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Evening Star, Issue 3430, 18 February 1874, Page 2

Mr H. Gr. Fielder, of Invercargill, has been appointed an inspector of sheep for the Province. Dr Berggrem, the Swedish botanist, is at present engaged in examining the Alpine vegetation of the road between Hokitika and Chnstchmch., A one-mile match, for LSO a side, came off recently at Wallacetown, beweon Malabar and Little Dan, and was won easily by the former, who came in at a canter. Messrs Thomas Thomson and James Waddell, of Campbeltqn, and \V. S. Trotter, of Kingstown, in this Province, have been appointed Justices of the Peace. Acting on the recommendation of the Provincial Council of Nelson, the Colonial Government have instructed the Agent-General to despatch 150 immigrants per month to that Province. 7’h 0 government Life Assurance scheme is evidently held in great favor by the residents of Queenstown. Mr Falck, the local Postmaster, the other day received thirty proposals, representing L 10.500. Jit > The total number of telegraph offices in Now Zealand is now 98, distributed among the several Provmces as follows i—Otasro, 24; Auckland, 20 ; Canterbury, 14; Wellington, 12 ; Nelson, II; Marlborough, 6; Taranaki, 4 Hawke s Bay, 4; Westland, 3, The Town Hall question will again come on for discussion at the City Council meotin- this evening. Cr. Barnes has tabled a motion that no action should be taken re the Town Hall site till a vote of the ratepayers on the subject has been taken; and that the whole matter should stand over nntil next election of Council. The Governor of Queensland, on the opening of the Colonial Parliament, announced that the censtruction of the telegraph cable from a part of New South Wales to a port of Now Zealand has been ratified by the Government of the latter Colony, Queensland now only awaits the action to be taken by the New South Wales Parliament. The Wanganui Heads, says the local paper are becoming fashionable a B a watering place—an embryotic Brighton in fact. Several families in town have recently taken up their abode there, the want of house accommodation not in any way acting as a deterrent. All the romance of living in tents is there to be found, and a little colony in fast forming.

The Legislative Assembly of New South 'J' a *® 8 no * only passed the second reading of the Marriage with a Deceased Wife’s Sister Bill unanimously, but in Committee agreed to an amendment expressly legalising the marriage of a woman with her deceased husband’s brother.

The list of officiating ministers authorised to solemnize marriages in the Colony, published in the Gazette,’ contains 379 names. The Cross,- taking the average salary at L3OO per annum, calculates that the aggregate annually paid by the settlers in the Colony is L 113,700 for stipends alone.

Speaking of the Rai Valley Tramway, a Mr Douslm, in a recent speech, said it would open up 500,000 acrus of timbered land, which, at an average of 10,000 feet to the acre, and computed a «A r * ra^e P a id in the district, 8s per i rea hze the enormous sum of L 2,000,000 sterling. The Inspectors of Mines in Great Britain, computed the quantity of coal raised in 1872 to be 123,393,853 tons, being 5,954,602 tons more than in 1871. The produce of about 150 coal mines scattered over England was not included ln . the amount. The export was thirteen million tons to foreign countries, and two and ahalt million tons to Ireland.

Some larrikins, bent on mischief, set fire to a hedge of lawyer bush on the Lower Kensington Mat last evening, and in a short time the whole hedge on the left side of the road was destroyed. It is only a couple of months since the bush at the same place was burnt down. It would be well if the police could lay their hands on some of these young scamps. It is < officially notified that instructions have been given, to the various gold receivers in the Province to receive parcels of gold for transmission to the Melbourne mint. Each parcel is to be not less than ten ounces, and to have the weight of the contents written thereon by the transmitters. The parcels are to be lodged with the receivers the day preceding the departure of the Escort.

Recently _ the Town Clerk of Queenstown served notices on parties owning property through which the proposed water to supply Queenstown will pass, and one of the chief parties interested returned the notice with this complimentary endorsement hopes the Councillors are in possession of brains and money enough to accomplish what they propose, but has grave doubts on the subject.” During the progress of a Police Court case in Auckland, the defendant, who stated he was a Good Templar, assured the Magistrate that he was allowed to partake of intoxicating liquors on Saturday nights, in honor, we presume, of the good old toast of “Sweethearts and Wives.” Mr Beckham expressed his surprise at such a rule being extant, but nevertheless allowed the statute law to take its course.

When Captain Plinn, of William Tapscott notoriety, left Wellington he promised the American Acting Consul that on his arrival at Queenstown he would telegraph to New Zealand the fact of his safety and that of his ship. The Tapscott must now be 120 days from New Zealand. We may expect speedily to hear news of her arrival at her destination, or be compelled to entertain fears as to her safety. A number of gentlemen in Dunedin have offered to construct waterworks at Queenstown, on obtaining a concession of the local Corporation’s powers of levying water rates, and of taking land and water under the “ Corporations Waterworks Act, 1872;” the Corporation to be at liberty to buy the plant and works at valuation at the expiry of ten years. The Corporation rejected the proposal, and have taken preliminary steps towards going on with the works on their own account. The export trade of the United States is increasing. Returns to June 30, 1873, shew that it amounted, for the year ending on that date, to 65,465,826 dollars, against 53,019,680 dollars the preceding year—an increase of 23£ per cent. Of that amount 19,000,000 dollars was for manufactured wood. 11,000,000 dollars iron and steely 3,000,000 dollars manufactured tobacco, 2,500,000 dollars agricultural implements, 2,000,000 sewing machines, and a large amount for refined sugar and railroad cars.

At the ordinary meeting of Lodge Good Intent No. 3, Caversham, held on Thursday, the 12th ult., the following members were installed in the various offices fo* the ensuing quarterßro. J. Todd, W.C. T. ; Sister T. Boyes, W.V.T.; Bro, J. W. Feger, W.S. ; Bro. H. Pope, W.A.S.; Bro. A, MTndoe, W.F.S.; Bro. R. Warrington,. W. M. ; Sister M, Boyes, D.M.; Bro. J. Farley, J.G. ; Bro. A. Haase, O.G. ; Bro. A, Boyes, W.T.; Sister B. Ollerenshaw, R.H.T.; Sister M. Blackwood, L.H.S., A vote of thanks was awarded to the W.L.D., Bro, Zngs, for his valuable services to the Lodge.

The lecture on “ Social Life and Politics in the West India Islands” last night, by Dr. Bakewell, was not largely attended, but those present were greatly instructed and amused (luring the hour and a-half occupied in its delivery. Dr. Bakewell’s long residence and official position in the West Indies enabled him to speak with certainty on the characteristics of the races which inhabit the island. He di& not give a pleasant picture of the British treatment of the colored people, nor of the habits of the people themselves. He is strongly of opinion that the Creoles are fast dying out, and that the only races that can thrive in the Indies are Asiatics and Chinese.

Yery curious announcements appear occasionally in the domestic notices known as “Births and deaths.” Thus in the ‘Windsor and Eton Express ’ of September 20, appears—- “ At Slough, on the 19th iust., the wife of William Talley, Esq., solicitor, of a daughter. No doctors. ” And in the ‘ Times.’ of Sepember 23, is the following On the sth inst., at 75, Cheapside, E.C., from diarrhoea, Mabel Louise (Little Blue), aged 11 weeks; and on the 21st inst., of the same disease, Annie Martha (Little Pink), aged 13 weeks, twin daughters of Augustus S. Wood.” The speculative reader will no doubt be able to discern a story conveyed in each of these two announcements.

The_ Arrowites have had another meeting, this time a rather stormy one, about the contemplated removal of Warden Stratford to Mount Ida, during Warden Robinson’s leave of absence. The following resolutions were carried ;—“That this meeting expresses its regret and dissatisfaction at the removal of Mr H. A. Stratford as Warden and Resident Magistrate, and disapproves of the action of the Government, which ■will put this important district to great inconvenience, through the withdrawal of its Warden and R.M. for such a lengthened period.'’ “ That tjie residents of the Arrow district do not approve of Mr Warden Beetham having charge of the 'JL'lie latter resolution, though it pro yoked a bitter discussion and considerable feeling, was carried by a Janje majority, only two or three voting against it. One of the minority (Hr Symomjs) writes to the ‘Observer’ that he left the meeting (t as the only protest he could make against an insolent majority.”

A peculiar point was raised before Mr Revcll, H.M. at Greymouth, the other day. A man sued his mate for L 3 odd for work done in a claim during the absence of defendant. It a|)peared that there existed between the parties a V.epbal agreement that when the party was not on gold t'he shareholders could disperse, and those who chose could use the water and keep the proceeds .of ffprk. Believing this arrangement was in force, jtjb,® defendant left the claim for a month, apd’.on b'ig ?.ss*■?}} this claim was brought against him for work.done during his absence. Mr llevell decided the' absentee should psiy the sum sued for; because if ‘the party had discovered a valuable deposit of gold during his absence, he would bo entitled to a share, and therefore he had every right to contribute towards the lost time of las working mates.

A meeting of the residents of Kensington was held in the school-house there last evening to consider some matters connected with the local school. The attendance was poor, there being -only about twenty persons present, and Mr Lepton, the schoolmaster, was voted to the chair. The chief object of. the meeting was to endeavor to raise funds to assist in the purchase of school furniture. A long discussion took place, some thinking that as they had. to make their own roads, and were so heavily it was an injustice to have to buy school fittings, while tho larger schools in the town had theirs supplied, and that a large amount of consideration was due to the inhabitants for the manner in which they had already contributed for those purposes. It having been pointed out that the Government would expend L 425 on the school,

provided that the inhabitants raised LSO, it was resolved that a committee of three—Messrs Holmes, Edmonds, and Shetlock—be empowered to canvass the district to endeavor to raise the requisite amount.

The last ‘ Gazette ’ contains a report by the Registrar General on the vital statistics of the Boroughs of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, for the mouth of January last. From this report, we find that both in respect of births and deaths, Wellington stands at the head of the list. In births, the figures are—Auckland, 38; Wellington, 77; Christchurch, 52; Dunedin, 67. In deaths’ the figures are—Auckland 25; Wellington, 33 ; Christchurch, 30 ; Dunedin, 23. The Registrar General says the population of the boroughs cannot be given until after the next census Of the total 111 deaths in the four boroughs, 50 deaths are attributed to symotic diseases, only 2 children under the age of 5 years having died in Dunedin, and four above that age from this class of diseases. Constitutional diseases carried off 11 people, 7of them dying in Wellington. De velopmentaldiseases are credited with 10 deaths, two being in Wellington, and 6 violent deaths are recorded, five of them being in Wellington and one in Christchurch. No less than 39 of the oO deaths put down to symotic diseases were caused by diarrhoea. The violent deaths were made upasfollows Fracture, 1; scald, 1; sunstroke, 1; drowning, 1; fall down stairs, 1 ; accident, nature not stated, 1. A very peculiar case came before Mr M'Culloch, U.M., at Invercargill on the 4th instant. Cassels v. Grant was a claim for L3los, and the facts as stated in evidence were On June 10, If'GO, Cassels accepted a Southland Government voucher from defendant in satisfaction of a claim. He had repeatedly endeavored to get it cashed, but without success. In 1871 he presented the voucher for payment at the Treasurer’s office, in Invercargill. The officer in charge stated that he could not pay it then, but would do so the following day. As he (plaintiff) was going to Dunedin, he left it in the hands of Mr Colyer for Hearing nothing of the matter, he made inquiries, and was informed by the Government the amount had been paid to Grant, with 8s 6d interest, on the 6th June, 1871. The defence was that defendant never received the money as alleged ; neither had he signed any voucher. The signature to the voucher was a forgery, and he made a declaration to that effect before a magistrate nine months ago. Under the circumstances, Mr M’Culloch could only nonsuit the plaintiff. The ‘ Star’ says if the Government do not at once investigate the matter serious imputation will be allowed to rest on one of two individuals—one of whom is a gentleman formerly holding an important public office, and the other a gentleman enjoying the confidence of a large portion of the community.

Bishop Suter, of Nelson, was present at the recent Church Congress at Bath, and made flome remarks in criticism of the confessional movement, which were not well received by the Anglo-Catbolics present, who seemed to form a majority. The following account is from the Daily News’Towards the end of his speech, the Bishop held up a pamphlet before the meeting, and announced that it was published by a committee who declared that it was to a priest that a child must confess his or her sms. At this there was a slight uproar. * Now, ought I,’ be demanded, * to admit into my diocese a man who thinks that ?’ At this there was more uproar, and discordant shouts of Yes, yes,’ ‘ No, no,’ and ‘ Question.’ Reading from the pamphlet, Bishop Suter continued: It is to the priest, and to the priest alone, that a child must acknowledge his sins if he desires God to forgive him.’ At this there was great uproar, in the midst of which Dr Suter managed to^shout, ‘ If any man comes before me for admission to my diocese holding those views, I must say to him •’ but the sentence was not finished. The Bishop’s voice was drowned in the din, and the President suggesting that the case, was really one for the Bishop’s own authonty, and the allotted ten minutes having expired, the speaker resumed his seat, leaving us by the nature of the interruptions to infer that the suppositious holder of the views quoted would have but the faintest chance in the diocese of Nelson.”

. le grand problem, so long agitated in America, of the feasibility of a Pacific telegraph from the western shores of the United States to Japan and China has at length been solved. Commander Belknap, of the Pacific Exploring Expedition, returned to Victoria, Vancouver’s Island, at the latter end of October last, and sent a telegram thence to Commodore Ammen, ®‘ u ®f Me Bureau of Navigation, to say that the soundings were very favorable from the Aleutian Islands to Victoria, increasing gradually in depth to 2,530 fathoms, in latitude 54deg. ai }d longitude 153deg. west, a distance of 1,100 miles. ’ The gap between the Aleutian Islands and the off-lying Asiatic Islands is not more, it seems, than 500 miles wide ; and A.tter, the ex tretne Aleutian Island, is only about 1,000 miles from the Japanese port of Hakokadi, so that the wopk might be considered as almost completed vyhen the cable was onco landed in the Aleutian Islauds, and stretched thence to the Oregon coast. In V#at commander Belknap has now done we are reminded of the discovery of the celebrated “submarine telegraphic plate” between Ireland and Newfoundland, whereon it was said the Atlantic cable might repose as safely as if in a closed and uninterrupted cylinder. Apart from the scientific interest Attached to this discovery, it is one of great commercial importance to the United States, whose relations with Japan and China have been drawn so much closer ever since the opening of the Union Pacific Transcontmental Railway. As soon as the Pacific cable is laid down—and the Americans are not the people to postpone such a project unnecessarily they will at once be within speaking distance of Yokohama and Pekin in all parts of the States.

There was a very interesting gathering at Jvaiapoi, Canterbury, on the 10th instant, when a presentation was made by the residents to Mr C. E. Dudley, town clevk of the borough, in recognition “of his gallant conduct on different occasions in attempting to rescue drowning persons.’” The Mayor of Kaiapoi, who made the presentation, thus narrated the recipient s exploits, which fairly entitle liim to the Itoyal Humane Society’s medal“ Mr Dudley was an excellent swimmer, and in addition, is possessed of indomitable pluck, as instanced by the fact that at the time he made such gallants efforts to save the child of Mr Perrin, he had only risen from a sick bed, having been suffering from an attack of low fever, and was scarcely able to walk about; but, true to his own natural instincts and thorough kindly feeling for any person in distress, he forgot lus own ailments and impulsively rushed to the rescue the moment he heard the boy was drowning. (A pplause.) They were aware that after recovering the body, Mr Dudley was taken from the river in a fainting, exhausted 6tat,e. It wopld' be remembered that he made great efforts tp gave ‘ Montgomery Gordon Robertson, who was drpiyned while bathing on December 31st, 1.8Q5; lie swam'in to' rescue James Wylhe aged si * years, drowned whilst bathing on February 31st, 186f. A third'instance was in the case of a boy named Stonyer, who fell into a deep part of the river near the Borough Council Chamber, at a time when Mr Dudley was engaged in the Chamber with his duties as town clerk, and directly on hearing of the accident, he jumped from the window near the river, plunged in, and saved the lad’s life.” The Queen’s Theatre will he re-opened this eyemng by a company under the management pt Mr O Bnen. The “ Daughter of the Redtyent” will be played, with Miss Lizzie Watson as 3 o&oplune. We would remind our readers that the first concertby the Ciaus-Rekol company takes place at the Princess Theatre this evening. The extracts from Australian papers which wo have given from time to time have doubtless made our readers tolerably familiar with the accomplialiinents of Mias Claus. The other members of the company are Mdlle. Rekel, who is said to bo a very pleasant soprano singer; M. Rekel, who has an European reputation as a composer and accompanyist; and Signor Cecchi, tenor, who came to the Colonies with Madame States’s opera troupe. The programme for this evening justifies us in predicting for patrons of the theatre the enjoyment of two hours’ music of the highest class, such as is not often heard in these par);?.'' * ■ : . ,