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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5184, 2 November 1877, Page 2

A telegram from Singapore, dated 31st October, advises that the cable between that place and Penang has been restored. The number of births registered as having occurred in the borough of Wellington during October last is 88 ; of deaths, So ; and of marriage certificates issued, 18. Nominations of candidates for the vacant seat in the City Council for Lambton Ward must be sent in to the Returning Officer before noon to-day. The election will take place on the 13th instant. The return of patients in the Wellington Hospital during the month of October last is as follows :—Admitted —Males, 11 ; females, 3. Discharged—-Males, 9 ; females, 3. Died —Males, 6 ; female, 1. Left in hospital— Males, 39 ; females, 10. Total remaining, 49. A code of fire alarm signals, issued by Superintendent Whiteford, of the W.Y.F.8., appears in our advertising columns. The object is that when the firebells are rung people may know in what ward of the city the fire is. In the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon, during the discussion in committee on the City of Wellington Loans Consolidation Act 1876 Amendment Bill, the Hon. Mr. Holmes said the Wellington people were anxious the seat of Government should continue there; if it were ever removed it would be chiefly for sanitary reasons. In the Tinakori-road, for instance, there existed near the Hon. Mr. Bowen’s house a stagnant sheet of green water sufficient to poison him and all his family. If this state of things were permitted to exist why did the City Council of Wellington come to them and apply for money to be put to any other use than for the one great purpose of sanitary improvements ? Why did they come there and ask for money for the purposes of building new offices ? He had lately been in the provincial buildings, and he thought that the accommodation there was amply sufficient, and that the offices which had been good enough tor the Provincial Government should be good enough for them. A meeting of the Waste Lauds Board was held yesterday. Present—Messrs. J. G. Holdsworth (in the chair), H. Bunny, and T. Mason. The laud sales since last meeting amounted to 447 acres, realising £524. An application was read from Mr. P. E. Warburton, solicitor, Palmerston, asking that a company now being formed should be allowed to purchase 100,000 acres of land for a special settlement near Eitzherbert, Manawatu, at ss. per acre on deferred payments, extending over a period of five years, and asking the Board to support the passing of a Bill for the purpose this session. The Board declined to entertain the application. The “ privileges ” in connection with the Prince of Wales’ Birthday Sports, which are to come off on the 9th inst. on the Basin Reserve, were sold yesterday at auction by Messrs. Beauchamp, Campbell, and Co. There was a good attendance. The following prices were realised :—Right to the gates and grand stand, Mr. Swain, Union Hotel, £l5O ; publicans’ booth, No. 1, Mr. Swain, £l9 ; publicans’ booth, No. 2, Mr. Swain, £9 ; refreshment booth, Mr. T. H. Phillips, £3; fruit stall, Mr. T. H. Phillips, £1 ; fancy stall, Mr. C. Grey, 10s.; cards of the sports, Mr. C. Grey, £3 10s.; making a total of £lB6. There was a very large attendance of members of the Choral Society last night at Mr. Hunter’s rooms, when Spohr’s great work, “The Last Judgment,” was taken in its entirety. The baud performed the second symphony (usually omitted because of its great difficulty) with fine effect. Soloists, band, and chorus were well up to their work, and executed it with enthusiasm and evident pleasure. The final rehearsal will take place at the Theatre Royal on Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock, when none but performing members will be admitted under any pretext whatever. The Church Gazette thus refers to the new Bishop of Waiapu -The Rev. Edward Craig Stuart, 8.A., of Trinity College, Dublin, has been unanimously nominated by the Synod of the Dioceee of Waiapu to be their Bishop. Mr. Stuai-t has worked in connection with the Church Missionary Society for more than twenty-five years, having been latterly local secretary of the society in Calcutta. In 187‘2 he was obliged to leave India for the benefit of - his health ; and, after short sojourns in England and Australia, he came to New Zealand in October, 1876, with the intention of assisting in the training of Maori candidates for holy orders. Mr. Stuart has become well known to most of the Auckland congregations, and to many of the people—especially in the parish of St. Mary’s, Parnell, where he resides—has greatly endeared himself. His departure will be rightly regarded as a serious loss to the diocese ; and churchmen of the Diocese of Waiapu are much to bo congratulated on obtaining as their Bishop a clergyman of such varied experience, sound judgment, and administrative ability as Mr. Stuart. It is to be hoped that they will show their appreciation of him by not letting him long depend for a stipend on the charity of a Loudon society. The anniversary ball in aid of the Widow and Orphan Society, 1.0.0. F., M.U., was held at the Odd Fellows’ Hall last evening. About fifty couples were present. There was an excellent quadrille baud, which supplied the dance music, and the refreshments, wliich were provided by Mr. McDonald, were of the best description. All the fashionable dances followed each other in quick succession until an early hour this raoruing, when the guests separated, evidently highly pleased with the evening’s entertainment. We hear that a great acquisition will be made to the ranks of the Theatre Royal Company on Saturday next in the person of Mr. John Howe, an excellent and versatile actor, and especially good in old men’s parts. It is a long time since he was in Wellington; but we remember him in Auckland a few years ago, where he was a great favorite with the theatre-going portion of the community. The usual open monthly meeting of the Manners-street Improvement Society was held last night, when an essay on the “ Writings of John Buskin" was read and criticised. Afterwards several selections from Ruskin were given by the members, including the “The Slave Ship” and “ The Aspect of the Clouds.” A number of other recitations, both grave and gay, were also delivered, and a very agreeable evening was spent in listening to various opinions on art and literature. Mr. Dewsbury presided, and gave au extract from Ruskin to prove that all high art was based on goodness. Recently a native woman named Pauuma (says the Marlborough Express) residing at Kaituna, went down to live at the pa near Grove Town, and after some time died there. As we understand, it is the custom to bury all the property of the deceased with them ; but in this case the surviving relatives at Kaituna, as she died from home, threw the things down the bank into the river. Some boys playing near found some of the properties, and among the rest two watches, or to judge from the specimen before us it would be better to say their remains. This appears to have been the watch belonging to Chief Constable Maling, who was murdered in the celebrated Wairau massacre, On the interior of the case the name “T. Maling, 1833,” is scratched, and has ■ been partially erased. Panama was the daughter of Brown, a chief of one of the hunted tribes. The watch is intended to be hung up as a memento of the good old times in Mr. Gibson’s museum.

A general meeting of the Wellington Building Society will be held this evening at the office. Panama-street. The usual monthly meeting of the “Loyal Orange Lodge No. 16” is announced to take place at the Foresters’ Hall, Lambton-quay, at 8 o’clock p.m. to-morrow, for the purpose of electing officers for the ensuing year. There will be no performance at St. George’s Hall this evening, out of respect to the memory of the late Mr. Charles Keeley, whose sudden death yesterday is referred to in another portion of our columns. Thomas Upton, of Wellington, builder, has filed a declaration of his inability to meet his engagements with his creditors. The first meeting will be held at the Supreme Court House on the 6th instant. A meeting of the council of the Philosophical Society was held on Wednesday afternoon for the purpose of electing a member to vote at the election of governors of the Hew Zealand University. J. C. Crawford, Esq., was re-elected unanimously. Notice is given that on the 6th instant an application will be made to the Supreme Court in bankruptcy for a declaration of the complete execution of a deed of assignment by W. Salmon, of Masterton, for the benefit of his creditors. The Masterton correspondent of the Wairarapa News of 30th October f ays : —“ The enterprising gentleman who engaged Mr. H. Roberts, the great handstroke billiard player, for last Friday and Saturday nights, dropped £l2 over the spec.” At a meeting of the Featherston Highway Board on the 17th ult. the following contracts were accepted :—For forming and gravelling No. 1 line, J. Brodie, £1 19s. 6d. per chain ; for work on Moroa Bush-road, near Barratt’s, F. Cole, £1 9s. 6d. per chain ; for work an Kempton’s-road, W. Morris, £2 7s. -Id. A meeting of creditors in the estate of Mr. 0. Macdonald, foreman of the Waterworks,' was to have been held yesterday at the Supreme Court Buildings, but there not being a sufficient number present to form a quorum, it was adjourned until to-day. The liabilities are set down at £367 ; assets, £260. In the shop window of Messrs. Warburton and Goodman may be seen a heliotype, which is very well executed, and has been deservedly much admired. It represents a slave—a young girl standing manacled on an auction block—tind both in attitude and expression conveys a vividly faithful picture of a scene once frequent enough even in civilised countries. Subscribers have exercised their privileges freely in the matter of reserving their seats at the Theatre Royal for the Choral Society’s Concert, to take place on Tuesday next, as out of 550 reserved seats 500 have been secured; and it will be seen from our advertising columns, that the balance are now open to the public, and can be had on application at Mr. C. Bonnington’s, where the plan lies. The price of admission to the pit we notice has been fixed at 2s. 6d. “ Behind the Curtain ” was reproduced last night at the Theatre Royal. The whole of the performers went through their several parts very creditably. Miss Lizzie Lawrence appeared to excellent advantage as Grace Darling, and fairly carried out the author’s idea of the character. At the close of the performance a number of valuable gifts were distributed. The same piece will be played again to-night., It is gratifying (says the Napier Telegraph) to report that the natives of Hawke’s Bay are exhibiting in the best possible way, just at present, a sense of their duties and responsibilities as British subjects. The chief Tareha has forwarded through Mr. Locke, as his own contribution, the sum of £lO to the Indian Famine Relief Fund, and other chiefs are using their best endeavors to raise subscription s for the same fund. We have received a copy of the Church Chronicle, containing the opening address (which has already appeared in our columns) of the Right Rev. Bishop Hadfield, delivered at the late session of the Synod. There is also information relating to other dioceses. The reports furnished by the European and Maori clergymen relative to the state of the natives in the Wairarapa, Manawatu, Wanganui, and other districts are of a most satisfactory nature, and show that the Maoris are very zealous in respect to religious matters. A special meeting of the Waiohiue River Board was held on the 23rd ult. Members present;—M. Caselberg (who was in the chair), T. Kempton, B. Gallagher, and T. Walker. The chairman stated that the meeting had been convened in consequence of the overseer reporting important changes in the river bed by recents floods.—The overseer reported that at the Matarawa ford the river had gone into its old course, and was now crossing Mr. Ridley’s property. He recommended certain steps to he taken to give the river a clear run to the Black Bridge, and then complete the new'channel.—The Board resolved to adopt the recommendation of the overseer, which was to purchase a piece of laud about six acres in extent, and cut a new channel at an estimated cost of £3OO. They have a very modest Mayor, says the Otago Daily Times, at Naseby. He did not consider it necessary to call a public meeting for the Indian Famine Relief Fund, as “no one would attend it he did.” This gives perhaps a fair view of the Mayor's opinion of his constituents; possibly it gives a fairer one of their estimate of him; possibly still fairer his opinion of their estimate of him. It seems not unlikely that his Worship never felt very hungry, and never saw a hungry crowd; still less is the occupant of Naseby’s civic chair able to appreciate whole provinces perishing of hunger. When the hunger is on Naseby, and the famishing population cry out for squatters’ acres, their cry is heard. This sort of charity at least begins at home, and his Worship “ considers it necessary.” Meeting or no. meeting, however, Naseby is awake, and her people arc subscribing with their wonted liberality. A deputation waited on the Waste Lands Board at Dunedin on the 24th ultimo in support of a memorial presented some time ago, praying that a block of land from 12,000 to 17,000 acres in extent might be thrown open for settlement on the deferred payment system, in the Waikawa Valley. It was pointed out that the laud was of excellent quality, that there was plenty of good timber available, and that settlers in the district would have the advantage of a fine harbor and a navigable river to enable them to get their produce to market. The Chief Commissioner said the Board would obtain a report on the land, and if it was what the deputation represented it to be, would recommend that it should be thrown open for settlement in a manner suitable to its quality. • The Qrcy River Argus has a paragraph descriptive of a small scene witnessed by Messrs. W. S. Smith and Wilson, that was of special interest to naturalists, namely, a fight between a water rat and an eel—the last being a very rare specimen on the Coast, to wit one of the lamprey species. The eel had scaled a cliff upon the Kai Ati Creek, about forty feet high, when the rat tackled him, and the fight was carried on at least five minutes in the presence of the gentlemen. Every trick and dodge to bite the slim brute was tried by the rat, which also endeavored to keep away from the ech'e of the bank, but with no avail, as its opponent enveloped it in its folds, and slowly but surely worked its way back in the direction of the water, and as soon as it had reached the edge of the bank both tumbled over into the pool below, when the slippery one escaped, and the rat was last seen swimming about and looking for his late adversary. Messrs. Smith and Wilson, on looking up the steep bank, saw another lamprey busily employed making his way to the top of the cliff, but he was soon made a prisoner and brought to town, where he was viewed as a curiosity upon the Coast, as none had been previously seen there. Attention is directed to a notice in pur advertising columns from Mr. James Maokay, stating that ho is prepared to negotiate for the. sale and purchase of some valuable blocks of native land not subject to any Government agreement. This is well worthy of the attention of investors and speculators.