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Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1607, 1 September 1874, Page 343

Among a list of prizes awarded at the Waikouaiti Ploughing Match, held a week or two since, was tho following:—" Best Looking Ploughman—A Pah of Socks, given by a young woman upon her own judgment John Maxwell." "Happy John Maxwell!" is the comment of the Arrow Observer. "Mr Vogel's policy," says the New Zealand Herald, "has been to carry his resolutions through the House with such rapidity as not to admit of any organized opposition being raised against them. Nothing in the records of our Colonial Parliament will shew a parallel to the indecent haste with which so large constitutional measures, involving such important changes, have been thrust upon members, and by a nise carried before sufficient time had been allowed for deliberation." The Wairarapa Standard says:—"We are not now speaking in support of Provincial Governments and Provincial institutions. The former have many sins to answer for, and the country may have outgrown tho need for the latter; but what we object to is the mode recommended to be adopted for destroying the one and abolishing the other. Organic changes should not be suddenly effected, nor yet be violently obstructed ; but those changes should never be effected by the mode the present Premier has had the audacity to propose, without the courage to carry out." Writing on the result of the debate on Mr Vogel's resolutions, the Wangarmi Chronicle says:—The "success of the Government has been so great that it can go forward with boldness. It would have been well for the Mirth Island, whether the question be regarded from a Provincialist or a Centralist point of view, had the victory been less decided; for the scheme (if, indeed, the crude ideas thrown out by the Premier deserve to be called a scheme) which has been broached canonly entail grievous injustice and injury to it. As we showed a day or two ago, the effect of the scheme would be to destroy the influence of the North Island in thb General Assembly, while the voting power of the South would be consolidated and strengthened. If it please the Governmennt to give the country time to breathe and to duly weigh and discuss so important a matter as a radical change in the Constitution, the best course for the North to pursue, in protection of its own interests, will be to insist upon the abolition of Provincialism in both islands alike. Let the system be swept away utterly, and the whole of New Zealaud be governed from a common centre. No single valid argument can be used in favor of the abolition of Provinces in the North Island which is not just as applicable to the South." At the meeting held in tho Choral Hall, Auckland, to condemn Mr Vogel's resolutions, Mr Firth concluded his speech with the following quotation : " But yesterday the word of Julius might Have stood against the world. Now lies he there, And none so poor as do him reverance.' The Aucklander who burnt Mr Vogel and sundry Auckland members in effigy appear to have rendered themselves very ridiculous. The affair is thus described by the correspondont of the Waikato Times: —■"Mr Vogel's late great act seems to have infurated the Auckland population. Queen Btreet on Saturday night last was the scene of codsiderable confusion. An immense throng collected for the purpose of celebrating the carrying of the abolition of the Northern provinces resolutions by burning the Premier and some of his adherents in effigy. The ardour of the demonstrators however received a check at the hands of the police authorities which rendered the affair a very tame one, as it effectually deterred the most indignant, who respected themselves, from taking an important part in the* ceremony ; they in fact crept into their shells, and the only individuals left to conduct the cart and its occupants to Barrack Hill, there to burn the representations of the delinquent politicians, were a host of overgrown boys, and some of maturer years who had nothing to lose by identifying themselves with the transaction. I hear that the figures were life-like, especially that of tho Premier. Very little could be seen of the vehicle, however, except when passing near an occasional lamp. There was but one 1 man with sufficient courage to carry a torch a considerable distance from the object of interest, in contravention of the edict of Mr Broham that he would suppress any attempt at demonstration. Mr Vogel mounted upon a donkey drew his adherents to their doom so tardily that nothing was wanting but the funeral dirge. The proceedings were of such a character as to provoke mirth rather than to impress the bystanders with a feeling of solemnity that should be experienced on the occasion of an expression of public indignation. The promoters must have been anything but gratified with the result."

I The Otago Guardian writes :—A strapping fellow, lately arrived, and who was yesterday afternoon talking over the question of Government employment with his brother immigrants, held out a pair of brawny hands and said, "Look at these, mates. Do they look like breaking stones ? No ; I couldn't do it; and I won't. Besides, I have been deceived. When I left homo I was promised a billet in tho hospital to look after the patients, and now I've got here I find there's no vacancyIt's too bad ; and I've a great mind to go back again." Really, this would be the best thing the poor fellow could do, unless, indeed, he chooses to petition the Government to erect another hospital for his special accommodation. A curious instance of somnambulency (the South Australian Register reports) has occurred at Port Adelaide. About 1 o'clock a.m. the attention of Policeconstable Medland was arrested by seeing a white figure, clad in a nightdress, walking rapidly down the wharf frontages. He immediately went in pursuit, and gently approaching, perceived it was a respectably - connected newly - married young woman, well known in the port, evidently walking in her sleep. He then placed his hand on her shoulder, and tried to persuade her to let him take her home. At this she awoke suddenly, and the terrible surprise to her in so doing almost caused derangement, the poor woman alarming the neighborhood with her cries. After a little time she was taken home, suffering evidently from the exposure to the weather and the shock she sustained by her waking fright. Writing on the late Census of England and Wales, the Carlisle Journal says : From the interesting and final remarks of the Registrar-General and his colleagues now furnished it appears that much fuller information is given than at any previous. time, and it is observed by the commissioners that, although it has been contemplated before, this is the first time that census has been taken of the British Empire. It is found that the population of the Empire in the census year was 234,762,593, living in 44,142,651 houses, upon 7,769,449 square miles of territory. The numbers are not mere estimates, such as are often quoted, but counted facts. The Commissioners say, "What the population of England will be in future ages no one can prophesy. The problem is beyond us. Who in past ages could have foitold the present state of things? Not even Ctesar, when he first landed on these shores; or Alfred when he defended and civilized his people ; or William 1., when he conquered the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom; or Elizabeth when she defied Spain; or Chatham, who won the supreme dominion in America, and saw, perhaps evoked, the first flowing tide of population. Dr Price, who had technical skill, and was an authority before the -French Revolution contended that the population was falling to decay ; and Malthus, who wrote about the time of the first census, and had a profound knowledge of the subject, held that England was oppressed by its population: since he wrote increase in geometrical progression has still gone on, and still the harvest fields of industry are ealling for more arms." The enumerated population of the United Kingdom, excluding the army, navy, merchant seaman abroad, on April 3rd 1871, it appears, amounted to 2,629,298 souls. The population of India and Ceylon was 193,712,357, and 9,240,930 inhabited the other colonics, possessions, and dependencies. England numbered 21,495,131, Wales, 1,217,135; Scotland, 3,360,018, Ireland, 5,412,377, and Islands in tho British Seas, 144,637. There were 216,080 men belonging to the army, navy, marines, and merchant seamen abroad who were natives of the United Kingdom. Lively scenes occasionally diversify tho dull routine of business at the meetings of the Titirangi Road Board, Auckland, if we may judge from the reported proceedings of their last annual meeting. In course of debate, the meeting being crowded, objection was taken as to the correctness of the list of ratepayers, and as to who were entitled to vote ; the list was said to be out of date, and after much "angry discussion," a scrutiny was demanded. "Mr Hanson said that the list had been published about six months ago, and that any person whose name had been omitted should have made a complaint then.—A Ratepayer: " It's an infernal lie." —This language, considerably more forcible than elegant, drew forth replies even stronger, and for a few minutes the uproar was so great that it was utterly impossible to make out what was going on. When something like order had been restored, Dr. Lee remarked that it would perhaps simplify matters if the rate collector's list was obtained, and that only those whose names were on tho list as having paid their rates should be allowed to take part in the meeting.—This was agreed to, and the list obtained from Mr Wilson, the rate collector.—Mr Hanson then commenced to read over the names, when Mr J. S. Knobbs asked if he (Mr Hanson) had paid his rates?—Mr Hanson: I have.— Mr Knobbs to Mr Pugh : Look over the list, and see if the name is down.—Mr Pugh: No, it is not.—Ratepayers in chorus: Then he can't vote.—Mr Hanson: I paid my rates to the Board ; the collector never asked me for them.—Mr Wilson : It's a _■ lie. I've asked him and other members of the Board, but they never paid me a penny. They're a pack of rascals.—MiHanson said he would not stay any longer to be insulted, and after a struggle, succeeded in getting out of the room with his papers and books. Tho scene at this time beggars description. Mr Wilson was gesticulating wildly, and calling on the ratepayers to eject MiHanson from the window, Mr Hanson crying out for the police, Mr Pugh strug-' gling to obtain the books and papers, and the other ratepayers, with one or two exceptions, yelling, shouting, and raising an uproar such as is but rarely witnessed.—ln consequence of the excitement tho meeting fell through without even the first business —the election of a chairman—having been accomplished." -

Important.—lt has been ascertained that nothing so tends to shorten the lives of old people, and to injure their health, as the practice of sitting up late, particularly winter evenings. This is especially the case when there is a grown-up daughter in the family*. [We publish this item at the earnest request of several young men.] A Rare Flower. The Hobart Town Mercury of the ICth January, says—"A splendid instauce of what may be grown by proper care and attention on the part' of. florists has been shown us by Mr Eussell Young, by whom it was grown in his greenhouse, Liverpool-street. It is the flower of the night-blojming cactus. To horticulturalists it may be unnecessary to say that an instance of this plant in flower is about as rare as its existeuce is brief. It springs iuto flower in a night, and in the morning it is gone. Tke form of the flower of a cactus is well known, but of none of the species can it be said that it is so distinctly and beautifully formed. The centre bell is of a brilliaat white, the leaves from three to four deep. Within the bell are petals of a lovely delicate light yellow. Outside the bell are several circles of an orange spiral formed leaf, the total diameter being not less than twelve to fourteen inches. The flower is stated by competent judges to have been the finest specimen ever grown in this Colony, For two months Mr Young has nightly watched for the budding of this rare specimen, one of the only two on the plant, and the production of such a flower reflects credit on his care and attention. One cannot look at such a lovely instance of the pride of flowers, without a regret that it should be so very short-lived. While we write, it is a gem of the fairest of nature's works. Ere the eye of the earliest reader scans these lines in type, the flower will be a bunch of withered leaves, and would have been equally so had it been allowed to remain on its parent stem."