Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4959, 13 February 1877, Page 2

A conference of the heads of the various police departments in the colony was held yesterday at the Government Buildings, the following gentlemen being present : —Colonel Moule, Police Commissioners Shearman and Weldon, and Inspectors Broham, Thompson, and Atchison. 'As the conference was purely of a private nature reporters were not admitted, and we'have therefore no information as to the' result. Arrangements are being made for a cricket match between the ships in harbor belonging to the New Zealand Shipping Company and those of Shaw, Savill, and Co. It is proposed to play the match on Saturday next on the Basin Reserve, and during the game to make a collection in aid of the Merchant Seamen s Orphan Asylum. With such a laudable object in view, we hope the sons of Neptune may have a goodly number of spectators and liberal donations, though wo fear they will not be able to got the Reserve next Saturday.

A special and ordinary meeting of the City Council will be held on Thursday next at four o’clock. v , A number of starlings have been liberated in Wellington by the Acclimatisation Society, also some hundreds of salmon. Mr, Bunny now takes the office of Chairman ■'of rJ the Board of Governors of the College, a letter having been received by the secretary from the Government to that effect. The Stars 'having challenged the Wellingtons to a two-days' match, the rival; clubs have arranged to meet on Saturday and Saturday week, play to commence on each day at 1.30. A week or two’ago we published portions of a private letter from Pioton charging the foreman of the jury in the Woodgate case with prejudice, Prom what we have heard since, we believe that the charge was unfounded, and regret that we should have heen misled. The directors of the Wellington Patent Slip Company (.Limited), met at the company s office yesterday, A letter was read from W. H. Levin, Esq., resigning bis office as one of the directors, and W. M. Bannatyne, Esq., was nominated by the board to fill the vacancy. ' It will be. seen by an advertisement that Mr, Hastwell purposes running a coach to the Wairarapa races. The coach will arrive in time for the first race, and start on the return journey immediately after the conclusion of the meeting. A woman named Jane Harris made her appearance at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, having been arrested on the night previous in consequence of some strange and incoherent conduct, from which some persons took her to be mad, and conveyed information of their apprehensions to the police. Jane was accordingly arrested, but it appeared more than probable that her eccentricity of manner' was really due to excessive drinking, and upon Sergeant Monaghan stating as much when she was put into the dock, his Worship remanded her for q .few days to enable her to recover. Avery gross case of, cruelty to animals has been pointed out to us. For a. week past a chesuut horse has been endeavoring to sustain its life;by nibbling the .grass growing on the Terrace, at the Thorndon end of the town. One of its hind legs is -broken, and the bones and sinews protrude’ to/, the extent of three or four inches. The. poor brute, however, is never -allowed to remain for any - length of time in ' any one place,, because as soon as a'mischievous boy catches sight of. him, he is stoned away. Numerous complaints have been made to tbe police, and they have done their utmost to discover the owner of the animal in order that he may be prosecuted for allowing it to live while in such a condition, but up to this time they have been unsuccessful in their efforts to find him. Yesterday the attention of Mr. Pilmer, the Inspector of Nuisances, was called' to the matter, and he in his great wisdom stated that the horse’s leg was not broken.’ At the same time a dozen far more competent men than Mr. Pilmer have examined the animal, and they state that the leg is broken, that the bone is protruding from the flesh, and that the horse suffers the most intense agony, and that, as it will never be fit for use again, it should be destroyed. A man named Charles Scott, who stands charged with having stolen from a dwelling, was placed in the dock at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, and he made a statement which, while being slightly amusing, certainly affected the reputation of a member of the police force. It appeared that the prisoner whilst in gaol requested some one to send a lawyer to him. After this request had been made, a gentleman visited him, and according to his account, that gentleman, who was no other than Detective Farrell, stated that he was a member of the bar ; and, continued the prisoner, he got everything out of me that he could, and afterwards told me that he was Detective Farrell. The case was remanded, on the application of Sergeant Monaghan, who stated that he wished to procure additional evidence ; and the prisoner was informed from the Bench that Detective Farrell would be present when next he was brought up. It seems scarcely possible that Detective Farrell would have been guilty of the course of action imputed to him by the man Scott, and we have ho doubt that when the case again comes on for hearing, Farrell, who, was unavoidably absent yesterday, will be able to show that; the statement made against, him was a malicious fabrication. 1 *

; Last evening the presentation of the trophies offered by the Star Cricket Club in connection with the English match took place at the Pier Hotel. Mr. Mace, the captain of the team, of course took the silver mug for the highest score in one innings, and the silver salver (presented by Mr. Morris) for the - highest score in both innings. The club had offered another silver mug for the best field. ' Messrs. Dixon and Buckland had been appointed to decide the question who was entitled to the trophy, and they found it a rather difficult matter to determine. They adopted the plan of giving a point for each good piece of fielding, and after inquiring of the committee whether the wicketkeeper was to be regarded as a field, found that Mr. Mace was entitled to the prize,- Mr. ; J. A.' Salmon ranking next in the order of merit.- i Mr. Bromley, president of the Star Club, made the presentations, and-the-cups were christened with champagne, A man named John Thorp was charged,at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday with stealing from the person of Thomas Watson a sum of money amounting to £l6. It appeared that the prosecutor and prisoner were in the employment of Mr. Oakes, and yesterday morning they went to the Pakuratahi Hotel together. Prosecutor having had some drink, they went for a walk, and returning Watson feeling drowsy lay down.. He had not been long in a recumbent position when he saw prisoner put his hand into his pocket and take from it the purse containing his money. He struck at him, and prisoner then informed him that his intentions were not only “ strictly honorable,” but. of a friendly character, inasmuch he was actuated by a desire to keep Watson’s money “ safe." Prisoner was given in charge, the constable testifying to his arrest. Prisoner: when asked what he had to say for himself informed the Bench that he remembered nothing of the occurrence which formed the subject of the evidence given, and supposed he must have been “muddled with drink.” He was committed to take his trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court. “ Not such aTool as He Looks,” a comedy which on a former occasion took so well here, and the extravaganza of “Pluto” drew a good attendance at the Theatre Royal last evening in dress circle, pit, and stalls. The comedy was substituted, as an introductory piece, for “ The Admiral,” and it proved as attractive as might have been expected by those acquainted with the merits- of those engaged in its representation. Mr.Lingard played the part of Sir Simon Simple, and that gentleman acted as he always does act in a manner with which there is nothing to find fault and much to be pleased. Mr. Sam Howard as Mr. Mould was also excellent, and furnished great amusement. Regarding Mrs. Stonehan, who impersonated Mrs. Mould, it is scarcely necessary to say anything. In the first place, that lady never lays herself open to adverse criticism, providing that the criticism be genuine ; and secondly, be the part in which she is placed ever so small she never fails to make the most of it. There is an anecdote relating to an old party who had a son engaged on the, stage as a “super.” It was Sammy’s business to carry a gun and say nothing, and when one night the father went to the theatre and waited long to hear his offspring speak, but in vain, he yelled to him, “ Fire the gun Sammy if they won’t let you speak !” That gentleman was evidently possessed of a good idea of effect, and he could see nothing effective in the performance of his son in the gun line. In a different way, of course, this appears to be the case with Mrs. Stoneham, who is always effective, as we have stated before, and this fact was quite as noticeable yesterday evening as ever. The other characters in the piece were well sustained, and generally speaking the performance was very pleasing. The extravaganza following was highly entertaining. The same programme will be repeated this evening.

The jockey Harris, who was riding Mr. Gilligan’s Lady of the Lake in the Jockey Club Handicap on last race day,! and had a ( nasty fall, has, we learn, quite recovered since. Mr. J. K. Emmet is now playing in Auckland at the theatre, and with the success which has marked his appearance in other parts of the colony. A meeting of the provisional directors of the Empire Gas Company will be held at the Post Office Hotel this evening, when, as stated in the; advertisement, important business will be discussed, and a fgll atteaijance is requested. The JdrcriiW says that-Itd£6rs, who confessed to the murder of Red Bill-at Wangarei, is known to several persons at the Thames, but very little evidence is>( forthcoming to throw light on the mystery. -, At a meeting of the directors of the Wellington Trust, Loan, and Investment Company (Limited), held at the company’s office yesterday afternoon, Jonas Woodward, Esq., who has filled the office of chairman since the establishment of the company, was elected as chairman for the current year. We hear that Mr. Rives, of the Nelson a young gentleman of considerable property, who is importing some first-class stock of various kinds,, including horses, sheep, and cattle, has purchased for New Zealand several of the progeny of the French racer Gladiateur, and that they arrived in Melbourne on Sunday. All are entered for the 1878 Wellington Derby. Messrs. Booth and Co., of Taratahi Sawmills, have just bought from Messrs, Buck and Kemble a fine block of 400 acres choice totara bush. The price, we believe, was £I9OO. The News says:—This firm now possesses the freehold of' upwards of 1300 acres picked totara bush, and they hold the right to cut for twenty years upon at least 400 acres more. It will thus be seen that Carterton will have a considerable trade for many years from this one firm alone.. The interest in the Pantaseope still continues unabated, judging from the well-filled house which witnessed the exhibition last night. The management must feel, we should imagine, a sense of regret at leaving whilst such large -'audiences flock to their performances J but arrangements will not permit them to stay longer, as they have to start for Napier on Thursday. - The usual distribution of gifts took place, Including a ladies’ gold watch and a very elegant clock.- If there are, any who have not yet seen the Pantaseope we would advise them not to lose the opportunity of seeing some of the grandest and loveliest views which it is possible to conceive; and we would add also, the mechanical trapezists, which arc quite a treat in themselves, and a never-faffing source of amusement to young folk.

Sir John Richardson at a recent meeting of the Southland Waste Lands Board moved, — “ That alldeferred payment sections open for application in Southland be advertised in the leading newspapers of each provincial district in New Zealand, and for one month in certain weekly papers in Australia.” Sir John thought it would be an excellent thing to have small sketch maps showing the situation of the lands issued and circulated throughout the colonies. These maps would not only bo beneficial to people at a distance, but they would also assist people'in the district to make their selections with less trouble and more advantage than they could at present. The motion was seconded and carried, but the matter of the sketch maps" was held over for further consideration. The IVairarapa- News reports The upcoach to Palmerston, which left Masterton on Monday, was unable to" proceed further than Eketahuna, in consequence of the flooded state of the first crossing of 'the Makahaka. Next .(Tuesday) morning the water had gone sufficiently down to enable it to get over, but on reaching the second crossing the ford was found to be too high to get through. A detention of three or four hours took place, after which the coach was enabled to proceed on its way, reaching Palmerston the same evening without further interruption. The down journey on Wednesday was made all right, but the return journey on Thursday was not quite so fortunate, as we learn by telegram the coach did not reach its destination until yesterday, - A heavy landslip is reported to have taken place. at a point of the road between the two crossings of the Makahaka. The roadis nearly blocked up in consequence —barely, sufficient space being left for the; passage of wheeled traffic. . There are many complaints in the country of the damage done to the com crops by the late gales. The Rangitikei Advocate has heard of one field of oats, of about forty acres, so completely destroyed that the owner, thinking the first loss the best, has determined to burn it, scarcely a grain being left on the stalks. This will prove a serious loss, as it was a magnificent crop, expected to yield forty bushels, at the least, to the acre. In other places we hear of the wheat being so laid that it will have to be hand-reaped. Various settlers have estimated their losses' occasioned by the gale at from. £IOO to £2OO. -The Waimrapa News reports that in ,the Wairarapa serious damage has been done to the cut crops. It says :—“On-the Opaki a considerable, quantity of both oats and wheat is still unhoused.”