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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4589, 4 December 1875, Page 2

A large quantity of correspondence is hold over until next issue.

There was a large attendance at the meeting o£ Mr. Gisborne at the Odd Fellows’ Hall Last night—some two hundred to txvo hundred and fifty persons. A full report of Mr. Gisborne’s speech will be found in another column. At its conclusion a vote of thanks was passed to the candidate. This evening Mix Travers will address the electors at the same place. A meeting of the general committee of the Interprovincial Regatta was held yesterday at Messrs. Bethune and Hunter’s rooms. The programme for the different events ■ was brought up by a sub-committee, and adopted. The racinsr will extend over txvo days, and the first six races xvill be rowed over the former Petoni course, reversing, however, the ends for start and finish from the practice of former years. It may be mentioned that the amount promised on subscription lists comes to nearly £6OO. As at present arranged, the events xvill be—No. 1. Four-oared outriggers (for championship) ; Ist prize, £l5O. 2. Five-oared (or more) racing whaleboats, steered xvith steeroar ; Ist prize, £SO. 3. Four-oared inrigged gigs; Ist prize, £IOO. 4. Pair-oared outriggers ; Ist prize, £2O. 5. Pair-oared inrigged ; Ist prize, £2O. 6. Scullers’ outriggers; prize, cup and £ls. 7. First-class yachts ; Ist prize £SO and Shaw Saville’s cup. 8. Maiden four-oared inrigged race; prize, £lO. 9. Coasters’ race; Ist prize, £SO and Shaxv, Saville’scup. 10. Second-class yachts; Istprize, £lO. 11. Minor four-oared inrigged gig race; prize, £lO. 12. Five-oared xvhaleboat race for volunteers and firemen ; prize, £lO. It is pleasant to knoxv that all apprehensions about difficulty iu approaching the racecourse by conveyance on Tuesday and Wednesday next may be dispelled. The stewards xvaited on Mr. Braithxvaite yesterday, and he at once and kindly consented to let the traffic pass through his paddock running by the road, the state of xvhich it was feared might have prevented access by vehicles to the course. Mr. Braithxvaite’s courtesy and kindness xvill be appreciated by everyone. A telegram announced the other day that arrangements had been made in connection xvith the steam service between Auckland and the Fijis, xvhich, xve imagine, xvill practically secure the xvhole trade of the islands. : A very pleasing entertainment xvas given at the Sydney-street schoolroom last evening in aid of the St. Paul's Church organ fund. There xvas a large' attendance, Mr. Powles being in the chair, and the pieces, eighteen in number, xvere all rendered with more or less excellence. We regret that for xvant of space we are prevented from giving a more detailed notice. The ground committee of the' Caledonian Society purpose meeting on the Basin Reserve to-day xvith a view' to making arrangements for improving the ground generally, and for certain alterations in the ground floor’of the grand stand, it haying been determined. to, have the man iu charge of the reserve permanently resident on the site. At the Theatre Royal last night, there xvas not by any means- so ■ good an attendance as should have been present on the occasion of Mr. Weightman’s. (the Man Fish) benefit. 'A varied and excellent programme, including one of the best three-quarters of an, hour yet passed xvith Mr. Davies, xvas gone through to the satisfaction of the audience l ; and Mr. Weightman performed quite an unparalleled feat, -viz., throwing eggs into his tank, picldng them up leisurely, placing them iu a basket, and bringing thenuto the surface. In doing this, Mr. Weightman was under water for a time that seemed simply superhuman. To-day Mr. Davies and company xvill appear in the afternoon, and to-night will terminate their season.

At the Resident Magistrate’s Court yeSterclay (before J. 0. Craxvford, Esq., E.M.), the business xvas as follows :—Letitia Price xvas fined 20s. and costs for being drunk and incapable. She is an' old offender. Ernest Briggs, not so well knoxvn to the police, was fined in the smaller amount of ss. fora similar offence. William Gorman xvas fined ss. and costs for being drunk and disorderly. Hugh Jansen, suspected of lunacy, xvas remanded for eight days. Sarah Kent xvas charged with keeping a disorderly house, and was remanded for one week, in order that she might display a desire to amend. Albert Paroon, charged xvith using abusive and threatening language to Mary Walker, xvas bound over to keep the peace for three months in a sum of £lO. In addition to the above there xvere a few petty civil cases.

'A woolpress has just been built by Mr. McDougall on a principle xvhich is an improvement on one of the latest patents. Instead of a winch xvorked by handspikes, the leverage power for producing pressure is a racket, or xvhat is knoxvn on board ship as “a gipsy.” The advantage of this contrivance is that pressure may he obtained to the nicest degree, which could not have been got by the old system, under xvhich the handspike could only be moved when the xvinch or roller xvas in a certain position. It has also been arranged that the top box is, instead of being xvorked by slides as heretofore, connected xvith the other part of the press by a hinge. When the top box is not required, it is thrown back and supported in that position by a ladder attached to it, and when it is fastened and covers the bottom box, the ladder is of course the moans by xvhich the top may be reached. The press is made for Messrs. Jacob Joseph and Co., and is to be seen in Messrs. Bethune and Hunter’s stockyard, where it has been built. Mr. McDowell, draper, Willis-street, has made extensive improvements in his establishment, and thereby added not only to the accommodation of the shop, but to its appearance in a marked degree. By raising the roof he has been enabled to give additional light to the loxver floor, and the upper floor is used as a carpet department, being gallery shaped, as is seen in most large drapers’ shops. Mr. McDoxvell’s is noxv one of the best shops of its class iu town. A steamer was launched bn the Yarra recently, built to the order of Hamilton, McLean and’Co., of Lyttelton, for carrying mails hetxveen Lyttelton, Pigeon Bay, and Akaroa. She is guaranteed to steam eleven knots. We have been,requested to call attention to the fact that the various drapery establishments will he closed on Tuesday next, the first day of the races.