SOUTHLAND.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2095, 22 January 1870, Page 2

SOUTHLAND.

(FROM our own correspondent. ) Invercargiel, Jan. 18, 1870. In my present letter I dismiss political topics, in so far at least as they refer to action on the part of our local (lovernmcnt, ■with the word “nil.'’ The present holders of office, and their outside partisans, when in opposition, were a clamorous lot. Nor did they curb thffir tongues upon their predecessors, but roundly rated them upon all opportunities, seasonable and unseasonable. One of their standing grievances was their being kept in the dark with regard to the progress of successive ministerial undertakings. Frequent and fierce were their denunciations of Executive reticence, trumpettongued their abhorrence of officials who on any pretext would suppress the fullest information touching current operations, or seek to evade the keenest scrutiny of the public eye with regard to measures in course of arrangement. But, lo ! “a change comes o’er the spirit,” &c.; they have tasted the sweets of office, lolled upon the soft cushions of the Treasury, lingered with titjllations of delight vouchers duly certilicd for services rendered to the State, and now “they roar you as ’twere any sucking dove.” In fact,

“ mum’s the word ” now at the Government buildings, and nobody can tell whether anything is being done for the financial relief of this unhappy province or not, certainly “no sign is given by “our authorities.” By the way, your Superintendent’s speech at the opening of the Council gave much satisfaction down here ; we really felt flattered by his sentiments respecting us. and still more so by the remarks of several hon. members in the Chamber, particularly so by those of Mr Gillies, who seems to have been quite captivated by the attractions of this fair domain during his late visit. The assertion by that gentleman “that our railways were worth all our debt,” has been a “muzzier” for some of our “road” men, who “never could see no p’ints ” about our lines. The lugubrious anticipations of Mr Reynolds have however considerably damped the ardour of many unionists, who would not believe Otago was so hard-up, and our hopes of assistance from your exchequer are less buoyant than they were. If your rulers would only “stump up ”<• without standing too much upon the order of their doing so, they would confer an everlasting obligation,, and secure our warmest affection for we are really in awful need of the “sugar.” In social and domestic circles there has been immense excitement of late. The “festive season,” beginning sometime anterior to Christmas, and extinguished by a “ heavy wet ” on the 3rd instant, has been about as merry a one as I remember having seen' in Southland. The means for the “appropriate celebration of the occasion” wore ample in the extreme, and the public were not slack in employing them. We had sports (public and private), cheap railway excursions, regattas, Caledonian games, picnics, theatricals, races, etc., etc., all of which came off well, being favored with the most glorious weather, with the exception of the last grand event on the varied programme—a trip to Ruapuki. That would indeed have been a fitting finale. to our carnival ; but the Gods forbade. Evidently envious of the happiness of man, the deity that rules the air sent forth his thunderbolts, shut up old Sol, rent the vapory clouds, and poured upon the reeking earth such a deluge as quenched effectually the general enthusiasm for a “life on the ocean wave.” The poor “Ashley,” which should have borne the “gay and brilliant throng,” with “ banners fluttering in the breeze,” to scenes of sylvan beauty in the distant isle, had to grind her wrinkled sides all day against the wharf, and her gallant officers had to console themselves, under their disappointment of a nice flirtation with our southern belles, with the meaner pleasures afforded by the steward’s pantry. But for this unfortunate contretemps, the trip would have been an immense success—at least if our local journals arc to be credited, one of which stated that three hundred people would have gone by the steamer, and the other, not to be beaten at lying, next day declaring that five hundred was the correct number. However, there is no doubt that regret was very general, as is also the hope that on some future occasion the seasons may be more propitious. Like yourselves, we have been suffering somewhat from floods. After an extraordinary spell of drought, we bad, about a fortnight ago, a heavy rainfall, especially in mountainous districts on the borders, which suddenly raised all our rivers aud committed considerable destruction. The flats bordering the Oreti suffered most, a good many sheep and cattle having perished, and crops being seriously damaged in that locality. The prevailing flatness of our country, however, gives the rising waters room to spread, and we rarely have much to lament in the way of bridges being carried away and suchlike wrecks. Our crops are looking well, the copious moisture cf the present month having come in time to prevent a general shortness of straw. Wool is coming in for shipment rapidly, and the first cargo will soon be at sea. Your Commissioner of Police came round in the steamer on Wednesday, and was very warmly received by his old friends here, of whom he has many, and is off to-day again en route for Switzers. Judge Ward was also a passenger by the steamer, and has completed his labors at this Court in two days, and is off again. There were only two cases for jury trial—one a breach of contract, and the other a scandalous case of seduction, the seducer being a married man with a largo family well grown up, and the seduced a mere girl of 13 or 14. In the first case damages were laid at LB3O, and judgment was given for LSOO. In the second, damages to the extent of L 250 were sought, and were granted by the jury without leaving the Court. As, however, the offender is “forth the realm,” it is doubtful whether the sentence does more than simply mark the displeasure of the “country” represented by the chosen twelve at such crimes.

Nothing very exciting has yet turned up at Longwood. Nuggets, some of them splendid specimens, are unearthed every now and then; twenty-seven of them, one weighing over a pound, are now being exhibited for the benefit of the hospital, but the whereabouts of the reef or reefs remains as much a mystery as ever. We have had two wonderfully sudden deaths here during the past week. The first was that of a respectably connected young man, James Dundas, son of our Railway Engineer, and surveyor under the Government. On Friday last he left his camp, some fifteen miles out of town, at about 11 o’clock, on his way to sec the Chief Surveyor ; and three hours afterwards was found lying dead on the road a few chains from where lie started, his horse grazing quietly beside him. The other case was that of an old man acting as cook at one of the Land Coinpany’s farms. He had, it is said, been drinking rather freely for some time; and on Saturday morning, when passing through a paddock on his way to resume work, he dropped down dead. News has just this moment—3 p.m.— reached Invercargill, of the arrival of a shipwrecked crew at Riverton. The only particulars to hand are that the vessel was the Laughing Water, from Newcastle to Port Chalmers with coal. On Friday, 14th, weather moderate, she sruck an unknown rock off Orepuki, in the Straits, and sank almost immediately. The mate was drowned. The captain, his wife and child, and twelve seamen, succeeded in making their escape in the boat, and are now on their way up to town. By the way, I see our races are coming off this year better than ever. Although a short time ago it was thought hopeless to attempt raising the money, the stakes are higher than for many years ; so if you have any tolerably good nags about Dunedin, they might come down and carry off a pot. There is very little local talent in the racing line at present, or it is hid away somewhere. Certainly nothing has turned out at any of the suburban events which could rank higher than good hacks.