DUNEDIN NOTES.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 162, 17 December 1872, Page 6

DUNEDIN NOTES.

Bv 0. P. Q. The drawings and paintings executed by the pupils of Mr D. C. Hutton, Provincial Drawing Master, during the session just brought to a termination, have been on exhibition at the School of Art for the past few days, and are certainly worthy of the praise which has been bestowed upon them by visitors. The greatest success appears to me to bo attained in the crayon drawings, many of which are really excellent specimens of amateurs’ work. In some of the water-colour pictures and one or two of the oil-paintings there is a wonderful deal of proficiency shown. The rapid progress made by Mr Hutton’s pupils must be very gratifying to that gentle-1 man, as well as a source of very great pleasure! to the pupils themselves. The unlucky immigrants by the shipsj Christian M'Ausland and Palmerston have! had a sorry time of it up to the present, after | having reached their destination. They arc’ still kept in close quarantine, and every pre-1 caution has been taken by the Board of Health ti prevent any communication with j them that might lead to the introduction of scarlatina into the Province. The passengers by the first-named vessel have been quartered | on the islands forming the quarantine ground, 1 and those by the Palmerston have all been! taken down to the Sandspit at the Heads, 1 and there landed, with a guard party to prevent any straying over the line which marks! the interdicted ground. A fresh case of sear-! latina having broken out recently among the Palmerston passengers, has rendered these! precautions doubly necessary, although the Sandspit where they are located is not one of; the most cheerful of places on which to spend j a week or two of close confinement. Your readers would be very much pleased: to learn of the appointment of Mr J). L. Simpson, to the office of Provincial Engineer. While residing in Cromwell as District Engineer, Mr Simpson gained for himself many! friends, and his selection from a number of | candidates for the office proves that the high i standing he holds in his profession is duly | recognised hy the Government. Some four weeks back there was rather tali talk about a new daily paper which it was then considered certain would soon be started iu Dunedin, under the auspices of a gentleman formerly connected with the evening paper, who worked indofatigably in promoting the formation of a company for the purpose. The shares were said to have been nearly all subscribed for, and the promise of support received by the promoter both liberal and numerous, so that it was confidently anticipated the Daily Times would before long have a powerful and dangerous rival. The whole affair, however, seems to have suddenly! collapsed. Wbother it is that the success met with in the preliminary canvass for support! was greatly exaggerated, or that the intending shareholders withdrew at the last moment! from what was certainly a heavy and questionable speculation, Ido not know. News-1 paper property is risky at the best, and the enormous outlay which the carrying on of a daily paper involves, no doubt frightened! many from investing in that direction. The! morning edition of the Star will no dovbt ensure a large country circulation, but there its usefulness ends, as t’no repetition of ilio: preceding evening’s news militates strongly I against its circulation in town, where tie ; Star is so universally read. The Oagli-Lystor opera company are expected to arrive in Dunedin before Christmas. They have taken the recently-erected Queen's Theatre for a mouth, paying for it, j i it is said, the handsome sum of £159 for that | period. They are certain to draw immeise houses, however, and will have the additional advantage of being here in the holiday season, jas also probably the august presence of his | Excellency the Governor and Lady Bowel to ) assist in giving eclat to some of their perforj nuances. I understand that the lessees of the | Princess Theatre offered to take the Quean’s for six months at £lO a week, but that the ! trustees decided on accepting the more tempt - 1 ing offer of Messrs Cngli and Lystcr.