SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

HIGH WATER] 0.13 BUNSKT.-This Evoning, 7.12. SUNRISE.—To-morrow Morning, 4.1f MOOnI AGB.-lTirat Quarter, IStli, 1.18 a.va.

ARRIVALS.

BATUEDAY EVJiNIKO Douglas, 5.8., Kor/1», ftcm Mnnßawal

YESTEItDAY.

Qloneli?, s s., Stooherson, from Tsuransa lilodd Wobev,brffjantlne, Coyoilr, from Suva Fanny Thornton ktitcb.Keane.from Whanßaroa Colombia, sohooncr, Oonway. from Kast Cooat Grlffln, aofcooner. Bitbop, from Jtnssell

TO-DAY. Woodbine, barque, srcKeo, from Lovuka

EXPORTS.

Per Louie for Levuka—lls saoks lime, 900 feot timber, 8,000 bricks, 10 tierces beef, 8 sacks fire clay,' and a quantity of sundries.

Inwards Coastwise. — Progress, from ' Barrier, with 20,800 feet timber; PukapuUa, from Omaha, with 20 pieces baulk timber; Result, from Whangaroa, with 40,000 feet timber; Bessie, from Kennedy Bay, with 21,000 feet sawn timber; Persoveranoo, from I Sandsnit, with 250 bushels sand ; Griffin, from Russell, with 81 tons manganese; Lizette, from Thamos, with 17,000 feet timber. Outwards Coastwise.—Progress, for Man- Raparapara; Pukapuka. for Mnhurangi: Result, For Okoru ; Bessie, for Port Charles; Persovcr anee, for Sand-pit; Lizetto, for Thames. The schooner Welcome arrived at Wanganul on December 15. The barque Woodbine, in ballast, arrived from Lovuka this morning, having left there on sth inst. Sbo come 3 here under charter to the Auckland Timber Company to load timber for Sydney. She will proceed thither via Whan garoa this week. In, order to aooommodato visitors to town from the Northern Wairoa, tbo Kaipara S.S. Company will despatch the s.s. Durham to Dar gaville on lTriday next to bring down passengers for the Xmas holidays. Sho will leayo Dar gaville early on Saturday morning, arriving at Helensville in time for tho mid-day train to Auckland. Tho brigantine Linda Weber arrived from Suva yesterday morning in ballaSte. She left Auokland on Nov. 11th, and arrived at Levuka on 26th and Snva on December 3. Left for Auckland on tho 10th, and had flno -weather with easterly winds all tho passage, tho wind at times proving very light. The schooner Louio has cleared at tho Cus toms for Loraka via Whangaroa with general cargo, as per exports, and tho following passen- Kprs:—Messrs E. Fisoher, K. M. Levy. M. M. Knox. Captain PHUngcr is In charge of the vessel.

Tb« ketci Fany Tfco;n(an arrvoi fram Hi'ltlans% aid Wa-.ng*roa yjiterd*r eftornoon wltU 58 totjra pilea, 10 '.oas btx^, 300 BaoUs and 25 cases guai, fl eaotc and S bales wool, So hide?.

Tha R'ltonnhana fiotn Melbourne vl* Eou th tt ports msy be txgscted here about noon to-irorrow. Tha s,s. Qlsnels: arrived from Tanransa at 5 o.m. on Sunday. Pfusaiverj: 2iv and Mrs Mark*, Mesurs at'svsiaaoiSß.aswell, Ctaawiug, Father SJahoay end 1 steaßrge. The f.»., Donglas &rr!v»d f cm Mftncawai en Saturday evening, with 95 ssois sum. i biles wool, and a large number of passengers. By arrival of the Linda Wotwr from Suva,we leara that tho brlsta&tlao Oamaru artivad there after a leuethy nrulM) of 150<3otb, with «ighf.y two reorults. Captain Goaiman has supplied ns with a lengthy report of tha tiip, sheens; ttiat fine w?atiier was generally esporlenood. He oxpeotod to Isavo for Levuka on Socday morning Usi, and Uioro load sugar tot Auck land.

The barque .Ashmcns had loaded for Londrn on Saturday: 275 tons manganese. IS bulen oottoo, 118 tons oopra. 119 canks tallow, 2607 x ossea eqio, 457 b&lea flax, 212 oeuies oboll. 16 bags whale bouo, i casks oil. 2 boles fc&sies, 10 logs timber, 20. tons bart, 1283 bait a n oai.

KAIPARA SHIPPING.

Kaipaba Heads, Frl3fey. Arrived: Restless, brig, from Lyttolton. Sailed: Pelican, sohooser, for Lyttelton. Tho brig Vision (loaded at Kopuru), for Lyt telton, came down to-day.

COMMERCIAL.

BVbniko Stab Office. Moniay. Messrs Csohrane and Son sold to-flay,by order of the Registrar of tho Supremo Court, a farm near Drury," connisting of 457 acres and 30 perohes, enclosed by a fence and olippery creek. The whole realised £815 163, tho land bringing £1 17s por aore. Several farms on a 21 years lease were offered by ordor of Hospital commissioner, and a few leased at reserved prices. The allotments at Omaru, Whan, Wai wera, and Matakoho were unsold.

Meetings, Entertainments, Etc.

December 18, 18S2.

Abboit'd Opera House—Kollar asd Canard, the Koyal lUusloaiata—" A Night In Dream land." 8 p.m. Amerioan Novelty Hall, Qaeen-ntreefc—Kxhl bltlon of Fainting* of K&ypiiaa War and Pre sentation of Gif w, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Parnell Hall— Concert aad D&noe, la Aid of the Convent of the Bletora of Meroy, Parnell, 8 p.m. St Androw'd Dtr-tohooL Sjmonda-Btreot— Ohrlsttmu Tree, 7.5) p.m. Volunteer Drlllahed-Bszisr In aid ft the Auckland Baptist roberaaolo Building Fund, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. . St. James's Hall—Mueloal and Uter*ry Enter tainment by Members ot tbe Methodist Free Chorea, 8 p.m. Parnell Borough Council, 7.1S p.m. North Island Railway Umploiei" Provident Society—Temperance Hall, 8 p.m. Lodga Wattemata, Lodge-icom, 7 30 p.m. Devoopoct Hall-Pabllo Meeting, T.3Q p.m. Hobion Corps-Monthly Inspection at Diill- Bhftd, 7.30 p.m. Maionlo Hall, Onehunga-Concert and Ball, ] in Ail of tho Publlo Library, 8 p.m. te.Z.T.0.0.— Meeting of Pioneer Lodgos of Adults and Juveniiea. 730 p.m.

Birth.

McLEAN.—On December 7. at her residence, Sholly Beach Road, the wife of Murdoch McLean, of a son.

Deaths

DILWORTH.-On Decembor 18, at Alexandra street, Harriet Hannah, the beloved daughter of James and Sarah Dilworth (late of Pukc kohe), aged 18 months. GA.TJELY. —At his reiidenoe, Brawn-street, Fontonby, William Gately, aeed 67. The fuooral will leave on Wednesday, 20th instant, at i o'olook p.m. Krleads will please accept this Intimation, MACOBRUQTT.-On December 13th, at Aroh Hill. Is»b!ti Lavinia, Infant daughter of W< acd H. Maodermott.

Notices to Correspondents.

Chabity.—An order from,a J.P. Is necessary,

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

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1882.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that ncods reslstunco For the futurain the distance. And the good that we can do.

Few people think it worth while to take note of the political struggles proceeding in neighbouring colonies, though questions are being fought oat there, and experiments tried, which snpply the data for legislation in New Zealand. The political struggle that has convulsed New South Wales from end to end, and has over-tamed the strongest Ministry that ever ruled in tha* colony—the Parkes-Koberigon alliance—is specially worthy of attention, Petaons familiar with the political history of the oldest colony of the Aus tralian gtoup know how the Government was thrown like a shuttlecock from Rdbettson to Patkes and Patkes to Robert son, until theLegißlature become so equally divided in allegiance to these doughty ' leaders that "neither could hidd office for . many months at a time. Then they thought it judicious to put their heads together acd share the spoils squally, Sir John Rtbeit sob taking the lead in the Upper Chanibur and Sir Henry Parkes in the tower. Tie combination has lasted for many years,

md whoa Sir Henry returned from his Sriuniphal tour through JBuropo, and met Parliament, there appeared every likelihood )t his term of office being indefinitely ex tended. Tho GoverDnient had a good woik« ing majority. Tho tuvniu'fj point iv their jareer, however, came with the introduc tion of Sir John Kobcvtson's Land Bill. The crowning triumph of Sir John Kobert son's political career was his introduction of the pilnciple of free selection without Burvey over Crown lands, a mca-uie which he forced through the Upper Chamber in spite of the most strenuous opposition from the monied classes. It ia very curious that twenty years later, this very law, once so popular that no one dare impugn it, should have been the downfall of its author. The Land Bill of the present session was a consolidat ing and amending one, and it proposed to retain the principle of free selection ■without survey. The voice of the 1 csis lature rose against it, and tho Hill was defeated, Tho country has now endorsed tho verdict. The cause of the chasgo of feeling is easily understood. The law was meant to defeat the squatter, and encourage small holdings; it has worked tho other way. A. race of men has sprung into being wuo live by dummyism. They squat down upon tho runs, and if tho lessee is agreeable soon convert the land into freehold for him. If not, a bitter war arises, which is prosecuted on both sides with ths vindictivencss ot a blood feud. Kvery yenr millions of acres o£ land havo been ali'n ated, and yet during the past ten years the increase of farm hands in tho colony has only been G22, while,the number of persons ongaged in ttado and commerce has in creased by 9S per cent., and skilled workers by 110 per cent. Farm labourers quickly become freeholders or dummies to the big land-grabbers, atd tiio State ia defrauded oi its land, without securing bona Jidc settlers, cultivating their own holdings. Tho country has come to tho conclusion that tho system it a failure ; aud though the advorao result of the late elec tions has, no doubt, been iullucuced partly by a belief, on general greuuds, that the Parkes - Robertson Cabinet haa been in ollice r»thor longer thau is good for tfca publio administration, aud tin land question has not entirely controlled tbe cltctions, their first fiuit will certainly be the abolition of what has for the lust twenty yoara becnrecoi;niicd as the essence of tho Naw South Wal»s land law.

New Zealand Churches and Church-goers.

A KECENT examination of the religious sta tistics of the colony showed that Episcopa lianism was the provailiua; form of belief, but that it was iv a decided minority in the South, nearly one-half of the icsidentsin the province of- Ottigo being Presby terians. A further inspection of the figure*, and a comparison of them with tiie statistics of church accommodation and averago attendance, load to some rather curious conclusions. Thus it is shown tint Kpiicopalian Auckland is the msst religions province in tho colony, while Presbytetiau utaso is the most iireligiaus. This too, in epito of the face that, of the chief religious dcnominationc, the Episcopalian most neglects her duty iv the matter of church accomuiodatinu, and her adherents aro most lax in the matter of church attendance. Acickland, with a population of 99,451 souls, has 310 places of wotship, giving accommodation fur 52.5G0, while tho average uttc^iJauco is 30,058, or ouo-third of the entire popula tion. All tho other p-ovincesa'o far behind tbk—Taraoaki being as low a3 oue-aeventh ot tho population attendiug church; but Otago may wore fairly ba taken for com parisoD. We liad, thou, that Oiago, with 134,077 souls, has only 221 plaoos if wnr ship, giving accommodation for 43,401 sitters, whilo tho averago atleudauco is 0u1yj27,292, or about our-tiftb of tbe population. That this widely-different state of tbiugs is not due to tho p»edominance of EpiscopAliunisni or Presbyteiianiem is piovcdby a censidcra tion of the statistics of the whole eglony. These show ns follows :—The Church ot England, with 203,333 of the population attached to her, only provides accommoda tion for 51,952 people, while no more thau 32,324, or one-sixth of the total, aro church goers. Tho Presbyteriau?, witha population of 113,108, have church accommodation for 43,269, and an average attendance of 29,250, or over one-fifth of the whole. The propos tion of church-goers to population is the same with Koman Catholics as withPiesby teriaus; it rises among the Baptists to one fourth; whilo the Mcthcdiats of various sects have an attendance of 24,927, out of a total of 40,657. or above one-half. The Methodists give the fullest church nccom modatioß for their adherents, and their practice of planting small buildings in cou venient situations doubtless leads to their higher average nttcDdauct. They have accommodation for 35.037 sitter?, out of a population of 40,057 ; while the Komaii Catholics, withnearly2o,ooomore adherents, have only accommodation for 25.135. Too Presbyterians aro little bettor ia this respect thau the U.C.s ; and tho Church of JKnglaud is tho great->et sinner of all, giving accommodation only for 51,952 poisons, or one-fourth tue number of her adherents. Ttie fact that Auck land, in these circumstances, shows, by far the largest average of church attendance to population, can ouly be due to the existence ot a deeper and more widespread religious feeling hero than prevails in the other parts of the|colony; und vice verm) the low average of Otago betrays a general indifference- to rcligou3 rites among tbe population of that province. The Old World rule is th.it morality ami religion flourish best in the cold regions, and that as the sunny Smith is approached, tbo standard steadily decreases. Here we seem to have a com plete reversal of the order, and the fact that tin atom form of theology siill dominates in the cold region, and the milder religion sways tbe dwellers in the sub-tropical clime, only increases the paradox. It is easy to say, of course, that we are at the Antipodes, and all things arc topsy-turvy; but we opine there must be a better reason than this for the condi tion of things described. It would bo gross flattery to say that the personal influence of Mr Robert Stout has to answer for the sad defection of Otago; but without doubt the flourishing of Freethouc;ht ia Otago must be recognised cither as a came or as an effect of the widespread religious indifference in that stronghold of Prc»byterianisni. In these remams we have assumed the correct ness of the censuj returns, though, they seem open to question occasionally; and wo have no idea how, or on what authority the information is obtained, regarding the church nccom modation and average attondancs. The latter, if supplied by tho church officials, is at any rate not likely to ba under-stated ; and th» total given for tho colony is 117,817, oranavorage of one-fourth of the popula tion. Tho final rehearsal of tho Auckland Choral Society for the coming performance of Handel's " Messiah " will he held to rnoirow (Tuesday) evening. A special meeting of members of the Builders' Association will bo held to morrow evenin?, to try and finally eettlo their disputs with the architects. We are desired to correct an error which crept into our report of the Auckland Col lege and Grammar School prizes. Class Beta should read—F, C. Mcrritt, Ist prize ; instead of F. C. Minitt. The " Illustrated London News " of2lst rctober gives an interesting paper hy Mr R. A. Proctor en tbe comet, with diagram illustrating its orbit, which closely approxi mates to that of the comet of 1543. From observations made at Vienua, ho concludes that the comet is retreating on a path which it will circuit in less than a year, whether it be tbe one of 1696, 1843, and 1880 come back or not. But his opinion of its final destination is accompanied by a declaration that its absorption by the sun will not do us any harm. He says ,—" It seems certain, then (if we can depend on the Vienna observa tion of the 24th), knowing, as we certainly do, that the comet was ut its nearest to the sun on September 14th, that bofore many months are over we shall see it back again, to return in ever-narrowing cir cuits and ever-shorteniig periods, until i finally it will circle round tho sun in a ' few hours, to bo cosstantly retarded by I frictional resistance, but accelerate! in i greater degree by resulting inrush towards the sun, until finally each portion of its sub- i ' stance reaches the sun's surface with a • velocity of about 260 miles per second, i . That surface is itself moving in an almost : sxactly contrary direction, with a ] velocity of a little more than a ' mile per second. There will then, iv all ! probability, be considerable dist urbane b, ; but, although the idea is now utterly ex- I ploded that comets are mere films of j vapour, the total mass ol the comet thus' destroyed i?, I concoive, too small for any ' such increase ot heat to be produced as will J seriously trouble the inhabitants of tho earth. E

Tho funeral of tho lato Mr Thomas John ■n, of Parnell, yesterday, was attended by w large cortego in carriages and on foot, tl lio iiev, Mr Walpole, tho new incumbent ir : ft. Mary's, conducted tho servico at tho n :ave. i si Tlio recent dry wca'.hcr has exorcised a : c' ost injurious effect upon farming opera- '• ons.in tho various districts around suck- n mil. Potatoes have ripened prematurely, i ad arc very small, while tho wheat crops ii re being cut for oaten hay. Rain is very (li nxiously hoped for in all the farming . istricts, while even in the city truces of its i ] bseuce aio everywhere noticeable. j ] Detective Jones, long and favourably , i uown here in connection with the police , r circo.is under orders to proceed to Christ- j 1 hutch, and takes his departure for the j 1 Jity of the Plains on Wednesday next. i t etective Jones has bacu most successful j 1 n tho detection of crime here, and was a < icrfeet "terror" to petty lareenists. Ho i vill be succeeded by Detective Hughes, f St. Matthew's Christmas entertainment ' vill bo held to-morrow (Tuesday) ovening ' n St. James's Hall. An extravaganza, i 1 Bombastcs Furioso," and the trial scene ' rem the Merchant of Venice, will bo sub-' nitted to tho audienco ; also, the well uiovui farce, "Slasher and Crasher." An ■xcellent treat will be provided, and lis the diarge for admission is merely nominal, the Hull should bo iiilcd. To the Editor : Sir,—l wish to call iho rttcutiou of tbe police to the dauterous practice of butcher b>ys on hor.eback racing in Howe-street in tho vicinity of llercpford-sireet School, especially ova Monday morning, to tho imminent risk of tho little school childrcu. 'ibis morning was no exception ; a short time before scnool openiug a toy oo a bay hora-J (having three "white stockings" ana a white patch on fac) passed the school-house at a paco that if 1 thought Welo me Jack could tqual iv the Cup, ou that horse will I lay my morscy.—l am, &c, A RESIDES!'. '''o the Editor.-Sir,—lv my letter kindly inserted in your Saturday's paper, by tho omission of the little word not your printer lus made mo say just the opposite of what I intended. The latter part of my letter should road : " While making this suggestion, which I am not sure has not been acted upon before." This v m per manuscript, but is not a happy sentence. What I meant was that the suggestion may have bcou put into practice here. Ido not know if itbas — lam, &a., J. P.PflONßßiat, Tho usual mtmhly moating of tho Mount Eden Baud ot Hope was held in the school looin on Friday night. There was a large and appreciative audience. The mcetio" onencd with prayer. Mr McGregor and Mr Roberts addressed tho meeting. Miss | Gillinghum «aye sougs, which were well { received, and two recitations from mem bers finished tho programme, whim the meeting was brought to a conclusion in good time. Mr Robert James, a connoisseur in poultry and Ire-keeping, having receutly atrived from America, is ipen for an en gagement for a limited poiiod. Mr Janus has lilUd the important position of secre tary to tho United Hates Beekeeping As sociation and Novelty Society of Colorido. He buy a vast knowledge in this important brauch of industry. No doubt his »crvices vull bo hilly utilised during hi* stay in INew Zealand. In our article on the direct steam soivico on Saturday a slight error occurred. It wa< stated that tho route via tho Straits of Magellan was rather longer than »i* ihe Cape, hut possessed tho advantage of steady favourable winds. The Suez routi aud not the Cape wa«, of couibu, meant, as a matter ot fact, tho journey via the Strait* of Magellan is shortvr than via the Cjpc of Good Hope. We aUo learn that Oiaso has not been excluded, but the Shipping Com pany intend to make provision for the com mercial want* of Duuedin A lint-class programme has been pre pared by the committee of tho United Methodist Free Church Mutual Improve ment Class, for tho entertainment to he held ibis evening in St. James's Hall. Mr Jos. ph Uemus aud tho members of ihe string band will give Jtheir assutaucc; and among the pianists we notice the names of Misses liayles aud (Joe. Misses Spry, Peace, and other ladies will sing, also four or five gentleman amateurs. The petite comedy. "Lawyer uharge'em aud his Client"," and the sketch, "Road to Ruin," will form a portion of the even in^'fl amusement. The Theatre Royal will be re-opened on Saturday next by tho JUcywood Star Novelty Co., a minstrel combination of which every member is said to be a star attiste. Tuey play coruediutas and farces, sing songs, contribute funnyisms, crack jokes, execute step dauces, and. in short pro»ido an entertainment of the utmost jollity and fun without overstepping in any way the bounds of propriety. Some ot the minstrels are already well known here, viz , Messrs W. 11. Bent, Kennedy, and Mc- Carthy, and the others will doubtless speedily install them»clves likewise in public favour. The adverti-cment, which appears elsewhere, gives further particulars concerning them. I A respectable number of person" assembled yesterday to listen to the Hospital service of song, and an address by the Rev. Mr Eultou. Tin day was p.rticularly tine, the sun shining biightly. The only objectionable thing was the dust, whicW was occasionally blown about by the winds. The «rass on tho brow of tne hii[ was witheiiug for lack of rain. The setvice was conducted by Mr Culpivn, orgauitt of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, and the favourite paraphrases and psalms were sung with solemn cU'ecf by the full-voiced choir. The patients who were able to witness tho people were evi dently grateful to their friends. Five hoys playing about tho mouth of an abandoned shaft at Sandhurst to day, pro ceeded to descend the laddeis. After de scending a distance of 48 feet, the section of the ladder on which the undermost boys were standing gave way, and the boys and ladder were precipitated down the' shaft, crashing through the timbers which sup ported the other cectioasof the ladder, four of which they carried away in their descent. They fell to the IGO-fect level. Their two companions, who wcro on the ladder abore that which gave way, rai«ed an alarm, and some miners descended and raised tho boys to the surface. It was found that one named Ttehair had both thighs fractured, and nnottier named Opie had his skull and right arm fractured, and the third biy kirvis, had a cv' forehead, and is sopposed to be inttronlly injured. Two of the suf ferers arc so bad that it is doubtful whether they will recover. Tho anniversary of tho Otahuhu Wealeyan (Sunday-school was celebrated yesterday, when special acrmou*|i.ppropriatc to the occasion were preached in tho morn ing on tho "Bread of Lifo," and in the afternoon on "The Resisting of Evil Enticcmen's " by the Rev. W. S. Potter, ol Auckland, and in the evening on " Samuel's Little Coat" by the pastor, the Rev. Geo. Bond. On each occasion the scholars sang suitable hymns. The sweetness and corrccl timowhichinarKedthe singing of the youth ful choir were an evidence of careful train ing, and reflected great credit on Miss Burns, while the good bohaviour and ready answers of the scholars generally proved that the Superintendent, Mr Pikett, wit! the teachers, had dono their duty during the year. The A.*M. Beale team of cricketers nr rived from New Plymouth yesterday, aftci having been badly beaten by various smal districts on the Wast Coast. An Auckland gentleman residing at Gisborhe was so dis gusted at their exhibition thrrt he tele praphed to a friend nt Onehunga to hart donkey carts harnessed and sent out to re ceive them at his expense. The joke was, however, not perpetrated. It is only fail to the team to say that five ot thoso whe were originally picked could not go with their comrades at the last moment, and substitutes had to be taken in their places, This weakened the eleven considerably, and the illness of Ernest Beale still furthei lessened their chances ot Victory iv the final match. Their fielding could not have been very brilliant, judging from tho fact thai nineteen catches were missed by them on Ihe lust day of the Now Plymouth match. It is a matter for regret that tho Taka puna Jockey Club should he pernstent in holding to the first programme which fixes the Summer Meeting for January 29th, the day of the Auckland Anniversary and Rogatta, notwithstanding a strong expres sion of public opinion to tho contrary. A public meeting has consequently been cm voned for this (Monday) evening in the Dcvunport Hall, North Shore, to take into consideration tho action of the Club in this matter. It is very desirablo there should ho a good attendance. We hare alroady remarked upon the impropriety of attempt ing to compete with an old-established celebration like that ef the 29th of January, and if it is persisted in, the collectors for the North Shore Rcaatta will probably meet with a less cordial recoption, when they next make their rounds, thai they have heretofore been accustomed to. The mistake, however, is one easily rectified, md we hope that the stewards will allay ;he prevalent feeling of irritation on the subject by announcing a change of day,

The members of the aotth Island K»u vay Employ6s' Provident Society will hold hoir gcuoral annual meeting this oveoin" n the Tomperanco Hall, for the purpose of eceiviag the annual report and balance ihccfc, nnd for the election of oilicsrs for the joniiuj,' year. A public tea-meeting will be hold to morrow evoning, in the Kichmond now Primitive Methodist Church, Me D. Goldio in the chair. Sevorul addresses will be de livered by ministers and friends. We observe that the Key. Reid is to deliver his highly-instructive lecture on "Palestine" to-morrow evening iv Devonport "Wosleyau Church. Havinp made this subject a special ptudy, and having recently visited | Palestine, the lecturer is in a position to do justice to a tlienio of such interest to every student oi the BiVc. In order to add to the pleasure of tha evening, several musical selections will be given under the efficient conductor ship of E. Bartloy, Esq. An oppoitunitj will be afforded those present of contributing towards the expenses incurred by tin recent alterations and increased accommO' dation made in the church. Our London correspondent wtitea or November 3rd : " i ur heroes are homo Streets bavo boen dressed up with flag*ani laurel, excited crowds have cheered, tb< loving cup has gone round, and the feas! has been spread and eaten by the gallani fellows iv whose honour it was given Well, I daresay it's all quite right, but d< you know there are some amongst us wh< agreo with Sir Wilfrid Lawson, anc consider that overdoing things (like th< mistaken hospitality shown to the mocl Maori mission), " much ado about nothing.' Addressing the House of Commons tin other night, the membsr .for Carlisle said " It is well known the Kgyptians th< worst soldiers in the world. They wen even bea'ea by the Abyßsiuians. Coulc the Houbb conceivo any worse soldiers tlm that ? (Laughter,) Yet when we, with al our wealth aud experience, had beaten this poor country, containi»g only five million! of people, here wo were singing ballclujal choruses all over the country. The way w< woro going on was art insult to the Britisl army, and the soldiers themselvei—that i the real soldiers-did'ot like it. Colone Ewurt, replying to a vote of thanks thi other day, declared hi* troops had done what Euglish soldiers woro in the habit o doing, their duty, and there was no need t< say more." A contributor to the Christchurch " Tclo graph" relates the following anecdotes o our coming Govoroor :—" During the pre para'ions ior the Adelaide Exhibition, the Governor was a daily visitor to the grounds taidng great interest in the undertaking On one occasion one of M. Joubert's young sters, stationed at the cate, not knowin< Sir William, refuted him admittance. ' Oh I'm the Goveraor,' quoth Sir William 'You the Governor!' taid the cheek} youngster; 'I've seen the Governor conn in his carriage and pair. It's no good foi an ordinary-looking party like you to trj and got round me 1 It was characterise of Sir William that he paid the boy hii shilling, and afterwards asked his father tc make him a prcient of it. Another mcl dent which happened to fcir Willlan Jervois at the Melbourne Exhibition is worth recording. Many of the people in Christchurch will remember the irrepres stble Cha'lio who sold cement, the why curntbopopinjicumtuairy, arid other Yankee notion. Tno Governor, walking througt theoxbibitionone day, stopped at Charhe'i stall, and w»« thus addressed by the lively Yankee, who, of couwe, did not know till afterwards whom ho was addressing, ' Now, «r, come and try the iadelible m»rk' lugiulc, You goes homo to your raiisus, pulls up thu tail of your coat (suiting tbt action to the word), writes your name ou if —Brown, Jonce, or KobinßOU, as the case may bu—epiti upon if, sils down upon it, and then say to her, "Eb, old woman, that's the way to mark your clothes." The Governor was so much amused wiih Charlie's autics that he bought a bottle of the marking ink, mid on getting linmo, presented it to Lady Jervois, thouzli whether with the word* and action lecom mended by Ch»rlie, hutory does not rela'C. And yet, tor all his capacity of enjoying a joke at hi« o»'n expense, no one ever dared to take a liberty with Sir William Jervoic, who thoroughly understands how to main tain tlu dignity of his office."

TELEGRAMS

(FROM OUR O\VN CORRESPONDENT),

CAMBRIDGE, this day.

Tho vexed question of the Cambridge racccouso has at last btcn satisfactorily settled, by tho club buying tho C4ur«o fioui Mr Fantbam at £12 an aero. Tho raco meeting will bo held early next month. There wero two fires here on Friday. A four-roomed cottage, tbe property of Mrs Maxwell, was burned to the ground. It was imured only for £30. Tho Oddfellows' Hall caught fiie ia the roof during the day, supposed to be ignited bjr the sun, and people succeeded in extinguishing the fiie before tho amount of damage had ex ceeded live pounds.

CHRISrCHURCtf, this day.

Mr Searlc, for many years editor of the " Southland Times,'1 invercargill, lately residing herp, has bfeu appointed editor of the ''New Zealand Tim«s," Wellington. THE DUNEDIK WQALEUS' FIND. William Elder, of Port Chalmcrp, mana cor nf the company who fitted up the barque Sp'cnd'd, visited the ship at Lyttclton, and returns South with SS4 pounds of amber gris taken from one whale, valued at £45,000, tho market price of ambergris being £4 10s per ounce. The Fire in Clirtstchurch. The followisg are tho insurances on the stock destroyed by fire at Carhil House on | Saturday :—Messrs Craig and Smyth wore j insured in the New Zealand office tor £3200 ; Standard, for £2000 ; nnd Guardian, for £1000. Kofs aud Glendeoning were insured in ths National for £2500, and .Liverpool and London and Globe for £1000. It is stated that the building is innved, but I i^i what ollice and for wh«t amount has not yet been ascertained. A sailor named VVm. Wallace fell n i distance of 20 feet from a tree at tho Lytt'l ton Friendly Society f6te on Saturday! He i is in the Hospital in a precarious condition.

DUNei) N, this day. Accident to an English Ship. News has been received that tho Kiandra, l«te City of Paris, from London, to Port Chalmor?, met with an accident in tbe English Channel. 1? o particulars. Mr George Dodson, ot Port Chalmers (tho well-known sportsman) died on Saturday,

INVERCAEGILL, Saturday. A NEWSPAPER VICTORY. Tho civil action in the Supreme Court, before Justice Williams, Dr. Lewis v. th» "Southland Times' Company, in which the damages wore lrid at £5000 for libel, in publishing a letter which, it was alleged, j reflrcted on the plaintitl's professional ability and attention, wa« settled to-night, a verdict on all the issues being returned for the defendants. The ac'ion occupied three days, and excited great interest, Scvoral long cases are still to hear.

MINING.

Old Calhdonian.—The manager, wri iug under date December 16th, says : —Tliere is no chance in wmze below No. 2 level. The stopes above No. 2 lev«l continue to turn out payable grade crushing diit. In No. 1 level, ths reef ia' standing solid overhead fully 5 feet thick, and in composed of brown and white quartz. The contractors of tbe Ked Queen cross-cut have inter, sected a cross reef about 18 inches thick, showing strong dabs of gold from floor to roof, and is a nice compact reef charged with splendid minerals.

(BY TELEGRAPH.—OWNCOERRSPONDEHT?,

COKOMAINDEL, this day. Bj.SMA.RCK.—The Bismirck tributrrs re torted on Saturday. I hear tho return is the splendid yiold of two hnndrcd and seven ounces of cold. They have a big block of ground intact from the low level. The Gem shareholders will be encouraged by this news to arrange and work reef from the T'okatea low level.

THAMES, this day. Manukau.--The tender of Willis and party, at 19s 6d per foot, was accepted on Saturday for extending the cross-cut at tho 360 ft level of the Caledonian shaft 150 feet, and driving was started this morning. keuben Parr.—The manager has started to clean out the Dauntless level in search of the tributer's winze on the cross reef. When this is found he will aituer continuo it to the low level or cUe riso> up and meet it in order to improve the ventila tion.

Caledonian.—A reel was met with in the Red Queen cross-cut laat Friday, about 15 inches wide. The re^ef has good-looking quartz, showing gold freely. It is believed to be an entirely new bpdy of stone. Tbe cross-cut is being continued by the con tractors.

SCINTILLATIONS.

Why is wit like a Chinoso lady's foot? Because brevity is tbe eolo of it. A partisan paper says, "It is a mistake that tho (opposite) party plays uprm v harp with a thousand string.:), "i he organ oi that. parly is a lyre" \ The rccout dinner given by the city or London to tho Pfiuce of Wales cost £20,700. ' The Naturalists' Field Club propose an excursion to Manukau Heads on Boxing , It' is reported that Mr Bryce haa ob tained the iclease of £21,000 of wool be lom>i»g to Messrs Moorhouse, Studliolme, md tuorrin at Murimotu. " Now, looker yer, Charlie, Jim mout bs wi houcst nigger, and then again lie moutent, but if I was a chicken, and koowedhewas about the yard, 1 tell jer wot, nisger, I'd roost higb, I would." Mrs Simpsou, wife of Mr Simpson of the Kangiriri Hoto'.came down to tha lloipital on Saturday sullering from a broken le-r. Plenty of warmth, plon-y ot substantial food and ripe fruits, plenty of sleep, and plenty of joyous out-door exercise, would save millions of children annually. MrD. GrubVsNewtoa baths, though not quite finished, were open'd on Saturday, and wera largely patronised, A young man named William Wallace, at LycteltoD, while climbing up a tree to put n swing up, fell to the ground, owing to a branch breaking. He /ell on his back, and is not expected to recover, A little girl in Sunday school, who lutd been pulling her doll to pieces during the week, was asked by the teacher, " What w*» Adam > made of?" " Duet," replied the little girl. "* nd what was Eve made of J" " Sawdust," was the answer. A physician on his own profession — " A medical man passes the fir»t half of his life in saving hia fellown without pay, and tbe second in killing them at exorbitant prices." " Did you bob tho moon over your right shoulder, my dear?" said Bhe to him as they roamed down tho walk, " N—a—no, not exactly; but I just saw tho old man over my left shoulder and I'll bid you good night." No kisses served up with that parting. I he Bishop of Rochester, preaching at Brockley, England, said a good word for the Salvation Army. He went to one of their meetings, and all he could say was thi*, that they had got hold ot the li^ht sort of penons —pesons ho would give any thing for the Church of Knglandtogcthold of.

A well-to-do farmer named Jasper Spauldiog, living near Kaub, Indiana, knocked sen»elo«s his little bon and wile with a whiflle-tree, and tbpn cut tbeir throats with a razor, after which ho cut his own throat. A company, with a capital of £150,000, has been organised by prominent iron men, to erect works at Pittsburg for the inatiu facturo or nails and spikes from steel.some thinsr which nas never before boon done in the United States. Cetewayo, before leanog fngl-ind, was desirous of taking Boma presents home for his wives, and the authorities made a grant for that purpose, but upon his explanation that twenty-niue thared the honour; the original sum was iocreaied to £50, which cnab:cd the Zulu King to lay in a good supply of ribbons and coal-scuttle bounets. Jn Kussia technical education is estab lished in tho elementary schools, and the boys are taught the use of tho lathe, saw, hammer, chisel, phne, and all other h>oh for mechanical work, aud their youthful mul is rewarded at tbe end of the year by a public exhibition of its results in usually crsditablc BpecimoßS of woik in iron and wood.

RETURN OF THE CRICKETERS.

Tho Auckland cricketing team returned fiom the South after n most successful tour yesterday. Arriviug in the Taiaroa at 0 a.m, thiy awaited the arrival of a drag till 10.30, aud wore then couveyed into town. Mr Levi Coupland tn-t the team on arrival, and Messrs Bindon, Dufaur (2), Mumford, u»d other gontlcmen came out with the vehicle and accompanied them into Auck land, where they separated. A number nf mistakes occurred in the bitting aud bowling averages telegraphed from New Plymouth on Satmday, aud we therefore reprint them in more correct form : — .

RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

Thk usual quarterly competition of the Auckland Kills Association took pl»co at tbo Mount Kdeu Range on Saturday. Messrs ftobinson and J, B, Faiis acted as scorers. There wcra four money prizes, and the scores count towards the aggregate for a trophy to be prosinted at the next annual competition. The ranues wore 200, 300, and 400 yards; seven shots at each range:—Vol. James Leigh, 85 ; Sergeant D. Hay, 81; Sergeant C. P. Taylor, 80; Corporal J. B. Fairs, 74 ; Lieut. Robinson, 71; -tapper W. S. Whit-, 71; B»ud.>mau J. Trayes, 70; Corporal Buchanan, 70; Sapper A. Woolley, 69; Coi'poral Wm. I'ose, 69; Major Piric, 68 ; Supper Stirling, 67; Gun, A. Henderson, 67; Col.-Scrgt. J. C. Soall, 04; Volunteer Cameron, 63; Vol. W. H. Hazard, 63; Vol. G. a. Handlcy, 60; Vol. J. C. Adams, »9; Sergeant C. I. Jame?, 58; Sapper Allen, 58 ; Gunner A. Payne, 56.

POLICE COURT.-This Day.

(Bet< ra Hugh Seth Pirjith, Esq., K.M.)

COKGRkTur.A-rio.v.- Superintendent Thomson rose, before tho busings w»o oallod and. as >ho head ot iho local police, bo&gcd to oong-atn luto Mr Smith on bis up- ointment to the olllce OC Resident M.iflnrato. fie (Mr- ihortson) entirely colnolded with the sentimecti epntren in the nppor coorr, ou Friday last, and ooncln doii by an oxprPSfnui ot Rood wishes.—Mr Boitb briefly return** thxnke, and hopid ho Bhonld b* ablo to diaohirgo the duties of bis otUno i* <he Reneral sati»faerion of ttio pnhlio. Dkonk.—Six porsons wero llnod 5s eaoh tor this olfenco WIiEOKED and SAV».r>,—Pi liollla Holllns, whj attempted a Mini leap rom tho wharf on rho 15m in«t„ was again brousht up and charged with drunhernMS.—Sergtaot White paid tho woman nppeuel to bo recovered fom her un fortnnato debmoh.—Fined 5s and era's. Tan IfAr.t. ok Maw.—Mrlnlas Cummirsgo. a yonng man about twontj-'.wo, was charged utder the Vagrant Act with diunk.er.teai and oxposnro of persin In Vuloan L^no on Satur day. — Prisoner acknowledger? that bo had fallen whilo in a state ot drrmkoorjtss.— Serg, White a«kod that ladies mtciht wl'hdraw from the oourt, as tho evidence was not fit for mo-ipßt carp. Coostablo Walker gavo evidence which showed that h waia very bad cas*.—Prlannor, with tears In his eyes. Bald he ban no re collec tion ot iho ease.—Seven dnya' linprltoomant with hard inbour. iiTTLK NK'.l.-A younn pirl, with golr'cn rlnclet-f, named EllenCurtis waaarrain brought up 0 j a charge of moiling from 'hi person'of .lames MoUnlnatss (a bushraan from Mercu-y Boj) a parse oootainhig £15 Is on the !sth mat —Orj the application of So'geiint Wbi'o, who stated tbat M' tho money hai not yet been traced, tha further hesrlng of this cato was reminded until irrfdiy next, Larkikinism.— John Conway wis chanted with breaking glasi valued at 15s. the proporty Of Mr 0 Connor, ot the Eagle Hotel, on Sanrlay. —Prisoner plea-led not guilty, and rb others Implicated In the row wera not in custody, fhe oasa was remanded until to-morrow. LiHCE t of HOTTLBS.-Henry Krßland was ob.arg.3d, on summon', with the larceny of empty bottles, value 20s, within the past month, che propmy of John .Low, hop beer manu'aoturor. —Thla ease was remar dodfrom (triday. In order to gather the n;oesjary evidence.—John J.ovy deposed tbat Hrgiand wns in his employ, and he tlb charged him on Saturday week; subsequently England oat;eduponoouip'alnaiit'ooußtOniers f n orders for a rival Arm, and took away hla bottles, —Hla Wirsblp said ho otuld not find defendant gu lty of laroeny noon tho t/vldence boforo him. Defendant raui-t ba obarged with taking the bottles under false protenoos it omplaloant wna detertoimd to go on with the case.—Mr lißvr esnreßsod his octormlnatlon to "go for Eißland."—*<he caai wan therefore dismissed, A Bicycle on the Path.—John Chambers w»3 summoned to answer to a charge of riding on a bicycle through Princes-street on tho 28th nit.—Defendant said it was quite tru». Ho did ridea!ongPrineeE-3t.,butasltwasata very early hour in the morning and not a living soul on the move, Biwe -two or three working men, no injury waaikAife.i^His Worship took a lenient view of fiwa-Mfigv -tind, as this was the first offoncie undei'frho Act, imposed the'nominal fine oSjfi. This" wa& all the business. " .* ,' -

CABLEGRAMS.

fttEUTER'S CABLEGBAJIS,]

(Received December 18, 11 a.m )

THE OUTRAGES IN DUBLIN.

LONDON, December 16.

Important disclosures have been ma'Je to tbc police authorities in Dublin regaidiog tiie recent outrages upon detectives and others in that city. Evidence has been obtained from informers, arid is of such a character as to cause the Executive to order a strict enquiry. This will be held forth with, and some startling revelations as to the state of Dublin are anticipated. THE SAN FRANCISCO MAILS. The homeward Aa.traliai_ and New Zca laud mails, fiA, San Francisco, which lett Auckland on November 7th, were delivered here to-day, (Received December 18, 11 a.m.) COMMERCIAL. LONDON, December 16. Coiuol^ remain at $9_ ex div.; the mar ket rate of discount has tisen by 3s 8d to 37i 8d ; bank rate remaios at 5 per cent. ; j\cw Zealand securities are unchanged as follows : 5 percent. 3010 loan, 105J ; 5 per ceut. 1889 loan, 104 ex div. ; 4_ per cent, 1879-1904 lo_u, 101 J. Colonial breadstuff* unchanged at 49s for Adelaide whqat ex ware house, and 43s 6d to 46s (id for New Zealand. To effect sales, lower prices must be accented. Adelaide flour remains at 345. The market for Australian tallow is rather weaker. Quotations: Boat beef, 425; best mutton, 44s Gd. The total quautity of wheat afloat for Great Britain is 2,330,0J0 quaiters. There is a fair demand for all kinds of Australian hides, but prices are unchanged. THE FRENCH IN TONQUIN. PARIS, December 16. The statement that the proposed expedi tion to Tonquiu had been abandoned by the Cabinet is not correst. It is known that the consideration of the project has been postponed and will be brought up again. REFORMS IN I'.GYPT. CAIRO, December 16. Earl Duffcrin has laid before the Egyptians a rcherao of reform of the native tribunals. Lord Duffcrin urges the appointment of European judg.s to the Supreme Court. LORD DERBY SECRETARY FOX THE COLONIES. LONDON, December 10. The Cabinet Council was held at Windsor to-day, when the following mem bers of the Ministry took the oaths of office:—Lord Derby, Secretary for the Colonies; Loid Kimberley, Secretary for India; Lord Hartingtoa, Secretary for War; and Hi Childcr., Chancellor of the Exchequer. MR FaWCETT RECOVJSRISG. LONDON., December 16. The health of Mr Fawcett, Poalma*ter. General, has shown considerable improve ment during the last few days, DKATH OF A BISHOP. LONDON,, December 16. Obituary : .The Rl .ht Rev. Alfred p-lli vant, D.D., Bishop of Llandaff; aged 84. (SPECIAL TO PRESS ASSOCIATION. J (Received December 13 —10.55 a.m.) THE LOUGH MASK MURDER. LONDON, December 17—9.55 a.m. Another of the Hig eitis family has bwn found guilty and sentenced to dtath foe the Lough JVlask murder. THE REiTORATIOS OF CETKWAYO. The principal uatlte cliwfs in Dunn.land are stated tv be in favour oi the res'or. tiou of Cetewavo. FENIANS ASO DYNAMITE. Tho Feniaus arc threatening to bum down the public buildings in London in revenge for the execution of the Maam tranna murderers. THE KINGSTON FIRE. Sir Anthony Musgrave, Governor of Jamaica, is solicitin. relief in England for the sufferers by the Kingston fire.. FOLICE KAID ON SECRET SOCIETIES. An 'extensive polico raid has been made on the places of meeting of secret societies in Dublin, but very few discoveries of any importance were made. THE ALEXANDHIA MASSACHES. I.OSD'.'N, December 15. Five hundred of inose ■who are said to have been implicated in .he m.ssacrcs at Alexandria h»YC been discharged. SI?ANIStt POLITICS. Marshal Serrano's, opposition to Seaor Sagasta has collapsed.

AUSTRALIAN.

RAILWAYS IN QDEESSLAND. BRISBANE, December 16. 1 Sir J. Mcllwraith, Premier, made a speech l*st night, in ihe course of which he advocated the principle of land giants for' railway construction, aud for immigra- SHIPPING NEWS. MELBOUt>JXE, December 16. Sailed, this afternoon: The Union Com -1 pany's Eteamship Hauroto, for the Bluff. SYDNEY, December 16. < i Arrived, last evening: The steamship Zealandia, from Auckland,

FIRES AT CAMBRIDGE.

(BY TELEGRAPH.—ONYN COBKESEOHDBKT.)

CAMBRIDGE, this day. QUITK a series of firon have occurred hero since Friday last. The Oddfellows' Hall wa* near being, the scene of an extensire conflagration on Friday morning, but through the fire beiug discovered in time it w»s fortunately extinguished after £5 worth of damage had been dove. At 9,15 the same evening a four-rootned cottage," the property of Mrs Maxwell, was burned to the ground, but as tho building was old the damage d«es not exceed £GO, £30 of which is covered by insurance. It is believed to be tho work of incendiarism. About 4 o'clock on Sunday tnorning< a Maori eating-house, owoed by Mrs Marpby, was destroyed by fi>c, through the carele.«saess of the neighbouring ! butcher, who left a log firo burning ia the yard, from which a spark com municated itselt to tho building. Tho fame morning it was discoveied that an attempt bad been made to set Rose's stables on fire. Some boards at the back were badly charred, but the fire had guns out b;for« getting a proper hold. Toe people are very inciiguant at tho fact that, though they pay a nishtwatchman to many fires should hare occurred without'his knowibg, and justly blams bim tot negligence.

CRICKET MATCHES.

HLIIiON T. SADDLEES UpITKD.— Thh match result-din a vie' ory for the Albion byl wickets and 8 runs. Scores :—Albion fir«t innings, 50; second, 31, for 0 wickets. Suddlers', iirst innings, 46; fecocd, 26. Mmphy Mwleii w.ellfor the Albion, while Patterjon ali-n bowled Well for the saddlorr;

f den v. Gkafton.—A match between the above clubi was plsiyed on Saturday, which resulted in a victory for tho fide'n by 52 runs in tbe first inning, the f cores bring fdenS'l, Graftcm 32, The following were the p'iucipal scores :-Taifc, 33 (not out); Donald, 18; White, 16; Laird, 12; i ovatt, 11, For the Gratton-J, Clayton, 9, not out.

A ma'ch was pluycd between Standard CO. and Mahukau, and resulted in an easy victory for tho Standard by ore iunings and 20 runs, flobson (19), Wilson (16), Smith (13), and Dean (11) all batted well for Standard. Morrin (16), Harris (10), fand Wjnyad (15) batted well for Manukau, S andard made 103, and Manukau 45 and 38, total 83.

SUPPOSED MURDER OF HUGH A. HAMILTON

ADDITIONAL F A C IX.

The publication of the particulars incidon tal to the arrest of Priestley and Mrs Hamil ton on the above charge is having the effect of eliciting many circumstances which have a bearing more or less direct upon their conduct. In many cases they seem to fit in as further links of the chain of evidence by which it is sought to connect them with the supposed murder, and to bear out the theory of the police with regard to it. More Suspicious I'acts. We forgot to explicitly mention in out last issue, although the fact would be in- Eerrcd from the context, that Priestley was away lrom his lodgings at Mrs Neilson's during the whole night on which Hamilton received bis injuries, and that he did not make bis appearance again until abou*noon of the following day, when the state of per turbation in which the vhole family wero plunged sarea him from any enquiries as to his absence, and he does not appear to . have volnntered any account of himself. It has now been ascertaiued that Priestly called upon a friend at ODehunga after Hamilton's death was known, and eutrealed him to say that he (Priest ley) had spent the night_ of _ the 28th ultimo at his house. This friend con sulted another person ou the matter, and the result was that he felt it would bs cul pable on his-p«rt to make any false declar ation of the kind, and therefore the police were informed by him that Priestley was not at his bouse at all on the fatal night. Ihe Bloodstained Trousers. With respect to the blood found upon Piieatlcy's trouters and handkerchief, it seems that tn a recent Saturday he was " playing in a cricket match between the riev. P. MasoD's Academy and the Pon- . souby Public School, and that an accidental collision with another player while running caused his noss to bleed copiously. Be wiped away the blood with a handkerchief, doubtless the one that the police have in their possession, and it may be that the blood found on his trousers came from the same source, as he woro a pair of dark tvvced ones at the time. Priestley's Mental State. It will be recollected that in our descrip tion of tbe male prisoner on Friday laßt, we mentioned that he was looked upon as somewhat "soft." While this was the preva lent opinion, there are some people who go the length of expressing the opinion tbat he was simple, if not silly. The late Dr. Kennedy formed seme such estimate of his mental condition, and told several Prcsby terian ministers that thsy had made a mil take in allowing him to enter for a thso logical course, However, he wa* an apt and plodding pupil, and be has made good progress in Latin, besides having some knowledge of Greek, and he has been ac customed to preach extempore sermons, ■which are spoken of aB very promising efforts for a student. In the course tf an address that he gave at St. James's not loag ago, he mentiontd that while he was still in an uuregenerate state, he .had been strongly tempted to set out for Australia in order to join the Kelly gang. This fact may be accepted as proof ot a latent criminal' instinct, or it may tend, on the other hand, to deepen the impression that he is not of sound .mind. We Rive it for what it is worth. Priestley seems to be pretty well known at Ouehunga, for prior to bin remotal to .iwbituhc lived there with his stepfather (Simpkin) and mother. Simpkin levanted after a time, and his mother died three j ears ago. In tho interim he had been employed at various places, principally at gardening work, and at one time he was servant to Father Paul. The Purchase of Strychnine. With, regard, to the strychnine, we under stand that ihe first purchase was made by Priestley, from Mr Gillman, chemist, of Onehunga, on tbe 9th of November last (Prince of Wales' Birthday), the quantity sold being 12 grains. Priestley had called for it on the previous day, saying that he wanted it for a friend in the country, who wished to poison some M»ori dogs with it. Mr Gidman, however, was from home at the time, and JSiisn Gillman was indis posed to supply tin poison. Priestley called in the ssnie evening, saw Mr Gill man's son, and signed the register kept for the purpose, but did not get the package till the next day, when Mr Gillman, being acquainted with him, gate «rdeis that he should havoit. On the 13th (three dajs afterwards), he sent a letter by Mr Weston, omnibus-driver, asking for a further package of 12 grains, as he h.d miskid the first one and could not for the life of him find it. He wanted to for waid it to his friend that day, and the second lot was accordingly furnished. So far the police liave not been able to trace the poison, Assaming that it was ho who aUo made the attempt to purchase strychnine from Mr Henderson, chemist, of Grey street (reported in our last ' issoe). it may be that the female whom he brought to atte»t the desired sale was his sister, Mis Morris, *ho residesin Auck land. The singular coincidence that Mrs Hamilton's infant should have expired'tho day after her husband of course is regarded with a suspicion that is hei«ht«ned by the fact that neither Dr. Walker nor Dr. Daw sob, while iv the honse on the 2Sth nit., wero made aware that there was anything the matter with ir. Howeyer, Dr." Philson noticed it on the day of the iuquest in its mothet's atms, and he remarked then that it was dying, while ■ no strange symptoms were exhibited, 'ihe child was weakiy »nd had languished from its birth. Still the police have deemed it right to apply for the necessary authority to exhume both bodies, illness orf Priestley. Priestley is troubled with nervous irritation of the bkdder, andsiece his in carceration he has suffered greatly from i£ ani this bodily ailment seems to have upset bis fortitude in some measure as well. On Saturday he was very restless, and fre quently bathed his head and face at the water-butt, besides drinking greedily. Dr, UokUbro' had bim removed to the Gaol. Hospital yesterday, aad we believe tho patient is much better to-day. Mrs Hamilton's Refusal to Wear Mourning. Fresh circumstances continue to crop up, all indicating that the relations lately sub sisting between Mrs Hamilton aad her bust and were anything but harmonious. It is brsadly aTcrred that she wanted to i«stitute proceedings fer divorce, and it is also alleged that after Hamilton's death she refused poiat blank to wear any moursipg for him, while the police authorities say that her home could hardly have been comfortless, for a good assortment was found in it, and it was furnished far better than one would have expected in the case of a man iv the deceased's station. Tbe statement that tbe ra»n received bis injuries by a headlong fall against the bsd is viewed with growing dis credit, which the police investigations fully warrant. The proj-ction against which he is alleged to have fallen does not protmde more than a quar ter of an inch, and const qucntly, in ordsr to produce a wound three qusrtots of an inch do-p, (he surface of the iron oa cither, tide mnst hare inflicted a much more extensive contusion than he received. Then, too, one of the iron laths fits loosely into a slit at this particular spot, and blood could hardly have escaped finding its way there, but it the affair happened as alleged there is no trace ot either blood or water about it, acd on the lath being lifted it was found to bo thickly underlain with dry dust. Humoured Confession. A singular rumour has been current ia town alt day to the effect tbat the woman had confessed that the had poisoned the child, and tbat Priestley bad murdered her husband, but it is regarded by Superin tendent Thomson as a canard, seeing that it has not been reported to him, and that Dr. ooldsbto', on making his usual visit to the Gaol this morning, heard nothing about it. The former gentleman considers it highly improbable, and therefore attaches no importance to it. It is thought that if the accused pair are' really guilty, the^womau will break down sooner or later and make full disclosures. At present she seems to retain ber composure well, and exhibits no tremor. The Exhumation. In conformity with tho provisions of the. Cemeteries act of last session, Superinten dent Thomson has wired to the Colonial jSec:etary for permission to exhume the bodies of father and child, and if a favourable reply is received to.morrow it will be taken advantage of without further delay. The bodies will then be removed to Ihe morgue, where Dr. Goldibro' will hold the post mortem examination, aud tbe j1 contents of the child's stomach will be handed over to Mr J. A. Pond f* analysis,

TBM. IVGB3JWb'Etr&B'tBG sTMi 'M<M^ *'. DECEMBEB_IS



BAlTUtt _WVJ_.l.AUUiO. a S g^ o a r- © o 1 .% a .5 g ■" * K n !. : ■* • Barton .. .. 818 4 11 49H2 • r»ell .. .. 212 _ II 2;ifi O'B.lon _. ' .. 116 I 9 llo •lesirj .. .. 112 1 !) 14 Yatea .. ,. 107 9 8 15*2 liUIr .. 77 9 li 12*8 (.HI 45 4 K 1125 G.rdluor .. ..88 0 9 107 Koblnaon .. _ U9 0 11 9-9 Lmktmm .. .. _0 1 8 8.5 Dulaur .. ..WO . 2'5 Bucalar.d.. 9 1 5 22 Bowling Analysis. _ -3 too*. . o Tj, o3 p.© =3 3 3 __ '.a-? tq CJ S P <_? Lanthira .. 12.7 3il 100 60 7 150th BooVUnd .. 729 212 _7 26 8 5-'/-th_ Robinson .. 501 187 1*3 22 ',81 -iwlo* .. .. 107 51 3 6 10 150i Gill .. .. 6M 2Jt 55 19 12 10l9ihs Uuraur .. .. 47 1. 3 1 12 »n»il .. .. 181 85 9 1 55 Bartsn bowled two wtdo?, and Hoblraon tiyo no balla.



|JEW yEALAMD PEDIGREE QTOCK riOMPAWY ... .tO.' «U (LIMITED). TO BE IitCORPOBATED UNDER "THE COM PANIES Act, 1852." CAPITAL ..£200,000 In 40,000 Shares of £o each; 5s on application, 53 on allotment, 10s every two months . until £2 per Sharo is paid up; further calls ■ as required, at intervals of not less than threo months, and not to exceed 5s per shore. »



PROVISIONAL DIRECTORS: HON. JAMES WILLIAMSON, M.G.A." THOMAS RUSSELL. Esq., C.M.G. ALFRED BUCKLAND, Esq. i-,. ■■■ EVERY MoLBAN, Esq. - JAMES BAILEY, Esq., C.B. WILLIAM STEETjE.Bsq: JAMBS McCOSH CLARK, Esq.. JOSIAH CLIFTON FIRTH, Esq. THOMAS MORRIN*, Esq. P. OOMISKEY, Esq. DAVID NOLAN, Esq. JOSEPH L. WILSON, Esq. * BANKERS: THE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND. SOLICITORS: MESSRS JACKSON AND RUSSELL. SECRETARY (pro tern), JOSEPH BENNETT, Esq. The objects of tho New Zealand Pedigree Stock Company (Limited! are tho breeding and rearing ol Pure Cattle, Clydcßdale Horses and Sheep, and disposing of same by sale or other wise in New Zealand, tlj,o Australian Colonies, San Francisco, and elsewhere. In order to carry out these objects it is pro posed i— I.'To purchase from tho Auckland Agri cultural Company(Limited)thofollowlng Proper ties now used by them for stock-breeding pur poses, viz., , (a) Cranston, Waikato, 8,863 acres, (b) Tamakl, No. 1 Farm, The Chase, and Butly Manor, 752 acres, (o) Tamaki, Grecnhill, 110 acres, together with their celebrated Pure-bred Short horn and Hereford Herd, Clydesdale Horses, Lincoln and Leicester Shenp. if To purchase from Messrs T: and S. Morrin ' their Stud Farm at Meadowbank, Remuera, consisting of 219 acres 2 roods 5 perches, and the Leasehold Estate of Macro adjoining, to-« aether with their valuable Pedigree Shorthorn | Herd.'1; - , •; ', ■ ■ ~ i To farmers and dealers in' cattlo it is well-1 known that Pure-bred Stock ere more easily fattened, oome to maturity earlier, produce totter beef, and realise higher prices than tho ordinary class of stock. This fact, which is so significant to breeders and dealers in cattle, has of late years induced a constant and active demand for pure-bred stock in England, America, and the Australian Colonies. In view of this demand for pure-bred cattle, and the large atod increasing. area of land which- is annually taken up for grazing purposes all over New Zealand, and tho vast quantity of cattle required to stock the game, the Directors see at once a ready market at good prices for their stock, n»d they believo the Company will bo able to pay early and continuous dividends from th»ir ordinary operations in the Bale of stock, without relying upon any profit from the in creased value of landed property, which is here after referred to. • ..;• Tho Directors confidently anticipate that tho Frozen Moat Trade oannot fail to open a practi cally ualimited market for New Zealand beof and mutton, and will give to stock-grazing interests in New Zealand an impetus which mußi ultimately tend to tho great advantage ol this Company. Tho whole of the Pedigree Herds before montioned, the Clydesdale Horses and Sheep are well-known, and consist of first-class im ported stock (judioiously selected by the best judges,-without regard to cost) and their progeny. Wherever exhibited they have re coived the highest prizes. The celebrated Shorthorn Bull" Dake of Newcastle," the pro perty of the Anokland Agricultural Company, was awarded First and Champion Prize at the Intercolonial Exhibition at Sydney for the bsst bull of any breed, for which tho whole of the Australasia* Colonies competed with imported and Colonial bulls. This bull and many of hla progeny ara amonst the herds proposed to be purohased. The Herrford3 are deserving of special mention. Five hundred and forty-flve in number, they form the largest herd of pure Herefords in tho world—their progeny have always mot a ready and remunerative sale. The land proposed to bo purchased by the Company for carrying on their operations con sists of well-selected and suitable stations, where the breeding of pure cattle has for many year's past been succe«sfully conducted. These properties have also been selected with a view to their future increase in value, and from this source alone the Directors anticipate the Com pany will derive considerable profit. Eleven hundred and forty acres of tho land acquired are so near to the City of Auckland as to entitle them now to bo classed as Suburban Lands, and they must spoedily advance in valuo with tho rapid development of the city. The value of tho Freehold, Leasehold, and StockJias been fixed by Messrs Alfred Buck land and Wm. Aitkcn at the sum of £161,3*8 <ts(sdV '~..■■■ ... . .- ■"-.■'■■ The Directors, after tho valuation was fixed, induced the venSora to mako tho important concession of leaving one-half of the purchase money secured upon tho property at five per cent. Being thoroughly satisfied with the protpects of the undertaking, the vendors havo reserved to themselves nearly one-half of the shares in the Company upon equal terms with the shares now ouercd to tho public. Farther particulars on application to tho Solicitors of the Company, oi' to ■ JOSEPH BENNETT, Hon. Sea, 10, Qtieon-street. J?TUfe XO fM.OQO IM»Tonßulldiae aJLy JPOiOttty priaolptes. or on other



Special Advertisements. WATCHES for ob- J tainlng ooirtot time for racing. Jnat re ived Twolvo. all in Rood order, regulated, for to by F. H. LE WISsON. Watchmaker, Queen caot, opposite Union Bask, 4 UCKLAND'NATIVE LANDS COLO -3l NISATIOJT COMPANY (LIMITED). CAPITAL £300,000, In 500,000 Shares of &i Each. 0,000 SHARES ABB NOW OFFERED TO THE FUBuIC. 300,000 SHARES TO BE RSSEBVED FOR NATIVES AND FUTURE USE. One Shilling payable upon Application. One hilling upon Allotment. Calf not to exoecd na Shilling each, to bo made at intervals of at less than Threo Months. Provincial Directors: J. B. Whyto, M.H.R. W. R. Vines G. B. Morris, M.11.X, T. T. Masefleld J. Chambers John Keid C. C. McMillan Kennedy Hill F. E. Claude Franz Schorff O«o. Holdsbip Major Jackson Huirama Puko Captain Colbeok KoKaukiuta Boards ov Rbferees : Sydney— The Hon. Sir G. wigram Alien The Hon. John Frazer Dr. Fisher John Keep William Mnomlllan (A. McArthnr and Co.) Ebenezor Vickery Dunedin— \V. J. M. Larnach, C.M.G. E. B. Cargill Robert Wilson Andrew Mowat • Christchnrch— Henry Thomson. M.H.R. J. K. Brown, M.H.R. T. S. Weston, M.H.R. Robt. Allan (Lightband, Allan, and Co.) Georse Koberta (Roberts, Paxton, and Co.) Bankers: The Bank of New Zealand, Solicitors : Jackson and Russell. Applications for Shares will bo received by he Seorotary, at his office. Fort-street, until lATUBDAY, the 30tb December, 1882. FRANZ SCHERFF, Secretary, pro tern. • UOKLAHD GAS COMPANY fcsL (UMIT£D), SsrABJUSBBD 1882. 'urvbyoeb of Light, Heat, andPowkb. The Company sell and ereot gas-flttlnga, In Indlng kbm apparatus of every desorlpUonj also fas-power engines. Stock includes Otto Gas Engines. Offloe and Showrooms, Fort-street. BIHORNTOST, SMITH AND FIRTH I HAVE FOR SALE I- Drown' Flour, in sacks, 100's and 50'b , Champion' „ ~ „ ~, 'Cantab" ~■ >. ' » Sharps Bran Fowl Wheat Mill, Auckland. jKT E W ~O AEGA 1N S AT W^ILLIAM T» TDRIDGMANU 100 Pairs Ladies" Dogskin Gloves (alightly spotted), all sizes, la 3d pair; worth fa fid 80 Pairs Ladios' White Lisle Thread Hose, from Is pair .50 Pairs Lace and Muslin Curtains, 2s 9d to 30a pair J5 Ladles' Black Silk Jackets, 20s, 35a, SOs, 353; very cheap 90 Ladies' Cashmere Capes and Dolmens, 6s to 255. &o. A Large Lot of Now Black Silk Friages, 2d to 3s 6d yard; very cuoap. A Beautiful Assortment of Now Plain and Figured Sateens—whi to, cream, blue, pink, fawn. drab. &c. Is yard; choice poods (20 Pieces White and Grey Calicos, to do sold at wholesale price Unbleached All-Linen Table Damask, wide width, Is 3d, Is Cd, Is Od yard A Very Large Stock of Corsets, all makes and styles. Is lid to very good Horrocks's Longcloth, Sid yard; Crowdson'a Calicos, 4Jd yard M 0 Men's Tweed Hats, Is Od; Men's U.B. Singlets, Is 4d Largo Lot of Felt Carpets (slightly damaged), 45in wide, Is lid yard Choice Lot of Silk and Satin Windsor Scarves, from Is Boys' Tweed Trousers, 4s Gd pair; Men's and Youths' ditto, from 5s 6d pair * A Largo Lot of Now Summer Clothing, marked at very low prices. Boys' Knickei Suits from Cs 6d large Lot of Reman ts, very cheap Numerous Lot of Job Linos, bought cheap to be sold cheap. Peb! Cent. Discount on Cash Purchases of 20s and upwards. JUNCTIOS DRAPERY WAREHOUSE Jo C/OS li RAVE & Co Bog to inform the Inbubitaota of Auckland, that THEY HAVB BECBIVKD THBIR LABI SHIPMENT OF QUMMBR r^OODS, SuMMEK GrOODS, Ordered from Homo Last Year. THESS GOODS WILL BE bOLI REGARDLESS OF COST THI3 WILL BK rriHE TjiINAIi pIiEARANOK Q*IJ XHB JCINAL VIiBABANOB OALI As their Tiua is Limited in Auckland. ■pKEMISES WILL BE QLOSEI OK WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY, IN OBDSR XO MARK T\OWM „„„ TT^SVIRK OTOOK AKK i>OWN IHB HjNTIRB OXOOK The X tftblJabment . WILIi BK OPBNK ON FRIDAY, Not. 17. rHESALE WILL CONTINUE UNTIL TENDERS ARE CALLED FOB, , Whloh will take place Imme diately after Christmas, Ml Accounts are requested to be paid at once, or legal proceedings will betaken after the Ut December. W I L L O'W riKOVR BTBAWBBRKIBS and ORBAM, and other tetreunmontß, at WILLOiJV GROVK OAK JKNB, lievoaport, North Shore. Bvory nttemtioa to Pionia.Partlea and others, WELLS BROTHBBB. Devonport,



QALSALIK E.J* THB GREAT FOOD FBBSBBViMVH. P This Invaluable Antiaeptlo Compound Is *, TASTeSbSB. ODOUBLK3S, and perfeotly * HABMLB3S. __ . " BALBAUNK Keeps Milk. Soap, Beer, and any *j fluid food sweot end wholssoma n In any weather. * SAL3ALINE Keeps Moat fresh and sound, n< and makea It tonuer and digest- t SAiSALINE Koers Eggs perfectly sweet and " untainted for a year or moro. v SAL3ALINK Keeps Krof-h Kutter quite palat- C able, and fre'j from ranoldlty in B the hottest wo&thcr. BALSALINE Keeps lish fivtth and untainted c until requlrou'liX'Tiae. ■ j SALSALINK Keeps Infant and Invalids' Pood t aweot and wh/^oooine, and pre- ■ vonts fluufcneo, griping, and ' diarrheas. 1 SKND FOR PAMPHLET, i tST See Report by Dr Heotor, C.M.0., F.K.8., Colonial Laboratory, Wellington. Sold by the principal Gkooera and Store keepers in Is and 2i paokots. Eo'.o Agents for Auckland- TAINE BROB On Sale, BKOIECA3T CLOVER AND SKKD i BARROW DRILLS, epooially nflopted for sowing brondosgt Turnip, Clover, Rro Braes, and other small seeds. AMKKIOINHOBSKRAKKB, whloh,with one Man and Horse, will colloot ready for carting three to four tons of Hay per hour. SELF-RELIEVING CHAIN H&KKOW9, co well known that description Is un necessary. COLONIAL TINK HARROWS, whloh for atiength, ofllolonoy, and simplicity have no rival. CHAFF CUTTKRS. for hana, horso, or Btosm power. Also, PLOUGHS (Single and Double), SUB SUILBRS. HOR3E HOKS, CULTIVA- OitS, &.0., &c, Sco., munufaotureft by Taoe. Cobdett, fchrewabury, England, at prlceo «hloh defy competition. Also, COULTAS'd BKHD AND MANURK DRILLS. HEARSLTCY'S COMBINED REAPJSB AND MOWER, ROBBY & C 0."3 STEAM BHGINK3 AND THRABHI MACHINES. W. J. Hußax & Co., 101. QUBKN-aTBKST, Auokland. * Mail aonce. i&'Anfi vrtrx Olcwb IB UtTOEB.- mis u»s. For Wangaparapara, par Progre s, at 1 p-m. For Taura»ga, Ohluemtt.o, aDd Opotlki, per lono. at i p.m. For Kuweit. Kawakawa, Whangaro*. and Mon- Konul, per Gtlenels, at 4.30 p.m. For Thames, per Enterprise, at 5.30 p.m. Tosbday, ia>h Initant. Foe Waterford, TnuranKß, &a, per R^toma hana, at 7 a.m. For Thatuas, per Rotomahana, at 7.30 a.m. For Walwora, Kawau, Omaha, and Matakana. per Roee Casey, at 10 a.m. For Hoklanga, ew. per Fowena, at It a.m. For Taranakl and Southern ports, per Talaros, at U a.m. For Ruseell and Kawakawa, por Rotomahans, at i p.m. Wbknksdat. 20th loßtant. Fox Thatnoa, per Rotomahana, »t 8 SO a.m. For Coromandel, per Corom&ndel, at 1.30. p.m. Thcbsday, 2lßt Instant. For Glaborne, Naplor, Sonthera Por:», and Aus> trallan Colonies, per Rotomihana, at 11 a.m. ToKSDAi. Jmuwy 2nd. For fl.s. City of New York, m foliowj :— For Sandwich Wancls, Unluxl iteittoi o Amorloa. Canada, British Columbia. Centra »nd South America, and British acd Foreign W«rt Indies, at 1 p.m. For United Kingdom ana GonUaont Of Hurope, at 1 p.m. .... * For money orders, registered letters, and Newspapers, at 11.30 a.m. Late letters bearinar an extra tea of abcpoto*, In addition to the postage, will be received by the.MaU Agent on board the itoamer up to Ihe time of salllnK. , This mail will be due In London, on Mon day, ffebwiary 12th, 1883. The OolonHil Oovfroment'a s.a. Btellft will leave the^Bluff foe West Coast Sounds on the SlstlDsatnt. 8i Bjaa^ chlrf pog4martori « f Fosi-offloo. Auofclandu



Sre William Gull in his " Clinical Observa tions on Medicine in Modern Times," enunoiates the following pithy [aphorism :—" I have often had occasion to remark, how little we can estimata tho 'roparattve powers, however amo we rutr ba'to discover disease—thia Is por naps, never more striking than in some clironio affections—organic strength lies nowhere but in tlip living circle of nutritron an l function." The lungs being organs readily liable to this lesion, they" reqaire healthful surroundnfei arid high nutrition. When attack ed byloss of FnncUon. contracted breathing power, with a qpuifh and tenacious expectoration, Aio.kin's Syrup of Euca lyptus, wlthllypophospuito of Limoand Quinine, shonld bo taken thrfco daily. This valuable remedy will excite a healthy vitality and promote a reparative action in tho disorganised tissues, tho bvoithlng will become free, and the cough soon cease. This cotirso o£ treatment ia especially beneficial m'consumption, brouchitia j&Qd asthma* '