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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4368, 20 March 1875, Page 2

The Provincial Gazette of Tuesday last contains a proclamation by the Superintendent of Wellington for the election of Wardens for Taratahi-Carterton Highway District, and Masterton Highway District. The particulars will be found in another column.

A meeting of Justices for the revision of the jury list will be held on Friday, April 2nd, at noon. Persons who may have auy valid reason to urge why they should not be called upon to serve upon juries will be heard by the Justices, should they attend to state their objections at the meeting thus notified. The first shipment, consisting of 108 tons, of Grey Ttiver coal which has been received in Wellington for a long time past, arrived in the brigantine Enterprise, from Greymouth, yesterday. The coal was conveyed from the mine to the vessel in lighters, and the Enterprise experienced no detention in loading, which was accomplished in twenty-four hours. By the arrival of the schooner Hannah Barratt last evening from the Chatham Islands, we learn that matters are quiet at the islands, and that the residents, both European and Maori, are enjoying immunity from disease. No death had occurred for a long period. The schooner brought eleven passengers—three Europeans who went down by her, and eight Maoris of the Ngatimutunga tribe, who are on a visit to their friends at Taranaki.

Visitors from Wellington will shortly form a tolerably numerous body at Home. Within the past six months half-a-dozen leading citizens have departed for the old country. The next on the list is Dr. Kemp, who sails from Canterbury in the Avalanche in about a month. He will be away about twelve months, and during his absence Dr. Garland will be his locum tenens.

A popular scenic artist—Mr. T. S. Kemp —has died of consumption, at Auckland, at the early age of thirty-three years. He was well-known throughout the colony as an artist of considerable merit.

The Oazette of Thursday contains a series of regulations for the public prisons of the colony, under The Prisons Act, 1873. Regulations under. Th i> .Now Zealand " Settlements Act, 1863, adopted on the 17th instant, are also published. At a meeting of shareholders of the Cooperative Baking Society, held last evening at the Odd "Fellows' Hall, the following resolutions passed at a former meeting were confirmed:—"!. That the Wellington Co-operative Baking Society (Limited) be placed in liquidation immediately. 2. That Thomas Kennedy Macdonald, James O'Shea, Robert Port, and John Compton be liquidators of the said society." It is intimated in the Oazette that the Circuit Court intended to be held in Nelson on the 19th of April has been postponed to Monday, the 3rd of May. His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to appoint George William Harvey, Esq., barrister, to'be a District Judge for the district of Otago Goldfields ; and Thomas Shailer Weston, Esq., barrister, to be a District Judge for the districts of Westland North and Westland South, under The District Courts Act, 1858. These appointments took effect from the Ist proximo. A cricket match will be played on the Basin Reserve this afternoon between the Colts and the College cricket clubs. The Colts team will be as follow :—Barraud, G. Bishop, J. Bishop, Chapman, Clayton, France, Lublin, Hickson, McKenzie, Mackay, and Webb. The College eleven will be :—-Burton, Brandon, A. Bishop, Burnes, Boodleswadlin, Fox, Hughey, A. Martin, E. Martin, Nicholls, and Wardell. The funeral of Mr. J. P. Stevenson, which took place yesterday, was attended by about 200 gentlemen. Included amongst the number were several members of the Legislature. The funeral rites were performed by the Rev. B. W. Harvey. Two new steam hoists, recently imported from England by the City Corportion for use on the Queen's wharf, have been put together. Steam was got up in both boilers yesterday, and everything was found to work smoothly. The larger crane will hoist ten tons, and the smaller one seven tons. According to promise made at the sale of wharf privil3ges, the hoists will be handed over to the wharf lessee.

Five cases of animal remains, amongst which are several human skulls and bones, were put on board the schooner Aurora, at Castle Point, on Tuesday last. They were collected by a member of tho New Zealand Geological staff for the Colonial Museum.

An archery contest between Wellington, Christclmrch, and Auckland is on tho lapis. The contest is to decide the championship, and will take place during Easter week. It would not be a bad idea if our local champions, from whom the challenge is understood to have emanated, were to play their part in the match on the Basin Reserve. 'Die Canterbury club holds its meetings in tho Domain, and a similar display here would bo at once novel and interesting. Tho last number of the Australian Israelite, published in Melbourne, contains an article headed " How, when, and where did tho present marriage ceremony originate ?" As tho steamer Napier was leaving Foxton wharf on Tlrarsday night last, her propeller struck a snag, breaking two of the three blades short off at the boss. Tho steamer was then hauled on to the river bank, and on inspection it was found she had sustained the damage mentioned above. Captain Butt, however, determined to make Wellington, and left Foxton at 8 yesterday morning, arriving here at 10 o'clock last night. Fortunately there was no wind and a smooth sea during the run down. It appears the snag was part of a large drift log, which had been brought down by a recent fresh, and deposited on the liver bank at the weather side of the wharf. On Thursday the log was sawn into junks and rolled into the stream, but instead of floating away with the current it Bank alongside the jetty, causing the damage to the Napier's screw. The log was afterwards taken out by the crew of the Bteamer. Tho ketches Elizabeth and Good Templar were to have been towed out to sea by the Napier, but the accident prevented those vessela getting over tho bar.

About sixty persons responded to the invitation of the provisional committee to attend a meeting at the Odd Fellows' Hall last evening, to pass rules for the guidance of the Ratepayers' Protection Association. Mr. Worth having been voted to the chair, called upon the secretary, Mr. S. Waters, to read the rules prepared by the committee, which provided for the appointment of a committee of nine (three members for each ward), from whose number a secretary and treasurer were to be elected. The rules also provided for a Grievance Committee of three, to whom all grievances should be represented, and proposed that the quarterly subscription should be one shilling. This led to some discussion, Mr. Smith, Mr. Moody, and Mr. McLean being of opinion that sixpence per quarter wovdd be quite heavy enough for many ratepayers. This amendmeit was pressed to a division at last, and the rules as a whole were adopted. The following were the members elected : —For Thorndon Ward : Messrs. Toomath, Burne, and Urwin ; for Lambton Ward : Messrs. Worth, Jeffs, and Lewis (cooper) ; and for Te Aro Ward : Messrs. T. IC. Macdonald, Trueman, and S. Waters. Mr. O'Shea was unanimously elected chairman ; Mr. S. Waters, secretary ; and Mr. Macdonald, treasurer. About thirty-five gentlemen enrolled themselves as members. The Pahautanui cricketers —we are requested to state—are anxious to know if the Victoria Club intend to play the return match this season. There are some very good players in the Pahautanui Club, who desire to have one more chance of retrieving their losses in the cricket field.

The following appointments have been gazetted : —John Moore, Esq., J.P., to be a member of the Licensing Courts for the licensing districts of City of Wellington, Thorndon ; City of Wellington, Lambton; City of Wellington, Te Aro ; Karori-Makara ; and Porirua ; vice C. Sharp, Esq., J.P., resigned ; and Maeleod Clement Orbell, Esq., J.P., to be a member of the Licensing Court for the district of Palmerston (Otago), vice J. C. Rowleyj Esq., J.P., resigned. John Willoughby Marshall to be Lieutenant in the Royal Company of Rangitikei Rifle Volunteers, the commission dating from the 3rd of June, 1871. In the Picton Company, Marlborough Rangers Rifle Volunteers : Samuel Harris to be Captain—date of commission, 19th February, 1875 ; Donald Munro to be Lieutenant —date of commission, 19th February, 1875 ; William Hyram Harris to be Sub-Lieutenant —date of commission, 19th February, 1875. The following resignations of Volunteer officers are notified :—Captain J. W. Marshall, Marton Rifle Volunteers ; Captain C. L. Maclean, Nelson (City) Rifle Volunteers ; Lieutenant D. Burn, Nelson (City) Rifle Volunteers ; and Sub-Lieutenant D. Sinclair, Wellington Scottish Rifle Volunteers. William Leslie Ogilby, Esq., has been appointed a clerk in the Colonial Treasury. Robert Johnson, master mariner, of Wellington, is appointed a surveyor under the Merchant Shipping Acts Adoption Acts, 1869 to 1874.'

A wedding, attended with rather remarkable circumstances, occurred at Queenstown in the early part of the present week. A young lady, well known in the district, got up very early one morning with the ostensible purpose of gathering mushrooms, but (adds the Dunstan Times) instead of doing so she found her way to the Registrar's office, where, together with a certain well-known young gentleman, in presence of a female friend, they entered into the bonds of matrimony. On board the Antrim steamer, at 6.30 o'clockthenext morning, they were surprised by the father of the young lady, whose consent to their union they had forgotten to obtain, and at the bursting out of whose pent-up wrath a scene ensued. Paterfamilias threatened the life of the partner of her choice, and proceeded to put his resolve into practice, when the bride fainted, and peace was only restored by the production of the registrar's certificate of marriage, whence followed mutual and satisfactory explanations, and a paternal forgiveness, and the happy couple left in the steamer on their wedding tour to Southland.

An inquest was .held yesterday by the District Coroner, sayo the Wairarapa Standard of the 18th instant, on the body of a child named Albert Sears, aged three years, which met with its death on Tuesday afternoon at the residence of its parents, Moroa, Greytown. From the evidence given, it appears that at the time the father was at work two miles away, the mother also had gone to Tauherenikau, leaving the deceased in charge of an elder sister, aged twelve years. The latter going from the front room, whe:e she was working, to the back room, saw the child with its head, arms, and Bhoulder3 in a bucket, which was a strong iron one, half filled with water, and its feet touching the ground. Taking the child out she found it was dead, and gave the alarm. The medical evidence tended to show that the child had died from drowning, and an unanimous verdict to that effect was returned by the jury.

The Wanganui Herald of the lltli has the following story of life on the road :—" An accident which will probably cause considerable delay to persons using the main road from Bull's to Turakina, happened last Wednesday night. It would appear from the information we have received that a dray loaded with timber was on its way from Bull's to Turakina ; a short distance behind it came a buggy, in which some commercial travellers were returning to town, and behind these were three men belonging to the Armed Constabulary force. When about half a mile from Turakina the dray suddenly broke through a bridge, both wheels going down together. It was impossible to get it out, and we believe it had to be left there all night. The commercial gentlemen could not pass with their buggy, and for a moment it appeared as if they too would have to leave their vehicle. The Armed Constabulary, however, came to the rescue, and the horses having been taken out and led over, the buggy was got round the bridge. The horses were then put in, and the occupants having taken their seats, they proceeded as if nothing had happened. Would this accident have happened if the Provincial Government had paid proper attention to the road 1" As an example of " the up 3 and downs of life," the Bendiyo Advertiser (Victoria) relates the following :—" An incident occurred at the weekly meeting of the Benevolent Asylum committee last Friday, which shows how the depression in mining matters has affected some of those who, in the exciting palmy days of 1871-2, were well-to-do in the world. A gentleman then ' well in,' in a charitable humor, gave a donation of £2O to the institution, thereby constituting himself a life governor. He remarked at the time that he had better do so when he could afford it, as times might alter. Times have altered, indeed, with him; so much so that, what with sickness and poverty combined, he has beeu obliged to solicit some temporary out-door aid from the institution of which he is at the same time a life governor."

Tho Star Dramatic Company, writes the Wanganui Ecaung Herald of tho 13th inst., gave its second performance last (Friday) night, the piece selected being the comic drama of the "Peep-Show Man." Mr. Hydes held the prominent part, that of the PeepShow Man, and acquitted himself to the groat amusement of all present. Miss Jessie Raymond performed her part as Mary Meredith, the young lady the Peep-Show Man is searching for, very well, and the audience showed its satisfaction by frequently applauding. Miss Hettie Howard, as Miss Raffles, was also very pleasing, her part being performed in a very quiet, taking manner. Mr. Thorpe, as Godwin Sands, did not make a bad villainous uncle, although ho looked rather too young. Cognovit Crowsfoot (Mr. Burford) was decidedly good, and a bettor unscrupulous lawyer could hardly be imagined. The "Bonny Fishwife," which is no doubt remembered by many an old resident and lover of tho theatre, having been the favorite piece of Miss Juno, concluded the performance. Miss Raymond again took her part as Miss Thistledown, afterwards the Bonnie Fishwife, very well. In the latter character she induced most Scotchmen to go away with a declaration that she is a " Scotch lassie." Mr. Hydes, as Gaiters, was tho amusing character, and in no way failed in it. " Milky White" and a burlesque have been selected for to-night.