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Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2131, 26 August 1875, Page 2

A singular instance of what wo cannot designate by any other term than mis management in tho postal department lias been brought under our notice. Tho strainer 'Enterprise' was to have left tho Thames for Auckland on Tuesday morning, and tho mail?, including letters and papers posted on Monday and Tuesday morniug, \vero jilaccd on board, This was all rijjlit and proper, but, owing to the weather, the 'Bnterpriso'was unablo to proceed to Auckland at all on Tuesday, and remained in the wok, !l ho ' Uauraki in tho meantime arrived, aud left for AucMandyes< tcrday morning with Tuctdny ovening's and Wednesday morning's letters, but tho ba£S which had been put on boaid tho 'Kntcrpriso on Tuesday were allowed to remain thcro. Surely it ought to liavo been somo one's duty to soo that these mails wore put on board tho first boat leaving for Auckland, particularly as thero was no probabilty of tho ' Eutorpiise' leaving tho Thames at all yesterday, C.-mplaiiit has been made to us that loiters for tho South of an important character lwo been, detained in this way, The Bank of New Zealand shipped to Auckland yesterday, per j;.s,' Daurakt,' two boxes containing 2,4010za gold, ' Considering the wrolched weather and tho inconvcnienco of tho hour thero was a largo muster of Volunteer* ycßterday to accompany the remains of tho lato Captain Howell to the whsrf. Tho coflin was placed on a gun carriage and covercd with tho Union Jack, Tho band of the Thames {Scottish beaded the procession, playing the dead march in Saul. I3ctidcs the Volunteer?, there was acomidcrablo attendance of citizens.

It will be secnlom dur telegrams that the first batch of special settlement immigrants for tho occupation of the Katikati block, arrived In Auckland yesterday per shin 'Dover Castle,' after a quick passage of 88'dajs from Belfast, She brings 364 passengers. The ' Dover Castle' is to be,followed b? the' Carisbiook Cistle/ which left on the '4th of June, with'Mr 0, Ycsey Stawatt and family, and 350 others, The justices in attendance at the Police Court yesttrdajtwere Measrs liawbr and Puckey, but their duties were light, for there was not a tingle case on the chargc-sheet. The adjourned' meeting for tho purpose of forming a Licensed Victuallers' Association at the Thames,, will be held at the Pacific Hotel this evening.' ' •' : ' • The complimentary'banquet to Past-Master Dewar will tike place to-night at, the Masonic Hall. A good muster of misons is expected, as Brother Dewar is held In high respect by the brethren.' The banquet is not limited to members of the. Sir Walter Scott Lodge only. " Fair Plaj" writes to us to point out that everyone except the right person was thanked ' about thoGood Templar Hall. He sajß that if Mr J. Cocks had not taken the action he did the building would have remained a publichouse, ajid that he has been rath'er slighted in tho matter, A suggestion has been made that. a small building should be erected at the Shortland cemetery, which should be'free, to all denominations, as a place in which the. bu r ial service could be read, At present there is no shelter at all, and it often happens that clergymen have not only to road the services of their churches amidst biting storms, but they have frequently to wait tho arrival of funerals for a long time, sometimes for hours, exposed to the inclemency of the weather. It would not. be necessary to have a very elaborate building, but s'ome such place is much required, and we are sure, if .'-the cenictery committee, consisting of members of the Borough Council, and the various Highway Boards, have no funds for such a purpose an appeal to tho public would bring tho amount required. A s tho clergymen are chiefly interested, they might appeal to their congregations, but it ought to be distinctly understood at the start that the cdifice would be free to all denominations, and that no sect should have any vested right in it to the exclusion of others.

Our Tairua correspondent does not speak well o£ the weather there during the last few days. He writes Communication between here and tho Thames during tho past ten days liaa betfn most uncertain,.hence the irregularity in the transmission of letters. Since Saturday there Has been no one bent on travelling; and it is by the merest fluke that I am enabled to send this, Since Friday last the weather has been miserable—real Tair.ua weather—and those who came up on Monday and '.Tuesday last had, between rain and bad roads, a diliicult and unpleasant journey. For the last dS hours it has been, one constant downpour, accompanied with High winds, compelling those whose avocations depend upon fine weather to keep within doors. The worst of. being inside is, that the high winds are •so baffling, that you' are smoked like a schnapyer, while the rain comes down irt such heavy sliowors as to penetrate through the large chimneys. No sooner have you got a promising lire well lighted up than it is drowned out. Recourse is then had to blowiog, and as there are no bellows up here a box-lid has to do duty in'lien thereof. The • stores have their fronts secured, and the whole distiiet would seem as a deserted village, but for the long aud lank appearance of Bergin at tho mouth of tho Independent shaft, under a canvas fly, winding up dirt at the rate of knots per' hour. But every now and then, when a .1 quail of a severe character comcson ho,cries out to those below, "I'm off bojs," and in the twinkling of an eye has taken refuge in his own hut, or in Sully's store. There aro a couple of visitors up here, and sinco Friday they have not been beyond tho door of the whare, Their whole.conversation is one of regret that the Government oflicers, Captain Goldsmith and Mr McLaren, weft not weather-bound, and compelled to keep them company. If-such was tho case, the services of tho Taitua doctor-, would not have been a sinecure. As it was. Mr McLaren' was an his back fully 21 hours', but thanks to the medical gentleman,. ho was enabled, to move about the next.day. Our medical man is well known to those who frequent "'Change," and was once a student at Ediuborough and Huldoburgh, but better known here as ;Tom,Greeves. Several visitors were, expected up this week, but I should advise them to stay whero they are, for, there is every appearance of nasty weather for some days. Thero will be an exodus to-morrow, without there is a change. I for one would not spend'another-night like last-night for a trifle; the wind wassdmething awful, Eorcral lingo trees to the westward of the town being blown down.

Tho Wellington correspondent of tho Southern Cms, sends the following statement "Tftlkiog o( meetings and the way of getting them up, a good (leiil of indignation baa been expressed by reason of a discovery of false telegrams getting into print here. Ihe Mayor of Invercargill and other gentlemen have, in reply to Mr Ciithbertson, 'explicitly denied that any meetings were held in Invercargill, Longbush, and Maataura, although it was duly telegraphed tbat unanimous resolutions agaiust immediate abolition were passed,' The Mayor says that these fal e telegrams show the nnBcrupulous tactics - of tho opponents of the bill. Another resident telegraphs that ' almost every man you meet is in favour of immediate Abolition.'"