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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3099, 3 June 1881, Page 2

It has been decided to release all the native political prisoners now confined at Hokitika, Lyttelton, and Dunedin.

The concert at Clive last night was a very enjoyable little affair. There was a capital attendance, and the vocalists were in good voice.

Rabbits ar6 gradually increasing in Hawke's Bay. Sixteen of these vermin were killed the other day on the Puketapu hill, twelve being of the regular grey color of the common wild rabbit, one black, two yellow, and one black-and-white.

The Auckland Observer says:—-"The Rev. P. H. Cornford has accepted the pastorate of the Ponsonby Baptist Church, and will shortly come up from Napier to take charge." Mr Cornford proceeded to Auckland by the last steamer from here.

Mr Hugh Campbell, formerly of Napier, and brother of the Rev, J. Campbell, of the Napier Trust School, has for some time been studying law in the office of Messrs Russell and Devore, Auckland. Mr Campbell's friends here will be glad to learn that he has successfully passed his examination for the bar.

Cr. John McDougall,' in his letter, says he is entirely at a losb for the motive which could have led us to " gird " at him in the matter of reproducing his words at former meetings of the Council. We will supply Cr. McDougall with the information. Our motive is to show him his proper place, and to teach him that, however elevated he may be above the social position which he formeily occupied, he has yet to learn that to obtain respect he must respect others.

The Masonic Hotel has been sold, the purchaser being Mr E. Sutton, who, it is reported, will not renew the license. The house, which is without doubt one of the most comfortable family hotels in the colony, will be kept open as usual until the end of this month, when the license will expire. The closing of the Masonic will be a very great loss to the town, and will be severely felt by commercial travellers as well as by general visitors to Napier.

The monument in the cemetery erected to the memory of Captain St. George is getting into a state of great disrepair. Is the recollection fading of the critical times in which that gallant young officer, and so many others, lost their lives in the defence of the colony ? Surely a shilling subscription might be started that would raise a sufficient sum to keep the tombstones in repair that mark the graves of those who fell, and whose lives were tho price of existing settlement in this Island.

At a meeting held in the United Methodist Free Church last night, the Rev. G. Penny presiding, it was resolved to form an association to be called "The Napier Mutual Improvement Society." Twentyfour members enrolled themselves, and office-bearers and a committee were elected. It was resolved that the meetings of the society should be held on the first and third Thursdays in each month. The followinar are the officers:—President, Rev. C. Penny; Vice-President, Mr Goodacre; Secretary, Mr Saunders; Treasurer, Mr Connell; Committee, Messrs Grinlinton, Robson, A. Palmer, Townshend, and Trevalyan. The committee were instructed to draw up a code of rules to be laid before the next ensuing meeting. The Rev. Mr Penny and Mr R. C. Harding addressed the meeting on the objc ts and advantages of temperance improvement societies, and a vote of thanks to tho President closed the proceedings.

The Premier's speeclTafc Leeston is thus summed up by the Lyttelton Times :—" On the whole, the Premier's treatment of the past is bold, comprehensive, and incorrect, without being ingenuous. He is happier in dealing with the present. His chief opponents having made some wild speeches—for which he ought to thank them cordially—he has been amusing himself by tearing them to pieces. And he has really done it very well. Mr Macandrew's airy soap-bubbles, and Sir George Grey's heavy impracticabilities deserve severe treatment. But their speeches contain other things which should have been replied to as well. So did the speech of Mr Ormond, as well as the speeches and writings of other hostile critics more logically hostile to Government than Mr Ormond. But to these things no answer has been, vouchsafed."

A recent Fiji contemporary thus refers to a new kitchen vegetable which has been introduced and grown in that country, described as" beans grown by Mr George Gardiner, and called by him Indian beans. They are about three inches in circumference, and three feet long, and none of them more than three days old. From the time the blossoms drop off until the bean attains this gigantic size you can literally see them grow, and at the end of the third day they are fit for table, and are pronounced to be excellent edibles. After this stage they become stringy, and when full grown attain to the size of a man's wrist, with a length in proportion. Such a vegetable should be a valuable addition to the kitchen garden."

Messrs Monteith and Co. will sell tomorrow horses, produce, &c, at 1.30. Mr Rymer will run his big coach from Taradale at 0 a.m. for the convenience of those wishing to attend the sale of Messrs Benjamin and Co.'s stock at Messrs Banner and L iddle's rooms. The half-yearly meeting of the Court Sir Henry Havelock, A.0.F., will bo held on Monday evening at 7. The third of a series of winter gatherings at St. John's is postponed. Education reserves for lease are notified. Messrs Neal and Close require good bricks for their alterations. Messrs Blythe and Co., have childrens bibs at low prices. The New Zealand Clothing Company are clearing boy's knicker suites, &c, at reduced pvieos. Messrs Kennedy and Gillman have a town section for sale, also one of Avery's weighing _achh.es. A number of new advertisements will be found in our "Wanted" column,