Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7656, 15 June 1896, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING.

GIBBOENE, MONDAY, JUNE 15, 189G, THE SOUDAN CAMPAIGN. The recent victory of the Egyptian troops at Ferkeh augurs well for the success of the forward movement into the Soudan, and there is reason to hope that before long England will have regained much of the territory she lost in the disastrous war which culminated in the fall of Khartoum and the death of General Gordon. Tho movement of between 8,000 and 9,000 men, comprising the British troops and Egyptian allies, up the Nile in the middle of an equatorial summer has been a wonderfully successful operation. Military experts said it could not be done, and a large majority of the newspapers declared that to order the troops forward until the autumn was an act of folly and was courting defeat. The success at Ferkeh Wells has belied the critics. Great credit will be due to the Sirdar, Sir Herbert Kitchener, who, though a young man and commanding troops in the field for the first time, is an old Egyptian campaigner. Sir Herbert's good generalship was apparent by his preparedness for war when the order was received. The garrison at Wady Haifa was admirably equipped. All parts of the force, cavalry, guns, camel corps, mounted infantry, and marohing troops were ready for immediate service ; every item of equipment, sufficient ammunition, supplies of all sorts equal to sudden needs had been constantly maintained in the garrison in serviceable condition available for immediate use. The camel corps, 500 strong, was ready to be moved off in 25 minutes' notice ; the cavalry, three squadrons, 400 horses in all, could have been ready in rather less, and the mule battery also, and about 200 mounted infantry. Close by every cnmel lay its kit, all ready for instant use— the water kegs filled, tho forage bags packed, the haversacks, with their quota of rations, everything necessary for a seven days' march ; all that remained was to bring the rider's blanket, fold and fix it in its place?" fit the saddle on top and be off. The most suitable articles of equipment had been arrived at by repeated oxperimont ; all the articles and horses were of the first class ; the camels of the camel corps had been purchased with iufinite pains at considerable cost. A military authority, who gives these particulars to an English review', speaks very highly of the preparedness of this garrison, and says that what was true of Wady Haifa was also true of Suakim, and generally of tho whole of tho Egyptian army. The troops were assisted on their journey by a railway, which was rapidly reconstructed by the advance corps, and within a few weeks time they had captured Akasheh, eighty miles from Haifa. From there on some 40 miles to Ferkeh progress was more difficult, but the journey has been accomplished, and after a stubborn and sanguinary fight the Dervishes have been driven from Ferkeh with great loss. At Ferkeh the. British forces will now concentrate before the advance on Dongola proceeds. It is expected to be late in July or August before the Nile rises sufficiently to allow of furthor progress. Meantime the railway will be pushed on in the rear of tho advancing troops so as to afford security from all misadventure. When the Nile rises progress will be by water carriage to Dongola, aod a number of stern-wheel steamers for this purpose have recently been constructed in England. At Dongola the Britishers will truly come face to face with the enemy, for there, we are told, the Khalifa has 10,000 men encamped, though Slatin Pasha says they are short of arms and ammunition. A decisive battle may therefore bo expectod at Dongola. Lord Salisbury, to-day's cables state, says it is not intended at present to proceed further than that point. Khartoum lies 280 miles distant by an easy well-watered caravan route, and it must ultimately become the object of attack ; but at present the intention is to extend the British frontier only as far as the stronghold of Dongola, which captured, the power of the Dervish will bo thoroughly crippled if not entirely broken. One satisfactory feature about the fight at Ferkeh Wells was that it demonstrated the stability of the Egyptian soldiers. Outwardly they are a fine body of men, admirably equipped and trained, steady under arms and handy in manoeuvre. But. to the discredit of tho " Gippy " it was told that in the last Soudan i war in the moment of conflict he had thrown away his aims and shown a clean pair of heels. Tho militaiy system in Egypt h» s been reformed since then, and under the firm command of experi enced English officers the stamina and pluck of the Egyptian soldier has been established, so that it was pleasant to read that in the fight of Ferkeh the "Gippies" behaved with great bravery. Another portion of our army can abso-

lutely be relied on. The Soudanese, it is said, will fight anyone, anywhere, whenever called upon. They are born soldiers and hate their old Dervish oppressors with an intense hatred. Good accounts have also been received of the British Tommy Atkins behavior ou the Nile, and it is confidently anticipated that when the real tussle conies the allied army will give a [good account of itself and succeed in firmly establishing British supremacy in the Soudan. The Land Board meets to-morrow morning at 10.30 at the Chief Surveyor's office. winter show of the Canterbury A. and P. Association resulted in a loss of £92. The Government proposes to set; up a select committee again this session to consider the question of old age pensions. The date of the opening of the Wellington Industrial Exhibition has been altered from the 25th November to 18bh November. A sitting of the Native Land Court was held to-day ab the Courthouse under Mr Booth, sitting as Commissioner. , The Clutha County Council has passed a resolution disapproving of the new Local Government Bill. The cost, of the illuminated address and album of signatures to be presented to the Premier ou his birthday is estimated at £200. j Lieut. -Colonel Porter has been reinstated on the Commission of the Peace and the Hon. Jas. Carroll and Mr A, L. Bellerby have alao been appointed Justices of the Peace. Mr Morgan, headmaster of the Napier District School, has instituted a system of fire-alarm drill, in which pupils will be instructed at intervals throughout the winter. The latest anti - Opposition phrase of Government papers is " Why does the Opposition rage and expect the people to imagine vain things '(" Miss McCo.be informs us that the stall she conducted in conjunction with Miss Maher at the recent Catholic bazaar effected sales to the amount of £24. Mr E. D. Hoben is resigning his position on the Sydney Daily Telegraph to join the Sydney Morning Herald proprietary as assistant editor of the Sydney Mail. The New 3euland Times is in for a libel action of £2000 for using some strong langnage against Mr Crabb, the temperance lecturer, whilst an action for libel was pending against him. At the annual meeting of the Press Gallery Mr T. Morrison was re-elected president and Mr A. M. Burns vice-president. The members of the gallery were entertained at afternoon tea by Mr Gresley Lukin, editor of the Post. The total expenses in connection with the recent visit of the New Zealand rowing representatives to Sydney amounted to about £130, all of which has been raised by voluntary subscription throughout the colony. The Police Court will be occupied tomorrow morning with a case of alleged breach of the Shops and Shop Assistants' Act. A local fruiterer is the defending party, and is charged with keeping his premises open laßt Thursday afternoon. Mr Nicol, who for the past month has been in charge of the bills department of the Union Bank in Gisborne, has received notico of transference to Auckland, and leaves tonight by the Flora to take up his duties in that city. Prior to his leaving Dunedin on a trip to England Mr H. T. Fish was entertained at a complimentary concert by the Hope of Dunedin Good Templar Lodge, of which he is chief Templar, and presented with an address. At the Presbyterian Church yesterday morning Messrs James Wallace and Andrew Graham were inducted into the office of eldership. The Rev. Mr Ryburn officiated, and delivered a sermon appropriate to the occasion, taking as his text Colossians 1., 18, " And He is the head of the body, the church." The Gisborne Quadrille Assembly's plain and fancy dress ball, which takes place in the Theatre Royal on Wednesday next, promises to be a very enjoyable affair. The music will be provided by Mrs Fernandez and Messrs Spurdle and Hall. The catering is in the hands of Mr J. Craig, and is sure to give every satisfaction. A general meeting of the Gisborne branch of the National Association was held in Mr Stopford's office on Saturday afternoon, when there were about 30 gentlemen present. The President, Mr Gray, occupied the chair. The business transacted was of a routine nature, and after a general discussion on matters concerning the forthcoming alection the meeting adjourned. The well-known firm of Wood, Shand, and Co., of Christchurch, was adjudged bankrupt on Friday. The number of creditors is small, the principal creditor being the Union Bank, to which the firm's indebtedness is over £20,000. The firm is said to have filed in consequence of the action of the bank in ordering the sale of a station property at Gisborne over which the bank held a security. In the Validation Court this morning Mr Lysnar applied for an order of taxation on his bill of costs, amounting to over £1,500 against the Whangara block. Judge Gudgeon, before whom the application was heard, refused to make the order on the ground that he did not oonsider the costs were chargeable against the estate, but against those Natives who had employed Mr Lysnar. The nominations received on Saturday evening for the Gisborne Park Steeplechase Club's annual meeting evidence that this gathering has lost none of its popularity. There is certainly a falliug off in the aggregate of ten from that of last year, but it must be borne in mind that the meeting of 1895 was so phenomenally well patronised that it would scarcely be fair to take it as a standard. One pleasing feature in the present instance is that nine horses hailing from Auckland, Napier, Hawera, and elsewhere are engaged. The recent J. G, Ward disclosures have given rise to numerous criticisms of a more or less humorous nature. A local lawyer is responsible for the remark that If Mr Ward had given security on " chaff " instead of oats there would have been no fear of his draft being dishonored. " What became of the oats?" was a question we heard asked the other day. " vVhy," responded a local wit, " the National Ass was fed upon them, and that is what has made it so lively of late." The Catholic bazaar was brought to a successful conclusion on Saturday night, During the afternoon and evening the hall was kept well filled with people and a good business was done. During the evening Miss Young gave a splendid rendering of the song " Whisper and I Shall Hear." The Very Reverent Father Lanihan, played a 'cello accompaniment and the number was very enjoyable and much appreciated. The management of the bazaar are well satisfied with the results of the undertaking, the receipts being beyond expectations. There is about £100 in hand at presenb but a complete balance-sheet will bo published on Thursday, when the exact position will be put before the public, A quantity of goods still remain unsold and these will be submitted to public auction at the City Rink to-morrow afternoon ab 2-30, when everything will be sold without reserve. The Very Rev. Father Lonihan, administrator of the diocese, conducted the service at the Gisborne Roman Catholic Church lust night, when there was a large congregation The reverend gentleman expressed his thanks to the people for the kind manner in which they had treated him whilst he had been in their midst. He was sorry that he had to leave them so soon, but at the same time would go away glad ab having made their acquaintance, and with very pleasant feelings. Father Lenihan, in place of the usual discourse, gave a description of the ceremony of consecrating Monsjgnor Verdon as Bishop of Dunediu, ut> which function he was present and took part. He dealt with the various symbolic portions of the consecration, and explained their meanings. In concluding his narration, Father Lenihan said he hoped that the Auckland diocese would be bo fortunate as to have appointed over them a man as able and honorable as Bishop Verdon. The musical portion of the service was very well rendered. During the taking of the offertory Mrs Hennessy sang the solo "Angels Ever Bright and Fair" in ft very enjoyable manner,

The Chief Justice saya that "people who owe money always have a grievance." Mr Ziman is now building at Reefton what is stated to bo the finest dwelling on the Coast. Mr R. Naßhelaki, lute principal in the firm of P. Hayman and Co., has died in Germauy. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was the Pollard's big success in Wellington, where it ran to phenomenal business for ten nighls. Several members of the Wellington police force have been mounted on bicycles. Tarantara. The Temple of Truth, Christchurch, has been sold at auction to Mr Charles Duggan for £2200. Typhoid and scarlet fever are rampant in Melbourne and suburbs. The hospitals are sadly overcrowded. It is proposed to lay down a cycling track at the Athletic Park, Wellington, at a cost of £400. x The barque A(cester, has taken from New Zealand 150 railway waggons, purchased by the West Australian Government. Mr Pope the Inspector of Native Schools, was thrown from his horae at Maketu on Friday, and Beveral ribs broken. Canterbury's contribution towards the Brunner fund amounts to £7665 10s 7d. The work of collection has not cost a single shilling, The four Board schools at Inglewood are combining to form a cadet corps, and will ask the Government to supply Snider carbines. A court of female Foresters was opened at Palmerston North last week. It started with 20 members, and Sister Kate Downey was installed as Chief Banger. By the tick plague in Queensland nearly all the dairy cattle have been killed around Townsville, and the people of that town have to use preserved and goats' milk. The Auckland City Council wish the O.T) Act made applicable to both sexes, and m 6 i. the Government to appoint male and female inspectors to carry out the provisions of the law. The New Zealand Refrigerating Company s importing an ammonia machine of the iHereules pattern for its works at Oatnare, and expects to freeze 1200 sheep of 601 b per day, and stow 25,000. An original opera, " The Island of Knoware," written by Mr Charles Robinson, of Westport, is to be produced at Auckland. Miss Robinson, sister of the dramatist, has painted the scenery. The temperate South ! During the past twelve months there has not been a single arrest for drunkenness in the Borough of Mosgiel, although the borough contains a population of 1300, and it is surrounded by a large and fairly well populated district. With a view of quelling street noises and nuisances the Mayor of Wellington has proposed a new bye-law making it punishable for street preachers and others who refuse to move on when requested upon reasonable cause by householders and police officers. The liability of hotelkeepers for theft from their premises was the subject of a recent case at Feilding, when Mr H. N. Harden recovered judgment for £25 2s 6d and costs in respect of a portmanteau and contents which had been stolen from Hustle's hotel. Neal Dow, the famous temperance advocate, and originator of the " Maine prohibitory laws," who haß just been visited by the Rev. L. M. Isitt, was ninety-two years old recently. His mental faculties are unimpaired and his physical condition good. A Wellington lady wag married on her death-bed a fortnight ago, and died last week. She had contracted consumption by nursing a sick friend, and having been engaged to be married for some years, expressed a desire to have her marriage consummated before she died. The North Otago Times understands that Mr Fisher, who was lately manager for the J. G. Ward Farmers' Association, intends to take an early opportunity of saying something on the subject in which his name was brought into prominence ab the Supreme Court. The N.Z. Times states that Mr Joneß, solicitor, of Greymouth, has returned to New Zealand from Western Australia, finding that New Zealanders are refused admission to the bar by the Law Society of that colony on the ground that the standard of the New Zealand bar is the lowest in the Dominions. As a result of the strike, the storekeepers, butchers, and bakers of mining townships in New South Wales are entirely suspending credit, and in several cases tradesmen have been compelled to practically cease'business operations, owing to their inability to supply goods except for cash. An amusing phase of the Maori Kingite Parliament lately sitting at Tokaanu, Lake Taupo, is reported. There are two Houses — the Lower and the Upper. When Bills were passed by the Lower House and sent up to the Lords to consider, the latter were put on one meal per day until the Bills were passed. It is stated that the popular chamber experienced no difficulty in getting its measures expeditiously carried. Kirby, telling a Sydney reporter his experiences on the Talune, said : "On the second night out I came out of the hold. It was pitch dark, and bleak enough, too. I walked to the stern, and was about precipitating myself over the taff-rail when someone, who shall be nameless, interfered, and pointed out to me the folly of my intention. I accepted the advice tendered, and, thank God, deaisted from my mad project." In describing the present Opposition the Auckland Star thus alludes to Sir Robert Stout as being certainly the most interesting speaker among the opponents of the Government. He can put his case even when it is a weak one, in an attractive and, at the same time, convincing light. His natural habit of mind and his legal training are of excellent service to him in political appeals to the electors. He treats them just as he would a jury and apparently values an argument not at its intrinsic worth but according to its power to sway the minds of those he is labouring to influence. An amusing case occurred in the Welling, ton S.M. Court last week. The claim was for £3 15s 5d for a, dress supplied by a local firm of drapers, which defendant said did' not fit, being too light across the chest, although before going to be fitted she had placed two silk handkerchiefs across her chest to prevent this. The Magistrate placed his room at the disposal of the lady in order that the dress might be tried on, and this being done a committee of lady experts informed the Court that they had been unable to get the bodice to meet at the waist. Judgment for defendant. Speaking at Wellington on the question of boy and girl labor, Mr Seddon said that in " the colony there were 591 girls who were not receiving one penny for their labor. Many of theße girls were taken for a 12 months' trial, and at the end of that time many of them were told that they were unsuitable for the trade or profession which they were engaged in. Ho was. leading up to the necessity for a Masters and Apprentices Act. It was absolutely necessary that the number of apprentices should be regulated to the number of tradesmen employed." William G. Bassett, who has been arrested on a charge of aiding Eirby to escape, is married to the ex-detective's adopted daughter, says the Times. He had been engaged in private detective work in Wellington for some time, and gave evidence in one or two divorce suits recently. He was formerly an officer in the Timaru Post Office, and it was there he met his wife. He got out of the billet in the Post Office soine time after his marriage, and eventually settled here. . The Hon John M Kenzie has been talking about " the paltry £St)O a year " which Ministers receive. The Chrisechurch Press thinlts the public should know the real facts of the case. "Mr M'Kenzie himself." the paper says, "during thn financial year 1893-4 drew, besides 'the paltry £800," £200 for house allowance, and £202 10s for travelling allowance, and £122 13a 4d for travelling expenaea, making £1325 13a 4d in all for the year, which we venture to think is quite as much as Mr M'Kenzie could make by his own intellectual exertions in private life,"