PROVINCIAL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 92, 18 April 1874, Page 2

PRO VINCIAL.

. Auckland, April 18 . James Crawford,Triaster of thecutterEllen, endeavored to take a cargo up to Captain Peacock's farm at the head of the Piake river, but the natives civilly refused to allow him to go up witlKut paying " black mail," and the vessel returned. The Cambridge settlers are subscribing for a presentation to Mr Mackay at a public . dinner, in recognition of hi ß,.services to the .Waikato district.; The schooner Belle Brandon haß been sold .■ t» Mr George HoJdßbip; ior £1650. Ms Binaey reports .tho produce market firm. < Oats, 5s 6d; barley, jss 6d; wt eat, 6b to 6s 3d; xoaize, 7b; bran, £7 10s; pollard,£7; potatoes, £5, 5s to £5 10s; hams and bacon, lOd to lid; rye grass seed, 69 to 5s 6d; Oamaru flour '■-£14; malt, 9s. . ."•.;. v ; • Mr Alexander Faunders reports sales of Bank of New Zealand, £17 10s; National, Bank, 76s 6d; Standard, 16s; Old Wh*u, '£6 10s; Coliban, lis. Buyers : National Insurance, 31s; Standard, 15s- 6d; Albumin, . new,. 82s 6d; Caledonians, £8 10. Fiji Bank, sellers, 545. „ ' Potter's barn was burnt ddwn last night. ■ It contained forty* tons hay, and a quantity of valuable saddlery. Three race horses were got out 'with great difficulty. Loss, £400, iininsnred.' " Mr Stewart writes to the Times this morning' stating that it is nearly certain that a special small farm settlement will be formed in the Bay of Plenty. A hundred families, all with small capital, will settle there from - the North Island within ten months. ■„.'. Dtjubdin, April 17. Snow is already on the hills round Dnnedin. . Twenty-itwo more immigrants, are to be removed from Quarantine Island to-morrow. Two new railway stations are being erected, one at. Caver sham, and one at Green Island. The total.number of immigrants arrived in Dunedin dut ing the quarter ended March 31, was 2260. . . , - April 18. „;', Captain^Hutton has reported'the existence of a very valuable coal, bed at Tokomairiro, < extending over 60 square miles, and estimate i • to contain 100,000,000 ,tpns of coal. It .is of ■ • a good brown;de_crjption, and. is not lignite, Yu. a^rp^p^^'^itbii al&ttß thiiM is as yalu;'.iHe. colony*iff'^hq. seamrare f;d_o;'tfrree"(liptwenty lootiiMck. The engi-

neer is at once to be 'ser.t up on the -survey' a branch railway, ttiree miles in }e_gth will be constructed to convey it to tbe main line. It is expected that the coal will bo Bold in Dunedin for 12s a ton. Kerosine, jeit >5s to £12; oats, 4s 3d to 48 6dj maize. 5s Id; new potatoes, £7 to £8 per ton; bacon, B Jd; oatmea', £23; hay, £7 io£7 IPs.