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Evening Star, Issue 3638, 20 October 1874, Page 2

Some very fine mackerel have been caygk# and exhibited in Auckland, tf'bere they hav£ excited considerable interest as a new and valuable find. •

Partridges are frequently heard in' the Main Gully, Waitahuna. Last season one or two coveys frequented Mount Stuart, and another was frequently seen in Boult’s QubV, near Waitahuna.

At this morning’s sitting of the Court, the case of Scott v. Brodrlgk and another was continued. Counsel on both sides addressed the jury, and his Honor was summing up at 3 p. m. '

House accommodation appears to be scarce in other places than Dunedin. ’lTae local paper mentions that in Milton yesterday twenty-four persons were on the look-out for houses, but not one was to be got. On Tuesday last, a meeting of the residents in the Gully, Waitahuna, resolved to petition the Government against the removal of the school, on the ground that seventy children would thereby be left without the means of education.

The Christchurch Chamber of Commerce is about to take steps to have daily telegrams of the arrivals and departures of steamers to all the principal ports of the Co'ouy. The Dunedin Chamber might profit by the example. 9 The usual fortnightly meeting of the Moruiugton Band of Hope was held last evening, Mr T. Morris occupying the chair. A good programme, consisting of readings, recitations, &c., was presented to a tolerably numerous audience.

Ihat must have been a very interesting gathering at East Taieri last week when the family of Mrs John Allan, sen., met under that lady’s roof. Ehe family, comprising children,, grandchjdren, and one great grand child, to the number of seventy-two in all, sat down to dinner, and in the evening were met by their friends.

The Oxford Variety Troupe gave another performance at the Princess's last night. Miss Blanche Anderson formed the chief attraction, her legerdemain tricks being cleverly done. The company will appear during the remainder of the week, and tb-morrow Madame Reid will make her first appearance before a Dunedin audience.

The stockowners in the Tuapeka as well as the Duuatan district tell of large losses of stock, owing to the recent severe weather. The ‘Times’ is informed that Messrs ulherland >md Poison have lost 2,000 lambs, Mr Taborn 100, Mr A. Fraser seven valuable cows ; Mr T. Grundy is a considerable los;r. and Mr Herbert, of Ardmore Station, ha lost a large number of lambs. Operations have been resumed on the railway cutting at Clark’s Flat. Work for some considerable lime was abandoned at thL cutting, owing to the loose nature of tb-. ground, and the scarcity of labor. It will be remembered that about; nine mouths ago upwards of six or seven hundred tons oi earth gave way at this spot. Since theu. however, the whole of the debris has been removed, and a fresh start is now commenced.

The Maori brought from Lyttelton, today, a number of Palmer “ rushiaus,”' who had contemplated proceeding direct from that port in the barque Pspcouiador, but at the last moment the Cou-.miflsionor of-Cus-toms declined to clear her as a passem er carrying vessel, because her ’tween decks were not high enough to conform with the provisions of the Passenger Act. They wili proceed to their destination by the barque Comet, which leaves here in a few days.

All the single girla per the Tuvercar .dll twenty in number—were engaged' at the' Caversham immigration Barracks to-day.' They readily found employment, and several., applications could not be received, the demand for girls being still.fn excess of the' supply. Some half-dozen lads obtained situations at from 7a to 10s per week, and found. One married couple obtained LBO per year, and another L 65. Amongst those who go to Invercargill by the Wanganui to-morrow will be the nominated immigrants for that p|?*L Several married couples were forwarded *T the Milton Dep6t to-day.

Persons in the habit of sending telegrhms should not leave copies or memoranda on - thg public desks for the perusal of all Notwithstanding thatsome pebuliar examples have been published, the foolish practice continues to be of almost daily occurrence. The other day we saw a numbar of lads excitedly discussing a message which told of a young lady haying accepted an advantageous offor of marriage ; and yesterday a good many people were gratuitously plaocd in possession of the information, evidently intended for a fond parent, that “Prank and Aleek have the measles and know that a well-known politician, who would like to land a “pot” on the Melbourne Cup, considerately inquired of the owner of the New Zealand animals “which ia best to invest on,H or P?” At the complimentary dinner ah Christchurch to the officers of "the British Expedition for observing the transit of Venus, Lieutenant Darwin, second officer in command, referred in terms of praise to the transactions of the New Zealand Institute, and stated that his father, the well-known author of “ The Origin of Species,” was accustomed to look forward with much interest to the appearance of this annual volume of Colonial papers. Apropos of science, Dr Haast, of Canterbury, in addi tiou to receiving the decoration of Knight of the Order of the Iron Crown, has been awarded a patent of hereditary nobility by the Emperor of Austria, in recognition of his eminent scientific merits aud attainments.

At the sitting of the District Court at lokoraairiro yesterday there was only one prisoner for trial—John Harrington—who was acquitted on a charge of watch-stealing. Referring to the remarks of ©ur morning contemporaries upon the uselessness of a District Court sitting at Tokomairiro, the ‘Herald’ says?—‘‘The ‘Times’ has not been very successful, as yet, |in its effort to get rid of the District Court Judge j perhaps it thinks to accomplish its object by getting rid of the Court. We object to this kind of thing Dunedin is a very fine city, and one of which the Province is proud; but a centralisation of all our institutions there is scarcely what the $ Province would desire, but is, we dare say, what the Dunedin papers would like to see accomplished.”

Dr Weber, a very old resident of Tokomainro, died yesterday. * The ‘ Herald ’ states that the deceased, who was a native of Germany, had been in practice in the district for over fourteen years. Some five or six mouths ago he lost his wife, and he seems to have been in a slate of great mental depression since, which he has more than once attempted to allay by an unfortunate recourse to stimulants. His health had quite broken down in consequence of late, and the day before yesterday he was suffering very much, and was att nded and prescribed for by Dr Stewart. Yesterday, about two o clock, whilst a female servant ■s*as engaged attending to his wants, she was attracted by

his sudden stertorous breathing, and looking at him, perceived an ala ming change coming over his countenance. !She immediately ran to a neighbor’s and procured assistance but when she returned her master was dead. The deceased has left a large family of young children.

The position of Mr Cashel Hoey in relation to the Colony since Mr Kenneway’s appointment to the secretaryship to the Agtnt General has been much discussed of late The ‘ Lyttelton Times’ now states the facts as follows Dr Featherston has always contended for the right, as Agent-General, to select his own confidential secretaryi on the ground that his diplomatic relations with thp Imperial Government are of a strictly confidential nature and often involve him in veiy delicate negotiations. Mr Vogel con-, ceded this point, recognising Dr Featherstou’s right of selection and leaving the appointment entirely in his hands. Dr BulSer held it—as acting-secretary— up to the day of his departure from England, and aweek later Mr Hoey succeeded him. In the meantime the Government, without informing Dr Featherston of their intention, appointed Mr Keuueway to the office of general secretary. The appointment appears to have given satisfaction here, and we doubt not that Mr Konnaway will find enough departmental work in-the Agent-General’s office to engage his whole Ume and attention with ut interfering in any way with Mr iiocy’s special functions as confidential lieutenant to Ur Featherston.

The number of accidental deaths occurring in the Colonies is most surprising. Li the single batch of exchanges to hand to-day we find the following : - John Brown, f. rryiuau, Upougongara Uiver, vVauganui district, drowne i ; Edward Saunders,® drayman, Hawke’s Bay, crushed through the dray overturning ; A.chibald Hindu ir, of tbo ship Euterpe, Wellington, drowned; Norwegian boy (name not stated), drowned in the Tuki Tuki River, iiawke’s Hay; C. Fielder, settler, Opitiki, drowned in the Otara Uiver ; two Maoris, drowned in crossing from D’Urville’s Island, Nelson ; Frederick Gill, of Kaikorai, Wellington, killed through a dray overlurn-ng ; a bushman, known as “ Back Jack,’ killed at Hikut iia, Auckland, by the fall of Clematis, Auckland, killed by a blow on the head from a windlass; Francis Keegan, killed by a train passing over him on the (Jnehunga line, he having while throwing a stone at a dog overbalanced hin.se { and fell; and among the incidents <f the floods at Wanganui is the drowning of a poor little boy, the son of one of the lately-arrived immigrants. He was tempted by the sight of the driftwood going down the stream, and when attempting to get a piece a.-bore was drawn out iuto the flood. He to the surface three times, aud calkd to a brother who had been in his company to save him, but help waimpossible. Another death had evidently taken place in the river above Wanganui, for a body was seen in the water of the river passing under the bridge. All the above occur; ed last mouth, aud their number appears to be in uu way exceptional. In two cases only v. e-re !he deaths attributable to liquor, and almost aii the accidents might have be ,n prevented by the exercise of ordinary caii'don. With respect to the deaths by drowning continual l y occurring, it seems somewhat surprising that lio effort has ever been made iu the Colony to establish a society similar to the Humane Society of Great Britain.

The usual monthly meeting of the Lodge Dunedin will he held this evening. meeting of the Dunedin Carpenters’ and •Joiners Society will be held to-morrow evening. A special meeting of the Otago Institute will be held at the Museum on Friday afternoon, at I o’clock. The Rev. R. Hamilton will deliver a lecture in the Hall of the First Church, io-raorrow evening, at 7.30. A meeting of members of the Loyal Orange Institution will be held in the Oddfellows’ Hall on Friday evening, at 8 o’clock. There will be no drill at the North Dunedin Rifle Company’s shed to - mox - row evening. Inspection will be held on Thursday at the Headquarters Drill-shed at 7.30 p.m.