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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4130, 16 June 1874, Page 2

Wc observe that His Excellency the Governor arrived in Nelson harbor yesterday morning, the Blanche having made a fine run up Blind Bay. HALS. Blanche was expected to leave Auckland yesterday, for Wellington. There was held, last evening, in Messrs. Bethune and Hunter’s buildings, a meeting of the vestries of St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s, for the purpose of considering the propriety of erecting a new Anglican Church in the City. The following were the resolutions arrived at : —l. That a new district he formed out of St. Peter’s parish between the Cricket Ground and the harbor. 2. That a suitable site be procured, and a church erected thereon. 3. That a parsonage be, if possible, erected, and the services of a clergyman be secured for the new district. -1-. That a public meeting be held at Messrs. Bethune and Hunter’s, on Monday, the 22nd instant, at eight o’clock, to which all church members are invited. Captain Holliday and Captain Mclntyre held a survey yesterday on the barque Chevert, and found that though the masts and rigging were not in very good order, the vessel was otherwise perfectly seaworthy. Finding his crew to jbe thoroughly obstreperous, Captain Martin has paid them off, and determined to effect necessary repairs here. The rigging will undergo a complete overhaul, and the vessel’s sides and decks will be recaulked before she proceeds on her voyage. The absence of a quorum necessitated the postponement of the ordinary meeting of the Education Board yesterday. The Chairman (Mr. Brandon), and the Secretary and. Inspector were the only persons present at the appointed hour. A monthly French journal, the Revue Amis now published in Sydney. It has been projected to support French interests in Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, and the Polynesian Islands generally. It reproduces articles from the colonial press having interest to the French population of the Colonies and settlements already alluded to, with mercantile intelligence, political news, correspondence, short tales, &c., and will be interesting to the particular people to whom it is addressed. • • As the Pangatira was making her way down the East Coast, and when just off Portland Island, those on board saw some strange objects about two miles away. The steamer was headed for the place, and the objects turned out to be a crew of Maoris in a whaleboat, who were towing behind them a large whale, which they stated had been dead some days. Those on board having already guessed it must have been about that period, the steamer retreated precipitately, the Maoris being left to the enjoyment of the pure atmosphere surrounding them. The number of sheep in the Provinces of Otago and Canterbury at the beginning of this year were : —Otago, 3,37-1,532 ; Canterbury, 2,813,601 ; total in the two Provinces, G, 198,133. The increase during last year in each Province numbered—Canterbury, 217,051; Otago, 05,145 ; total increase, 282,790. Among the passengers by the steamer Plicebe to Wellington were Captain Boyd and Mr. W. H. Cutten, of Dunedin, who are at present on a tour through the Colony, as Commissioners for the promotion of the projected Colonial Bank.

It is highly significant of the practical sense of the settlers of Canterbury, as it is also significant of the readiness with which domestic servants find homes of their own in the Colony, that among the women who became wives iu that Province during the past ten weeks, fifty described themselves as having been in domestic service.

A hotel in Invercargill was yesterday the scene of a tragedy such as fortunately has yet been of rare occurrence in the Colony. A man named Brennar, who had been a seaman on board the Scimitar, in some strange and unaccountable fit of homicidal passion, seems to have made a murderous attack Upon a young girl named Hall, who had been a passenger by the same vessel. The girl was severely—it is feared fatally—wounded by a blow with an adze, deliberately inflicted by Brennar, who is now in custody, and does not, and cannot, conceal that he is guilty. The experiment of opening the Christchurch Museum on Sunday has at length been made, and it is evident that the privilege is one which meets with popular approval, for in the three hours during which the doors were open, some three thousand people visited the institution. That decorum and good order should have been observed is not to be wondered at, there being nothing in museums more than in churches, to provoke any other style of behaviour. AUCKLAND. A Tanranga telegram in the Auckland papers states that, not only have numerous earthquakes been felt at Rotorua, but that the geyser at Whaveavewauua is actively throwing up a column of water sixty feet high. Wo observe amongst the passenger-list of the Hero, from Sydney to Auckland, the names of Mr. Foley and members of the Magnet Variety Troupe. Mr. Foley, who has been a visitor to Hew Zealand for the last seventeen years, is to make another tour of the Colony with the company with whom he is now associated. The following return, recently completed, has been handed to the Bay of Plenty Times by Mr. Hopkins Clarke, Native Census Enumerator for the district of Tauranga (including Motiti): —Males ; Under 15 years, 102 ; over 15 years, 500. Females : Under 15 years, 109; over 15 years, -111. Total, 1245. In ISO!), the number of Natives resident in the district was estimated at 1100. The late census, therefore, shows an increase of 145. It has frequently been assorted that the climate of Auckland is too cold for the successful culture of the orange-tree. It would seem, however, that the irresistible “ logic of facts” is about to settle the point. The Southern Cross notices that there was lately exhibited in the window of Mr. E. Baird, seedsman, Victoria Street, a very substantial proof that the sweet or Lisbon orange can be grown in the neighborhood of Auckland with great success and profit. The proof consisted of a small branch of an orange-tree, containing no fewer than fifteen large-sized oranges. It was grown by the Rev. John Warren, of Oucliunga, in the open air, without shade or shelter of any kind. The following is the report of the Select Committee of the Provincial Council on Sir. G-. V. Stewart’s proposed Special Settlement at Katikati :—“ 1. The correspondence and evidence submitted to the committee have disclosed the fact that the good faith of the Province and Colony is pledged to Mr. Stewart to such an extent ns to render it necessary to make the reservation of the Katikati laud as requested by him.' 2. That the committee are further of opinion that Mr. Stewart is acting earnestly and in good faith in endeavouring to carry out his scheme of special settlement, ami nothing has transpired under investigation which would justify them in entertaining any doubt of the genuineness of Mr. Stewart’s proposals and of his ability to cany rthem out. 3, That, to afford Mr. Stewart a reasonable opportunity to carry out his part of the agreement, the lands above referred to should bo reserved for his special settlement until the 31st December,-1875, upon

conditions set forth in the Agent-General’s letters of the loth July and 23rd April, 1573, and subject to such conditions and stipulations as the Government and Mr. Stewart may further agree upon before Mr. Stewart leaves the Colony.” A destructive gale is reported by the Herald to have occurred at Waiuku. It commenced to blow strong about eight o’clock p.m., and by dusk rose to a perfect hurricane. A good deal of damage to houses, hay-stacks, drays, and trees lias been the result, but nothing of a very serious nature. At Port Waikato the Government building was completely blown off the blocks and carried some distance ; it contained a machine and a quantity of flax. Hie building was carried away at high-water and drifted some chains, and finally lodged oil the side of the river amongst a quantity of toi-toi. At Pura-pura, (the old landing-place, at tl e head of the Awaroa creek,) a house, formerly used as a store, was completely blown over and considerably smashed. At Waiuku East several hay and straw-stacks were blown down, and a great number of gum and other trees were completely rooted up. Several fences also suffered from the effects of the gale. In noticing the Citizens’ Ball to Sir Jnines and Lady Pergusson, the Southern Cross says : .—The ball was a success in every respect. Upwards of 400 citizens, comprising the elite of Auckland, were present. The main hall had been cleared and carefully prepared for the occasion. The decorations in it were limited, but in the supper room there was a profusion of bunting. In the other side-hall refreshments were provided. The ball was opened at 9.30 p.m. until a quadrille, the first set being ; His Excellency Sir James Pergusson and Mrs. Charles John Taylor, Mr, C. J. Taylor and Lady Pergusson, Mr. T. B. Gillies and Mrs. Captain Pergusson, Captain Simpson (H.M.S. Blanche) and Mrs. Gillies. _ The dances followed in rapid succession until midnight, when an adjournment was made to the supper-room. It was a standing supper which was provided, and the usual formalities and toasts were dispensed with. Dancing was resumed and kept up with spirit until the sixteenth dance, the “Adieu Yalse,” completed the programme. The lately reported explosion of fire-damp in a quartz-mine is thus described by the Thames correspondent of the Southern Cross : —The drive on the course of the No. 1 reef in the Crown Prince mine has been carried a long distance to the seaward (westward) of the other workings of the mine, and a slide has been struck. The stopes have been carried up, to the same slide, and hence the difficulty arose. At about eight o’clock last night there was a leakage of water about 12 feet above the level in the stopes in this reef. The underground manager, Mr. Beeche (brother of Mr. Beeche, the manager of the mine), went up into the stopes, and was about to stop the leak with clay. Unsuspicious of danger, he brought his candle close to the aperture, when suddenly a fierce blaze burst out. He at once dropped into the main level, and the flame, with great fury, roared through the stopes with fearful sound. Mr. Beeche, by being underneath, escaped the flames, which in about ten minutes died out. This morning one of the workmen went to the aperture to jam up the hole, when his caudle again set the gas on fire, and before he could escape the front of his shirt and other portions of his clothing were much scorched. This is quite a new enemy with which to contend. HAWKE’S BAY. The Herald learns that Mr. Tatham, of Te Ante, has taken Mr. Dalziell’s run of 8000 acres, near Tologa Bay. Mr. Rhodes gave notice in the Provincial Council on Friday to move, on Tuesday next, “ That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to place upon the Estimates the sum of £20,000 for the artificial harbor at Napier, as an assurance to the General Assembly that this Council is in earnest about the necessity of more shipping accommodation for this port.” A man named McHugh tried to drown himself on Saturday at the Spit, and, after being rescued from death by water, attempted to kill himself by stabbing himself in the neck until a table fork, but did not inflict a dangerous wound. He is said to have been suffering from the effects of drink at the time. CANTERBURY. The following are the names of the Northampton’s patients in the hospital at the quarantine station ;—Doing well ; Mrs. Hears, age 20. Doing fairly :E. Jeffrey, age 40 ;J. Berry, 33 ; E. Everett, 5. All slight eases, doing well : Lilly Everett, age 2 ; Mrs. Ostler, 29 ; Mrs. Laity, 18 ; Walter Gaizer, 27 ; James Atkins, 20 ; E. Rudd, 18 ; Mrs. Gowen, 25, Mrs, Breever, 27. A system of inspecting licensed houses has been suggested in the Provincial Council. When the police estimates were under consideration, says the Lyttelton Times, Mr Potts advocated the appointment of a thoroughly qualified and well-paid inspector of licensed houses. He believed that such an appointment would result in the prevention of a great deal of misery, and in the saving of a large amount of expenditure which would otherwise be incurred in the maintenance of hospitals and asylums. The hon. member expressed a hope that the Government would take action in the matter. The Hon. Mr. Buckley concurred with the remarks of the lion, member for Port Victoria, and stated that he knew of instances where men became lunatics through drinking adulterated liquor. Mr. Jollie stated that the suggestions made by the hou. member for Port Victoria would receive the earnest consideration of the Government. OTAGO. By the last outgoing British mail (says the Times), there were forwarded free' passage nominations for 79 souls, equal to 07 statute adults. That number of applications was made between the 2nd and Bth of June inclusive. The Molynoux River continues at a very jow level tins season, giving the bank sluicers plenty of fall to run away their stuff. The palmy days of beach workings (remarks the Tuapeka paper) appear to have departed. Four or five years ago, when the river was about its present level, tire sound of cradles could bo heard along the beaches from the Kawarau to the Beaumont.