The Evening Star MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2287, 5 September 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1870.

The inhabitants of this Province have every reason to be satisfied with the result of their endeavors to found a University in Dunedin. The Bill which has been lately passed by the Colonial Legislature is so satisfactory, that it leaves almost nothing undone which ought to be done to place New Zealand on as favorable a footing with regard to the higher education as the sister Colonies of Victoria and New South Wales. It is not to bo expected that the growth of the University of New Zealand will be quite so rapid as that of the Melbourne and Sydney Universities, because the population from which students are to come is smaller in New Zealand than in the other Colonies ; but of its eventual success as a teaching and examining institution there cannot be a doubt. We cannot help thinking tint there would be considerable force in the sort of objections raised by the Council of Christchurch College, and brought forward in the House of Assembly by Mr JElolleston, if it were absolutely necessary that a University should.be a sort of, cast-iron institution, founded on the model of Oxford, and unsusceptible of modification. They were objections to the localisation of the University. Mr Rollestox seems to think.that because Christchurch, Auckland, Nelson, all require “ coping “ stones to their educational insti- “ tutions ” nearly as urgently as Dunedin does, it is unfair that the wants of Dunedin should be attended to, while the ether places are left in outer darkness, as the University in Dunedin will hardly be of use as a teaching institution to any of the other Provinces. But we imagine that the Council will find it necessary, at' a very early stage of its existence, to depart widely from the systems adopted in Victoria and New South Wales, to endeavor as far as possible to carry out the wishes of the Christchurch College, and to urge on the establishment of Colleges affiliated to the University in every Province of New Zealand—not to centralise, but to decentralise as far as possible, and to give the outlying Colleges large powers, recognising their teaching and their examinations in the most liberal manner possible. Thus tlxe University will lend its authority and prestiye to the support of the Colleges, and the Colleges in turn will send in their alumni to increase the number and influence of the members of the University. This plan will be practicable. The University will have “ a local habitation and name : ” Mr Rolleston’s system of Colleges depending on a University in nubUms would have been in reality as the “ baseless fabric of a vision.” As far as the inhabitants of Dunedin are concerned, we believe that the very fact of our having amongst us, as we-no doubt shall have, a staff of professors, each in his subject a first-class man, will be an inestimable benefit to ns as a community. It will raise generally the tone of feeling with regard to educational matters. We are no doubt anxious enough to have the rising generation well educated —for this we have gained considerable and not undeserved credit—but it is to be feared that we are, as a rule, very ignorant as to what education is or ought to be. Straws show how the wind blowd, and there are certainly straws euougli moving about to enable us to see that our educational wind is not blowing from the healthiest quarter. The refusal of the Council during the last session to vote the money for an Inspector of Schools, when the Board of Education and its Secretary had said that such an officer was urgently required, is not a particularly healthy symptom. If this refusal had been caused by niggardliness, it would have been at least comprehensible ; but it could not Lave been thus caused, because the Council never refuses to j grant even very large sums for educational purposes when it is convinced that they are needed. It must have been, then, that they thought such an officer unnecessary. This opinion, of course, is the result of sheer ignorance. As we said before, the presence of a staff of first-class professors will do Very much to prevent the recurrence of this and similar sad mistakes.

which lias Iwfen paid, l il)do/shG\bafl'k. tp/fthc cedit of’theitmd. To-day,’ Mr Moss received a donation of L2 2s from the Dunedin Garrick Glub. In Auckland, over LQOO has been collected. ■ v

Flax.— We are indebted to Mr T. Birch, M H R.,.for a copy of the report of Flax Cojnraissidners on the means employed in the preparation of Now Zealand '• lax, and are requested to state that, on application to him, persons engaged in the manufacture will be supplied with copies postage free. Port Chalmers. The press of matter to-day prevents our insertion of the full report sf' the case in the Resident Magistrates Court of Hill v. Burnstead for attempting to evade the gold export duty. The defendant was lined in the mitigated penalty of L 25. Bell Ward Election. —The e/Focfc of Mr Justice Chapman’s decision in Regina v. Bagley is to declare that a fresh election shall take ] dace. The writ of quo warranto will ho directed to the Mayor and Corporation, and will doubtless ho served in sufficient time to enable them to take the ncccs.ary steps for a fresh election at their meeting on Wednesday.

Trout Ova. —We are glad to say that Mr Clifford has been as successful in his mission as on previous trips. He arrived from Hobart Town by the Swordfish, and brings with him 1000 brown trout ova and above 100 sea or salmon trout. The whole are in healthy conditio-!, and have be n deposited safely in the hatching boxes. The Tariff. —In the House of Representatives on the 25th ult., Mr Bi.-ch read a petition from the master saddlers of Dunedin, praying that the articles in their trade might be admitted free of duty. Mr Vogel said, in reply, that seeing the impetus to trade which the compliance with this request would give, and that the loss to the revenue would he inconsiderable, the Government would he prepared to place these articles under the head of those free of duty. The Criminal Sessions.— Four cases were got through to-day—in one of them the prisoner pleaded guilty. The Grand Jury returned true hills in all the matters referred to them, and were discharged until Wednesday, when indictments in O’Bien’s case and that from the Dunstau will be sent to them for consideration. The ease against the policeman M‘Lennon will be taken on Wednesday, and in regard to it we are in a position to state that there is not the slightest foundation for the statement of our contemporary, that Messrs Smith and Macaasey will assist to conduct the case for the Crown.

The Port Chalmers j Graving Dock. —The following letter has been address ed by the Superintendent to the Colonial Secretary:—-‘Sir—With a view to its becoming generally known that vessels of Her Maj-sty’s navy as well as of the mercantile marine frequenting these seas can be docked and repaired in Mew Zealand, I have the honor to request that his Excellency the Governor may be advised to call the attention of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to the stone graving dock, now rapidly approaching completion at the port of Otago, the dimensions of which arc as under Depth of water at dock sill, ordinary tides, 19ft. 6ft. ; do, springtides, 21ft.; do, neap tides, 17ft. Gin. ; length of dock, 330 ft. ; width above, GSft. ; width below, Lift. I may add that the dock will he ready to take in vessels in January, 1871. i have, &c., James Macandkew, Superintendent. ”

Pedestrianism. —When we went to press on Saturday, the six mile race had just commenced. There were four competitors, Austin being at scratch, the others— Pollock, Shell, and Harris receiving GGO yards start—sixty more than was originally intended, but it was agreed that they should receive the additional start, because Austin had not run in any of the other rae- 3. The course had to be traversed forty-eight times before the distance was completed, and before the first mile had been run, Austin had gained two rounds on fiis opponents. From that point, however, be contented himself by getting close up to them. Pollock “ caved in” early, and Shell'maintained a good pace, amusing himself by rushing to the fore every other minute until the last mile, when he retired. Austin and Howes kept doje together until nearly the termination pf the last round, when the former put on a magnificent spurt, losing the race by about 150 yards. Hftcl he ma le up bis mind to put on that spurt earlier (and to us there appeared to be no reason why he could not have done so) the result would have been different. The race was nm in 39 minutes, 48 seconds.

Acclimitisation. the head of his department, Mr W. Gray says : —“ During my stay in California 1 endeavored to obtain a collection of animals, birds, plants, and seeds suitable to the climate of this colony, fint, unfortunately, it happened to bo the close of the season, and 1 failed to obtain any, although I offered high prices for both animals and birds. 1 have however left instructions to forward, when the proper season arrives, 200 mountain quail, 100 pin-tailed grouse, 20 or 30 hares, and a hive of humble bees, the latter for distributing the pollen of the red clov v to suable it to seed, which, I am led to understand, it hag not yet done in New Zealand. Being mid-summer, the season was also unfavorable for bringing treps or plants. I have, however, brought a few pf several varieties, which were"represented if) me as good ami useful sorts ; these, with an assortment of garden seeds, I have handed to Dr. Hector for distribution. Among the seeds are those of the various vegetables used in California. Some of them, such as the different varieties of the cabbage, are common here, but, being inexpensive, and an occasional change of seed being desirable, besides, the blight, which js so common here being unknown in California, I thought the introduction of healthy seeds into the colony would be useful.”

A meeting of the members of the Pioneer Lodge will be held at the the lodge ro)ms, to-morrow evening, at 8 p.m. A meeting of the Standard Property Investment Society for receiving 'Subscriptions, &c., will be held at the offices of Society, on Wednesday next between six and eight o'clock-