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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5633, 19 April 1879, Page 2

The agricultural statistics for a number of the counties appeared in Thursday’s Gazette, which reached u? yesterday ; but as some have already appeared, and the list is as yet incomplete, we prefer to await the publication of the full list before re-publishing any particulars.

From the meteorological report for March we learn that during the month 13'3in. of rain fell in Hokitika, I‘fiin. in Wellington, 7'7in. in Auckland, 6 2in. in Dunedin, and O'-lin. in Christchurch. The thermometer was down to 30'Ideg. in Christchurch on the 29th, and up to 145 deg. on the 9th. The quarterly conference of school committees was last night held in the City Council room. Mr. Jonas Woodward, chairman of the Thorndon committee, was voted to the chair. On the motion of Mr. E. P. Field a select committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs. Woodward, Stock, Maointyre, Blow, Gardiner, Kennedy, and Maginnity, and the mover, to taka into consideration the urgent necessity for various amendments in the Education Act, 1377, and to report to a special meeting of the committees to be convened for this purpose on the first Friday in June next. A desultory discussion ensued with regard to the advisability of establishing Penny Savings Banks in connection with the schools. Archdeacon Stock was understood to say that the bank in connection with the Te Aro School had proved very successful, and that he coold not understand what possible objections could be made to these institutions. He thought, however, there was room for improvement in the printed regulations recently issued by the Minister of Education.

A-t the nisi prius sittings of the Supreme Court, yesterday, his Honor Mr. Justice Richmond and a common jury were occupied with the trial of the cause Travers and another v. Hadfield. Mr. Travers appeared on behalf of the plaintiffs, and Mr. Lewis for the defendant. The plantiffs, Messrs. \V. T. L. Travers and R. J. Duncan, are trustees in the estate of the late Mr. James Gilligan ; and the defendant is a resident of Christchurch. The action is brought by the trustees to compel the defendant to complete a contract for the purchase of 818 acres of laud at the Tawera, Wairarapa, which the late Mr. Gilligan, some time prior to his death, agreed to sell to the defendant for the sum of £13,000, £SOOO of which was to be cash down, and the balance to remain on mortgage. This agreement was reduced to writing, but it is alleged in the declaration that when the time arrived for the completion of the contract, the defendant declined to perform his part of it. The objection raised by the defendant against the completion was that the abstract of title was not given at the time specific' iu the written agreement. The point which no jury had to decide was the date upon which the title was handed over. They found that it was not delivered on the date mentioned in the agreement ; and the next proceedings will take place before the Judge in banco, when the legal points involved in the case will cfune on for argument.

A gentleman from the Wairarapa, who has recently returned from a trip to the Tararua ranges, near Masterton, has submitted a number of specimens of supposed gold-bearing quartz to Dr. Hector, for analysis. The specimens were submitted to the usual test with aqua fortis, which they resisted, but it is very doubtful whether the metal visible is gold or not. The same gentleman also brought some specimens of copper ore down from the ranges, which will also be assayed. Thousands of tons of this stone are said to be scattered about, but it is not possible to pronounce any opinion on its value until after the assay. Further explorations are likely to be made in the ranges.

The final trial pair-oared race between Campbell (stroke), Berry (bow), and Beauchamp (stroke), Holmes (bow), was pulled off last evening. The course was from Magazine Point to the Gasworks. Just as the crews were starting a strong squall sprang up, which made the water very lumpy. For the first one hundred yards neither crew gained any advantage. After getting into the rough water Campbell’s crew—evidently the stronger—• began to forge ahead. Opposite the Baths Campbell caught a crab, which enabled Beauchamp (to draw up, and eventually to get slightly ahead. Campbell and Berry then exerted themselves, and settled down to a grand spurt, winning' by a bare half length. The race was a most exciting one, and the best contested of the lot.. Five fours are now in training, and the first contest will take place next Saturday! The prizes will be oak and silver mugs. A lad named Edward Greggs, 14 years of age, an apprentice in the employment of J. Mandel, haircutter, Willis-street, was arrested last night for petty larceny. 'lt appears that of late Mr. Handel had missed several articles from his shop, and had suspicions that the lad was the culprit. Accordingly last night he watched him. The boy left the shop at the usual time with a pair of trousers under his arm. A constable was asked by Mr. Mstndel to search the boy, and in the pockets of the trousers he was carrying found two cigars, two cakes of tobacco, and a box of cigarettes, the value of the whole being about 3s. The lad will be brought before the Resident Magistrate this morning. About 40 gentlemen met in the Star Hotel last night for the purpose of making arrangements to organise a public gymnasium. Among those present was the Rev. Mr. Thorpe, who expressed himself in strong terms relative to the necessity of such an institution being established. The chair was occupied by Mr. Bate. After considerable discussion, the meeting decided to elect an influential provisional committee, consisting of a number of the leading citizens. It was agreed that a petition should be sent to the Government, requesting them to grant a piece of ground on the Thorndon reclamation as a site for the necessary buildings. Another meeting will be held shortly, when no doubt some definite plan of operations will be arrived at. Mr. Preston, a gentleman well known in the Adelaide wine business in most towns of the colony, has determined on making Wellington his head-quarters. He has taken possession of the spacious cellars at the City Hotel, on Clyde-quay, where in future his business will be carried on. Mr. Preston imports direct from the principal wine-makers of South Australia, and he has now in stock a most extensive assortment of choice wines. By importing direct, Mr. Preston is enabled to sell his wines on the moat reasonable terms to hotelkeepers and private consumers, and the colonial article has been already so highly appreciated that the consumption has increased to a very considerable extent. There is no doubt that if Mr. Preston continues to import wines of so superior a quality as he has been selling up to the present time, the sale of European wines in this colony will be confined almost entirely to the wealthy classes, and evfen then the demand will be limited. There has been so much said from time to time by advocates of temperance in favor of the introduction of light Australian wines, that Mr. Preston’s enterprise bids fair to be rewarded with success to himself in a pecuniary point of view, and to prove beneficial to the community by the substitution of wines of a light character in lieu of those of a kind more readily intoxicating in their effects. The steamship Stad Haarlem will be open to visitors after to-day, and visitors are requested not to go on board to-day, as it interferes with the necessary work.

Mr. Louis Dihars, of Obinemuri, and Captain Wm. Newland, of Wanganui, have been appointed native interpreters.

Mr. Francis Dart Fenton has been gazetted a governor of Auckland College. The resignation, dated April 16, of Mr. Wason of his seat for the district of Coleridge is gazetted.

The.lmperial Opera House has been leased for one year by Messrs. Hiscocks, Haymaa, and Co., entrepreneurs .

The Rev. D. Dutton, who succeeds the Rev* J, Dumbell, arrived here yesterday by the steamer Wanaka from Auckland.

The football season will commence in earnest this afternoon. The Rugby TJuion Club will play a scratch match on the Basin Reserve. Players are expected to put in an early appearance, so that sides can be picked at once. A. proposal is on foot up at Masterton to form a Volunteer corps. Some 60 or 70 names have been enrolled, and a gentleman was deputed to wait upon Colonel Reader yesterday to ask him whether he was prepared to accept their services. The immigrants by the steamer Stad Haarlem were all landed yesterday morning at 10 o'clock, and went at once to the Barracks. They appear a fine strong healthy lot of people, and will doubtless meet with ready employment. The Rev. J. T. Hinton, late of Grahamstown, having accepted the unanimous invitation of the Wellington Baptist Church, at the Foresters’ Hall, Lambton-quay, to become its pastor, will commence his ministry on Sunday. The following is the statement of postal revenue collected for the three quarters ended 31st March, 1879 : September quarter, £28,550 10s. sd. ; December quarter, £28,961 19s. Bd.; March quarter, 1879, £34,619 13s. 4d.; total revenue for the nine months ended Slat March, 1879, £92,132 3s. sd. We understand that one gentleman on the East Coast of this provincial di-trict expects to have 600 acres under crop next year. A neighbor of his hopes to have 400 acres down in grain. There seems to be every probability of a considerable influx of grain into Wellington from that quarter. We hear that a specimen of copper has been submitted to the Geological Department lately, which appears to be almost pure native copper. However, no assay is likely to be made by the department, as the finder of the specimen has declined to disclose where the specimen was procured. According to the Registrar-General’s report, during the months of February and March there were the following deaths from zymotic diseases in the four chief towns of New Zealand :—Auckland, 19 ; Wellington, 47 ; Christchurch, 20 ; Dunedin, 2—Total, 88. It appears that more than the half of the whole of this class of deaths occurred in this town.

The old Resident Magistrate’s Court was again used yesterday morning as a Court of Justice, The only case for hearing was one of assault preferred by Robert Pitch against Frank Mountain. As the complainant did not appear, the information was dismissed, with costs agaiust the plaintiff. Messrs. J. H. Wallace and P. Moeller, J.P.’s, were the presiding justices. The many friends of Mr. F. M. Bates in this city will be glad to hear that Mrs. Bates and himself have recently finished a most successful season in Sydney. They were to appear at Newcastle during Easter week, and were to proceed thence to Maitland for a few nights. Mr. Bates writes to say that he contemplates an immediate return to the United States, paying New Zealand a farewell visit en route. During the proceedings at the Supreme Court yesterday, Mr. Wallace, the manager of the National Insurance Company, was called upon to state his name in full, which he gave as Bruce Wallace; upon which his Honor the Judge remarked that the witness possessed two celebrated Scotch names. Mr. Travers thereupon said, “Yes, your Honor ; and he combines the abilities of those two distinguished men.” No doubt Mr. Bruce Wallace felt highly flattered. The following tenders were received at the Public Works Office, Wellington, tor the Wanganui wharf and reclamation contract (formation only) of the Patea-Manawatu railway :—Accepted : J. Saunders, Wellington, £23,514. Declined : Cornfoot and Stenhouse, Christchurch, £23,897 ; Joseph Gibbs, Wanganui, £24,572 ; W. Rowe, Wanganui, £24,578 ; D. Wilkie, Inglewood, £25,938 ; S. Brown, Wellington, £26,737 ; W. G. Bassett, Wanganui, £26,935 ; Barry and McDowell, Wellington, £27,6X5.

An inquest was held at the Morgue yesterday morning before the coroner and a jury, touching the death of Jessie Mary Jamieson, the little girl who was run over by a milk cart on Wednesday. Dr. France stated that he had been called in to attend to the child, and found her in a state of collapse from some internal injury. The only external injury noticeable was a slight bruise on the lower part of the abdomen, and another on the chest. He believed the bowels had been ruptured, and that the child had died from the shock to the system. The father of the child stated that shortly before the accident deceased was playing with her sister in the front garden, and must have strayed into the street. Charles Rearden, a laboring man, who saw the accident, said that no blame was attributable to the driver of the cart. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

The Reform Football Club will play a match this afternoon in the Hon. Mr. Sheehan’s paddock, Hobson-street, Thorndon. The following are the teams :—Captain’s side : W. Sandilands, A. G. Young, J. Forsyth, J. Blacklook, Davis, Row, Campbell, C. Wymond, Danks, Barnett, Christie, I. Salmon, Barton, Haughton, Williams, Baddley, Rodgers, E. Butts, Cameron, Willis, A. Grimstone, and Bell. Vice-Captain’s side; Geo. Page, J. Sandilands, E. Young, Robinson, Gillan, Maxton, McKenzie, Bentley, F. Russell, Barnett, Tait, I. Salmon, Chapman, Haughton, Stubbs, Keasbury, Bonthorn, E. G. Pilcher, J. E. Sandilands, Caskill, Bristow, and A. Grey. Players are requested to be on the ground in the uniform at 2.30 sharp. The case of Houghton and Others v. Moody and Compton, which had previously been before the Court, was again gone into yesterday afternoon before Mr. Justice Richmond and a common jury. The plaintiffs seek to recover damages from the defendants for a breach of contract with regard to the insurance of certain premises. Mr. Ollivier appeared for the plaintiffs, and Mr. Travers for the defendants. The case had not concluded at the rising of the Court.