LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXI, Issue 2432, 25 October 1866, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Waihaiiapa.-— We did not receive any letters by the Coach last night, but learn that nothing fresh had transpired. Our informant states that there was no news, and that the district was quiet, Government Missions 1 . — The Phabe, having been repaired and overhauled in this port, proceeded on Tuesday last to Nelson to be placed on tho gridiron. Mr. Crosbie Ward and Mr. Batkin of the Treasury Office took their departure in her to Nelson, to'oatch the steamer going to Sydney. The latter gentleman is going there for the purpose cf making some enquiries aboufcltho working of the Stamp PepartmenVamrMr. Croabie "Ward has, we understand, delayed His departure for England for the present, and has undertaken a mission for trie Hew Zealand Government to the Government of New South Wales- in connection with th» arrangements which have .still to be made with respect to. the Panama Service, xffif return may be expected in about a month, or six weeks. , ■ .".••■*.. Mb. R. W._ Patten.— The particular* of an inquest held yesterday oh the Wdy of -B. W. Patten, who died suddenly on Tuesday evening, will be found in another column. Deceased, who was ,51 years of age,,, had been in the province upwards of twenty-two years. We understand that a subscription is being raised for his widow and four-chil-dren. . • , o-DfiowNiNG.-r-The body of a man, whose name is unknown, was found in the Lower llangitikei river on the 19th instant. "At the inquest, held on the day following, a verdict of " Found Drowned," was. returned.

Skiemish .at Kete?([:aeai.— "V^e ; wer«?jinformed yesterday, on making application, at the Government Offices, that no despatches had been received relative to the recent-skir-mish at Eetemaii with thenatives. , , s , .

Chobal SociETY.—The a^ourned. annual general meeting of the Weiljngtpn 'Choral Society, will take place at the Odd' Fellows' Hall this evening, at .eight o'clqck. ; Tha great question to be decided pa is, .asto %ha continuance of the Society. * ', Odd Fellows.-kA. nunlber of the members of the Brifcanniai Antipodean, and lington Lodges, with a few frienda, sat .down to a dinner on Tuesday evening last, afr 8 o'clock, at the Odd Fellows' Hallj to celebrate the completion of a newlodge-room at tfre-aide of the building There, were about 100 persons present,' who, after spending a very pleasant evening, separated at midnight. The alterations to the building consist of the enlarge* roent of the rooms on the side of the Mall looking towards Thorndon Flat, and have been executed in a very satisfactory manner by Messrs. Halley & Ewen. There is now a spacious kitchen below; which communicatei with the large Hall of the building, and 'also with the exterior ; and up above* there is' the new lodge-room, 33 feet long and 18;f«et broad, with closets at the end, foitheuse of the Secretaries. Ifc is expected that in consequence of these improvements the Hall, properly so called, will no longer, except on very special occasions, be required by th© lodge, but will at almost all times be available for hire.

Mb. W. Hatfield. — We regret to have to record the death of Mr. William Hatfield, father of Mr. C. Hatfield of the KoyalHwfcel, an event which took place on board the steamer Albion, on the Ist October, four day* before her arrival at Melbourne, on her last trip. Mr. Hatfiold arrived , in the colony about three years ago, in the* ship ' Affiance*, and broughtwifch him the thoroughbred horse*. Elswick, Mary Avenel, and Sugar Plumb,, lie afterwards left here.for Canterbury, taking his horses with him for the purpose, or running them at the: Canterbury -race* After a short residence there, he came back to Wellington about sevea months ago, to find a market for his horsefc but not succeeding was taking tliem ori^to Melbourne, when ho died. The' 'deceased gentleman who -vwis 76 years of age; hadj&eea in ill health for some' time, suffering yery much from asthma. His body was taken oa shore and buriad in the cenietry at Mcl-

bourne. Court of Appeal. — The Court of Appeal, which was adjourned from last week, wUI sit again to-day at 11 o'clock. Since then it has been arranged tKat another case, that of Mills v. Back, shall be brought before the Court. Judgement has;besides to be delivered in the " greenstone " and other -cases, ibufc -it is probable that the business \yill be brought to a close to-day. Ifc : may be recollebfact that in two or three very important eases, which were brought before the Court, the parties were not represented by Counsel, . so that the work of the Judges has been much heavier then it would otherwise have been. Odd Fellows' Hall.— Sbme alteration* are about to be made in the Odd Fejlowi' Hall, which will make it,: in every way, s more desirable place for theatrioal and 1 other entertainments. The Hall itself, which is 80 feet long and wide, is going to be lengthened 22 feet at the end where the stage now stands, and the width., of the extentioa will be 67 feet. ■:.. Oaeapfoßida there will Ue two dressing rooms, with a space of 41 feefc 6 inches between them, (besides the present waiting rooms, all communicating with the stage. The stage will be thus considerably enlarged and improved. Mr. W. F. Paraont is the architect, and Mr. Wallis tfceJOoafcractor for the new work. . 5 ••■'■ / x - Pastoral and Horticultubjli^ Socebty. —What has become of the Wellington Pastoral; Agricultural, and : Horticultural Society ? "It is proposed," says the \ Wfnganui Times, "to hold a public meeting in the Royal Princess Theatre, on the T4th'or 15 th .November, for the purpose of fprnjinga Pastoral and Horticultural; Society ." To carry out this object, some eight or ten acrei of land, will be required for a show-yard. If taken in hand by men who will throw their energies into the work, that, and other difficulties will disappear. \^e trust that this is the last season thatwil^be, allowed to pass without an exhibition of stoisk m Wanganui. .Native Mobalit*.— lt isjeplorable, say* a correspondent of the Southern Grow, to see the moral degradation , of the native race at the present time. , Ap-ono **?¥*? thei f settlement on the .Day^wiU^a^^aost of them either working ( oc'r.gambj^ Qfibi.) and when remoqs,trate4 > wit%/'-^:ro > yoif not ashamed of Jhisbad work/an ■ss&sss I they carelessly answer, ;f Eha; kei# Par^rpa ; to retapu ? B rite^ tonu ngftm" : W»|faJ» ; it to the BanatoUjtUeASab^UP AU d*y,i are the same.) „.•.:■-•...

The Governor.— After being delayed by stress of weather in Wanganui much longer timn he had anticipated, his Excellency sailed by the p.s. Start for tho Patea on the forenoon of the 19fch inst. The gale of the two previous days had quite subsided, and the weather was beautiful as the little vessel steamed down tho river. Apropos of this the Times remarks ; — The arrival and departure of His Excellency, without the slightest ceremony or public recognition on the part of the inhabitants, reflects but little credit upon our loyalty. Wanganui should have a Lord Mayor and Corporation to receive tho representative of royalty. Were it not for our old friend John Garner, the loyalty of the town would stand at a low -ebb. On \Vednesday morning the '" father" of Wanganui was at his post, and, in the name of all his children, gave his Excellency a hearty welcome, thus saving the credit of the town. We hope yet to see the Lord Mayor of Wanganui, in his robes of office, and attended by his councillors, take a position upon the Wanganui Bridge to receive the representative of Her Majesty. Prospecting.— The Wanganui people are about to hold a public meeting " for the pur pose of taking into consideration the advisability or otherwise of organising and sending out a prospecting party to test the auriferous ■fend mineral resources of these districts." On this subject the Times remarks :— " Let us see what an efficient prospecting party can do, but still bear in mind that in soil and climate lie our principal source of w ealth and prosperity. The steam plough might be made to convert these districts into the granary of New Zealand, but even with such means and appliances as are at hand, the importation of tood for man or beast should no longer be allowed to draw capital from these districts toother colonies not so highly favored as we are. Let us test our mineral resources, and in due time agriculture must force it way upon the good sense and pockets of the settlers."