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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5524, 10 December 1878, Page 2

We are never weary of giving assistance to the present Government in the matter of their public works advertisements. We reprint today an advertisement from the Ministers’ own newspaper, upon our usual terms—nothing per inch—ink, paper, and labor included.

The Hon, James Macandrew wag a passenger by' the steamer Xaupo, which left here yesterday evening for Auckland. The Chief Justice left Wellington yesterday for Blenheim, to conduct the sittings of the Circuit Court there. Several Wellington barristers also went over. His Honor Mr. Justice Richmond had sufficiently recovered strength to bo able to leave Wellington for Tauranga yesterday in the Taupo. Hb intends visiting the hot springs, and wo believe purposes returning to Wellington about the latter end of the month. In the Supremo Court yesterday it was decided, in the case of Webber v. Wright and others, that there were sufficient grounds for calling upon defendants to show cause, why an injunction should not be issued restraining them from soiling the property known ns Goathurst Farm.

Wo have received the following official notice for publication “ The following tenders were received at tho Public Works Office, Wellington, for the Otautau branch contract, No. 2, of the Invercargill-Kingston railway—Accepted : David Robertson, Dunedin, £10,600. Declined : Topluun and Angus, Invercargill, £11,988; John Whittaker, Dunedin, £12,407.” As will be seen from our report of the pro-oeedinga-in the-Kesident-Magistrate’s Court yesterday, jt ‘is Mr; Hansford’s intention to" bring underthe notice of the Government the action of the’ police in tlre’case against Edward Knoakos for indecent exposure, more particularly with regard to tho ill-feeling existing roiopgst eonjp cjembers ,the fores. '

It is stated that Messrs. Bunny and Bsetham will address their constituents at Master-ton to-morrow night. The meeting of auctioneers convened by circular will be held at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel to-morrow night. ‘ The ordinary meeting of the Hutt County Council will be held at one o’clock this afternoon.

At Mr. B. J. Duncan’s sale of general merchandise yesterday a very large amount of goods was disposed of. The great land sale will take place at Mr. Duncan's rooms at two o’clock this afternoon. It is stated that Mr. Knoakes intends to proceed with a civil action against Detective Earrell in connection with ttio case which was heard at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

The soiree in connection with St. John’s Presbyterian Church will be held to-night. Tea will be on tho tables at half-past six o'clock, and several addresses, interspersed with music, will bo ’delivered in the course of the evening.

A meeting of ministers and Christian friends will he held this evening at 7.30 in the Athenaeum—room No. 11—to meet Mr. Henry Varly, and to make arrangements for the services to be held by him during his stay in Wellington. All interested in the work are cordially invited. At the Theatre Royal last night Mr. and Mrs. Bates performed in the old and wellknown comedy of “Caste,” written by Robertson. The leading characters were very well sustained by those who undertook the parts, and the performance passed off with considerable eclat before a fairly numerous audience. Tho songs by Misses Alice and Amy were well received, and altogether a very good evening’s entertainment was provided, including music and dances and the usual business of a burlesque company, in which lino Mr. J.P. Hydes is really first-class.

One of the most malicious acts that has been recorded in these columns happened last evening at the high school, Abel Smith-street. After tho gas was turned on at the meter a strong smell of gas pervaded the building. The master searched in vain. One of the pupils hearing the peculiar hissing of escaping gas jumped up and found two jets next the back door turned full on. Still the escape went on. All the other jets were examined. Finally, the stove also was found turned on. While the master was outside the door he heard a hurried step leaving the school by the back door, and saw looking in at the door, as it stood ajar, a person whom ho knows perfectly well. Had the windows not been all wide open, and had the master followed his usual practice of turning on the gas as he entered the building, the consequences must have been serious.

The performance of “The Woman in White” at the Imperial .Opera House last night was a great success. The “Woman in White” is Willie Collins' most sensational novel, perhaps one of his best, by reason of its wonderful imagery, its richness in incident, and the variety of form of character with which it abounds. The dramatised version is fairly good, but though it, brings out the leading features of the plot pretty sharply, and places in full view such characlers as Fosco, Ann, Laura Fairlie, Glyde, the whole thing is necessarily greatly condensed. However, full justice was done last evening to the drajnatiser. Miss Tilly Andrews doubled the parts of Ann (the Woman in White) and Laura Fairlie, and performed each of them very creditably ; but Mr. Walton’s Count Foaco, the cool calculating villain of the piece, was one of the best impersonations that has been seen here for some time. We are sorry the same cannot be said of Mr. Burford's Sir Percival, a character in which gentility should have been aped if not possessed. Miss Wilton was particularly happy as Marian Halcombe. The other characters were fully sustained, and the piece as a whole ran very smoothly. The scenic effects were excellently got up, especially the wedding scene, the fire in tho church, and the final tableau, for all of which Mr. Williams deserves great credit. “The Woman in White ” will be repeated to-night t The ship Zealandia will leave the wharf tomorrow, and will take up a position in the stream. Her cargo of wool and 'sheepskins, with about fifty tons of Oamaru flour, has been roughly estimated to exceed £IOO,OOO in value, but fuller particulars of the cargo will no doubt be shortly published. It seems that the vessel may very possibly be delayed for want of a crew. There is a great difficulty in procuring seamen for this ship ; £7 per month is being freely offered for A.B.’s, but no applications have been received. At present some halfdozen sailors are required by the Zealandia in order to provide a full complement for her crew ; and although many seamen are disengaged they decline to name the amount of wages which they require, and seem to be waiting for the necessities of the homewardbound wool ships to induce the captains who are short-handed to bid high for seamen’s services. It will bo a pity if the first wool ship of the season from this port suffers delay from such a cause. Captain Sellars is so well known in Wellington that he carries with him tho best wishes of nearly all our townsmen for a pleasant and prosperous voyage. With the increase of our shipping trade have come great additional work and responsibilities in the Wellington Post Office. Perhaps there is a very imperfect conception outside the office of the amount of work that has to be got through in short periods of time on given occasions. For instance, on Sunday and yesterday there were no less than eight arrivals of steamers, and as many departures, each involving the making up or distributing of a mail, as the case might be. During tho two days there were no leas than 175 bags and 17 packages dealt with, and 0768 letters and 11,082 books and newspapers were received or despatched. This was altogether independent of and In addition to the ordinary workof theoffice, including the receipt and despatch of the country and city mails. On Saturday there were over 10,200 letters and 9600 books and newspapers received and despatched by steamer, tho work being heavy owing to the Southern and Australian mails arriving and tho English mail departing. Some ninety-nine bags were dealt with. The figures in connection with tho outgoing San Francisco mail were as follows: —For London, 4818 letters, 330 books, and 4285 newspapers. For United States, 363 letters,' 35 books, and 229 newspapers. The local officials deserve every credit for the expeditious maimer in which they got through their work ; and it is also pretty evident that Mr. Butts must have his staff in thorough discipline to achieve so much in such unsuitable and inconvenient quarters. It is stated that tho Sydney Government some five years ago paid £3OO for tho right to use tho gum photo-lithographic process, and they have now discarded it, and paid £IOO to learn the gelatine transfer process. The present New Zealand Government is said to have lately taken an opposite course, by paying heavily for the privilege of abandoning tho latter and reverting to the old nearly-forgotten gum process, which is well known to be very uncertain in its results. Messrs. Robertson and Co., of the Phomix foundry, have despatched a large multitubular boiler of about 16 horse-power nominal, for the ,boilingdown establishment of Mr. Gear, at Petone. They have also been engaged to supply the plant required for the new works. Tho boiler sent is built upon a principle adopted by tho firm especially for this description of work, after an extended experience of the requirements of boilingdowu establishments. Those lately sent out by the firm have been of the same description, and have given complete satisfaction. There are now orders for half a dozen similar boilers entered in the books for immediate execution. Wo understand that tho new boilers for tho Grafton aro now nearly ready. The firm is very’full‘of work, in spite of the depressed state of trade generally. ‘ An inspection of the work turned out by the firm will convince the observer that Wellington firms have nothing to fear from distant competitors.

A good deal of time was occupied yesterday at the Resident Magistrate’s Court in hearing tho case brought against Edward Knoakos for indecent exposure. The Bench, after hearing the evidence, gave tho accused the benefit of the doubt and discharged him. Mr. Edwards applied for costs and a certificate of dismissal, but the Resident Magistrate refused the application. His Worship’s judgment in the case will be found fully reported elsewhere. Tho telegraph concert at tho Athauamm on Monday evening promises to be a grand success. The programme, which, for the first part, contains some gems from some of the most popular oratorios, and for the second part sparkling choruses, duets, quartets, and solos, is being carefully rehearsed under tho able direction of Mr. Robert Parker. His Excellency the Governor has kindly granted his patronage, and has expressed his intention of being present. The tickets are selling rapidly, and we have no doubt that the attractive programme, which will be shortly published, will succeed in filling tho hall to overflowing.

This evening there is to be a tea meeting, followed by a public meeting, iu connection with St. John’s Presbyterian Church. The concert given by Mdlle. Charbonnet at -the Atheumum Hall last evening was quite as successful as was anticipated, alike as to, the attendance and the quality of the entertainment, and amongst the audience were his Excellency the Governor and the Marchioness of Normanby. In consequence of one of the performers not putting in an appearance, the programme had to be slightly altered, and instead of the concert being opened with a part song, “The Murmur of the Shell,” by Miss Holier, was substituted. Miss Neville’s scena from “Her Freischulz” was a real treat, and in response to an encore she with “The Nightingale,” tally rendered. Mdlle. fantasia ■ was of course encored. /The* j ally amateur who followed with the song V Voifcbe far too timid to acquits.herself 'successfully: Mr. Cary’s “ Man the wa3_jppe. of- t those things that deserved .;ThCpiano, and violin duet by MtnteT-CljbiiiJioniiet' and Mr. Bonnington was decidedly the gem of the evening, and was rapturously applauded. Madame Holler’s “0 mio Fernando” (from “La Favorita ”) was also well received. In the second part of the programme the most commendable items were the pianoforte per- j formances of Mdlle. Charbonnet, the vocal/ duet (“A.8.0.”) by Miss Neville and Mri‘ Cary, and .the serenade by Miss Neville, Mr,\ Bonnington, and Mr. King, The latter gentleman acted as accompanyist during the evening, and acquitted himself in the most satisfactory manner. It ought to be stated also that Madame Moller and Miss Holler contributed in no small degree to the success of the evening’s entertainment

There is a place (says “iEgles” in the Australasian) where I greatly miss the name of the popular Tribunes. You can’t find them much on the subscription lists of the charitable institutions. The working man at the mass meeting and the working man in the hospital do not present to them equal attractions. Bloated capitalists, selfish merchants, narrow-minded squatters, sordid shopkeepers, all that the working men are taught to hate, are there in numbers, but . where are to be found the merciful offerings of the working man’s friends ? It .is surely time that honest John Smith, the intelligent artificer, saw through the hollow pretence of his professing friends and political taskmasters. . A singular occurrence took place. at the White Hills, Sandhurst, recently, by. which a man named Martin McMahon narrowly escaped losing his life. McMahon was lying on the grass, wearing a fur cap. The cap was espied by another man, who was on a rabbit shooting excursion, and mistaken for a rabbit. The man fired at the object, but, fortunately, for a distance slightly beyond the range of the gun. Some of the shot with which the weapon was charged, however, struck McMahon on the forehead, and his right eye was so seriously injured that it is feared he will lose his sight. The unfortunate victim o! the extraordinary accident now lies at the hospital. Beyond the injury to his eye the wounds are not considered serious. Mr. Sidoy sell this day, at 11 o’clock sharp, the whole of Mr. Kankin's furniture, &c,, on the premises, Majoribanks-street, a few doors past the City Hotel.