DUNEDIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1548, 22 July 1873, Page 2

D U N E DIN.

[from our own correspondent.] July 12. The Tolinie Government passed through the crisis successfully. Mr Stoub introduced his motion of want of confidence on Monday evening, and the debate was carried on for, two nights with great animation and not a little acrimony. A good many of the members spoke on the motion, and a number of smart speeches were delivered, bristling with points and personalities, during which the audience : — a large one on both evenings — were intensely amused. None of the speeches were very remarkable for talent, even the speech of the mo ver of the vote was rambling and unconvincing, and did more damage in the public mind to. the Reid party than to the Government which he attacked. The result of the division was that the Government had a majority of six. When this was over MrTolmie intimated to the House that he had resigned his position as a member of the Executive, and that he had advised his Honor to send for MrTurnbull, who would f brni a new Executive, the names of which were laid before the House on Thursday. They are :— Mr Turnbull, Provincial Secretary and Treasurer ; Dr Webster, Secretary for Lands ; Mr Bastings, Secretary for Works and Gold-fields ; Mr Turton, Provincial Solicitor ; and Mr Shand, without office. This Executive seemed to be well received by the House, and after a few explanatory remarks, the members proceeded to business, in order to clear off the notice -paper, which has been daily getting bigger during these squabbles for office, which have occasioned the waste of much valuable time. Should members "wire in "as desired by the Executive, there is a probability that the Estimates maybe got through, and what remains of the other business about the end of next week. The Government is to be represented on the Waste Lands Board by Mr Bastings, on the ground that the Goldfields interest is about the most important in the Province, and demands special attention.

The writ has been received for a new election at Waikouaiti for the House of Representatives (vacant by the resignation of Sir D. Monro} as there are three candidates— Messrs Gillies, Oliver, and Pratt. ■-.•■'•■ ■ : The state of the High School has been the subject of a Commission of Inquiry, appointed by the Provincial Council, which has just issued its report and the evidence on which it -is based. Some of this bears rather hardly on Mr Hawthorne, the Rector, and he had asked: to be heard on the matter at the bar of the House. A long discussion took place, and at last it was carried that he be heaird on Tuesday evenin * next at seven o'clock. The Supreme Court sat this week for the disposal of the criminal business of the last quarter. There were seven indictments to be tried, only two of which were for serious offences. One of these was manslaughter at, Clyde, where a man naaaed Aitken caused the death of a woman in a very brutal way. He was found, gmlty and sentenced to eighteen months', imprisonment with hard labor, and in addition to pay all the costs of the prosecution, ; coroner's inquest, and all. The other was rape on a girl, seven years of age by a man named Duthie. He was found guilty, and sentenced to two years hard labor, and also to receive on Moriday next 25 lashes with a cat-o'-nine tails, to be administered privately. A case of aggravated assault yet remains to be tried, in which four men are 'concerned, to be heard on Tuesday. ' At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, the ' renowned Jock Graham, late candidate for. the Superintendency, was plaintiff in a case in which he sued D. Miller, for knocking him down and otherr wisp maltreating him during the election fevor. The hearing of the case was productive of much fun, Jock's power of repartee being .well drawn out by the lawyers engaged. He claimed LIOO damages j ; and made, out that he lost L 32 a week' as profit on the Beview he publishes, Jock being a newspaper proprietor. After hearing the case, the Magistrate decreed in favor of the Graham, and ordered Miller to pay L 5; arid costs. An ordinary meeting of the Otago Institute was held on Tuesday evening* at which a very learned paper on "The Whence of the Maori," philologically coriw sidered, was read by Mr J. Thomson. ; The paper contained extensive .vocabularies of words in various languages— Tongan, Maori, Malay, Malagasy, &c, showing their close affinition] From the arguments of the writer, it would appear that he deduces the "Whence of the Maori," to be somewhere in the Malacca Peninsula. The election of a Mayor for the ensuing Municipal year comes off next week. There are three candidates — Barnes, Mercer, and Thoneman. Mr George Duncan, an old citizen, who is about to leave the Colony, was entertained at dinner last night by, a brilliant assemblage. His Honor the Superintendent was in the chair, and most of our leading hieri were present. Some capital speeches were made, and the affair was very successful. The Episcopal body in Dunedin having determined to build another church for the benefit of the southern part of the town, a site has been secured at the corner of Hope and Stafford : streets, and

the foundation stone was laid yesterday afternoon with Masonic, honors, in the presence of the Bishop and his clergy, a large number of the Masonic brethren, and a great crowd of the general public. The church is to be of the usual Gothic architecture, to have a tower and a spire, and will cost when finished, L 4500. It is only proposed to build the nave and tower at present.

There was a narrow escape from a dangerous fire on Tuesday morning. It broke out in the back of a building in Maclaggan-street, a very thickly occupied locality, but was luckily discovered in time, and by the aid of a portable hose, was pretty well put out before the brigade arrived on the scene. This is the third fire which has been prevented by these invaluable things within the past month; •■•, • ?

The ship Yorkshire, which put into our, port damaged a few days ago, sailed yesterday with a few additional; passengers.^ She had a new rudder fitted, &c,, in first rate style. The ship Cospatrick, from London, and the barque Gleriaray, from Liverpool, arrived this week with. large' cargoes and a few passengers. : . , ;'

Matters generally are ratherdull on the : gold-fields, partly, on account : of the weather, which has been very cold, and partly the result of the storm a few weeks ago, which damaged and destroyed the works, races, &c, to a great degree.-- ' ' : The weather during the past week . has been v^ry dull and damp, till yesterday,, when it cleared up and has . since been firie and genial. ..^ „,,,:'