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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5043, 23 May 1877, Page 2

For our report of the inquiry at the Chatham Islands into the wreck of the Ocean Mail we are indebted to Mr. Wright, a passenger by the vessel, who having formerly had relations with this paper, very sensibly reported the proceedings for us and brought his report to the New Zealand Times office almost immediately upon lauding. That the New Zealand Times remunerates its correspondents it is unnecessary to say. We may mention in connection with this matter that it is a pity that Mr. Wright should have been subjected to annoyance by the insolence of a clumsy fellow who followed him into a shop and demanded his report on the ground that it was publicproperty. On being answered quietly, this fellow cursed and swore. On being looked at sternly hedisappeared, but in about two minutes put an unkempt head into the shop and shouted to Mr. Wrigbt, “You should have been drowned.” Doubtless this fate was assigned to Mr. Wright because it is that which will never overtake the person who assigned it. The ordinary weekly meeting of the committee of the Wellington Benevolent Institution was held yesterday. Present: The Bishop of Wellington (in the chair), the Eevs. Harvey, West, Trivett, Yen. Archdeacon Stock, Father McGuinnoßs, and Messrs. D. Lewis and J. G. Holdsworth. Subscriptions were received as follows:—Thos. Kebbell, £5 55.; Jaa. Kelhatn, £2 2a.; Messrs. Black and Co., £1 Is, Several coses were considered and relieved. Three persons were fined yesterday for having committed breaches of the Municipal Corporations Act.

The Divorce Court will sit at 11 a.m. to-day. The next meeting of the Wellington Education Board will be held this day week.

It is a noteworthy fact that of the twenty members of the Victorian Assembly who followed the “ Stonewall ” tactics seventeen have been returned to the new Parliament.

“ The Three Musket-Dears ” was produced to a moderate house yesterday evening. The same programme was announced for this evening.

There were no less than fifty-seven cases on the civil list for hearing at.the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, but none of them were of any importance. A large majority were either settled out of Court or adjourned.

The Rising Star Cricket Club is announced to give a musical and literary entertainment to-morrow evening. The Rev. A. Reid will take the chair, and as an excellent programme has been prepared we have no doubt there will be a large attendance. A well-attended meeting of the Wellington Literary Association was held last evening in St. John’s schoolroom. After a prolonged discussion on the programme for the next quarter, an essay was read on “ The Turkish Question.” The evening being far advanced, the second essay, on “ The Pleasures of Literature,” was postponed till next Tuesday.

The funeral of the late Mr. J. Howe took place yesterday, and was largely attended. Mr. Howe was one of the oldest settlers here. He came out in the ship Clifton, and brought up a large family of sons and daughters, all of whom married aud settled well. He was always a steady, honest, and good colonist, and was generally respected. He leaves Sfl grandchildren. We were pleased to notice that the performance for the benefit of Miss Lizzie Morgan was witnessed by a large audience, who showed their appreciation of a very superior eutertainmeut, to which Miss Morgan, as may be well understood, lent very valuable service. Miss Morgan will shortly leave Wellington, under engagement to Mr. J. Hall at Christchurch. Her departure will be regretted by many friends.

A case (Williamson v. Wills) of some little interest to those engaged in buying aud selling land was heard by the Resident Magistrate yesterday. According to plaintiff’s statement he had heard defendant had some land for sale, and on application received authority to sell it on the “usual” commission. He found a purchaser for £7OO, the amount defendant asked, and after the bargain had been completed, claimed commission at the rate of two and a half per cent., which was repudiated. After some haggling he managed to get £8 10s. on account, and now asked the Court to orderpayment of the balance. Defendant’s case was that plaintiff had enquired if the land was for sale, and on being informed that it was, said he had a friend who would purchase it. Subsequently he returned, and said he supposed he would get something for his trouble, to which defendant said if the sale were completed he would give defendant “a” commission, meaning thereby some small sum, as he supposed the purchaser would pay him (defendant) full commission. When the sale was completed plaintiff demanded £l7 ; but he (defendant) merely laughed at him. He continued to urge the claim, aud defendant to settle the matter gave him £8 10s,, which plaintiff, though somewhat dissatisfied, accepted as payment in full. His Worship considered “a commission ” must be construed as meaning the “ usual commission,” and as Messrs. Howard Wallace and S. Carroll as experts had proved that from two and a half to five per cent, was the usual rate of commission, gave judgment for the amount claimed, with costs.

We yesterday received a telegram from Auckland, signed E. INI. Edgecumbe, and reading as follows : —“ Arrangements being made publish Bay Plenty Times three times a week in an enlarged size, instead of biweekly as formerly.’ ’ Mr. Edgecumbe neglected to prepay his telegram; and as the cost therefore, though trifling, fell on us, and as we do not care particularly whether the Bay of Plenty Times is published three times in a year or three times in a week, we are uuable to thank Mr. Edgecumbe for h's attentions to us. He may have been attending to his own interests, since we understand that he is proprietor of the Bay of Plenty Times. If so, he should attend to them at his own expense. Up to the present time the colony of 'Vic toria has spent £2,073,874 upon her defences. This is shown by the information embodied in the laie Volunteer Commissioners’ report. Remarking on this fact, the Aryns says it is simply disgusting to think that that colony is not iu a position to await the issue of events with calmness and confidence, and that the event of possible war finds them unprepared to guard their belongings or defend their honor, and still musing on the best means that can be adopted to secure the safety of that colony.

A person named Bernard Cunningham was brought up on remand at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, on suspicion of lunacy. Sergt. Monaghan stated that the man had considerably improved since hia last appearance. Mr. Crawford examined him, and his answers were very peculiar. “How are you now?” said Mr, Crawford, “Quite well, thank you,” was the prompt reply; and in answer to a question as to where he had come from, he said “From a good many places,” which conveyed such an imperfect style of information that it became necessary to pursue enquiries further. Ultimately, Mr. Crawford arrived at the conclusion that it would be well to give him another week’s imprisonment, and he was remanded accordingly. We gather from the Nelson papers that the second course of scientific lectures delivered by Mr. Severn at the request of the Governors of the Nelson College, have proved very successful, the attendance of students and adults having averaged about 400 on each evening. It is anticipated that much good will result, as the lectures have been well delivered and fully illustrated by the best apparatus. We would like much to be informed why a similar arrangement cannot be made on behalf of our College and schools generally. Some days ago we published a telegram to the effect that Dr. Neild, the well-known : dramatic critic, had been fined 40s. for assaulting Mr. T. P, Hill, a well-known Melbourne elocutionist. The Telegraph gives the following account of the affray : —The feud which is known to exist, in consequence of recent police court proceedings, between Dr. J. E. Neild and Mr. T. P. Hill, elocutionist, led to a scene in the vestibule of the Theatre Royal late one night. The scene was short and decisive, and all that was observed of it by the public may be shortly described as a welldelivered blow by the doctor, which, in the phraseology of the members of the pugilistic ring, would be termed au “upper cut.” It took effect on the chin of the elocutionist, who was lifted off his- legs and apparently stunned. Sergeant Mooney was on the spot, and Mr. Hill, upon recovering, gave Hr. Neild in charge. At the lock-up he was immediately bailed out by Dr. Campbell. The New Zealand Herald says:—Considerable interest is felt in this community with respect to the Native Lands Bill which the Government arc to introduce into the House of , Representatives in next session. It is known that the Bill has been drawn by Mr. Whitaker with the assistance of his Honor Judge Fenton, and that the advice of several gentlemen, who have been connected with the working of the present Act, baa been taken on points of importance. There seems a general agreement amongst those who ought to know something of the measure as to its general scope and design, and we have no doubt that the impression, whether founded on surmise or information, is correct. The new Bill will, it is believed, be devoted mainly to simplification, which, after all, is the one thing needful with respect to native lands. The present laws are so complicated, so multifarious in their requirements as to witnesses to signatures and so forth, that it had become almost impossible to get a title for any piece of native laud. The new Act, it is believed, will start with clearing the ground, and will then embody all the procedure necessary on the subject. The Government will stop the native land purchase system ; but of

course they will take ample powers to complete the transactions into which they have entered. The constitution and working of the Lands Court will be made as plain and simple as possible, consistent with the ascertainment of the rights of the natives. There can be no question as to the necessity for a new Native Lands Act, and we believe that the present measure will fulfil the purpose for which it is designed. Mr. Whitaker has taken great trouble with the Act, and we need not say that his forte as a parliamentary draftsman lies especially in his power of condensing and simplifying a mass of complicated provisions.

The retiring president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, in his final address, remarked ;—But, if it is by the magnitude of our debt that we are respected, it is still evident that we are held in high esteem and that our monetary credit is good on its own merits, for we see New Zealand securities, City Corporation bonds, harbor improvements, water and gas works, drainage and dock debentures, from north to extreme south of the colony, successfully floated one after the other at high rates to an appreciating public at Home—the money articles] of The Times against us notwithstanding. Gentlemen, so significant a truth means this : New Zealand has now become a great tact in the mother country, and as an index of the rapid growth and prosperity of the colony, and the extent to which it is now believed in, we have only to recall how our first loans were placed on the Home market, only realising “eighty,” and now, after the lapse of a little more than a single decade, and with a tenfold increased debt, that figure has risen to[a “ hundred.” Finally, I have only to refer to the great support given by the British public to the monetary institutions doing business in New Zealand, and to the large influx of English capital to this country —larger now, I believe, than at any previous period of our history. The stakiug of capital upon us is the crucial test of belief in us. That this belief is not misplaced, the rapid strides we have made in the accumulation of natural wealth fully proves, and there is no reason why this faith in New Zealand should not still further prevail, and the colony go ou its way rejoicing, as most assuredly it is destined to do.

Mr, Michael Kidston, of Collins-street, Melbourne, solicitor, has been appointed by Chief Justice Prendcrgast a commissioner for taking affidavits, and also for taking the acknowledgements of married women, to be used in that colony.

In the New South Wales Parliament notice has been given that the House approve plans (laid upon the table) for the extension of the railway to Albury, When the line is completed there will be through railway communication between Sydney and Melbourne —not an unimportant event in the history of the colonies.