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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4322, 27 January 1875, Page 2

The Board of Health yesterday paid a visit to the Quarantine Station on Somes Island. A fresh case of scarlatina developed itself on Monday afternoon last, of a very light nature, however, and the other nineteen cases were progressing favorably. It is anticipated by the surgeon that more cases will yet exhibit themselves, in which event a considerable time will elapse before the station is cleared of its inmates. It appears from the statement of the surgeon of the Berar, that when the immigrants were embarking he noticed a little girl who seemed to be suffering from illness, and called the attention of the medical man! (Dr. Humphries), who superintends and examines the immigrants before they leave, to the fact. Dr. Humphries pooh-poohed the idea; telling the doctor it was all rights and to proceed to sea. The ship left the docks on the 15th, and anchored at Gravesend till the 18th, when she left on her voyage for Wellington. On the following day scarlatina broke out, the first case being the child the doctor had pointed out to Dr. Humphries. From that time till arrival the sickness was something fearful, over'one hundred cases having come under the doctor's treatment from the time the vessel left Gravesend till her arrival in Wellington. The following are the names of those who died during the voyage, the disease, and the order in'which they died :—Alice Leggsr (scarlatina), Henry Houghton (menstrual complaint), Eliza Blake (diphtheria), Julia Sharman (scarlatina), Sarah Neale (English cholera), Mary Saville (scarlatina), A. Treaago (scarlatina), Fanny Forster (rheumatic fever), Georgina Ashworth (scarlatina), W. White (scarlatina), Frederick Benson (scarlatina), Joseph Brown (scarlatina) W. Lowd (scarlatina), W, Clayton I

(dysentery), "Ada Lord (dysentery),"AUred. Simmons (scarlatina), '■ 'A.'/Lautoii (scarlatina), Atinie Lauton (scarlatina), the last-named being the. child who died on. Somes Island on Sunday last. Tho-Berar ia now being cleaned!'.and' painted, and 'she' will probably bo."admitted to pratique at the end of the present week.

i However convenient the present railway time-table may be to persons in high places, it is extremely unsatisfactory to numbers of persons residing at the Hutt whose duties require their presence—in towz£ at the -usual office hours. At present the;train does not leave the Hutt till a quarter past nine in the' morning, so that those who; desire to reach town by nine or half-past nine are compelled to find some special means of conveyance. It should be borne in mind that the present residents at the Hutt are not the only persons to be consulted..; To : .begin with, there are' : at least twenty persons iu the Government offices who would take up their residences at the Hutt if the time-table wore so altered as to admit of their arriving in Wellington by half-past nine o'clock in the morning. But why should not even greater accommodation than ■ this be afforded ? Rents are so exorbitant, and land is so dear in that numbers of people would gladly take up sites at the Hutt if they could, reach their» employment in the city at business hours, and get back at a convenient time in the evening. ■!■: This seems to be the most likely way of creating a revenue, and the subject is one which is well worth consideration.

"••Yesterday four men and two divers were [employed, under instructions from the City Council, in removing the large-boulders and pieces of iron whicli - lie all along the breastHvork from the wharf to the Lion Foundry. A diving-dress and an air pump were hired by the Council from the Patent Slip Company, and two men engaged as.clivers. The divers each had a spell under water for four hours, during which time several large bonldei'H and pieces of iron were sent to the.surface. . Tho water was not as clear as could,,be"wished, the wind being strong and from which caused it to stir np the bottom. - AVheri all the stones have been cleaved away—a work which, judging by the progress made yesterday, will occupy a considerable time,—berthing accommodation will be afforded for quite fifteen small crafts, thus [taking away ffrom the - over-crowded wharf a largo amount of traffic. If we said no good thing could come out of Nelson we should make a mistake. In that quiet city, on the banks of the beautifully clear Maitai, there lives a dyer, whose experience was gained in the very best establishments in Scotland—where dying is" understood in perfection ; and there also dwells a most ingenious artist jin the making .'up" of hearthrugs, mats, &c, of wool, whose .products were very highly admired in the Nelson' Industrial Exhibition last year. The dyer is Mr. Alexander Robertson; the mat-maker Mr. Cook. To-day. in the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, there will be shown some splendid specimens of their combined Pits, in the forms of hearthrugs, doormats, &c. The majority of these are formed of wool, with backs of phormium tenax ; but there: is one hearthrug," a very remarkable specimen, which is;, entirely composed of New Zealand flax. Two things are sijecially noticeable in these products—first, the purity and freshness of the colors (with whicli we must credit,Mr. Robertson), and next, the originality of the designs arid the combination of the colors, for which Mr. Cook must be praised. Altogether more original productions of the kind have never bee r n seen in Wellington, and we can only regret that the artists who can produce such desirable fabrics are not resident amongst us. 'Mr. Holmes, master of■ Te Arp School, desires to correct certain -inaccuracies contained in a letter which-appeared in these, columns a few days ago. Mr. -Holmes objects chiefly to'the.statement that he receives a salary of £3OO a year from the Education Board, the greatest sum-lie has drawn in any one year being £265. The other ...statements in the letter are too wide of the truth,, Mr. Holmes thinks, to be worthy of notice ; but he adopts this as the-briefest form of contradiction to the statement in regaroVto his salary. ■''■'■.■

:' 'The Civil Cause list in the Resident Magistrate's Court. embraced a tolerably long list of cases for hearing yesterday morning; but the parties to most of the suits lightened the duties of the officials by adjusting their difficulties without an appeal to the arbitrament of Mr. Crawford. Only one case went through the ordeal of trial, a verdict being given for the plaintiff with costs. The parties tojthe suit were Watson v. Hathaway. In accordance with the peremptory provisions of the Public Health Act, Mr. Hammerton, the registrar of births and deaths, is engaged in making up the periodical defaulters' list of persons who have neglected to have their children, vaccinated. The formal notices have been distributed, but as they have failed in a great many instances to produce the desired results the summons will shortly follow. With his customary consideration, Mr. Hammerton will not push matters to an extreme till the last moment, but it would facilitate office routine if laggard parents would send in their notices without further delay. J. E. Sherrington, a seaman belonging to the Avalanche, was charged at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, with continued disobedience of orders during the voyage of the ship from England. Captain Bishop testified to the specific acts of insubordination, and the prisoner when called upon stated that he was sick and unable to work. His Worship animadverted upon the impropriety of the prisoner accepting duty as an A.B. .when, according to his own statement, he was incapable of performing the work required of him. Under the circumstances he felt bound to inflict a sentence of four weeks' imprisonment. The Wellington Volunteer Artillery Brigade turned out yesterday for a fair and-full day's practice. Colonel Reader was in command, and the brigade, we are happy to say, did every credit to Captain Pearce and themselves. They assembled in the forenoon at their drill-shed in town, and marched thence, with their battery, to Evans Bay.. There they had shell-practice, at eighteen hundred yards, or more. Twelve rounds were firedfrom each of the three guns, and it was remarked that each of the guns' made really unexceptionable practice. After this contest, the three officers—Captain Pearce, Lieutenant McTavish, and Lieutenant Pox—had a special round, in which it was admitted that Captain Pearce won the honors, the ball from his gun having knocked a hole in the target. After the firing the company were entertained in a marquee—Host Donecker, himself a member of the corps, having charge of the: revels. The band of the company met their comrades on their return at the magazine and played them into town. Captain Pearce was'- not less liberal than he usually is in his treatment of the company, and deserves a sincere compliment for it. We take the following from an evening contemporary : " Mr.' Buchanan has formally handed over the management of the Bank of Australasia to Mr. Sawers, the accountant, who will act pro tem. till advices announcing Mr. Buchanan's successor are received. Hopes are freely expressed that Mr. Sawers will obtain the promotion he without doubt deserves. The officials connected with the Wellington branch have presented Mr. Buchanan, with' a very handsome and chaste claret jug and i biscuit box as a small token of their regard." ..■..- , , i

A match at cricket will be commenced today, on the'Basin Reserve, at 11 o'clock, and continued to-morrow, between representatives of Marton and Wellington. The match is one of rather more interest than usual. Ladies will be admitted free, and there is likely to be a large and fashionable attendance. The wind still holding to the northward the ship Humboldt was unable to get to an anchorage tip to a late hour last night. During yesterday she was blown to sea a considerable distance.

The General Government has arranged to purchasethe fine dwelling-house inHawkestonestreot belonging to Mr. Elliot Elliott, and recently occupied by his Honor Mi-. Justice Johnston. This purchase will complete the number of Ministerial residences authorised by the Assembly.

Val Vo&e, the clever, ventriloquist, took his the steamer Rangatira, which flailed" yesterday evening.

The immigrants who.- arrived-* by the ship 'Ayalariche"! on. M-Snday wljre'-'all clandedi>the same evening, and proceeded to the immigration barracks. Their luggage was landed yesterday. The local • journals state that more police protection is wanted in the Wairarapa.'"One man is not enough for Greytown ; and particularly when he is'called into the remoter districts for a week together. The friends of Mr. C. -B. Borlase, who for nearly a month past has been confined to his residence through a serious attack of palpitation of the heart, will be pleased to learn that his health has so far improved as to enable him to walk abroad.

Although the shaft of the Poverty Bay Oil Springs Company has not yet been sunk, it appears the prospects of the company are so good, from the oozing of the oil into the shaft, that kerosene is now being sold in Gisborne at ninepence per gallon. There being no abatement in the violence of the wind—but rather an increase—sincetheprevious evening, the match between the crack boats Stella and' Dolly Varden was not rowed last evenings The race stands postponed till the weather "becomes more favorable for out,rigger rowing.

I \ A public meeting,: we observe, takes place this evening, in the Odd Fellows'Hall, at'eight 'o'clock p.m., of the friends of the Melanesian mission. A missionary—the Rev. C. Bice—is expected to speak, and the Bishop of Welling-ton-will bo in the chair.

i The anxiety with regard to the steamship Alhambra was, we are happy to say, relieved yesterday; by information'of'her arrival off Hokitika at an early hour in the forenoon. The report of "her voyage, and the news she brings, came to hand last night, and will be.found in another column. It will'be seen that she did not leave Melbourne until the 20th instant, (in place of the 16th), and she has thuß made a good run across, having had fair weather on the passage. '■-'"■ '■:'■■'-'"