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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4414, 13 May 1875, Page 2

The Court of Appeal was occupied yesterday hearing argument in Henty v. Holt, an appeal from a decision of Mr. Justice Gresson. Mr. Macassey appeared for the appellant ; Mr. Garrick for the respondent. Mr. Macassey’s argument occupied the entire sitting, so that the case will be continued to-day. The number of inmates at present in Mount View Asylum is—Males, 26 ; females, 26 ; total, 52. Three males have been admitted lately, and two females. One male has been discharged, and two females have died— Elizabeth Galbraith and E. Moore. The death of Elizabeth Moore was caused by mesenteric disease. Another of the patients is in ill-health, and not likely to live long; she is now suffering from general paralysis. The grounds outside are being planted with a double row of trees, considerately supplied by the trustees of the Botanical Gardens, which will greatly add to the general appearance of the asylum. The examination in arithmetic and algebra took place ' yesterday at the Wellington College. The standard of both the papers was of a most rudimentary description. The equations formed the chief feature in the algebra paper. To-day will be devoted to trigonometry. William Peckham was charged at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday with being drunk whilst he was in charge of a cab. He was dismissed with a caution. A similarly light sentence was passed on Frederick Hansen, for being drunk and incapable. Owing to the absence of the Resident Magistrate, caused by the sitting of the Court at the Hutt, Mr. Howard Wallace, J.P., presided.

The committee of the Star .Football Club meet at the Pier Hotel to-morrow night, at 5 p.m., to make final arrangements for the forthcoming match on May 24. The Artillery prize-firing, which has been advertised to take place for' the last five successive Saturdays, and postponed on each occasion on account of the bad state of the weather, will take place to-day, weather permitting. The time for receiving tenders for the erection of the Provincial Hospital has been extended until the Ist day of June. On Tuesday night the Wellington Artillery corps elected a sergeant-major. There were three candidates, and the numbers polled were —For Mr. McCredie, 23 ; Mr. Lyon, 0 ; and Mr. Garrard, 3. Wiremu Matene Te Huaki informs Tc Waha Maori that the natives of Maketu have a carved house for sale, which any speculative gentleman may obtain for £550. Extension of premises to meet the growing trade of the city appears to be the order of the day, and wo are constantly called upon to notice improvements in this direction. The latest wo have noticed is the just-completed extension of the store of Messrs. Mclntyre and Co, Custom-house-quay, which has been doubled in size. The now premises are built of kauri and rimu, with a roof of galvanised iron. The store will now hold not less than ton thousand sacks of grain, so that Messrs, Mclntyre and Co. will always be able to keep the market supplied.

Thomas Hawkins was convicted on Tuesday, at Eeatherston, of larceny, and was sentenced to three months. The prisoner was also charged with being illegally on the premises of the immigration depot in that district, for which he received an additional month ; in both cases with hard labor. Hankins was brought down by the coach yesterday and lodged in gaol. The Rev. Charles Clark was expected to be in Melbourne in time to preach in the new Athemeum Hall on the second Sunday in the present month. , . , The Acclimatisation Society of Canterbury proposes to expend a sum of £IOOO in, obtaining for the province the ova of a variety of Californian fish, and £SOO in importing insectivorous birds from England.

' A quartz-reef eighteen inches' thick on the top, and showing gold, has been discovered on the Wakatnarina River, province of Nelson. An alluvial goldfield was worked there some years ago.

On the last voyage of the barque Bobycito from Newcastle to Port Chalmers, an Australian bird of the water-hen species flew on board when the vessel was 350 miles from the laud, and was so greatly fatigued that it was easily secured.

We observe that in Christchurch, “Elizabeth, Queen of England,” in which Mr. and Mrs. Bates made their first acquaintance with a Canterbury audience, was so successful that it was repeated for a number of nights in succession. It was followed by “Ingomar, the Barbarian,” of which the Press of the Bth instant writes: —“ The classical play of Ingomar, the Barbarian,” was presented last evening at the Theatre Royal, and we can congratulate Mrs. Bates upon having achieved a complete success in her rendering of the character of Partheuia. Womanly in the extreme, with the innocence of a child, the part is one which affords great scope for acting pure and simple, that is to say, real genuine dramatic force, without rant or exaggeration. This ivas just the conception of the character Mrs, Bates gave us last evening. Her rendering was full of soul and fire, but as far rempved from rant or sensational acting as can possibly be imagined, and in the part of Partheuia she fully sustained the high reputation she has brought • with her from other places. The scenes with Ingomar, where she endeavors to explain to . him, what love really means, were rendered with much pathos and delicacy, and again in the later scenes, where she defends her lover against the aspersions of her mother and Polydor, she gave us a vivid picture of a woman quick to speak in defence of the honor of him she loves. Mrs. Bates was recalled at the end of each act, a compliment which was richly deserved from her really splendid acting throughout. As Ingomar, Mr. Bates showed to far greater advantage than in the part of Essex, because there is far more scope for him, and he acquitted himself admirably throughout. The part is in itself one in which there is every temptation to rant, but Mr. Bates gives us a very scholarly and artistic delineation of the character.”

i An ingenious resident of , Nelson has done something, for fame as well as for fortune. The Colonist, referring to the matter, says ; “Mr. Luke Nattrass, of this city, has'reoeived a diploma of merit from the jurors of the International Exhibition at Vienna, for a new indigenous vegetable pigment prepared by him from the hinau tree. Competent judges pronounce that this pigment is as good, if not better, than the costly pigment known as sepia. It could be manufactured for about sixpence per ounce, whereas the same quantity of sepia coats about eleven shillings,” The Bay of Plenty Times, in. its issue of the Ist instant, states that the Aucldand Echo, in its issue of Monday' evening last, insinuates that the 10,000 acres set apart for Stewart’s Special Settlement at Katikati, is not yet surveyed. The Echo is incorrect in , this statement. The whole block has been surveyed by Mr, Eric Goldsmith, the roads duly laid out, and the native reserves distinguished—in short, the entire block is ready to be taken up and settled on at any moment. This certainly does not look as if the General Government was inclined .to be remiss in the matter, or in the slightest to mar the fair prospect of the scheme by “ negative ” opposition. “ Mr. John Smith having accepted office as secretary and inspector of Westland schools,” says the Colonist, “has resigned his appointment as head-master of the Bridge-street school, Nelson. Mr. Smith has been in charge of the Bridge-street school for eleven years, and during that time a number of his pupils have gained provincial scholarships. He is well known to be a painstaking and most successful teacher, and his departure from Nelson will be regretted by his many friends. We wish him every success in his new sphere.” Two curiosities in natural history are now on exhibition in the stables of the Koyal Highlander Hotel. One is a double-headed calf, of the Ayrshire breed, which is a great curiosity. It has two perfect heads, and four eyes, but one of the latter is in the lower jaw, though the sight it possesses appears to be perfect. The second curiosity is a rooster, of the Bramahpootra breed, which has an extra pair of legs, which he uses, as a tourist does a stool, when he prefers to sit down rather than roost. These curiosities come from the neighborhood of Timaru. They will be on exhibition in the Loyal Highlander Hotel up till Friday evening, and then at the Odd Fellows’ Hall.

The Lynch family of bell-ringers, we observe, are now travelling in Queensland.