rain was 6 23Sin,.or, about, 3Jin in. excess of average. At Wellington the mean temperature was 58'3, one degree higher than , average ; the maximum 67, and minimum, 45 ; rain, 6;580in,- nearly Sin in excess. At Dunedin the temperature was 52 5, only half , a degree ahoye the average; the, maximum 68, minimum 41; total rain, 6 51in, or 4£m in excess of the usual average.. ~, ; ...

At a meeting of the Teachers’ Association held in the. Athenieum on the 6th instant, Mr Young, 6f the Terrace School, on behalf of the Teachers of the Wellington Education District, presented Mr Arthur Dorset of the Education Office with a handsome electroI plated salver, tea and coffee service, and half a ’ dczen sterling silver teaspoons, in recognition of his uniform.courtesy and the prompt performance of the duties pertaining to his office. The salver .was suitably inscribed, the other pieces being marked with Mr Dorset’s monogram. The-whole was from the establishment of Messrs Kohn and Co. Mr Dorset in a few words thanked the teachers for the token of their goodwill, and expressed a hope that be would always retain their good opinion. A large number of well-dressed Maoris from the Wairarapa. district were in town on May 5, and as they paraded the streets they attracted considerable attention, A number of them returned to their homes by the train which leaves Wellington for Masterton shortly after 4 o’clock, and the parting between them and those who remained behind was accompanied by more than the usual weeping, wailing, and rubbing of noses. On making inquiries, we were furnished with an explanation of the visit of the Maoris to Wellington, and of the extraordinary excitement under which they appeared to labor. Some time ago the principal chief of the Gisborne district sent a'delegate to Wairarapa to demand the hand of the daughter of the Native chief of that place in marriage. He had never cast eyes on the dusky maiden he desired; to wo cl, but he made it plain that his passion would brook no delay. The damsel herself did not appear averse to the alliance, and last week she arrived here, on her way to Gisborne, accompanied By. a host of male and female friends, many of whom accompanied her in the s.s. Rotomahana, on her journey to Gisborne. She is, we believe, the only daughter of the well-known chief Manihera. ' -■' ; ;

Winter cricketing is one among the amusements provided at I Christchurch. We learn from the “ Lyttelton Times” that a cricketing pavilion has been opened near Collins' Hotel. The building covers a 'space of 100 x 30ft. The more' substantial portions of it aro the roof, which is of corrugated Iron, and the brick walls at each corner, which, with the addition of a few iron columns; placed at intervals along the ends and side's of the pavilion, serve as supports to the roof.’ The floor of the building is of paddled clay, with the exception of the two pitches running parallel down ‘ the building, which are of concrete, covered with oocoanut matting. ; Wide-meshed string netting—made, by the way, of locally-manufactured twinecovers the sides and ends of the building, while on the south aide the lower half of the “wall” is of cans as, to keep out the south-west winds, and thus add to the comfort of those using the pavilion. The interior of the roof is lined, with canvas, so as to deaden the effect of any “ skiers.” Each corner of the pavilion is curtained , off j with netting, and furnished with seats for spectators, from which they can watch. the batting, and bowling performances. with, safety to themselves. . • The Rev, T. S. Fbrsaith delivered a lecture' on “Maories and the Settlement of New Zealand,” under the auspices of the Young Men’s' Christian Association, in Room No. 12, at the Athenmum on May 10. -Mr J.’G. Ho’dsworth occupied the chair. The attendance was good, ' nearly alb the seats being filled. The rev.: lecturer had his subject before him in writing, and read nearly the whole of his lecture. Ho began 1 by tracing the discovery of the Islands, and the subsequent visits before settlement. This was followed by a short account of the progress of missionary work and the difficulties of early settlement,* the . whole being inter-: spersed with verbal illustrations of Maori manners and customs. He spoke in severeterms of the rashness of the New Zealand Company in sending out settlers before they had acquired a valid title to even an acre of land, and without the ,consent or .protection, of the British Go--yernment, and thought the first arrivals were: singularly fortunate m .being received in such friendly spirit.: : In recounting the growth of the misunderstandings which by, degrees arose,, he dwelt at some length ,ou . the Wairau massacre, which; he, asserted, inspired , the .Maoris with courage during the troubles that followed. He concluded: with allusions, to more;recent occurrences. A hearty vote of thanks yas accorded the lecturer when ho resumed .his seat;,.,

i - The -“ New Zealand Herald,”- referring to the Maori mission,-says “It ia -Sydney Tawhanga’s intention, in the first instance,- to interview Earl Kimberley, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in order that everything may be done en regie. Ho has had several hundred" "copies ’of the * petition printed, in order that a copy may be given' to each of the members of the -House of Commons, and to the. Peers in the House of - Lords, so that * if the first Assembly of gentlemen in the world ' do not become acquainted with the properties of ‘kaikohe ’ it will not ■be for ; the lack of jUdicibus advertising' on part. He states his'intention of keeping clear of Mr Parnpll and the Home Rulers on the one side, •and Mr Brhdlaugh and the ■Freethinkers pu the other, so as not to complicate his petition with Questions of domestic politics in Great Britain.' '- It is his intention to address British nudiencearin' his "own tongue, and, no/doubt, 1 abme-bf-tbe old- New-Zealand settlerj, now at Home, will see to it that Sydney Tawha-ng* sapeeches are not emasculated from lack of a competent

Letters of Naturalisation have been,granted to Mr Carl Kohn, jeweller, of Wellington. The Pioneer Lodge, 1.0iG.T., met on the Bth instant, at the Good Templar Hall. The past officers read reports, which showed satisfactory results. The following office-bearers, were then installed by Bro. A. J. Bennett, L.D, assisted by Bros. Edwards and Dodds, viz.'-—W.C T., Bro. Nicholls; W.V.T., Sister Hutchinson; W.S., Bro. W. Miller ;W.P.S. Bro.'S. Yeomans ; W.T., Bro. BennettyW.C., Bro W. Hutchinson ; W.M., Bro. Nicoll; W.LG., Bro. H.. Sunbeam ; W.0.G., Bro. E. Morris ; , W.8.H.5., Sister E. Eicharde ; W.L.H.S., Sister M. Cook ; W.D.M., Sister E. Cook ; W.A.S., Bro. E. E. ; Bobbins y P. W.C.T., Bro. P. Bennett,

The-first anniversary of the Morning Star Juvenile Tent took place during: the month, at the Bechabite Hall, Manners-street. A large audience assembled to hear the young Eechabites, who gave a very excellent programme, - consisting of songs, dialogues, and recitations. This youthful temperance organisation, which has been in existence twelvemonths, is prospering well under the superintendence of Mr Fraser 'and Mr Biggs. The' proceedings closed with the National Anthem.

The movement in favor of erecting 'a J new theatre in Cuba-street appears to be. quietly: progressing.. Provisional terms have been made, with Mr Nicholson for a ground lease of his sections there (giving an area of 70ft by 160 ft) tor the balance of his tenure of 99 years, the ' terms, : we understand, being £2BO per annum for the first seven years, £320 for the succeeding seven, and' an increase of £26 per annum afterwards, • The cost of the theatre complete is estimated at £SOOO, and it is proposed to raise this amount in a thousand £5 shares. £2OOO of the capital, has been already subscribed.. L .,, . ■-

Detective Chrystal narrowly escaped an, involuntary trip to England by the barque Peru recently. It appears that he went on board, just prior to the vessel sailing, for the purpose of arresting one of the crew on suspicion of having : stolen some wearing apparel. Whilst below looking for his man, the boat that conveyed him to the ship left for the shore, and his consternation may be imagined when, on coming on deck, he found only blue: water around him, the vessel being underweigh and -bowling away towards the . Heads before a fair wind. The captain, after some good-natured chaff, consented at last to put the unfortunate limb of the law ashore, for which purpose a boat was lowered and a -lauding effected in Lyell’s Bay, Whence the nonplussed detective was compelled to take “Shanks’ pony” to Wellington, where hean-ived last evening a sadder and certainly a wiser man.

~ The police contemplate laying an information against Captain Orr, of the barque Peru,which recently sailed for London, for rescuing a prisoner. It . will bo remembered that Detective Chrystal went aboard the vessel just as 'she was getting under weigh, for the purpose of arresting the cook; on two charges of larceny, and that after making the arrest he Was- carried ; out -to sea, ■ and landed, at Lyell’s Bay. The charge will be based upon the captain’s refusal to allow the detective to take the prisoner away, There i?, of course, no likelihood of anything,' except the issue of'the warrant, .being done at present,, but. should Captain 6rf re-visit the colony, the document Will ,be in-waiting for him. The owners of the vessel will also be informed of the occur'rence. '" ’

I The Judges of the Native Land Court have,iwith the approval of the Governor in Council, made the following rule, which has - been gazetted;: “Solicitors and their Costs.— Assent shall not be given to the appearance of any counsel or solicitor in Court in any case until he has filed therein a statutory declaration, containing, a statement, of the terms of his engagement or contract with his employers, and the amount of money already, or promised, and concluding with a declaration that he does not expect to receive, and will not receive, on account of the case on which his employment arises, any land, money, fee, or reward, other than those set forth.” The fine block of two-storied brick buildings erected by Mr E. Whitehouse, at the corner of Cuba and Dixon-streets, has just been completed, and is a decided improvement to that end of the city. The corner shop will be occupied by Mr Whitehouse himself, and his grocery business will probably be removed there by the end of the present week. The second shop in Cuba-street has been occupied by Mr J. Young, the well-known ironmonger, who commenced business in his new premises on Saturday last. The ample space provided gives plenty of room for the display of Mr Young’s immense and varied stock, and for the last three days one of the has been completely filled.with handsome articles, in white metal and eleetro-plate, which are all marked at exceedingly _ low prices. The other window was filled with the usual ironmongers’ stock. ; On Saturday evening the new establishment was crowded with purchasers.

A meeting of the Provisional Committee appointed on Friday, April 27tb,_ to further the formation of a musical society in Wellington was to be held yesterday, at 8 p.m., to receive the report of the Sub-Committee appointed, to draft rules,&o., andtoenrolthenames of new members. Fifty ladies and’ gentlemen have already signified their intention of joining the new society, and the secretary, Mr W. Webley, of Cuba-street, is prepared to receive names and give all information as to the intended mode of organisation. It has been decided that every performing member shall pay a subscription, and that in no respect shall the company be dependent on pecuniary contributions from the general public. The annual general meeting of the Wellington Football Club was held at the Star Hotel 7th instant, Mr C. A. Knapp in the chair. There was a good attendance of members, and several new members were elected. The report and balance-sheet, which showed a substantial credit balance, were read and adopted. In the election of officers, President, Colonel Pearce ; and Vice-Presidents, W. H. Levin, Esq., M.H.R., and O. A. Knapp, were all elected, and the following new elections made : —Hon, Secretary, J. L. Flint; Hon. Treasurer, W. Holmes ; Captain, B. F. Lynch ; Committee, Messrs McCardell, Firth, Roberts, Bate, Thomson, Gibbes, and O.' Kreeft; Delegates to Association, Messrs Lynch, Bate, and Firth, It was decided to introduce a rule admitting country members at a nominal subscription. The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the lata Secretary, Mr Bate, and other retiring officers, and to ; the Chairman. ,'

The ceremony of consecrating the fifth lodge of Freemasons in this city took place with imposing effect at the Masonic Hall, Boulcottstreet, on May sth, when the Leinster Lodge was duly opened under the Irish constitution. There - were upwards of 120 representatives present, from the English, Irish, and Scotch Lodges • throughout the world. Amongst the visitors were Bros. the Hon. ,F. Whitaker, R.W.P.G.M., N.L, N.Z., S.C.; C. J. Toxward, R. W.D.G.M., N.L, N.Z.,E.0,; G., S. Cooper, R.W.D.D.G.M., N.L, N.Z, E.C.; Dr. A. Johnston, R.W.D.P.G.M., 5.0., with their officers and a numerous assemblage of Past-Masters belonging to the several constitutions. The new Masonic offspring was also honored by an official visit from the officers and members of the following lodges ;—Pacific, 517 E.C.; Waterloo, 463 S.C,; Wellington, 1521 E.C.; and St. Andrews, 639 S.C. Several brethren from H.M.S. Mirandawerealsopresent. The honor,of installing officer devolved onßro. P.M- Kenpeth;:Wilson, of the Wellington .Lodge, who carried through .his work in a most able and praiseworthy manner, The Leinster Lodge having been duly consecrated according to ancient Masonic custom, an appropriate address was delivered to the members of the new Lodge by Bro. the Hon." F. Whitaker, in the course of which he took occasion" to, urge oh the craft the necessity of erecting a more suitable and commodious building for their purposes—one which he thought, in view of, the rapid growth of Freemasonry, would, more worthily represent the important interests of the Empire City. In speaking, the distinguished visitor referred in cotnpli-' mentary terms to tlie splendid halls owned by the . brotherhood, at the two extremes of .the. colony—Auckland and Invercai*-. gill. The "following. brethren. were - next duly installed as the first officers of the new Lodge ;—W.M., R. C. "Hamerton (P.M., I.O.); aW., F. H. Arrowsmith ; J.W., George C. Fownes ; Treasurer, W. O. Macdnrmott; Secretary, Harry VVrigg ; 5.D.,; H,-E. Eton; J.D., George A. Beere; LG.,',o.' H. Gillespie; Director of Ceremonies, J. -Hyde (P.M;, 1.C.); S. Steward, J. B. Brown ; J. Steward, D. L; Tamer ; Tyler, EH Back.' The Lodge having been duly closed, 1 an adjourn-, ment was made to the luncheon room, where an impromptu spread had been provided, 'The healths of *the Grand Lodge and*District G.L. officers were drunk, also “ Success to -the 'Leinster Lodge,’’ “ Visiting Breth'ren;”j‘*3ioter Lodges," “ Officers and Members of - the- new iLodge;” - and* a'number -of ;otbßr toasts,«»ll<)f ( which were enthusiastically received and respouded to.. h Tho proteedicgs ivere brought to a close shortly before 11 p.m., after a moat enjoyable evening’s fraternal gathering.

Sergeant John Price has been appointed Inspector of Weights and Measures for the Counties of -Wairarapa East and Wairarapa West, vice Sergeant McArdle ; and Constable John Gillespie- to. a similar office for the Borough of Palmerston, Mr B. B. Gore, of the Wellington Museum, was a box seat passenger on the coach which recently capsized on Patea Hill, but fortunately escaped unhurt. The horses shied in consequence of a load of stuff being shot out of a tip-cart, employed in road work, just as the • coach was passing. . I . It would appear that there is a probability of a visit being made to the colonies by another Japanese man-of-war. The “ Japan Mail” of a recent date says ;—“ Captain Ito and other officers of H.I.J.M.S. Tsukuba have been received by the Emperor prior to the vessel’s departure for the Pacific. The voyage should commence on the 4th of March, and the ship will visit Hong Kong, Batavia, Melbourne (Victoria), Hobart Town (Tasmania), and Nelson and Auckland (New Zealand), whence she will return to Japan, there completing a cruise estimated at 15,100ri. (about 37,000 miles).” The contracts for the enlargement of St. Mark’s Church at Grey town, and for parsonage are signed, and the works will be pushed on at once. The “ Standard ” publishes the following list of tenders received by the Vestry ;—Parsonage, T. Kemp, £295 (accepted) ; W, .B. Campin, £3BO ; J, Montgomery, £309 ; Williams and Barker, £3BO ; W. B. Rountree, £376 ; Dixon and France, £3Bl 10s; A. Cleghorn, £332 10s; Reese and , Dixon - £424. Church—W. B. Campin, £250 (accepted) ; J. Montgomery, £2BO ; Williams and Barker, £276 ; W. B. Rountree. £2BO ; Dixon and France, £250 15s ; A. Cleghorn, £277 10s ; Reese and Dixon, £263. The Money Order and Savings Bank transactions in the several postal districts of the colony, during the quarter ended 31st March last, show (a decided improvement generally on the return for the' corresponding quarter in 1881. The comparative figures stand thus, the first in each case showing the amount for the quarter in the current year ;—Money orders issued, £118,488’ 11s 5d—£110,277 13s; money orders: paid, £93,721 9s 10i1—£86,502 0s 9d. Saving Bank deposits, £353,435 15s 6d—£281,840 -6si r 4d ; withdrawals, £269,404 8s 6J—£210,947 19s 3d ; excess of deposits over withdrawals, £84,031 7s- —£70,892 7s 10. With the single exception of the withdrawals for the past quarter, exceeding-those made during the March' quarter in 1881 by some £58,000, the business in both departments is eminently satisfactory.. . The Savings Bank deposits in the. Wellington postal district during the past -quarter amounted to £45,980, and the withdrawals to £40,243.

The happy-go-lucky manner .in.which some people come,’or are’ sent,'to the colonies in the' hope-'that they will fall en.their legs; received an illustration at'*’a-recent meeting of the Benevolent Society, when an .appUqatiou for; re-, lief was received from a person who formerly, held a commission in an English infantry pegnhept; : ' It' appears that ’he '.'arrived -at Lyttelton-from Home- last-month, without sufficient money to’meet even immediate wants. Major Knollys, under whose notice he came, sent him to'Wellington, with a recommendation to Coloner Header for admission to'the Armed Constabulary, but as the force is being reduced, this attempt at providing for him proved futile. The Yep, Avchdeacon Stock then provided himwith means to obtain food and lodgings until this week. As nothing bad turned up ih v the -meantime, 1 an application-for relief was made to the Bsnevolent Institution, with the result that a night’s lodging and food, together with a railway pass to Belmont, where a woodcutter is required, were found for him. This class of immigrants is probably the most undesirable of all.

A triendly ; greeting was given to the crews of H.M.SS. Emerald and Miranda, on a recent evening, by the Wellington Naval Brigade, and which was appreciated in the true spirit in which it was given. 'About 8 o’clock the two cutters of the Brigade were brought into service, in the . one a full complement of the Navals, and in the other the,band of the Brigade.. The first taking the other iu tow pulled/off’ to the meh-o£-war, and, arriving alongside, the band -gave the crews of -these vessels a serenade in a selection of the excellent music for which the band is famed. The jolly tars, who assembled on the fore-decks of their vessels, returned the compliment by singing, in spirited style, some good sea songs and choruses, : alternating with the music of the band. This was continued until nearly nine -o’clock, when the-bugles on board called the men below. The night was fine, the wind still, and the water with scarcely a ripple, and the eifect of'this aquatic musical performance was thus rendered doubly effective, for a numerous auditory had gathered on the wharf, where every strain, musical and vocal, could be heard, even to the solo voices singing on board the men-of-war. ’

A bazaar and promenade concert was held in - the Catholic : schoolrooms, Dixon-atreet, on Monday evening, the Ist; instant, for the purpose of adding. to the fund of the school. The spacious building had been very appropriately decorated for the occasion with evergreens, banting, and pictures, and this, added to the display of the numerous articles of fancy work, &c., was well calculated to give the visitor a most favorable impression. Indeed, those who entered the rooms for the first time were not a little surprised at the sight which met them. There was an excellent attendance during the afternoon, and during the evening there was scarcely room to move. So great was the crush that the concert was completely spoilt, only a few of the soloists venturing to render their parts.- By 10.30 p.m. there was scarcely an article left on the tables, while numbers of ladies and gentlemen were to be seen carrying large piles of purchases upon the use of which many of them would probably have some difficulty to decide. We were unable to learn.the total amount of the receipts, but, judging by the result, we should gay that they must have surpassed all expectations. The members of the Church in the Te Aro parish should therefore feel thoroughly satisfied, especially as the preparations were not, of a comprehensive nature, and but little notice had been given. The chief attraction was undoubtedly an oil painting, from the pencil of Mr Traynore,' representing a view of Wellington Harbor, taken from such a position that not a single house of the : city is visible. The picture is an excellent one, and the price at which it was put up for subscription is far below its value. The following ladies, with others whose names we could not ascertain, took an. active part in the proceedings : Mesdames Sharp, Traynore, O’Shea, Devine, Hickson, Weight,. Swan; Madden, and Gallagher, Misses Reid, ‘ Riggs, Augustus, Murphy, McDonald,- Hurley, Smith, Worthington j and Burns. The Hibernian Band rendered a number of selections during the evening, and a number of the pupils also played duets, &c., on one or more instruments. It is the intention of the management to give a concert at an early date, when'the excellent programme which had been prepared for Monday will be presented. : A bazaar in connection with the completion of the new Wesleyan Sunday school was held in the building in Taranaki-street, at 2 o’clock Tuesday, 2nd inst. The whole of the large central hall was very tastefully decorated, and, even stripped of the numerous'showy articles which were,for.,disposal,in the various stalls, it would have, presented a very attractive appearance,. T“ e sides of the hall were divided into four largp stalls for the disposal of a large quantity of' those articles' which usually form the bulk of the stock on such occasions, and which experience has proved to be the most salable another, occupying the eastern end, and a large room attached to it were used for refreshments. A bookstall was near the entrance.-"-The. centre was taken up with a- neatly decorated Christmas tree, and a flower stall, as also , a number of seats. The following were the names of the ladies who presided over the various divisions, together with their assistants :—No. 1 stall—. Mesdames Bavin, Tiller, and Watty, Misses Barnard, Brown,. Hilyer, and, Webb. No. 2 stall—Mrs Stafford and Miss Wilkinson. No: 3 stall—Mesdames Barber, Clark, and Cleland, Misses Cook; Herbert;'and Tonka, No. 4 stall i —Mrs Broad and Miss Taylor. Refreshment stall and . room—Mesdames / Ralph, Billman, Williams, Gooder, and Tiller, Miss Moxhatn. Christmas tree—Misses Fuller and Warren; Flower stall—Misses Kelly and Webb.' 1 Book stall—Messrs Johnston', Gleeson, and Godber. Messrs Denton and/Enller had established a Punch-and;Judyßhowinpne of the side rooms, where they did an excellent business. Another room' and a corner in the hall were occupied by Messrs Redmond and Marks, of the -Telegraph Department, - - and these gentlemen alsppppeared to jkeep ,their wires[ wpll occupied.; An excellent orchestra, was formed by the Bill family and others, while a number of prominent vocalists,-among whom we noticed ;'Mr, "Mrs", and Miss Parsdns,' and Messrs Hill and Widdop alsoicontributedte thfi attractions of the evening. . , Miss.Kipniburgh presided, at the piano, The ‘attendance was very lafge during' 1 both/-afternoon fund ' evening.- The 'bazaar Uwas continued’ next dayj'and in. the evening the Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society give a concert,

The appointment of Amelins M. Smith, Esq., as chief clerk in the office of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, has been gazetted. The Postal revenue of the colony for the quarter ended 31st March last amounted to £44,672 5s 4d, as against £47,423 17s lOd for the corresponding quarter in 1881. The cash received for telegrams during the past quarter was £20,590 2s 9d, and in the March quarter of 1881 it was £17,889 11s 2d ; the surplus in the one case balancing, within £sl, the deficit jn the,other.

Mr ' Ebenezer Baker has been appointed Warden of all Wardens’ Courts within the Nelson South-west Goldfields Mining District, and a Resident' Magistrate for the districts of Nelson and Nelson South-west Goldfields, with extended jurisdiction to £IOO, during the absence on leave of Mr W. H. Revell, R.M.

The Geological Department have received a telegram from Mr McKay, who is at present in the Eeefton district, stating that he has succeeded in tracing the deposits of tin recently discovered in that locality—in various other localities as well—and there is every probability of their being traced to their rock matrix. Mr McKay’s efforts may prove of incalculable value to the luangahua district. The Local Option' polling for the Mount Cook Licensing District took place April 20. The result was 82 votes for an increase in the number of publicans’ licenses and 145 against; 78 in favor of an increase in the number of New Zealand wine licenses and 132 against. It will be thus seen that only 227 persons out of 948outhe roll exercised their voting privilege. Mrs Sarah Tntohen, an old Wellington settler, died at her residence in Brougham, street on Sunday, April 25, at the advanced age of eight-four years. She arrived in Port Nicholson with her husband and family in the ship Arab, in October, 1841, and shortly afterwards settled in Happy Valley, Ohiro ; but, his health failing, Mr Tntchea removed to Brougham-street, where he died in 1862. Mrs Tutchen had been ill only a few days. She leaves two: sons and two daughters—Mrs E. Bannister, and Mrs John Waters—and about fifty grand-children and great grandchildren. ‘ A gentleman living near Timaru ; has put down about an acre of sugar beet, with a view of testing the suitability of the soil to its successful culture; As sonh as the plants are in a sufficiently forward condition, he will forward samples of the beet to Dr. Hector and other scientists to report on. Some consternation was caused in the Post Office about a month ago by the mysterious disappearance of a registered letter, containing £2OO worthof banknotes.. The letter was posted at Piclon,-'addressed to one of : the Wellington bankers, and in.the hurry Of sorting, was by mistake placed in the San Francisco mail bag. This fact, however,, was not known for certain until a .cable message was received by the Postal authorities hero after the arrival of the mail steamer at San Francisco, stating that the missing letter had been; found, and was in safe' keeping. In the meantime,, every effort had been made to solve the mystery, and the matter had been placed in the hands of the police.-:

A second meeting of the creditors of K. W. Cary, actor and theatrical manager, was held at the Supreme Court House April 21. The bankrupt was sworn and subjected to a severe cross-examination with reference to his business transactions with.Mr Saunders, and at the close of the meeting Mr E. T. Gillen proposed, “That this meeting recommends that a discharge be not granted, in consequence of the bankrupt’s very unsatisfactory proceedings.” This was seconded by Mr Laddj and declared carried by value, although not by number. A report of the proceedinga-will be found in another column. Last night we were shown a memorandum, signed by Mr W. R. Waters, the Trustee, to the effect that Mr Gillon’s motion was lost by both number and value—those who voted for it representing debts amounting to £l2O 16s, while those against- it represented debts amounting to £142 6s 4d.

Concerning the affairs of the late Mr Halse, solicitor, of Mew Plymouth, who committed suicide a few days ago, the “ Patea Mail ’’ says :—lt is understood .that the revelation of Mr Halse’s financial position came about through a simple incident. A client living out of the district had entrusted the lawyer with £SOO to invest, and this was supposed to be invested in mortgage on a certain property. The client visited New Plymouth a few days ago, and went to see the property in which MrHalse professed to have invested his money. It soon appeared that the mortgage had no existence. The client demanded au explanation, and Mr Halse appears to have made the matter worse by trying to conceal the deception. The client instructed another lawyer iu the town to take legal proceedings, whether in the criminal farm for breach of trust, or in the civil form of an action for debt, we are not aware. The matter became in a few hours a raging scandal in the place, and a crowd_ of people besieged Mr Halse’a office demanding surrender of deeds and other forms of satisfaction. Mr Halse became so distracted that Mr Roy had to take the responsibility of calling a private meeting of creditors. Before the creditors met, and indeed on the same morning, Mr Halse was found dead, having poisoned himself with strychnine, a deadly but excruciating poison, in his occasional residence at Waicara. His liabilities are reported to be about £22,000. His assets may be worth more than that when looked into and realised, Mr Roy, the son-in-law and partner, had also substantial means before entering the business. It is supposed, but we do not know definitely, that the £SOOO or which Mr Halse’s life was insured has been ettled many years on the wife. Recent telegrams have come to hand concerning copper mining in Otago. We take the following from the “Otago Daily Times ” of the 20tb instant :—“A number of Directors and others interested in the working of the Waipori antimony and Waitahuna copper mines left Dunedin on Saturday last for the purpose of visiting the above-mentioned mines. At both the mines a good deal of work has been done during the last few months, and the results so far are. very encouraging. The antimony lode is a very fine one, and the ore obtained from it at present is calculated to yield 70 per cent, of metal. A waterwheel, pumping and winding gear, and other machinery have been erected, and work satisfactorily. At the copper-nine nearly £3OOO has been expanded in machinery, &c., and the lode, which has been struck in several places, yields well and promises to last. Here a considerable sum has also been expended in a water-race, three-quarters of a mile long, at the head of which is a large dam for raising the water to the height of this wheel used to drive the machinery. On the trip to the copper-mine the party were accompanied by Mr J. C. Brown, M.H.R., who fired the first shot in the mine. He expressed himself as delighted with the prospects of the undertaking, and spoke in complimentary terms of the enterprise of the company. The party returned to town on Monday evening, highly pleased with the trip, which, as the weather kept fine, was a very enjoyable one. We have received a copy of “ Percy Porno,” or the Autobiography of a South Sea Islander, from the publishers, Griffith and Farran, of London. It is a very interesting story intended to exhibit the difficulties, progress, and results attending the missionary effort to introduce Christianity among the Natives of-the South Pacific Islands, and purporting to be written by one who ranked among its converts. At the same time, it exhibits the injustice, cruelties, and direful consequences inseparable from the labor traffic, unless placed under more humane and stringent regulations than those obtaining. The idea of removing any of the Natives who might desire to go to one or other of the Australasian Colonies or to New Caledonia to witness civilised life and become acquainted with its industries, and then returning as practical instructors to their island homes, has much to be said in its favor j but from want of proper checks, or from evasions of the laws relating to it, the traffic founded thereon has in many cases degenerated into a revolting form of the slave system, causing trade with the islands to be attended with danger and bring, ing our; civilisation and our religion alike into disrepute. The book, though it does not discuss, yet suggests the question whether all this could not have been prevented had Great Britain taken possession of all these groups of islands, as in the interests of humanity she ought to have done ? In answer to that question we unhesitatingly say that, if instead of standing by and allowing other nations, to establish their influence over many of them’, with a view to ultimate; annexation, England bad taken them all under her definite protect tion, much bloodshed in the past would have been avoided, and trouble in the future prevented. The tardy device of appointing a High Commission, is but a;roiserable-substitute for a .protectorate system, which ought .to have been established long ago, and even yet ought to be established without delay. The story of Percy Porno will not have been written and published in vain if, in any measure, it contribute to this reeult Tbe whole story is,so well and at- 1 tractiyelywritten as to . give the that it must haveTpeen ; the work of-one Identifying Himself with" the Natives, an3,&ooHut|g the mouthpiece of a genuine ’South" Sea Islander’s history.

Messrs G. M. Saelson, James Lenton, and Jacob Nanneste.ad have been appointed trustees for the maintenance and care of the Palmerston North Public Cemetery. William Macdonald, Esq., M.A., L.L.D., has been appointed a member of the Council of the University of Otago, vice the Hon. H. S. Chapman, deceased. Messrs Gillett Brothers, of Palmerston North, have applied through their agent, Mr C. E. Powles, to register a trade mark to apply to wine and spirits of their bottling. His Excellency tbe Governor has appointed Theophilus Heale, Esq., to be a Judge of the Native Land Court ; and Henry Halse, Esq,, of Wellington, to act as Interpreter, under the Native Land Court Act, 1830. It is stated that, although the machinery at the Mosgiel Woollen Mills is kept running night and day, the demand for the Company’s goods is greater than the supply. Mr Besley, of the firm of Scott and Besley, as trustee in the estate of J. Bidmead, has the gratification of being able to declare a dividend of 20s in the £, an unusual circumstance in insolvency matters, and bearing evidence of excellent management of the trust.

The drive at the Golden Crown claim, Terawhiti, is now in about 340 ft, and at any moment the public may hear of the reef being struck. If this should turn out as rich at the level where it will be now cut, namely, 120 ft, as it runs at the last cut in the shaft at 57ft, there are good times in store for shareholders. We are informed by Mr H. Mace that about 500 shares changed hands on April 27. The “ Timaru Herald,” in a notice of the Christchurch Exhibition, says :—“ Of colonial wines, there are three exhibits—from Wanganui, where vintages are already very favorably known, and from Nelson (Mr James Smith’s) and Dunedin, of the former of which its climate would hint that more will be heard in the future as a wine-producing country.” The Patea “Evening News” reports that Natives from Hukatere have brought in a story to the effect that they had discovered traces of a wild man on Whenuakura Block. The chief Tauroa, and others who back him up in the statement, says that recently a party of nine .Maoris went pigeon shooting, and at a spot distant about a mile and a half to the left of Little Taranaki pah, they found a spade, and dote to it a cavern in the earth. Here they discovered traces of a recent fire, potatoe. skins and sheep bones. On this assumption they premise that a European is living a hermit or primitive life in the bush. Sheep, a gun, ammunition, end other articles have been, lost by settlers in the: neighborhood, and it is believed that this strange being has stolen them.

; A large number of Press men in both islands of New Zealand, as well as in Victoria, will, regret to hear of . the death of Mr John B Dungan, who expired on the 2nd of May, at Palmerston North, .aged about 45 years. At the time of his death he was editing and conducting the “ Manawatu Times,” which he took over from Mr Leary some years ago. Before that time he filled the position of Editor of the “ New Zealand Tablet,” published at Dunedin, and in that city, as in every other place where he has lived, he will have left numbers of friends to sorrow at bis loss. Before his arrival in New Zealand Mr Dungan was connected with the Ballarat “ Post ” and other Victerian newspapers. He leaves a wife and numerous family. A correspondent telegraphs that the deceased expired at 6.30 from heart disease. ,

The old telegraph offices have been recently closed, and business is now transacted in the temporary offices in connection with the Post Office at the Braudon-street corner. The accommodation for the public is certainly not more than that afforded at the old office, but the rooms for the operators and other officers of the department should prove far more convenient than at the old quarters. The combination, of the two offices in one building will be an advantage to the public. At a numeronsly-atteuded meeting of the Albion Quartz Mining Co., Terawiti, held last week, the Manager presented a highly satisfactory report as to the state of the mine, and that there was every indication of good payable stone, some 4000 tons being easily available. The only thing required was crushing machinery, which he recommended should be obtained. After a few remarks from the Chairman and several shareholders, some of whom expressed their thorough confidence in the prospects of the workings, it was unanimously resolved to procure a ten-stamper battery, and so test the value of the mine. The unfortunate man Smith, who, we learn by telegram, has, together with his family, been burnt to death in the Whareama district, was formerly a resident of Wellington. He had a deformed foot, and it was only with great difficulty that be could walk about. Being a shoemaker by trade, the few settlers in the neighborhood used their influence and procured him the appointment of ferryman at the month of the river, so that they might have the benefit of his trade. We believe there were a number of children, but as some of them must have been nearly grown up, it is highly probable that they were not all living with their parents, especially as Mr Smith’s income from all sources was very small. The dwelling consisted of a large toi-toi whare, and was built a number of years ago. Although situated on the brink of the river, and within a stone’s-throw of the sea, it would have been quite impossible to suppress the fire, even had assistance been available, owing to the inflammable nature of the material.

During the month of March last 432 hirths were registered in the colony, and 158 deaths. Of these 89 births and 28 deaths occurred in Wellington, the latter being in the proportion of 1'32 to the 1000 of population. The lowest proportion of deaths in the colony during the month was at Timaru, o’so ; and the highest at Napier, 2 70. The total births in the 15 boroughs, whence returns are furnished, amounted to 432, against 387 in February, being an increase of 45. The deaths amounted to 150 in March, an increase of 24 on the number for February. Of the above deaths, males contributed 83 ; females, 75. Seventyseven of the deaths were of children under five years of age, , being 48’73 per cent, of the whole number; 67 of these were of children under one year of age. In the four principal boroughs, viz, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin the deaths from zymotic diseases were 26 in March, or So'9s per cent, of the total deaths, against 28, or 32T9 per cent., in February. There were 6 deaths from scarlet fever in each month, of which 5 occurred each month in Auckland. Typhoid fever caused one death in Wellington, and 1 in Dunedin.

The “Wanganui Herald’’ thus refers to a local company :—“ The Directors of the Wanganui Graziers Company have issued a very doleful report, in which they have fairly thrown up the sponge over the loss of about £350 in the year’s trading of both steamers. The report is positively enough to make a citizen shed tears at the melancholy prospect. By the enterprise of these ‘graziers’ they have lost the Auckland trade, and we really don’t know what will be the next calamity they will have, to chronicle. We think thev have done a wise thing, however, to sell the Wallabi, and a still wiser thing not to sell the St. Hilda. Some of the shareholders are evidently a good deal more enterprising than the majority of the Directors, and we hope the next year’s trade will give a different result. If they were only to launch out and get a good passenger boat for the Wellington trade, we have no doubt the Company could be made to pay well. We have only to add that we don’t see where the capital of the Company is in the plant. They don’t believe in the new West Coast goldfield.” A meeting of settlers in the Karon district was held at the office of the Hutt County Council, a few days ago, for the purpose of considering a report from Mr D. Climie, C.E., as to the feasibility of carrying out a light line of railway or a tramway through the Karori-Makara and Porinia districts. . The Engineer’s estimate was, that such a railway, with all the necessary roiling stock, could be constructed for about £IOO,OOO. He also suggested that the sett lera of the district should take steps to bring themselves under the, operation of -the District Hallways Act, by which they would be entitled to the Government guarantee of 2 per cent. He was of opinion that the proposed railway wonld pay 2 per cent, at once, and -as the money for-its ' construction could easily be raised in the English market at 5 per cent., the district would only be left liable to the balance of 1 per cent. Mr Hendry, who'was in attendance, stated that he had gone into the matter and could support the views expressed by Mr Climie. The meeting came to’ the ’ conclusion that nothing definite • could be . done ’ until ' the .opinions held by the majority of the settlers were ascertained,. and it jxvas.; decided that ..another meeting should be held at an 'early date at Karori, when it is hoped there will be a large attendance. It is proposed that the railway or tramway shall leave the ' City of Wellington by way.of Sydney-street and Glen-heme-terrace, - and along the.,. 'Tinakori-road, utilising the*roads at present in,existence as much as possible ; then by'Karori, along the' Makara Valley, and by the Ohariu river to" Porirna,