LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXIV, Issue 2785, 16 January 1869, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Colonel Whitmorb's Despatches. — By the courtesy of the Government wo are enabled to publish in our present Summary for Europe Colonel Whifcmore's despatches, containing the official details of the acfion before Ngatapa, and of the capture of that important Rtronghold by our forces. These despatches will be peruoed with interest alike by our Colonial and our English readers. The Queen's Whahp. — The following is the list of the tenders received by the Provincial Government, for the lease of the Queen's Wharf : — Tonks, £1750 ; .Dransfield, £1654 ; J. D. Baird, £1505 j J. Smith, £1500; Loarey, £1500 ; Young, £1205 ; Fancourt, £1100; Pilcher, £1000; Ledger, £900. The net receipts received by the Provincial Government for the Queen's wharf and bonded store for the financial year ending March 31st, 1867, were £686 Is 5d ; and for the financial year ending the 31st March, 1868, the net receipts, were £978 10s Id. This it must be understood were the net receipts for wharf and store combined. The gross receipts were for the two years £8098 Os 9d, and £3817 15s 9d respec tively ; and the gross expenditure for the two places amounted in 18G7 to £2411 11s 4d and in 1868 to £2839 5a Bch The Panama Company pnid in bonded storage alone upwards of £400 per annum. The labor in the bonded store is estimated to cost £500 per annum, without including superintendence. Under these circumstances the tender of Mr Tonks will, if accepted, be the means of adding a large additional sum to the provincial revenue. iNTBB-PROTiNcrAL Bifk: Match.— Some time ago a friendly rifle match was arranged between No. 1 Company W.R.V. and No. 1 Company Nelson Rifle Volunteers. Each party was to fire on its own ground any day between the Ist and 16th of this month, and the terms of the match were as follows : Ten men on each side ; ranges 200, 400, and 500 yards ; five shots at each ; Wimbledon targets at 200 yards ; Gloss targets at -100 and 500 yards; standing at first range, any position at the others. The Wellington men fired on the Bth inst, making a total of 342. The Nelson men fired on Thursday and scored 387, thus proving the victors by 45 points. The return match will probably take place soon. Relief Fund.— George Crawford, Esq., hon. Treasurer, to the Caledonian Games Committee, has received the following letters from the Superintendents of Wellington and Hawke's Bay, to ■whom the surplus funds arising from the above games were forwarded. Dr. Featherston, under date January 13th, writes : — " I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of tha 12th instant, enclosing a cheque for £38, moiety of the proceeds of the Caledonian Gathering, held in Wellington on New Year's Day. I shall have much pleasure in appropriating tln'3 sum, in accordance with your wishes, to the relief of the sufferera by the present rebellion on the West Coast, and have applied to the relief associations formed in Wanganui and Wellington for such information as they may consider useful to enable me to distribute the amount to the best ndvantnge." Mr M'Lean, under date Napier, January 11th, enys . — " J. have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of yoar letter of the 9th instant, enclosing a draft on the Bunk of New South Wales for £38, to bo applied for the relief of the sufferers by the war on the East Coast. I beg to convey to you, on behalf of the sufferers and members of the Local Committee, beet thanks for the donation." Lighthouses.— Tenders for the erection of three lighthouses and one beacon on (he New Zealand coast., two of the former being of timber, the other of stone, and the beacon of wrought iron, are invited by Mr Balfour, the Colonial Marino Engineer. The tenders are to be Bont in by the Bth of March next. One of the lighthouses ia to be erected at Cape Campbell.

Captain Bishop's New Ship.— By tho last mail Captain Bishop received a letter ftom Messrs Shaw, Savill & Co, stating that all the arrangements were completed respecting his new ship, which had been put into the hands of Messrs Steel of Greenock. She will be 835 tons register, i including poop and deckhouse ; and of the following dimensions, 183 feet in length, 32 feet in breadth, and 19 in depth. She will be class A, and a first class ship in every other respect. Her cabin will be fitted throughout in a superior manner, and the side Btate-rooms will be of larger dimensions than those of tho Wild Duck. She j will of course be a clipper. The Tandleton Castle> built by tbe same firm, did the p?c3age from London to Calcutta Heads in 78 days; and the outward passage in 80 day9. We understand that a similar class of ship, but rather larger, is now being built in the Clyde for Messrs Shaw Saville & Co's Canterbury lino. Captain Bishop. — The following letter has been handed t<9 U9 for publication :—Superintendent's Office, Wellington, 14th January, 1869. — Sic, — l do myself the honor to request you will accept my thanks, on behalf of the Province, for the interest you have manifested in the importation of the English birds distributed yestor" day for acclimatization purposes — both by bringing them out freight free, and by constant attention to them during the voyage. While the mortality on board ship is always great, the sprightliness of those landed has been the theme of general remark, and I Bhall be glad if you will permitt me to give the enclosed small gratuity to the man in charge. As the Province ought to know how handsomely you have behaved in this matter, I have taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of this letter to the newspapers. — I have, &c, I. E. Featherstok, Superintendent. — Captain Bishop, ship Wild Duck. CoNGIIEaATIONAL Soiree. — The annual general meeting of the Willis street Presbyterian Church, now under the pastoral charge of the Rev. James Paterson, was held on Thursday evening last. The proceedings commenced with a congregational soiree in the new and commodious school-room adjoining the church. The service of tea and other good things was not only abundant, but what is somewhat rare with the cup " which cheers but not inebriates," when prepared on a large scale, it was really good ; and the energy of the stewards was tasked to supply the demand. After tea, the company adjourned to the church, where the Eev. Mr Paterson took the chair. Wo noticed on the platform the Rev. Mr Muir, tho Eev. Mr Kirk, Mr Woodward, and other friends from neighboring congregations. When the chairman had opened the meeting with a few appropriate remarks, the managers' ' reports were read by Messrs Gray, Taylor, and M'Kenzie, from -which we gathered that tho sum of £1176 8s 3d, including a small balance in hand at the last annual meeting, had been collected during the past year ; and that the expenditure amounted to £1062 2s. Out of this sum a new school-room had been erected afc a cost of £261. £37 was appropriated to the Assembly's Mission at the New Hebrides ; £24 to the mission ship | (subscribed by the children attending the Sunday school) ; leaving, after all other necessary disbursements, a balance in tho treasurer's hands of £114 6s 3d. It was mentioned during the evening that all the available sittings of the church (280) were let ; and that the attendance at the Sunday school averaged 120 pupils, under the care of their indefatigable superintendent, Mr Fraser, and an efficient staff of teachers. An excellent choir for the practice of sacred music had been formed. A week-day class for young men was under tho superintendence of Mr M'Eenzie ; and the Rev. Mr Paterson announced that he also intended to form a class, for young women. After the ordinary business was concluded, eloquent and appropriate addresses were delivered by the Rev. Mr Muir, Rev. Mr Kirk, Mr Woodward, and other members of the congregation, after which the meeting closed with the benediction from the chairman. Judicial. — Formal sittings of the Divorce and Vice- Admiralty Courtg were held yesterday. There was no business in either Court. There was also a sitting of the Bankruptcy Court, but the business done was unimportant. Poeirita Races. — The anniversary of the province will be celebrated at Porirua by races> which will come off on the 22nd instant on the racecourse. The following gentlemen have consented to act as Stewards viz, Messrs H. Owen, C Servantes, and J. Wall. Mr J. Homer will officiate as judge, and Mr D. Richards, as starter. Mr John M'Grath is Secretry and Treasury, to whose exertions the public are indebted for tho success which has attended this movement. There will be five evewts, which includes tho Maiden Plate, Porirua Stakes, Ladies' Purse, Consolation Handicap, and a Hack Race ; and wo do no doubttli9t,if the weather should prove favorable, there will be a largo attendance from both town and country. Gold Prospecting. — Wo are informed that several parties have gone to the vicinity of the mouth of the Xarori stream to prospect for gold. The Otago Government has offered a reward to gold prospectors in that province, and tho Supertendnnt has addressed a circular letter to the Wardens of the various goldfields relative to tho subject. Mr Warden Robinson says in reply that it is tho general opinion of miners that no true leads of gold are to be found in Otago. He adds : — " Asa rule, mining in Otago is conducted by sluicing, and the limited character of the present diggings must be ascribed, not to the want of knowledge of the existence of more ground containing gold, but to the lack of water to work more than the claims actually in occupation. Want of ' fall' also, for tailings, prevents good ground being worked in many places. Thus it will bo seen that no great immediate advantage could be expected from tho discovery of other auriferous deposits in the vicinity of tho present workings, unless, indeed, they could be wrought by other means than the hydraulic power. As regards quartz again, what appears to bo wanted, is rather the way to work the reefs at present known, than to search for more." I Nelson Re<mtta.— A cup valued at £G5 is to be open to competition at the next Nelson Regatta i which will take place on tho 3rd of February next. Any decked yacht, -whose length on tho keel does not exceed 28 feet can bo ontered for the race ; but the cup has to be won two consecutive years by the same yacht before being handed | over to the successful competitor.

I Lease OF Bonded Stobe. — The Provincial Government having been taken in once, are adopting the necessary precautions against a similar occurrence in the future. All parties tendering for the lease of the Bonded Store are informed that a £50 cheque is to bo enclosed with the tender, which cheque is to be forfeited if the tenderer refuse to take up the tender in the event of its being accepted. Accident. — An accident which might have resulted in serious consequences, occurred to one of our old settlers Mr A. Caruerou, on Thursday night last ; while himself and family were returning from town the horse, a spirited animal, took fright opposite Dr Featherston's, but fortunately fell before getting to the precipice. The only injuries were simply a few bruises sustained by those thrown from the trap, ono shaft of which was broken. The EAStEEN Tbade. — Since the foundation of the Colony several attempts have been made by Wellington houses to open a direct trade with -the East, and we ara happy to learn that the last efforts which have been made in this direction j have been crowned with success. A cargo of teas ] has been imported recently by Turnbull, Reeves & I Co., ex Mary, from Foo Chou Foo which have ar- j rived in good order and condition. It must be an advantage to importers and consumers to obtain Eastern produce direct rather than by way of Sydney and Melbourne. The Cricket Gbotjnd. — At the recent cricket i match much comment was made by the spectators on the fine crop of thistleß and rushes that have been allowed to take possession of the new cricket reserve. Report says there is some difficulty with the Town Board as to funds due under the lease to the Trustees, — in the mean time the lovers of cricket will bo glad to hear that the indefatigable Secretary, Mr Tags;, has given orders for the immediate removal of the obnoxious weeds. Htogaroa Station. — This station situate in Lower Wairarapa, one of the oldest in the Province, which wns originally established by Messrs. Clifford and Weld, but which for more than twenty years has been in the possession of Messrs. Smith and Revans, containing about 20,000 acres, and stocked with 18,000 sheep, has been sold for £21,000 cash. The lion. Mr Waterhouse of Adelaide is the lucky purchaser. CnKIBTCEtrRCH. — A telegram has been receiyed from Christchurch stating that His Excellency laid the foundation stone of the Supreme Court House yesterday. The Superintendent of Canterbury, the Bishop of Christchurch, and Mr Justice dresson, and the members of the legal profession were also present. After the ceremony His Excellency was entertained at a public breakfast by the Judge at the Provincial Government Buildings. Waieabapa. — By Cobb's Coach which arrived last night wo have received the Mercury of yes- , terday, but it contains no news of more than local interest. The editor advocates the immediate convention of the Provincial Council, and comI plains of the fearful state of the roads and bridges in the district. The General Government decline to ereot more than one stockade, which is to be used as a depot for arms, and is at present guarded by a half dozen armed constables.