Untitled

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2548, 7 March 1877, Page 2

We learn that JVtoanatams sold to-day at £3 2s M and £3 ss. We are.unable to give authoritative quotations, j the brokers not having had a meeting to cotttpare notes. We believe considerable business was done to-day. In our report of the Assessment Court yesterday it was stated, that Mr Black's assessment was confirmed ; it should have been, that Mr Black's objection was allowed under the exception clauses of the Rating Act. -

A meeting of tho prospecting committee appointed by the Thames County Council was held yesterday. After hearing the evidence of six experienced persons the inquiry was. adjourned until the committee brought up a report to the Council on the subject. . ■'■■'„'

The' Resident Magistrate at: Hokitika, in dealing recently with an application for immediate execution, remarked that every plaintiff who obtained Judgment in a R. M.'s Court could claim immediate execution; the practice of the Court to exercise a discretion in the: matter iwas not warranted by the Act.

A public meeting of the ratepayers of the Poverty Bay Highway District, which was to have been held on last Saturday to consider the advisability of merging linto the County, was adjourned, the reason given by the local paper being that the ratepayers would prefer going to see \Mje Emmet in " Fritz.", -, ; " ■

We are informed by a gentlemen recently from the South that in cenversation with the Hon. Major Atkinson, Premier, the latter expressed his satisfaction at: the' energetic manner in which the Thames County Council have set in operation : the new form of local government, and said that it contrasted favourably with .spine districts in the south from which much was expected, but which had so far dis* appointed expectations even to the length of asking for the assistance of some experienced person to set the County machinery in motion.

A meeting of the committee appointed to consider the question of a bridge over the ."ELauaeranga was held- yesterday in the Council Chambers. Crs Mitchell, Thorburn, Brodie and Bagnall represented the-County, and Crs Kilgour and Read the Borough. Various, places^ were discussed as to the. most suitable spot for the erection of a bridge, arid the County surveyor stated that in his opinion the best site would be near the Parawai Gardens, the next best one in a lin§ with Bowen street, and the third at Shortland Wharf. It was agreed that the surveyor should prepare estimates for the erection of a bridge at the site pointed out by him, and also that the Borough Council should be asked to let their surveyor act in conjunction with the County surveyor to estimate the cost of a bridge near the Shortland Wharf.

■ The tediousness of the Assessment Court business was more than once relieved yesterday by" some -'incident-or remark which gave rise to general, laughter, not at all consistent with the dignity of "courts." One incident was characteristic of the persons who took part in it. The Judge had been considering with a wonderful degree of patience the appeals of Mr James Heron, and had listened to a lot of evidence tendered by the valuers and the Town Clerk, which evidence was opposed by Mr Heron and refuted in so far as one man could refute the testimony of three. The Judge confessed that he was in a quandary. He wished to act fairly, but he did riot Tsnow what to do in face of what he had;heard. Addressing the appellant he said, "Now, just_tell me what you would "do if you were, in my place." ■'• Well, Your, Honor, If replied the appellant, "I would just make a reduction of twenty-five per cent, on the assessment all round, and that would bo fair and just." It is needless- to say that the

repartee was greeted with a general aud hearty laugh. The Judge didn't accept the advice so candidly given, but he made certain reductions which the appellant accepted as better than nothing.

Some portion of a private letter on the late All England match against Auckland, played at Ellerslie, evidently from the pen of an Auckland resident, has been handed to the Lyttelton Times for publication. It pays :-!-" The mismanagement of our match was terrible. In the first place, the twenty-two chosen to represent, us was not a good one—the antiquated and used-up element was present to an alarming extent, to the exclusion of younger and better players. In the next plac^e, Auckland (who won the toss) foolishly put the Englishmen in—the consequence was they had to go in with a long score staring them in the face. Buckland and Eobinson were kept on bowling far too long, and then, of all people, they tried Lankham, and Eees with his lobs. Bennett, who is really an excellent medium pace round arm bowler, was thus left out in the, cold till it was too late to stop a long score being made. When he was at last put on things improved considerably, and the wickets fell pretty quickly."

The Australasian, noticing the c.'icket matches played by the English Eleven at Auckland and Wellington, says: — " When it was contemplated, some time ago, to send an Austrajian eleven to Maori Land to make a tour of the provinces, the New Zealand cricketers, in speaking of the contemplated meeting of Australian wieldors of the willow, ridiculed the idea of playing the visitors save on level terms, and a comparison was at once instituted between Australian and New Zealand cricket. The result of the English matches, so far, goes to prove that both New South Wales and Victoria are a long way in advance of their southern friends, and that a really good Australian eleven would play and defeat any fifteen the respective provinces could produce."

As some misapprehension exists on the subject, we (N. Z. Mail) may state that the decision arrived at by the late meeting of the General' Synod of the Church: of England is tantamount to leaving the question as to what hymnal shall be. used to be decided by each individual congregation for itself. In the Auckland diocese it is proposed to arrange fo? a new, and revised edition of the. "JSlew Zealand Hymnal," cxitting . out some of those hymns in the present collection considered unsuitable, and adding mauy .of the very beautiful hymns in the " Ancient jsind Modern Hymnal." This should please all parties, and we believe it is proposed that Wellington should co-operate with Auckland. ....... . .. . \. ■'

Lovebs (says the Melbourne Leader) who are in the habit of taking moonlight walks along the beach between Sandridge and St. Kilda should take warning by a story that an old Tasmanian friend once told me. Hewas' walking with a lady to whom he waa fengaged on a country road a few miles out of ICaunceston, when two convicts in prison attiye suddenly,appeared ,be,for.e rT them aad told to undress. Rem6nstra'nQ,es. werfe perfectly ;,usplessj_ ths men were desperate, and. resistance" would have'b^niadn.ess. In about ten minutes an .of clothes, was effected—rtheiJady'iitl appears was very large and one of the convicts very small —^and the lovers were left iir particolored garments, richly embroidered with broad arrows, to make' their-way home, while the escaped prisoners went on their way rejoicing.:-; My friend and his companion were arrested by the police as soon as they came within the lights of Launceston; and it was only by sending for the young lady's father, who hated the gentleman, that they_ avoided being locked up all night. If the prisoners at work down at jthe Sandridge batteries continue to escape as they h'aye been doing lately, my Mend's history may repeat itself on the shores of Hobson's Bay.

The Otago Guardian of a recent date says:—No fewer than 36 insolvents have filed their schedules in Dunedin since the commencement of the year. The fact of such an accession of bankruptcy business is attributed not simply to temporary commercial stagnation, but mainly to the incrersed facilities. for " whitewashing " afforded under the new Debtors and Creditors Act. The effect of the new regulation is to render the process rather agreeable than otherwise, and it is little matter for astonishment that, under; the circumstances, so many should take advantage of its. provisions to escape those little financial embarrassments which colonists, like Colonial Governments, are sometimes liable to. The Act is conveniently framed to specially protect local creditors at the expense of the absent, for the power of "accepting a compromise or amicably arranging affairs withthe insolvent is entrusted to a majority of those "present" at the meetings convened to deal with the estates. lr Registrar Ward commented on the fact yesterday, remarking that the provision seemed an extraordinary one. J

•.';■ Mb Po:pe Hennessy, Governor ofßarbadoes, has .performed a very igenerous action. Since his arrival in that island he has been subjected to a series of petty annoyancos and:insults at the hands of-tlie planter clique, for simply doing j his official duty without favour or affection. Lately these insults culminated in a bundle of papers being thrown in the Governor's face while out driving with Mrs. Hennessy and their infant child. tDfoe: bundle struck the child. It was flung by a Mr Brewster, the proprietor of the paper thrown, and the number thrown at Mr Hennessy contained a, caricature of Lord Carnarvon. Mr Brewstor was prosecuted, and, though ably defended, was; convicted and sentenced to two months' imprisonment with hard labor. Here was a tempting opportunity for a Governor to assert his authority; he had only to let the law take its course, and it would afford him redress for 1 the provocation he had r.ece^MJ^Mr Hennessy did nothing of the kind. When the sentence of: the court had been confirmed, he drove to Mr Brewster's house and informed his wife that he pardoned her husband, and that as the latter had always held a respectable position he wished to save him from the indignity* of an arrest. If Mr Brewster and his fellow citizens cannot appreciate such a noble minded act, they do not deserve a Governor like Mr Pope Hennessy. —Pilot. . ■.. -■■■•-: " ;•■;