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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2221, 20 June 1870, Page 2

Parliament.—ln the Assembly on the 14th, the Hon. Mr Fox introduced a hill to amend the “Intestate Estates Act, 1865,” which was read a lirst, time. Mr Mervyn gave notice of his intention to introduce a hill to amend the Goldfields Act.—Mr 11ulleston, without notice, asked the Hon. the Premier whether it was the intention of tho Government to carry out the recommendation of the House last session with respect to the appointment or a committee to whom all goldfields legislation would he remitted ; and the Premier suggested that notice of the question should be given.— In the Council on the 15th, the Hon. the Solicitor-General obtained leave to bring in a bill for altering punishment in certain cases of high treason. — On -the 17th the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Messrs Carrington, llich, and the Government, presented the address in reply to the Governor. —Mr Swan asked the Premier whether Government knew that the cargo of South Sea Islanders had been imported into Auckland for working in the flax fields ; also if they are aware of the intention of the parties to continue the traffic ; and in reply the Premier said the Goverhment had no information how the islanders were obtained; butTif they ascertained that the abuse, as hinted hy Mr Swan, was likely to occur, they would, after due consideration with the Auckland members, take steps to remedy the evil. The Hon. tho Colonial Treasurer said as soon as the wire arrived from England no time would be dost in constructing a line of telegraph to Taranaki. Spiritualism. —Dr. Carr delivered a lecture on this subject in the Theatre on Saturday evening to a crowded audience ; Dr Richardson occupying the chair. The lecturer, in the course of a very lengthy address, contended that modern Spiritualism existed only in the imagination ; it was an ideal thing, and not a fact, and contrary to the laws of God. He argued that tho manifestations of the Davenports, Home, and others, were nothing more nor less than trickery, and with a view of showing that animal magnetism was capable of producing phenomena like what Spiritualists lay claim to having produced, he caused one of Ids audience to go into a somnambulistic state, and see in his imagination as a medium saw. Mr Rcdmayiui, as an investigator of Spiritualism, stepped forward and narrated his experiences, which he said coidd not have resulted except through the agency of some unknown intelligence. Dr Carr afterwards answered a number of questions to the evident satisfaction of the audience, and the proceedings terminated with a vote of thunks to the chairman.

The Matoaka. —The fires reported to have been seen on the Auckland Islands on Jan, 6th, 1870, by the captain of the Aim Duthie, seem to be accounted for by the following facts ; -The schooner Oreti arrived ‘at Port Chalmers on March 8, 1870, from the Auckland Islands, having left the group on Feb. 23, 1870. The schooner had been on a whaling expedition, and had cruised about the Auckland Islands for three months. During that time the captain, Beatson, visited ,t}-c various places at which stores had been left for castaways, 'this he (lid in consequence of haying discovered certain human and .other remains. Gapt. Gishon had an opportunity of examining Cai>tain, perl a m wi hj loercnce to his cruise to the Avicldanl Islands, and the latter said he felt .certain there was not a living person on the Islands at the time he left, F,eb. 23, 1870. The fires which the captain of the Ann Duthie reports having seen on Jan. 6, are likely to have been caused by the men belonging to the Oreti. Jt will ho remembered that the Matoaka sailed from Lyttelton on May 13, 1869. — LyttdU,n Times. Martin's Bat. trict it is the universally expressed opi ion that Fox’s party did. nothing in ;tho shape of thoroughly prospecting the country. They ran over too much country and never sank a hole. The men working on the road have originated a prospecting party into which each pays 5s per week. A party of road men sunk a hole in a likely looking gully to the depth of twenty feet. They found gold in three different strata, and appearances warrant them sinking further. A very extensive beach, having the appearance of an old lake, has been discovered on the Dart River. Every panful of the stuff lifted showed the “ color.” Hie party tried to sink hut found too much water, hut thought two Californian pumps would bottom. Eight persons have gone over the saddle in the direction of Martin’s Bay within the last fortnight.—A correspondent writing from the head of Lake Wakatip, says that the road to Martin’s Bay is made fifteen miles from the head of the lake. It crosses the river Dart and its tributary streams live times. The fords are all paved with hewn stone, and where there is deep water trees have been foiled for foot bridges. The crossing places are very firmly constructed, and have withstood several heavy floods. The hushmen or timber cutters are seventeen miles a-head of the roadmen, and have already cleared a track to Lake Harris, on the top of the great dividing range. A further cutting round a rocky precipice for some threo miles will complete the track to the Saddle, as far as the woodcutters are concerned. No weather up to Sunday last had been experienced that is likely to interfere with the prosecution of the works. We learn that the men charged with rioting, ami preventing other men from working g,t a reduced rate of wages, were tried on Saturday at Queenstown. Two of the number were hound over to keep the peace. Evidence was, it is said, obtained with groat reluctance, and the charges of iniim dation, erecting a scaffold, frc., could not be proved. Mr Simpson, Distrkrt Engineer, paid off in Queenstown over tjfirty of the men who had struck.— Diumlan Time*. Political, —At a public meeting, held recently at Waimate, Bay of Islands. Mr Carleton, Chairman of Committees ip the House of Representatives, declined to give his constituents any pledge of support, or

otherwise, to the Fox Ministry, He said he ■would be very glad if he found their measures in accordance with the views he had expressed on almost every subject, and to which he was bound. As far as he knew it, he approved of Mr Al‘bean’s Native policy. He considered that both the Richmond administrations —of the elder as well as the younger—has been most disastrous to the Colony, He had always consistently opposed both.—The requisition calling on Messrs Vogel and O’Neill to resign their seats in the Assembly, has not (says the Cromwell A >v/h.«) been numerously signed throughout the Province, no public organisation having been formed on the goldfields. The petition was sent to two or three persons, who felt that it was really the work of a committee with canvassers, and so it has Inmmishcd.—Judging by our Northern files, Mr Kynncrsly’s election for Westland North is a certainty. The following are the loading points of his programme : —“ Should you do me the honor to return me as your representative, I should go to the Hou-c as an independent member, nob p'e lged to support the Government, but disposed to do so, unless a closer study of public affairs should lead to the conviction that it would be very clearly for the benefit of the Colony that the present Ministers should give place to others. The Maori question is at present of paramount importance, and the management of Native affairs by the present Defence .Minister apj:e irs to me to be more judicious and successful than that of any of his predecessors. With regard to tho relations of the Colony with the United Kingdom and with the Australian Colonies, I may say that, while strongly opposing any measure calculated to tend to tho alienation of tho Colony from the mother country, I should think it advisable to keep always in view the possibility of a separation taking place, and to prepare for it by consolidating and centralising the powers and resources at present dispersed among the Provinces in one strong national New Zealand Government. I should advocate the abolition of the existing Provincial institutions, and at the sum 3 time provide for tho extension of true local self-govern-ment in matters of purely local interest, hy dividing the whole Colony into small compact districts with good natural boundaries, and alloting to each district a certain fixed proportion of tho revenue derived from it, to be administered by a local board constituted in the most simple and inexpensive manner that could be devised. Upon tho subject of free trade, 1 confess to entertaining some doubts as to whether the generally received doctrines are univcrsolly applicable, and I am rather inclined to believe that there may be a period during the growth of a young nation when protection to native industry, although economically disadvantageous, may bo politically expedient; hut as to whether this is now the condition of this country, my opinion is not yet completely formed.” We have received from Mr C. Begg, the publisher, copies of Mr J, T. May's compositions, “The TuisSong” and ‘‘The Otago Polka.” We will take an early opportunity of noticing them. Owing to pressure on our space we are compelled to omit Mr Paterson’s letter on the subject of the Dunedin Presbytery. It will appear in to-morrow’s issue. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Dunedin Mutual Improvement Society will be held in the lower hall below the Athenauun (Octagon) to-morrow evening, at S o’clock. Business : Discussion on Mr Mecrs lecture on spiritualism. Public invited. Committee meeting at a quarter past 7.