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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4455, 30 June 1875, Page 2

The toll-bar litigation is not yet at an end. Last evening, when the Wairarapa coach oarne down to the Hutt bridge the driver found the toll-gate closed, and the gatekeeper, “ pursuant to notice,” demanded toll from the driver. The driver refused to pay, whereupon the gate was opened, and the coach was allowed to pass, with the intimation that a summons would be taken out against Mr. Hastwell in the morning. Should the case again come on for hearing, the point that no demand had been made cannot be raised. The usual quarterly meeting of the Wesleyan Church was held on Monday afternoon last, when the balance-sheet for the past quarter was read, which showed a balance of £l7 to the credit of the society. During the past term several additions have been made to the roll of members. An accident occurred yesterdaymorniugthat unfortunately was attended with serious results. It appears that as John Biddle, one of the Corporation carters, was driving past the Albion Hotel, the wheel of his cart passed over the head of a child named Alice Bussell, causing concussion of the brain. Dr. Harding was speedily in attendance, but expressed very little hope of her recovery. The trowel used by his Excellency at the laying of the foundation stone of the Presbyterian Church was manufactured by Mr. Marriott, Lambton-quay, and is a faultless piece of workmanship. It had the following inscription neatly engraven, surrounded by an elegant traced border:—“ Presented to his Excellency the Most Noble the Marquis of Normanby, K.C.M.G., Governor of New Zealand, on his laying the foundation stone of St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Wellington. June 29, 1875.” On the back is the design of an open Bible, with the words, “Love yo ono another’.” It is right to state that Mr. Marriott, who executed the whole of this work, is one of our oldest settlors, having emigrated from London to Port Nicholson in 1812. Ho is now over seventy-six years of ago, and the performance, for so venerable an artist, is really surprising.

A meeting of the members of the Wellington Athenioum was held last evening. The attendance was not so large as could have been wished for. The report and balance-sheet, which were of a rather doleful character, wore all adopted, and several motions, due notice of which had been previously given, were debated, and the result will bo found in the report which appears elsewhere. The amateur performance at the Odd Fellows’ Hall last night did not attract a large audience, though for this perhaps the bad weather might be to blame. His Excellency the Governor and the Marchioness of No'rmanby were present. The performance, which consisted of “All that Glitters is not Gold” and “Binks the Bagman,” was very funny.

A meeting of the Education Board will be held this morning at the Education Office.

We would remind those interested in a work of kindness that the soiree dansante, in aid of a sick member of the Typographical Association, comes off at the Odd Fellows’ Hall this evening. About an hour’s intermission of dancing ■will take place, during which a short but apparently pleasing programme of singing and recitations will be gone through. A large number of tickets have been sold, and altogether there seems every prospect of an opportunity being afforded to spend a most enjoyable evening. No doubt the inclemency of the weather had a great deal to do with the somewhat small attendance at the Theatre Royal last night. We are quite sure that those who were there went away fully satisfied. Every character in the play produced—“ The Lady of Lyons”—was well sustained, more especially those of the leading artists, Mrs. Darrell and Messrs. Darrell and Hoskins. To-night, a new play, of which Mr, Darrell is author—- “ Under the Ban”—will be produced. This piece has received most favorable criticism from the leading American journals.

The weekly meeting of the Benevolent Society was held yesterday afternoon. The Bishop of Wellington was elected chairman, and the other members present were—Archdeacon Stock, Rev. B. W. Harvey, Rev. R. Ward, Rev. W. H. West, Messrs. J. G. Holdsworth, L. Levy, and the secretary. The following subscriptions were received ; —Bishop of Wellington, £2 25.; Dr. Bennett, £1 Is.; Mr. R. Burrett, £l. Several cases of distress were brought before the committee and relieved.

The following sad story is from a Home paper ;—“ On Monday morning William Hole was executed at Bristol for the murder of his wife, Alice Hole. The unfortunate man formerly occupied a very respectable position in the city, being a barge owner and general haulier carrying on a large business. He was also some few years ago a religious man and a Good Templar, but latterly he and his wife became habitual drunkards. They frequently quarrelled, and several times Hole attempted suicide. The circumstances_ of the murder of his wife on the night of August 28th have been fully reported. When taken into custody he said, ‘ I did it ; brandy, brandy, brandy.’ Strenuous exertions were made after his condemnation to obtain a repriev e. Petitions from Bristol and Plymouth, containing the .names of 30,000 persons, were presented to the Home Secretary, but without avail. The unhappy man protested till the last that he did not know that he had committed the crime, and said that he could die happy. He was quite firm in his demeanor on the scaffold, and only moved his lips as if in prayer. He was a very heavy man, and died without a struggle. Marwood was the executioner.”

A letter which Captain Stuart, of the emigrant ship Tweed, has addressed to The Times, throws an unpleasant light upon the cause to which many shipping disasters, especially such as that which resulted in the destruction of the Cospatrick, are really due. The Court of Inquiry into the loss of the Cospatrick was satisfied that the disaster was to he traced to the unlawful act of some one, in breaking one of the bulkheads, and entering the hold with lights for the purpose of robbery ; and from what Captain Stuart says, this land of robbery appears to be a common thing on board emigrant ships. His own experience is very startling. He sailed from Condon in June last with emigrants and a miscellaneous cargo for New Zealand. The ship had not been long at sea, when it was reported that the car"o was being plundered, and that naked lights had been seen in the lower hold. It was then ascertained that access to the hold had been gained by cutting a passage through the coals, and removing the bulkhead. On making this discovery the captain refused to supply the men with tobacco, and they revenged themselves by the wholesale neglect of their duty. They shammed sickness, and daily became more mutinous, until two of the ringleaders were placed under arrest. Captain Stuart also mentions the case of the Cathcart, which arrived at Lyttelton with mutiny on board whilst he was in New Zealand, In this case the crew had plundered the cargo and got at the spirits, with the result that the men broke out into open mutiny, and the captain and officers had to defend themselves by the use of firearms. We are assured that there is scarcely a vessel going to the colonies the owner of which does not have to pay for loss so occasioned.

Dr. Gustav Leipoldt, in a recently published work ou the “Mean Height of Europe,” after an elaborate calculation founded on a broad basis of measurement, concludes that it is 296’838 metres, 92 metres higher than the calculation of A. von Humboldt, who indeed made out the average altitude of all the land on the earth to be about 308 metres. The mean height of Switzerland, Leipoldt makes to be 1299’91 metres, while that of the Netherlands is only 9’61 metres. That of Great

Britain is 217'70. Mr. Duncan notifies that his auction sale concluding the disposal of Mr. Palmer's extensive lot of furniture and effects will commence this day at twelve o’clock, and that ho will sell the poultry and geese at two o'clock. Also, that he will sell one of Broadwood and Sons’ grand square pianos at one o'clock, without reserve.