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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5765, 20 September 1879, Page 2

The Wellington Guards’ Band will perform the following programme this afternoon at 3 o’clock, in the Botanical Gardens :—Slow march, “ Welcome the Prince selections, “La Pille da Madame Angot quadrille (Bonnisseau) ; quick march, “The Skidmore Guards" (Metcalf); “ Mell's Vaises” (E. Watteuffel) ; fantasia, “Beautiful Isle of the Sea" (Riviere); “ Hippodrome Galop” (Steiuberger); “ God Save the Queen.” Our telegrams from Dunedin contain no information respecting the result of tha inquest upon the bodies recently destroyed by lire there. Our contemporary the Evening Post last night published a special from its own correspondent, which states that the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Waters, whom they had not long before found guilty of incendiarism. He was fully committed for trial.

An important question affecting the right of the creditors resident in another colony to the goods of a debtor now resident here, but who had some time since been made a bankrupt in South Australia, camo before his Honor Mr. Justice Richmond in Chambers yesterday, in the case of Donald and another (trading as Pascoe and Co.) v. Gleioh. The plaintiffs, who are judgment creditors for debts contracted by the defendant hero, seized certain property in the Albion Hotel, Te Aro, occupied by him, whereupon Mr. John Cheny, the official assignee, of Adelaide, claimed from the sheriff, and that officer caused an interpleader summons to be issued. Mr. Sandilands appeared for that officer, Mr. Bell for the claimant, and Mr. Forwood for the execution creditors. The sheriff was authorised to sell the goods seized and pay the proceeds into Court (after deducting poundage, &c.), to abide the decision of a case to be submitted for tho ruling of tho Court on the question raised. Applications made by Mr. Porwood, for security for lists as against the claimant, and by Mr. Sandilands, for the sheriff’s costs of tho proceedings, were ordered to stand over.

It will be seen from our report of the proceedings of the District Court that the case of Hedges v. the Corporation came before that Court yesterday for the third time, and that for the third time a verdict was given for the plaintiff, who may now perhaps have some chance of getting her money. An exhibition on a very extensive scale of natural and manufactured articles from the Holy Laud will be opened to-day by Messrs. Kaurt and Ali, who have for some days past been busily engaged in fixing up the place and displaying their articles to the best advantage. They consist of small fancy articles of all kinds made from the wood of Mount Olive, the cedar of Lebanon, and other woods growing in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem, all the articles under notice being manufactured by hand at Mr. Kaurt’s establishment, Via- do la Rosa, Jerusalem. Their character is of so miscellaneous a nature it would be impossible to mention even a tithe of them, but we may say that many of them form interesting mememtos connected with the scene of the birth and death of Our Saviour, and that in this respect the specimen of the Crown of Thorns, preserved flowers from Jerusalem, &c., are particularly interesting. Card cases, strings of wooden beads made of the woods before mentioned, boxes of all kinds, candlesticks, fancy pipe and cigar cases, and articles for the ladies' boudoir, are here to ba found in great abundance, as well as a large assortment of handsome and valuable jewellery. A certificate signed by the British Consul at Jerusalem testifies to tbs genuineness of the articles. The exhibition will be open to the public at 2 o’clock to-day, the price of admission being fixed at the small sum of one shilling. About 50 members of the port watch of the Naval Brigade assembled at the Arcade last niriit for their usual weekly drill under Lieutenant Bennett and Sergeants Roper and Price, of the Armed Constabulary. A meeting of the members of both watches was called for S o’clock, when about 150 attended, and it was decided to call for tenders for two large open rowing and sailing boats, and also to purchase a boat from the Thames Naval Brigade, capable of seating over 40 men. The schooner Enterprise having been placed at the disposal of the brigade, a number of members will proceed on a cruise about the harbor this afternoon. The fifth lecture of the course being delivered at tho Wellington Young Men’s Christian Association will be given on Tuesday evening in the AthenEcnm Hail. The subject will be “Coal—lts Origin and Uses.” Mr. S. Herbert Cox, Esq., E.0.5.,F.G,5., being the lecturer. Mr. Angelo Forrest announces an entertainment at the Arcade on Monday evening, consisting of hell readings, bell songs, hell glees, and bell music. The entertainment will, no doubt, be an instructive as well as a novel ace. '

The Town Clerk notifies that the new building regulations have been confirmed, and will come into force on the 1,-t proximo. The Iter. Ik W. Harvey arrive! in Wellington yesterday from hi-; trip to England, and was welcomed by a peal of bells at tit. Paul’s Church. His parishioners intend to hold a welcome tea-meeting. A concert will be given in St. I’.-.ifl’s Church room, Tinakori-road. oa Mondav evening, ia aid of the ch- ir funds. Mr. Ib-bvrt Park-r will conduct, and Mrs. George C-tteriil tviil render assistance, an excellent programme being provided. Mo information has yet be-u obtained of the missing man John Houg’at ra. He was last seen on the evening of the 7til, when he went to bed, but left the house during the night, or early next morning, and inis not been heard of since. He was about GO years of age, and was an immigrant by the Aurora 40 years ago. He kept a grocery shop in Wi!H.v«treet for some years. His habits at times were rather eccentric.

The Christchurch Preys has the following concerning Mr, Andrews, one of the newlyelected members for Christchurch ;—‘‘ln Mr. Andrews it is some comfort to feel, whatever may be our political differences, that our late member is replaced by a gentlemen highly respected among his feilmv-citiz -ns, and for whom ra my even of the Opposition would have gladly recorded their votes but for the fatal taint of Greyism. Let us hope that a wider experience will in this ca.-e, as it has dons with so many others, tend to correct views which we must a. pr-rs-mt feel to be clearly immature. Row that he has entered the House he may depend up m it that his career will be watched with no unfriendly interest by many who on this occasion have been compelled to vote against him.” A captain in a militia regiment in Auckland several years ago (says a contcmunrury) was very fond of lollies. One day. whilst in the quartermaster’s office ho sent a man to the town for some toffv. Being a good sort of fellow he divided it with the clerks in the room. They ha 1 their mouths full, when who should come in but the colonel. He asked the captain a question, and the latter, instead of answering, merely stared at his superior officer. The colonel was astounded, and turning to the clerks, demanded an explanation, but all appeared in the same predicament. At last the captain wrote on a piece of paper, “ Can’t speak if it was to save me from the gallows.” The colonel thought they were all drunk, until at last the captain, getting clear of his toffy, was able to explain the can- e of the strange attack of dumbness. The gallant colonel nearly split his sides with laughter, and the incident was made to do duty on occasions at many a social gathering, where it was retailed with many an embellishment and addition.

'Last evening the Pinafore Company appeared at the Theatre Royal instead of at the Academy of Music. This, and the fact that Miss Leaf was announce 1 to make her reappearance after her illness, probably hud the effect of causing a very large attendance, the dress circle especially presenting an animated and fashionable appearance. Miss Leaf, on her entry upon the stage, was greeted with loud and continued applause, showing most conclusively how great a. favorite this young lady is. It was evident, from her first solo, that she had not fully recovered her voice ; but for all that she sang the music allotted to the part with taste and success throughout, being several times encored The entire performance went most satisfactorily, encores being the rule of the evening. An additional attraction was on the programme in the shape of the operetta “ Trial by Jury,” which is also by Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan, the authors of “H.M.S. Pinafore.” As is well known, this is a biting satire upon our courts of law, especially in connection with breach of promise of marriage cases. The operetta went remarkably well for a first night, although there was a little shakiness about one or two of the choruses. A little less exuberance of boisterous apirits, too, on the part of the court crier and the plaintiff, would have been aa improvement, as the piece, although a satire, is net a burlesque. The fun of the thing is great enough without any additional clowning, which, indeed, very much assists in marring it. Tn this respect, the assumed dignity of Mr. Riocardi as the Judge might bo taken as a good example to these gentlemen, especially in the song descriptive of the manner in which he is promoted to the bench. Mr. Harding, as the defendant, sang the music very well, but, as before observed, was somewhat too boisterous, and Mr. Hodgson, tut for his error in the same respect, would have made a very good usher. Mr. Brothers, as the plaintiff's attorney, was somewhat overweighted, but got through the part respectably. Madame Le Couteur, as the plaintiff, did every justice to the music and acting generally, and she was ably asdstad by Miss Hunter, Miss Teague, and the other young ladies who impersonated the bridesmaids. On the whole, for a first night, tha operetta went very well, but it will no doubt go much better this evening, when “H.M.S. Pinafore” and “Trial by Jury” will be given for the last time, as the company produce “The Sorcerer” on Monday. The Russian soldiers live and fight almost wholly upon tea. The Cossacks often carry it about in the shape of bricks, or rather tiles, which, before hardening, are soaked in sheep's blood and boiled in milk with the addition of flour, butter, and salt, so ns to constitute a kind of soup. The passion of the Russian for this beverage is simply astonishing. In the depth of winter he will empty twenty cups in succession, at nearly boiling point, until he perspires at every pore, and then, in a state of immense excitement, rush out, roll in the snow, get up and go on to the next similar place of entertainment. So with the army. With every group or circle of tents travels the invariable tea cauldron, suspended on a tripod ; and it would be vain to think of computing how many times each soldier’s pannikin is filled upon a halt. One of the best jury stories I have hoard for a long time (says a London correspondent) is told about a case which was tried at Westminster recently. The action was brought to decide a dispute between a water company and some of its consumers, and the evidence in favor of tlie defendants seemed so irresistible that the judge expressed his wonder that the jury should want to retire in order to consider their verdict. After being absent some time they came back and announced that they were all agreed with the exception of one, and the judge, indignant at a single person refusing to accept the overwhelming testimony offered in favor of the defendants, made some remarks not flattering to the intellectual powers of the solitary recalcitrant, though, of course, no one out of the jury-box knew which of the twelve was the man. However, the jury had to be discharged, and it afterwards turned out that it was the twelfth who had taken the same view of the evidence as the judge himself, and the other eleven who had refused to adopt what bis lordship, and, indeed, everybody else in Court, thought the only reasonable conclusion to be drawn from the facts.

A Spanish-Amerioan journal gives an interesting account of the extraordinary route and construction of the Ferro Caril Transandino, or Andes Railway, the highest on the face of the globe. A great part of this line is already in use. It begins at Callao, in Peru, runs along the coast of the Pacific Ocean as far as Lima, then rises to the Andes, where it attains at cue place to the dizzy elevation of 14,260 ft., or about a level with the summit of Mont Blanc, and almost double the height of the line of perpetual snow in the Eux-opean Alps. The iron of this incomparble line was delivered by England, the wood by California and Oregon. In the huge field of rock between the chains of the Cordilleras the line passes, no less than SI tunnels. Such a railway, traversing heights once supposed to be inaccessible, necessarily possesses some wonderful bridges. One of the most remarkable is that of Verragos, which rests upon two iron columns of 21 Oft. in height. The view from the bridge into the abyss which it spans is said to be truly horrifying, and, as the train passes over, the traveller may imagine that he is being wafted through the air ou an aerial machine. Some points of the amazing landscape which are nearest heaven are described as being of “Dantesque infernality ’’ in character. There are places on the line which are never visited by the light of the sun, in spite of their high elevation, the ravines being perpetually darkened by the immensity of the “ Pics,” or mountain summits, which rise up towards the sky. At San Matteo the line passes a spot which is even named by the few inhabitants who are accustomed to the terrible gorging® and heaven-reaching “Pics” of the Andes, the “Bridge of Hell” —et Pacute do Vlnfcnddlo. This grand line goes at present ns far as Chicla, at a height of 7250 ft. above the ocean, and then descends by degrees to Ui.jv:i. The intellectual creator of this stupendous work was the American engineer .Meiggs, who died in 1577, the constructor of the line between Chili and Valparaiso. As a perpetual memorial to him, the highest peak of the Andes has been most appropriately named “Pio Meiggs.”

Thy Victoria Loftus Troupe left for Lyttelton yesterday afternoon by the 5.5. Arawata. There was a large crowd of the curious on the ▼.liarf to ?ee the last of them. They appear at the Gaiety Theatre in Christchurch this evening.

The Pali }fa'l (t ncitc observers that the rapid iucivusn - * N \ Z Paad is likelv terested in that colony. X.o, onlv U the colony lary-rls' indebted, but tlv various rowu* and municip litirs are to v.i extent

which may easily pr-.ve dangerous. Tais, of course, will not be felt so long os the borrowing, and building of public works, and the as.-isted immigrati >n go steadily on ; but should any check occur grave difficulties might follow; for it should not be forgotten that the whole of the debt is in foreign haul?, and consequently the interest upon it has to be sent out of the colony. If it should prove that miscalculations have been made in the value of the public works, and if the demand for the Crown lauds falls otf—both conceivable events —the positi-ui 1 f New Zealand might be uncomfortable. We do not say that this is a reason Lr alarm, or even distrust, but there is certainly (puts enough in the present state of nffdrs to make us wish that the people of »w Zealand would not discount their future quite so heavily. There is no finer colonv within the circle of the British possessions ; the climate is specially suited to men of our race ; and any financial mismanagement which should check its growth would be most deplorable. Messrs. T.o'.ry and Campbell will sell fruit and produce at thMr mart to day, at 11 o’clock, and horses and vehicles at the Horse Bazaar, Manners-street, at 2 p.m. Mr. F. .Stdcy will sell at the Area lo to-day. at 1 p m.. pianoforte, furniture, et:., and at 2 o'clock watches, jewellery, etc.