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Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1039, 20 February 1879, Page 2

The Thames- Waikato Railway. — The following is tho text of the telegram received by the Mayor, from Sir George Grey, with respect to tnrningthe first sod of the above railway, at the Hamilton end:—" Wellington, February 14th, 1879, I have delayed answering your .telegram until I might be able to form some opinion as to what my movements were likely to bo. I find I cannot hope to visit Hamilton before, probably, the close of next month (March), when I have to attend the great native meeting. If that time will suit yourself and the Borough Council, I shall be very glad to fall in with your views regarding the turning the fiwt spd of Thames- Waikato Railway at the Hamilton end.. If so long a delay as this will not snit you, you must make some other arrangements, and accept the expressions of my regrefc, that I see no chanco of being able to get there at an earlier date— G. Grey." Tho following reply has bGsu sank by the Mayor: " Hamilton, 18th February, 1879-^To Sir G. Grey : Your telegram received, with thanks. The Couuoil will be happy to wait the convenience of tho Hon. the Premi&v, to turn the first sod of the Thames and Waikato Railway, at Hamilton, in Search next, and requests Ixa w&

be kind enough to intimate, in due time, | to the Council, the probable date of his arrival, so that preparations may be arranged — J. B. Whyto, Mayor of Hamilton." Important Land Purchases — The 'Post' is informed authoritatively that land . to the total area of nearly, half-a-million acres has been acquired by the Government during the last month, on the West Coast of the JSforth Island The purchase possesses special value f rora the very excellent quality of the land,' which is described as being of the finest class for agricultural purposes. It is situatod on and along the route of the Wellington, Taranaki, and Auckland main line of Railway, chiefly to the northward of Wanganui. This will tend materially to facilitate the extension of the Railway so soon as a favorable occasion arrives. Clerk of Works.— The following letter ■was received by the Borough Council, from the District Engineer, Mr James Stewart: — "I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10 th inst. In reply, I have to state that I believe a change in the clerkship of works, on the Hamilton bridge contract, is necessary, and that Mr B. Butterworth is a suitable person for that office. You authorise me to appoint whom I wish, but do not inform me of the rate of wages to be offered on the part of the Council, on which body devolves the duty of paying the overseer." Cr. Potter asked for the letter to be read, to which the above was an answer, and pointed out that it was not in accordance with the resolution on which it was suppored .to be founded, the alternative being omitted that, if the appointment were handed over to the Government, ifc should be a condition that they took over the responsibility of the construction of the bridge also. He then proposed the following resolution, which was carried : " That the letter purporting to emanate from this Council, signed by the Mayor, to Mr Stewart, District Engineer, and his reply thereto, in respect to the Clerk of Works, be not acted upon, inasmuch that no such authority was given, nor the Bubject entertained by the Council, as therein stated." Cr. Gaudin seconded, when there were, for the motion : Crs. Potter, Gaudin, Gwynne, Gardiner and Knox. Against it: Crs Dawson, Beale and the Mayor. A gentleman, who was at Natal two months ago, furnishes the following sketch of Cetewayo (pronounced Ketchoweyo) whose place he visited on a hunting expedition: — During 1 his stay at oourt, he was well treated, and described Cetewayo as a very pleasant savage, but terribly cruel, after the manner of all Zulu kings. During his stay, he had every attention, abundant food, but each day two bottles of English ale were sent to him by his Majesty, and for these he was required to pay £2 per bottle, which he readily did. It was an ingenious way of taking payment without infringing native ideas of hospitality. Cetewayo rules his people with a rod of iron, killing off whole kraals (villages), if the people occupying them do not please him. One of Ms royal f reaxs is to send a number of young men to bring him in a live lion, if they offend him. If they come back without the lion, they are killed themselves. It is not wonderful, under such conditions, that many have preferred seeking refuge from the tyranny of the Zulu King by crossing the border. His army is described as wonderfully drilled, and some manoeuvring which our informant witnessed was very aurprising, such an immense line of warriors wheeling on the centre with perfect precision. There are many of them armed with the best breech-loaders, of which they understand the use perfeotly well. They say themselves that they have also plenty of ammunition, but will, probably, break down on this point. Our informant also says that the breech-loaders most in favor are those whioh can be loaded from the muzzle if need be. The men are drilled to mcve in masses, and their plan of attack is to send one of these masses in close column of about 2000 men, with two other bodies of about the same number in successive columns, at a few hundred yards interval. If the first column be checked, it is urged on by the rush of that behind it, and so on. Clearly artillery only can deal with such masses. Zululand proper, the territory of Cete- ' wayo, is hilly and bushy for the most part, without roads or settlers, and very difficult for military operations, except to Zulus, who, with a little bag of Indian cornmeal, can move from 70 to 100 miles a-day on foot. Their plantations of Indian corn are in narrow strips extending 1 many miles along the rivers. The Zulus themselves are honest and industrious, but very warlike, and they obey to the death. The River Steamers. — Mr R. R, Hunt, manager of the Waikato Steam Navk gation Company, writes to the Hamilton Borough Council, that there will evidently be an accident by collision of some of the company's steamers with the Hamilton punt when the boats are coming down stream, if the puntman will persist in crossing ahead of the steamers in spite of the signal whistle, and gives notice that should any damage be done by the steamer and their barges to the punt or bridge through such cause, the company will not hold themselves responsible for the same, The letter goes on to say — " Considering the fact that you bridge could not have been better de» signed to impede river navigation (had that been its special object of consturuotion* than the plan upon which it is being erected, and from the consequent difficulty in passing it, I hope the Council will take stops to prevent accidents to either punt oi? steamers or bridge— Copy of notice self ved on the puntman attached." Crs. Knox andPotter deprecated the interference of Mr Hunt as a simple piece of impertinence, and stated that the steamers caused a great deal of unnecessary inconvenience to the punt. Cr. Potter gave instances from his own experience, and explained that the public would suffer unnecessary delay if they had to wait to cross till it suited the captain of a boat to come down after Wowing his whistle. Sometimes the whistle was blown ten minutes earlier than it need be. The puntman should use due precaution, and if the steamers caused injury to life or property they should understand that they 4o so at their on peril. Instructions were ordered tp he given by the Council to both steamnr company and puntman to use proper precautions. Mb Joseph May, of Epsom, shipped by the s.s. Pretty Jane, on Monday night, six rams from his celebrated flock of pure Lincolna. The rams were purchased ; by Mr T. Barker, oi Gisborne, and will prove a welcome addition to that gentleman's flock, aa the animals are of pure strain. On board the s.s. Taupo when she atruok were 86 pure Lincoln and Leicester rams, shipped to Lyttleton by Messrs. Maclean and Co., of Cambridge. The Pomce, we understand, have succeeded in finding out the names of the hoys who, on Sunday last, indulged themselves in breaking the law, by lighting fires in a public plaoe, and thereby endangering a valuable Btack of hay, the property of Mr C. Johnson. The larrikin nuisance is begin ing to be seriously felt iij. Hamilton, the same act, that of wantonly burning- fuvze, having only a week or two ago nearly set fire to £he timber stacked for U6e near a new building in the No. 1 direction. We constantly see it asked why do the eettlera not grow

fruit for t.ho Auckland market ? But what use, when orchards are systematically robbed, and trees destroyed by juvenile thieves, whose parents are every bit as , bad as themselves. Lately, the Resident . Magistrate, in Auckland, has put a check to orchard robbing, haying sentenced six boya, guilty of the offence, to fterma of imprisonment of from fourteen days to six weeks in the Mount Eden Gaol. It is all very well to say, boys will be boys, but the lino 'must be drawn somewhere, and, if parents will negleot their moral responsibility, the lawmust step in, and by its wholesome chastisement prevent idle boys from growing into larrikins, and further developing into confirmed thieves and vagabonds, The practice of lighting fires during the present dry weather is fraught with great danger to the. community. Our telegrams of to-day record the mischief such wan- ' tonness is causing iu the .North. Pboposbd Works on the AlexandraNewoastle Road. -We would draw the attention of contractors for road works and others, to the advsrtisement in another part of to-days paper, issued by the Newcastle District Board, calling for tenders for a variety of separate works in that district — building bridges — forming roads, shifting earth, building brick culverts, &c. The works advertised for, are for part of the Waipa road, a considerable grant for which has become available. Tenders must be aont in by Friday, the 28th inst., and plans and specifications for part of the proposed works are on view at Bernard's Hotel, Whatawhata, while those ( of the remainder can be seen on application to the Engineer, Mr T. G. Sandes, at the shop of Mr R. F. Sandes, Hamilton. Postal Irregularities. — Messrs. Hunter and Nolan write us that they posted a letter from Te Awamutu on Friday last, before 8 p.m., containing an alteration in cattle sale advertisement which they specially desired should be corrected in Saturday's paper. The fault is not ours that it did uot appear, as it was not issued from the Hamilton office on Friday, whatever time it may have been sent, and was consequently too late for Saturday's paper. The envelopes have gone into the waste basket, so it is impossible to ascertain where the delay occurred. Friday, the 21st inst. (to-morrow) has been named by Mr Thos. Macffarlane, the Commissioner appointed by the Government to settle the matter in dispnte, for a meeting between the representatives of the Waikato County, Borough Council, and himself, with a view to both parties being heard, on the apportionment of the £110, part of the £40,000 subsidy alleged to be due to the Borough, but otherwise disposed of by the County Council. The meeting takes place at Gwynne's Hotel, at 10 a.m. A new price list of seeds issued by MiAdam Laybourh, of Fort-street, Auckland appears in our advertising columns. Mr Laybourn is now selling his seeds on a small commission only, instead of the usual old fashioned profits so dear to seedsmen, and so very dear to their customers. . Mr R. Salmon, butcher of Hamilton, has opened up a new luxury in the shape of German and other sausages, having imported a first-class sausage machine from Auckland. All who remember Charles Veith's tempting butchers shop in Hamilton, will gladly welcome a little change form the eternal mutton and beef. If we cannot have a new kind of animal for a change this weather, when the appetite for meat requires pampering, we can, at least have a little variety in its preparation, and therefore we say, prosper the new sausage machine. Burgesses op Hamilton and. others having business with the Council have been anxious to know what were office hours for the Town Clerk's attendance at the Council Chambers. These were fixed on Monday night, and are advertised as follows: — From 10 o'clock a.m. to 4 o'clock p.m. daily. The advertisement says daily, whioh we presume includes Sunday also. It has been suggested that the Clerk might spend the office hours of that day in holding a Sabbath class of Councillors, in whioh the teaching of the precepts of brotherly love and charity shall have special attention. The Hamilton Cart Bridge.— The following is the fortnightly report of the Council's Engineer, W. C. Breakell, Esq. "The contractors have completed the excavation for the concrete pier, and have commenced erecting the pier. The whole of the piles in the second tier will be driven by Wednesday next (yesterday). The contractors have now almost the whole of the timber on the ground. 1 beg to draw your attention to the fact that I strongly recommend the Council to dispense with two of the forty feet spans oi) the west side of the river, my chief reason being that when the approaches to the bridge are made, there vrill be a large quantity of surplus earth, and I think it better, aB well as more economical, to use the earth as part of the approach to the bridge, instead of throwing same to spoil. I have instructed contractor not to procure the material for these spans until further notice. The usual monthly meeting of the Rangiaohia Highway Board was held at Te Awamutu, on Saturday last. The following were the accepted tenders for the district works recently advertised, viz: E. McMannimin, forming and f ascining on the Ohaupo and Alexandra road, 38s per chain, and for other formations on the Bame line, 11s per chain; W. Bearsly, gravelling with coarse river •gravel, from Devin's Corner, Te Awanmtu, to the Brewery Hill, £3 7s 6d per chain. A telegram was received by the Chairman, from the Under Secretary for Public Works, at Wellington, respecting the state of the Te Awamutu bridge, and the cost of constructing a new one. Mr Breakell, the Engineer, who recently inspected this old ricketty bridge, reports that a timber bridge, six feet wider than .the old one, can be constructed for £180. But, a bridge of the same accommodation, in brick and cement, would cost under £300, and, that, a composite bridge, 18 feet wide, with concrete piers and iron girders, floor and hand-raUs qnly being of wood, would cost about the ean»o amount. J. P. Hyde's Gem and Burlesque Company will appear in Hamilton, at Le Quesne s Hall, for three nights only, cemmenoing on. the 2Qth instant. The company consists Gf fourteen star artistes, and there will be an entiro change of programme each evening. There must be many amongst us who remember that old and popular AucHand favorite, J. P. Hydes — we thought he had changed his name, ov gather his address, to Hades long ago, but are glad tu welcome him to Hamilton. That he is manager of the company is guarantee of their ability were they entire strangers, but the Auckland Press have spoken so well of them latoly that we need but to refer our readers to late files of the 'Herald' and ' Star, 1 for corroboration of our commendatory remarks. The Company consists of Mesdames and Mdlles. Lizzie Morgan, Aniie and Alice Johns, Jeannie Nye and Marion Lyston, aud Messrs J. Wilkinson, Alexander, J. P. Hydes, W. Hydes, Love, Mason, Hutchin's and Synimons. Referring to the ' Herald,' of the 6th inst., wa find the following: — The performances last night wore for the benefit of Miss Alice and Miss Amy Johns. The pieces selected were the - ( Loan qf a Lover" iiudßyrou'.-i <j-> avily," OiuderoUo,,

both of which pieties were well played In the first piece, Mis Jennie Nye, as Gertrude, sang the well-known songs, 11 To-raorrow," "I've no Money," " 1 don't think I'm Ugly," and "The Path by the Eiv6r," and received very genuine applause in each. But Miss Nye has been always a favourite here. There is scarcely any line of business which Bhe does not play_ with great success, her versatility being as remarkable as her many- accomplishments. Misa Alice t Johns was Prince Poppeti in the burlesque, and Miss Amy Johns Dandini. Both these actrssses sing and dance well ; they attire their parts with taste, richness, and propriety, and they were honoured last night with a very cordial recognition. Mr Wilkinson was Thisbe, Mr Hydes Clorinda, and Miss Jennie Nye Cinderella. Miss Marion Liston was the " Fairy Queen," Mr Alexander Alidoro, and Mr Love the Baron. The whole thing was very pleasant and spirited. Ma G-BOEQB E. Clabke, of the Grove, Cambridge, announces haying received for sale from Napier some 1,500 largeframed wethers; also, that he has a large number ot valuable horses and mares, whose characters are well knewn. in the neighborhood, for disposal, amongst which are a pair of extra heavy black draught geldings, and a pair of light harness mares, in foal to Knottingley. MUBIOALIIY-GIITED THOOPERS of the Hamilton Contingent, who are desirous of becoming members of the proposed brasß band, are requested to communicate with the Secretary of the Corps.