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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4334, 9 February 1875, Page 2

The polling for To Aro Ward, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the retirement of Councillor McKirdy, will take place 'today. The candidates are Mr. Andrew Young, Mr. E. T. Gallon, and Mr. C. Moody. A telegram has been received from Sydney, via Auckland, which states definitely that H.M.S. Pearl has been presented to the New Zealand Government, to be used as a training ship. The Imperial Government has, therefore, fully redeemed its promise to this colony, to present a better ship than the Rosario. The telegram states that the P6arlwill be stationed in Wellington. H.M.S. Rosario, Captain Dupuis, will leave Wellington on Thursday next for Sydney. At Sydney she will be relieved of that part of her armament which the Imperial Government intends to retain, and the vessel will afterwards proceed to Adelaide, where she will be handed over to the South Australian Government as a training ship. Her crew will embark at Adelaide for London. The licensing law still seems to be in rather a confused state, so much so that considerable misapprehension has ai-isen as to the power to be exercised by the Quarterly Licensing Bench. The legal brethren who usually ti-ansact business of this nature seem to be no more learned in the matter than their clients, the result being a general appeal to the Clerk of the Court, who explained the course of procedure, in accordance with the combined clauses of the general and local act, to be this : the Quarterly Licensing Bench sits on the 2nd of March, when applications for transfers will be considered. No applicatioiis for renewals, or for new licenses, can be entertained, but those licenses which were temporally transferred at the last sitting will have to come before the Bench at the March sitting. The annual licensing meeting does not come round until the first Tuesday in June.

Mr. Frazer, the outward pilot, who it will be remembered was taken on to Lyttelton by the ship Langstone, which sailed on the night of Monday, the Ist instant, returned to Wellington by the steamer Phoebe yesterday. The Ijangstone arrived at I/ytteltbn on Saturday last. It appears that on the night named the pilot boat was seen waiting for the ship in the narrows, and on the Langstone coming up she was hailed by those in the boat, who were to windward. The pilot, replied, asking them to come outside th'i reef, as it would not have been safe to brace the ship up off Barrett's. It is probable, owing to the vessel being to leeward, those in the,-lKaJb**ere enable to diS"--tlnguiaL.the pilot's..vote*.;, and concluded he .was not on board. The Langstone was hove-to outside the light for over an hour, but no boat showing up she stood away on her course. Royalty, says an English exchange, has at last condescended to enter the lists of the dramatists. Prince . George of Prussia has produced a play. It is called " Elfrida of Monte Salerno," is in five acts, and is terribly romantic. In the last act, a banqueting-hall falls in and kills the wicked heroine and all her evil crew. Her brother goes mad, and several others of the characters do very dreadful things. In fact, horrors are laid on with a princely hand. The annual general meeting of the Greytown Rifle Association took place at the Institute on Friday last, the sth inst., at 7.30 p.m. Mr. Varnham was in the chair. The secretary read the annual report and balance sheet, which showed that for 1874 there were fortythree members, subscriptions paid amounting to £22 135., nearly £2O of which had been expended in prizes during the year. It was very much regretted that the Government had not (as in 1873) supplemented this amount in any way. The vacancy caused in the presidentship of the association, by the lamented death of Capt. Cleland, was not filled up at the meeting, the offices of President and VicePresident being left over for the consideration of a future meeting. The following members were elected as a committee for 1875: — Messrs. T. and H. Kempton, A. Wakelin, J. Howe, G. Sayer, W. Allan, W. Varnham, C. W. Keys, G. Hollard, and St. George, lion, sec, &c. It was then proposed and duly seconded, " That in future no member of any other association in the Valley be allowed to join this ;" but on the motion being put to the meeting, it was lost by a majority of one. The secretary informed the meeting that he bad heard from a reliable source that it was the intention of the Government to call in all the rifles in the possession of members as soon as possible, and suggested that an application be made to Colonel Reader for permission to retain them. It was arranged that a challenge should be sent to the Carterton Kifle Association to fire a friendly match at an early date, after the return of the colonial representatives. The silver challenge cup (value twelve guineas) was then presented to Mr. W. Allen, i the winner for 1874. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated tho business.

Considerable speculation has been indulged in as to what caused the yacht Garibaldi to .leak to such an extent on Saturday last as to interfere with her chances of winning the match. After being brought to the wharf she was placed on the Te Aro beach, where she now lies on blocks. An inspection of the vessel yesterday, by uninterested parties, showed her bottom to be quite free from a scratch, not a single plank appearing to be started in the slightest. Inside, she presents the same freedom from damage or strain. The experiment of emptying half a dozen buckets of water into her hold was tried, and excepting a few tears being shed on the garboard streak, there was not the faintest sign of a leak. It is possible she may have opened her seams with the heavy press of canvas she was carrying during the race, but, as she appeared yesterday, there was no sign of that having been the case.

The match between the Pahautanui volunteers arid the volunteers of the Wellington district came off yesterday, at the Tawa Flat range. The scores were : —Pahautanui, 539 ; Wellington, 481, the Pahautanui winning by 58 points. The two highest scorers were C'apt.' Crowe, 67 points, and Gunner Mason, 65 points, for Wellington, and Woodman, 61 points, and Sergt. Jones, 60 points, for Pahautanui. The return match will be fired at the PolliiU Gully range on Monday, the 22nd instant. An adjourned meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Wednesday next, the 10th instant, ateleven o'clock in the forenoon. The business —at last, and a considerable while late—is the consideration of the Inspector's report of the Ist of August last.

We observe that Mr. Moton Moss, merchant, of Melbourne, who suffered so severely through the operations of tho " Launceston ring," lias now increased to £IOO tho reward he offers for the capture of Mr. W. W. White, the Launceston absconder, and to .£SOO for his conviction before a court.

The English Opera Company lately gave a performance;to the inmates of the asylum for lunatics at Dunedin. There are about two hundred persons confined in.that institution. - Although the water in the evening was as smooth as glass, at the hour appointed for the scullers'' match it was supposed to be rather too lumpy for outriggers, and the race was accordingly postponed till this afternoon.

Messages are now forwarded by Greyille's Australian Telegram Company and the Oriental Telegram Agency, from Melbourne to London for £1 for the first word, and ten shillings for every other word. The steamer Manawatu, which sailed yesterday afternoon for Foxton and Wanganui, took on board at Somes Island seventy-three immigrants, ex Berar. Thirty-two will be dropped at Foxton, and the remainder (forty-one) conveyed on to Wanganui.

The Lake lVal-atip Mail, from a bi-weekly has become a weekly newspaper. It attributes this retrograde movement to the depressed state of the district, in consequence of an exodus of the miners to the goldfields in the north of Queensland.

Messrs. Reid and Co., of Westport, have favored us with a copy of their West Coast Almanac and Directory for 1875. This is the seventh year of its publication, and it is highly creditable to them and to the district that Westport should be able to produce, and require, so useful a work. We observe that Clement W..Govett, Esq., of Taranaki, has been admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, having been previously called to the English Bar by. the Middle Temple. Mr. Govett is a son of Archdeacon Govett, of Taranaki, and a nephew of George Hunter, Esq. Miss May Howard, we observe, is still too unwell to appear on the stage at Christchurch. Mr. Collier's company, therefore, have-been appearing to considerable disadvantage. The public of Christchurch appear to realise the fact, and when Mr. Collier took a benefit the other day they complimented him with a full house. The play was "The Corsican Brothers," with Mr. Collier in the chief part.

It will be seen from a telegram in another column that the Rev. Charles Clark, of Melbourne, was kind enough to comply with a request made to him, and preached at Blenheim on Sunday to a crowded congregation, composed, we learn, of members of all the religious bodies in that community. Mr. Clark made the journey from Picton specially to comply with the request that had been telegraphed to him. He will arrive by the next steamer from the other side of the Strait, and —so far as it has been possible to conclude arrangements—will deliver his first lecture in Wellington in St. Andrew's Church, on Thursday evening. The subject chosen is " Charles Dickens " —a lecture which has never failed to interest an audience, and to convey a high idea of Mr. Clark's platform powers. There was again a very excellent attendance at the Odd Fellows' Hall last night, when the panorama of Old Ireland was once more unrolled. The views, as they always are, were received with great favor. Mrs. Baker sang " I've been thinking"—a pretty waltz song—most charmingly ; and, with Mr. Baker, the pretty duet, " Only a dream of home." In this both proved themselves thorough artists. Mr. Baker also sang "My heart is thine alone," with great ability. Mr. Henry Baker repeated " The harp that once threugh Tara's halls," and then sang "The Irish Emigrant," with all the feeling which he so well knows how to throw into songs of that pathetic and thoroughly national character. Mr. Verner's "Dutch Drum Major" was as comic a thing as has been heard and seen for many a day, and created immense amusement. Mr. and Mrs. Moran appealed to the Irish heart in " The Two O'Donohue's," and were extremely well received. "The Hod-Carriers," also, was regarded as a rare bit of fun. The engagements of*the company in'the Souvh will prevent their stay in Wellington beyond the next two or three days, and, therefore, those who have not yet availed themselves of seeing " Ireland and the Irish " in the Odd Fellows' Hall, should do so at once. The reduction of the price of admission to the front seats, is a reasonable concession ; and the arrangement for families is very liberal. On Thursday, as we note, a complimentary benefit will be given to Mr. John Moran.

Last evening, as had been previously announced, a service of song was given in St. John's Presbyterian Church, Willis-street, which was fairly attended. The service consisted of eleven hymns, which were sung by the Sabbath-school children ; and they were introduced and illustrated by judicious selections from Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, which were read by the Rev. James Paterson. A platform was raised round the pulpit, upon which the choristers sat; and their sweet fresh voices were heard with fine effect throughout the building. Where each piece was rendered so effectively, it would, perhaps, be inviduous to particularise ; but the manner in which "The Shadow of the Ilock" was sung was deserving of great "praise, showing, as it did, that great pains had been taken in instructing the children, and that they were very apt pupils. "We've a Home over There" was also nicely sung, as well as the piece " Sweet by-and-bye;" the several parts being so beautifully blended as to sound in most delightful harmony. Indeed, the children sang each hymn with enthusiasm, precision, and taste as to reflect the highest praise upon their leader and conductor, Mr. William. Tonics, who was highly complimented by the Kev. James Paterson, for the pains he had taken to instruct them. The service of song concluded about nine o'clock, and all present expressed themselves as highly delighted with it. An effort is being made in Pahautanui to establish a "brass band. A public meeting was held a short time ago, and a working committee appointed to manage the affair. A considerable amount has been already subscribed, so that there is every prospect of obtaining a sufficient number of instruments for a start; and as there are several young men in the district who possess musical taste and talent, there is no doubt the proposal will be brought to a successful issue. The greatest difficulty appears to be the want of some person competent to act aS instructor and leader of the band. No doubt there are many peraons about the country districts who possess the requisite knowledge, and it would be a good opportunity for such a man, as work could be obtained in the district, and his evenings would be profitably employed. We find the following in the Melbourne Argus: —"His Excellency the Marquis of Normanby, who was taken over from Sydney to Auckland in the Hero, laid an information against Captain Logan for a breach of the ! Colonial Passengers' Act. His Excellency, it is alleged, felt aggrieved that sufficient cabin space had not been allotted himself and suite, and that other passengers had been charged less fare than himself. The ease was tried on the day the Hero left Auckland for Melbourne, and the authorities, taking their own standard of measurement for the passenger space, found that there was an excess of 15 passengers in the saloon, and adjudged Captain Logan to pay a fine of £lO in each iustance, or .£l5O in all. Against this decision, however, there was a prompt appeal, and the matter is still sub judice. The Hero is supposed to have space in her saloon for 90 passengers, and on the trip on which the Marquis of Normanby patronised her she had only 55 passengers in the cabin. Captain Logan means to have the steamer re-measured here, and again at Sydney, and fortified thus, he will meet the Auckland Customs officers on his next trip there."

The sweet melody of the English skylark, the Wanganui Herald reports, . has lately startled and delighted the inhabitants of Waikanae and Otaki, briuging to the recollection many happy associations. The little songsters which have made their way so far down the coast, must cither have belonjed to one of the lots lately liberated in Wanganui, or else must have made their way aero >s the strait from' Nelson. The residents of both races enjoy greatly the sweet notes of the little strangers.