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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4420, 20 May 1875, Page 2

The Agent-General, under date 7th May, telegraphs that during April the following ships and emigrants were despatched for the colony : Lammershagen and Collingwood, with 709 emigrants, for Wellington and Taranaki ; Star of'China, with 241, for Lyttelton ; and Fleming and with 776, for Otago. ' In the Court of Appeal yesterday argument was resumed in Hawke v. Frethey, a case which strikes at the existence of the Greytown Local Board. ' The case is one of interest, not only to the residents of Greytownbut to settlers throughout the province, who should take every precaution in the formation of their local boards, with the view of avoiding expensive litigation in the future. The laches of the proper authorities at Greytown has launched the local board into a sea of troubles, from which possibly they may be extricated by a provision which enacts that a rate shall not be bad from invalidity. Still, if a carefully elaborated argument and the forensic powers of Mr. Gordon Allan prevail, the Greytown Local Board will be in a pitiable plight. A sitting of the Divorce Court was held yesterday morning, when decrees nisi were granted in Foulkes v. Foulkes, and Spittal v. Spittal, a Nelson ease. The particulars of the former case are already familiar to our readers, who will observe from the report which appears elsewhere, that the co-respondent, Cross, has at last moved in the matter upon the question of costs.

We are glad to see that our remarks with reference to the leaky state of the Customhouse building have borne fruit. The authorities have employed men to repair the waterspouts and piping, so that when it rains the water will be conducted from the roof of the building through the proper channels, instead of as heretofore soaking through the ceilings and pouring down upon the Custom-house officials and the public who have business to transact there.

The business at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday was not of much public interest, being - confined to two cases of drunkenness. Thomas Murray, a member of a Rechabifce society, was charged with drunkenness. When placed in the box he informed the presiding officer that he had “burst out," which ho had evidently done in more senses than one, his head having been nearly broken during the previous night—so- we should imagine from the copious supply of blood which was gracefully flowing down his neck. This delinquent was remanded for twenty-four hours. William Sloan, for a similar offence, was dismissed with a caution.

The weather has been very unsettled since the heavy N.W. gale of Sunday last, and the movements of the barometer lately have seemed to show that some rough weather might be expected from the eastward; but although we had a fresh south-east -wind yesterday, it does not seem to have been of any great extent, for the prevailing direction of the winds in the Middle Island was from south and west. In the North Island a rapid fall of the barometer took place early in the day, and before 3 p.m. a hard N.W. gale was blowing at Hokianga ; and by reports received from Manukau and Grahamstown during the afternoon, there seemed every probability that the gale would be soon felt at those places. We understand that, owing to the promptitude with which information of this change was sent by the officer in charge of the telegraph station at Hokianga, warnings of the probable approach of the gale were sent to all weather reporting stations to the northward of East Cape by 1 p.m.

The Board of Education met at the Education Office yesterday morning and disposed of the ordinary fortnightly business, as reported in another column.