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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4904, 9 December 1876, Page 2

Mr. Ormond has become a member of the Executive, having been sworn in on Thursday. He has been appointed to the office of Postmaster- Seneral and Telegraph Commissioner, vacated by Mr. Whitaker, who holds office as Attorney-General. It is probable that Mr. Ormond will also take the office of Minister for Public Works. Sir Donald McLean has resigned his seat in the Executive and his office as Native Minister.

The following appointments are gazetted in the last number of the New Zealand Gazette — Richmond Beetham, Esq., R.M. for the districts of Napier and Waipukurau, and chairman of the Licensing Courts for the districts of Petane and town of Napier, vice H. P. Sealey, Esq. Robert Ward, Esq., a Justice of the Peace for the colony, R.M. for the districts of Otaki and Manawatu, and auditor of the Courtß of Law Trust Accounts for the same districts, vice W. J. Willis, Esq. And Francis Morris Deighton, Esq., Clerk of the Resident Magistrates' Courts for the districts of Otaki and Manawatu, and Clerk of the Licensing Courts far the districts of Otaki, Palmerston, H'oxton, Rangitikei, and Wangaehu, vice R. Ward, Esq. It was understood a few days ago that persons summoned to act as jurors at the next sittings of the Supreme Court would not be required to attend on the 2nd of January, and paragraphs appeared in the papers to that effect, but we now understand that they will have to do so.

• A meeting of the Wellington Philosophical will be held in the Colonial Museum this evening at 8 o'clock. The following papers will be read;—l. On the Longitude of Wellington Observatory, by Ven. Archdeacon Stock, B. A. 2. On the System of Survey for New Zealand from a Legal Point of View, by W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S. 3. On Anemometry, considered in reference to the recent Storms, by 0. R. Martin, F.M.S. 4. On Cetaceans of New Zealand, by Br. Hector, F.R.S. 5. i Notes on New Zealand Fishes, by Dr. Hector, F.R.S. 6. Was New Zealand a Post-glacial Centre of Creation, by T. C. Hood, F.G.S., &c, &c. A little amusement was caused during the hearing of a civil case in the .Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday., The plaintiff, one Marshall, sometime cook to Mr. Levoi, sued his late employer for £4B for wrongful dismissal, in breach of an agreement between the.parties. Mr. Levoi ultimately won the case, but during the hearing it leaked out that the cook had a sneaking affection for the housemaid, and was wont to attempt .to snatch a sly kiss, or give her a gentle squeeze, when opportunity offered. The housemaid, who is a good-looking buxom young lady, objected to these polite attentions, informing the Court that she didn't like cooks at all as a general thing, and she had a most particular objection to the present one. The young man's feelings seemed harrowed at the thought that his devotion should be so slighted by his fair inamorata, and in pity to him, a veil is'drawn over the rest of the proceedings. This afternoon, at 2 o'clock, a boat-race will come off between a crew chosen from the employes of the Theatre Royal and one from the office of this paper. Mr. Gair (of the Star Boating Club) has kindly consented to act as judge. The following are the names of the crews:—Theatre Royal : Shiels (i), Ritson (2), F. Hillsden (3), E. Alexander (stroke), and H. Powell (cox). New Zealand Times office : O'Connor (1), Keatch (2), Robins (3), A. Muir (stroke), and G. Howe (cox). There is considerable excitement both amongst the Theatre Royal Company and in our literary and mechanical department. The betting early in the week was 2 to 1 against the Times office ; and now 3 to 2 is offered, but can be obtained freely, so that the newspaper men do not appear to be in much favor with the public. At a meeting of the Hutt Agricultural, Pastoral, and Horticultural Society, held at the Lower Hutt an Thursday (Mr. C. F. Worth in the chair), it was arranged to hold the first exhibition of the society when his Excellency returns from his projected cruise. A sub-com-mittee was appointed to draw up lists of prizes and exhibits in the different departments, agricultural, pastoral, and horticultural ; also for agricultural implements, which will be laid before the committee for approval at their next meeting. Mr. George Mcllvride and Mr. John Wilkins were added to the committee.

The ordinary meetings of the Waste Lands Board of the land district of Wellington have been fixed by his Excellency the Governor, under the Waste Lands Administration Act, 1876, sec. 26, sub-sec.. 1, by proclamation in the last number of the Gazette. The first meeting is to be held on Tuesday; the 12th inst., at the principal land office, AVelliDgton, at twelve o'clock noon, and the subsequent meetings are to be held on every alternate Tuesday at the same hour. The Kaiwarra Rifle Volunteers yesterday led off the firing for choice of representatives at the forthcoming .interprovincial prize firing. The companies will each have two days' firing, and the. two highest scorers will represent the Wellington district in the coming match. The two highest scorers yesterday were—Turner, 87 ; Menzies, 73. The second day's firing will take place on Tuesday next. A very "remarkable storm of hail visited Woolooga, Wide Bay creek (says the Gympie Times), on October 16. The hailstones were as large as hens' eggs, and the weight and the force with which they fell may be imagined when we relate they : stripped the smaller boughs from the forest trees, and killed hundreds of birds, iguanas, and the smaller marBupials, such as kangaroo rats. It is also stated that fifty goats were killed at KilMvan by hailstones the same evening.

: The half-yearly meeting of the Wellington Typographical Association will be held in the sideroom of the Odd Fellows' Hall this evening at 7.30 o'clock. Saturday, the 16th December, is appointed for the nomination of a member to represent the riding of Horowhenua in the Manawatu County Council.

The cases of scarlet fever reported to be prevalent on the Taieri Plain have spread as far. as Milton, two cases being reported from that place last week.

At an inquest held on the body of the child Elizabeth Matilda Bryant yesterday, before Dr. Johnston, coroner, the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Hall left by the Easby, for the South, yesterday afternoon. They will appear in Dunedin, afterwards in the new Auckland Theatre, and will then, we understand, proceed to Australia.

An emergency meeting of the Pacific Lodge, of free and accepted Masons took place last evening at the Masonic Hall, Boulcott-street. Three candidates were initiated, and one passed to the degree of fellow-craft.

An advertisement in another column notifies that the s.s. Napier will leave on a Christmas excursion to Kapiti and Pelorus Sound at 10 p.m. on the Saturday preceding Christmas Day. Two days will be spent at Kapiti and one at the Sound, where the excursionists have been invited by Mr. Beauchamp to visit his property, where there is excellent fishing. A meeting of the Wellington Cricketers' Association was held at the Pier Hotel last night; Mr. Knapp in the chair. A letter was read from the Napier Cricket Club, asking if the association could send a team to play the return match. It was decided, on the motion of Mr. Bryce, that it would not be advisable to send a team to play until after the visit of the English Eleven. His Excellency the Governor, pursuant to the powers conferred upon him under the Public Health Act, 1876, by proclamation in last Thursday's Gazette, has, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, declared that cholera, small-pox, scarlatina, diptheria, enteric or typhoid fever, typhus fever, and measles, shall be' deemed to be infectious diseases within the meaning of the said Act.

On next Saturday a costume cricket match between elevens chosen from the members of the Theatre Royal Company and the Wellington Artillery will be played on the Basin Reserve. Mr. 0. Hillsden, the business manager of the theatre, has kindly undertaken to provide the necessary costumes for both teams. Play will commence at half-past twelve. The novelty of this kind of cricket match in Wellington should make it most attractive.

The Theatre Royal was again well attended last evening, when the Bates-Howard Company went through the programme that was performed on the night previous. Madame Franzini's wonderful performances on the bicycle were applauded to the echo, and the applause was certainly well deserved. It would be impossible for anyone to obtain greater command over the bicycle, and the ease and grace with which Madame Franzini affects the various difficult manoeuvres call for admiration and astonishment. The musical entertainment which followed was interesting, Misses Morgan and Stoneham being encored, as were Messrs. Deering, Sweeney, and Alexander. There should be a good attendance this evening. The National Hotel, which has been recently erected on Lambton-quay, will be formally opened on Tuesday next, the 12th inst., and the proprietor, Mr. J. R. Brown, will on that occasion give his friends and patrons a lunch, which no doubt will be quite worthy of the well-known proprietor and his handsome hotel. The National has been thoroughly completed for over a week ; the house is elegantly furuished throughout, and affords every requisite accommodation. It contains also the most comfortable billiard-room at present in the city, with good billiard-table and appurtenances. To judge from the stand, the appearance of the house generally, and Mr. Brown's well known good qualities as host, the National should do a thriving business. .- The steam yacht being built for Mr. Redwood at the Lion Foundry will be finished by January next, in time for the Nelson Regatta. The hull is complete, and th" compound engines (also built at the foundry* are now being placed in position.. The yacht is built on a very pretty model, a description of which we published some time since, and is calculated to have considerable speed. The cabinß fore and aft are constructed, but of course they want finishing, which will not be done until other necessary work inside of the boat has been accomplished. To judge from present appearances, Mr. Redwood's yacht will be a credit to Wellington workmanship. At the R. M. Court yesterday George Needham was fined 20s. and costs for drunkenness. John Maher, for being guilty of a similar offence in Court on the previous day, was fined 10s. and costs. He was then charged on an information by David Nicholls i> >r assault, and fined 40s. and costs. Mary Campbell, charged with larceny, was remanded until Tuesday, Ann Barker, charged with drunkenness and being illegally upon the premises of Henry Davenport, was committed to prison for a month, with hard labor, it being her fourth offence within quite a recent period. Henry Green, far being drunk and disorderly, was fined 20s. and costs. Archibald McAffen, charged with drunkenness and using threatening language to the second engineer of the s.s. Hinemoa, was fined 20s. and costs, and bound over to keep the peace in two sureties, himself and another, each in £5. A Jack tar, who had amused himself with bruising some of the wharfites, was dismissed with a caution. Alexander Thomson was fined 10s. for drunkenness, and seemed as if he would be all the better of a bath, as suggested by Sergt. Monaghan. The case against George Russell, charged with refusing duty on board the Panola, was settled out of Court.

A pleasing instance of unselfish good nature is mentioned by the Bendigo Advertiser, in a local paragraph headed " A Working Beer" It says:—A proof of good feeling towards a clergyman was recently manifested at St. Arnaud, where a " working bee" was held, for the purpose of clearing the land of the Rev. Father Dwyer, "fencing it with sawn timber, and fixing the interior of stable and coachhouse. About thirty farmers from the district around mustered, ; and went to woik with a will, doing the rev. father's work in no time. The assembly comprised men from England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Switzerland, and counted within its ranks members of several denominations.

The new anchor plates for the Grey Gorge bridge have arrived at Greymouth. They are built, says the Argus, in the form of a boxgirder or beam, the extreme dimensions being sft. Bin. long by 18in. square, built of half-inch boiler plate, having a treble vertical web. The top and bottom tables are composed of three thicknesses of half-inch boiler plate, connected to vertical webs by strong angle iron, the whole being well riveted together. The vertical webs are separated from each other sufficiently to allow of two chambers through which the several ropes comprising the bridge cable pass. It is quite apparent that two advantages of this mode of construction are additional breadth, and therefore additional lateral stiffness, and additional strength for resisting thrust to the compressed table or flange.

The giant Chee Ki Chee, who lately arrived in Dunedin by the s.B. Albion, is the largest man in existence, and is described by the Otago Daily Times as a native of the province of Shangtung, North China. This huge ■elestial is accompanied by his agent and secretary, Mr. Starick, and two or three personal attendants. He certainly ia an immense man; he measures 7ft. 9in. in height, arid sft. round the chest. His weight ia said to be 29 stone 61bs., and so great is his personal strength that he lifts with the greatest ease a weight equal to a ton. He is comparatively young, only just having completed his thirtieth year, and notwithstanding his immense size, moves about with ease and rapidity. ,;■"-..- ■ ;.*.•:-

An extraordinary fatality occurred during the voyage of the mail steamer Cimbri* from New York to Plymouth. The Danish viceconsul at Dinamarca, JPorto Eico, was reading in the deckhouse near an open door, and as the vessel was pitching in the heavy sea, he was recommended to exchange his chair for a fixed bench, but he declined to do so. Almost directly afterwards the vessel lurched, and he was hurled head foremost through the doorway. Pitching against the iron bulwarks, he fractured his skull, and died shortly afterwards. ,'"'■■

The Paris correspondent of the Sydney Morning Eerald says:—-A curious statement is made as to the apparent dislike of the Italian Sovereign to his official residence in Borne, the Quirinal Palace. It is said that one day walking up and down his bedroom there, he noticed that the floor in certain places sounded hollow, as though there were a vault underneath. The King summoned his personal attendants, had the carpets taken up and the floor examined, when a trap-door was discovered. Oa being opened a flight of steps was seen. The King and his servants, carrying lights, descended the stairs, and reached a subterranean passage, which they followed for twenty minutes, when they came to a. place where the vault had fallen in, so that they could go no further. They had ascertained that the passage went under the bed of the Tiber, in the direction of the Castle of St Angelo, with which it probably communicates.; The King, however, contented himself with bricking up this passage, and having the trap-door strongly nailed up. Another day, in the same bedroom, he perceived a draught, for which he could not account Calling his attendants and investigating the walls, he found a door hidden under the tapestry on the walls. This door, on being opened, gave access to another subterranean gallery, which his Majesty has had quietly walled up. But it will be readily understood that two such discoveries, in the same room and in such a building, and country, were not calculated to increase the monarch's sense of personal security, and it is said that since then he has never slept at the Quirinal, but always at his favorite villa on the outskirts of the town. The galleries are very ancient; but they have doubtless been the scene of many a tragedy in the past, and as their existence is doubtless known at the Vatican, there might possibly be such again.