New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, OCTOBER 23.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4863, 23 October 1876, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, OCTOBER 23.

We are as ready as any to condemn the action of the Legislative .Council which, by emasculating; the .Harbor and other Bills, has simply offered a barrier to the material progress of the colony. But it would* be as wellto point out that others than the Council are responsibly iov | the action of that body. The Council by its general tendency against'alteration of | the status in quo acts no doubt in many cases as a useful check to hasty , or ill-considered legislation, and in that ; respect is useful.. Of itself it is a body to which it would be a bad thing for the country if the power of legislation were alone confined; [for worse- than if -the- House of Representatives were-the sole legislating body, and there was no • Upper House._ But- this does ,nofc .prevent the Council .being of the 1 nso in the body politic which ; we have mentioned, and .it is, only when, as it recently has done, that use hi turned into abuse of power, that a general romon-

strance arises. But in almost all such, cases it will be found thai there is a predisposing cause outside the Council, which, acting upon itaheavy and tolerably irrational method makea it frequently assign apparent reasons for its action that are simply repugnant to; tlm good sense of civilised : Thus, because of the ridiculous utterances' of some of its members, the public might the Council rejected the borrowing clauses .in the Harbor and other Bills lest,by the progress of reproductive'"public works high wages for labor might be maintained, and the profits, pf a few followers of pastoral pursuits be thereby, lessened.. ;Bufc in truth, though one or two members did most naively assign this as their-reason for voting against the clauses under notice, it is too much to be feared that for the rejection of these clauses we have really to blame a number.of gentlemen who will, now be loudest in condemning the action of tha Council. A number of members of the House of Representatives and not a few of those patriots outside the House who have been doing all they could to damage the credit and fair fame of the colony, are the persona really chargeable with the last foolish proceeding of the Legislative Council. For the most contemptible of party purposes, for the mere sake of prejudicing! the Ministry in jany way, the country, the House of Representatives, and the Legislative Council have for a couple of years past had dinned into their ears the wildest and most reckless statements concerning' the credit of the colony, and ; the most untruthful statements as to its financial position, and borrowing powers. Men pretending to be honest, honorable statesmen, in order to blacken their opponents, have not scrupled to assert that the colony was on the v'erge of bankruptcy, and that national ruin' was impending. And the satellites of these men, in Press and on platform, have re-echoed their,, assertions with tenfold vehemence. Now, in consequence of all this,, a species of “ scare ” has been raised that has had the effect upon members of the Legislative Council, that industriously spread, though false, rumors of anything terrible have upon ancient ladies, accustomed to take all they read or hear as true. By this comparison we can say with safety that nothing disparaging to the good sense of hon. members of i the Council is meant; but they really, in the quiet and conservative atmosphere of their Chamber and in the even tenor of the easy lives that are the lot of moat of them, are apt to become like comfortable, though easily alarmed; old- dames.—However, they are not without-the underlying good sense which is the possession of antique female mental development, and we havo no doubt but that when these alarms are dissipated good sense will lead them to a reconsideration of • their present line of action. ' It must be patent to all that the works for which Municipal and County Councils and Harbor Boards desire to borrow money are those directly and indirectly supplementary to the great public works carried out. by the colony, and necessary for the full development of the colony by those public works. In rejecting the borrowing clauses the Council merely stands in the way Of the material progress of New Zealand, for which New Zealand has to thank men who profess to love her.

We wish to refer our readers to a letter (with translation) from the Rev. Mom Tubex, which - appears in our 'present issue. We do not wish to write anything in regard to the moving, subject of that, letter, namely, the proposal, to discontinue, the .publication of Te Waha Maori. But we may point out to those legislators (and they are numerous) who are, absolutely ignorant of the real position of Maori affairs, the treacherous and ruinous mischief that those who,' in the interests of another Maori publication, have opposed Te Wananga, are endeavoring to effect. These gentlemen, who profess to be working forthe good of the Maori irace, i are simply trying by every means in-their power to create disaffection, and to raise again the alarm of a native .difficulty, which has often in this country proved efficacious in .politics. The present Native Minister has kept the country in peace for many years, and has protected the Maoris against those who would cheat them out of their lands. This has been sufficient to raise him up a host Of enemies from amongst those who live to plunder yet profess- to protect the Maoris. 'And with a retained, legal adviser, and a newspaper that dares not translate, into English all it publishes in Maori, they‘are endeavoring to' accomplish the worst of purposes. , Let • the words of the Rev.. Mohi Tqrei, a; native who bears with him the stamp: of truth. and education, be; heard* in this matter. , We have nothing to add to them. They deal with a special -subject, and deal with it as one the language of which demands attention. That , attention wo hope' will 'bo ; accorded, more particularly on, account, of the power and prestige of the .tribe he represents! .In time :of war no tribe; assisted us more willingly, or more powerfully, than the Ngatiporou.; and now, in time of/peace,■ they- are entitled to be heard. .

The “ New Zealand Jurist, pursuing its newlyevolved theory of, a . Parliament. of, lawyers, says there are qmy three but of the ten lawyers . now in the House .who. have made themselves prominent in the debate; /They are Mr. Whitaker, Mr: Stout,. andiMr.-'Bees ; and the article continues —“ For Mr. Stout, !it may be paid that although he has.sat in Parliament for,two sessions only,ihe has achieved.a position which ’ would justify ; his, appointment as AttorneyGeneral or. Minister of Justice irii any Govern-; ment he might join. Mr. Bees is a new member,and it la not usual to criticise new members as if they were old ones. ;; At any rate, it ■will hardly be'contended that he alone is responsible for the character of the session." Passing over-the-fact that if seven-out of ten lawyers in: the House “have acted as lay members i -are. wont to ’act" it does not sbo-yv a very pressing necessity for a change, we quite .dispute-the- conclusions arrived at j-,as „to .Mr. Stdut’S, qualifications (or office. Mr.'; Stout has proved:what;may be: termed a parliamentary failure, - No-member came last,Session, with a greater prestige lor,'ability., The-House was absolutely crowded* and intense interest was displayed on the occasion of.his first speech, i No ■politician could have commenced his career in the Parliamentunder more - favorable auspices. But at the.'end of thia:second session what position does be.occupy;? . When he has spoken lately it has been-to empty ,benches, and 1 his absence now ■ is regretted neither - by. Govern-. ment nor by Opposition., Trickiness, bair-split-ing,: and impracticability he has distinguished himself for, and if these be qualities to fit a man for the offices named, then - Mr. ■ Stout is fit. As foK Mr.!Bees, there: can ;be no question that he has/caused) more/.waste of time than any other half-dozen members, and his conduct, if persisted in, will very, much lower the tone of the New Zealand Parliament. |

, Sir 1 . George Grey and the members of; his party are marvels of honor and there continually arises from thorn a.thanksgiving that they are not as other .men. High rankja - the party is .a guarantee .of .the occupants excellence in these, qualities, henC&Mr/Sheehan is either first or second lieutenant,' and his purity ■and truth are as ■ conspicuous as!are those of the Grand Llama,-who can do no,wrong. - There

has been some controversy as to whether Mr. Sheehan’s action in reference to the rescinding of ’ $lO abolition resolution passed by the Auckland Provincial Council'was not directly due to the instructidhs, at any rate influence, of Sir. George Grey. -Mr. Sheehaci has denied it very emphatically; but to let the public Judge fori'themselves, |we' ’ printwhat Mr. Sheehaa said in moving the resolution in 1875, ''and what he said in denial in 1876

Speech in the Auckland Speech in the Bouse of .Provincial Council..., Representatives. . Ho had the authority of Anotherstatementmade Sir George Grey for say- In this despatch, in the lug that he regarded the refutation of which I npaotton taken on the pre- peal to all members of the vlous day as most disas- Provincial Council now trims, and fettered him to present to support me, is. such a degree that it be- that the repeal of the rename a question whether solutions carried by. the it was worth while carry- Provincial Council of Ing oh any further. Sir Auckland in favor of abo- < George Grey said he had Ution was brought about left his retirement for the by the direct instigation of purpose of taking up this Sir George Grey. There question. . The people is no truth whatever In heard him. He pro- that statement. Those claimed openly what resolutions were moved views he held. Resolutions ■ by me. . I came on that of confidence were passed very day from Napier, In him. The provin- and had no opportunity cial Press teemed 'with whatever of consultartlcles of approval, and ing with Sir George Grey, yet the Council, which he on the question. The expected to assist and aid question in favor of aboilhim in this matter, ap- tlon was put to the Counpeared determined to con- ell, and by one of those vert him to, nothing more blunders which occur in or less than a mouthpiece, all representative bodies, He appealed to hon. mem- it was carried without hors not to spoil the chance discussion. I was In the the province had of get-' library at the time it was ting a fair consideration carried, drawing up an of Its claims in the Gene- amendment which I lnral Assembly. tended to move. ; I returned to the House, and; without any consultation • with Sir George Grey, gave notice of the rescinding ■ ; resolutions which were afterwards carried. That ; , Sir George Grey instigated that, or desired it, or brought It about, is utterly untrue. And Mr. Sheehan “is an honorable man. ’

Vert curious “information” is often to be found in Gazetteers and Encyclopedias. If the descriptions and statistics ever had relation to the state of things in the countries or towns described, or to the arts or sciences meant to be expounded, they are generally so old as to be useless, even though the book containing them bears a recent date, That any tendency to errors in the descriptions of countries and in their statistics should be exaggerated when one of the Australasian colonies.is the subject, is but natural; for, as these colonies are rapidly growing, they and their circumstances change with a rapidity unknown in European States. The “Popular Encyclopedia,” published by Blaikie and Son, is (says a correspondent) well printed, cheap, and apparently quite up to the average in accuracy and recentness of information. But what must New Zealanders think of its description of the climate of the colony? ■There is, let it be said, in one part of the article, the sentence, “ The climate of New Zealand is warm and healthful but, as a set off, there also appears what follows: —“ The prevailing, winds are from the north-east and the south-west, and are accompanied by frequent hurricanes, particularly in Cook Strait, through which the tempest rages almost without intermission, and at all seasons. From Cook Strait southward along the' east coast of the South Island, the climate becomes less agreeable. The wind increases both in quantity and violence, and the winter cold is much aggravated by ' icy, blasts and southern sleet.” Surely this is delicious—especially the “ less agreeable,” the “ agreeable ” being a state of incessantly raging tempests ! And this is not in ,a book dated before Akaroa was known or Oamaru heard of, for the date of this Encyclopedia is 1871. It would be well if the publishers could be led to “ make a note ” with a view to. getting this particular part of the article “ New Zealand ” corrected before the issue of the next edition.

A perusal of the Home papers referring to the great depression of trade existing there, creates a very unsatisfactory impression of the coming prospects, as' the following extracts will show The month just ended will be long remembered as one of continued depression in almost all matters of business connected with trade and finance. With scarcely an exception, the prices of the home and foreign funds,.railway stock, and indeed of nearly all Stock Exchange securities, have been downwards. Though the revenue returns do Wot indicate in unmistakable characters that the national resources are curtailed, yet the facts disclosed by the diminished yield from; the income tax, and the falling off in the receipts from the post office and stamps, are proofs that a period of even greater trade depression and financial trial may be still approaching. In fact, the time has arrived when the revenue has lost its wonted elasticity. The present curtailment of trade transactions is perhaps better seen by the diminished amount of bills and checks which passed last week through the Bankers’ Clearing House, compared with the same period in 1875., The reduction on the week is found to be no less than £33,823,000, attributable, no doubt, to some extent to variations in the Stock Exchange settlements. The diminished amount of the traffic receipts on the railways in the United Kingdom tells, 1 however, the same tale. With a greatly extended mileage, the receipts for the week ended the 25th of June amounted only to £1;135,705, against £1,141,996 for the corresponding week in 1876. In whatever direction we look, the signs of coming improvement in trade are at present painfully wanting. France, Germany, Russia, the United States of America, and indeed almost all the foreign States which have large dealings with this country, have been restricting their orders. The great Eastern markets are still glutted with goods, and the fall in the value of silver has led to much additional loss oh remittances where even sales have been accomplished. But this is i not: all, for the spending power of the people is being gradually curtailed. The money put so lavishly into Turkish, Spanish, Egyptian, and South American stocks is yielding little or no return. The investments in many well-known American railways have been continuously disappointing. And. then, under panic, even solid foreign stocks are being parted with by timid holders, thus increasing the present depression, and sacrificing permanently a large amount of capital”. ■■ , ■ : ,■ ■■ ■

Most unfair and untruthful statements have been made regarding the testimonial to Sir ■Julius "Vogel. It was asserted that there was great difficulty in making up the amount pre-' sented 1 to' him on Wednesday last; and then, when : a' further sum was presented to him on his departure last Friday, other contemptible insinuations Were made.' The plain facts are that the testimonial has been the result of a very Widespread subscription without the 'smallest canvassing, and that since Friday last many additional sums have been handed in, so that the next mail to England will take a very handsome remittance.

Captain Underwood, of the s.s. Arawata, reports that, oni the -passage from Nelson yesterday, at 4.30 p.m., he found the schooner Oreti, of Wellington, timber-laden, ashore on the White Kooks at Queen Charlotte Sound, with foretopsail and topgallanteail flying. He at once loWered a’ boat and boarded her, and found that she Was bilged on the starboard side. Her mainsail and jib were unbent, and a quantity of red pine was landed on the rocks. The, crew , had, abandoned her, apparently having taken theiboat and gone up to some of the villages on the Sound. The Oreti is.owned by Captain George Thomas, of this city, and was a fine strongly built schooner of 66 tons register.. She . was commanded by Captain Nelson, and was.built In Tasmania. She was purchased some three years ago by Mr. Pearce, M.H.K., and on her voyage up from the South weiit ashore at Oaraaru, where she was abandoned. 'The underwriters repaired and refitted her there, and sold her to her present owner. She was reported as having left Pelorus Sound four .days' ago, with ,a cargo of timber consigned’to” WpddeU, McLeod, and Co., of this city. The cargo is supposed to be uninsured; but the .vessel is insured for £600; her estimated value being £BOO, her owner consequently suffering a loss of £2OO. Mr.,W. G. Woon has been appointed Sheriff for Wanganui, in place of Dr, Giles, 8.M., resigned. ■ 1 - '

Several letters to the editor are in type, but we are compelled to hold them over. ■ The annual meeting of the Wellington'; Cricket Association' will be held this evenin'* in the Pier Hotel. h .1 Mr. E. M. Smith will delivers lecture in" the Provincial Hall :this ' evening,! his subject being the practicability of smelting the iron sands of New Zealand commercially. The Rev. Mr. Paterson preached a funeral sermon at the Sydney-street Church yesterday evening. The Rev. Mr. Ward, son of the deceased minister, officiated at St. John’s. The match between the Lex and Artillery Cricket Clubs came off bn Saturday afternoon, the former being the winners. Next Saturday the Artillery Club will play at the Hutt. There was no police business at the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Saturday, and there were only a few civil cases of an unimportant character.

■. .The St. Leonards, which has sailed from London for this port, has on board six Leicester rams, valued at £lO5, and a collie bitch, valued at £B. ■ A man named Dougherty was arrested yesterday afternoon on a charge of violently assaulting an old man on Saturday night. He will be brought before the Resident Magistrate this morning. Sunday excursion trains were run to the Upper Hutt yesterdayfor the first time, and were very largely patronised notwithstanding the threatening aspect of the weather during the early part of the day. A man named Craig was lately endeavoring to cross one of the bays of the Great Barrier Island in a punt, and was blown out to sea. He was picked up by a passing cutter, seven miles to the south of the island.

It will be seen from an Auckland telegram that the steamer Pretty Jane is likely to become a total wreck, the probability being that if it comes on to blow from the southward she will go to pieces, as from her mainmast forward she is lying on the rocks. The Choral Society are not going to rest satisfied with the laurels won at their recent successful concert,- but ; intend giving the annual festivalof the “Messiah” at Christmas in a more complete manner than has ever been attempted here. Rehearsals are to be commenced immediately, and the band meet for practice on Tuesday night. Mr. DeLautour on Saturday nightjspoke of the unfortunate period the session had arrived at; It is a matter of taste of course, but Mr. De Lautour is the only one who has been heard to so speak. It is pretty generally agreed that the session has arrived at a very fortunate period, and that it will be more fortunate when the whole thing is at an end. Messrs. Bethune and Hunter are to-day to offer for sale a quantity of very valuable stud stock. The cattle have been imported direct from England, and the celebrated horse Emperor from Tasmania. Much greater attention is now being paid to breeding of stock, and no doubt these highly-bred animals will bring good prices. A telegram was received in Christchurch on Friday, stating that 250,000 salmon ova had been shipped by the American Commissioners for Auckland, where the vessel is expected to arrive on November 5. The Lyttelton Times says:—Of this consignment, 100,000 are for the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, and the balance will be divided between Auckland and Hawke’s Bay. The Star Boating Club have added to their stock of boats, having received by the Arawata from Melbourne two beautiful clinker-built four-oared gigs. They are intended for practising and to be used in scratch matches. We understand that Mr. Gair, the secretary of the club, has given an order for three sculling boats, and the club have yet to receive two other boats which were ordered at the same time as those that came by the Arawata on Friday. The following is the latest betting on the Christchurch races : Derby 3to 1 agst Danebury and Dead Heat, 4 to 1 agst Puriri, 6 to 1 agst Fanny Fisher Colt and Wrangler. O.J.C. Handicap—6 to 1 agst Tadmor and Ngaro; 7 to 1 agst Korari, Ariel, and Rob Roy; Btoltol2 to 1 agst any other. Cup—--6 to 1 agst Guy Fawkes and Danebury; 7 to 1 agst Dead Heat and Puriri; 8 to 1 agst Ariel, Punga, and Templeton; 10 to 1 agst Wrangler, 12 to 1 agst any other. A most pleasant excursion was enjoyed on Saturday on board Messrs. Turnbull’s neat little steamer the Napier. By invitation a large party of ladies and gentlemen went on board at 2 o’clock, and were taken to the Heads and round the harbor, a visit of half-an-hour being paid' to Somes Island; ■ Since the recent alterations in the Napier she has been greatly improved, and the encomiums on her comfort and convenience passed on Saturday last were unanimous. It appears that a notice in .Saturday’s NEW ■Zealand Times of a little difficulty between a newspaper editor and a newspaper proprietor has caused some thoughtless people to. fancy that Mr. Henry Anderson would meet a challenge to fight by sending for a policeman. It is unnecessary to say that Mr. Anderson was not an actor in the small scene described in Saturday’s paper, and that a challenge to fight would meet as little refusal from him as a good-sized pool of water would from a warm Newfoundland, dog. The knowledge of this latter fact has induced great promptness in making the present explanation. A meeting of Sunday-school teachers will be held in Sc. John’s Church this evening. In announcing the fact at the morning service yesterday, the Rev. James Paterson stated that the Church here had been communicated with by the. Sun-day-school Union in England, as to .the desirability of holding such annual meetings for the promotion of the work to. which these schools are devoted. ’ The rev, gentleman was particular to mention that the members of other congregations and forms of religion were invited to attend, as also the parents and friends of scholars.

The Auckland Slar, noticing the arrival of H.M.S.- Sapphire, says:—An important feature in the offensive armament of the ship is that she has on board a store of torpedoes, and the apparatus for using them against the enemy. She is the first ship so armed that has visited the colonies. In appearance the torpedoes are like oblong boxes 3ft. long, with the corners cut off on one side. This conformation gives them a movement away from ’ the ship when they are being towed. Directly they come into the neighborhood of a hostile vessel, they can be made to sink by slackening the line. A sudden pull will then bring them up against the bottom, and the contact drives a needle into the gun-cotton, with which they are loaded, and causes the explosion. The effect is tremendous, and a ship slightly struck will sink in a few minutes.

At the Theatre Eoyal on Saturday evening the! comedy “ All that Glitters is not Gold” was the first piece played. Mr. Howard sustained his part of the comic element with his usual humor, and placed the audience in a pleasing frame of mind at once.. Mrs. Stoneham, as Lady “Leather-breeches,” was" also effective, and the other characters were given with effect, Plum, sen., being quite a happy effort on the part of,Mr. Deering. “Guy Mannering" went with spirit throughout, Mrs, Bates, as Meg Merrilies, playing well and effectively. The songs incidental to the drama were given with Miss Morgan’s accustomed verve, and to the evident satisfaction of those present. The drama was carefully put on the stage, and played by all concerned with an elan which gave life to the piece. For to-night “ Satan in Paris” is announced.

• Commenting on the Superintendents! telegrams -to the Secretary of Slate for the Colonies, the Cromwell Argus says “ It is passing l strange that our Superintendent will not let the scales fall from his eyes and realise that Otago is anything but unanimous in . the view he advocates ; that, in fact, if a plebiscite were taken to-morrow it would be found that t he had but a very bare majority (if any) siding with him. Nowhere but in the olodocratic regions around the capital has an opinion adverse to abolition been publicly expressed ; and

even in those places there is every reason to believe that interested and party motives have prompted the show of opposition.' It would be more creditable to Mr.-Maoandrew, and much more beneficial to the province he loves so well, were he to follow the example of Mr. Keid, and endeavor to secure for Otago the best terms he can under the circumstances, rather than adopt the silly tactics of . SirGeorge Grey in addressing sensational and exaggerated despatches to the' Home Government.” -

The adjourned meeting of the Wellington Teachers’ Association was held in the Thorndon school on Saturday last, according to announcement, the President, Mr. Mowbray, in the chair. There was an unusually large attendance of members. The motions of which notice had been given were considered, and resulted in the appointment of- a standing •committee, consisting of the town teachers, to ■ conduct the routine work of the association. Also, that the secretary be instructed to issue a circular to the various Teachers’ Associations throughout New Zealand, inviting them to send delegates to the general teachers* conference, to be held in Wellington in January, 1877.. It was also resolved te request the Board °f Education to allow • a liberal supply of disinfectants to the various schools, as occasion may require.

A conversazione was given by Dr. Hector, 0.M.G., at the Museum buildings on Saturday evening. There was a brilliant assemblage, and the collection of objects of art, principally collected during Dr. Hector’s visit to Europe, was exceedingly varied and interesting and instructive. Photographic illustrations of ■ the Philadelphia Exhibition were given in : the Lecture Hall at 9 p.m., the views being exhibited by means of the limelight, and each scene being accompanied by a few remarks in explanation by Dr. Hector. The views were brought out splendidly. Prior to this visitors had amused themselves by studying the exhibits in various parts of the building. These comprised In south wing—Illustrations of diamagnetism, spectrum analysis, voltaic decomposition, voltaic synthesis, hot blast blowpipe, electric pen, electrical apparatus, (exhibited by the Telegraph department), microscopic structure of the auriferous rocks, specimens from the Colorado and Nevada mines. In gallery.— Dioptroptic apparatus (3rd order), fountain lamp, with Captain Doty’s patent burner for paraffin, (exhibited by Marine department); photographs of railway bridges, locomotives, &0., (exhibited by Public Works department) ; photographs of New Zealand scenery (by W. T. L. ‘ Travers, Esq., and H. Deveril, Esq.) ; photographs of American scenery; photographs by Challenger expedition. Refreshments were served in the Maori House at 9.45. The evening was exceedingly pleasant, and all present felt very deeply indebted to Dr. Hector for the treat he had afforded them.

Mr. Love’s gas regulator and purifier is becoming well known and extensively used in many places in the colony, and is beginning to be recognised as a great inasmuch as it not only improves the light but effects a great saving in the cost. As showing this, we may state that Mr. Love’s agent in Dunedin received a letter from the manager of the Daily Times, testifying to the excellence of the invention, and demonstrating by calculations the amount of saving during three months by the use of the purifier. The writer states that he has no doubt it increases the brilliancy of the light given by the burners used in that establishment. The saving effected by the purifier during the three months June, July, and August, 1876, was £ls 11s. 3d., the gas bill for the corresponding quarter of 1875 having been £SB 12s. 3d., as against £43 lis. for the same period this year.