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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5174, 22 October 1877, Page 2

Information from Singapore, dated the 19th, states that cable communication between Singapore and Penang is interrupted, but that steamers pass. between , the two places frequently.

A New Zealand Gazette dated the 18th inst. notifies the resignation' of Sir George Grey, K.C.8., as Colonial Secretary, and the .appointment of the Hon. George Stoddart Whitmore, 0.M.G., to that office. A comparative return of the quantity and value of gold entered for exportation from New Zealand for the quarter ended 30th September, 1877, and on the same date in 1876 is published, by which it appears that for the first-mentioned period 103,6880z5., value £415,216, were entered ; and for the corresponding quarter of 1876, 77,0480z5., value £307,688. A return of the Customs revenue for the quarter ended 30th September, 1876, shows the total revenue during that period to have been £309,098, and for the corresponding quarter of 1876, £303,430. The amount collected at the port of .Wellington for the quarter ended 30th September last was £*4,889, and for the corresponding quarter of 1876, £44,951 ; at Auckland, £53,225, as against £54,734 for the corresponding quarter of 1876 ; at Napier, £9340, corresponding quarter, £10,213 ; Lyttelton, £52,026, corresponding quarter, £49,111 ; Timaru, £4740, corresponding quarser, £5306 ; Oamaru, £2827, corresponding quarter, £2803 ; Dunedin, .£89,278, corresponding quarter, t- £84,006 ; Invercargill, £7578, corresponding quarter, £7959. An application for a patent for wool pressing machine is made by Mr. J. Keid, of Clive, Hawke’s Bay. Several notices are givenunder the Land Transfer Act. The appointment of Mr. O. A. M. Crombietoboa cadet in the Department of Justice is gazetted, the appointment to date from the 6th June last. The following appointments in the Postal Department have been made in the Provincial District of Wellington :—J. T. Shaw to be postmaster at Carterton ; A. Jackson at Eketahuna ; J. Brown, Turakina ; W. G. Eraser, Waitotara ; H. S. Mason, at Gladstone ; J. A. Tompkins, at Halcombe ; J. Macdonald, Wangaehu; W. C. Peacock, Waverley ;F. W. Connell, at Horokiwi. Eketahuna and Gladstone are new offices. The post office at Pakuratahi has been closed. The Evening Post on Saturday night corrects us in some remarks we made in reference to the Shipping and Seamen’s Bill. Our contemporary is perfectly right in stating that it was the intention of the Act that charges of embezzlement and disobedience of orders should be dealt with summarily; but as the clause of the Bill now stands, it is doubtful whether that could bo done; and it has been referred, on the grounds we previously stated, to the Crown Law Officers for their opinion. Wo regret to have to record the denth of Mr. Alexander Sutherland, which took place at his residence, Mansfield-street, yesterday morning, at eight o’clock. Mr. Sutherland was one of our earliest settlers, ho having arrived here in the ship Oriental in 1840. The deceased was upwards of seventy years of age, but, was hale and hearty, and up to a recent date was apparently likely to live many years ; but a few months ago he was attacked with cancer in the tongue, which terrible disease proved fatal. Mr. Sutherland leaves a widow and family to mourn his loss, which will also be much felt by a large circle of friends, by whom he was much and deservedly esteemed. A correspondent writing from Eoxton under date 18th instant says ;—“At a meeting of the Council last evening a county rate of 6d. in the £ was struck, and made payable at once. The chairman read a letter from the Government stating that under present circumstances separation would not bo granted, so there is an end of that matter, until next session. Two very important 1 resolutions were passed intimately affecting the welfare of this place and district generally. The chairman was requested to apply for , Eoxton being declared a port of entry, and he was also deputed to draw the attention of the Government to the utter inadequacy of the present wharf accommodation, of which more anon.”

The Wellington Monthly Prices Current of Saturday last contains its usual amount of valuable commercial intelligence, evidently mort carefully and accurately prepared by ita editor and proprietor, Mr. S. Carroll. Amongst other returns which are published is one showing that during the wool season of 187(5-77 there were shipped at the port of Wellington 42,503 bales, valued at 089,838.

Amongst other, “ abuses of power in high places ” which Sir George Grey when in Opposition was wont most fervently, to denounce, was the custom of the Government to forward by telegraph gratis to the various papers throughout the colony reports of financial and other statements. It is strange how office alters a man’s opinions, however. We notice that the highminded Sir George on his accession to power took the very first chance to use the telegraph wires for party purposes by sending out a report of his Ministerial statement. In the presence of the Hon; the Speaker of the Legislative Council and most of the leading members of both Houses the Rev. Charles Clark, in the Odd Fellow’s Hall, on Saturday : night, repeated his wonderful lecture on “ Oliver Cromwell.” The brilliant lecturer excited the admiration of the full and fashionable audience, and the “ Battle of Naseby” elicited the most enthusiastic applause, an encore even being demanded, which, however, was not complied with. To-night " Thackeray, the Snobographer,” with its humorous and pathetic illustrations, will be repeated, and tomorrow Mr. Clark will sail for Napier.. “ After Dark,” a drama of the sensational order, was produced on Saturday night at the Theatre Royal to a house well filled in the lower part. The piece was well mounted with new scenery, and proved a success, all who took part in the performance being well up in their several parts. The piece abounds in striking situations, and will repay a visit. The management have made arrangements for an early appearance of Signor and Signora Majeroni, the Italian artists. St. George’s Hall was crowded in every part oft Saturday evening, and the entertainment, as it always does, gave every satisfaction. A great variety of useful gifts were distributed by the manager, Mr. Cary. To-night another new performance will be produced, entitled “La Sylphide,” founded on the famous opera of the “Mountain Sylph.” It will be appropriately put upon the stage, the Scotch element predominating. The music is all Scotch, and the national reels will be introduced. The leading prize to-night will be a handsome tea and coffee service.

The lovers of billiards will have the opportunity of enjoying a great treat this evening at .the Post Office Hotel, when Mr. Herbert Roberts, the champion handstroke player, will make his first appearance for a short season of three nights. Mr. Roberts will commence a game with the cue, 600 up, his antagonist being Mi\ J. Arnes, to whom he gives 200 points start. He will then play a game of seventy-, five cannons, giving forty start, against any comer, after which he will give an exhibition of some of his fancy shots, which are pronounced by experts as being marvellous. As a handstroke player Mr. Roberts is pronounced second to no one, and his reputation is so well established that it is unnecessary to say more on that head. Mr. Herbert Roberts is a brother of the celebrated Mr. John Roberts, the English champion player, who was here some time ago, and played a series of matches at the Post Office Hotel, where the billiardroom is admirably adapted for an exhibition of the kind, as there is ample room for lookerson, and for whom every accommodation will be afforded by Mr. Harding, the proprietor of the hotel.

The case of Donald v. McMillan, an action for alleged breach of agreement between brewer and publican, in which the main question at issue is, we believe, whether the beer supplied by the one to the other was of good marketable quality, comes bn for hearing today. Between sixty and seventy witnesses are said to be likely to be called upon to testify to the quality of the beverage, some of them doubtless thorough experts in the matter. To the trade and a considerable section of the beer-drinking portion of the community—which comprises a large section of it—the question is not without interest, and the Court will probably be crowded during the progress of the case. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Saturday morning Mr. Wardell, R.M., on the bench, Mrs. Esther Ann Blake brought an action against Mrs. Mulligan to recover £lO, by way of compensation for an assaidt committed bn the plaintiff on the 22nd Sept. Mr. Fitzherbert appeared for Mrs. Blake, and stated that on the day in question his client went into Mr. Mulligan’s shop, Lambtonquay, to get a broach mended. Mrs. Mulligan was in the shop at the time, and asked plaintiff if she could not mend the broach herself. Plaintiff replied that perhaps she could if she had the material. Mrs. Mulligan retired to a room behind the shop, and on returning struck Mrs. Black a severe blow on the eye, and attacked and hunted her out of the shop with a broomstick. It being Saturday evening, a large crowd collected. The plaintiff was in delicate health at the time, and it is alleged that she suffered considerably from the assault. Mr. Gordon Allan, who appeared for the defendant, applied for a nonsuit on the ground that plaintiff being a married woman could not sue in her own name. Mr. Fitzherbert admitted this, and said the mistake was purely a clerical error. He applied that the plaint be amended. His Worship said except the other side agreed he could not well accede to the request of Mr. Fitzherbert, and Mr. Allan persisting in his application, the plaintiff was nonsuited with costs. The above, of course, is only the plaintiff’s version of the occurrence, but, as we understand the case will again be brought before the Court, the defendant’s account may give another complexion to the affair.

The Nelson Colonist of the 16th relates the following story of the capture of a shark, which shows great pluck on the part of a lad about 14 years of age :—On Friday last a shark was captured in 'a somewhat novel manner near Mr. Gilbertson’s Wharf, the Port. A porpoise had been' previously hung over the wharf in order that it might be more easily skinned, and this having been accomplished, it was left there with the intention of presently taking and utilising the fat ; however, in the meantime a hungry shark, attracted by the prospect of a meal, made for the porpoise. Owing to his finding some difficulty in getting a fair bite, his first mouthful consisted of only about two pounds of porpoise, but the noise made in the leap to get more attracted the attention of Mr. Gilbertson, who, with a crowbar, endeavored to strike the shark, and Mr. H. Cross also attacked the brute with a similar weapon, but neither succeeding in making any impression, a lad of twelve or fourteen years of age, a son of Mr. Gilbertson’s, armed himself with a tomahawk and deliberately walked into the waetr. When he got a little more than knee deep the shark made for him, and to those on the wharf the boy’s position appeared considerably dangerous, but he, watching his opportunity as the shark came at him, dealt a blow with the tomahawk, “and he troubled them no more.” The shark was hauled on to the wharf, and when measured was found to be Jfive feet eight inches in length. With such “ leviathans of the deep” frequenting our waters, bathers should he cautious, and we would urge the early completion of the sea baths. At a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society held at Christchurch on the 16th inst., the desirability of importing prairie hens from America was discussed, and it was resolved that a letter be written to Mr. Creighton on the subject, authorising the spending £SO of the society’s money, which he has in hand, in the purchase of prairie chickens and the pintailed grouse. . ; Frank Morris, charged at the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Saturday with drunkenness and disorderly conduct, was dismissed with a caution, it being his first offence. John Heinan, who had been duly certified to as of unsound mind, was ordered to be sent to the Lunatic Asylum. Heinan appears to be impressed with the idea that he can work miracles.

The city surveyor invites tenders up to the 25th instant for forming Nbrmanbyrstreet and Donald McLean-strcet, and for kerbing Sydneystreot, Pipitea-atreet, and Murphy-street ; also, for constructing a brick culvert in Cuba-street. On account of the weather last Saturday afternoon, there was no meeting of the Wellington “ hare and hounds," and the sport was therefore postponed till Saturday next, when the College boys also intend to have a meeting of a similar nature.

The Town Olerk invites tenders up to the 25th instant for the construction of pipe drains in Kent-terrace and Taranaki-place. The annual general meeting of the Wellington Caledonian Society will be held this evening at the New Zealander Hotel, Mannersstreet. At a meeting held on Saturday of the creditors of Albert Zeilman, jeweller, it was resolved to recommend to the Court that the bankrupt should be discharged. The time for sending in tenders for the erection of waggon stock for the AmberleyWaitaki railway has been extended to the 29th inst. There was rather more than the average number of persons in the lock-up for drunkenness last night, about a dozen having succumbed to the influence; on the other hand, however, there were no other prisoners at all. A New Zealand Gazette, issued on Saturday, notifies that the annual meeting of the Ponsouby Highway District (Auckland) held on the 21st July last had neglected to elect auditors as required by the Act, and that as it is expedient to appoint them, his Excellency the Governor has appointed Mr. J. Stodart and Mr. Frederick Matthews to be auditors. West Harbor (Otago) is proclaimed a borough under the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876.

The St.- Paul Pioneer and Press has discovered that a grand system of fraud has for years been in operation in the pine forests of Minnesota. Investigations into the operations of one year—which is admitted to be a pretty good year for stealing lumber—show that between 7,000,000 and 8,000,000 feet of logs have been cut on public lands and appropriated for private uses. Some 20,000 cords of wood, and railroad ties beyond computation, have also been carried off by private partie--, The stealings for this year are estimated at about 100,000,000d01e. Probably this estimate is an error or an exaggeration. The items do not warrant any such amount. The Pioneer and Press thinks that Government will recover a large portion of the loss, as the parties that robbed it are known ; but we fear that that journal does not properly appreciate the fact of possession. The old adage says that “ possession is nine points in law.” That may have been true when written, but the percentage of possession at present is much greater.