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Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2464, 7 November 1876, Page 2

The English .and American mails were received at the Thames per ss, 'Durham' last evening, and were sorted and placed in the private boxes within an hour after their receipt. The 'Durham'also brought a large Southern mail, ex' Wellington.' Our European telegraphic news, although rather full, is not quite so lengthy as it would have been but for another mishap to the telegraph, wires, which cut off communication with Auckland, while it was in course of transmission, • Mr Sheath had effected'temporary, communication by stretching three wires from the stumps of the tower which was destroyed by lightning on Friday last, and this was maintained all day yisterday, but the.wires were so low that they were in constant danger from the river steamers. To remeJy'this defect Mr Sheath has had a mast 30 feet in height prepared for erection, and this is to be put up to-day, to cany the wires to a sufficieit height to prevent collision with the river steamers, but it was not erected in time to. prevent the accident which occurred last night, and whioh is supposed to have 'been caused .by; one of the steamers coming into contact with the wires. The 'mast will, of course,.not be sufficiently high to admit of vessels of any considerable tonnage going up or down the river, and the old difficulty and delay-of lowering'the wires on occasions of this kind will have to be resorted to. Meanwhile nothing will be done in the way of re-erecting the tower,' or proceeding to lay the cable instead, until instructions have been received from Government, but Mr Sheath has, we believe, strongly recommended the cable as the most suitable and efficient plan to'be adopted. ;. ; ; ':!■■'

■ We woiild again call attention to the opening soiree of the new Congregational Church which will be held to-night. After tea the meetiug will be addressed by the' Rev WarlowDaviea and other ministers'and friends. Captain Daldy is to preside, and musical selections will be rendered by a choir composed of membera of several church choirs at the Thames. An agreeable and instructive evening will no doubt be passed by the large audience which it is anticipated will be present on this occasion.

We learn that the banquet to Mr W. Kowe, M.H.R, which is to take place to-morrow night, is likely to be a marked success, as a large number of tickets have already been disposed of. A telegram was received from.Mr Kowe yesterday stating that he would leave Auckland on Wednesday by the steamer at half-past one o'clock, intending, therefore, to reach the Thames in time for the banquet. It is understood that Mr Warwick Weston and a number of Auckland-gentlemen were to accompany Mr Kowe, and be guests at the banquet. Mr Bowe is, however; under a misapprehension regarding the steamer's time-table,' f or'the" 'Durham' leaves the Thames, not Auckland, at the time indicated, and the only steamer leav-. ing Auckland for the Thames on Wednesday is-j the ' Enterprise,' whicli will not arrive here until after midnight. When the mistake was discovered several members of the banquet committee proceeded to the telegraph office to communicate with Mr Kowe, and request him to return to the Thames by the 'Durham,.' which leaves Auckland at i o'clock this (Tuesday) afternoon, but they were too late, and had to postpone their business until this morning. Sunday was the sth of November, the anniversary of the famous or infamous Guy Faux of gunpowder plot notoriety, but the youth o! the Thames exhibited : proper' respect for the Sabbath in refraining from any of the customary celebrations of this event. Last evening, however, they were not restraihod by any such' motives, and fiom an early hour little boys, and big ones too, could be seen letting off crackers and fireworks in places where they thought themselves free from police supervision, or to the imminent danger of fences and outhoiues. Last evening a considerable number of bonfires blazed on the hills at the back of Grahamstown, showing that the observance of Guy Faux Day, which is a time-hoaourel custom in the home country, has not been neglected at the Thames. : Amongst the arrivals from Ohineaum yfsterday were John Murphy and Mary Nolan, who are to be married at the Catholic Church,-Willowghby-strcet, to-day - Murphy,' as our readers may recollect, stands committed to'take his trial at the-next sittings of'the Supreme Court for an alleged criminal assault on Miss Nolan, notwithstanding her strenuous denial "that such an offence had been committed, No doubt the happy union which is to take place to-day will have the effect of causing the Crown Prosecutor to enter a plea of nolle prosequi when the ease comes on for l hearing at. the criminal session, and, doubtless, the defendant' and witnesses will receive timely notice to this

effect, ~, . ... There was a capital attendance at the skating link last night, Heed's favourite band proving a great addition to the usual attractions, The fair sex were well represented, amlirany of the ladies showed considerable skill iu the art of skating.. , W. J. Kirk was yesterday appointed cook of the Thames Hospital, in place of Mark Fittou, the late cook, whose dismissal was ordered at tho last meeting of the Hospital Committee, The Water Supply' Committee call for folders for opening and filling treuch in Marystreet and the Karaka Road for the laying, of water pipes.', ' Sir George Grey left by steamer for the Kuwait on Saturday morning (says the Herald), to enjoy a short .respite from official life for a few days. He is expected back during the week, and, we beliovo,'will.yisit the Thames at an early period. .

The Grahatnstown Fire Brigade has been strengthened by an accession of no less than 15 members sinco Superintendent G. Price took office. The strength of the brigade at that time waa 22 members, and an impression pre. vailed that it could only be increased to 25, but on examining the rules Mr Price ascertained that that number was only the minimum strength, and that thsrc was no maximum feed, Of the new members who have joined seven belong to Messrs Price Bros.' foundry, and the whole number are likely to prove efficient, useful members, it a meeting of tho Fire Brigade Committee, held in the Borough Council' Chambers last evening, which was presided over by his Worship the Mayor, Mr Price made application for uniforms for the new members, and it was agreed to procure samples of suitable cloth, and report, to the next, monthly meeting of the committee. In regard to practices, &c„ no effort will be spared to increase the efficiency and discipline of the bii"ade, and a great amount of interest is evinced in i's success by all the members-new and old. •■•'.■» The following paragraph-appears in the sale advertisement of Afrßuer, an Auckland auc--. tioneer and commission agent. It offers a strong ittdttceuienfc lo those who are reckless of the pains snl psnalties enforced by .the. Customs department:-"I have a stilt, well, made, quite complete, and in good going ordwj must be sold. I will take'hilf cost*. This is a good ohince for a purchaser, or will exchange [what offers. Never 'mind ih'e; Oastom-hbine .piKcers, come and buy the'still."; •;'. '. \ : The s s, 'Wellington/ Capt. Lloyd, arrived in the Manukau on Sunday from Southern ports. Passengers: Messrs Heck, Montague, Thatcher, Pollen, Rowe, . Nahe, ■ Cotterell, Murphy, Hamer, ' Hedley, Sp?agg, Wilson, Watson, Thompson, : Speuce, Chishblm,' Puff, Poberstone,McNaught,:Marple?, three natives, Mesdames Litchfield, MontagWe, Cotterell, and Howe,-Misses Harris and Finnigah,

The Waihdo Tims furnishes particulars of an accident at : Kihikihi, to a man named George 'William's, who was employed in sinking a well forMrCowen. Williams was down said shaft 47feefcdeep and had just sent up the last bucket of stuff, having struck .water, and in his excitement forgot to properly close, the hooks to which the handle of the bucket was fastened. Tha man at the top wound up the bucket, and just as he stopped the windlass the loaded bucket fell to the bottom. William', who is in full possession of his mental faculties, - says he saw the bucket coming, and as he stood to one side thought of seizing his spade to break the fall"of the bucket, and stooping to reach to it was struck on the back of the neck. There is no wound, but as the wnole body is paralysed from : the middle of the neck down* - wards, the spinal cord must have been injured. Dr Waddington has be<n in constant attendance on him, but his case is b?yond hope. The paralysis is complete, the voluntary nerves doming their power from the spinal cord having ceased to act, those only deriving their power from tho brain, such as the respiratory organs and the action of the heart being in. force. Williams suffers no pain, but is gradually sinking. He is a widower, aud his childreu are in England, with' the exception of his eldest daughter, who is oriher-Way out to the colony to join her father.' Death has since put an end to his sufferings.. : . •'.;■

The proclamation under the Public Works and Immigration Act,"by which all parties were prohibited from' dealing in lands in the Thames district except the. Government, expired on the '22nd of last month, and we understand that a number of private parties are now engaged in endeavouring to obtain land from the Government. Mr Mackay is'completing the purchases , commenced by the Government some years'., ago; - In reference to these Government purchases, ! several paragraphs have lately appeared:telling how Government 1 have.just bought large tracts of land. We believe nothing new has been bought. The Government :seem • to have adopted the same kind of expedient as is resorted to by theatrical managers when they wantto represent an army.' ■In the theatre, : the soldiers who march out slip round the bac'i of the scenes and cross the stage'again; and so the land purchases at the Thames are again and again brought before the public to create an impression of the success of the Land Purchase. Department —Herald. ..... ~; ; - •-.,..;.

The Wellington correspondent of the' Auckland - Star says:—Some very good' things Lave been appearing in the Argushbdy, tuck'as a: bogus speech'from the throne, very satirical on tlie < doings of the session The other was a mock heroic description of a revolution in Otago The odd part of it is, that the author is said to be the . late Under-Secretary for Immigration, who at • present lies perdu, and comes . out lite the bats and owls. Since the fore* going telegram was written, I find the i>osf. comes iout' upon'the same matter as I referred to, and accuses 0. B. Haughton, by name, as the author of the attacks upon the civil service and special members of it, which have lately appeared in the Aryiis; There is very little doubt but that the Post is quite right, and that the "Ingenious Barnacle "is the. real Simon Pure. He has had his knife into a few of the C.S., and. now he is turning it in the wound, preparatory to withdrawal, He was 'especially severe upon Dr. Featherstoh and.all , connected with him, bat it issaidthat the poor creature will soon pass from the scene on board one of our colliers. It is more than probable that • Mr Thomas Kelly, oflaranaki, and Govern- '~.' ment whip last session, will succeed to the ap« ''. pointment rendered vacant by C. B. Haughton's. [ enforced retirement. There was a good deal; .of.. ; ' scheming in-some quarters for. this but,', the schemers were blighted in their hopes... "" "