The Thames Advertiser. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1874.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1867, 2 October 1874, Page 2

The Thames Advertiser. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1874.

Tee Hon. Major Atkinson, who has lately joined the Ministry, has addressed his constituents, and has been accorded a vote of confidence. This was only to be expected, as the people of Taranaki-always like to have one of their members in the Cabinet, and always go with the Government. Major Atkinson went further than most members. He .was not content with a vote of confidence, but obtained an emphatic approval of the policy of Mr Vogel on all points of his abolition resolutions. Taranaki is too virtuous even to desire a share of the land fund of Otago and Canterbury, Major Atkinson will make a very fair Minister—better than some of those with whom Mr Yogel has had to work.

It would appear from the Australian papers that the Tambaroora goldfield, of which we heard so much two or three years ago, is suffering exactly in the same way we suffered about five years ago. There was a period of reckless speculation and excitement, a great deal of .ground was taken up, on which much money was speculated, and a good deal spent in sinking useless shafts and putting in useless drives, and in erecting machinery which was found not to. be wanted. Then the ground was left idle, rneD were thrown out of work, and began to grumble at capitalists keeping ground locked up without working it. There is nothing' new under the sun even on goldfields, and on Tambaroora we find every phase of our own history repeated, each phase lasting apparently about the.same time. We find in the Sydney papers a memorial which has been addressed to the Minister of Mines by the Municipal Council of Hill End, and which is exceedingly like many we have seen before. It is as follows

To the Hon. the Secretary for Mines. Sir, —Residing in a district where the present leasing system is presenting itself in its very worst form, i.e., that of locking op lands, which, if open, .would greatly contribute to the welfare of the district generally, we, the Mayor and Aldermen of the Borough of Hill Jind, deem it desirable to bring under your notice some of tho most prominent evils resulting from this operation of the Mining Act of 1874, As is generally known, there is a vast extent of auriferous land held in this district uader application for le'.se, the leases for which have not been issued though many of the applications have been made for a period extending over two years. Upon this laud little or iio labour has beeu employed. We would respectfully bring under your notice that the laud being thus locked up has the effect of greatly retarding the development of the district generally, by causing an exodus of that portion of the population which would otherwise remain and assist in the further opening up of a vast field of auriferous land Ic would be impossible to enumerate in this letter even a small portion of the evils arising out of the present Act, We would, however, respectfully point out that large sums of money have beea expanded in the erection of machinery, capable of treatiug ten times the quantity of stone now being raised in the district. Several well-known lines of reef3—calculated to. £.ive remunerative employment to a vast numb a- of miners who are willing to give the reefs fair trial—are at. present' idle from the fact of the leases not having been issued, and no labour conditions imposed.

The Sydney 'Mail,' in commenting upon this comes pretty near to the truth. However good the goldfield may be, time is absolutely necessary for a recovery for a period of over-specula-tion in mining, and though wise laws may do much good, and unwise laws may do much mischief, they are by no means omnipotent. The ' Mail' says:

The memorial points to the imposition and enforcement of strict labour conditions. There are, however, t«o sides to this question. Years ago the complaint was that capital fought shy of mining enterprise. Capital w..s only too eager to embark in it during the recent excitement, and the results have been corresponding depression aud discouragement. Many of those who liave entered into mining ventures without securing returns are now taking time to breathe aud to recover themselves; and to deal with them too harshly under the circumstances would nob only cause loss to them, but would tend to convert the temporary depression into a permanent reaction, and to inflict a heavy blow upon the permanent interests of mining industry.

We do not wish to see any continuance of the dispute about the threatened closing of the Piako, as we shall be quite satisfied if the steamer is permitted to ply as usual, without anything more being said ou the subject. The threats made arose out of a.personal grievance on the part of some natives, and were not of a political character, and so will be very easily removed. In our yesterday's paper Mr Adlam defends himself from the imputations cast upon him, that he was the means of the Maoris Issuing the threats about stopping up the river, and we are willing to to take his word, although it seems to be unquestionably the fact that the threats arose out of the affair with which he was connected. However, we would say to the Maoris that whatever disputes they might have with persons plying on the river, they will never be allowed to stop up the navigation. We would also advise all Europeans who havo anything to do with natives to refrain from giving bad advice., It is a dangerous thing to advise natives to do a public wrong for the purpose of revenging an annoyance, and undoubtedly the colony—and this province in particular—has suffered from this cause.

[Residents within the Borough are aware that on last Thursday a rate was struck, but it may he necessary to remind them that the manner iu which appeals against the assessment are disposed of is different under the present Act thau under the highway boards. The 222 nd clause of tho Act provides that any ratepayer thinking he is aggrieved may appeal to the Resident Magistrate's Court, within a month from the striking of the rate, bub must give seven days' notice of his intention to do so to the Borough Council,

The California Minstrels had a good house last night, and performed an excellent programme, which gave the highest satisfaction to the audience. To-night thero will be a specially attractive programmo submitted, and it will no doubt draw an equally large audience.

The p.s, 'Golden Crown' did not make a trip from Auckland yesterday, but will resume her usual daily trips to-day.

The Thames Hospital Committee sat till 10 o'clock on Wednesday night, and then adjourned till to-night (Friday) at 7 o'clock. The Colonial Government steamer with the English mails via Suez, per s.s. 'Albion,' left Wellington- for the Manukau yesterday, and may be expected to-morrow.

The Star of the Thames Lodge 1.0.9.T, held an open meeting last night, which was very successful, the attendance being very large. Bro. J. Bull, W.0.T,, occupied the chair. Bro. E. French, Pioneer Lodge, gave a short address on "Good l'emplarism, what is it?" ! He defined Templarism to be an association of earnest men and women aiming at the abolition of alcoholic liquors as a beverage from society, seeking the accomplishment of this object by consolidating and organising teetotal influence, and, by social means, developing the brotherhood society so much needs. The greater part of the programme was taken up by readings from the trial of "Fir Jasper,•' which were .taken part in by Bros, Her. J. Davies, W. F. McNeil, and others, which was well received. Sister McNeil sang two songs, and the proceedings were fuither diversified by several others taking part in it. The proceedings closed by the singing of the Closing Ode and the National Anthem. '

At the .usual weekly drill of the Thames Scottish last evening, there was a large muster, and after parade about a dozen new members were, elected, bringing the company up. now very nearly to the maximum limit of 100 strong allowed by the new Volunteer Regulations, This is, of course, exclusive of the band, which numbers about 22 members. The officers' and non-commissioned officers' drill of this company appears to work well in imparting a knowledge of drilling tlie mea and know--ing the duties belonging to each rank. We observed last evening the lanco corporal, whose turn it was to fall in and prove the company, did it very well indeed, although, if we mistake uot, a short time ago the same gentlemau would have shrunk from the duty he performed so creditably last evening. Captain Murray announced the prizes for Saturday's firing, and the number of them proves the warm support accorded by the friends of the corps. A financial and business, meeting takes place on Saturday. .

■ The new meltinghouse erected for the Bank of New Zealand not only forma a handsome addition to the bank premises, and an improved feature iu the street architecture of the Thames, but is of itself the , most compact and best furnished iir the colonies, not even excepting that attached to the Sydney mint. Its front is a continuation of the frontage to the bank in Albert-street, the cornices and pilasters being made to match. We need scarcely add that the building is of brickwork. Its entire size, outside measurement, is 28 feet x 21 feet. The meltinghouse, which, is the back portion of these premises, is 16 feet x2l feet. The floor is of solid concrete and cemmt, and is about a foot lower than'the assay offices and lobby, ' into which the front of the building is divided. The assay-room is 10 feet x 16 feet, andthe I '] lobby 5 feet xlO feet.' A door from this lobby . * leads into the gold office from the left side, and another in front leads into the meltinghouse. • There is also a door to the right leading. -, to the assay office, and there is communication between.the assay office and the meltinghouse. Each compartment is fitted up with the most complete appointments, In the meltinghouse there are three melting furnaces constructed so • as to be rather larger at the base than at the ' mouth, the object being to do away with any necessity for poking the coke, which as it burns will fall to the bottom. On top of the three furnaces is a large cast iron plate about Ijj inches thick. At the left side is the assay furnace connected, of course, with the flue. In .respect to this we have beeu shown by Mr .Severn a very ingenious contrivance for lessening the time usually occupied in assiys. This i 3 a gold plate about inches square on which -. are fixed 10 platinum points, each of which is ; : made to contain the assay parcel, so that. ; instead of 16 separate meltings and treatments in aoidand distilled water the 16 assays can be made together. Qaa burners give the heating power required,"' The saving' in time by the adoption of this contrivance invented, or, ,at all events, introduce 1, by Mr Severn is very great. At the other side of the furnace, and also connected with the llue, is the distilling apparatus for manufacturing the distilled water required for assiy pur- , poses. The furnaces, we may add, are fire-

brick. They are not put together with the ordinary inorter, but with a composition of fire-

clay and coucentrated tailings, which will harden into the consistency of fireclay. The..,, smbkestaclns4l'feefc hi^h; near the top it is' . provided with an air chamber, which increases'"'' the draught very largely.. Iu fact there is so gre it a draught that great care has to be : taken in regulating the dampers- Around the meltinghouse are ranged troughs, shelves, ka,, the : : whole of one side, being, ocoupied by the assay - • furnace apparatus, while the other is devoted to the appliances for breaking up the retorted gold, meltiug it, and otherwise treating it. The ■ assay office is equally well provided. It is well lighted by two windows in the front, One side . of the room. contains all appliances for., treating and weighing assays, the other for chemical analysis. There are shelves, drawers, cupboards, and places adapted for chemical books and other requisites, .([and on .the whole the arrangement of the premises is unique in its adaptation to the purposes which it has to serve. Already several parcels of gold have been melted in it, and the whole arrangements are found complete and perfect. ■ The design has been prepared by Mr flullis,. architect, and the whole work carried out under his supervision.

"XXX" writes: "To the Editor: Sir,— Among multitudes of councillors there is wisdom. Such being the case, I am desirous of again having a littte say. At yesterday's : meeting I perceive Mr Rowe did not attend, but I consider the aspirant no improvement ■ upon impartiality. Do you not think, sir, it would be better if the management were placed upon a different footing, for it is too sacred an - institution to be polluted by party feeling. If ' so may Ibe allowed to suggest the propriety of : the present management being abolished, and • placed under a committee consisting of clergy- i' ; - men of all denominations, and a sub-committee ' of all the members of the medical profession, •If this were done it would do away with all the quarrelling and vote buying (in ; the" same o measure as some electioneering agents have been accused of, and I believe are quite guilty of having done. / In the event of any impossibility, ~ of carrying the'' above into effect," I would suggest the advisability of raising funds for the Hospital. by the' present committee, continuing their inquiry in the Theatre Royal,' ' and charging the public' for, admission, Is, 2s, and 3s; children with rattles, Ac, half-price. If something of this fend is not effected, I am afraid the subscribers will become so disgusted they will hold aloof. May I ask, in conclusion, whether a Government'officer is- ' allowed to sit on a committee ? but perhaps Mr Mcllhone only does so as a publican, con- ' sidering that Captain Fraser pronounced him as such when he caused him to pay his brewer's little account."

■ " Old Play'' writes" To'the Editor: Sir, —So great is the dissatisfaction of the outside public with, the proceedings of those who'at present have the control of'the Hospital, tlwii it ii to be fewed there will be a great falling off in its funds derived from voluntary contributions. Such being the case, I would suggest that these weekly meetings which now afford so ' much real amusement, if not instruction, and . which the 'public are led to believe will last twelve months, might be utilize! with much advantage. If the committee would hold their meetings at the Academy of Music, and . charge one or two shillings for admission, dividing the evening's performance into two parts, so as to afford all au opportunity for refreshment, I have no doubt they might easily realise £500 or £600 in a very legitimate manner, and so avert the impending deficiency , as to funds. But thoro is some little difficulty, 4 and that is,-I hear, that with-one or two ' " exceptions, the present members of tho committee—including the chiof priests of- the *>[. church militant, will be kicked out at the next, annual election."

The Bank of New' Zealand shipped to Auckland yesterday, by the steamec 'Golden Crown,' 3,1670zs 15dwts Cgrs melted gold,

The Waikato Times says:—"The Piako Swamp Company is proceeding vigorously with the draining of the Piako country. Notwithunfavourable season they have had to coi snd against, and the quality of tho labour at their disposal, they have done wonders, Eighteen miles of drains are already cut, and thirty more are levelled ready to let by contract, Fifty more miles are in course of preparation for contract. large additions have been made from recent arrivals to the number employed; the men thus obtained, however, are for the most part quite unfitted for the work; having been drawn principally from the large manufacturing to"vns."

The s.s. 'ladybird' left the Mauukau on Wednesday for the South. Tho following is a list of the passengers;—Mr and Mrs Hobson and two children, Mr and Mrs McCallum and family, Mrs Bennett, Mr and Miss Wilson, Masters Wilson (4) and servant, Missßabbeth, Mrs Brown, Mrs Allisson and two children, Misses Bridget and Annie Ealley, Messrs fluff, A. Cass, T, W. Kempthorne, Jap. Stepheusou, E. Curtis, Joseph Middleton, William Payne, Mr and Mrs Middleton and two children.

Thes.s. 'Victoria' left Auckland on Wednesday afternoon for Sydney and Melbourne, She took the following passengers:— For Melbourne: Mr and Mrs Lindsay, Miss Annie Peacock, Mr C. Weake; Mr T. Barroclough, Mrs Charlotte Culler and four children, For Sydney: Messrs J. Richardson, C. Kinse, Mr F. and Mrs Prymft and 2 infants, Malachi Monaghan, Mr and Mrsßmard, Messrs Wm. Schrke, J. C, Brown, W. Roberts, W. Malcolm, T. Kear. ,

Tho holiday which we are to keep in remembrance of the arrival of Captain Cook in New Zealand is proclaimed for the 7th of October. As we stated yesterday, we would not have got the holiday at all, if it had not been for the races. A number ot gentlemen connected with the meeting, went to the Provincial (Government, and asked that a holiday should be proclaimed, and the answer given was, we believe, that a holiday would be proclaimed if a decent excuse could be got. The truth is, that Captain Cook actually landed in New Zealand on the 8 h of October, and not on the 7th, but the 7th suits the races, and the difference does not much affect Captain Cook, or his memory. We may quote the account of Captain Cook's first sight of New Zealand, and the landing at Poverty Bay:—"On the 7th it fell calm, we therefore approached the land slowly, and in the afternoon, when a breeze sprung up, we were still distant seven or eight leagues. It appeared still larger as it was more distinctly seen, with four or five ranges of bills rising one Over the other, and a chain of mountains above all, which appeared to be of an enormous height. This land became the subject of much eager conversation; but the general opinion seemed to be that we had found the Terra australis incognita. About five o'clock we saw the opening of a bay, which seemed to run pretty far inland, upon which we hauled our wind and stood in for it; we also saw smoke ascending from different places on shore. When night came on, however, we kept plying off and on till daylipht, .when we found ourselves to the leeward of the bay, the wind being at north ; we could now perceive that the hills were clothed with wood, and that some of the trees in the valley were very large. By noon we fetched in with the south-west point; but not being able to weather it, tacked and stood off; at this time we saw several canoes standing across the bay, which in a little time, made to shore, without seeming to take the least notice of the ship; we also saw some houses, which appeared to be small but neat; and near one of them a considerable number of the people collected together, who were sitting upon the beach, and who, we thought, were the same that we had seen in the canoes. Upon a small peninsula (Tua Motu), at the north-east head, we could plainly perceive a pretty high and regular paling, which enclosed the whole lop of a hill; this was also the subject of. much speculation, some supposing it to be a park of deer, oihers sn inclosure for oxen ami sheep In the evening I vent on shore, accompanied by Mr Banks and Dr Solander, with the pinnace and yawl, and a party of men. We landed abreast of the ship, on the east side of the river, which was here about forty yards abroad; but seeing some natives on the west Bide whom I wished to speak with, and finding the river not fordable, I ordered the yawl iu to carry us over, and left the pinnace at the entrance. When we came near the place where the people were assembled, they all rau away; however, we landed, and leaving four b"ys to take care of the yawl, we walked up to some huts which were about two or three hundred yards from the water-side, When we had got some distance from the boat, four own, armed with long lances, rushed out of the woods, and running up to attack the boat, would certainly have cut her off, if the people in the rinnace had not discovered them, and called to the boys to drop down the stream: the boys instantly obeyed; but being closely pursued by the natives, the cockswain of the pinnace, who had the charge of the boats, fired a musket over their heads; at this they stopped and looked round them, but in a few minutes renewed the pursuit, brandishing their lances ia a threatening manner: the cockswain then fired a second musket over their heads, but of this they took no notice; and one of them lifting up his spear to dart it at the boat, another piece was fired, which shot him dead. When he fell, the other three stood motionless for some minutes, as if petrified with astonishment; as soon as they recovered,- they went back, dragging with them the dead body, which however, they soon left, that it might not encumber their flight. At the report of the first musket, we drew together, having straggled to a little distance from each other, and made the best of our [way back to the boat; and crossing the river, we soon saw the native lying dead .upon the ground. Upon examining the body, we found that he had been shot through the heart; he was a man of the middle size and stature, his complexion was brown, but not very dark, and one side of his face was tattooed in spiral lines of a very regular figure; he was covered with a fine cloth, o£ a manufacture altogether new to us.' 1 Not a very fearful encounter this, for a beginning. What Captain Cook thought to be au inclosnre for sheep and cattle was a Maori pa, and on very many occasions since October 1769, English soldiers and sailors have had dear-bought experience of these places.

Mr Yogel's South Sea Island scheme is not thought much of in Australia. 'I ho Sydney Mail siys:—"The details of Mr Vogel's Polynesian schema have been published. The idea is that the New Zealand Government should guarantee five per cent, interest for fifty years on a million sterling, the. capital of a company to be formed for the 'exploitation' of Polynesia, and for concentratiug the trade and commerce of the islands in New Zealand, where manufactories would have to be established, under the terms of the contract, to work up the island produce. By this means it is proposed to suppress the labour traffic and its attendant evils, to make the islanders industrious by finding them work at their own homes, and to set up New Zealand in the undisputed position of mistress of the Southern Seas, It is a very pretty project; but as the company would certainly fail (because Polynesia is not ripe for so large an enterprise, and because the very conditions of the enterprise would be in conflict with those economic principles that are at the root of. commercial success;; as the undertaking would then fall eventually into the hands of the New' Zealand Government, who would he still less able to carry it on with profit; and as the attempt to do so would involve endless complications of apolitical character, Mr Vogel has little chance of receiving a favourable reply from the Secretary for the Colonies, to whom the scheme was sent in March last for consideration, Tho proposal will dazzle the fancy of many, but we have no expectation that it will ever be more than a proposal."

S. Yousa (late oE the Cjurt House Hotd) has assumed the management of the Queen's Hotel, corner of Albert and Queen streets, where he will be happy to receive a, visit from bia Qld IriQnc^*—ADYT,