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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 235, 4 October 1877, Page 2

Close upon a thousand pounds have been subscribed already toward** the cost of the erectioa of the new Roman Catholic Church at Reefton. The Bishop of Lichfield (Dr. Selwyn) has arrange to carry on a mission for the benefit of canal boatmen. A chaplain has beeu engaged, and a " church boat " purchased, in which his Lordship will himself make the preliminary journey. At the half yearly meeting of the Dunedin Working Men's Club tha Secretary read the balanco sheet which showed the receipts for the half year ended Uth September, to be £1194 I2s Id, and with the balance from last audit, £121 Us, made a total of £1316 6s 4d. The expenditure amounted to £1212 12s, leaving a credit balance of £103 14s 4d. The asseti amounted to £716 14s 7d, aud tlie liabilities £6 5s 3d. The Rev. Father Henneberry preached last Sunday morning and evening at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral (Wellington) which was crowded to the doors at both services. Tne Rev. Father directed his eloquent admonitions chiefly -agaiust intemperance, concluding by an impassioned appeal to his hearers to take a solemu pledge of abstinence. He then called on all who were willing to do so to hold up their right hands, on which fully 700 were held up instantly, and he than told them to repeat after him the solemn declaration which .he dictated. This they did with great heartiness. The scene altogether was a very unusual and impressive one. — Post. The Rangiora Standard says :— " We have before alluded to the fact that the Hon. E. Stafford was the chosen of the Government for office of Agent-General. There is no possible doubt now but that, if the Ministry stands the turmoil of the session— as ifc bids fair to do— Mr Stafford will relieve Sir Julius Yogel of the office he now holds. The reason ror Mr Stafford's extraordinay silence during some of the most important debatss of the last few weeks, together with his evident disinclination to thwart the Government in anything that it may do, is now very apparent. And besides, Mr Stafford's especial organ, tha Timaru Herald, has never contradicted the belief now and then expressed in the various journals that he would step into Sir Julius' shoes at the end of the latter's term of engagement, which expires next December. We feel confident that Mr Stafford now holds the appointment in his pocket and will act upon it, if his friends, the Ministry, tid» the session over. To show what a polyglot of people are to be found congregated in Wellington (writes the correspondent of the N. Z. Herald) I will relate the nationalities which ranged on one side from the head to the foot of the centre table in my hotel, on Suuday, at dinner. At tha head was a Hungarian, at the foot a Tery broad Scotchman, weighing four and twenty stone, next the chairman was an Englishman, beside him was an Hamburgher, then came an Englishman, then a Frenchman, then a Pole, then an American, then an Austrian, then a German, then an Irishman. I could distinguish no turbaned Turk or heavy-browed Russian. The latter would probably hava remained incog., for the pro-Turks, or rather anti-Russians, are in a decided majority at this table. The N. Z. Times thus measures the extent of the eloquence of the most voluminous speakers in the Assembly: — **' Howard has already reached sixteen numbers. The following is the number of lines contained in the speeches of the undermentioned gentle- . .en: Mr Rees, 8217; Sir George Grey, 6162* Mr Travers, 6078; Mr Gisborne, 50*41. Turning to another few members, we find: Mr Stafford. 1533; Mr Macandrew, 1177; Mr Moorhouae, 861 ; Mr Fox, 3076. By suiMniug up these last figures, it will be found that Mr Rees has spoken one-fourth more words than the last four gentlemen named Leaving out Mr Fox's address on the Local Option Bill, Mr Rees's speeches occupy 'more space in Hansard than two former Premiers Messrs Stafford and Fox; aud four Superintendents, Messrs 'Macandrew, Moorhouse Rollestou, and Curtis. Comment should be' unnecessary this, but, unfortunately, both a public aud private loss is taking place daily through this useless talk of Mr Rees and others, and it is time that members of thp lloijse took the niatter iq hand." Captain Hayes, " the pirate ofthe Pacific. 1 ' has met with his end in a manner which though shocking in itself, is a fitting termination of the life of crime aud adventure which he has led. Whilst endeavoring o add another to the long list of murders for which he must answer, he was struck on the head by his intended victim with an iron tiller, which laid him dead on the spot. The adventures related of this extraordinary man probably equal the wildest of the stories which as boys we were used to delight in. When in want of a ship he stole one, when its possession became a danger to him he scuttled it. He sailed under auy flag that suited him, and supplied the place of ship's papers by a loaded revolver aud a ready wit. His depredations among tho islands were notoriously the cause of the murder of Bishop Pateson. He had painted his vessel like the \ missionary schooner, and arrayed iv a sheet in place of a surplice, enticed the natives to come to service. When on board they were quickly put below, and taken off to some distant plantations. He had the most utter disregard for human life, and yet his ingenuity was so great that .his crimes could not be brought home to him, and he has in the end cheated the gallows. The presence of her Majesty's cruisers has, doubtless, limited hia sphere of activity for the last few years, and it is to be hoped, for the credit of humanity, i that he was. '■ the Last of tha Pirates."—*Sto» ! ;

The Fiji Argus has the following :— « On Wednesday evening last some little stir was created on fche beach through a report that a boat had been capsized outside the reef. As it was a dead calm at the time this appeared highly improhable. It seems that a resident on the beach was looking out at the reef with a glass, and all at once descried, or thought he did, a boat with persons in ifc tossing among the breakers. He at once rushed off and told the Harbor-master and others who, with commendable alacrity, manned a couple of boats and pulled off to the scene of the supposed disaster, bufc after pulling about for a time they could discover nothing. Ifc is now thought that the illusive boat was a fly thafc settled on the lens of the glass and moving its legs about suggested to the astonished observer this painful- accident. Though we are glad that ifc was nothing more, we trust tbat the party referred to will see that no flies are about when he next scans the reef with a telescope." A fishing party, consisting of Mr Hook, of the Freemasons' Hotel, Sydney, and Messrs Cass, Slyman, Leaves, and Couithard, had anchored near to Shark Island, Sydney harbour, on the east side, and were busily engaged with the lines. Couithard was sitting on the gunwhale with his coat tail hanging over the side, when quite suddenly a monster shark, 13 feet long, rose to the surface and seized his coat. Couithard grasped the side of the boat and called for help, bufc the shark gave a desperate tug und pulled him overboard, drawing him beneath the water souie ten or twelve feet The wholo thing was the work of an instant, and those iv the boat having observed the lashing of the mouster's tail, felt they would never sco their friend rise again. Couithard, the moment he entered the water, became aware of what was attacking him, and resolutely struggled to get free, kicking the water in an endeavour to frighten his adversary off. But the monster held tight to the coat till the half gave way. when he bolted it as a delicate morsel, and thus freed, Couithard rose rapidly to the serface. Fortunately, he came up alongside the boat, into which he threw, with the aid of his friends, a kind of somersault, just about as quickly as he was takeu overboard. The young fellow was, of course, greatly unnerved, and so wero the others in the boat, and it ia hardly necessary to say they at ouce slipped anchor, and were off. The shark, however, did not further molest them, nor did he ever show on top of the water again.