Untitled

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1209, 8 December 1873, Page 2

As will be seen from our Police Court report the Pakii*-anga libel case, by some happy misunderstanding, has not been pressed to-day, and accordingly the case has been discharged. We really trust that now kindly thoughts -will supervene on both aides, and that gentlemen who were heretofore good friends and'neighbours will shake hands over it and let bygones be bygones. All the world over elections excite intense feelings, but all the world over the close of the poll is regarded among right-minded people as the closing up o£ all wounds. Will our friends of Pakuranga allow us to entreat them? The gentlemen settlers there have been good friends and neighbours before and they will be so again. Then why allow a little electioneering • excitement to keep them at enmity. Just; let the person that thinks he has been most injured reach out his hand to his worst assailant, and say, " let us befriends," and then let them all go together to host Rogers' and have a big drunk. Wo will undertake to get a dispensation from the Good Templara for the nonce. Rev. Mr Edger is a good friend of ours, and' will be sure to grant it if we ask him, and we shall ask him if our Pakuranga friends will only cement their friendship in Old Tom. Wo sincerely trust that the rival " Catechisms " will be thrown into the fire, and that the residents in that peaceful rural district will hang the trumpet in the hall and study war no more.

It is satisfactory to find a work which we have expended much care and expense upon recognised in such a way as is done by the Bay of Plenty Times in tho following paragraph : —" In another part of this impression will be found an announcement of the forthcoming publication, by Messrs Reed and Brett, of ' Tho ' Auckland Almanac ' for 1874. Last year's publication was, in every sense of the word, highly creditable to tho publishers, and the Auckland Almanac of 1874, from all we hear, is likely to distance 'Chapman's' considerably in the race for accurate statistic—and tho usual 'useful information ' supplied in a well complied 'Almanac and Stranger's Viulo- Meciun." It was apparent last year, notwithstanding several errors, almost unavoidable in a maiden-attempt—that ' Chapman's ' and the 'Auckland Almanac' would soon be comparable to chalk and choose, and that Mr Chapman's pußlioation would well represent the chalk."

Yesterday being exceedingly sunny jmmbera of persons availed themselves of the opportunity between the hours of divine service of visiting the Domain, that breathing promenade of citizens, with apparently thankful hearts. A walk in the Domain i's I invigorating and healthful; bhe {lowers, many of them, were in full blossom, and the trees in full leaf. The Domain in its way is a summer paradise, with the exception of a lake, -which may be formed by the Domain Board some day when the ' City Council shall have settled the interesting question of the waterworks. In almost every other place of public resort attached to the cities of the world, except Auckland, are to be found shining lakes or sheets of water, and without which any such place is incomplete and imperfect. The domains arc the lungs of cities, and all elassey of the people without distinction walk in them. Free from the toils of the week the toiling thousands mingle together in the shadows of outspreading branches and hold Communion with nature. Every variety of grade, character and educational status are to be found in these sheltered places, and it is interesting to note the varying representatives of the human family in the full enjoyment of life. Smith, the chandler, takes Mrs Sinitk to the Domain gaily bedecked with ribbons, and happier than a queen in her gipsy hat as Smith walks proudly by ber side under his white bell-topper; there Brown sits with his partly-buttoned new waistcoat, grey billicock, creased trousers and coat to match, which some evil'disposed person might say Were out /or an airing from Uncle's, who does not fold other people's I'togs" in tailor-like fashion. But Brown is not particular about what may be passing in other minds, as he chats to Molly O'Neill, who laughs at Billy's every sentence. Jones takes his stroll on the grass with his Spanish leather boots, in happy converse with the lofty barmaid, who makes the most of the Sunday out, for it is her opportunity of exchanging the gaslight for the wide sunshine of a"December Sabbath, and of becoming not "a show," but one of the people. Robinson, too, has escaped from the counter; and is cogitating on the present and the future, and wondering if a draper will ever become a cricketer when the early closing movement shall have triumphed over every petty obstacle, and when Friend shall no longer be foe, nor Pearse through the interests of humanity. There may be seen also young persons of both sexes, radiant with joy, at the budding ago of sixteen, revelling in the healthy arms of nature. _ There is no band admitted into the Domain, such as the Queen of England admits on Sundays on the terrace of Windsor Castle, and which is suffered to play thn old hundredth in metropolitan parks, but there are the choristers of the trees whose music no law can stop, and from under the largest tree in the avenue sounds forth the voice of the Good Templar, while around him gather select crowds, who listen to his declamations for a moment, and pass on in quest of other and more inviting objects. The gardens of the Acclimatization Society are also well attended, and here and there are pleasant outlooks upon the distant hills and underlying waters, with the calm of the Sabbath resting upon them, soothing the heart and gladden" ing the eye of the citizen. In imagination tin: new-chum reclines on a velvet couch, where the perfume of llowors is strong and swoet, and as lie gazes upon the beautyteeming landscape he feels that "he is monarch of all lio surveys."

lii passing through tho Market on Saturday we were much gratified upon seeing several new features introduced, namely the placing of extra stalls along the centre of the promenade. One of these) by Mr Fcnton, was loaded with bacon, hams, and a large quantity of fresh butter ; another by the brothers Mason, containing a beautiful show of geraniums in pots ; another loaded with garden produce by a settler of Otahubu ; another crowded with strawberries' in prettily worked rustic quart baskets ; and another with vegetables, peas, and new potatoes, by Mrs Motion, who has also a large supply of fried achnapper and other lisli, and an abundance of shrimps. There was also a large supply of fowls (living and dead) at the "stall of Mr Clark ; and a line show of beef and mutton in Butchers-row. The Market people are still hopeful, and thero has been a gradual improvement in the Market-trade during the last four weeks. There is hope, also, that Mr Buckland may be induced to hold his hay and other sales at the Market in accordance with the wish of the city.

Oourlay's exhibition on Saturday affords a great treat for the children of the city, and on Saturday nearly a thousand youngsters, with oheir parents and teachers, visited this educational museum. We notice that Mr Gourlay will appear this evening for the first time in the City Hall this season in the petite comedy of the "Rights of Woman." Mrs Gourlay will represent the Widow, and Miss, Gourlay as Sir Andrew's valet. This pretty comedy will be followed by the usual ballads and character songs.

A return match at quoits was played on Saturday between four from Parnell and four from Auckland on the open ground opposite the Phoenix foundry, when, after some splendid play on both sides, the Auckland men were again victorious. The following are the scores : —Auckland : Stirling and Currie, 30; Drummond and Grubb, 31. Parnell : Smith and Noyles, 31 ; Nixon and McLean, 16. Majority for Auckland, 14. The moonlight trip of the p.s. Golden Crown took place on Saturday from eight till ten o'clock. The evening was calm and beautiful, and the sound of the music on the water was quite enchanting. The excursionists evidently enjoyed themselves, gjg Mr Ormiston, of Mangapai, has been elected to the Provincial Council, for the districts of Wairoa and Mangapai by a majority of 18 over Mr Rye, and a larger majority over Mr McCullough, his opponents. The return at Mangapai was— Ormiston 23 ; McCullough 8 ; llye 3. Four electors presented themselves at Mangapai to vote for Mr Ormiston, but Dueling that their names were not on the roll through some error, they were denied their electoral priAileges, jjaftd entered a protest with the Returning Officer. Waipu was ontirely disfranchised in the same way. /

A little male innocent of six years old picked up a curiosity new to him yesterday by Wellington-street, which proved to be a pair of lady's pads. He took them home in a sfrite of joy to his mamma, who snatched the prize, boxed the boys ears, sent him off to the Sunday-school, while she sat down to moralise on the use and abuse of pads, and wondered what sister had lost them.

The friends of the total abstinence cause, or Good Templarism, have resolved, after three years' deliberation, to issue their own journal. The first number of the moral and social regenerator is promised on the fourteenth day of the new year, and to appear in monthly numbers. It is to be carefully edited and free from fanaticism—most excellent qitalities in a sectarian publication.

Mr Joseph Osborne, horticulturist of Auckland, informs us that he is not the " Flower Joe" who figured at the Police Court on Saturday ; that Joseph Osborne was the other Joe who was in the habit of selling bouquets and posies at the theatre, and, with whom he has no connection.

Am-nt the ship Chile we haye v receivod the following :—" Ship Chile, Auckland, December Bth.'—Sir, —Will you kindly permit me tbiongh the agency of your valuable paper to repudiate the most nnwairantable acetisftliniu; that Mr Charles Crinvford has brought against-me iv his letter, which appealed i;i your sheet, dated December Gth, in which he states that 1 confound the innocent with the guilty, and denounce the conduct of the single immigrants as well as th«i' conduct of those whp are married. Reference to my letter of December Dth will prore that I tnade not even the most distant allusion ib tlie single immigrants—whose behaviour I rejoice to say was most exemplary—lrat that I most distinctly and emphatically said "the married emigrants," my remarks with regard to them being the result of what was thrust immediately under my own observation. I entirely disavow the implication of your correspondent as to my motivein writing fny letter of December 3, and can truly say thatiny only aim was to see justice done, aild doubtless a discerning public will detect in the tone of our letters and the uhfohnded accusations of Mr Crawford the different spirit in which they are written. Without commenting on the near approach to scurrility which Mr Crawford treads in his concluding remarks, I will ask him one question in retiirn to injury he lias put to me, and which 1 do not answer because1' j-tliat l.alf of bis letter which includes the questions is the result of his incapacity to understand the import of mine. This is the question I ask. Did Mr Crawford take any leading part ill the devotions below when his walk and conversation wliile oil deck or in the forecastle was so diametrically opposed to it 7 I am not (Surprised that my love of justice has made me the object of this attack, or may of any future one, but I am willing to endure all for conscience sake, I will conclude with the remark that although in my former letter I did not deny that Mrs Vesey was kept standing for twelve hours in the broiling sun, my not doing so arose from a desire not to anticipate, the evidence.—l am, Sir, yours very respectfully, John BIU'iTON. [A portion of otir correspondent's letter bearing on the case against the doctor, which will become the subject of judicial enquiry, has been omitted.— ]&n. U.S.

The importance of the East Coast trade, which Auckland is being deprived of by the unfair apportionment of the General Government subsidy, is shewn by the fact that fifty tons of cargo for Napier were shut out of the Paterson, and a quantity out of the Star of tho South. A schooner is therefore to be laid on to forward this cargo1. We have received the following letter from a merchant doing business with those ports :— " Sir,—J notice in the last issue of the livening Star a paragraph to the effect that a deputation yesterday waited upon the Hon. Mr (J'Korke with reference to a subsidy for a steam service for Napier and East Coast ports, and complaining that the affair was conducted in a hole-in-the-corner sort of style, without a general invitation to the Press of Auckland. Perhaps 1 have, upon behalf of the firm I am connected with, more reason to complain of want of invitation to assist than has the Slur, as 1 have lately used every endeavour to bring the question before the notice of the Auckland merchants. The history of the subsidy is this : The General Government offered a subsidy of £1,500 per annum for a weekly steam service from Wellington to Auckland, calling at Napier and Poverty Bay, with a clause giving the tender' the option of J^oiug only to Napier and Poverty Bay, returning to Wellington, for £1000 per annum. Of course the New Zealand Steam Shipping Company, which is a purely local body of Wellington shareholders, tendered only for the service as far as Napier and Poverty Bay, knowing well that this would throw the bulk of the East Coast trade into their hands, and thoy would be obtaining a subsidy of £1000 per annum for a regular communication, which was a splendid paying speculation without any subsidy at all. I give the Wellington people every credit for their smartness; thoy were too good for us. Having visited Napier regularly for the last four years as representative of the largest importing house in Uunedin 1 am in a position to speak upon the subject, and I feel sure that the whole of the principal merchants in Napier look to the Auckland market as the best and cheapest one for their outside wants. With an open roadstead like Napier it is difficult to induce vessels to come to regularly, and although many of the merchants there are large importers it is possible for them to supply their wants. The great bulk of their outside requirements may be supplied by the Auckland market had we only a regular communication. The Star of the South upon her last trip shut out a largo quantity of cargo ; and the Patterson now in harbour has shut out over sixty tons cargo. It is perhaps not policy on my part in a business point of view to ventilate this question too freely, but 1 know that an immense amount of business is lost to Auckland for the want of communication with her East and West Coast ports, which no province is in a better position to supply than ourselves. It is quite time that we awoke to the fact, and from my short experience here it appears to me that the Auckland people have been only too ready to subscribe to and support any foreign institutions, such as Insurance and Shipping Companies, got up in: any other province than our own. Hoping the importance of the question will be a sufficient excuse for occupying so much of your valuable space, I am, &c., William Ackland.

In a green hollow between Franklin and College roads, in the vicinity of Freeman's Bay, a work was commenced some eicrht or nine months ago which is carried on Sunday alter bunday comparatively unobserved It is a Sabbath-school chiefly for the "waifs and strays" of society who belong to no particular religious community, and who otherwise, might be left to the winds of time. We looked into this school-house yesterday to see what was going on, when we discovered three rooms nearly filled with the little ones of the neighbourhood, and half-dozen teachers busily engaged in teaching them. The teachers come every Sabbathfrom considerable distances and make much self-sacrifice in order to serve those noisy juveniles, and by so-doing, to advance the welfare of the community. The average attendance at this school is fifty, and the children are edified, amused, and furnished with pictured publications at the close of the hour by friends of the cause. This simple, but laudable undertaking, is mainly dependent on the liberality of A'olnntary subscribers for its support. It is customary with many of us, who do little for human progress, to smile at the unselfish labours of men and -women who work perseveringly in bunday-schools without hope of reward ; but how poor in comparison are the triumphs of pride and worldliness to-the labours of those who care for the babes of society, who too often languish on earth's shady side, and too frequently become its thorns and nettles. The sixth monthly meeting of the Auckland Institute will be held this evening in the large room, Princes-street, when Mr Goodall, civil engineer, will continue his paper on "The probability of obtaining a Water Supply at Mount Eden." Mr T. Kirk will also give a description of a new species of cordyline, and some notes on indigenous materials for paper making. The meeting therefore will be of a very attractive char? acter. *

The Queen's Variety Troupe, with its male and female gymnasts, ssrio-cornic vocalists, and negro delineators, 'Ire-/ together .1 large number of spectators on Saturdr»y evening. The performances of this excellent tro?ruo wore loudly appiaiVcied, and gavo unmistakable satisfaction. The programme, with some additions, will bo repeated this evening.

At the close of Mr Eflger's discourse in the new Lorne-fcfcrest hall last evening, on the "Children of Israel in the Pepcrt;" there was a noise like to a breeze passing over ih'S heads of; the audience ; the gas went out, Sntl the congregation were mitte and sitting in darknesS; Upon the restoration of light Mr Edger announced that on Sunday evening next'; he would discourse oti +,he earlyclosing movement and its importance to the community at largo. I Tow Nature speaks from the lips of children is well exemplified in a little incident that occurred to two gentlemen recently travelling in a neighbouring province. On calling at the house of a friend-they were shown into a bedroom1, whore they saw a littie feliow of six years of age doing a punishment f'jr *iofne transgression, part of the punishment being seclusion and the committing to memory of some portions of hymns. One of the gentlemen notified that the boy did not move out of the spot. He examined him and found that he was attached with, a rope to the bedpost. Seeing this the gent] email asked the boy "What hymn do you like best '!" "Ah, sir," said the boy, " I like that hymn the best-—' Here we suffer grief and pain.' "

The journeymen bakers of Auckland are steady moulding themselves into a brotherhood of sslf'help, and on Saturday evening they held their'quarterly meeting at Sceat's British Hotel, Mr Bell in tho chair. The report was healthy and promising, and new members were added to the roll. It was mentioned as a matter of regret that two employers had shown the "white feather," and were acting in opposition to the interests of the trade. At the close of trade business, a baker's cricket club was formed, and a bat and ball fund opened.