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Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3857, 15 July 1873, Page 2

His Excellency the Governor will open Parliament to-day at 2 p.m. in the new hall of the Legislative Council. He will be received at the Government Buildings by the Veteran company of Volunteers as a guard of honor. The following arrangements have been for the accommodation of such of the public as can find room :— Tlie wives of Legislative Councillors and of Ministers of the Crown and of Superintendents of provinces will be seated in the northern gallery, facing the Speaker's chair ; the wives of members of the House of Representatives will have seats provided on the floor of the Chamber ; and the space behind them will be devoted to such ladies as have obtained tickets of admission. The eastern gallery is appropriated to the general public, who will obtain access thereto by the north-east door.

The Banks will be closed to-day at twelve, in consequence of the opening of Parliament. One instance of damage by Sunday evening's shower was tho bursting of a culvert on fche Tinakori Road. The Veteran Volunteer soiree takes place at tho Odd Fellows' Hall this evening, and volunteers are requested to attend in uniform. Dancing will commence at eight o'clock. The rage for municipal Government has broken out at Foxton. It appears that some aspirant for borough honors at that rising little township lately got up an agitation to have it declared a municipality. The more staid residents, however, snuffed oufc the proposition at a public meeting by carrying a proposal that the subject be discussed that day six years. A few enthusiasts are now canvassing the district with a petition in favor of the original proposal, and its opponents are as diligently hawking about a counter petition, which appears to be the more numerously I signed of the two. Acclimatisers will be pleased io learn that the pheasants turned oufc in the Wanganui district have ao multiplied that j they are spreading throughout the province. Some ten or twelve pair were recently seen in the Manawatu district. A few years ago not a pheasant was there. At this rate, we calculate upon hearing soon of some pioneer pheasants in the neighbour- j hood of Wellington. The Bporatmen of the Manawatu district have been cautioned against killing the birds. Telegraphic rnisreadings cause strange vagaries sometimes. Probably few would at once discover that the following item published in the " Sydney Morning Herald" refers to the Brunner Coal Mine Company : — "The first sod of the Orunner Cow Mine Railway was turned yesterday by Mr Harrison, member for the district. Three thousand persons took part in the procession." A more wretched instance of the evils of litigation is not often seen than was furnished at the civil sittings of the Supreme Court yesterday. George M 'Ewen charged Garrett Brennan with stealing his sheep, and though he had, not a tittle of evidence against his neighbor, he refused to apologise and persisted in his defamatory accusations. The latter was at length compelled to seek the protection, of the law. His case was good, and he obtained £50 damages against hi 3 obstinate neighbor. The expenses of the suit are estimated at not less than £200, and as the defendant is a struggling small farmer, the result to him is simply ruin. Should he, however, have less substance than he is credited with, the issue will be much *he same to the victorious litigant, who will thus be throWn back in the world through no fault of his own, as somebody must pay the lawyer. The criminal sheet at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday was a blank. Three civil cases came on for hearing, but only one of them occupied the attention of the Court for any time, or was of any importance. The Messrs Brogden sued one of their importations, J. S. Brooks, for £24 17s 6d, money advanced for outfit and passage to this colony. Mr Buckley, who defended Brooks, pleaded that his client was under age, and plaintiffs were nonsuited with costs. Defendant had left the employ of Brogdens, and takon hia labor to another market. The pleasurable feelings caused yesterday by the punctual arrival of the immigrant ship Halcione soon gave place to something diametrically opposite at the sight of the jaundice-colored flag. It appears that a variety of typhoid fever broke out during the voyage, and proved fatal in three cases, one having occurred immediately on the arrival of the vessel in harbor. Three other deaths from ordinary causes also occurred during the journey. The vessel was accordingly ordered for a temporary sojournment into the small bay at the eastern side of Soames Island, upon which the passengers will be landed today, to take ap their abode in the immigration barracks during "the process of fumigating the vessel. As far as appearances go, the vessel is likely to bo released before the passengers, though no doubt they will nofc be unduly detained if no fresh cases of sickness occur. The I Halcione brings 256 Government immi- ■ grants and twenty-two others, being 278 in all. At present there is little or no sickness on board. Locality appears to exereirie a great influence in determining what amount of injury marriageable women sustain through blighted hopes in their anticipated matrimonial arrangements. New Zealand colonists clearly do not appraise at a veryhigh figure the pangs experienced by virgins who have been the victims of misplaced confidence. An instance of this was furnished yesterday in the Supreme Court, when the jury awarded Miss Johanna Josephine Casey a solitary shilling as a solatium to her outraged f ellings ; and niggardly as the amount was, it appeared thafc they would have denied her even thafc much if it had entailed costs upon the defendant. Neither party appeared in Court, the breach of promise being admitted ; anything in the shape of documentary or oral evidence to prove it there was none ; and the admission seemed to have been made purely from moral principle. After some difficulty it was elicited that if the young lady had not been over discreet in suing for damages, she had at least enjoyed a fair number of years of discretion. Probably what weighed most with the jury was the fact, which, by-the-way, leaked out somewhat irregularly, that during the time this action waa pending this maiden of equivocal age actually accepted another offer of marriage, which was only broken off by her intending husband dissuading her from proceeding wifch her action, as he said " he did not want the man's money." Miss Johanna Josephine Casey, however, with traditional feminine obstinacy, would have her own way in grasping at the shadow. It is to be hoped she will discover the moral and profit by it. The lecture of the Rev Mr Morley upon "John Wesley, the man, the scholar, the author, the preacher, and the ecclesiastic," drew together a moderate auditory at the Thorndon Wesleyan Chapel last evening. The Hon Mr Scotland having been voted to the chair, Mr Morley proceeded at once to dilate upon the memorable events in the history of the remarkable man whose career formed the subject of the lecture. As was very truthfully remarked by the Rev Mr Smalley, the lecture itself was as much a tribute to the ability of Mr Morley himself as it was to the memory of so great a man as John Wesloy. For profundity of research and power of compression it is questionable if any more complete and connected narration of the career of Wesley could possibly be compiled ; but add to these qualifications a fervid dalivery in certain passages of the lecture, and considerable powers of drollery in the relation of the humorous anecdotes of the story, and a very fair idea may be formed of the interesting character of the lecture. At its conclusion, Mr T>, Lewis moved a vote of thanks to Mr Morley, , which was seconded by Mr Watt, and

carried unanimously. The Rev. Mr Smalley, in supporting the vote, said he trusted that some effort would be made to improve the congregational singing so as to bring it up to the standard spoken of by the lecturer as one of the leading features in the services of the Church in the times of Wesley himself ; and after a further reference by Mr Smalley to the revival of the system of early morning service, the vote was put and carried by acclamation. A vote of thanks to the chairman and the singing of a psalm concluded the proceedings. Thanks to the frequenters ,of the pit, the new troupe was greeted with a good house last night. The performance calls for little comment. ' ' Good for Nothing" passed off remarkably well. The mem- ' bers of fche new troupe, however, seemed a little strange upon a new stage ; but no doubt that will wear off in a day or two. The Carandini Company gave an exI quisite entertainment last night. Many of their Auckland friends availed themselves of the opportunity. Madame Carandini was in- beautiful voice, and sang that favorite old ballad * ' The Old | Arm Chair" with a pathos and power that I were not lost upon the audience. The sisters Rosina and Fannie were exceedingly well received. A trio, "The Violet," sung by the sisters and Mr Sherj win, was warmly applauded. The duet, "I Know a Bank," by Madame Carandini and Miss Fannie, was a gem ; while in the Irish ballad, " Kathleen Mavourneen," Miss Fannie surprised even her admirers by the sentiment she threw into the cadences of this charming ballad. There will be no performance to-night. It is gratifying to learn that the first efforts of the Athenaeum committee in the work of resuscitating that useful institution have been crowned with success, and" there is every probability that what has been so well begun will be carried oufc to a successful issue. His Excellency Sir James Fergusson has consented to accept the office of patron. The arrangements previously decided upon by fche committee have been put into force. The reading room waa opened for the first time yesterday morning at nine o'clock, with an increased number of papers and periodicals, and orders for a still further supply of reading matter will be sent by the outgoing mail. The subscription, list has been liberally headed by the Hon C. J. Pharazyn and W. H. Levin, Esq., with £5 each. The committee will gladly receive any papers or periodicals as gifts, or on loan, for the reading room, until they can get proper supplies. The Wellington Horticultural Society have published their report for this year, which showg. that the income of the society for the past year, by subscriptions,, was £73 Is, being an increase of £12 12s. On the other hand, the money taken at the doors during the past year shows a falling off of £2 7s Bd, notwithstanding that an additional show was given. This, how ever, it is well known, was solely owinto the bad weather, the society having been curiously unfortunate in their choicg of days. The total income amounted te £184. 3s sd, ag<vmst £146 3s 8d the preo vious year ; the total expenditure to £18---6s 7d, againsfc £127 3s the previous yearO Last year the society paid away £87 6s 9d. in prizes, the previous year only £61 17s 6d. The society numbers ninety-five members ; fifty-six are subscribers, of £1 Is each annually. Prizes have been taken by twenty-five gardeners and forty-four amateurs ; eight of the latter being ladies, j The highest aggregate taken in prizes dur- ; ing the season by a gardener was £8 3s 6d ;by an amateur, £8 lis 6d. The most successful lady exhibitor carried away £1 I9s 6d during the season. The committee recommend that the society should have a medal struck, to be awarded annually to the gardener and amateur who take the greatest number of prizes during the season; and also, that the members and the public generally be solicited to offer special prizes at the shows. A great feature of the pamphlet is a long Hst of ' ' special prizes" presented by a number of spirited citizens who are desirous of encouraging a horticultural taste in the community. The schooner Excelsior was taken off the Patent Slip yesterday to make room for the p.s. Paterson, which was drawn up apparently with no more power than is required for pulling up the empty cradle. A feat of walking is chronicled in a home pay«r, which says that on April 25, Lieutenant Godfrey Baldwin, of the first battalion of the 11th Regiment, walked from Glasgow to Edinburgh, a distance of between forty-seven and fifty miles, in ten hours, and afterwards went on guard afc the Castle of the latter city. The gentleman referred to is a brother of Captain Baldwin, of Dunedin. A private letter received in Melbourne from a friend of the late Lord Lytton, who was with him shortly before his death, contains the following interesting passage : — "lfc was a lamentable thing for poor Lord Lytton to be carried offhand strange that his last words were to be sure to examine the body, to see that he was not in a trance. In walking round , the castle at Knebworfch one fine night, I ! asked him what he thought of a future state 1 ' Well,' he said, " I will tell you my opinion. If I die, and am sentenced by the powers above for anything wrong that I may have done on earth, I shall argue the question, and solicit to know why I was permitted to do it.'" It will be remembered that Burns and other distinguished authors have expi'essed similar feelings in relation to the justice of future punishments. The Auckland correspondent of the "Otago Daily Times," referring to some of the probable topics for the attention of Parliament, says: — ''The condition of this province will also force attention. Its indirect revenue is entirely absorbed by the General Government, and it has no land or other revenue of moment to fall back upon. The public works carried on are of comparatively trifling character, and the only one of consequence, the Waikato railway, is dragging along very slowly. The actual revenue i 3 not more than £40,000 to £45,000, of which the best part is from goldfields, and to be expended locally. Thero is no room for retrenchment, and there is nothing for education nor any progressive movement. Something must be done, or the institutions of the province will collapse. The general feeling at present i 3 in favor of their abolition, and of handing over the administration to the General Government. Exportation has been already made by two or three Canterbury meat curers of tierce beef, but from various reasons none of them have proved thoroughly satisfactory, and in some instances the consignment has turned out a failure. Judging from some specimen tierces prepared by Mr Morrison, there is every prospect ol his being successful in finding a ready and lucrative market for his meat. The beef first cured y in brine is afterwards packed in kauri caskß, in 81b pieces, thirty-four to the tierce, between layers .of St. Übe's salt, and when ready for being headed in, form a compact solid mass.

I- - ■ -' ' ' "' "' - mf-*" -v '-" ' ' i - '"'■■■ ' / E. M'Glashan, Esq, has been appointed Chairman of Committees in jkhe Ofcago Provincial Council. '"• %~js The jarrah forests of Western; Australia haro been estimated by a competent judge to be worth £100,000,000. - r ' The Canterbury papers report continued I large sales of waste lands of the Crown, and of a farm of 106 acres in the Tai Tapn district at £21 an acre. During the half year ended June 30th, the Otago escort brought down 68,3250z5, " i as against 71,1730zs during the corresponding period of 1872. The " Ofcago Daily Times " finds fault with the Suez mail arrangements recently announced, and urges thatth6 Bluff route should have been adopted instead of Hokitika. The report of the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers' Association states that a numerously-signed petition against the Permissive Bill will be presented to both Houses of the Legislature. The Ohriitchurch City Council finds no difficulty in obtaining money at 6 percent., and in one case has borrowed at a slightly lower rate. The "Lyttelton Times" reports thatMr G. B. Parker met his constituents at the schoolhouse, Waimate, on Saturday lasfc (sth instant), and gave an account of his stewardship as member for. Gladstone. . There were about seventy persons present, Mr Price occupying the chair. At the conclusion of Mr Parker's address, Mr • Studholme proposed, and Mr Finn seconded fche following resolution. i-^-" That, this meeting has thorough confidence in Mr Parker as far as the interests of Ideal requirements are concerned ; but his sys-.' tematic opposition to Mr Yogel is alike detrimental to the district and colony at large." The resolution, on being put to the meeting, after a show of hands | had been taken, was declared to be carried. A large fish of the blackfish species, about twenty-two feet in length, has been washed on to the beach at Robinson'sBay, Akaroa. The finder, Mr Castle,expects to obtain' a '■ good quantity of oil from the blubber, which is in excellent condition. ' . f A bill has been introduced into s the Victorian Parliament to regulate the employment of females in workrooms and factories. It provides fchafc no, person or • persons shall employ any females in pre--paring or manufacturing articles for trade or sale in any factory or workroom for.more than eight hours in any one day, such eight hours to be between nine in the morning and six in the evening, one hour to be allowed each day for dinner. Breach of the Act is punishable by fine up to £20. Eighteen members of the Otago Provincial Council voted in favor of a resolution — "That in the opinion of the Council no member of the Legislative Council orHouse of Representatives, excepting blip: Honor the Superintendent should be a , member of the Provincial ' Executive." It. was not carried, however, as twenty-five voted against it* The case of exposure to cold at theI Bealey, West Coast road, reported by j telegraph, has unfortunately resulted in i another death. Costello died from "con- ! gestion of the lungs, and the man Aherne, who was stated fco be in a very precariouscondition on Thursday, died during the night, thus making two lives sacrificed purely and simply by carelessness; Another of the five who formed the party, named John Macdonald, was brought to town by the Malvern coach yesterday, and is now in the hospital. The symptoms are not so bad in his case as they were with Costello and Aherne, thus some hopes are entertained of his recovery. He has occasional fits of delirium, bufc they are not Of a very serious character. ; Macdonald gives a startling account of what the party suffered from the weather, not the least notable feature of which is, that the rain came through the tent, and -when they awoke on one occasion, there was about an inch of ice on their blankets. Notwithstanding this, however, they persisted in camping out even after attacked by severe colds, and it oannot be wondered at, therefore, that fatal results have accrued. Macdonald, in fiis anxiety to get down to the hospital, would not wait I for the West Coast coach, but walked to Malvern on Thursday — oicer forty miles. The other two men decided to wait for the West Coast coach, and as these cases are understood nofc to be more serious | than Macdonald's, there is some reason to hope that no mora deaths will occur. The men were working on the road,- and seeing how ill provided they were, Sergeant Felton, who is stationed at the Bealey, offered them a spare stable on his premises to camp in, together with plenty of straw to lie on, but as it would have taken an hour or two to have changed quarters, the men declined the offer, saying that they were going to be moved away in a , few days to another part of the road, and I that it was not worth while changing for | such a short time. The Patea correspondent of one of the i Wanganui papera says :■ — Some of the ; Wanganui and Kai Iwi • Cavalry might remember that during the time Titokowaru was at Tauranga Ika, he had a most particularly livery scout, who used to ride a grey horse, and made himself conspicuous on all occasions when the cavalry wereout reconnoitering, &c. Well, he died in the hospital here a short time ago, of consumption. I mention this as many members of both troops had a shot at * ' the fellow on the white horse." '- ;' The Hyde correspondent of the " Otago Daily Times" says that mining is becoming poorer every year, and the residents there appear at last to be aroused to tho fact that unless they can secure a footing on the land, and combine farming ; * with mining, they will ere long have jtQ. * . hie themselves away to " fresh fields and pastures new." - At Clyde, Otago, the other day, th© Mining Association met to consider theprovisions of the proposed new Goldfields ---•-- — Bill to be introduced into the General Assembly. There .was a strong muster of members present. The clauses were read seriatim, and considerable discussion took place on many of them. It seemed to ba the general feeUng that the new bill was very little, if any, improvement on the old one, and in some instances a great deal worse. * The Philadelphia correspondent of the "Times" says: — "In Pennsylvania, on the 21st of March, an election was held in the various cities and counties butsidd of Philadelphia to execute the proyisibna of what is known as the 'Local Option Law.' This is an Act giving thevbtejs the privilege of voting once in three jears upon the question whether, in. their ; respective cities or counties, any licenses shall be. issued for the sale of intoxicating ; liquors* and it is a sort of modifications! \ ; the Prohibitory Liquor Laws of the >NeW. States. A light vote was polled - in Pennsylvania, the aggregate aho^ng. a majority «f about 86,000 in favor of licensing the Uqubr sellers. . . The manu- -j ■■ - factoring ; and ifiihing/^ ; cbuht^s -wSre; *dl carried in favor of licenses, "the. teetotal-J' - - - : ' lOTa.-gene^y^b^ purely a^ioult^ral: regions.;'* '•'■.;.,. ■, B : z£iZZZ¥:ii