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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5146, 20 September 1877, Page 2

A telegraphic message .was received from , Adelaide yesterday by Dr. Lemon, stating that the Batavian cable was working intermittently, and that messages of the 17th inst. were still on hand. We understand that in consequence of the ball to be given to-night by the members of the General Assembly at the new Wellington Club Houso there' will be no evening sitting of , either branch of the Legislature. The City Council give notice that at their - meeting on the 27th inst. they intend to consider a by-law to provide for the preservation of asphalt and concrete water channels within the city. Rapid progress is being made with the construction of the tramway, and it certainly promises to be a very substantial affair ; in fact, stronger than many railroads we have seen. The rails are laid on longitudinal i sleepers about 6in. cube, which rest on cross isleepers of the same dimensions. There are about three or four hundred yards of the tramway completed on the Adelaide-read, and judging from this portion, wo certainly think that the line will not interfere with the ordinary traffic in the streets. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yoster" day Edward Hughes aud John Wall, seamen, ;were charged with fighting. It appeared that the men had a fekr words on Tuesday night, ;and agreed to “have it out” the following morning. Both their faces were considerably [damaged, aud as the Bench was of opinion that ,they had suffered sufficiently, they were dismissed with a caution. —The following was tho Jcivil business l.owater v. Rowlands, judgment summons, ordered to be paid the following day, or in default seven days’ imprison- , incut. J. Debore v. N. Thompson. This was a plaimfor £l3 10s. for labor in fitting up a kitchen range. Mr. Eitzherbert appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Allan fer tile defe- dant. After a lengthy hearing, the Bench gave judgment for £5 10s. and costs.

Mr. J. M. Taylor has been appointed trustee in the estate of Mr. Alexander Diinant, of Wellington, clerk. There will be a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society bn Saturday next, when papers will be read fby Dr. Newman, Mr. Buchanan, F.L.S., and Dr/ Buller. A second dividend in the estate of the Wei lington and Wairarapa Carrying Company will ba payable at Mr..T. J£.-Macdonald's office on and after Thursday next to all creditors who Have proved their claim’s. The examination as to the sanity of Mr, Max Alexander was resumed at' the Supreme Court House yesterday, before Mr. Allen, the Commissioner in Lunacy, who " found that lunacy was proved, and will report to the Court to that effect. The Fine Arts Exhibition at St. George’s Hall was again liberally patronised last evening, and the entertainment evidently continues to maintain its popularity. Miss Morgan, Mr. Cary, and Mr. Keeley were very warmly received last evening. A special meeting of creditors in the estate of Mr. Thomas Lynch, of Wellington, builder, is advertised to take place at the Grand Jury room of the Supreme Court to-morrow (Friday) at 2 p.m. A general meeting of creditors in Mr. J. O’Shea’s estate will be held at three o’clock at the same place. There was not a very large attendance at the Theatre Koyal last night, on the occasion of the benefit of Messrs. Gibbons, Davenport, and Scott. “The Octoroon” was played in a very creditable manner, and was followed by an amusing afterpiece. To-night “ Ireland as it was ” and “ A Quiet Family ” will be produced. It will be noticed that the telegraph cable between Singapore and Batavia is working intermittently. To this fact is due the apparent incoherence of the following “ special cable war news” which we cheerfully acknowledge from the Evening Post :—“ Loudon, Sept. 18th. BlundElßey andWawKer Pasha have arrived here in order to establish a telegraphic agency which shall beat that of Reuter. They are sanguine of success.” The members of the General Assembly will give a ball at the Wellington Club House this evening, to which a large number of guests have been invited. To prevent inconvenience, the Inspector of Police notifies that carriages are to enter by Bowen-street, near Government House, proceed along the Terrace, and take their departure by Woodward-street; [and that the carriage lamps must show a good light. The Very Rev. Father Hennebery is advertised in our columns to preach a mission to the Catholics of Wellington, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, to begin on Sunday next at eleven o’clock mass. We understand that the rev. father has been engaged during several years in giving missions over the vast dioceses of the United States of America; and learning of late that preaching missions had never yet been attempted in these colonies, he formed his determination to undertake a voyage to New Zealand and prosecute the good work in which he was so successful in America.

Trees are now planted round the Basin Reserve. This is an improvement in a direction where it was much needed. The trees are mostly pines, and their growth will have the effect of dispelling that appearance of dreariness which the Basin Reserve now presents. We cannot help thinking, however, that the soil should have been better prepared before planting the trees, so as to give them a chance of attaining fair proportions as quickly as possible. Some of the settlers in the Manawatu and Rangitikei districts desirous of introducing trout into the streams in those localities are said to find a difficulty in obtaining the young fish for the purpose. If we are correctly informed, some of the streams in Hawke’s Bay and Auckland are now well stocked, and at Opawa, near Christchurch, a Mr. Johnson has succeeded in hatching the greater part of 30,000 trout ova this season. There ought, therefore, to be no insurmountable difficulty in obtaining them. By increasing the number of acclimatised fish in the country a very good work is being accomplished. The nucleus is being laid of a valuable addition and variety to the food supply, and an additional attraction is being held out to anglers. Every encouragement should be given to settlers desirous of assisting in the acclimatisation of such nonindigenous birds, beasts, and fishes as can be converted into food, or made otherwise useful. During dinner hour yesterday afternoon a ferocious looking person presented himself in the outer office of the New Zealand Times, and almost paralysing a small boy in charge by a look, said, “ envelope ! ” The small boy being a constant reader of the paper, knew that a lunatic was at large from the Asylum, and taking the visitor to be the lunatic, gave him an envelope with the greatest promptness. The stranger eyed the envelope for a moment in a bloodthirsty manner, then pulled from his pocket a note written in pencil on a dirty scrap of paper, put the note in the envelope, gave the latter a kind of cannibal lick with his lips, closed it, thumped it on the counter, and departed. On examination subsequently the note was found to be addressed to a member of the literary staff of this paper. It was not from ’ the escaped lunatic, being signed “G. Fisher,” but really, without the signature, there was no proof of sanity about the publication. Mr. Fisher is a member of the Hansard staff, and also of the City Council, but these facts scarcely account for his extraordinary conduct. His friends (if he has any) ought to take care of him. To-morrow (Fridayl the Lydia Howarde Burlesque Troupe arc announced to appear at the Princess Theatre for one night only, when a new burlesque entitled “ Fair Rosamond's Bower” will be presented to the audience. Miss Howarde will take the part of Queen Eleanor, Mdlle. Navaro Fair Rosamond, and Miss Jennie Nye King Henry 11. New scenery by Mr. E. Briggs. The burlesque will be preceded by a tableaux concert, with operatic representations. The prospectus of the Northern Loan and Building Society of Wellington appears in our advertising columns. It is proposed to incorporate the company under the Building Societies Act, 1876. The capital is to be £IOO,OOO, in 10,000 proprietary shares of £lO each, of which it is proposed to call up £5 per share in the following manner : —ss. per share on application, ss. on allotment, and the remainder by instalments of 2s. fid. each, at intervals of one month. The rapid growth and inereasiug prosperity of the city and surrounding districts of Wellington for the past few years warrant the opinion expressed by the company that a loan and building society formed under the Act referred to, and affording a wider scope for the employment of capital than has hitherto been offered, will meet a want felt by the community, and be a most successful undertaking. The objects of the company are, briefly, to provide a safe and profitable investment for capital; to receive money on deposit ;to grant loans on freehold and approved leasehold property ; to assist persons in the erection of dwellings ; and generally to afford every legitimate facility to borrowers and investors. Agents will be appointed throughout the Wellington District. By reference to the prospectus it will be seen that it is proposed that there shall be two classes of shares, viz., proprietary and investment shares. Mr. J. H. Wallace, of Hunter-street, and the agents of the National Bank of New Zealand will furnish any further information that may be required, and will supply forms of application. The share list closes on the 31st October. Notice is given that the committee of the Assembly balls regret that the state of the funds does not warrant their giving the third ball of the series. It is proposed at a later period of the session to give another ball, of which due notice will be given, and for which it will be necessary to make a further charge. This, it will be remembered, has nothing to do with the ball to be given to-night by the members of the General Assembly. California sent abroad 301 cargoes of wheat and flour dux-ing the year ending 30th June, valued at 18,427,500d015. It was a remarkable year. The statement would have been even better yet, however, except for the war advance in wheat, which stopped the export entirely during May.

The death is announced of the oldest Metho- J dist minister in Ireland, the Rev. John Nelson, in his ninety-fourth year. He was baptised by John Wesley, and was also a friend of Dr. Adam Clarke, the commentator. The' Waimakariri Harbor Board has made ah application to the Lyttelton Harbor Board for the-temporary services of Captain McLellah and Mr. Turpin, to consider the bWfct-means to be adopted-for improving the navigation of the Waimakariri; but the Lyttelton Times says that the services of the gentlemen in question cannot be spared. Referring to the large dead meat trade now being done by America, a Scotch exchange looks forward to the Australian colonies ere long competing with America in the large trade already established. There can be no doubt of the cold storage system being all sufficient for bringing the most perishable materials even from the antipodes ; and our \ustralian brethren are so satisfied of its practicability that £20,000 has been subscribed to test the question, and before another six months are over fresh beef and mutton carcases from Australia, and probably from New Zealand, will be regularly’ forthcoming to help to fill the maw of the metropolis, Mr. R. J. Duncan will offer for sale to-day, at his rooms, Panama-street. 1000 acres of rich alluvial land near Masterton, divided into blocks of 50 acres, on liberal terms; and afterwards there will be submitted to public competition three acres in Masterton township, in eighteen allotments, and also a commodious shop, bakery, and dwelling-house in Main-street. The rapid rise in the value of property in this favored locality has been very marked, and will doubtless cause considerable competition for the choice lots which are to be offered to day, the opportunities for obtaining which will day by clay become scarcer. At 1 o’clock there will be a luncheon at Mr. Duncan’s rooms, Mr. Xaing being the caterer, and it is almost needless to say that the spread will be in his usual excellent style. Mr. McGrath’s well-known and popular hostelry at Porirua is advertised for sale.