GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4530, 27 September 1875, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

We learn by telegram from the South that the storm which visited Roxburgh on the 22nd inst. was of hurricane violence, and lasted from about i a.m. to 5.30 p.m., principally from the north-west. During its continuance houses were much damaged, several being partially unroofed, and the end of one building was completely blown in. The miners working the beaches were obliged to seek shelter, as the force with which the wind drove the sand and gravel along rendered it quite impossible to do anything. Altogether the storm seems to have been of exceptional violeuce, and to have come on with extraordinary rapidity. Dr. Redwood, R.C. Bishop of Wellington accompanied by Father Kirk, arrived at Bull's from Wanganui at two o'clock on Tuesday afternoon last. The carriage in which the Bishop journeyed drove direct to the Catholic chapel, where a congregation rapidly assembled. After investing himself with his robes of office, the right reverend gentleman addressed those present. The Advocate reports him as saying that he was pleased to find in the township a handsome structure such as the one they were assembled in. He had been told that Catholics were in a great measure indebted for the funds for the erection of their chapel to those who did not belong to their Church. It afforded him great pleasure to be informed of this generous spirit, and of the unanimity which obtained at Bull's, and reminded Catholics of their duty to their fel-low-men and to their God. An exceedingly appropriate address was concluded by the Bishop's pronouncing the benediction. After leaving the chapel, Dr. Redwood became the guest of Mr. McCarthy, at whose residence many of the old settlers visited him. His stay there, however, was brief, the Bishop taking his departure for Wanganui at half-past four o'clock. On Friday morning he purposed leaving Wanganui on a pastoral visit to Patea and Hawera, where, we understand, extensive preparations are being made for his reception. A terrific earthquake shock took place at" Gisborne at twenty minutes past eleven o'clock on Monday night, 15th September. Direction from north to south. Several chimneys wero blown to the ground. A man a few miles from Gisborne barely escaped being crashed to death. The bricklayers expect to reap, a good harvest. Superstitious natives expect a second shock which will cause earth to open and swallow up white population, who have usurped their right to New Zealand. One white man at Ormond was so frightened that ho went mad. He was brought to Gisborne to-day by the police, and will appear before the Resident Magistrate on the charge of lunacy. Mr, W. H. Watt has been duly-elected as member of the Education Board for the district of the town of W&ngamu, beating his opponent, Mr. John Morgan, by 116 to 55. Mr. J. Fleetwood has also been returned a member for the Wangaehu district, his opponent, Mr. Hutchison, the former representative, having retired from the contest. The elections for the Board are now concluded, and the following is the list of members returned:—Wellington City—Hon. W. Gisborne; Wellington District—Edward Toomath ; Manawatu—John T. Dalrymple, M.P.C.; Rangitikei—Rev. John Ross; Wangaehu—John Fleetwood ; Wanganui Town—W. H. Watt, M. P. 0.; Wanganui-Waitotara—Hon. C. J. Pharazyn, M.Ii.C. ; Featherston Henry Bunny, M.H.R.; Masterton—Geo. Be»tham, M.P.C. ; Castlepoint—Rev. J. C. Andrew, M.H.R. The first meeting of the new Board is called for Monday, the 4th October, at 11 o'clock.

The Registrar General's report on the vital statistics of the Boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hokitika for March has been published. The total births during the period were 270, the deaths 12S. The proportion of deaths waa highest in Nelson, being2'7sto thelOOOof population. There were 55 births and 22 deaths in Wellington. The deaths from zymotic diseases were 11 less in number than in July. Deaths from typhoid fell from 10 in jSfelj to 5 in August. The deaths from local "diseases show an increase of 9on the number in July. Of these the deaths from diseases of the nervous system show an increase of 5; and the deaths from diseases of the respiratory organs an increase of 12 (this last increase being attributable to the increase in the deaths from pneumonia and congestion of the lungs); while the deaths from diseases of the organs of circulation were 2in August to 7in July. Develop, mental diseases were 17 in August to 25 in July. We learn with regret that Mrs. Darrell, so highly esteemed here not only as an actress but as a lady, is so unwell in. Duiedin that it is highly improbable that she will be able to appear at the Theatre Royal, Wellington, as was contemplated on the 25th inst. Mr. H. P. Lyons, agent for the Chevalier Blondin, whose extraordinary tight rope feats are known the wide world over, is now in Wellington, having been engaged in arrangements, which are nearly complete, for the reception of Blondin, who will in all probability appear on (or above) the Albion cricket ground. Messrs. Andrew and J. C. Dalrymple have been returned unopposed as members of the Kducation Board for the .education districts of Castle Point and Manawatu respectively. The election for Wellington Country Districts is not creating a great stir, but we hear that a good deal of quiet canvassing is going on, and that the contests will probably be keen. The old Board is called together for the last time for Wednesday. Messrs. Smitt, Brothers, and Williams have just cast an exceedingly clear-toned bell for the Church of St. Matthew, Masterton, to the order of the trustees of that church. The weight of the bell is 2cwt.; the height is 19in., exclusive of the lug ; the diameter at the sound bow is 22in. It is a very clean casting, in a composition metal composed of Australian copper and tin. The bell rings out F sharp in a most resonant tone, and will no doubt be highly appreciated by the good folks of Masterton.

The ship Star Queen, with immigrants for Brisbane, which vessel called in at Melbourne for provisions, will form the subject of a rigid inquiry there and at Home. The immigrants appear to have been on half rations for a week previous to the ship's arrival at Melbourne. The Government papers show that certificates were signed for full rations for 140 days. The useful body of men the lumpers turned out on strike on the 9th instant, the whole of Mr. G. V. Jackson's employes refusing to set to work. It appears that there is a rule in the Lumpers' Union which forbids any member from working in a ship's hold at discharging cargo with any of the crew of the ship. Mr. Jackson had the contract for discharging the barque Dilawur, the captain, making it a condition that two of his crew should work in the hold. Mr. Jackson agreed to do the work, as two other stevedores had agreed to do it under the same conditions. His men, however, refused to work, and directed his attention to the rules of the Union. It appears that the captain of the Dilawur, on the suggestion of Mr. Jackson, ultimately agreed to discharge the ship with his crew, on hearing of which Mr. Jackson's men returned to their usual employment. The Taranaki Horald says that complaints are daily made against the practice of the Messrs. Brqgden of keeping their men at work all day on Sunday. Some few weeks back much sickness pre. vailed in the township of Masterton. During the latter half of August the same kind of sickness—an affection of the lungs and low fever—pervaded Greytown, with almost the intensity and universality of a plague. Few families seemed to escape, one or more members being laid up, and in some cases brought nigh unto death. The illness prevailed alarmingly, but the last few exceedingly fine days have wrought a very general and rapid improvement. Several children died, and public feeling was very sensitive. . The funeral of Mr. Hastwell's only son was perhaps the largest in the. Wairarapa. One of the last attacked was Mr. Humphries, who caught a severe cold, and quickly sank under a strong attack of bronchitis or inflammation of the lungs. He was one of those men whose sterling character and severe and economical industry give stability to the material progress and the institutions of a colony. From small beginnings he had acquired an almost independent competency. He was an excellent example of a good colonist, and earnest and unselfish to an extreme in the performance of his private and public duties, in which latter he was beginning * to take a more prominent part. A large family suffer deeply the affliction of his loss. Two imbeciles have lately arrived in Otago from England. One of them is a Government immigrant, and is to be sent back to England soon. The other is a free immigrant, and the captain of the Aldergrove, in which vessel he arrived, has been served (so says the Daily Times) with a writ, under the Imbecile Passenger Act of 1873, calling upon him to enter into a bond for the support of the imbecile a? long as the latter remains in the colony. The Wanganui Herald of the 7th inst. says: —■"' A large number of Maoris came down the river to-day, and their well-laden canoes gave the quay in the neighborhood of the market place quite a busy appearance, the unloading of the various bags of farm produce attracting numerous purchasers. A number of the Maoris had evidently coma down for the purpose of attending the native meeting at Parihaka, which takes place on the ISth inst., and at which a large number of the natives from all parts of the district will no doubt be present." As might have been expected after the opening of the Clutha railway, the coaches to and from Dunedin did not load very well. The Bruce- Herald says that when Cobb's midday coach from Dunedin arrived at Tokomairiro, there appeared to be some curiosity to see the number of passengers it would bring. As Southall drove his five-horse team in at a dashing pace, it became evident that there were no passengers outside ; and when the coach was pulled up at the White Horse, the only occupants of the inside seats turned out to be three sedate-looking Chinaman. The Halcione, as our readers are aware, brought her immigrants for New Plymouth, and in consequence of a gale of wind springing up whilst she was in the roadstead there, had to come on to Wellington with somewhere about half her paßsengers, who have bpea forwarded by steamer to their destination. The ship was visited on the sth by Mr. Carrington,. Superintendent of Taranaki, who addressed the immigrants, and pointed out to them that with sobriety and diligence they might ensure a life of comfort in Taranaki. Mr. (Jarringtou also sent on board, for the use of the new arrivals, a quantity of fruit, which was most acceptable after their passage. An instance occurred during the voyage of the Teviotdale from London which may be regarded as throwing some light upon the mystery which has surrounded the frequent loss of ships at sea by fire. About a month after the commencement of the voyage a herdsman in charge of the live stock on board found a box of lucifer matches in the middle of a truss of pressed hay. The man is prepared to make affidavit that from the position of the box it must have been in the hay at the time o€ shipment, but how it came there is only to be accounted for by the presumption that it was accidentally dropped by the persons engaged in pressing the hay in England. It cannot be supposed that there was any wilful intention, yet the discovery suggests a culpable want of care, and the thought arises, how many of these dreadful calamities, bringing death to hundreds of human beings, and consternation to their fellow-men, are to be attributed to the negligence of the shippers or their servants.

Letters of naturalisation have been isßued to Carl Greorgj WiUielm Buuckenburjj, of \T« Ungton.

A number of brown doves have been liberated by the Acclimatisation Society, and some Indian minas have also been liberated. It i 3 hoped that any of these birds may not be destroyed, as the object of the society in giving them their liberty would thus be frustrated.

The next sitting of the Supreme Court, ■Wellington, in its criminal jurisdiction, will take place on the first Monday in next month. The following prisoners await trial: —George Moffitt, horse-stealing ; Eliza Smith, perjury ; Charles Nelson, manslaughter ; Akuhata, assault and robbery ; Thomas Roche, obtaining money by means of false pretences ; Charles Scott, stealing from a dwelling. According VTiotice, an" election took place at Pahautanui on September 15th for the purpose of returning a member to represent No. 3 Ward in the Highway Board. Mr. J. Pearce, of the Small Farms, and Mr. K. Smith, of Horokiwi Valley, were the two candidates. The supporters of each party appeared to take a lively interest in the matter, and used their utmost endeavors to get their candidate returned. The result of the poll was a majority of six in favor of Mr. Smith. Thirty-eight voted for him, and thirty-two for Mr. Pearce.

The amateur performance on the 20th instant in aid of the funds of the Benevolent Society attracted a large and fashionable audience to the Odd Fellows' Hall, every available portion of space being occupied. His Excellency the Governor and suite were present. The professional ladies who assisted the - amateurs played their respective parts in a very excellent manner, and if the amateurs themselves were not of the best, their efforts were received with the utmost good humor, and those present obtained ample consolation for any defects by a remembrance of the good and charitable cause they were aiding. The band of the Choral Society, under the leadership of Mr. Curry, and that of the Artillery Volunteers, played some admirable selections, the hearing of which was not the least satisfactory part of the entertainment. During the past week Mr. Pound, coachpainter, of Willis-street, has turned out some very creditable specimen of his art. A new cab has been beautifully ornamented and trimmed. The body is painted in claret, picked out with white lines, and on the sides are illuminated neat designs. The windows are prettily painted with pink borders and gilded comers. An express- built by Mr. Watson, painted in dark green, ornamented with designs and illuminated letters, is also worthy of note, as are a number of show boards painted for Mr. Staples, the brewer. These are intended to occupy the same position in hotels as the show cards sent out by English brewers, and are really very prettily got up. . , Contracts have just been entered into tor the erection of a palace for the Right Rev. Dr. Redwood, Roman Catholic Bishop, and also of a couple of presbyteries. The palace is to be placed on a piece of rising ground_at the rear of the Cathedral—a most eligible site—and as the structure i3to be elegant, but with no pretence to gaudiness, it will form a feature in this conspicuous part of Thorndon. It will be a two-storey building, containing on the ground floor vestibule, hall, reception room, study, secretary's room, drawing, dining, and waiting rooms, with kitchen, &c. On the second-floor will be a chapel, and six bed-rooms, with usual offices. ' The internal arrangements are to be after the most modern and approved methods, gas, and hot and cold water being laid on. A verandah will run round the front of the building, and a handsome portico, with Corinthian pillars, will ornament the entrance. Messrs. Rountree and Russell are the contractors, and the building, it is expected, will be finished some time in February, at a total cost of £1,900. In the vicinity of the pa'ace is to be erected a presbytery, two storeys high, and containing parlor, three sitting-rooms, library and study, and four bed-rooms, with kitchen, &c. Mr. Samuel Brown, the contractor, anticipates finishing the work in November, and the cost will be about £650. At the Te Aro end, close to the Mannersstreet Church, a presbytery for FatherO'Reilly and hi 3 curate is also to be_ built immediately, containing a couple of sittingrooms, three bed-rooms, study, &c. The contractors are Messrs. Scoular and Archibald, and the cost and time allowed for completion of the contract are much the same as in the case of the Thorndon Presbytery. Mr. Thomas Turnbull i 3 architect of all three buildings, and all the designs are conceived in capital taste. As in the case of the Bishop's palace, the presbyteries are ornamental in appearance, but will be constructed in a substantial manner.

Captain Louttit, of the ship Rodney, courteously afforded us an opportunity of witnessing tie very complete discipline which he has been enabled, by rare tact and firmness, to carry out on board his Bhip. On the 30th August the Immigration officer, accompanied by the Harbormaster and several other gentlemen, boarded the vessel, and after some preliminary arrangement had been disposed of, the roll of the single girls was read over, the young women afterwards rangiDg themselves on the port side of the ship. After the single women the married couples and then the single men passed in review before the Immigration officer, the captain, the surgeon-superintendent, and the Health officer. All the appeared to be in excellent health and spirits, and expressed their cordial appreciation of the manner in which their comforts had been attended to by the captain and surgeonsuperintendent. This necessary routine being disposed of, the Immigration Officer was conducted by the captain over the whole of the ship devoted to passenger accommodation, and the visitors were Btruck with the extreme cleanness of all the arrangements, which was obviously the principal cause of the healthiness of the pas3engersduringthevoyage. Thecaptain now seized the opportunity of showing to his visitors what can be done in the way of disciplining immigrants in what is technically called the fire drill and boat exercise. The order was accordingly given for the ringing of the fire-bell, immediately on hearing which the passengers took their respective places at the pumps, the hose was got in readiness, the buckets were manned, and everything was ready for deluging the ship •with water. As however some of the visitors expressed their entire appioval of the drill up to this point without its fruition in a copious rush of water, this latter was dispensed with, and it is to be hoped that the need may never arise on the good ship Rodney for the carrying out in stern earnest of the fire drill. The order was then given to man the boats, and in a very short time each boat was filled with its complement of men, each individual securing a reliable life-belt to his shoulders, and then came the order to lower the boats, which order was promptly carried out. The disastrous fate of the ship Cospatrick, with its human freightage of hundreds of emigrants, has written in terrible characters a protest once for all against the neglect of the precautions which have been so wisely and efficiently carried out in the Rodney. For in that case, as our readers will recollec*, as many or more lives were lost by drowning as deaths by suffocation in the burning ship. But apart from the actual necessity for instituting these precautionary measures on shipboard, and especially on board an emigrant ship, there is this further advantage, that the discipline gives employment to the emigrants, thus enabling them to escape from the ennui which overtakes an indolent life oi board shia

The confiscated land sale, held at Patea on Thursday, September 16th, was a great success, the attendance was large, and among the competitors was a very fair sprinkling of visitors from the other provinces. The bidding for the suburban sections on the east bank of the Patea River, opposite the town of Carlyle, was" particularly brisk. This land is of a swampy character, and the sections were put up at £3 per acre, and realised from £5 to £34 p<r acre, the purchasers being principally local. The allotments in the Okutuku district were not 80 keenly contested for, but the allotments sold realised a considerable advance on the upset price) the top figure being £0 per acre. All the allotments offered were sold with the exception of about twelve. The character of the land was said to be rugged and thickly timbered. The total amount realised was . £18,500.

Three mares at Wangauui have each dropped twin foals. A humorous letter in the Wairarapa Standard describes a meeting of an imaginary road board, at which no less than thirty-five letters were read complaining of the state of the roads.

A shock of earthquake was experienced on the evening of the 21st at thirty-two minutes past six o'clock. The shock was very distinct, being accompanied by a noice unusually loud, such as that produced by the discharge of a large gun. . In consequence of a misunderstanding which occurred last season in the Wairarapa district respecting the price of shearing, several flockowners have agreed this year not to engage any shearers unless an agreement fixing the price is first signed. The Standard says that shearers are plentiful this season, and the rate of 20s. per hundred will be pretty general. A resolution carried in the House of Representatives on the Bth inst., on-the motion of Mr. Williams, will commend itself to everyone. It was one which provided that decent care should be taken of the graves of those men who have fallen, fighting on the side of the pakeha, in the numerous wars with the natives that have occurred in this colony. Without desiring unnecessary posthumous attention for anyone, all must agree that graves such as those mentioned deserve reverence, attention, respect, and decency. Their tenants fell in the discharge of duty. We may lament the wars that caused the loss of brave men's lives ; time may have proved that in more than one case the pakeha did not have absolute justice on his side ; but that does not detract from the faithful memory in which those men should be held who laid down their lives at the order of the country that gave them birth, of the community they were bound to defend. An Auckland correspondent of a Dunedin paper writes :—"I heard a young friend a few. days ago give a reason for the murder of Commodore Qoodenough and the with him so novel yet so feasible that I think it worth recording. My friend is one who has had great experience as a boy among the islanders, and he believes firmly that the murder was nothing but a bit of sheer bounce and bravado on the part of some young fellow. His theory is that no deliberate murder was intended, or the natives would have waited a better opportunity to attack, and would have got between the Commodore and his boat. He considers, too, that the fact of one arrow only being fired at first was further proof. Taking it as one of those sudden freaks of savages—especially of young ones—which he has witnessed among them, he holds that, the first arrow being fired, an excitement created, the others would follow as a matter of course. The theory may or may not be correct, but it comes from one who has himself had, as a boy, opportunities of intimately knowing the ways of such people, and it strikes me as having about it an air of probability that might commend it to inquiry on the part of those competent to undertake it by knowledge of native life." The election of a member of the Board of Education for the Wellington country district took place on the 18th inst., and the result was another instance of what perseverance in canvassing will do. The general impression throughout the district seemed to be that Mr. Travers would be elected, and his supporters, trusting in his popularity, took matters very easy. On the other hand, Mr. Toomath'b friends worked incessantly, bringing stray voters in from all parts of the district, and were fitly rewarded by seeing their candidate victorious. By four o'clock some thirty or forty people had assembled at the polling place, Clapham's Hotel, Ngahauranga, and not a little excitement prevailed. .&. few minutes after the poll had closed, the returning-officer, Dr. Taylor, came forward and announced the state of the poll to be as follows: —Toomath, 114; Travers, 98 ; majority, 16. He therefore declared Mr. Toomath duly elected. (Loud cheering.) Mr. Toomath said : Gentlemen,—l have to thank you very much for having worked so heartily to secure my return. As I have acted in the "past, so will I act in. the future, and endeavor to show you that your confidence has not been misplaced. I shall always do whatever I can to promote the cause of education throughout the province generally, and in this district in particular. I have only again to thank you, and beg to move that a vote of thanks be given to the returning officer for his kindness and the able manner in which he has conducted the business to-day. I regret that Mr. Travers is not present. (Loud cheers.) The returning officer acknowledged the vote, and the proceedings terminated. An amusmg circumstance took place in the Warden's Court, Reefton, lately. During the hearing of an application for the cancellation of the Excelsior lease, L. Davies, a witness in the case, produced an invoice to show the Court that he had purchased a Beal for the company from Mr. Parkinson, of Greymouth. The invoice was handed to Mr. Pitt, counsel for the other side, when the following colloquy, as reported in the local paper, ensued:—Mr. Pitt to witness : Now, do you mean to say that the company could not go to work upon the ground without this seal ? Witness (languidly) : Well, we did not require the seal to sink a shaft ! Mr. Pitt: No, I suppose not; but I find on this invoice two other items, a "baby's perambulator" and a "Technical Educator." Were they required to sink a shaft? This remark caused-an outburst of laughter, which was broken only by the denunciation of the witness at Mr. Pitt's reference to his private affairs. In defence, Mr. Pitt said that the document was for the time being before the Court, and as it had been introduced into the case by the witness himself, he must take the consequences. September has now arrived, and if a few more fine days occur favorite cricket bats will be taken out from cupboards, from behind partitions, and from other places in which they have been stowed away during the winter months, for a rub with sweet oil, to be polished up, and to be otherwise put in order, in prospect of great doings during the approaching long summer evenings. In view of this, the question is now being frequently asked, " Why have not the proper improvements been made this winter on the Wellington ground ?" This question, too, has been asked not only by active cricketers, but by people who have always taken a warm interest in the usefulness of the enclosure. No one doubts that the trustees are doing their very best with regard .to the important trust they have undertaken; but a flax swamp cannot be made into a really good recreation ground for nothing, and to grudge a few pounds at present after the very large sum already expended is like spoiling the ship for the sake of a penny's worth of tar.

With regard to a letter, signed " Observer," which appeared in the issue of "the 11th of anevening contemporary, complaining of the want of care by the immigration authorities of the Scandinavian immigrants in the Wairarapa, we are authorised to state that the officer in charge reports to the following effect:—"Christian Olsen (the man referred to) and family left for Forty-mile Bush last week. He is the man who seems to have been in distress, as far as I can learn, but never came under my notice. I granted special rations to the same man, and would have done so again had he made application. I learn that he had to sell a waistcoat to help him, but ho never applied to me for rations. Specially, as far as I know of the same, he seemed not to bo in a hurry for work. He spent hia time frequently about the hotels. I am not flaying what ho was doing, but ho seemed to mo not to be looking for work, and if he was hard-up for food he seemed to obtain grog, &c. I have never seen Scandinavians getting employment and shifting for themselves better, since I. have been stationed here, than theso have done notwithstanding the time of season. If Olsen was in distress it was his own fault." About this season of the year seagulls are a great pest to some portions of the Wairarapa. We learn from the Standard that they come in great numbers, seeking for dead sheep and lambs, which they speedily devour. If they did no more than this they would be harmless, but they are apt to attack young weak lambs, and even sometimes weak sheep, pecking out their eyes. As soon as the lambing season is over and the lambs get a little strong and able to protect themselves, these birds take their departure back to their native hatfhts.

A visit to the Lion Foundry is quite sufficient to convince one of the fact that it plays no unimportant part in the industry of Wellington. Situated in a quiet corner, of modest exterior, and with nothing ornamental about it —if we except the rakish-looking lion on the signboard, who is airily contemplative of the Wellington chimneypots—theiron-foundry gets through more work than might be supposed, and work, too, of a somewhat extensive character. At the present time, a large hauling engine, for Messrs. Fell and Co., of Blenheim, has just been completed, and was shipped yesterday by tho Falcon ; the third locomotive for Foxton is now ready for shipment, and will, it is supposed, be conveyed to ita destination by the Luna, when she returns to Wellington ; and what is known to the trade as a contractor's locomotive is now being constructed, to the order of Booth and Sons, of the Wairarapa. At the same time a mass of lighter work is being performed. Within the four walls of the building the activity is surprising. Machines of strange shapes are iu all directions, innumerable bands, which resemble everlastiug cotton reels ten times magnified, twist over and under each other in what would appear to be curious confusion, yet each one is performing a separate duty ; and the dusky workmen, appropriately smutty, flit about ar.d perform extraordinary tricks with red-hot iron and furnaces. It is sincerely to be hoped the time is not far distant when this foundry, and others in New Zealand, such as Fraser and Tinne's, of Auckland, will receive greater encouragement than at present. The locomotive above alluded to is one of three made by contract for the Foxton line, and the firm were enabled to turn them out for £6OO a-piece, because, all of them being of the same model, less labor was attached to their construction than if they had been made singly and to separate order. Such being the case, it is within the bounds of possibility that New Zealand firms may be able to turn out this class of work at a rate as low as that which it now costs the Government in England.

The Hon. W. H. Reynolds has been so good as to place at our disposal the following telegrams relative to the late forecasts of the weather. As this subject is becoming more a matter of public interest, we have procured the forecasts from Captain Edwin, and trust they will be considered as showing that the work is making favorable progress. To make matters more readily understood, we may mention that in our issue of Friday last we stated that telegrams had been sent to the Middle Island to expect bad weather between north-west and south ; but by 'Saturday a further change had taken place, which necessitated the sending of the following message to the South Island :—" Indications for falling glass and gale north-west to south ; may expect easterly wind to increase." In reply to this, Captain Thomson, the Chief Harbormaster of Otago, telegraphed as follows : " Your forecast, of this afternoon's date, hasproved correct; at 7 p.m. to-day, 29'45 ; south-west; strong gale." The weather report for Saturday shows that a slight fall in the glass had taken place. To the North Island stations the warning sent was : " Indications for falling glass ; may expect wind to back into eastward, and strong wind to gale, changing north and westward." The harbormaster at Grahamstown has telegraphed in reply : " Your telegram of 1 p.m. received ; indications exactly correspond ; from 10 a.m. to pm. gale north-east, with squalls and rain ; at 4 p.m. a change to west, wind increasing." Mr. Calder, the telegraphist at Wanganui, has stated that the forecast received by him was correct. We also find that on the 13th a considerable change had taken place since the previous day, and there were strong indications of a westerly gale. About 3 p.m. a message was received f<om Westport, stating that the glass had fallen a little, and that appearances were of a threatening nature. As this agreed with the forecast, warnings to cxpectwesterly galesweresent to all Middle Island stations ; but the one sent to Westport reads "Yours received ; bad weather approaching, probably between N.W. and S. ; may have barometer fall another 3-10ths." On the 14th additional warning wa3 sent as follows : " Expect change southward shortly ; may blow pretty hard." In reply, Captain Leech states on the same day—" Both forecasts are excellent." The barometer at Westport fell from 29'95 on the 13th to 29-62 on the 14th. The message sent to Port Chalmers on the 13th was—" Expect falling glass, and strong wind to gale, between N.W. and S. ; will probably get this too late." The latter part of this mes- | sage seemed very probable, in consequence of change which had set in, but of which no notice could be given, as no weather reports are received on Sundays. At noon on the 14th, Captain Thompson, of Dunedin, replied —" Your forecast of yesterday correct, giving ten hours' warning. Strong south-west wind, with rain, commenced at 3 a.m. to-day." On the 15th, warning for bad weather was sent to Poverty Bay, and during the same afternoon Captain Chrisp telegraphed that the barometer had fallen 3-10ths ; but no more than a fresh southerly wind seems to have followed.

On the 21st instant a Crown land sale was held at the Provincial Government buildings. There was a fair attendance, but bidding, except for some few favorite lots, was very dull, and but littie business was done. The landscomprised town and country sections, situate in Palmerston, Wanganui, Tukapu, Horokiwi, Ohariu, and Hutt districts. On the whole there were seventy-four lots submitted, of which sixteen were sold, and some of these being choice selections, there was a keen competition for them. The following were the sales : Township of Palmerston, town section No. 601, containing 3 roods 16 perches ; upset price, £25; sold to Mr. J. Linton for £3O. Town of Wanganui, J-acre section in Hill-street; upset price, £6O ; sold to Mr. Waters at £9O. Tukapu, rural section, 114 acres ; upset price, £57 ; sold to Mr. Spreet at £75. The whole of the country lands were put up at the upset price of 10s. per acre. Sections 32, 108 acres; 34, 106 acres ; 35, 148 acres, were all purchased by Mr. Thos. Meagher at the upset price.* Hutt District.—Section 354,154 acres, Mr. Walter Johnston ; upset price. Section 358, 219 acres, same buyer;, £l7O. Section 359, 232 acres, same buyer; £2lO. Section 360, 174 acres; upset price. Section 362, 214 acres, £l3O ; Mr. Johnston. Section 363, 196 acres, £l5O ; same buyer. Section 364, 200 acres, upset price £100; Mr. J. H. Wallace, for church trustees. • Section 366, 180 acres; upset price, £9O; Mr. A. Martin, £260. Section 367, 172 acres ; upset price, £B6 ; Mr. Johnston, £l3O. Section 380, 187 acres, Mr. J. Lockie, at upset price, £93 10s.

The Wanganui Herald has the following : " It is always pleasant to see the right hand of fellowship held out to new arrivals, and as it were the open door of welcome as well. This was plainly demonstrated last Friday evening, after the arrival of the immigrants by the Rodney, when Mr. R. W. Littlewood, of the Ship Hotel, invited them to supper, and likewise entertained them for several hours. They were provided with bread, cheese, and beer, in galore, and in their entertainment both the host and hostess endeavored to do their utmost. During the evening it appeared from the statements of many of the new arrivals that the captain of the Rodney, together with his wife, had been very attentive to them ; the lady especially even attending to various cases of sickness which had occurred on beard. The I doctor (Mr. Harris) was also highly spoken of, and it seemed from the many eulogiums passed, that his efforts to smooth over the troubles of Bea-sickness and other contingent difficulties attached to shipboard will not soon be forgotten. After the company had spent a very pleasant hour or so, the entertainment was brought to a close, tho spirited proprietor and the hostess being acknowledged and complimented by all, and the immigrants then being able to return to. the depot, whore within the prescribed hour, they were duly lodged as previously provided. The following official statement, showing the progress of the colony of Victoria since the last exhibition, was read by the Chief Secretary at the Mayor's luncheon at the opening of tho exhibition :—The last exhibition was opened on the 6th November, 1872. Since that date at least 50,000 have been added to the numbers of our population, and 75,000 to the acres in cultivation. The revenue has increased by £400,000; the shipping inwards and outwards has increased by more than 200,000 tons ; the imports have

swelledfrom£l2,34o,ooointheyearpriortothat of the lasb exhibition to nearly £17,000,000, or by over £4,500,000 sterling; and the exports have increased in the same period from £14,500,000 to £15,400,000, or by £OOO,OOO, and this notwithstanding a falling off of sterling in the export of gold. The letters passing through the Post-office, have increased by 4,000,000, and the newspapers by 1,700,000. Messages by electrictelegraph have increased by 164,000 ; deposits in savings banks by £500,000, and this notwithstanding the high rate of interest offered by building societies and other competing institutions. Children at school have increased by 73,000 ; manufactories have increased from 1745 to 2109, or by 364 ; the hands employed in manufactories have increased from 19,294 to 28,026, or by 8732 ; and the_ capital invested in manufactories, so far as it is represented by the value iOf lands, buildings, machinery, and plant, has increased from £4,725,125 to £6,798,820, or by £2,073,695. At the saine time crime has diminished, as is evident from the fact that the persons committed for trial have fallen off in three yeara from 781 to 694, and not one arrest has been made for smuggling in the past three years. The Tasmanian Tribune cS. August 24 writes: —lt has long been an unsettled question among comparative anatomists how the Echidna of the naturalist, or the porcupine of the colonist, perpetuated in species. About nine years ago, Professor Owen wrote to Mr. S. H. Wintle, expressing a strong desire to obtain one of these animate in such a condition as to throw light on this subject. Mr. Wintle, a month ago, while in the district of George's Bay, caught one in a condition that, without a doubt, will Bolve this problem. When Mr. Wintle captured the one' in question and opened it, he found a veritable well-developed egg, about the size of a large walnut. This was immediately followed by another, with others in embryo. These he succeeded in bringing to town, together with the skin in an excellent state of preservation, and intends to forward them to Professor Owen without delay. A very large number of these animals, some few even alive, have been forwarded to Europe, and not a single one of them has been in a condition to throw light on the matter in question. Those physiologists and naturalists who have seen this one, are unanimous in the opinion that these creatures are oviparous. Letters of naturalisation have been granted to the following :—Edwin Torrens Brissenden, gentleman, Auckland; Frederick Williams, mariner, Wanganui ; Peter Nielsen, farmer, Mauriceville, Wellington ; Niels Nielsen, farmer, Mauriceville, Wellington ; Frederick Jagerhorn, farmer, Scandinavian Camp ; John Nelsen, mariner, Lyttelton ; August Wilson, mariner, Lyttelton ; Janies Petersen, laborer, Oamaru.

Bishop Redwood landed at Wanganui on the 15th inst., and was received by a large crowd on the wharf, and followed to the Catholic Church, when an address of welcome was presented. He replied in terms similar to those used at other places. The receptio"n was exceedingly complimentary. William Cowern submitted the township of Normanby at Kitemara, Patea district, to auction on the 15th inst., on behalf of Captain Blacke. The bidding for fancy sections was keen, realising good prices. Forty sections sold at an average rate of £l3 per quarter acre. All sold at satisfactory prices.