SUPREME COURT.

CgISWAI^ 8810™

This Way- ! , ffia Honor Mr Justice Ward.} (Be^Criminal Sittings of the THE>SeP Court were opened at 1| o'clock Supreme Court > B ' a ddiley (the new Ho«> r The Grand Jury. filmvin* gentlemen were em- The,, °U I "^nrl Jury:-C!r.aves Aickin, \ FfFt fiSTSp. Hoi"T Brett John H BUl n Krd Uain?ron, James Henry Blicha"r nVenteV, Archibald C ark, Alex- J^ift'O. A**™ leather, Fred. anf? Vmi Martin Lennox, George Irelaml uamto pLili Aaron SS LfexaX Stewart Riissef George j Whitelaw,, lgg n wag chosen forenooll . P' Vrrimrton was aNo called as a were excused on the Srnames^re accordingly struck off the 1011 The Judse'a Cliarsre TTis Honor delivered the following charge i rZnd Jury:--Mr Foreman, and rltnS the Grand Jury,-I am glad S abeto congratulate you, on this be -1 •m» a material diminution in the bUls tobe laid before you. The SSp r ant cases, I regret to say, are fhree S* of arson, a crime that appears KSarly prevalent just at presen ; J it is to these that I desire first to dl Vur attention. In the first case ?i\ ~f Retina v. Weldon—it will be £i* prisoner stayed at. the Duke nf Cambridge Hotel, and was ejected for run Sillent reasons . Subsequently h8 returned, demanded drink and a bed, and on their being refused, became abusive Hl'wu asain ejected, whereupon he ex ™Ued a hoDe that someone would burn the" place down. Five minutes afterwards the stables were seen to be on fire, the straw „ two of the stalls having evidently been purposely set lire to. On being arrested, theprisonersaidtotheconstable «\ ou have no proof that I set fire to the place. You will ban to do it all yourself. You will get no hdpfrom me." It is for you to say whether imm facie case was made out. The next csseis that of Regina v. John Bell, in which a witness swears that he caught the prisoner in the act of lighting a fire on the iloor inside the house to which he is charged vith setting fire. There will be no dimcu ty here as far as a prima facie case goes. The third case, viz., Retina v. George Robert Martyn, is of a more complicated character. }io3es Martyn (the father of the prisoner) effected an insurance with the New Zealand Insurance Company on household goods, jewellery, etc.. in the house ror £250. That was on the 15th October, 1886, and the fire took place on the 3rd January, 1887, while 8 claim for £242 was made on the 13th January and paid. It appears from the de positions that the prisoner was left in charge of the house by his father ou the 31st De cember. The prisoner came to the house some time after the fire had started, and on the following morning he reported to Con stable Walker that everything had been destroyed. Subsequently a large number of articles for which claim had been made upon fallowed by the InsuranceC'ompariy were foond at prisoner's residence. The next case is one of larceny against the same prisoner. It appears that he wan in the employ of Major Shepherd, who had a double • barrelled gun at his house, there prisoner was living. On the morning of the prisoner's departure ihe ftuo was missed, and it was subse quently discovered in prisoner's residence. 11base is clear enough. Now, turning falJie'casas of perjury, which constituted the" moat lengthy cases on the present calendar, it seems to me that you need have lit little trouble with the charges against the Maoris, Hoera, Hariata, Maraiti, Tita, andHoni, for though a conflict of evidence may be anticipated when the case cornea before the petty jury, there will probably te none before you. I understand that each of the accused is indicted separately, and you will merely have to satisfy your selves, that the statements on which per jury is assigned were made by the accused «n oath before a competent tribunal, and, on the evidence of two witnesses, that there is pima facie ground for believing the statements thus made by them to be talse. If this is shown you will return a true bill. ITiere is a further indictment against two of the Maoris (Honi and Hariata) for un lawfully wounding. At the last sessions you wijl remember that Hoera. was con wted for cutting off a piece of the ear of the prosecutor; Wight These other two ijaons are now indicted for assisting Hoera in that assault. The only evidence will be that of Wight, iae next cases are of somewhat less im portance:; The first is Regina v. Munro, forgery and false pretences. lam sorry to we that there is seldom an assize held in tlie colony at which cases of this kind are m charged, Munro U alleged to have ob tained from Murray; a stationer in Queen sTOt, £8 upon a cheque for that amount drawn by himself ou the Union £ank, where he had no account. With this J», therefoie, yon will have no trouble ineawis, that it is an indictable offence ttwdulently to obtain goods by givingUn gynwrta cheque upon a banker with •Su rV arty>eps no account, and ««d» he knows will not be paid. The TW CaßV s also one of forgery, viz., t&? aUoui>- T^ prisoner induced the landlady of the Victoria Hotel to faL a .ch^ no for £2, which he B»nl Pl n her Pr*sence on the National SW,rJ -f lgned "Frederick Walker." hlS Xlltand itwas subsequently dis of ntw k- Tne nexfc crise is one A|£ X- a"aillst a bank clerk named PrismL I prored in this casj thafc the iS to if- a hec lue fol> £65 purport- Se m 81" ned b* Jolin l^teW" to cashed „; ve T 3ti»? him to get it P*oner t^ti, 2 f° r,hls I jailis horn the !«» WLf 6, Chec lue fchen disa P" ««t tn! b. ank ' proves {^on toP^ Uer makes a full c°n! BJ»»a«iTs er of the bank. d that the cheque was 1n % qu^e unnecessary. Wb of S proceeietl to state the par &^ast Davis Mrlpmf- nhl- case - That a H 3 rklnS°U WaS achav S e Jfimahan hv m, •1 a man named i fitted?w n u-amed Mary Moll«y ---"SI ■X?£ n u0l? deo(incy hacl been : alH"hthS Nimahan, I »W Se£?? ully ? uaided WH; ?"l*«m U PS ei)u' Iv Re SiQa v. both nr'tSOn(b^ akin t? and.enter- I >-«lßfr l'lter- 11 fo™bl" "hMfnt- The^ tOnand Son's I f^- JT"* 8 had fully con" S^W S R 6re' al80? the risoner fc erco n fess ed V, "lI? a v- Bradage the ¥*VV. P^«W, the watct

man on the Glenleg, watched the pri soners through a spy-glass, and they were pursued and captured. In the larceny case against Cairo 1, Eggerton, and Russell, the parties were drinking together, and getting hold of Donaldson's (prosecutor's) watch they passed it from one to another, the result being that one of them ran off with it, and pawned it. If the jury were satisfied that the prisoners were acting in concert, the case presented no further difficulty. There was only one case of horse-stealing, but it was a singular one. A man named Rigby was entrusted with a horse to ride, and lie sold it by auction and pocketed the proceeds. That was a clear case of larceny as a bailee. There were two other cases of larceny and one of re ceiving stolen goods, bufc-they called for no remark. The last three cases were offences against the Marriage Act of 1830, charged against men named Mannix, Quinn, and Johnson. Quinn, being desirous of marry ing Julia Stanford, aged 19, daughter of Albert Sanford, of Rakino Island, falsely declared to the Registrar of Marriages that he had obtained the father's consent. Man nix personated the father of the bride at the celebration of the marriage and in the father's name signed the declaration. Johnson was present as a witness. The case as to Quinn and Mannix was clear. The latter would also be charged with perjury by-and-by. As to Johnson, if it were shown that he took part in the pro ceedings cognisant of the fraud practised upon the Registrar, that would be.sufficient to render him guilty as an accessory.

His llouor Delivers a Valedictory

Address

His Honor then proceeded as follows: — Gentlemen, - The foregoing are all the re marks I deem needful with respect to the bills to be brought before you, and, under ordinary circumstances, my address would end here. But, inasmuch as ray year's tenure of office in the Supreme Court is near ing its close, and os this may, perchance, be the last occasion of my addressing a Grand Jury of Auckland, I am glad to take the opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the manner in which Northern jurors perform their devoirs. At the close of the present, session there will have been laid before the Grand Jury of this Court 166 in dictments since the 30th of September last, and so far as my judgment extends, their duties in respect to these cases have hitherto been ably and impartially performed. In no instance has either a grand or a petty juror been absent from the Court without good cause shown-f^a most creditable atten dance when ib is considered that the criminal cases tried here so largely ex ceed in number those brought before any other Court in the colony, and that the sittings are proportionately long. Lastly, I desire especially to expressmy sense of the frank' courtesy!and cordiality which have characterised, during the past year, all intercourses between jurors and the Bench, and which, through the good understanding, thereby established, have so greatly conduced to the efficiency of the administration of justice by this Court. The Grand Jury then retired to their chamber. Non-Serving Jurors. —Mr William Errington was exempted from attendance on the Grand Jury, as Mr W. McCullough presented a certiiicate from Dr. Hooper that he was not in a tit condition to attend. Mr Little was exempted from serving on. the Common Jury on the grounds that he wai a member of a Fire Brigade. A platelayer on the railway also claimed exemption," but his application was declined. Mr 'Littlejohn, turncock for the borough of Parnell tried to be excused for fear that a five should occur in the borough. His Honor refused, the application, re marking that Parnell, must take its chance of being burned down if no one 'else could manage the valves. Twin? Bills. It The Grand Jury found true bills in the following cases:—John Bennett, alias George Wyatt, larceny ; .William German, larceny; Henry Hines, larceny; Walter Bowdoge, larceny ; James Inghani and James Watson, breaking and entering ; George Smith and John White, breaking and entering; Thomas Munro, false pretences ; Michael Weldon, arson ; Phillip Rigby, larceny as a bailee. Lakckxy.—John Bennett, alias George Wyatt, pleaded guilty to the larceny of a quantity of clothing, the property of Duncan McKenzie, on the 9th day of April. He was sentenced to six months' hard ' labour. William Norman was charged with the larceny of 50 grape vines at Birkenhead ou the 9th of May, the property of Richard Bibby.— Prisoner pleaded not guilty. — Richard Bibby, a carpenter residing at Mount Roskill, deposed to owning property at Birkenhead on which he had £25 worth of grapevines planted. Subsequently he missed them, and ne:;t saw the plants on prisoner's premises. Prisoner said that he bought the vines, giving two separate names as the seller. Sergeant Gillies arrested the prisoner, who admitted having taken the vines. Witness identified 47 of the vines by the pruning, and also the cultivation. The prisoner said, " Yes, them are yours."—By the prisoner : Some of the vines were parti ally covered with dead tomatoes and titree. — James Smailes, gardener, Birkenhead, deposed that the accused lived about two-miles. from his residence. He knew Mr Bibby's vines,' as he had reared them. He had seen them when planted, and also when produced at the Police Court. Witness identified them, and valued them, when planted, at £50. — Gearge Nixon,] butcher's clerk, deposed to purchasing three and a half dozen grape vines from the prisoner for £1 Bs.—John Faulkner deposed to hearing the prisoner state that he bought the vines from a man named Wakefield. Afterwards he gave the name of Hadfield. The prisoner subse quently said that, he took the vines from Mr Bibby's place, thinking that it was deserted. He also said that he would take back the vines if Mr Bibby liked.— Sergeant Gillies, deposed to arrest ing - the prisoner. Tie confirmed the evidence of the previous witnesses. The. prisoner 'said that he had purchased the vines from a man named Hadfield.— The jury retired to consider their verdict, and in a few moments returned a verdict of guilty.—His Honor sentenced this prisoner to 12 months' hard labour. Harry Hines was charged with the larceny of 391b of tobacco, value £10, on the 20th June, the property of one Mrs H. William son.—The prisoner pleaded not guilty, and a jury was accordingly empannelled;-^ Alex. Bond, manager of Mrs Williamson's tobacconist shop, deposed to missing the tobacco.on the morning of the 20th of June. From information received he went to the Occidental Hotel, where he found the prisoner and also the tobacco. Prisoner denied having stolen the property.—By the prisoner: The tobacco was behind the door.—Charles Herbert Cooper deposed to seeing the prisoner take the tobacco from the -shop door and go to the Occidental Hotel.—Benjamin Keats, barman at the hotel, saw the prisoner enter the hotel carrying a large square of tobacco like the one produced. He placed it behind the door.—Constable Keeney deposed to arresting the prisoner on iuformation re ceivwl.—The prisoner called no evidence, (and did not address the jury.—After a few. minutes' consideration .the jury re tured a verdict of guilty.—His Honor sentenced the prisoner to twelve months' hard labour. Philip'Rigby] was charged with the larceny as a bailee of one horse, saddle and bridle on the 17th of June, the property of Thomas Dye. -^-Prisoner pleaded not guilty.—The evidence in-this case was to the effect that the prisoner rode a horse into town belonging to Mr Thomas Dize on the 16ch of last June. In stead of duly handing of the horse, as directed, he sold the horse in Auckland. Leffc^t ing.

ELECTION NOTES.

Mb Kelly, one of the candidates for Tauranga, addressed a meeting at Kati kati on Friday evening last, and received a vote of thanks. The attendance was not large. Mr J. A. Connell announces a meeting of his supporters in the Public Hall, Swanson, to-morrow (Tuesday) evening, for the pur pose of forming a committee. A meeting of Mr J. A. Connell's sup porters is to be held at the Public Hall, Mount Albeit, to-night ab 8 o'clock. Mr E. W. Morrison's General Committee will meet this evening in the Burns Club Room, Karangahape Road. All supporters are cordially invited to attend. The Committee meeting of the Hon. Mr Tole's supporters, which was adjourned from St. Ueorge's Hall on Friday night, takes place to-morrow (Tuesday) evening, at half;past seven o'clock, in Haslett's Hall, Eden Terrace. At Tauranga Mr Kelly addressed the elector" on Saturday, and received a unani mous vote of confidence. On the2ndinst., MrE. Hamlin addressed the " free and independent " of South Franklin at the Whangarata schoolhouse. Mr Hamlin was listened to attentively and accorded a vote of confidence. Mr He- Naughton was in the chair. A meeting of the Aratapu j.nd Te Kopuru branch of the New Zealand Alliance was held in the old school-room, Aratapu, on Thursday last. Mr E. C. Carr occupied the chair, and the attendance numbered twenty-two. The meeting was called to consider election matters. The decision of the Port Albert conference was considered at some length, and the following resolution was carried unanimously : " This Alliance branch regrets the action* of the Port Albert meeting, and cannot concur with it." The four candidates for the electorate were then considered, and it was ultimately unanimously resolved, "That from an Alliance point of view M r Joaiah Hudjon is the most suitable candidate, and being in other respects as capable as any of the others, this meeting pledges itself to support him."

RESULT OF THE ELECTIONS.

A Wellington Forecast

Wellington, this day. The " Post" says : " Judging from the ex. hibition of feeling at the various election meetings throughout the colony, and the tone of the press generally, we conclude that the result of the .appeal to the coun try will be adverse to the Ministry, and will confirm the verdict of the late House. Good judges estimate tlie Opposition majority at 11 or 12. If this proves correct, we should imagine that the pro bability will be that the Ministry will resign without waiting to meet the new House. Such a proceeding will be strictly constitutional and according to precedent. It will al?o be a good tactical party move. It would deliver Ministers from the ordeal of another want-of-confi den.ee motion, during which they would Ue the targets for a vast number, fit poisoned oratorical arrows, and it would save tho time of the country, or at least Ministers would.claim that it would do so. No doubt if his advice on the subject were asked when the Premier tendered his resignation, he would recommend His Excellency to send for Major Atkinson. Most probably His Excellency would send for the Major or for Sir John Hall, whether so advised or not, and if either of them accepted office it ■• would-■ lie ' under circumstances of great disadvantage. Neither of them is at all likely to command even as large a following in. the new House as the present Ministry, and no matter what policy they may propoand, they would al most certainly be met with an-amend went equal to' a no-confidence motion in thp debate on the address in reply, and the amendment would, in all pro bability, be carried by a substantial majority. . We shall not be at all surprised to see two or three different .combinations on the Treasury Benches within the first month of the session, and there is sure to be very great difficulty in forming any Ministry which will be able to command the support of a working majority, and to carry on tho business of tho country. A parliamentary deadlock is, we think, im minent, and how it may be ended no one can venture to predict. Wo think it very probable that the coming session will wit ness some very strange political coali tions, which will entirely obliterate tho ill-defined party lines which now exist, and possibly draw new ones of a more distinct and well-defined character."

SIR GEORGE GREY'S RETURN

(BY TELEGRAPH—KiESS ASSOCIATION.)

Dunedi.v, this day. Sir George Grey owing to illness will not be able to address a' "meeting in Dunedin. He will probably leave for Wellington to morrow.

QUARTERLY LICENSING MEETING.

Auckland North.

The quarterly meeting of the commissioners of the Auckland North Licensing District was held at noon to-day at the R.M. Court, house. Present: —Mr J. Winks (Chair man), Messrs H. F. Anderson, C. Heskoth, and G. Harper. A transfer of the license of the Brick layers Arms Hotel, held by J. B. Ellis, was granted to T. Foley. The license held by J. Gallagher for the Whnrf Hotel was transferred to J. Lynch. The license held by G. B. Howard in re spect of the Hobsou Hotel was transferred to A. J. Tapper. This, was all the business.

BURGLARS AT KIHIKIHI.

(BY TELEGIIAFH—OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Kihikihi, this clay.

TnE " no-policeman " policy is bearing its unwholesome fruks in this township. The local constable has recently been removed to Hamilton to assist the four or five other guardians of the peace there located in protecting that fortunate borough. On Saturday night the store of Mrs Corboy was forcibly entered, and property and cash stolen there from. Anderson's Kihikihi Hotel was also requisitioned for a couple of saddles. The nearest policeman resides at Te Awa mutu, and as he cannot be in more than one place at a time the thieves (who from their style of proceedings appear to have been professionals) have made clear off with their plunder.

Mr John Boylan, of the firm of Boylan and Lundon, was married at St. Benedict's on Saturday last to Miss Cannell, of New market. Father Downey performed the ceremony, and the newly-wedded couple left subsequently for Waiwera. It is their intention to spend their honeymoon in Sydney, —'*

THE FIRE FIEND.

Three Cottages Destroyed at

Helenwille

At 2 o'clock yesterday morning three five roomed cottages at Helensville, owned by Mr VV. Adams, were burnt down. The fire originated in one of the cottages which was unoccupied, and was first observed by Mrs Howlett, who occupied an adjoining house. The flames spread rapidly, and soon ig nited the adjoining houses, which were speedily destroyed. The house in which the fire originated had been occu pied up to Friday last by Mr Walker, and he had been in the house at 10.15 on Saturday night removing the balance of his furniture. It is probable that the conflagration was caused by a match having been thrown down carelessly. The cottages which cost £450 to build a year ago, were insured in the Royal Office for £400.

Attempt to Burn Down tlie

Governor Browne ffiotel

About nine o'clock this morning an attempt to set lire to the Governor Browne Hotel, Hobson-street, was discovered by a young man named Maurice James Houli han, a son of Mr Frank Houlihan, pros pective licensee of the hotel. While at the back of the hotel, he was glare proceeding f rom un apartment which was used for cleaning boots in. On proceeding to investigate, he saw that the blaze originated from a white • shirt, which had been soaked in boiled oil and placed in a Maori kit. The ilames were speedily tramped out. There is no doubt but that this was a wilful attempt at fire - raising. • Mr Houlihan would have been a serious loser by tho tire, as quite recently he had moved £'200 worth of furniture into tho house, all of which was uninsured. The hotel belongs* to Mr J. C. Seccombe, brewer, of Kyber Pass.

Fire iv Hacked street

Shortly after one o'clock yesterday morn ing, a ton-roomed house in Hackett-street, Ponsonby, the property of Mrs J. Dowden, was discovered to be on fire by Mr Walter Jones. While passing the house he per ceived a glare proceeding from the windows, and subsequently saw volumes of smoke issuing from the building. Thinking that there might besomoonesleepinginthehouse, he smashed a window and called out "Fire." It transpired, however, that the house was unoccupied, Mrs Dowden having only re moved to her new residence on the previous evening. TheFireßrigadeandSalvageCorps were soon on the spot but could do nothing to save tho house. They, however, suc ceeded in preventing it from spreading to the adjoining tenements. The house was insured for £400 in the Colonial Olh'ee.

THE OIL FIND AT GIS BORNE.

(BY TELEGRAPH. - OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Gisuorne, this day. Mr Fleming, chairman of the South Pacific Petroleum Company, will arrive in Auck land to-morrow morning on his way to Sydney, bin business being to get. up a company for the purpose of erecting an oil refinery, etc.

CANTERBURY FOOTBALL TEAM.

(BY TELEGRAPH. —VRKSS ASSOCIATION". J

CmusTciunu'ir, this day. Tun following is the football team chosen by the Rev. .). IFoatson to piny against Otago : —Full - back, 11. Wilson ; three quarters,C. Francis, XV. Allardyce,A. Hobbs; halves : 11. Roberts, J. Donnelly ; forwards : W. Bean, H. Beswick, R. Blanchard, B. Dau"ergne, W. Dow, G. Harris, I Homer, W. Sutherland, J. Turabull. The team has played in interproviucial matches with the exception of Hobbs (who plays for the province for the first time). Ho is small in stature, but very fast, and a very good potshot at goal. On Saturday he potted a {roal with the wind at his bafk from the halfway touch line flag. Turnbull and Dauvergnc, two splendid forwards, are the other exceptions. The Probables (fourteen) were beaten on Saturday by the Possibles with a goal and three tries to a goal and two tries. Harlsy played well and made one run clear through Probables. He ran Hobbs very close for a place in the team. The match with Otago on Satur day will be played at Lancaster Park, which is now in a splendid condition. The team will choose their captain.

ARCHDEACON STOCK.

(by telkgkapii.— own cokkespoxdknt. )

Wellington, this day. Archdeacon Stock, one of the early Wel lington missionaries, who has charge of St. Peter's parish, and has lately suffered fail" in°- health, has decided to visit Te Aroha Springs, and will leave for the North as soon as arrangements can be made for fill ing his charge of St. Peter's parish.

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(by telegram.—own correspondent.)

Wellington, this day. The Premier has acceded to the Victorian Government for facilities to disseminate in New Zealand information regarding next year's Centennial Exhibition. The Govern ment declines, however, to appoint Com missioners or arrange anything as to the re presentation of the colony until Parliament assembles.

Foreign Electors

As many as 500 foreigners have applied for letters of naturalisation since the dis solution of Parliament.

In view of the comparatively small capi tation allowances that will be payable to the various Volunteer, corps in Auckland tliis year, objection is being taken by some Volunteers to the charges imposed their corps in connection with the use of the Drill-shed. These charges amount to something like £8 or £10 per annum, inde pendent of the cost of gas for the company room, and the point is to be raised whether the Government should not pay this money.

On Saturday evening a large number of ladies and gentleman assembled at the Masonic Hall," Princes-street, by the kind invitation of Captain and Mrs Tonge, to celebrate their silver wedding. Lvery thino- passed off as pleasantly as the proverbial "marriage bell." At the close "Auld Langsyne" was sung and three cheers were given for the Captain and his helpmate. Mr O Mahon is " out" for Karangahape ward of the City Council, as will be seen by his address to the electors published in this issue.

A sample lot of 56 hoggets are to be sold at Hunter and Nolan's to-morrow.

SAN. FRANCISCO MAIL.

A Press Association cablegram received to day states that the R.M.S. Zealandia, with the London mails.of August 10th, left San Francisco on August 26th, time-table date. The mail is consequently due here on Thursday, September 16th. The Alameda, with thi New Zealand mails of August 15th, arrived at San Francisco on September 3rd, one day before due date.

A MARRIED WOMAN'S SUICIDE.

(by telegraph;— press association.)

Chkistchdrch, Sunday. At an inquest yesterday ab Rangiora on Margaret Jane Kinley, wife of George Kinley, cattle dealer, -who was found hanging by her neck with her apron from a tree in the garden on Saturday morning, a verdict was returned that deceased took her own life when in a state of temporary insanity. The garden is three-quarters of a mile from the house, and on Mrs Kinley being missed her husband and son searched for her from six at night till half-past four in the morning, and after an hour's rest resumed their search, finding her quite dead. Both feet touched the ground, and she might easily have saved herself. She had been upset by a letter about some trifling family affair the day previously, but this had passed, and there was nothing in her behaviour to indicate any aberration of mind.

FOOTBALL.

Senior Cup Matches

Gordon v. North Shore.—This was the match which commanded the largest amount of interest on Saturday. It was rough, and not marked by any great display of judgment, but characterised by some degree of ill-nature. During the first spell there was no score, the superiority of the Shore in the forward division being countervailed by the backs of the Gordon Club. In tho second spell \V. Wynyard drew first blood by pot ting a goal lor the Shore in first-class style. Shortly afterwards Maude obtained a try, which was disputed on the ground that just previously the referee had failed to stop the gume for off-side play when both umpires signalled him to do so. The Gordon players accordingly sat down while their opponents con verted the try into a goal. Shortly after wards Burton obtained a try, for Gordon, but the attemptatgoal.byLv.sk was unsuccessful. There was no further scoring,and the match was therefore won by the North Shore Club. The Gordon players complain that 6; Carter (referee) exceeded his duties by usurping some of those appertaining to the umpires alone.

Grafton v. Ai.Bf.kts. —This ma'ch re sulted in a decided victory for Grafton by 15 points to nil. Alberts played twelve men including one substitute, and the result con sequently was what might have been ex pected. In the rirstspell Madigan andMuir got tries which Brown failed to convert into goals, and in the second term Brown scored a goal from tho field, and Mackie two tries, one of which Madigan converted into a goal. Possonhy v. AcOKtAND.—Shortly after starting at 2> p.m. Whuesido got a try for Ponsbliby, but in doing so burst tho ball. Tlii3 caused considerable delay, and play was not resumed till 4.45 p.m. Then Arneil took the kick at goal and in creased the score. Whiteside secured two trios, Pritchard one, Stephenson one, and Mills one. The place-kicks were oaken by Wooller and Arneil, and wore success ful excepting one, making the score,- Pon aonby 22 points, Albert nil. A match was played on Saturday on the Metropolitan Ground between the Central Fire Brigade and the city out-branches. Tho game ended in a draw, each side secur ing two tries.

Junior Matches.

Ponsonby 11. v. Grafton ll.—Owing to some delay for want of a ball the Grafton men left the field, and Ponsonby expressed their intention to claim a win. Rovers v. Sklwyn.—This match pos sessed more than usual interest, as it de cided the contest for the Junior Cup. The Rover forwards won by a try, and are thus entitled to the prize. Gordon 111. v. All Saints' Gyjinasicm. —This match resulted in a draw, neither side scoring. Waitemata v. Waverley.—This match was played at Onehunga, and resulted in a win for Waitemata by 6 tries (12 points) to nil. Tries were secured by Ncsbit (2), Burnett, Smith, McKenzie and Parker. Victoria v. Britomart 11. resulted in a draw. Arawa defeated All-Comers easily.

Association Matches

Links v. Bekksford.—This match was I played at Remuera on Saturday last. During the first spell, neither side scored, but the game was greatly in favour of the Links, the Links making several shots at I goal, but without success. In the second spell, the ball was set rolling \ by Heather, and during the first three! minutes Pheeney shot the ball through I the goal, thus securing a goal for. tlie j Links. The ball was set in motion again, j and it was not long before Pheeney secured i a second goal for the Links, and after a few J more minutes' play, Massey secured the | third goal for the Links, the game ending I in a win for the Links by three goals to nil \ For the Links, Arthur Heather, New comb j and Naylor played splendidly. For the! Beresford, Handy showed up remarkably j well, Marsh, Gash and Cousins also playing j a good game. RaNGEES v. Kllekslik— lins match was played ab Ellerslie, and proved an easy; victory for the local team. During the first j spell the game was woll-fought by both teams; the Rangers, however, managed to secure 1 goal. in the second spell the game soon became a moral for Ellerslie, coals being potted in quick succession, by W. Bill, C. Peek and T. Bremmer. The local team thus won by 4 to 1. Watsdekebs v. Bekesford.— This match resulted in a victory for the Wanderers by one goal to ml. Hokxets 11. v. Beresford ll.—lhis match was played at Remuera, and Keesing obtained the first and only score for Beres ford. For the Hornets, Gash soon after wards kicked a goal, thus making the scdres equal. The Hornets succeeded in scoring two more goals, which were obtained by Wri<*ley and Gash, but the latter was dis allowed on account of the' Beresford! s goal keeper being collared. The match thus ended in a win for the Hornets by two goals to one. Ellerslie 11. v. Rangers ll.—The former won by 1 goal (scored by Kean) to nil. The Rangers' half-backs worked well.

We understand that the executors of the late Mr Bishop, who was assassinated in San Francisco, have decided to bring the body to Auckland for burial,and it may be expected to arrive by the November mail steamer.

1' Pugilist" inquires whether J. Kilrain and J L. Sullivan ever fought. We believe that a match was arranged between them, but, owing to Sullivan's arm being broken at the date fixed, the fight did not come off —Kilrain being offered the championship by default,

INTER-PROVINCIAL FOOTBALL.

©TAGO V. WELLINGTON

[by telegraph —press association.]

Wellington, Saturday This weather was bright and sunny for the mutch between Otago and Wellington, and consequently nearly 4,000 people visited the park to see the game played. Hunter, Downes, and Simpson stood out of the Ofcago'team, the former acting as umpire, c™d Drabble taking command in his place. Y\. J. Cotterill was referee, and Kino-, still wearing bandages from his last match, had the other flag. Moorhouse, the Wellington skipper, won the toss, and chose"the western end. A pleasant breeze pave this position a slight advantage, and also helped to send the ball out of touch a good deal. For a brief interval the ball neared Wellington's (yellows) goal, but a well-judged punt of Fairbrother's sent it far back, and the forwards worked it up in front of the blues' (Otago) line. An at tempt by Moorhouse to pot was rendered abortive by the ball striking an opponent, and Gibson dribbled some distance up the ground, bub the yellows kept on the ag gressive, and at this stage had considerably the best of the loose play. Most of their dashes were spoiled by the punting of Fraser and Thomson, but at length Merlet got a fair catch, and Mclntyre was en trusted with a place kick. His effort was not made with his usual skill, and the ball fell far short of the posts. Immediately afterwards Merlet made an effective run, which ended in some scrummaging about the centre of the ground. There the game stayed for a considerable time, neither side being able to make any headway. The struggle in neutral ground, however, gave the biues time to recover themselves, and playing with better combination than before, they succeeded in pushing the yellows beyond dheir 25 flag. They did not stay there long, however, for a capital dribble, begun by Storey and carried on by Taiaroa, shifted the scene to the other end of the tield. Fraser then emerged from a cloud of players with the ball, and passing to Miller, the latter with a big kick sent the ball well back again. The ball tra velled quickly up and down the ground, being first at one end and then at the other, and during one of the Wellington rushes Taiaroa nearly got in, through his antagonists' mistake in waiting for the referee's whistle. He had passed the fullback, but Drabble, with a final effort, caught him by the neck of his jersey, and upset him before he reached the line. Some hard scrummaging, of which the blues had the best, and in which Beck was conspicuous, cleared their ground, but Moorhouse undid their work with a long punt.' The ball was returned, and Moorhonse missing his kick, lost all the ground he had gained. After this the game was entirely in Wellington's ground, and once the full back was collared almost under the posts, and when the inter val arrived the yellows were still pressed at their 25 Hag, and may be said to have had as much the worst of the end as they had the besfc of the beginning of the spell. After bhc kick oil' the play was very even for about ten minutes. The first material advantage to cither side was a punt of Smith's from a mark, which Melntyre followed so quickly as to spoil Bee's attempt to obtain the ball. Bee all through was very uncertain, and this was neither the firsb nor last time that he failed altogether to take the ball cleanly and secure his kick. Immediately afterwards Smith wished overliimnsul touched down, but was called back lor somebody else's off-.-ide play. Treseder then headed a responsive charge down the ground, and Miller took a rather lazy lefHoot.shot at the goal, which went wide. Keogh also had a capital chance of a pot .-hot from a pass by Fraser, bi^.Jie mulled,the.ball,.and Bee eventually secured it, and with a iong punt forced Welling'on down. After the kick out the yellows made a spurt nearly up to the op pesito line, but Fraser smartly dodged them, ending his run wi'b. a good kick. The local men were nof. in a humour to be denied, however, and they rapidly brought the ball back. Three or four tough scrum mages followed very close to the blues' line, but at last the bail went into touch in goal. The advantage of the kick out was well pursued, and Moorhouse's return being spoiled, Morris secured a good open ing, having no one in front of him, but he had nofc made much use of it when Richardson, changing him from the side, stopped his career. The yellows were, however, forced down twice in succession, and while the game was on their ground some excellent opportunities of potting were offered, which the Otago three-quarters were too slow to take. At this point Gage effected the only run of any account that was made during the match, carrying the ball as far aa the Ota»o 25 ; but on the other hand, Morris, with a brilliant piece of dribbling, took it ajl the way back again. Mclntyre, whose energetic following up made him one of the most conspicuous of the yellow players, helped it away from his end, and Thomson then secured a mark at nearly half way. Fraser tried the place kick, with poor results, as might have been expected at the distance. Gage returned the kick with interest, and Taiaroa followed with a short run, the ball eventually going to the blues' full-back, Fraser, who ran cleverly past the nearest men, and finished with a long drop, which kept just inside the touchline. Morris then secured another mark about half way, and after wasting some time preparing for an impossible attempt, Treseder made a ludicrous effort with his kick, and the game finished with the ball at the centre flag. The Wellington team was not seen at its best, playing without the dash that usually characterises the forwards. The loss of King was evi dently much felt, and two or throe of the men seemed to be out of form. Merlet and Gage were the best of the backs, and Mclntyre and Storey of the forwards. The Otago forwards were especially good ab dribbling and passing. A feature of their play was the rapidity with which they put down the ball when it was thrown out from touch. A vast amount of time is usually wasted lighting for the ball ab the side lines, and if the practice of the Southerners were generally followed, it would de stroy one of the most disagreeable features of the Rugby game. Morris played bril liantly, dribbling with skill and effect. Nearly the whole of the back play devolved upon Fraser and Thomson, who, though the latter was lame, did first-class work, particularly in the first spell. In the secc nd they were not so successful, as the Wellington wing men devoted particular attention to these two cracks, and cramped their play to a large extent. Smith and Taia- I roa did a lot of useful work in this direction. | The dribbling was the great feature of the match, which on the whole was very even, but not exciting, wanting the zest which a score, however small, would have given. I The visitors were entertained at a smoke I concert in the evening.

OUR GOLDFIELDS

Thames, this day. Moanataiari.—The manager has banked 31oz. gold. Tuktlk's Kuraxui.—Mr S. Turtle, pro pietor • oi' this mine, which is worked from the Caledonian Company's shaft, has completed a crushing of 40 loads quartz for 950z. lOdwt. gold. Saxox.—Good colours of gold are still seen in the several stopes on the reef, but there is no change to report.

THAMES NOTES

(BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN" CORRESPONDENT.)

Thames, this day. A lad named William Syvrette, an inmab of the Orphanage, was committed to th Whau Asylum on Saturday.

Mr Grey, of the Official Assignee's Office Auckland, and Major Tisdale, of the Audi' Department, have been for the last fe\» days engaged in going through all the ac counts and papers of the Deputy Officia: Assignee's office here, and have now finallj closed the local office. This is the result of the abolition of the holding of the District; Court at the Thames. In future all cases that would otherwise have been dealt with here by that Court will have to be taken up to Auckland, entailing considerable expense and trouble to those concerned.

VOLUNTEER NOTES.

A snooTiNG match between the Onehung a Rifles and Navals took place on Satur day last, and resulted in an easy win for the former by 228 points against 150 points. The Onehunga Rifles had a muster of 47 men, under Lieutenants Glenny and Lundon, at church parade yesterday. The "H" troop paraded at Watties paddock, Epsom, under Captain L. Erson,' on Saturday last. After inspection and drill they took part in atug-of-war with the Onehunga Navals, the latter proving vic torious. An adjournment was then made to the Epsom Public Hall, where a sub stantial repast had been provided by Mr McEwen. Some toasting was done, sonc3 were given, and the gathering terminated with cheers for the captains. The Waitemata Navals mustered 30 men under Lieutenant Keesing, and met the Onehunga Navals, sixty strong, under Capt. Hulse, and Lieutenant Wilson and Webb of Onehunga. The Companies had a united1 church parade, part visiting St. Mary's and part St. Peter's. Subsequently the visitors were entertained at the Hibernian Hotel, where dinner had been provided by the local corps.

GRAND BALL AT OTAHUHU.

The Oddfellows of Loyal Franklin Lodge M U.A.D., celebrated the sixth anniversary of their Lodge with a grand ball on Friday night in the Public Hall. About three hundred persons were present; includ ing a large number of officers from kindred orders and sister lodges. Messrs Hann keirs band with -well-sustained vi&bur kept the merry dancers busy 'till early morning', and from the commence ment to the break-up everything was a decided success, and the management deserve great credit for the admirable manner in which they had so unitedly worked. At the supper, Mr P. Warren (in the chair) proposed the usual loyal toasts, which were received in the most patriotic manner. Messrs Wilkins, Woods, Absolum, Burgess, D.D.G.M. Kay, Doughty and Hutchinson re turned thanks for their respective lodges. Mr Burgess proposed the con tinued success of the Loyal Franklin Lodge, 'and Mr 0. Willis a vote of thanks to the chairman and the committee for the enter prising manner they had shown, and for which they had deservedly won success:

DISCOVERIES OF COAL.

(by telegraph-press association.)

CxRETHOtTTH, Sunday.

Mr Joseph Kilgottr, proprietor of the Tyneside Colliery, and who was the means of selling Blackball coal lease to a syndicate, recently took up some abandoned coa, leases north of Coal Creek, and sent out prospectors. They have returned, bringing splendid samples of coal,and state that they found several seams of coal, each only a few chains apart from the other, and six to sight feet thick, though one of them has not been quite cleaned from the top of the face to the bottom. The samples of coal are very much the same as that of Coal Creek, and the seams are thought to be the con tinuation of the Coal Creek seams. The two properties are nearly an equal distance from Grey mouth.

THAT FOOLISH PETITION.

(BY TELEGRAPH-OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Wellington, this day. Astonishment is expressed by the "Post' that any man in the colony should be un patriotic enough to draw up such a petition as is now being circulated in Auckland, or that any sane man should attach his signature to it. The writer consider g that "some may sign it in joke, bub the matter is too serious to bo treated as a joke. Of course no persons of in iluence, position, or sound judgment would sign such a petition, but thos-e who will hear of, and perhaps see, the precious docu ment will know nothing of the status of the signatories, and there can be no doubt that the announcement of such a petition being signed at all will seriously damage the credit of the colony abroad. The Mel bourne 'Argus,' the Sydney 'Morning Herald,' the London ' Standard ' and Mr Froude will rejoice at being furnished with such a weapon to use against New Zealand, and they will refer to it as affording a justification of the slanders they so freely pour forth re garding this colony. We trust the Auck land press will take the matter up and earnestly endeavour to ascertain the author ship of the movement, and make clear the character of all who are aiding and abet ting it. They have a duty to perform to the colony in making a complete exposure of all the facts connected with the origin of this petition, and the status of those who endorse its contents by their signatures."

COMING EVENTS.

Meetings, &c, To-night.

Abbott's Opera House—Majeroni Company in " Marie Antoinette," 8 Bell's Buildings. Wyndham-street — Industrial Association's Exhibition, 10 a.in. to 5 p.m. Olyinpia Hall, Grey-street—Skating Rink. 7.30 to 10 ' Notth Shore Presbyterian Church—Evangelistic Service, 7.30 Mount Albert Public Hal—Meeting of Gentle men favourable to Mr J. A. Connell's candida ture, for purpose of forming Committee, 8 Freemasons' Hall—Lodge Ava, No. 348. 1.c., 7.30 Glads1 one Hall, Northcote—Address to Electors of Waitemata by Mr R. Wood, 8 Swa'nspn Hall—Committee of Mr E. Mitchelson, 7.Z0 V M.C.A. Social Hall — Association for the Teaching of Divine Healing, 7.50 Piotestant Hall—Monthly Meeting, L.0.L., 7.30

Eota of Justices at Police Court.

September 6—Messrs F. Battley and A. Board man

Auction Sales To-morrow.

A. Aitken - Horses, Carts, Harness, Traps, 12 G. Lewis—Wines, Spirits, Ales, Loaf Sugar, 11 T. M. Jackson-Drapery, Clothing, etc., 11 Arthur and Buddie, Nelson-street — Sheds for Removal, 12 S. Cochrane and Son — Boots, Shoes, Tools, Jewellery, Fancy Goods, etc., 11 E.Leydon-Furnitureand Effects, etc., ». D F. Evans—Household Furniture and Effects,

THE AUCKLAND EVENING STAR, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1887,

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