Country News.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 319, 23 March 1878, Page 18

Country News.

The pretty new church in St. Asaph-.street, Christchurch, belonging to the new Methodist denomination, which has been completed within the last few days. - The Christchurch Press of Monday last says —-A furious N. W. gale was blowing yesterday in port, but, thanks to the admirable precautions taken, little damage was done. The flying jib-boom of the Lurline was broken, and part of her bulwarks were damaged against the piles, as, being very liylit, she lay over greatly towards the wharf. If we except the blowing down of a few fences, no other damage was done either to shipping or town. The breeze lulled in the middle of the day, but again began to blow fresh towards evening. The Wanganui Herald of the 14th inst. says that Cobb’s coach from Wellington to Palmerston met with an accident on Mondav evening. The night being dark the coach Was taken on to a slight rise on one side of the road, and being well loaded gracefully toppled over. Fortunately the occupants, beyond a shaking aDcl one or two bruises, escaped without injury. Mr. I\. J. Duncan, of Wellington, hurt his right arm, but good-humoredly oomplained, not of his injury, but of his illluck, by which a rather heavy fellow passenger fell on him instead of under him.

The Dunedin Age makes the following extraordinary statement in its issue of the Btli inst. in reference to the constabulary of the city : —“ The Dunedin constabulary used to be a cheerfu 1 , active, vigilant body. Now they are a dreary, melancholy lot. Ever since their pay was reduced from Bs. to 7s. per day in July, 1877, such a thing as a smile lias not been observed on the features of a policeman. Many of the old efficient officers have followed the footsteps cf Colonel Moule, and retired from a profession in which there is no longer any hope of promotion, nor the slightest reward held out for good conduct and usefulness. They have been succeeded by a number of doleful, dejected-looking castaways from Wellington, who apparently have accepted the police service in order to escape being arrested for vagrancy. There is a sad expression about their eyes, their upper lip is depressed, and they walk their beats with the sullen, despairing loik of condemned felons.”

The Hawke's Bay Herald says 1 lie opinion appears to be gaining ground that the Premier is the Government, more emphatically now even than when Sir Julius Vogel occupied that high office, and that Sir George Grey s colleagues cannot take any step in any direction except such as he approves. He disapproved, it seems, the rewarding of Mr. .Bunny for the political support afforded, and the result is that Mr. Bunny has not been rewarded, and orobably is not to be. We trust that the Premier will persist iu taking his own line in reference to any similar appointments Jiat may in future be proposed to be made. A meeting of stewards of the North Otago Turf Club took place on Tuesday evening, at the Empire Hotel, the president, J. O’Meagher, Esq., iu the chair. Evidence, says the North Otago Times, was taken in the matter of a complaint by Mr. Samuel Powell against H. Money, of refusing t> pay a bet on the Dunedin Cup, and this being found conclusive, it was resolved,— Ih a t it having been proved to the stewards that Harry Money is a defaulter, to wit, having refused to pav a bet of £2OO to £7 (or two bets of £IOO to £4 and £IOO to £3) made with Samuel Powell, about Luna, on the Dunedin Cup, 1878, resolved, that the said Harry Money be warned off the Oamam racecourse, and that all the clubs in the colony be asked to endorse their decision.” During the last two weeks (says the Auckland Star), much speculation has been indulged in with regard to the nature of the monster reported to have beeu seen disporting off Brown Island by the captain, crew, and passengers of the s.s. Durham. At the time it was” stated that several cutters were in close proximity to the gigantic marine curiosity; but our efforts to find these vessels proved.unavailing - luuil this morning - , when we were iufoimed by the captain of the cutter Tamaki Packet that he passed close to the monster, which, he states, was nothing more than a young sperm whale. He believes, but is not quite certain, that at the time of the whale being seen by the people on board the Durham, it was making strenuous and partly successful efforts no stand on its head. This will easily account for those on board mistaking it for a sea-serpent. Altogether, however, it appears to us that tne whole affair looks “ very like a whale.” A fatal accident (says the Press of Monday last), occurred yesterday afternoon, by which a voung man named Francis Cassidy lost his life while bathing in the Vaimakariri Paver. It seems that deceased went, with a man named Chappel and two lads, to bathe in the river near the coiner of Mr. James Bobbie's land. He could not swim, and when walking into the stream was seen suddenly to stumble and throw up his arms, and he then disappeared in the current. One of the lads called out to the other man, who finished undressing quickly and ran to the bank, but owing to a large flax bush being in the way, could not reach the river at that point. Cassidy came to the surface three times in quick succession, and finally disappeared. The river is about seven feet deep where the unfortunate mau went down, and as there are a number of beds of quicksands at this part, it is supposed he got into one of them. Cassidy was twentyone years of age. He came to Canterbury about twelve months ago, since which time he had been iu the service of Mr. Charles Aymes, farmer, Harewood-road. He was single, and a steady and industrious young - man. The Lyttelton Times of Tuesday last says: “ A shocking accident occurred last evening, at the Christchurch railway station, at about a quarter to 9 o’clock. A young man named Edward Quarterman, aged nineteen, was engaged in cleaning one of the large engines, and while so employed, was sitting upon the ground, with his legs hanging over the edge of the pit, by means of which easy access is gained to the under parts of the engines. Another engine was being moved into the shed at the time stated, and it touched the engine at which Quarterman was employed, causing it to move on. The wheels passed over his legs, both of which were badly broken between the knees and ankles. The screams of the unfortunate fellow brought him immediate assistance, and as speedily as possible Dr. Bell Hay was in attendance. He applied bandages, and had the sufferer conveyed on a stretcher to the hospital, where Dr.s. Bell Hay, Ned will, and Fraukish did all that lay in thenpower. ”

The Lyttelton Times thus describes the progress made iu the Glentui district : —“ This part of the Ashley district has undergone a great change during the last two years. The land which was two years ago covered with manuka scrub and flax, iu fact quite a wilderness, has now, under the energetic hands of Messrs. Richardson, been nearly all cleared, fenced into paddocks, and broken up. They had a considerable quantity of crop in during last yeai-, and produced very good and satisfactory returns. Messrs. Richardson and Co. have erected on thc-ir property a number of substantial buildings for the use of tlieir employes, and are still busy erecting a number of cottages. The woolshed, granary, and stables are very extensive buildings. The freehold and leasehold held by them is about 80,000 acres, mostly hilly country, a quantity of it being - covered with bush in which there is a sawmill belonging to them and leased to Mr. H. Bacheler. The whole of the timber now being cut at the mill is made use of for the erection of buildings on the property. The mill stands about two miles in the bush, a tramway leading all the way to it. The old flax-mill site at the Ashley Gorge has been completely washed away by the encroachment of the Ashley River. A bridge has been built acioss the river at the mouth of the gorge, but it is of very little use at the present time, as the approaches on the north side have not been completed, and are not likely to be finished for some time, as there is a dispute between the Government and the Ashley Road Board os to who should complete the work. The Ashley Road Board very naturally think that the Go-

vernment, having commenced a worlc, ougM to complete it. Glentui bids fair to become a place of great importance at some future time, there being large deposits of various kinds or minerals on the estate. A walk up the Glentui [liver bed will he found very interesting. -Alittle way up from the woolshed there aie o he seen several veins of really good potter s clay, high rocks of good building stone, shell limestone, sand thickly impregnated ui i sulphur, veins of coal, quartz reefs, glass samt of superior quality, and pyrites. Specimens m the above can be seen at the museum iieie which were collected some few years ago by Mr. McKay, of the Wellington Museum. PALMERSTON. (I.'ROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Palmerston North, March 14. Another alarm of lire was given on Tuesday last, but fortunately it proved to be only the chimnoy of Mr. Diamond, bootmaker, which had caught fire. All of it spreading was soon averted by means of a few buckets of water. I understand that we are to lose one or oiuraedical practitioners soon, as Dr. Sherman leaves for Mar toil shortly, where lie is going into partnership with Dr. Taylor. We shall all be sorry to lose Dr. Skermau, and the Mauawatu Dramatic Club will miss him as one of its most active members. Palmerston was visited on Monday last by a large number of both Europeans and natives. The former were returning to Wellington and other places from the Wanganui races, and were so numerous that three coaches ban to be 2)u t, on instead of one as usual, besides numerous private vehicles. The natives were going home after having attended the tang! of tli i chief Tutere at Ngauwhakarau. As I have several times before stated the school here is without a head schoolmaster. 4he undermaster can hardly be expected to do the headmaster’s work and lus own, so that the Education Board are simply saving^the _ headmaster’s salary at the expense of this district. We have now been about six mouths in this condition, and I am informed that the attendance is decreasing in consequence.

BANQUET AT HAMILTON TO MR. SHEEHAN. As notified a few days ago, a banquet, given by the sons of old colonists in Waikato to the Hon. John Sheehan, as the first colonialborn Minister of the New Zealand Cabinet, came off on the 11th inst. The following report of Mr. Sheehan’s speech on the occasion is published in the Waikato Times of the 12th inst.: The Hon. John Sheehan rose amid loud and prolonged cheers. He must say liis position was a very strange one. He was used to talking, but over a wide range of subjects. He had, very properly, been shut outside his stock-in-trade. The chairman had spoken too favorably of him. He was truly the first nativeborn Minister, but it was perhaps due to the fact that he had tumbled into politics by accident. At the last moment be was persuaded to stand for the Provincial Council. He was the first native-born Euiaqiean who went into the Council and into the Assembly. He. was then without a beard and without a political reputation, but he had plenty of cheek. He had replied to the address, hitting soundly his elders in the Assembly. He had spoken of himself as a political John the Baptist. What he meant was that he was but the forerunner of the many colonial youths who would occupy a similar position. One great rule lie had adhered to in his political life was never to forget a friend or insult an enemy. Of the possibility of opening up railway communication between Waikato *and Taranaki he had every faith. To open a bullock road would break the neck of all possible rupture of the 2>resent 2 3e£ice °f the colony. It may be some time before the work is done, but he advised the people of Waikato to press the work upon the Government, to ask it till it was done. They should make their representatives in the House keep that important work before the country. The Cambridge and Taupe road was the one link wanting in coach communication in the colony. He could say that the work should be pushed on with vigor, not merely by the A.O. but by extra work. If lie came here next year he_hopecl to travel by coach through from Napier to Hamilton. He recommended the people of Waikato to take a leaf from those of the Thames, who never lost an opportunity of urging their wants iqjon the Government. They had made their dinner a non-political dinner. Thev could afford to do so. He had seen the best districts iu the colony, and had been told that Waikato could not hold a caudle to them. It was far from being so. So far from this, Waikato was so soundly prosperous that it could even afford to suffer neglect which would cramp the progress of many districts held to be superior. Mr. Sheehan concluded with a well-merited compliment to the dinner to which lie had been incited, and the excellence of the banquet in every rcs2iect. Mr. Sheehan then proposed the toast of “ Young New Zealand.” He thought it looked something like drinking to our noble selves. Before going to young New Zealand he would like to pay a respect to old New Zealand — their fathers and mothers, who made the country for young New Zealand. We should not forget those who hardened their hands and bronzed their faces to make young New Zealand’s path smooth and pleasant. He remembered a scientific lecture in Wellington that young New Zealand must degenerate. He was told for want of jjhospliate of lime. (Laughter). He thought differently. How many of young New Zealand now in Waikato, were tliere° not, who had done their duty nobly in defending the country. _ The young colonial, in this respect, could claim to be anything but deficient in phosjiliate of lime. The same in intellectual pursuits. Every town, in New Zealand was evidence of this. We had as good lawyers and pleaders as any who came out from Home. We had not produced many clergymen, and perhaps in that respect were de-

ficient in phosphate oE lime. Hcdidnot think that the Anglo-Saxon blood woud deteriorate from going through the New Zealand funnel If there was any alteration it would be physically and mentally for the bettei - . The power to reproduce was a test of this —go through the country where you may the grow s of children would show that iu that respect the colonists were not deficient in jdiosphate of lime. Years would soon pass, and they would become old colonists, and we should never forget that in no part of the world had Anglo-Saxons such an opportunity of building up a great nation. No colony had such a destiny before it, and it was for us to work the destiny of New Zealand to a great and prosperous issue. If there was one thing that would make a pigmy-minded peonle of New Zeal aid, instead of a great and prosperous one, it would be the neglect of public affairs for the sake of too closely attending to the making of money. It was the fault of too many to leave politics to work themselves out. No man should let jiolitics get the upper hand of his own business, but he must not leave public affairs alone altogether. He did trust that what he said would not be forgotten, but that, when young New Zealand took to himself a permanent endowment, and went in to fulfil the script,ural injunction to increase and multiply, he would inculcate the same principles to his children.’

LIMESTONE CAVES IN HAWKE’S tg BAY. The Hawke's Bay Herald publishes the following communication in reference to the limestone caves at Te Ante, the discovery of which was notified lay telegraph a short time ago : Sir, —Some time back, while visiting Te Ante, I was informed by an old bushmau named Tommy O’Briau, who has long resided in the district, that there existed in the direction of Polcawa a number of limestone caves. I found that the peojTe of Te Ante placed little reliance in the statement of O’Brian, and looked upon it as a mere draw upon his imagination. Still to my mind there was something so straightforward and tangible in the tale told me that I determined to test the truthfulness of his statement, and with this object in view, Mr. Owens and myself made arrangements with O’Brian to start on Friday morning last on a visit of inspection to the aforesaid caves. At an early hour on that morning, when the majority of the good folk of Te Ante were enjoying their matutinal repose, the three of us started, 1 must confess not without some misgivings on my part, iu the direction pointed out by O’Brian; and' after about three hours’ rough travelling we found ourselves in a deep ravine surrounded by fantastically-shaped hills of limestone fo.mation. The principal one of these hills we ascended, till about midway from the toil. The travelling was bad iu the extreme, in consequence of the density of the scrub and undergrowth, but when about the height I have just spoken of, O’Briau said, c; You stand there, and I will soon show you cave number one.” Owens and I willingly obeyed, and had just commenced smoking when he shouted to us to come forward, as we were right at the mouth of the cave, and true enough it was so, for, within a few paces of where we had stopped, and directly in front of us, was an opening into the hill guarded by gigantic trees. The opening I allude to is about 9ft. high and G ft. wide, resembling a widely-constructed Norman archwav. This we entered, and by the aid of matches proceeded about 100 feet, and could have gone much further, only we omitted to furnish ourselves with a supply of caudles and lantern®, which we found would be essentially necessary for the investigation. However, for the distance we did go we were amply repaid by seeing some of the most beautiful stalactites imaginable hanging from the roof and sides of the cave, but our puny light scarcely, afforded us an opportunity of appreciating tlieir beauty and grandeur. So, after consulting, we determined to return to Te Aute, and resume our search in the morning. That evening we procured a couple of lanterns and a supply of matches aud candles, together with 100 yards of strong line, and were off by daybreak. Ljiou reaching our destination we made one end of the line'fast to a tree growing in close proximity to the entrance of the cave. We then lighted a candle, and proceeded cautiously in onr work of exploration, noticing as we progressed that there were a number of lateral oxienings into the chamber we were traversing - , and as we advanced further onwards, we found a number of broken and unbroken pillars, rendering progress in some £>laces both slow and difiiculc. This chamber, at about 100 yards from the entrance, is at least 40 feet wide and 20 feet high, forming from the roof to the top of the columns a symmetrically carved arch, from which, at this point, the stalactites are most profusely and singularly grouped, while, still more strange, there is a miniature lake siurounded by |)ale green shrubs, t-lie whole ap2iearing like a fairy bower overhung wiJi cryst.if pendants. There are also in this sheet of water several inverted orystal cones, rising about 9 feet out of the water, aud measuring at the top say 6 feet in circumference. At this spofc we lighted another lnntein, and as our line was at its full extent we deposited one lantern at the edge of the lake and proceeded forward, the scenery increasing in grandeur and beauty to such an extent that it baffles my feeble pen to do justice to it. It must be seen to be realised and appreciated. After we had proceeded about 50 yards from where we had deposited our lantern, the chamber still increased in height aud width, aud on the right-hand side from the entrance we came upon a number of petrified bones, some of very large dimensions, as well as three human figures in a high state of preservation, apparently father, mother, and child. I will not speculate as to how they came there, or what was the period of their coming. Near to this group, out on the opposite side of the cave, there are rude sketches of warfare, and, from the countenances attempted to be depicted, I donot

think they represent the Maori type of features —that is, of the existing race. From this point we retraced our steps, determined to further prosecute our search on Monday. In the meantime we have placed our discoveries in the hands of the Government, and if you think them worthy of publicity, I now place them at your disposal.—l am, &c , Duncan Ogilvy Campbell. To Ante, March 10, IS7S.