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Evening Star, Issue 3730, 5 February 1875, Page 2

Ifc is proposed to form a fire brigade at Tokomairiro. A donation of LIOO baa been made to the Invercargill Hospital by Mr F. Wentworth, and of L2O by Mr John M‘Le»n, M.P.G., to the Oamaru Hospital. The u.ive seit 'ip to Oamaru are of twentydive horse-power, aimdar .o those used on the Green Island railway. One is expected to be running in three weeks. Our Oamaru contemporary mentions as an on dit that there will shortly be another vacancy in the Provincial Council, as Mr 0. de Tere Teschemaker purposes visiting England, 6 A yacht race for L 5 a-side will take place to-morrow afternoon between Mr Parker’s “Fiona” and Mr Webb’s “Goldseeker.” The course {will be from Jetty street Jetty to Maoandrew’s and baok. Mr and Mrs George Case (Grace Eger ton) are passengers by the Albion, and will give their first entertainment at Invercargill coming to Dunedin afterwards. Mrs Walter Hill and Miss May Hill join the HowardCollier Company at Christchurch.

Ten picked men of the Oamaru company, comprising Captain Sumpter, Sergeants M intosh and King, Corporal Bennett, and Vols. A. Y. Smith, Aitken, Selby, Rule, Headland, and Harding, have issued challenges to uie DliflMln City Guards, Invercargi'l and Riverton Rifles, to fire matches at 200, 500, and 600 yards, five shots at each range ; regulation targets and any position. Thp adjourned ebarge against George Johnston, of indecently aisamuflg hi* stepdauphtorj nine years old, was continued at the Resident Magistrate’s Court to-dty, With closed doors, and ended in the committal iff the prisoner fer trial The evidence audnefid Was even more revolting than that given yesterday, and revealed an enormity of crime rarely, if ever, met with in eves of this description. The undermentioned prisoners were received into tile gaol last night from Naseby : —John Pratt Hutchinson, sentenced on the Istinat, by Mr Robinson, R.M., to twelve calendar months’ imprisonment with hard labor, for having, on or about the 18th July last, at Mount Idft, then being employed as servant to the Extended Water-race and Sluicing Company, embezzled the sum of 19 10a Od, Prisoner pleaded guilty. John M'Pbce. sentenced at the same place to two months’ imprisonment with hard labor, for stSalitifJ sin bOttlc« of.porter and five bottles of gin, the prCug?!*f p{ John LavecfcV, of Hyde, Yesterday afternoon a meeting of geutleftieti was held in the Court-house, Port Uhalrnerfl, to take into consideration the propriety of establishing a Seamen’s Institute at the Port. The Mayor was voted to the chair, Mr Mansford, R.M., acting as secretary. The following resolution was agreed to : —“ That it is desirable an effort be made to secure the present school buildings for a Seamen’s Institute ; also, that a deputation, consisting of the Mayor, Rev. Mr Isitt, Captain Logan, Hr Drysdale, and Mr M'Dermid, wait upon the Government with a view to obtaining a grant of the school buildings for the purpose mentioned, and report the result of the interview at a future meeting.” The Engineer-in-Chief, Mr Carruthers, has of late devoted some days to the examination of the Clutha railway line from Mosgiei to the Kaitangata station, with a view to ascu taining ujhother it is in a condition to )ie shortly opened between these two points.

With tha exception of the superstructure of the Taiari bridges—® work which need not take much time in completion—the line worn Mosgiel to a point some miles beyond Tokemamro is (the ‘Bruce Herald believes) considered by Mr Carrubhers to be quite fit tor traffic. Where the railway crosses the swamp near Kaitangata, however, the condition of the work is, as might be anticipateo. from the nature of the place, scarcely as yet in so satisfactory a condition as could be wished. Even this, however, is a mere matter of time. Mr Carruthera has gone on to meet a deputation in reference to the muca-agitated Waitepeka deviation, and will then proceed to Invercargill, after which he will doubtless report the. result of his examination of the Ciutha lino to headquarters.

The following is the reply of the Provmcial Government to the series of resoluturns on the subject of immigration to the Bluff passed by the Southern Immigration Commit!ee “The Government repudiates altogether the uuworthy motives which have been so persistently attributed to it upon the subject, and that it is no part of i;s functions to discuss the relative merits of the harbors of Bluff and Port Chalmers, or to question as to whether or not there is any difficulty in getting ships chartered to Jena cargo at the former port. As to what steps, if any, the Agent-General of the polony has taken towards the despatch of immigrant vessels to Bluff, the Provincial Government is unaware. Suffice it to say, that the Provincial Agent has experienced cufly in procuring vessels to call at the Bluff. Probably had there been sufficient cargo offering for that port no such difficulty would have been experienced, but this is a matter the remedy for which rests more with the merchants of Invercargill than with the Provincial Government. lam to point out that in so far as the Provincial Government can influence cargo to Bluff Harbor it has done so, as in the case of 1,800 tons of railway plant for the Western District Railway, which plant the Government has strongly urged the contractor to land at the Bluff. The attention of the Provincial Agent has been directed to this, as an opportunity for sending emigrants to Bluff direct, by at least four vessels, and there is no doubt but he will duly represent this to the AgentGeneral. lam to add generally, with reference to the resolutions to which you direct attention, that although their tone is not such as to influence the Provincial Governpent in giving effect to your wishes, even if it had the power to do so, which it has) not, nevertheless the Government, so long as it is entrusted with the locating of immigrants, will continue as it has hitherto done to exercise whatever influence it may possess to secure to the Southland District, in common with all other districts throughout the Province, a fair share of the immigrants who may be sent to this Province.”

, Mr Mills’s entertainment has been postponed till Monday.

We direct attention to the advertisement the result of Professor Black’s analysis of the Distillery Company’s whisky.