Local and General News.

Marlborough Express, Volume IV, Issue 185, 24 July 1869, Page 3

Local and General News.

H. M. S. Challenger. —The Challenger, Commodore Lambert, arrived here Tuesday afternoon, at 4 o’clock, from Wellington, and anchored in the Bay. No communication was held with her yesterday but this morning we learn that she is likely to remain until Saturday, and that she will bo open for inspection on the afternoons of to-day, Thursday, and Friday. We learn from the Independent that the Challenger is on a short cruise to Picton and Nelson, and will return to Wellington in- about a week. A rifle match is, we hear, likely to take place between the Picton Volunteers and the officers of the Challenger.— Press. —The Challenger left early yesterday morning.

The Herald says that the Great American Circus Troupe, now performing in Australia after a tour in India, where it has been eminently successful, will shortly pay a visit to New Zealand.

It will be seen from the division-list upon the resolutions for the abolition of Provincial Governments, the Marlborough vote was nullified, Capt. Kenny voting for, and Mr, Eyes against them, with Mr. Fox’s Government.

Wk understand that the Bishop of Nelson telegraphed on Thursday his intention of reaching Blenheim this day, in which case he will administer the rite of confirmation to-morrow (Sunday) at the Church of the Nativity. A tea meeting is to be held on Tnesday next, when the Bishop will be present. Alleged Discovery or Coal. —Indications of coal have been discovered by Mr. B. Strachan, of Wanganui, on Captain Smith’s property, up the Wanganui river. The land has been leased, on the conditions that a royalty was paid on each ton of coal that reached the surface, and the work of stripping at once commenced. Some gaseous coal has already been reached, and the farther the prospectors go down the coal continues to improve in quality.— lndependent. We regret to hear that Mr. C. A . Watson, of the. White’s Bay met with a serious accident' last week, by the bursting of a Snieder’s rifle. It appears that the person from whom he purchased it, informed him that the Enfield cartridge could be used with the same facility as the Snieder, and accordingly he was in the act of trying the experiment, when the breech burst, the pieces tearing his face open on one side, and otherwise greatly disfigured him. We are happy to state that he is now doing well, and fast recovering. We are credibly informed that it is likely that the recent still case may be heard of again in Court ere long, in consequence of the detention by the Inspector of Customs, at Wellington, of the £SO fine paid by the accused. It appears that the functionary named has not yet dispensed any portion of the money, which is divisable thus :—One-third to the informer, one-third to the Consolidated Fund, and the remaining third to the officers making the seizure, to the last of which sums there are two claimants, the Police considering themselves equally entitled with the Customs to share in the spoil. Borough Council. —A special meeting of the Council ; s called for Thursday evening next, for the pur) ise of considering the appeals sent in against the valuations returned in a number of cases. The Mayor has withdrawn the notice of the day of election of two councillors, in the room of Messrs. Collie and Bythell, and substituted another in its stead appointing the 6th August for the purpose. Messrs. Joseph Taylor and Farmar arc nominated. The election of assessors and auditors will take place on Thursday next. Messrs, Barleyman and Bomford are nominated as assessors, and Messrs. E. D. Nosworthy as auditors. The Poverty Bay Victims.— On Friday, July 2nd, there was a very solemn ceremony at Poverty Bay. On that day the bodies of all the settlers killed at the original massacre were exhumed and re-interred in a piece of land set apart for the purposes of a cemetery, about three miles from Turanganui. The bodies, 28 in number, wore placed in 12 coffins—each family being buried by itself. The whole population, civil and military, were present on the mournful occasion. The burial service was impressively conducted by the Yen. Archdeacon Williams, and a volley over the newly-made graves by a firing party told off for the purpose, brought to a close the sad, and in many respects painful, ceremony.—Hawke’s Bay Herald. Local Industry. —We are glad to hear that Messrs. Dodson and Ball find their business as brewers and maltsters increasing so rapidly that, dull as the present times undoubtedly are, they are about to erect a new brewhouse in addition to their prescnT'oner They finxTby actual experiment that there is an opening for their justly celebrated ales in a neighboring Province, and intend opening a branch store in Wellington for the purpose. This will enable them to use a still larger amount of Wairau grown barley, hops, &c. They further purpose planting some acres of hops this" year in addition to their present hop garden, which will find lucrative employment for our surplus labor; and we may add that no firm deserves a larger meed of credit than the one named for expending their means among the people, and in the place where they are produced-/

A lecture was given in the Wesleyan Church, on Wednesday evening last, by the Rev. R. L. Vickers, Mr. J M Hutcheson in the chair, on “God’s first act of judgment and mercy,” to a respectable, and attentive audience. The rev. lecturer discussed on the difficulties which attend a settlement of the question, “ What is the river which flows from Eden to water the Garden ?” referring to numerous expositions and scholars, showing that the question still remained to be satisfactorily settled. After a rapid review of ancient opinions and creeds on the creation of the world and the formation of man by the mosaic account of this subject was supplemented by general and important conclusions suggested by his theme, quotations from Schiller, Milton, &c., were given in the conrse of the lecture. The lecturer having lasted about an hour, closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman. Accident. —An accident of a nearly fatal nature occurred in the Sound yesterday. It appears four men who were recently engaged in building the pontoons here had been on a visit in a boat to the scene of the wreck of the Taranaki, and were returning up the Sound, when the Stormbird coming, up, they pulled alongside for the purpose of getting a tow up. A rope was thrown from the steamer to the boat, which by some means got a twist round the wrist of Mr. Dixon’s arm, who was in the bow of the boat, and before he could get it loose, there not being sufficient way on the boat for the speed the steamer was going, he was pulled overboard, and dragged through the water with great force over 100°yards before the steamer could be stopped. He was at last got on board, but in a very exhausted state. Mr. Dixon’s wrist was much grazed, and although much recovered, he has received such a shaking as will require some time to get the better of. We are informed that no blame is attached to anyone and that Captain Doile used every exertion to stop the steamer as soon as possible,— Press.

The missing cash-box, stolen a few weeks ago from the Telegraph Office, was found on Thursday afternoon by Mr, Maxted, while searching for a horse, lying in the morass near the outflow of the Tayleur River into the large drain which runs between High-street and Maxwell-road. Mr'. Maxted took the box to Inspector Emerson, whd examined it with Mr. Cribb. All the papers, letters, and portraits, spoken of in that gentleman’s evidence were found correct, and among them was a fourpeuny-piece, which had escaped the rapacity of the thief. The box presented the appearance of having been forced with a chisel, and the front was dented, as if the person operating had tried to burst it with a stone. W 3 forbear to make any comments, but would throw out the suggestion that the thief might in some sense make reparation by confessing the theft. Puiiijd EtfAPixos. —The first of a projected series of Miscellaneous Readings was given on Tuesday evening, in the Provincial Hall, to a full house, Harry Pitt, Esq., occupying the chair. The programme consisted of the following : —l. Mr. Caudle becomes a mason (Mr. Rae), from Mrs. Caudle’s curtain lectures ; 2. Extract from Bleak House, introducing Poor Jo, the crossingsweeper, and giving some account of the coroner’s inquest, and the place where the suicide was laid (Mr. Johnson) ; 3 Extracts from the Rev. M. Puushon’s essay on Macaulay (Mr. Morley) j 4. Irish airs ou the violin, with original introduction, by Mr. A. J. Hoskins, and being encored, he repeated the piece on one string, a la Paginini 5 5. Extract from Pickwick, containing the story of what befel the owner of the patent-never-leav-ing-off sassage steam engine (Mr. Rae) ; 6. The death of Poor Jo (Mr, Johnson) ; 7. Mrs. Councillor Mynoghan’s power of talk (Mr. Rae) ; 8. Selection of Scotch airs, on the violin, by Mr. Hoskins, and on being encored, he gave* part of the “ Mabel Waltz” ; 9. The charge of the Light Brigade at Balacalava (Mr. Johnson). Votes of thanks to the Chairman and those who assisted in the performance closed what, judging from what has reached us, and the repeated plaudits of the audience, was a very pleasant and agreeable evening. The next reading will take place on Wednesday evening next.

The s.s. Taranaki. —Things seem to be going on swimmingly with the Wreck Recovery Company engaged in raising the Taranaki, and the spec is likely to prove a profitable one. The latest accounts from the scene of the wreck represent the vessel in the same condition as at last accounts, with the exception that a close examination showed that marine worms had commenced their attacks, and the hard wood seemed to be preferred by the insects, as it_ is much more perforated than the softer descriptions. The whole of the pontoons are not yet brought into requisiton, as the manager intends to make all the preparatory arrangements for raising the vessel with the two largest pontoons. By these means they expect to soon complete the hooking on of the lifting bars, and, when everything is in proper train, the remaining pontoons will be brought into use, and an expeditious finish made. So far, there have been but five of the lifting bars hooked into the port holes, and this was done in one-day, though oiir informant is not positive on the point. _ This part of the work would have been a stage in advance by this time, but that the fender rail round the steamer had to bo removed, in order that the bars may go flush with t e side of the vessel. — lndependent. Liability" of Commission Agents.—As it may be both interesting and instructive to men in business we may advert to a case brought before the Resident Magistrate on Thursday last, which shows the extensive liability of a commission agent. Mr. F. C. Kreeft received some twenty kegs of butter from a storekeeper in Blenheim to sell on commission. The butter was kept on hand for a considerable time, Mr. Kreeft being unable to get a sale for it in Wellington. He wrote, informing the owner of the state of the market, and received a letter in reply stating that he was to get rid of the butter at any price it would bring. The agent, hearing the great demand for butter in Hokitika, with a view of doing as well as he possibly could for his principal, shipped it to that port. He did not insure it, as the butter was almost worthless. The small steamer into which ,the butter was transhipped to be landed at Hokitika was wrecked, and thus arose the actiom The point on which the counsel for the plaintiff vested his case was that the butter was sent to defendant for sale in Wellington, and that he *was not justified in shipping it to another port without having first communicated with his principal. His Worship gave judgment for plaintiff for a portion of the amount claimed. Legally the decision may be right, but it inflicts great hardship upon Mr. Kreeft.- Independent. [The above paragraph neglects to state one material point—that the agent in question had money in hand belonging to Mr, Bomford, which he might have used for the purpose of insuring the butter.} Mote by Ballot, —We may conclude that this Bill, now before the Upper House, will soon pass into law, and rejoice at the prospect so long as there exists persons who value their material interests before political rights. The Ballot -is necessary for their welfare, and that in New Zealand as much as in the Old Country. The present system of voting is simply an atrocious sham, and the sooner it terminates the better, The Bill came before the Legislative Council for the second reading on the 14th iust., ■when the following hon, gentlemen spoke in favor of it:— Messrs. Bonar, Scotland, and Dr. Buchanan ; while Col. Kenny would not oppose it, although he had not made up his mind as to the necessity which existed for the measure. The Hon. Mr. O’Neill spoke against it, and said nothing could be more quiet or secret than the present mode of voting. The Hon. Mr. Lee opposed the second reading. Messrs. Menzies, McLean, Gisborne, and Miller, spoke in favor. Messrs. Stokes, Nurse, and Pharazyn opposed it. Col. Russell and Col. Whitmore announced their conversion, The division was as follows : —For second reading 19—Captain Baillie, Messrs, Bonar, Buchanan, Chamberlain, Fenton, Gisborne, Gray, Levin, Mantell, McLean, Menzies, Miller, Patterson, Peter, Robinson, Dr. Renwick, Cols. Russell, and Whitmore, Major Richmond. Against, G 2—• Messrs. Acland, Lee, Nurse, O’Neill, Pharazyn, Stokes. The Bill, was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed on Friday last. On that day, progress was made and reported, and leave given to ait again on Tuesday.

Gold —A small party left Lyttelton on the 14th, to commence operations along with others from Christchurch at the Peninsula Quartz Reef, on a section of land purchased on Mr. McQueen’s block.— Evening Mail There are 1,200 sheep at a station in the Wairarapa, belonging to the chief Manihera. They were originally bought by the General Government for him, and placed on thirds at the station. They are now offered for sale—a mixed lot, clean, for Bd. per head.— Independent.

There are 66 vessels now en route to Great Britain from San Francisco, with cargoes aggravating 1,700,000 sacks of wheat, besides eight vessels for different Atlantic ports, with 166,000 sacks of wheat, and 10 vessels for Rio de Janeiro with 51,000 barrels of flour. The Californian flour and wheat now afloat for China and other countries aggregates 2,300,000 sacks of wheat, valued at £4,000,000.

Who were They. — A fracas took place yesterday evening between what penny-a-liners would term “gentleman of the long robe.” Both parties were eating in apparent peace in a celebrated restaurant in Shortland, when they commenced a system of gentle banter, which rose to sarcasm, culminated in quiet abuse, and terminated in a terrific combat of two which was prevented by the judicious interference of a waiter from terminating fatally.— Times, July 1. A few days ago a skeleton was found lying in the scrub close to the Waitotara River, A pair of military boots were on the feet, but beyond this there was nothing that might lead to the identification of the remains. To have arrived at the state in which the skeleton was found would take a period of some 12 or 15 months’ exposure. It is supposed that the skeleton is that of a settler who has been missing since December, 1867. — Post. A Defaulter. —The Ruby did not only bring rabbits from Kaikouras. She also brought a passenger named E. W. Jones, who has the misfortune to bear the name and answer to the description of a certain alleged defaulting Curator of Intestate Estates, who recently levanted from Hokitika. Telegrams from the authorities in Hokitika to Inspector Atchison gave a pen-and-ink photograph of the delinquent, and hence the arrest. Jones has been remanded for eight days, to await instructions or further information from Hokitika.— lndependent. From the reports which reach us from different parts of the New Zealand coast, it would appear that the extraordinary success met at some of our whaling stations is general, and a marked improvement upon many previous years. Very recently the extraordinary number of nine whales were captured in one day, by the men employed at the station in Queen Charlotte Sound, and since that two more have been captured A portion of the oil yielded by these whales is the 83 barrels brought by the Storm Bird. As an averaged sized whale is calculated to yield over £2OO worth of oil, an approximate total of £2,500 will about represent the result of this season so far for the station in the Sound, and a handsome sum to share for a few weeks’ work.— lndependent.

Rabbits. —One day these little creatures were almost unknown in the colonies, and the next day they were a nuisance. In Victoria, in particular, acclimatisers were anathemised by the squatters for introducing them. But science, in the shape of a hatter, stepped in to utilise that “ matter in the wrong place,” and the nuisance is becoming converted into a good. Although we are not so overrun by rabbits as some of our neighbors, yet there seems to be an abundance of them at the Kaikouras. The Ruby brought from thence on Saturday morning enough to make a dinner for all the gourmets in Wellington. Can’t the restaurateurs do anything with the superabundance. — lndependent.

Local Industry. —A correspondent of the Press gives a return of the timber produced at the various mills at Mahakipawa and the Grove during the last quarter, from which we learn that Mr. Duncan’s mill has produced 456,578 feet; Dive and Gaby, 446,273 ft ; Brownlie, (2 months) 317,412 feet; Brown & Ingles, 284,736 feet; total 1,511,990 feet, valued £4536. Of this quantity, Canterbury takes 557,006 feet; Otago, 288,000 ; Wellington (including Wanganui), 335,000 ; Marlborough, 221,900 ; Nelson, 180,000; and Hobart Town, 30,000 feet. The quantity taken by our own province is no criterion to go by for past quarters, as the pontoons took 96,838 feet, and Messrs. Brownlie and Co’s mill at Kaituna, 114,000 feet. Karori Rush. —The beautiful nature of the weather on Sunday tempted a great many visitors to the ground. Though on Monday the 'working attire had to a great extent replaced the holiday garb of the previous day, there were yet a large number of visitors, amongst which were his Excellency the Govenor, his Honor Dr. Featherston, and Dr. Hector, who visited Baker’s Hill on their way to Makara to inspect the quartz prospecting at that place. As yet, we are assured of no instance of success on the Karori creek worthy of record, though operations have in no way flagged. Should nothing be struck durir g this week, it is expected that the hopes of the most sanguine shall have been dissipated. At the same time it is quite possible that payable quartz reefs may be found in association with a barren alluvium.— lndependent.

Flax. —Messrs Sinclair and Logan .have erected their water-wheel at the Kaituna, and nearly completed their other premises. They expect the flax machinery from Price & Co of Auckland by next steamer when it is their in- ( tention to commence operations at once—Mr. Colman has nearly finished his premises in Grove Road when he will also be awaiting his machines which were ordered from the same firm. Lastly, we may make the same remark in reference to 'Messrs Powick Bros., who are waiting for the same reason. We received a note from Messrs. Price and Co., on Saturday, from which we extract as follows “ Our machines take eaeh from 1 to 14 horse power to drive them, according to the speed they are run at. The price packed in a case for safe carriage, is j£2o sa. They are capable of producing from Ito tons of fibre per week, working 8 hours per day.” At present the firm have extensive orders on liana from various parts of the colony, which jprevent their supplying orders as fast as they arrive.

Good News. —The cheap meat movement has reached its climax in Hokitika. A butcher in that town announces that “ those who have not got money can get a feed gratis.” The Wanganui Herald, of Friday last, says : —Whareraatangi, the chief of the Pakakohe tribe, who used to live at Little Taranaki, came into Patea on Tuesday last, bringing fortyone of his tribe with him. Nineteen are ablebodied men with arms, the rest are old men, .fee. They gave themselves up. The information is from Rangitawhia, who is now a mailman ; he also says that Brown, the chief of Manutahi, has gone to Taranaki, but is not with Titokowaru.

His Excellency the Governor’s capabilities as a writer are commented on by the Wellington Independent in terms the reverse of complimentary. In an article on the correspondence which has lately passed between his Excellency and the Colonial Office, it remarks :—“ Sir George Bowen is the prosiest of writers, and never fairly grapples with the questions he has to discuss. He is a mere nonentity, who has continually the fear of the Colonial Office before his eyes on the one hand, and of his Responsible Advisers on the other. His chief object in life seems to be to evade all responsibility whatsoever, and so to act as to secure the greatest possible amount of ease and tranquility his position can afford.

/We noticed an article in our contemporary’s ■assue of Thursday last, headed “fortunate men.” which reminds us of a good stroke of fortune likely to fall on our veteran settler, Mr, W. F. Evelyn Liardet, now of Wellington, and the numerous brandies of his family connections here. Mr. W. F. Evelyn Liardet is the sole surviving representative of the old stock of the Evelyn family, he being the nephew of the late Sir Hugh Evelyn, Bart., descendant of the celebrated John Evelyn, of Says Court, Deptford, Kent, and Wootton, Surrey, who during his life time granted to the Crown the land upon which was erected the Royal Dock Yard, Deptford. The grant was made conditionally, to be held as long by the Crown as required for ship-building purposes. The British Government have recently given up the Deptford Dock Yard for dock uses, this valuable property reverts to the Evelyn family, and is estimated at the value of £300,000. Independent. J