Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5054, 5 June 1877, Page 2

Our telegrams received thin morning at 3.30, anil jmblisiiud elsewhere, do not in the least detract from the correctness) of the views put forward in our leader. It may be noticed that the telegrams possess a local interest in the amiouuceuieiitof the creation of his Excelleney the Governor, Bishop Selvvyn, and the Hon. Thomas Russell to grades in the Order of St. Michael and St. George. It is also worthy of attention that they were received at the hour mentioned, late as it seems, through the admirable arrangements made by the Telegraph Department, and they were in ample time for presentation to our readers at their breakfast tables this morning. We understand that in a Gazette to be published to-day Parliament will be summoned to meet for the despatch of business on Thursday, 19th July. His Excellency the Governor and suite loft in the Hinemoa for Canterbury yesterday. The lion. 0. C. Bowen is Minister in attendance.

Upwards of nine inches of rain fell in Wellington during May. The Supreme Court will sit in banco to-day at 11 o'clock.

The standard survey, initiated by Mr. J. T. Thomson, Surveyor-General, is progressing very favorably in Westland. A meeting of the Hutt Council will be held to-day at 1 o'clock for the despatch of the ordinary monthly business. A man was arrested last evening on a charge of embezzling a sum of money from the Messrs. Barber. He will appear at the P..M. Court this morning.

The annnal licensing meeting takes place today at noon. The new applications are—John Duff, for the Prince Albert Hotel, Cuba-street; John Forbes Orr, Honeymoon Hotel, Ivarori. The Parliamentary buildings are undergoing a thorough eleaning'and painting preparatory to the session, and the committee rooms have been rearranged.

The adjourned inquiry into the charges against Captain Bonner, in connection with the collision between the steamers Napier and Tui, will be held at the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day. The Patea Mail says that the natives appear to be getting pretty well reconciled to the idea of giving up possession of the Waimate Plains, which form a portion of the confiscated laud on the west coast of the North Island.

No intimation has yet been received by the Post Office authorities as to the departure of the incoming May mail, which, according to time-table, would have left San Francisco on the 2f>th nit., and which is due in Auckland on June 17. The outward mail steamer from Sydney left on Friday last. A meeting of Mr. James O'Shea's creditors was held yesterday in the Court House, and, as will be seen by a full report of the proceedings published elsewhere, Captain Thomas was appointed trustee for the creditors. Captain Mclntyre and Messrs. Krull and Port were elected supervisors to assist the trustee.

The Town Belt leases will be offered for sale to-day by Mi-. 11. J. Duncan; and no doubt there will be a large attendance at the sale. It may be mentioned that the City Council the other day " caved in " to Mr. Travers on the question whether or not he should furnish the Corporation with a draft lease, to be printed, and s» save the expense of a new draft in each case.

At a late meeting of the Board of Insurance Agents in Wellington, Mr. Bannatyne was elected chairman aud Mr. Boardman secretary. We hear that the difficulty between the brigades and the insurance agents is pretty well at an end, and that the former would before this have been placed in possession of cheques for good round sums were it not for the unavoidable absence of Mr. Boardman in Auckland just now. The brigades, or at any rate one of them, have been carrying on since November very short of funds, so that the grant will be all the more welcome.

On Saturday night a man named Morris happening to be elevated by the "cup that cheers" and sometimes renders stupid, and happening also to see an unlovely member of the gentler sex arrested and taken to the lockup, hovered round the gate of the station, and danced a Macri war dance, shouting aud yelling at the top of his voice, and challenging the Wellington police in a body to mortal combat. The result of this conduct was that a single member of the force challenged, a gentle Hibernian, caught hold of that warrior insinuated him inside, and humanely gave him a cheap night's lodging. Morris was taken before Mr. Crawford, and in answer to the charge laid against him of having been in a disorderly state of intoxication, said he didn't believe he was there at all, but acknowledged having had a glass on Saturday night. His excuses were not regarded as being worthy of consideration, and he was fined 20s. and costs, or 24 hours' imprisonment. An old offender named Margaret McClelland made her appearance at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday to answer a charge of vagrancy. This woman has a peculiar and discreditable history. She came from Melbourne a few years ago, and soon after her arrival in Wellington distinguished herself by distributing indecent prints (a fact to which Inspector Atchesou bore testimony), making a practice of obtaining entrance into private houses, in the absence of the male inmates, and trying to sell these impropir prints. She is one of the worst class of society, being not only degraded hut vicious, and as Inspector Atcheson very justly remarked, must of necessity have a very bad effect upon society. Constable Sullivan arrested her on Saturday night, and in his evidence yesterday stated that she had to his certain knowledge introduced into the community a new vice, namely, that of opium smoking. Some little time ago Margaret McCleland was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, with hard labor, for committing larceny at *he Hutt. Mr. Crawford sent her to gaol for one month on the charge of vagrancy being made out. In its annual report the Patea Education Board says :—"Upon taking office, three years ago, it was found that educational matters throughout the whole district were in the most primitive stage imaginable—the two centres of population only being possessed of the most meagre material in buildings, furniture, aud books, for the work. In Carlyle an old iron store served as a room, which was of tlie worst possible description. The master was ill-paid, Mid everything gave evidence of the most miserable and futile efforts at education. In Hawera it was much worse. Jb>om the liberality of the Provincial aud General Governments, the Board is in a position to report with the utmost confidence of its work, with the consciousness that everything has been expended to the ve y best possible advantage ; that education is placed upon a footing, within the limits of the Board, upon a basis which cannot fail, with judicious management, to become a solid institution in the district. With sufficient funds at its disposal, the Beard hopes to be able to establish one school of a very high order within the district, to which the children of all classes, who had attained to sufficient excellence, might be drafted, and instructed in the higher branches of language, art, science, and literature. It is by establishing such a school in this district, and by the emulation it would excite in those of a lower grade, that it hopes to raise the standard of the district to a level with other parts of the world. Briefly it is endeavored to show, uuder the several headings, the present aspect of the various schools under the Board. . . . . Periodical inspections are made, and have been conducted by Robert Lee, Ksq., Inspector under the Wellington Education Board. The Board desires to express its thanks to the Wellington Education Board for the ready assistance accorded to it iu granting permission to Mr. Lee to conduct these inspections, and begs to testify to the undoubted ability of this gentleman, aud the success attending the Board is mainly tra.ceal.ile to the very valuable suggestions which he was ever really to give upon all subjects relating to the management and conduct of the schools." Uuder the now order of things introduced by the change in the Constitution of thn country brought about by the leyi.-lation of last so-sion the Government property iu and about the Wellington police departments had to be stamped with the broad arrow, and Mr. Robert Wright, who has been appointed Inspector of Stores for Wellington aud some other districts, was employed in "stamping" about the station. The forms, tables, chairs, etc., were marked. Mr. Wright, it may be was a passenger by the Ocean Mail, wrecked off the Chatham Islands, and has, we understand, very flattering recommendations from heads of departments under Government in which he was formerly employed. It is a pity that all persons will not agree as to the value of punctuality, and this applies particularly to cases where the convenience or interests of others are affected. There was a very good attendance of creditors at the meeting of Mr. O'Shca's creditors yesterday, but delay occurred in commencing business owing to the dilatoriness of some of the creditors, and this was naturally annoying to the punctual ones, whose time was of course precious, as the time of business men necessarily must be.

The Chicago Minstrels are now playing in Christohurch, at the Theatre Royal. There was a very good attendance at the performance of the Georgias last night. The season in Wellington draws to a close, to-night being their last appearance but two.

The final contest in the chess tournament took place at the club-room last evening between Mr. Brown and Mr. Hullett. The game was watched with intense interest by a large number of players. After a hard-fought battle, Mr. Hullett eventually came off the victor, which terminated one of the most interesting chess tournaments of the season. At the conclusion of the meeting arrangements were made for a match between the Civil Service and Town players, Mr. Benbow being deputed to select a team on behalf of the Town, and Mr. Didsbury on behalf of the Civil Service. The teams will probably be composed of twelve players on each side, and the contest is expected to result in a most interesting and evenly-contested match. An unfortunate woman named Mary Ann McGregor was yesterday sentenced to two months' imprisonment, with hard labor, for vagrancy. It appeared from what the Inspector of Police said that the woman was a most incorrigible character, having been given plenty of chances to amend; in fact, the Inspector had on one occasion even gone so far as to withdraw a charge that was laid against her in the police court, and had found a situation in the country for her ; but whenever she came to town she returned to bad ways and vicious company. It is not so long ago since we had occasion to remark upon the enterprise exhibited by the proprietors of the American Coach Factory, Black and Co. ; and now again we notice that they have been introducing new work of a superior order. This firm have just turned out a handsome landau carriage, which our reporter inspected yesterday. It is built on the model of the vehicle sent by Messrs. Stevenson and Elliott, of Melbourne, to the Philadelphia Exhibition ; also of that which took first prize at the Sydney Exhibition. It is handsomely painted, and reflects great credit on the painter, Mr. McDuff, who took first prize at the Sydney Exhibition, for heraldic painting. It is a very handsome " turnout," and attracted a good deal of attention yesterday when it was taken out for the first time. Mr. Ritson, cabdriver, was the purchaser of the carriage, the price being £'ioo, which is £2O less than the English price. By this is meant, not that vehicles of the class under notice can be imported for £220, but that this carriage was built for £2O less than the London price. This is xt least satisfactory as showing that colonial industry is rapidly advancing and successfully competing with the mother country. It has become a marked fact that New Zealand has made vast strides of late in the establishment of manufactures of variijus kinds, and Wellington has occupied a foremost post in this onward .march of civilization and industrial progress. Biblical quotations are oftentimes resorted to by legal gentlemen in court for the double purpose of " bolstering" and exhibiting their propensity towards ready wit, but it not unfrequently happens that the wrong end of the stick is got hold of. This was the case at a police court in Victoria lately, when a wellknown lawyer, at the close of an assault case between two female neighbors, in which he had been engaged, proceeded to vindicate the conduct of his client by stating that she had acted as all Christians were ordained by the Bible to act, "she had been struck on the right cheek, and ■ she thereupon smote her persecutor on the left." The Bendiyo Advertiser says : " This rather original reading of the Bible's counsel for the exercise of Christian fortitude, created a laugh in Court—profane no doubt, but hearty nevertheless—and the opposing lawyer mildly suggested that it might perhaps be advisable for his professional friend to include the Bible in the volumes of his study before he again permitted himself to be drawn into the use of scriptural quotations. The befogged gentleman remarked, 'Well, it's vice versa,' and the Court being probably better read in scriptural matter, aud knowing what inference it was intended should be drawn, accepted this not particularly lucid explanation."

The old adage that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction receives something like verification in the following, which (a Victorian paper says) is authentic in all particulars save the names of the principal dramatis persona;. A short time since a young sailor, second officer of a ship trading to the Mauritius from Melbourne, left his wife at Williamstown. At Port Louis illness seized him, and he was left in the hospital seriously ill. On the arrival of the ship the wife saw the captain, who gave her the facts concerning the health of her husband; subsequently another arrival from Mauritius told her he had heard that her husband " died in the hospital;" and upon this very unreliable authority she concluded herself a widow, and in this capacity took a situation iu the provinces, and after a time —about a twelve-mouth from her husband leaving—she married her employer's brother. Meanwhile the Enoch Arden of the narrative was not dead at all, but recovered, and, uo ship offering for the colony, he shipped home, writing his wife, who, having left her former residence, never got his letters. Arrived in England, he learned that a rich relative iu China had died, and left him a large amount of money, and accordingly he sailed for China, and took possession of the property, upon which he realised some £90,000, the result of years of successful speculation by the deceased devisee, and sailed for Victoria, to find his wife and enjoy his wealth with her, only to find that, unlike Penelope, she had not waited for her Ulysses, and was another's. The next homeward mail-bo.it took him away to England without disturbing the felicity of the existing arrangement. The wife now repents her precipitancy when it is too late. Agentlemau who has lately paid a visit to the coalmine at Kawakawa informs theiV.Z. Herald that the coalmine is looking very well, and the quality of coal that is being taken from it is excellent. It is not generally known that there are now resident at the Kawakawa about 700 persons, employed iu or about the mines, or dejiendent upon those so employed. We need not speak of the benefit which the discovery of coal at the Bay of Islands has been to Auckland. We may mention, however, that the lluapekapeka block, upon which the mine is, was bought from the natives in 1800 by Mr. Commissioner Kemp. There are 35,000 acres in the block, and the sum of £3BOO was paid for it iu hard cash. Coal had been found previous to the purchase, and this fact caused the natives to ask a higher price than they had any chance of getting otherwise. Shortly after the purchase, a native who hacJ been gum-digging brought some pieces of coal to Jlussell, and Mr. Kemp and Mr. Barstow went up and turned the first sod of the mine. On the Kuapekapeka block was fought one of the famous battles of the early history of 3SJew Zealand.

An American, who Ims beeu in London ferretting up particulars of successful authorship, says George Eliot lias not boon paid so handsomely as has betu generally (supposed. Up to a recent date, l«j declares, the talented authoress had received for "Scenes of Clerical Life," JiOOOdnls.; for "Silas Marner," 7500d015.; for "Adam Bedc," 17,500d015.; for " Mill on the How," 20,000dols.; for "Romola," 15,000dols.; for " Felix Holt," 22„ r >oodols. ; for " The Spanish Gipsy" (poem), -JoOOdols.; for "Middleman:))," 40,000dols.; for "The Legend of Jubal" (poem), 2000dols.; and for "Daniel Deronda," 30,000dols.; making in all 162,000 dols. As (this enterprising American goes on to say) it is eighteen years since she produced her first original work, she has earned only about OOOOdols. a year, and those who know her declare that she toils terribly over her manuscripts, or rather over the plot, characters, and incidents of her stories, before she begins to write. George Eliot, we further learn, is said to have been sorely disappointed at the general opinion that "Deronda"is neither so able nor so interesting as " Middlemarch," becauso she considers it by all odds her masterpiece. She has already begun to outline another novel, which she is determined shall exceed anything she has yet done. She does not believe she has yet reached the summit of her power, and she expects to prove it by her next performance.