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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4196, 1 September 1874, Page 2

It was mentioned in the House yesterday, before the adjournment, J>y Mr. "Vogel, that Mr. Thomas Russell had proceeded, or - was about to proceed to Sydney, in connection with the readjustment of the San Francisco Mail Service. Mr. Russell was charged, in conjunction with Mr. Saul Samuel, with the arrangements of the service in London ; he is thorougly conversant with the whole subject, and as New South Wales appears to he determined that the California line shall be a success, it is probable that Mr. Russell may be able, on the part of New Zealand, to join New South Wales, in another effort to make the California Mail service realise to the Colonies all the advantages of which it is capable. / The ship Strathnaver, Captain Deyey,'from London,' with immigrants, arrived in port at a late hour last night ; and it'is possible we owe it to the opportune presence of the sis. Stormbird that an accident did not occur. The Strathnaver appears to have made the entrance, to the harbor about dusk' yesterday, with a; light southerly wind and a cairn sea. The vessel had got in towards, the land about Lyell's Bay, arid was in some hazard of getting upon Barrett's. Reef. The Stormbird had; left the harbor about seven o'clock p.m. on her passage to Wanganui,. and saw the ship in a position. which appeared ,to be dangerous. Captain Doile at once steamed towards her. :Thesteamerwasals,o seen from the ship about the same time, and signals were made-by theburning of blue lights. As. the Stormbird approached, a boat was sent off from the ship with the end of a tow line on board. A hawser was made fast to the Stormbird, and the smart little steamer soon had the Strathnaver in tow. "Mr. Pilot Holmes had, seen the ship, but not at a sufficiently early hour to signal' to town. He had, however,' gone off in his boat, and got on board, soon after the vessel had been taken "charge of by the Stormbird. All was reported well on board the Strathnaver, ; which was brought to the inner anchorage. The Strathnavar is one of the ships, chartered by the Agent-General, and comes consigned to Messrs. J. Johnston and Co. She has 391 immigrants.on board, and reports 'an average passage'of ninety 'days from = 'London, 1 and e.ighty-Bixi days from the Start. There were six deaths (of infants) and an equal number of births on the passage out. . It was at'first supposed that the ship was the "St/ Leonards, which has now been some ninety days at sea. Several of the Nelson and. West Coast members of Assembly sailed yesterday ;by the Albion. Mr. Curtis and Mr. Harrison remain for the purpose of meeting the deputation expected from Greymouth, and of introducing them to the Government, whom they desire to interview. It is understood that Mr. Luckie, one of. the members for Nelson City, will address his constituents before proceeding to Auckland. Nearly thirteen hundred immigrants have arrived in the Province of Canterbury within the past forty-eight hours, fortunately they have arrived in good health, while but a small number of deaths have occurred during the '.voyage, and the season is now sufficiently advanced to lead to the expectation that those landed will not be long in finding suitable employment. ' The two steamers Tararua and Albion leave the Colony again pretty closely together, but not bo closely as to cause any particular interest in their trip, except as to. the arrival of the Albion in time for the outward Suez mail. The Tararua was to leave Port Chalmers at seven o'clock last evening, and will probably sail from the Bluff this forenoon. Should the Albion have got into Nelsori last night, and out by the same tide, she should be off the West Coast, ports this evening, but it is questionable if she can bo tendered till the following morning.

In the week ending on the 14tli of August tho number of messagea sent through the Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company, was eighty-six outwards and sixty-eight inwards. This time New South : Wales heads the list. She sent thirty-six messages, the same aB Victoria did, and she received thirty, or throe more than Victoria.'

t"The adjourned meeting of Wellington' cricketers took place last'evening. .at'.Moeller's?: Empire Hotel. Mr. Bromley was voted to the chair. ; The chairman said he had taken :an active intsrest in the Wellington recreation ground from its very :beginning, and would never cease so to do. In England, our fore-, fathers had always- thought -it-'wiße,to have grounds where young people could' actively amuse themselves in long summer evenings, after the work of the day. Last summer the Wellington ground came into better favor than it had ever been before ; and, no doubt, as it became more and more available for recreation purposes, its popularity would increase accordingly. -He might add that Mr. Wilson, the head master of the College, had called on him to say that he would gladly co-operate, subscribe, and willingly assist in carrying out the object of the meeting. The meeting resolved that it: is essential to the welfare of cricket that, steps be.taken to-prepare the cricket ground, for ;the next season. It was resolved that the. attention of the trustees be called to the state of the ground, and that they be requested to take steps to obtain from the City Council the portion of the proceeds of the Town Belfrents set apart under The Wellington City Reserves Acts,.lß7l and'lß72, for the ornamentation and utilisation of the ; Basin Reserve. It was also resolved that in order to supplement the fun'ds obtainable in terms of the before quoted Acts the public be requested to aid by subscriptions, and that Mi - . Bromley act as treasurer;-*:-'::■■:'.■■■ .':'"" : ■ --;■-••■

A case involving rather a peculiar point came before the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, in which defendant, Maginnity, was sued by the plaintiff,-Warburton, for the sum of £2 9s. 3d. It transpired, in the hearing of the case, that some time since the defendant mortgaged a house to the plaintiff for the sum of £250, a clause occurring in the deed to the effect that the defendant should insure the property for a sum not less than £2OO. This was done—the house being insured for £2so— the defendant obtained a receipt, equal-to an ad interim policy. The plaintiff, because he did not receive the policy and receipts—though he was made aware of their existenceeffected a second insurance for the same property in another office, and then sued for the amount of the premium. His Worship ruled that the insurance receipt to the defendant held good, and that the second insurance effected by plaintiff was invalid, and he gave a verdict for the defendant with costs. '

! A. meeting, of the-parishionera of. St. Paul's Church, Thomdon, was held iu the schoolroom, Sydney Street, last night, for the purpose of taking,into consideration the further enlargement of the church and other matters of less, importance. A good number were present, and the Rev. Mr. llarvey, who occupied the chair, explained ■ to' them' the nature of the business and the reasons for considering it desirable that the matter should- be at:once discussed. Most of those present took part in the : debate, and : after, some - time a resolution was carried to the-: effect that the meeting concurred in the recommendation of the vestry, " that the church of St. Paul's be further enlarged," and the vestry be hereby authorised to borrow the sum of £250 for two years at eight per cent, interest, the remainder of the money, required for. such enlargement to be paid out of the ordinary revenue of the church. The rev. 'chairman stated that it was hoped and' considered' probable- that it would not be necessary to borrow to the extent which the resolution authorised. .During the discussion the idea.of. building a second church in the parish was mooted ; but from the strong improbability of beinir able to carry it out sac-; Cessfully the suggestion "did not meet witn much f%vor.. The urgent necessity forincreased church accommodation in the parish was most conclusively shown. The subject of the church organ was brought forward by a letter on the matter from the organist, in- which the defects of the. present instrument -were set forth. The letter also stated that with the increase in the size of the church, which it was proposed to effect, the requirement for some improvement in the provision of music would be all the more apparent, and the inability to provide it without a new organ would be very conspicuous. In answer to I some inquiries, it was stated that the probable cost of a new instrument, suitable to the 'church, and e.acted there, would be about £735. It was generally allowed that with the enlargement of the church in contemplation it would be impolitic to inour any additional in this matter, and after a conversational discussion the subject dropped.

A man rejoicing in an unlimited number of aliases, who has been "wanted" by the police for some time, was cleverly captured by Sergeant Price in Tinakori Road yesterday. At the time of the arrest, the individual, whose"' movements have been of so much interest to the force, was about engaging a cab to convey himself and two lady friends to the Hutt on a pleasure trip. The appearance on the scene of the sergeant, however, slightly altered the movements.of the party, and.,the would-be entertainer was shortly afterwards brought before the Resident Magistrate as John Albert Halbritter, alias Hansckisen, alias Kohn, charged with horse-stealing, and two cases of forgery. j-The prisoner, who was remanded until Thursday, has given the police no end of trouble of late, and despite " reliable information," &c, has. managed to elude their grasp until his attention to the fair sex led him into the clutches of the law. ■•■

The annual meeting and dinner (the latter given by Captain Pearce) of the Wellington' "Volunteer Artillery corps; took place' yesterday at Donnecker's Union Hotel. The object of the meeting was to receive' the balancesheet ~and pass the" accounts. This was done, and the Company then'proceeded to elect a general committee for the battery for the year. The following members were elected :—Lieutenant McTavish, Lieutenant' Eox, Sergeants Gell, Russell, and Bock, and Diamond. -.Gunner Wiggins was elected secretary, and treasurer. A sum of ten guineas was voted to Secretary. Mason for ; his services last year. It was also resolved'that the honorarium should be''ten guineas per annum for the secretaries of the corps .in . future.. At ■ the dinner, Captain' Pearce presided! The toasts of "The Queen," and "His Excellency. the Governor," were proposed and duly responded to. Afterwards the health of Capt. Pearce was given and warmly acknowledged, and,.» number of other Jtoasts followed. About .sixtymembers of the Company sat down at table. The fine band of the Artillery was-present dnring the evening. The dinner was provided by Mr. Donnecker (a member of the corps) in his usual excellent style.: f-;; ,T Judgment was given at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday in the action Towers v. Hydes and another, by which the plaintiff sought to recover damages amounting to £2O; through the defendants having improperly, used the title of the "G-rif Dramatic Company," which the plaintiff claimed to have sole right to. His Worship held that the plaintiff retained his right to the title after the dissolution with his partner in the company, Mi - . Burford. As it was understood that the action was simply brought to test the question of right, a verdict was given for Is.; and costs.

Mr. Moriarty's report on the improvement of the Grey River, to which. reference has already been made, is accompanied , by an excellently executed plan of the river .from the Gorge to the bar, showing, the wharves and their proposed extension, the training walls and breakwater, with soundings in the, river, and on the bar and adjoining banks. . The cost of the proposed work is calculated at £94,903, made up as follows :—124,500 .tons second class stone in inner tracing wall, at 4/. 6d., £28,012 ; 175,000 ditto in breakwater,: large blocks averaging ten tons each, at 55., £43,75'd ; 1000 feetliuealof wharf, at£B, £BOOO ; bridge at entrance to lagoon, £I6OO ; railway and sidings to breakwater,, £3OOO ; pitching inner faoe of training wall £2000; add for contingencies ten per cent.,- £8636. In one of the concluding paragraphs of his report, Mr. Moriarty says : —"I think, that after the works I have indicated have been in operation some few years, you may confidently look: to have an available depth\for navigation—of about fifteen or sixteen feet at H. W. neaps, on the bar and in the channel leading to the wharves. This would not of course be sufficient for very large vessels ; but, suclv would not be necessary to command a very large coal trade, which is, in the present day, carried on

for.the most part in screw steam colliers, or small class sailing vessels. The natural capabilities of Greymouth are not great; and too much must not be expected from any works which may be undertaken for its improvement, but if those which I have suggested be carried out, I have no doubt of the port being rendered safe, and comparatively easy of access for vessels of the class I have named." It is to urge upon the Government the undertaking of these works that a deputation is bow on its -way from Greymouth to Wellington; The deputation sailed ;. by. .one of the ■ coasting steamers, and may be. expected to arrive by j the first steamer from that port.. . ..,.,.-,

At the Wanganui Police Court yesterday a man named Cutten was committed for trial on a charge of cattle stealing. It may be remembered by many residents of this town that the accused was in business here some eighteen months ago as a butcher, and that" - a - peculiar circumstance brought his name rather prominently before the public' He reported the loss of a sum of money, about £IOO, which, he stated, had been stolen out of his desk, and ' offered £25 reward for such information as would lead to the conviction of the thief. Tha ' police, in whose hands the matter was placed, did not put much credence in the report; the thief was never discovered, and shortly afterwards Cutten; turned insolvent. 'At the same Court yesterday, a saddler named Blake, charged with assaulting a man with an iron. * bar, was committed to take his trial.

The collection of funds for building a new Presbyterian Church in Wellington, has progressed in such a satisfactory manner that tenders are now invited—by advertisement in another column—for its erection. Tenders will be received up to'noon on' the 22rid ; instant, at the office of Mr. J. TurnbulL architect,"where plans and specifications may be seen. The site chosen for the edifice is at the corner of Willis and Dixon Streets. ■'.-... In addition to the cases at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, referred to elsewhere, two drunkards were fined, and a civil case, Johnson v. Woodward, £sj in which judgment was given for the amount claimed and costs, was disposed of.

It is a common practice to take children afflicted with the whooping cough to a gas factory to respire the air there. Dr. Massola, says a contemporary, has shown that it is the infusoria in the atmosphere that causes the paroxysm, and by, taking prepared carbolic acid jujubes, tlie.spasms in the second stage of the cough are completely allayed. In connection with its report.of the'late fire in Dunedin, the Daily Times suggests the advisability of introducing " peg-clocks," being a cheap and useful description of tell-tale clocks. These clocks will show whether the watchman does his duty of going his rounds, being not only a protection to the employer, but to the watchman who can, in case of misadventure, in so far as showing.proof of going his rounds is concerned, be acquitted, of blame. If the watchman does not pull down the peg every quarter of an hour, or any particular time to which the clock is set, the clock records and shows the fact. These clocks are used in model gaols, factories, and all large establishments where night watchmen are employed in Great Britain and Ireland. ..

■■,-:..;.' .'• NELSON. The Mail considers • that Nelson has reason to be gratified with the position she holds as having a more temperate 'community than any other of the principal towns of the Colony Such'at least is "the conclusion arrived at after a perusal of the following official returns furnished by the Registrar-General, from which it will be seen that the per-rcentage of convictions for drunkenness in Nelson is exceedingly small as compared with.other places :

The above statistics Are taken from the returns for 1871 ; but, so far as Nelson is concerned our contemporary is informed on good authority that the proportion of convictions to the population is still smaller now than it was; then. < . ■■■ ■ • . : WESTLAND. . The body of the lad Jones, who was drowned in the Greymouth Lagoon, on July 17, was only discovered last week after long, and diligent search. The Mayor of Greymouth has received a telegram from His Honor the Superintendent, stating that the erection of the new Telegrasi^.... Office, at Greymouth,- will be delayed, An' order to enable the Government to> coine to some arrangement so as to secure thra" Hospital site for public building purposes. ■',':'■'.. ! .There is a division of o/p'inion among subscribers : to the Hokitika Literary Association, as to whether their roorhs should be open on, Sunday,' and the dispute is ;only likely to be; settled by an appeal to a general meeting. ; '" CANTERBURY. The railway to Ashburton which was opened a few days* ago is the first-length of railway of the 3ft. 6in. guage, constructed by the Colonial Government in the Province of Canterbury. ■ It was, opened under, the management of the Provincial, Government. / The : line forms a link of about eighteen rnU£s„in the main .line,., which will ultimately c6»nect the North and South'of., the Middle Island. From Christv church to Rakaia, at present, the railway is worked, upon the sft. 3in. giiage, so that a break occurs at Rakaia, but this inconvenience will shortly be done .away with, as the whole line to Christchurch is in course of conversion to thenarrow guage. On of- Dr.:Campbell, at a recent meeting of the Conncilbf-: the Acclimatisation Society,, it „was Bills should. be" written to, ajid requested to bring out to Canterbury not,, less" than' 500 leeches. Mr. Bills is expected; to leave England in October., . The total .traffic, returns on the Canterbury railways for the month of July, amounted to £6740. The'total receipts for the corresponding month o,f -'.July/in 1873, we;re £5332. Nominations for the C.J-C. Handicap, and Canterbury Cup, close at 8 p.m. to-day (Tuesday, Sept. Ist). . OTAGQ. After an absence of many weeks Mr.. ' Beetham has assumed his position as resident magistrate at the Queenstown Court.. Mr. Beetham, while in Westland, says: the Mail, pointed out many anomalies ,in the mining. regulations, and found them-; unduly hampering mining operations, and, at the request of the Superintendents of Nelson and Westland, drafted the basis of a more suitable and liberal code of byelaws. A valuable collection of shejls, brought by the barque Victorine from the Mauritius, has been bought for the Dunedin Museum by a number of private gentlemen. , , We learn from the Wakatip Mail that the consignment of trout.ova, presented by Mr. Young, of Palmerston, to the Corporation, has arrived. safely, and in good condition. 1500 eggs were received, of which about 1000 were alive. They were three days on the road, but the great care of the coachman preserved them. - ■ The Southern Hotel Company (Limited), is advertised in the Dunedin papers. The capital of the company >b to be £40,000, in 40,000 shares of £1 each, of which amount it is. proposed to call up 10s. per share, on easy terms to shareholders. There are fifteen Provisional Directors, all well-known citizens. The prospectus states that the company is formed ' for the purpose of erecting in Dunedin a first-class hotel,. Bimilar to those existing in the large cities of Europe'and America—one that will not only supply existing requirements, but will offer inducements to tourists and travellers to visit that part of New Zealand; It is proposed to, build a hotel with 200 bedrooms, and other necessary accommodation. : The cost of the

freehold land and building is estimated at and the "furniture- -and fittings at £6OOO, thus making the total outlay required £35,000... To meet this a capital of £20,000 will be sufficient, as the'balance canbebor-; rowed at a moderate rate on the security ot thejand and buildings. • -

Convictions fc Town. Population. : 12 months; Nelson . 5,534 84 Napier . 2,179. ... 80. Invercargill. .. . 1,960 75 Wanganui . 2,390 17S'. Wellington ., 7,908 ■ 179 Queenstown .. 562 36 Hokitika, . 3,572 101 Blenheim:. . ..-7.il.- ... ■-. 36 Christchurch ■'.. ." 12,466 , ... 295 Lyttelton . i 2,551 ... 41 Timaru . 1,418 ' ... -56 Greymouth .. . :2,181 -., ... 111 Dunedin . 14,857 706 Auckland .' 12,937 1247