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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 4

Ddbinq the consideration of the Bluff'Harbor Endowment and Borrowing Bill 'in committee of the House yesterday,.several hon.’ mpmbers expressed an opinion that it Would be advisable for the colony to undertake the raising of such loans, as it would 1 , be able to get tfae'money on more favorable terms:'Own the local bodies.’ Hr. Bowen, during the discussion which : followed, quoted some satisfactory figures from “ Westgarth’s Circular,” showing that not only was the credit of the colony high in the Home money market, but that the loans of harbor boards and' municipalities meet with great

favor. " The following ’are the quotations given in the “ Circular” dated the 3rd of August New Zealand.—The sixes again show a general rise of one per' cent.", and the five per cent, five-thirty loan a rise of two. The city of Christchurch, city of Wellington, and city of Dunedin loans each shows an advance of one per cent. The prices of the chief harbor loans have generally advanced, although there has been little inquiry for these stocks. Napier harbor bonds are quoted at 106 to 109, a rise of 3 J per cent.; Otago harbor, 101 to 103, a rise of 2; and Auckland harbor, 103 J to 105, a rise of Ij.

Telegrams from Europe were received at this office a little after six o’clock yesterday evening, and were immediately issued as an Extra, of which a very large number were sold. They completely dispose of the faintest reason that has been put forward to account for the purely fictitious “Fall of Plevna” and its consequent disastrous effects on the Turkish cause having been telegraphed. The Turks hold their, own at Plevna, and the investing forces are more than 'threatened from the east by the army of Mehemet Ali, and from the south by that of Sulieman Pasha. The Russians have been badly and repeatedly beaten by the former, who pursues his victorious march from Eski Djuma, and has now compelled his foe to abandon, the country to the east of the River Jantra. Mehemet AH, in the flush of conquest, is therefore within fifty miles of Plevna, and Sulieman Pasha is advancing, from the Shipka Pass. Before long we may hear of the really great battle of the war, that in which the investing army at Plevna will be attached from outside, and an attempt made to raise the siege, such attempt being helped by sorties from the garrison.

Fbom the annual report laid before Parliament this session * we learn that the Colonial Museum has been visited during the year by 14,500 persons, who have entered their names in a book kept for that purpose, and the probabilities are that others have paid a visit to this institution who have not gone through that formality. A large’number of geological specimens and samples of local plants (the latter presented by Captain Campbell-Walker, of the Forest Department) have been added to the former stock, and the Museum has been enriched by the presentation of a variety of species of plants by the trustees of the British Museum. The contents of the Museum are now set out on a general plan, although the minute arrangement and cataloguing of the specimens is far from complete. It is intended that ’ the central part of the hall should be devoted to general typical and foreign collections; the north wing to the illustration of the natural history of New Zealand, zoology on the ground floor, and botany in the gallery; while the whole of the south wing is devoted to the collections made in the course of geological survey of the colony.

The Otago Daily Times does not seem tohayeacquired muchadditionalintellectsince thechange occurred in its proprietary. On Tuesday last it had a leader on the Russo-Turkish war, which commenced by stating that the occupation of Plevna i by' the Turks was' likely, to involve, them ini serious loss, and wound up with a confident assurance that the strategical positions of the Mahometans, including Plevna, were so admirably chosen that there was no doubt of their^ultiinate‘success oyer the Turks. Hav> ; thus ! much, our readers will readily believp that the leader in question may be read every,'way' (iuoludiil§ sideways and upside down), without arriving at an approximation to its meaning. , Some years since, when Marshal Bazaine escaped from prison, the Otago Daily Times had a leader in which it was proved that his capitulation. at Metz had saved France. That was pretty good ; but the present instance betters the former example.

■The'condition of the Opposition at present may be very aptly illustrated by a reference to att experiment in electricity. Most, people have seen a number of- little pith balls attracted to- a-piece of sealing-wax on a brass rod previously rubbed pretty hard with 'a woollen -cloth. So. soon,.however, as the predisposing cause departs the pith balls drop off and have no longer any appearance Of uniting themselves to' a centre. Xow this is just the state of the Opposition. Every now rind again some evanescent cause has made tmem ’ join On a purely temporary platform gainst the and every now and hgain they have' found that there was no permanent force to-’ keep -them together. It may be thereforeifairly laid that no constitutional opposition exists.' : ‘■ ;

The slow 'laW'at which telegrams ; from Europe are arriving is easily explained., 1 The cable between Singapore and Batavia 1 has hot absolutely broken down) but there is so much' of leakage from it (man electrical sense) that even using the most delicate instruments known, messages come faintly, and in most instanced require frequent repetitions' before they are understood. ' . The telegraph repairing steamer Duke of Edinburgh has started to repair the fault, and this should not be a work of much time. ■ ; ' i

A meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held at noon yesterday. 'Present: Messrs. J. G. Holds worth (in, the chair), H. Bunny, and J. Mason. The proceeds of the sale of land from the 6th,to,the 9th,instant, amounted to £1221 15s. An application, by, Mr. C. Moore for 640 acres land of ..the Whareama Block, which' had not! ; .been, surveyed, was postponed until a report, had' been received from the Chief Surveyor. It was stated that the block of 14,500 acres between the Hutt and Waikanae was now being surveyed under contract. 1 1 ...

The Deceased Wife’s Sister’s Marriage Bill narrowly escaped an untimely pollapse in the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon ; the feeling against, it was so strong that it was almost thrown out without being even read a first time; however, it ,did subsequently pass its first reading, and its second reading Was formally fixed for Wednesday next, but it' seems very probable that it will never reach a third in the Legislative Council. The Hon; the Speaker of the Upper House was yesterday asked by ; the Colonial Secretary to give His opinion as to the effect the report of the select' committee (who had inquired into the disqualification or otherwise of Mr. Peacock from holding a seat in the Council) would have if it were'adopted. Sir J. L. C. Richardson said that in his opinion the adoption of the report of the select committee was perfectly harmless, os if-Mr. Peacock’s seat ‘ wasi ; vacatjed, it was rendered vacant by the operation of the Act itself. ' The sale of 1000 acres of land (in 50 acre lots)' near Mastertoh the property of Mr. Gilligan, came off yesterday at Mr. 11. J. Dun-, can’s rooms. There was a large attendance of buyers, and in the middle of the day a champagne luncheon, furnish d in Mr. Laing’s best style, was served to all present, who did ample justice to it, The following excellent, prices were obtained, the lots realising in the aggre-; gate £6500 ; —Lot 1, Campbell, £l2 10a. per acre lots* 2 and 3, 50 acres each, A. Young, £lO per acre ; lot 4,'50 acres, A. Croskqry, £lO per acre ; lot 5, 50 acres, D. McKenzie, ■£B 10a. per acre ; lots 6 and 7, 50 acres and 60 acres 1 rood 1 24' perches, Wright, £6 10a. per acre ; lot 8, 53 acres 2 rood?, A. Crdskeiy, £5 10s. per acre ; lot 9, 85 acres, Scott,:£6 TOs: per acre plot TO,' 50 .acres, ' Scott, £6 per acre ; lot ; 13, 55 aoresp 'A. Croskery, £5 per acre ; lot 14;' 55 1 acres; I ‘A. Cfoskery, £l 15s. per acre p lots 16 and 16, 55’acres each, R J. Duncan, £4 per acre ; lot 17, 58 acres 3 roods, A.; Cfoskery, £3 15s;' per acre ; lot 18, 75 acres, A. Croskery, £3 I,os. per acre.—Afterwards ten of Mr. Bannister’s allotments in Masterton township w;ere hold at ah average of about £3 per foot, and eight were’withdrawn.. The result of ,the sale proves the increasing value of land in this favorite locality. , j

, The accounts of the New Zealand Institute for the year 1876-77, shpw the reoeipts,.(including a balance -in baud on the 19th September of £218;45.'4d.)' to amount to £765 95.,4d., and the expenses to be less than that amount by £123 9s. 4d.

■ Pending the formation of fire police, Captain Crowe has notified to members of' the City Rifle Corps to assemble as early as possible when the alarm of fire is given, to act as a fire police corps.

There was a heavy fail of snow in Dunedin and Port Chalmers oh Monday last. ' j The meeting of Hr. O’Shea’s'creditora, which was to have been held this afternoon at S o’clock, is postponed until Friday, the 28th instant. .

Tenders are invited until noon on the 27th inst. for the erection ’of a Roman Catholic church at Pahautanui. Plans, &c., can. be inspected at Hr. Turnbull’s office. The quarterly meeting of the District Grand Lodge of Freemasons was held at the hall, Bbuloott-street, last evening. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master (Mr. Toxward) presided, and a considerable amount of business was transacted. The meeting was brought to a close punctually at half-past 9 o’clock. The St. George's Hall exhibition and entertainment attracted a large audience last evening. We are , informed that half the tickets have already been sold. To-morrow night Miss Emily Powell will make her first appearance in conjunction with the present company. The business transacted at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday was of an unimportant nature. Messrs. G. Crawford and J. Dransfield were on the bench. William Thomas was fined ss. and costs, for allowing his chimney to be ablaze. Anne Atkins was granted a protection order from her husband, Samuel Atkins, on the ground of desertion. During the present year a special examination by members of the staff of the Geological Survey Department has been made of the fossiliferous beds of the Waikato Heads, with a view of determining their age and tracing their extent. A considerable collection of fossils was made from the locality, but the number of distinct forms obtained was small

Telegraphing on Monday last, the Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says : —“ The want-of-confidenoe motion will positively be given notice of on Wednesday. It has been postponed till then as the Opposition desired to see the religious clauses of the Education Bill first dealt with. The division will be .very close.” It will be seen that time has given the statements of the correspondent a practical contradiction. ~ While the diver was below working at the wreck of the Express (according to the Riverton Star), he, encountered a shark about eight feet long. He saw the voracious member of the finhy tribe before .it got close to him, and had time to :draw, his knife and give it a out under the belly. It turned sharply round upon him with one of its fins, and then beat a retreat, no doubt to the infinite relief of the submarine prospector. The ball given by the members of' both Houses of the Legislature came off last night in the new Club House, the members of the Wellington Club having very courteously placed the new building at the disposal of the ball; committee. The. dancing took place in the large billiard room and library room, the whole arrangements being carried out with the utmost credit to the committee of management. Over 500 guests were assembled, among whom were his Excellency the Marquis of Normanby, the Marchioness of Normanby, 1 and suite, the captain and officers Of H.M.S. Sappho, the Judges of the Supreme Court, and' the principal citizens of Wellington. . A New Zealand Gazette published yesterday notifies the reserve of ' certain lauds in the’ Poverty Bay District for the use and benefit Of the aboriginal natives whose names are appended to the notification ; also of reserves made for educational purposes in the provincial district of Taranaki; and ’of lands set apart in the Hawke’s Bay District for special settlement. An Order in Council has been, issued sanctioning the terms under which land in the Victoria Small Farm Association Special Settlement ’ Block are to be acquired. 1 It is notified that the Appeal Court will sit at the Supreme Court House, Wellington, On! the 12th November next,-and the Divorce Court on the 19th of the same month. His Excellency the Governor has'been pleased to .confirm the report of the Court of Inquiry held at Nelson-into the’wreck of the Queen’ Bee:' Thomas Me William, Esq., Mayor of Winton, and W. R. Wales, Esq., Mayor of Nelson, are gazetted justices of the peace. *H. McCulloch, Esq., E.M.,' is appointed a coroner within the colony. Mr. John Black is appointed deputyregistrar of cattle and sheep brands. The designation •of the post office at present known as “-Kowai ”■ (Canterbury) has been changed to “ Leithfield.” , .!•’" On Sunday next there will be. re-opening services in connection 1 with. the Primitive Methodist Church, Webb-street, when sermons will be preached by the Rev. F. Trivett in the morning, and in the evening by the Rev. J. Dumbell. Collections will be made! after each service in aid of the church fund. On Tuesday next a tea and public meeting will be held, when addresses will be delivered by several clergymen and laymen, and the choir will sing selections from a new service of song. Considerable alterations and additions have been made to the church, which has been lengthened twenty feet, giving additional accommodation, which was much required by the congregation attending this place of worship. His Worship the Mayor will take the chair at the meeting, and there will no doubt be a large attendance on the occasion.

The Victorian papers chronicle. a dreadful accident to a lad named John Schmidt, .the son of the landlord of , the Flourmill Hotel, Ararat. The lad and a fellow-apprentice named Wright were engaged in hanging a stable door. Schmidt was holding the door on one side,, while Wright was boring a hole through it on the other side. When the boring operation 1 had been completed Wright / withdrew the auger, but .to make sure of a clean hole he thrust it in again, and pushed it forcibly through, just as Schmidt had put his eye to the hole to, look through. . The screw of the tool struck the ball of the eye with such violence that it penetrated it nearly to its full depths The dad was promptly taken away to Ararat for medical attendance, but it is certain that he has entirely lost the sight of the eye injured. ■ . , , r - _. ,r, .

The Ballarat Star thus describes a Chinese festival which recently took , place there : “ The Chinese camp resembled a vast beehive more than anything else, for, it was crowded from dusk until dawn by larrikins, Chinese, and sight-seers—male and female. The annual ceremony of providing food, raiment, and firing for the souls of. those" Chinese who have died, by violence or accident was performed, a ■priest coming from Dunolly to officiate. About £3O was collected to pay expenses, and was laid out in firewood, food,; and paper patterns of clothing. At dusk a huge fire was lit in the open* air, and tom toms, kettledrums, and reed pipes used to produce an ear-splitting chorus. This music, unearthly, though not very spiritual, was kept up until midnight to attract the attention of the spirits for whose benefit the good things were provided. Spirit etiquette seems to be the same all the world over; and it is not‘.the thing’for even Chinese ghosts to walk before midnight. At that witching hour gin and wine were spilt upon the earth, and dishes wherein rice, fowls, fruit, vegetables, and pudding formed an oUa podrida were placed round the fire. When the spirits were supposed'to have eaten enough to last them for another twelvemonth, and warmed themselves thoroughly, the paper clothes were burnt amid many quaint ceremonies. The food was then distributed among the paupers of the camp, a group of the loathsome leapers from near the rifle-butts, who had crawled to the ceremony, getting a fowl to themselvesi”. ; . ' -

Mr. AV. Finnimore will offer tor sale on the 20th Inst., at the Odd Fellows’ Hall, pursuant to Instructions from Messrs. B. Smith and Co., a very valuable block of land, together with all the shops and frontages thereon, being a portion of the estate of the late Mr. John Gibson, ami situated on the south side of Manners-street, and extending from the Wesleyan Church towards Willia-street, and comprising about 500 ft. of very eligible frontages. This property being in the very heart of the city, where it day becoming more and more difficult to obtain land, offers a rare opportunity to investors, High as prices are now ruling for land in Wellington, they must in the natural course of events rise still higher as the commerce of the port Increases, as.it must do when communication is opened up with the interior by railway. Moreover the geographical position of Wellington would seem to point it out unmistakeably as the great emporium of trade for these islands,and the South Sea Islands also. Plans of the property can be obtained from Messrs. B. Smith and Co., or from the auctioneer.