SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4435, 7 June 1875, Page 3

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

The meeting of Parliament has been prorogued, by proclamation in a supplement to the Gazette, to the 30th of June. The recent additions to the Colonial Museum have entirely changed the appearance of the former building. Por the information of those who have not visited the Museum of late, it may Tje well to point out tlie chief featiues of the alterations. In the first place, a very imposing building has_ been_ erected upon the grass plot which existed in front of the first 'structure. The interior arrangements . of. this part of the edifice appear to be very complete, offices and p,ther conveniences being suitably situated so 'as to afford the utmost accommodation to all concerned. Considering the unfinished state of the Museum, at present, it is not possible to give a detailed account. The additions, from their present outward appearance, thoroughly harmonise with the adjacent buildings of Government House, ami reflect great credit on the Colonial Architect, under whose supervision the whole structure has beeu earned out. There are at the present time a greater number of patients in the hospital than have been enrolled upon the books of the establishment for a great many years past. Compared •with the number of inmates to be found in similar institutions in the larger provinces, the total of fifty-five does not appear large', but it is far too great for the capabilities of the present building.- The increase is attributable not to any epidemic disease but to the rapid increase in the population of the city. - It was thought a few mouths ago that as the winter approached and the number of fever patients decreased the available accommodation would prove adequate till the, completion of the new hospital, but the experience of every day gives more convincing proof that a new establishment is an imperative necessity, and that the provincial authorities should hasten its completion by every means in their power. The gaol authorities are beginning to complain of overcrowding in the provincial penal establishment. Since the old military days, when the regimental rowdies instituted a reign of terror, the warders have never turned their keys upon so’many prisoners, there being at present sixty-six confinees within the gaol walls. The recent large additions to our population account to some extent for the increase of crime, and though the announcement is unsatisfactory, viewed from any aspect, it is satisfactory to learn that Mr. Read has in use many devices to tuna the labors of the prisoners to profitable account. Turning to another matter connected with this subject, it is gratifying to learn that before long we shall be able to boast that Wellington is the only province in which there exists a model department for the classification of female prisoners. This addition to the gaol is not yet completed, but it is intended to provide accommodation for twenty-eight female prisoners, who will be classified according to the enormity or veniality of their offences. "Plans are also in preparation ■for additions for the better accommodation of the male prisoners, so that before long there will be no occasion for the condemnatory remarks which have fallen from the Supreme Court Bench upon our prison system. ■ A special general meeting of the shareholders of the New Zealand Titanic Steel and Iron Company was held on May 26th in the sideroom of the Odd Fellows’ Hall. There were about twenty, shareholders present, of whom Mr. Burne was chosen chairman. The minutes of. the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The object of the meeting was to confirm the following alterations in the articles of association, as passed at a special general meeting of the shareholders, held on the 26th of April last ; —“ Ist. To alter Regulation No. 34, bo as to read as follows : —‘ No business shall be transacted at any meeting except the declaration of a dividend, unless a quorum of shareholders is present at the commenee.ment of such business ; and such quoruiu shall be ascertained as follows—that is to say, if the shareholders belonging to the company at the time of the meeting do not exceed ten in number, the quorum shall be five ; if they exceed ten, there shall be added to the above quorum one for every ten additional shareholders up to fifty, and one for every twenty additional shareholders after fifty ; with this limitation, that no quorum shall in any case exceed twenty,’ 2nd. To add as Regulation No. 50a the following : —< The directors shall have power to appoint one of their number to be managing director, and to pay him such salary as they shall think fit.’ 3rd. To add the following ■words to section 1 of Regulation No. 52 ;- ‘Excepting that of managing director.’ ” On the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr. Collins, the resolutions, as proposed, were carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to the chair closed the proceedings. |- The concert and. soiree in aid of the Athenaeum, took place on May 21st. The programme, as published, was faithfully adhered to, with the exception of the last recitation; The readings, which were chiefly given by gentlemen well known to Wellington audiences, feft nothing to be desired—“ The Death of Montrose ” being perhaps slightly more taking ■with the audience than the remaining recitations, which were, nevertheless, each very well rendered. The last one in the programme was not given. An account of the trouble an author experienced whilst writing an essay -with a small boy in the room was very good. This was a wise change, and was introduced by the deliverer of the reading, in a few appropriate preliminary remarks. The committee is to be congratulated upon having been successful in their endeavors to gain the assistance of a lady who has been sadly missed of late at our usual musical gatherings. We allude to the lady who sang, “0! bid your faithful Ariel fly,” selected from the “Tempest.” It is needless to say that it received an encore ; responded to by a Scotch air, given with equal taste. We must not, however, forget “The Message,” which shared the laurels of the evening with the previous song just mentioned. The violoncello solo was given tinder great difficulties, the performer having no music-stand provided. Notwithstanding this, the piece was played with great taste and correct intonation; the minor variation being, specially well played. The other parts of the programme call for no special notice, each being good. At the end of the musical entertainment the hall was cleared, and dancing commenced. It was not until the small hours of the morning that the hall resumed its usual quiet repose. His Worship the Mayor presided. The entertainment given at the Masonic TTa.IT, Lower Hutt, on the evening of the Queen’s birthday, proved a great success. The performance was originated under the auspices of the Wellington Catholic Young Men’s Society, in aid of the building fund of the Catholic Church. As is always the case on occasions of this kind, the Wellington people by their presence assisted in a great measure to the success of the undertaking. The return train from the Hutt left at 11 p.ro., and was completely filled with the Wellingtonians. We have received the first number of the JUmgitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, which appears to be very creditably got up and printed. From it we learn that the Rangitikei Amateur Steeplechase is fixed to come off at Parewanni on the 3rd June. A good round sum has been subscribed, and the prizes should be sufficient to attract a good field.—On the suggestion of Mr. Halcombe, a memorial is being numerously signed praying to have the Manchester Block separated from the Manawatu Highway District, and constituted a separate district. —£450 has been subscribed to found an hospital at'Bull’s, for the Rangitikei district. The Provincial Government promise £2OO. A quartz-reef eighteen inches thick on the top, and showing gold, has been discovered on the Wakamarina River, province of Nelson. An alluvial goldfield was worked there some years ago. At a meeting of the members of the Kaiwarrawarra Rifle Volunteers, held on the 18th inst. at the Waterloo Hotel, Lieutenant Thompson was unanimously elected captain of the company; Color-Sergeant Yeatts, lieutenant ; and Sergeant Harris, sub-lieutenant. Lieutenant Thompson is the .first captain the company has got, although formed in 1870. Wiremu Mateno To Huaki informs Te Waka Maori that the natives of Maketu have a carved house for sale, which any speculative gentleman may obtain for £550.

The Acclimatisation Society of Canterbury proposes to expend a sura of £IOOO in obtaining for the province the ova of a variety of Californian fish, and £SOO in importing insectivorous birds from England. We understand that Mr. R. Port, who recently purchased the Belvedere Saw-mills at auction, has since sold the property to Messrs. Stewart Brothers, at an advance of £I2OO on the purchase-money. The Hon. W. H. Reynolds took his seat in the Provincial Council of Otago on the 10th instant. . . In the week ending the 23rd of last month only one trans-Australian message was sent from New Zealand to England, and no message was received for this colony. Curiously enough the messages despatched and those received equalled each other, being seventyseven each way. The Wellington Veteran Corps has now changed its former title to that of the_ “ Wellington City Rifle Volunteers,”- by which title it will in future be known. This is a step in the right direction, as it is now three or four years since the rule of enrolling as members only those who had served in her Majesty’s Imperial army was abandoned. As most of our readers are aware, the company was raised by Captain Buck, late 65th regiment, who held command until his untimely death at the attack on Te Ngutu-ote-M_anu ; or, as some call it, “Te Ruarura.” This reflection takes us a long way back, and brings to mind the many bravo and gallant men who have met death in the field as members of the corps, although at ,the time serving in another company, in whose memory the beautiful stained glass windows in the cathedral was erected. The Veteran Corps, to its honor, was the only volunteer company of the city of Wellington whose officers, one and all, volunteered for active service in the field. : The character of the company in these peaceful times is greatly changed ; but, should .any occasion . unhappily, arise in the future, no doubt the corps would not be found wanting. The company is now commanded by Captain Crowe, who has been connected with it from its formation, and has fairly worked .his way up to his present position by long service. The Wellington City Rifle Volunteers may be considered fortunate in having such an efficient commanding officer as Captain Crowe. According to a statement made by Mr. G. H. Tribe, Secretary to the Wellington and Hutt Building Society, the number of shareholders in the society is 173, holding 792 A shares, giving a monthly income of £2ll 2s. 6d. The amount of mortgages held by the'society is £1650, but in addition to this, applications for a large amount have been granted, and only wait the completion of the necessary deeds. The realisation of shares and the issue of new ones are steadily increasing the income of the society, and as a matter of fact the figures given above only represent about twothirds of the present business of the society. Like. the other building societies it is in flourishing circumstances; so much so that the committee have resolved, immediately after the next monthly meeting, on Ist June, to increase the entrance.fee. The June meeting will be the sixth regular monthly pay-day, and it is thought that those who join now, the success of the society being assured, should pay more than those who shared the risks of its" initiation. Nobody can doubt the wisdom and justice of such a course. Those who helped the society in the period of difficulty are best entitled to share its prosperity. In view of an extension of the society’s operations, the secretary calls attention to the fact that after the next meeting the society will be legally entitled to issue debentures, which will offer a convenient and profitable mode of investment for sums of £lO and upwards, recallable by notice of not less than three months. Mr. Tribe will visit the Hutt at the end of the present month, to enlighten the shareholders resident there as to the condition of the society's affairs. The death of Mr. C. B. Borlase, which took place on Saturday, May 15, took no one by surprise. The deceased gentleman has long been in delicate health, and for some time past it was known that he could not recover. Mr. Borlase was a comparatively young man, being 55 years of age at his death. Ho was the sou of Colonel Borlase, and was born in India, but educated in England. He was admitted to practice as attorney and solicitor, and for a time, we believe, was law reporter on the London press. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1348, arriving with his family at Wellington by the ship Victory. Since then the deceased gentleman has borne his part as a leading colonist, first in the Wairarapa, where he resided for seven years, and latterly in the city of Wellington, where he practised his profession. He was elected to the Provincial Council in 1857, and continued a member of that legislature till his decease. He was unsuccessful in his candidature for the Superinfendency against Dr. Featliefston in 1865; but was consoled by being elected one of the city members in the House of Representatives in 1866. At the general election in 1871, he was defeated by Mr. Pearce. Mr. Borlase was Mayor.of Wellington from 1873 up to the late election, when Mr. Moorhouse was chosen. Mr. Borlase never made an enemy. He was a man of genial and kindly disposition, ever ready to help any one who needed his assistance. The funeral took place on Tuesday, the place of interment being the Church of England cemetery. The funeral cortege left the deceased gentleman’s late residence in the Tinakori-road, at 3 p.m., and numbered about 130 of the most influential and leading citizens of Wellington. The members of the Courts— Sir George Grey, Robin Hood, and Bowen—belonging to the £..0.F., in funeral regalia, proceeded the hearse. Then came the hearse, followed by the principal mourners, viz. Chas. Borlase, Esq. (son of tho deceased), his Honor Mr. Fitzherbert, H. Bunny, Esq., Provincial Secretary ; Hon. H. B. Rhodes, Geo. Hunter, Esq., M.H.R.; O. A. Haughton, Esq., and Robert Pharazyn, Esq. Amongst the general mourners were his Honor the Chief Justice, his Honor Mr. Justice Johnston, and members of the legal profession, his Worship the Mayor and Town Councillors ; W. W. Taylor, Esq., Speaker of the Provincial Council; E. Pearce, Esq., M.H.R.; J- G-. Holdsworth, Esq., Commissioner of Crown Lands; Geo. Crawford, Esq,, .M.P.0.; Hon. J. Johnston, Major Paul, Dr. Johnston, coroner ; Messrs, Buchanan, C. B. ; Izard, G. H. Yennoll, and Inspector Atchison. On arriving at the cemetery, the funeral procession was met by the Rev. Mr. Harvey, who read the impressive burial service of the Church of England. The Provincial Government and City Council offices were closed, and signs of mourning were observed throughout the city as a mark of respect for the deceased. The Court of Appeal was on May 18th occupied with various matters, none of which were of public interest, excepting the case of Hawke v. Frethey, which was taken late in the afternoon, and scarcely entered upon, when the Court adjourned in order to admit of their Honors attending the funeral of the late Mr. C. B. Borlase. In tho morning Mr. Travers invited the attention of the Court to the matter of the deed of arrangement made by John Stuart, of Napier, and the petition of_ E. Crowther, in which Mr. Wilson had obtained a rule absolute for an appeal. Mr. Travers intimated his willingness to have the appeal dismissed with costs, but objected to have his client saddled with the costs of the rule nisi. Mr. Wilson, contra, argued that all tho costs should follow the result of the appeal"; but as neither side was prepared to cite authorities insupport, the matter was allowed to stand over till next day. Mr. Travers then resumed his argument in Strachan y. Lyon, and at its conclusion judgment was reserved. Hawke v. Ereethoy —tho Greytown Local Board case—was then taken. It will be remembered that the Greytown Local Board having levied a rate, exception was taken to it on tho ground that the election of members to constitute the Board had been conducted in an irregular manner, and that therefore any rate levied by the Board was invalid and bad in law. Mr. Gordon Allan, in opening the case, dwelt upon the point that, the Board was badly constituted ; that the persons who sued for tho rate had no right to inako it, not being properly invested with jurisdiction under tho provisions of the Local Boards Act; and that, therefore, the rate was a nullity. Mr. Allan cited authorities in support, and -at two o’clock tho Court adjourned.

The single girls recently arrived in this colony, by the immigrant ship Hindostan, have already found suitable situations in town. Some of the married people will be forwarded ;by the first opportunity to Taranald and Wanganui, at both of which places there is a great scarcity of labor. We regret to learn that Mr. Redwood is still unable to resume his duties at the Immigration Barracks. It is now a considerable time since he was first confined to his bed, in the meantime the management of the barracks lias beeu entrusted to Mr. Corliss. In the Court of Appeal on May 20 th judgment was given in Strachan v. Lyon and Young v. Percy. The question involved in the latter case seems at last to be finally determined, for the decision of the Court is couched in language which admits of no doubt as to the law upon the subject. Tho question submitted for the consideration of the Court was, whether a toll-keeper had the right to levy tolls upon coaches carrying mails when these coaches accepted service as ordinary carriers. In answer the Court states its unanimous opinion that any vehicle or animal, in order to be exempt as being employed in the service of tho Queen, must at the time be exclusively so employed; In the face of this decision, and that of his Honor Mr. Justice Richmond, it is probable no more will be heard of appeals of the laud. The judgment of the Court is singular in this respect: that while the Judges were unanimous upon the main question, they say in the last clause of the judgment that had it appeared on the case that the vehicles in question were vehicles with springs drawn by four horses, the : majority of the Court were of opinion that they would have felt difficulty in concluding that any toll was demandable. Now that the Edwin Fox has sailed for Newcastle with cargo, we may state that bet popular and able commander. Captain Davies, is likely to be employed in future in the New Zealand trade We understand that he will have the command of one of Messrs, Shaw, Savill, and Co.’s new iron ships, now building on the Clyde, which are specially intended for the New Zealand line. It will be remembered that Captain Davies brought the Dallam Tower, a naked ship, 3600 miles into Melbourne last year, without the help of steamers, two of which were by him to make salvage, and subsequently completed the round voyage by Otngo, at a minimum of loss to his owners. The run to Melbourne was made in ninety days, of which thirty-six days elapsed from the time of being totally dismasted and the decks swept. In another column will be found a letter from him in reference to the port dues and pilotage, which mercantile men would do well to consider. It is an undoubted fact that the character of the port suffers from excessive charges upon shipping, and we hope the Chamber of Commerce will take action in the matter. We shall gladly welcome Captain Davies back to Wellington in his new command. The Omeo—which reached The Bluff from Melbourne on Saturday, May 15 —only brought a few items of later Victorian news, including the following:—Parliament meets on the 25th. The Roman Catholic clergy still are continuing the agitation against the Education Act. A collision has occured on the North Eastern Railway, by which some damage was done, but no person was injured. The National Bank of Australasia has declared a dividend of ten per cent., with a bonus of two per cent. Mr. D. S. Hastings continues his lectures in favor of Good Templarism, and several demonstrations have taken place. A shocking suicide has taken place at Daylesford ; Mary Ann Wilson, aged twenty-four, swallowed a bottle of laudanum : she had lived a wretched life with the Chinese. The following tenders were received at the Public Works office, Wellington, for the Brunswick contract of the Waitara to Wanganui Railway:—Accepted—Pierce Lauigan, Auckland, £31,552. Declined—J. Brogden and Sons, Wellington, £31,662; Anthony, Nathan, and Co., Wanganui,£33,97B; Charles McKirdy, Wellington, £37,904; .W. F. Oakes, Wanganui, £35,122 ; Robert S. Low, Wanganui, £39,207; Frazer and Roberts, Pakurataki, £65,736. _ The following tenders were received at the Public Works Office, Wellington, for the completion of the Glenore contract of the Tokomairiro and Lawrence railway :—Accepted— A. J. Smyth and Co., Dunedin, £13,513. Declined—Jas. McKenzie, Dunedin, £15,791 ; Matheson Bros., Dunedin, £15,890 ; W. Strachan, Dunedin, balance of amount of original contract. Mr. Dargaville, in the debate on the address in reply to the Superintendent of Auckland’s speech, pointed out the fallacy of his Honor’s calculation of the contribution of the “poor man” to the revenue, much in tho way the New Zealand Times had previously done. He said he had calculated the amount a family of the class selected by Sir George Grey would pay, and it did not exceed £8 yearly ; in an economic family the amount would not exceed £5. These eisoneous statements_ were calculated to check immigration and interfere injuriously with the progress of the province. The Australasian remarks, in reference to the telegram episode in Sir George Grey’s administration as Superintendent of Auckland: — “ Sir George Grey has evidently taken office as Superintendent of Auckland with the conviction that his mission was to stand up stubbornly on all provincial rights, and if possible to ‘ make it warm’ for the General Government at Wellington. At any rate, he lias lost no time in acting as though that were the principle which directed his conduct.” At the invitation of Mr. John Scott, a number of gentlemen went for a trip as far as Mr, Stafford’s place, yesterday, says the Nelson Colonist of the 13th May. The engine and, three trucks did the four miles up in twentyfive minutes, and down in seventeen minutes. The rails are being rapidly laid, and it is expected that the lihe will be opened for traffic before November next. Major Edwards, R.M., recently animadverted, in strong terms, on the practice of selling adulterated drink to men frequenting publichouses. He would oppose a renewal of their license to any publican against whom tho police got a conviction. The Otago Guardian remarks “ The position of tho Bank of New Zealand, as revealed by the report of tho half-yearly meeting, published in our issue of yesterday, is one of which the colonists as a whole may well feel proud.” A steam flour mill is being erected at Rangiteki. The engine has beeu forwarded to its destination. An inquest on thebody of John O’ Connell, who died suddenly on Sunday, May 16, was held at the morgue on Monday, by order of the coroner. Before the proceedings of the inquest commenced, Dr. Johnston, the coroner, stated that he had known the deceased for tho last year or so, during which time he had been employed in the hospital as a wardsman, and had given great satisfaction. During the late fever epidemic he worked unceasingly, but when tho epidemic ceased he suddenly gave way to drink. During his sober days he had accumulated somewhat about £IOO, which unfortunately enabled him to obtain an almost unlimited supply of drink. Tho jury then proceeded to view tho body, and after deliberation, returned a verdict of “Died from natural causes. Extension of premises to meet tho growing trade of the city appears to be the order of the day, and we are constantly called upon to notice improvements in this direction. Hie, latest we have noticed is tho just-completed extension of the store of Messrs. Mclntyre and Co,, Cuatom-House-quay, which has been doubled in size. . The new premises are built of kauri and rimu. with a roof of galvanised iron. The store will now hold not less than ten thousand sacks of grain, so that Messrs. Mclntyre and Co. will always be able to keep the market supplied. . ... , ~ The telegrams convey intelligence ot the, death of Mr. Edward Bunny, Registrar of the Nelson Supreme Court. Mr. Bunny had for somo weeks past, suffered from a severe attack of pleurisy, tho symptoms of which were so alarming that Mr. Henry Bunny, Provincial Secretary, left! for Nelson a few days & in case tho fears apprehended should be realised,. Tlie price of bread has been reduced by some of the bakers to sd. per 41b, loaf. The Wanganui Chronicle says that the repairs to tho Putiki cattle wharf are nearly completed. It is a firmly built and strongly braced wharf, which should resist any strain.

On the last voyage of the barque Bobycito from Newcastle to Fort Chalmers, an Australian bird of the water-hen species flew on board when the vessel was 350 miles from the land, and was so greatly fatigued that it was easily secured. The remarkable Smythies’ case was again before the Court on May 21st, in the form of a renewal of the application to be admitted to practice in the courts of the colony. Unfortunately for Hr. Smythies, his Honor Mr.' Justice Gillies had to leave in the Phcebe to attend the circuit sitting of the Supreme Court at Taranaki, and as only two Judges remained, Mr. Smythies application fell through, the rules of the Supreme Court rendering it imperative that at least three Judges must be present to decide upon such an application. The Full Court wiU probably sit in Christchurch before long, when Mr. Smythies will have an opportunity of renewing his application. The new shop recently commenced in Cubaatreet for Messrs. Kirkcaldie and Stains is fait approaching completion. It will be a great addition to the, immediate neighborhood. It is difficult to give particulars until it is thoroughly finished. The Scotch Church, formerly in Willis-street, is also being erected close by in the same street. It is to be transformed into a shop and dwelling-house. - , Why the marriage of Mr. James Osgood should be regarded as a startling announcement is perhaps puzzling, but it is nevertheless a fact that the many friends of the popular bonifaoe of the Metropolitan- received the intimation -with surprise. Mr. Osgood did the thing handsomely by inviting a number of his most intimate friends to be present at the ceremony, at the conclusion of which an artis- , tically prepared -brealcfast was sat down to, and in a few hours the happy pair were howling along merrily on the' road to Featherston. Tire marriage ceremony was peformed by the Rev. Mr. Paterson. The Greytown Local Board case has resulted iu a decision adverse to the Board, Mr. Gordon Allan having, after two days’ argument, at last hit upon an objection which proved fatal to the claim. Except to lawyers, the argument was too dry and subtle to be interesting or comprehensible, so that the pith only of the case for the appellant is reproduced in our report, an outline of the respondent’s case having been given in our issue of yesterday. The result is, perhaps, an unfortunate one for the Board, as it places the members iu a very uncomfortable dilemma, not only iu respect of the loss of rates, but also in regard to the costs of the suit, which must now be very considerable. The decision, too, is prejudicial to the best interests of the district, which will suffer from the temporary stoppage of works, a condition of things which the appellant and those who acted with him will probably regret. It is, however, fair to presume that they were not actuated by mala fides, and that having carried their- point, they will now unite with their fellow-settlers in endeavoring to rectify the objectionable proceedings of which they complained. Their case was very skilfully argued by Hr. Gordon Allan, who dived deeply into legal archaeology, and won a case that at first appeared utterly hopeless. A New■ Zealand Gazette was published on Thursday, the 20th May, containing amongst other announcements (1) Order in Council making regulations under the Diseased Cattle Act, 1871 ; (2) an Order in Council amending the table of distances for service of summonses under the rules and orders relating to the District Courts Act, 1858, and the Acts amending the same ; (3) registrars of marriages, &c., appointed ; (4) certificate of execution of John Mercer at Lyttelton gaol; (5) appointment of Mr. John Barleyman to be registration and returning officer for the election of members of the House of Representatives for Wnirau and Picton;,(6) schedule of lands over which the Native title has been extinguished in Auckland and Hawke’s Bay ; (7) new money order and Savings Bank offices in Hawke’s Bay, Otago, and Canterbury ; (8) the usual notice to public officers holding advances of public money to pay the unexpended balances into the public account before the 26th June next; . (9) tenders for Brunswick contract, Waitara and Wanganui railway, already published ; (10) notice of the election of Mr. Ceorge, McLeau, for Waikouaiti; (11) appointment of Dr. Wilford, Hutt, as medical referee for the Perseverance Lodge, 1.0.C.T., industrial branch of the Government Insurance office ; (12) appointment of Mr. Charles Ceilings, Hutt, as agent for the same lodge; (13) notifying that the Rev. Lorenzo Lobr, Lutheran Church, is licensed to celebrate marriages. The Southern Cross has an article in a recent issue in which it pooh-poohs the complaints of Wellington regarding the construction of the Masterton railway. It remarks;—“ The Wellington and Masterton railroad will, no doubt, be finished all in good'time, just as we hope the Waikato line will he completed by-and-bye, but it is worse than useless for either Wellington or Auckland to grudge the rapidity with which work is done in places where the country is more favorable for such operations.” Now, our readers may not be aware of the fact, but it is true, nevertheless, that the railway from Auckland to Hamilton, in the Upper Waikato, including the bridge across the river at Ngaruawahia, will be finished, ready for the penfianent way, within a twelvemonth. The section from Mercer has been made without contract by militia-navvies. The line from Palmerston, on the other hand, has not been surveyed, and a sufficient vote has not been taken for the works authorised. What- mockery, therefore, to speak of the Auckland and Wellington trunk lilies in the same breath. The people of Wellington have the very strongest reason to complain of the prosecution of public works ‘in their province. The meteorological observations for tbe colony for tbe month of March show the total rainfall during the month to have been—in Hokitika, 11’480 inches; Bealey, 10’490 ; Nelson, 77’410 ; Southland, 3'390 ; Taranaki, 2-440 ; Queenstown, 2"030-; Christchurch, 1-910 ; Dunedin, 1-910 ; Wellington, 1-265 ; Wanganui, 1'220; Mongonui, -880 ; Auckland, -635 ; Cape Campbell, -530 ; and Napier, •140. The Gazette of May 27 contains a comparative return of*the number of telegrams forwarded, the revenue received; and the value of General Government telegrams transmitted for the quarters ended 31st March, 1874, and 31st March, 1875. During the latter period there were 235,864 telegrams forwarded, being an increase of 32,224, The cash received was .£14,374, being an increase of £2432. The value of Government telegrams sent was £3362 16s. lid., being an increase of £195 17s. 2d. It is noticeable that the monthly returns show a marked increase,, from 75,962 telegrams forwarded in January to 85,981 in March. Enthusiastic aoclimatisers always delight to hear of the spread of imported game. It will, therefore, bo welcome news that Californian quail are now to he found running about the back yards of stores in the centre of the city. The information is given on the authority of a Willis-street resident, contiguous to this office, who inarveUed at the unaccountable appearance yesterday of a brace of pretty, nimblefooted strangers amongst his flock of barndoors. A skilful ornithologist being close at hand, the genus of the birds , was at once decided, whereupon they sought escape through the nearest' hole iu the fence, and were seen no‘ more. Probably the birds had eluded the vigilance of some enthusiast to whom they! belonged. , Newspapers continue to increase and multiply in New Zealand. Among the new journals that have entered the field within the last week or two is the Inangahua Times, at Roefton, province of Nelson. It will ho published threetimes a week, on days alternating with the Herald, so that. Reefton now may be said to possess a daily newspaper. “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 ho a painstaking and most successful teacher, and his departure from Nolsomwill be regretted by bis many friends. We wish him every success in his new sphere."

During the month of .May, 1875, fifty-seven births and twenty-five deaths were registered in the borough of Wellington; also one stillbirth, not included in either list. The traffic returns for the four weeks ending 22nd May, on the Wellington and Masterton railway, are ; Passengers and parcels, £238 3s. 9d.; goods, £4B 13s. lid., making a total of £333 17s. Bd. Mr. Monteith has kindly furnished us with the following return of patients in the Provincial Hospital during and ending the month of May, 1875:—Admitted; Males, 19; females, 5. Discharged ; Males, 9 ; female, 1. Died : Males, 4; female, 1. Left iu hospital: Males, 39; females, 10. Total in hospital, 49. The members of the Club entertained his Honor Mr. Justice Johnston at dinner on Thursday evening. The proceedings, of course, were strictly private, but, as marking the esteem in which Iris Honor is held, it may be mentioned that nearly fifty gentlemen sat down to dinner, included amongst them being bis Honor the Chief Justice, all the members of the Ministry at present in town, and the leading members of tbe Bar. At a recent meeting of the committee of the Wellington and Hutt Building Society, the secretary reported a large accession to the share list, and that the monthly income then amounted to £226 2s. 6d. It was resolved to double the entrance fee forthwith, and a further increase will he made shortly. Fifteen shares were realised, and it was decided to hold a special committee meeting to consider the terms in which debentures shall be issued, and other matters. The excavations neceseary for the erection of the new St. John’s Church in Willis-street, in lieu of the one recently removed, are at length sufficiently advanced to allow of the commencement of the proposed building, which will he of a very much larger and, imposing character than the former.; The first case of commitment of a lad to the Naval - Training Ship which has taken place in the Province of Wellington occurred on the 3rd instant, on which occasion a hoy named Warren Smith was committed. The particulars of the case will be seen in our police court report, to he found in another column. At a meeting of the members of tbe Wellington Atbenamm, held on Friday, May 28, it was decided that the association should be resolved into a corporate body, and authority was given the committee To apply to the Superintendent of the province for a proclamation to that effect, under the Voluntary Associations Incorporation Act, 1872. The committee were also empowered to apply to the General Assembly for power to mortgage or otherwise dispose of the real and personal estate of the association. The object of the association is to raise money to improve the building, and afford additional accommodation to the public. The difficulties of railway making in the Upper Hutt district have not been lessened by the wet weather of the past week. The navvies in the cuttings, who are said to be accustomed to much “ heavy wet,” have had a 1 damper thrown upon them in literal earnest. Navvying in'this weather is labor of a very unpleasant sort, and so the men have found it, though they gallantly struggle on despite of all difficulties. The most serious drawback of the week is the complete “ cave iu ” of one of the tunnels iu the Pakuratahi contract, a portion of which is sub-let to Mr. Barker. The damage; though not serious in extent, the tunnel being small, is to be regretted, as the work in this locality presents enough of difficulty under the most favorable circumstances. The second term at the Wellington College began on the Ist inst., with a roll of ninety-nine pupils, being an accession of twenty over the last term. The whole of the available board) ing accommodation has been taken up—) twenty-five boarders being the maximum— : which shows that the college is gaining iu prestige. Had the Provincial Council voted the £4OOO moved for by Mr. Pearce, for the purpose of providing a new wing, it is undouljted that the institution would have received a largely increased number of boarders. However, present indications show that the college is making most satisfactory progress, and that it will before long vie with the collegiate institutions of 'Canterbury and Otago. The new three-ton crane was tested on the 30th ult., and found to be quite equal to the weight it was guaranteed to lift. As a matter of fact, it lifted three tons and a-half, which may he regarded as a perfectly satisfactory performance. The five-ton crane was not tested, but opinions as touts capabilities have somewhat modified, after the proceedings in regard to the three-ton article. But even if it lift the allotted five tons, there is one objectionable feature about it from which it can never he freed. In its aggregate parts it weighs ten tons, and cannot be moved without the aid of about forty men, who are not likely to be always at hand when the crane is to be moved. And who is to pay for the removal of the crane ? Ship captains won’t, neither will the wharfinger. Perhaps the Corporation will ! If not, the five-tonner is likely to lie by iu graceful ease. Thursday evening week the members of the Young Men’s Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society held their usual yearly meeting in the Manners-street vestry. Although the night was very unfavorable there was a good muster of members. The following were elected officers for the ensuing half-year : —President, Rev. W. Morley; vice-president, H. R. Dewsbury ; secretary, Mr. R. S. Waterhouse ; treasurer, Mr. A. Goddard ; librarian, Mr. G. B. Clark-; committee, Messrs. F. Ohinchen, J. Dixon, J. Clark, and Dunn. After votes of thanks had been passed to the late officers, the members proceeded to draw up a syllabus, to consist of lectures, essays, debates, extempore speeches, and readings and recitations, which promises to give a fair field for the ability and elocutionary powers of the members. During the past six months fourteen members have joined tho society. ’ The library consists of eighty-eightinterestiugaud instructive volumes. There is a balance of several pounds to the credit of the society in the hands of tho treasurer. The association is progressing favorably and has our best wishes for its future. The Foulkes case had its touching incident after all. During the trial iu the Divorce Court, and the final struggle for the writ of habeas corpus to secure the bodies of the children—as the law vulgarly puts it—the parties on both sides went into the business very coolly. The father, was flinty in his resolution, to conquer—the mother resisted, with a steady purpose and maternal fondness which redeemed her in the cold and cruel public eye. But the fiat of the law went forth, 1 and the children were parted from her who had nurtured them and brought them to years of understanding, and handed over to him who, after all, had the best right to them, for Foulkes all through this severe and protracted trial has proved himself a worthy man. On the Ist. he took the children away with him to Dunedin, and as he sat on the deck of the Phcebe waiting for tbe vessel’s departure, with a child on each knee, his stern manhood relaxed into tears of joy over a possession he had long striven for. Persons of tender susceptibility who witnessed the scene could scarce restrain the sympathetic thrill, for it is an incident such as this that “ breathes high language to the listening soul.” The usual fortnightly meeting of the Wellington Mutual Improvement Association was held on, the 3rd inst., iu tho Woodward-street soholroom. There was a good attendance of members, tho chair being occupied by the president, the Rev; W. H. West, B.A. _ The business of the evening was the discussion of the subject “ Is cremation the best mode of disposing of the dead 1” Mr, Ellison, iu an able paper, was in favor of the adoption of the new method for the disposal of human remains, while Mr. Mould argued with equal force for the retention of the present system of burial. The subject in all its phases was thoroughly ventilated, all the members expressing themselves pro or con with a clearness and distinctness which argue well for the future success of this promising, though young, literary association. Wo are informed, says a Hawke’s Bay contemporary, that, the action begun by Sergeant King, A.C., against the Board of Officers at Tauranga, for £IOOO, has been satisfactorily settled without the intervention of the Supreme Court ; and that Sergeant King has been reinstated in his former rank, but will be stationed at Taupo, instead of at Tauranga as formerly.

Mr. E. Fharazyn has taken his seat as a member of the Provincial Executive of Wellington.

The Chief-Postmaster despatched from the Wellington office by the Taranaki on May 11th, which took the outward English and American mail via San Francisco, for transmission per s.s. City of Melbourne, the following number of .letters, newspapers, &c. ;—For the United Kingdom—3979 letter's, 3031 newspapers, 56 book packages. For the United States—2sl letters and 141 newspapers. 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 Gazette of May 13th contains the Eegistrar-General’s report on the vital statistics of the boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hokitika for the month of April. The total number of births in these seven boroughs was 306, and of deaths 170. As usual, by far the largest mortality was amongst infants under live years of age. The largest proportion of deaths (3'68 per 1000) was in Auckland. Wellington stood third (2‘76) ; and Hokitika had only "87. The births exceeded by 27 those' in March, whiles the deaths were feweaby 81, One female, who died in Nelson, had attained eighty years of age ; two males died in Auckland in their seventy-fifth year ; and one female in Wellington at the age of sixty-nine. 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 received 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 sepiaj It could bo manufactured for about sixpence per ounce, whereas the same quantity of sepia costs about eleven shillings.” A, sitting of the Divorce Court was held on Wednesday 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 learn on reliable authority, says the Grey Star, that it is the intention of the Government, as soon as the purchase of the stone quarries has been effected, to put men to work without delay in getting out stone for our public works. All the four quarries will be kept working, but the specific purpose for which the first stone is required we have not been able to ascertain. It is probable that it will be the commencement of the harbor improvement works, the immediate importance of which cannot be over-estimated, as upon their construction the export coal trade of Greymouth mainly depends. The March mail via Suez reached The Bluff early on Monday afternoon, May 10th, by the Tararua, on this occasion being delivered only on the contract date. The Tararua, however, seems to have had a long passage of nearly seven days, on the run down having experienced her usual fortune of heavy head winds. The Court of Appeal opened on May 10, but as there were only two Judges present—Mr. Justice Johnston and Mr. Justice Gillies—no business was taken. The sitting, -.however,was by no means a barren one, for his Honor Mr. Justice Johnston, upon whom devolved the duty of preparing the decision of the Court in the important case, Borton v. Howe, delivered the judgment which will he found elsewhere. The other cases on th,e list are Vemiell v. Brandon, Strachan v. Lyon, Henty and others v. Holt, Paterson v. the Maudeville and Eaugiora Road Board, Mallaghan v. Werrham, Percy v. Young, Hawke v. Frethey, Bridge v. Foreman, Regina v. Warne (Crown case reserved), and re J. Smithies, a petition to permit Mr. Smithies to resume the practice of his profession as a barrister. From a return published in the Gazette of May 13th, we observe that the estates of nineteen persons who died intestate during the month of April have been placed in the care of the Public Trustee. Two of the deceased left £3OO each; four left sums of £2OO ; but one, a poor Chinaman, left only a poor one-pound note. Two of the intestates were drowned, one was killed by a fall from a horse, and three died in hospital