OTAGO.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 553, 20 February 1858, Page 4

OTAGO.

By the Mary Thomson we have papers from this province to the 13th inst. The chief news they contain is of the arrival of the new clipper ship Robert Henderson, at Dunedin on the 9th instant, in 84 days from the Clyde, with 286 passengers, all steerage. The Robert Henderson sailed Nov. 11th, and by this splendid passage has beaten the Palmyra which sailed from London 12 days previously. The immigrants are described as belonging to the very best class of Highland labourers, and the voyage as all that was pleasant. Seven deaths, one adult female and six children, occurred on board. The early arrival of so.many immigrants had thrown the barrack arrangements into some confusion, and the Government is blamed for want of foresight. A rumour had been gaining ground and is rather confirmed by the ' Witness' that it was in the intention of the Government to recall the immigration agent from England and put a stop tv the scheme. The Palmyra was to bring 94 assisted immigrants. Complaints are made that the ships arrive with Valy labour, and that no capit;d is being introduced. A positive want of employment, the ' Witness' says, may bo expected when the harvest i 3 over. Till then nil is well. The following paragraphs are taken from the last and previous papers : — Salks of Cujwn Lands.—-The sale of land in this province is fully maintaining the estimated average. On the 11th instant a sale of town lands was held at the Land Office, and 12?; acres sold, realising £'GB3. The sections

were, with the exception of ono, all and many of theiri fetched extn, c ] v n j i' prices, considering the distance of t^ m from the business portion of■ iho town.- Tli^;, T ] les i price realised for a £-acre" section We understand that the amount of land Wanted on the 14th inst., being the application! j^^ during the month of December, was ..bout 2500 acres, and lvas applied for by 40 t>plicants.— Witness, Jan. 16. .

Public Imfkovements.—The arrivals/by the Strathallan have given a busy aspect to \ c town. A number of labourers arrived by. h v have been engaged by the Town Board, whiei is prosecuting its works with vigour; so that we may hope, ere the winter sets In, to see the streets of the town, in better order than they were last year. We observe also that the Road Engineer is advertising for able-bodied labourers to carry on the works under his management, which will give employment to an additional number of the Strathallan hands.— lbid. Revenue and ExPENDiTUBE.-The amounts of the revenue and expenditure for the auarter ending 31st December, which havenot yet been Gazetted, show the revenue to be £5,048 4s. 10d and the expenditure £5,231 Bs. 6d.j by which lit appears that our Treasurer, with that ingenuity for* which he is conspicuous, expended some £185 3s. Bd. more than he received. This feat is somewhat strangely accounted for by the fact that about £2,600, the proceeds of land•ales for the quarter, Were paid to him some days afterwards. These figures show a satisfactory state of the revenue, though perhaps not of the method of keeping the accounts.— lbid. Eubopean Mails,—We Tare glad to team that the Government have at last taken steps to have the European mails conveyed hither with more regularity than they have hitherto been. No tenders having been offered to convey the mails from Canterbury to Otago, the Postmaster at Port Lytteltori has been requested by our Provincial Government to charter a vessel if one does not happen to be coming on here at the time, and forward the mails with as little delay as possible, at the expense of the Otago Government.—- Ibid. Gas.—We have recently had an opportunity of inspecting a novelty in Otago, and, indeed we believe in New Zealand, in the shape of a small apparatus for the production of gas, which has been erected by Mr. G. Duncan, of the Commercial Inn. The gas is produced from tallow, and gives v pure and steady light, each burner being equal to about six candles'. Prom the small size of the gasometer only seven burners can be at f>resent supplied, at an average cost of about 6d. per night. We understand that Mr. Duncan intends, so soon as a larger one can be procured, to give the putlie the benefit of the improvement, by placing a gas-lamp over his door and another, towiwds the end of High street.— Colonist, Jan. 22. Lamb Oiinso. —-TW-j>ubliuatt6n ot tiie list of applications for land made during the month of January shows a gradual increase in the demand for land, though not such an increase as in any way to warrant the conclusion that there .is an undue amoant of speculation. We observe that already some of the Strathallan passengers appear among the list of applicants— an evidence of the facility with which land can be '^acquired in this province worth a dozen pamphlets. Upon making a calculation from this list and the advertisement of town sales, it would appear that land was being applied for at a rate which would yield a revenue of between £35,000 and £36,000 per annum. From this, however, a heavy deduction has to be made for lands not taken up after they are awarded to the applicant. We, however, do not doubt that, should the sale of town lands continue, the land revenue will in the gross amount to about £20,000 per annum.— Witness, Jan. 33.

Mr. Carnegie sold, by auction on Thursday last the entire Ai-ab horse ' Ackbar,' -which realised £70. A number of horses were offered, but, owing to the scarcity of purchasers, several were withdrawn.— lbid!