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Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3886, 18 August 1873, Page 2

Useful Hand at a Newspapeb, Office. — A good paragraph-fist.

The second meeting of the Philosophical Society will be held this evening, at the Museum,- when we understand some papers of unusual interest will be read. Among others Dr Hector will describe the great flightless duck that has recently been found in Otago, and which coexisted with the moa ; and Mr Crawford will bring forward arguments to prove that Wellington harbor was formerly a fresh water lake. The latest importation for the convenience of the city, is a dust bin. The hard labor gang have cleai'ed a site for the new Wellington College. Our legislators are beginning to make their Parliamentary running unusually early this session, as if they were in haste to dispose of the work before them. The first indication of this is that the House of Representatives meets to-day at halfpast seven. Possibly next week may see Saturday converted' into a working day at the wish of the House. Patrick McDermott and Louis Christopher were each fined ss, for drunkonness, on Saturday. George Kane was remanded on a charge of lunacy. It would appear as if the deputation of cabmen which waited upon the Corporation the other day has been productive of some good. As a first result, it may be noticed that a gang of men have been set to work to improve Cuba street, which certainly stands much, in need of it. In consequence of the company who were to appear with Mr Fairclough having proceeded to Auckland without stopping, the public will be disappointed in not being afforded the opportunity they " had been looking forward to, of seeing and hearing an actor like Mr Fairclough fully supported. As it is, they must be content with dramatic readings from this talented actor' and Mdlle Legrand, which will be given at the Odd Fellows' Hall this evening. The merits of the Wellington Patent Slip were well advertised on Saturday. A general invitation had been given to visitors to avail themselves of the opportunity of seeing the Ladybird taken on the slip, the little Manawafru being liberally placed at their disposal by the N.Z.S.S Company, and the Luna by the General Government. About eleven o'clock both steamers left for the slip with numbers of the members of the General Assembly, a great many ladies, besides casual visitors. A very few minutes saw both boats at the slip wharf, where everyone got out. The Ladybird was on the cradle ready for hauling up. After a few minutes being given to allow of people inspecting the machinery and forming some idea of the ■modus operandi of hauling up the vessel, the signal was given, and the Ladybird was hauled up to her destined place as smartly as if moving in her native element, much to the satisfaction of all present. Amongst those assembled to witness the event were people from all parts of the colony, who will no doubt bear testimony to the safety and facility with which the slip can be used by vessels of almost any size ; for the ponderous machinery which took up the Ladybird on Saturday, might haul three times her weight and bulk with like ease. On returning to the wharf an extra circuit was made round the harbor, in the course of which visitors wore gratified by a close look at the somewhat notorious ship William Tapscott. Again in the course of, the afternoon a short marine excursion in the harbor was taken by both boats ; and on each occasion every courtesy Avas extended to visitors by all on board. We have been requested by the Manager of the Anglo-Australian Press Telegraph Agency to publish the following : — "August 15th. To the Editor of the Independent, Wellington : Dear Sir,— As some interested persons have been circulating a rumor to the effect that I am the author of certain remarks copied from the Dunedin ' Guardian,' and published in the ' Evening Post' of last night, having reference to the Legislative Council, I wish to state that the report is false. —lam, &c, C. O. Montkose." The Foxton Local Board District has been proclaimed, and the Ist September is fixed for the purpose of electing five persons to constitute the Board of Commissioners for the district. T. IT. Cook, Esq, has been appointed the Returning Officer. The Inspector of Sheep for the Wanganui District has cancelled the clean certificates of William Wilson of J. Dickie, senior, Wairoa. The performance of the Christy Troupe on Saturday evening was a most triumphant success as regarded the augmentation of the fund for providing a library for the inmates of the Wellington. Hospital, but in this respect only is there any room for congratulation. The whole' of the seats in the dress circle were filled, and all available space in the lower portion of the house was occupied. The auditory of the dress circle included Lady Forgusson, Captain Challis, and a brilliant assemblage of the elite of Wellington. From the commencement of the performance it was palpably evident that the Christys had fallen off' very considerably in what once was their strongest point, namely, the cultivated rendering of the melodious compositions of the Christy order ; while there was no feature in the performance to compensate for this mediocrity. The humour of the corner men was very far fetched and pointless, though it must be admitted that Bones did his utmost to banish the languid feeling which seemed to cloud the efforts of the performers throughout the first part of the evening. The " Trovatore" and " Lucretia" burlesques were rendered entertaining chiefly through the efforts of a capital little orchestra and some excellent soencry. The company sang some of the choruses with a great deal of vigor, the best of the whole being the "Anvil Chorus," which went splendidly, despite the efforts made by one member of the company to destroy the effect by persistently striking in advance of time. There was a great deal of unpardonable bungling perceptible throughout the playing of the burlesques, which was good-naturedly overlooked by the great majority of the audience, but there were in the stalls and pit a number of persons of a more outspoken character who supplied abundant evidence of their discontent at the conclusion of the "Trovatore." This kind of demonstration was largely outbalanced by tho apr plause of those who considered the criticism too severe, but it cannot be doubted that, in point of merit, the performance was the most unsuccessful tho Christys have yet given. However this may be, the fact remains that their efforts hare been the means of accomplishing a good end, and for this they are entitled to every credit. The proceeds of the concert will leave a balance of about £40 after defraying expenses. A New York paper solemnly assures its readers that Mr James Gordon Bennett, New York, has for some time been madly in love with one of the King of Denmark's daughters, and that there is every prospect he will be successful in gaining her hand. ,

A timely addition to the very small | supply of coal in Wellington arrived yesterday morning from Newcastle in the brig Alarm, after a tediously protracted voyage of about forty days. As is customary on Sunday nights, the cells at the Police Station were fairly occupied since Saturday evening, over half a dozen persons being locked up for drunkenness. It appears that in the division list upon the second reading of the Deceased Wife's Sister Bill, Mr Sheehan's name was printed amongst the Ayes. The fact was he paired against it. We regret to have to record this morning the death of another very old settler of this province, Mr Levy Tandy, at the age of 62, after a residence amongst us of 32 years. A great many of the " old hands" will recollect a very gallant act that was performed by deceased on the 14th November, 1852, in Porirua Bay, and for whick he was afterwards presented with a silver tea service by the officers and men of H.M. brig Phantom. The occurrence happened during a stiff blow, when a boat belonging to the vessel, containing one officer and Wo men was capsized. Mr Levy, who saw the accident from the shore, immediately put off in a small dingy, in which he succeeded in crossing the line of surf and rescuing the struggling men. Those who are acquainted with the locality and the dangerous sea that breaks on the Porirua beach line at certain times, can estimate the bravery of the act, which was thought a good deal of at the time. The Victorian Assembly has decided by a majority of thirty-six that the members of the police force shall not be allowed to' exercise the franchise whilst , in the force. Mr Francis said that the Government did not wish it to be understood that j they in any way reflected upon the moral or political tendencies or character of the police as individuals. It would be manifestly inconsistent with the discipline of the force to allow the police to exercise the right to vote. In order to preserve the neutrality indispensable in the conduct of elections, it was necessary that persons in the position of the police should be disabled from the exercise of the franchise. We commend these remarks to the attention of the Nelson Provincial Government, which has on many occasions employed its police on political services, and whose constables have often interfered in elections on the goldfields. Japan is making giatit strides in education. The Government is establishing schools all over the country, with the object of supplanting the study of Chinese by that of English. The people are said to be pleased at the change, and treat their foreign teachers with great respect. Two hundred pupils attend a Catholic College for the study of European languages at Yeddo. Mgr. Petijean is about to establish Catholic charitable and educational institutions at Yeddo and Yokohama. It is stated in "Nature" 1 that an engineering college is about to be established in Japan, and that some of j the professors have akeady been nominated. The British and Foreign Bible I Society are now engaged in the translation of the Bible into the Japanese language. The Gospel of St. John has been printed, and will be immediately transmitted to Japan. A gentleman who has recently returned to Ballarat from Wagga Wagga says he was shown the shop of the Tichborne claimant during the time he was in town. He describes it to the "Courier" as being in the centre of the town, and of small dimensions for the business carried on in it. It has not been occupied since the Tichborne claimant left, the owner regarding it as a memento of too valuable a description to be altered, as would most probably happen to it were it let. The Wagga Waggaites are, to a man, of the belief that the Tichborne claimant is all he represents himself to be, and that he is being persecuted by the British Government in the interests of the titled classes. A telegram from Wellington informs the "Bay of Plenty Times" that immediately after the present session of Parliament, his • Excellency Sir James Fergusson intends paying Auckland a visit, and will then take the oppox-tunity of visiting the Lake district. In describing a flood which hcis wholly eradicated the road between -Christchurch and Akaroa, the "Press" says that, "in- I credible as it may sound, Gilliett's section, fence and all, which is situated above the road, was carried away and deposited on Wilson's land beneath." Commercially and industrially Tasmania is getting on much better. Its local and intercolonial trade is increasing, and enLarged Customs returns, irrespective of recentlyj-added duties, are the one solitary bright spot in the firmament of the Colonial Treasurer. Iron and slate are daily receiving more attention in the north, and tin is decidedly looking up. Ironworks have been commenced on the banks of the river, between the wharves and Battery Point, at Hobart Town. New coal mines are being opened. The stock of the Hobart Town Woollen Manufactory, though increased, lias been taken ! up, and a telegram sent to England to send out the machinery. Another small company is being got up for a similar en- j terprise at Bothwell, on the banks of the ! Clyde, so that altogether the main line railway, that so many said would prove so far in advance qf the requirements of the colony is likely to find it fully prepared to give it a fair amount of patron- j age. A return is published in the "Argus" which shows the proportion which the passenger traffic on the Victorian railways bears to the population. The result brought out disproves, the statement which has obtained c\irrency, that the proportion of traffic to population has fallen off. The contrary is the fact. In 1867, which appears to have been an exceptionally good year, the number of passengers was 1,101,583, or in the proportion of 1-70 passengers to every unit of the population ; in 1872-3 the passengers numbered 1,720,814, or in the proportion of 2 20 to every unit of the population ; in 1871-2 the proportion was 2 to 1. It is proposed in the new Victorian Electoral Bill to extend the hours of polling to from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Melbourne Regatta Committee have decided not to send a crew to row at the Balmain Regatta, 6bjecting to the rules as to what constitutes an amateur. The " Westport Times" states that a policeman has been summoned at Reefton for the price of a coffin, -which he was directed by the coroner to procure for the interment of a man who was recently burnt to death there. The Acclimatisation Society of Auckland has resolved to endeavor to acclimatise the bush kangaroos in that province. ' At a meeting held at Oamaru a few days ago, it was resolved to form an association for the purpose of raising funds to maintain native preachers or catechists in China, and a committee was formed to take steps to carry out this object; ' . , ,

A girl named .4U<«?ck,^leyen years :'ofP^ age, employed asja- weaver, at a mill pfc%;: Bury, was attempting'- to remove a pieceri: of waste from a revolving -wheel, when -,; her hair on the fore part of l ; h'er head was - : caught in the wheel, and all the hair on her head, together with" the skin, was dragged off. . '•:. Sir George Bowen's commission and instructions as Governor and Commander-: in-Chief of the Colony of Victoria only arrived by the last mail. The delay arose, it appears, through a departmental error at the Colonial Office. His Excellency is also ex officio vice-admiral of the colony. He was formally sworn in a day or two after the receipt of the commission. A third woollen factory is to .be established at Geelong. A correspondent writes from the Vienna Exhibition to the " Melbourne Argus " : — Pavey and Co have Japanese felted, curtains made of stamped paper, and as. they are very quaint and pretty, can' be. taken down at . five minutes' notice, and can be dusted or washed in five minutes more, and, in addition to all these virtues, only cost about Is a set. I certainly think that a law ought to be passed forbidding, * lodging-house keepers to put up any moredusty, moth-eaten window apparel, by ordering these as a substitute. Commenting upon the cannibal practices of the Maoris in the olden time, .the "Sydney Mail" says — ''The Maoris,, cannibalised from the beginning of time,, fed in-and-in, as well as bred in-and-in. One nice old man, a chieftain of Rakiraki, kept a register of his own consumption o£ prisoners, by means of a row of stones, , which, when reckoned up after the old gentleman's demise, amounted to eight' hundred and seventy-two ; and yet these " Maoris were a wealthy race enough when civilisation looked them up." A seal 13£ feet long was captured at the Bay of Islands the other day. , With regard to the proposed visit of a . team of English cricketers during next season, we are glad to be in a position to inform our readers that arrangements are now so far completed as to leave no room to doubt that Mr W. G-. Grace and. a first-class eleven will arrive here in. December next. In a few days we expectto be able to give a full list of the names. ' In the English papers, most of the gentlemen and players already named as likely to come are mentioned as having performed in first-class style, both with the bat and ball. A fire brigade has been successfully « started at Levuka, Fiji. The "Timaru Herald" says there 13. scarcely a district in the colony so much In want of labour at the present time as South Canterbury. Our contemporary adds: — "That domestic creature, maid-of-all-work, is just now at very high pre- . mium, in fact being well nigh unpur— chasable; and other trades and callings are equally ill-ser red." The rates of carriage for grain, flour, and produce on the Victorian railways, from country stations to Melbourne, isreduced to 2£d per ton •per mile, with Is. per ton added for loading and unloading. The minimum is 20s per truck of five tons. The "New Zealand Herald" thinks the General Government might with advantage to the colony expend upon firebrigades, in encouraging efficiency in their work, much of the sums that are lavished upon rifle volunteers, and with so little tangible result accruing. I The Queen has been pleased to approve - of Cavalieve Luigi Marinucci as Consul at Melbourne, with jurisdiction over Victoria, South Australia, the Islands in Bass's Straits, Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand, for his Majesty the King of Italy. •The following hint to those who would "build a chimney that will not smoke," is from the " Scientific American": — Thechief point is to make the throat not less than four inches broad and twelve long;, then the chimney s^puld be abruptly enlarged to double the size, and so continue - for ono foot or more ; then it may be gradually tapered off as desired. The Inch Clutha farmers are reported to be paying increased attention to the fattening of stock. The "Tuapeka Times" says that the* labouring men in that district are- '' cheeky " on their 8s a day. Professor Beesly undertakes to show that deer forestsj are culpable luxuries, and adduces soma very ugly facts in support of his position. Among others he* mentions that there were only, five of these in Scotland in 1812, and there are said to be 70 now ; while in three years their area has increased from 1,320,000 to--2,000,000 acres. Oats have been selling in the Waikataat the almost prohibitory price of 8s per • bushel. As there appears to be a growingtendency in this colony to . establish O rangeism, the following remarks f rom'the Melbourne "Leader," a perfectly independent paper, are very apropos : — What, do we want with Orangeism here 1 Dutch William has by some means in these later days come to be regarded by certain people as more symbolical of the Protestant faith than the founder of Christianity himself. If Protestanism were in any danger there would be some excuse for a special organisation to defend it, but in the present condition of society such . an organisation is an anachronism, and. we simply state a matter of fact when we say that the existence of Orange societiesamong us is a degradation of the religion whose name it borrows. Why revivecontinually the memory of an incident which for the sake of good citizenshipshould be forgotten, or remembered only as a matter of historical interest ? Why should the "immortal William"- be flaunted at all seasons in the face of tlie public, for no other apparent purpose than to excite religious dissension, and anger the descendants of men whose religious convictions were not of the same pattern as the Dutchman's 1 At Geelong recently, the proceedings of one of these bodies took a ludicrous shape. In the course of an animated speech upon the virtues of William the Third, the chairman announced his intention of going into Parliament wearing the badge of his order. Honest fanaticism may be respected, even when we cannot approve of it, but when fanaticism degenerates intobuffoonery, the end, let us hope, is not far off. . • - A late telegram says that the Dutch ■are making active preparations to renew the attack on Acheen in December, reinforced by a troop ship and a commander of the expedition from Holland. Fever has broken out amongst the telegraph operators at Bavjoewargie, and thehours for transmitting messages had to be, greatly limited in consequence; V-. - , ' ■ Prince Celus, third son 6f King Thafc- • ambau, of Fiji, lately rescued a boy iiamedc': English from drowning at Maitla^dj-New, ,-i :V - South Wales, early in the month.; , Th»v.i ! prince is a student at Newington Qol^ lege- -- ' - : ■"'■-■ •-'■--: A telegram from San Francisco, r datedyrj Juiy~23, •statesflbhat-nbt one? bag;ojfi;g^«i^§ is loading,; freight for the co|pme| ifl|7^s?^ per ton} -barley, 1 dol 70 ceh%^Sf^y|p|^