DUNEDIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 747, 1 November 1870, Page 2

DUNEDIN.

(moM ouit own correspondent.) October 22. Mr F. Dillon Bell, one of the members of the Provincial Council for tho City, having been absent from the Province for more than two sessions, is held by the Act to have vacated his seat. A writ has accordingly been issued, and a new election is to tako place next woek. As the present Council expires in a few months, and there is only to be a short extra session, one would have thought there would be some difficulty in finding some one to till tho vacancy. But instead of that, no fewer than three gentlemen have come forward to contest the seat — Messrs Bathgate, Fish, and Birch — who have advertised their intentions and their claims. . As that interminable bone of contention —the Hundreds Act — will be the principal theme of discussion in the coming session, of the three named, perhaps, the first is the most eligible, seeing that he is himself a large landholder, as well as agent for several others, and therefore may be -supposed to be acquainted with the matter in all its bearings, and so qualified to legislate on it. But then it cannot be denied that, for some time back, he has become more and more unpopular in Dunedin, so that it h very questionable whether he will have much show on the polling day. Of the second name little need be said. He is young and ambitious ; and in this case his ambition is of the vaulting kind which will overleap itself and fall on t'other side. The third on the list has certainly had sorae experience; but there are sonic men on whom experience has very, little effect, and judging from his late display in the Princess Theatre, Mr Birjh evidently belongs to this class, for he entirely failed to convince any one of hi* ability to grasp any of the leading political questions of the day. On the whole it is to be hoped that some other candidate will appear before the nomination day, better qualified to fill the place of Mr Bell. The Superintendent and Executive are at present in Southland, arranging the preliminaries of union. The seven members for thr\t district have been appointed, so that the union may be said to be quite complete. The Superintendent and his tail are having a fine time of it, jaunting ab nit and viaiting all the places of interest in the south ; as well as being feted aud lionised by the residents. They are to visit Lake Te Anau before they return to Dunedin. The special jury case — Anderson v. Burke — has occupied the time of the Supreme Court four days this week, and seams no clearer an end. The examination of the plaintiff Anderson lasted over two days, and the tone of his evidence was generally contradictory to that of the defendant Burke. It will be a costly affair to the losing party. The jury yesterday made an application for an increase of pay, but I believe this cannot be granted, the amount bsing regulated by the Act. As tending to show what the good folks of Qeelong think of Mrs Burns, the newlyappointed Principal of the High School for Girls in Dunedin, the papers in the former town contain a report of a splendid fete, presentation, &c, to that lady from her former pupils and their parents, at her leave-taking. The report gives her a very high character, both as a lady aud a3 a teacher. The school will likely open af cer the coining holidays. Some extensive alterations are being made on the High School premises, so as to maintain complete separation between the sexes. So.ne new rushes on a small scale have taken place lately in different localities. In one at Cloan, near where the Clutha river runs into Molyneux Bay, three men took out 78 pounds of gold in three weeks, and the claims on either side had yielded remarkably well, though not so much as the original one. Some of the Chinamen working in gullies on the Shotover are also doing very well. Here and there water is getting scarce, but all over the gold fields every ono is busy. We have had beautiful weather all week— fine dry, sunny days. People on the hills are crying out for rain ; their tanks are. all empty. There were baracouta in the market yesterday,