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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5242, 11 January 1878, Page 2

, The Hinemoa returned to Wellington yesterday from ,the North, bringing as passengers Sir George Grey, the Hon. Mr. Sheehan, and Mr. J. C. Brown, M.H.R.’s. Mr. ’ Ballance we understand will he sworn in a member of the Grey Cabinet today, and will probably he appointed Minister of Lauds. '■ t- . : It is reported that Major Paul, J.P., has resigned his office 1 of Licensing Commissioner, and will probably be succeeded by Dr. Diver, j.P. The orimiual sittings of the Supreme Court were concluded yesterday, when Henry Cape Williamson was found guilty of obtaining goods from Messrs. Kirkcaldie and Stains by means of a valueless cheque for the payment of £32, and was directed to be brought up for sentence this morning. Walter Barnsley was found guilty, with a strong recommendation to mercy, of, forging a telegraph money order for,, the payment of £lO. • ,His Honor deferred sentence until a legal technicality, had been considered before the Court of Appeal. The directors of the Wellington Gas Company (Limited) met at the company’s office yesterday afternoon, when it was resolved that the price of gas should be reduced from 12s. to 11s. from the Ist instant. 1 The engineer reported that the large gasholder would in all probability arrive in Wellington within a month, and he was authorised to arrange for its erection, and also instructed to put up the necessary new buildings. When these works are completed, the company will he in a position to supply double the quantity of' gas now issued. The directors hope that it will soon he in their power to make a further reduction.

In the New Zealand Gazette of yesterday a notice is given calling attention to the fact that an Act has been passed to provide for the satisfaction of certain land orders issued by the New Zealand Company iu reference, to lands in the Manawatu District. Every person claiming laud in the above district must, within twelve mouths: after the 30th November last if he be resident in the colony, and within two years if he be resident elsewhere, give notice for the hearing and decision of his claim under the provisions of the Act; and, at the time of making his application for the satisfaction of his claim, must lodge with the Commissioner the original ,land order under which he claims to he entitled to select any section of land, unless such laud, order shall previously have been lodged with the Commissioner. No claim can be heard and determined until such original land order is lodged, or proof of the loss given to the satisfaction of the missioner.A meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held yesterday. Present —Messrs. Holdsworth (iu the chair), Bunny, and'Mason. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, aud Mr. Bunny called 1 attention to the fact that a special meeting had been held on the 31st ult. iu order to wind up the financial business of, the past twelvemonths. The sale of lands during the past fortuight, it was stated, amounted to £1503 acres, and the receipts to £1251. A record was made that the commissioners present had made the required oaths and declaratioris in accordance with the provisions of the new Act. The consideration of the application of Mr. ■ Williams for the purchase of land in the Pahaua Block was. deferred until the next meeting of the Board. The Chairman laid before the Board a schedule of lands open for sale, in the district, and stated that in accordance with the provisions of the new Act he had vyithdrawn from sale all land at 20s. per acre upset. It was agreed to sell rural. lauds by auction. , The disposal of town lands, it was pointed put, was provided for by auctiou under the provisions of the Act. The consideration of an application by Mr. Mace, for the purchase of land at Hunterville, •was, postponed until next meeting. It .was resolved that the'meetings of . Board should! continue to be held fortnightly on Thursdays, ;but that the hour of meeting should he altered from 12jp’clook until lialf-past 12. The Board then adjourned.- ; > , : i j Professor Augustus, of Lambton-quay, draws attention in our advertising! columns to his baths, These have recently, been added to aud improved, arid! ievery appliance for the enjoymeht- of- hot, cold, and shower baths will now be friuufi on- the premises. There is excellent accommodation for ladies at Mr. Augustus' establishment, a separate set of bathrooms, approached by a private entrance, being ■ set apart for . them, and presided over by- Mrs. Augustus. ' ' ... ! y. : An application was n;ade..to thoJudgo sitting in i chambers yesterday, for, the. removal ,to the Lunatic Asylum'of Mr. George'Tonks. [The'application was based on affidavits of Mr. Tonk’s friends as , to his state of mind, &c., supported by‘ medical testimony. The Judge ordered! Mr. Tonics’ - removal 1 to the Asylum for six months.

The civil sittings of the Supreme Court will .commence at ten o’clock this morning. ■) Mr. Levy notifies in our advertising columns that he has the honor to announce that he will open the new theatre in Manners-street about the middle of February. ; We understand that a deputation from the Wellington Jockey Club will meet the Colonial Secretary this day to further'discuss the subject of carrying a branch railway from ICorokoro to the racecourse. At St. George’s Hall to-night there will loe a grand concert and drawing-room entertainment, in which Mr. T. Margetts, the comique, will appear, supported by the company. Tomorrow evening the programme will be entirely changed. The drawing for Mr. North’s No. 1 sweep of £IOOO took place last evening at the Pier Hotel. Owing to a mistake—evidently a pure accident, for which nobody is individually to blame—the drawing will be gone over again on Monday evening next. At a meeting of the shareholders of the New Zealand Steam Navigation Company, held at the company’s offices yesterday, Mr. David Anderson was elected a director of the company, vice Mr. W. B. Khodes, who had resigned. In the commissioners’ report on the Timaru Harbor works, a synopsis of which was telegraphed tons yesterday, the amount of £500,000, which was stated as the cost at which “ Panagathos’ ” plan could be constructed, should have been £250,000. On Monday evening next St. George’s Hall will offer very great attractions on the occasion of Mr. Cary’s benefit. The Lydia Howarde Troupe have kindly volunteered their services, and, with other talent which has been proffered, we have no doubt that Mr. Cary will have a full house. A New Zealand Gazette issued yesterday notifies that Mr. E. A. de B. Brandon has, been appointed registrar under the Fine Arts Copyright Act; Captain W. G. Stack is appointed Major in the New Zealand Militia, and O. E. Bunny to be Captain; notice is given that tlie office of Inspecting Superintendent in the-Armed Constabulary Force is abolished; several notices are given under the Laud Transfer Act. Complaints have reached us of the practice of stone-throwing by boys in Cqurtenay-place, in the vicinity of the Congregational Church. It is only a short time since all the windows 'in a new house, which was built in the locality, were all smashed, and had to be replaced before ,the house was occupied. The police would do well to keep a lookout for the offenders, and prevent the spread of larrikinism in this direction. Mr. Wallis, of, the Branch Hotel, Lambtonquay, called’at our office last evening and informed iis that he had had a telegram from Mr. Curtis, who was reported as missing from the Hutt, stating that ’he’ was about 1 to ' leave Christchurch yesterday. Mr. Curtis had been staying at the Branch 1 Hotel during the Christmas holidays. He had one of his children with him, whom he sent home, after which he came back to Wellington, and went to Christchurch. Mr. Wallis saw nothing whatever in Mr. Curtis’manner to cause the least apprehension to his friends, to whom doubtless he will return in a day or two. A deputation, consisting of the Mayor, Mr. Buchanan, and Captain Bose, waited upon his Excellency, the Governor yesterday to solicit his Excellency’s patronage for the ‘ensuing regatta, a request, which was .graciously ac-. ceded to. In reply’ to the ‘ Governor, the deputation pointed, out that, precautions would be taken as far as possible to provide for the safety of the crews on board the competing boats by providing life-buoys, belts, &o. The deputation, having thanked his Excellency for his courtesy, withdrew. “ Much ado about nothing” was made over the Terrace firebell ringing an alarm of fire yesterday afternoon. It was a quiet time,of the day, but a commotion immediately ensued, and “ Where’s the fire ? ” was heard on all sides. Even the Supreme Court was aroused; from a state.-of quietude—some of the jurymen Who were nodding at once brightened up, and one, a baker, seized his hat ! in eager anxiety. The Court crier was directed by his Honor to find out the locale of the fire and report. The firemen turned out in detachments of one at a time, and as each appeared to occupy a separate vehicle, . drivers were allowed to enjoy furious rides round .‘corners. to their hearts’ content.- The hurry and bustle was fortunately quite unnecessary, as the cause of th ■ ala-m was centred in a chimney at Thorndon taking fire, which was quickly extinguished. At the E.M. Court yesterday, before J.. 0. Crawford, Esq., R.M., Alfred Smith and Barbara Kane were subjected to the customary fines and penalties for being drunk.— -William Hale, charged with a breach of the municipal regulations, in leaving his horse and dray with no one to look after them in i he public street, was fined ss. and costs.—An Italian, charged with driving round the corner of Willis-street and Lambton-quay at a pace faster than a walk, was fined ss. and costs.. On the civil side the following business was disposed of : —Chatfield v. Cohen. This was a claim for £54 fis. fid. for professional services. The defendant paid £4O 11s. into Court, and pleaded not indebted as to the remainder. Mr. Ollivier and Dr. Buller appeared for the respective parties. From the evidence, it appeared that plaintiff, at the defendant’s request, prepared certain plans for a house, and tenders were ca led for, but defendant deeming them too high, did not go on with the work, but -subsequently employed Mr. Chatfield to prepare a second set of plans, and proceeded to build in accordance with them. After hearing the evidence of Mr. Turnbull and Mr./i’oxward as to the rule for professional charges in such oases, which was to the effect that 2£ per cent, was (he usual charge on unused plans, the Court gave judgment for plainlilf for the amount paid into Court by defendant.—Davis v. Wilson. This was a judgment summons case to recover the sum of £9 ,ss. for board and lodging. The Court gave judgment for plaintiff, and ordered payment at the rate of £1 per month.—Nicholas v. Ball. This was a claim for £lB 16s. Id., and was-ordered to be paid by instalments of £2 per month. 1 We .briefly noticed last week, says an English exchange, an experiment in ventilating a railway carriage on the London and NorthWestern llailway, in the presence of ’Mr. Williams, ‘their engineer, the Mayor, Dr. Barnes, Mr. Westmoreland, and Mr. Birkett, the inventor. We are able to give this week the scientific results. The object of the invention is to enable passengers to travel even in a smoking: carriage in perfect comfort, with windows'and other openings shut,, the. ventilating slides closed, and the curtains drawn. As the' experiment proved, this, is fully attained by Mr. Birkett’s apparatus. It consists of a .powerful air extractor, 14 inches square, and only five inches high. On the principle that, 'under ordinary-circumstances, it is impossible, to create a vacuum in a railway carriage, the action is .obtained by utilising the, wind, caused by the velocity of the carriage, for the purpose mf getting the, apparatus in, motion. On the occasion of this experiment, with the windows closed, the, anemometer registered from 1760 to 2560 cubic feet of air passing .per-iniuute through the ventilating shaft from the’ top; or root of the carriage. This is equivalent to changing the air from five to seven.titoes per minute, or to removing twelve times the amount of air which would be vitiated by six persons, the full complement of a first-class carriage. • “Atlas” in’the World says:—“Ladies, fair ladies, , beware of hair-washes. A medical fridnd informs me that it has lately been discovered i that the active ingredient of all washes for 1 subduing grey hair is lead,' which, uniting gradually with the natural sulphur of ■ the- hair, forms a black sulphuret of lead, which is really the darkening agent. Wo all know how’ dcleteribus and even fatal is the application of lead in any chemical shape to the pores of the human’ body ; what, then, must be the mischief produced by its being continuously and often daily rubbed into the delicate skin "of a’dafly’s scalp I 1 Here, how-

ever, is a practical illustration, vouched for by Mr. Brownfield, of Norwich. The wash had been used for two years, but only very moderately ; and during all that time there was a general malaise and loss of muscular power. About three months since, two days after an effectual application of the wash, a alight epileptic fit occurred, and six weeks afterwards a similar application was followed by palsy of the extensor muscles of the left hand. In this case probably another dose might have produced paralysis ; but by this time suspicion was aroused, and by the steady application of antidotes the symptoms are now disappearing. The profits of selling these washes are said to be so tempting that, since the secret of the darkening agent has oozed out, numerous hairdressers, both in town and country, are manufacturing them and pressing them upon their customers.” On Friday evening, says the Poverty Bay Herald, Bro. T. W. Porter was installed as Worshipful Master of the Tauranganui Lodge, No. 1480. The imposing ceremony was performed by Bro. P.M. W. W. Wilson, Bro. P.M. K. Price, and Bro. W.M. S. R. Dransfield. After the installation the brethren adjourned to the Shamrock Hotel, where Bro. Walker had provided an excellent banquet. The usual Masonic toasts inseparable to the occasion were proposed and duly honored, when harmony was the order of the night. An interesting case, reported from Germany, in which hydrophobia was, according to the statement, cured by the use of that terrible drug, curare, which paralyses the motor nerves, though without affecting the sensitive nerves, and so stops muscular convulsion, was given in the London Times. The somewhat daring ex.periment was made by Hr. Offeuburg, who treated the case at Munster in Westphalia. The patient, a peasant girl, was bitten by a mad dog on 23rd July, 1874, but the symptoms of hydrophobia did not come on till the 16th October, when morphia and chloroform were tried in vain. Dr. Off nburg then injected three centigrammes of curare, an injection five times repeated, though not always in quite equal quantity, during the next 4£ hours. The convulsions began to diminish after the second injection, and soon disappeared; but then began the paralysis of the muscles of the chest, so that the ’ woman had to be kept alive by artificial inspiration; but after nearly nine hours from the first injection the paralysis diminished, and. from that time the recovery was rapid, except one slight drawback, treated by a new injection, and in a fortnight she was quite well again. The remedy is a terrible one, but the disease is still more so, so that the success! of any remedy will be to the public a relief. : Mr. Gladstone contributes to- ‘‘The Nineteenth | Century ” an , article ,on the. : county franchise and; Mr. Lowe thereon. ■ He observes that the real objection to the proposed extension is the unwillingness of the farming class to enable their laborers to vote at all,, and that the opposition of the Government was based on party motives which could not be avowed. Mr. Gladstone goes on to say that both Mr. Lowe and himself must be prepared to stand the recoil of their own guns, and that they have no right to withhold the franchise on the ground that the peasantry will in the long run follow the parson and the squire. He suggests that the working of our Parliamentary system is not determined exclusively by the conditions of the franchise or the distribution of seats. The old system prior to 1832 was not condemned on its working ; demerits, but for anomaly and irregularity, and especially the exclusion of the middle classes, and if that class had no divine right, then it must be asked why any other class of the male community, or, indeed, the mass of the community, had not its qualifications. He did not recommend leaps in the dark, believing that we have light. enough. ■ He considers we have practically to deal with the question of household suffrage in the counties, and that qualification strictly speaking is only a question of degree. ; The: inequality alleged as an objection is inherent in all representative institutions. Referring to the qualifications for parliamentary life he considers nothing can make up for a falling off in the young men whom we need for the coming time. In conclusion, he says, let us not exasperate the nation by withholding the franchise from that moiety not least qualified to use it well. The two manufacturing industries of Ireland are whisky and linen, and although in the opinion of Sir Wilfrid Lawson the prosperity of the former is a problematic, advantage, it may generally be conceded that nothing but good can result from the development of the latter. The growing of flax and the manufacture of linen are restricted to the province of Ulster. Some idea of the magnitude of the Irish linen trade may be gathered from the fact that the quantity exported to foreign countries last month amounted to 13,937,200 yards, being an increase over the corresponding month of 1876 of 1,899,000 yards. The value of the exports reaches close upon half a million sterling., The Board of Trade returns show that the exports of Irish linen during the nine months of the present year were 137,281,272 yards, being an increase of upwards of 13,000,000 over the corresponding nine mouths of last year. The declared value of the exports was a little over four millions sterling, or. an increase of £236,615. Spain and Italy used to be the best customers of the Irish linen manufacturers, but the United States of America now consume nearly as much as all other foreign countries put together. Thus during the - last month - our Transatlantic cousins took 6,643,600 yards out of a total export of 13,937,200. The Spanish West Indies were the next best customers, after, which came Italy and British India. Germany took but 3 per cent, more than last year, while there was a marked falling off in the demand from the Australian colonies, France, Spain, and Brazil. The moderate German demand is to be accounted for by the increased supples of native manufacture and by the general in-', ability of the middle classes to spare anything for superfluities in view of the terrible pressure of the military system under which the country groans. The slackness of demand in British India may in some sense be accounted for by the increased consumption of calico. The importance of the Irish linen trade from a national point of view may be estimated by the fact that the foreigner pays upwards of six millions a year to Ulster for its staple manufacture, and that it also supplies the markets of the United Kingdom with linen and cambric. Yet, important though this interest be in a national sense, the honorable member for Carlisle will, the Globe thinks, be sorry to hear that it is completely overshadowed by its twin sister—whisky. The Home News of November 15th says ; Information has just been given to the authorities at Brighton of an extensive robbery of " gold committed on October 22 in the northern quarter of the town, under somewhat peculiar circumstances. "It appears that some time since a man named Obadiah Dray, nearly seventy years old, gave up his business as a cnwkeeper and took possession of a cottage on Albion-hill, where he lived in a penurious maimer on the proceeds of the sale of his business and some small house properties he had acquired ; also taking a prominent part in the : management of a small loan society. Although having a' married daughter and other, near,.rer lations living, he preferred to reside in the house quite alone, and one night, on going out to transact some business, he left the .cottage' unprotected. He was absent from about seven till ten o’clock, and on his return "was amazed at finding that whilst he had been away some one had broken into the house, prized open with a chisel a chest in which he kept his money, and made off with between £7OO and £BOO in sovereigns, but leaving behind him a roll of bank-notes' amounting to upwards of £l5O and a watclij all kept in the same receptacle; ’ The gold was composed of rouleaux of about £2O and £3O each, wrapped in paper. The theft was evidently perpetrated by some one Having a knowledge of the premises as well as of the exact spot where the money was deposited, and as Dray attended the society’s offices at regular periods, it would seem they also availed themselves of that fact to tecure and make off with their booty undisturbed. The task of tracing and convicting the delinquents is, of course, made difficult from their not having,taken anything that can be positively identified.