DUNEDIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 716, 20 August 1870, Page 4

DUNEDIN.

(fkom our own correspondent.) August 8. A sitting of the Supreme Court in Bankruptcy was held on Monday, and. Banco business was to have occupied the Court on the succeeding days ; but business had to be postponed in consequence of the sudden illness of his Honor the Judge, who had only returned from Wellingion and Invercargill the day before. The vacancies in the City Council for High,, Bell, and Leith. Wards were filled up on Monday. Except in Bell Ward there was not much excitement. For. High Ward, the popular candidate Mr Mercer, was returned by a large majority. In Bell Ward, there was a keen competition, the rival candidate pgUjjjigj^t^^r -vbte, : Mr Bagley scouring the seat by a m^jonfcxjcg $&l T-htfT, contest for .Leith was the most interesting, for the working class and the property men were arrayed against each other. There, w^e four candidates — Messrs j?ffiffi^^^|% Wilson, and Ball, Barnes oeihg returned. T-hejj numbers pollejOtwer-e— Pdr ; t High jsfasl : Mercer, 269 jßeevcs, 137 ; Wilkinison^7!2,,; majority for Mercer— l 32. Bell Ward ":'•" Bagley, '211 ;' Woodland, 210; majority for Bagley — 1 . Leith Ward : Barnes, 166; Harris, 340 ; Wilson, 36 ; Ball, 23; majority for Barnes— 26. The auditors elected were Messrs Douglass and James. There is still a vacancy for South Ward, Mr Pish ha ving been elected Mayor, and Messrs E. B. "Cargill and J. T. Chaplin have :been nominated. The poll is fixed for Wednesday.next; At the meeting- of the City Council on Wednesday, the new Councillors and the Mayor took their respective seats. Mr Woodland, the defeated candidate for Bell Ward, then stepped inside the barrier which divides the rooni, aud was at once challenged by the Mayor. ._-. Woodland then impugned the correctness of Bagleyis return. But on the question being put to the Town Clerk as to who had been returned, that gentleman read out the returns as given above, whereupon Mr Woodland retired. His reason for acting so was^that'twc of his votes had been rejected as informal. During the paßt week lectures on various

subjects have been delivered to lavge j audiences in town. The subjects lectured on embrace those topics most in vogue at present, viz. — The Development Theory, Creation, Darwinian Theory, Spiritualism, &c. The papers teem with letters on [the subjects, treating them in all their phases. The weather.has been very wet and unsettled all week, and consequently ro improvement in the roads and paths. Aug. 15. The Municipal elections for the year were wound up on Wednesday by the return of Mr E. B. Cargill to represent South Ward by a majority of 12 over his opponent, Mr J. T. Chaplin. There was no public question involved in this contest, which passed off in a very quiet way. A meeting of the Otago Institute was held in the Provincial Council Chamber on Tuesday evening, under the presidency of his Honor Mr Justice Chapman. There was a good attendance, and six new members were ballotted for and admitted. The paper for the evening was read by Mr H. Skey on meteorology, or more particularly on the -relation between, the fluctuation .of the barometer and' 1 the weather. The paper was illustrated by diagrams and experiments, and was followed by a lively discussion, in which most of the members present took part. Mr A. C. Purdie then read some notes on a supposed upw species of bittern,' which was lately snot in the Lake District, and on the skeleton of, a bird, apparently a swan, which was lately dug up in a garden in Great King street. The skeleton and the stuffed bird were on the table. The President, Mr JnsticeChapman, is to read a paper shortly pv the Politico-Economies of Railways. The amusement-loving portion of Y the community have been pretty well catered for. this week. The Masoniq Hall has been opened by Mr Heller, an importation of Mr George Coppin, who combines in one several rather rare arid dissimilar qualifications. He is at once a clever conjuror, a splendid pianist, and an unrivalled talker, and. manages to keep his audiences in a continued feeling of wonder, admiration, or amusement during a performance lasting two Jhours and a half. Mr and Mrs George Darrell have been performing in the Princess Theatre during the week, but their audiences, I am sorry to say, have not been first-class. They, had a full house night, however, when they: took a. joint benefit, assisted by the Garrick Club, &c. They finish to-night.r-In addition to the above there were, last night, a [concert in the Dunedin Drill Shed, proceeds towards the Building Fund ; a series of recitations, &c.|in the-- South School for the benefit of tho Library ; and a lecture in the Wesleyan,<3hurch.by .the Rev Mr Fitchett, ! on Science and the ;Bible, proceeds to the | Building Fund. I 'During the week two vessels — the E. P. Bonverie, from. Glasgow, and the [ Vanguard, from London — have arrived with large cargoes of general merchandise. The former vessel brought over 200 immigrants,, including 43 young females, domestic servants, &c. No fewer than eight " births occurred on the voyage out. The Vanguard had only seven passengers. For the first time for this month or two back I am able to chronicle an entire week without, rain. The past week has '■ bein one of really fine weather.