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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2296, 15 September 1870, Page 2

Tim English Mail. —Says the Post: —Australian advices informs us that the Victorian Government contemplate sending a despatch boat to Galle, to bring immediate intelligence of the fact, should England unfortunately become involved in the Continental war. Could not our Government make some provision for bringing the like intelligence here without delay ? The English mail often arrives at Melbourne in the early part of the week, and, as the steamers only sail on Saturdays, there is frequently several days’ delay. In support of this we may now state the fact that the mail just received—certainly the most important which has come to hand for some years—was five days on board the Tararua’prior to her departure from Hobson’s Bay, In the event of England becoming involved in war, the importance to this Colony of early intelligence of the fact i cannot be over rated, and, as tlje next mail may not improbably bring important information on ,tbo subject, we foci justified in again more earnestly urging on the Government the absolute necessity for arranging for the immediate transmission to this Colony of any important iutelligencejwhich may reach Australia by way of Galle. To neglect this precaution would be little short of a political crime, and no monetary considerations should be allowed to stand in the way. Acclimatisation Society. The weekly meeting of this Society took place to day. Present—Messrs F. Fulton, Kenyon, Garrick, Shemian, Eccles, Munson (in the chair) and Clifford. The manager reported that the ova were processing favorably, and that be had turned 17 porch

into the reservoir. It was reported that a pair of partridges were flushed last week in the Green Island district, A subscription of LI was received from Mr G. Matthews.

Southland.— An Invercargill telegram in the Bruce Herald says:—“Mr Macandrew is expected here per first steamer to complete the re-union arrangements. The people are universallyfavorable to the change. The running of a weekly steamer between here and Dunedin is hailed with satisfaction, and is accepted as a proof of Otago’s good intentions towards this Province.” Mail .News.— We have not space for more than a few extracts :—The new flying squadron, which w 11 leave England about the second week in October, under the command of Rear-Admiral Beaufort Seymour, C.8., will consist of the Narcissus, flagship, 85 guns ; the Glasgow, 28 gnus ; the Aurora, 35 guns ; the Yolage, 8 guns ; and probably two corvettes.—Geor.e Tarrant, the celebrated cricket r, is dead.—The women personation case stands over till Dec. The accused persons are out on bail, and are not likely to he heard of in the country again. Notwithstanding that Lord Arthur Clinton’s attorney certified to his demise, and a coffin was certainly hurried in the presence of his brother the Duke of Newcastle, there are not warting persons who declare their belief that the whole business was a sham, and that Lord Arthur has escaped to the Continent. —Mr Charles Wilraot has moved with the Lyceum Company to the Eastern! of London, So much did ho make of the characters he assumed in “Chilperic” and “Little Faust,” that both have been rewritten and considerably extended, so as to afford him an opportunity of adding still further to the attractions of the plays in which he appears.

The War, in Europe. —On again referiug to our Victorian files wo find it stated in an Adelaide telegram that the leading South Australian paper strongly urges on the Government of that Colony the necessity of fo'lowing the example set by the Victorian Government, and of making arrangements for the defence of the Colony. A passenger to Adelaide by the llangatira mail steamer assorts that when he left Loudon thousands of Germans were throwing up their occupations and leaving to join in the anticipated war. This news caused great excitement amongst the Germans in Adelaide. We find, also, that the Government of New South Wales intended to bring a Militia Bill before Parliament at once. A meeting of German residents of Melbourne was convened for the afternoon of Sept. 3 to take means t)wards raising a fund on behalf of their countrymen wounded in the war, and the widows and orphans of the killed. A considerable sum has already been subscribed, and much enthusiasm has been exhibited by the German citizens of Melbourne on the subject. Similar meetings of Germans were announced in Adelaide and Sydney. The Ari/UJ advocates the establishment of a fortnightly mail service viil Galle, to which it thinks the other colonies would readily subscribe. Our contemporary sa3’s : —Since the war news arrived business has been almost suspended in some of its branches through the holders of goods being quite in the dark as to how their value had been affected by the outbreak of hostilities. And similiar difficulties will be constantly occurring, to the great detriment of our trade, if we content ourselves with a monthly mail throughout a protracted European war. Meat Preserving at Woodland.— Very few people know where Woodland is, and fewer still are prepared to hear of the astonishing change that has come over the place since the meat preserving works were established there. For the information of the first mentioned class of persons we may mention that it is situated in the province of Southland. The works give employment to sixty men, exclusive of those employed in ordinary and casual labor, and in one month there was manufactured 116 tons of meat in various forms for export, obtained from 7000 sheep and 600 bullocks. Post, money order, and savings’ bank offices have been opened on the works, and a telegraphic office has been applied for, and if granted will, we believe, prove not the least payable to the Colony. Mr Moody, the enlightened and enterprising general manager of Messrs Wotherspoon and Co’s establishments, is only waiting the re-imion of Southland and Otago to apply for the erection of school hui dings there also, under the Otago educational scheme, an attendance of 35 children being guaranteed by the workmen engaged on the premises and in the immediate vicinity. A lesson has thus been set by Mr Moody which should be copied by other large employers of labor throughout the Colony, as the existence on public works of snob means of encouraging thrift and advancement in educational acquirements among wording men must largely contribute to their prosperity. Transfer of Land.—As the Land Transfer Bill has now become law, a, sketch of its provisions taken from the Herald may not be without interest. The main principle of the Act is the receiving of a fresh and unimpeachable title from the Crown at every time of transit r. Of course, to reap so great a benefit in the case of an old title, both trouble and expense may be expected, as the bringing of such a title within the provisions of the Act, will subject it to the severest tests. As it is optional with every holder to avail himself or not, as he pleases, of the provisions of the Act, no wrong is done to any ; but if the holder of real property desires to obtain the benefits that the measure confers, once and for ever, he must first make out a perfect title to the satisfaction of the Master of Titles, or officer specially charged with making the strictest scrutiny into the validity of titles submitted. The fact of application most further be publicly notified for a specified time, but once accepted and registered, the title given from the Crown is valid against tjic world. It signifies not what claimant may bo shown , by others, the uew claimant may seek his; remedy fro pi the Master qf Titles as representing the Croyn ; but as against the holler of the registered .Grown title lie is powerless. In order to save the Registration Office against such claims, a small percentage on the value of the property is paid to an Insurance fund at the time of first registration; from which fund any subsequent claim established respecting registered property may be paid. But so strict is the statute regarding a doubtful title before registration, that this fund in each of the colonies is accumulating. In the case of Crown grants, title is given under the Act; and in the case of titles one or two removes from the Crown, the difficulties of registration are merely nominal But in every case the title, when once given by the Registration Office, is equally valid and

can never be questioned. The title is on parchment; and if the property is subsequently sold, the seller merely draws .out a “ memorandum of conveyance,” deposits his parchment title in the Registration Office, and the holder of the memorandum of conveyance receives from the office, at a nominal fee, a fresh parchment title from the Crown to the property. Should he wish to subdivide the laud, he forms and registers a “plan of sub-division,” leaving it with his title in the Registration Office, and on his selling a sub-division, he gives a “memorandum of conveyance ” to the purchaser, who, on depositing it at the office, receives from the Crown a parchment title to the subdivision. Should a holder wish to mortgage, he deposits the title, and it receives en endorsatiou of the terms of the mortgage; and this visible sign of his equity of redemption he can use or transfer as he would any other marketable commodity. Should he, on paying off the desire to obliterate all traces of former difficulties, he can obtain a fresh parchment, free from every bar or trace of impecuniosity. The whole system is one of exceeding simplicity, and approximates as near as possible, or as is desirable, the dealings in connection with real property to those in connection with ordinary goods and chattels. That such a measure will be a boon to our young country none can deny. Titles are generally, as yet, complicated. Many a poor man would have owned a small allotment for a homestead, had the costs of transfer been but a few shillings, and every colonist, poor and rich, will benefit from the facilities with which land can pass from band to hand, to the convenience of the community, and the comfortable settlement of thousands.

We have been requested to state that the defendant in the case of Porter v. Hoi* man, in the Magistrate’s Court, yesterday, wa , not Mr J. Holman. The name was mis-spelt; it should have been Oldman.