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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5215, 8 December 1877, Page 2

Sir George Grey stated in the House of Representatives last night that Parliament would be prorogued at half-past 2 on Monday. The Te Aro Reclamation Bill was discharged from the Order Paper of the Legislative Council yesterday, after having passed its second reading. The reason assigned for not proceeding with the Bill was that it was too important a measure to have been introduced at so late a period of the session. We published yesterday articles from the Australasian, which show the opinion eutertained by a prominent paper in Victoria of the late Constitutional " difficulty " between Sir George Grey and his Excellency the Governor. Those articles entirely endorse the view which we took of the matter at the time it occurred. Confirmation of the correctness of that view comes from yet another source. An article from the Sydney Morning fferald,the most influential journal in New South Wales, takes up its parable in the same direction, and unhesitatingly condemns the action of Sir George Grey. The article from the Herald will be found in another column.

Great speculation has been going on in Crown lands during the last two or three days, and the Land Office has been literally besieged with purchasers anxious to obtain land before the new Land Bill comes into operation. Upwards of 30,000 acres of the public estate have been disposed of, and in some districts very little, if any, now remains in the hands of the Crown for sale. All the unsold land at Akiteo, East Coast, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Paraekareta, Wanganui, Belmont, Waikanae, and other places, has been taken up. The following appointments have been made for the pulpits of the Presbyterian Churches in Wellington to-morrow:—St. John's Church, morning, Kev. Mr. Somervillo; afternoon sermon to the young, Rev. Mr. Tread well; evening, Rev. Mr. Hill. St. Andrew's, morning, Kev. Mr. Treadwell ; evening, Rev. Mr. Eraser. Hutt, Rev. Mr. Doull. There are great complaints from residents in Thompson-street as to tho deficiency of the water supply iu that locality. Several of the residents, after going to the expense of having piping laid on to their premises on the assurance that there would be an abundance of water, say that they can get no water at all except from rainfall, and those who have not provided themselves with tanks, in the belief that there would be no necessity fur resorting to this source of supply, are put to considerable inconvenience and expense. The citizens were assured some time ago that before "the end of November there would be a supply of water all over the town sufficient for a population twice the size of Wellington. At present that assurance, made publicly at the City Council, has not been fulfilled, and people are getting a little impatient on the subject. The opening of the Rechabite Hall, Man-ners-street, will bo celebrated by a tea and public meeting on Thursday next. The Rev. J. B. Richardson will occupy the chair, and a number of clergymen and laymen will deliver addresses.

At a meeting held at Palmerston on the sth instant it was resolved to form a fire brigade. A committee was formed, and it was then resolved that Messrs. Snelson and Warburton be appointed a deputation to wait upon the several insurance companies in Wellington to solicit their assistance in equipping and supporting the br'gade.

The quarterly meeting of Court Bobio Hood, No. 4428, will be held at the Foresters' Arms Hotel on Tuesday next. Mr. A. Br.unton will deliver an address to the young at the Polytechnic Hall this afternoon at 3 o'clock. There will be a meeting of the Hutt County Council on Tuesday next, at one o'clock, for the transaction of general business. A public meeting will be held at Mr. McGrath's hotel, Porirua, on Monday next, to arrange preliminaries for the forthcoming Porirua races on Boxing Day. The Hutt District Horticultural Show will be held at the Lower Hutt schoolroom to-day. The exhibition will be open to the public from 2 o'clock until 9 o'clock p.m. An accident occurred near Palmerston on Monday last. Mr. M. Heeney, while manipulating a truck at the Te Matai mills, had his arm fractured by the wheel. Amongst the passengers by the Napier, which left for Blenheim last night, was Mr. Gordon Allan, who is engaged for the defendant in the ease of Mcßae v. Atkinson, which has excited much interest in Marlborough. It is an action for damage for assault arising out of a dispute as to a right of road. An advertisement appears elsewhere countermanding the District Order of the 7th inst., which directed the Wellington Artillery to parade as a guard of honor to his Excellency the Governor at the prorogation of Parliament. The reason for this is that the Parliament will be prorogued by commission on Monday next at 2.30 o'clock. The Foresters' annual fete will be held on the Basin Eeserve on Boxing Day (Wednesday, 26th inst.), under the patronage of his Excellency the Governor and Lady Normanby. An excellent programme has been prepared, which will be found in our advertising columns. The proceeds will be given in aid of the Benevolent Fund. Mr. James, assistant clerk at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Wellington, has, we understand, been appointed clerk to the Resident Magistrate's Court at Dunedin. Mr. James is an efficient and at-the same time most courteous and obliging official, and his many personal friends, and everybody who has had business to transact with him here, will be glad to hear of his promotion in the public service. On Wednesday evening a complimentary benefit,. to take place at the Odd Fellows' Hall, will be tendered to Mr. E. Sackett, late business manager at the Theatre Royal, aud Mr. J. Gardner, agent for the Majeronis. The Signor and Signora have kindly volunteered to appear on the occasion in an entirely new comedy entitled " A Kiss." A number of the members of the profession and several of our local amateurs have also proffered their services, and a capital entertainment may be expected. There was a good house at the Theatre Royal last .evening, when Mr. Walton made his first appearance before a Wellington audience, and created a very favorable impression as "Digby Grant, Esq.," in the comedy of the "Two Roses." The piece itself is, we think, hardly worthy of all the praise that it has received elsewhere, but Mr. Walton's personation of the leading character was a very capital piece of acting, and Mr. J. P. Hydes as " Our Mr. Jenkins " was, as he always is, excruciatingly funny. Mrs. Stoneliam made a capital Mrs. Jenkins, and the rest of the parts were well sustained. His Excellency the Governor and Mr. Justice Johnston honored the theatre with their presence last evening. The piece will be repeated to-night, and we expect to see another good house. There was a large attendance at St. George's Hall last evening, when the opera of " GirofleGirofla" was successfully repeated. Miss Howarde was again in excellent voice, and rendered her pare admirably. Mr. Cary's impersonation of the fierce Moorish chief is indeed a wonderful make-up, and he made the part stand out with much prominence. Mr. Sidney sang and acted excellently. Miss Navaro, Miss Nye, Miss Kate Vernon, and Messrs. Howe, Huntley, and Hunter, also rendered valuable assistance. The choruses of pirates and Moors were all given with excellent effect. We must not forget to mention the well painted scenery from the brushes of Messrs. Briggs and Huntley. To-night is announced as the last but two of the Lydia Howarde troupe, as they leave for the West Coast on Wednesday, and on that evening several new faces will appear. " GirofieGirofla" will be repeated to-night, and all lovers of good music should not miss a treat. At the R.M. Court yesterday, before J. C. Crawford, Esq., R.M., Robert Thomas, charged with drunkenness, was fined 55., with the alternative of twenty-four hours' hard labor in case of non-payment. Jessie Murray, charged with lunacy, was remanded for a week for medical examination.—James Paul, charged with causing an obstruction to the traffic on the footway on Lambtou-qu&y, by placing cases of goods thereunon, was discharged with a caution. —A married woman, named Kate Hannay, applied to the Bench for a protection order against her husband. Mr. Ollmer and Mr. Buckley appeared for the respective parties, and by consent the case was adjsurned until Tuesday next.—Mary Anne Greenfield laid a complaint against Charles Mears, a saddler, stating that lie was the father of her child, for which he had neglected to make provision. From her evidence, which was not contradicted, it appeared that the parties had known each other for some years, and complainant was engaged to be married to Mears, who had not carried out his part of the agreement, and when she applied to him for support he threatened to "give her in charge." The complainant's mother corroborated her daughter's testimony. Other evidence was adduced, and the Court adjudged the defendant, who did not appeal-, to be the father of the child, and marie au order calling upon him to pay 10s. per week. i

The Rev. Thomas Harrington, from Sir. Spiirgeou's College, London, arrived here on December 7fch in the s.s. Rotorua, and will conduct Divine Service—commencing next Sunday, December 9-—in the Polytechnic Hall. The Shield of Faith, the organ of the Christian Evidence Society, has the following kindly notice of his departure :— ■" We are sorry to have to announce that the Christian Evidence Society have lost one of their efficient workers in the person of the Rev. Thomas Harrington, who, accompanied by Mr. Thomas Spurgeou, has proceeded to Melbourne to become pastor of a Baptist Church there. We are sure that all who have had the pleasure of working with Mi - . Harrington in opposition to infidelity will regret the loss their- little band has sustained, and that they will accompany him with their prayers that God will abundantly bless him in his distant sphere of labor."

The Manawatu, Times of the sth inst. says:— The examination of the Awahuri school was held on Monday hist by Mr. Lee, the Inspeo'tor. There were twenty scholars present, who were examined with the following result:— Passed iu Standard I.—Alexander Bennett, 200 marks ; Henry Bennett, 200 ; Alfred Worsfold, 180 ; Charles Lucas, 170 ; John Wildbore, 155 ; Francis Knight,-155. Passed it. Standard ll.—Alexander Bennett, 185 marks ; Henry Bennett, 122. This result is highly satisfactory to the parents, and reflects great credit on Mr. Menzies, the schoolmaster, who has spared no pains iu bringing the children on. The Awahuri school has only been a few months in existence.

Mr. J. H. Wallace held his monthly sale of stock, &c, at the Hutt last Weduesday, when the lease of the Hutt Park racecourse was put up, the bidding being started by Mr. Hickson (the chairman of the board of trustees) at £BO, when it reached £lls, and Mr. Andrew Youngwasdeclaredtbe purchaser. Thepricewas considered very satisfactory, the lease having previously been held by Mr. Braithwaite at £3O per annum. After the sale of the lease Mr. Wallace proceeded with his sale of horses, cattle, &c. Wq nro requested to (Iran* attention to Jlr. Sidey's large Bale of furniture at, .Mr. Soil'e's, Jlamiers-street, this morning at ten o'clock. The premises are to be rebuilt immediately, and everything must bo cle red oft'. Persons iu want of useful furniture will do well to avail themselves of the opiioitunity now offered.