Untitled

Wanganui Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1112, 9 March 1871, Page 2

A Maori King.—The Auckland cor-1 respondent of the Hawke's Bay ' Times/ writes that a queer state of affairs prevails in Upper Waikato. For thre c months his Maori Majesty, the Princess Sophia, and the king's councillors have been almost constantly intoxicated on rum, purveyed from Raglan to the Royal precints. This, you will perceive, accounts for the excitement that prevailed at Tokangamutu when friendly chiefs went up to demand the surrender of Todd's murderers. A Step in the Right Direction.— The Council is to be called together in Marlborough to pass an Act to enable the produce of the Publicans' Licenses to be solely devoted to Educational purposes. A Nice Representative.—Mr O'Connor, the newly-elected member of the House of Representatives for the Bailer district, appears to be a rather forcible speaker. At a meeting the other day at Westport, there was some little difficulty about a chairman, and Mr O'Connor remarked that " he would as soon have the devil as Mr Pitt,"a barrister at Westport, and that " he was not afraid of Mr Fisher nor any of his class." A Mr Sheehan asked a civil question respecting protection, and Mr O'Connor replied that " he held the man who put the question in such contempt that lie would not reply to that question or any other he might put." Another elector questioned him regarding his conduct in the Nelson Provincial Council, and Mr O'Connor elegantly replied, " What can you expect from a pig but a grunt ?" Mr O'Connor will, no doubt, be an ornament to the Legislature ! The Convict Noble.—This convict the night before his execution said he had experienced a great spiritual and moral change; but by way of antithesis to this he demanded after his conviction beef-steaks and bottled porter, and said he thought that a man in his position should have whatever he desired. Australian Enterprise.—Those celebrated caterers, Messrs Spiers and Pond, are about to build a grand hotel in Piccadilly, to be called the Criterion after the favorite hotel of that name in Collinsstreet, Melbourne. Report sa3's the cost will approach very closely on £50.000, and the style in which it is intended to carry it out, will put in the shade anything of the kind hitherto attempted. Amongst other things, chambers will be expressly devoted to Australians, where all the colonial newspapers will be filed. It will make a capital rendezvous for colonials if the present intentions of the projectors be carried out.

Nelson Members.—The Examiner calculates that, with Sir David Munro returned for Motueka, Ministers will only be able to count on the support of two Nelson members out of eight. The Commissioner.—The doctors report that a few days' quiet will place Mr Brannigan beyond all danger. The Late Eabl op Aberdeen.—Our readers (says the China Mail) will remember the romance and mystery attending the heirship of the Earldom of Aberdeen, and the efforts which the family have made to find the missing scion. America and Australia have been searched in vain, and at last in Hong Kong their doubts and fears have been set at rest for ever. It appears that the young Earl, who was of a roving and adventurous disposition, embarked for America in the forecastle of a ship, and after sundry vicissitudes and adventures shipped at Boston under the name of Charles Oswald as chief officer in the American schooner Hera, bound eastward. A few days oiit during a heavy gale, it became necessary to take in the mainsail, and while engaged in this task the mate and ssaman, now second mate, became entangled in the vang. A heavy lurch of the vessel hurled the unfortunate nobleman into sea, which was running- too heavy to enable his shipmates to make an effort for his rescue.. His companion was fortunate enough to extricate himself from the fatal rope. On the arrival of the vessel here the formalities necessary to prove his death were gone through with, and his younger brother's succession to the title, which has been vacant for some time, will now be assured. The Irish in New Zealand.—lrish emigrants in America have long been distinguished for the manner in which they save up and send money to their friends at home. Irish men and women we learn from the Freeman, a new paper published at Greymouth, are equally deserving of praise in this respect. During the year 1870, the large sum of £43,000 was remitted to various parts of Ireland by Irish colonists, the whole of such remittances being in small amounts. Threefourths of the senders were women, and the money so sent was chiefly to assist and support aged parents, and to pay for the passage money, in part or whole, to bring out brothers and sisters, and even more distant relations.

The "Eobx Gentleman."—So, there are born gentlemen in Wanganui. We thought not, although we were quite sure there were many of nature's gentlemen. The following incident, however, lias undeceived us. A cleric was asked the other day by his employer to wash some bottles, and fearing the natural consequence of beinsy called "bottle washer," the clerk stoutly declined. Lifting his prowl head, and precipitous proboscis, the begetter of gentlemen thereupon exclaimed—" Why, my son , who in a born gentleman, docs not refuse to wash bottles, and does it regularly !" This was all. The clerk said°he " would'nt stop." Occupation for Women.—According to a Ballarat paper a lady in this city carries on somewhat extensively the rearing of silkworms. She has now, it is said, 12,000 cocoons ready for winding. Morgan v. Richards.—This is an action pending, in which damages are laid at £200 for trespass. The defendant claimed a right of road through the property of plaintiff, and broke a gate and padlock which had been put on to prevent the road being traversed by the public. The case comes on for hearing before Judge Johnston on the loth inst. Omission.—We omitted to include the name of Mr Cooper, solicitor, in the list of passengers by the s.s. Wanganui, yesterday. This gentleman is engaged in two Supreme Court actions, which, we hear, he intends conducting in proprid persona.