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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5150, 25 September 1877, Page 2

The criminal sitting of the Supreme Court will commence on Monday next, October Ist. The names of the prisoners at present set down for trial are as follows :—Daniel Haggerty, arson ; Harold Bay, embezzlement ; William .Cook, forgery ; Mary Ann Trueman i and Mary Leonard Mudgway, infanticide ; Fredk. Gillan, rape ; Thomas Tolley, feloniously receiving stolen goods. , • Advices, have been received by the Government that the steamer Zealandia left San Francisco on'the 12th with the Loudon mail of the 23rd August, and is due at Auckland on the sth October. The City of Sydney, which left Auckland on the 29th August, arrived'at San Francisco on the 20th inst., with the homeward New Zealand mail. Merely to prevent misconception, it may be mentioned that the Evening Post, in reporting that the Education Bill had passed its third reading on Friday last, and that the House went into committee on the Districts Bailway Bill before the dinner adjournment yesterday, was misled by its reporter. A deputation consisting of Messrs. Dodson, Mawley, and Butherford waited yesterday upon Mr. Beethara, the member for the Wairarapa District, with a petition urging upon the Government the necessity of further assistance being given to the making of the road to Alfredton, in the Bangitumau Block. The petitioners state that the bush has been cleared a chain wide for about seventeen miles, and the road partly formed, but there are a few more miles 1 required in order to make the thoroughfare practically available for through traffic. The undergrowth is also springing up again over a portion of the road already cleared. If this road were made passable throughout there would be uninterrupted communication .by this route from Masterton to the main road to Napier, and it is considered by the petitioners that it w.uld be largely made use of, a id that the laud on either side of it would be speedily taken up and settled upon by that most desirable class of settlers —people with a little capital desirous of cultivating small holdings accessible to, a road by which their produce can be conveyed to market. The petition will be presented in due course, and will doubtless receive attention. The desirability of encouraging settlement in .the locality referred to is obvious to all who are acquainted with the country. The land is of good quality, centrally situated, and when communication is established between it and the main road meeting at Woodville, a great stimulus will be given to the progress of this important inland district. At a meeting of the Kaiwarra Local Board, held at the Toll-gate House, Kaiwarra, last night, the following commissioners were present : —Messrs. Donald, Cameron, Phillips, and Wyatt (chairman.) The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Mr. Nairn, contractor for the old Porirua-road, waited on the board, complaining of the nuisance caused by certain pigs trespassing on the board’s portion of the road. The board authorised Mr. Nairn to lay an information against the owners of the pigs. A letter was read by the chairman, which had been received from Mr. D. Calder, who also personally waited on the board, requesting that body to raise the footpath one foot in front of the Baiubow Inn; in order to facilitate ingress and egress thereby ; but as the house had been erected since the formation of the footpath, the board could not grant the request. Mr. C. Thompson, junr., was appointed returning officer for the election of five commissioners, to be held on the 6th of October next. After some routine business had been disposed of, the board adjourned. There was a fair attendance at the Theatre Eoyal last evening, although it was hardly so large as the excellence of tho performance deserved. The dress circle was well filled; but the pit and stalls were not so liberally patronised as might have been expected. The sparkling and popular comedy of “ The School for Scandal ” was placed upon the boards, the leading characters being very ably sustained by Miss Surtess and Mr. Tavares, who were well supported by the rest of the company. To - night (by special request) “Hamlet” will be performed, and we expect to see a full house. The exertions of the lessees to produce a constant change in the programme are worthy of much praise, and are calculated to draw the support of all the lovers of music and tho drama in Wellington, Notice is given'that Mr. James Ranson, builder, of this city, has filed a declaration that he is unable to meet his engagements with his creditors. Mr. D. T. Stuart has been appointed creditors’ trustee in the estate of Mr,' George Gilbert, of Johnsonville, builder.

A meeting of the Education Board will be held to-morrow at a quarter-past eleven. The annual meeting of the -Wellington Cricket Club will be held at the Pier Hotel this evening. A Marlborough firm recently received the valuation from London of their last shipment of rabbit skins, namely, for the silver grey, 45., and the common rabbit, 3s. per dozen. The 1.0.G.T. Pioneer Lodge gave_ a musical and literary entertainment last evening at the Polytechnic Hall. There was a good attendance, The programme consisted of glees, songs, readings, &c., which were performed in a very creditable manner. A New Zealand Gazette, published on Friday last, which reached us last night, contains a notification of lauds on the East Coast, amounting to a total area of over ten thousand acres, adjudicated upon by Judge Hogan, of the Native Lands Court. The memorials of ownership have been ordered, and the names of the owners of the several blocks are published in the Gazette. Information was received yesterday by the police that the escaped lunatic Mclntosh, who has been at large for the past fortnight, has been heard of near Pahau on the East Coast, and a constable has been despatched on horseback from the Hutt in search of him. There is every probability, therefore, of his being in safe custody again in a short time, which is much to be desired, as he is reputed a daneeroua character, with a predilection for setting buildings on fire. The sooner he is re-captured, taken back to the Asylum, and kept safe, the better. There was a good attendance at the Fine Arts Exhibition at St. George’s Hall last evening. The programme which was presented was well received by the audience, and was performed in a very creditable style. Miss Lizzie Morgan rendered in a very pleasing manner several of her favorite ballads, including a comic song which afforded much amusement. The ceiling walking of Mr. F. Gerrard was a special feature of the entertainment, and his performance on the trapeze was much admired. The sweet baritone voice of Mr. R. W. Cary also contributed not a little to the success of the night’s entertainment, as did also the comic songs of Mr. Keeley and the selections which the City Rifle Band rendered during the intermissions. The performances concluded with the comic sketch entitled “The Rival Othellos,” which caused much laughter. For to-night the same programme is announced. The management intimate that they have engaged the Lydia Howarde Troupe to appear on Thursday evening next in conjunction with the present company, when the burlesque entitled “Fair Rosamond’s Bower” is to be played. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning (H. S. Wardell, Esq., R.M., on the bench), Thomas Gilbert was fined 205., or, in default, 48 hours, for drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Donald Campbell, for the same offence, was ordered to pay a fine of 10s., or 'go to gaol for 48 hours. James Robertson Wilson was charged with having, on the 4th inst,, obtained from Robert Swain various sums, amounting to £l9 2s. 6d., on false pretences. Prisoner was remanded, at his own request, till Thursday. Richard Paris was charged with being a stowaway, having evaded payment of his passage by the Rotorua from Lyttelton to Wellington. He was fined £l, and ordered to pay the passage money in a week. Henry McCulloch, landlord of the Kaiwarra Hotel, was charged with assaulting Francis Ramsay. Prosecutor’s statement was that he was turned out of the hotel when he was so drunk as not to be able to take care of himself. That was the only assault he complained of. There was a cross-action, and Ramsay was charged with using language calculated to provoke a breach of the peace. The charge against McCulloch was dismissed, and Ramsay was bound over, in his own recognizance of £lO, to keep the peace. A case of death from an overdose of chloral taken to produce sleep, is reported in the Lyttelton Times of the 20th inst. The deceased was a man named Alexander Leith Gordon. He had been unwell and sleepless for some time, and procured a bottle of Hunter’s solution of chloral from the establishment of Messrs. Cook and Ross. His landlady administered a dose on Tuesday night; but the deceased during the night drank the whole of the contents of the bottle. He appeared well early the following morning ; but about halfpast 10 o’clock he was seen, as he was approaching the house where he lived, to fall on the footpath, struggling as if in a fit. Dr. Florence was called in, and the man was removed to the hospital, where he died shortly afterwards. The following letter, of interest to Freemasons, is published in the Otago Guardian of the 21st inst. :—“ Sir, —The following communication has come by this mail from the Supreme Council of Scotland relative to the body in New Zealand calling itself the Supreme Council of New Zealand;—‘ Extract of minutes of Supreme Council, 33 °, for England, Wales, and the Dependencies of the British Crown; Dated 10th October, 1876.—New Zealand.— This Supreme Council having been informed that a body has been established in New Zealand styling itself the Supreme Council 33 ° A. and A. Scottish Rite for New Zealand; and whereas no such body can legally exist in the dependencies of the British Crown under the constitutions which recite that there shall be but one Supreme Council 33 ° in each state or nation, do now decide that instructions be sent to the Star of the South Chapter, Rose Croix, atGreymouth, New Zealand, pointing out that the said body is illegal, and that no Masonic communion can be held with its members by Masons holding allegiance to this Supreme Council ; and it is resolved that a copy of this minute be forwarded to Lausanne for communication to the Confederated Councils, and that copies of the same be transmitted likewise to the Supreme Councils, not members of the Confederation. True extract. —Shadwell H. Clarke, 33 °, Grand Secretary General.— Grand East, 33, Golden-square, London, W., 12th October, 1876.’ It was unanimously resolved that no countenance should be given to the body in question.— Robert Paterson, 30 .'. Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.” The Bay of Plenty Times of the 19th inst. understands that during the past week a large native meeting has been held at Maketu, having reference to a section of the Tapuika taking forcible possession of Mr. Yercoe’s property at Rangiuru. The matter is not yet settled, but in the meantime his farming operations are at a standstill. The principal Arawa chiefs have been to see the Tapuika, endeavoring to induce them to give up possession of certain houses on the Rauguiru Block ; but, up to now, they have refused to do so, stating as their reason that they are acting under the advice of some Auckland solicitor. It is extremely discouraging to see enterprise checked by intertribal jealousy, but we take it there is nothing for it but patience until the Lands Court has investigated the title. At a recent meeting of the Riding Club at Warrenstown, Virginia, Murad, a ohesnut gelding, six years old, ridden by H. Bartels, and carrying 1561b5., in clearing one of the hurdles made the extraordinary jump of 36ft., measuring from where his hind feet left ground to the point where they again reached ground. The leap was made after the horse had gone two miles, at the last jump in the race, which was a very wide sod wall, four feet high, with a ditch six feet wide in front of it. Just before coming to the jump the horse showed an inclination to bolt, and became very hard to control. He rushed at the wall at near top speed, took off over twenty feet this side, and, by throwing his fore-quarters high in the air, cleared the obstacle. The distance cleared from the point the hind feet left the ground to where the front feet touched ground was 42ft, These facts are attested by gentlemen of character, who witnessed the leap, and immediately measured, it by a standard rule. This feat is only excelled by the performance of Chandler, who, ridden by .Captain Broadley, at Warwick, England, in 1847, cleared 37ft. over water. For many years the distance of this leap has been recorded as 39ft., but this has been corrected by Captain Broadlev himself, Murad’s performance is confessedly the best in the United States.

Fifty-two vessels, of 28,000 tons aggregate measurement, have been posted at Lloyds as missing during the first four months of the present year. According to the Hodykinson Mining News, Chinamen are supplying the residents on that goldfield with fowls, which they, bring in baskets a distance of 150 miles, at 12s. and 15s. a-piece. In reference to recent gold discoveries within the Buller County, the Westport Times says that if anticipations are fulfilled, a country of alluvial gold workings, some eight miles by six in extent, and leading to terraces and high ranges where further auriferous treasures are known to exist in the matrix, will be opened up. The Army and Navy Gazette of July 14 says :—The German officers consider that Russia should have waited three or four years before declaring war, in order to complete her armament and her reorganisation. The artillery was not ready, the clothing incomplete ; the officers have not got their men well in hand, and the non-commissioned officers are defective in the way of instruction. As regards tactics, it is pointed out that the Russians do not appear to have taken a lesson from the Franco-German war, and that the infantry is given to rushing forward impetuously with the bayonet in the old Zouave fashion. The impression of the staff in Berlin is that the Russians are still a long way from Constantinople. The Hawke's Bay Herald publishes the following extracts written by a well-known resident of Napier, who has recently left New Zealand for the American Continent, conveying some interesting information. With reference to Honolulu, he says : Owners of sugar plantations are making fortunes since they got their sugar free into the American market. The Foreign Secretary of the Sandwich Islands was a passenger with us to San Francisco. He was on his way to London to obtain the consent of the British Government to their getting coolie labor for their plantations. Did not see much change in San Francisco, excepting the building of the Palace Hotel, said to be the finest in the world ; covers two and a-half acres, and is seven storeys high.” I stayed there while in town. I need hardly say everything was- first-class. California was parched up by a long drought, and I saw nothing that cattle would eat, unless they would eat gravel. I went to the Salt Lake. That times have changed there can be seen by their tolerating an opposition paper which abuses everything Mormon. Salt Lake City is a nice place, but the surrounding land very poor. The weather through America was very hot, and I was nearly stewed ; getting to Halifax ten pounds lighter than when I left New Zealand. Stayed a day in Chicago. All the burnt part is mostly built on with better houses than it had before the fire. Spent a day and a-half at Niagara. I conclude Niagara is a fraud. It is a town of 5000 inhabitants, all living by swindling those who come to see the falls. You can’t breathe unless you pay 50 cents. Times are dull here ; nothing doing in the coal trade, the Americans beating us in our colonial markets. They have no duty to pay in sending coals to the Canadian markets, while they have a duty of 75 cents a ton on our coals.” We are requested to call attention to Mr. George Thomas’s sale of a freehold, situated at the rear of the New Zealand Times printing establishment, which will be held at his auction room, Grey-street, tomorrow, at 2 o’clock. This land adords ample room for the erection of a foundry, or any large factory requiring space, and is well worthy the attention of capitalists. .