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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5409, 29 July 1878, Page 2

The Municipal Conference will commence its sittings at two o'clock this afternoon at the Provincial Hall.

A meeting of members of tho Legislature who take an interest in the completion of the railway from Auckland via Taranaki to Wanganui is convened for 11.80 a.m. this day, A young man named Lorimer was arrested on Saturday night on suspicion of stealing a diamond ring belonging to Mr. Schwabo and a gold pin the property of Captain More. The accused has boon lately in tho employment of Mr. Schwabe as clerk. It is said that some strange revelations will be made when the case comes into Court.

A very severe gale from the northwest swept over Wellington all day yesterday. It commenced about 2 a.m., and blew with unabated violence until late last night. Several wooden houses were blown down, and innumerable fences were laid low.. Above College-street two houses were completely blown down, and several old houses were shifted and twisted from their original position. Luckily amongst the shipping no serious damage was done. Several small boats wore blown ashore, but not much injured. The Fine Arts and Industrial Exhibition of the Working Men’s Club came to a successful conclusion last Saturday evening. Notwithstanding the very inclement weather, the attendance was large. In the afternoon the children were supplied with an abundance of lollies, very kindly sent by Messrs. Griffiths and Curtis. Exhibitors are notified in our advertising columns that the manager will bo in attendance from nine this morning till nine this evening, for the purpose of delivering the exhibits. It is thought that all the things will be cleared by Wednesday, when an auction sale of furniture, paintings, fittings, Ac., will take place. The manager requests all accounts to be sent iu at once. The committee intend shortly to give Mr. Cary a complimentary, concert, of which particulars will be made known in ft few days, ,

There were no cases at the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Saturday last. A man named M. Livingston was arrested on Saturday for being illegally on the premises of his brother in Taranski-street. The annual dinner In connection with the Wellington Volunteer Artillery takes place at the Metropolitan Hotel to-night, A literary and musical entertainment, in aid of the funds of St. Peter’s choir, is announced to take place on Tuesday evening, August 6. Two chimneys—one in each end ot the city caught fire yesterday, but no damage resulted in either case.

“The Australian Insurance and Banking Record” of July states that the New South Wales railways are now making a net profit of at least 4.j per cent. The football match, Wanganui v. Wellington, was played on the Basin Reserve on Saturday afternoon. The game, which was an exceptionally well contested one, resulted in a draw. A report of the match will be found in another portion of our columns. Another ot the series ot popular concerts which are proving such a great attraction at the Athenamm will bo given this evening, for which an excellent programme has been prepared, and should the weather prove favorable there is sure to be a crowded house. Constable Coffey is, unfortunate. He was again assaulted on Saturday night. It appears that some row took place at Smart’s oyster saloon, and the constable was called in os a peacemaker. After the constable left the house and had got in the street, he was assaulted by two men, who were subsequently arrested.

Owing to the necessity for condensing our report of McDonald, V. Guilford, which appeared on Saturday, the answer to the twelfth issuo was so stated as to be calculated to mislead. The'answer was put down simply as “ Is. damages,” thus making it appear that the jury deliberately found for plaintiff. This was scarcely so. When the jury came into Court they returned the answer “ None.” But the Judge had stated, in summing up, and again said after the finding, that as the plaintiff had taken the objection that the demand for payment made by Mr. Guilford and required by the bill-of-sale was not strictly within the terms ot the bill-of-sale, that objection might be mode the subject of an application to the Court which, if sustained, would entitle plaintiff to damages. It would therefore be well for the jury to assess the measure of damages supposing a subsequent application to be made and to be successful. The jury replied they thought no damage had been sustained. His Honor then said he must insist on the damage being assessed, and the jury assessed it Is. The effect of this is that if the verdict stands it is for the defendant; if disturbed plaintiff will get Is. damages.

The Theatre Boyal was re-opened on Saturday night last, and in spite of the tempestuous weather there was a very good house. The curtain rose to a comedietta entitled “ How to Marry,” in which Miss Bessie Vivian appeared as Lizette, Mr. J. Hooper as Natz, and Mr. Howe as Corporal Max. The “Ticket-of-Leave Man" was the next piece, and it went moderately wel). Miss Vivian sustained the part of Mrs. Willoughby, Miss Jennie Nye that of Sam Willoughby, Mr. Huntley that of Bob Brierly, Mr. Clinton Jim Dalton, Mr. Hooper Mr. Gibson, and Mr. John Howe Melter Moss. The applause was sufficient to testify that the audience liked the performances. There will be a fresh programme this evening.

The Christchurch Glohe of the 23 rd instant says :—“ Thomas Power, the driver of the Hokitika coach, gives a very graphic description of the difficulties which beset travellers from the West Coast owing to the.recent heavy fall of snow and the severe weather experienced on the ranges lately. So far as his post as driver of the coach is concerned, that por-" tion of his duty has been a sinecure lately, as the coach has been unable to come through for the past few weeks. The mails and passengers have had to be packed over, in many cases the latter undergoing great hardships, and some narrow escapes from frostbites have occurred. The track through the ranges has been through a wall of snow, a narrow road having been cut through it, and the snow being some distance above the horses. The Lakes present a very pretty appearance, being entirely frozen over, and some very good skating has been obtained on them. Last week in "coming over Mr. Power found a man lying on the snow who had been out all night, and who had - a very narrow escape of his life. ?o far gone was he that he had to bo strapped on to the pack-horse and brought to the Cass, where he was rubbed with snow, and other means adopted to restore the circulation. Some idea may be formed of the cold at the Cass when it is mentioned that at the hotel all the bottled beer was frozen, and to enable the landlord to procure supplies" from the casks of draught beer, a pan of live coals was placed under the tap. At last even this expedient failed, as the beer became frozen in the casks. Yesterday the milder weather had the effect of melting the snow somewhat, and it is anticipated that the ccach will be able to get through a portion of the way next trip.”

As announced in our local columns on Saturday, the Bight Kev. Bishop Kedwoed and ■Father Hennebery have gone on a visit to Christchurch. Although very considerable additions have been made to the Catholic Church in that city, it is found that the accommodation is still too small for the large and increasing congregation, and we understand that during his stay in the city of the plains, Father Hennebery will initiate a subscription list for the enlargement of the church, on the same principle adopted by the rev. gentleman in Dunedin and Wellington. We are informed that during his recent visit to this city several persons of both sexes took the temperance pledge. On his return from the South, Father Hennebery will visit the various centres of population in the North Island, terminating his New Zealand missions in the city of Auckland, and proceeding thence to the Australian colonies.

The Rangitikcl Advocate of the 25th instant says :—“ Sir. Thoms’ exploration party made a start on Thursday last on their expedition to discover a practicable route to the Taupo plains and the Murimotu. Thursday was about the first fine day. since tho Rangitikei Highway Board gave the formal instructions for Mr. Thoms to undertake the duty, and tho necessary preparations had to bo made in the meantime. He has selected three as wiry, hardylooking specimens of humanity as could well be found, and there is no doubt they will require all the stamina in their constitutions to enable them to withstand the rigors of climate and hardships of the road_ which they will have to endure during their journey. Resembling Jordan, as, quoted in song, the road to Murimotu over those steep ranges and snow-covered inhospitable plains, will certainly be a hard road to travel. Some of the party were rather difficult to induce to leave the comforts and comparative luxuries of civilisation behind them, and they had to be kept under friendly supervision so ns to be ready when wanted. Taking advantage of the fine, warm, bright day that Thursday was, Mr. Thoms secured a conveyance in which to take his party the first portion of their journey. Wo wish Mr. Thoms and his compactions dc voyage a safe return and a highly successful expedition. I ’- The Porangahau correspondent of tho Hawke’s Bay Herald of tho 2-4th inst. says : The opening of Mr. G. Hunter’s church, at his station, Papakiau, is a circumstance well worthy of a few remarks. Whatever opinion many may have as to the assumed mistake of individual members of the community holding large blocks of country, the unprejudiced cannot but allow it is an inevitable attendant upon the influx of capital in the process of colonising a new country; nor can they refuse- to admit that unless much of* the land had been taken up by capitalists the colony could not have been so much improved as it now is. At Porangahau wo have evidence of what capital has done in the case of tho run belonging to Mr. G. Hunter, of Wellington, and we can record with Unqualified satisfaction that thanks are duo to him for the beautiful church he has erected at his homestead. Tho church itself is deserving of great praise, and has been handsomely and comfortably furnished with books of the clearest print and hassocks for every sitter, a handsome bathstone font and reading-desk from England, and other decorative works. It will soon be sheltered from the prevailing winds by the growth of shrubs planted about it. The following is an abstract of the expenditure in Victoria for 1878-9 that has been proposed for the departments named :—Chief Secretary, £561,344’; Minister of Public Instruction, . £494,508 ; Attorney - General, £79,908 ; Minister of Justice, £64,935 ; Treasurer, £399,961 ; Commissioner of Crown Lands, £151,472; Commissioner of Public Works, £69,029 ; works and buildings on account, £BO,OOO ; roads, works, and bridges on account, £15,000; Commissioner of Trade and Customs, £93,564 ; Postmaster-General, £343,165 ; Commissioner of Bailways and Roads, £729,605 ; Minister of Mines, £64,526, Total, £3,137,017, ,

My sense of the ludicrous (says a contributor to the Wanganui Chronicle) was not a little tickled the other night at the native meeting in the Putiki pa, by hearing the inimitable Johnny, in a manner “ childlike and bland," advise his guileless listeners, should they want a lawyer, to engage “Uses the Rapacious," as he has been somewhere most aptly styled. He relieved his conscience of all responsibility, however, by informing them that i! they did. employ this “ good man” they ** would have to pay him." I rather think they would. The assurance would have been wholly unnecessary, however, had any of the dusky auditors ever heard of the famous “ little bill" rendered by the solicitor in question for his valuable services in the Whitaker*Jones libel case. Johnny’s manner is very persuasive, and his parade of oneness with the native race takes immensely with the darkskius. Mete Kingi was very liberal in the matter of the spread, everything tip-top, waiters and all. Wine, brandy, and other liquids were also abundantly supplied, and despite the soporific effect upon myself of Johnny’s eloquence, and the very, well, peculiar atmosphere, I could not but observe that the pale faces present appeared much more thirty than their compeers.

The following account of an interview in Paris between the Prince of Wales and Mr. J. J, Casey, is given by the New York Weekly Tribune : All the people in Paris who have seen or heard the Prince of Wales appear to be captivated by his courtesy and amiability. Shortly after the opening of the Exhibition he made an appointment with the Hon. Mr, Casey, president of the Victorian Commission, to visit his section and taste the Australian wines. The weather turning out inclement, and the glass promising no amelioration, the Prince the night before sent an apology. Mr. Casey wrote to express his regret at the rain having prevented his again seeing his Royal Highness, as at the end of the week legislative business obliged him to return to Melbourne. He,, however, was glad that a fellow-colonist would replace him whenever it might suit the Prince to inspect the Victorian section. Two or three days after Mr. Casey was surprised by a visit from the Prince, accompanied by the Princess of Wales, the Prince and Princess of Denmark, and the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg, to all of whom Mr. Casey was presented. The Prince of Wales said : *As you are going away so soon, we have got out of our engagements to spend a morning with you.’ The party adjourned to the log hut in the garden, and sat down at a round table. They tasted a variety of Australian wines. At the end of a long visit the Prince said, to Mr. Casey: ‘ Pray convey .to the colony the interest I feel in its progress, and the pride I take in its greatness. Also have the goodness to say that whenever the Australians want me to do anything for them they must not hesitate to ask me.’ A gentleman present said : ‘His Royal Highness is so affable and unaffected that he never makes one feel his high rank, and yet he so comports himself that you cannot forget he is a prince.’" The London correspondent of the Melbourne Aryus writes : —“A strong argument in favor of the establishment of a colonial museum in London is to be found in the fact that many practical English manufacturers have gone over to Paris for the express purpose of studying the progress of the British colonies, which they naturally regard with the greatest interest. They see that the colonies are manufacturing raw material themselves to such an extent that it promises to affect several branches of manufacturing commerce in the mother country. It is pointed out that the consideration of such matters as these is worthy of reflection by trades union leaders, and should influence the labor demands of artisans, as there is no doubt that unreasonably high wages will have the effect of eventually closing some of the ‘colonial markets to English produce. Had we a colonial museum here, English manufacturers would be able to study at home the progress of the colonies, and would not be forced, for the want of another mode of obtaining the requisite information, to cross the Channel into a foreign country to learn what they ought to have no difficulty in ascertaining in London about our own possessions." The four Japanese gentlemen who have como to Australia as commissioners accredited by the Government of Japan, to negotiate for the extension of trade between that country and the colonies, are at present in Melbourne. Their names are Messrs. Nagase, Okata, Makino, and Yakoma. They have been actively, engaged inspecting the principal Government and o‘her institutions, including several of the more prominent manufactories. The principal object of their mission is to further the trade between Japan and Australia with regard to sheep and wool, but they are also authorised to open up trade in other directions,

Relative to the Naval Training Ship “ A Little Light on the Subject” writes tothe Auckland Star as follows :—“ I quite inadvertently overheard a seafaring man’s description and remarks on the treatment of the boys in the above vessel. Of course, I cannot vouch for the truth of it, but from his description it seemed more suitable for a lot of insubordinate men. ‘ Boys will be boys,’ and ‘ All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.* Lads require a certain amount of freedom to give vent to their youthful, boisterous mirth, and run after one another, but I will say no' more about it; only I should like to see published in the Star the log of the Southern Cross for, say, one month last summer, sj that the public can see how much freedom and opportunity for games on the green the boys had in fine weather. You might even manage to let us know how many, games of football and cricket they had during their Jack-ashore time. And also if the method of flogging Is that which is now so seldom used in the navy, viz., stripping them, lashing them to a triangle, and using the cat-o’-nine-tails in the presence of a medical man.” With reference to our correspondent’s remarks it is but fair to say that boys who have run away generally speak in high terms of their kind treatment on the ship. Exclamations of surprise at the frequency of attempts to run away from such an institution are “ old womanish” to say the least. Some of the boys are in the ship simply because they have run away from comfortable homes; have, through sheer waywardness of disposition, broken loose from every restraint. Others have been accustomed to a wild vagabond liberty, and to them any routine is tedious. It is a fact, testified to by the lads themselves, that they have gone away without knowing why, impelled by a vague longing after freedom ; and it is equally true that many after a break-out of this kind have returned voluntarily to the ship. At the same time, free discussion respecting the management of such institutions cannot be productive of anything but good, and perhaps the manager will furnish the information asked for by our correspondent.”

The Lycll Argus thus sets forth the grievances of the residents of that place : —‘‘There is no Flour in the town, there has been no Beef in the place for a week, and the last Pig was killed yesterday after eating the last Spud, are the people to starve through the neglect of the Bailer County Council, it is shameful, our supplies gone and our roads blocked up in fact quite impassable for ten miles on either side, what is to become of us ? we must, thanks to the powers that be, either leave or starve ; a pleasant prospect truly.” The Hawke's Bay Herald of Saturday last says We learn that the' members of the General Assembly in Napier, with the exocp-* tion of Mr. Ormond, will leave for Wellington to-morrow by the Taiaroa. Mr. Ormond is delaying his departure on account of business in connection with educational matters, to which he has, as must be generally known, devoted much time and attention since the Education Act .was brought into operation. Wo take tho opportunity of reminding our readers that the sale of tho Wanstead property, near V. aipukurau, Hawke’s Bay, to which wo referred on Saturday and in previous issues, will take place today, at the Exchange Land Mart. Messrs, T. K. Macdonald and Co. will also offer for sale an eightroomed house and a four-roomed cottage in Jonnstrect, Thorndon: a villa residence in Wlllis street, an allotment in Te Aro Pa, house and four sections in Palmerston North, twenty-seven allotments in Poathcrston, 359 acres of tho Opaki 11am, four-, roomed house next to the Tramway station; 600 acres in Taranaki, subdivided into suitable small farm sections; and the Oakura estate in the same locality. Intending investors and speculators have therefore an ample opportunity before them of securing land In various parts of the country, and from the very nature of things such chances of securing desirable sections must every day become scarcer. Wo are requested to call attention to Messrs. J. M. Bothuue and Co.’s important sale, to bo held this day, at their rooms, corner of leatherston and Brandon streets, when the follow ng lots will be submitted to the hammer, via. -.-Shares in the Standard, South British. National, and Union Insurance Companies, Wellington Trust, Loan, and Investment Company, Wellington Land and Building Company. New Zea- • land Steam Shipping Company. Union Steam Ship Company, New Zealand Shipping Company. Wellington Gas Company, Wellington. Public Hall Company, and various others. 'They will also sell a freehold villa residence on Holder's Hill. Thorndon. laud and dwelling-houses situated in May-street, a building allotment in Austin-street, and a lease of Town Belt Reserve, Mount Victoria District, as advertised. A friend in need la a friend indeed,” Keep a bottle of Guollau's Aperient Mixture in the house. You can never tell how soon or how suddenly you may bo seized with sickness. A dose or two of this safo and invaluable medicine would put yon right very quickly. Ask at the chemists for ” Guollau’s Great Indian Cures."—[Advi.J