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New Zealand Times, Volume XLX, Issue 8163, 15 August 1887, Page 4

The civil sittings of the Supreme Court will commence this morning. His Honor the Chief Justice will preside. The Customs duties collected at the port of ■Wellington during last week amounted to £4764 15s 2d, and beer duty £IOO ISs. The Christchurch football team, who were somewhat unfortunate in being detained in the Rotomahana on Friday night, transhipped into the Rotorua, which left for New mouth and Manukau on Saturday evening. A landslip of a not very alarming nature occurred at the rear of Messrs Townsend and Paul’s shop in Willis-street, on Saturday evening. A considerable quantity of earth came down, but no damage was done, A sudden death occurred yesterday morn, ing. at 6.3 o—the wife of Mr George Buck, of Garrett-atreet, being found dead in her bed. The cause of death has been attributed by Dr Gillon to heart disease. It has not yet been decided whether an inquest will take place. “Harvest Festivals” was repeated by Moore and Ashton’s Mammoth Minstrels at the Opera House on Saturday night to a large audience. The programme, which was the same as that given on the previous evening, was carried out very well, and apparently to the entire satisfaction of the audience. In the first part the harvest festivals scene alone is an attraction, and is one of the prettiest sets we have seen in this city. The same programme will be repeated to-night. The Royal Mail steamer Tongariro, which arrived here on Saturday afternoon, brought 371 sacks of mails, which were sorted in time for a public delivery at 8 p.m. The Rotorua took on the Northern portion of the mail on Saturday evening, and the Mahinapua the Southern portion yesterday morning. The Nelson and West Coast portion was taken on by the Mawhera yesterday. The total time of the Tongariro’s passage was 42d Oh 20m, and her actual steaming time 40d 18h 30m.

We have received from the Secretary of the District Grand Lodge of Freemasons for the North Island of New Zealand, E.C., a chromo-lithographio copy of the address presented by the Freemasons of Wellington to her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of her Jubilee. The original was moat beautifully illuminated by Messrs Bock and Cousins, and this facsimile is an admirable reproduction by the same local firm, forming quite a work of art, which will be much valued by alLwho possess a copy, as a memento of so interesting an occasion.

Daring the recent trip of the Stella to Cuvier Island, on which it has been decided to erect a lighthouse, Mr Wilson, secretary to the Customs and Marine Department, and Mr Scott, who is connected with the Lighthouse Department, inspected' the site of the proposed lighthouse. It is understood that the captains of the Union Steamship Company, whose fleet is constantly using the East Coast route, are averse to the site selected, on the ground that the light will not be of so mueh benefit as if placed on another, portion of the island, A promenade concei t and dance, in aid of the Garrison Band fund, was held at the Drillshed on Saturday night, there being about 200 persons present. Among the audience were a number of the seamen and petty officers of H.M.S. Opal, who, as guests, contributed songs and dances during the concert, which were highly appreciated. At the dance, which was held subsequently, Seaman Redding and Private Patten acted as M.C.'s, and music was supplied by the Garrison Band. The entertainment was carried out under the management of the Garrison Band Amusement Committee.

A requisition signed by 410 persons was presented to Mr George Fisher on Saturday asking him to deliver an address to the electors of the city on the political situation. The requisition set forth that Ministers and other members of Parliament had addressed the electors in this city as well as in other parts of the Colony j and it was thought that at this critical period of the finances of the Colony Mr Fisher could enlighten them on many subjects, and that much information would be gathered from his aidress. Mr Fisher has promised to accede to the request, and will speak at the Opera House at the earliest possible date. Despite the unfavorable state of the weather there was a very large congregation, the greater portion of whom were young men, at the evening service at the Wesley Church, Taranaki-street, last night, to hear the Rev L, M. Isitt’s special sermon on “Recreation.” The subject was ably dealt with, and "the preacher maintained that while recreation was necessary for our mental, physical, and moral good, it was not to be made the sole object of life. Dealing with the physical effects of recreation, ; the reverend gentleman quoted Thomas de Witt Talmage, the celebrated American clergyman, as follows :—“ We Americans are becoming a narrow-chested, weak-armed, feeble-voiced people. Just when God has work' for us to do that needs physical as well as spiritual athletics, our ministers go in for seven years’ hard study, and then coma out with bronchitis, dyspepsia and liver complaint. They crawl into the pulpit, and the people say, ‘ Don’t they look heavenly; ’ when they should say, ‘Don’t they look sickly.’ The mission of the Church is not to suppress, bat to direct » desire for amusement.” Let, said the Rev Mr laitt, ministers and teachers in this land say amen to this last sentence, and so far from viewing athletic sports with suspicion, hall with gladness every recreation that would act as a corrective to business confinement and sedentary occupation. The banishment of consumption and dyspepsia from our midst would give breadth of shoulder, strength of lung, bona and sinew, and the priceless boon of good health to those destined to be the ancestors of the mighty nation that will yet people this New Zealand of ours. He hoped, ere long, to see associated with the church a gymnasium where the young men of the congregation might go for physical exercise and amusement. The rev gentleman also made some remarks with reference to boxing, which will be found elsewhere.

The ninth of the Rev L. M. Isitt’a working men’s free concerts came off at' the Theatre Royal on Saturday night, and despite the inclemency of the weather there was again an enormous attendance, the building being crowded in all parts. A capital programme was presented and successfully gene through. . The items were as follow ; Piano solo, The Wandering Jew,” Miss Widdop ; song, “Should he upbraid" (encored), Mrs Parsons; song, “Oh, hear the wild winds blow " (encored), Mr J. Prouse ; recitation, “ The Yarn of the Nancy Bell ” (encored), Mr R. W. Brown; song, “The Kerry Dance” (encored), Miss Randell; song, “The Death of Nelson” (encored), Mr Atkinson ; piano solo, “ Der Freisohutz,” Herr Weiss; song, “ Kate O’Shane,” Mrs Parsons; flute solo, “Carnival de Venice,” Mr J. L. Herd; recitation, “The Revenge” (by special request), Mr H, S. Nicholls ; duet, “A B C ” (encored), Miss Randell and Mr Prouse; comic song, Mr Sayers. Dr Newman delivered an interesting address on “Self-reliance and Self-respect.” Before delivering his usual temperance address at the conclusion, Rev Mr Isifcfc alluded to several letters that have recently appeared m the newspapers with reference to the small amounts that have been collected at the concerts. He was quite astonished to see these letters appearing, for ha was not in any need of money at all, and so long as the colloctiouil kept on as they were he was satisfied.

There was no business transacted at the Resident Magistrate's Court on Saturday.

Xwo nrat onenaera for drunkenness were the only occupants o£ the cells at the central police station up to a late hoar last night. Inspector Thompson is expected to arrive here, via New Plymouth, by the Wellington and Manawatu Bail way to-morrow night. We have to acknowledge the receipt of the annual report of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, which contains much interesting matter.

Professor Herbert, a conjuror, will shortly visit Wellington, An Auckland paper says of him : —“He is a wonderful stage conjuror, and his feats are far above the average of what we have been accustomed to see in Auckland, He is far in advance of Dr Lynn." Mr Robert Parker gives his lecture on Mozart at the churohroom, Tinakori-road, tomorrow evening, at 8 o’clock. The mnsical illustrations will be given by the Misses Gore and Williams and Messrs Boyd, Connolly, Hamerton, Kennedy, Schwartz, and the Rev P. N. Hunter. In the course of the Rev L. M. Isitt’s special sermon on recreation at the Wesley Church, Taranaki-street, last night, he said that, while boxing was capital exercise for bringing the muscles into play and for teaching men to control their tempers, he could not understand anyone who had any self-respect patronising the bmtal and disgusting prize-fights that had recently degraded our town, ITe wondered that some of the newspapers were not decent enough to refuse their advertisements, and they had managed to successfully evade interference of the law. He had been credibly informed that at one or two of these exhibitions the sight had been so sickening that some of those who had paid their money to witness the match had left before it concluded.

The New York correspondent of the Mel bourne Argus, writing on June 24, says : “Hngh M. Brooks, alias Dr W. B. Lenox Maxwell, who murdered Preller in St. Louis on Easter Sunday, 1886, and escaped to New Zealand, whence he was brought back, is now pretty sure to be banged. The Supreme Court of Missouri has decided against him on appeal, and unless he can get a hearing in the United States Coarcs, which is not likely, he will have to hang. The disgusting little murderer has maintained bis popularity among the morbid-minded women of St. Louis, who have kept him supplied with delicacies and dowers, and these signs of sympathetic interest will probably be redoubled now that he is likely to suffer the penalty of his cold-blooded and monstrous crime.