Interprovincial Items.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 778, 14 April 1870, Page 2

Interprovincial Items.

The Daily Southern Cross, understands that the mails per s.s. Wonga Wonga, despatched on the 2nd inst., contained correspondence as follows: —For the United Kingdom—7,9B9 letters, 87 books, 5,800 papers. For America, &c, —1,342 letters* 18 books, and 68L papers. . According to the Auckland papers, his Excellency the Governor intends to pay an early visi*" to the Bay of Islands, as is supposed for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the local requirements. of that district. Ten English yellow-hammers for the Auckland Acclimatisation Society arrived by the ship Inflexible from London on the 3rd inst. These were the whole that lired out of twenty-four shipped for the Society.. English sparrows were, on the 3rd inst., seer, fljing about, and perched on railings, in Hobson-street, Auckland. At Auckland, on the sth inst., as a man named Cooper was cai'rying a case of lemonade on board the p.s. Lady Bowen, his foot slipped, and he fell between the wharf and the steamer. Being a good swimmer ard assistance being at once rendered by the men of the Lady Bowen, Cooper was rescued, but the lemonade sank to the bottom.

The Thames Advertiser, April 6, say& that "several canoes arrived on April 4 from Piako containing natives who are to take part in the meeting to be held at the native settlement. The principal subject to be discussed is, we believe, with reference to the conveyance of the telegraph wire across some native land. What termination the meeting may have can havo no effect upon the telegraphic extension, as it would be quite absurd if natives or Europeans either could interfere in the least with the pro-! gress of the telegraph. The eldest son of the late W ; lliam Thompson is now also in town." The Thames Mail, of the 7th inst., says:—" As we have already stated, a native meeting has been held within the last few days at Parawai, with reference to the extension of the telegraph wires. There is great opposition to taking the wires across a piece of land at the Piako, in which, unfortunately, Te Kopara, Pineha, and others of the Hauhau section are interested. These men are also the principal obstructions to the opening of Ohinemuri. The matter, however, of the telegraph is a very different one from that of Ohinemuri, and we may listen to what the natives say with perfect equanimity. Mr Puckey was present at the meeting, and had to put up with a good deal of bold talking. >Te Kopara made a very determined speech, in which he displayed considerable information as to the most recent extensions of telegraphic communication over the world. He said the Europeans must be great divers, for we. had stretched the wire from England to Port Jackson, a good part of the, way being under the sea,. TJiia is t 99 i •

doubt, looming in the future, but Te Kopara is somewhat in advance of the age. Te Kopara went on to say that if we could do so much in the way of submarine telegraphy, wo could lay the wire below the Firth of the Thames, from Pukorokoro, on Wharekawa, to Grahamstawu, without bringing it over their land at Piako. The mysterious wire, he said, would trouble his dreams when stretched over him. One of the Ngatimarus deprecated the rough tone of Te Kopara's remarks, and, by way of questioning his authority, said—" Who are you ? What is your name ?" Te Kopara at once answered—" My name is Hauraki." We (Grahamstown Evening Star, April 2) understand that the police authorities have during the last few days administered a caution to some of the publicans, to the effect that in future anyone selling grog to Maoris will be " prosecuted according to law." The Bay of Islands correspondent of the Daily Southern Cross says • that a native meeting, at which about 4,000 persons are expected to be present, is to be held at Hokianga towards towards the end of the month. The meeting is to be held in honor of the late Arama Karaka, a chief of high rank. The following telegram appears in the latest Auckland papers :—" Westport, 30th March, 1870. There was a rush on Sunday, half-a-mile south of Westport, in from four to five feet sinking. The prospects are really good, and were traced along a terrace over two miles. The men seem confident." The Southern Cross, April 7, says:— The Bank of New Zealand, Grahamstown, shipped on Tuesday to Auckland, per p.a. Williams, 2,600 ounces of gold. On Friday last another lot, weighing 2,720 ounces was shipped by the same Bank. A notification appears in the New Zealand Gazette to the effect that Shortlanu Post-office is in future to be known as "The Thames." The hon. Mr Fox, Premier, has delivered a leoture on Total Abstinence to a large audience in Kelson. According - to the Wanganui papers, there is at present a sort of epidemic among the rats. Immense numbers of them are strewed along the beach from the heads to ibove the town, dead. The Chronicle suggests a suicidal propensity on the part of the species. The "Dunedin Arab," writing to the Cromwell Guardian, says: —I went to the Jetty to see a batch of the passengers by the Jessie Headman—a new and fine Glasgow ship—land. True unmistakeable Caledonian physiognomies were visible, and the native Doric was not awanting. They gazed curiously on the crowd assembled to receive them, expecting, I suppose, a sprinkling of tattoed New Zealanc'ers to be visible, and the ladies clearly looked as if they said, " Has the latest fashions reached you Antipodeans yet ?" It was refreshing to hear the salutation one party received from a friend waiting for them. —"Is that you?" "I wad'na hae kenned ye!" "Whaur's Johnny?" The latter turned up, and the party travelled quietly up the Jetty in a smart shower. Yerily, the Scotch are not a gushing people. When the 18th Regiment .loft Auckland (says the Daily Southern Cross) there was left behind them a large quantity of gunpowder, which is stored in a place in which, it ought not to be left. It is now guarded, but an accident to it would be extensively destructive of property and life. It would, we think, be worthy of consideration by the authorities whether a hulk, properly prepared and placed somewhere near the entrance to the harbor, would not be the safest and most convenient kind of magazine. In addition to. serving as a general depot, such a hulk would facilitate the discharge of powder from English ships as they arrive, and would so, perhaps, save days of detention. We have mentioned that powder was left behind when the 18th .Regiment departed; and we hear that some of what was left behind is to be sent home. Not by or for the Imperial authorities, but as a commercial transaction; some tons of the powder having been purchased by an Auckland merchant at 9d per lb., which price will, it is believed, leave a good profit on shipment of the powder to England. A large public meeting was held at Patea on the 31st March to consider the Go-* vernment order permitting the return of the natives to that district. The proceedings were orderly and animated; and thft following, resolutions unanimously carried^

—" That this meeting, having hitherto had every confidence in the Government, request that the order published in the Herald of the 26th March be cancelled, as the return of any natives between Waingongora and Okehu (Waihi ?), with the sanction of the Government, will cause grave complications, and probably renewed trouble: and the meeting trusts that the Governmsnt will reconsider their decision, and let the natives be kept away for some time to come." The Shorthand correspondent of the Daily Southern Cross, under date April 1, writes as follows with reference to the opening of Ohinemuri: —" Rumour is current here regarding the opening of Ohiuemuri, and is to the effect that the General Government have agreed to pay in cash to Te Hira and Mary Kuru the sum of £5,000, with the proviso that both of them clear out. Mr Commissioner Clarke, from the East Coast, and Mr Puckey, native agent here, go up the river on Tuesday (April 12) to carry out these instructions." The Canterbury Press of a late date contains an account of a valedictory tea meeting which was given to the Revs. T. Buddie, Alex. Road, and W. Oliver, who are about to leave their present Cir- , cuit, having been appointed by the Conference to other parts of New Zealand. Mr Reid has consented to remain another four months in Lyttelton as the Dnnedin Circuit were anxious to retain the services i of their present pastor Mr Fitchett until the erection of their new Church. The following is the address presented by the i quarterly meeting to Mr Buddie:—"Dear , »Sir, —The time having arrived when by j appointment of the Conference you are about to remove to the Wellington Circuit, we, the members of this meeting, as > well for ourselves as for the societies and . congregations we represent, desire to ex- - press our high appreciation of your many excellences, both as a Christian gentleman and a minister. During the four years in which you have filled the office of Superintendent of this Circuit with so much efficiency and impartiality you have j had the high satisfaction of witnessing progress in every department of the Church. Where openings presented themselves, whether round the city or in the country di tricts, societies have been * organised, and in many places Churches j erected. You have been faithful in the j discharge of the duties of your ministry f amongst us, and it is cause of rejoicing » and of the deepest gratitude that the ( Great Master whom you serve has so , owned your labors as to make them £ successful in the conversion and edifica- r lion of your hearers. In thus officially ( ■'bidding you farewell, we wish to convey } to you the assurance of our respect and ] confidence, and to express a sincere desire ( that the remaining years in which you £ may be permitted to serve the Church of j .God on earth, may be those in which you s will be most happy, most honored, and £ most useful." Similar addresses, couched ] in the most affectionate terms were pre- < sented to Mr Reid and Mr Oliver j after j which very excellent and appropriate ad- ( dresses were delivered by the Rev. gentle- ) men. , The Timaru Herald informs us that the < temporary bridge over the Rakaia is nearly i finished, only a chain or two remaining to i complete it. This bridge, as is well known, i is supported entirely by clusters of com- ' mon, gas pipes well braced together and t driven into the shingle. The purpose of i this temporary bridge will be to serve as a I scaffold for the erection of the permanent i structure, but when finished it will serve ] as a viaduct over the river, being strongly 1 enough constructed to carry a light truck j to convey wool and other produce. The i gas-pipes seem to answer the purpose for f supporting the light bridge, and lately their ' stability has been severely tried by a very < heavy fresh in the river. The piles which < were properly braced withstood well the - force of the current, and only a few of | thfcse which were unbraced yielded. For i the permanent bridge, a large quantity of material is already collected, chiefly heavy iron bark piles. The Hon. Major Richardson recently delivered a lecture at the opening meeting of the Balclutha Sixpenny Readings, on the subject of the Government Annuities and Life Insurance Act. He referred to the economy with which the scheme could be worked by the Government, and to the certain security offered to insurers and annuitants. Speaking of insurances at home, the lecturer said that in Great 1 Britain it was computed that, in 1849, there were 150 millions of money invested,

while in 1852 the insurance in Scotch offices amounted to '£34,000,000, so that probably, at the-present date, there are little less than 200 millions invested. No later than last year it was stated in a petition from Manchester, that while some of the older associations were of high position and undoubted stability, the average term of existence of life offices is below that of the most unsound benefit societies; and in illustration.it was stated that, out of 400 assurance companies which have been established, only about 120 now exist. The lecturer showed the amount of misery, and disappointment that has resulted from this cause, and referred to the precautions which are taken in the scheme adopted by the Government to avoid such a calamity.

Sergeant Mallard, in charge of the Port Chalmers police, has been fined £5, or 14 days' imprisonment, and Constable Sullivan 50s, or 7 days' imprisonment, for illusing a drunken prisoner. Butter is quoted in Lyttelton at 6d to 7d per pound for the best description. Two firms have taken advantage of this low rate to export to London 140 firkins.

A reliable and experienced correspondent at Wangapeka writes as follows to the Westport Times:—"So far, this is the poorest place I ever saw, the men getting no gold, and having no money. If all the reefs found prove payable, it may in time turn out well, but of this I have great doubts."

The following story of a Chinese swindler is from the Cromwell Guardian, March 26th:—Such as are accustomed to consult the Police Gazette may have stumbled across a Celestial against whose name sundry docquets appear in the shape of '* aliases," which invariably wind up with the handsome appellation of " Mash Jim." That is saying enough to show that Jim. since his arrival in Otago, has been an object of solicitude to to the conservators of the public peace. On more than one occasion they have had him under their surveillance, and from what we can learn, he has come to be regarded as one of the objects of their special mission." In personal appearance he is rather prepossessing, which is an exceptional admission, considering the the prejudices that exist against the nation to which he claims kindred. His "get-up" was an improvement upon the ordinary run of his countrymen, and as a rule he was in the habit of assuming a position in society to whicH only the few" est number of Chinamen aspire. What is vulgarly termed " lady killing" formed another of his accomplishments, and it is reported on good authority that'more than one barmaid, of fair prospects, listened to his addresses in preference to those of her European suitors. Such is a brief sketch of the illustrious stranger who made his appearance in Cromwell the other day. His first care was to secure apartments suitable to his pretentions, which, after some anxiety, were found in one of the local hotels. His second care was to se cure the ear of the landlord, whom he immediately admitted unreservedly to his confidence. He told him in pretty good English that he was a Chinaman in good circumstances, and amongst other sources of income he mentioned the post of Government Interpreter, which, according to his narrative, yielded upwards of £3OO per annum. His object in visiting Cromwell was to invest, and he wound up a very satisfactory series of mis-statements by an assurance that he had "plenty money in bank." To a certain extent his outpourings were corroborated by his outward ap pearance, and in the eyes of our friend the hotel-keeper, matters looked very promising. From the hotel Jim strolled across the street to one of the general stores, where the story of his importance was repeated, and on the strength of that story items representing £ls or £2O were duly recorded on the debit side of the ledger. At this stage of the proceeding a fit of gallantry seems to have come o'er the spirit of Jim's dream, and he next turns up at an hotel kept by a widfew lady. Here his tender emotions, coupled with the story of his wealth, produced a deep impression. The confiding storekeeper was again applied to, and through Jim the sale of a lady's dress and sundry articles of female adornment was successfully negotiated. Things went on in this interesting manner for a day or two, when Jim suddenly discovered that he was under the paintul necessity of paying a visit to Bendigo Gully to look after certain mining investments he was about entering into. Before doing so he induced the widow , lady to advance a sum of £6 to meet a,

temporary emergency, and on the understanding that he would be back next daj to dinner he took his departure. Meantime the indefatigable Sergeant Cassels had an eye upon him, and on the fact becoming known that Jim had not been seen at Bendigo, the whole affair came to be in quired into. The result was that an information was laid against the "flash" Chinaman for having obtained money by false pretences. Arrned with the necessary warrant, Sergeant Cassels set out on Wednesday last, and after a sharp chase succeeded in running him down in the vicinity of Cardrona. He was brought back to town on Thursday evening, and yesterday morning he made his appearance before Gr. W. Goodger, Esq, J.P., charged as aboveSufficient evidence was given to warrant a remand, which was granted till Wednesday next.