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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2759, 20 December 1871, Page 2

Dock Tuust.—The Dock Trust met at the Secretary’s offices at 2 o’clock, and adjourned to Friday in order to secure a full attendance. Political.— The Hon. W. Hooves, Resident Minister for the Middle Island, is to visit Otago next month. His visit will chiefly relate to railway matters.

Reported Accident.— A Mr Samuel Perry, residing in Sawyer’s Bay, is reported to have got his leg broken this morning whilst employed amongst his cattle. Adjourned for a Drink. —At a public meeting of planters, at the Fijis, it was moved “that this ’ere meeting do adjourn for a drink, it being d d hot.” Boxing Day.—The sports to be given on the North Dunedin Recreation Ground on Tuesday next (Boxing Day) will be, if the weather permit, a great success. Preparations are being made by the Juvenile Sports Committee to render the games in every way worthy of public attention and support. Etiquette at the Fijis Court.— A chief was one day going over a mountain path, followed by a long string of his people, when be happened to stumble and fall ; all the rest of the people immediately did the same, exc°pt one man, who was instantly sat upon by the rest, to know whether he considered himself batter than his chief. Conscientious People.—The Eveiling says:—“The consciences of some people in Wellington must have been pricked to a good purpose lately, for two of the Bibles which had been removed without Lave from the Magistrate’s Court were found put back in their places. The borrowers have not been discovered.”

Masonic Hall. —Batcheltler’s Historic Mirror and Dioramic Views of the American war will be exhibited at the Masonic Hall to-morrow evening. Since its last visit to Dunedin this exhibition has met with considerable success in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. We have no doubt it will meet with a like success here. A Grievance. The Southland papers complain, and apparently with great justice, of the unnecessary delays which occur in the transmission of English mails to that part of the Province. The last Californian mail reached here on the 14th iust., but were not distributed in Invercargill until a week later. The outward mdl has to be sent away four days before the mail steamer leaves Port Chalmers. The Telegraph. —The last number of the Gazette gives a table furnishing a comparison of the number of telegrams forwarded and the revenue rectived, for the ? carter ending September, 1870, and 1871. n the quarter for 1870 there were forwarded along the wires 65,127 telegrams, and in that for 1871, 95,780, giving an increase in favor of the present year’s quarter of 30,653 telegrams sent, or a money increase of L 1943 15s. The Police.— Sergeant W. G. Fox, at present stationer! at Invercargill, has been promoted to a sub-inspectorship, in the room of Inspector Percy, resigned. In consequence of Mr Percy’s retirement, Sub-in-spector Moore takes charge of the Dunstan district. Prior to Mr Moore’s departure from Tuapeka to his new district, a movement was set on foot to present him with a testimonial as a token of the respect in which he is held by the residents of that goldfield, but the proposal having been discountenanced by the Commissioner of Police, it fell through. Cricket.—The Canterbury team is much the same as we published last week, the exception being as was expected, that Corfe, who has been making some excellent scores lately, is substituted for Perry. The team is an excee lingly strong one—as strong a one as has ever visited the Province--and i? rather a contrast to our expectant eleven, which we are free to confess, do not inspire ns with any great confidence in their ability to pull off the match. Why Hendley has been left out we are at a loss to imagine, because it is pretty plain from last Saturday’s exhibition that good bowlers are at a discount; and the old veteran’s services can be ill spared. Me Walker’s Return,—There was one omission in our yesterday’s local on t’uc above subject, which we now supply. In proposing the health of Mr Christie and the Otago Ahdunteors, Mr Walker is reported to have said that he gave the toast with pleasure, as the Otago Volunteers deserved i“, and were worthy of it. As a class of people generally, they had received and treated him much better than he had a right to expect. With regard to the Otago Volunteers generally, he had seen nothing like them in any of the other colonies. They were a fine body of men, and enthusiastic with regard to voliiiileering. With regard to Mr Christie, he would not wish to meet a better man, nor a better marksman. Mr H. D. Maddock replied on behalf of the Otago Volunteers.

Attempted Suicide. -At 7. l.j a.ui. to-day. Sergeant O’Keefe, iu charge of the Dunedin Constabulary Depot, received information that a middle-aged married woman, named Christina Sampson, had been found in a dying state iu a water-hole off Rattray street. The sergeant, on proceeding to the spot, found that the woman had been conveyed to her home, where she was shortly afterwards attended by Dr Sorley, who administered stimulants, and directed her conveyance to the Hospital, which was done. It appears that at about half-past seven o’clock this morning, a Mrs Findlay, who resides near to the woman, on looking out of her window, saw a pair of legs sticking out of a water-hole, which is situate between Dowling and Rattray streets, and just below St. -Joseph’s ('hurcb. She proceeded to the spot, and found Mrs Sampson with her head in the water-hole, which contains about three feet of water, and in an exhausted state. Her cries brought two men to the spot, who got her out, At first the sergeant of police thought it was an accident ; but the woman afterwards admitted that she intended to destroy herself, assigning no cause for the act. She has two young children, and her husband only left town a fortnight ago to go shearing, Canteuiiuitv’s Anniversary. — On the 18th inst , Canterbury was twenty-one years old, and in the capital of the Province the day was celebrated witli becoming festivities. We tread in the Li/t/tUon Time* that at ten o’clock—it was at that hour on the morning of December 10, 1850, when the vessel whicli conveyed the first settlers to the shares of Canterbury cast anchor in Lyttelton harbor—there was a special service in St Michael’s Church—the church of the Christchurch Pilgiims—the Primate presiding ; and late in the day there were horticultural shows and athletic sports in Latimer square, the latter being attended by SiJOO persons. An idea of the progress of the Province fropi the time of its first Provincial Council iu 18.13 to the present may b e gathered from the following statisticsl#

1853, the revenue of the Province amounted to L 5251, and the expenditure to L 5212. The value of imports was L 8390, and exports 3396; in 1870 the corresponding figures were Lo 10,640, and L55),349. In 1853 the Province exported 165,815 lbs, of wool, valued at L 8,290 ; in 1870, 12,485,720 lbs., valued at L 459.935. The exports in 1553 were valued at 1,2707 ; in 1870, at L 200.000; cheese, in 1853, was considered worth LIOO per ton for export; wheat, 9s per bushel, and oats 7s —a marked contrast to the prices quoted now. At the beginning of 1851 the population was 1000; it is now over 47,000. We notice that the annual pic-nic of the Port Chalmers M. U. 1.0.0. F. is announced to be held at the Sawyer’s Bay Butts on Tuesday next (Boxing Day). A variety of amusements is announced for the occasion.