SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

PORT OF AUCKLAND.

SUN-SET: This evening, 5.15. SUN-ETSE : To morrow morning, C.55 HIGH WATER: This evening, 6,20; to-morrow, morning, G 43

ARRIVALS.

Phoebe, s s., Worsp, from the South (in tho Manukau) Coronet, schooner, from Lyttelton Alert, schooner, Lane, from Lyttelton Ivanhoe, schooner, D. Stuart, from Dunedin Nightingalo, brigantine, from Newcastle Clyde, schooner, Anderson, from Wangaroi

DEPARTURES.

H«ro, S.S., for Sydney and Melbourne Ruby, schooner, for Russell

IMPORTS.

Per s.s. Phoebe, from the South : 1 bull, 2 calves, Gillies ; 1 case, Kempthorne; 1 parcel, Must and Co ; 1 box, White ; 2 barrels beef, Arthur and Son ; 3 cases bacon, J. Call and Co.; 2do chicory, Brown and Co ; 96 do do, Stephenson and Co. ; 20 sacks malt, Lampriere ; 1 small case, Mac farlane ; ]. case provisions, Bucholz ; 1 case, Collector of Customs ; 3 boxes gold, Bank of New Zealand ; 1 case, Haultain ; 1 parcel, Tisdall ; 15 boxes fish, Grant and Morton; 1 bale, McArthur; 2 cases butter, Osborne Bros. ; 1 box, N. Ford; 1 box, 2 cases, 12 pkgs, 1 case, 7 kegs butter, Barnes ;20 kegs butter, Binney; 10 kegs butter, M. Hood.

Per Ivanhoe, from Dunedin—2 casks china, G eases chairs, O. Mays ; 2 pgs eai'thenware, Phillips & Sons • 2 pgs earthenware, French and Co ; 1 case iron goods, 1 cask, 2 pgs, 1 cask, I case fenders, J. Smart & Co; 4 bars iron, J. McJntyre ; 2 kegs nails, 1 case, 1 cask closets, A. Smart; 2G bundles, 21 plates iron, 1 enso, 1 cask sundries, 3 bundles spades, 1 do saws, 3 bags bolts, J. Renshaw; 4 plates, 4 bundles iron, 3 bars iron, 5 kegs bolts, 2 cases sundries, C. Judd ; 51 boxes blue, G. W. Binney ; 9 hogsheads of ale, A. Griffiths ; 8 do, Must and Co ; 131 bags oats, 50 do bran; SGI do flour, 8 casks beef, order; 100 bags bran, 120 do oats, Cruickshank and Co.

Per Alert, from Lyttelton :—5 cases bacon, J. Hall & Co. ; 2 cases mutton, G. Binney ; 10 cases bacon, J. Coupland ; 14 cases bacon, G. Sibbin; 10 cases bacon, Owen & Graham; 5 cases bacon, 2 do cheese, H. B. Morton ; 12 cases bacon, 24 cheese, 299 bags flour, 120 sacks potatoes, 10 tons flour, order.

EXPORTS.

Per s.s. Hero: For Sydney—7 cases of tobacco, 2 cases cigars, E. and H. Isaacs; 112 doors, Union Steam Moulding Co. ; 10 cases kauri gum, R. Walker and Co.; 40 bales flax, Stone Bros.; 242 bales flax, Brown, Campbell and Co.; 31 bales flax, Owen and Graham. For Melbourne—l box £old, Bank of Aus tralasia ; 26 bales flax, J. S. Macfarlane and 00. ; 17 bales flax, Stone Bros.

ARRIVAL OF THE PHOEBE.

The s.s. Phoebe arrived at Onelumga at 8.45 this morning. She left Wellington on the 4th at 1.10 p.m., with strong head wind, for Picton ; arrived at 6 p.m. ; sailed again for Nelson at 7.40; had head wind to the French Pass ; arrived at 4a m. on the sth ; left Nelson at 5 p.m. same day ; arrived at Taranaki at 10 a.m. on the 6th ; left at 445 p.m., arriving as above. Passengers :—Sa loon—Mr and Mrs Horan and child, Mr and Mrs Gillies, Messrs Lock, Oakley, Draper, Littlejohn, Fell, Rawlings, Townsend, and nine in the steerage.

The B.s. Hero took her departure this afternoon for Sydney and Melbourne, Pas sengers :—Saloon, to Sydney : Messrs F. A. Anderson, R. Walsh, R. Metcalfe, Rev Warlow Davies and Mrs Daviea, Miss Walker, Miss Samoni. Saloon, to Mel bourne : Mr J. B. Brathwaite, Miss Nation. Steerage to Sydney—J.Ramsay, W. Garland, C. Garland; Jas. "Houston, Jos. Houstin, A. McNiccol, T. H. Morris. A. Fox, J. Foxhall, M. Haydon, E. Jacobs, P. O'Hara, W. Carroll, W. Molen, J. Thompson, Detective Lambert (escorting prisoners), Dr. Morton, wife and child.

t JThe Star of the South is expected here to morrow morning from Napier. The schooner Ivanhoe arrived in harbour this morning from Dunedin. She had a good run to tho East Cape, which she passed on Friday last, in company with the Alert. The schooner Pearl cleared out in ballast this afternoon for Eussell.

The schooner Alert arrived in harbour this morning from Lyttelton. Captain Lane"'re ports leaving on Tuesday the 29th ultimo, and had a good ran to the East Cape, which was passed on Friday last; thence had variable winds, arriving in harbour at mid night. Passengers :—Messrs McEwen and Fletfc. The Alert has been sold to Mr Flett, of Chrisfcchurch, for the sum of £975, and after discharge of her cargo will return to Lyttelton. All claims against the ship Endymion must be sent in to Messrs Owen & Graham by Thursday next. The schooner Ruby sailed for Eussell yea terday evening. The schooner Emolous sailed from Dunedin for Kaipara on the 27 th July. , The schooner Tauranga waa loading at Dunedin for Auckland on the Ist instant.

The schooner Pearl cleared outwards at the Customs to-day for Eussell. The Endymion entered outwards at the Customs yesterday for Newcastle. The brigantine Nightingale arrived in harbour this afternoon, with 330 tons of coals, from Newcastle, consigned to Mr W. Kirby. Messrs J. Roberton & Co. jare agents for the vessel.

The schooner Coronet arrived from Lyttelton this afternoon with 500 sacks oats, 304 sacks wheat, 16 sacks rye, 40 sacks flour, 460 bags flour, 30 sacks bran, 2 sacks oatmeal, 400 sacks wheat.

COMMERCIAL.

Messrs. Hunter and Nolan's Weekly Report. —Horses: There lias been a slight improvement in the market, both as to supply and demand. At auction, on Friday, there was quite the usual number of entrances, and for those of a good stamp there was active demand, and satisfactory prices were obtained. No heavy draughts were disposed of. Wo quote hacks from £0 to £10; light harness horses, from £17 5s to £20 10s; medium draught, £24 15s. Cattle: There was a fa<> muster at Newmarket, on Tuesday, of dahy stock, and stores wore better represented. Pat beasts were in limited supply, and generally of indif ferent quality. At Papakura, on Wednesday, thero was a good muster, and both dairy and store stock were in better demand than at Newmarket, and the result of sains highly satisfactory to vendors, being an advance of from 5s to 10» per head on last week's quo tations. Sheep: There was a very short muster, prices were sustained, and wants were barely supplied. Pigs: There was again a good muster, and brisk demand at last week's <jnotations. ' MINING.' ' The following are the curront calls and dividend* parable in tho companies named below :— L a. d, CALLS. ,' ' i Windfall .. .. 0 0 6 Aug 13 VonTempsky .. 0 0 3 Aug 13 Queen of the May .. 0 0 6 Aug 13 Lincoln Castle .. 0 16 Aug 13 Central Italy.. .. 0 10 Aug 13

PROVISION MARKET. COLONIAL PRODUCE.

Buying Prices. Corrected by Auckland Dealers. *■ d. s. d. s 6. h. el Butter,perlb. 16—00 Ducks, pair.. S o—s 0 Cheese (new) 0 s—o 7J Geese, each 4 o—6 0 Eggs, per doz. 1 o—o 0 Turkeys .. 3 o—4 6 Lard, per lb. 0 7—o 0 | Canterbury Bacon Fowls, pair.. 8 o—s 01 (bare) 0 7—o 81 Good Saltßutter, 7—l 0| Do (In cloth)' 0 8-0 9* Canterbury Cheese B—o 91 Auckland 8 0 6-0 I Hums, 9(1 to Is pjr lb.

Retail Prices.

'„, s d. s. d. s. d s. d. Milk, per qt. 0 OtoO 5 I Ducks, per pr. 5 0-6 0 Bntier (fresh) 1 G-l 9 I Gesso, each 5 0-6 0 Cheese (new) 0 S-l 0 I Turkeys, each 5 0-70 Eftgs, pTdoz. 1 3—o 0 I Bacon, per lb. 0 B—l 0 Lard, per lb. 0 6-0 0 Hams .. .. 0 9-1 3 lowls, pair.. 4 6-0 01 Salt Butter., 0 I—l 3 Butchers' Meat. Beof, perlb. 0 4-0 7 Pork, per lb 0 C Mutton .. 0 4—o G Veal 0 6

BREADSTUFFS. FLOUR. WHOLESALE.

Millers' Price, per ton—lst quality £17 Fine Flour—household £14 Seconds, £12. Sharps, £710s Bakers' Price, per lb 3d. Bkan, Is 6d per bushel. Brkab, per 21b. loaf, 4d to 4jd. Maize, crushed and whole, 5s Od BISCUIT. Cabin Biscuit, per 1001b, .Retail, 22s MAIZE, OATS, POTATOES, ETC, WHOLESALE. Maize. 5s 6d to 6s Oats, 5i Ctl per bushel. Po' atoes, £r> 10s to £6 per ton ; Hobart Town Seed, £7 Tlay, £5 to £G per ton. Straw, £4 per ton. Chaff, £6 10s per ton. IVETAIL. Maize, 6s to Cs 6d per bushel; crushed, Gs Cd. Oats, 6s per bushel. Potatoes, Cs Cd per cwt. Hay, cwt., Cs to 7s. Straw, 4s to 5s per cwt. Chaff, 7s Cd to 8s per cwt. KAURI GUM AND FLAX MARKET. The following are the prices in the Auckland market :— Gum—Well scraped, best quality .. .. £24 to £26 Ordinary sorts £22 to £24 Flax.—Finest quality £20 Second ditto £14 to £18 Tow £7 to £8. BUILDING MATERIALS. Timber.—Boards and scantlinp. 100 ft, 9s to 14s ; planed, tongued, and grooved, 11s (id to 17s. New Zealand palings, 6-feet, 10s ; G-feet, 12s ; ti ree rails, £215s to £3 per 100 ; puriri pos< s, £5 per 100 ; shingles, Ss to 13s per 1000 ; Hooart Town palings, sft., lGs; Gft., ISs : Holaartown rails, 75s COAL AND FIREWOOD MARKET. Coal.—Newcastle, 45s per ton ; Bay of Islands on board ships in pert, 2Cs per ton, delivered 35s ; ditto at the mines, lGs per ton. Firkwood. — Uncut, 14s per ton, delivered; cut 17s per ton delivered.

CHIEF POST-OFFICE, AUCKLAND.

Mails wtll Closx as Under :— For Thames, this day, at 6.30 p m., and to-morrow, at 10.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Tor Coromandel, to-morrow, at 1.30 p.m. For Great Barrier, per Victoria, tills day, at 4 p.m. For Mahurangi, Matakana, Mangawai, and Waipu, &c, per Lady Bowen, on Saturday, 9th inst., at 10 a.m. For Taranakl, Southern provinces, and Austrtraran Colonies, per s.s. Phcube, on Monday next, at »a.m. (Signed) 8. B. Bibh. Chief Postmaster.

AUCKLAND STOCK AND MINING REPORT.

•■■■"•• £ : August 7, 1873. Businesses, S Prices^ L s. d. Ls. d; National Bank 32s G1 — .. — S.B. Insurance Co 50s — !.. — Caledonian ..L2l, L2l 10s 21 0 0.. 22 0 0 Union Beach 20s, sis — .. 110 0 City of London.. 25s 9d, 25s Gd.. — ..150 Brk'ht Smile 52s Gd 2 11 0.. — Otago 15s — ..000 Moanatairi 45s 2 6 0.. 000 Golden Calf 13s — .. — DANIEL B. ORCHARD, Secretary.

MARRIAGE.

Villikrs— Hurrey.—On' the 6th instant, at the Cathedral, Parnell, by his Lordship Bhhop Cowie, John Villiers, Esq., of the Chandos Hotel, Ormond, Poverty Bay, and second son of the late W. Villiers, of Petane, Napier, to Miss E. J. Hurrey, foi'-th daughter of John Hurrey, Esq., auctioneer, Mel bourne, Victoria.—New Zee'and Southern papers please copy.

DEATH.

Lovktt.—on August 6, Ernest James, Infant son of Mr A. Lovott; aged one year and eleren months. The funeral will leave his father's residence, Karangahape road, at three o'clock on Friday, Bth inst. Friends will please accept this invitation.

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

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 1873.

■■ ■ ♦ For tho cause that lacks assistance, For tho wrong that noods resistance For tho future in the distance, And tho good that wo can do.

The p.s. Luna, with the English mail on board, loft Wellington for tho Mauukau this ' morning. She may bo expected to-morrow , evening. i

The business in the General Assembly la night appears to have, been chiefly confined to discussions on the various bills before the House. Mr Fox's new Licensing Act seems

to have made a much more favour-able im pression than any of that gentleman's pre vious efforts to render the permissive principle palatable to members of the Legislature. Our correspondent states that the members are favourably disposed towards the measure. The '' Marriage with Deceased Wife's Sister" Bill has passed its second reading, and will probably go through all stages in the lower house, to be thrown out by the Legislative Council. All the progress that has been made during the last half century gives no hope of a future when shipwrecks shall be no more. Whatever may be done by the exercise of human ingenuity in order to prevent accidents at sea, the ignor ance or negligence ofumen will always supply thepublicwithabundant maritime sensations. Novels innumerable have been penned by Marryat, Howard, and others relating to superstitions and life on the ocean ; histories and biographies of naval adventures, from Blake, Hawkins, and Raleigh down to Nelson and JJnndonald have been produced, but never before have we had a book on " Our Seamen." Samuel Plimsoll, member of Par liament, has written such a book, and it has attracted more attention, and caused a greater sensation, especially in England, than all the naval biographies and sea stories together, Khak&peare said "truth is stranger than fiction," and verily Mr Plimsoli's book bears out the assertion. The writer of "Our Seaman," represents the town of Derby in the English House of Com mons, and he is entitled to. a hearing from the fact that he sprang from the people, and worked his way to his present position from positive penury. He is also entitled to respect because he has undertaken the daring task of vindicating the seamen's wrongs. Ho tells us in his preface that he had no idea of writing a book, and yet ho has produced a book which, except in the estimation of triflers and the dilettanti, is the book of the year. The volume, rich in bind ing and lavish in photographs, is not an im aginary tale, but a recital of hard facts which have created a sensation almost equal to that which "Uncle Tom's Cabin" created previous to the American war. This book was written with a benevolent purpose, and it will assuredly do much good. It ia not written with the artistic skill of a practised hand ; it abounds with sketchings of boats, ships, and material, extracts from books, news papers, and notes from underwriters' manu script, which lend to his statement a froau ness and novelty at once instructive and interesting. His text is taken from the declaration of the committee of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution: —"Such is the notoriously ill-found and uuseawortliy manner in which ships of tho collier-class are sent on their voyages, that in every gale —eyeD if it be one of a moderate character only—it becomes a certainty that numbers of them will be destroyed, as will be seen from the fact that 6,357 of them were lost in six years, and this statement Mr Plimsoll supports with a confirmatory extract from the annual report of the Board of Trade. Mr Plimsoll complains that ships are habitually over-loaded, which lead to frequent losses, and that there is exhibited by many ship owners a total disregard of human life. He maintains, moreover, that it is in vain to ex pect underwriters to interfere to mend mat ters, because their interests are so small that they would expose themselves to painful suspicions and would destroy their business. The sailors are not likely to devise a remedy for the wrongs they suffer on account of their hardihood and apparent insensibility to danger, and their shrinking from charges of cowardice. Nor can the ship-owners be trusted to put an end to this deplorable state of things, The modern practice of assurance also, the author thinks, has oper ated in relaxing the vigilance formerly ex ercised in keeping up the repairs of » ship and preventing overloading, He goes* on to aay that it is the duty of society generally to interfere, through the State, to extend to seamen the same degree of care as that which is bestowed on other classes of the working population. Mr Plimßoll shows from statistics that during tho past eleven years no fewer than 8,794 lives have been sacrificed on the English coast alone, a great proportion of which are attributable to what Mr O'Dowd, the counsel of the Board of Trade, terms " a homicidal system." Mr Plimsoll, naturally enough, has many censors and fault-finders, as every man has who doea anything for the especial benefit of the people, he has set his hand to the work, and is not ba thwarted in his purpose, but has resolved to devote his means, Ms energies, and his life to the cure of a gigantic evil. A deep and heart felt sympathy with seamen has urged him to the task he has entered upon with so much zeal. His mission will doubtless be produc tive of good, and his noble enthusiasm in a philanthropic cause will not be without its influence and reward.

The call of Mr John Mason to reformers last evening met with no response, and we trust the indefatigable reformer will make no further effort to get together a Political Union.- We admire Mr Mason's pluck, and would not laugh down a. noble effort "when in the hands of the right kind of men. But John Mason is not the man to take the helm in a sea of troubles. He himself must be fully conscieus of this long-tried truth. A Political Union is a colonial necessity ; but the true, wise, strong man has not yet arisen in our midst to stem the waves of taxation which threaten to inundate these islands.

A handsome monument has recently been placed in the Chapel of Merfcon College, Oxford, to the memory of the late Bishop Patteson. The monument is in excellent taste, and is the work of Mr Woolner, the sculptor.

A correspondent who signs himself "F.J.H." enquires whether the'poor rate in England is a direct tax. We inform him in reply that it is a direct tax, and in most districts a very heavy direct tax. The District Boards have the power of levying the rate, and it is usually struck on the assessed rental. Occupiers are liable for the rate, and not owners. The method of levying a separate rate in each Union produces the anomaly that tkc poorer the district the. heavier it is taxed. For in stance the Bethnal Green district, ofie of the most crowded and squalid in tb« east end of London, pays poor rates which annu ally amount to over thruc shillings in the £1 per annum, while St. George's, Han over Square (the wealthiest) gets- off with less than a shilling. This flagrant injustice has been the object of several vigorous attacks in Pfu-liament during the last few years, but although the principle is now almost universally allowed to be bad, no more satisfactory system has yet been substituted.

Mr Abercrombie has resigned his situation as curator in connection with the Auckland Acclimatization Society. An opening, there fore, is presented to a respectable man who takes an interest in plants and birds, and who has no objection to a quiet home, rent free, with a salary of £3 per week.

Ddctor Morton, arrested in the South on warrant from Sydney, was a passenger by the Phoobe this morning, and proceeded to his destination under the care of Detective Lambert in the s.s. Hero this afternoon.

The members of the Auckland Catholic Literary Institute will commemorate their thirteenth anniversary on Monday next by holding a musical and dramatic entertain ment.

To the Editor: Sir, —I see by the Cross that Mr Beckham suggests timber block houses as a defence for the frontier, instead of the earthworks or redoubts hitherto in vise. I would suggest that empty flour barrels would do very well if served out as part of the equipments of our field force 5 they would have the advantage of porta bility, and have been found serviceable before now for protection from Maori bullets at a very long range. Yerbnm sap. —I am, &c, Old Sodoer.

Mr H. H. Lusk has gone to the Bay of Islands for the purpose of addressing the electors of Russell and neighbouring districts.

The members of the Harmonic Society will meet in the large room of the Young Men's Christian Association this evening, at the usual hour, and will perform several sacred and secular selections of music. The com mittee purpose holding a public concert in the course of the week.

To-morrow (Friday) evening, Henry Ellis, Esq., will deliver a lecture at the Young Men's Christian Association on a subject which cannot fail to be interesting, viz., " A Free Press : its qualifications and its mission."

The annual meeting of the Auckland Archery Club was held yesterday afternoon on the lawn in front of Government House. The business consisted mostly of the speech on the pleasures and advantages of archery, by tho secretary (Mr A. G. Millar), and the report and balance - sheet, which were re ceived with cheers. The club appears in a prosperous condition.

. Dr. Dawson delivered an interesting paper last evening, at the Oddfellows' Hall, on the '•Use and Abuse of Tobacco." The brother hood was well represented on the occasion, and many old smokers listened with mute attention. The doctor's brief treatise was well received.

The regular monthly meeting of the Prince f Wales Lodge of Freemasons, No. 1338, will l>e held this evening in the lodge-room, Masonic Hall, Princes-street. The attend ance of visiting brethren is requested.

Mr Dargaville will address the electors of Onehunga this evening in the Choral Hall of the sottlement, and to-morrow evening ho will meet the electors of Parnell.

Subscribers to the sweepstake on the race for tho Melbourne Cup are respectfully in formed that all subscriptions must bo paid at the City Club Hotel before Saturday next, or shares will bo re-allotted.

The Victoria Rifle Club firing will take place on Monday next, at the Mount Eden range.

The usual monthly inspection of the mem bers of the Rifle Brigade will take place this evening at the Drill-shed.

To the Editor : Sir, —Copies of the follow ing letter having been refused insertion in your morning contemporaries, I confidently seek its insertion at your hand : —"Sir, — As a mattar affecting shippers of goods by our intercolonial steamers I wish to make public the kind of treatment we are subject to in our endeavour to promote trade. 1 yesterday wished to ship forty cases of fruit, per Comerang, for Napier, and was at the Com pany's office a few minutes before twclvo o'clock to make arrangements, when I was informed it was too late to receive goods. Now, considering the steamer was not to leave until four o'clock, and looking at the perishable nature of the goods, I think somo allowance might have been made. It is cer tainly preposterous the time between tho receiving of cargo and the sailing of the steamer. I also think the independence shown in the transaction is significant of thefactth&t an opening exists in the trade for another steamer, to say nothing of tho incivility and independence shown in my ease.—l remain yours, Sec, K. MESSENGER, fruiterer, Queen street.

To the Editor : Sir, —I do not know from whence your contemporary the Herald obtaiiifi his information respecting the Foun tain of Friendship Lod'je, and tne Ancient Order of Odd Fellows, as your morning con temporary designates them, but this I do know thata great dealof what the Herald has published in this morning issue, respecting the Fountain of Friendship Lodge, and the Order of Odd Fellows is not fact, but fiction, as naarly all post prandial information generally is.—l am, Yours, &c, An Odd Fellow.

Mr Go. Sibbin Is ' istmctrd to se". at auction, to mo ow (Friday), at 11 o'clock sntc-me: dian. the liber veritates of the de.mcfc ".Pol t.cal Union," with iti valuable mail'script, and a recoil of the t ranr :c ---tions drring its brief er'.Jenco ; thereby and therein the Auckland pub! c w" '. dLc 'innate no doubt between ri~ht and • »ong. It might f ~id a s-fe kCo) ■ ing in Mr Link's book i c, and possibly bo move v. eful than many others ?n I*s po' ossion. Tiio high t bidder v '1 be ei?ftlrd to a bottle of No. 2 bpetl- <ng, at Mr Scv.ts' Br:ti"h Hotel, at 12.80 po ii meri4uu. — [A»tt.l '

"I HOPE I DON'T INTRUDE?"

Tin Bay of Islands election is now a matter ,of history; and while announcing this im portant fact it may be comforting to the backers of Mr J. S. Macfarlane to add that Mr Heavy, of Wyndham-street, the represen tative of the above-named candidate at the poll, took occasion to state as his (Mr H.s) private conviction that had Mr M. been earlier in the field he would assuredly have ''licked" the two other candidates, as he (Mr H.) considered him the best man ;of the three. Without desiring in any way to impugn the soundness of Mr Heavy's judgment, I (P.P.) take the liberty of assuming that the Bay of Islands, constituency knows its own business best, and further that if electors throughout the colony would take a lesson from this election, and send to Wellington only repre sentatives possessing a stake in their respec tive districts, we would have much leas reck less borrowing, and consequently far less grinding taxation that falls to our lot at present. - By a cable dispatch just to hand from the Emperor ©f China, and which I purpose forwarding to Mr' Pox as the 11 father of temperance " in New Zealand, I learn with regret that a new disease has made its appearance among I' the "Heathen Chinee," and which has been named " delirium TEAmens." Tea-drinkers beware!—So poor Gavin Duffy, ex Premier of Victoria, has, after a delay of two months, been at last admitted to take his placa in the pages of his countryman's (Burkes) Peerage. But the most remarkable part of this whole affair is the way in which the Times, true to its policy of always sailing with the wind, and after having a few months since designated Sir Charles as "a repealer andsome thing more," now condescends to admit that the honour was "not undeserved." " Times are changed, and Dten change with them," said the Romans, and we of the present day might exclaim, men change and the " Times " changes with them!— Mark Twain used to declare that he would never become a news paper editor for the reason that he could not

(pardon me, 0 fair sex, it is a quotation) lie ! The foregoing is unwillingly drawn from the innermost recess of my inquiring rutnd by the announcementthatthe Guardian, ofDunedin, edited by our late worthy townsman, Mr R. J. Creighton, approves of the new tariff ! I am under the impression that this same gentleman when resident here was invariably a staunch free-trader. Happy Eden to possess such a member, happy Dunedin to have a guardian so faithful and true ! Paul Pky.

AUCKLAND IMPROVEMENT BILL.

That Mr Vogel represented other interests and wishes than those of Ids constituents in his opposition to this Bill there can be no doubt. A letter in the Herald of this morn ing furnishes an explanation of the sercet springs which moved the Premier to take the somewhat unusual course of interfering in th« progress of a private Bill. "Whether there is any foundation for the suppositions of the Herald's correspondent we will not say de cisively, but there is a singular coincidence in the simultaneous painting of a large label on the walls of the Cross office, for the reception apparently of the words " Southern Cross office," as if the building were to stand for any length of time. It is at least evident that the persons who ordered that painting, who it is presumed are the proprietors of the concern, do not con template the immediate demolition of the Cross office. Now they, like all the land owners and lessees, have had notice of the ap plication to Parliament, and they know as well as the rest of us that there is no oppo sition to the Bill, that Education Board, City Council, citizens, and every one else are in favorof it, and that there isno apparent means by which it can be defeated in Parliament. Whence, then, comes the Cross's confidence in the stability of their beautiful structure, which displays itself in the extravagant ex penditure of several score yards of white paint, soon to be adorned with the instruc tive canticle, " Southern Cross Printing Office." What Deus ex machina comforted our contemporary in the agonies of hr.s study of the notice to quit, and said "Be not afraid; the battle is not to the strong, nor the rac3 to the swift." Some powerful percon age must have whispered words of consolation and hope to the Cross in its purga torial state or it would not have ventured at this crisis such a large expenditure in white paint. Is there any one besides the all-powerful Premier who could have inspired such confidence : "Go on as usual, I'll throw the Bill out." If there is really no connection between this repainting, a matter it is true of a trivial nature, but Dot the less eloquent on that account, and Mr Vogel's opposition to the Bill; and if the surmises of the Herald's correspondent) are entirely unfounded, it must be admitted that circumstances are behaving very badly to Mr Vogel. As a landowner or lessee Mr Vogel has, doubtless, a right to resist a measure which ho thinks is injurious to his private interests, but this opposition should bo conducted in a proper manner, and that is by appearance before the committee to which the Bill is re ferred. He has no right to use his position as head of the Government to damage a measure, the virtues or vices of which will be by law the subject of a semi-judicial in vestigation. The writing on the wall in old days was not " Southern Cross Office," and Mr Vogel should take care that the more ancient inscription is not preferred by the electors of Auckland.

TELEGRAPHIC.

(PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

LATEST FROM WAIKATO.

Tawhiao at Alexandra

ALEXANDRA

This afternoon,

Te Tawhiao, with his wife and daughter, and William Thompson, arrived here to-day.

Haupokai leaves here to-day, having been summoned by the Government.

The natives are paying no attention to Tawhiao's order td stop trading with the Pakehas, a canoe-load of wheat having just

arrived,

There is no news of Mr Mackay. Paiwhcnua is still here.

LATEST THAMES NEWS.

The Caledonian

GRAHAMSTOWN,

This day. The report of the manager of the Cale donian says:—"We have now proved be yond all doubt that the hanging portion of the reef in No. 3 winze is cut out by the soft ground from the crevice underneath. The reef is hard and solid. What this -wiU turn out cannot be determined, but no time will be lost in proving it. The reef is fully eight feet thick, and there remains a portion under foot to be taken np.—S. E. Richards."

LATEST FROM COROMANDEL.

The Union Bea oh Company.

The following telegram from the Union Beach Company was posted up at the i manager's office in the Exchange this morn ing :—

" Breaking down leader ; lode very strong and solid ; showing gold freely.—(Signed) J. Douglas."

Mr Quick at Taupo.

TAURANGA,

This day. The Southern Cross arrived at 7.30 last • night. ; .Mr Quick started this morning for the in j terior, by the Taupo road. | The contractor for the Taupo bridges is 1 going off to-day.

LATEST SOUTHERN NEWS.

j ]Pbb Anglo-Australian Tbxbgiram Company.!

WELLINGTON.

: ! ! This day. Sir Charles Clifford reports favourably on ; the New South Wales exhibits at Vienna. An enquiry held on board the" William I Tapscott, guano ship, which was brought into harbour by the chief mate, the captain being in irons charged with striking down one of the crew with an adze, and- shooting the second mate, shows that the crew were in a state of mutiny on account of the heavy leakage in the vessel, which, they con sidered, rendered it unsafe to weather Cape Horn. The captain denies having fired. Three captains, who have examined the log, acquit the captain of all blame on the ground that extreme measures were neces sary to preserve order. A large quantity of cargo has been saved from the wreck of the Rangitoto by;»the Ladybird. •. , ■■■> / ,

Mr J. Williamson has addressed copies of the report of the Colonists' Protection League to the Commissioner of Customs, with a re quest that it may be laid on the table of the House. The Ladybird and Manawatu saved a large quantity of material from the Rangitoto. The wreck is unmoved. .Steamers are still at work. , The Luna left this morning direct for the Manukau with the Suez mail.

DUNEDIN.

This day.

The stone-throwing larrikins are an intoler able nuisance. A little boy was nearly killed last night in this way. In consequence of the increased tramc the Port Railway shed has been increased in size 500 feet. A runner on the Guardian, named Why brow, has received a legacy of £14,000 yearly.

NELSON.

This day. Arrived : Taranaki, from Taranaki.

PICTON.

This day. Arrived : Ladybird, from Wellington.

PORT CHALMERS.

This day. Arrived : Wanganui, from Timaru.

POLICE COURT.— This Day.

(Before Thomas Beckham Esq., E.M.)

DRUNKENNESS,

Thos. AnseH, Loftus Wrigg, and Henry Muster were churged with this offence and subjected to the usual penalty.

A PUBLICAN IX TROUBLE,

Wm. Amos Clarke was charged with neg lecting to keep the door of his public bar closed on the night of August 1. Mr Clarke said his door was certainly open at the time specified, but he had no one inside drinking at the time. Trade was ex ceedingly dull, and he sat down in a chair, reading " Munchausen's Travels," and fell asleep. Sergeant-Major Pardy said that he did not wish to cast any doubt upon Mr Clarke's statement as he kept his house very respect ably.

His Worship said that Constable Melville had only done his duty in bringing the case forward, and he thought the case might be withdrawn upon Mr Clarke's paying the costs. The charge was accordingly withdrawn. ASSAULT.

George Brewer was brought up on remand, charged with violently assaultiug John Pur cell on the 29th of June last, with intent to do him some grievous bodfly harm.

Sergeant-Major Pardy conducted the pro secution, and Mr Hesketh appeared for de fendant.

John Purcell deposed that he was a cordial manufacturer on Slipper Island, near Mer cury Bay, and that in June last the prisoner and another occupied a house near to him. On the 27th Ju"e he was in his house with a man named Mackie, having some conversation, when prisoner, about nine o'clock in the evening, rushed into his house with a large board and struck at his head— (board produced) —when he put up his right arm to save his head. He re ceived the full force of the blow on his arm. He immediately fell on the floor, and his arm seemed powerless. Prisoner then jumped on him and kicked him in the Jeft side, using very bad language at the time. The attack caused him great pain, and he was disabled for three weeks, and in great pain. Prisoner said if he had a knife he would cut his throat. Prisoner left witness bleeding and helpless on the ground. After some time he returned with Mackie, and assisted him into bed. He went to the little island with the view of being a farmer. Brewer had a lease of the island from a Mr Graham. To Mr Hesketh : He had a little to drink in the evening, just a nobbier or two; but he thought he was sober. There was a good deal of small scandal in the island, especially{{about Mrs Brewer and a man named Sinsbury, who had sines left the community. The settlers on the island were a kind of brotherhood, sharing all things in common. He and Mackie were commenting on island evonts when in rushed Brewer with the board, and committed the assault. He at length came to Auckland by the steamer. He fell on the deck throHgh step ping on some green stuff that was lying on it. He certainly had a few nobblers on board, but he fell in consequence of the green stuff. To his Worship : He and Mackie were chatting by the lire, but they would not have Baid what was said about Mrs Brewer had they known that Brewer was listening under the eaves. He was really a cordial manu facturer, but he understood farming, and Brewer did not. He was to find brains, and Brewer and the others were to find money. Mrs Brewer was not in the partner-: Bhip. She did the cooking and washing, and was the mother of five children. The community'was established on agricultural »nd not on;religious principles. Dr Philson deposed that he examined the prosecutor 8t the Provincial Hospital on the 4th instant, and described the nature of the injuries, which were not of so serious a cha racter as to leave a doubt of his ultimate recovery. He considered that his arm would be ■yvell in a month hence.

James Lawson. Mackie corroborated pro secutor's evidence.

To Mr Hesketh: When the assault occurred witness was talking about Mrs i Brewer. Purcell said that Mrs Brewer left |her country for her country's good at the expense of the Government, and that Bob Gordon knew all about her. Purcell asked witness if he had not been intimate ' with the woman, to which he replied in the negative, when Purcell bawled out "gam ; mon." Immediately open flew the door, and in rushed Brewer. There was a doctor at Tairua, but the islanders never troubled him. ; They called him the "Tairua old woman." ' They kept grbg on the island when they | could get it. They formed a plot to steal the , boat, for the purpose of gettng away from the Brewer Government, but could not carry ;it out.

j Mr Hesketh addressed the Court for the ] defence, | and urged that [there was no ground ,for the remarks made against Mrs Brewer ! which had irritated the husband against | Purcell, and he considered that the Court mjght deal summarily with the case without sending it to a higher tribunal. His Worship, in reviewing the evidence, thonght that the Court might deal sum marily with the case. The prosecutor had clearly brought the assault upon himself. 1 He had charged his wife, not only with being a convict, but he reflected upon her character, and what so likely to excite I a husband as to hear charges against his wife's honour. On the other hand the Court cannot tolerate individual outrages. Persona must not be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Taking all the circum stances of the case into consideration the Court would not be doing its duty without imposing a fine of £10, or two months' im prisonment, upon the prisoner. He must also be bound in a £50 bond, and find two sureties of ,$25 each to keep the peace for three months.

Thid was nil tho business,

NOTES FROM WELLINGTON.

(From Our Special Cojmiespondent.) y

First Impressions of the Empire City. * City of storm and earthquake ! home of the barnacle, and realm of red tape ! cynosure of the brotherhood of Orpheus C. Kewf^fiel carcase to which the eagles are gathered to. gether ! And this is Wellington. Certainly not as it had presented itself to fancy, n O j yet as represented to usbyourrepresentatives who claim kudos for consigning themselves to the martyrdom of banishment to Port Nicholson ; neither like any other city in New Zealand, or perhaps any place else, but i a thin line of houses winding away round a bay from there to yonder, its principal street crooked as the wriggling of a snake ■with his tail stretched away up towards the Hutt, and his head burrowing into the ever lasting hills. It is a libel to say that Wei lington is ungainly, and is engendered-of that rankling pique wherewith the soul of Auckland is distressed because of the crown of glory being taken from her head. I know that this is treason and offensive, but it is nevertheless true that Wellington is a pretty little city, singularly attractive, and even imposing, as on turning the headland it lies in all its extension along the beach, its bright looking houses smflilig cheerily in the sunshine, pent iv by those grim and weird-looking hills hanging over it in the background. No one whose mind is not blinded by prejudice -would deny that Port Nicholson is picturesque in the extreme. I do not defend its storms, nor am 1 the apologist for the earthquakes; but' as a piece of scenery this land-locked harbour ,' surrounded and closely shut in on every side by hills of great elevation, is to my eye-' and to the eye of any impartial spectator incomparably more picturesque' than our beautiful Waitemata. It is not only land locked, but once inside the entrance wholly disappears, and the sheet of water has exactly the appearance of a lake, while the mountains shutting it in on every side are so near that the city appears at first sigh'tfa single street winding around the beach, having', not an inch of space between it and the ranged towering over it in the rear. It is true there is not much interval, but yet there is spac&J for many pretty villas and cosy little cottages on undulating ground, or nestling in little glens, or perched up on the base of the ranges'• behind. The principal business seems to jiour centrate itself in the one long drawn-out street" which, though it bends in all directions and probably bears a lot of different names, must be regarded as one and the same. With the exception of two or three the shops have an inferior appearauce, but there is a prete'ti tiousness about even'the smallest of them that at once strikes the eye of a stranger, and in sensibly reminds one of a Government officerß on a limited salary making every sacriflcefdr,, an appearance of gentility beyond what is' warranted by his means. It is notimprp^ bable that this aspect has been given to tn<f place by the overwhelming presence or* officialism, which obtrudes itself even in the dress of the young fellows in the street, in whom a peculiar loudness of attire and , stiffness of carriage reveal unmistakably the puppyism that characterises officialism ramr,. pant when untempered by any proportion ofl * other social elements. There is a marked freshness in the appearance of the houses to an eye that has been gazing for years on the dingy yellow of Auckland buildings, • Auck land friends say this is because they have no^ dust here, as it is always either raining, or", the wind is so strong that the first whiffl- sweeps away the very stones off the streets. But this malicious. They also say that the reason the shops are so small, and pretension is substitutedfor reality, is because the people are not quite sure about keeping the seat of* Government, just as the Turks never bury in Constantinople, but send the remains of th« faithful across the Bosphorus. This also I am sure is malicious. But it is a fact, how ever it may be accounted for, that the eye is at once struck with a freshness in the. build ings, and an unreality and unsubstantiality in the aspect of Wellington that is singularly , characteristic. To some of your readers it will appear absurd to describe the appearance of the Empire City, but with nine-tenths of them Wellington is as unfamiliar to the ey« as Timbuctoo, and it may not be uninterest-,-. ing to know the first impressions conveyed by the city where the chosen. of the peopl*s assemble to make laws, rolling each other'i { logs-And scrambling for billets.

Our Special Correspondent'Lands-!^

As the steamer Wellington approached the* whaif the dense crowd with which the wharf*} was thronged showed that the whole people: had been moved with anxiety. It wasl generally believed that some accident had; befallen the Rangitoto, which should haver arrived the previous night, and our crowded^ decks and the presence of some who were1; known to have been in that vessel conveyed to the wharf, even betore a word was spoken,.c the sad intelligence of the fats of the unfor-1; tunate steamer. You have already had by^ telegram an outline of the incidents of Jibe,' wreck, and I shall only fill in the picture by a few remarks respecting

The Wreck of the Rangitoto

Pieton oysters and Dunedin beer1 are de-* cidedly soporific. I was in the enjoymentdf delicious slumber as we steamed dovrn Queeo Charlotte's Sound, when people came rush ing into the, saloon calling, "Get up;-the; Rangitotb's wrecked." I sprang up in my berbh, giving a fearful bump with my head against the bunk above me, and^for/ some time did not realise the position. I felt that there had been a collision, and,£ was sure I had seen lights, and I had heard 1 that the steamer was wrecked, but at firat; I could not decide whether that was1 our boat or the other one. After the lights had passed from my eyes, and I had satisfactorily accounted to myself for the -^ collision, vl hastened on deck. Rtr Nancarrow and parby had just got on deck. He had left the ves sel shortly after she had been driven on shore, and he could not say whether1 she had not gone down with all on board. It is hot exaggeration to say that a thrill of intense pain, passed through.all' on deck, and it' was felt that every instant gained might be a lifo saved. Steadily and rapidly the Wellington dashed through the darkness, the hiss "of escaping steam showing that she was. strain ing every nerve in the generous effort to bring succour to her rival. As we neared the heads every eye was peering through the darkness* i while the burning of blue lights and the screaming of the whistle were telling far in advance that relief was at hand/ At last a feeble light in the distance suddenly glarect out, and the flash and the' booming of a gu# told at once that our signals were observed, and that the unfortunate Steamer was still above the water. Onward we sped through the darkness ; and soon a boat approached^ and the glad news was shouted that,' $?,. passengers were safe. It is needless to des*< cribe the welcome given to the lady and herj children that were first received out of Jb& darkness to." the deck of the Wellington, nor yet the earnestness with which Captain 7 Carey and his crew vied with the crew of the Eangitoto throughout that long and anxious night in passing to and fro betwejj|j/«, the steamers, saving everything that it <^, j possible to save; nor yet the generous solfc^, tude that kept the passengers of the Wel lington on deck that live-long night giving fteir sympathy, if nqtshing more, to $P WPif

thb mmrm if ac, totrusiDAir, atoust 7, tin,



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