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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5616, 29 March 1879, Page 2

. A'talegram reached as from Aaekland last night which ctatod that the King meeting at Kopaa is .definitely fixed to take place on the ,23th April. The game telegram said that Sir George Grey was reported la be ill im bod at Kuwait, bat that the report required eonfirraatioa. - A Press Agency despatch informs us of the fact that Sir George reaohed Auckland from Kawaa yesterday in the Hinemoa, and that it was rumored the Premier was not a'ware of the state of affairs re the Waimate Plains till he arrived at Auckland. It is hard to believe there can be any truth in this latter rumor. However, .we are exceedingly glad that Sir George Grey’s health is such as to permit of his travelling. The captain of the Hormiohe has forwarded the following:—“The Hermione beat down to Worser Bay this morning, and anchored to wait a’fi'ir wind. 1 One of the two seamen (Tiuken) forced on board was taken very ill this morningV so' it is probable that ho will succumb to it ere long. Since writing this he has been seen by two medical men, and is worse.—D. L. Roberts.” A special meeting of the City Council was held last night, when the by-laws lately adopted by the City Council were gone through seriatim, and some alterations having been made,: the by-laws were confirmed. The additions and alterations appear in a brief report of the proceedings, which will bo found elsewhere.

How far publicity should be given to the proceedings in estates which are either under offer of composition or being discussed preparatory to their-being wound up in bankruptcy or otherwise, is a question which would seem to be very unsettled. One would think that where meetings consist of soma twenty or thirty gentlemen, the proceedings at such would be bound to leak out in various ways. Surely it is better that authoritative reports should reach the public rather than that half a dozen different versions should obtain currency. When an individual or a firm is unfortunate in business, and owing to causes in no way reflecting on the personal character of those concerned, clearly the more light thrown on the matter the better. It would be well, we think, if some definite principle could bo laid down as regards this matter.

A largo meeting of footballers was held at the Princess Hotel on Thursday night, for the purpose of forming a new club to play the Victorian rules. A club was formed and named the Reform Football Club. Thirty odd members were enrolled, and the following office-berrers were elected :—President, the Hon. J. Sheehan; vice-presidents, Andrew Yeung, Esq., W. Levin, Esq., J. H. Whitelau, Esq.; captain, W. A. Sandilands ; secretary, George Page ; treasurer, J. A. Rowe ; committee, Messrs. J. A. Salmon, T. VV. Robinson, Bentley, Barnett, and A. G. Young; match committee, Messrs. W. Sandilands, J. Sandelanda, and Geo. Page. Two women were charged at the R.M. Court yesterday for drunkenness, and dealt with in the usual way. William Taylor, one of the inmates of the Hospital, was charged with conducting himself in a disorderly manner. The accused stated he made a complaint about the butter being bad, hut was not disorderly. The police stated that Taylor was given in charge by Mr. Mansford, R.M., and asked for a remand until Monday, which was granted. Dr. Diver and Mr. Shannon, J.P., were on the Bench.

The “ Monthly Prices Current " has the following in regard to the money market ; There is no diminution in the stringency of our money market. Banking facilities are limited to strictly legitimate trade purposes, and the supply of capital for investment in mortgages is very small. There is an active demand, and 10 per cent, could readily be obtained for considerable sums of money on undeniable securities. The ■ dearth of money checks business and. causes considerable inconvenience, nevertheless the strain has been borne so far in a way which proves the general soundness of the trade of this place. The change in bank rates alluded to in our last issue was publicly announced before the mail left, and our quotations below are altered accordingly. ' The undermentioned appointments in the Treasury are gazetted : —John Holmes, clerk, from 16th December, 1878 ; Joseph Stuart Allan, cadet, from 30th January, 1879; Robert Knox de Castro, cadet, from Ist February, 1879. The gentlemen undermentioned have resigned their appointments in the Treasury : —Thomas Eyton, Esq., clerk, as from the 25tb ultimo; Charles Perrin Skerrett, cadet, transferred to the Department of Justice on the 6th instant.

It will be seen by the vital statistics for the month that there were 63 births both in Wellington and in Dunedin in February last. There were 63 deaths in the former and 29

deaths in the latter town. Twenty-six infants under a year died in Wellington, only six in Dunedin. In Christchurch there were 53 births and 45 deaths of infants under a year old.

The Manawatu Herald of yesterday says: The success of the great land sale held at Feilding on Wednesday last, on behalf of the Kmigrant and Colonists’ Aid Corporation, must have been very gratifying to the promoters. Buyers assembled at Feilding from all parts of the Manawatu, Rangitikei, and Wanganui districts ; there were also present several purchasers from other parts of the colony, notably from Wairarapa. A great feature of the sale was that comparatively speaking none of the land offered was purchased by speculators. The high upset price, and the binding conditions as to improvements, effectually prevented anything like speculative bids being given ; in fact, it could be seen from the appearance of the men, as each buyer passed up to the clerk’s table to give his name to pay the deposit, that the land was bought by “horny-handed sons of toil’’ to make homes out of their purchase for themselves and families. The result of the sale has shown that a great demand exists for agricultural laud, and that good land, sold on favorable terms, will command a high price. Some of the rural land in the Manchester Block was sold at nearly double the upset price, which will show the high value set upon it. As indicating the bona fide character of the sale, and its probable effect in promoting settlement within the district, we may remark there was an evident disinclination on the part of buyers to invest in town lands. Only three sections in the township of Ashurst were disposed of, and one in Cheltenham, no offer whatever being received for any sections in Stanway. Coming at such a period of depression, , the success of the sale is the more remarkable, and clearly shows how valuable land in this district will become.

We have received the February number of “ 000-e-e,” an illustrated shorthand magazine of general literature, in the corresponding and reporting styles of phonography. This little brochure, which is edited and published by Mr. R. D. Christie, of Melbourne, contains half-a-dozen articles on general subjects ; amongst them a notice of the well-known literateur, The Vagabond. It is somewhat roughly illustrated by woodcuts, and will doubtless prove interesting to students of phonography. ; , r Reference was made the other day to the manner in which the address-to the Marquis of Normanby from the City. Council was got up by the gentleman to whom its embellishment was entrusted. Some photographic views were bound up with, the address, which we desire now to mention were executed by Mr. Gibb, late of Nelson. -This gentleman, who has settled in Wellington, is making a name for himself in landscape photographing. An adjourned meeting of the creditors in the estate of Williams, Cameron, and Co. was held yesterday, when Messrs. Jacob Joseph and 00. offered to take over the estate, paying the other creditors 10s. in the £ at three months. After some discussion the meeting was further adjourned till Wednesday next, to admit of this proposition being considered. , The Press gives the following as an approximate account of the yield of the various crops in the districts specified and will prove interesting. -The yield of wheat in the Canterbury counties ranged from 30' bushels to the acre as the highest, to 174 the lowest; oats, fiom 334 bushels to 184 > barley, from 29J bushels to 204; hay, from2f tons to half a ton; potatoes, from fl 4 to, 4 tons. Permission to the Council of the University

of, Otago to borrow £IO,OOO is gazetted. ■ The security given will be a mortgage, and the interest to be paid shall not exceed 8 per cent. The object of the loan is declared to be for building and other purposes. The first meeting of St. Mark’s Tonng Men’s Society is announced to be held at St. Mark’s schoolroom on Tuesday next, at 8 p.m. Everyone interested in the formation of this society is invited to attend. The following appointments are gazetted : Mr. J. W. A. Marchant to bo chief surveyor, Mr. C. W. Adams to be geodesical surveyor, and Mr. G. W- Williams to be inspecting surveyor for Wellington Provincial District. .

The meteorological table gives the rainfall for the month of iFebruary in Wellington at 1 gin., and at Hokitika during the samo.peribd 16-Bin. fell, on seventeen rainy days. Mr. Henry S. Fitzherbert is gazetted a revising. officer for the electoral districts throughout the provincial district of Wellington.

A meeting of the Wellington Gas Company was held yesterday at the Chamber of Commerce, but our reporter was informed that the proceedings were of a private nature.. It will be seen by the Press Agency telegrams that there has been a disastrous flood in Dunedin, with great loss of property. Happily no accident to life or limb is reported. The services of the Wellington Naval Brigade have been officially accepted. A notice to that effect appears in Thursday’s Qautts, which only reached us last night.

The sale of a number of town and suburban sections in the Auckland Provincial District, on the 16th inst., is gazetted... ■ Mr. Chas. T. Benzoni has been appointed Under-Secr-tary for Public Works, having been promoted from chief clerk. Mr. Charles Bright, the free-thought lee,turer, gives his first lecture at-the Imperial Opera House to-morrow night. The Artillery Volunteers fire for their carbine prizes to-day, , His . Honor the Chief Justice and associate left yesterday in the Wellington for Nelson,

Lieutenant-Colonel H. E. Reader is appointed Under-Secretary for Defence, At New Guinea fifteen out of twenty men, with their wives and children, landed there by the John Williams, have already died through poison and fever, Mr. Connolly, barrister, and a jury attended at the Lower Hutt on Thursday, and sat as a commission to inquire into the state of mind of one Charles England. The case was adjourned for & week to allow England to obtain counsel. Messrs.' J. Beetham, M.H.R., Mr. Kempton, Mayor of Greytown, and Mr. Casgelberg, waited on the Minister for Public Works yesterday, with a view of obtaining a sum of money to be given to the Waiohine River Board. Mr. Macandrew promised to bring the matter before the Cabinet. The deputation then withdrew.

The Misses Stewart must have been highly gratified last night at seeing so large an audience at their benefit. The down-stair portion of the theatre was crowded, and the dress-circle was comfortably filled. The performance, from first to last, was thoroughly enjoyed, a fact which was fully testified by the frequent and hearty applause from the audience.