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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2106, 4 February 1870, Page 2

The Waikouaiti Elections. —In our notice under this heading in yesterday’s issue the word “Murray” appears instead of “Mitchell.” The candidates ate —Messrs Mitchell, Thompson, and Urc. Tuapjeka Handicap.—Weights Excelsior, 9st 41b ; Miss King, Sst 81b ; Lady Ellen, Sst 41 b ; Little Nell, Sst _2!b ; Forctop, Sst ; Skyonian, Sst ; Watcrwitch, 7st 41b; Magenta, 7st ; Turpin, Cat 41b; Hatter, 6st. Provincial Scholarships. The competitive examination for the Provincial Scholarships will be held in the Provincial Council Hall, Dunedin, upon Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the Kith, 17th, and 18th days of February, 1870, at 9 o’clock each morning. Thatcher’s Concert.—lt is a very long time since any entertainment drew so largely as that now off red at the New Masonic Hall. The house was literally crowded with spectators last evening ; and certainly if fun or amusement be the chief object of the people, we can most cordially recommend this entertainment. Mr Thatcher is remarkably happy in his locals, which are inimitably funny, and his hits, always effective, convulse the house with genuine laughter. Acclimatisation. The Lyttelton Times of the 20th inst. says :—A shag shot in the vicinity of the Acclimatisation Dardens was found to contain six native flsh, apparently the result of a morning’s repast. The slings and the cels may he considered as the greatest enemies to the trout which have lately so visibly disported themselves ill the Avon, near the bridges in the town. Important service to acclimatisation was last season rendered by Mr Lambert, in the vicinity of Lake Ellesmere, who, assisted by some Maori lads, destroyed some thousands of shags’ eggs. The Third Hew Zealand Building Society. —lt will he seen from our advertising columns that a building society, to he called “The Third New Zealand Building and Mutual Investment Society.” has been launched. This, we understand, is an offshoot of the original “Now Zealand Building and Mutual investment Society,” which is now approaching a winding-up. The success which has attended the parent society is, in a measure, a guarantee for the prosperity of the new one. The provisional directory contains the names ot many of our leading men, several of whom have been long connected with the parent society. The Acclimatisation Society.— By the Warrior Queen, which arrived from London this morning, a large consignment of birds for the Otago Acclimatisation Society has been received. They were brought out under the charge of Mr Bills, who visited this Province in the same vessel on a similar mission last year. He reports that there were shipped 03 partridges, out of which 32 have been landed in good condition ; 80 pheasants, of which 66 have been landed; 72 starlings, of which 71 have been landed ; 00 goldlinchcs, of which 50 liavo been landed ; 00 skylarks, of which 31 have been landed; SO blackbirds and thrushes, of which 00 have been landed ; also 1 hare. Mr Bills speaks highly of the accommodation provided on board the Warrior Queen, and the aid and assistance given by Captain Wilson and the officers of the vessel. This is unquestionably the most successful shipment of birds that has been made in this or the neighboring colonies, and reflects great credit on Mr Bills, evidencing, as it docs, great attention and core during the voyage. The singing birds will be forwarded to Oaraaru, by the Wallace, on Tuesday next.

The Goldfields, —Writing from Cromwell, our correspondent says:—“At the end of last week the district was visited

by a heavy fall of rain. It came on about daylight on Friday morning, and continued without intermission to a late hour of the evening. The streets wore perfectly deluged, and fora time the water poured down, into tho Kawarau at a great rate. In a few hours the Glutha rose at the bridge upwards of twenty feet ; in fact, it is reported to have been higher than it was when the old bridge was carried away. The road to Bendigo Gully is more or less under water, and some fencing destroyed. The road between Wakefield and Logantown was so much cut up that the heavy traffic bad to be suspended. It has now been repaired. P.eparations on a liberal scale arc being made for celebrating the opening of the Aurora crushing mill, which is fixed to take place on Friday. I shall be there, and forward you a report of the proceedings in duo course. _ I have just returned from a couple of days’ inspection of the claims. They are all looking splendidly, and by next mail 1 will transmit a detailed report. Shares arc beginning to change hands freely. Two sixth shares in the Alta Reef were disposed of to-day (Tuesday) for L 275 each. The purchaser is a local man, and I only do him justice when I say that he does not usually part with his money rashly. Ten tons of stone from the Garrick Range have been scut up for trial at the Bendigo battery. The stone looks well. Wo of Cromwell have heard with great joy that Whctter, the would-be Mayor of Cromwell, baa been bowled out by tho Supreme Court. Had much of the odium that attaches to Cromwell been placed to tho credit account of this ambitious young gentleman, neither equity nor good conscience would have suffered by the transaction.” The Thames Volunteer Corps.— The Herald (Auckland) of the 22nd nit., says:—“ Captains Barnett, M‘Carroll, and Finnerty, accompanied by several volunteers of the Thames corps, having waited upon the Hon. fho Defence Minister, tendering him their servic-.s in the present emergency, and their offer having been accepted, and authority given to enlist as many men as could be got together for service at Tauranga, the Haurald Rifles, and a number of Volunteer Militia, who readily answered the call, left Shorthand in the p.s. Ro3'al Alfred on Saturday morning, and arrived during the forenoon in Auckland. The men, who looked ‘all there’ for a brush with To Kooti, marched up at once to the Drill Shed, Princes street, where they expected to find uniform clothing, but were disappointed, as there was none for them. They were marched off to tho Governor Brown Hotel, where they dined, and subsequently, during the evening, they embarked on tho p.s. Sturt, in which vessel the Defence Minister with them took his departure for Tauranga. Captain M‘Carroll and Lieutenant Casely ivero the officers in charge, and the force numbered fifty-seven rank and file, enlisted for any period, and to proceed to any locality to which they may be ordered by the Government. It is much to be regretted that no suitable clothing can be found for them. As far as service goes, doubtless, a man can fight as well in mufti as ho can in regimentals, but uniform has its advantage, which must not ho overlooked ; and we trust that something may yet be done to provide the Volunteer,, Militia with something of the kind.” The Victoria Sugar Company.— Referring to the late cases of alleged poisoning in New Zealand, the Aryw? of January 18 gives the following:—ln the year ISSG, some gentlemen connected with the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, which had been in successful operation in Sydney since 1842, conceived the idea of starting a similar company here, and being rather energetic men, of good business habits, they carried out their idea so rapidly that a fine sugar-house was in actual operation in this Colony early in 1859. Since then this company has carried on its manufacturing process almost uninterruptedly, turning out from 150 to 200 tons of sugar and treacle per week, and its operations have unquestionably proved beneficial to the Colony. As it is a private company, and under no legal obligation to publish its accounts, we do not know what return has boon obtained from the LOO, 000 which was expended in the first place on buildings and machinery, or from tho amount subsequently expended in currying on the company’s operations, but wc are informed that the shareholders have reason to be fairly satisfied, and if this be so, the company has been of great public usefulness, since it has constantly employed about a hundred hands at fair wages, while supplying the sugar consumer with an excellent article at a regular price. While some of our manufacturing companies are living on differential dirties, and others are hankering after premiums and bonuses, it is pleasant to come upon a manufactory that neither enjoys nor seeks protection in any shape, and yet manages to be successful. And the Victoria Sugar Company’s factory is a good thing to have in the Colony for this other reason, that it is a standing illustration of how much can be effected by perfect system and management, by the use of the most improved machinery and appliances, and by strict economy of time and space, of labor and of material.

A Submarine Sleep.—The Press (Canterbury) is responsible for the following :—One of the divers engaged in getting wool out of the Lightning has been enjoying a submarine “forty winks.” The day before yesterday, the men engaged in the operations above, thinking their mate was rather longer than usual in sending anything to the surface, made the usual signals in such cases, without getting any reply, and having exhausted all moans of communication from above, began to feel somewhat alarmed lest some serious accident had occurred to the man below. They accordingly equipped another diver whom they sent down to see what was the matter. Judge the surprise of the last-named when he found his mate fast asleep, dreaming the happy hours away as comfortable as if be had been lying in a bed of down. The story of the men who played cards in the diving-bell at Westminster bridge, or Shakspcarc’s ship boy whose eyes were sealed upon the high and giddy mast, arc very ordinal y tales compared to this. The man was quite sober at the time. It is necessary to state this, as some persons have circulated a report that he was half-seas over.