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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4483, 2 August 1875, Page 4

An awfully sudden death occurred yesterday afternoon. A man named James Hawkins, a chimney-sweep, residing in Taranakistreet,was skylarking with his wife, when hewas suddenly observed to turn pale and fall back iu his chair. A doctor was immediately sent for, and a lodger named Cheeseman was called into the room, but poor Hawkins died in a few moments. He bore the character lately of being a sober steady man, though some years asro he was rather given to drinking. Probably an inquest will be held. In Wellington lately it seems that thieves suffer the qualms of conscience after thsir depredations. Kecently we instanced a case in which a cashbox had been abstracted from a dwelling-house, but within a short time was found in the immediate vicinity of the place whence it had been taken. Another case comes under notice. The other day a sailor named Evans went to the police-station with a tale of distress as to a watch having been purloined from his cabin. The police at once set to work to detect the thief, but have now been surprised by the watch having been found by a lad named Shaw opposite the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, at the corner of Willis and Manners streets.

The following is a return of patients in the Provincial Hospital for the month ending 31st July, 1875 :—Admitted : males, 16 ; females, 3. Discharged : males, 14 ; females, 3. Died: males, 4 ; females, 0. Remaining in hospital : males, 36 ; females, 8. Total number of patients now in the hospital, 44. The Church of England diocesan bazaar will be held on Tuesday, 31st August, and two following days. Several ladies have kindly offered their services for initiating and carrying out the necessary arrangements. The proceeds of the bazaar will be placed at the disposal of the Bishop, who will use the money in aid of church work in the country districts.

* Mr. Peter Dorreen, who has been an inmate of the Wellington hospital for the last three years, died within the past few days at the patriarchal age of 101 years. He was born in the County Down, Ireland, in the year 1774. He came out to New Zealand in 1840 in the ship Bengal Merchant. His widow resides at the Hutt, and is 08 years of age. The screw steamer Albion, which left this port for Lyttelton on Friday last, made a remarkably quick passage.. She steamed over the distance from heads to heads in thirteen hours and five minutes, and from wharf to wharf in fourteen hours and ten minutes. She had a favorable northerly breeze as far the Kaikouras, and then experienced heavy rolling seas.

Two vehicles, the drivers of which were attempting to progress in opposite directions on the same side of Willis-street on last Saturday night, cannoned against each other, but fortunately without sustaining any serious damage. We trust the driver who was mooning along on the wrong side will accept the incident as a caution to be more careful in future to observe the rules of the road.

The new Congregational Church Sunday school, Courtenay-place, Te Aro, was opened yesterday afternoon. It may be stated that this school has been erected to supply a much needed want, inasmuch as up to the present time there has been no place of worship of any kind in this locality. The Congregational body having conceived the idea of erecting the school, Mr. Burne offered very substantial assistance, for out of the £BOO or £9OO which the ground and site has cost, a sum of £7OO was very liberally contributed by that gentleman. The school, or more properly spealdng chapel, is very substantial and commodious, and fitted up inside with all necessary conveniences for carrying on the work. Yesterday was the day fixed for opening, and at 3 p.m. the chapel was crammed with intending Sunday-school scholars and their friends. Mr. Joel Woodward conducted the service, and after several hymns had been sung and devotional exercises engaged in, Mr. Woodward delivered a short address to tho children from Luke xix. 10 —"For the Son of Mau came to seek and to save that which was lost," —premising his remarks by stating the objects with which the building had been erected, and specially referring to the fact that it was not desired to take children from other schools, or to draw adherents from other churches, but merely to provide for the spiritual interests of those who hitherto had not been able to attend Sunday-school or Divine service, owing to distance or from other causes. In the evening the. Rev. W. H. West preached an excellent sermon to a large congregation. The musical portions of the service were rendered by the choir and children very nicely, and the successful opening of the school was very cheering to those who have undertaken the conduct of it. On Tuesday ereumg a tea meeting is to be held.

There was rather a heavy charge sheet at the Resident Magistrate's Cour.t on Saturday, and among the breakers of the law was the notorious Augustus Yelverton. According to his own statement, this individual was at one time a member of the police force of the colony, and according to official records, has had a chequered career, spending the major part of his existence (for some time back) in gaol, in which he would appear to hare experienced special delight, inasmuch as on the last occasion he had not been free from the lock-up two days when he committed a theft, with which he was charged on Saturday, found guilty, and sentenced to six months, his accomplice in the act receiving a like sentence.

. There was a capital pit audience at t the j Theatre Royal on Saturday night, and a fair attendance in the stalls, the piece of the evening' being the "Octoroon," a drama which always pleases, for which reason it is a stock play with all theatrical companies. Miss Colyille impersonated the Octoroon, and fully sustained her reputation for emotional acting. Mr. Hoskins, who played Salem Scudder, can only be spoken of comparatively. Thus, he could not but please in the character he sustained on Saturday night, but he is a better Richelieu, and preeminently superior as Major Jorum in "Formosa." Many who had not previously seen Mr. Douglas as Jacob MeClosky must have been pleasantly surprised at that gentleman's rendering of the part. There was an absence of that exaggeration assumed by many actors in delineating, or endeavoring to delineate, the hardened Yankee overseer, and his general bearing was totally unconstrained, which evinced that at whatever time Mr. Douglas adopted the character he carefully studied it. The general effect of the piece was somewhat marred by the acting of Mr. J. P. Hydes, or it should rather be said, by that gentleman's overacting. For reasons which he may be acquainted with better than any one else, the part of Pete received too much justice to speak mildly in the hands of Mr. Hydes. Had the effect of this been only to reflect on him, it might have been looked over, forasmuch as the blame would have fallen in its proper place ; but it unfortunately happens that no actor can be utterly regardless of what is required of him in the discharge of his duty, without injuring those who happen to be playing with him, and detracting from the general success of the piece. The remaining characters were well sustained. Mr. Burford made an excellent Wha-no-tee, howbeit, he would have made a better MeClosky. Mrs. Hill enacted the role of Dora pretilly, and Mr. Booth sustained the part o£ George Peyton. To-night the " Unequal Match" will be given.

The new auction rooms erected by Mr. Taylor, from the designs of Mr. Turnbull, for Mr. J. H. Wallace, auctioneer and land agent, have just been completed. The building possesses a handsome front elevation facing Hunter-street, with plate-glass windows on either side of the entrance doors, which are painted and grained in the best style. A side door on the right of the building admits the visitor to a private staircase, conducting to a suite of excellent offices overhead, consisting of three rooms, lined and ceiled in the best style of carpentry, and with the gas laid on. _ The front office facing Hunter-street, which is the most capacious of the three, is lighted from the street by two handsome plate-glass windows. A passage and staircase divide this office from the two at the back. Of these one is a spacious room, which has been offered to the Chamber of Commerce, and has two large windows of plate-glass let into the side wall and two similar windows let into the wall at the rear. This is a most airy and pleasant office, and takes up two-thirds of the space-at the rear of the dividing passage, the third office occupying the remaining and is furnished with one window overlooking the rear of the premises. The ground plan of the building occupies an area of 60ft. by 30ft. The office on the right of the chief entrance iu Hunter-street, occupied by Mr. J. H. Wallace, and that on the left, in the occupation of Mr. T. W. Pilcher, shipping agent, take up but a small part of this area. The rest is occupied by the new and commodious auction room, the erection of which, involving a large outlay of money, has been rendered imperatively necessary by the great impulse'which business has received in Wellington during the past few years. __________^_