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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5479, 18 October 1878, Page 2

The Hon. Sir D. Bell was particularly happy in some humorous criticisms of the tariff in the Legislative Council last night. Commencing with bellows, he said the duty had been lowered in order to enable the Government to blow; glue has been reduced, so that any mud which the Colonial Secretary might throw should stick; that hon. gentleman must have a sympathy for fireworks, ho was - so much in the habit of letting them off in the Council; while ae for paints, do doubt Colonel Whitmore desired to' have an opportunity ere long of exhibiting himself to admiring eyes in full war paint. Finally, photographs had been cheapened, so that the features of the regenerators of the human race (the Ministry) should be handed down to posterity. The laughter of the “ Lords” was quiet, but hearty. • Some little discussion took place at the City Council meeting last night in connection with the amended hackney carriage by-laws. Particularly in reference to allowing the hackney carriage to carry a dead corpse, in other words to act as a cheap hearse, Councillors Magtnnity and Logan said that many poor people who could ill afford to pay for a regular hearse were able to hire one of these hackney carriages for the conveyance of their departed friends to tne ■ cemetry. Councillor Young said it was not compulsory for the drivers to take a coffin unless they wished. - He presumed it was a matter of taste on their part. The Mayor thought it was decidedly wrong to allow them to do so. He would rather see the Council purchase a hearse for the benefit of the poor, and keep it in the rear of the premises. , Last night was very favorable for exhibiting the effect of the various designs chosen for illuminating the public buildings in the city. It was generally agreed that the Bank of New Zealand shone pre-eminent,the amber star being very effective, and the frosted globes were also much admired. Our evening contemporay the Post had what we understood to he a symbol of the evening star, that shone brilliantly down Lambton-quay. The New Zealand Insurance Company’s office was illuminated with the title of the company, a. crown, and other devices, with good effect. The Custom House had the Royal Crown and initials (V.R.) Lambtonquay was very brilliant, and in striking contrast to Willis-street, which, to the best of our knowledge, only boasted of oue illumination, the building being prettily decorated with lanterns and colored miniature lamps. The Imperial Opera House and Mr. James Smith’s Te Are House were brilliantly illuminated. The thanks of the public are due to the geutlemsn who stretched a point in order to afford their fellowcitizens the pleasure of a pretty sight. The case which was set down for hearing at the Supreme Court yesterday was that of Tye v. Bell, a civil action. The Attorney-General, who appeared with Mr. Chapman for the plaintiff, applied for an adjournment on the ground that an important witness had not arrived from Napier, but would be here to-day by the steamer Rangatira. Mr. Travers, defendant’s counsel, consented to the adjournment on condition that the costs of the day he paid by the plaintiff. This was agreed to, and the ease was adjourned until Friday, 26th inst. In the course of a discussion on the Disqualification Bill in the Legislative Council last night, Mr. Holmes gave the following as the circulation of the Dunedin daily papers : Star, 6500 ; Iferald, 3500; Otago Daily Times, 1500. Yet the Times gets the Government advertisements. It. would seem that the Ministry, in this case, help their friends without " other things being equal.” ' "

A deputation from the Wairarapa waited on the Minister for Public Works yesterday morning in reference to opening up the Alfredton district by railway. Mr. Grant, one of the deputation, stated that he bad discovered in the middle of the Forty-Mile Bush a tract of country about 40,000 acres in extent and covered with light scrub. Mr. Macandrew referred the deputation to Mr. Beetham’s question on the Order Paper of last night, which he said would elicit his reply. In connection with this matter, Mr. Macandrew said in the House that tho contract to Masterton was not expected to be finished until March, 1880, and there would be plenty of time in the interim to determine which route would b» the most advantageous to the district and the colony, and such route would be adopted. The following is the Customs return for the several ports of New Zealand during the quarter ended 30th September, 1878 : —■ Quarter ended Corresponding Sept. 30,1877. Quarter, 1878. Auckland .. £53,225 _ £60,960 Wellington .. 44,880 .. L 7.527 Napier ~ .* 9,340 .. 11,391 Nelson .. .. 0,923 .. 0,938 Hokitika .. 8,237 .. 6,366 Lyttelton 52,026 . ■ 63,996 Dunedin .. 89,278 .. 105,885 Invercargill .. 7,578 .. 11,140 The total amount collected throughout tho colony was £365,493 ; corresponding quarter for 1877, £309,098. , !A correspondent at Otaki sends ns the following particulars of an inquest held there on 16th instant. The inquest was held before Dr. /Hewson, coroner, on the bodies of two seamen washed ashore. Their names were John Newman Ginham, apprentice, and Patrick Farrell, A.B. It appears that Captain Pigott ordered his men to avail themselves of a boat that came off to the ship. In the attempt both himself and three seamen were drowned. The bodies of Captain Pigott and Alexander Lament have not yet been recovered, Europeans, halfcastes, and Maoris vied with each other in acts of daring gallantry, and met with the warmest eulogy from the foreman of the jury. William Jenkins, Hector McDonald, Tai Tuer, and Mark, were the first to venture off, and they succeeded in bringing tho captain’s wife ashore. The new fittings for the District Court were finished yesterday, and set up in the old Provincial Council Chambers. The whole of the fittings, consisting of the bench, jury box, hamsters’ table, and tho Press accommodation is constructed of kauri, nicely polished. They are all arranged so that they can be removed if required. The work has been neatly i done by Messrs. Sconllar and Archibald. 1 -We were shown yesterday, at Mr. ICobn’s jewellery shop, something quite new in the 1 way of ladies’ watches. They require no winding up, as the opening and shutting of the cover winds np the works. The machinery is so constructed that directly it is wound up sufficiently the works disconnect themselves. 1 They are double case, or hunting watches, and I by opening them three times a day they are r woundup. ' ! Wednesday’s supplement to the Ntut Zea- ’ land Gazette of tho 10th contains the notification of the payment of money on and'entry : into negotiations for the purchase or acquisition of native lands in: tho North Island. ’ Upon calculation we find that the whole ! amount withdrawn from sale amounts to j 909,891 acres. The largest and most important blocks in one piece are in Auckland—tho ’ Middle Tauhara, 106,080 acres; Kaingaroa, 1 143,700 acres; . Tararua,. in the Provincial j District of Wellington, 103,000 acres; and 1 Kaitsugawhenua, partly in Wellington and ’ partly in the Provincial District of Taranaki, I 200,000 acres. The last-named block is proi hably one of the most valuable in the colony, 1 and we hope that a sale may ho successfully

negotiated. The usual weekly meeting of tho Wesleyan Young Men’s' Mutual Improvement Society was held in tho Manners-street vestry last evening. There was a largo attendance of members present, the Rev. A. Raid being in the chair. One of the Vice-Presidents read a capital essay on “ Chinese Migration,” which was much appreciated. A good discussion ensued, which showed a general feeling jn favor of allowing Chinese free entry into our colony. , There was a capital audience at the Circus last night, and the performance was thoroughly enjoyed by those present*

Mr. Dwan had a very good start yesterday at St. George’s Hall. Some allotments at Featherston brought as high as £125. We have received a letter from Captain W. J. Barry describing a recent visit to the Wairarapa. Pressure on our space excludes it from our columns. The Education Act Amendment Bill brought in by Mr. Curtis was shelved yesterday afternoon by a majority of six; the numbers being, —for the second reading 32, against it 38. Mr. Overton, late proprietor of the Post Office hotel, has purchased the Foresters’ Arms, and will assume the management on Monday. By the Suez mail, which arrived yesterday, there were, via Brindisi, 527 letters, 156 books, and 610 newspapers]; via Southampton, 265 letters, 164 books, and 1680 newspapers. The ordinarily fortnightly meeting of the Waste Lands Board was held yesterday forenoon. The Chief Commissiouer stated that he had no business to bring before the Board, and the meeting then adjourned. There was a large attendance at Mr, R. J. Duncan’s land sale yesterday, which took place at his rooms, Panama-street. 54 sections of land situated ia Featherston, ranging from £25 to £149. Some sold by the foot at from £2 2s. to £2 ss. per foot. The proceeds of the sale realised about £3500. A considerable portion of the land was disposed of privately after the sale, and brought about £2OOO. Mr. G. D. Chaplin last night gave another good rendering of the part of Hamlet at the Imperial Opera House. Our first impression of the merits of his performance was fully sustained upon witnessing, it a second time. Hamlet has never been so excellently pourtrayed on our boards before. As on the first night, Mr. Chaplin received several flattering calls before the curtain. To-night he will appear in another grand character, that of Richelieu, of which he is pronounced hy the Australian press to be the finest representative that has ever appeared on the colonial stage. An exceedingly clever caricature was circulated in the lobbies yesterday aftemoen. The heads of the Ministry are seen floating above the froth of a tankard of Brown stout, and the hon. member for Tuapeka (Mr. J. O. Brown), with whip in hand, figures like the ringmaster of a circus. . All the likenesses are so good as to be easy of recognition, and the conception ia decidedly clever, and the execution artistic. It bears the impress of being the handiwork of somebody who is not a perishable knight, and it more than maintains his reputation as a caricaturist.