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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2788, 24 January 1872, Page 2

Strange Contrast, Singularly enough, while we have been complaining of drought in Otago, Westland papers informs us that the season there has been unusually wet. Colonisation. —The steamer Samson is appointed to leave Port Chalmers to-mor.ow with his Honor the Superintendent, accompanied by the Hon. W. Reeves, Resident Minister for the Middle Island, to visit Catlin’s River, Stewart’s Island, and other places considered elegible for the projected special settlement of immigrants. Worth Knowing. —ln the course of a discussion in the City Council to-day the Mayor stated that persons who have not the water laid on to their own premises can, by payin',' a small fee to the company, obtain water from their more fortunate neighbors. Supreme Court. —The trial of Keicbelt v. the New Zealand Insurance Company, was continued to-day. The following witnesses were examined James Baxter, Sub Inspector Thompson, Detective Farrell, M. W. Hawkins, Constable Taylor, and W. Robertson. Fine Art. —Some very interesting specimens of water-cd!or drawings are on view at Mr Percival's, optician, George street. A s amateur efforts, they are in the highest degree creditable to the artist, r Percival, jun. Borne of the pictures exhibited are -well worthy of attention — notably those representing architectural subjects, which discover a breadth and boldness of treatment rarely seen outside the professional studio. We believe it is intended to dispose of these pictures by art union. The Naval Forces on the Australia and New Zealand Station.— Amongst items of intelligence received by the last mail, we notice that an addition has been ordex-ed to be made to the fleet in Australian waters, of H.M S. Cossack. The ships of war on the station therefore now consist of. —H.M.S. Clio, 18 guns, 1472 tons, 400 h.p., launched in 1?58 ; H.M.S. Cossack, 10 guns, 1297 tons, 250 hj p., launched in 1854; H.M.S. Blanche, 6 guns, 1268 tons, 350 h.p., launched in 1867 ; H, M-S. Rosario, 5 guns, 673 tons, 150 h.p., launched in 1860 ; H.M.S. Basilisk, a paddle frigate, launched in 1841. Convict Importations. —Our reader’s will no doubt recollect the arrival at the Port of Lyttelton of the Queen of the South, Captain Adair, with a choice assorted cargo from Swan River ; and although the Provincial authorities of Canterbury are known to be partial to the importation of “jarrah,” we never understood that this was intended to include convicts. We believe, however, that the Home authorities have taken the matter up, and that Lord Kimberley lias expressed his regret to the Agent-General that the convicts were ever sent to New Zealand, and to have intimated at the same time that such measures were under consideration as would for the future prevent a repetition of the consignment. Catlin’s River Settlement. accordance with the recommendation of the Provincial Council, his Honor the Superin tendent by proclamation in the Provincial Government Gazette, has set apart 100,000 acres of land for colonisation at Gatlin’s River and Waikawa River. The boundaries are thus described : ‘ 1 Bounded towards the N, W. by a line proceeding from Waikawa River, on a bearing of 61 degrees (true bearing), and intersecting a point sixty chains south of Black Horn Hill, at Catlin’s Liver ; towards the N. by Catlin’s River and Lake ; towards the K by blocks 1 and 2 Woodland Survey District; towards the S.E, by the ocean ; and towards the W. by the Waikawa River—excepting from the said area, all lands sold or otherwise disposed of. Criminal. — The total number of prisoners committed to gaol at Dunedin during the year 1871, was 583, of whom 432 were males and 151 females. Of these, 140 males and 35 females were born in England ; 87 males and 52 females in Ireland ; 127 males and 55 females in Scotland; 37 males i» foreign States ; 11 males and 2 females in New Zealand ; and 30 males and 7 femoles in other British Cob nice. All the females and 258 males are described as settlers in the Colony, 5 males were Maoris, and 69 sailors. 21 persons were imprisoned for felony, 20 for indictable misdemeanours, 438 under summary convictions, 26 for debt, and 73 for other causes not specified. 16 of the male prisoners were of superior education, 340 males an 1 98 females could read and write, 18 males and 16 females could read only, aud 58 males and 37 females could neither read nor write. Attempted Suicide. —On Wednesday last, says the Southland Times , a singular attempt at suicide took place at Inver- i cargill. About midday, a carpenter named' David Smith was found in Dee street with a wound in his throat, from which blood flowed freely. He was at once laid hold of aud conveyed to the hospital, when it was found that a wound, three inches long, and about one inch deep, had been inflicted on the left side of the throat. It appears that for some time past Smith has been drinking heavily, and from expressions that fell from him there can be little doubt but that he was laboring under delirium tremens. It has been ascertained that the wound was inflicted by an ordinary table knife, at his house in Deveron street, niter which he seems to have walked out, and was found as above. Dr. G rigor was promptly in attend-

ance, and bad the wound sewed up. Although a good deal of blood was lost, the patient is reported to be out of any immediate danger. The Clarke Purchase. —It will be seen by our report of proceedings at the meeting of the Waste Land Board to-day that notice of appeal has been given under the 18th section of the Waste Lands Act, 1866. The section is as follows “ Any person considering himself aggrieved by any decision of the Board, may, within one calendar mouth after such decision, and upon giving security for the costs of the appeal, either by deposit or otherwise, to the satisfaction of the Registrar of the Supreme (lourt, appeal to a Judge of the Supreme Court upon a case in writing to be stated or settled by the Board, a copy of which case may be taken by the appellant upon which case; and after hearing the parties, the Judge or Judges shall certify his or their opinion in writing to the Board, and the Board shall be bound to follow such, and shall reverse, alter, modify, or confirm their decision in accordance therewith.” The resolution of the Board requiring payment of the purchase-money, or declaring the deposit forfeited, is based upon the 47 th section as follows :—“ Where no more than one such application shall have been made for ' the same rural land on the same day, and ' the Board shall have decided that the land shall be sold and shall have declared such applicant to be the purchaser thereof, then such application shall, if the application be for land previously surveyed, pay to the Receiver of Laud Revenue the purchase money of the land applied for immediately on his being declared the purchaser thereof. If the application be for land not previously surveyed, then the applicant shall pay to the Receiver of Land Revenue the purchase money thereof within fourteen days after a notification shall have been published in the Provincial Gazette and sent by post addressed to the applicant at bis last or last known place of abode, that the applicant has been declared the purchaser; and if in either case the purchase money is not paid at the time hereby fixed, such application shall be deemed withdrawn, cancelled, and void.” Bush Fires. —The bush fires which have been so prevalent during the last few weeks in Sawyer’s Bay and the Upper and Lower Harbor, were yesterday re-kindled by the south-west gale, and spread with dangerous rapidity. In the afternoon vast volumes of smoke from the locality of the Blueskiu road and the ranges near Carey’s Bay passed down the harbor, indicating that no ordinary fires were taking place. As the night approached, the fire, as it was invigorated with every gust of wind passing up the slopes of the hills, and up to the topmost branches of the tallest pines, was a scene of imposing grandeur which might have been enjoyed as an artistic picture had it not been for attendant danger to residents in proximity to the fires. Several homesteads were saved only through great exertion, and are yet exposed to great danger should the wind increase before a heavy fall of rain, Mr and Mrs George Hitchcock, and a little girl, one of a family of seven or eight children, were in great danger, and but for the timely assistance of Messrs James Stumbles, James M ‘Lean, and a bystander whose name wo have not ascertained, they would in all probability have lost their lives. It appears that about six o’clock last evening one of Mr Hitchcock’s children apprised Mr Stumbles of the fire, and he at once proceeded on horseback to the spot to render assistance. Arriving on the ground, |he found a tract of about a quarter of a mile on each side of the road on fire, and the heat was so intense and the smoke so dense, that the road was impassable. Finding that Mr and Mrs Hitchcock had not left their residence, he, with great {courage passed through the fire and reached a small plot of ground used as a garden, on which Mr and Mrs Hitchcock and daughter had taken refuge ; returning through the fire, he obtained the assistance of Mr James Lean and a stranger, and carried them, by means of damp blankets, to a place of safety. The assistance thus given at such imminent risk to the rescuers, whose persons and clothes were severely scorched in passing through the flames cannot bo too highly commended, for the persons rescued were so blinded by the smoke and ashes that they were powerless to find their way out, and their lives must have been sacrificed had they remained there much longer. As it is, their loss is very severe ; as independent of the hardships incurred, a valuable homestead, consisting of a 4 roomed house, the dairy, in which was stored a considerable quantity of butter, the outhouses, furniture, clothing, and personal effects are all destroyed. In fact the saving of several years hard labor is gone. We regret to hear that no part of the loss is covered by insurance. His cattle are fortunately saved. The ninety-sixth monthly meeting of the Permanent Building Society of Otago, will be held at the offices of the Society, Temple Chambers, on Friday evening, the 26th iust. at 7 o’clock. We notice that Burns anniversary, nijder the auspices of the Caledonian Society, will be celebrated by a supper at Wain’s Hotel to-morrow (Thursday) evg^iug.