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Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 268, 25 April 1874, Page 2

The probate duty paid to Government on Mr. W. J. T. Clarke's will was £ 37,r>55.

The SWby Church of England bazaar has been postponed to Tuesdyy and Wednesduv, M-iy 12 and 13.

Druaimond, the Melbourne bank manager who was captured in New Zealand, has bden committed for trial.

The Sydney Cup was won by Speculation, a three-year old ; Dagworth, second; Fugleman, third. Time, 3min. 39sec.

At a sale of bush land in" Canterbury recently, by public auction,- many of the sections fetched from £59 to £3O. The Commissioners for Southland have furniihed to the.Superintendent the des-rip-t-ion of the lands classified by them as agricultural and'pastoral laud.

C-WISG to the pressure on our columns this week of advertisoaients and Court busihess,we have had to keep out' much' original matter and important news.

Tenders are called for carting-bridge-ma-terial and erecting two bridges on the head race—we be.ieve.somewhere above Blackstone flill. Particulars will be snen in the' advertisement;

We regret to learn that Master Percy Field, eldest eon of our respected Gold'-.Re-ceiver and ClerK of the Court, has" unfortunately broken one arm at the wrist, from a fall from his horse.

A petition is in circulation, through, the Committee of the Naseby Presbyterian Church, at the instance of the' Synod, prayini for the moderation of railway traffic on Sundays between Dunedin and the Port.

We are glad to learn that Mr'. Johnstone's contract on the head race has been' finished. The work is reported a* being excellent. The Inspector of Works highly eulogises the manner in which "the contract is completed.

■ -A- preliminary advertisement announcing tho intended'sale, by public auction, of very valuable mining property at' Maer'ewheiiua, deserves the attention of all seeking sound investments. Definite particulars "will be shortly announced. -

Monday, the 20th instant, was a busy morning at the District Land Office Naseby The block at Hyde, called the Pvock and Pillar Block, was open for application. Only twelve sections were surveyed, and for these the applications were plentiful. .' * ■ • '

Shaft down a quarter, of a. mile, y This (says the 'Australasian') is the "latest news from tho Magrlala mine, in the cheerfully named district of Pleasant Creek. The enter-* prising shareholders mean sinking till they strike gold—or fire. This faith entitles them to a rich reward." ' "

The Waikouuiti district 13 gaining unfortunate notoriety"" for "fire's. Another -occurred on Wednesday evening hist, by which-a stack of oafs, of the value of £BO, =" the nroperty of Mr. Irwin, of Tumai, was completely ;destroyed by" fire: Mr. Irwin was uninsured. ISiothiug definite is known concerning the origin of the fire - ; - °

On Monday last, Judge Chapman" was occupied the whole day Hearing an action in which £2,000 was sought to be obtained as damages for a breach of. promise of marriage. The plaintiff was Miss Margaret Forrester, and the defendant Mr.'John Darling, at one', time" connected with the Harbor Company; Du'iedin. The j ury "g ivu" a verdict for the plaint:il, damages £250. ■•.-•*'< - *

The Catholic School, under the superintendence of TVTr. 'Sproule, w.s opened in the new building erected for the Catholic Church on the 14th. The building presents a irioat comfortable and substantial appearance, and Will satisfy the requirement's of a lar^e,congregation for many-years. The schoof is well attended, from thirty eight to forty children being enrolled. The school is open daily, and at night, we understand, nighfc tuition is oifered.

Mr. H, Anderson, of Naseby, has this year ripened the finest sample of apples we have seenm the market. The sample very considerately forwarded to us'exhibits a very choice fruit, with a beautiful bloom and flavor. _ The fruit amply confirms us in bur opinion that nothing but shelter "is needed to enable horticulturists to ripen any fairly hardy fruit. We we're shown a' very nicelyripened peach a few days ago, grown by Mr M. Cooper. '

A sudden death occurred en Thursday last at Sowburn. A miner named Oliver Jackson, who has been in the district for seven or eight years, and was' mucli respected, went to his claim as usual in the morning/ He said to his mate that he did not fed well, feeling a pain in his side. He sat down with his coat about him, and was seen soon afterwards to stretch himself out on the: ground. He"was carried to the hut, where he expired shortly afterwards. We understand that Jackson was engaged in the Maori war. ■The following applications for mining privileges will-be heard at the next sitting of the Warden's Court, at.. Maerewhonua; o on May 6th:—Extended claims: John Christo pliers, Uriah Cooper, Jjhn Craig and others ; Thomas Blackwell and others —Tail' races : John M-Donald 'a.:d others ; Thomas Bl.ic-k----well and ol hers ; Maerewhenua Wa!gr ' l{ace and Mining Company (r?«iotered; v —Protection : Miicrewiienua Water Ruce and Mining Company (registered), Alex. VVooly' and others—residence urea': John Cook.

The value <rf land is certainly on the rise. Thirteen sections at "W'aipahee, Glenkennich, realised £4,100, or an average of about £2 4s! per acre. The lowest price was" £rss.7 and the highest £3 14s. The Otago and Southland ■ Investment Company "bought' - all the sections with the exception of one, which fell to a Mr. Roberts. On M'jtfab's, run 96, applications were received for twenty-five sections on deferred payments. A number, seeing the crowd and the necessity of a ballot, with only a slight chance of getting what they required, turned away. Tjitj ' Otago Giirdi.m' bays, the sub-com-mittee on harbor improvement., report has just been published, waited' upon Ins Honor the Suppriutendpnt last week, requesting him to fciki- the nra-ss iry itt ps for bavin" a Bill rre.ting a Harbor ..rust introduei-d into ( he Provincial Couiicii at its next meeting. His ITon'n- iucfivod the deputation most courteously, und promised !o bring the m-.tter before the i£xc ulive as s..on as possible, wit i ibovidwof having the recommendations of iho (.'ornmi'tL-c, if approved, embodied in a tiill to be introduced hy the Government. It is sratqd that the cose of White v M/Kellar has been set i led on the following terms : —The defendant's agree to pay tiffs £SOOO, together with such further sums us wdl indemnify tho'pliiiuttfFs ngainst till costs to bn faxed, us'bi'tweoiVut'orney aiid c'iout,-incurred b,y ilium in the t-everal aeliji.s nnd proceedings Ji'jm'fhe co.mmenceinent of the first, action in 1868'.up rp thn present time. The deiemlants also ngreu to sign ail documents necessary to enable the plaintiffs to obtain, a lease of their run. •■• That, unon these conditions being complied with, judgment ho entered up in one of the actions now pending for the £SOOO. already mentioned and ■ n -

Tuesday, the licensing--day, brought a great many visitors to Naaeby from all parts of the district. '-' A good deal of interest was manifested throughout the day as to the decisions on the applications. The' Bench had a most ungrateful task to perform —to 'obey the law, and yet not to injure more than could be helped those who had been encou-' raged by the loose system of the Ordinance previously in force." It will take the whole' of next year to find outho.w the Act of" 1873 will work. It' certainly -gives most arbitrarypowers, to the Commissioners, and at the same time allows them no power of amending trifling'informalities in applications. The action of the Courts throughout the Colony will be watched with great interest. One thing is certain—the duty>'of .the police will ■ be more onerous and more responsible'; at the same time, they should-be supported and encouraged, by the Licensing Benches.

Mtt. Innes, in his very valuable report furnished to the Government on the encouragement of plants and the conservation .of forests, says : —lt would be necessary, for. the purpose of- carrying -on planting operations'successfully, and for raising plants at the lowest'possible rates, to-set apart planting districts, and establish a nursery as near the centi-e of each as possible, say one at Oain.iru, one at Dunedin, one at Clut.ha, one at Naseby,- or'any other place where it might be deemed advisable to carry, on., plant operations. Artifiohl planting .should- be, encouraged "along; the valleys of the' Waitaki, Upper Clutha, Manuherikia, on "the Maniototo Plains, and near Queenstown, or any district where an agricultural papulation is likely to be settled. If plantations could be raised a< intervals alonothat stretch of excellent country extending' from Maniototo Plains to Ida Valley,-the br.nvn, scorched appearance which the country now presents, and which must,be the result of prevailing drought, would be materially affecte'd-for'the better, and "a very different appearance would be presented to the intending settler. . ■ - - ;