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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4548, 18 October 1875, Page 2

In the public works appropriations, passed by the House on Saturday morning, were the following of local interest:—Wellington and Masterton Railway—Salaries of engineers, &c, £3,274 55.; construction, £216,725 15s. Pate* to Manawatu line—Salaries, &c, £3,982 10s. ; construction, £249,517 10s. Manawatu to Foxton—Salaries, &c, £B3B 10s. ; construction, £52,593 Is. 4d. Roads—Salaries : Surveyor in Seventy-Mile Bush, £350 ; engineer, Manawatu, £252105. £18,397 6s. Id. was also voted for the construction of North Island roads, of which a portion at least will be expended in Wellington." Land Purchase Department, Wellington—Salaries, £1,650 ; land purchases, £28,350 ; postal and telegraph buildings (Wairoa, Carterton, Masterton, Upper Hutt, Palmerston North, Turakina), £1,275 ; public departments, £26,000 ; Ministerial residences, &c, £4,555 ; of advance on land for public works in Wellington, in connection with settlement of immigrants, £53,500.

In the report of Friday's proceedings in the Legislative Council, the Municipal Corporations Loan was classed with Bills read a third time, whereas the Bill was ordered to be recommitted on Monday (this day.)

The. Legislative Council met on Saturday at the usual hour, the principal reason for bo doing being to pass the second reading of the Dunedin Waterworks Extension BUI, but the Hon. Mr. Russell took advantage of the occasion to make a statement in reply to Mr. Ormond, and as it.was of great length, the Council did not adjourn until nearly five o'clock. They will sit again to-day, as there is a considerable press of important business.

The College sports will be held to-day, commencing at 12 o'clock. Should to-day be wet, they will be held on Tuesday, or the first fine day following. His Excellency the Governor and Lady Normanby, his Honor the Superintendent, and the Governors of the College will be present. The Artillery Band will play during the. afternoon. This will afford an excellent opportunity to persons who wish to subscribe for the improvement of the ground, as the proceeds. will be devoted to that purpose. Refreshments may be obtained on the ground. The ends of the pavilion will be pretected from the wind, and programmes will be distributed containing the names of the boys with their distinguishing colors—a band of ribbon round the arm.

A determined case of suicide ia reported from the Upper Hutt. A man named Richard Waygood, employed at Williams's Hotel, got up about six o'clock, and after performing some necessary work, retired into the taproom, and with a double-barrelled gun shot himself through the chest. He appears to have acted very deliberately, for it is surmised that he had a rope to the trigger, and turned the piece towards his body, pulled the rope, and fell mortally wounded. An inquest will be held to-day before Dr. Wilford, coroner. The man is well known to the police authorities, but no motive can be assigned. At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Saturday, before J. C. Crawford, Esq., R.M., Matilda Spicer, on the information of her husband, was brought before the court on supicion of lunacy. The medical testimony being insufficient to warrant a committal to the lunatic asylum, the Bench ordered her to be discharged from custody. Joseph Loubre, convicted of being drunk and disorderly, was fined 55., or in default of payment twenty-four hours' imprisonment. There were no civil cases.

On Saturday evening Sir J. L. C. Richardson delivered a lecture on China, at the Masonic Hall, Lower Hutt. It had been arranged that Mr. Eitzherbert, C.M.G., should take the chair, but owing to ill-health that gentleman could not attend, and the duty fell upon Captain Hewitt. The bad weather interfered with the attendance, but those who were present enjoyed themselves, and accorded the lecturer a hearty vote o£ thanks.

A numerously attended ••meeting of the Board's teachers in and around Wellington was held at Mr. Hurley's school, Boulcottstreet, on Saturday last, for the purpose of representing to the Board the hardships teachers suffer owing to the detention by the Board of one month's salary from them. A memorial was drawn up, to be submitted to the Board at its next meeting, and we have no doubt will receive proper consideration. The attendance at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening was large, and the performances were particularly successful, as was manifested by the satisfaction of tho audience, who made their sentiments known after the manner of European audiences generally. The bill of fare was heavy, being composed of "Lucretia Borgia" and "Black Eyed Susan." Of the first piece little need be said, since the burden of pleasing rested for the moßt part on Mr. and Mrs. Darrell, and to say that should be quite sufficient to convey a tolerably correct impression of the result. Mrs. Darrell was simply magnificent as Lucretia Borgia, and Mr. Darrell played Gennaro in a manner which left nothing to be desired. In the banquet scene Miss Jennie Nye sang remarkably well, and the effect of Miss 1 Marion Moore's voice was apparent in the chorus, which was loudly applauded. As Guibetta Mr. Inglis was evidently out of his line of business, albeit he looked as ferocious as possible, but' he was perhaps a trifle too noisy and bombastic for the character. Mr. Burford ' played the Duke. " Black Eyed Susan " met with a hearty reception, which was mainly due perhaps to presence of a large number of nautical gentlemen. The success of the drama, however, was largely due to Mr. Darrell's rendering of the part of William. It was excellent. His style was dashing and essentially seamanlike, without being in the smallest degree affected. Mr J. B. Howe, in the same character, is, or was. very much Mr. Darrell's inferior, and that is saying a good deal, for Mr. Howe is a thoroughly good actor. Miss'Jessio Raymond played Susan effectively ; and the remaining characters were represented fairly. It would be an injustice to conclude the present notice without remarking upon the excellent Bcenery. provided for the occasion by Mr. Massey, who received a demonstrative call as the curtain rose on the first BCene of "Lucretia Borgia." To-night " The Trump Card," by Mr. George Darrell, will be produced.

A native at the "Wairoa appears, according to the Telegraph, to be a more powerful mesmerist than Dr. Carr. A Maori from Tareha's pa was amongst those who attended the tangi over Paora Te Aputu. He wore a remarkably nice-fitting coat, that attracted the cupidity of an old native, who, with characteristic, modesty, asked for the garment as a gift. As this was refused, the old fellow made a rapid pass of the hand, saying, in Maori, " All right; you are fixed." The owner of the coat returned to his home, and found that for the future domestic peace was denied him. • He has quarrelled'with his wife, who has returned to her friends, finding it impossible to live with one under a spell which rendered life, according to Maori notions, scarcely endurable. Obermmergau,- celebrated for the representation of the Passion play which takes place there every ten years, is to be this year, jby 'special' permission'i of '■* KingV Ludwig, the scene of a new sacred drama, entitled "Die Kreuzeschule " (The school of the Cross).

A meeting of the Typographical Society was held on Saturday, but the transaction of business was postponed till next Saturday evening.

The unfavorable state of the weather on Saturday necessitated the postponement of the formal opening of the boating season in this port. It will, however, take place next Saturday if the weather is favorable. As an instance of the vigorous manner in which Mr. McKirdy is pushing on his contract on the Masterton line, it may be stated that on Saturday the ballasting- engine was driven from the Upper Hutt through .to town. The Dcbats quotes some Catholic publica-; tions showing that the Pope has refused to consecrate the Koman Church to the Sacred Heart. The missionaries of the Sacred Heart at Issoudun, in the diocese of Bourges, had presented him with thirty magnificent volumes containing 12,000,000 signatures in favor of this step, but a French Catholic organ states that this pious campaign was undertaken rather inconsiderately, and the Florence Ultramontane paper declares that to consecrate the Church to the Sacred Heart of Jesus would be an act of tautology. The Church, it says, issued from the very heart of Jesus ; it is His spouse ; it belongs to Him in every respect. How and why, then, consecrate it to Him ? The Pope has accordingly replied, " Nihil innovandum." The Debats hopes that people constantly trying to invent unknown devotions, to draw up now dogmas, and to introduce all kinds of superstitions which are not at all Christian, will profit by this lesson given them, not by freethinkers, but by the infallible Pope. There have been changes enough, it adds, for some years. It is high time to rest. A marriage occurred the other day at Carnarvon under peculiarly romantic circumstances. The bridegroom was a returned convict,; and at the time of the wedding was awaiting his trial at the assizes for theft. The bride had assisted him in his thieving enterprise, and was also waiting to be tried. On the morning of the wedding, the two lovers were escorted by the police to the Koman Catholic Chapel, where they were united together in the bonds of matrimony. Immediately after the ceremony the happy pair took their departure to' the Assize Court, where they were arraigned before Lord Coleridge, and convicted of the crime laid to their charge. The bridegroom was sentenced to' five years' penal servitude, and the bride to six months' imprisonmont, with hard labor.