GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4980, 9 March 1877, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

The Government have completed arrangements with the Bank of for an advance to the extent r of one .million, which, with the half'million' in Australia, will, it is understood, enable [the country to avoid having recourse to the London' money market for two years to come. j The San Francisco mail, which arrived] on February 28 in the Taranaki in advance of iontract time, ■ consisted of 341 i) letters, 780 bodk packets, and 10,400 newspapers. [ ‘ ‘ , .iMessrs.V.CarrutherS.arid Blackett’ have just returned from their trip to the Wairarapa, and ■it is; understood that in a few days it wjLj he; definitely known what course the Masteyton; railway shall take after Featherston has beeri! passed. We also believe that tenders for i the construction of-the permanent way between the Upper Hutt and Fcatherston will shortly be called for. j On.the 26th of January, .during the regfitta at Sydney, the Premier of New South Wales, on behalf of the colony, .presented a testimonial to Mr! Edward‘Tricltet, tlio champion sculler of tho world, the testimonial consisting! of more than 900 sovereigris. |

The total value of timber exported from New Zealand during 1876 was £39,407, as against £24,166 in 1866. It is with regret we have to record the death of the eldest daughter of Dr. Featherston. She died on February 24th. Miss Featherston was thirty-three years of age. ; ?.■ ! . From a recently published report oh the construction • and working of the New South Wales railways from 1872| to 1876, it seems that in 1875 the. profit on the various links was £318,474, or £4 7s. lid. per cent, on the capital expended on lines open for traffic. The following sections in- the Manawatu District, for which there had been conflicting applications at 20s, per acre, were sold on Feb--23 at the Land Office :—Section 197,178 acres, fetched 235. per acre ; section 199, 168 acres,’ fetched 27a.r per acre ; section 203, 187 acres, fetched 275. per acre ; section 205, 168 acres, fetched 265. per acre ; seetiori 262, 197 acres, fetched - 275.' per acre! The one-fifth of the purchase money paid down at once amounted to £233 13s. 2d. The total purchase'money would be £ll6B Cs. 1 Tfi’e following tenders ; were received-by the Public Works Department for the construe" tion of the Kopua bridge on the Napier to Manawatu railway, viz. :—• Accepted ; A. Maokay, Waipukurau, 1 £1139! Declined ; D, McLeod, Waipukurau./ £1255 ; Alex. Smith; Auckland, £1356 ; Kavanagh and Watson? Auckland, £1430 ; E. Mclnnes, Pakuratahi, £1485 ’; J! B. Ross, Woodville, £1659 ; Messrs. Miller," Murray; and Watson, Waipukurau, £1724 ; Boelsta'd and Co., do, £1730 ; j; MfcSweeriey, Napier, £1770 ; ’H; Monteitb; Waipukurau, £1856 ; W. G. Boss, Wanganui 1 , ]£2609. : ' ..7, ; 1 , 7 The following tenders were received by the Public Works Department; for carting .21,800 sleepers from Feildirijg to points on the W*®!’ ganui-Manawatu ; Railway, viz. Accepted!; Emigrant and Colonists’ Aid Ceroorationi £1044. Declined :T, J. Allen, £1362, G. Y. Lethbridge, £1453 ; R. Slattery, £1589 ; do (alternative tender), £2233 ; WV H; £1589 ; J. and C. Bull, £1589 ; T. Denby, £l77lHall and Irons, £2866, _ • >.The election . of directors of the Wellington Trust, I.oan, and Investment Company -took place on. February 22. Very great interest was evinced in the election, and there was heavy polling, the retiring "directors, Messrs,' Lipman Levy, W. H. Devin, "land Jatnes 3 Wallace being returned by am overwhelming-majority; It will thus be seen thatljbe shareholders have endorsed the action of the: directors' by-re-elect" ing Mr. Levin, it having been considered; by tlie other membei-8 of 'the board that it' was desirable that gentleman- should ."remain,: a member of the board. "; , - ,r . ; ,

A gentleiriari ventured out oh February 20th in a ■ tiny Rob Roy cation 1 from the Star Boating Club’s sheds, and (IS there was a high jumbled swell foiling in the harbor his move) meuta were anxiously watched by a number of people'from the wharf. '.He’paddled his way safely along close to the breastwork till opposite" ’ the New Zealand Shipping . Comjp'any’s offices, when he <was caught! in! a big wave, which upset, his boat and turned him Into the water. He,'-’ however, managed to. regain p hold of his ’ little craft, and held on- to it till a passing waterman’s boat -came to bis assistance 'arid took him on board, j Now that Dr. Hector is again getting to work -the Colonial Museuiri will soon present a ' very‘,different, appearaned to! what}if has. worn in the past!' The additional space afforded by, the recent enlargements ‘ is being made the most of) And nook and corner where a, little "room 'can' be ‘ secured glass cases and shelves are being fitted. .Gradually the work of rearranging, and classifying the various , items of the coliectiori will proceed, so that in. a short time the Museum will be equal to any-, ’thing of the kind in the .colony, even' though, there will not be room'for displaying a large proportion ,of , the hoard of specimens on band. It is scarcely necessary to particularise; 'in'which parts i of ithe ’balli the various classes, will be placed ; but. it inay be irientioned that the best of the new cases lately imported from ; London: have been, placed in the centre of the , -Museum, ;and in these,Dr, Hector proposes to . place* a-■■■type., collection .of foreign disdealt .with, in the text books.-. At the southern end will be placed metals and minerals and fossils, and geological specimens, generally ; while the other end ef the room js f to be devoted to,thq exhibition of specimens-’!)!; -New Zealand varieties of .fishes, birds, maminalia,, fob. ■ Yariousrdepirtmerits.i'will -beHaff^rig^d, . olose! to : the walls both •, oh’; the first and -seiioiid floors. A great many of the.-,varieties Uioy in the Museum are!new, having;:been -but -just-uripricked! .These :, were secured by Dr,,. Hector when in Europe and "reference’ to their valua has. previously.’beqn made, but amongst the new exhibits worthy of -particular, notice, by sightseers"and .scientists : we may. mention a collection of-casts of fossils. ■ These are' caats ’of' some-of; the most remarkable and perfect fossils ever discovered in the, eWorld,c of'great "interest,' ,A) nqw •.catalogue:offthefiarticles- jin. the „Mueeuin is; vnow being, prepared by Dr, Hector. 7, 1 ,- 'A-"little-story 1 of- arf*interesting character, romantic ‘too,’ but real withal, was unfolded to -a member of our reporting staff on Friday. It. appears'; thatrisome'time ago'a man named John lived- in' WelHri|tori;.bayipg. been employed at" oUe I '‘period by Mr. Rhodes," and subsequently" by Dr., Johnston. Now McMahon" was like Pip—he had expectations,, though...they may . not _ have, been !&a‘t j ..TSutriat Vany rato' .he'] expected [at 1 any ihdiiifent' to'‘ ! be"'Bent'a cbrisiderable'7srim, .of ■ £IOOO -or- more ; and' J yery J !iialmri)lfiy7!ho’.wa3. in the,.habit of. visiting'the i (Po# Qffla'e. ito- see if anythipgiad;turned up. f Atlakt be "was rewarded. Galling at theorist OffiCfe"ih'the month of ; Janqpry ; last, Ke re- £! CeiVed a letter addressed John McMahon, and ■enclnSfed was-, a draft for aa Jto ’ a'Ceftriin bank-rin draft and.presqntkd It. 'He was of chiirse-questioned closely frit the _ purpose] of "asbkiftihilng'whether the s the Bure; arid ‘fo risquircd,! to give references.' Accordlbgly! he refCrredHiem- to Dr. Johnston and two othCr who knew him well"; andThq etatettierits made to.'the bank were! f capprireuijy ■'sitisfactoryj ;;-f0r..0n,. thet-,strength .oL thcir;'i.toti reseDltatlonß ’ £BOO was Ppid iwOtitito Melboumo, we boheve, with.the'iriten--/tiobtfJoluPtofeedmg thence to; .England. jj.Nbw thei interesting part of ,the c ,sto)-y.''' Among the .awivelbqtp,?. feKHdays ago were a. marr|ed, ifehtiplß^lfoj’johiMcMahonandhis.wife—arid thia j'john 7 r McM(ihonp preserited, himself] at pheObanb }with,7!a. .duplicate 7; of the’, draft fqrj j.SflO, ]fot,-which other John McMahon had received -cash. - ..Here, to vise a common j-, phrase, iC-was, -“ a gretiykettle" of fish.” It seems,,Jhat before Mr. Huruhui ( McMahon tthakprobably is agoqd way to dis;.tingnish:him) left Ireland for New-Zealand (he -poßteda-drafL-and-theJetter-of-CDurse, reached McMahoKflEost r jto j be called for.” On presenting hiinself at thebank, ’ % he ,waS told what ha(j.hnppencd} ls that, themoney SIK'T’S:. McMahon was 'naturally disappointed,7.qay; ywothj?. atpfiqdingfihpjy jmattej|jtstood, ;We are given to understand interios taking an -action at*-kw_for..the-recov.ery_oL.his .money., tThei'.pecnliarity. of;Jhe ..mattpr,qSjth a t th®; other John was not guilty, of interitioha! fraud! He was Inreality expectingjtbjti money,audhnditiga,’ letter addressed i.ojiim with a draft in itjfur £BOO, it into money. He went Home from this colony in 1874, pnd. (returned again. Before going Home he itsed at’ one time’ to keep the Northern! Hotel; in Palmeratqn,,..Otego, and had also been a sergeant of police.* _Tne lately arrived John crime out,.as,an immigrant. j t "The * progress., made, withijhe, reclamation 'works of late is very marked. ;Where not[vpry long ago there was-nothing but a dirty-looking Shank, ,dirt.yibeCAuse’ ,of the rubbish thrown dowirit,-with the water of the-harbor reaching; ■to • th‘d'‘foot;! is<how:a large stijstohf oL clayr, la ud, which in" time"tO;come will be laid out |n, streets and covered-with buildings. Thetreclatilation; haviug reachedbhersite of the Government Buildings, it is the intention of, the contractor, we believe,; to take trucks out-, side the"building, 1 anduafterwards "till: in the spade between.,,. To judge from the,,progress made, it should not be long before we sea jthe, railryay .carried' along, to, the proposodjerminus f In the heart of the city.;;:; !■

M essrs. 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 seeujthat Carterton, will have a considerable trade for many years from this one firm alone.

At the sale of sections on deferred payments, thirty-six sections, ranging from 116 to 200 acres each, were applied,, for, and deposits of one-fifth of the purchase money paid thereon to the amount of £1664. The full payments for those sections, extending over five years, will reach the sum of £8320, Seven sections, of from 200 , to 200 .flares each, were bought on February 13 for cash at 20s. per acre. The total amount of cash paid into the Land Office the same day was £2490 14s. There arb twelve sections on deterred payments not yet applied for. There are also twenty-seven sections of'the'2os. land still open for sale for cash. In many cases of the deferred payments sections there have been: several applications for the same, sections. ■. , . , ; j There are;many complaints in the country of’the ’damage done to the corn crops by the late gales. The Rangitikei Advocate has heard of one field of oats. of about forty acres, ao completely destroyed that the owner, thinking the first loss the best, has determined to burp it, scarcely a grain Being left on the stalks! This will prove, a serious loss, as it was a magi .nificent crop, expected to, yield forty 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 Wairarapa News reports that in the Wairarapa-. serious damage has been done to the cut crops. says :—“ On the Opaki a considerable quantity of both oats and wheat is still unhoused.” i

The Southland Times says;—ln an action bef tween, two parties, of whom. oae.residesiii Auckland and the other in a southern district! matters were amicably settled, out of court, the' former' agreeing to pay the law coate of the latter. The bill for these was 'sent up to Auckland, and was found to “ tot up” to the respectable sum of £123 10s. ‘ Considering that the ease had not’been brought into court, and that therefore these were preliminary costs, that sum of £123 10s. may be safely declared to be a respectable one. The Auckland party got the bill taxed,” and the. result was 1 * reduction.to the paltry fee of,£B 10s.! ! j '.The sheep' inspector' for the Wellington District, -Mr.' 'IV C. Richardson, says in his annual report -' “ Having ohly recently been appointed inspector of the district, ! am not able to lepert on the condition of all ■' the flocks; - There'are seven flocks inUhe neighborhood of Johnson! ville infected-with scab ; but as the.owners have dipped them several times since shearing And are putting up secure fences, I hope soon to report them clean. There are also several flo'ckownera in the West Coast Districts who have neither sent returns nor paid assessments on their sheep for the last three or four years. I intend Visiting their neighborhood soon, and will endeavor, to. collect assessments in arrear.” The assessment return.'shows that there are 97,999 sheep in the district, on which the assessment' amounts' to. £204 3s. 3Jd., I , A meeting ■of the Wellington Jockey. Club was held on Feb. ,19th at the Empire Hotel, fltwhich there were present -Messrs.;.,George Hunter fin the chair), J.- Paul, J. McDowell, W- Bromley, J. B. George, and A. i Young, Dr'. Diver, , and , the secretary. Various accounts, amounting in all to about £450, were passed and ordered, to be paid. The tenure of the Hutt, racecourse was next considered. It may be . stated- that the racecourse:forms ja-‘ reserve which 1 was granted under :an old provincial enactment for recreation purposes, and which was .vested in a Board of .Trustees, no person being eligible . .to , occupy ;.the position of trustee unless he .were an elector for; ;the district ; of., the ,Hutt. The existing BbardTetirps next . month; and the question arises in whoin the. reserve is now to vest.. The Jockey Club think that as they have the largest interest in; the'reserve, it. should) bei vested in .them, and it was decided to move in; the ,matter! The stewards do: not propose to exercise any greater .authority, over the land,-than they have done.: previously, and fully.to preserve the .interests -of the! Hutt,people. A long discussion then took place .upon a proposition to construct 1 a i Branch . line of railway to the course., It wjis pointed but: that to,the river near, t|ie racecourse w;i-Sfa .perfectly level..country, that-' all the work necessary to the construction pf a Hue was the laying of rails, and. that if the iG.overnment would .construct the dine* sc; far . the stewards might throw a bridge across the’, tiverof'Calculations ’ werei-made, showing thaf theJCost Of ..the dine would be.small,land that, .the: undertaking wcAld Isoon prove a .financial' successor, Aicommitteei-was appointed to wflit. upon the Governments.in . reference, to the •matter, tp «v- • • "> .bfodwl 000,11 j ~ 1 r i Sir.’ ‘John’ Richardson;' Black, and Mr; Pearsbn,-. Commissioner for 'Crown Lands ■in Southland, while'ohfl'tfip in.that province last' week; had ; theif . attebtiop;-.attracted by. stones'and boulders description,' being of a whitish grey color randbas- hard jas vvhibstbne/ 'afid'theupafty proceeded: telbfeflk. ;seine ieT-them. £i-The: Tinte's isays sthewresultjog thisllibot .^a f itbes;Ohlleetion - i'bf somefdflthe most beautiful dossils We'.have Jaeeh in tW q<6l tX$ tiC They'ffiave’'- Been'odeposited7id4the museum of the “Invercargill' ,'Athenseutn.; ( the* fdSSila llCokewopderfulljOflike.. the leaves of the native fwild«briar,. which;, watercourses, and frequentlysv coyer the trunks* of’ fallen !; trees.- ,[f Otherss resemblSf the-, thin .wiry pretty green fern which; may |be, ;fduiid groivihg iu'ady'Clump'df ;inoss -iiio.Sea': ’■ ward Bush or on thb slopes' beyond eApfjleby onj : the ; BJuniTOad.''’ t< A : p'ec'uflarlty elttbe’';fpßsiy is-: ■ that they hfd hot’ <shly’ beautifully.' perfect in, themselves, but bn the' stone'formation ’under''6r ! oyer tfemlasl the case may be. The ' same' party of gentjle-;-mbd fo J tow%<mei of f tfi'ein being’’’ ? dde : teii ; er,seven inches, 'iif length,'of"'a kind'ioocasiorially se'efiUri the v no l &herfl a parts ‘of ’ 'Otago;'hut- i4eVer!’<so far] as ;we' kn6w, met'witli ! in‘Southland. w.flOS.if j —. issli Abe Otago'-Da&y ’&fyei ’Contaius a three.column of’ thelloods in Otago. 1 ’ 11, ft’ Says Y—The '’Tain; wluch v 'Bet I in. steadily,, shortly, before midnight; on Sunday ’ last," continued ' to ’’ pouf Vdbwn ;in’ [toprents '.during 1 ;' i Aionday ‘and i ,' Tuesday,' ' ‘and no signs. of until after. nightfall ‘bn ’Tuesday, The fain wm" Accompanied With.little eg.BO wind, and poured;:down,withl %feal; steadiness’from a dense 1 mass .; of-cloud which slowly., drifted up from ’the'flouth^ard,. , and seemed jto "touch,the A top of the ; K|)m7 spr-' 'founding thd city.'- The bf thfe’downpour were soon,;visible,.in town;-the,,,.water,-*; .channels m.-the"afreets rapidly^assuming fhd 1 appearanc'e hi mbu’ntain'; torrents, choking-’ jthe c,ulverts,'.and flooding; the' cellars "and .stores I> of‘mw°m&ortuliiite‘"citizpnß'wlio_iißoupy the. low-lyic-g: parts,of the, cityV of; Bpith, .^hidh’is ,always; a, 4 spurce'’ of’’terror [on such, occasions, ‘.' rose, rapidly, . and; f rushing J along force, brought along with it an immehseYquahiity i oi l .timber —some J of it consisting "ofpine trees. Of. great size—which 'contributed ’largely to of destruction. '’mofhirig.intelligence 1 came infcopr all 'quarters’bf - the’exteh't of ..the floods, and r before the afternoon, advancedT)uuedin was ’practically cut off from com-. jmunication;,:with' the.;so.nntry,;TO; . coach or railwuy. , lt time, for such a' visitation ceived, as farmers the country wprebusijy^engaged;in gathering,[n the harvest, and it is how too' evident that the crops; Are almost utterly., destroyed.. . ,Stoange,|to aa,y, the floods of 1863 .also occurred about the sth and 6th of February, and although we may" congratulate,ourselves upon the fact that on the. •present,occasion polossof lifehastobe recorded, [yet,-it',is, to' be,' feared ..that.-the destruction of 'propprty will exceed anything which took place previously. It is of,'course impossible to estimate: the .exactamount of damage done, in the city..aud suburbs■) but it is certainly very extensive,,; and owing ,-to the great increase .of population 'in 'Kensington,, South Dunedin, and. St'. bKilda, ‘much ..misery must be endured by ! many peon families who are but ill-prepared to cope with such.fl.mif- | fortune.

Pheasants are now spreading rapidly in the Hutt district. A flock of about fifty was seen the other day on the property of Mr. George Alien, in the Waiwetu. The decrepit Maori boy who had been kept alive for months by immersion in one of the hot springs at Taupo, is reported as having died recently. The Hon. W. Fox's picnic at his > beautiful place Westoe, to the total abstainers of Rangitikei,- Manawatu, and Wanganui, was held bn Thursday last, and was a most successful and pleasant affair. , The directors of the Wellington Gas Company, Limited, met at the company's office on February. 28th; and after some consideration it was resolved to accept Mr. Brown's tender for the erection of new buildings. The company contemplate a large expenditure within the next twelve months : cost of plant, material, and buildings will exceed £13,000. .■ We hear that Mr. Rives, of the Nelson province, 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 famous French racer Gladiateur, and that they arrived in Melbourne on Sunday. All are entered for the 1878 Wellington Derby. j Mr. Vesey Stewart has written to the Bay of Plenty Times a letter, charging its Auckland correspondent with making a false statement, and casting a, libel on the Katikati settlers, in the telegrams forwarded to - the Times, re the 'non-fulfilment of conditions by seventeen families, i The editor appends'!; a strong foot-note, vindicating the Auckland correspondent, and giving the .names of the seventeen persons alluded . to. He also pointy out that Mr. Vesey Stewart himself is not on his land, having built elsewhere, and ends by saying that if the Waste Lands Board carry out the letter of agreement, Mr. Vesey Stewart with the others stand a fair chance of being disqualified. • ; i On the 22nd February the children attending the Terrace school received a treat at the hands'of the local committee. 'When the school broke up for the. Christmas holidays, a number of rewards ,ife re presented, and there being a small sum of money in hand, it was decided "to arrange a little’pleasure for' the children early, in. the year. ..Accordingly a half-holiday was granted oh Thursday, and after a number of games" had been indulged in, the children to'the number of 140' sat down to cate and tea provided by the committee and a few friends. They appeared to enjoy them*

selves immensely. "Tile chairman of the local comndtf‘ey{ (Joseph Burae) Esq.), was present during lhe l: whole of the' ‘ proceedings, and amongst the visitors Were the Rev. Mr. West; Mr. Lee- (the-lnspectol?), and Mr. 0. E. Graf ham (secretary to the/ Board” of Education); This school is'progressing'’admirably, there being 160 children on the books, or upwards of 100 ' more 'than' there “was this,time'last year; Tliis speak)\welT for . the 1 teacher ; and much doubtless ia “due to the interest taken in the school by the local committee. | - The last lot of American salmon,” numbering between 700 and 800,, will be liberated in the north branch of the Waimakariri (says the Lyttelton Times). This will make a total of 37,000 turned out, and they have been distri-. bated among the following rivers; Ashley, North Branch of the Waimakariri, ’ Avon, ; Irwell, Little Rakaia, Opihi,.' and Waihi. 1 f it is worthy of record that not more than thirty of the salmon died while in the gardens, but owing to the others not beingliberated until they had become rather too old, a considerable number, say about 10 percent of the whole, died duringthe process of removal.’. There are still many in the gardens, but the curator will be unable to catch,them until they are much larger. Some of them, are now four inches in length, and when it is considered, that it,is not three 1 months;since they were hatched’out, they must be deemed to have grown very fast. ! ~ ■ I The following; particulars of i the fife, which) occurred at .Foxton,, -whereby Mr. Beatfcyfs store was totally destroyed, are given ..m -.the. Mariawatu Times. lt appears that' Mr.‘ Beatty, ■on retiring to bed. about eleven o’ clock, perceived v. a smell, of fire,' and ’ 'saw smoke issuing from a-portion , of, the,premises,., and almost immediately afterwards the whole of the building wafs in flames—entirely beyond the efforts of the few people who had arrived on the scene to “subdue. A small portion of the stock was removed from the. front-shop, but the bulk of the goods on the premises was, destroyed. Fortunately Mr. Beattyf-s’ familyj were !away from home, .or, from the./rapidity With- which' the -fire' I 'gained - ground, more serious consequences might have ensued, it’is ,, we feel- that all in’ ; the district will sympathise with ‘Mr.- Beatty infhis loss; as he had -only recently-effected - great i improvements dudhe.premises at af'considerable outlay.-- The ■ Origin' of the fire) has nob- yet'-- transpired, and ■ ■as the; whole of the- premises are completely; destroyed 'it the'/ cause-will pe; •fcpwech - *>.*«» IIJ •* j - ■. "Describing the,New Zealand Kapanga Gold i Mining Company’s r ; works the'- Auckland; Herald says s^VThe 1 water ? wheeVrt 30C|t J „ underground, to the great'surprise'bf 'many,-is now an accomplished fact; windidg'truCklqads of’mullock'"from : a winze nbw ,40ftf in-ddp'thfr and pumping "water; from’“the -'same‘-'Winze-through- a !Bixdh’ch-,e6lumn7raE the’-’eatae working, as if eady and smooth asla,’timepiece. : Alany., people-afe led tofbelieyeV-frdm previofus rep6rtß;issued,- that t the,ma,hagemoiitThaye hkd to turn, water.-into* the mine to drive this-, extraordinary, wheel, and the same) ■jvatef to'ihe surface agqin j 'but it is.not so,) and anyoqe{doubtful sfitfite;;st»temeut should; takOj-.-the ‘Rfst opporfimity ,of' inspecting, the' vvorlcj andmaking, themselves acquainted ’with the . details and -tha manner'of its‘accomplish-, place, '. the,water utilised' .ißVthe r ,hatufal,idfaihage' of.,the dldKapanga .mine- .workings,"..>-falling J from* the,, (different jdrives,; winzes,, and,- slopes’ to the,(bid .shaft, and,, .wl|en.', the. present. company 6pehsdVfipm the-.new-shaft,sthisj .of -.course, drained the pld workings,{and drew a J constant stream of.watertd be pumped," to) the . surface, /{whelker) fhe water,, whqef Hadi „evep been) planned .’or 'not, so that. instead- of{"being, as is supposed _ -bjmany; 'an extra, expense in labor and coalpit is; OqOa 'ih6tiv:eiip.tWer to waste, eutailingfno'expense beyond the first cost of erection.”. i £A T® andual) re]£ortW ; -'the (Wanganui C AccliAs far as fhe acclimatisation of-birds is concerned, the past work bf.the,Boeietyda beginning,to,-*show grtat results. The English skylark',is'fijmly :i established;” SUd’pheasants are jin> Ml parts of the country. ’and seem .td{be Tdaily increasing, t- -r That useful ipsectiyprlinnet;'is alsb{fajrry-eßtab-lished ; in’fact,* ae 'far as the thfheltinds Tmeutidried are concerned, the .’societymeed 'take ino ’further trouble peel be ,att«anyi mdredexpense.,. The birds introduced during .Cthel past) .year consist - of) ■ ALUstralianp chaffinches, TnrUnn minahi, and English blackbird. T’he mihahra’handsome --and useful-bird,-seems j to take ■vjtlite naturally?to the placeyand mayfbe ■seen in- various parts of .the to wn'aud.suburbs. ’ifl-IM'-tb' 'be ’‘ hoped .the turned out'--’will 1 ' thrive with’-equal {success.;:.'/Sotne fevymonthsago.the..secretary; communicated with the secretary,of, the /Ageßt-jGoueraljin ’England, asltjng'jrimp to purchase £SO jwojrthfpfr’yarifops .birds,--amongst (pther partridges, thrushes, goldfinches,. rqoks,jj&c., and- ■ send thenji.qut by. some immigrant vessel,- a gratuity..'of*• £5 being-promised.to.anyone.tak-ing proper dare of them. ~/ShouldA.his gentleman do' what is requested' a .valuable .consignment hnay be expeotedduring the,(yeaK|s.sy>th respect to hares,■’/your committee regret that -although-every effort has-been made, to procure them, they have been so far “uiisuccess(ul. The .introduction‘.jOf, freshwater ’ffsli Thas’ been effected; although at present only ou a small scale,but.your.committee have the pleasure to state that , after, sqme years of fruitless efforts they have succeeded in placing about ,700 -healthyiiyoung trout in the various streams in the-district. The loss in, - carriage has been trifling, the most at-any-time being six in a lot of 200. A further lot of 300 was . to ( have arrived -in .-January, but- from > some cause (presumably the heat of the, weather or 'lateness'of the’season) theyj all-died before reaching-Wellington.”-. ~ Th‘e. secretary .of the association (Mr. Brewer) was, presented with a handsome fowling-piece. ,

The Featherston and Waihenga tollgates were sold for £520 and £l5O to Mr. Yicary and Mr. Schwartz. The Auckland Herald hears that Mr. Peebles, the great Spiritualist preacher, is expected by the next San Francisco steamer, on his way to Australia. A compendium in pamphlet form is being prepared, and will be issued from the General Government Printing Office, of the Counties Act, the Financial Arrangements Act, and Public Works Act, of last session, all ®f which are connected with our recent legislative changes. , We may venture to predict that the compendium will prove of great utility. We understand that in the Wellington Country Districts, such as ‘ Johnsonville and other places,-the cut and standing, grain has been a great deal injured by the rain.. The Lyttelton Times, in reference to the crops in Canterbury says : —The heavy rains of the days have done a deal of damage io cropjq in the Northern districts, and already fields ot? wheat which are cut and untied have shown digna of growing. ;■ Fortunately, .fully three-fourths of the crops have been secured, and the damage is not, general. ; - The balance-sheet for the Standard Insurance Company for past six mouths shows that £28,789 has been received from premiums, and £1227 from interest and transfer fees, making a total pf £30,016 ; losses and expenses of management, . £25,012 ; leaving a net profit for six mpbthi of £5003. The directors recommend the balance be; employed as follows : —rDividend of 9d. per share (amount thereof, £1815), to be carried to credit of capital account ; the; remaining £4014 to remain to credit of profit, and loss ; capital would then stand at £33,125 reserve fund as at present, £5310, and the available balance £4014; total, £42,919,' ;orl7s. 2d; per share. ! ' ,The Rev. Mr. Inglis delivered an interesting discourse in St’.‘John’s Presbyterian Church on February 26*,'his subject being “ Teetotaliam.” There was a full attendance. The rev. gentleman spoke iif 1 thes, evils‘of intemperance, which he said was rapidly increasing,'and now as-sumed-vast' proportions.' They were fortunate enough, however,-to have'among them, invarious parts of the world, temperance societies;, and these.were doing a large amount of good;. He spoke eloquently,of the disastrous effects' of intoxication, ‘ and ’drew, pleasing pictures l on the other hand-‘of the- happy results, that followed abstinence! bThe lecture was listened' to very attentively throughout. A number of Captain 'John MoLfcan’*met on Thursday at ,Mr. Driver’s

office,'Dunedin, and fonned themselves into a committee for the purpose of presenting this well-known gentleman with a substantial mark of their esteemd The following letter from the Son: Mr. Holmes to the editor, of the sanki speaks for itself “ Shy—l was very Hmeh pleased to see your remarks in yesterday’s paper about Captain McLean ; his services tp, the travelling public of this colony -deserve some, special recognition, but it should ,be,in the shape of money, as he has not been .fortunate in his private affairs, and I imagine he. requires it. • You may put my name down for ten pounds.—l aih; &c., M. Holmes.” . The annual.meeting of shareholders in the New Zealand Times Printing ‘ and' Publishing Company (Limited) was held ,on the 28th February at three o’ clock in Mr. Hunter’s rooms. The Chairman of the company, Mr. Walter ..Johnston,: .M'.H.R., presided, and in addressing, the shareholders said -that he had a ’pleasing duty to perform. They would see by the balance-sheet before/them that the pledges made by the directors' some twelve months ago, had been faithfully carried out. The expenses of the managing and .literary departments of the paper'had been , considerably Without any ..injury to their property, inasmuch as the receipts '. from, all sources, subscriptions, advertising,'. &0.,' had this year exceeded those of the previous one’ by some £l2OOl ' He pointed out also that owing to the time .necessarily required for giving notiee of the reductions in the, departments, no saying could be effected uhtil practically the 31st o£ ■ June-last, consequently the present balance of profit injn come over expenditure, of £1132, represented really a profit of duly six months, ahd.as a matter of fact the profit on the year’s .operations was much greater than that, a very large portion of it f not appearing, in consequence, pf the expenditure of last year including the payment of sums which should' have been paid during, the preceding twelve months. . , The . present profit reduced the jalancd/under 7 the head profit and loss to '£ll46,.and -he might fairly say, therefore, thati.at j next,meeting they might hope not only to wipe off that,balance altogether, but .to’have'a sum available as divide ..d, He congratulated the shareholders on the fact that the circulation:)of \ the New: Zealand Times and the New Zealand Mail had steadily , increased, , and was now week ihy week inti'easing, and he also drew attention , 'to the'-fact (tp be taken into consideration in' 7 regai[d|ng theirdiabiliti,bk)i of,the great increase ; iinc.the^yajue i)f| .tlWir; freehold' property in : ■ D/|ilfe;Stree)i! which jhkd- taken place. The ;!. report tpt jfche and the balance-sheet „(\vhiclv.was certified duly by the auditors) was adopted! and tlie-retiring directors —Messrs. ;G. puntk-.iI.HiR;; ; add E. W. Mills—haying been - re-elected .‘unanimously, the proceedings [terminated .with a yoteiofi thanks, to the chair.man! It_ may_ be mentioned that the auditors —Messrs. RaSniejand Kebbell—were re-elected. | ahj deputation jfrom the Chamber of Compierce, consisting tb£ Messrs. G. Hunter, W, : M;j iand| J, parcourt,; waited by ; arrangbmeWt.'cn;: fJhe'M*3 r k at 11 o’clock on 16th‘ . to effecting some refor- ■. inSponi ini JtKe | regulations respecting the ftofagfe’" of“keroaene:i -- -Wlrj—Bannatvne- stated? ■ ; that! the l members of the Chamber of Comr mence jyere’-of ■ opinion, that i the premises in : Which kerosene was at present stored were not at'-all Suitable';for ithe; purpose, and that it should beTemoved ;to some other place which - woiild* be • farther away from other buildings; fand,consequently\in leas danger of being destroyed by' fire. "Another r object -of the • deputation - was-to - ask-the 'Mayor and City Council tbrcbniideri-whether; any arrangements could be made by—which owners of koresehC would pot be obliged^,to pay duty.pn it before storing, it” qPn reminded&his Worship that when the duty had/to bS- beforehand, if the kerosene were burned, the'owners lost not onlyrthe article, itself but,'the sixpence pec gallon ■‘wmeli tnejr hadpaid -as • duty also. If tfidl payXsKelffiity before storing they would,.not be liable to such heavy Josses., fMr,^ punter, said-tbe,.deputation was ’unde^thelmpre^rioh‘ thit the # 'Coniioil would! shortly lt> find tibme other ,place in which : ; to;stumkeixJseiie,:and they -had brought these matters that they [would be when the 'alteration was made. The, Mayor replied that the Council had had ' the 1 question. of“storing kerosene under their consideration-for ■ Some time, and were anxious WW the store to some other place, but strange as great'difficulty was experiencedlfin,ding ”a: suitable site. They had'thought ’of* reolaithing ,v a’- part- iof the Te po foreshore,, anperectihg a shed, there for the purpose,, but’ frothing definite. had been done in regard to th'6 matter: ' .Mr. Bannatyne thought that-.Te Aro wouldbe the best place in which'to erect a storer As to Mr. Bannatyne’s remarks regarding thepaymentofduty befofehSSd,c'the Mayor '.said he did not think wquldrberaiiy difficulty in coming to an . amicable arrangement. He promised to bring the' matter, agaio-under the attention of the :'Dity:C6uncll at-tho 'neXt ;meeting. , The deputationythen.. thanked th&jMayOrf for hearing them, and withdrew.1 ' The. dhectorsToff the Wellington Gas Com-, pany, Limited, metiat the company’s office on Wednesday, Feb. 14th,-when the "newly-elected: directors, Messrs. Krull and Hunter,-took their seats at the board. The' manager submitted a number of plans showing how he proposed extending ~the,; oppapany’s. premises so that increased, facilities .would be afforded for producing '.ail additional supply of gas, and he was authorised to proceed with all,the work he recommended being- done, t and to push it on as rapidly as possible. '’Several of the old buildings will have' to be'pulled down, in or titer to enable .larger and-more commodious ones ‘ ■) be erected in their‘place, so that the -new p’ipi expected here next "month may be turned to account 'immediately, /it is hoped and believed that all the allSretiohs-and'* additions will be completed by the C time,;.Parliament ‘ assembles)ll WiT " 'JOELA 'TO yy

The regular' monthly meeting-'of the New Zealand Pacific Lodge' WaS held at the Masonic Hall on February 26th. There 'was: a large attendance of members, and affcei? the ordinary business had been concluded the Lodge wits closed, and a Lodge of'• sorrow with held, in' memory of the late Sir'D.McLean;'K.C.M.G., (R.W.D.G.M. of the : North - Island' of. New Zealand. The Lodge was draped with crape and other''signs of mourning. The sublimeand solemn service was then gone through, the Worshipful Miller, Brother Merchant, conducting the service,- assisted by the various officers of the Lodge, and Brother Raymond, District Grand Organist, presided• at the harmonium. The service was most impressive. Brother the Hon. Robert Hart delivered .the eulogium with great feeling,'!alluding.,to; the many virtues -and excellent qualities of the late Sir Donald McLean. Proceedings: concluded , about 10 o’clock. > <;<>.: ' The Missionary .schooner Dayspring receives a number of visitors, who,:,owing to the courtesy and ■ kind .attention ; of her captain, are permitted to look at the numerous curiosities contained in the after-cabin. These treasures—some of them very rare—have ffieen collected from the different groups of islands visited by the schooner on her mission voyages, and they are well worth; studying. The collection is too varied to be particularised, but among them are heathen gods, tropical, plants, articles of clever fantastic workmanship, mid, a host-of things wonderful tolookat. lhe Dayspring is a neat and pretty schooner, kept beautifully clean, and .having all the appear-ance-of being able “to go.; . - Some time ago a female made-her appear-.-ance- at the police station -with a complaint that- her husband was guilty of unnatural conduct towards her,'inasmuch, as, he had a nasty habit of poking mud down her throat of nights; and he was the better able to do this conveniently, because, as the couple live in a mud- house all he had to do was to pick some out of the wall. and. ram it into the mouth of his'better half. The lady was informed of her remedy, but she took no.action until February 13, when she complained to the Resident Magistrate s that Wills— the name of the.manr-must.be, mad, ns he had continued to apply, the.-mud indefatigably, Mr Crawford becoming, possessed of a bright idea suddenly advised her to sleep with her mouth shut. The lady replied that she should be happy to do so could she find, a lid for it. -Here was a difficulty for certain. So Mr. Crawford discharged, the „ defendant, and cautioned him to amend his evil ways.. An emergency meeting of; the New Zealand Pacific Lodge (No. 517, E.C.), : was held at the Odd Fellows’ Hall, Lower Hutt, on Feb. loth •for the purpose ofinaugurating and conse•erating the Hutt Lodge. The Lodge having •been opened in dim - fonn, the Deputy-Grand Master and officers of the. IMstnot Grand Lodge were introduced, and top* then; respac,tive'aeata. The Master-elect of the Hutt Lodge, Brother G. E. Barton, was duly installed, Brother Charles White acting as installing officer. After the. installation the -members of the District Grand Lodge retired. Upwards of a dozen candidates were proposed for .initiation, and. as many: more--were •proposed -as joining - members, so- that, the Lodge bids * fain to become numerous and ■successful , After labor, the brethren, proceeded ;to .Valentine s.Hctel, where they, satdown to a sumptuous banquet prepared in. celebration of the, occasion,l Brother Barton ■occupying•fee qhair,,.and his two Wardens act: ing as croupiers'. . About thirty assembled at table, and after having done ample justice to the feast, the usual loyal and patriotic toasts were proposed and responded to,-with hearty good wishes expressed for, the success of the Lodge. A vary pleasant evening! haying been spent, the members of the District Grand , Lodge, officers -and members of , the Pacific Lodge, and members .of other Lodges who were present returned to town by special, train at 12- ■; - - : ;■; -- Another coach, factory- has been established in Wellington ty-Messrs. Doneghue; and Parr, * - for whom a prosperous-business career may be. -anticipated, to judge from the start they have already mads in their premises, in Upper Willi S-street. Their : workmanship is of. the very-best description,'and.the rates are much low’er than the public have been nccustomed •to pay for, imported articles in connection with the trade! Messrs/ Doneghue and Part have just completed a : chcular-frented brougham, the first mannfactdred 1 in ' Wellington. It is really an elegant vehicle,' arid complete in all the latest iinprovements.' ; It was made to the order of Mr. Hill, and will he driven onthe road with other cabs. Anyone looking 'at it, however,, would deem it almost a'pity that it should be put' to : a service in which-there is naturally so much wear and hard usage. It is beautifully fitted;tipi• inside and out, 1 being covered, with what is known as' green hide, excellently polished, with plated moulding, and the circulars windows in front' are 1 constructed ; on the sliding principle, so that they may be mo ve!d'backwards and forwards’-and'thus give all th'e, yentilation of an open carriage. . • Attached* to the' side; windows also are curtains, hung , 'i>n sriruig barrels those in'the firstclass 9 rail way, carriages ; and dn fact, without going % -'into .further ' particulars, it may be said' that nothing his been left undone'to produce a really firaßclass brougham, which -will be handed ovelf to’the’purchaser for the Sum’of £l2(f, just ; £soTeas than subh vehicles can be imported for. This firm are also constructing a landau carriage, to the order of Mr. Dixon, for £IBO, also a good deal less’than it could be imported for, arid the vehicle, from present - appearances. Will be a credit to the new firm. It is’ gratifying to ascertain that local manufacture is thus successfully competing with foreign trade, and we wish' the, new firm, every, success,'.