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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2546, 15 April 1871, Page 2

Gaol Return.—The following is the state of ELM. Gaol, Dunedin, for the •week ending the 15 th April, 1871 : Awaiting trial, 1 man. 0 women ; under remand 0 men, U women ; penal servitude, 91 men, 0 women ; hard labor, 51 men, 25 women ; in default of bail, 0 men, 0 women ; debtors, 1 man ; —total, 144 men, 25 women; Deceived during the week, 6 men, 2 women; discharged, 11 men, 4 women.

Mayor’s Court.— The business this morning was limited to the disposal of two cases of drunkenness. John Walsh was fined ss, and John Campbell, 20s.

Accident. Messrs Guthrie and Asher have received a telegram announcing that the mate and another man connected with the brigantine Ottawa, now loading in the Tiro am Harbor, were drowned t ;-day.

Whaling.— We are informed that a whale of the humpbacked species was fastened to this morning, olf Waikonaiti, by Mr Or, IbJvnson, and that after it was harpooned it mode out to sea, towing the boat with great velocity for several miles. There being do other bo -t at hand to give assistance, it was deemed prudent to cut tho line and let the whale escape.

Accident. —Mr W. S. Douglas, while proceeding on horseback last evening in tho direction of the oorth East \alley, was thrown from his horse and was cut about the head and a good deal shaken. When picked up ho was lying insensible in Union street He was at once removed to tho Hospital, where his wounds were dressed by Ur Yales, and is- no w progressing favorably;

The Gazette.—The JS T eto Zealand Gazette of the oth inst. contains more than usually useful details of information. There is a list of Act i passed during the last session of the General Assembly; a list of classified officers in the Customs department ; an abstract of meteorological observations for the month of February ; and an analysis of the Statutes of New Zealand, 1807. This analysis will prove most useful, as it gives the marginal notes of the various clauses of each Act, so that a clue is afforded to its provisions.

Canterbury Presbytery.— At the last meeting of this body the following resolution was adopted : —“ A statement having been made by Messrs Macgowan and Douglas that the Eev. Mr Todd, of Oamani, had, on the Peninsula, dispensed the sacrament of baptism without any communication with, or authority from any member of this Presbytery, the Presbytery Clerk be instructed to communicate with the Presbytery of Dunedin, of which it appears that Mr Todd is a member, drawing attenrion to this violation of the ordinary manner of intercourse between ministers of different Presbyterian churches.” Business in Auckland. —A correspondent sends the following to the Auckland Herald :—During my business career in Auckland, it has been a common practice with me to deal with those who patronise my own shop. Thus my grocer’s, baker’s, butcher’s, shoemaker’s hills, &c., have been usually settled by contras. I thought, however, I was going far enough when 1 found myself obliged to become the unwilling owner of a cumbrous piece of furniture, for « hick I had no use ; but will you believe it, that a man had just had the coolness to propose the liquidation of his debt by “supplying myself or any of my friends with coffins.” This appeared to me liko dying to live with a vengeance. '

Yacht Kace.—The Otago Yacht Club Sailing Match, postponed from Monday last in consequence of the lack of wind on that day, came off this afternoon in the Upper Harbor. The start was a flying one, from a flagship off the end of the training wall, a little after two o’clock. Five yachts entered, hut the lloyal Alfred did not put in an appearance, and the Torment declined to contest the race after the first round. The wind was from theS.W., it being a pretty fresh breeze at the start. The Anonyma was the first to pass the flagship, followed by the Spray and Gipsy. This order was maintained until the first round, when the Spray (sailed by Mr Gibbs) by a neat manoeuvre obtained the lead. In the last round the Gipsy pulled up wonderfully; while the Spray had the misfortune to carry away her t pmast. At the finish the Spray led by about four minutes, the Gipsy being a good second, and the Anonyma not visible. .

The Outgoing Suez Mail.—ln consequence of the insinuation of the _ Daily Times yesterday morning that subsidising the Alhambra was an indication of some mistmst by the Government rcgaiding the San Francisco service, wc made enquiry respecting it, and are enabled to state that the Acting Po-tmaster-General agreed to give the Alhambra LIOO in order to avoid any cjisappoinl'incnt that might have ensued had the Suez mail been lost by a day or two. The arrangement was altogether irrespective of the San Francisco mail service, in which no failure is apprehended. It would appear that no matter how anxious the Government may be to assist our merenauts, they not only get no credit for their efforts, but have motives attributed to them that are unworthy of their opponents.

New Zealand Building Society.— The first annual meeting of this Society was held at the Masonic Hall last evening; Mr John Hislop in the chair. The directors’ report, which was unanimously adopted, shews the Society to be in a very prosperous state. The shares taken up to the present time arc 033, of which number 533 have been borrowed upon, and 30 forfeited. The profit and loss account shows a net balance cj{ L 927 7s fid, being ccpial to 20s per sharp. A number of new shares having been applied for, the committee recommend the issue of new shares during the ensuing year at a premium of los each. Messrs J. Winter, Graham, and John Davie were re-elected, apd Messrs C. B. Winter and Rossbottom elected directors ; and Messrs Langley and C, A. Begg re-elected auditors. Princess Theatre. — “A Wonderful Woman,” a sparkling comedy by Charles Dance, first produced at the Lyceum Theatre, under the management of the late Madame Veslris, was played last night to a fair house with great success. With a good recollection of Madame Ycstris in the part, we cannot but admit that Miss Carry George (Hortunge Bertrand) is all that can bo desired—charming, graceful, and easy. Mr W. Lawrence (De Frontignac) was lively and natural, but •wanting perhaps a little of the haul ton that should distinguish a French Marquis of the old school. The Crepiu of Mr Musgravo is a bit of the rough, good acting that would draw forth praise from the most critical of critics. The other parts were thus distributed —Cecile, Miss Lizzie Bushe ; Rodolpe, Mr G. W. Collier ; De Millelieurs, Mr Walter Hill, “Milky White,” which still maintains its power to please, concluded the the performance, which will be repeated this evening. On Monday, Mr and Mrs Gourlay having been engaged for six nights, will make their first appearance in “ llob Roy,” no doubt these well-known artists will meet with a good reception from the many they number in Dunedin.

The Coming Sks^ion.— There is one among the list of opposition journals that does not rush headlong to the conclusion that the present Government must speedily disappear, and the exception is significant, because the Nelson Examiner is in a position to form a better opinion about the chances of the coining session than any other Opposition journal. On the 27th March the Examiner had an article upon Mr Stafford, his policy and prospects. The gist of that article is that Mr Stafford neither has a pro nounced policy nor a party lit to support it if he had one. No candid reader can rise from t!ie perusal of the article without coming to that conclusion, and yet it is easy to sec that the sympathy of the writer is entirely with Mr Stafford. If he could have adopted the views so rashly advanced by the other members of the Opposition press, it is evident that the writer would have gladly done so, but truth compels him to admit that Mr Stafford has no policy upon which to go to the country, and that if he had, he has no party to carry it out. The aim of the Examiner's article is to urge Mr Stafford to enunciate a policy as so n as he can make up his mind about one, and when he has done that, to educate his party—if he has one—up to the level of comprehension needful to supply the requirements of a parliamentary Opposition. Du Featherston. — In a General Government Gazette issued on the sth inst., his Excellency the Governor has accepted the resignation by Dr Peatherstoa, of his Boat.iil the Executive Council, and has been pleased to appoint him under “ The Public Works Act, 1570,” to be Agent-General for New Zealand in Great Britain and Ireland, the appointment to date frobi the 25th March last. —The doctor, we (Independent) are told by the Erenlny Post, “has flatly refused to proceed on his mission, until the self-consti-tuted ambassador (Mr Vogel) has been recalled. ” Never was there a misrepresentation so ridiculous or unfounded. Dr Featherston is extremely anxious to set out on his mission, and has 'not and never had any misunderstanding “in reference to Mr Vogel.” This we state on the best possible authority. Except on the Manawatu question, Dr Featherston has entirely agreed with his late colleagues in their whole policy and action. He is particularly anxious to join the Hon. Mr Vogel in London, and nothing but concerns of a domestic character will retard his departure. Any c unmeut upon such disgraceful conduct in publishing such grosss misrepresentations is as unnecessary as wc are aware it would be unavailing. Californian Society.—A late resident in the Waikouaiti district writing from the Golden Gate says Society is in a very loose state here. About two months ago, in the adjoining Countyan armed mob broke open the gaol and took out a murderer and hanged him. Ho had committed a murder previous and had been allowed to escape. I was told of a judge who tried a man for murder, the jury found him guilty, the judge sentenced him to be hanged on a certain day, but he did not sign his death warrant, and kept out of the way till the day fixed for the man’s execution had passed, and, of course, the man was turned loose upon society again. The judges are elected by the people, which deprives them of a good deal of the independence they ought to have when sitting on the Bench. Shooting affairs are very common here. In San Francis ;o the theatres, circuses, and music halls are all open on Sunday. The billiard-rooms are also open on that day, and are well patronised. In a Presbyterian Church in San Francisco I saw a number of the congregation cooly reading the newspapers while the minister was preaching. 1 luring his ser-. mon the minister used a number of anecdotes to illustrate the subject, at several of which a number of the congregation enjoyed a hearty laugh. Divorces are common, and are much more easily procured than in the English Court. The consequence is that whoa a man or wife gets tired of the other’s compimy he or she, upon the most trifling pretext, at once enter a suit in the Divorce Court.

Europe. —By favor of a friend in Florence, the Anjus has received a copy of L'ltalie of the 29bh of January, two clays later than its English files. A somewhat 2-e----markable article has appeared in Le Nonrellc Presse of Vienna, bitterly inveighing against the hard conditions imposed upon France by Count Bismarck. They are characterised as repugnant to every human sentiment, and denounced as a brutal defiance cast in the teeth of the neutral powers. Under such circumstances, it is added, peace can only be an armistice of brief duration, and it is predicted that the new German Empire will find itself environed on all sides with enemies. Considerable excitement has been occasioned in Borne by the fact of the Prussian Minister, Count Von Arnim, who was accredited to the Papal Government, having paid a ceremonious visit to the Prince Royal of Italyat the Quirinal, as it is 'ooked upon as a deliberate snub offered to the Pope by Prussia. On' the 27th of January, La Liberia, of Rome, published a manifesto from Father Hyacinthe to the Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. He congratulates them on the fact of the overthrow of the two absolutisms—the Napoleonic Empire and the temporal power of the Papacy—which have hitherto weighed so heavily on the church and the world. He refutes and ridicules the doctrine of infallibility, indicates the Bible as thy guide of the people, aiid advocates the abplitiop of sacerdotal celibacy. The Italian Senate terminated on the 2Sth of January its discussion on the removal of the capital, which was decided upon by a large majority. The Comunal Council of Rome proposes the construction of a new quarter of the city on the Esfpiiliue-hill; the tenements are to be built upon the plan of the model lodging houses in England, with a market, fountain, and public baths. It is also in contemplation to commemorate the unification of Italy by the erection of a grand national monument. The Levant Herald publishes an article, which is believed hi Constantinople to have been officially inspired, deploring the fact that for the last 30 years Turkey lias been dependent for its safety upon the ambition of the other powers and upon their peoulia views ■with respect to the maintenance of the equilibrium in Europe; but the time has now arrived, says the Herald, when Turkey must rely upon its own resouroos for its own defence.

Tub Clutha Railway,—A meeting of the inhabitants of the Tokomairho district, was hold on Thursday evening, for the purpose of taking steps to secure the commencement of the railway at the Balclutha end. The following petition to the Provincial Council was adopted:—“ That your petitioners Invc been, and still continue to be, anxious to see'the Dunedin and Clutha Railway constructed as economically' and as expeditiously as J possible, consistent with sound principles and due regard to efficiency

and economy in working. That your petitioners reidognise the benefits that will accrue to the several districts through which the line is td pass, during the construction thereof, ;as well ai the ultimate benefits to the Province at large when it is constructed. That your petitioners feel satisfied that greater and more immediate permament local benefits would be derived, were the Government to let the formation of the line in lengths of one or two miles in each contract. That your petitioners are of opinion that the line would be more expeditiously and economically constructed, were the formation of the line begun at given points in the Clutha, Tokomairiro, and Taicri districts as well as at Dunedin, and under the control of the Provincial Government. May it therefore please your honourable House to take the whole matter into your consideration, with the view of applying to the General Assembly of the Colony to hand over to the Provincial authorities the construction of said line of railway : failing their so doing, that your honourable House will be pleased to support the views of your petitioners by resolution to be forwarded to the General Government.” The body of the memorial to be forwarded to the General Assembly is the same as the foregoing, but the prayer attached to it will read as follows -. —May it therefore please your honourable House to direct that the construction of said line of railway be handed over to the control of the Provincial authorities, and that you may be pleased to facilita' e the construction of the same, by providing the necessary funds, extending or enlarging the Provincial guarantee, as may be found necessaay. And may it further please your honorable House that, in the event-of your not consenting to the foregoing prayer, you will furnish the means and direct that the work may be more vigorously proceeded with, and in the several districts referred to along the line. Farming. —The Nelson Colonist occasionally contains a column or so of what it styles “Talk.” This is understood to bo written by the Editor. In a recent number he discourses as follows on farming;—Mr William Bout deserves the thanks of the farming community, and, as the farming interest is, or—in a healthy State, especially a new State- ought to be, the foundation interest of the whole commonwealth, he merits the thanks of all other classes. Comparing small things with great, Mr Rout, in his quiet way, is likely to, prove the Mechi of Nelson Province, from whom people in other provinces may well take a lesson. The model farm of this province is, unquestionably, Mr Rout’s fifty-acre farm at Stoke. There what may j,ustly be called “high” farming is carried on, and the beauty of the thing is It pays. Yet, Mr Boat knew nothing of practical farming when he entered on his present form three or four y. avs ago. Nevertheless, last year he produced 75i bushels of oats to the acre; this year he has bagged 38i bushels of wheat to the acre; and he calculates-that, but for a fault in the reaping machine, which cut many ears off and lost them, he would have had from 60 to 61 bushels to the acre. It is the old story, “ With brains, Sir !” It means,study, the application of the latest and best home experience to our own case here. He studies rotation of crops, the character of the soils, till and manure?, selects good seeds (vide his sensible paper read to the Stoke farmers), and sows thin. He ploughed this six-acre paddock four times before sowing ; sowed one bushel to the acre j and. after paying for working, harvesting, and threshing his grain, will probably make a profit of. 200 per cent, on his Outlay, besides his straw. Surely this is better "than indifferently working twenty acres at a greater cost, and getting 15 bushels per acre. It is some two years ago that the--present talker saw the farm, and great advacqe has been made since that time. Nothing is lost, everything is saved —“husbanded,” (hence, “good husbandry,”) tbe land is liberally dealt by, and like a good mother she gives liberally in return. At the first agricultural dinner Mr Rout's health ought to he drunk, although ho is a practical teetotaller, and his men do not lounge about the public-house. Why should there not be a healthy competition among farmers as to who should produce the best and heaviest crops ? That would be a game wherein all competitors would be prize winners. Farmers’ Clubs should urge this view.

Adjutant’s inspection of the No, 1 Company (C.G.), D.R.V,, will take place on Monday, at the market place, Octagon, at 7.30 p.m. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Commercial Building and-Mutual Investment Society for receiving subscriptions, &c., will be held on Monday evening, Aptil 17th, from 6 to 8 o’clock.