PROVINCIAL AND COLONIAL.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 173, 4 March 1873, Page 6

PROVINCIAL AND COLONIAL.

—*- Mr Peebles is in Ghristchurch. A Miners' Association is to be formed at Roefton. A newspaper is shortly to bo published at the Lyell. The Inangahua quartz gold is worth from £3 18s to £4 an ounce. Grahamstown was lit up with gas for the hist time a week or two ago. A public meeting in Tokomairiro decided to establish a Hospital there. Twelveperformances inChristchUreh turned in £3090 to the Circus company. Grapes thrive at Ooromandel, and the question of wine-making is being mooted. Four Chinese converts were baptised in the Lawrence Presbyterian Church lately. There are now at Temploton, Christchurch, 100 acres of chicory under cultivation. Cyrus Haley has got six weeks in irons for attempting to escape from Dunedin gaol. There is a rumour that the Prince of Wales [ will shortly visit the Australian Colonies. Two brace of grouse have been liberated in Auckland by the Acclimatisation Society. The Auckland police have been ordered to discontinue wearing gloves while on duty. Winton (in Southland) is to be opened as a telegraph-station about the Ist of March. The Provincial Council is to meet late in April : the General Assembly late in June. A dog fell down a 140 ft shaft at Ooromandel a few days ago without receiving injury. At Sydney, recently, Hush beat Hickey in a sculler's race for the championship and £2OO. Alluvial gold has been found at Port Darwin. 22ozs were brought into Palmerston by one man. A Flax Spinning and Weaving Company, witli a capital of £20,000, has been started in Can terbury. Walter Montgomery, the celebrated actor, left his watch-guard to the Duke of Edinburgh by will. A reef, 21ft thick at the outcrop, is said to have been found at the Whangamata block, near the Thames. St. Patrick's Day is to be celebrated at Lawrence byathletic sports, a grand banquet, and a " fancy fair." In Court at Hokitika recently, a publican said he- considered he got 12s of profit out of 15s worth of drinks. Messrs Brogden's tender for 26 miles of the Moeraki-Waitaki railway has been accepted. £131,009 is the amount. The Nancy, of Southland, recently returned with 400 seal skins as the result of a very successful two months' cruise. In the Mayor's Court, Dunedin, the other day, William Johnson was lined 403 for cruelly treating a dog he wanted to kill. La Petite Eniilie, of the Italian Circus, was "three years old" in Auckland. In Dunedin, she is "six summers." In a reef recently discovered at Mokanui river, near Westport, the quartz is of a crystalline nature, resembling rock salt. A Miss M. K. Hull has brought an action for breach of promise against Mr Addon, the editor of the Melbourne Argiw, for £SOOO. Mr W. 11. Reynolds, in Sydney, vouched for it that New Zealand could supply the ! people of the sister Colonies with " the best beer ever they drank." i A soap and candle manufactory is likely to Ibe started in the Wakatip district. £15,000 is to be embarked in the woollen manufactory, which, will shortly be commenced. An Auckland bridegroom the other day : wanted to borrow money from the officiating ! clergyman to pay for the license, in addition ; to the remission of the usual clergyman's fee. [The minister couldn't see it. The San Francisco News Letter thus notices the late Auckland fire :—" N.Z. enterprise illustrated by a 25,000 dollar conllagration. Pooh, pooh, Auck., you mean well, but you can't conflagrate worth a cent." Mr C. O'Neill, M.H.1.1., and a Mr Thomas, of tin; Tlianies, offer to construct street-tram-ways in Dunedin and Wellington, under certain conditions as to the division of profits ; between themselves and the Corporations. Signor Chiarini's beautiful chestnut stallion | Duke, valued at £299, cracked his fetlock | while being cantered round the ring to stretch his legs, on Sunday morning, the 23rd ult., !in Dunedin. The animal had to be killed. i The tale that a woman told recently in the I Auckland Police Court about being the mother I of twenty-four children, that came as twins, I triplets, and so on progressively up to seven j at a. birth, is still uncontradicted in the local I papers. There now forty men employed on the •run of Mr W. Robertson, The Hill, Colac, j Victoria, in eradicating thistles alone, the expenses of whom, including their wages and j keep, and grass for their horses, do not fall [far short of £BO per week. Another large I squatting firm art! paving £I2OO per annum | for the extermination of rabbits on their run. Two females had a fair stand-up fight, in j Lytfcelton-strect, Westport, recently. One of itho combatants, in her excitement, peeled to the waist (say.? the Times) the better to " let Out" at her adversary. A crowd collected, [and the pair fought until they were tired, j while the police, In blissful ignorance, were j zealously engaged in guarding the policej barracks and Government offices in the bush. j A Bendigo paper reports that a man named i Hugh '.Yar.on, who was preaching on a recenl | Sanaa'- in the Camp reserve, created some i excitement at the conclusion of his services by rushing about embracing the females pre sent. After lie had kissed four or live oi | them very fairly on the lips, the ladies of hie [congregation took generally to flight, while ' j the men jeered at and threatened him ; bin [•ho managed to get away without gettim i kick<.<], ac seemed likely ait one time.