The Evening Star FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3432, 20 February 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 1874

The Tuapeka paper says that the great Blue Spur case was settled by Morrison and Co. surrendering a portion of their land and receiving a payment of Ll,ooo.

The Lady of the Lake delivered a cargo of rails for the Dunedin and Clutha Railway at Kaitangata yesterday. Plate laying will therefore shortly commence from the Clutha end.

“ The Daughter of the Regiment,” followed by the farce of “We all have our Little Faults,” was repeated at the Queen’s Theatre last evening. In the first piece Miss Watson’s spirited acting as Josephine was much admired. This evening, “The Limerick Boy” Will be played, with Miss Watson as the hero. Dr Davidson, surgeon-superintendent of the Mongol, reports this morning that the whole of the patients on the quarantine island, with the exception of the boy with bronchitis, who is in a very critical state, are progressing favorably. The boy who had abscess is now thoroughly cured. There is one fresh case of scarlet fever, the matron having been attacked, but in a very mild form. .

At about 4 o’clock on the morning of the 18th instant a small wood and iron house belonging to Mr William Bremner, at Shag Valley, was completely destroyed by fire; also, a chaff machine, which was inside at the time. The building was situated about 100 yards from the main North Road, and about 50 yards from Mr Bremner’s dwelling-house, Mr Bremner says that he has often found men sleeping in the house alluded to, which was always left open, and it is his opinion that the fire was accidentally Mr Bremner, who was uninsured, estimates his loss at L 4.

Mr J. E, Robinson, as chairman of the committee appointed at the meeting of Surat passengers on Saturday last, desires us to express to the committee and subscribers to the Surat relief fund, the passengers, “high.appreciation of the kind sympathy and good feeling evinced toward them under the very distressing circumstances they were placed in by the wreck of the ill-fated ship, and for the very kind and prompt manner in which you came forward with yonr subscription for their temporary support, without which timely aid most of the immigrants and their families would have been in a truly destitute condition, having been compelled to leave all they possessed in the wrecked ship.” One of the unaccountable irregularities and errors which frequently occur in the postal service of the Colony was brought under the notice of the ‘ Bruce Herald’ the other day. A Home letter, addressed in an exceptionally plain and distinct hand, “ Mr , Fairfax, Tokomainro, Otago, New Zealand,” bore the Dunedin postmark 20th Dec., 1873, and only reached its destination on the 17th inst.—two months from Dunedin to Tokomairiro, distance 35 miles. The letter had been detained for that length of time in the Dunedin Post Office, out of which it apparently had only been rescued by one of the clerks of that establishment, more wise than his fellows, writing upon it the simple words—“ Try Milton.” Evidently Tokomainro had never been heard of by the other officials.

James Warren, who was fined heavily by Mr Strode at the Resident Magistrate’s Court a couple of weeks ago for assaulting two Chinamen, was yesterday arrested on warrant for violently assaulting, in a house in Pall Mall, a woman of ill-fame named Anne Manning, with whom he had been cohabiting. Manning was removed to the hospital, where her depositions were taken yesterday afternoon before Mr Watt, R.M. From these it appears that " arren went home on Monday evening, to his tea, and finding that it was not ready, knocked Manning down and kicked her on the left side. She further stated that she never spit blood before, although she was spitting considerably at the time. From the manner in which her testimony was given, it was evident that she was attempting to shield Warren, who will be brought up at the Police Court to-morrow morning on a charge of assault. Manning still lies in a dangerous condition.

The result of the Duustan Hospital election on Saturday lust was that Dr Thomson was elected by a majority of twenty-six votes over his opponent Dr Stirling, the numbers being— Thomson 112, Stirling 86. The ‘Cromwell Argus’says the result “ must not be taken by people at a distance as an expression on the part of the subscribers of their opinion of the medical abilities of the one doctor as compared with those of the other. It will not be so taken by those who took an active part in the election itself, as they are quite aware that the issue was decided on quite different grounds. There can be very little doubt that the unfortunately hostile attitude with respect to tb,e committee into which Dr Stirling partly drifted and was partly forced, had a great influence upon the result of the content; and the injudicious and blustering conduct of some of bis warmest supporters, put the result beyond the shadow of a doubt.”

The Southland railway returns, minus a most important explanation, appeared in the ‘ Guardian’ lately, and upon the figures given by our morning contemporary, the ‘ Bruce Herald’ indites a savage article which charges the Government with “failure” and “extravagance,” and concludes thus:—“ Taken in connection with the complaints of want of administration which we have repeatedly heard, we think we are justified in saying that these returns would imply a necessity of some investigation into the competency of our railway management or administration. 1 ’ While the returns for January showed a decrease in the goods traffic for the month of 2,135 tons, the traffic was in truth larger than usual, for it was officially stated that the apparent difference was to be accounted for by the fact that the freight to the Bebington, amounting to L4GS, did not appear in the returns, although the greater part of it was earned in January and the previous month.

The sheep imported by Mr W. A. Tolmie, and which arrived by tne Otago on her last trip, will be valuable additions to that gentleman’s stud at the Waiwera. Our Tokomairiro contemporary has been informed that they were selected out of the celebrated flocks of Messrs fayloy, .Gibson, and Parramore, and cost LSOO fcash, delivered in Tasmania. Of course the freight a#4 ,Oilier expenses attending their transmission to 01ifto.fi must also amount to something considerable, Jpe price paid for one of the rams was L2OO. He and apbther of the rams were bred by Mr James their sire being Sir Thomas, shewn at the Sydney Inhibition, and upon which a reserve price of 1,000 guineas was put. For the sire of Sir Thomas, Jung Billy, 500 guineas was refused after he was an aged sheep. The other two rams are also hue sheep and belong to a good family, their bemg Sir Robert, the champion of his year in Tasmania. We understand a' second instalment ec Mr Tolmie’s recent purchase of Lincolns from Maior Jackson, of the Waikato, has arrived per the Tarepaki on Sunday last. Ihese consist of 73 ewes 5 apj the remainder—nearly 100— are expected to arrive in a few days. •

A very extensive and destructive fire has “kk'en place on Clifton Run, Waiwera, owned by Mr Telford, but held under lease by Mr \V. A, lolmie. Aided by a hot wind and a burning sun, tlie flames rushed southwards up the Waiwera valley, sweeping everything before them, and leaving behind a blackened mass. On reaching Mr R. Telford’s property, the volumes or nre turned directly towards the east, rushing with great speed along the southern boundary or the run, and completely destroying fho post and wire fence. About nine o’clock at night tneseene as witnessed from the Tutu Hill was of the grandest description. The flames at that time extended from the salmon pond to the Waiwera hotel, thence almost to the Kaihiku Stream. Albert Downs estate was only saved by the exertions of the farmers in the vicinity of the Bridges,” who left the liaiwekt field and worked till midnight at extinguishing the

flames, and preventing them from crossing the road line between the properties. Mr Tolmie has thns lost two or three thousands acres of feed which he bad been preserving for winter use, besides very many miles of fencing. The ‘ Bruce Herald ’ has not heard whether Mr Tolmie has lost many sheep, but learns that a flock numbering several hundreds was rescued from the flames by the party of’ settlers who went out to assist Mr Sutherland, the mauager of Albert Downs. . A meeting of persons interested in the establishment of a piggery on a large scale in Dunedin, will be held at the Universal Hotel on the 2nd prox. ’ Those representatives who, having qualified intend to pay their own fares to Napier are requested to send in their names to the Volunteer office by noon to-morrow. Messrs M'Landress, Hepburn, and Co., will sell, to-morrow, some choice sections at Rothe say. _ The eligible situation of the land, and its contiguity to the railway, should lead to a brisk competition. An opportunity will be afforded to-morrow to persons who desire to see the Mongol under steam. The Golden Age is announced to leave the Port Chalmers wharf after the arrival of the 2.30 train, and will convey passengers to the big steamer, returning to Port in time for the last train. We are favored by Dr Bakewell with a small pamphlet, recording observations on the growth and reproduction of the red corpuscles of the blood, with illustrations. This branch of physiology is in its infancy, and therefore everything tending to throw light on the subject is imdortant. The experiments of Dr Bakewell produced results which have been recorded in a diagram, which he “believes to be the first medical monograph published in Otago.” We believe he is right, and as he must be better able to judge of its accuracy than any one else, we accept his testimony as to the correctness of the lithograph of a confessedly difficult subject, The record of‘the experiments will be read with interest by the faculty. It is merely a statement of observed facts—a contribution to that mass of evidence which may, at no distant date, be productive of important results.