The Evening Star. MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3762, 15 March 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1875.

The inhabitants of Tapanui are petitioning the Superintendent to declare the township a municipality. By the San Francisco mail on Saturday there were despatched applications under the nominated immigration system for eighty-eight souls, equal to seventy-five and a-half statute adults.

On Saturday there were despatched by the outward San Francisco mail 3,134 letters and 3,666 newspapers. There were received by the inward mail from London, via San Francisco, 6,139 letters and 19,200 newspapers; and by the inward Suez mail from Loudon’ 1,811 letters and 1,920 newspapers. “ Soap-suds ” is the heading of an article in the Arrow Observer, containing the report of an amusing action heard in the Resident Magistrate’s Court, wherein a washerwoman sued one her patrons for the sum of Ll4, the amount of a disputed washing

We (‘N. O. Times’) are informed that about three weeks or a month ago a calf with two heads was dropped on the farm of Messrs Chalmers, Hook Greek, near Waimate. The animal is perfectly strong and healthy, and we are given to understand that the breeders intend shortly to exhibit it in Timaru and Oamaru.

“It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good” has been verified at the Acheron, Canterbury, where a bush fire has been burniug during the past fortnight. The thick impenetrable scrub has been cleared away and in one place has disclosed a rich reef with lots of specimens lying on the surface! The ground has been pegged off and registered. 6

On Friday last, the sth instant, an inquest, was held before Mr W. L. Simpson, Coroner, at Blacks’ No. 1, on the body of a young man named James Cloustoii, who had met his death on the previous day. From the evidence, it appealed that deceased, whe was a farm laborer, was driving a horse and dray, with a frame on the latter, and it is surmised from the position of the deceased when discovered that, by the jolting of the dray. the frame must have slipped, dragging the deceased with it. A verdict of accidental death was returned. In spite of the determined efforts of D. K, Rhodes and S. Lambert, the ‘Press’ managed on Saturday to put the Tradesmen through in one innings with 27 runs to spare The Warehousemen got 63 i * their second innings, Lambert contributing 24. and Rhodes 18, or 114 in all. Glen bowled remarkably well, but the fielding of the Press team was very indifferent. The next and last Cup match of the season will be played on the 27 th in at. between the Merchants and Agents and tbe Press On the 19fch and 20th the Zingans (Cauterbu y) will play tbe Dunedin eleven, and ©n the earliest opportunity the latter will meet an eleven of the newly formed South Dunedin Club.

A ten-mile extension of the Maerewhenua railway and the cutting—at a cost of about L.5,000—0f a road 'from the Kyeburn to the Pass country are advocated by the ‘Mount Ida Chronicle,’ as the means of opening up the finest forest growing country in the Province, and of developing the rich copper lodes existing at the back of Mount Domett; the slate quarries, indications of which are not wanting on every side of the present track through the Pass; the outcrops of quartz so freely exposed in the same locality ; and the beds of coal, good as well as inferior, opened and .laid bare by flood waters and natural water courses, which extend through hundreds of acres of ground. The Maerewhenua correspondent of the ‘Mount Ida Chronicle’ writes “ The crops dowh the Waxreka are magnificent. From forty to ninety bushels are spoken cf as pretty general in oats. At Papakaio as much as ninety bushels is reported to the acre. The country is overrun with thistles. Ten thousand acres must be completely covered with this scourge to farmers! The Waireka railway is making slow progress. An engine has been placed on the main line to lay the ballast on the Maerewhenua branch. In weeks a railway will be through to the Maerewhenua Kiver. A large wool store is to be erected at the junction by private enterprise.” It is almost unnecessary to remind our readers that the Hev. Charles Clark (a sketch of whose career appears in another column) will give his lecture-entertainment m the Queen’s Theatre this evening. There was a large demand for dress circle seats as soon as the plan was opened this morning, some of the applicants securing seats for the series of lectures. “Charles Dickens” is the subject of to-night’s lecture, which, with the illustrative recitals, is given entirely from memory. Considering the elevating as well as amusing character of Mr Clark’s entertainments, the idea of having family tickets for the stalls as well as dress oi« cle is a very admirable one ; and the facility thus afforded is sure to be extensively taken advantage of by families and schools.

The works on the railway bridge at Havelock have been suspended during the past ten days, owing to an alteration having been made in the plans and specifications. It has been discovered, we suppose, by the Government Engineer, at thejiast moment, that the longitudinal (beams and transverse flooring beams and corbels, as described in the plan’ are not of sufficient strength, and it has been decided to substitute strong ones. The timber mentioned in the specification was black or totara, either of which is well known not to have much weight-bearing capacity. It is now proposed to substitute Oregon or Jwm. Tho ‘Tuapeka Times’ says the delay therefore in the work will probably be pro! racted. The contractor’ for the Lawrence Court House is, figuratively speaking, on the horns of a dilemma. Th e architect has been and gone, and the wdv''*! 6 !* framework or support e o - .... :: ;v '7 ; ' - \ : latte ’o it»aUii.;Uojis to remove the supports, the contractor w afraid to remove then* on, own *«pon«

ability, m case he is placed in the same predicament as before, and has to stand the orunt of its re-erection. We (‘ Tuapeka Limes’) do not'profess to know anything of the capabilities of concrete, but an arch of only three inches, as in the case of the colonnade roof, which has to carry a weight of rorty tons, seems to us rather too little. Probably it is an experiment on the part of the architect.

The *• Flying Dutchman,” and “A Highwayman’s Holiday ” drew a good attendance to all parts of the theatre on Saturday evening. To-night the programme is “ Gilder y, and “The Lakes of Killamey,” in which the Duvallia will appear, and a farce. On Saturday afternoon one <{ the boys belenging to the ship Crusader, while employed on one of the stages painting the vessel, lost his hold and fell on the floor of the Graving Dock. Upon examination by Dr. Drysdale it was f .und the lad had fractured one of hia nasal bones, and showed symptoms of concussion of the brain. He was ordered to be kept perfectly quiet, and strong hopes are entertained ci his speedy recovery.

At a recent sitting of the Council of the Lew Zealand University the suggestion was made that there should be imported every year two examiners from the great English Universities--one selected from Oxford and one from Cambridge; such examiners simply to be engaged to make the trip out, conduct the examinations, aud return. It is thought that this is ill answer better than sending Home the examination papers, an alternative eourso proposed. It appears great difficulty is likely to be experienced in obtaining suit able examiners in the Colony.

A number of ladies and parents of pupils attending the Mornington District ('chool assembled together on Friday afternoon, the 12th inst,, for the purpose of presenting Mrs Hay (schoolmistress), who is giving up teaching, with a handsome silver fruit aud flower stand, as a mark of their esteem. The cost of the piece of plate was subscribed by the pupils attending the school Mrs Hay has filled the position she now retires from for about three years in a most satisfactory manner, aud she has earned the esteem and respect of the entire district.

It appears that the Forbury railway would have been open for traffic in plenty of time for the approaching race meeting, if the General Government had been disposed to assist the Company. Arrangements had been made by the Company for the purchase from the Government of three miles of rails for, we believe, L 3,800 odd,J but at the last moment the Company received notice that the sale would not be completed, and were threatened with an injunction if they attempted to further prosecute the work. What is the nature of the statutory or other legal requirements which, it is alleged, the Company have failed to comply with, is not stated. The Provincial Government, had they been permitted so to do, were prepared to work the line, and had agreed to araauge for its purchase at six mouths’ notice. The Company were in a position to have had the line in working order in ten days’ from receiving the rails.

During this morning’s sitting of the Resident Magistrate’s Court Mr Haggitt mentioned that in a case in which he was engaged for plaintiff, the defendant had waited until a few minutes before the sitting of the Court and then paid in the amount of the claim, without giving plaintiff notice. The consequence of this was that plaintiff, witnesses, and counsel had their time wasted by having to attend the Court, and as defendant had pursued this annoying line of conduct on previous occasions, he (Mr Haggitt) asked the Court for expenses of himself and witnesses. Mr Stout, for defendant, objected, stating that when the amount of a claim was paid into Court judgment could be given for expenses incurred up to the time of such payment alone, and that therefore such costs as were now asked could not be awarded without a hearing of the case. Mr Bathgate, the presiding magistrate, said such conduct as defendant’s caused great hardship, and ordered him to pay costs. Mr Stout gave notice of a peal, which Mr Bathgate- rtfused to sanction, but here Mr Haggitt said he would be satisfied with the ordinary costs. The magnitude of our present coastal passenger trad- is well illustrated by the pa, senger list per s.s. Wellington, which arrived this morning (says the ‘ Post ’ of the 6th). She brought fifty-four saloon and twenty steerage passengers for this port, and also had on board twenty-one saloon and twentyfive steerage for Lyttelton and Dunedin—l2o in all. This proves that the additions about to he made to the fleets both of the N.Z.S.S. Company and of the Dunedin Harbor Company have not been decided on before they were needed. At present all the steamers, both those from Melbourne and those locally owned, are crowded each trip. It has been rumored that Messrs M'Meckan, Blackwood and Co. intend competing for the New Zealand coastal trade when their two new steamers arrive, by placing their celebrated fast passenger boat the Aldinga, now in |he Melbourne and Adelaide trade, on the line. If so, with the New Zealand companies’ new boats as well, travellers may hope, not only for increased accommodation and speed, but also for reduced fares

The monotonous character of the proceedings of the Westland Provincial Council are occasionally relieved by some pleasantries, in which Air John White figures conspicu ously The dialogue between him and the Hon. Mr Lahman, in Committee of Supply, very recently, is a specimen “Mr Lahman thought the hon. member for Hokitika (Mr White) had an opinion of himself which was not shared by other people, and charged everyone who did not agree with him with ignorance. He (Mr Lahman) knew something about the Cont neat as well as about England and English Colonies, and believed he had shown himself liberal in mini), although hewasnot quite so “ cheeky” —(laughter) —as the hon. member. The Chairman did not see what reference Mr Lahman’s remarks had to the question under discussion. It was not the question. Mr Lahman said the question was, that he had been taunted, and now it seemed he was not to bo allowed to reply. The Chairman said the business seemed to have degenerated into a freo fight between Messrs White and Lahman, and he called both members to order. Mr White did not want to be tarred with the same brush as Mr Lahman. ”

It is understood that Judge Harvey will shortly arrive to relieve Judge Gray of the distnot judgeship ef the Otago goldfields. At the last sitting of the Westland district court at Grey month, Mr Perkins, on behalf of the local bar, expressed regret that his Honor was leaving the district. The members of the profession had intended to present him with an address, but since then thev had been invited to join with the public in a more general testimonial, and this they intended to do. He thanked his Honor for the courtesy and kindness with which he had always treated the members of the b >r. At all times he had proved himself anxious to assist them in the carrying out of their duties by granting many facilities hj r proceeding with business. His Honor, in reply, said ho felt much gratified and flattered at the way in which the members of the bar had mentioned the manner in which he -•‘ ,J d*s; b:<;- 1 W.i duty in that CVuit. He j "" give him cr •<.!};.. ~>n. '..CaVuvii.g i •■•wiiuuc* tha buiiuo.o of the impartially and with regularity, and he could only have done by tho A aesist«

ance he had always received from the members of the bar. When he first took his present office bis, position was a most peculiar one, having been one of the professional gentlemen practising in these courts, and being personally acquainted not only with the members of the bar, but also with all classes of the community, still he had endeavored, while occupying his seat, to hold the scabs of justice even between all parties, and he thanked the members of the bar for their kind expressions. Some curious cases are reported in the Northern and Southern files that came to hand yesterday. At Invercargill one John Kiddle has been committed for trial for personating a bailiff. At Oamaru four men named Knott, Cross, Coleman, and Ciegg, who had been arrested on the racecourse, while in the act of playing the game known as “Under and Over,” brought up and charged with gambling—were discharged by Mr Parker, R, M., as the men stated that they had received licenses from the North Otago Turf Club Committee to carry on the game A young woman named Ada Rich, was also brought before Mr Parker and charged by the police with walking about the streets of ->amaru in man’s attire, on the evening of the 10th inst. As she had only done it for “a lark,” not knowing it was a serious offence, she was let off with a caution. And at Christchurch ou the Brh inst., “a young respectable looking woman ” named Rogers, who had not been many weeks married, came before Captain Mellish, R.M., with a terrible tale of suffering and ill treatment at the hands of her husband. Her tale, and the coiloquy between the husband and the Magistrate are thus reported ;—“ For a few weeks after their marriage he treated her very kindly, but for some time past he had greatly illused her. She had never given him any ? provocation, as she desii ed -to make hia home a comfortable and pleasant one if he would let her. She did nob wish to press the charge against him if he would only promise to treat her kindly. She had property when married to him, but he was fa°-t m *k : ng away with it, and as she was too weak at present to do anything for herself, she had been compelled to bring the case before the Court. Accused, in defence, said his wife’s family were the cause of all the unpleasantness that had accrued. His Worship ; I suppose her family did not make you beat your wife, aud I don’t think you would have done it if she was able to defend herself. Accused, smilingly : No, I should not. His Worship : You would not have dared to strike her if she bad been a man. Accused, still smiling : No. His Worship; No, you would have been too great a coward. A thing that would strike a woman cannot be called a man, and I only wished the law permitted me to deal with you as you deserve. You are worse than a coward. You first beat your wife, and then come here and laugh over it. Accused, evidently sobered down : I did not laugh at what I had done, your Worship. It is only a smiling way I have. His Worship : I shall order you to find sureties for the peace for twelve months, yourself in LSO, and two others in L 25 each, or in default to ba imprisoned (or one month, with hard labor.”

_ The * Stockwhip’ is the name of a semi-reli-gious weekly published in Sydney. A Telegraph Station is now open at Harkworth, in the Province of Auckland. A general meeting of the Ross, Inverness* Argyll, and Bute Association will be held in Murray’s Hotel to-morrow evening, at 7.30. “ Commencement of the Second Christian Epoch, or Christ is Coming” is the title of a pamphlet which has reached us by this mail, and in which the reorganisation of the universal Church of Christ, of public laws, and of society throughout the world is discussed. The committee of the Choral Society, in deciding upon the favorite opera of “ Maritana ” as the subject for the next concert, were induced to do so iu consequence of a very widely-expressed wish for its performance. Some delay iu its rehearsal took place through the band parts not being in possession of the Society. This difficulty has been surmounted with the help of Mr Martin, who has arranged band accompaniments specially adapted to the orchestra of the Society! The rehearsals are, therefore, proceeding satisfactorily, and it is hoped that many able amateurs who have neglected practice for some time will resume their attendance, not only for the pleasure they themselves will derive through taking part in the music, but in order to render it performance as efficient and creditable to the Society as possible. During the week ended Saturday there were thirty-one admissions into and eighteen discharges from the Hospital. No deaths occurred. The number of patients at present in the Hospital is 157, of whom thirty-eight are females. Hugh Boyle was operated on for traumatic aneurism. Abraham Posnaki had the main artery of the thigh tied for aneurism at the knee.—Port Accidents : William Stevens had the fingers of his left hand removed, the palm of the hand and the thumb being preserved. M'Grath is likely to do well. Joseph Cruikshanks is doing well; no bone is projecting from the wound, as erroneously reported. Wm. Fitzer’s leg is perfectly set, quite straight, and iu a most satisfactory state, notwithstanding that this is the third time it has been broken.