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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 242, 9 November 1876, Page 2

A Dunedin telegram dated 3rd inst. says:— Favorable replies to the convention are coming in from many quarters. The Times having asked what is intended to be done, the Guardian answers:— "lf the convention did nothing else, it should mark its abhorrence of the Governor's partisan action, and originate a petition to the Queen denouncing his conduct, and praying for his recall. The convention should unfurl the flag of separation ; should gird itself to action, not only by a memorial •signed by every resident in Otago who acquiesces in the movement, but by fche delegates in person 5 should lay afc fche foot of the Throne a protest of the people agaiust being robbed of their privileges and constitutional rights, and an earnest request that Otago should be erected into a separate colony or a federal province, with power to manage its own internal concerns, and ifc should afc once proceed to form a provisional government- to take charge of the administration of its affairs until the result; of such a direct appeal to the Imperial Government is known."

There have been several daring burglaries committeed in Sydney recently which have caused^ considerable alarm. On Sunday morning, October 8, three shops in Oxford-street were broken into from the hack premises and ransacked. It would appear (states the Sydney Morning Herald of October 12th) that to aid them they had. made use of a new accessory in thefts ot tbe burglarious kind — some drug, with which they appear to have fumigated the rooms into which they entered, and which had the effect of temporarily stupefying the occupants, and of bringing about uupleasanfc after-consequences, some of thoae exposed to the influence of the drug, which is said to have re-, senibled musk in smell, not as yet having recovered their former health. The special train from Picton (says the Marlborough Express of the 4th instant, met with on accident on Thursday evening which delayed it some two hours. After passing Spring Creek station, at a bridge near Mr P. Busch's residence a horse had got upon the line, and being unable to get off again in time, the engine came upon it with such force as to cut it in two, and throwing the train off the rails. The passengers had a very narrow escape, and it was not till after upwards of two hours that the train was righted, and enabled to proceed to Opawa. Xew arrivals in the colony, says the. Post, seem to labor under the impression that prisoners of the Crown here should meet with somewhat different treatment from that which they experience elsewhere. A gentleman who was up because he was drunk and disorderly last night had so fat* recovered this morning asto beable to ask the watchbouse keeper for the " morning newspaper." The watch-house keeper said that the . boy had not yet brought it, but that he would doubtless be there soon. At the same time he asked the gentleman, who was under lock and key, whether he would like to have his" boots cleaned before he went into Court to see the Magistrate. The prisoner politely and innocently thanked the watch-bouse keeper, and informed him that his boots were patent leathers and did not require cleaning. He saw Mr Crawford, R.M., and left £1 for the Colonial Treasurer. The Wellington Argus says:-— We I were to-day sho'wn a curiosity in the shape of a bullock's kidney, exhibited in the shop of Mr J. Gear, butcher, Cuba-street. This kidney is slightly larger thau ordinary, and is surrounded by between 801bs or 901bs of. suet. The other kidney was not much larger thau a sheep's and possessed but little fat. The animal in which the curiosity was noticed was a somewhat lean heifer, nearly the whole of the fat of the body having accumulated about the kidney referred to. Mr Barff, the member for Hokitika, (says the G. li. Argus) has a strong antipathy to Wellington, and during a recent discussion upon a motion by Mr Thomson that the next session be held at Dunedin, he is reported to have said that as long as he was a member of the House he would continue to give his vote against having the seat of Government at Wellington; he was quite prepared to approve of it being at Cromwell or Blueskin instead of that horrible place Wellington. There were numerous reasons why the seat of Government should be anywhere else; his opinion favored Picton, Queen Charlotte Sound, or Nelson. Wellington was exercising an undue influence with regard to the rest ot the colony, and certainly an evil influence on the health of hon. members, notwithstanding its boasted possession of some botanical gardens, which he had not been in, but which were reported to be father a discreditable place to be seen in. j. Tne Rangitoto Stiver Mine Company imported b/ the steamer Wdkatipu an aEsaying apparatus, including scales, weights, retorts, cupel*, and everything requisite for assaying purposes. Concerning tbat £2750 to Sir Julius Vo^e! which the Assembly would not vote (says tbe Post) there is still something to be said. For a lime an impression prevailed that Sir J, Vo-'el had actually drawn (he money iu advance and spent it in the expectation th-it lhe colony would readily grant (he extra vote. Afterwards it was made i plain that Sir Julius Vogel had not actually received the £2750 from the colony, but that be only aeked lo be repaid it, alleging (bat he was out of pocket to that extent. Now people have been wondering, considering that Sir Julius Vogel always called himself a poor man, how he came to have tbis £2750 to spend, when his pay and travelling expenses had become exlaosted? lhe explanation is just this. He applied to a bank in London to | advance what money be wanted and obtained this sum, or thereabouts, as a matter of personal arrangement, on the security, duly given in writing, of himself and some influential friends. It is said that the money has not yet been repaid, as those liable were of course waiting to see if the New Zealand Government would make ttie amount good by getting Parliameiit to pass tbe voje for the £2750. As Parliament has declined lo do this Sir Julius Vogel will require to settle up with his sureties and the bank people when he gets to London, Of course, this pecuniary arrangement only concerned Sir Julius Vogel himself, aud the colony is in no way involved in it. What a magnificent talent the man must have had for spending money ! Some £11,000 in less than sixteen months 1 That £650, lately subscribed, will scarcely suffice for a month's pocket money.

West Coast papaya a. a^e that Mr j Charles . Verner, tOf thej " Variety j Trpupe," leyanted fro|^Hokilika by I the Rjogarooina^leaVing his employee^ and others in lurch." The following is from the Otago Daily Times of Monday last:— We learn that owing to the determination of a number of the Otago shearers to hold put for £1 per hundred, several . flockowners have decided to take prompt steps to get their shearing done at a lower rate. Xotftructions have been: given to a Melbourne agent to.adverfciee in tbe principal Victorian newspapers that a guarantee of J. 6/8 per. 100„will be given to a fixed number of shearers who will leave for Otago. in time for the season about to begin. The shed at Moreen Hills, ono of the largest sheep stations in this province, has already been filled with men who have agreed to take 16/8, arid /we understand that the departure of the Victorian shearers will be stopped if it is found that the shearers here generally are willing to consent to a reasonable reduction upon their present demand. The Post publiahes the following lugubrious account of the Kumara : — " A digger who baa just returned from the Kumara rush informs us that, though he wng on the field for three weeks, be never saw a speck of gold. He says he has bad large experience as a gold miner, both in this colony and Australia, aud that be never; came across a field that was such a ' duffer.' He informs us that there ere: about 3000 people on ihe.groupd, and that all of them are dissatisfied. Houses aud shops are springing up rapidly, and the storekeepers are doing tolerably well. Our informant statea that very few people remain on the ground longer than two or three Wbeke, and that many of them do not remain a single dayJ |Io conclusion, he expresses the opinion that the Kumara ia'a dead failure;"'-: ; ~- It ia estimated tbat 100 new. members, bave been received into the LO.G.'JPi' in Wellington during the pa*t quarter, and 500 during the present year. An enthusiastic Good Templar : writing , to the Post on the above figures aays:-i " A good drinking man thinks nothing of spending la per day. That 16' a year amounts to £18 \si. If the 500 persons received into the order. had continued to drink during tbe year even only et that rate, their expenditure would have amounted to £9125, simply thrown into ihe gutter. ,'; It: ; will take plenty oi adulteration to mafcti, good that loss to the publicans, so driuking-man beware oi poison. The aforesaid amount must be made up by hook or by _ crook What a glorious blessing to the total abstainer' to save £18 5s in the year, besides enjoying good health' and a good appetite V " Snyder," io the Coromandel Matl* asks, why should we blame niemb.rs for doubling their honorarium; for askin*, and obtaining free passes on the railway Hoes of the colony; for living • at Bellamy's on the cheap at (he eir. pense of the country ? Did we f not, na the elecors to the several constituencies send such men to represent us? It is knowu that there are members who actually filch the soap placed iu the lavatories; who steal postage stamps and stationery. Who put dinner bread into their poket and carry it away, Yet have we not elected these men to represent our most important interests. Before any of us venture to engage a .-; domestic servant, or a clerk, Or storeman, we invariably require to know something regarding his character and I antecedents. We do not accept the | applicant's own words for what he has to aay for himself. But. in the caae of a representative who is to assist in framing our laws, we allow him to star>d on a platform, or on the floor of a public hall, or on tho stage of a theatre, aod when he tells us thet ho will dp thi?; advocate this, that, and the other thin?, we hip-hip hurrah him, and then send him to the Assembly lo ignore and repudiate every promise he has made. It is all no more than we are entitled to expect — nothing more in* deed and in truth than what we thoroughly deserve. Reidal and Yoiing, two of Seoul's victims iu the Htitt outrage, are to-" return Hone iu the Zmlandia, the General Government having taken paesages for them. Young, who is only disabled in the right arm, has a mother living in Holland, an] says he will be able to maintain himself there. Reidal, who ia an almost helpless crip r pie, has two sons in Germaoy. Tha Agent-Geneffil, will, on their arrival in LondoD, see to their being forwarded to their friends. Paul ia employed here as groom by Dr Bradford, and is not to return to Europe. The mop ey raised by the Benevolent Society for the three men will be apportioned among them before Young and Reidal leave. — Wellington Argus. A remarkable piece of coral, taken off the submarine cable neir Port Dirwin, U spoken of by the Cooktown Herald. It is of the ordinary species, about five inches in eight, six inches diameter at the top, and about two inches at the base. It is perfectly formed, and the base bears the distinct impression j of the cable, and a few Gbres of the coir rope used as a sheath for the telegraph i wire are still adhering to it. As the cable has been laid only four years, it ia evident ihat this specimen must have grown to its present height in that time which seema to prove that the growth cf coral is much more rapid than our scientific men have hitherto admitted. This rapid growth may account for the new coral reefs that are constantly being discovered off our coast and .in the coral seas.

Si The RaV Henry Courtenay Jeuour, , •}* rector iii N^tingfaj «_, Eo. land, or--his.ri^n fo^shopija neighbor who R a^/espasßin||vqn feiii. grouads.:- The' boy ? fired bufr' missed. %The clergyman ■' was fioed £5. St. John's, Newfoundland, has (he extraordinary number of eleven newspapers They are ail small sheets, about; a/quarter the^size of any ordi r nary' daily. One of boosts a circulation of 150; another taxes our credulity by claiming 200. • There is a paper which is " published daily," but ! 6oly; comes out twice a week. We called at auother office on Tuesday, but Monday's paper had not been issued. " You Bee," was tbe explanation, " the holiday last Thursday has thrown us out — my boy only appeared yesteriay. , A little further up lhe coast a paper comes out "aemi-oecasionnlljF." One rshupsfc;; expected to hear of another as " bi-doubtfully. '. All tbe newspapers appear irregularly,. and it is no easy thing recollecting the different dates ot publication. The . offices here remind me of one- we saw in Canada. Asking for the editor, we were confronted by a brisk yotfng. fellow in ehirt-aleeves. " Editor ! I'm editor, proprietor, printer, compositor, pressman, news«ageut, touter, and account-collector, which is the hardest work of ail— so I guess if you want any of these gentlemen just speak to Me-!-?' The papers are as barren as the hills. Besides one or two articles from the London weeklies, some thrilling local news &b to the price cf cured cod, and tuch important fucts as that bis Excellency the Governor has bten grapiously pleased to. appoint Mr O'rtorke to ; be Inspector of Pickled Fisfe : , : there -is : really nothing to read. You would soon approximate to the tnftntal, condition of Robinson Crusoe, ware it not- for an old-country .telegram once or twice in a fortnight to the "Commercial Club."—' D. Kennedy Jan.