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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5251, 22 January 1878, Page 2

To-day, the anniversary of the foundation of the colony, will be observed as a holiday. The public offices, banks, and most places of business will be closed, and if the weather be file the people will have ample opportunity of enjoying themselves. The chief event of the day will be the regatta, and there will also be the Rechabite fete at the Basin Reserve, a ball at the Arcade in the evening, under the patronage of the Mayor and other leading citizens, and the usual attractions at the Theatre Royal and St. George’s Hall. As regards the regatta, at the time we write, the strong northwest wind, which has excited anxiety, appears to have spent itself, and the great marine, fete of the year, in which the people of Wellington take so lively an interest, promises to be a great success. Fine weather of course is a sine qua non,, as, apart from the danger of boating when the sea is rough, the pleasure is marred unless a clear sky prevail. All precautions, however, we may mention, have been taken to prevent accidents. The energetic committee hare certainly entered heart and soul into the affair, and the result is an excellent programme, one which,-in its liberality of prizes, number of races and entries, is sufficient to satisfy the most exacting in such matters. The steamers Wellington' and Wanaka will accompany the races. The Hinemoa, with the Governor aud suite, together with several guests, will cruise round the harbor. The Rechabites have made great preparations for their fete, a capital nrogramme of sports having been arranged ; the City Rifle Band will be on tho ground, aud an art union, in which s me valuable prizes are to bo drawn, will combine to make the gathering an attractive one.

In our issue of yesterday wo stated that, much to our surprise, we had received no Press Agency telegram from Christchurch relating to the remit of the interprovincial cricket match. The fault, it appears, did not rest with the Press Agency, but with the despatch clerk at the Telegraph Office, who omitted to send the message, which was not received at this office until after eight o’clock yesterday morning, when it was obviously of no use to us. Mistakes will occur in the best regulated establishments, and as a rule there is very little to complain of as to the manner in which telegraphic-messages are transmitted by the department here. We may reasonably expect therefore that similar mistakes will not occur in the future. Yesterday morning a deputation, consisting of his Worship the Mayor, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. Moorhonse, M.H.R., waited upon tho Colonial Secretary, in the absence of the Premier, to request that the afternoons of Monday and Tuesday next —the days fixed for the intercolonial cricket match—might bo observed as public holidays. The Hou. tho Colonial Secretary at once acceded to the request, and said a notification to the effect should be gazetted immediately. The deputation, having thanked Colonel Whitmore for his courtesy, withdrew. A gentleman who was summoned as a juror at the Supreme Court yesterday asked to be excused from serving on the ground of deafness. His Honor the Chief Justice said he could not strike applicant’s name off the jury list. Under the circumstances if applicant didnot attend the fine would probably not be enforced in his ease. We remind our readers, especially such of them as take an interest in the movements of the Good Templars, that the soiree (to which attention was called in yesterday’s issue! in connection with Grand Lodge session, will take jfface this evening at the Odd Fellows’ Hall. At the Resident' Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Thomas R. Douughue and Robert J. Parr, coachbuildera, were charged—“ That they; being traders, did within four months next before the fifing of a declaration in the Supreme Court of New Zealand at Wellington that they wore unable to meet their engagements with their creditors, pawn or pledge or dispose of otherwise than in the ordinary way of their trade, certain properties which they had obtained from Edward William Mills on credit, aud ihad not paid for, contrary to the statute in such case made and provided.”' Mr. Fitzherbert, for the defendants, asked for an adjournment, which was agreed to by Mr. Brandon, who appeared for the prosecution, and the case was adjourned until Thursday, the Bench agreeing to take bail for the appear-, ance of the defendants, themselves iu #IOO. and two sureties of £SO each. Mr. G. Lingard, the' agent of the United States Minstrels, 1 announces that they will open ou Tuesday, the 29th inst. A monster programme is being prepared for the occasion, and judging from the very favorable reports received of the performances of this company, they ought to draw good houses during their stay here.

Consequent upon its being a holiday there will be no sitting of the Supreme Court to-day. Mr. S. Levy, the collector of city rates, notifies to the ratepayers that he has received instructions to take summary proceedings against all defaulters. The Corporation invite tenders up to the 24th inst. for fencing a portion of the Waterworks reserve, aud for constructing drain pipes in Willia-street and in Kent-terrace. The Auckland Herald is informed that that district will produce grain this year to the value of £60,000, which is a great advance on former years. A shrewd Scandinavian, says the Standard who had his cottage burnt down by the recent fire in the Carterton bush, has about recouped, himself for his loss by carrying a subscription list round Carterton, Greytown, &o. Notice is given that on Wednesday next John McDonald, of Wellington, saddler, a bankrupt, will make an application to the Supreme Court in bankruptcy for an order of discharge. Mr. Thomas Ballinger and Mr. Salvatore Cemino, who had been summoned to attend as special jurors at the Supreme Court yesterday, but rvere not in attendance, were each fined 40s. Carl Leopold Anderson had his fine remitted on explaining the cause of absence to the satisfaction of the Court. The Superintendents of the Fire Brigades yesterday received the following letter from the landlord of. the Empire Hotel ; —“ Dear Sir, —Enclosed you will find cheque for £5 towards the funds of the brigade, aud allow me thank you aud your men for your quick arrival on the-night of the fire.—Yours faithfully, Jacob Lichtscheindl.” Mr. Monaghan, the inspector of nuisances, will be at his office in the Provincial Buildings daily between 12 and 1 o'clock, for the purpose of receiving complaints as to breaches of the corporation by-laws in reference to licensed vehicles, nuisances, waste of water, &o. Complaints should be addressed in writing, and will be inquired into. A man named John Standford was arrested yesterday at the Hutt and brought into town on the charge of wilfully injuring the property of his landlord to the extent of 155., by smashing a door. The accused will be brought up at the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning. Mr. John Pestridge, late proprietor of the premises known as the Railway Hotel, Pipitea Point, was arrested on warrant by Detective Farrell yesterday afternoon, on the charge of arson. He was brought before Mr. Crawford, R.M., who, on the application of the police, remanded him until Tuesday next. Mr. Pestridge asked for hail, which the Court agreed to take if the accused could find two sureties each of £250 and enter into his own recognisance of £2OO. At the time the Court rose the required sureties had not been obtained, and Mr. Pestridge was removed in custody. There was a full meeting of the Regatta Committe at the Pier Hotel last evening; Mr. Quick presiding. The treasurer reported £257 15s. in baud, and this amount was considerably augmented by the payment of members’ subscriptions and other accounts, including £2 16s. from the crew of the Stella, £4 7s. 6d. from the Mataura, aud £3 12s. from the St. Leonards. The Mayor’s consent to the use of the wharf was notified, and a barricade will be constructed across it, for admission within which payment will be demanded. Should the weather prove unfavorable, a postponement will take place, and the fact will be made patent by an absence of bunting from the ships in harbor. Otherwise the St. Leonards, aud no doubt many of the other ships in harbor, will have a line of flags flying from the masthead. The trophies aud presentations will all be on the flagship. St. George’s Hall was well attended last evening, considering the unfavorable weather. “ Faust” was repeated, as was also “A' Trip to the Continent,” which kept the house in roars through the excellent acting of Miss Stoneham and Messrs. Stoneham and Love. To-night a holiday bill has been prepared, for which occasion two members of the Allecn Troupe—the lady gymnast aud Mr. T. Laurel —will appear in their aerial flights, followed by the laughable farce of “ The Area Belle,” and concluding with the screaming' comedy entitled “ The Vagarics of Paris.” We expect to see a full house.

The new Princess Theatre, Tory-street, will be opened on next Monday night with an excellent company. The theatre will be under the able management of Mr. W, C. Dillon (son of the. celebrated Charles Dillon, who visited the colonies about a dozen years ago). A talented company has been engaged, including Hiss Edith Pender, the charming juvenile actress. We learn that no expense or pains will be spared to render the dramatic season at the new theatre an unqualified success. It is announced that the orchestra will be under the direction of Mr. W. H. Spillor, who is well known in this city as a splendid musician. The opening piece will be “ The Queen’s Diamonds,” which has never yet, we understand, been produced in tins colony. There will also' be new sensation scenes, entirely original in their character. At the R.M. Court yesterday, before ,T. 0. Crawford, Esq., R.M., Charles Sandelon, charged with drunkenness, was fined 55., with the customary alternative in case of non-pay-ment.—Jessie Murray, who had been under remand on suspicion of lunacy, was discharged. —Thomas Taylor, charged with a breach of the municipal regulations in driving at a pace faster than a walk round the corner of Manners and Willis streets, was fined ss.—A boy named David Phillips, charged with leaving Ms horse and cart in the public street with nobody to look after them, was discharged with a caution. —John Finn, charged with vagrancy, was remanded until Thursday next.—K. M. Cleland, charged with permitting his chimney to catch fire, was fined ss.—Thomas Mount, the driver of an express, was charged with assaulting another express driver named George Collier on the 17th iust. It appeared from the evidence that an altercation took place between the parties on the wharf, and that defendant, after some provocation, seized hold of complainant’s whiskers and pulled them until blood flowed. The Bench, under the circumstances, fined defendant in the mitigated penalty of 10s.—Jane Little, who appeared in answer to a summons charging her with assaulting Elizabeth Keely, was discharged.— On the ci.il side judgment was given for plaintiffs in the following cases :—A. P. Stuart v. W. Hodder, £B7 9s. 6d.—North v. Rupert, a claim on a judgment summons for 155.; ordered to be paid immediately.—ln Haggerty v. Kosewell, another judgment summons case to recover the sum of £2, the Court made an order for the payment of the amount claimed within a mouth.

The Awahuri district, says the Itfavamatn Times, has undergone great improvements of lata. A considerable area is under crop this season, and according to appearances, bids fair for a plentiful harvest. The township is being gradually built upon. There, are now two large stores, a blacksmith’s shop and a butchery, and one first-class hotel, equal to some of the best in Wellington. This hotel is the property of the landlord, Mr. O. W. Schul ze. The building consists of 20 well-furnished and well-ventilated rooms. The Awahuvi township is situated near the banks of the Oroua river, and the hotel offers many inducements to families wishing to find a quiet and healthy retreat for a short time during the summer season, It is now’more than two years ago (says the Napier Telegraph of the 1 Gtli instant) since Portland Island was acquired from the natives for the purpose of securing a site for a lighthouse on that important headland. Almost immediately on the completion of the purchase tenders were invited for the erection of the lighthouse. The work was commenced in due time, and completed about two mouths ago. The lamp, however, has not been fixed in the building, and an unnecessary delay appears to have occurred. A light on Portland Island is most urgently needed. That portion of the coast is extremely dangerous, and to avoid as much risk as possible, steamers passing there at night, or in thick weather, give it such a wide berth as to considerably lengthen

the passage from Gisborne to Napier. It is not an uncommon occurrence, on the trip from Poverty Bay to this port, for captains of steamers, in their anxiety to atear clear of Portland Island and the Bull Rook, to make s mh a wide course at night as to miss Hawke’s Bay, and fiud themselves at Kidnappers in the morninv. A light is greatly needed at the Kidnappers also, and though it was understood some time back that the Kapler light was to be removed to that point, no steps have apparently been taken in the matter. Some interesting letters, giving a description of that comparatively unknown land King’s Island, have recently appeared in the columns of the Ballarat Star. In his last, the correspondent mentions a curious fact which some coloaial Darwin may perhaps be able to explain :—“ We were,” he says, “ told that the tame dogs kept by the hunters would always kill a wild dog in preference to a wallaby or kangaroo, and that they would hunt down their wild brothers and sisters with the greatest ferocity and determination. Yet one would think that it would be better for a dog to be wild than tame. The wild dogs can at least get plenty of kangaroo for the trouble of catching, whilst the tame dogs are decidedly skinny, and evidently are treated on tiie old principle of ‘ sic vos non vobis.’ However, the fact is as stated, and wild dogs get no mercy from man or their own race. There is one dangerous animal on the island, which is a native and a marsupial. It is called a wild cat, is exceedingly fierce, and, as I was told, afraid of nothing. I saw a skin some four feet long, of a tawny-brown color, with white spots, a long tail, and bristly whiskers, and I should say that the owner of these things in life was a dangerous customer to face unless one had arms to deal with the brute. It appears to keep to the scrub, and very little is heard about it.”

Female preachers are, says the Christian Review, evidently on the increase in America. It is, however,, among the Methodists that they mostly abound, because here they enjoy not only a fair field, but perhaps a little favour. Some of these ladies undertake duty alone, while others are accompanied by their better halves, who act in the capacity of assistants. Here is a case in point. A correspondent writing from Indiauopolis, tells how a Methodist lady preached there night after night for a mouth to crowded congregations. Exhausted nature at length gave way, and the husband was brought in to assist. The lady would address the people at some length ; and then, turning to her husband, exclaim—“ Now, dear, you pronounce the benediction.” On a recent Sunday we are told that no less than nine sermons were preached in Indianopolis by women, but we are not told whether they all had their “ dears ” with them to pronounce the benediction.

Owing to the necessity for a new market in Victoria-street, says the Argus, a portion of the old Melbourne Cemetery has been required. The particular corner wanted for market purposes, though within the cemetery fence, had never been consecrated, but had been used for the interment of such deceased persons as were deemed unfit to lie in holy ground. Twenty-eight bodies were found altogether in it, sometimes five in one hole and sometimes three, as happened. They were got at about 31 feet from the surface. In one place were found three skeletons, recognised as aboriginals, and it is believed that they were executed in Melbourne about 30 years ago. One had a magnificent skull, large, in perfect preservation, and strongly marked with the characteristics of his race. Several of the bodies bad been buried in tbeir boots, others in their belts, of which the brass cla-ps and portions of the leather remained. In one spot there were found along with the bones remains of expensive coffin furniture, and this deposit was supposed to indicate the resting place (only temporary, as things have turned out) of a well-off woman, who was found dead many years ago under circumstances that seemed to indicate that she had made away with herself. Some shillings were found among the bones of one of the deceased, as if they had escaped from a pocket that had long since mouldered aavay. The remains of these eight - and - twenty all but unknown persons were duly interred in the new cemetery. The particulars of an extraordinary snakekilling expedition which was undertaken near Goon, at a bend of the Murray just below Campbell’s Island, have been (says the Itiverine Herald) related to us, and on such good authority that we have no hesitation in vouching for their truth. On the day named the men at Boyd’s log camp, situated near Goon, agreed to devote a little of their leisure time to killing snakes in the neighborhood. In about four hours and a half, and within an area of about seven acres of swampy ground, they succeeded in dispatching no fewer than one hundred and forty of the reptiles of various sizes and species. An American paper reports a shocking occurrence at Glade Springs, in Virginia, where large crowds had gathered from all parts of the surrounding country to witness a balloon ascent. According to announcement, the travelling show of Professor 11. Hoffman made its appearance and prepared for exhibition. Their large iron furnace was put to work, and the balloon hoisted over it by means of two poles on either side, forty feet high. The balloon was inflated by means of wood and kerosene oil, with a small quantity of gasolene added. Wheu it was filled as usual, Mr. Hainur, the aeronaut, was informed, but he said, “ I want more gas this time.” Two pints more oil were put in, and when exhausted the damper to the furnace was shut down. Hainur theu jumped into his place, and like an arrow the great air ship shot upward, carrying its human freight dangling at its end. It had ascended some 309 feet, and while the aotor was performing on a horizontal bar, hanging by his feet with his head down, waving a handkerchief to the nervous audience below, the patched and dilapidated canvas split from bottom to top with a report that was heard miles away. No sooner had the gas escaped than the balloon collapsed, and came shooting down as swiftly as it shot up. The aeronaut saw his situation, and quick as lightning turned himself up and regained his hand hold, and commenced a manoeuvre to dodge a telegraph wire and post towards which he was falling. This he succeeded iu doing, striking the ground with terrible force, which bounded him up, to he caught aud pressed down by the balloon. All this was the work of a moment. 'The crowd was literally paralysed, women sickening and fainting, aud men unable, in their horror, to move. The companions of the unfortunate man stood riveted to the ground, and not until some citizens undertook to move the canvas did they stir. The man was found to he alive and conscious, but dreadfully bruised aud mangled. He was perfectly calm and cool, aud described his feelings as, descending, he saw aud felt death staring him in the face. He was taken to the hotel, where the same evening he paid the penalty of death for his recklessness. The booths and other privileges in connection with the intercolonial cricket match—to take place on the Basin ttoaervo on Monday ami Tuesday next—will be submitted to public competition to-morrow (Wednesday) by Messrs. Beauchamp, Campbell, and Co.

Mr. T. K. Macdonald announces that his next monthly laud sale will he held at the Exchange Mart on Monday, the 4th February. The auctioneer, requests that pavticulara of the properties intended for this sale should be supplied ten days prior to the sale, in order to appear in.the Arm's monthly list.