Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4932, 12 January 1877, Page 2

. The Customs revenue for the colony for the jast year, so fax as at present Is known, is £1,199,327,. as against £1,229,138 for the preceding year. The returns for six small )ort» have not iyet been received, but the general result will- not be much affected. • Our special correspondent telegraphed from )taki last evening:—“An open boat with iminsail and jib 'set/ containing two men, Appeared off Otaki about half-past 2 o'clock o-day. They evidently came from to seaboard f Knpiti; The wind, however, was off the here here, and the bar impassable, so they ipre away, probably for Manawatu or Wangalui. There is much conjecture as to whence hey came.' The boat had a square stern, and joked like a ship’s boat.” |

The Hon. George McLean, who only ar-i rived from Otago on Wednesday, leaves for Sydney to-day in the Roturua, for the purp'oae'j of attending the conference of delegates at Sydney re a second cable to Europe. His Honor the ; Chief Justice left by the Government yacht Hinemoa yesterday afternoon for Lyttelton, to attend the speeial sitting of the Court of Appeal to be held at Christchurch. We understand that the agreement for the erection of the Wellington Club building was signed yesterday, Messrs. Scoular and Archibald being the contractors, for the sum of £7150, the building to be completed by the end of July next. We understand that Mr. A. S. Allan, Registrar of the Supreme Court at Wellington, has been or is about to be appointed Registrar of the Court of Appeal. The duties have hitherto been performed by Mr. Allen, but no appointment under the hand of .the Governor had previously teen made, this being the first of the kind made in the colony. The appearance of Lambton-quay is being greatly improved. A long stretch of the quay, past the Foresters’ Hall, Thqrndon end, has for a long time presented an unfinished aspect, ! not at all pleasing to the’eye, or convenient to foot passengers; A fine footpath is now being 1 formed on the beach side of the road, which ’ adds greatly to its appearance and comfort; > . We have been given to understand that the : Wellington Trust, Loan, and Investment Cpml pany, Limited, have just made up their accounts . for the year ending the 31st of December, 1876, r and that they will lay before the shareholders 5 a very satisfactory balance-sheet, which will > enable them to recommend the payment of a, » dividend of 10 per cent, per anhum. 7 The following is a list of the civil cases 1 heard at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesr terday v, Houghton,, claim of £lB, > judgment for plaintiff, with costs ; Carroll v. > Ballinger, claim of £18; 125., nonsuited in con--1 sequence of informality in the summons ; f Segal v. Huxley, claim of £ls, judgment for * defendant, with costs. Several oases were * withdrawn, and in one the summons had not s been served. ' ’ Attempts were again made yesterday to ■ capture the whales which have for some days , back been sporting, about the harbor, the Isaj bella’s boats making a trip for the purpose. t Somehow those who have made little excursions to catch these whales have not been at 3 all successful. There has been ■ something j wrong somewhere,! either with the whalers or the whales. The latter, perhaps, were eccen- ‘ trie, or so old-fashioned as to have discovered ’ a mode of tantalising and evading all pursuers. ' Certain it is that they would not act as whales ’ should act according to the experience, of the ' Isabella's men, and the consequence was, as the historical Chinaman profoundly observed, ’ “ No catchee, no havee.” 3 We again remind the public, and especially 3 that portion of it which takes an interest in . the visit of the'All England Eleven, that the 3 costume match in aid of the English cricketers r fund will take place to-morrow, on the Basin 1 Reserve. The following are the naines of the 3 members composing the Town team:—Messrs, j Van Heythuysen, Russell, Grindstone, Gray, O'Connor, Gascoigne, Hood, Humphries, Daley, t Moore, and Mjnifle. ■ The Theatre team are 7 as follows : —Messrs. F. Hillsden, Chuck, Mett calf, Ritson, C. Hillsden, Sweeney, Powell, . Shields, Ingles, Alexander, and Creighton. x The match will commence at 1.3,0. The' 7 Town team are to meet at the Pier Hotel t this evening at 8 o’clock, to arrange about t dresses. • . •, j None of the old employes of this. establish--3 ment, and few. «f the advertisers and sub- - scribers to the, New Zealand Times, but 1 will learn with deep regret of the death of Mr. i Henry Levy, who died at his father’s residence ~ .last evening.! Fofr.,many years the deceased i had been connected with this-'office, and s .whether.as boy or man, always \yith credit to 3 himself and to the satisfaction of his emi pjoyer.: Apprenticed to the trade on thfe 3 Independent, the youth passed creditably 3 through the various branches of his business, - and ofter becoming a workman of hnoro-ihan t ordinary- skill, e^stltution—rfevVr, very„ ’I the ihsidfOus dist I '- 3 .ease which a few years later was to claim him 0- ’as'another victim; Change’.Of air and change r occupation'were each tried in turn without i any ,very beneficial result, and a general re- ; Taxation in business: became unavoidable, as f decease'd ; became; gradually too ■ feeble for r, any , settled occupation, leaving little hope ■ of recovery. .For the last eighteen months 1 life was but a feeble flicker. Deceased, who f; was about twenty‘seven years Of age, was s blessed with such a joyous humor, and such a . rarely kind and unselfish nature,' that few who 3 bad once made his acquaintance could fail to; . become attached to him. ’ 1 Some time, ago it was the duty of. Constable; 3 Smart to arrest a man who was drunk and, 3 disorderly at Thomdon. He found it impos--sible to make the man “coice-along quietly,” *; notwithstanding his own stout build, and so 'I put him in a cab f oi thd-.purpose of taking him to the station. ' In the cab, however, 1 ; Constable Smart had nearly as much trouble j ■ i with, his charge, as ,op the street, rand was j | somewhat more, inconvenienced owing to the 1 ' small space in which the latter floundered ■' around and made effective use of his limbs, in ! so much; >that he damaged the cab consider--1 ablyi A Mr. Thomas, is the proprietor of ’ the .injured vehicle. . When- the ■ delinquent was brought before / the magistrate he was * treated merely as a “disorderly drunk,” it 1 being considered that the ends of - justice would be better met by Mr, Thomas taking 1 civil action subsequently for the recovery from defendant of the amount of damage done to the cab. Instead, however, of proceeding * in the direction indicated, Mr. : Thomas “went for” Constable Smart, and the case came on for hearing at the conclusion of the criminal business, yesterday, Mr. Travers .appearing for the, plaintiff. He contended that the constable, as being the party who hired the cab, wasalone responsible,-or at least that ho was the prqperperson from whom the plaintiff. ' should seek compensation for the loss sustained, jEvidence was produced as to the amount,of i damage, estimated by a coach builder, named Robert Harr at £4 95., arid the boy who was jin charge .of , the cab at the time of the occurrence testified to what had then taken place. Mr, Crawford justly remarked that the question of responsibility in such ,a [case was a nice point, and Sergeant Monaghan informed the Court that policemen were allowed no compensation for loss frequently sustained by them in the conscientious discharge of their duties. Mr. Travers admitted the hardship of this, and expressed a hope that the present case would draw the attention of the, proper#authorities to the necessity of : setting apart a fund from which expenses incurred in such a 1 way could be properly paid. . In the meantime, he thought they should not lose sight of, the fact that as a point of law the person really responsible was he who engaged the vehicle; no doubt they might proceed against the man who caused the injury, but that did not alter,the principle' involved. The case was then adjourned for' further consideration. The Theatre Royal was very fairly attended last evening, whsn the performance consisted of the play of “ Elizabeth,” Mrs. Bates appearing in the title role, which is undoubtedly; one of her best impersonations. That lady never fails : to render the part with a power 1 and feeling that invariably claim for her the : highest commendation that' an appreciative j audience can possibly bestow. There can be no doubt—and we speak discriminatingly—that hers is a splendid piece of acting ' in this part. It was particularly “fetching” ' (to use -a vulgar but expressive phrase) in 1 the scene where the Earl ofr Essex (Mr. Bates) Sic Francis Drake and Lord Howard (Messrs. ( Sweeney and Creighton respectively) return < from battle. The denouncement of the haughty f and imperious earl,. with whose character t most playgoers should be well acquainted, was s very effective, and the “ business” «f the clos-' t log scene was admirably arranged. Mr. Bates 1 as usual, played excellently, and the other o players engaged; in the piece acquitted them- t selves creditably. To-night a grand double A bill is to be .presented, con»i»ting of f* Caste’’ I and “ Charles the Second.” ■ » e

Tenders are invited for certain privileges in connection with the race?; . As the correspondence on the subject upon which “ Fair Play” writes was closed by us a week ago, his letter cannot be inserted. A meeting of the working committee of the Wellington Anniversary Regatta committee will be held this evening at the Pier Hotel. A meeting of the committee appointed to carry out the arrangements for the visit'of the English cricketers is called for Thursday evening next. - Mr. George Thomas offered for sale at public auction yesterday the property of Mrs. Johnson, fronting Lambton-quay. The property was bought in at £675, the reserve price being £7OO. The highest honafide bid was £6OO. The “ Wellington Monthly Priees Current” prepared for the outgoing mail is as usual replete with interesting commercial intelligence, containing, in addition to lists of prices, information as to the Customs receipts for the past year, new bankruptcies, shipping, freights, &c. A telegram "received by Mr. Pascoe yesterday stated that Hearne and Woods had been disqualified for the scullers race at the Nelson regatta, on the ground, it is presumed, of their not being amateurs. A request came that Mr. Pascoe should go over. An emergency meeting of the New Zealand Pacific Lodge, No. 517, E.C., is called for this evening. It is understood that the Lodge is convened to enable the brethren to express sympathy for the lose of the late Sir Donald McLean. ' The Australasian, commenting on the speed recently delivered by Sir George Grey tojhii constituents, says “it was of the matter and form of the stump stumpy,” and that “there was a fine admixture of impassioned sentiment and Sairey Gampish logic.” Some unsatisfactory circumstances in con nection with the new organ recently imported for St. Paul’s Church have come to light, and were generally talked of in town yesterday. II seems that the organ chamber has been constructed too small, and that part of the root must be cut away before the organ; can b( fitted in. Then the new 1 organ will hav< neither radiating pedals nor any trumpet-stop and besides this there is some difficulty ir erecting the organ owing to specifications o! elevation section, &c., being missing. A meeting of the committee of the Chora Society was-held on Wednesday evening a Mr. Hunter’s rooms. Mr. Garrard, the sec retary, afforded the meeting a considerabh amount of information respecting the positior of the society, financially and in othei respects.- - It appeared that at the commencement of the year, in July, last, the society started with a debt of £9O. At the present moment it has a balance of £146 7s. in th< bank, the society being free from all liabilities. The gross proceeds from the “ Messiah’ concert were £lO9 2s’. 6d., the expenses £6B 6s. 7d., and the net . profit £55 15s. lid. Wt may incidentally mention that a statement which has been tna.de by a contemporary, as tc the season of the Choral Society being concluded, is entirely erroneous. As the blunder might possibly cause dissatisfaction and surprise among subscribers, we have been requested to make this contradiction. Th« secretary’s report shows the position of the society to be very satisfactory. ’ The committee have worked hard and judiciously; and the result of their labors, has been a material increase in the number of Subscribers, the contributions amounting to £220, as against £9O last year. There can be no doubt that unusual credit is due to the committee, and the vote of thanks passed to Mr. Garrard was well merited, - . ■ Some few days ago we mentioned that endeavors were' being made to get up a pedestrian match between some Ballarat runners who came over to Dunedin in connection with the, recent Fire Brigade contest and one ol Other of our Wellington peds. ; Inquiry was made from Dunedin- as to whether there were any peds here, to which a reply '.was sent 'stating that .there-were one or two who'would be prepared to run on terms. To this, the following answer has. beeu-made“ Will nos with,.start,, .Will rim;- one mile even for one hundred pounds. ' Reply at once'*’-- The gentleman to whom this communication was addressed telegraphed:-—" Match cannot,’be made level. Mpran will, run any; one'bar Sansom one mile level for one hundred pounds. He will take forty yards from Sansom.” At a meeting of the committee of the Wellington Athenaeum and Mechanics’ Institute, Mr. Woodward in the chair, arrangements were made for the .laying of the foundation stone, of the new building. As has been previously stated, his Excellency the’Governor has consented to perform the ceremony, which . will take’ place at 4 p.m. on Saturday week. It was arranged that his Excellency should be received by the President, the Hon. W- Fitzherbert; and the Vice-President, and-that he should be presented with a silver trowel in commemoration, of the event. It is to be regretted that the order for the trowel had to 'be sent to Dunedin instead of its being executed by Wellington artisans. The- ground will be enclosed on the occasion of the ceremony, and admission thereto will be by ticket. We were favored yesterday with a sight-of the silver cup Messrs.- Beauchamp, Campbell, and Co., the well-known auctioneers of this city,’ have presented to the Anniversary Regatta Committee, as a trophy to be rowed for. The cup is mounted on a small dark wood stand, and altogether is rather more than 12in. high. The design is an oak tree, the pedestal of the cup representing the trunk, around which leaves are tastefully and artistically entwined, . culminating- at the top in a large branch, from which acorns droop. The bowl rests upon this. As might be anticipated from the cost of the cup—some £l7—it is profusely ornamented, : The, stem is of plain silver,,and thus the acorns and leaves, which are; of frosted’silver, show out in bold relief. The bowl is beautifully chased, and on one side is left a space for the. inscription of the names of the winning crew.. The trophy is, to be presented to the winners of the four-oared outriggers’ race, one of the most important events in the programme, ■ There was hot much business on the criminal sheet at the Resident Magistrate’s Court' yesterday.' A tremulous old lady, who had been brought up on the day previous charged with a familiar weakness and remanded i in conse-quence-of being “yet unwell,” again made her ! ippearance yesterday. She professed sorrow for the offence, and Informed the Court that inasmuch as she had the peculiar faculty of oeing able to “keep her legs,” and cause them ;o take her home at times when her head was nqddled sorely, therefore she was guiltess of the crime of being incapable. His Worship inflicted a fine of ss. and costs, with ;he usual alternative ; and the fine was paid, i “ lady friend” of the defendant being outside n readiness to perform the friendly act. One ither case only came before the Court, being in application by John Smith to get his son William Smith—a precocious youngster- of 11 ummers—into the training-ship. It appeared hat the little fellow’s parents found it imposible to do anything with him, that he was possessed of strong arab propensities, and was ikely'to go from bad to worse unless more file measures were taken for the improvement, f his morals than the parents knew how to dopt. The usual depositions having been aken, his Worship made an order that WiL iam should be sent to the training-ship for jur years, his father agreeing to pay half-a-rown a week towards his support during that ime. The youngster seemed to regard his ew destiny philosophically, Rangitikei has supplied another lusus natures lays the Wanganui Herald). This time ucumbers have their day, two of them having rown on the same stem. These, contrary to reir proverbial coolness, seem to have taken armly to each other, for while they appear vo' distinct cucumbers of about equal size, ke the Siamese Twins, the fleshy substance i the parts where they touch connects them igether. They were grown by Mr. D. Scott, of fallow Bank Farm, Lower Rangitikei, who ought them to Marton, where they were dilbited.

In connection with St. John’s Presbyterian Church a special service, preparatory to Communion, will 'be held this evening at 7.30 o’clock, when the Rev. James Cosh, M.A., of Sydney, will preach. The members of the Choral Society met for practice last evening in Mr, Hunter’s rooms. There was a numerous attendance, and Sir Michael Costa's “ Naaman” was put in rehearsal. The practice was entirely satisfactory, and gave promise that the concert will be a brilliant success. A private letter received- in town contains some particulars respecting the late robbery at Mr. George Snqlson’s, Palmerston “North. It seems that on Sunday last Mr. and Mrs. Snelson went to dine at a friend’s house at half-past 1 o’clock, and returned home at half- . past 5. They found their back door open, and the key gone, but did not ‘ take particular notice of the fact. On Monday morning on going into the store it was found that the cashbox, containing from £7O to £IOO, had been stolen. The clerk’s cashbox, ten watches, and even the money that had been collected in church on the Sunday morning, amounting to 9s. 3d., were also taken away. 1 Everything was straight, and both doors locked going, into the shop, and the keys in their ordinary place?, so that the buaglary must have been committed by some one well acquainted with the premises. ' -1 ■ A married couple live up, Pollhill Gully’ way who do not, like “ little birds in their meats, agree.” Tor the sake of identification, - the gentle pair may be called by the name of Mould. They live in a mud house, that is to say, a house built of mud. Mould is a,nice enough man, but, like Mr. George, the j man who kept a shooting gallery on leaving the.' army, he thinks it necessary to “ maintain discipline.” , He is no fool though, Mould. > He found it' necessary to exercise summary jurisdiction on his wife, and.hit; on a plan of doing it that ought to -.gain for’ him ai place in. history alongside of > the , man who first thought .of the moat diabolical instrument of torture. Mould lived in' a houseof hardened mud ; and being desirous of inflicting mighty chastisement on his .wife; he reflected that the cruel laws, of his country were against violence. By way of splitting, the difference . therefore, and leaving no marks of discreet correction, he bethought himself of, a process at once injurious aud/’refiaedL Every night before seeking repose he rammed down the throat of his gentle partner one or ’ two handfulls of the mud wall, r until at last, as Mrs. Mould protested to an official in the 1 Resident'Magistrate’s Court, she felt small ; boulders growing out of her neck. Nothwithstanding the trouble Mould took .to-work .out" this receipt for the .correction of hisyvjfe/she has been inconsiderate enough toget.tireffof the mud treatment, and has laid an inforitaation against her liege lord. The Rangitikei Advocate says :—The inauguration of the County system was celebrated by the councillors dining together at Bachelor’s 1 White Hart Hotel, on the day of their first meeting, Mr. Milne, Chairman of the, Counpil, presiding. After justice had been done to the good things, aud usual loyal toasts being taken as drunk, the following toasts were pfoposed in felicitous term’s, and. appropriately responded to Local Self-government,” by the Chairman; “Sir Julius Vogel, the author and father Of the system,” by Mr. Evans ; “ The Press, by Mr. Bull; “ Our Chairman,” by Mr. Watt; “ Our Native-born Members,” by Mr. Bull, .iEgles, in the Australasian, says;—The leading journal of New South Wales, on Wednesday week, published a most startling series of nuptial announcements. Here is a transcript of one —names only being omitted : , ‘‘.Marriages, .—December. ,I*' • accidentally, aged 18 years, eldest son of the late , draper, , Sydney, leaving his beloved mother to mourn his untimely end.” . But for the mournful,character. ©! the/event; which is probably meant, there would' be temptation to inquire how the - “ accidental" marriage came about,' and why a mother: (in-law) shonldof necessity take so disconsolate a view. -.v., Society is not very tolerant of bookmakers. that i? quite reason enough to chronicle a onivalric deed by one 6f the class, when it-can ’ bedone truthfully, ,yA writer in a Melbourne papef by-train from the Wagga \yaggaraces, several of-/the betting, brotherhood’occupied a carriage in a corner of which sat an old woman. Now one of the baser sort of betting men was eating, cherries, . and by way, ,probably, of provoking, a vulgar laugh, when the o!d ; woman’s eyes were turned in another direction he threw his cherry stones in her face. The manliness of another bookmaker was 1 roused. “ I've an uncommon good mind,” said he, “to give- you a hammering for that. And ” . (thinking, probably, of his : mother) “on second thoughts I will!” He forthwith proceeded to administer to the . offender, a proper and wholesome thrashing. Tor which—thanks. A man named Murray was taken to. Master-- : ton from the neighborhood of the Taueru late on Monday evening, suffering from a severe laceration of the hand! According to the News, the sufferer was using a billhook, when he stumbled, - and rolling down into a gully, received [the damag ein course of his fall. The same , paper state that a very sad accident occurred in Madtertoif* on the same evening, which terminated fatally, on Tuesday afternoon. . The deceased, a'*young man, supposed to be about twenty-six or ’ years-"of age, named Fraser, was in the'act of mounting st horse, when the animal struck, him witluone of its hind feet on the pit of the stomach. He was at once, removed to the residence of Mr. Carver, where he continued in great pain.until Tuesday afternoon, when, as stated abpve, death put an end to his sufferings.. Deceased, arrived in the colony a few months ago, since when he has resided in Msstertdn, ’ He was. partly employed by Messrs. Wyllie and Girdlestone, by whom he is well spoken of. ’’ ■ The Wanganui Herald says ;—The num-2 her of passengers carried between. Wanganui and Wellington in the Stormbird during last year wasv4Qoo; and it is. also noticeable that' i this steamer took out of the port Of Welling-.. ton a larger amount of cargo than any other '• colonial vessel. In fact, Wanganui-is' the best customer Wellington has. - Tt appears' ■ therefore that the time has arrived when the : traffic between! the two places should be served by a better class of vessels, -affording greater passenger accommodation. At'is true Ithat steamers of a larger draught would fiild it difficult to enter the port of Wanganui in the present condition of the river ; but, thanks to the new system of government, we shall shortly be In a position 1 to so - improve, the * harbor that any vessel that can cross the-bap will have no obstacle in the. channel.”- . Discussing the best means to be adopted to fie- _ cure a removal of the bar, the Herald mentions that the plan adopted in America on the Mississippi was to so disturb the sediment as to bring it into contact with the-uppermost current running out to. sea, by fitting tubes at an angle of 45 to the sides of a steam tug. In a very short time ah increased depth of about ten feet was obtained. -