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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4977, 6 March 1877, Page 2

The directors of the Botanical Gardens have just received from America a large assortment of seeds of pines and other varieties, including in all about thirty-five species. When in California Dr. Hector spent the annual Government grant of £IOO for importing seeds in contributing to the cost of an expedition for collecting seeds, taking a share of the results of the expedition. As the year was an unusually good one, the seeds thus secured are exceeding rare and valuable. These will be distributed among societies in the usual way. A large number of new vegetable seeds of various species have also been received by Dr. Hector.

The adjourned inquest in re the Eli Whitney catastrophe will be held to-day. - i The quarterly meeting of the Licensing Bench will be held to-day. A special meeting of the. City Council will be held to-day for the purpose of considering the Town Hail plans. -

About nine members of the old Wellington Provincial Survey Staff ai’e about to be removed to Southern provinces.

The long vacation terminates with this week, and the Court will sit in banco on Tuesday next. ,

Her Ladyship the Marchioness of Normanby has so far recovered from her recent illness that she is now able to take airings in her carriage.

The Wairarapa Standard understands that the state of the Hon. G. M. Waterhouse’s health will necessitate a trip to Europe shortly, and that he will probably be absent' from his station, if not from the country, for a couple of years. Madame Atlanti appeared before a large and select audience at St. George’s Hall last evening. Of this lady’s entertainment, this may be said, that her performances on the piano were really fine. She is an accomplished pianiste, sings fairly, and her recitations were well received.

We believe the substitution of a two-days’ mail service in place of a three-day’s service between Wellington and papier, will take effect from Monday next. The Napier railway will then be opened to Takapu, some 11 miles from Waipukarau. In the meantime the night-train on the Foxton railway will only facilitate the Wanganui mail. The usual quarterly meeting of the Primitive Methodist Church was held in the Sydney-street Church yesterday, there being present—Mr. James Taylor, of Tawa Flat (in the chair), the Eevs. Mr. Nixon and Air. Jones, and a number of lay brethren. The accounts of the circuit were shown to be highly satisfactory. The business was of a purely routine character. John Buckley, the man who was taken into custody on Sunday on suspicion of lunacy, was in a bad state when the time arrived for his being examined before the magistrate He was very excited, and was not therefore taken into the Court. A remand of one week was granted on the application of Inspector Atcheson. There were three cases of drunkenness, the delinquents being dealt with in the usual manner.

The Odd Fellows’ Hall was largely attended last evening, when the Chicago Minstrels made their second appearance. It may be stated that there was a noticeable improvement in the music, the addition of a violinist to the band increasing the attraction of the show. It will be noticed that the Minstrels offer an entire change of programme for this evening, when no doubt there will be another good house.

We regret to state that there is a great risk of the white fish imported from California by the last mail steamer coming to grief. They were transhipped from Auckland to the Taranaki, and then re-transhipped at Dunedin into the Express, a small steamer trading to the Bluff, which unfortunately has broken down. The fish are now in the charge of the Dunedin Acclimatisation Society, which doubtless will do all that is necessary. The City Council to-day formally decide on the set of designs they -will adopt for the new Town Hall. We say formally, because it is exceedingly doubtful whether the building ■will be proceeded with just now, owing to the determined expression of public opinion against it. The Council will do right in paying due respect to the wishes of the ratepayers; and beyond this, they will do well to postpone building until such time as they are in a position to put up a thoroughly substantial edifice—an edifice, as Mr. Pearce put it, worthy of the future destiny of this city. A deputation from the Wellington Jockey Club, consisting of Mr. Hunter, Mr. McDowell, and Major Paul, waited on the Minister of Public Works yesterday in re the proposed line of railway to the Hntt Racecourse. Mr. Hunter, who introduced the deputation, stated that if a railway to the course were constructed it would absorb all the traffic from Gear’s slaughter-house at Petoni, andjwould be extensively used for the carriage of sand, large quantities of which were now being used in town for building purposes. He also pointed out that as the Government intended to construct a line to Petoni for ballasting purposes, the two objects might very well be combined. The Hon. Mr. Ormond explained that Ministers had been in cabinet during the afternoon, and he could not therefore at that moment express any opinion upon the matter, but he assured the deputation that the subj'ect would receive every attention at his hands, and that the result would be made known as early as possible. The deputation, after thanking Mr. Ormond, withdrew. Mr. Woods, the diver employed to examine the sunken hulk Eli Whitney, went down to her yesterday forenoon, but owing to the disturbed state of the water he was unable to see anything. Another visit was paid to her later in the day, and he brought up several pieces of the wreck. Between three and four o’clock in the afternoon he went down again, and as the water was clearer he was enabled to thoroughly examine her. He found that there was a large jagged hole on the port side amidships. It extended from the covering boards about 5 or 6ft. downward, and was of such a width that he could turn round in it. Otherwise the hulk appeared to be in good order. “The Derby Day ” and the pleasing little comedy that followed it drew a fair house at the Theatre Royal last night, and the audience appeared highly delighted with the acting in the “ Derby Day,” to say nothing of the sensational situations and scenic effects, which were really capital. The same programme will be repeated this evening, when there should be a large attendance.