SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF AUCKLAND.

SUNSET : This evening, C.39 SUN-RISE : To morrow rnnrnintf. h.4C HIGH WATER : This evening, C.43 ; to-morrow morning, 7.S

ARRIVALS.

Wanganui, s.s., LinHater, from Wanganui

DEPARTURES.

Polar Star, ship, Stetson, for Cork Glenhuntly, barque, Alexanclpj from London Bowena, s.s., McGregor. Southern Cross, s.s., Tne^ars, for Tauranga Clyde, schooner, Anderson, for Wanparei Prima Donna, schooner, No:; is, for Tahiti Go-ahead, s.s., McGillivray, for Waitara

PROJECTED DEPARTURES

Por Honolulu and San Francisco: Dakota, mail

steamer, 20th March Pnr Northern ports: Rowena, s.s., Monday next For London : Harvest Home, ship, early For Sydney and Melbourne: Hero. s.s.. about 3rd March ; Won?a Wonga, s.s., about 10th March ; Phrebe. s.s., about Bth March (from the Mantikau) For Wanganai, via Port Walkato : Wanganui, s.s., to-morrow For Southern ports ; Wellington, s.s., on arrival of

Dakota Southern ports, via Napier : Dakota, p.s., early For HnV,nnga : Herald and Janet Grey, schooners to-ro.oirow

VESSELS EXPECTED.

'Durham, ship, from London. Sailed 29th November Udinburgh Castle, ship, from London. Loading Parsee, ship, from London. Loading Zanga, barque, from Liverpool. Loading Thames, barque, from New York, via Sydney, loading Dakota, mail steamer, from Honolulu Hero, s.s., from Sydney Prospr-rity, schooner, from Melbourne Corrcdo. barque, from Sydney Drover, brig, from Sydney. Sailed 7th February "East Lothian, barque, from New York. Sailed 20th

December Dauntless, schooner, from South Islands Harriet Armytaee. barque, from Dunedin Coronet, brißivntine, from Wellington Satellite, cutter, from Levuka Florence, schooner, from Dunedin Sailed 21st February Mary Millar, barque, from Newcastle. Sailed 11th February Success, schooner, from Levuka Albion, brig, from Newcastle Lady Bird, s.s., from Sydney (i n the Mamikau) Saucy Lass, schooner, from Napier. Sailed 17th February Tower Hill, brig, \ rom Adelaide. Sailed 2"ith January Flirt, brigantir, e , from Lyttelton Briton. baro\i e , from Newcastle Bella Mary/ barque, from Hobart Town H.M.S. "Hiosario, from "Wellington Dido, gutter, from Lyttelton

IMPORTS.

Per s.s. Wanganui from Wanganui : 940 sheep, Kane ; 10 bales wool, Buchanan ; G packages, Me Arthur, Shera and Co.; 1 ditto, E. Lewis ; 1 ditto, Hay.—Combes and Daldy, agents.

The Agnes Jessie and the Natal Queen have sailed from Lyttelton for Auckland ■with cargoes which are given at detail in our telegraphic columns.

The passengers of the good ship Warwick are determined to show their appreciation of Captain Skinner's endeavours to make them comfortable during their recent voyage. They have hit upon the expedient of presenting him with a photograph of themselves and officers of the ship, grouped together on the quarter-deck of the Warwick. For this pur pose they all assembled yesterday, at noon, ■within the focus of one of Mr Caters best cameras, in order to have the photo, taken, a previous one having proved a failure in consequence of cloudy weather. On this occasion the picture is a great success, and a credit to the efficiency of the artist. Captain Skinner will have just cause to feel proud of the presentation, and will no doubt always feel a pleasure in gazing on the portraits of his friends and companions during the late voyage.

The s.s. Wanganui, Capt. Linklater, arrived in. the Manukau at half-past six this morning. She left Wanganui at 7.30 p.m. on the 24th, and crossed the Manukau bar at 8.30 p.m. of the 25th ; experienced light head winds throughout the passage. She brings the following passengers : —Miss Nielson and Mr Bromley ; Messrs Leishman, Peacock and Earle. The Wanganui will leave again to-morrow morning at six o'clock. The schooners Herald and Janet Grey are both announced to leave for Hokianga direct to-D-xorrow.

The s.s. Wanganui -will leave the Manukau for Wanganui, via Port Waikato, to-morrow morning at six o'clock. We observe by telegram from Wellington that the captain of the s.s. Lady Bird has written to the N.Z S.N. Company saying the steamer would not leave Sydney until Satur day, the 22nd inst. She may, therefore, be expected to arrive in the Manukau to-morrow evening or Friday morning. The schooner Prima Donna left last even ing for Tahiti, with a full general cargo and the following passengers -.—Miss J. Osmond, E, Trevorlloyr, A. Canning, and E. Canning The s.s. Hero may expected on Friday next from Sydney. The mail steamer Dakota may be looked for hourly from Honolulu. The s.s. Rowena left yesterday afternoon for Russell and the North with a general cargo and several passengers. The s.s. Southern Cross took her departure yesterday afternoon for Tauranga. The schooner Jessie Niccol will proceed to Lyttelton to load grain. The s.s. Go-ahead left the Manukau yes terday afternoon for Waitara with four passengers. The New York Herald of the 3rd December sa y S: — By mail from the far east we have received our files from Philippines, dated in Manila, conveying additional details of the battle which was lately fought between the forces of her Britannic Majesty's and the armed pirates of Sulu, and which resulted in the breaking up of the outlaws' nests in the quarter of the world. The Comerico of Manila says :—The boats of the British war steamer Nassau, commander William Chim mo, have been attacked by pirates near Carang-Carang, on the north-east portion of Sulu. The fight lasted four days, at the end of which the crews of the boats were victor ious, after having disembarked and destroyed the prahus and villages, &c, of the pirates. The boats bombarded the villages for two hours. The loss of the pirates was fearful. Lieutenant Grey, of the Nassau, and some of the boats crew were severly wounded. Mr White w.as wounded? in the neck by a spear. While the boats were attacking by ■water the natives harassed them by land. On the following day the officers of the Nassau were received by the Sultan of Sulu, who thanked them for what they had done and made them presents. The ship Polar Star, Capt. Stetson, took her departure this morning for Cork. The barque Glenhuntly, Capt. Alexander, dropped down harbour this afternoon and took her departure for London.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS.

T. B. Hannaford.—Your double difficulty can be got over by paying for the letter as an advertisement. It cannot be inserted otherwise.

MEETINGS. Central Italy, Grahamstown, -27th February Argo, Mr A. A. Browne's office, Wyudham street, Auckland, 2 p.m., 28th February Thames Gas Company, Insurance Buildings, Auck-

land, '.) p. m 28th February Pride of 'J'okatea, Insurance Buildings, Auckland, noon, :3rd March

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News and the Morning News

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1873.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrongs that need resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do

The misapprehension which the reso lution passed by the Board of Educa tion at a recent meeting created was removed by Mr Firth's explanation at yesterday's meeting of the Board. Mr. Eirth is reported to have said that " The object of the resolution adopted at the last meeting was not with a view of saying the Board would refuse to grant any money whatever except for teachers' salaries, but to let school committees know that the furnishing of stationery, &c, could not be done by the Board, and that it could not permit anything to interfere with its paramount duty of providing teachers. Of course any application would be considered on its merits " The position assumed by the Board is one that will, we think, meet with general approval. Under the Common Schools' Act Go vernment schools were established in many country districts. These schools received grants of maps and other school requisites from the Central Board of Education; and although the Common Schools' Act has been superseded, the Board constituted under the new Education Act desire the people in districts where schools have already been built and got into working order to understand clearly that it is the intention of the members of the Board to avail themselves of the work done by their predecessors, and that their first and most important duty is to provide teachers for these schools, and gradually extend their operations as they feel their way. The motion was intended to operate as a check to the stream of applications that had already set in. These applications included requests for money grancs, salaries, pens, ink, paper, presses, new school-houses, ad vances to liquidate old debts on build ings, consideration for losses, and a variety of other* unexpected claims, which it is useless for the Board at present to consider. The Herald this morning, oblivious of the fact

that no grants were made to schools ■ under the Common Schools Act unless the ground and buildings were handed over unreservedly to the Board as educational endowments, advocates the payment of compensation to the settlers who have contributed towards the erection of schools* Does our contemporary really mean that the Board is to seek out and restore to every individual the half-a-crown or five shillings that he has paid towards a school building which he knew when subscribing would become the property of any Board of Education established by the legislature ? Thu; proposition is absurd and impracticable, and is evidently put forward purely in a spirit ot obstructiveness. The schools are as much the property of the" present Board of Education as they were of its predecessor, and there is no obligation, either moral or legal, which would justify the Board in paying for what is already its own. The Board cannot, however, ignore the duty of making grants towards school buildings innewly-formed districts, and we are glad to see 3 by their action yes terday in the case of City West No. 2, that they recognise this fact. Many of their present arrangements must necessarily be of a temporary character, but in time substantial school-buildings will no doubt be built. While the spirit of economy and carefulness manifested by the Board is commend able, it may be carried to an in jurious excess. The chief duty of the Board is to provide for the education of the people, and their only consider ation should be how this object can be most eifectively accomplished. Finan cial matters connected with the working of the Act the Provincial Government must and no doubt will settle.

It is now quite evident that th schools established by the Board will absorb many of our private schools, and that tolerably " well-to-do " people who have hitherto been paying weekly for the education of their children, and who could aflbrd to do so, will avail themselves largely of the Govern ment schools. The action of the Board in engaging teachers and taking over school-houses hitherto carried on will conduce to this result. We may mention as cases in point the districts of City "West Nos. 1 and 2, and the school at Devonport. There can be no doubt that those schools will commence operations with the children who have hitherto at tended them, and probably few, if any, street children, whose education has hitherto been wholly neglected, will be included amongst the pupils. This is a serious matter, and one which must engage the attention of the Board at no distant day. It is very desirable to cheapen educationandmake it available for all classes, but the Education Act contemplated more than that. If the Act fails to reach those children who have hitherto growu up without any mental culture it must be regarded as having failed in the most vital point. An effort will have to be made either to bring the compulsory clauses of the Act into operation or to establish ragged schools in the low streets of the town upon such a basis as will enlist the sympathy of the poorest and most degraded classes.

Sensational reports were circulated in town to-day regarding a native disturbance and murder, which it was alleged had taken place in Waikato. It will be seen from our telegrams that the affair was only a, row between some ditchers and natives. The affair is one of a very unimportant character, SO that no alarm need bo felt regarding it.

The Cross, this morning, makes merry over a statement which appeared in our tele grams yesterday, to the effect that one of Signor Chiaiini's horses had been shot in consequence of having sustained an incurable injury to the fetlock. Our contemporary says:—"This is a truly wonderful event. Seeing that the fetlock of a horse is the tuft of hair growing behind the pastern joint, it is difficult to conceive how it could be ' cracked.' " If our contemporary had taken the trouble to make inquiry before pronounc ing an opinion upon a matter which he evi dently knows nothing at all about, he would have learned that the term fetlock is applied in works on veterinary surgery, as well as in common parlance—not only to the tuft of hair behind the pastern joint, but also to the part of the leg where the hair grows. He would also have learned that (we quote from a standard work upon the treatment of horses) — "the fetlock joint is ;i very compli cated one, and from the stress which is laid on it, and its being the principal seat of motion below the knee, is particularly sub ject to injury." Our contemporary has come across a "mare's nest," and will probably hold to it with the same persistency as he holds to the statement repeated in two con secutive issues, that "Marcus Clarke has permitted his right hand to lose none of its cunning."

The engineer to the Remuera District Board cautions persons, equestrians, and persons driving vehicles to be careful in passing that part of the Tamaki Road near Newmarket now in process of alteration.

The roadway in the neighbourhood of the pump, opposite Mr Coombes' establishment in Queen-street, has been repaired, and the leakage into the well prevented. A good stone culvert has also been laid.

| The public celebration upon the departure of His Excellency the Governor is likely to be a great success. The hearty co-operation of the Volunteers is certain to be secured, and the spirit in which the matter was taken up by the committee appointed a few days ago is a guarantee for vigorous performance. The Harbour Board yesterday resolved — '' That the Wharf Committee be empowered to go to any expense absolutely necessary to make arrangements for the Governor's departure, in order to give proper eclat to the proceedings on that occasion." Our municipal authorities have not yet taken action, but they are not likely to be behind hand. Those who remember the appearance of our civic board on a similar occasion a few years ago, when the members were drawn up in line at the town end of the wharf, must admit that we have made some progress towards enlightenment during the last few years.

An accident through the careless handling of fire-arms occurred on the rifle range, Mount Eden, yesterday. One of the Thames representatives, unaware that his rifle was loaded, snapped a cay, when the gun exploded, the bullet striking a stone near, rebounded and hit Captain Murray, of the Thames Scottish, on the lip, causing a deep cut. It is fortunate" that the conse quences of the accident were not more serious. Capt. Murray was standing near the Volunteer who fired the "un. and both he and the 1 author of the foolish act have reasonto feel thankful at their escape from serious injury.

The Auckland and Thames* Volunteer representatives met yesterday at. the Moitiit Eden Eaiige. The scores made were: — W. Colemaii, 65 ; Thompson', 04 ; Gnindy, fig; ft. Cbieinaii, 01 j. Mills, GO > Captain Barnett, 59 ; J. W. Leigh, 5S ; Haresnape, ")? ; Hoskins,. 56 j ,J. Leigh, s;~> : Kitchen. 55; Cordon, ~r2 ; McLean, o2 ; McLeod, oO ; Stone, 48 • Rowe, 48 ; .Crawford, 48; Par tington, 47 ; Gr. Partingtori, 4(3 ; Obtain Murray, 40. The challenge given by the Thames representatives to the Auckland re presentatives to fire a match at Onehunga was not accepted, as the time was not sufficient to allow the men to get together. After the weekly drillf of the Scottish Com pany in Princes-street, last evening, Mr Thomas Macfarlane was elected captain of the company. There was a very good attend ance of the Artillery Company last night in the Albert Barracks, under the command of Capt. Featon. The Victoria Company and Cadets under Capt. Derrom gave satisfaction last night in their weekly drill. The Navals and Cadets will meet this evening for com pany drill at Fort Britomart. The changes of opinion that not unfre quently affect the alterations in the laws of our governing bodies are aptly illustrated by a resolution passed by the Harbour Board yesterday. A few weeks ago a cabman, who did not lead his horse down the wharf, was punishable with a fine. The Board yesterday completely reversed the by-law, by enacting that any cabman who does lead his horse shall be fined. The regulation, as it now stands, is as follows:—"The driver of any vehicle, drawn by horses in double harness, Avhilst upon the Queen-street wharf, shall not, on any pretence, leave the driver's seat while the vehicle is in motion, and shall not proceed faster than a walk, under a penalty of £10."

The proposed rifle match between the blue jackets and marines of H.M.S Blanche and the Volunteers, as noticed in our issue of the 21st instant, will not come off at present as the men of the Blanche will not have time to practice in consequence of the expected arrival of the Rosario, which will necessitate their going to sea earlier than was expected.

The entertainment for the benefit of widow Pain and family took pla^e last night at the Catholic Institute, Wellesley-street. There was a good attendance, and the minstrels acquitted themselves with much credit, and gave general satisfaction. The songs, chieily comic, were very fairly rendered and rapturously encored by the younkera in the gallery. The comic negro sketch " Troubles begin at Nine," was very amusing. The whole satisfactorily concluded with the well known "Barber of Seville."

As there was not a sufficient number of members to form a quorum last evening at the proposed special meeting of the Auckland [lowing Club the meeting fell through. O OS There is a healthiness about the Coromande Mutual Improvement Society, the members having commenced their discussions with the Education Act. The subject on Friday last, " Is the new Provincial Education Act just and fair in its provisions, and is its being carried out likely to conduce to the welfare of the province?" will be resumed on Friday next. At the close of the evening's debate the sense of the meeting (was taken, which resulted in ten for and four against the Education Act.

Italy of late supplies a valuable contribu tion to the capital punishment controversy. The Italian Government, partly from con siderations for the prejudices of some of the recently annexed provinces where the death penalty had been abolished, and partly from the mistake very widely spread at the pre sent time that civilization is attested not by the diminution of crime, but by i mildness of punishment, has ceased in nearly every case to enforce to the extreme penalty of the law. The con sequence is an extreme prevalence of the crime of murder. Mf.i-i/enr-9 lesanxanttinit have not followed the amiable lead of the law, and the lives of honest folks are taken witL a frequency that is in pretty exact propor tion to the security that is enjoyed by murderers. The fact is, the fifth and sixth commandments have been plea santly jumbled together. They certainly say there, " Thou shalt do no murder," but they add, "if thou dost, thy days shall be long— whosoever's life is taken thine shall not be." This, combined with the unsatisfactory disci pline in gaols, and tolerably facile chances of escape, has rather unsettled society. The parb of Italy from which we get the latest evidence on the point is the Exarchate of Ravenna. A letter in the Pall Mall Gazette, dated from Florence, states :—"The assassi nation of a police inspector who has had the fatal courage to inquire a little too closely into these mysterious societies, followed by the murder of a judge who had ventured to pronounce condemnation on a member of one of them, and that of a lieutenant-general who tried to suppress them by force of arms, have spread such a panic throw<jlimit tlie country that it has become difficult, not to say impossible, to find carbineers or police men willing to perform their duties conscientiously ; victims, or the re lations of victims, courageous enough to denounce the perpetrators of a crime, or even giving evidence ; lawyers to prosecute, or judges to sentence. As for finding a jury capable of giving a verdict of guilty, that is, of course, not to be thought of." Now, what we would point out here is how effi cacious capital punishment is [shown to be. It is true that it is inflicted only by the assassins, but how completely it effects their purpose. "It has spread such a panic," the correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette says. Surely the society should not part with the means of establishing " a panic " in its turn. It is puerile weakness to ignore the facts of life because they are not to our taste, and one of the best established is the efficacy of the death penalty in the repression of crime. — Australasian.

We learn from the Coromandel Mail that a grand fancy bazaar is to be held in the beginning of the month of April next in aid of the building fund of the Presbyterian body there. A number of ladies are and have been for some time past busily engaged in preparing the varied and numerous articles requisite to render the affair a success, and we also understand that the ladies are not alone in the work as the young men of the district have expressed their willingness to assist in making the affair a success.

A branch of the UnionYßank of Australia will shortly be opened at the rising town of Gisborne, Poverty Bay, under the manage ment of Mr G. 0. Yon Dadelszen.

A qualified teacher is required to take temporary charge of the junior department of the Auckland College and Grammar School,

Detective Terriahan, who has been away for the last few days in search of a deserter from the Blanche, returned to town last night, having succeeded in apprehending tlie absconder at Drury. He was conveyed on board the Blanche this morning.

Among the passengers by the Wanganui, arrived to-day, are Mr Bromley and Miss Neilsou, whose announcement to appear here iri their celebrated monologue and duologue entertainment has for acMei tinrte been before the public, We understand that atrdrigero'elits are being made for their appearance at the Prince of Wales Theatre in a fovv evenings.

We observe that the old lean-to shed in High-street, occupied by Mr McCrae as a cooperage, is aWtt to give place to a three- Storeyed brick struCtiire, ifi which Mr McCrae interids td carry oil his largely Hi creasing trade as a cooper1 titid a iriariitfactnrer of dairy utensils.

A curious trial of the art of bargaining was made last Winter in Paris. Two French gcrrtler'fen.' each accompanied by his wife, and having m iitiipir? with each, to see fan play, started around the Katie's f,e«tfales, or central markets, to lay in their provision for the day. A list was made out, so that the two individuals were to purchase exactly the same articles and the same qualities of food—so much fish, so much vegetables, so much beef for soup, so much mutton for roasting, so much poultry, and the like. One of them was to bargain and get things as cheap as he could ; the other Was to give whatever the women at the different stalls asked him. They were not to go round to gether, but within half an hour of each other, and the bet was a breakfast for the whole party, at Bignon's., that the gentle man who did not bargain with the dealers would have to pay double what he who did bargain paid for his supplies—not one by one, but taken as a whole. They met about an hour later, at the door of St. Eustache, and when the umpires came to compare notes, it turned out that the nonbargaining, purchaser had paid not only double, but more than three times what her adversary had done—and yet, both had got the very same articles, and the same quantity and quality of each. — Behjravia.

At the meeting of the Board of Education, yesterday, various educational districts were proclaimed. Among letters received was one from Mrs Colclough, requesting the Board to erect a school-house near to her residence at Tuakau, but which was not entertained. The appointment of Mr Braba zon in City West, No. 1, at a salary of £200 a-year, was confirmed. The question of ap pointing a mistress was laid aside for future consideration On the application from City West, No. 2, for the Board's approval of the appointment of Mr Harrison, at a salary of £200, and school rent of £25 per annum, was granted. A request for a grant of £300 for the establishment of a girls' school was made, but the Board resolved that having already passed £300 towards Wellington School ib could not at the present time con sider the latter proposal as it involved further expenditure. The appointment of Mr Worthington, as teacher at the North Shore, withasalary of £200, was agreed to. A grant of £50 was made for the salary of school mistress, but applications for the rent of a school-house for the girls and for £150 to pay oiF the debt of school building were not con sidered. Letters were received from the Thames School Committees. It was resolved not to grant the request from Tararu for school rent. Consideration of a letter from the Waiotabi district was deferred.

An order has been issued by Major Gordon exempting Volunteers from attending the ordinary monthly inspections during next month providing they attend at the ceremo nial parade on the departure of His Excel lency the Governor.

Tn his recently issued book Stanley gives the following picture of social life in the interior of Africa: —"I have seldom seen anything so approaching to happiness and perfect contentment as the faces of the old and young women of a Krnyamwezi tribe as they' have gathered together near sunset from the varioiis houses to sit and chat together of the events of the day, of the very trite subjects of interest that such a social circle as theirs can have to converse about. Each female has her short stool and her young daughter by her side, who, while the mother-chats and smokes, with her face radiant with contentment, employs her nimble hands in converting her parent's woolly locks into a series of plaits and ringlets. The elder females, squatted in a circle, begin to recite their experi ences, chattering away like swallows. While the village matrons indulge in harm less gossip, the paterfamilias may be found in the young men's Gossip Institute, or the Exchange, where the prices of things and the politics of the district they live in are dis cussed with perhaps as much acumen and sense as other things in like places in more civilised lands. They sit on their heels and smoke. They display considerable skill iv the manufacture of their pipes, which are made from mud mixed with finely chopped straw."

A dream story has had a singular fulfiment at the other side of the world. The dreamer in this case was a Chinese schoolboy at Shanghai, who told his schoolmaster that he had dreamed his stepmother murdered him, and hid his remains in a jar under the floor of the house. The schoolmaster reassured his pupil at the moment, but subsequently, missing him for two or three days from school, remembered of the dream, and rushed to the hoiise of his stepmother to inquire for the boy. Receiving an unsatisfactory an swer, and full of suspicion of foul play, the man tore \ip the floor of the room and found the corpse of his pupii cut up and stowed away in a jar precisely as the poor boy had described. The case has been authenticated before the Chinese Courts,'and the murderess executed, after being carried to the six gates of the city to receive the execrations of the people. All that can be surmised as a rational explanation of this tale is that the lad had reason to fear and suspect his step mother's intentions, and so dreamed of the very act she was already contemplating.

An American dramatist has just given a striking example of ingenuity in the art of piling up sensation scenes. Many years ago, in the first clays of " Sonnambula," the giving way of the wooden bridge over which Amina has just walked used to cause a thrill of emotion among tlie audience. Now if Amina were to fall head-long from the bridge, even as Dinorah falls from the precipice into the cataract, no one would very much care, and certainly no one would shudder, so common have such incidents become on the stage. When bridges, cataracts, and waterfalls had served their time a great dramatic poet had recourse, by way of a change, to railway accidents as a soiirce of "sensation ;"andnow a highly intelectual American playwright has had the happy idea of combining the bridge and cataract accident with the railway acci dent, by taking as the scene of his sensational incident a railway bridge. The thing is simple enough when once made known ; but is not that the case with all great discoveries ? Nor is it considered enough that the train should go—the wrong way—over the bridge with all its freight of passengers. There is one awful detail in the scene. The pi'incipal passenger—the passenger most interesting to the audience—carries a baby in his arms I

Advertisers are adepts at ambiguity A lady advertises her desire to obtain a husband " with a Roman nose having strong religions tendencies." « A spinster Particularly fond of children" informs the public that she " wishes for two or three, having -none oj her own." Somebody wants " a young man to look after a horse of the Methodist persua sion ;" a draper desires to> meet with an assistant who would "take an energetic interest in a first-class trade, and in a quiet family;" and a Boston chemist advertises «ihegentleman who left his stomach for anSysifwiUpkase call and get it, together with the ri" Slipshod English _i not however, confine* to .the adveiti.se m£t columns, or we shot** ? ot read of the shooting of a wild - cat jy» little boy five feet eight inches long : Of Si ■ procession which " was very fine and nearly two miles in length, as was also the prayei of Mr Ferry, the chaplain," nor should we De much scaiKkli/ed to note the fact, recently stated in some journal, that a •' self - made m- n arrived in Califoania ttfewty years ago with only one shirt to his back, afld since then has contrived, by close application W business, to accumulate orer ten millions/ Ati BngKsh theatrical paper, after announc ing a forth coming benefit performance, went on : " Of coWrse every one will he there, and for the edification of Wwse who are ab sent a full report will be found J» owr next paper." The poor underpaid labourer, who must strike to get his rights, has just been ex hibited by the Labour News; which states that there is an ironworker m the JNortn ot Endand who earns wages at the rate ot £I^ooo a year, and that, there are many making as much as £250. From a financial statement presented by the clerk to the Leeds School Board it appears that tlie ourrent expenditure of the board, including office expenses, amounts to about £4.000 per annum. This is in addition to the fees paid by the children and the Govern ment grant. A rate at three half penes in the pound covers the cost.

A singular case was heard at Preston on Saturday. Four bakers were summoned for baking bread on Sundays, the prosecutors being a number of other bakers who had re solved to discourage Sunday baking, and formed an association to carry out that object. It was admitted that the law pro1 hibited the baking of bread on Sundays, though it allowed the baking of dinners up to half-pa3t one. The offending bakers promised to discontinue the practice of bread - baking on Sundays and they were dismissed.

The grand complimentary benefit to Mr Tom Margett's, the favourite comiqte vocalist, and Signor Ferrari, will take place on Friday evening next at the Prince of Wales Theatre. We perceive that on this occasion the principal leading amateurs of Auckland will tender their assistance. The performances will include those of Sigaor Ferrari's trained monkeys, popular ballads, negro comicalities, readings, the sailor's horn pipe and other popular dances ; also a favourite farce, and a variety of other scenes and songs. The programme is especially attractive, and the well-known names of many favourites will ensure a bumper house.

On the subject of Sabbatarianism, the Nelson Examiner has the following:—"A Presbyterian clergyman in the north of Scotland has somewhat scandalised his brethren by suggesting during the late rainy harvest that fine Sundays might by lawfully employed to gather in the harvest. His brethren were of opinion that the wet weather was a punishment for Sabbath-breaking, but the laity have,fit is said, largely adopted the the suggestion. Extreme Sabbatarianism is a somewhat late importation even into Calvinism. Calvin played bowls, and John Knox wrote his business letters on Sunday."

We notice in a locally published almanac that Ash Wednesday this year falls upon a Friday. The compiler has gone wrong in his calculations somehow. We shall be hearing next that Good Friday falls upon Tuesday. There is no accounting for things at the antipodes.

Chi Chester was in times gone by famous for pretty girls and clean windows. We believe that the good old city still keeps up its reputation in this respect; and we are delighted to find that the pretty girls when they grow into sober dames are not insen sible to the rights of women. We have before us a statistical return of the number of ladies who voted in the last municipal election, and we find that the total number of persons who voted was 108S, and of these 103 women were brought to the poll.

The members of the Ancient Order of Foresters are invited to attend at the Pro vincial hotel, Princes-street, this evening at half-past seven, to assist in the ceremony of the opening of a new court.

A letter from Chicago thus describes the present uncertainty of human life in that city:—" At night lam sometimes detained by business until a late hour. On such occasions 1 do as the rest of the fellows here have now to do, and carry a revolver. Thee wasr a man shot here last night: and on Saturday night two shot and one stabbed within a radius quarter of an mile from where we live. Probably when the city is rebuilt the police will alter matters. But at the time of the lire and since then all the ' Rowdies' of the West came here to pick up what they could" With regard to the progress of rebuilding, the letter goes on to say that hundreds of the most magnificent buildings are being erected one after another, forming miles of streets. The city when rebuilt will probably be the finest in the world.

A report of the proceedings of the last General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has been published in pamphlet form.

The Price of Genius.—The English novelist, Edmund Yates, is not so highly paid for his lecturing tour, after all. °His terms are a hundred dollars per lecture, and he has engagements for between sixty and seventy lectures during the winter, which will thus net him between six and seven thousand dollars for his tour. He has also engaged to write a story for a story paper, which will give him §2,500 ; and as he gets an American copyright on some of his works, the sale of which will be largely increased by his tour, we may suppose it will enrich him to the extent of $10,000— besides glory. At the first lecture of Froude there were $1,400 in the hall, and during the course of five lectures the managers will take in over $14,000, but it has not been told what proportion of this Froude himself is to get. His tour through the country is also expected to be very profitable. The managers of Tyndall's scientific lectures say he (Tyn dall, will enjoy over .$20,000 for his winter's labors, If he should also be converted by the prayers Avhich are being offered up for him^ he will leave this country a happy man. iV. 1. Corr. Cincinnati Commercial.

A Russian Colony, Forty Thousand Going to Nebraska—Colonel Noteware, State Superintendent of Immigration, re turned from Indiana this morning, where he met, according ro agreement, a portion of the committee representing the llussian emigra tion, recently alluded to in this paper. The 40,000 Russians, who propose to emiorate and settle in Nebraska, are what are called Memnonites, their religious faith being something between the Baptist and the Quaker. They went from Prussia

:to Rissia in the time of Queen C athaiift ; and low, under the present Czar, the i are obliged-to join the military servic or leve the country. Ten years' time was givel^hem to make up their minds what to do, to bear arms or to emigrate. Som< of the allotted time has passed, and they have determined to emigrate and try theiifortunes in the New World, where the air ofliberty can be breathed by all. They are t leave by installments, and according to ag. They are a splendid class of people —haest, industrious* and intelligent—and will -dd greatly to the weaiu> and develope men of this state, or any other place where theymay settle.

POLICE COURT.—Tins Bay.

(?#f(W Thomas Beckham, Esq., R.MJ■ **|

T\v men were p Hflvsfced for this offence. Saria Lilly was chafgeel with drunkenness. Acording to the police re'cwls this woman wa; charged with vagrancy ca the 18th Msch last, but discharged on promising to ieffe the town. Ten days afterwards she wa in custody again for drunkenness. A math later 3her was sentenced to three nidiths' hard labow? as a rogue and a vaga bad. On completion of this term she was atlarge for nearly three weeks T _ when she ■ aain fell into the hands of the police, and was ': aain sent to gaol for three montivs with ''hatf labour. This being completed three djys of liberty sufficed for this wohkvb wien she retaruetl to her old quarters at the asA to complete another term of three ron'ths. She has now been out of prison jist six days, when she is again in the lock-up fa- drunkenness. The Court fined her 10s, with the alterna tve of 48 hours' imprisonment. Peter Finn was charged with gettingdrunk* ie was likewise charged with being an hcorrigible rogue, with having been thrice convicted of drunkenness within twelve months, and with having been previously convicted as a rogue and a vagabond This fellow only came of gaol yesterday, after undergoing seveii days for repeated offences of drfmkenness. He has been convicted many times at this Court. men called upon to plead he made the usual asser tion generally made by persons m his position, namely, that he was never a rope in his life. ■ -~—i.vj The Court sentenced him to three months' imprisonment, with hard labour. A SAD CASE.

Two little children, named Alexander and Alice Kelly, were brought by Mr Graham, the Relieving Officer, before the Magistrate for an order to admit them into the Home for Neglected Children. , The mother was in Court, and received a very bad character from both the Relieving Officer and Sergt. -Major Pardy. The former stated that sue was in the habit of selling the rations he had supplied her with for the purpose of obtaining drmk. He also believed that her drunken habits and propensities had driven her husband, a good honest hard working man, to desert her. The Court gave the woman a severe ratine, but was in doubt whether the Act allowed him to send children so young to the

Home. , On looking into the authorities the Court found it had the power, consequently the children were committed to the Home tor seven years, to be brought up m the Presby terian religion. .

VOLUNTEER FIRING

Some of the Thames representatives, who are now in Auckland waiting for the depar ture of the steamer Wellington, made splendid scores this morning when practising at the Mount Eden range. The ranges were 400, 500, and GOO yards, seven shots at each range. The following are the principal scores : —

Mr Coleman, one of the Waikato repre sentatives, also fired, and made a score of 60 points.

TELEGRAPHIC.

SERIOUS AFFRAY WITH A BAILIFF.

NATIVE SQUABBLE ON WALKER'S RUN. ONE EUROPEAN WOUNDED IN THE SCUFFLE. GOLD FROM WHANGAMATA. [from our own correspondent.] CAMBRIDGE. This day. Paul Bell and Tuhakaainga, from Wharepapa, attacked some of Walker's ditchers yesterday morning, and wounded one severely with a taiaha. This was taken from Paul. They then went to Maungatautaro and reported having killed five Europeans. They have returned to Wharepapa or Antitaha.

GRAHAMSTOWN.

This day. A fracas occurred to-day between a bailiff and a man named Peterson. The bailiff, whose name is Mason, served a writ of eject ment at the suit of Mr Robert Graham on the disputed land at the rear of Grahams town occupied by a man named Ireland. The latter showed fight and Peter son and others coming up the bailiff thought he would be' overpowered, w*^ > tired his revolver. Peterson says the 1 ) volver was fired at him, but Mason says h*f fired through the roof of the house.

The Advertiser says:—"A miner named Payne, at Whangamata, produced a bank sale note for gold said to have been ob tained on a native reserve there, and is trying to make arrangements with the natives for permission to work the ground. The Advertiser doubts Payne's story, but says it is the first reported find worth at. tention. Their reporter is at Whangamata inquiring into the statement. Sons of Freedom . —The crushing has been finished, and yielded the handsome return of nearly 2 ounces to the ton. Nonpareil.—The crushing is shewing up for a fair return. Alburnia.—There is a great improvement in the appearance of the stone in the speci men leader. ,

ntfi EVfipriosra stab, wkdnespay, FEBniTABYae, im



McLean Thompson .. Hoskins Grundy McLeod

400yd. 500yd. 600yd. TL 27 23 TO 70 22 22 25 69 24 21 23 69 20 23 17 60 23 19 10 52



CHIEF POST-OFFICE,1 AUCKLAND. Mails "will Close as Under :— For Thames, this day, at 5.30 p.m., and to-morrow, at 10.30 a.m. For Coroni, lidel, on Thursday, at 10.30 p.m. For Taranaki and Southern ports, per s.s. Wellington, immediately on the arrival of the p.s. Dakota from Ilono.ulu, but not later than Thursday, 27th inst., at 8 a. in. For Napier and Southern ports, per p.s. D^KOla six hours after arrival. '' ' M?i ls, -f°; Au3tnilia> via ell9'..uvne, will close at Hokitika, at 5 p.m. to-r; lOVrmv (Wednesday). « ; ;T/ ? 03t-°flic(S Will be opened at Titirangi on the Ist Ma^^ Ui \ Signed) S. B. Biss, Chief Postmaster. T COSG-EAVE & C O.'S SALE OF DRAPERY & CLOTHING COMMENCED ON SATURDAY, FEB. 1. The Public are requested to inspect the Goods as the Eeductions are GENUINE. CjELLINft OFF! DRAPERY! DRAPERY! B. C A S S, CHEAPSIDE HOUSE, 22 2, QUEEN STREET. DECIDED BARGAINS. B. C A S S, GREAT EEDTJCTIONS FOR THREE MONTHS ONLY AT THE AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY, 194, QUEEN STREET, Next Door to Savings' Ban k. Oartes-de-visite reduced from lCs per dozen to 13s 6d. Maori Celebrities (largest steck in New Zealand to select from), reduced from 12s per dozen to Gs. Views from all parts of New Zealand reduced from 12s per dozen to 6s. Enlargements from Cartai-de-vixite to Life-size, plain or beautifully finished in Oil or Water Colors, also reduced in price. Large Stock of Photographic Goods and Apparatus, Magic Lantern Slides, Stereoscopic Slides, &c, greatly reduced. J. M cGAEEIGL E. Manager, UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA. [Established 1837.] PAID-UP CAPITAL ... £1,250,000. RESERVED FUNDS ... £400,000. NOTICE TO PROPRIETORS. rpELEGEAPHIC advice having been _ received that a Dividend at the rate of 13 per Cent, per annum for the half year ending 31st December, 1872, on the Paid-up Capital of this Bank was declared at the Meeting of the Proprietors, held in London on the 15th January, Proprietors registered in Christchurch at the former date will receive thei Dividend Warrants on application at the Bank's Offices, Hereford-street, Christchurch, or through any Branch of the Bank in New Zealand. (Signed) JOSEPH PALMER, Chief Officer for New Zealand.