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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4934, 15 January 1877, Page 2

The Port Darwin line in now repaired, and there is through communication. An accident occurred at the excavation works, Kaiwarra, on Saturday. One of the men had an ami and a thigh broken owing to a fall. The much needed rain came yesterday,'and it is difficult to say by which class the copious fall; of the.' afternoon »nd evening was mo3fc heartily welcomed—town or country people. In the country districts the land was in a very parched condition, arid in town the water supply, to say nothing of the condition of gardens,-was becoming so low as to cause grave fears of it giving out. As some misapprehension appears to exist relative to the. forthcoming races, we have been requested -to state that the rules of the Wellington Jockey Club will be strictly adhered to, and that the rules of the New Zealand Jockey Club, as considered at the recent turf conference held in Christchurch, will be adopted after the close of the February meeting. At St, John's Presbybei'lati Church yesterday morning, the Kev. Mr. preached to a large congregation ; and iri ; the afternoon, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, the children of the St. John's and St. Andrew's schools, with their teachers, met in St. John's Church to a large number. , A service of song was, then gone through under the conductorship of Mr. Joseph Paxton, a visitor from Sydney.' The-'conductor sang very pleasingly . several solos after the manner of Moody and Sankey, and Phillips. At the conclusion of the service of song,- Mr. Paxton catechised the children on. scriptural subjects, and made awards of books to children who showed most ' proficiency." . . .Mr. Bennett, the agent for the All-England Eleven, arrived in Wellington yesterday by the Taranaki to make further arrangements in relation to the. forthcoming match. The Englishmen are to leave. Sydney by the Rotorua, which sails on the 24th, and expect to arrive in' Auckland on Monday, the 28th. On .Tuesday, .and Wednesday they play at Auckland,'leaving for Wellington on Wednesday, and playing their match here on ■Saturday, the 3rd,'and Monday and Tuesday, sth and 6ih, the, race week. They next visit 'Wangan'ul, and laving played there return to Wellington" to embark for Southern ports. ■From Christchurch they proceed to Greymouth, returning to, Christchurch to embark for Dunedin. The last match will be played ■at InvercargilL ' It is expected and hoped that Jupp, who has suffered so severely from sciatica, will be able to play in New Zealand. It seems he was suffering when the first match was played in South Australia, but was •progressing towards recovery till the match on Boxing Day in . Melbourne. It will be remembered the day was very Wet, and in consequence of his standing on.the damp ground as umpire he had a relapse, and has since" been , very ill. A souvenir of. the English cricketers* 1 * visit' to the colonies (which is also to/serve, as a programme, and. copies of which ;will be distributed on the 1 ground .on .the match days), is well worthy of special mention.-' We cannot do better than reprint the description given by the Otag'o Daily Times, which is" as follows :—" On the side of,the programme appears a headless batsman. > An" ingenious ' revolving arrangement fixed to; the card, being worked, discloses in turn the head of one of tbe team. The head fits on to the figure, and with, the head appears a number which it as the, particular caput of "whatever cricketer who has the'corresponding number to his name on the card below. ;tThere ;is.a similar ; arrangement for the bowlers.' A 'Six are represented as bowlers and sjx as batsmen," and though thiß plan does not show/whether ,they are thin or 1 stoutj short oritall, it gives, a, simple and conyenient way of identifying the several, members of the team." . -.;* ■'■""■* : A meeting of- the Tenui'Public Hall Committee was held lately. The plan of the quarter-acre section presented •by Mr. Nicholls was handed in] by .Mr. A. D. •Wiliqni after being duly'surveyed and mapped by him. He declined'any remuneration for his services, and only .desired that the work done might ,be considered .as,his .contribution towards the hall. A'plan and elevation of a building such as was likely- to be suitable, was deposited at the office by a local, architect and carpenter, and the committee adopted this plan, with several alterations.; The specification and quantities of the timber' .required for the s building as determined upon,' ' were to^be'obtained from the person who pre-! sented the, original plan, and an intimationi was conveyed to"him from the committee that! any reasonable tender fpr. the erection of the; building from'him' would, receive their favor-; 'able : consideration.'- The offer of timber from; Mr. Burnett at 9s; (per 100 ft. was accepted,] and the offer to; cart the sfi-rne at 13s. 6d.per I "100 ft.; from Mr, W. 1 .O'Neill, Was also accepted, and the' secretary was requested, to forward agreements to, them for signature aB soon as possible. The'chairman, Mr. R.Langdon, and Mr;- Henry Wishaw were appointed public trustees, and - the conveyance of the land to them ;as "such was entrusted to Mr. Beard, solicitor,' Masterton. The'different members of, the committee were urged to proceed with the collection of subscriptions without delay. The next meeting was fixed for the 20th inst. There-were'present Messrs. R. Langdon (chairman), Henry Wishaw, J. Groves, A. McGeogb, and J. C. Yorke (secretary). At the Eesident Magistrate's Court on Saturday the . business was -as follows: George Chandle, charged with larceny, was remanded ; Edward Evans, who had been .arrested for drunkenness, was fined ss; and there; was a case, Mary Ann Lewis V. Da'yid G. Lewis, assault, but it was struck out, there being no appearance of either party.

An excursion trip to the Nelson Regatta by the Ringarooma is announced. The Inangahua County Council call for applications for the office of county clerk. Four chemists intimate agreement to close at 8 p.m., Saturdays excepted. We have received a copy of the Taranaki Almanack, a very creditable publication, compiled and published at the Herald office. Passengers by the St. Leonards will observe by advertisement that the Moa has been chartered to convey them on board. The Acting Inspector of the National Bank notifies that an interim dividend at the rate of six per cent, has been declared, and will be paid on and after the 29th inst. Mr. Crawford gave judgment in the case McDonnell v. Conway on Saturday. The amount claimed was £lO 19s. Id., and judgment was given for plaintiff, with costs. We have been requested to draw attention to an advertisement relating to the summer excursion trip round the Middle Island by the s.s. Wanaka, which states that passages must be secured before Tuesday, to-morrow. A supplement to the N.Z. Gazette, issued on Saturday, contains regulations for first election of members of the Ellesmere and .Forsyth Reclamation Trust, appointment of returning: officers, and statements of affairs of two goldmining companies. * i The following is the United Wairarapa eleven chosen to play against the Star Club on.. Anniversary-' Day :—Messrs. Cowie, Barton, Tancred, W. J. Salmon, Kaye, Teakle, Beard, Green, Cundy, Fry, Hood ; and Smith, emergency man ; Mr. D. Cameron, scorer ; Mr. R. G. Williams, umpire. An Otago paper, the Western Star, refers to the day on which the first County Council was called to-gether as " a day that is likely to be remembered and commemorated in our future as the happy commencement of a state of independence/in facta New Zealand Fourth of July." The following amusing advertisement: has been posted over the entrance to the South Melbourne Bathing Company's baths:—"£loo Reward.—The above reward will be given to any man under 14 stone who will successfully drown himself in the. presence of five members of the South Melbourne Club. Hot blankets and other means of resuscitation will be supplied to competitors if necessary." In our last issue we mentioned that a challenge had been received from the Wairarapa united team to play all-comers in Wellington on the 22nd. It seems there has been some confusion in the minds of the Wairarapa cricketing people, as before the telegram was sent a match had been arranged with the Stars. After the challenge had been accepted the reply was made that the eleven having arranged with the Star Club to play, would be willing to meet all-comers on the 23rd. There was a good attendance at the Theatre Royal on Saturday night, when the " Octoroon" was produced, Mr. Bates appearing in the character of Salem Scudder, and Mrs. Bates in that of Zoe (the Octoroon), while Mr. Howard played Uncle Pete. We may again draw special attention to the fact that Mr. F. M. Bates takes a benefit this evening. Nothing more can be said respecting this gentleman's claims to public patronage than has been frequently set forth in these columns, and therefore it. is deemed sufficient to notice the bare fact that the performance this evening is devoted to the benefit of Mr. Bates, who will make his last appearance. The following address will be presented:—"To Mr. and Mrs. F.M.Bates, Theatre Royal, Wellington.—Sir and Madame, —As we understand that your connection with the Theatre Ropal is shortly to cease, and that you are about to quit Wellington, we take this opportunity of presenting you with this testimonial as a very slight acknowledgment of our respect for youriindividually and as artists. The many high-class dramas arid comedies that you' have produced are sufficient evidence of your determination to maintain the reputation of the stage as one of the best means of cultivating and elevating public taste. With every good wish for your future happiness and prosperity, we beg to subscribe* iburselves your sincere friends and admirers." The address is signed by the members representing the city in the House of Representatives, and by a number of leadiag citizens. It is surrounded by a rustic border in bold relief, composed of conventional foliage of the time of Henry VII., and holly leaves and berries, emblematical of this festive season, combined. At the upper portion is corresponding scroll work of foliage on a gold ground, and enclosing a medallion bust of the immortal bard of Avon. At the foot are the well-known symbols of tragedy and comedy, the tragic and comic masks, the cup, the dagger, and the fool's bauble. The address itself is illuminated in gold and colors on the representation: of; a stage curtain of a delicate salmon tint, fringed .with gold. The national flags of England and America are appropriately introduced, draped together and surmounted by a wreath. of laurel. The names of subscribers to fch'e testimonial are separated by baguettes - or fairy wands, tipped with flame. The whole was designed and executed by Mr. C. M. Iggles-, den, architect. There should be a large attendance this evening. The piece to be given is " The Lady of Lyons" (by special desire) instead of " Money," as previously announced. The prize cups and the silver scull to be competed for at the forthcoming regatta are now on view at Mr. Jackson's stationer's shop, and during Saturday attracted a good deal of attention. The trophies are—A silver cup, presented by the New Zealand Shipping Compa,ny ; a silver cup, presented by Messrs. Beauchamp, Campbell, and Co.; two silver cups, to be presented by the Anniversary Committee; and a silver scull, presented by Mr. J. R. Brown. The principal feature in these prizes is the New Zealand Shipping Company's cup. This is really a splendid trophy, of very superior workmanship. It stands lOin. high, the bowl being 6in. deep, and the mouth 15in. in circumference. The design is very chaste,' representing a series of leafy wreaths; the stem and pedestal are plain, 'and the whole is. highly polished. On the outside of the bowl is the following inscription :—"Presented by the New Zealand Shipping Company, Limited;" and on.the opposite side is a tablet for the winners!'inscription. The cup is valued at £25. Messrs. Beauchamp, Campbell, and Co.'s cup is also a: very neat trophy. It stands about a foot high,i arid is mounted at present on a neat wooden pedestal. The-stem represents an oak tree culriunating at the top in leaves and acorns. The bowl is well polished and has some leafy decorations and a tablet for inscription. The cup, is: a very,,nice piece of workmanship. It is to be'presented to the winners of the four-oared outrigger race. Then come two cups, ! purchased yesterday by the Regatta! Committee from Mr. B. Cohen, jeweller. Of all the prizes, however, that presented by Mr., J. R. Brown, namely, a silver skull, is perhaps the most appropriate and attractive. The cup ; presented by Messrs. Shaw, Savill, and Co. is expected in the ship Himalaya, which will shortly reach here; and Mr. ,'Cohen's cup will be to hand before long. Tickets for the benefit performance on behalf of the regatta fund's may be obtained at Mr. Jackson's, or from the hon. sec, Mr. EUaby. On the subject of the meeting of teachers recently held in this city, the Marlborough Express makes the following remarks:—"A glance at the report of the conference of the schoolmasters held in Wellington will show at once their vast importance to the general community. Never in the history of ' the colony has education as an art been bo thoroughly explained, nor teachers as a body spoken with Buoh decision. The true priri'ciples of popular instruction are made clear to any capacity, and the community thank the teachers for the enlightenment so ably given. We are very much mistaken if such discussions do not mark a new epoch in our educational progress. New as these discussions are in New Zealand, they have been encouraged and fostered by the most enlightened minds of America and Europe, (particularly of Prussia), for some considerable time, while we can well conceive the horror with which they are regarded by disciples of

educational formality and red-tape. We recommend the report of the conference for careful consideration and study to all taking any interest in the education of our youths, and we shall carefully watch the development of these discussions, as they are certain to bring about marked educational reform." Governor Weld, of Tasmania, in presenting a school' prize the other day, said :—" The prize he was about to present was for Englishcomposition, and he was sure little was- re-. quired of him to impress upon the minds of all present the importance of a thorough knowledge of the English language. He had spent ten years in the study of foreign languages, but he knew none that had been more useful to him than the study of English. He had no desire to in any way undervalue other branches of education. Classics did a great deal in the way of forming the mind, and were a great aid to correct reading and writing. Still the want of knowledge of one's own language, while a mistake in euclid might not be considered disgraceful, was not creditable. They saw in the public Press—but he was not speaking locally —very often badly worded sentences ; and indeed in Parliamentary notices of motion the same defect was apparent; although (turning to the hon. the Colonial Treasurer) he did not mean to refer specially to our own Parliament. Still he had seen a good deal of slipshod writing in Parliamentary notices and resolutions, • and where things should have been made clear they found clauses so constructed that, as the lawyers would say, one could drive a coach and. four through them. The ex-New Zealand statesman is rather hard on the New Zealand Parliament and Press. Mr. N. J. Isaacs announces a great clearing sale in the bankrupt estate of Edmonson and Sellar for the I 18tU and 19th January. I