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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4405, 3 May 1875, Page 2

The Provincial Council meets to-day at two o’clock. The customary motions for the appointment of sessional committees, and motions for the first readings of Bills, will probably constitute the entire business of the day. The formal opening of the football season is again delayed for a week, through the heavy rain of Saturday last. The three clubs, including the new Bankers’ Club, were prepared to make a becoming display, which would have, given an insight into the respective strength of each, but again the weather was unpropitious. The light showers of the morning gradually developed into a steady downpour in the early part of the afternoon, and dispelled all hope of entering upon the friendly contest in which the clubs were anxious to engage. The continuous rains of the past few days will interfere greatly with the condition of the ground, and probably leave it in a very soft condition for next Saturday, even should the weather be fine overhead. That, however, will matter little as long as the rain holds off on the particular day. The Kevs. Messrs. Buller and Pichett, from Lyttelton, will arrive per s.s. Otago, en route for Australia, to attend the Wesleyan Conference in Melbourne. The Kev. Mr. Morley of this city will be a fellow passenger with those gentlemen. He attends the Conference as delegate from Wellington. During the rev. gentleman’s absence Mr. Dewsbury will have sole charge.

The Garrick Club meet this evening at eight p.m., at the Bank Hotel. The usual weekly meeting of the “Wellington Literary Association takes place this evening, in place of Tuesday, at the usual hour. Thursday next being Ascension Day, services will be held in the English Churches in the evening. There will, in consequence, be no service on Wednesday'evening. The business at the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Saturday was remarkable only for its brevity. J. Emerson and T. Nioholls, deserters from the Dallam Tower, were ordered to be sent on board, and one drunkard was fined five shillings. Miss Jessie Raymond takes a benefit at the Theatre Royal this evening. Miss Raymond has proved herself not only a most industrious but useful and talented member of the companies that have played in Wellington for some time past. She deserves from the public the compliment of a substantial benefit. The following is', a return, furnished by Mr. Monteith, of the number of patients in the Provincial Hospital, during the month of April ; Admitted —Males, 18 ; females, 5. Discharged—Males, 13 ; females, 2. Died— Males, 4 ; females, 2. Left in HospitalMales, 33 ; females, 8. Total in Hospital, 41. Miss May Howard, we understand, will appear at the Theatre Royal on Saturday night next, when she ■will commence a round of her. favorite characters. Mr. Steele mil be a member of the company. The Theatre was surprisingly well attended on Saturday last, considering the weather, when “The Corsican Brothers” was produced. Mr. Burford played the double part of Eabien and Louis, and Miss Raymond Mdlle. de Lespurr. The play was put on extremely well, and the acting was feally very good. The afterpiece, “The Bonnie. Fishwife,” concluded the evening’s entertainment. At the late meeting of the Wellington Horticultural Society—as already reported—a balance-sheet was produced for the season ending on the 30th of April. It may be noted that it commenced with a balance of £28155. 2d,, and that a.sum of £3l 11s. 2d. has been carried forward to the credit of next year. The total income amounted to £313 12s. The takings at the September show were £l6 19s. 3d. ; at the November show, £26 17s. 6d. ; at the January. show, £34 14s. 6d. ; and at the March show, £2O Os. 3d. The figures for the January show, however, include the proceeds of the bazaar sales, and sales by auction ; while £3 9s. 9d. has to be added to the March amount as the proceeds of sales by auction. The growth of a city is well indicated by the number of meetings called. for the transaction of public and semi-public business. Instance the calendar for to-day, which contains the following memoranda ;—The Waste Land Board meets at noon ; the Education Board at eleven o’clock ; the Provincial Council at two ; the Wellington Public Hall Company holds its annual meeting at five ; the Literary Association meet at St. John’s schoolroom at half-past seven ; the Garrick Club at the Bank Hotel at eight ; the Artillery Band give a soiree at the Odd'Bellows’ Hall at the same hour ; and Miss Raymond takes a benefit at the Theatre Royal. The list is deserving of notice, if only for its charming variety.

We observe .from the Dunedin papers that Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins have received a cordial welcome there, at the Princess’ Theatre. On their opening night, the Times of the 27th ultimo reports they met with a very flatteringreception. “ The house was crowded in every part, . and the audience accorded their old favorites a hearty and enthusiastic reception, which was briefly and very appropriately acknowledged by Mr. Hoskins. The programme was well chosen, consisting of the most charming of comedies, “The Jealous Wife,” and “The Serious Family.” Miss Colville’s Mrs. Oakley was always an excellent performance ; and her ' impersonation last evening fully sustained the reputation she so well earned on previous. occasions. The exquisite finish of her acting throughout the piece evidenced the great progress she has made in her art since ' her last appearance in Dunedin, and fully redeemed the promise which was held out by her successful opening career in this colony. Mr. Hoskins took the part of Mr. Oakley, and, it is. needless to say, left nothing to be desired.” The same journal, in a subsequent issue, says : —“ Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins gave the audience a double treat—that is to say, each appeared in two characters, and in two of the many plays in which they always appear to great advantage. First the lady impersonated Constance in that admirable, and therefore always acceptable piece, ‘The Love Chase.’ Master Wildrake, of course, as in days gone by, was represented by Mr. Hoskins; and those who have seen the lady and gentleman in their respective parts will readily conceive, whether as regards the merry, light-hearted, dashing Constance, or the honest country squire, and afterwards dandy of the period, that the expectations of the most exacting were fully realised. Both Miss Colville and Mr. Hoskins obtained many tokens of public appreciation, being frequently recalled and heartily applauded. The next and concluding piece was ‘The Happy Pair,’the happy pair, pro tem., being Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins, who impersonated respectively Mr. and Mrs. Honeyton. Together, actor and actress managed, by the excellent manner in which they played, to keep the audience in the best possible humor, laughter being heard in all parts of the house ; from the time, in fact, when Mr. Honeyton declares himself to be like unto “ a confounded fly in the matrimonial honey-pot,” until the period when, having become intoxicated and spoiled by the affection of his more than obedient wife, he finds that his domestic life is becoming overshadowed by an atmosphere of feminine tyranny that conquers slowly, but surely, his overbearing nature, and compels him to admit that he prefers the sweets of the honey-pot to the scalding influence of hot water, and to which the change in his wife’s conduct he aptly likens. The curtain again fell amidst the warm applause of , a very numerous audience.”

On Tuesday evening the Sisters Duvalli will appear at the Odd Fellows’ Hall, for the first time in Wellington. They present an elegant and attractive entertainment. Some little controversy appears to have arisen between them and the newspaper critics in Canterbury—on whom the ladies have been somewhat severe—as to the merits of their singing. It is some years since we first saw the sisters, when they visited Victoria for the first time. They brought with them a high reputation as danseuscs, which they most ably sustained. We have no hesitation in saying that they will not only please but astonish the public of Wellington, unless their skill has deserted them. Speaking of their appearance at the Theatre Itoyal, Invercargill, the Southland News of a late date says :—The entertainment opened with a comedietta—“ The Dream of a Life,” —a modern version of the old, old story of the fond parent who wished to save his only son from the witchery of the other sex, and who, of course, made a signal failure of the attempt. The piece itself is a mere trifle—little more than the setting of songs and dances, in which the sisters Duvalli appear to advantage. They are pleasing vocalists and danseuses of singular grace and skill—beyond all comparison superior to any artistes who have yet visited Invercargill. Their pas dc deux at the close of the first part of the programme was classical in idea and execution. The afterpiece—“The Shah of Persia,” —although “ written expressly for the sisters Duvalli,” was less “ sparkling,” so far as dialogue was concerned, man the one which preceded it. The title alone was eastern, and the fun not particularly obvious. The singing and dancing of the ladies, however, made amends for the dulness of the piece itself, and when the curtain fell the audience were not sparing in their marks of approval. A constable of the Melbourne force has been arrested at the instance of Superintendent Winch, of that city, on a charge of stealing a bottle of brandy from an hotel in Hotham. We are glad to observe from our Melbourne files that Professor Hearn has recovered from his late severe illness, and has been able to commence his usual course of lectures at the University.

The Clutha Leader has become the property of a company, with a capital of £3OOO. The yield of oats in the Wairoa district this season has been reported at seventy bushels per acre. Of that quantity, however, twenty bushels to the acre on an average were destroyed by caterpillars. Lieutenant Dawson, sometimes known as Zanzibar Dawson, who was recently sent out to survey Eiji, says the Glasgow Herald, is in a fair way of obtaining the post of harbormaster at Sydney. We observe from the Hawaiian Gazette that Prof. Harkness, who had charge of the transit of Venus observations in Australia for the American Government, arrived at Honolulu in the steamer Mikado, homeward bound, and would remain there about one month, visiting the volcano during his stay. The hitherto unexplored country north-east of the Mountain-road, says the Patca Mail, has just been -penetrated for a distance of forty miles by a party of surveyors, and we are pleased to learn that they report the land to be of excellent quality, and almost level. This being the fact, we trust there will be no delay in introducing daylight into this new country. Allusion has been made in telegrams from Dunedin to a case of abduction there. The following particulars are given in the report of the case as heard before the magistrates in the City Police Court of Dunedin on the 24th April;—“ Wm. Roberts was charged with having, on the 19th April, unlawfully taken an unmarried girl named Elorence Maud Brown out of her father's possession, she being under sixteen years of age. Mr. E. Cook appeared for the complainant (Thomas Lawrence Brown, soda-water manufacturer,) and Mr. McKeay defended. Mr. Cook applied for a remand, and cited ‘Archbold on Evidence,’ to show that the taking of minors need not be by force, or that they should consent to accompany any person in order to prove a case.' A conviction had ensued where an elopement was planned by a girl who left her father’s house by means of a rope ladder made by herself. The Bench supported Mr. McKeay’s objection to the remand. The evidence went to show that the complainant met his daughter and Roberts about ten o’clock last Monday night in Melville-street. He struck Roberts, saying, ‘ You villain ! what have you done with my ‘daughter ?’ —■ and. the accused replied, 1 Nothing ; she is the same as ever she was.’ The girl did not return home that night, nor since, and Roberts declared that he knew nothing about her. In the daytime she had been employed as housemaid at the Pier Hotel. When arrested, Roberts said he had been keeping company with the girl for two months. Mr. McKeay submitted that the case should be dismissed, as it was clearly laid down that the girl must be taken from her father’s house. The case was adjourned for the production of further evidence. The accused was admitted to bail.”

Prom a late copy of the Sydney Morninrj Herald through its telegrams from Melbourne—we learn that Michael Byrne Carroll, one of the members of the Assembly of Victoria for Ararat, who was apprehended on two charges of forging promissory notes, and two charges of forging liens on wool, still remains in Ararat gaol, bail having been refused. His books and papers were taken possession of, and sealed up by the official assignee, but information has been received to the effect that they have since been stolen. The cases against him are thus described :—The first case was on a promissorynote at eight months, bearing date 17th April, 1874, for £3OO, purporting to be made by John Leahy, farmer, Greenhills, near Ararat, and endorsed by M. B. Carroll, and on a lien on the wool of 2000 wethers, purporting to be given to Goldsbrough and Co.-as security for the advances. The second case was based on a- promissory-note at six months, for ■ £SBO, dated 27th July, 1874, in the name of Hugh Callaghan, farmer, of Drung Drung, and on a lien on the wool of 3300 ewes and wethers. Carroll seems to have kept a double set of books, one correct and the other false. When the documents were sealed up by the Court officer, nobody was left in charge. The Lake Wakatip Mail of the 22nd April has the following ;—“ It is said that Edwards, Hancock, Jack, and party —whom we mentioned a short time back as prospecting Arthur’s Point Terrace, on the northern side, at a higher level than their first efforts—have come upon payable ground eight feet thick. Since the Wakatip has been a goldfield there has always prevailed a general belief that rich leads in the old bed of the Shotover ran across or Arthur’s Point Terrace, and it is to be'hoped that the above discovery will inspire fresh ■ confidence, and lead others to more energetic efforts in testing the locality.” The Scotch papers to hand by the San Francisco mail report the opening of the forty-ninth annual exhibition of the Koyal Scottish Academy. There was a large attendance, the galleries being crowded during the greater part of the day. The sales made on the first day exceeded those which took place on the opening day of the exhibition last year, and a number of high prizes were obtained. The following were secured by the Boyal Association for the Promotion of Fine Aits in Scotland:—“ Loch llaunoch, from above Kilchonan —Schiehallion in the Distance,” by J. H. Oswald, £75; “Dutch Shipping—Calm,” byE. T. Crawford, R.S.A., £IBO ; “Noonday Rest,” by J. Denovan Adam, £lO5 ; “ Glen Torridon, Ross-shire,” by JamesDooharty,£7o; “Ellaine,” by Robert Gibb, £140; “Leaving the Hills,” by Joseph Farquharson, £l5O. A very large number of the exhibits were bought by private purchasers. Amongst them were;—“Sceneon the Fife Coast,” by John Nesbitt, £250 ; “ Rough Art Critics,” by Gourlay Steele, R.S.A., £100; “Art at the Seaside,” by Alexander Leggett, £2OO ; “ Summer Evening in Arran,” by Waiter H. Paton, R.S.A., £2OO ; “A Highland River,” by James Docharty, £150; “Naaman the Leper and the little Jewish Maid," by Robert Gavin, A., £l5O ; “ Getting ready for Mackerel Fishing,” by Joseph Henderson, £l2O. The following singular story is vouched for by the Melbourne Herald; —A singular recovery of stolen property is reported by a man named Peter Thompson. About twelve months ago, Thompson’s watch, a valuable gold hunting lever, was stolen from him, and all efforts to trace it or to discover the thief proved ineffectual, notwithstanding that a reward was offered for its recovery. On the Bth inst., he booked at the Spencer-street station, for Wangaratta. At the moment of the train starting, a man rushed up to him exclaiming “ Halloa, Thompson,” shook hands with him through the window, and left his long-lost watch in his grasp. He says that the party who acted thus is an utter stranger to him. One of the eastern American newspapers has the following :—“Mrs. Watson, the wife of Professor Watson, of Michigan University, is probably the only woman who enjoyed the privilege of going on the transit expedition from the United States. She had to go on a long journey, but was probably rewarded by her visit to countries which few American men and fewer women ever get an opportunity to see. First there was an overland journey to San Francisco, then a voyage, lasting twentysix days, to Yokohama, a four days’ sail to Nagasaki, and another of six days to TienTsin. Then followed a voyage up the river on small house-boats to Tung-Chang, and, finally, a donkey ride of sixteen miles to the imperial city of Peking. Prof. Watson, while at Peking awaiting the transit, discovered anew asteroid. He did not name it after his wife, but after a Chinese goddess (Ne Wahl who once repaired the sky when it was in a dilapidated condition, and has thereby earned the respect of astronomers.” A very large frost fish is reported to have been caught last week at Okarito. It measured sixteen feet long, weighed llfllbs., and was taken in the following mannerA big fish had been on the flat trying to get into deep water, the boat was immediately backed over to it, and followed it on to the shallow water. Talcing in our oars, we slipped our arms under the fish and gave one strong lift, placing his silvery highness safely in the boat. This is the largest fish of the kind ever seen in these waters.

A hope was entertained that one of the boats of the burned ship Cospatrick might have found its way to one of, the seldom visited group known as the Inaccessible Islands. We learn from the Home papers that H.M.S. Sappho was sent to Tristan D’Acunha to make inquiries on the subject, and had returned to the Cape of Good Hope to report that none of the survivors had reached that island.

A correspondent of the Southern Cross writes that the “ Maoris at Russell are great believers in the virtues of homoeopathy. The other day a subscription of £lO was raised by the tribe ruled over by the old chief Taiwhanga, for a case of homoeopathic medicines, to be procured from Auckland, the said chief being an adept at curing diseases by these medicines. It would also seem that the Maoris at Maketu are more or less similarly circumstanced, inasmuch as the Government purchased for them a ten-guinea case of medicine a few days ago.” # Captain Malcolm, of the Maori, has brought to Dunedin, by the last trip of that vessel, says the Times of the 27th April, a number of specimens of coal from some of the coal seams in the Westport district. The several coals are to be seen at tbe office of the Harbor Steam Co. by parties desirous of viewing them. One of them is a coal from a seam 37ft. in thickness, which comes from the land of a private company, who hold 1250 acres ; there is also a quantity from a 12ft. seam at the Mokinui Creek, and specimens from a 40ft. seam. All are good steam coals, especially the two first mentioned, and are of the “ true coal” variety. There is a also a quantity of cannel coal from a seam in the Westport district. An inspection of them causes a very high impression of the quality of the immense mineral wealth of “black diamonds” in the Westport district. The Cooktown (Queensland) journals of the 3rd of April say:—“The news from the Palmer River diggings states that at what is called Mitchell Palls there are about three hundred men in full working trim, a great number of them “pulling away” some very nice nuggets, varying from one to six ounces in weight; hut they keep steadily at work, and so must be ultimately adequately rewarded. As regards travelling from, Palmerville to the upper crossings of the Laura, the roads in several places are dreadfully boggy. But from the Laura to Cooktown they are in pretty good condition, and travelling tolerably easy. From the Normanhy we learn that the present population on the field is 800 ; every member of the community, it seemed, obtaining some sort of average for his toil, though nothing of an extraordinary character. A new rush is situated on a small tributary of the Palmer, near the Range, twenty-five miles from the river. Speaking of the date be left for Cooktown, our informant said :— * On Thursday, when I departed for town,. there were quite 500 men encamped on the ground, all doing their prettiest to bag the dust, apparently making their nine or ten pennyweights per day. Some of the more sanguine hands incline to think that this latest rush will turn out to be a fair field for the perseveringly industrious, and' expectations of something extra turning up are fondly cherished. All rations are moderately cheap, and very little sickness is experienced. The main causes for complaint are the depredations of the blacks and inadequate police protection—the sable enemy coming too often, unopposed, in contact with the bone of the field—presenting attitudes of pugnacious resistance when being driven off by the diggers.’ ” We find the following in the Hawaiian Gazette of the 7th of April ; —“ The steamer Mikado, on her arrival off this port on Saturday morning last, was found to have several cases of measles among the passengers on board. The port physician, Dr. G. Trousseau, immediately went off to the vessel and made an examination, finding eleven patients, mostly children, attacked with the disease, which was confined to the steerage. The ship was then allowed by the physician to enter the port, and she was anchored in the middle of the inner harbor, but did not come to the wharf, and her passengers were forbidden to come ashore. The mails, freight for this port, and one passenger were allowed to be landed, Freight was also sent off, and the steamer left at 8 o’clock in the evening. Measles are not generally considered a-contagious disease, and therefore vessels having it on board are not subject to quarantine regulations in most European and American ports, though special care is taken of any who may have the disease. The measles have been here for the past twenty-seven years, and cases are occasionally found. , Like most new diseases, when first introduced into any country, it proved in 1848 very fatal to the native population ; but once having spent itself, and' becoming, as it were, acclimatised, this malady, like the small-pox, whooping cough, Panama fever, influenza, and other epidemics which we have had, has lost its virulence, and need excite no alarm.” “ Wanting to know, you know,” appears to be an expensive habit. In the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales, the other day, Mr. Nelson asked the Colonial Secretary what was the cost of the telegraphic communication which had taken place between himself and the Agent-General in reference to a question which had been asked by Mr. Buchanan. Mr. Robertson' replied that the cost of the telegram sent by him was £43 Is. 9d.; and the cost of that sent by the Agent-General was £l3B 16s.

“Twelve months ago/’ says the Wairarapa, Standard , “ Mr. H. McMasters, of Tupurupuru purchased from Messrs. Hay, of Pigeon Bay, Canterbury, a pure-bred short-horn bull. Shortly after its arrival in the Wairarapa it died, and there was reason to believe that it could not have been perfectly sound when it came into the hands of the purchaser. We now learn that Messrs. Hay are sending another bull of a similar class to replace the animal that died, and their honorable conduct in thus securing their customer from the loss of such a valuable beast will commend itself to all.” A late telegram from Melbourne via Sydney states that a bank official took his departure for London suddenly by the steamship Durham, leaving defalcations to a considerable amount.