Untitled

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2111, 10 February 1870, Page 2

Crime in Victoria. —lt is officially stated that the number of prisoners who passed through the Melbourne gaol during the year just over was 5047. The number who have been lodged in the Swauston street lock-up would probably amount to 20,000. The Mayor’s Court. — I. N. Watt, Esq., E.M., and Edward M'Glashan, Esq., J.P., were on the bench at the Mayor’s Court this morning. The only cases were two charges against W. Dalziel, contractor, for a breach of the bye-laws, in not keeping a light burning on building materials. He was fined 5s and costs for each oifeuce. Thatcher’s Concerts. —Mr Small took his benetit at the Masonic Hall last evening The attendance was not so laige as wc have been accustomed to sec there, yet if we consider the inclemency of the weather, there was a larger number prose tthun might have been expected. Mr Small Mas mclcomed with the most friendly demonstrations, and his songs wire received v.ith applause. Mr Thatcher, too, introduced a new song, which was received in theqisual enthusiastic manner.

Missionary Meeting.—The annual missionary meeting in connection with the Presbyterian Church was held at Bluespur, on Tuesday, the Ist instant. 'Die Bov. I). Copeland was chairman. Mr M'Lellan read the financial report, which showed that the collections for the year amounted to Llo (is (id. Details of proceedings were given by the chairman, and the meeting was addressed hy the Dev Mr Allan, of Waihola, and several gentlemen resident in the district.

The prospectus of the now series of shares in the Second New Zealand Building and Mutual Investment .Society will he found in full in another column. It appears to possess several advantages -which common. •, it to investors. A new scries of shares has been issued, instead of forming a new Society, in order to avoid the preliminary expenses as far as possible, and in everything to economise future expenses of management. We are informed that the profits made by this Society have been greater than those of any at present existing in the town. We arc requested to call attention to an error in the lirst advertisement, in which the entrance fee was stated to be five shillings instead of two- shillings and sixpence per share.

Quartz Mining iNjAuckland. —The miners of Auckland ought to be rich indeed, if the following calculation given by the Southern Cross be true:—“ The following figures, which may be relied upon as authentic, will show the expense involved in working quartz reefs. Wc may observe that the claim is considered a very good one : —Quartz crushed, 306 tons, yielding C39oz Bdwt Igr, producing L 1,401 11s Cd ; average value per ounce, 43s 0d ; average value per ton of quartz, L 4 11s Gcl ; average yield per ton, 2oz 2dwt; average" 1 amount of quartz produced per week (for 20 weeks), lb tons 6cwt. Average cost per t»n for wages only (this item includes labor on permanent improvements to the mine), L2 7s !0d ; expense of getting, carting, charges, and crashing, LI 14s 2d ; total cost per ton, including crushing, L 4 25.” The Hidden Cost of War.—The settlers in the Waikato arc feeling the inconvenience of be ng called on to perform military duty at the very period of the year when they are most required mi their farms. From a private letter from a settler at (Jambridge we (Auckland Iherald) take the following extract :—“ It is ridiculous to think of Te "Kooti attacking Waikato. What the Government ought to do is to keep a small standing force along the frontier whose business it should he to keep a good look-out, and should Te Kooti have the audacity to show himself, to give him light. There would be no lack of volunteers for this purpose ; but (instead of this being done, the few settlers are called away from their homes and families, in the midst of harvest operations and dairy work, though every day they arc from their farms at the present time is an incalculable loss to them. It is grievous to see the crops dead ripe and going to ruin for want of being cat, especially as it is the onlj' produce many struggling settlers arc depending on Hundreds of acres of hay are cut, which cannot ho touched. What the cattle will do for winter food in a great many cases, 1 am at a loss to imagine.” The Acclimatisation Society.— There was a full meeting of the Council of the Society this afternoon; Mr W. D. Murisou occupying the chair. The manager reported that he had received, ex Warrior Queen, 65 pheasants, 1 silver pheasant, 30 partridges, 1 hare, 10 starlings, some extra cockbirds, 12 blackbirds, 2 thrushes, 6 skylarks, and 6 goldfinches ; and that he had liberated 13 partridges at Green Island, and 14 at Goodwood, and 10 starlings at Caversham. One partridge escaped from the depot, and three cock and nine hen pheasants and one partridge had died. Amongst the correspondence read was a letter from Mr Finlayson, Popotunoa, enclosing a donation of L 6 Is towards the Society’s funds, and a communication from Mr A. G-. Allen, Green Island, on the subject of the alleged hare nuisance at Lake Waipori. With reference to the latter, the manager was instructed to proceed to the locality, and ascertain if the hares had increased as stated ; and if he found they had, to take the necessary steps to snare them. Mr J. A. Ewcn wrote, detailing the final arrangements in connection with the recent shipment of of birds. After stating that he had in hand some L6O (including a donation'of LlO, and another donation of Ll6 13s by himself), he wrote —“Of this sum, it is not very probable that I shall expend any until the season comes round for black game and deer, as well as hares (although the latter is not one of the portions of your order), which I am most desirous of obtaining, as 1 notice by your last report that you had got some from Victoria, and am convinced that it is the host place to get them,, as there is both considerable expense and risk in getting them from this country. Still if a favorable opportunity of forwarding auy presents occurs, I shall not neglect to avail myself of it. As to the other portions of your letter I shall attend to thorn in due course and report accordingly. i may add that I purpose going to Scotland before the New Year, and shall make it my business to do something for you while there,” A sub-committee was appointed, to report as to suitable localities iu which to turn out the birds. Special thanks were awarded to Mr J. A. Ewen, and a vote of thanks awarded to Messrs J. W. Temple, and W. Savill, Captain Hendry, and Captain Wilson, of the Warrior Queen. The Long Drive Claim. —Speaking of the position of this claim, the Hew Zealand Herald of a recent date says -There have been ten dividends during the past six months—two in each of the months of July, September, October, and November, and one in August, and one in December. Four of them were four pounds per share, live of three pounds per share, and one two pounds per share. The last dividend of four pounds per share was paid |on the 24th December. The total value of gold obtained from the mine during that period—July to December last was L49,(XM>, and the amount paid j n dividends L30,6(H). The nominal capital of the company is L6OOO, in 1200 shares of Lo each, with L 3 (is 8d paid up, so that the last half-year’s dividends were very nearly equal to ten times the paid-up capital of the company, and were more than six-aud-a-half times the nominal capital. Wc present those facts thus freely, because the circumstances of the time demand that public journals should give full and correct information. The ignorant and the timid, more especially in gold speculation, very soon take alarm—they arc easily worked upon, and influences are often brought to bear on their fears to cause them to part with their property during times of panic. Indeed,

these panics arc often got up with the particular object of depreciating stock, it being well known that a harvest can be frequently gathered during their continuance. The Long Drive stock is an instance, perhaps, of this'charactcr. It fell as much as fifty polecat, iu the course of a few days, there was no assignable cause for this. A ague rumors, repeated from mouth to mouth, none knowing whence they originated, were sulllcient to effect it. Alarm caused persons to oiler their shares in greater numbers than usual. A lower price must be taken to effect a sale, and money not being very plentiful just now, it was easy to reduce the price when a forced sale was made. To show the amount of misrepresentation and credulity on the subject, it was absolutely stated as a reason why shares should be sold that there had been no dividends for several months ; and people will not take the trouble to get accurate information when it is within their reach. The reaction in respect to these shares set in on Thursday, Persons who sold under the excitement caused hy the falsehoods circulated became aware of their mistake, and went into the market to re-purchase ; but they found they could only do so at a very much higher price than that for which they sold their own stock. We know of instances where Long Drive shares purchased at noon on Thursday were re sold towards evening at an advance of LI 5 each.

Tokomairiro. —We take the following from yesterday’s Bruce Herald : —Mr Shaw, Lake Waipori, started a new (lax mill last week, and with one of M‘Quecn and Kincaid’s machines, expects to turn out about SOcwt. a week.—At the Tabic Hill Quartz Mining Company’s works, the casing was reached on Thursday last, and the reef itself cut on Saturday. The indications are very hopeful, quartz of the size of ordinary road metal, showing from three to nine specs of gold, visible to the naked eye. All experienced miners will know this is a very good specimen of gold-bearing quartz.—Sergeant (Jobden, who for the last seven years has been stationed at Balclutha, is to be removed to Waikouaiti, and will be succeeded by Sergeant. Biilleu. Miss Dannie Camndini takes a benefit at St. George's Hall, this evening. A good programme has been provided, and there ought to be a largo attendance.