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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4873, 3 November 1876, Page 2

A series • of articles iu reference to the Civil Service, which for reasons that need not be stated; disarmed criticism by being ,utterly beneath it, have at last culminated in peculiarly .'offensive .attacks, ’upon two gentlemen who' have' for years .deservedly: occubiod high positions, in public and, jit* is hot too 'much to say, have grown old in the service ,p| itheir (country, t .The objectof theattack upon Messrs. Knowles antt Woodward is made, nnintentionally perhaps, 1 apparent by a sentence suggesting that the Government; in place of one or other of them, * should secure,a.man yvho,i although'he ’ may not bo'in the

service, yet combines with and political knowledge administrative ability, proved may be in the conduct of Provincial Executive business.” Now, '.though our knowledge of public men--.is pretty extensive, we must say .that we feel at a 1 loss to place rour" finger, on the paragon iwlxo seems to [have been in - the mind|s,eye of the writer of the above' sentence, and we know, of no individual .who has been connected with the administration of the province who combines the many excellent qualities wbich; ’in our 'humble opinion, should be possessed by the .man _wh,Oi, aspires ;to , the high; position, indicated in the passage wo have quoted. However, as' we have - remarked, the (articles, considering .the source _ from which they emanate, are beneath orilujism,. :and-therefore we do not propose to enter into any criticism of them. Our duty is ’merely to defend two gentlemen who jhave been singled out foil the reception of 'the heaviest portion of a- hailstorm of ‘abuse ‘. that -has ; included ,inj itf* igeneral pelting quite a number of others. Mr. Knowles, from the "time lie .was secretary to Colonel Wakefield, and afterwards to Sir George Grey, has been remarkable; for : ability, l .- and liiaj subsequent career in the Civil Service is of that .honorable ’ and -respected : character which is sure (o belong-to that of anyone who rises/step, by step by shgor merit, and when lie'is found hi one of-tliq, higher positions of a particular coufse’ox life, has the satisfaction of knowing that he got there by an. arduous apprenticeship, and making his youth 'give promise of the promotion he- has properly earned. ■ Of Mr. Woodward much the, same may, be said. After having - occupied «, loading position in,the,Provincial Government of Wellington, ho entered ihe service of the General Government,' and has since retained a well-won reputation, not only for competency, but for .singular . .biUi.y. Really in 1 writing what little we h»ivo ■ written concerning Me3crs. T KN£WLES and Woodward we are performing a work of the merest supererogatien. The names of both gentlemen stand so high in the estimation of : everyone, i'and they 'are so identified with the colony, that it is : almost an insult to notice detraction of .them, coming from a source which one feels an absolute difficulty in'characterising. - -But the detraction is really pf a nature, that whilst it may be despised, it must, to a certain extent, be taken notice of. It is this fact alone that has now induced us to give any attention to it, at the same time that we should almost apologise for doing so, - -

;We understand that. Mr. Pearoey JI.H.R;, is about to visit England. , He is, making arrangements to leave at an early date, so that he may be able to return to the colony in time to he in.his place during the next session of Parliament. , y |lt has been stated that Henry Bunny, Esq., late Deputy-Superintendent of this province, will he appointed General Government agent here to administer Wellington affairs and perform the duties of Superintendent, Provincial Secretary, and Provincial Treasurer, during, the continuance of provincial appropriations, nnp to 31st December. ■ r > lA special- meeting of the City Council was held yesterday afternoon,, for the further consideration of the proposed building,regulations of the city. The Mayor occupied the chair, apd, before proceeding to the business of the, meeting, laid upon tho table a statement of the valuation of the city, which had just been completed. . He took the opportunity, at the same time, of intimating that at next meeting he would submit an estimate of income and expenditure based upon the valuation, for the purpose of the Council making a rate for the half-year, dating from Ist October last and ending on the 31st. March next. .This.halfyearly rate (lie said) was'necessary in order to bring their financial ye.ar in accord with that fixed by the new Municipal Act; and he believed it would be found more convenient for the ratepayers than even a yearly assessment would be. The Council then resumed consideration of the building regulations, a nnm.ber of clauses were gone over, and after discussion agreed to, together with schedules bearing' upqn the regulations generally. The.... Mayor then moved that the whole be properly arranged and brought up for confirmation, by special order of the. Council, on the third Thursday of January next.. A public meeting was held at the Taita schoolroom on Wednesday evening, for the purpose of considering' the formation of an agricu’tural society. ; After discussion, it wa». resolved to form such a society, and that it should be called the'Hutt District Agricultural, Horticultural, and (Pastoral Society, the object being the improvement of agriculture in all its branches. .The following gentlemen were ap•pointed td v drSw*tip a code of rules:—Messrs. -D; Knightj'iW.ffCraigbead, C. F. Worth, D. -Bdibk, jf, Bruce, R. T. Mellow, J. H. .Corbett, ■ W.! Milne, J. G-. F. Wilford, H. Russell, J. Sinclair, J. Edwards, James Cudby, and W. Buick. It was resolved:that the committee should meet on Saturday evening next for the purpose of framing rules, and that a general meeting should be held on Wednesday evening next to consider the same. . ■ ,

In our obituary of to-day may be observed thename of Mr. J. B. Reading, of Karon, who died yesterday morning, after an illness of a few days. Mr. Beading, was one of the earliest settlers, having arrived,in Port Nicholson,; in the ship Duke of Boxburgh, in 1840. He carried on business as a carpenter and builder in town for sometime, and afterwards removed to Karori, where he prosecuted farming operaHe was an active ianterprising settler, and took part in all the public affairs of the district. He was three times elected a'member of the Provincial Council for Karori, and was al ways most assiduous in his duties. He leaves a ( wife and a family- of ; six (the majority of whom are married) to mourn his loss. His death will be regretted by a large circle of friends, to whom he had endeared himself by hi? unaffected good nature and 'unvarying ’readiness to assist with his coqm-el and advice.

Thera are more ways than oneof describing intoxication. A witness in'. Court yesterd. y. Captain Bonner, was giving evidence in a case in which he was defendant, and in respect to the Condition of one of his men certain occasion,' he described him as being drunk, almost helpless. Mr. Allan, who was for the opposite side, evidently thought that the witness had laid himself open to be “ caught” on this occasion, and ’oross-exfamined him severely, but the most he'got'out of him was.this ; “ Well,' sir, all T know is that the man was. occupying a good deal more of the wharf than there was any necessity for.” ' -Now, that was a 1 delicate way of conveying a literal fact,'and as Mr.' Travers remarked (solte voce} it was the case of the Irishman who said it was not the length "but the breadth of the road that bothered him. 11 • 11 , "

The new building to be erected for the purpose of providing office accommodation for the New Zealand Insurance Company promises to bo one of the 'most handsome and substantial structures in town. It is to be .built 1 with frontages to Feathers ton-street and Brandon-street, and will be of the Italian order, the materials used being brick and cast-iron'.' It' will occupy a space 45ft. [ x 31ft., its altitude > being 40ft. The front! elevation' will - ' bo very ornamental. - ' On the ground floor, there will be a large publidoffiee, manager’s i room, &0., ’ with lavatories and all such neoessaryiadjuuota ; and upstairs there! will be the offices available for lotting. A feature of.-the Ipublio .ofFoe will bd the’very handsome furniture andt fittings, l composed of tastily-arranged and fantastically*carved New Zealand woods;. 1 i Mr. Turnbull is the architect, and no doubt the building when completed will - bo a'credit to the city. ' ‘ A Imusical and literary .entertainment in connection with the' Mutual. Improvement ( Society willbe hold in the Boalcott-street Hall this evening. '/ «■ k *! ::

The next quarterly licensing meetings are advertised in another column. A chemist’s assistant, residing in Colling, wood, Victoria, was found deadin bed from am overdose of chloroform. ? •- ( - A skating rink'was opened in Greytown- on Tuesday evening last with great success. The preliminary falls were quite as numerous as in Wellington, and people! gotjto feel their feet and cease to fall quite as rapidly as here. A correspondent writes to know if the Confederate States of America were,recognised as.,, belligerent's by'England.'Prom the time that’ the United,States proclaimed blockade of the: ' secession territory we believe the Confederates were recognised as belligerents. , In another column will be found an advertisement to the effect that the_thirty-sixth general, meeting of the Wellington Building [Society will.be held this evening at. 7^o’ clock, for the payment of subscriptions and sale of shares. ... ,^ , Barlow’s, Circus is popular, and'was : again well attended last evening, when- the performances of the acrobats and horses, dogs and monkeys, gave entire satisfaction. On Saturday (to-morrow) there will be a midday‘performance for families and school children; no doubt it will be well attended. ! The members of the Choral Society, band and vocalists, had a most successful practice at Mr! Hunter’s rooms last night. ; There were over one hundred members present, and there is no doubt, judging from the - practice, that the Christmas performance of the “ Messiah ” will be one of the best,’if not the Best, . yet given in Wellington. ... 1 Messrs, Beauchamp, Campbell, aiid.Co. sold by public auction yesterday the booths in con-, uoclion with the; sports to be held oh the Prince of Wales’ ‘ birthday. The following wore She prices realised : —No. 1 refreshment booth (Mr. McCullogh), >67 ; No. 2 booth,) lin'd'?!' the grand-stand (Mr. Hatch), £X6)lOs.; NdV .J booth, to be erected on the ground (Mr., HbicUl, £9 10s. ; fancy booth (Mr. Hatch), .COS’; vight of - printing and selling cards (Mr. £r;vy), ;34 ss. ; gate money and rights in con.uojion with the grand-stand (Mr. Edwards), i.-so. ; The threat by a minister to lay poison for a cat’that eat “his chickens has produced m ire, trouble. We metaphorically remarked yesterday, that a gentleman who kept a cat to eat a minister’s chicken would, rob a church.. The expression w;s in a purely . .Parliamentary sense, for we are. certain that the gentleman who keeps the ; cat that is .alleged to have a‘‘ taste for the chickens belonging to clergymen) rather than for chickens belonging to the laity, would sooner contribute towards the support of a church than.do anything to injure its resources. ■. ; ■ ; ~. . ; , tl -. ..

\ BivxLliar.-’s Guide "o’ ihe current month' has -come to hand with commendable punctuality,’ and , more than ever maintains its character’for accuracy. The publishers are certainly deserving no* b i’y of encouragement blit praise for this really valuable publication, one Chat should ere long become indispensable, not only to the traveller, but to every household. Colonists wishing to induce their friends to immigrate to this colony could not use a hattermeansof showing theprogress,&c.,6f New Zealand than sending them a copy of Brad,-, show. : There was a very good house at the Theatre Royal last night, when Mr. Collier appeared in the farce of “His Last Legs,” and played the part of G,’Callaghan capitally,/the other members, of the company engaged ih the representation of the piece being also successful. The Hegarty Troupe gave the usual satisfaction, calls being frequent, and Miss Russell coming in for the largest share of applause. The Theatre should be largely patronised this evening, as the Combination Troupe appear then for the last time. The Lingards open to-morrow night. A cricket match will he played on the Hi a a Reserve to-morrow afternoon between the Rising Star and Thorndon Cricket, Club-*.. Wickets will be pitched at 2; sharp. The following are the elevens chosen to represent the different clubs :—Rising Star 0. C.: Messrs. Smith, • Singer, Kibblewhite, Tnstin, Rae, Bennett, Read, Brown, Furness, flelyer, and Mansell; emergency, S. Read. ..Thorndon C. C. ; Messrs. Daly, Milne, Mills, Harris?, Osgood, Kuchen, Watson, Luke, Burrett, Rivers, and Gascoigne ; emergency, Freeman. It is with regret we have to chronicle ths death of Mr. William Tonks, another of the early settlers of this province, who expired at his residence, Cuba-street, yesterday morning, at the age of 70 years. Mr. Tonks arrived here in the ship Birman in March, 1842, was in business for some time at Te Aro, and afterwards on Lambton-quay. but retired a number of years since. During his retirement he employed his time in acts of philanthropy and charity, and his kindness and liberality ‘will bo long remembered by the recipients of his bounty. He leaves seven children, fifty-four grand ( and great-grand children, and a very large cirol« of friends, to lament their loss. " The following. is the report of the. Taita Ploughing Committee: —“The committee of the Taita ploughing match in presenting their report have to congratulate the subscribers on the success of the match.. They had same difficulties to contend with in the,, beginning, owing partly to a want of confidence in the arrangements made,shut they persevered, and the subscriptions came jin freely, which the attached statement will show. The ploughing was. not. of the first order, hut, . taking into, consideration the rough and, hard state, of the ground, 1 the average, was. very fail - for the first match in the district. The financial statement. shows the total'receipta to. be £55 2s. 6d., and, the Expenditure £37 12s. 6d., leaving a balance on hand' of £l7 10s. It will be observed that the whole of the money was not spent on the ploughing, the committee thinking a little amusement carried on in connection with, the ploughing would tend to make the day agreeable to, every one. The committee desire to thank those gentlemen who so kindly con-, sentsd to act as judges for the match, and to . assure them that their decisions have given general satisfaction.” , , Mr. A. P. Martin, a rising young Victorian Pressman, well-known in connection with the “ Me’bonrne Review,” is about’to publish a : tale, i entitled “ Sweet Girl Graduate,” an interesting novel founded on local experiences.’ l Messrs. McKinley p.nd ’.Go,; ’ proprietors of Melbourne Punch, stand sponsors for the work, which wjll no doubt have a large’ circulation. We have received a specimen title page from Mr. Richmond Thatcher (Mr. J. R. Emmet’s agent), Who is* himself the author of 1 several popular tales. TKe Paris correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette writes on August 31 :—The announcement that the Austr ilian authorities decline to receive the pardoned Communists from New Caledonia is, as might have’been expected;' severely criticised by the Radical Press, and even the Repuhlique Francaist joins in the ■ chorus of condemnation. Why, it is asked, should Australia, which once received common felnnb from the mother country,' decline to extend her hospitality to men most of whom have! only been guilty of political offences, while England has always opened her arms-,to, political refugees,, without distinction of race, ;or creed; .or party ?. But' M.h Rochefort’s journalj '' Let- Droit*' de V'Homme, cannot let Slip, such an' opportunity of saving something sarcastic first about Marshal MacMahon and afterwards about M. Gambetta. The latter is reminded that as he expresses himself, through the Republique Fran false, so, ..strongly opposed to this measure, he will have an excellent chance while in London of advo-. eating the cause of , the Communists and predisposing public opinion in their favor, and the Same i remark is made by the Constitutelonuel, which however thinks the Australian autbo-. rities have done quite ..right, "With regard to Marshal MacMahon, Les Droits de VHomme alludes sarcastically,,to "the widerextend-. iiig cleniency which commutes the sentences even of the dead and of. those Whose term of transportation has expired, but forgets the living.” This is an allusion to liii error by which there, were, included in the last batch of pardons the names of onb man who had just completed his term, and of another who had died before the decree reachfcd New Caledonia.. The same journal

also asserts, I do not know upon what authority, that out of the five hundred pardoned ’Communists the great majority had only a few more weeks to serve, and that none of those who have been sentenced to long periods of transportation have received any respite. The' Rappel feigns tobelieve that this announcement is aningenious device resorted to by the French; consul at Sydney, under orders from the French: Government, to make people think ; that there has been “ at last one Communist pardoned, whereas, as a matter of fact, the only .. are , .that, a.prisoner, . who has twenty years’ transportation/is generous y informed that his sentence . has. been reduced to nineteen years three hundred and sixty-four days.’ ’ The conclusion of the Rappclis that acta of clemency have become State secrets, just as in the place of the confidential "circulars dear to ■the Empire hav.CßeeiT substituted “ confidential pardons ' and that ;if , the Australian authorities.really fear the contact of Frenchmen who took pai-t in. the Commune, all they have to do is to prohibit .the transport vessels, which are bringing out/'t'clvNeW Caledonia the men whom the Paris Court-martials continue to condemn, from torching at their ports, j Beforejhb.EquityiCourt at Melbourne, says the Daily Td'.yrapli, on amotion for direction .as to-accounts in course of being taken before the Master in re Slack v. Atkinson, his Honor Mr. Justice; Molesworth refused the motion, with costs, whereupon Slack commenced to argue that his Honor had erred in not directing costs to be- taxed on (the/ilower scale. He said he had been trapped ‘lnto ’legal expenses by the Master in Equity and the Court, and he would not be,put upon any longer. The Judge allowed him an extraordinary amount of latitude, and for half an hour the irrepressible Slack continued to quote authorities and bore the Court. As he was not making head way, he asked for an adjournment for a week, and promised to argue against the entire profession on that day. “ I don’t want to annoy yo . r Honor,”,;he said, “but your Honor has-an-noyed me very much. I object to your liberality at my expense, but on Thursday next I will explain, the’English law, and put your Honor right, on matters.” , His Honor’s patience became exhausted, and, amidst the declamation of Slack, he informed him that his repeated applications to the Court were absurd, and he would not permit him to waste further time. Slack collapsed, and, after picking up his "green bag, left the court, muttering, I object to your remarks ; I protest.” Most of the European nations (the Daily News observes) seem to be giving particular attention to the study of submarine warfare just now. Both at Kiel and at Wilhelmshafen the Germane have established torpedo schools for the benefit of their naval officers ; and a school of instruction in submarine warfare, together with a permanent committee of experiments, have been- instituted at Boyardville by the French; Minister of Marine. The Italians and Danes have been for some time past occupied in experimenting with submarine charges, and in England much has been done at Porstmouth andelsewhere with a view to ascertain the best means of planting and firing torpedoes- The torpedo and the ram will, in all probability, take a large share in any future naval action, and it is not unlikely that naval battles will henceforth be carried on as much under water as above it.

The Spectator announces the death of Mr. E. ; W. Thane, the translator.of.The Arajbian Nights” and the “ Koran,” and the compiler of; the “ Arabic-English Lexicon,” He was an •Orientalist of unusual knowledge and experience, and a worker of a L type that threatens to, disappear. For nearly fifty years he worked twelve hours a day, devoting thirty-five of the fifty years to his lexicon, which covers 2500 quarto pages of three columns each, and contains with every word a reference to the native lexicon from which any statement about it has been derived. Mr. Lane had not the pleasure of ; completing his lexicon; but it is stated that it can he finished from the manuscript he leaves behind him. He worked almost as patiently, though for less time, at his “Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians,” a book which, as an aocounfof an Eastern people, has absolutely no rival, and quite surpasses any work we possess upon any province of the Indian Empire, where we need, more perhaps than anything, a few men of Mr." Lane’s stamp, the men who can interpret an Eastern people to a European ; one. Such work requires an unusual combination of qualities—learning, sympathy, patience, and descriptive power, and perhaps one more qualification, poverty. Kick men will not toil like Mr. Lane. . :

Tasmanian telegrams in the Sydney Morning Herald state;—The bones of some of the crew lately wrecked on the north-west coast were washed up on Wright’s island.-—A woman named Ellington was convicted of deliberately drowning her child, three years old, in the river Tamar, and was: sentenced to be hanged. —A large meeting was held in the new Town Hall, Hobarton,' in favor of keeping the main line railway open; , the company’s agent having again threatened to close it. A petition was unanimously adopted, praying the Council to concur with the Assembly’s resolution to advance a loan to the company., ;