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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2295, 14 September 1870, Page 2

mera to-morrow morning early; hy the Taranaki. He seems to anticipate up at once to Dunedin ; but in all probability the arrangements for bis reception at Port Chalmers will render his stay there for a few hours necessary. We hear that a committee has been formed to invite him to an entertainment, as an expression of the appreciation of the citizens of Dunedin of the services he has rendered during the past session.

Princess Theatre. —Dr Carr gave the first of a series of lectures on Mesmerism last evening to a good attendance, and was as successful in his experiments ai on any previous occasion. The lecture will be repeated this evening. An Extraordinary Tree. —Mr A. S. Cameron recently cut down on his farm at the front of Lancaster a tree which the Cornwall Freeholder terms an extrafirdinary one. It was a pine tree which yielded 23 saw logs, producing 6500 feet of sawn timber. 3 lie logs were sawn at M ‘Rae-’s Mills, Glenuevis. The story, though improbab'e, is true. The tree produced several logs from the trunk, then branching off into three great limbs tripled the number of the logs in every twelve feet.— Toronto Globe.

Bachelor Schoolmaster Wanted, —The Warepa correspondent of the Bruce Standard writes : called to an advertisement in the Gazette for a teacher to a school at a place called Dryb:ead—by no means an inviting name—salary, Ll5O per annum, upon the somewhat singular condition that he be a single man. The natural inference is, that the gentlemen composing the committee are in a different state themselves ; blessed perhaps with a round dozen each, and find two or three marriageable daughters hang rather heavily. Drybrcadites must be a slow set certainly, and deserve to go without butter for life.” Journalistic Fatalities. —A Melbourne paper says ; —The late Ovens Constitution must have been (if there is any truth in an old sailor’s superstition) launched on a Friday. Here is a category of the ills which have befallen those most prominently connected with it. We cull from the Spectator: —“ The editors of that journal, which was first started in 1856, and became defunct in 1868, when the Ovens Spectator commenced its career, were singularly unfortunate. The first became insolvent; the second died suddenly, with a suspicion of being accidentally poisoned ; the third, Mr Barry, a short time ago committed suicide ; the fourth and fifth editors became insane ; the sixth, a gentleman who bought the piper, lost heavily by his venture ; the seventh and last being the only one who has not as yet sustained any serious calamity in consequence of his connection with the departed Ovens Constitution.’'

Sunday Tiuffic. —Spurred to action by the Southland Presbytery the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce have taken the subject into serious consideration. At the meeting of the Chamber on the Bth inst., the following resolutions were carried : —“That this Chamber expresses its entire disapproval of the custom of allowing the steamers to discharge and load their cargoes at the Bluff on Sundays, and that the members of this Chamber be requested to discourage the practice, by refusing to receive or ship their goods on Sundays, and that a of tins resolution be forwarded to the Customs authorities, and the agents of (ho steamers, by the Secretary, and to their respective shippers, by the members of this Chamber.” “ That this Chamber respectfully requests the General Government to instruct tho Custom House officers in Southland to prohibit steamers loading or discharging cargo on Sundays ; and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Hon. the Premier.”

Government Patronage. —ln speaking of Mr Gillies’ motion regarding the exclusion of paid officers from the Legislature, Mr Vogel said:— “ Does any hon. member suppose the Government gain anything by patronage ? For every fricxd it makes it invariably makes about twenty enemies. There are always twenty persons who want : the appointment which you are only able to give to one, and the chances are that the person you give it to thinks it is not enough ; for him, and twenty people are dissatisfied. : I think if the Government consulted its own interest it would allow the leader of the opposition to take charge of the patronage, as it had not that control over the opposition as it had over the Government. I do not say that it would be beneficial from a public point of view, but I mean to say as a matter of convience it would be better. Every mail that arrives brings almost every member of the Government at least half-a-dozen letters applying for appointments. I only this moment received a letter applying for an appointment as manager of the Drury railway at Auckland. Sir, before the ink had dried on the financial statement, shoals of applications came in from persons who were qualified to do anything—from taking charge of immigrants to driving an engine. Mining Intelligence. Gold lias been often found (says the WakoMp Mail) within the Queenstown Town-belt, and some of the finds have been publicly recorded by us. Some of these finds included pieces of gold weighing from 2 to 8 dwts,, and many of the gross grains were very payable. In the early days of the goldfields, many pounds weight were taken out of the little streams or gullies that How into the To ui Creek or into the Lake; but generally the gold, though course in grain, could not be called “ nuggetty.” In a place known as the OneMile Creek, just outside the town boundary, Yardley and mate have hit upon a patch. They, as well as Stenhnuse, Shore and party, and others, have been working with ordinary success ; but last week they were more than rewarded for their labor. The “ patch ” yielded a nugget which the owners state weighs 220z5., and they besides got gold to the amount of 14ozs. A very nice return in a small creek that is so easily worked. The creek being very narrow affords no room for any considerable number of workers, but attention is being attracted to the terraces which, from the first days of the rush, have always commanded more or less attention. They have never been profitably worked however, though always deemed auriferous. At one time in 1863, the townspeople subscribed some L2OO to bring a water-race on them, but the money produced no good results. Eventually, the race passed into the hands of Mr R. Johnson, then into that of Mr Beer, and finally into the hands of Messrs Robertson and Co., who intend bringing it into their timberyard, Queenstown, to work machinery. This find may, however, lead to the water being used for mining purposes. One thing is certain, that attention has been forcibly attracted to the many places known to be more or less auriferous from Frankton to the

Twelve-Mile (Lake). The presence of the smaller pieces of gold mentioned, and now this nugget, has awakened attention. A prospect can be obtained almost anywhere within the town belt in the little rivulets mentioned, and now probably they will be systematically tried. From Skippers we receive favorable accounts. The Chinese have bought out Bennefc, Vallr.int, and party in a creek claim for L 370. The tunnels are working, and, generally, miners are obtaining fair returns. In the’ Moke Creek district, the miners were never doing better, and claims are tcuatiously held. The Chinese element is rapidly increasing here as well as on the Upper Shotovar, and “John” is as happy and contented as if he was living in his own “ Flowery Land.” This tells well. Land Sale at Qeenstown. —The duly advertised sale of town allotments, not previously offered for sale, took place on Monday last, at the Court-house. The allotments ai’e what are called outside lots ; the previous five or six sales having enabled all the choice business central ones to be purchased. This sale included all the recently surveyed lots, and unless the boundaiyis extended in size the town will shortly outgrow itself. The sale drew a very large attendance, and the result showed a strong and keen competition. Indeed the prices realised were surprising, and especially so considering that many of the earlier purchased sections In business streets can be rented or leased upon term from 5s to 15s per annum. The real facts the sale disclosed were—lst. That parties were desirous to acquire residence areas outside as it were of the town. 2nd That many of the laboring classes wanted a i piece of ground for themselves. 3rd. That speculators wished to secure the best chances offered to them Under these circumstances the biddings were free and spirited, and thus the auctioneer (Mr Sponcc) had a pleasing duty to perform, and ably he acquitted himself. He had only to d -al with a plethora of bids, and had not to recommend a lot of rocks as a fine building site ; for some of these lots brought LIG to Ll7. The number of sections exposed for sale was 14(5, and of and of these 136 were sold. The amount realised was LS'K), ami this gives an average of L 6 per section. The prices ranged from L 3 to Ll7 5s per section. The public were as much taken by surprise as no doubt the Government will be at the result. Queenstown, from first to last, has been a good thing for the Government, and when she urges her own special requirements wo hope the fact of the successful land sales effected will not be without weight.— Mali.

The members of the Otago Kilwining Lodge, No. 417 S.‘are requested to attend the Installation of the K.W.M.; and officers of the Lodge of E.O., this evening, in the Masonic Hall, at half-past seven o’clock.

The A.LO.O.F.—There are ‘no institutions that commend themselves more to the sympathy of society than those which have for their object the diminution of human suffering. No doubt it would be an advantage if men could realise the claims of the bereaved sufficiently to relieve them, apart from all other considerations. But there is something social in a ga-hering together to help them, and to combine with that gathering the enjoyment of the dance—to C el that the pleasure 's enhanced byGie object sought to be accomplished. The eighth anniversary of the A. 1. <O. F. Pioneer Lodge, is to he celebrated by a baT, the profits of which are to be devoted to the widow and Orphan’s Fund. We need say nothing more to c mmeud it to the ptronage of our readers.

The English Mail.—The Taranaki, with the English mail on board, left Lyttelton at half-past two o’clock this afternoon, and is due at Port Chalmers to-morrow forenoon. The Superintendent.— His Honor the Superintendent will arrive in Port Chal-