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Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 104, 24 August 1880, Page 2

R M. Co?bt. — To prevent inconvenience person* haviug business at th<* next Mttinur oi th.' Foxton it Al. Court should note that it will not be held tomorrow «veek, but the folio •vitijf Wednesday, viz, September 8. A Forlorn Elop.«. — For some few weeks !>a>t, Mr T. C Williams, the " Ifix-J. l»," has been residing at OtaUi, obtaining sig natures to a petition to be presented to the Government, in refe/ence to the c'airu that iie suppose* the Ngatiraukawa tribe have f> the Rangitikei-M^nawatu block of land Some of our readers will recollect that the " Ex J. P" has been writing a good deal on this subject to the N. Z. Times. Mr Williams has obtained 500 signatures to his petition (of course all fom members of the Ngatirnukawa tribe), and on Wednesday last loft Otaki fnr Wellington, accompanied by Henare Herekau and Rawir' Pc Wamu (the deaconn of the Mntvuvatu and Oaki districts respectively), Hid tw > other chiefs, Whose names wo did not learn, for the purpose of presenting the jeii'ion. There is no doubt that the efforts Mr Williams is making will result in no goo ■ whatever, — and must be entirely barren of result. The land which Mr Williams claims for the flgatiraukawa has been awarded to the Ngafetapa by two or three Land Courts, yeprs ago, and the Ngatiraukawa had the privilege of appointing their own Judge on one occasion (Judge Fen ton, we believe}, who, however, gave his decision in favor of Ngatiapa, anj the money for the block was paid over by the late Dr. Featherston. It is only fair to Mr Williams to state that he is acting from motives of pu^e philanthrophy in the matter, but it would appear that he is " a day behind the fair " on this occasion. It seems that as a matter of conquest the Ngatiraukawa's claim to the land is a good one, but the mistake they made when they did conquer it was that they did T.ot ca 1 up the -whole of the Ngatiapn, but left a fow of that tribe, who have since multiplied, and lived on the land ever since. The money was paid to the Njjatiapa by Dr. Featherston at the time the famous Ensrlish Republican, Sir Charles Dilke, was makiug a tour of this Colony, and it was that gentleman -who handed over the money to the natives from Dr. Fea'herston. A capital description of the affair is given in Sir Charies Dilke's work, entitled "Greater Britain." The Cattle Nuisance.— What wo can only characterise as a disgraceful scene took place on Sunday morning last, when the proceedings incidental to ferrying a moof cattle were carried on at Foxton. About a dozen horsemen armed with liu>re sticks were engaged in endeavouring to drive the beasts into the water, and occasionally a mob would rash throu/h tho township whilst Divine Service was being conducted in the different Churches, the worshippers being dismrbed by shouts and expressions sadly at variance with thoss they heurd from the cWgymen. This kind ef thing maj have been all very well ten or twelve year? ago, when the population of the place consisted almost entirely oi Maoris, but Foxton has outgrowu it now, and we hope steps will be at once taken to put a stop to the scandalous outrage on the feelings of thosi who respect the Sabba'h caused by this I ferrying of cattle on Sunday. There i» another matler in this connection. The County Council have gone to great expens<, in having fences erected so that tho cattumay bo driven hli)ci'£ the river beach from the yard to the ferrying place. Despite thift, the cattle drivers persist in taking /fie beasts round by tke road to the ferry, tc the imminent danger of pedestrians. In his last report, the County Engineer called attention to this matter, and a.-, his remarks af-pear to bo unheeded, we hope in the interest of the people who reside it that part, of tho town the Council will take measure* at next meeting to compel, persona ferrying cattle to drive them from the yard along the beach to the ferry. Where will it End?— The conflict betweeii Messrs Kirkbride and M'Mh>n continues. It began in the It. M. Court. Marton, and for some time afferwerds wa continued in the editorial and local column.of the Advocate and Guardian, and now th< battle has broken ou; afresh in the columm of the Wanganui Herald. Where, O where, will it ond f All Saints' Chubch. — Sinoe the resig nation of the Rev. Mr Newth, the visits 01 clergymen to All Saints' Church, Foxton, have been, like those of angels, " few and far between." We hear, however, that th< Wn Archdeacon Thorpe. recently appointed Archdeacon of Wanganui, intends to pay ; visit to this part of the district shortly, and will then consult with members of thf Anglican Church as to the best means of providing for their spiritual wants. The Rev. J. M* William, of OtaUi, conducted service on S :nday eveniug last, and st tin close celebrated the Sacrameut of the JEtolv Communion. Tenders. — On Friday last tenders vwer. received for forming 18 chains of road on tho Avenu*, Foxton, in continuation oi Nathan's coutraot. The tenders wenopened in presence of Mr Gray (M. C. C. i for Awahou), and the County Clerk and Engineer. The following were received : — Chas. Rosenthal, Palmerstin, £48 10s. accepted. Declined — W. H Heeve, £sti ; E. Gladstone and D Ho^an, i.'G4 10a ; J. C. Nathan, £93 ; Hryant k Co ; £120. The work consists of forming tha road the I full width, and on the top of the whole of the formation and cuttings there is to bi spread four inches of soil, which is to be sown with grass seed. We believe the balance of the £100 for the Avenu« voted at last sitting of the Council will suffice for the formation of the road almost up to the Cemetery. The Manchester Election.— Mr A P. Douglas, of Halcotpbe, was yesterday elected without opposition to the seat in the County Couucil rendered vacant tiy the resignation of Mr Lash. Tenders Wantgb — Mr J. T. Stewart invites tenders for levelling mid turfing » piece of ground. The specifications are to be seen at his office, where tenders will be received up to Monday next. The Wellington Tragedy; — An in quest on the body pf Henderson was held ftt Wellington on Friday last, when a verdict of felo de se was returned. The effect of this verdict — which means that deceased, when in a sane state, took his lif e — is to prevent Christian burial of the remains. The bedy Was therefore interred bf tho police on Friday night. The young woman who had eloped with Henderson — Miss Blvth — is steadily recovering, and is now out of all danger. The man Henders'in appears) to hnve been a d« übledyed viilain. While eloping with Mias Blyta

who appears to h <ye been the victim of an infatuation, ho actually contrived to tret telegrams sent t« his wife in his name mm pi ice? in Ofcago, tc which p-'irt of the country he had told her he was goingHe had also tfivHii tradesmen in Chriatc!Mrch cinques post-dated, the date B'leet.;d bein^r th'i very day upon which he expected to leave Auckland in the Bin Francisco strainer, of wSiich he intended leaving the country. His victim is iii exceedingly prett.y girl about 2' years of *ge, and wm employed a* a schoolmistress in Christchurch, whilst Henderson himsoif wa3 a member of fn« Educalirn Board. Native Land* Court. — Mr Chas. Howe, of the Foxton Kamily Hitel, haH received a ttlegratn from Major Heaphy statinjr that, the Court will open at Foxton on Wednesday, 25th August, for the purpose of he'ii ing the Poroutawhao case. The i Conn will be held in the large room a» the back of the above hotel. DBr,AYEd.— Owinsr to a slip on the rail. way line near Firdell, the Foxton engine had yesterday to travel as far us Mart in, thus causing a delay of about H hours in the arrival of the midday train at Foxton. t'oTTHT Case. — An information has been laid agaiiißt Mr W. H Simcox, of Otaki, by a member of the Ransfieid family, c ursine him with the malicious destruo tion of property. As the real matter in dispute is the title to OBit<ri> land, which is claimed by both parties, it is not probublo any o'hor result than a dipmis^a) will eventuate. The charge will be heard at Foxton on September 8, before Mr Ward. Otaki Cot m— -The next sitting of tho O-aki Court will be held on September H, when the R.M. will preside. Ministerial. — The Hon. Mr Bryce, Native Minister, arrived from Wellington yesterday afternoon, per coach, and proceeded on to Wangacui by the night train. His mission is in connection with the settlement of the Waimate Plaius | difficulty. Seed Potatoes.— Messrs Thynno, Lin'on & Co. are advertising seed potatoes on sale. Contract. — The District Engineer invites tenders for the erection of station buildings on the Waverley contract. They close on the 11th September. New Fief.i) for Emigration. — The London Kcho recently had an article drawing attention to Florida as a field for emigration, pointing out its extreme fertility, the plenty of gime and fish to be procure I, and the many advantages to a poor man such a country offers. Reference was made to an account recently given to the American press by Mrs Harriet Beechor Stowe, in which bhe stated that the average annual return of each orange tree on a grove she haß in Florida was £4 The article wound up by saying, " As Florida becomes better known, it will doubtless divert, to some extent, the stream of emigration which now takes a more northerly course, or seeks employment in tho far off colonies of Australia." An Ancient Relic. — An interesting discovery has just been made at Sander herred, in Norway, of a Scau'lanavian antiquity unique of its kind. Buried under a hillock, a sailing vessel has been found, which is thought to have belonged to those terrible highwaymen of the ocean, the Vikiugs,or Norwegian pirates. It measures •ibout 75 feit in length, and is in an almost perfect state of preservation It is armed and equipped, as though it had been •ibandoued where found when on the point «f sailing on some adventurous expedition. All the apparatus need by nautical Norse men are met with in this ancient nraft. th« mast of which still is pretty well intact. There are fragments of sails and cordage remaining, as well as many specimens either perfect or incomMlete of utensils and instruments which have been eagerly examined by antiquaries. The ship is not yet completely dug out of its present position near the seashoie. When this has been accomplished, the vessel— which is thought to be still seaworthy — will be launched and taken to Chriatiania to be deposited in tho University Muesum. Tub British Parliament. — An analyisofthe new British Parliament shows ."hat a lttr»o mnjorty of tho members are persons who either earn their livelihood, or have done so. and have now retired. There id a popular notion that the House is crowded with gentlemen who were born to '.vmilth, and .who have nptiit'ig f> do. But >ut of the 658 members, only 136 are classed ,a belonging to the gentry, while 30 are rtither sons of peere, or are Irish or Scotch ieers in their own right. This makes only 172 members who cannot be classed as hav.ng Any definite occupation. Of all the professions the law is that which sends up the most members, np fewer thin 105 being barristers, either in practice or retired. To i hia number have to be added 13 solicitors. If, however, we take the military and naval (jrofessiot)S as one, then the warlike clast> even outnumbers the gentlemen of the long robe, becauFe, puttiDg together all officers by land and by sen, and in the Volunteer force, there are no fewer than ISO who weai : he Queen's uniform ;so that the fighting men and the lawyers b-tween them accouir for no less than 248 members. The Press has 18 representatives, engineers have 16, bankers 13, brewers and distillers 11, steamship owners 10, and colliery proprietors 9. ! There are four representatives workinp men : there is one Presbyterian clergyman, half-a-dozen tenant farmers, as many pro fessors of political economy, and as many Chairmen of Railway Companies There are only three medical men, and the samo number of architects. Tho different occu pations of the country, therefore, are unything but proportionately represented. Whether barristers and soldiers make the best legislators may be a matter of opinion, but at nny rate they seem to have the bent chance with the constituencies. Of the old House, 415 members were returned again, so that the new blood consists of 232 men. The Conservative majority in the previous Parliament was said to have been due to a combination of beer and Bibles, and therefore it is worthy of notice that nine brewers were among the defeated candidates, two of them bearing names of wide-world reputation, namely, Allscpp and Guinness. An analysis based on religious distinctions shows that 48 members are Catholics, 29 are Presbyterians, 19 Unitarians, 21 Congregationalista, 9 Werieyan Methodists, 6 Baptisto, 17 Quakers, and 5 Juwa. In addition to those who are not members of tho National Church, there are 37 members classed as Libcrathnists ; that is, as persons who hive publicly expressed themselves in favor of disestablishment in Kn gland. Opinionb ox Colonial Financb. — Amongst late telegrams from London it is stated that the Times, reviewing the commercial relations between England and the Antipodes, considers it import aut that the temporary strain caused by the bad times should not be perverted, as in the case, of Canada, into permanent obstruction of commerce. Referring to the proposed export duties of N< j w Houth Wales, the Times thinks that an Income Tax or excise duties would be preferable to a wool export duty, wbioh offers a dangerous example of meet*

ing a temporary pressure by taking a singlo class. The Times, in referring to New Zealand, comments on the straightforward action of the presenc Ministry, contrasting it with the previous extravagant financial policy. Passed. — The Deceased Wife Sufcer Marriage Bi 1 has passed the House of Representatives. Referring to the bill the E>eniiii.' Post says : — •' There is nuoher aspect of tho case to which JVlr I'itt has veiy properly called attention, its bearing upon the rights of property, and the Government appear to admit that this difficulty hua not b*en satisfactorily removed We presume, however, that care will be tuken to ensure this before the lioyal assent is given to a measure which acquires far more importance as affecting titles to property than is conferred by its oßtcntiib c purpose, which, of course, is mainly to bo j nn indemnity to persons who have broken | the law as it at present exists. Unless irreat care is taken to gu rd against in jus tice to individuals who are in le^al posses aion of property to which other persons rendered legitimate under the new Act would become entitled iv the ordinary course, grievous wrong may be done, and etidlesa litigation irduced. We hope the Government *ill assure themselves that this danger has been thoroughly averted, before they advise his Kxcellency to assent to thfl bill. Probably, however, it will be reserved for tho approval of the Imperial authorities." Goon Advice.— Under the heading of •' A Word of Warning," the N.Z Times of Tuesday says: — Telegraphic infornwtior , embodying words of warning, was received by the Mines Department yesterday fiom the newly discovered Lake ftlapourika Guldfield, at Okarito. Whilst the existence there of gold in quantity ha* been indubitably proved, and also that, so far an appearances go, probabilities are vastly in favor of a large and profitable goidfield having been discovered, yet the reports say that es long tunnelling and deep sinking must be resorted to to reach the auriferous deposits, men who rush to the field without means to keep the wolf from the door for a while are likely to have a hard time of it. As a rußh thnt might probably result in distress to the many is much to be deprecated, the Government, with commendable forethought, desires that these facts should be made known. The rush thnt hns already S'-t in to the field is more than sufficient for its preliminary developmnet, and besides this, supplies are by no means plentiful, the few storekeepers who have iissembled at the Lake, being utterly unable to provide for a lar>;e population. If the gold were within easier reach the rest would soon follow, but if, as appears from the official information received, it has to be dug deep for, persons meditating a visit to the field had better act with caution, and not go unless they are in a position to " stand it out" for a time. Those Paiuhaka Niggf.es. — The Evening Post of a late dale says : — " The arrest of feucers still goes on daily. It was suspended for a day or two through the following circumstances : — Several days ago the daily quartet of fencers included a very old man and a boy. As it might have been inconvenient to detain them, the experiment was tried of releasing all four. Next day, however, tho same four came down again, and then four move, ami afterwards six. All fourteen were arrested, and then let go, on which they at once returned towards t tie spot where they wore a'rested, with the intention of resuming the fencing, but a strong guard of Constabulary had been posted there, and effectually kept them off. They then became quite frantic, and very violent, insisting on being either arrested or elite allowed to go on fencing. Te Wliiti also sent down a polite n.essage that unless these men were arrested he should, send down twice as many next day. Under these circumutances it was deemed advisable to take them into custody and send them in to New Plymouth, which was done, and today only tha usunl four came down." Wo fancy that instead of arresting the lazy darIsies, the proper plan would be to "arm" each of the Constabulary Force engaged on the fencing with a stout "cnt-o'-nine-tails" and Roundly thrash the native fencers. This would not be quite co poetical a wind up to their fencing farce as being nrrostcd and receiving a chanp trip and free lodgings at the Colony's expense, a:id they would soon tire of it. There are enough men at Wainvite to maintain the dignity of tin? Pakehas if things coino to the worst, but it ; s shnply ridiculous to see the Government arresting tha Farihaka nativos under threats from Te Whiti, of what he will do if they are not arrested ! A good whip, well administered, would do more to stop tho fencing than all the arrests that have been made by the Constabulary. " Tall, Sir, Decidboly Tall !" — The Wairarapa Standard thus begins a leading article:— " One hundred and fifty years hence when, probably, the present population, of thirty-five millions, in tho United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland has dwindled down to twenty millions, when her coal and iron mines are practically exhausted, when London is but twine the sige that Liverpool now is, when the six and seven storied cotton factories of Manchester are roofless, when the woollen warehouses of Leeds are empty, whon the tall ohimnoys aud cupolai of the ' Black Country ' no longer vomit flames and smoke, when the foundries and forges of Birmingham are silent, and their fires extinct, when the ship building yards and workshops of Glasgow are deserted and desolate, when Edinburgh is no longer the Athens of Bri ■ tain, when Dublin is {shorn of its present j area and the grandnur of its Btreets, when Rngland has lost India an i no longer holds Gibraltar, when the United Statos have become the greatest manufacturing country of the world and boasts of a population of one hundred and fifty millions, when Australia numbers its ten million^ of souls and New Zealand counts its inhabitants as two millions at least ; then this colony will have grown into an independent State of great importance and advanced civilisation, and the greater part of it will be cultivated like a garden." If the copy of the Standard containing the above brilliant exordium is carefully deposited in the Wellington Museum, posterity will have a fair chance ' of seeing whether tho " whens " will turn out correct. We rather doubt if they will Wosdebful, if Tkue.— -A capital story is reported from Vienna. A .listinguished Austrian painter recently exhibited at tbe Kunstlerhaus an historical picture, <n which was seen a very fine head of an old man. Shortly afterwards a mysterious personage called on the artist and desired to know the name and address of the model who bad served him for tbat splendidly executed head. After some explanation the painter gave tha desired information, and the police forthwith proceeded to tho lodgings of this strikingly baodsome old man. In his portrait the detective lind reoognised a dangerous criminal, who hnd some time before escaped from prison.