MISCELLANEOUS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XII, Issue 609, 2 April 1864, Page 2 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS.

Ok January 14 the Cotton. Sales room at Liverpool was dei e'y crowded owing to the a nouncement that Me s s. Cunard W 1 on, and O. would offer for sale by auction the celebrated, but unfortunate, steamer Great Eastern, and tl-e once notorious Confederate steamer Sumter, now called the Gibraltar. Mr. Cunard, the auctioneer, first offered the Gieat Kisienii with the usual conditions of 10 per cent, deposit on the purchase money, which must be ii dged in 14 days or the sale declared void. After 1 lie description of the vessel had been read, the auc- : uctioneer asked for bids, which would, he said, be £1000 each bid. After some delay the first and ou'y bid was £30,000. Much surprise was manifested itt the result, particularly as no bid was made on lelialfof the subscribers to the lottery. A Mr. Robinson was said to be the bidder of the £50,000. The Gibraltar was then put up and knocked down (o a Mr. Patterson for £4500. ■ Auother suit in the Court of Admiralty has been commenced against the Great Eastern. Captain I'utoo, the commander, has caused the vessel to be ;< treated for the sum of £2.000. There are now (\>o "arrests" on the Great Ship — one at the suit of the owners of the late ship Jane for £6000, and - the other by Captain, Paton for £2000. Nitrate of silver filtered into the wound is stated tube an effective preventive of the disease of hy drophobia, if applied " between the time of the bite ' • and the activity of the wound previons to its being . ripe for dissemination mid the system. The best mode of application of the nitrate ii by introducing 'it solidly into the wound. It melts in an equal -quantity of water. If already healed, the cicatrice > should' be 5 nibbed and causticated away entirely. The War in America.— The civil war in America continues with unabated virulence, and, although the' North is jubilant over its recent successes, there is no sign of yielding or despair on 1 the ■■ part of the South. The military campaign has , closed, and the addresses of the rival Presidents enable us pretty accurately to sum up the present position of the contending parties. The result of the campaign has been greatly in favour of the North. The Army of the Potomac has, as usual no advantages to show. It has repulsed a second invasion of the Federal provinces, but it has been unable to advance a single march beyond its position at the opening of the' campaign, and has experienced greater losses in the field than the Army of , Virginia to which' it is opposed. But in the West, the Federal armies have achieved important successes. The capture of Vicksburg and Port Hud1 son have deprived the Confederates of their only fortified positions on the line of the Mississippi ; and although the navigation of that river, so indispensable to the States of tbe North-west, still remains virtually closed by the operation of flying parties of the' Confederates,' the Army of the West' has sue* . ceeded in advancing eastward through the State of Tennessee t and has established itself securely in the strong position of Chattanooga on the frontier of .GVorgic. Thus, the Federal forces have possessed ' ihemselves of a large and important portion of the territories of tbe South, and, doubtless, no means 1 will be left untried to force those territories back into allegiance with the North. This has been tbe great success of the campaign. The siege of Charleston drags Us slow' length along, and the ultimate : success of the besieging force is as problematical as ever. Fort;Sutnter, which was battered into ruins four months ago, still remains in possession of its gallant defenders; and General. Giimore's" Greek fire " appears to be a failure— at least, it has been - impotent to pioduce any effect upon the besieged. New guns of immense size— the 600-pounder Armstrong gun—have been ordered from England, but ' itis very doubtful whether even these monster en. 1 nines' of destruction will suffice to overcome the olisiinacy of the defence. Both Presidents in their editresses allude to the financial position, and to the . ctn'rency. In this matter also the Federals, have ' V*e advantage over their antagonists, but the ad- »•» • i-a^e is moie in appearance than in reality. By - !■■•- conversion of their "greenbacks" into national Ii i»ds, the Federal Government has succeeded in ne ■•t'ralisiug to a great extent the injurious effect of ilicir large issues of paper currency ; but only by ' -ail'lling the country 'with an enormous National I) lit. The Confederate Government, by not makinir this conversion of paper-issues into national I) Is, have hitherto avoided the contraction of ii. "i'li Government debt, hut only at the expense of t-e ing tlieir paper issues ' immensely depreciated. V< tli the North the evil is a moniter National Debt union will damage posterity ; wjth the South; it is an immensely depreciated, currency, which produces very injurious results alike upon, the trade and finance of the country. ' President Davis, with » view to remedy this, proposes that the system of c inverting the Government notes into Government I) >nds (as adopted'in the North) should now be had recourse to, in order to lessen the financial and commercial embarrassmept arising from a currency xi. depreciated. On the whole the position of the Confederates appears greatly to disadvantage when compared with that of the Federals; But at the !■ .nic time" iL must be remembered that the superior l< wt-r of the North In men and money was never il'iihtcd, and that the question now, as from the . , fi'V, is simply whether that superiority of power on ■ if i>art of the North is sufficient to reduce the X -mil into submission. And now, as from the first iiihi superiority does not appear adequate to attain ■ me e.,d in view. It is still the opinion of impartial , ....Inkers thit the subjugation of the South is be. _>■• 'I the power of the North to effect; but itap- ' pV.ir- equally i eitain that the successes won by the I'Viic at Government will enable it in the end to obtain a huire advantageous boundary. line than it oould have cldtmqii a year ago. The deplorable struggie may ro on— apparently will go on— lor aj ' lung time ; but despite the superior power and recent snccedMw of the North, the spirit of the South , remains unbroken, and an ultimate separation of

some kud still appears the only ptobable solution of this most lamentable contest. — Oriental Budget, Jan. Pesmihk GekmvxY, and tiir Duchies. — The question between Germany and Denmark, which h.s j-isr been taised into extraordinary importance, is Ikeiv to give t'te Emperor of the French a much snfet anil more promts m<r field of action than he Polish question. Tiie Germans have for many years been eager to annex Holstcin and Stihleswig o ihe erritores of the Fatherland, and the death of the hue King of Denmark seemed to them to present a favourable opportunity for seenr. ii? the'r object. The German people are unatiim sly opposed to the accession of the new king, Citnstian IX., and refuse to be bound by the Treaty pf Londdn of 1852, which gives him the right to the throne. .They put forward Prince Frederick of Augustenburg as the rightful heir to the Duchies of Holstein and Sclileswig, and maintain that these provinces mn?t therefore be severed from Denmark. Holstein, although subject to Denmark, is a memb r of the Germanic Confederation; but with Schteswig the Germans bave no right to interfere at all. But they maintain that Schleswig must always go with Holstein; and in order to establish this, they go back four centuries — to the year 1460, when the first Danish king of the house of Olden, bur?, after annexing Holstein, promised that the Duchies should never be separated; a promise however, which was never legally sanctioned by the Danish Estates, and which, moreover) was never made to any foreign power but to the Duchies themselves. Austria and Prussia are opposed to this national ferment, but they dare not openly run counter to it. Accordingly they take a middle course. They declare themselves bound to the stipulations of the Treaty of London, which gives the Crown of Denmark' and the Duchies to King Christian, but they' add, that this treaty was signed after agreements regulating the situation of ihe Duchies; and that these agreements and the subsequent treaty are an indivisible whole. "If Denmark executes her engagements, Prussia and Austria are ready on their side to 'execute the Tre'htv of London," but not otherwise. This line of action is not justifiable inasmuch as the stipulations con 1 tiacted by the Danish Government in regard to the Duchies were in no way connected with the Treaty of London, tbe only object of which was to regulate the succession to the Danish tin one. Nevertheless, in order to carry out the •' Federal execution " decreed by the Diet of Frankfort, a German army has entered Holstein ; and however prudent and conciliatory may bd the action of the Danish Government, the ferment in Germany is so great, that it appears too probable that hostilities between the Powers will ere long ensue. Such a conflict would open a fine field for the ambition of tbe Emperor of the French, who, after the Germans have inevitably committed themselves to the contest, will almost to a certainty take the side of the Danes and at once seize the German provinces on the left bank of the Rhine. This would he a calamity for Eutope as well as for Germany ; but the stolid Tenons are apparently.either blind to the danger or ignorantly defiant of it.— Oriental J£j#lget, Jan. dN ORDINANCE to projide for the construction and maintenance of Public Works within ihe Town of New Plymouth. Whereas it is expedient to make further and more effectual provisions for the construction and maintaioance of Public Works wiJriri the Town of New Plymouth, and for vhat purpose to repeal an Ordinance ofthe Superintendent and Provincial Council of Taranaki, intituled the " Roads and Bruges Ordinance, 1858 ," so far as regards the said Town, Be it therefore enacted , by the Superintendent of the Province of Taranaki, with Ihe advice and consent of tiie Provincial Council thereof, as follows : — 1. This Ordinance shall come into force on and after a day to be fixed by Ihe Superintendent by Proclamation in the Government Gazette, and from and after the date of such Proclamation 'the said recited ' Roads and Bridges Ordinance, 1853," shall be and the same is hereby repealed so far as regards tbe said Town of New Plymouth. Provided always that, nothing herein contained shall extend or be deemed or construed to interfere with any acts done contracts or engagement heretofore made or notices given or published under the authority of the said recited Ordinance, or to extend to prevent the suing for, or recovery of any rates, penalties, or charges leviable or recoverable under the provisions of tbe said Ordinance, previous to the repeal of the same hereby j or to prevent or defeat any proceedings had or taken, or to be had or taken, for such rates penalties, or charges, but that, the same respectively mt>y be sued for and recoveied in the same manner to ait intents and purposes as if this Ordinance had not been passed. 2. The members ofthe Town Board elected under the provisions ofthe "Town Board of Kew Plymouth Ordinance, 1863," shall superintend i c execution of this Ordinance from and after the date of Proclamation heieof. ' ' 3. Immediately afnr such Proclamation aud , yearly thereafter as the Board shall direct, the Board shall cause to be collected the names and. residences of every person in the said Town who may be liable to be rated as hereinafter mentioned, and shall cause a list of such persons to be posted at the Cour. House together with a notice of tbe time when and the place where t.l>e Board will attend to hear any objections that may be made to such list, and at tbe time and place so named the Board shall hear and determine any such objections, and the said list when thus settled and revised shall be transcribed into a book to be called the Ratepayers roll, and if at any time after the completion of such ratepayers roll any person not being liable' to be placed on such roll at the time of its completion shall thereafter become liable, to be.rated, it shall be competent for such person to apply to the.Board to have bis name inserted in the ratepayers roll, and it shall be made to appear to the Satisfaction ofthe Board that such, person was not at the time of the compiling or making the ratepayers roll as aforesaid liable to be rated, but has since become so, and has for the space of three months previous to such application been so liable, the Board, shall cause, the name of such applicant to be placed on the ratepayers toll for the said Town. -4, r Forthe purposes of, this Ordinance the Town shall" be taken to be the town of New Plymouth according to the or'ginal survey thereof. 5. The value of all lands'witbin the Town exclusive of all buildings, erections, and improve* ments whatsoever, shall be assessed within 3 months after Proclamation hereof, anJ once at least in, every

3 years after such first assessment. Prov'ded that lands ly'ng without the new boundaries of th» i r ' Town shall for the purposes of assessment be taken to be less in value. than lands lying, within ihe niw bounb.iries of die said Town. 6. S iich assessment shall he ascertained and de. tei.riMied by 2 persons to be appo ; n:ed by the Board, not being ineml ers thereof in such manner as the said Board shall direct, who shall cause the same o be printed in two newspapers published in New Plymon'h within 14 days ofthe time when such assessment shall be completed. 7. An annual rate of not less than 2d. in the £ shall be imposed on the value of all lands within the Town exclusive of all buildings, erections, and improvements whatsoever so assessed. Provided that it shall be competent at a General meeting of ratepayers, whose rates shall not be in arrear on the day of such General Meeting, to increase the rate for theensuiug year to an amount not exceeding Bd. in the £. 8. Every such ratepayer within ths said Town shall be qualined to vote and take part in the proceedings at the General Meetings to be held as hereinafter provided, and to vote thereat at the fol. lowing scale : If assessed under tiie provisions of this Ordinance at any sum not exceeding £2 such occupier or owner shall be entitled to I vote ; if assessed at any sum not exceeding £5 such occupier or owner shall be entitled to 2 votes ; if assessed at any sum not exceeding £10 such occupier or owner shall be entitled to 3 votes ; and if assessed at a sum exceeding £10 such occupier or owner shall be entitled to 4 votes. Provided that persons holding land in common shall in respect thereof be entitled to vote in like manner ~: if the land so held were divided amongst them equally or unequally according to their title and each person were in sole occupation of his divided part. 9. A General Meeting of such ratepayers shall be convened by the Superintendent within 14 days after the Proclamation hereof and yearly thereafter the said Town Board shall convene a meeting of such ratepayers at such time and place as they may appoint for the purpose. 10. No General Meeting shall be competent to the transaction of business unless 10 such ratepayers are present. Provided that if there shall not be a quorum within half an hour of the appnin:ed time, a majority of such ratepayers prei-ent s.all have ! power to adjourn the Meeting to the following day at the same time and place. But if no General Meeting of the ratepayers shall lave been held in any year or if no rate shall have been voted the Board shall by notice in the Government Ga~"'ie impose such rate (not exceeding the maximum herein imposed) as they may deem expedient :r I the ensuing year. 11. Before proceeding to business at a General Meeting a Chairman shall be elected by the majo rity of the votes of such ratepayers present. 12. At the first General Meeting ofthe ratepayers under this Ordinacne the Chairman of the Town Board shall make to the meeting a statement (f the way the Board proposes to expend the rates in the ensuing year. And yearly thereafter the Board shall publish a statement of the way they propose to expend the rate in the ensuing year in two newspapers in the Province at least one month before the General Meeting. 13. Every question at a General Meeting shall be determined by the majori.y of the votes of such ralepayeis present and voting, including the Chairman, who in addition to his original vote shall have a caaiing vote in all cases whete the votes shall be equal. H. Every person who shall give any vole at a General Meeting without being duly qua lifted in manner hereinbefore piovided, shall forfeit and pay by way of penalty the sum of Five Pounds, which shall be recoverable and applicable in like manuer as rates levied in respect of lauds within the said Town . 15. T!<e Chairman at every General Meeting shall, wUiin seven days, or in case of his default any three such ratepayers may within fourteen days after the day of meeting, forward to the Board a certificate in writing signed by the said Chair, man, or by such three ratepayers as aforesaid, stat. ing what rate has been determined on by such meeting. 16. The said rates shall be paid by the occupier for the time being of the lands rateable, oi in case there shall be no occupier, then by the owner thereof, to m eh persons as shall be duly authorised by the Town Board to receive the same, and shall be recoverable by such persons by summary proceeding beforeany Justiceoflhe Peace havingjurisdiction with in the district on the expiration of one month after the same shall have become due, and shall be leviable by distress and sale on any goods and chattels which may be found upon the lands rateable at any time after such rate shall bave become due. '17. Every order which may be m,ade hy any Justice of the Peace under the provisions of this Ordinance for payment of rates (with the costs of any proceedings rendered necessary by non-pay, ment of such rates) may be enforced by distress and sale of any of the goods and chattels of the persons against whom such order shall be made, in the same manner as orders for payment of money made by any Justice of the Peace in case of summary conviction are by law made enforceable. 18. The list of ratepayers published by the Town Board, orwhere any such listshall have been is. sued and recalled, the last issued list, being revised by the Town Board as is herein appointed, shall in any proceeding for the recovery of rates be conclusive evidence against the defendant that he is rateable in tbe amount in which by such revised list he appears to be rated ; unless it is proved on his behalf that subsequently to tbe day appointed for hearing objections to the said list, and before the, day appointed for the payment for ' the monies sought to be recovered, he ceased to . be owner or occupier (as the case may be) of the lands rated. And in any such proceeding it shall be open to shoiv that the defendant is actually chargeable in the amount sought to be recovered, .notwithstanding that his name may not appear in tbe list of ratepayers,, or that ,he , may in su.cn list appear chargeable in a less. amount, and notwithstanding any, informality in such list, or. in the publication theie,fpre. ...- - ; .19., 1t shall be lawful-far jthe said Town Board i year by year to impose upon any person encroaching on or occupying any load, street, or public place or, over any river or stream in the said Town, provided that such last mentioned encroachment ;does not rest upon or in any way. interfere with tbe, bed of such riyer or stream, the payment of such sum of.

money by. way of occupat : on rent for the land or river occupied or encroached upon as'aforesaid, as the said Board shall think reasonable. And such ococcupation rents shall be payable, recoverable, and applicable in like manner as rates imposed under this Ordinance, and the imposition thereof shall be published together with the aforesaid statement or list of ratepayers, and the payment thereof shall exempt the persons paying the same and all paying under them from all penalties which might otheJwise dur'njr thi period for which the same shall be pa ; d, have been incurred by reason of the encroach, ments in respect of which the same are paid. Pin. vide 1 : . t any person may relieve himself from the tur ' ,)aymen of any such occupation rent by giving notice in writing to the said Board that he had relinquished the encroac'.ment in respect whereof the same is imposed. a [Clause 20 will be found in o:.r Adveru'senirnd Columns] 21. The Town Board shall have power to construct, repair, and maintain all roads, streets, bridges, footpaths, and drains w : thin the said Town and for ihat purpose to co ltrnct •• ' '\ and ridploy such persons, as iliey may think 22. If any person shall obstruct, $• -j--, or in any mannecin'errere with any such ro.. "s, bridges, drains, or o.her public works as last aforesaid, without the consent in writing of the Town Board or of ih"ir surveyor, such person shall pay to the snid Board all expenses which may be incurred in reinstating and making good the work so altered, obstructed, or interfered w'th, and shall also forfeit any sum not exceeding Five Pounds. 23. It shall be lawful for the Town Board to give notice in written to any owner or occupier of land who may have a live fence bordering on or abutting on any road in the said Town, to trim or cut such live fence, whenever the said Board shall consider it desirable tbat liie same shall be so trimmed or cut, and in the event of the sa>d owner or occup'er fr.il'ng w'lliin thirty days to comply with such notice it shall be lawful for the said Board to cause the same to be done, and double the amount of the cost of such trimmin:; with all costs sjiall be recoverable in the Court of the Resident Magistrate. Provided that no such notice aforesaid shall be given more than twice in any one year. 24. It shall be lawful for the Board to license cdris plying for hire wit'iin the Town of New Plymouth and to make : ich rules and regulations with reference to ie licensing of carters, the rates" they shall not exceed and such oilier matters a* may tend to the public convenience in regard to them as the Board may see fit and any carter plying witiioat a license or otherwise offending against any si'ch rule or regulation shall on conviction pay a penalty of not exceeding £5. Provided always that no such rule or regulation shall have force or effect utnil the same shall bave been approved of by the Provincial Council and published in the Government Gazette. 25. It shll be lawful Tor the said Board by notice s : gned by their clerk and left at the bouse or place ol abode of the owners or occupiers of land within U»e said Town to r^ouire every such owner and occupier within 21 days after the service of such notice to deliver to the clerk of the Town Board or leave at his office a true account and particular of all lands which shall belong to and be in the possession or occupation of every such owner or occu. • pier of land either by right or by encroachment. And every such owner or occupier who s!mll have been so served with no. ice as aforesaid and shall ntglect to'make the return thereby required slmll forfeit and pay any sum not exceeding £1 for every week such return is neglected to be made to be recovered in a summary w?y and any owner or occupier who shall knowingly and wilfully makejany return which shall be proved to be false in any material particular shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction be punished by fine or imprison, ment or by both. 26 The Superintendent shall if previously appro* ved of by resolution ofthe Provincial Council, cause an advance of money not exceeding 5 limes the yearly amount of such rate hereby authorised to be raised by the Town Board to be applied towards" the purposes of this Ordinance. Provided that two thirds ofthe latea in anticipation of which the advance is made shall be applied annually towards repaying the principal borrowed wiih interest thereon at the rate of 6 per centum per annum. 27. All fines and penalties imposed by this Or- V^ dinance shall be recoverable in a summary way, pursaunt to tbe Ordinances of the Colony for the regulation of summary proceedings before Justices of the Peace. 28. The Board shall not be subject to be sued or impleaded or in any wise made liable upon or in respect of any promise, contract, or debt, duly entered into or contracted by them in their official capacity and the said Town Board shall out ofthe moneys at their disposal for tbe purposes of this Ordinance,- be reimbursed all expenses and indemnified against all losses, costs and damages which they may incur in or about or in anywise relating to the execution of the powers vested in them by this Ordinance. 29. If any Surveyor or other person having chitge of the works undertaken by the said Town fioard under the authority of this Ordinance shall leave any enbankment cutting pit or hole in any street or place of public thoroughfare and , shall neglect to fence off the same to the danger or damage of any person animal or vehicle passing thereon or thereby the said Surveyor or other person so employed shall forfeit any sum not exceeding £5 for every 24 hours that the said works shall be left unprotected by sufficient temporary fencing and lights if necessary, the same to be recovered in a summary way. SO. -No i conviction, order, warrant, or other pro* ceeding which shall.be made, or shall purport' to be made by virtue or in execution of this Ordinance, shall be'qgashed or deemed, to be. void or voidable for, want of form, or be impeached or affected by reason of any mistake, defect) or omission therein. Provided the person or property charged or intended , to be charged or effected by any such proceeding, be designated therein to common intent and under* standing, and such'proceedings be in substance and effect in conformity with, or according, to tbe intent jmd meaning of the* Ordinance. 3.1. Nothing, in this Ordinance shall be construed to take away or repeal any liability or penalty, which 'at common law or by virtue <;f any statue or , Ordinance in force within, the Ptcvince. sball .attach to or be incurred, in respect toauy suohofjenctisafore. said. 32. The short Title of this. Ordinance shall be the " Town of New Plymouth public Works Ordinance 1864." "