OCCASIONAL NOTES FROM THE METROPOLIS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 2, Issue 85, 27 June 1871, Page 5

OCCASIONAL NOTES FROM THE METROPOLIS.

The ship Wild Deer, from Glasgow, arrived after a fair passage, yesterday, (Wednesday.) She brings agoocl few immigrants ; and three of the professors of the Otago University are also passengers by her. The. whole of her passengers were brought up to Dunedin to-day by one of the Harbour Co.'a boats. They have arrived at a bad time of the year, and although it is not cheering for them to hear it said that their prospects are of the gloomiest description, yet such, I am afraid, is only the true state of the ease; Employment is scarce, wages low, and the weather execrable. The financial statement of the present Executive lias not been delivered by the Treasurer yet, and hon. members are getting impatient. It has been promised for several clays past, biit the hon. the Treasurer has not come up to time, although it is expected that he will enlighten the House and the community at large on Monday without fail. That it will not be very satisfa try, or cheering, is well known, and it is, no doubt, necessary for the Government to give nutters as much of a coiiteur de rose aspect aa possible ; hence, probably, extra care is being taken in the compilation of the figures. Chinese immigration gives fair promise cf assuming rather gigantic proportions, if we are to accept the statements of Mr Ho A Mee, now a resident of Hong Kong, but formerly of Otago, and the individual who takes to himself the "credit" of having piloted the first Chinese miners to our shores. Mr Ho A Mee writes from Hong Kong to acquaint the people of Otago with the fact that wo may expect some L'ooo Chinese this year direct from the land of their birth, and that a continuous stream of Celestials will probably follow,. He dently thinks that, not only the thanks of the Obagonians are duo to him, but that be deserves to be very substantially rewarded by Government for his labors in connection with the introduction of Chinese into the province. The news of the advent of this horde of pig-tails will, probably, not be so welcome on the goldtields as Mr Ho A Mee anticipates: and instead of receiving the thanks of the mining community, he will, no doubt, be anathematised in the most -approved fashion. We may expect the first batch of the new chums to arrive shortly. Mr Reichcldt, the proprietor of the fancy goods warehouse, in which the late tire in Princes-street originated, who has been out on bail since he was last brought up for examination at the Mayor's Court, was to-day re-arrested, on account of some further evidence hiving been fossicked out by the j police, which, it is said, tends to throw a still more .suspicious look upon the matter. He is to bj brought up before the Mayor on Monday, when the evidence will be. again gone into, and the case thoroughly sifted. The controversy raised by Dr Moraii, which had become quite a bugbear to the community, in consequence of the numbers of letters which swamped the daily papers, seems to have subsided. The Roman Catholics have, however, carried out the wishes of their Bishop, in so far as lav in their power; and petitions have also been presented to the Provincial Council denouncing the Otago educational system. Dr Moraii has made enemies of many persons outside the pale of his own Church, in consequence of his arbitrary in inner in connection with the controversy, and it is nothing uncommon to hear him spoken of in terms the very reverse of polite or complimentaiy. Mr and Mrs J. 15. Steele are playing a'. short engagement at the Princess Theatre. As has been the. ease for some time, the home is generally, almost empty. Dunediii seems to be quite unable to keep a theatre going; no matter how good the pjrfor;uo ,, :-i, or. what class of pieces they present, thoat ' tenduio'j is discouragm-,' in the extreme