Saturday.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 40, 29 January 1886, Page 11

Saturday.

A meeting of Roman Catholics was held in Wellington on Thursday night to make arrangements for the reception of Cardinal Moran on the occasion of his visit to Wellington to open St. Patrick's College. A procession will meet the Cardinal on his arrival and escort him to the church and from thence to the College. A banquet will be given in honour of the opening, and a conversazione will be held on the Tuesday following. At Thursday's wool sales, 10,400 bales were catalogued. The market was generally quiet. Cross-breds realised £d more than last sales. All descriptions of faulty and inferior wool are |d to Id lower. 29,100 bales have been offered since the commencement of the present series, and 24,000 withdrawn. Lord Salisbury has received positive assurance from Germany of their intention not to annex Samoa. The Speech from the Throne, delivered by the Queen on Thursday, agrees with the forecast already telegraphed. Referring to Irish affairs, the Speech states that her Majesty has seen with feelings of deep sorrow an attempt to excite in the minds of the people of Ireland hostility to union. She is resolved to oppose any disturbance, and she is convinced that she will meet with the hearty support of Parliament. No efforts will be spared to protect her Irish subjects in the exercise of their loyal rights, aid to maintain their individual liberty. In the House of Lords the Marquis of Salisbury, referring t:>' Irish affairs, b ated that the Government of Ireland had been vir. tually entrusted to the newly-appointad Chief-Secretary, Mr. t H. Smith, and her Majesty's Government were prepared to ac promptly upon receipt of his report. In the house of Commons Mr. Gladstone stated that he still adhered to his manifesto regarding Irish affairs. He deprecated postponing a scheme for local government, and advised the House to accord a patient hearing to the claim put forward by Mr. Parnell and bis followers. Mr. Parnell, speaking on the same subject, expressed an opinion that the right of legislative autonomy being once conceded to Ireland, it would not be difficult to settle details, and while securing the integrity of the Empire to protect the interests of the minority. In his speech on the Address-in-Reply the Marquis of Salisbury charged Mr. Gladstone with skulking behind ambiguous denials. Monday. This is the driest season probably experienced at Grey mouth for 15 or 16 years. All the mines are idle except those using Government races, which get water supplied from the Lakes. The crops throughout the district have almost perished, and there is no feed for otock to speak of. Farther inland the drought is much worse thau on the coast-line.

The settlers throughout the district (says the Clutha Leader) are now gaining some practical experience of the effects of ferrets having been turned out in the neighborhood. One in the Puerun district has bad over forty young ducks destroyed in the course of three weeks. Ten were discovered lying in a heap dead last Sunday night. Each had a small puncture below the wing. The flesh and feathers were left intact, but the blood was gone. The ferrets are very impudent, and soon rind out the pigs' troughs, where they share the milk with the pigs. Some of the vermin have been trapped and destroyed, but it is feared they will be much worse to get rid of than the rabbits, which still are very numerous, and rapidly increasing. At an adjourned meeting held at Napier on Friday of persons interested in the growth and manufacture of tobacco, it was resolved that a limited liability company be formed to grow and manufacture tobacco in Hawke's Bay, the capital to be £30,000, in 10,000 shares of £3. A provisional directorate was appointed, and it was resolved that as soon as 3000 shares were subscribed the Company be registered. Mr. A. Vollracht was elected a provisional director.

The wool market is flat, except for crossbred s, good merinos, and sorts suitable for transhipment to America, which are firm. At the sales 46,000 bales have been catalogued, of which number 3,500 were withdrawn.

The Marquis of Silisbury, referring in the House of Lords to the situation in Eastern Europe, btated that neither the European Powers nor Great Britain supported the claims put forward by Greece, which he characteristd as unheard of.

Viscount Cranbrook has been appointed Secretary of State for War in place of Mr. W. H. Smith, who has accepted the position of Chief Secretary for Ireland. The chief points in the new rales of Parliamentary procedure which areaboot to be introduced by Sir Michael Hicks-Beach are ai follow : —Parliament will be adjourned from July to October in each year. Sittings will be commenced at 2 o'clock in th 9 afternoon instead of 4 as at present, and will close at midnight. Bills, except those dealing with finance, are to be referred to special committees. No questions are to be allowed unless previous notice has been given, and the practice of counting out the House is placed under certain restrictions. Owing to rumours of an alarming nature which reached the police authorities, exceptional precautions were taken on the occasion of the recent visit of the Prinoe of Wales to the Duke of Westminster at Eaton Hall. The London and North-western line orer which his Highness travelled was specially patrolled, and the Boyal party did not proceed to Chester, as announced, but alighted at the previous station, and drove to Eaton.