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Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2457, 30 October 1876, Page 2

There were no cases for hearing at the Police Court on Saturday. The anniversary sermons in connection with the Thames Baptist Church Sunday school wei6 preached yesterday* The Rev J. T. Hinton, pastor of the church,.preached in the morning,and the Rev J. Hill (Presbyterian) in- the evening.- There were larga congregations at both service?, and in the afternoon a special service was held for scholars and parents;' Collections ill aid of the'school funds it'ere mado at each service. The soiree in conncetion with the anniversary will take place to morrow evening in the church, Willoughby»street. The Eev. David Brace, of Aucklind, .arrived at the Thames on Saturday for the purpose of taking part in the anniversary soiree of tho Presbyterian Church. We regret to learn that the rev. gentleman is suffering from an affection of the throat, in coustquence of which he is uuable to preach, but there is some hope that he will be able to take part in the soiree this evening. It was generally expected that a gold return, estimated to bs cqual to at lcssfc 2GoozSj would have come to hand from the AjiX initte oil Saturday night, but the steamer arrived with' out the gold, and it was subsequently ascertained that retorting has beenpostponed until Wednesday. It appears that up to'the tihia cleaning up was possible on Saturday it would have been impossible to get it completed-itt time to transmit the result to Qrahamstown by the'rive" steamer; • . r: It will be a source of regret to many to kn'u that Mr John Glilliea and his family are leaving the Thames for Victoria. They have, been .associated with the place through its numerous 'Ufa and downs since the opening of the field. The. Catholic Church will especially suffer through the departure of this family, for the Mi ses Gillies have been connected with the choir of that church since its formation, and their vocal powers and musical abilities havo contributed in a very great degree to the JUC'' cessful rendering of the musical, porlion of?"? I services We hear that the chureh committee have determined to recognise these services, y making the young ladies a prior their departure. We may add that not i mi y the choir of the Catholic Church, battoinany choral services for the benefit of loca ■ « have the Misses Sillies wjlhuglj lent assistauoe

The anniversary services connected with tho induotion of the Rev J. Hill as paster of the Presbyterian Church at the Thames were held yesterday. The Kcv R. S. Bunn (Wesleyan) preached in the forenoon, and the Rev J. T, Hinton (Baptist) in the evening. There were large congregations on both occasions. The anniversary soiree will take place this evening, at the Academy of Music, After..tea, which will take place at half-past 6 o'clock, addresses will be delivered by ministers and other friends; and a concert, in which the choir of the church, agisted by a number of our most popular local amateurs, will take part, will follow. The first part of the concert will comprise a selection of the best anthems, and the second is composed exclusively of songs, duets, and part songs. Mr Christiansen's string band will be in attendance and assist in the musical selections, There' will, we have no doubt, be a large attendance.

Captain Gold3mith, Mining Inspector, returned on Friday evening from Waitekauri, where he had been paying an official visit of inspection. We are informed that he inspected, measured, and .v. lned the work done on all the mines tat en up, and although in many instances very little has been accomplished, yet on the whole, taking into consideration the weather which until recently has been prevalent, and the many difficulties to be encountered, he is satisfied that a fair and reasonable attempt ias been made by most of the companies to comply with the working clauses of the /' ct, and to develop the ground; From the prospects shown to him, not only in the leading mines but in many others, Captain Goldsmith is satisfied that there is no cause for the present depreciation in the market value of the stocks of Waitekauri mining companies.

We understand ; that a benefit is to he tendered to Mr W Dixon, an amateur performer of, considerable ability, ; who; has frequently given valuable assistance in entertainments got up in aid of local charities, The date, on which the performance is to tako. place is not quile decided upon, hut the performance itself will include tbe well-known comedy of the "Irish Tutor," with Mr Dixon in the- title role.

We. understand that Bandmaster Montgomery, Thames Scottish, is the composer of several very excellent marches for the band. He has one in hand-just now almost completed, which he intends calling the "Sir Geoige Grey March." It will be ready for practice, we hear, at an early date.

The third number of the AilcMand Graphic h an improvement upon the two former. "There is a view of' Newmarket, and another of St. James' Church, Wellington-street, both well executed. The descriptive letter press underneath the view of the church says:—"Although by no means the largest, it possesses tbe most considerable pretensions of any church in Auckland. The site upon which it is built was the gift of the late Williim Gorrie, Esq. The cost of erection was about. £8,000, the architect being Mr T. B. Cameron, and the builder Mr Clow. The chuicb has sitting accommodation for upwards of 500 people, and was opened for public worship in April, 1865, under the ministration of the Rev.Mr Hill, but this gentleman being afterwards induced by the Presbyterians settled oh the Thames goldfield to change the scene of his labours to their district,- the Rev Mr Macnicol,' the present deservedly popular minister, responded to a call from the congregation of St. James',''.

; The Thames Exchange made its re-appearance on Saturday, after a long interval. The Editor says:—"Our third volume is reduced to our' original size. This is merely an emblematical joke to typify to sundry individuals who have been blown up with their. own importance far beyond the natural limits assigned them_ that we will'reduce those beings to their original size »nd meanness before we close our career." The paper is written in the editor's usual pungent and amusing style, and contains some very readable matter under the headings: -Pigeoncrams, the Corner, the Monthly Sharemarket, The Boot {on the Other Leg, Editorial Notices, Loading of Waitekauri, Battery, Before the Beak, Personal, &c,

We {HiraU) were permitted yesterday to see the pleading in the English High Court of Justice in an action which has been taken by a well-known firm at the Thames against a malting firm at .Bury St. Edmonds, in England. They are certainly a marvel of brevity, the whole thing not containing more reading matter than 'would occupy half a column of this journal. There is a bare statement of the actual facts, with a schedule of the amount claimed by the plaintiff. The defence does not exceed three'folios of seventy words, and the whole is printed in clear bold tye, Mr Ehrenfried, the brewer at the Thames, is the plaintiff, and he contracted with the English firm to send him a quantity of pale malt, but the goods were not to order, and,damage to the plaintiff's market was caused by brewing with it. The claim is £250. Ihe whole of the pleadings from beginning to end may be read in less than a quarter of an hour.; There is no circumlocution of any. kind, and no technical language employed. We hope the eminent practitioner who has these pleadings in his possession will take care to exhibit them to liis brethren. They are couched also in the simplest vernacular,

Our contemporary tbe Qwj Riw Argits echoes the sentiments %ve expressed on readtEg the Hansard report of the Gold Duty Reduction Bill, thrown out in : the Upper House. The Argus says" The Legislative Council occasionally interposes a wholesome check Upon hasty and ill considered legislation, and it has very wisely thrown out the Gold Duty Seduction Bill—a measure which has so far served its purpose as to enable goldfields* members to blow off their superfluous steam. From the Hansard report of the debate upon Mr Pjki's bill, we gather that the debate was a very spiritless one, and even the mover himself had nothing more to advance in its favour than the usual platitudes and unfounded sumption that the export duty is a class tax,' and. the miners'are something different from, and superior to, other people. None of the lest Coast members appear to have spoken on the question, and the Ministry were silent upon it. In £ict, we suspect that in reality the . supporters of the bill are glad that the Upper House has thrown it out—they hare been able to exhibit themselves in the character of redressors of oppression, and the local bodies on the goldfields will not be de> privedof their chief source of revenue. The most sensible reinirks made during the debate were by Mr Kowe, the member for the Thames— a miner himself, and elected by a mining constituency." That is precisely the position in which the West Coast goldfields stand in relation to tbe question, and we venture to congratulate the legislative Council in having for once done a sensible thing.

Hori Ngakapa Whanaunga and Paroto Te Kouorchua, of Coromandel, have been appointed to be assessors for the Hauraki district.

Mr W. Kelly, of Tauranga, has purchased from ;Mr Oilworth, the draught entile " Graham" for £160, and intends him to be located in the Tauraaga district, Graham", is a black colt, lyear and 8 mosths old, by Prince Arthur, out o£ a mare imported by Mr R, Graham some years ago, He is a splendidly made colt, and shows great quality in all his points.

Mrs Bravo is a native of New South Wales. She is a a daughter of Mr Robert Campbell, of Sydney, generally called Campbell Tertius, a rich squatter, and a sister of the Hon.. Robert Campbell, M.L.0., of Otago.

The Public Works Appropriation Bill lias been circulated, The eatimated total expenditure for the year ending 30th June, 1877, is £2,032,286, thus dividedJmmigratioil, £136,266 j adVahcfS for immigration purposes (repayable). £60,410; public works (departmental), £17,817; railways, £1,30%600; ineluding the Napier-Manawatu line £57,000, tho Wellington-Masterton line £137,000, the Waitara-Patea line £57,000, the Patea-Mana-watu and Foxton line £114,000; roads, £52,007; land purchases. £125,817; waterworks on goldfields, £147,460; coal mines, £1,860; telegraph extension, £46,040; public buildings, £65,963; lighthouses, £49,700; charges and expenses of raiting Joans, £6,000; Otago ; provincial . public works advances, £13,341. The appropriation for the purchase of land in "Wellington province is £28,01)1,— N, Z, Timet,

■ The tenders for the Wellington waterworks reservoir are as [followßichard Dickson, of Auckland, £29,292; J. Saunders, £17,195; John Henderson, £25,915; J- Lockie, £22,931; R. F. Oakes, £21,862, the latter of Wellington.

The Intestate Native Succession Bill has just been circulated (says the Times), Thepreamble runs—" Whereas it is expedient that provision should be made for determining the succession to lands and hereditaments not held under the provisions of the Native Land Acis, and which have been granted to persons of the native race as hereinafter mentioned: and whereas it may be necessary in certain oases to ascertain the persons to whom, accordfng to Maori custom or usage, the personal properly of any intestate native ought to descend," &c. The second clause makes the provisions of the Native Land Act apply to all native grantees. The third clause runs— *' Where any person of the native race las died intestate possessed of a personal estate within New Zealand, any person or persons claiming co be interested or entitled to such personal estate may apply to a Judge of the Native Land Court for a certificate setting forth what person or persons ought, according to native custom, or most nearly in accordance with native custom, ■ to succeed to such personal estate ; and to whom, in bis op'nion, administration of the estate a-.d effects of such deceased person could best be committed." By clause 4 it is provided the certificate of a Judge shall entitle to administration. Clause G says— '' Whenever in any action in the Supreme Court, whether already commenced or hereafter to be commenced, any question of fact or of Maori custom or usage relating ti any laml held under Crown graufc howsoever issued, shall arise, and shall for the purpose of such action require to be asceitained and determined, the said Court, or a Judge, thereof, shall have the like power and authority to refer such question of fact, custom, or usage for heating and determining by the Native Land Court as the said or Judge has under the provisions of the Native Bights Act, 1865, in respect fo native land."

Some three hours was wasted last night ovcc Sir George drey's Noxious Animals Bill, The object of this measure is to prohibit the importation of stoats, weasels, polecats, vultures, hawks, foxs, Ac. Mr Andrew objected to the Bill, because many of the animals were required to put down the rabbits, to which, under whatever name they are called, Mr Andrew has a decided objection. Mr Pyke supported the measure, whereupon Dr Hodgkinson, who scarcely ever opens his mouth without being insulting and offensive to some one, had the extreme bad taste to say he would move to have the word Pyke included in the list of noxious animals, On this Mr Pyke warmly informed Dr Hodgkinson that he was not disposed to submit to his insolence, even if Ministers liked to do so. Mr Bowen created a laugh by pointing out that a Pyke was a fish, and not an animal, a statement' of a hitherto undiscovered fact in natural history, which net a little astonished the House, Mr Bowen then went on to describe his acquaintance with ferret? and polecats, which he said were the same animal, another fact in natural history which was combatted, one member going so far as to say there was no such distinctive animal as a polecat. • Mr Bowen declared these animals would spoil their game, whereupon Mr Bees, who apparently took the mention of ferrets as a personal allusion, said he would be thankful for anything which would spoil the game of the ministry. . One member pointed out that while they proposed to forbid the importation of foxes, a Fox had recently been returned to that House, Mr Wakefield came forward as the champion of the fox, but Sir George Grey urged that if once foxea were introduced geese could not go about. He appeared not unnatura'ly, alarmed at such a prospect, and a number of other members also seemed to object to such an infringment of their liberty, In putting the question, the ChairinaD, Mr Seymour, substituted the word Stout for stoat, which caused some little amusement. Mr Sheetsn proposed to insert the word "abolitionist" between the words "vulture'' and "or other birds of prey." Wo one thought of suggesting nativo land sharks as a noxious animal. Mr Ihrsthouse declared that emigration had a moat demoralising effect on skylarks and linnets, as instead of living on insects out here, as at home, they preferred a vegetable diet and eat corn, to the great loss of himself and other Nelson farmers. He declared he poisoned the skylarks every year by tens of thousands. Sir George Grey seemed shocked at this waste, and, overcome by tender gastronomical remembrances, mildly suggested the propriety of adopting means for converting the offending larks into a pie, rather than compassing their deaths by poison. Mr Fitzroy wanted to make the hedgehog a ■noxious animal, but the committee put up its back at this, and then Mr Wason proceeded to speak of stoats, weasels, and ferrets as "reptiles," which caused still greater confusion in the minds of hon. members, who were trying to recall their natural history lessons. Finally, there was a division, when Messrs Larnach, Richmond, Pearce, Hursthouse, Wason, and Andrew voted for weasels, polecats, and stoats, and the rest of the House against them.— Argus,