SERMONS ON FAMILY RELIGION

Uf conformity with a resolution passed tlv vk a mcc*'mS °f the Ministers> V gociation, a number of clergymen of city ■^suburban churches preached yesterday aD «nn* on the subject of "Family Re -1?0 I'Vith special reference to parental Snsibiliry and the growth of larrikinism. refip"" D q OW iq i in the course of the remarks v,ifhe made on the subject yesterday • a in St. Sepulchro's Church, advo "f^ho practice of daily family worship. did not pay attention to the Ch^ r a parent professed, but to their rel!gl°"oHon and actions in daily life ; and itP",', tendency towards larrilunism. . ve lopea ow ing to the neglect and Jt wifird of the child's spiritual „by the parents. The Bishop w £'Id that woman's most import aiso, a?i was the careful training of her anL! «that when they reached a cer cWdren. so . ]lt receive benefit by '¥" Iresenco in it, and as a brilliant *eu: Vnf a true mother he mentioned the example o' » a*™' Beresford - street Congregational , l, upsterday morning the Rev. James ,St vnth the question of Homo ®f% explained that lie did so by re t of the Ministers' Association, who °P i!micd at the growth of larrikinism *Wienies- He said that he had not "> vita Auckland, but still he believed longbeenin rf ople m he found w tl heard that there were a largo num- ? e f ™in" peop^ in. and around the .city Ul HZlexhW that amount of rever ffhoX?^ld,be n wished. They were ence< j<<?Arrikins,"a word which answered in America and "City »v» in London. He must say, £er that so far as he had "Auckland was not exception- and as for tho community f/Ve the people appeared respectful, f w abiding and church-going, and in he'matter of Sabbath observance they were unsurpassed, if not uncqua led. ifr Chew took his text from Joshua, uL for me and my house, we will ■serve the Lord." He pointed out that con sistent home piety was the true remedy for UkMsm,-as the parents were too often tie "mirrors by which their children Messed" He referred to the many in stances'cited'to the Scriptures whore the sons of good'ineri went wrong, and pointed oat also the apparent causes, such as re pining acainst Providence, inconsistencies of parents, family jars and bickerings, favouritism,. and lack of proper restraint. Eli was instanced as an example of the latter, for he restrained not his sons,which meant that he let them grow up larrikins. Mr Chew dealt with his subject at considerable length in a very able manner v In concluding he made an amusing remark to the effect that those who could best explain the true method of training children were " young ministers and couples who had not been blessed with He stated that if anyof those present had heard him speak upon that question 30 years ago, when he was unmarried, they would then have learned all about it; but now that he had children of his own, he confessed that many difficulties were discovered. Still, he objected to .the oft-repeated saying thai "the parsons' sons and . deacons' daughters always go astray," as that had ten'proved by statistics! not to be the- case., [Mr- ,Chew terminated- an excellent discourse with an exhortation to parent!to.make home piety and virtue as pleasing and enlertaining. to the children as they.tried to make vice obnoxious..

' The Rev: H. Bull preached a. sermon at the Pitt-street Wesleyan Church last cven injToa|arnl)liiig and horse-racing—taking $fMteri^verbß, iv., 14, 15, " Enter iio'iioM''tSepath of the wicked, and go not into the ways of evil men. Avoid'it, pass nMbyiiy'iurn from it, and pass away; J also,'-Proverbs xx. 21, "An inheritance may he gotten hastily at the beginning, but the end thereof shall, not be blessed." The'rev. gentleman dwelt forcibly on the trickery and chicanery connected with the tarf,-and pointed out that Admiral Rous, after many years spent in endeavouring to purify the turf, admitted that he had totally {failed. Over £1,000,000 changed lands yearly in New Zealand over horse racing. He urged electors at next general elections to support the Premier in his en deavours to abolish gambling by electing memhers pledged against'the legalising of the vice in any way. - '

■ The fourth anniversary services of the Arch Hill Wesleyan Church were celebrated yesterday.,. Three services were held, and largely attended, that in the morning being conducted by Mr C. H. Laws, from Wesley College, who delivered amost interesting dis coußefrom thel3th verse of the 126 th Psalm. A very interesting addross was given by the Rev. C. H, Garland in the afternoon from the text " God is love," and in the evening a most impressive sermon was de livered by the same reverend gentleman from Matthew, lGth chapter and 2(ith verse. The collections in aid of tho Trust Fund amounted to £4 10s. The soireo and public meeting will be held to-morrow evening

At Mount Eden Baptist Church the Rev. T. Bray spoke upon the subject of home- Wning. He regretted the great amount of disrespect to parents shown by children in the colonies, the allowance of late hours and running, the streets; also the pre valence of smoking among-mere lads. He thought that parents should make it a mleto see that their children attended the Sunday-school;: that they should' have family religion, and should make the home M attractive and congenial as possible. Mr Bray looked for the time, too, when the Bible would be read in the public schools, "/ftese-matters were attended to, there Wfld, he said, be much less larrikinism in

THE FAITH-HEALING MISSION.

"%?w.'J. A. Dowie continued his led tn^a'in the Choral Hall on Saturday eyen. ttg).vlien, probably owing to the incleni weather, the audience was not as heretofore. Mr Dowie detailed at length the troubles of a street preacher, told/ how he'" 'had suffered in |«bourne at the hands of the City fOuncil, whom he denounced in, plain ™gnage. At one portion of the address a nywber of men got up and left the room, wittentlv they did not entirely agree with '^lecturer's remarks, as one of them was say, while standing in the door "ii "he coul(i stand a good deal, °r.. ne' wasn't goin£ to sif ' there j™^ to a pack! of lies." Mr .Dowie JfWttthat on one occasion he was fined S,?*indefa\ilt 30 days, for persisting in J' fl)°Saprocession,while at another timehe £20 or 7 days. Both times he R^u?* 0 sen'e "JS time rather than pay up. S* 1 members of the Melbourne Borough wittncil or any of the Bench' who sentenced "HJJOMaebeeuinattendance on Satxirday ?*7S. -they would have probably gone •^pnth their ears tingling. :\ %■ J^«ev. J. A. DowieiiekT three services {^ eWay.at the Choral Hall—a consecra ■JP meeting it, seven o'clock, followed by (Ln n tion '> an address on "Two awß-Good and Evil," at tlirco .o'clock ; ttL«v ?.veninS Bei-vlce at G. 30 of .an J^gehstic character.. In addition .to Si, a' va the' reverend gentleman E& a* t?'e Ponsonby Baptist Church iaail ? lock' The congregations were

NON-ARRIVAL OF THE EARL OF ABERDEEN.

The mail steamer Zealandia arrived from Sydney at midnight, a representative of the deputation apix>inted' to meet the Earl and Countess of Aberdeen proceeded on board, when it.wos learned that His Lordship had not arrived. It appears that the Earl intended to como on to Auckland by the Zoalandia, and spend a few weeks here on a visit to the Hot Springs and other places of_ interest. Just before the steamer leit, however, tho Countess was too unwell to undertake the voyage, and it had consequently to be postponed. The ■karl and Countess are therefore likely to re main in Australia till May 18th, and then come on hereby the R.M.S. Alameda. The Ladies' Committee appointed in con nection with the reception;to be given to the Earl of Aberdeen, during the few hours at their disposal, collected the sum of £19, which was sufficient to buy a beautiful in laid table, mado by Mr Seuffert, and also defray other small expenses. The table, which has been placed in the gallery of the Public Library, was to-day inspected by a large number of, visitors,., and was the object of admiration. It is an admirable piece of work, and represents much patient and skilled labour. " The top of the table alone comprises 20,000 separate pieces of wood, and in the bottom 5,816. The woods used are all pro ducts of New Zealand, and are most artis tically arranged, whilst tho design, is beaur tiful, the most delicate ferns being brought out without the-aid of staining. . - ». . .. The Reception Committee Merc to-day in communication with the Earl by cable, in order to ascortain whether he intendß to return home by way of Auckland. If not, the table and address will be forwarded to Sj'dney.

FIRE AT DEVONPORT.

At 7.4 a last night a fire broke out in the residence of Mr James Caldwell, situated off Beach Road, between Dock and Ann streets. Owing to the muggy nature of the atmosphere lost night, the glare of the fire was largely reflected, and caused many to think that the fire was on this side of water, in fact some of the suburban bells rang out the ■ alarm, and thereby caused some of the more lengthened services to be abruptly terminated. Large crowds quickly gathered on the Queen-street Wharf, at Emily Placo, and other points of* ad vantage from which ' a good view .of the fire might be obtained. Mr Caldwell's house consisted of 15 rooms, and was two-storied. It was an old build ing, having been for some time the resi dence of Captain Slattery. Within the last three years it was purchased by Mr Cald well for something like £900, and had been' handsomely furnished for a boarding house. It was occupied by Mr and Mrs Caldwell and family. Mr William Shera of the firm of Napier and Shera, solicitor's, being tho only boarder. Mr Caldwell and his two daughters came to town by the 530 boat last night in order to attend service at the Choral Hall Mr Shera also came to town ; Mrs Caldwell and her eldest daughter beinsj left at home.'' After a little while Mrs Caldwell turned down the kerosene lamp and left it in the kitchen, and in company with her daughter went for a walk. They were away about half an hour, and finding it rather cold returned to the house for the purpose of gettin"1 gome wraps. They were naturally astonished to find-the kitchen in flames. Mrs Caldwell ac once gave the alarm, but although assistance-was- soon at hand the fiaines^iad got such' a strong hold of the premises that it was found to' be impossible to save.iiay.iOf the furniture. In a-remarkably short time the whole place was reduced to ashe*. The want of water was painfully apparent,' and it required the greatest efforts of the bystanders to prevent 'the fire from reaching ■ the adjoining resi dence of Mr -Thompson. Had .it done so, there .is . every probability that tho whole block of houses fronting Beach Road would have been distroyed. As there are two tanks of water attached to Mr Thompson's house,blankets were dipped in these and hung over the side next the fire. Willing hands also removed all the fencing ana also ' the fowl houses in order to prevent the spread of the firo in that direction". A few trees between Caldwells and Thompsons, also assisted to break the power of the. flames.. There is little doubt that had the wind been blowing towards Mr Thompson's house it must eventually have been destroyed. The origin of the fire would appear to have been purely accidental. Mrs Thompsonl states that before she heard the alarm of fire- she had heard a noise something like the report of a lamp exploding. When Sergt. Gillon and Constable O^Brien arrived,, they.dis covered the ground floor in flames. It is therefore probable that the lamp was turned too low, and as a consequence exploded. Mr Caldwell, ah-hough apparently well insured, calculates lie will be a heavy loser, owing to the sudstantial character of his furniture.' He hag also lost some irireplace able family heirloome., Mr Caldwell and daughters did not return from town until the house was completely destroyed. As usual the small thief was around, and some of those who were "assisting to save • the property were chagrined afterwards 'to .find,, that they, had been robbed of-personal effects. One losings watch, amongst other articles. The house was insured for 1.800 in the Union Office, while the valuable furniture was covered by a policy for £550 ip the Royal Insurance Company. Puring the progress or tho fire largo crowds congregated on the adjacent cliffs to view the scene, .. .': ■

OUR GOLDFIELDS

(by telegraph.—own correspondent.)

; '.'.'.'. Thames, this day. •New MANUKAir.-Work in this mine is .pro. ceeding as usual, under the able manage ment of Mr Smith.- Colours' of gold are seen .when -breaking -down, leader in the winze being sunk from No. 3 level:;. The" various, leaders ' at No; 4 level are how•:well opened up, and,.should produce •' payable * quartz when operated upon, as they yielded well at the upper level.

New Albuiinia.—There is no change to note in the crosscut at the 70ft level, veins of quartz are occassionaly passed through. Cambria:-Dabs'of gold are fdely seen in the tliifdst6po"6n"tlie"crbssread'er, but* from the fact that only 251bs of picked stone have been obtained from here ; it. would seem that the'seam of gold does, not ascend further than second : stope.' Gold has been seen in the winze, 'however, ■ eyoiy breaking down. Cleaning up for the fort night take 3 place on Wednesday. \ Saxon.;—.Conimunicatiort'liaS'' been-ef fected behyeon the crosscut, at No. 4 level on the winze on Connon's reef from No.'3 level. The reof is 'five feet wide/! '. '' •; >

; Prince liiperial.-t- Cleaning^up. will not take place urjtil to-morrow..- • ■■ i l-':)'

i Attention is called -to the, extensive., sale of hardware And ironmongery, which" takes place. to-morrow, at the stores of B; Tonks and Co* It is notified tq ( the itrado that first lines Avillbe absolutely sold, and as the ' catalogue Uticlvules all desenptiojis of Iron mongery, &c, 'the'salo is. .worthy of■•'tlie

SUPREME COURT.

, /".<:this day. ~s^/ t-**&&in> Ba&kruptfcy.; 'V V Proofs of In re Neilsbn Gordon Lennox, Mr Mahony applied for tho admission of a proof of debt -by Carl Schleicher and Schiill, of Duren Prussia, Germany. It could not have arrived within the, « stipulated time. -■ Mr Cave said that tho Oinciuj.- As signee considered the matter to bo purely one for the. discretion of the Court.—The1 order admitting the..proof was then granted. —A-similar application was made in re Robert Jenkinson (a bank rupt) on behalf of the executors of the lato William George Connolly.—Mr Cave said that the Official Assignee was satisfied th" at the amount claimed by Connolly's executors was really due, and the application was thereupon granted. Bankruptcies Closed.—On tho. motion of Mr Cave, the bankruptcy of Horatio .de Courcy Martelli was declared closed. He said the case was one of pure misfor tune, and-there were no assets in the estate.—Similar applications were granted in respect of the' bankruptcies of, Arthur Pobequin, Marwood Roberts Curnow, and Robert Jenkinson. ■ -

Petition for Adjudication*. —Mr S. Hesketh appeared in support 'of ' a petition by the National. Bank for tile adjudication of Henry C. Handley as. a bankrupt. — Mr 'Hi- . Cooper ap ;peared for the debtor,, and asked that the matter should. be adjourned until. His Honor's return from the South, on the ground "that sufficient time had not been allowed tbo debtor to meet the appli cation. The petition was filed on Friday last, and the summons .was served on the debtor at 4.10 p. m. on Saturday, when the legal offices -were closed. As a consequence, the debtor was unable to instruct his solicitor until this morn ing, so that he (Mr Cooper) Avas unable to properly place before thu Court the grounds on which he would sub mit that he should not be adjudicated a bankrupt. — His Honor -. Is there any defence on the merits ? Mr Cooper : I am instructed that thero is. I therefore apply for an adjournment until your Honor's return from the South. The adjournment may promote an arrangement of the matter,—His Honor did not see any reason for such a lengthened adjournment, seeing that a return of nulla boua had already been made by the Sheriff. —Mr Hesketh admitted that his learned friend's application was reasonable to a certain extent. He had not had time to prepare his client's case, and for his own part, therefore, he had no objection to the application standing over until next Friday, when the Registrar could deal with it. As, for any settlement, he did not think there was any prospect of it. The matter had been standing over for a very long time, and the creditors had shown the utmost consideration and patience. Judgment i was signed in the Supreme Court on the 13th January hist, while judgment had been obtained in the lower Court many months previously.— Mr Cooper intimated that ho was prepared now to take an objection to the petition, viz., that there was no absolute bankruptcy shown in it. In the Act of 18S3 certain acts of bankruptcy were set forthj- arid ad ditional, ones wQre' specilied. in the Act of -1884. .Nov?, it was 'essential to show an act of bankruptcy as a : statutory creation., This petition did not allege" that the l debtor 'was possessed of no property of which posses sion could be taken, or that tho Sheriff had attempted to take possession of any pro perty. The "return of, the sheriff, that ho had found no property belonging to the debtor in his bailiwick, was not suffi cient to warrant His Honor in declaring the debtor a bankrupt • It must bo shown 'further that the debtor had no property of which possession could be taken.—His Honor: Is thatTnbti a necessary inference from the return made by the Sheriff?— Mr Cooper submitted that it was not.—His, Honor, however, held the return of nidla bona to be sufficient, and on Mr Cooper's applica tion the matter was then adjourned till Friday next. ' : . • Orders of. Discharge.—Mr Jackson Palmer applied for an order of disehargo on behalf of Horatio V 1 de Courcy Martelli, and irin support of. the' ap plication mentioned that the^creditors had resolved to facilitate the debtor's discharge. Ilia' Honor sftid it was usual for the debtor to pass, his public examination first,: and if; he granted the order of discharge in jthis 'case ... in deference, : to. the expressed- wish of-the creditors, it was not' to be taken jas 'a precedent. Order granted.—Dr. Laishley applied for a similar order on behalf of Matthew /-Henry Roe. He explained that a peculiarity of the case was that the application was made during the continuance of the bankruptcy. It was the first of its kind. -His Honor remarked 'that hundreds of similar cases had como before him. —Dr. Laishley rejoined that it was the first of the kind in Auckland, and it was brought in consequence of a special resolution' by the creditors re questing that the request" might be granted. —Mr Cave said that -the Official Assignee had no objection to the order being! granted. The matter .for which the case -had" been previously; adjourned had- now been satisfactorily' disposed of. : ;Order granted.—Mr S. Hesketh (in • tructed by Mr George) applied "on behalf of David .Asher : : for an order of disV charge/" Air'■■'■ Cave,; for ' the, Official Assignee;- called attention ■■ to the way in which the bankrupt's books had been kept. The Assignee, sold the book, debts, but when purchaser... proceeded, to collect them !he. found',,that they ■ had been kept:! in . 'such ~an unsatisfactory state through, goads: having been supplied against contra, accounts, that while. ' had been represented as a valuable asset, tit was really of no value whatever., The purchaser had lost a considerable sum of money by' the matter, and had ap plied to the Assignee for a refund of his money.-On the application of Mr Hesketh, the matter was then'allowed to stand over.' ,".'•' '.' ■ , This was all the business. . . ( ; ;

In Chambers

Probate, etc.—rProbate was granted in re Edward ..Lister ■'■ Green and ' Timothy Howard (deceased) leave being reserved in the latter case for Mary O'Brien to come in, one surety for £1,300 being' Sufficient- Letters of administration were ordered to be issued in re. James Baker Matthews (de ceased), sureties being dispensed with. i<( BjATIONALIST..". NEWSPAPER COMPANY.— Mr ' Mahony', on behalf of Collins Bros, arid Co moved for an" order to"wind up the above Company., The.application,was sup ported by two of the directors of the Com fjany >wno stated that?there were ample' assets to pay all liabilities -The order' was granted.' „ n ~ ,V Compensation Claim.-On the applica tion of Mr Dufaur, His Honor directed that the claim of Paora Tuhaere of Orakei for compensation against the Government under the Public Works'. Act, and-also notice of it should ; be filed, in ,the, ordinary wa y. within seven days. '..."' • __ : - '-National Bankof New Zealand v, New Zealand CoRpbRATioxLAN^ND^LABoyn Company (Limited). - Mr S.Hesketh moved for directions as to service of charging order '«M herein -His Honor directed thatnotice Jhnuld'be served on the Colonial Treasurer. "fTTiLisvribx of Roman Catholic Ceme tery -Mr Mahony obtained an order • for •■irlirial inciuiry into the facts alleged, in tl eS ofof SlioElj# W - vievv to pSSntary action. The particulars are cases pending ti the Court yv* tfs

SPORTING NEWS.

Helensvilie Tutf Club Meeting.

, The annual race meeting in connection with the Helensville Turf Club took place on Saturday. Owing to the threatening appearance of the weather during the morn ing, the attendance could not have numbered more than 300, among whom wore a number of Aucklanders, who journeyed up by the special train. Rain foil throughout the greater part of the day# The racing was of a close and exciting character, but the course was very heavy going. Mr G. H. Ludlow, the secretary, and all of the officers of the Club worked hard to promote the success of the gathering. Appended are results of the various events :—

Maiden Plate of 30sovs., .IJ mile. i Weight-for-age. '■'■' Mr J. Chaafe'a gr q Cannon, Bst 61b (Sutherland) ... ... ... ~. 1 Mr R. Milien'e b g Tupaki, Sst lllb ..'. ■ 2 Mr J. B. Williamson's br s Bangalore, Bst3lb ... ... ... 3 Deceitful, Maku-i, Smike, Orangeman, Grandma, Tauraki, Britannia, and Dorenda also ran. About half a mile from home Cannon asserted himself, and a good race home resulted in Cannon winning somewhat easily by half a length. Dividend, £2 2s. Selling Hurdle Race of 30sovs. Two miles. Minimum weight, lOst. 'Mr Mahon's br g Native, lOst 1 Mr Morton's br g Whalebone, lOst ... 2 Mr, Whitford's b f St. David, lOst ... 3 Evening Star, Surprise, and Tawhiao also, started. Won easily by ten lengths. Divi dend, £2 12s. Hexensville Cpp Handicap, of 40sovs., second horse to receive 106OVS. out of the stake. 1 j mile. Mr G. Wright's b f Tamora, by Musket . —Moonlight, 3yrs, 7st (Katterns) ... 1 Mr J. Chaafe's g c Cannon, Ost 71b ... 2 Mr G, Wright's bm Friendship, 85t121b... 3

Also started :—Highland Mary (7.7); Tho Cat (6.8); Yankee • (6.7) ; Brittania (G.O), andMakiri (G.O). After the field were set going, the colours of Yankee, Tamora, Britannia, and Friendship were most prominent. Cannon made his effort half-a-mile from home, but could not catch Tamora. Friendship came with a run at the finish, and a good race for second money resulted in Cannon getting home half-a-length in front of Friendship. Dividend, £2 2s.

The. Pony Novel Handicap was won by Callacrhan's Violet,with Mignonette second. Handicap Hurdle Race of 30sovs. Two miles.

Messrs Lyons and Blaikie's b m Pipl, lOst 81b (Hope) 1 Mr Chad wick ns blk g Fairplay, 1 Ost ... 2 Mr J. Negus's br h Investment, lOst ... 3 Also started :—Torpedo, lOst; Fisherman, Ost 121b ; Tawhiao, 9st 101b ; and Nfttivo, Ost 71b. This event produced a most excit ing finish, Pipi and Fail- Play singling themselves out in the straight, and the judge decided in favour of Pipi by a short head. Fisherman and Native fell. Divi dend, £118s. .

Handicap Novel Race of 30sovs. One mile. Mr J. Peel's b g Smike, Sst 101b (Carey) 1 Mr McLeod's b g Yankee, Sst fllb .. 2 Mermaid and Mignonette also ran. Won by a nose after a desperate finish. Divi dend, £2 7s.

' The mail steamer Zealandia, which arrived from Sydney last night, lias on. board, four yearling fillies that are being taken to America by Mr Baldwin. . . They . were purchased at ,Mr T. S. Clibborn's recent 'sale, and comprise a chestnut filly by The Drummer — Canary, filly by .The Drummer —Indiana, brown filly by Goldsbrough— China Rose, and a black filly by Golds brough—Viotorine.

At the settling on the A.J.C. Autumn Meeting in Sydney, several members of the ring operated on the next Melbourne Derby and Cup, and a fair amount of business was transacted. Abercorn was favourite for the Derby at 5 to 1 offered, 100 to 15 being taken, and the New Zealand bred colt Niagara was next most fancied at 100 to 12, while 10 to 1 was offered bar two. Double-event wagering was the principal medium of speculation, and the following were dealt in most:— 1000 •" to 25 v. Abercorn and Abercorn, off., 1000 to 20wd. ; 1000 to 20 v. Niagara and Niagara; 1000 to 15 v. Carlyon and Carlyon; 1000 to 10 v. Abercorn and Tri dent ; 1000 to 5 v. Niagara and Trident wd. ; and 1000 to 5 v. Carlyon and Tri dent. . tj ■ ■ ■■ ■■■'■ i " I (by tej-egraph.—own correspondent,) Wellington, this day. Mr Drake's horses, Rocket, Teddy Yuille, Spade Guinea," and Pasha will be taken over to Australia in July, in charge of Milne..

ARTILLERY VOLUNTEER PROMOTIONS.

We find on turning up the "New Zea land Array List," which is corrected up to February, 1887, that Major Hammersley's appointment as Captain dates from March, 1875, whereas Captain Payne's appointment to the Captaincy of the "A Battery" only dates from July, 1579. The former gentleman is therefore Captain. Payne's senior by four years and four months, and : consequently Major Hammcrsleyfs promotion can give no posssble offence to- Auckland Volunteers, who were up in arms at the !£ioa"ginary slight to Captain Payne. It has "long .been, an accpted fact that the Now Zealand Regiment of Artillery has been divided into tooTjrigades (North and South Island) and. as Captain Payne is the senior officer in the North. Island his promotion has lon> been expected; It will be seen; how easily the mistake was .made on learn ing of another officer's advancement. It is fully time our Artillery Regiment was placed upon a proper footing as regards its Field Officers, for since the resignation of Colonel Pearce there has been no recognised head of the regiment, and great and unexplained dilatoriness has been displayed by. the authorities in filling thel vacancy. This also applies to the vacancy caused by the ■ transfer of Major Burns to the miliatia. At the recent fraternal gathering of Artillery. men fn Christchurch at the invitation of the Christchurch and Lyttelton Batteries the non-appoint: mont of the regiment's superior officers was the subject of comment by all the speakers and that gathering has been ac knowledged as the largest and most re presentative one of artillery volunteers we have had in the colony. By the promotion of Major Hainmersley how ever, it appeaas, that the Defence Department have at last decided as to who shall receive the appointments, and it_ is reported on apparently good authority that ■ further . promotions may oe> notified in next Thursdays "Gazette." Volunteers who were at Pavikftka will re member Major Hamm.G.raloy as the officer in command of No. 1 Battalion, where he held an aoting commission as Major, and was so much admired for his soldierly bearing and capabilities as for his unostenta tious gentlemanly demeanour, and as he is not usurping the claims of Captain Payne (as was at first supposed) his promotions very popular with tho local Artillery men so particular, and Voji«nte6Vß gewor^ly* yflo Imilil. ■'•'- '"ft; vv'rfi •" .;.■'./■, .'■> ■■'■■■•>•■

ALLEGED SERIOUS' ASSAULT.

* j, " Inn Veseys Troubles.I'-^fp At the Police Court this morning, betore Messrs P. A. Philips and S. Y. Collins, Patrick Corr was charged with unlawfully and maliciously inflicting on one Ann Vesey grievous bodily harm, by throwing her out of a window of his house in Haslett-street, and thereby causing a fracture of her arm. , Mr O'Meagher appeared for the accused, but this being an indictable offence ho was not called on to plead. ..'.'. Ann Vesoy, sworn,'deposed: I am a married woman, and have been residing at accused's residence. I am. both his "gossip" and his shipmate. I had been residing at his residence a few days prior to March 23rd. On March 22nd, I had been, very very ill, and at 8.30 in the-evening Mrs Corr got dressed, and asked me would I not go down, the street with her. I told her I was notj able in the state that T was in, as^l was afraid I was taking fever. Mrs Corr said : >s" I've ' riz ' 2s in the pawn shop, and: will get you a drop of brandy.", Mr O'Meagner : This is not evidence. Sergeant Pratt: This is one of that class of witnesses that it is necessary to let her tell her story in her own way. Mr O'Meagher: She is just endeavouring to account for being drunk. ; Witness continued- Mr Corr came home early on the morning :of the 23rd, and sat on tho sofa with his head in his hand. Mrs Corr drew my attention to her. hus band's condition, Baying, " Now, Mrs Vesey, you've always' said that I was the worst, and have called Paddy a decent man, Now," says she, " you can see what he is ; coming home drunk in > the morning and leaving me with diy bread for the children." I replied, "No, I always thought Mr Corr was worse than you." These, Mr Pratt, arc tho very words that I mentioned. With that Mr Corr jumped up and said to me, "Youb -r-b———," and got his two thumbs on my neck. Mrs Corr caught him by the collar. I felt my eye balls starting and my tongue coming out when Mrs Corr pulled him off. I flew into the children's'room, where they were all screaming. I closed the door, and from what 1 could ...hear Corr.. was trying to break the door in, and Mrs Corr was holding him back; " I heard a fall in the kitchen, and heard Corr say, " Julia, I must have her life to-night. I am not going to get anyone into a bother over that letter." I felt myself getting weak with holding tho door, and asked the children to scream for assistance. Just afterwards Corr showed me the door, and said, "You

— ; , out you go, before you can do any harm to my mate." Corr then tried to shovo me out of tho window. I think I got my arm round his neck. Mrs Corr waß trying to save me. I said, "Paddy, Paddy, think what I've done for you and yonr children. You're surely not going to kill me from mine." Ho then seized mo by the throat and say ing, " You b b——, there you go," pushed (mo out of the window. I don't know how long I was laying where I was thrown out. I (bursting into tears) don't know how long 1 was lying where I was thrown. I should think I was insensible. The first thing I remember was seeing Corr's children with a light. Corr said : "Is she alive yet?" and Mrs Corr said "Paddy, go in, or you will be taken up." I was taken to Mrs McManus's.and thence to the Hospital on Wednesday evening. Mr: O'Meagher: Your Worship, wit nesses in the case are listening at the door. (Hasty exit of the listener, a woman.) Examination continued: My arm was broken by the fall, and I am still suffering from tho effects of the fall. I also injured my 6ide. I believe I fell about 14 feet. f;>l was not drunk.

Witness was cross-examined by Mr O'Meagher at great .length as to, .Jjer anteceuehta. "While coming out from Home she was put in irpns for 12 hours by Dr. Coughtrey. -Her husband had proceeded against Coughtrey for cruelty to her on the voyage, but Coughtrey was discharged "on account of his youth." She did not deny that there were 30 con victions- of drunkenness against her. She had charged a man with attempt ing to commit rape on her, but that was also dismissed. She did not re member charging a young carpenter with indecent assault. She had often been assaulted by men on account of her troubles, but had never charged anyone with inde cent assault—not even tho police. (This with a great assumption of virtuous indig nation.) She denied throwing a pepper box at accused or tearing his shirt. Wit ness during cross-examination frequently burst into tears, which, however, had no effect on the obdurate heart of the examin ing counsel, who ascribed her lamentations to her well-known craving for dramatic effect.

Dr. Franklin, House Physician to the Auckland Hospital,' described the com plainant's injuries when she was brought to the Hospital. She was under the influence of liquor at the time, and said she had been shoved out of the window. Her arm was sprained-and her back was hurt. There was no fracture of the bone.

Mrs McManus deposed that on the morn ing of March 23rd, Mrs Vesey and Mrs Corr came into her front gate. Witness went out and found Mrs Vesey lying crying in the passage. She assisted Mrs vesey to her own cottage. Mrs Vesey was sober. Mr O'Meaghor: Did you give her any brandy ? Witness : I'm above that, thank God. Mr O'Meagher: Did anyone offer her any liquor in your presence ? ■ > Witness: Mrs Corr offered her some brandy, which she refused to take. Mr .O'Meagher: Are you sure that she was not under the influence of liquor ? ; Witness; I cannot be sure. Mrs Vincent was next called, on to give evidence, but she was so much overcome when Sergeant Pratt asked her if she was a married woman, that she burst into tears, and was told to stand down. The next witness, Mrs Brown, swept into the box with the air of a woman who knew a thing or two. She proceeded to make a statement."to clear herself with.the pub lic," that she knew nothing of either party. She was cut short by Sergeant -Pratt, who asked:. l«j ; ■ . •*

Are you a married woman ? Witness : lam. The Sergeant: What is your husband' 3 name ? ■

Witness (to the Bench): Ami obliged to give niy husband's Christian name ? . The sergeant did not.-press the point as o " what Brown," her husband , was, and witness gave her evidence,which amounted to this : She had assisted Mrs- McManus to place a pillow under the complainant's head. She did not know whether Mrs, Vesey was drunk or sober, Constable Dewes deposed to removing Mrs Vesey to the Hospital. She was the worse for liquor. ~ - At- this stage > the. information was amended. It stated, that the offence had been committed on March 22nd, .whereas the evidence showed that the time of the alleged offence was. the morning of the ZBxd. - This closed the case for the prosfecution. Mr O'Meagher addressed the Court for he defence. v The Bench, decided to dismiss oho case, there being no evidence to prove that the accused #xrew the.complaiiriant out of the window, % ■ ■.' &* -■. '■ , ■ ! .ft»Af7 ■ ■■■-■■ v ' , :. f. i:

j Ib is stated that Forvvood, the solicitor charged ; witlv defrauding the native Taurau, was geeq jn Melbourne » fortnight a^o.

WRECK OF ME STEAMER WAITAKI.

|jsj;.. Safety" kf jthd tite\?> i^- T [BY KELEOiUTH.—HUBS9 AB8OOUT1O&] f

■•; .■■..-;• •" / V '; Wellikgtos', Sunday... , The steamer Waitaki, which left Napier at seven a.hi. qp Friday, for Wellington, wenfc ashore about two miles S.W. of White Rock. "The vessel lies in a most singular position^ having run inside the sandspit, which is an effectual protection from southerly seas. Looking at her from seaward, she has the appearance of being snugly moored to the breakwater. The s.s. Mana, with a marine surveyor, a representa-, tive of the Press Association, and one mem-. ber of the local press oh board, arrived on the scene at half-past seven this morning. A very heavy southerly sea was running, and no communication could be held. The Waitaki was flying signals both of distress and for assistance, but, although the Mana repeatedly signalled to her, no' notice was taken. This tends to prove that the whole of the crew have left the vessel, and subsequently a number of men were seen in' the vicinity of the wreck sitting round a fire. They evidently formed a portion of the crew set to watch the vessel,'the re mainder probably being, at White Rock Station. ... ..

From the position of the steamer it would appear that the accident occurred through' mistaking Te Kaukai Point for Cape Palliser, and altering the course to westerly too soon. Of course this is merely con jecture, arid nothing can be definitely known until the return of her officers. It is understood that the Waitaki, which belongs to the Kamo Coal. Company, was under charter to her captain (Pennall) and engineer, and that she had only a small quantity of cargo on board. Unless there is serious damage to the vessel's bottom* there seems every probability of her being, floated off.

The Waitaki is an iron steamer of 412 tons gross, and 230 tons net register, with engines of 90 h.p. She was built at Whiteinch, Scotland, in 1876. The steamer originally belonged to the Union Company, for whom ane used to run between Dunodin arid' Oamaru, and afterwards in the general coastal trade. She was sold to the Kamo Company, and for some time plied between. Auckland and Whangarei. Latterly she has been running between Auckland and' Lyttelton. Her agents here know nothing of in surances, or even of her cargo, beyond the fact that she had ten tons of lime for the new printing offices.] ■■■ The first intimation of the accident was telegraphed from Marlborough, in the Wai rarapa, probably forwarded by a station hand, but it gave no particulars beyond the fact that no lives were lost, and the Mana having failed to establish communication with the vessel, there was no means to-day of getting any information as to the cause of the disaster.

The Waitaki is insured for £10,000 in the South British Company. _, .

POLICE COURT.

THIS DAY. (Before P. A. Philips, Esq., J.P.)

Drunkenness.— Three persons were pun ished in the usual manner for thisoffence.

Boy BunoEAßs —C. H. Mooney and John Heenan were charged with feloniously breaking and entering a storehouse attached to Kohimarama, and feloniously stealing therefrom 4 loaves of bread, a quantity of: butter, also a suit of clothes the property of New Zealand Government. Sergt. Pratt applied for a remand unfiil Thursday next, as th; prisoners, who were inmates of the Kohimarama school, had only been arrested; yesterday at Mercer and had been, brought down tliis morning by Constable Hutchinson

ALLEGED INDECENT ASSAULT CASE.

In Friday's issue we intimated that infor mation had been given to the police of an alleged indecent assault at Northcote. on a little girl by an unknown • assailant. It has since transpired that the child's name was Annie Roper, and on Saturday the police arrested a lad' named Thomas McGallum on the charge. At the Police Court this morning the prisoner, Thomas McCallum, was charged that he did unlawfully and indecently assault one Annie Roper.—Mr Theo. Cooper appeared for the prisoner,. Sergeant Pratt applied for a remand ' until this day week, as the police were not as <yet able to go on with the ca,ie. On the appli cation of Mr Cooper bail was allowed in £25 for his appearance.'

CORRESPONDENCE.

Gardeners' Horticultural Society.

(To the Editor.)

Sm, —Here I. am again with my complaints re Gardeners' Horticultural Society. ' No show of chrysanthemums. In every little suburban place in England, and in every other place in New Zealand, there is a show of this kind, but in' "Auck land none. Whose fault is it ? Not mine. Are'wo all asleep, or has the bottom of the place fallen out ? Now, we have the beauti ful camellias coming on, and no advertise-, merit of a camellia show.; .How can our growers of camellias ever expect to sell their < camellia plants when they don't educate the public? A,show; won't pay, but if it does not, indirectly, it jW-ill pay if the gardenerß only let the public see what grand bloom they can have when the garden is bare of all flowers but the camellia.. —YourSj &c, •]?. H. Lewissoit. aißp

Messrs Joseph Barber, Alexander. ;Bruce, Ignatius McGee, Francis A. Quick, and' Matthew Slattery have been this day nomi nated to fill tlie four- vacancies in the North cote Road Board, and, being one more than is required, the Returning" .Officer , (Mr Seaman) 'announces that a, poll will be taken. at the Post-office,, Northqote, on Monday' next, May 2, ■• [ ■■ : ::j i •'<) >• ■ ■■■ Mr C. W. Payton, tho, well-known, artist, is leaving Auckland for thel Old Country shortly. Mr R. Atkinson,has purchased the artistic," properties v of Mr Pay ton for his own studio/ ' ■ . .

J. Watts, the poorgumdigger whose body was found under circumstances that .indi cated that death had been caused by starva tion at ICumeu, was interred at. th& Kumeu cemetery last Monday week, the district coroner conducting the funeral service. The body had been coffined by Constable Foreman and some of the jury. It .was in such an advanced state of; decomposition that they raised it on spades and placed it on the shell The unfortunate man's wretched hovel was burnt.

] A private letter was received in Auckland1 to-day from Sydney, stating that Jack Halli the well-known light-weight pugilist, will arrive here in time to second W. Murphy in his fight with Taylor, of America, on Wed-' nesday night next, at the 'Agricultural Hall/ Taylor is ■ reported to be very " lit,"' and confident of the issue. • ~. >iiMrt rii

Ho\y ,to Get WELL^-Which is: answered 1^ three wor^-Take. American, Go/s, Hop

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

ASKLFJHASKLFJ;ASLDF ASFJASD;FK'ASDGSDFHJFG

'- t 4 -,"tjliff™ft't '.; ill a'-a

■-w.• '•■ V*l'-^K%• WELiiMfoton, this day, $, Tfi2 folWilig ia'& ppebJtStof the Governor's speech, oa^ublish^. In the :i<'Evening j Post," to'Dighfi— v; •;:■.• • ;'\..r^ v\:;,^ ; / j S- j 80 much interest', is felt' la", tho^flgeeqli! which will.ho dsliverticl on th^ifcp'ehihg of j Parliament, that otirl;Cirefldefß,. will bo j pleased' if we givdiheni as'accurate a fore- j sight as we- are. able, to "do. ..-There is t no doubt that the speech..will More; or lessj indicate ', ths proposed: ' nature Jof tHo I proceedings in:i Parliament..;,] ':■.*&& .the political feeling'" throughout the colony is very strong'just now, more than usual in terest is felt in the coming session. We may feel certain that , the,/speech .will becomingly refer to this "being the Jubilee year of Her .Majesty's ascension' to the throne. Besides- the 'great.rarity '"., of the occasion, the event has great significance to the; colonies,^ for it'is the yeariyhicH has 1 been selected to prove to them that,they are ho longer considered an insignificant pai't of the Empire!' Parliament will! probably be asked to consider whether; it!;is; del sired that special honour 'should be paid' to", the celebration.. Kindred . references] must be made to ,thei;Colonial: Confer-■ ence—the first instance, it; may be saidj of.''the Central^ Government of the Eiri-j pire,.admitting.it to be e:ther.iiecessary:'or| expedient, to. consult the of j the . several' colonies and. dependencies. J Whether or- hot 'any resitlts'will arise from the Conference_°it-'; will be:'im-'| possible .for any.colqriial Government' or j parliament to refuse-tip recognise the desire,j to" knit more closely together the bonds' which hold this mighty1 Empire together.'; Again, arising frorir the same' subject' we may anticipate, .that ;, reference- will 'be! made ; both , to, the | naval .defences of the| Empire and to the cblonfal local defence, As regards the naval defences,. so little, is' known on the; subject that we'may ah^'i ticipate that .'interesting, information Mill j be forthcoming.; Intercolouial -matters are \ not unlikely-to have; a .place in the; speech, siich'as'a refererice^to the Stock- Coiiference held; in Sydney' arid the 'forth'- f coming exhibitiori to be held;at [Melbourne to celebrate the; Australian centenary. o.J >;(- 1

1 The1 rest, of the speech will no -doubt be mainly devoted to local matters., j A reference can hardly' fail to , he-. made to the ' plentiful. . grain ' harvest! and to the : rise in the price ■of wool,: these topics ; again, suggest that : wej shall be told that the success of <, ; the{ various plans 'for promoting settle-j ment, and1 the great'field for extension) of the- same which will'be opened'by) the requisition of land on the line of i.the. North Island trunk railway are subjects,of: heart" congratulation. The , advantage of small farm settlements will no doubt' be ■ strongly put, as also the -urgency: of acquiring i large .; estates • for; oc cupation,, where small holdings are> not otherwise to be obtained.. We !mp,y be certain' that in connection ' " with1 the ; subject of the prosperity' of the' colony- attention); will: be called .to'thai heed of encouraging its-mining, and other; industries. The consideration of the.House, will bp asked Vo tlie financial position, and a i reference can scarcely fail to be made to the' desirability of limiting the expenditure ' ."'j 1 As' regards the Bills we may anticipate' that stress willbe laid on the importance of i the measure : fpr I adjusting the Representar i tion of this country. It is not.likely that', many bills will bo ; mentioned, as 'there { is: probably a desire not' to ' lengthen! the session beyoHd; the. limit which neces-i ', sity demands. ' We, expert the attention of], the House will be called to such jsubjects as!, boards'of Advice, Government" Insurance, 1 the r reform 1 of the 'Legislative1 'Council,' amendments to the Criminal Laws,; Railway} and the Government loans, tq^locaj bodies. ; r Without undertaking to say that;we, have \ given a precise resume of the nature of theT speech, we ' believe we have ' not; travelled ifar. i ..out' .of . -the i course: which it is likely to take. The; situation ie ■ potent ■ enough. The , session. must; .be i a.', short one because Parliament expires' byl effluxion of time in'Augiist; 'meanwhile:, the 1 most pressing questions are Finance and* Representation,,,-., ~ vjli»or.) ;;, \\\£z?*: -'■

TELEGRAMS.

WiNGANTJi, this day. J

Referring to the suggested .team for Wimbledon,; the "Herald," in:'its• Issue; pf Saturday last, throws out the sugr j gestion that ;it, would:,be; more, con-; venient for New Zealand shots to go to j Australia, and say's .that if an inter colonial ''competition was held at Mel-' bonrne i during the Centennial ■ Exhibition/ season,- the colonies would be sure, to bo; well represented. ', f' : Thomas' RdweJ late commercial traveller for Sargood, ;Sdn^ and; Eweh, -of "Dunedin, j well-known all overthe;colony; was on JVi-j day night presented f by commercials with ,a] handsomely-illuminatedr^address and two! albums containingpho'tos. of the majority! of men on the roadihNew Zealand.'' -i s I

Accident at Sea.

Ohthstchuech, this day.... .i I The barque Sir Robert Sale arrived from] Calcutta yesterday afternoon,1 an 82'flays''| passage. 1 On;Aprilß, one of the crew; a lad! named Baker^ fell from the, foreyard into the sea, and was drowned. > '~.■..,■ '~ Captain Daniel, Mclrityre, formerly com-i marider of the ship :Chrysolitel 'and*the ! steamer Wellington, diedl in Lyttelton iof! scarlet fever. He .was 60 (years; pf age. j. | i Scarlet and typhoid f^ver; are y.ery pre-j valent in Lytitelt'on just now.' " J. 'CJL~I*.,"

Post Card-Proof.

*•' 94tiSBURY,Tknn,Apfil'4;J88^.' '" ', Gekts :-I w»8 afilicted with serious Kidtioy; and Urinaryrtroublq for twel.vp years After., trying'all'tho.doctors arid patent medicines Ii ■could hear of. I used two bottles of Hop fitters .arid am perfectly cured. ." ' ' B. t F.' BO'Ol'H. •> ' ■ i:-]WA9iimcn;oN,D.C.,'.April3,lßß3.^- ~\'\l > To the Hop Bitters Co.: , ,<■ ■■"> • , "; Sirs: ~l< write thia'as ;ti token of I great • appreciation I have, for i your'r Bitters. ',- I was afflicted with Inflammatory Rheumatistii: sevenyears, and no medicine seemed to do mafc any good until I tried threo bottles,of your .Hop). Bitters, and to my'surpriso I am as' well to-da^j as'ever I wa?;,,. I nope you.nifiy have great qttp~s cess in this great and yaluatte niedieine. Any-:' one Wishing to know! irioxo!:about.my-cure '-'eSaf learn by addressing me. .t ... ■..,.. ; ~,. ,i . ir " - J -■£. M. WIItLIAMS, 1,103 16th St.: |

COMING EVENTS.

, - s y s»s' Keottßga,'"Steo , 'To-night,-„ " \J".'', AW:ott'3 Opera,l House—Athletic .CarHival.by'! 1 Professor Carrollo and.Pupils, B.!>:^i' :■ Mi ,'.; Agricultural Hall—Royal Acromantia, Temple of Wonders,'B.' ' '•" ■'• ' -''" ■'■■•■£ ■;'■■?:■■-. •."'■■,- Religious Meeting' in'the;.Tent, on Surrey Hill^-i Estate, Ponsonby Road, 7.30.' - '<. Choral Hall—Addresses by-Rev1/J. A.: anil' Mr s 7.45w -^ '-. t ~:> ■ -~,..'. ■< ~.;-. \,i \ New Art Gallery—Auckland Society of Arts,: iVI noon to 10 p.m: A .?M)tiw.r,\; ni.josr'3s Election of School Committees, sec patre 1. U - Freemasons1 Hall—Lodge St. •Andrbw,;S.C;,' 7.30,'''

',•.-■■.>: i.-.i - ■-■/-. y ■. —■-.'. v,.-- — r—::\;"( uku; ..) I Xtota of Justices at PoUco Court; .-.•-.. i,

j^ff^Sp^essriß^^. '^erc^and Fp;L, Prinie, '. l

' ! •■y:!i;Auc^oS^ea^o-iSorrbw; ;f ny ';-

Arthur arid' Buddie—Houselibid Furniture 'and': > 'Effects. 11-,; JVakefield-st., JJuilding.Materials. , • , etc, 12. "'■ ,*v .' '"-*•' ■•■'■■ •■■ "•>•*» ■ ■•-•>» • G.iLewis^BootaandJShoes,* 11;: . ■• ■■•■. ,"\ ■■>-,-.-. .B^T^^and-Co^Haraware, Ironmongery,; L v*1

THE AUCKLAND EVENING STAR THURSDAY MAY 9K 08581

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