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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4928, 8 January 1877, Page 2

His Honor the Chief Justice will take his seat on the bench this morning for the purpose of passing sentence on Coleman, who was convicted of attempting to murder his wife, and upon the young man Cummings. A public meeting is called by the Mayor, in answer to a requisition him, for to-morrpw evening, the object being the discussion of the proposal .to build a Town Hall. A meeting of the Karori-Makara Highway Board was held at Karori on Saturday. It was decided to.call for tenders for the various roads in the Karori-Makara district, and Mr. Wright waß authorised to employ day labor on the Ohiro-road.

Diphtheria seems to be generally prevalent' in Wanganui. A resident has lost two children within a week. The Patea County Council call for applications from persons willing to undertake the duties of collector, clerk, -md treasurer. ; A civil case—Mrs. McDonald against Captain Conway, of the 'steamer Wallace—was heard in the Resident; Ivfagistrate's >Cotirt on Saturday, and adjourned till j , ( A large whale ihas been seen in she harbor during the past two "days. , A gentleman fully four miles distant Observed it spoutmg v off Nghauranga yesterday, and from the immense volume of water caßt up he judged the fish to be an exceedingly large one. At the .Manners-street Wesleyan Church yesterday morning the JRev. Mr. Standrin occupied the pulpit; and in the evening the Rev. Joseph Sharp/preached at the Moles-worth-street Church: Both of the rev. gentlemen are in attendance at the Primitive Methodist District meeting.

The new hall erected on the reclaimed land is a fine building, and one which will be found of great use in Wellington. For a long time past the want of some such place has been very much felt. The ground floor is to be used as a skating rink, which fact is announced in large letters on the front of the building, and the upper floor has been made specially to let for holding balls and other fetes. The ball-room is large, and sufficiently lofty, and the work of painting, paper-hanging, &c, contracted for by Mr. Turner, has been most creditably performed. The interior of the building generally is well got up, and we should imagine that the enterprising proprietors of the hall will find that in erecting it they took a step in the right direction, by providing a convenience the want of which hitherto, as previously stated, has been felt to a considerable extent.

A skeleton programme of the regatta to be held on Anniversary Day appears in our advertising columns. As far as the events are concerned we think we may safely say that a better assorted set have never previously been given, nor have there been as many trophy prizes to be competed for. The money prizes are not inserted in the advertisement as yet, as the committee very properly did not deem it advisable to do so until it should be seen what support the mercantile and sporting people of this city would give; but judging from the programme and the prizes already announced, we areof opinion that the forthcoming regatta will be second to none ever held here. The secretary, certainly, has been indefatigable in his exertions to ensure its being a success, by making out a skeleton programme so soon after the details were arranged. The meeting at which the various events were decided upon was only held last Friday night.

A meeting of the sub-committee of the Hutt Agricultural, Horticultural, and Pastoral Society was held at the Travellers' Rest Hotel on Friday night; Mr. Worth in the chair. Considerable discussion ensued on the subject of a site for a show yard, some advocating a central position midway between the Taita and Lower Hutt; others appeared to be in favor of a part of the racecource, if the trustees would grant the use of a couple of acres ; and the general feeling seemed to be that if no suitable site offered a place for a temporary site should be secured for the first show at as cheap a rate as possible. Several additions were suggested to the schedules, and a preliminary announcement of the first show, which will be held early in March, was directed to be inserted in the various Wellington newspapers.

A rather serious accident happened near the heads of the harbor of Wellington on Friday. It appears that about midday the second pilot and two of the crew of the pilot boat were in a boat deeply laden ■with firewood, and the sea being rough, she began to fill and sink, ultimately turning over, when the men managed to get on the bottom of the boat, holding oh by the keel. A boat's crew of fishermen fortunately happened to be fishing inside the Pinnacle, and they went to the rescue, taking the men on board, and righting their boat. The clothes and oars were subsequently picked up, but the firewood floated away. Eventually the men were taken to the station by the pilot boat, which put off. The fifth annual district meeting of the Primitive Methodist Church in New Zealand commenced its sittings on Saturday morning last in the Sydney-street Church. A number of delegates assembled from different parts of the colony, and were formally received. The Rev. W. J. Dean was elected president, Mr. J. Taylor vice-president ; Rev. J. Standrin, secretary ; Rev. J. Sharp, assistant secretary. The President in his opening address referred to the labors and death of the Rev. Robert Ward, who died in this city last October. He spoke of the extra efforts now being made to hinder the progress of religion, and regretted that among ministers of the Gospel there were found some who advocated theories contrary to the teachings of Christianity. He referred to the proposed union of Methodist Churches, and did not advocate it. He believed in working harmoniously with all, but not in absorption. As a Church they had a work to do distinct from any other denomination. The past year had been one of success, and future prospects were encouraging. He hoped that meeting would help to increase its prosperity. The address was received with applause. Reports from the different circuits were then examined, which were of a satisfactory nature. The meeting adjourned till Monday. Special services in connection with the district meeting took place on Saturday and yesterday. At the Webb-street Church on Saturday evening the Rev. J. Sharp preached, and at the same church yesterday the Rev. B. J. Westbrooke preached in the morning, and the Rev. J. Dumbell in the evening. At the Sydney-street Church the Rev. J. Sharp preached in the morning, and the Rev. B. J. Westbrooke in the evening. At Tawa Flat the Rev. C. Ward and Rev. J. Ward respectively preached morning and evening ; and at Stokes Valley the Rev. J. Nixon preached morning and evening. To-night there will be an ordination service at the Sydney-street Church, when two candidates for the ministry, who have gone through the probationary course, will present themselves for admission. Together with other documents presented to the Wellington Diocesan Synod, the following was yesterday circulated in the Anglican Churches: —" Report of 'the Bishopric Endowment Fund Committee, appointed by the Diocesan Synod in 1875, to sit during the recess to consider the best means to be adopted for procuring an immediate increase to the stipend of the Bishop of the diocese.— Your committee have met during the recess. At their first meeting they found the Hon. C. J. Pharazyn had collected a sum of £2OO towards the Bishop's stipend, and £lO towards the Bishop's Endowment Fund, with a promise such should be paid for five years, leaving the sum of £l4O to be collected to make up the amount of the stipend to not less than £BOO, the sum named in . the resolution. Further, that a sum of £25 had been promised for five years towards the Bishop's Endowment Fund. Since then Hon. A. Tollemache has granted to the Bishop's Endowment Fund several allotments of land situated in Thorndon-quay, which are bringing in rentals of £4O per annum, towards the Bishop's stipend. After the present leases, which have nineteen years to run, have fallen in, this property can be leased at a much higher rental.. The Hon. C. J. Pharazyn, in addition to his subscription of £SO for five years, has extended that gift for his life, by giving a bond to that effect, and by which also his representatives will hand over to the Bishop's Endowment Fund at his death the sum of £SOO, with the proviso that he may at any time pay off the amount during his life. Further subscriptions, amounting in all to £3l lis., have been promised for five years, £23 3s. of which have been paid for the first year; and though the committee regret the amount does not reach that fixed by the resolution, they still hope it yet may be attained. A further sum of £3 3s. has been collected for the Bishop's Endownment Fund, making the total amount subscribed towards that fund £3B 35., but £3 3s. of that has only been promised for this year." The butchers of Christchurch have determined to hold a picnic.

By the mail steamer an Auckland hotelkeeper received from Kandavau a turtle weighing 1601bs. It is intended to attempt to bore artesian wells at Marton. Marton has suffered, considerably of late years from want of water, iA. Christchurch Town Councillor at a Council meeting last week said:" It was. a matter of common notoriety .that a number of cabmeh lived (or nearly so) upon the custom they derived from prostitutes." ;. ;VSTe are informed that the Ballarat pedestrians—Sanson and others—who qaine to Dunedin with the fire brigade, have telegraphed to a gentlemanin this city, expressing their willingness, tq make a match ,tq run any of our Wellington peds.' The names of two or three of our best men were wired, and enquiries made as to the terms the Ballaratians would run upon. As yet no reply has been received to the telegram.

There was a very good attendance at the Theatre Koyal on Saturday night, when the Christmas Pantomime was performed for the last time. Particular attention is drawn to the fact that to-night Miss Lizzie Morgan takes a benefit. The comedy of " School" will be produced, and we have little doubt but that its representation will be a great success. Miss Lizzie Morgan is a young lady of considerable talent in her profession, and has made great progress within a short time. The Wellington theatre-goers, with whom she is a great favorite, are well aware of .this, her sweet voice and pleasing manner having gained for her admiration and esteem. We expect to see this lady's merits acknowledged thoroughly this evening by a large attendance at the theatre. We have omitted to mention that the comedy will be followed by a musical melange, in which Miss Morgan and others will take part, and which cannot fail to prove attractive. Mr. Wareham, of . the Auckland Waste Lands Office, has innocently fallen into trouble through attempting to do a kind act for a person who scarcely merited it, and certainly deserved no sacrifice on the part of a gentleman of Mr. Wareham's standing. The Sta - says :—Mr. Wareham was acquainted at home with the parents of the young man Draper, convicted on Tuesday on four charges of embezzlement and forgery. Draper's parents are highly respectable people, and on their account Mr. Wareham wrote a private letter to his Honor Mr. Justice Gillies before the trial, representing the young man's case in a favorable light, and begging that he might be leniently dealt with. The result is probably very different from what Mr. Wareham expected. Writing to judicial authorities with reference to cases sub judiec is held to be contempt of Court in the eye of the law, and we are informed Mr. Wareham has been summoned to appear at the Supreme Court to answer for his offence.

The passengers by the quarantined mail steamer Australia at Auckland seem to have been receiving bad treatment at the hands of the authorities of Auckland. If the statements made in the following letter sent to the Herald be accurate, certainly the passengers have much to complain of :—Sir,—Referring to the statements in your issue of yesterday, as to the arrival of the s.s. Australia, we think it right to state the following facts : —The quantity of provisions provided for the passengers at this station was totally inadequate, inasmuch as most of the passengers have been without bread from Sunday morning to yesterday evening. . No communication has been held with this island relative to the health of the passengers from early on Sunday morning till yesterday evening, although distress siarnals were hoisted all yesterday and part of Monday, and that one of the passengtrs has been from the time of landing, and still is, dangerously ill from lung disease; and as no medical or other Government officer has visited this island from our arrival till the present time, we fail to see how you can have obtained the information " that, up to a late hour last night, all the passengers were in good health." —We are, &c, W. Mitchell, Edwabd J. Vavasodb.—Quarantine Station, January 3, 1877.

Mr. Rolleston's election to the chairmanship of the Selwyn County Council was not unanimous, Dr.' Turnbull offering- strenuous opposition to it. The Hon. Mr. Hall was first proposed by Mr. Rolleston, and the nomination was seconded by Mr. H. J. Tancred ; but he declined to take office, pointing out that he lived some forty miles from Christchurch, which would make it very inconvenieut for persons having to transact business with him as chairman. He then proposed Mr. Rolleston for the office. Dr. Turnbull protested against the election, and is reported by the Press to have said : —" Sir, I think we have had quite enough of the government of a single individual, considering the nature of the constitution we live under. If we perpetuate the system of the rule of a single individual such as obtained in the past in the conduct of our public affairs, we' shall, I contend, deteriorate the vigor of our political life. I regret, therefore, that the Hon. John Hall has thought it right to decline the office, and thns prevent the infusion of new life, which I for one consider would have been highly beneficial. I object also to Mr. Eolleston's nomination, because he is now acting as General Government agent for Canterbury. He is now somewhat in the position of &prefet { and therefore I think that if he takes the chairmanship of a body representative of the ratepayers he ought to resign his post as agent of the General Government." Mr. Tancred urged that Mr. Rolleston's ability and experience specially fitted him for the position, and said as for Mr. Rolleston's holding the position of Government agent baing an objection, he thought it should be the other way. It would be very convenient that the initiatory measures should be carried on by the Government. Mr. Rolleston was then duly elected. ,

I This is what the Standard says of reporting ' the- first meeting of the Wairarapa West County Council : —"We have reported the proceedings of the General Legislative Council, under the Presidency of the Governor-in-Chief, Sir George Grey ; we have reported the proceedings of the Wellington Provincial Council, when the late Mr. Gibbon Wakefield was a brilliant member thereof ; we have reported the debates in both the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives when members like Featherston and Fox, Fitzgerald and Sewell, took a prominent part in their deliberations ; and we have reported the proceedings of the Wellington City Council when, under the presidency of Mr. Dransfield, a half-dozen members have sought to deliver their sentiments at once ; but never had we such a difficult task assigned us as that of reporting accurately the proceedings of the Wairarapa West County Council, owing to the simple reason that most of the speeches were —and we honestly believe were intended to be—inaudible." Mr. Hutchison, of Onehunga (says the Auckland Herald), has submitted a case tu us which is interesting in several particulars. Some years ago he procured some of the best Adelaide white wheat, which he has been cultivating on Hallett's principle, in the endeavor to produce a white wheat equal to Hallett's pedigree wheat, which was .sold in England at £2 2s. a bushel. Mr. Hfttchison plants a small patch of about 10 or 12 yards square in his garden. Prom this he selects the best plants, and the best pickles on each ear, to sow again, hoping by this means to produce a first-rate seed wheat. But unfortunately the sparrows proceed upon precisely the same theory, or at least practice, but for a different purpose. They select for their depredations .the finest plants, and take the best grains, and when Mr. Hutchison comes to get the ripe wheat, he finds only a few of the smallest of the pickles left, which have been overlooked by the sparrows, and which are useless for his purpose. And the mischief is done in spite of every effort to prevent it. Mr. Hutchison has shown ub some lamentable specimens, and actually round eacji plant, at the bottom of the ear, was a piece of rag, or 1 string, while we were informed that within a yard of the spot on which the plant grew was a " bogle " consisting of an old hat and coat. But all was of no avail, and the closest friend of the sparrows could hardly help becoming convinced that, at least in their present numbers, they 'are an evil, when shown the ravages made in these

ears of wheat, which are about six or seven inches long. The unfortunate Acclimatisation Society gets all the blame of the depredations of, the sparrows, but we think that the society is unjustly blamed in tins instance. However the spjirrow nuisance has increased is in' creasing, and ought to he diminished. But how;? ,

A member of the New South Wales Legislature;/ recently gave notice censuring the Governor for his protracted absence from the colony without appointing a .LieutenantGovernor. His ExcelleDcys absence was occasioned by a tour through the K w South country, districts en route to Victoria xh ere ne stayed to witness the races. . •**► j :. The following extract from the second annual report of thePostmaster-6ei in-London shows how letters go astray-i, "Upwards of 25,500 letters were posted without any address; of which number 464 contained in the aggregate" nearly £SOO in cash and bank notes, and;<nearly :£6OOO in cheques, &c. Nearly 65,000 postage stamps were found loose in the different post offices. Miscellaneous articles numbering 13,648 reached the Eeturned Letter Office wholly destitute of covers. In a large number of these the covers were of too flimsy a nature to resist the attrition to which packets are unavoidably subjected in the mail bags. The Post Office, while fulfilling its first duty to the public by affording means for the rapid transmission of correspondence, is also made the vehicle of conveyance for small articles of almost endless variety ; of these the following were observed passing -• through the post during the year, viz., silkworms and gentles; flowers, fruit, and vegetables ; various kinds of game; wearing apparel; models of metal fittings and toys; leeches, snails, eggs, six white mice, a sparrow, tw» snakes, a crayfish, and a dog. Several of these being prohibited artieles were sent to the P*eturned Letter Office. The dog was posted at the Lombard-street office,, and, having fallen into the bag affixed to the letter box, was Dot discovered until the contents were turned out at St. Martin's-le-Grand. The failure of letters to reach the persons for whom they are intended is not always attributable to the Post Office. An unregistered letter was recently receivedatLiverpoolinaverythincoverbearingan almost illegible address, and was delivered to a firm to whom it was supposed to be directed. On being opened, the letter and its enclosures, five £IOO notes, were found to be intended for another firm, to whom they were eventually delivered. The following is a copy of the address of a letter which also reached Liverpool, the names of persons and places being here omitted :—' This letter is for Mrs. M She lives in some part of Liverpool. From her father John a tailor from -; he would be thankful to some Postmaster ia Liverpool if he would find her out.' The addresses, unfortunately, could not be found, and the letter was sent to the Returned Letter Office."