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Evening Star, Issue 3135, 7 March 1873, Page 2

It is said that 9,000 shares in the National Bank of New Zealand were applied for in Auckland. The three Maoris, who were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered in 1809, for having taken part in the Poverty Bay massacres, but whose sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life, have been pardoned by his Excellency. Their names are Matene Te Kara, Rewi, and Hekerika Tc Oitau, During the course of the case of Clayton and others v. Morrison, the Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands was styled a “Calcutta carpenter,” Very complimentary to Mr Thomson ! The reporter carefully noted that during the trial peg 83, which had a good deal to do with the case, was mentioned 19,287 times. We understand that the tenders for the now Union Bank to be erected on the site adjoining the warehouse of Messrs Briscoe and Co., in Princes street, are under consideration, and it is expected that the building will be shortly commenced. A description of the edifice has been published in these columns already. Early on the morning of the 4th inst., Mr Cuff, accountant of the Bank of New Zealand at Oamaru, while passing along the large waterhole at the mputh of the Oamaru creek, noticed the body of a man in the Water, and reported the circumstance tp the police, who recovered it. The hank of the creek at the spot where jfche body was seen is at least fifteen feet high, and perpendicular, with the upper Surface m rfongjpg j if

any weight rested on the edge it gave way. Almost immediately above where the body was, and for a few feet upstream, there were marks of where the ground had broken away ; and the supposition is that lie must have fallen in. The place is unfcnccd, and it is dangerous to walk round it on a dark night. At the inquest, Dr Wait, who made t'm post mortem examination, said that death had taken place about eight days before ; and Sergeant Smith identilied the deceased as a man whom he believed was locked up for drunkenness on Jan. 31 last, and then gaveh a name as James Lyons, and stated that he was English, and thirty-two years of age. The verdict returned was—“ That the deceased, whose name is unknown to the jury, was found drowned in Oamaru Creek.” No business was transacted at the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning. There were several cases, however, set down for hearing, but the parties interested seem to have taken the advice of the Magistrate on a former occasion, and settled their disputes outside the Court, for when the cases wefo called on, no one appeared to prosecute or defend them.

This morning a dray horse, while on the stand near to the Jetty street wharf, managed to break its winkers, and immediately bolted up the hill into Princes street, and then;e up Walker street at a terrific pace, where it was stopped while ascending the hill. Fortunately the sTeets were clear at the time, otherwise an accident might have occurred of a serious character.

“Mistletoe Bough” and “Rheumatism and Spiritualism ” were repeated at the Princess’ last night to a rather poor attendance. The afterpiece was especially good ; and is, we find, a new production, and is now placed on the Dunedin stage for the first time. We had confounded it with a farce played at the theatre when Professor Bushell was here ; and the action and plot of Which were very similar. To-night Miss Matthews takes a benefit when “ Under the Gaslight ” will be played. We have to go from home to hear news, as witness the following paragraph, which appears in the jV. Z. Herald :—The city clock at Dunedin fails to keep time correctly. The failure is stated to be due to the fact that the hands of the c’ock are of tin, and that these, when there is a stiff breeze, turn round the dial as if they were intended to show the velocity of the wind. The clock is also stated to have something the matter with its inside. It is so gorged with wheels that there is not room for half of them to move. The clock cost LIOO. When it was set up it cost L 2.5 to make it go. It went so well that it made thirty hours.in the twentyfour. Then it cost LlO to regulate it, when the clock stopped, and nothing under Lls could get it to commence time operations again. Then the long hand set to going round the dial once in every Hxty seconds, while the short hand would not move. The small sum of L 4 10s cured this little difficulty, when it was found that wrong wheels were in their wrong places The matter has been referred to a joint committee of the City Corporation and Hie Provincial Council. A number of experts have been subpoenaed to give evidence. A few days ago, Mr J. G. Brown, M H. R., telegraphed to the Colonial Government, with a view to ascertaining the probable time when the extension of the Clutha railway to Tuapcka would be begun, and on Thursday last received the following reply Specifications are being prepared, and the work will be let in six small contracts. The Government will advertise for tenders on Mr Carruther’s return, which will be within ten days. The line is to be pushed on.—J. Bathgate,” The entire length of the line as laid out, from the main trunk at Tokomairiro to the junction of Whitehaven street and Ross place, Lawrence, is twentytwo miles. The construction of the trunk line through Tokomairiro will proceed simultaneously ; so that by the time the Tuapeka railway is completed—nominally two years from the date of commencement, but more probably three in reality—railway communication between Lawrence and the metropolis will be an accomplished fact. The Cromwell Ari/us says :—lt is understood that Mr Blair, one of the Government engineers, has been empowered to arrange for the purchase of the land required along the line of route ; and there seems good reason for believing that no unnecessary delay will occur in the construction of the railway.

During the past few days several of the oldest business premises in Dunedin have quietly been numbered with the things of the past, with the view, however, of being replaced by substantial and modern structures more in keeping with the advancing requirements of the times. We refer to the wooden buildings, which were known as Eeynolds’s Bond, and adjuncts thereto in Rond street, lately in the occupation of Messrs J.T. Mackerras and Co. The stone building on the site referred to still remains; but we understand is to be so altered as to become almost, if not entirely, a thing of the past also. The new store to be erected on the site referred to is to be of corresponding style to that now in course of erection for R. Wilson and Co., at the angle of Jetty street and Bond street ; but jn consequence of the continued fall of the street levels, the new store of Messrs Mackerras and Co. will be three stories in height instead of two, the basement being partially excavated so as to obtain this additional advantage. The basement and first Ijlo rs will be chiefly built with b'uestone aod Port Chalmers stone, and the upper floor of brick, and finished to correspond in height with the new adjoining building, the front being finished in corresponding style. The dimensions of Messrs Mackerras’s new premises, as now contracted for, will be about fifty feet of frontage to Bond street, by a depth of seventy feet, height of walls being about forty-two feet in all. The contract time for finishing the building is three months from the present time. This now building will not occupy the whole of the frontage in Bond street, but a portion of about fifty feet will still remain towards the angle of Liverpool street, which, we understand, is also the property of Messrs J. T, Mackerras and Co. The contractor for the building is Mr James Gore, and the architect Mr R. A. Lawson

The Artillery, Naval, and Ist Battalion, 0.R.V., will parade at the Brill Shed on Thursday next, at 7.30 p.m. A meeting of shareholders in the South British Insurance Company will he held at Murray’s Hotel on Monday evening next at 8 o’clock.

Bishop Nevill will deliver a lecture in the Queen’s Theatre on Monday evening ; subject, “ What we know of the Angels.’ We are requested by Mr Campbell to state that in his lecture to young men lie did not; condemn gold-digging, but recommended young men to leave it to those who made it their occupation, and not to spend their savings upon speculative undertakings about , which they could have no certain knowledge.