The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1877.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 196, 24 February 1877, Page 2

The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1877.

Mr Dale will oll'er i‘or sale to-day atone o'clock, timber, merchandise, and sundries. A telegram was received in town yestcr. day stating that the s. s, Clyde would leave Wanganui in the evening for Carlyle. She should therefore have ar. rived here at daylight this morning. Major Brown, the Civil Commissioner was an outward hound passenger by the coach to-day. He will stay at Ilawera to-night, and may possibly go on to Now Plymouth at the beginning of next week. The ketch ‘ Agnes ’ which discharged cargo at Wellington, left that port for Lyttelton on Thursday morning. She will load for Carlyle with Hour, wheat, and rye grass seed, consigned to Mr Tapi in.

A meeting is to bo held at the Ilawera Hotel this evening at 8 o’clock, with a view to getting up a race meeting at Ilawea on Queen’s Birthday. All persons interested arc invited to attend.

It will be soon by advertisement that the Carlyle Amateurs are intending to perform at Manutahi this evening 1 o, and residents thereabouts arc desired to “ look out.” As tho moon happens to be favourable, there should bo a large turn out of patrons. Mr Gibson, who lias been doing a tour north, including a visit to tho celebrated Taupo Lakes, returned to town by way of New Plymouth yesterday, coining on here by the Mountain Road. Mr Gibson was one amongst many who discredited the account first published by tho Auckland Star of a dccrcped Maori boy “being kept alive for several months in one of tho hot springs. Tho boy was still in the water when Mr Gibson arrived there, being fed and having luVwants attended to as related in the newspapers. Tho boy died before Mr Gibson left the lakes.

The ketch ‘ Jane Elkin ’ was loaded with wool and ready for sea on Thursday afternoon, but the tide was scarcely high enough to allow of hor floating at the wharf. She goes direct to Wellington, from whence she will go to the Pelorou and after loading, will return immediately* for Carlyle. It was intended to make a vigorous effort to get the vessel into the S' ream yesterday, so as to enable her to get veil on the way to Wellington with the favourable wind then blowing.

Un St. Valentine’s Day 2,740 letters were sent through the Dunedin Post Cilice.

A great scandal lias been caused at Auckland by lifty persons assembling in tin: main street to witness a cock light.

Friends will be pleased to learn that Mr Hill and 'Mr Dorrett, both of whom lately met with serious accidents, arc reported as progressing favourably.

To show the great need of a hospital being established in this district, it is only needful to mention that there are at all times two or three patients laid tip in the buildings temporarily set aside for such cases. According to the Wulrarapa Ncivs contracts have been lot for metalling the Forty-mile Bush Road. The total length of road line is 28 miles, and it is believed the contract price will amount to about £IO,OOO. The Wmrara'pa News says : —“ The annual value of rateable property in Mastcrtoa for the current year is £1)466. Of that amount, £2583 represents leasehold properties. Last year the total amounted to £7510 10s—making an increase in the value of rateable property for the year of £1950 10s. A letter dated 13th February has been received from the Under-Secretary, Public Works Department, Wellington, by the Chairman of the County Council, to the effect that notice having been given to the officers employed on public works under the late Provincial Government of Wellington that their services will not bo required after the end of the present mouth, it will be necessary for the Comity Council to take over the maintenance and supervision of main and ordinary roads in that part of the County. It is also intimated that expenditure incurred on works since the 31st December will be charged against the subsidies accruing to the County.

The Wellington Waste Lands Board has given instructions to the chief surveyor to undertake the survey of a block of Crown Laud near Palmerston, in tbo Manawatu district. The land, comprising about 8,000 acres, is of good quality and easy of access, and will bo laid off in sections of 100 and 200 acres, when it will bo offered for sale on deferred payments. At the Crown Lands office on the IGtb inst., sections on deferred payments which bad been put up at LI per acre, and for which there bad been more than one applicant, were sold by auction, when an aggregate of 2,408 acres realised 4:8,004 Bs, or an average of LI 9s od per acre. One section applied for at .€1 fetched 412 10s pc r acre. That speaks well for the deferred payment system. Mr llardeastle, the newly' appointed Resident Magistrate for Wanganui, took his seat on the Bench for the first time on Monday last, the 19th inst. Mr Hardcastlo has been a warden mi the gold fields, and was formerly clerk of the court at Hokitika, and Bogistrar of the Supreme court. Air Woou was temporarily' appointed 11.M. from the time of Dr. Giles’ departure till the arrival of Mr llardeastle, and on account of a letter which had appeared in one of the papers, Hinting thatMrWoon was anxious to be permanently appointed as 8.M., and contrasting the qualifications of the two gentlemen for the office, Mr Woon took the opportunity' on the occasion of a rather full attendance at Court, “of setting himself right in the eyes of the Wanganui public,” by making a few remarks. Both papers seem to think that Mr Woon’s attempt to set himself right was a failure, and the Herald in an article on the subject takes him to task for having made such an exhibition of himself. Mr VVOOII professed not to “ pay much attention to what the newspapers say.” The Herald asks “ To what does he pay attention then ? To the advice of some addlchcaded friend or relation who flatter and induce him to destroy his reputation by' a display of feeling and language in a Court of Justice, which should never have emanated from anyone whose experience and understanding had fitted him for the position of a Besidont Magistrate.”

.The Annual Keport of the Wanganui Acclimatization Society shows the finances to be in a healthy condition, the amount in the hank to the credit of the Society being £2OB 11s 9;1. In regard to work done it is said the English skylark is firmly established, and pheasants are to be met with in all parts of the country. The useful insectivorous bird, ‘the green linnet, is also fairly established. The birds introduced during the past year consisted of Australian magpies, chaffinches, Indian minah, and the English blackbird. The secretary has also communicated with the secretary of the Agent-General in England with a view to securing, partridges, thrushes, goldfinches, rooks, &c. About 700 healthy young trout have been placed in various streams in the district. For want of proper breeding ponds, the society had to decline a favourable offer of the Auckland Society of 30,000 salmon ova. The report suggested the desirability of the Society having a place of its own, not to bo used for fish experiments only, but in which to plant trees, &c., received from other places, and to form the nucleus of an Acclimatization garden and a place of public resort, as in other towns in the colony.

Captain Wray and Major Brown were called upon to attend the Court-house on Wednesday, after live o’clock, to decide upon a charge preferred by Mr William Odgers against a man named Alfred Wright, a vagrant, who had sought to obtain board and lodgings on false representations. Four months hard labour was decided upon as about right, and Mr Wright was accordingly ordered to be forwarded on Friday to New Plymouth gaol, but a hitch arose with Cobb’s conch. On arrival of the coach, yesterday, the coachman refused to take the prisoner along with ordinary passengers. Prisoners cannot now be forwarded cither North or South by coach.

In accordance with a promise lately made Dy Major Atkinson to the New Plymouth Harbour Board, a stall of engineers under the direction of Mr Jones, have been scut there to survey and work out the details and prepare plans for proposed harbour at the Sugar Loaves. A number of workmen have also been taken on in various capacities. It is calculated that the preliminary work will occupy about four months. When plans arc prepared and approved no time will be lost in entering into contracts. Steps have alroad}’ been taken to ascertain if the Bank of New Zealand will undertake to float a loan, and advance money to commence operations with. The expense of surveying will of course be borne by the Harbour Board.

“ Mr Editor, can you tell mo what sausages are made of in this district! I was tempted to indulge in a few “ bags of mystery ” the other evening, and from outside appearances anticipated a rich treat. The “ mystery bags ” were taken homo, and being approved by the good wife, were nicely cooked and placed temptingly before me on a well laid out table. I flatter myself that I can play knife and fork with any able bodied man in the district, and set to work with a will. At about the second mouthful—Jesophat—■ horse nails and sledge hammers —-what for goodness sake had I got between my teeth ! It was hardly so hard as iron, but it nearly' cost mo a two guineatooth which a dentist in Wellington had lately fitted in for me, and warranted to wear during the term of my' natural life. He evidently' had had no experience of sausages as made in this district. Can you tell mo Mr Editor what sausages arc made of here?” Wo beg to inform the above correspondent that “ sausages ” Is not our forte, and lie had bettor apply to the makers. On Tuesday last, Colonel Trimble (Chairman of the Taranaki County Conn" cil) with Mr C. Ilobinson (a surveyor temporarily engaged by' the arrived at Carlyle, accompanied by Captain Wilson. Colonel Trimble and Mr Kobii.son, are. at present engaged inspecting the main lines of road in the County of Taranaki, bridges, and other such, matters, with a view to furnishing 3 report with an estimate of cost of all necessary' works, which will require to he done in the County of Taranaki. Actual inspection ceased at the Patca Ermr, the boundary lino of the two counties. It was, however deemed well to extend the visit the full length of the Mountain Load, so as the better to form an opinion of what the Patea County' Council had to do towards making a tralficahlo road between here and New Plymouth, to sec if there was not some likelihood of the two Councils working together in this all important matter. Hence the visit was extended to Carlyle. The party' left town again on Wednesday' morning, intending to return slowly by' the coast road. Mr John Boss, a former settler in this district, returned at the beginning of this week, after having spent some time at the Palmer gold rush. He reports anything but favourably. The number of Chinamen on the field is something alarming. They' outnumber the white population three or four times over. In their patient way the Chinamen work away on ground which white men would not look at. The small accumulations of so many Chinamen, together with the contributions of the white diggers, all of which are sent away' by escort, swell up to a large sum. People from a distance, seeing accounts of the quantity of gold regularly taken away by the escorts, arc apt to be deceived at the apparently' rich yields of the Palmer diggings. If the gold returns were ap portioned at per bead of the population it would then bo seen how small was the actual yield. It is said that hundreds of white men are literally' starving. The heat is oppressive, and fever and agu 0 common. After a white man lias been two or three years at the Palmer it is scarcely safe for him to leave. He cannot live in a colder climate. Even Victoria and New South Wales are often found too cold for a man to live in who has been for some time at the Palmer diggings. Some who have made money and returned to the southern part of the continent intending to settle down quietly for life, have been compelled to return again to the north, the south being found too cold for them. There they are compelled to continue a miserable existence—there is no comfort in the place for them, and every' prospect of death if they move south. What with the heat, and fever and ague, it seems little less than madness for white men to go to the Palmer. The effects of even a short visit are felt for years after.

The approaches to the Patea Bridge on the town side are at present in a very bad condition. Sand has accumulated on the hue of road, and the sid.es of the cutting have been so weather-worn, that a large slip of earth may at any time be expectedThere has already been a few minor slips. Besides the bad approaches to the bridge, a number of holes may be seen between the bridge and Odgers’ which if not soon filled in may lead to serious accidentsThe sooner the County Council is able to look after these matters the better.

The Chairman of the County Council (Mr Sherwood) received sketch maps of the Comity by coach at the beginning of the week. The maps are fine specimens of draughtrnanship. The largest is on a scale of two miles to the inch. All surveyed land, from the Waitotara to the Yv aingongoro, is marked off in sections and numbered, as also the various townships? and educational, hahor, Native, and other reserves. All the lines of road are also marked. The map is in fact an intelligible picture of tbe country. Other maps accompany the larger one, on which the various Road Boards arc named, and boundaries defined. There are also plans of the townships of Carlyle and Hawcra. A portion of the Council Chamber, at the Public Buildings, will be boarded up, on which the maps will bo hung for ready reference by Councillors. The maps will afford a vast amount of information to all who care to make themselves acquainted with them.

A block of buildings in Bonrke street, Sydney, above the Opera House, was sold privately for £30,500. Edward Hardcastle, Esq., It. M., has been appointed judge of tho assessment court for the Wangneliu Highway Board district, Wanganui-Waitotara Highway Board district, Wanganui Borough, and Wanganui County. The resignation by 0. W. Woon, Esq., of his appointment as sheriff for tho district of Wanganui and Bangitikci has been accepted by the Governor. Herald

A correspondent informs the Cknmcle that the mantle of tho turbulent spirited Kereopa appears to have descended on a number of Waitotara aboriginal residents. A few days ago, a gang of these rowdies, when under die influence of tcuipero, tried to drive off Mr Johnston’s men, who were thrashing grass seed at Pakaraka, and went so far as to endeavour to stop the machine by force. Mr Johnston and his hands wore, Imwe vor, equal to the occasion, and very nolished off the braves who ha" '.e .iced the attack.

The meteorological disturbances of the last few weeks, have no doubt caused a good deal of discomfort to seafarers, and it ploaiauL 10 havo I > record one result, which lias given th an pleasure. The Captain of tl. .. i *e, which arrived this morning, stale on Thursday night a most beautiful phenomena was witnessed. At night fall the sea became all aglow with crimson flames, and continued so for hours, ft looked just as if someone had covered it with oil, and had set it on lire. Captain Simons says he never saw any phosphoric effects half so beautiful. Mr Win. Burgeon reports, that when ho was out in the pilot boat near Tiri on Sunday night, lie saw a very similar light. —Auckland Star. Mr William Fox, who has just been lecturing at the Crofton Hall, concluded by a very humorous notice of a society which bad been in existence in Loudon for six years, the object of which, be said, was to jirovide bachelors, and even spinsters, who had failed to meet with such by moans of tho ordinary so< i.il channels, with suitable partners. He exhibited to the audience a newspaper, about tho size of .the Illustrated. London News, with six pages of closely printed advertisements in' small type, all on a matrimonial quest. Some of these he read, accompanied with a running commentary in the lecturer’s peculiar and racy style, which elicited roars of laughter. He observed that on the last page there were advertisements which, though not strictly matrimonial, would nevertheless have special attraction for tho old bucks who wore advertising for wives. There was one, for instance, for restoring hair on their bald pates, and another of a wonderful specific for restoring shattered constitutions, which would lead to tho supposition that some of these lively old gentlemen were little better than roues, who had hunted in every matrimonial Held and failed.