LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3204, 20 May 1871, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The English Mail. — As will be seen in our telegraphic despatches, the Rangitoto, with the Suez mail, arrived off Hokitika yesterday morning; but owing to tho terrible soa ou sho could not be tendered yesterday. Wo may, however, expect; our usual telegraphic summary some time during the day. Civic Matters. — At the meeting of tho City Council yesterday afternoon, tho by-laws, which had been sent to his Honor tho Superintendent for his sanction, wero finally passed, his Honor having given his assent. As a matter of form they were put to the vote, tho inexorable Carpenter, " faithful found," being tho only dissentient. Councillor Moss brought forward his motion for the purchase of the wharf from tho Provincial Government. The magnitude of such a proposal was again appalling to the old Conservative, but looked at as a matter of business-liko capacity for dealing with large and progressive measures, it reflects greafc credit on our City Council. There can bo little doubt that if tho proposal assumes a tangible form it will be tho means of adding greatly to tho revenue of tho Corporation, and consequently bo a great benefit to tho citizens of Wollington. There is not likely to bo much difficulty in obtaining tho money on tho security of the rates, while there is the certain prospect of increased means for the furtherance of municipal improvements. In the meantime only preliminary action has been taken, aud the public will await with some interest tho result of the overtures mado to tho Provincial Government. Morris Again. — The man Morris, charged with lunacy, was again brought up at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, and no sooner had ho planted his foot fairly within the rostrum than he began to roll out an uninterrupted flow of invective against the sin of teototalism, coupled with the name of tho Hon. Mr Fox, the political Anti-Christ. Tecfcotalism was tho bane of society, and his mission on earth was the founding of a true Christianity and the wiping oufc of all hypocrisy, in the furtherance of which object ho had set his covenant on tho doors of all religious edifices within reach. Mr Crawford supplied tho peroration, " Next time you appear hero, Mr Morris, mad or not mad, you'll go to gaol for a month." Morris made an effort to remonstrate, but, with something of method, judiciously subsided. Readings. — Wo are pleased to call attention to two advertisements iv this issue, which announce two separate series oi readings and mixed entertainments, to bo given in aid of the funds of St. Peter' b and St. Paul's schools. The first of the series, in aid of St. Peter's school, will bo given at the school-room, Sydney-street, on Monday next, at eight; in tho evening ; while on Tuesday evening, afc eight, afc the school-room, Ghuznee-street, will be initiated tho series in' aid of St. Paul's school. Rifle Match. — The arrangements made by tho Joint Match Committee for tho match to be fired on Queen's Birthday for tho carbine presented by Lieut-Colonel Reader are — Open to all the Wellington Volunteers and Cadets on payment of an entrance fee of 2s 6d. The receipts of the match, after tiie payment of expenses, will go to make up additional prizes. The ranges aro — 200 yards, Wimbledon targets, standing; 400 yards, second-class targets, kneeling ; 600 yards, second-class targets, any position ; sown shots at each range, and no sighting shots. Competitors arriving on the ground after the first round is completed will bo allowed to fall in, but will have a miss scored to them for each complete round fired at tho time of their arrival. Competitors who have not scored seven points at the finish ol tho first range, and those who havo not scored twenty-six points at the finish of the second range, must retire. Ties are to bo decided by the greatest number of hits ; if then a tie, by the highest score at 600 yards ; if still a tie, by tho score at 400 yards ; and if still a tie, by counting backwards shot for shot. Both sets of targets aro to be used, and competitors must fire throughout at the target afc which they commence, but before commencing may change places with any competitor who haß drawn another target. Tbe marking is to be accepted as signalled, but if any competitor is dissatisfied with tho signal regarding his shot he may havo the target examined. If tho marking as signalled is then found correct, three points will be deducted from his score. Competitors must fire in uniform, and with ammunition supplied on tho ground at Government prico. No volunteer who is absent from the Birthday parado on the morniug of tho 24th May will be eligible to compete if tho match is fired that day. The rifle, we may add, is a " Snider-needle," and is pronounced by competonfc judges as an eloganfc pieco of ] workmanship, and a most desirable trophy for j a volunteer. Aa might be expected in a \ " fancy" arm, it is shorter, lighter, and much handier than the ordinary breech-loader. Wanganui Weather.-— Tho "Chronicle" publishes on tho 16th : — Yesterday and to-day havo both been very stormy. All last night ifc raiued continuously, and blow a hurricane. The river is now greatly flooded, and every little creek is swelling into tho dimensions of a river. Mortality amongst the Maortes. — During the past month or so an unusual number of deaths has occurred amongst tho natives in this locality. Several old men and women and a good many children have died ; some of fcho former— such, for example, as Rina Tao, To . Waka of Aramoho, Ropeka the wife of George Grey, Poni of Ranana, &c, — were woll known to the storekeepers nnd old settlers. — Ibid. TnE Rev. William M'Gregor, we learn, has been appointed to the Pastorate of tho Presbyterian Church at Meanec, Hawko's Bay, by fcho Free Church of Scotland. The Cjty Lamps, we learn, aro to bo lighted this ovoning. Edith Palmerston, who has had the good fortune to play to crowded lioubdb during her sojourn in Nelson, will arrive here by tho Taranaki to-day on her way South. We believe sho will give one or two of her pleasant entertainments beforo taking hor final departure from here. Mr Benjamin Smith has, wo understand, been appointed Provisional Trusteo in Bankruptcy in room of Mr Ramie. An Awkward Fix. — On Wednesday morning last, whilst crossing the ford in the Hutt river, below Valentino's Aglionby Arms, Mr M'Laggan, with his trap, bringing vegetables into town, got Btuck midway. His predicament having beon observed, a horse was sent to his relief, and being yoked on to M'Laggan's horse, fairly pulled him oufc of his harness, leaving the owner in his cart in the contre of the river. Ho was soon, however, relieved from his perilous position, and landed on terra firma, when he proceeded on hisjjourney

to Wellington. Having sold his vegetables he returned to the Hutt, passing through the toll-bar at about half-past eleven at night, reaching the Hutt river at his usual time — about one or two o'clock in the morning. He again attempted the ford, and again stuok in the centre of the stream hard and fast, and there he had to remain for upwards of four hours, until rescued by the boatmen afc about seven o'clock in tho morning. He was sitting up to his thighs in water for the whole time, and was almost perished with exhaustion when taken from the cart. This mishap may excite a smile of levity from the unthinking, who may see in it a good joke since it proved no worse ; but more serious reflection will show the urgent necessity of pushing on the construction of tho bridge. Had there been the slightest fresh during the four hours Mr M'Laggan was chilled to the marrow in his watery prison wo might havo been at this moment speculating as to his fato, and tho Hutt river would havo added another victim to tho already too long list of persons drowned in New Zealand rivers. The Hutt Bridge. — Wo understand thafc Mr Blackott, tho Colonial Engineer-in-Chiof, will mako a careful survey, and advise tho Provincial Government, as to the best sito for a new bridge. Wo deem it prudent not to mention the day, as Mr Blackett prefers to mako bucli surveys unaccompanied by any officials, and uninterrupted by tho curious or the interested. Wherover ho says a railway line, or bridge should bo, then it is fixed. Tho settlors in tlio Hutt may, therefore, rest assured thafc sito will be determined on by an engineer whom tho Premier himself has no power to influence. To insinuate thafc railways and bridges are being constructed with a view to any one's interest is a deliberate insult to Mr Blackett, and is calculated to load to much mischief-making. The great works on which the colony is now entering will be conducted on the principle of tho greatest good for tho greatest number, and wo can assure our Hutt settlers that the Provincial Government; intend following the same — in fact tho only honorable policy. We trust, therefore, that whatever sito is chosen will bo at once accepted as the best. Wo may add that, as in all tho othor provinces, tho valuable services and experience of Mr Blackett will be at tho disposal of the Provincial Government. As would be gleaned from our summary, Mr Blackett has just returned from a survey of sites for four large river bridges in Canterbury, one of thorn — tho Waitaki — across a river nearly 4000 feofc wide at flood tide. Inquest. — Yesterday the remains of ono of the unfortunate men who wero drowned on the 4th inst by the upsetting of a boat; belonging to H.M.S. Virago was washed up on tho beach near tho Baths. The evidence of tho young man Reeves, who had been a shipmate with Taylor only two months beforo, was SO clear as to the rags of clothing still clinging to ;the skeleton, whioh was almost fleshlesa, that the jury took a common sense view of the matter and accepted tho testimony as conclusive that tho remains were those of Taylor. The following particulars respecting tho two men, which we obtained from the police, may possess some interest for their frionds. William Taylor was a warrant officer's servant j born on the 2nd January, 1850, afc Eccleshall ; sffc 9in in height, brown hair and eyes, with a slight scar on tho left side of his forehead; fair compoxion. James Smith, rated boy I.C. ; born lOfch May, 1853, at Leighford, Stafford ; sft 2Mn in height ; light brown hair and hazel eyes j scar on forehead ; dark complexion. Mr JonN Rankin. — In an obituary notice the " Wanganui Chronicle" of tho 15th says : — " Mr Rankin took his dinner yesterday as usual, and shortly after, complaining of weariness, ho said ho would go to his bedroom and rest for a while. An hour or more elapsed when, one of the children, who had occasion to go upstairs, told Mrs Rankin thafc her father was ill. Ho had boon seized with apoplexy. Medical aid was at once called in, but one fit succeeded another until in a very few hours death ensued, and the man who, but the day beforo, was an active citizen, was gone for ever. The demands of business, wo understand, had lately been giving deceaecd a good deal of anxiety, and his medical attendant attributes to this mental worry, to a cortain extent, tho fatal nature of tho attack. Mr Rankiu was much respected by all classes. He leaves a widow and fivo young children, who naturally have tho sympathy of tho wholo community." The Weight oe Erudition. — Recently Cobb's coach, having on board Mr Rolleston, tho Superintendent} of Canterbury, his Honor Mr Justice Ward, Mr R. H. Rhodes, and Mr Studholme, M.H.R , was about to leave Timaru for Temuka, when one of the horses, after a knowing glance at the gentlemen composing tho party, refused to stir an inch. Tho affair is amusingly described by a correspondent to the " Timaru and Gladstone Gazette" : — " The brute was incorrigible, however, and, as a last resource, the driver was obliged to unship his load— when his Honor seized one wheel, and Mr Rhodes, after spit 4 ting three times and rubbing his hands twice, seized another, the Judge, in the mean time, having applied his whole force to the back of the coach, and Mr Studholme, who seotus to bo an adept at it, having seized a stick, which he used so unremittingly and dexterously upon the horse, thafc tho animal began to feel uneasy. The bystanders also closed in upon tho coach, and with a good ' Rollo,' a bravo ' Bobby,' and well done the ' Judge,' the brute began to move, and was soon off at full speed. The start was so sudden that each man lost his hold of the coach, and, iv the height of their excitement, perhaps fearing they might be left behind, started after it at a dashing pace, and a prettier race we have not seen for a long time. Mr Rhodes, having got tho start, kept tho lead, hotly pursued by his honor, on whom Mr Studholme wa3 fast making ground ; the Judge was also getting into wind, and coming up admirably, when the coachman, who had got his horses turned, met them and took thorn up again." A Contradiction. — Tho "Now Zealand Wesleyan," of Christchurch, a journal conducted by tho Rev. A. R. Fitchotfc, contains an authoratativo denial of tho report i-ecent'y circulated thafc that gentleman was about to be ovdaiued a minister of the Church of England. In reply to a request, signed by tho Superintendent; of the Episcopal school afc Wanganui, asking him if the report was true, to offer himself to tho Bishop of Wellington aa their pastor, Mr Fitchott says :— " Thanks. Statement entirely without foundation. Could nofc bo tempted by anything lowor than a bishopric. (Signed) A. R. Fitchett. To Mr R. Davia." Mr Fitchett adds : " Tho editor thinks it unnecessary to add anything to tho above, except thafc ho is grateful for the esteem in which he appears to bo held in his old circuit, and thafc ho regrets that his friends in tho Episcopalian Church thoro should have been so egregiously misled. Shaw.— Mr W. Shaw, formerly Mayor of nokitika, and proprietor of the " West Const Times," in its most prosperous days, lately started a small paper in Honolulu ; but— "Thoro is a tide in tho affaii-9 of men, which taken at the Hood," so Shakespearo says, and ho knew much of most things, " leads ou to fortune." Mr Shaw, it would appear, so far as regards Honolulu, had commenced afc tho obb tide of fortune, and wo regret to learn has been compelled to succumb. Fine Arts. — Most people havo an impression that the Alpino region of tho Middlo Island contains some of the finest scenery to bo met with in auy quarter of the globe, and a few know that such really is the case. M. Chevalier, Mr Gully, and other artists, havo to somo extent mado us familiar with the scenery to which wo refer, and their pictures have attracted attention both in England and the Australian colonies. The " Lyttelton Times" has had the privelego of inspecting a number of sketches recently taken by Mr C. D. Barraud, of Wollington, during a short tour in Otago and Southland. They are chiefly scenes from what is usually called the Lake District of tho former province, and fully bear on the roputafcion ifc haß acquired for grandeur, sublimity, and picturesque loveliness. The sketches are, of course, Qn\y the raw material,

as ifc were, for finished piofcures, but they prove, had such proof been necessary, that Mr Barraud is as happy in selecting his subject as ho is skilful in treating it. Crime— lts Cost ik New Zealand.— The following remarks were made by the " Nelson Colonist;" in commenting on a charge recently made by Judge Greeson to a Grand Jury : — " Eighty thousand pounds is stated by Judge Gresson to be the sum which the punishment and repression of crime costs tbe Colony of New Zealand in the year 1869. £80,000 !^-in a country endowed with a good climate, offering a life of comparative plenty and comfort, when the state of the mass of the people in tho old country is considered : £80,000 to pay in one year for the repression of crime ! The subject ia too serious for mere talk ; let our readers ruminate on tho fact and its causes. Something like £7000 a year is paid by Nelson province for educational purposes, and with thafc sum between two and three thousand children receive something like plain education, which all lovors of advancement are striving to improve for the cake of future men and women of the colony ; £7000 is only the eleventh part of £80,000. Think of it." His Honor Mr Justice Richmond, in his charge to the Grand Jury at Nelson made the following observations : — I can remember when the Dunedin escort van used to dash into town w.eekly with its 20,000 or 30,000 ounces of gold j and handcuffed just above tho iron boxes were some three or four uufortunates, who were the week's contribution from Tuapeka to the quarter's calendar. All around wero the troopers — tho militarised constabulary — with drawn sabres. At that time wo used to have as many as forty cases for trial. lam not going to utter any half-truths about the connection of gold with crime, or to contend thafc wealth lo a people wise enough and virtuous enough to use ifc is other than a benefit conferred by tho Author of all good ; yet a criminal Court of Justice is no unfit; place wherein to recall tho profound truth thafc " a man's life consisfceth not in tho abundance of things which he possessefch ;" and thafc iv the eyes of the philosopher and tho Christian, tho whole prosperity of a people is something wholly difForenfc from what is implied in the addition of a cypher or two to the return of the exports." Bishop Morak. — In a pastorate of tho Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin is contained the following passage : — " Because of this domestic affair between tho Catholic Bishop and his people, fcho public, as represented by the newspapers, hare, as it were, seized on me as if I were their property, to be disposed of according to their goodwill and pleasure, thoir whim or their hatred. Reason, common sense, and decency, have been for tho most part either forgotten or despised. Some have abused, others misrepresented rue ; in ono I have been threatened ; another regards mo as a fanatic; hero I have been callo j a politican, there a patron of ignorance. Nor is this amiable warfare confined to the Otago Press ; one of our distant neighbors, the " Evening Post," Wellington of the 20fch April last, has in its leader charged mo with acts which neither I nor any of my priests ever did, and with words which I never uttered. And thus anti-cafcholic history is made. These calumnies have been spread abroad far and wide. Thoy have got tho start of me, I have no douht whatever, and that denial of calumny in reference to myself will go for nothing ia the minds of my assailants, and thafc they will continue to repeat them in defiance of truth, decency, and honor." Four Wives. — A man with four wives was brought before Hans Swariharfc, a Mohawk Judge, for commitment on a charge of bigamy. "Four wives !" exclaimed the astonished Hans, "four viives! Dat was a most hinocious crime. Discharch him afc vonsfc." ' Why ?' protested tho prosecutor; ' why discharge him when the proof is positive ? WiU the Court explain ?' ' Yes, I eckshploins. If he lifs mits four wives ho got punishment enough. I lif mit von, aud I got too much punishment already. Propagation of TnouT. — The " New York Herald" says : — Tho State Fishery Commission have offered to give to the owners of streams aud ponds in the Stato sufficient black bass, whifco bass, catfish, perch, sunfish or pike with which to stock their ponds. Mr Furman, an extensive cultivator of trout at Newtown, has prepared a petition against the offer of the Commission. He says thafc if Bfcreams are stocked with either of tho species offered by the Commission, ifc will bo impossible to propagate brook trout. Trout will not prosper where either of these species exist. Mr Furman nays every pond on Long Island can be made to produce 1,000 pounds of trout annually, and prophecies thafc in ten years, if the people bo advised by tho Fishery Commission, there will not be a good trout pond in the State. A Modeen Byzantium.— The following curious passages from tho letter of " an officer of rank, who commanded ono of tho forts before Paris" are published by the " Cologne Gazette" :— On the Ist and 2nd of March the fate of Paris hung by a silken thread. If the attitude of the population had been only a little more unbecoming than it was Paris would have been reduced to ashes. Tho artillery of all the forts around Paris was already in position ; wo were only waiting for fche first touch of the telegraph to convert with our 80OJ guns this haunt of arrogance, vice, and madness into a Boa of ruins. Instructions wero given, in case tho bombardment should bo ordered, which clearly showed a resolution to carry oufc fche deserved punishment ruthlessly and to its extreme consequence. It is certainly not tho Parisians but tho Germans in Pa.iis who preserved tho town from tho fato which tho Germans outside Paris were ready to inflict upon her. . . * Never in history havo victors conquered with such glory, never havo victors risen to such an immeasurable height of culturo, or shown such bouovolent humanity towards the conquered, as the Germans did towards the Parisians. Paris has as yet not suffered tho punishment sho doserves, though it seems her punishment is inevitable. . . . But history has always found a way of chastising cities when thoy havo sunk so low as Paris has. This is shown by Babol and Jerusalem, Rome and Byzantium ; and ouc generation will perhaps see Paris share tho samo fate — Paris, to whom the goodness of heaven aud of the Germans has given an opportunity of entering upon a new life of which she will probably not avail herself." Steam. — Matching eggs by steam, ploughing by steam, brushing hair by steam, and getting killed by steam, havo all been wonders in their respective days ; but vow, says a San Francisco paper, comes a big garden where vegetables aro raised by Bteam. It is two acres in extent, and situated at Lako View, near Chicago. The entire space is covered with glass, and a powerful engiuo and boilers supply through a network of pipes laid beneath the beds, tho warmth and moisturo required. Already lettuces, radishes, onions, cress, and other salad "stuff" aro abovo ground, and in a week or so will bo in the market. Cauliflowers, cabbages, boots, turnips, axd other vegetables havo beeu sown, and will make their appearance in duo time. This is cheating Jack Frost with a vongoanco.