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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5000, 3 April 1877, Page 2

| We'direct attention'td the important cablegram whish appears in'this-morning’s issue. , l he great fall in the price of wool is alarming; [and in the face of tho : report on the position [and prospects of the wool market contained in the brokers’ circular, ari: extract from which is i ivea inkthe mail;telegram; innd whiohhwaa; [written but three weeks previously, is inexplicable. But still the—bare and gloomy fact Stands out that wool has fallen from 2d. to 3d. [per lb. At the.lowest computation, such a decline in price, if' it, affected .the [whole of our i wool export . for[ the; yearj'would a .falling off iriour exports of upwards of half a [million, , ~ | 'J’he English mail arrived,,.yesterday at I Auckland,- seven days after, contract-time.' The j Carrie" ©f detention will be; found specified jin our shipping , columns, and- the budget of news brought by her in our telegraphic columns. [ Very . probably the Taranaki; will bring tho, mail dpwn the coast. • Yesterday .was; kept a high, holiday in town, am) .from ~an early , hour large .numbers of peiiple travelled by :train. ( and„b3r..'every conceivable kind Of vehicle into'the .country. Both the Bp)Wer K HuU audtipper Hutt,we?e crowded with townsfolk,; whilst,r on the; other hand* . great people from the-country found Ariri ,way; into. Wellington.; : The Athletic Club sports, the only public, amusement provided, were well patronised.

‘WV’regret to have to ! announce that Mr;’ William ..Dorflstt, ;a gentleman-;whohuS..'been connectedjwfth : Wellington,.for, the;past thirtysix years, died yesterday,; Detjeaged was well known to, all colonists in this part of .the Oodntry, and In' commofi" with them'had'seen Wellington rise from the position of a mere fishing village to the prosperous conditidnit is now’in. He merer' had taken a very prdminent' position in public*affairs,-but 'lie' wasamember of '-the first Provincial Conncih -Ho was iv juaticC of the peacelforithd colony; ahd"had always-fceeii a sociable good settler. His age at the time of death was nearly seventy-five. At a meeting of the creditors of Henry E. Tonks, ot Wellington; "cornfactor, specially convened to assent to a deed of arrangement provjding'lor the! payment of; a'icompotjtion of ss. in the pound, Mr.damea.O’Shea occupied the chair. The creditors present or represented proved claims to the amount of £2621 4s. lid. Mr. Barton’and Mr. Fitzherbert attended on.behalf of Mr.,Charles Poll (who it ‘ remembered lately-'fhoovered in the %fiprenie ! C6hrt h^re 1 damages‘to' the exteut !i w £270 against the debtor). -Mf;'Samndli f Acting for Mr. Moorhouse, the solicitor for the debtor, appeared in support’of a - motion that the deed be assented to, which was proposed by Mr. Walter Turabullpand seconded by Mr, Moore.; Messrs. Barton and Fitzherbert 'addressed the i creditors ,in’ opposition to the motion, .and endeavored to convince them of the expediency | of either refusing to. assent to the deed, .or of: at any rate postponing the; consideration of the' matter. The creditors were,, however, .of j opinion that np good could result from the) adoption of’ either course; aud.'a resolution as- > seating’to the deed'wa^'^aS'sedand’ Sigribd by; credUors i to'thd''amount of 'i£2493 55..4d., one* creditor present dcdlipingto vote. 1 !■ Writing fcf the railway traffic in Canterbury i the.'Press says:—“During the,pressure of thegnpn season the amount of , business at the Christchurch station is something considerable.; It is worthy of record that one'evening last j week after tho arrival of .the last ordinary train' the hands were sot on to unload fifty-two* trucks of grain, averaging seven tons. These ■ were finished at two o’clock next morning, and were refilled in time to catch the next midday train to port.”

An ordinary meeting of the Hntt Uourity Council is cal led for this day at 1 o’clock. The Simonsen Opera Troupe is at present in Tasmania, but ; f he business appears to be poor.

The collections at St. .Mark’s Church on Easter Sunday amounted to £l3 10s. The Sydney Morning Herald estimates the wealth of , i\ew South Wales, exclussive of fixed and floating capital, at £84,735,665. ' Mr. Aldous, of Lambton-quay, notifies in our advertising columns that he has lost a sum of money amounting to £34, for the recovery of which he offers a reward. The cheques have been stopped.

We direct attention to Mr. R. .T. Duncan’s land and property sale to be held to-day. It is one of the must important land sales which has ever been held iu Wellington, and the total value of the lands to be offered represents an enormous sum. The sale commences at two o’clock. We are indebted to Mr. Monteith for the following return of patients in the Provincial Hospital during and ending tho month of March, 1877:—Admitted: Males, 18; females, 4.: Discharged: Males, 14; females, 8. Died: Males, 2. Left in Hospital : Males, 36 ; females, 7 ; total remaining, 43. Our Waverley correspondent gives some particulars respecting the building to be erected in that township as a branch of the Bank of New Zealand. He says it occupies one of the best sites in the townshipv being situate next to Mr. Overend’s srm-e, is a very handsome building, and will be very nicely fitted up.

A Christchurch correspondent, writes to say that our information regarding, the winner of the,Dunedin Cop is incorrect, and states that the racehorse Fishhook, late Lough Neagh, was, bred by Mr., John Bnllaiice, of Wanganui, and after winning the Maiden Plate in Wellington some two years ago, was sold to Mr. O’Brien for £3OO.

I . The Davenport , Bros., together with BrofesIsor .Fay and Mr. Davies, repeated their unique land, wonderful performance at St. George’s [Hall last evening ;to a .crowded, house. The ; performance was similar that enacted oc the former occasion, which.-was; noticed fully In, our last issue. Mr. Davies was at happy and (Successful as usual, making some very apt local hits., . :, ‘ , ■

i The Theatre Royal last night was literally [crammed in every part. Shakspere’s play “Twelfth Might ; Or, What You W.ll ’’ being 'produced. It was most successfully played, ;arid theAudiencefrequently applauded thr >ughiout the performance.- ' In the "dual part Sebas- ; tian'and Viola Mrs. Hcott-Siddonn acted ad[mirably, and was well supported by Mr. Steele and the members of the stock company. This piece will be repeated to-night. :

i Messrs. W. and G. Turnbull and Co. have, at last decided upon the nature of the buildings •to .be .erected on the valuable site on the re- . claimed land purchased by them from the [Municipal Council some two years, ago.. The buildings are to be of brick," and will consist of two warehouses, each 100 ft. in length by 55ft. [in breadth. One. will be used as a free store : and office, and the other as a bonded store, igiying ou the whole storage room for 700 i [tons. Even these buildings.[will not take up [the whole of the land, but will leave several valuable frontages.

A most praiseworthy work was completed yesterday in the shape of,a working bee for [the clearance of the Catholic cemetery from rubbish.. There • were about 150 workmen, engaged in this labor of love, under the able ; command: of >". r. Trehore. Everyone seemed ■to work with a will, the enclosure for the nonce-presenting a scene; after a hard day’s [ work at burning and grubbing, of a resting-place more of the living than of the dead. There i are many other bodies who might take a useful hint from the above. .At 1 o’clock the work [was completed, and the Rev. Father Kearney thanked the assembled workmen, who, after I three, cheers for the ; clergy;,gave three cheers [for Messrs.' OlNeill andTreuore, whooriginated j this ■ truly." useful working bee.. _■

| , There is talk of the Hntt High way District [bring" merged in the county, arid the sooner lit is done tho better. Lately the meetings have been held most irregularly, and the busi‘ [ness disposed of in a slipshod, manner. We never "ciin got to know when meetings q,rc to [be held.' The first Wednesday in the month is [the ordinary day of meeting,’ but'it very fre-, queritly happens that the meeting day is altered, to suit the convenience of particular councillors. Notice of such changes is never given to the Press, and consequently we have frequently sent a reporter to the Hutt only to [find'[that the'meeting had been appointed for a 'different, day. The , explanation of [ the ‘ ‘ discourtesy to this journal may be [found iu the fact that an officer of the Board is paid, or alleges himself to be paid, to furnish a contemporary with reports of the proceedings. A meeting was held on Saturday last, contrary to rule; but we were unable to report its proceedings for the reasons previously, referred to.

A pigeon match got up by Mr. N. Valentine came off; at .the- Lower Hutt yesterday, anil attracted a good deal of interest. , The following gentlemen took part in the contest Messrs. Liardet, Owen, Harding; Walkley, Morris, . Corbett,, and , Back. There were three sweepstakes, and the result was as follows -First • sweepstake—ln this t vent, of 5 birds'eachpMr.'-Sti C. Liardet- scored-8 points out of a possible 10, thus taking first prize ; Mr,—Morris—scoring 7, and- .takirur the second'prize.’ 1 Second sweep,:3 birds each—ln this ’event Mr. Owen took all 6 points ; Mr. Morris again taking second, with 6 out of 6. Third sweep—Mr. Owen again scored 6, and took consequently first prize. Mr. Harding and Mr. .Morris made a tie for the second prize by scorihg ,5 . each. Mr. Harding in a match at-doublS birds beat M r ’'Oweh.. I The contest..wds.rvery .exciting between these two gentlemen,- and-.the friends of each were confident bf-'sudeess/ The shooting s of both was excellent, that of Mr. Harding particularly so. He.brought'his'birds down in a moat sportsmanlike 'manner, there being scarcely a yard Betweenthem when ‘they .fell; .We hope that thC J ekpectations that a gun club will be forinCa ffibrtly wiU'BOoh be realised;' ' , '’. . , nna. dvn o/■-■■.f •.. ■ / ,; Vv v / r,/Judge--Ten ton, says. Thursdays Auckland Herald, told yesterday an anecdote of his travels on-public!business which aptly illustrates ■. jvhat has been called the “cast-iron” regnlaripnß’;‘of; “certain- public-- departments, The learned Judge,. had : to hold a District Court-at Hamilton,., Waikato,. and .proceeded to ,the; • nearest • station i to- take his place foraMercer,iK.;Butdhe/had;'not the exact amount of the- fare, and the moneytakerif ,'at.railway stations arcy'authorised . not “to>giye. change,”..(Jfere,-; perhaps, question arises whether a learned Judge, can plead ignorance of railway regulations any more than" the rest of her Majesty’s subjects. The money-takCr 'iu this instance pointed out a house in the village ,of Newmarket where his.. Honor might .get, “.change,’! and the Siato? proceeflbd ’to get the requisite division of ■ his ; larger s money. But the train passed in the meantime, and .left him behiud.What were the consequences? His Honor .could not hold his Court at . Hamilton bn the day appointed,-s-and the’ Court had to bo adjourned to this .next. day. The serious aspect of 'this! result,'jsithat suitors-and defendants having, witnesses, in ;waiting, .whom thpy ffiay have brought from a distance, had ’to nay their . travelling expenses , and hotel; charges for two Then the Court in Auckland which was to have been held on his Honor’s return had to be adjourned to another day. Hero again suitors and defendants would have to pay witnesses, &c., in attendance the expenses of two days instead >of .one. His Honor was particular in acquitting the railway clerk from blame, because ho: probably carried out his instructions. Can his/Honor,, sitting in fora mnscientiw, say that he, in no respect, contributed to the loss and disappointment of suitors? ' It is' perhaps a question of casuistry which his Honor alone has ihp necessary information to resolve. But iu the public interest it might be as well if railway dorks should be permitted to relax the rule, good cause being shown either by the public positioner office or special circumstances of tho person who may present himself as a passenger without “ the right change,”

The West Coast Times ways the construction of the Mikonui water;race will greatly depend upon the result of the forthcoming election for Totara, and urges upon the electors to be very careful in choosing a representative. The Times , however, does not discuss the merits of the candidates who have been named.

Mr. Angus M-ckay, the Queensland Commissioner at the Centennial Exhibition, recently stated at Brisbane that ex-President Grant would shortly visit the Australian colonies. Mr. Markay, who seems to be a power in his adopted country, has just accepted the office of Minister of La da.

With reference to boating matters we note that Mr. T INI. Brooke, late secretary to the Kaiapoi Beating Club, has been entertained at dinner previous to his leaving the district; and that the crew of the Cam, belonging to the Cure Boating Club, Kaiapoi, which pulled in the iuterproviucial race at Wellington, intend to ch llenge the Tamesis C. R.C. crew to row a three mile race for £29 a side.

What may be counted an unusual manner of proceeding in the colonies, but which is very common at Home, took place in Carlyle on Monday morning. The Patea Mail says:— “A couple were going to get wed, and they marched through the streets to church, accompanied by the bridesnlaid and bridegroomsman in the usually gay bridal-party style, the observed of all observers. And two of the party were made one.” An Auckland paper has hit upon an. expedient by which it says County Councils may have all the powers of borrowing without the attendant pains. Empower them says he to is-ue county scrip, with which they could pay all their contractors and all their accounts, such scrip being a legal tender for the payment of countv rates. It has been suggested that the snbscrioers to our contemporary should initiate the system fortliwith,' and demount ate ; ts ha piness by paying their quarterly bills in r.he delightful currency, just to see how it , answer-, as a preparatory step towards more igeneral adoption, . . .-J , Ths Lyttelton Times ia exceedingly wroth because the Hon. Mr. Bowen gives no indication of his intention to immediately address ; his, constituents. Because Mr. Bowen thought; ;of opposing Mr. Rolleston some years ago for ; tire Superintendency, it is assumed that in those days he had faith in provincialism ; and it is considered necessary by the Times that he .should address his constituency-and explain : “ what may be presumed to be a change in his political opinions, and the share he has had in introducing the new system of government.”

In giving evidence in the criminal proceedings, Reed v. Sherrin for libel, prosecutor said : ho was editor and one of the proprietors of the Otago Guardian He had received a special copv ‘ f the Tribune of March 14 by post, at Dunedin. He identified Sherrin’s handwriting in the manuscript of the article shown as a document. He stated that he was a minister of the Pres'iyterian Church of Queensland. He had never been-unfrocked, as stated in the artic’e, nor had he ever been subjected to any church discipline whatever; nor had ever a charge been laid against him. He referred to the charge of seduction. Had such a charge been made, it would not have had a shadow of foundation. He had resigned from the Queensland Church to go into the Queensland Parliament, had been elected, and had taken his seat. When be came to New Zealand he was ad - emitted into the New Zealand Presbyterian Church at once. He started the Auckland. ‘•Star, and became acquinted with Sherrin there. . Accused was employed by them as special correspondent at Wellington, but was discharged, after five or six week’s service, in consequence of having sent up , a most immoral telegram. Sherrin afterwards caine to him in a state of .great distress. He gave him £5, for which he ■thanked him with much- emotion; - He said that he had been employed by the Echo newspaper especially to blackguard him (Reed).

, The . residents ; of; certain .portions of New ; South Wales are in arms- against the present ;extraordinary sales of country lands to squat-; ters, and a correspondent writing , from Moule<mein to fhe Denjliqmn Ohrojiicle, urges, that a .petition be presented from .the children of the ■ colony—that is, from those under sixteen years of , age and abl eto Tgu— to his Excel leqcythe Governor, or to Parliament, on the ■ subject It .is argued that if the present icourse.is persisted in the-result must inevitably follow that they will be driven from their native laud, as there will be little or no employment in the country,- whilst the towns will' contain a surplus population. . We (New Zealand Herald l are glad to be able, on good authority, to state that the Government have ordered a survey to be madefor a railway between the Thames and Waikato. We have never had any doubt that such a line—connecting as .it would the agricultural district of Waikato with the mining distr ct of the Thames, passing through a level and fertile country, at present almost uuoccn- ■ pied, and joining with the line river system of ' theThames|aud Piako—would be one of thebest and most succe sful railways ih the' colony. It ■ would fulfil one of the purposes of the Public | Works' scheme, which : has not been even at-' ' tempted in Auckland, that is, it would enable land to-.be settled which has hitherto lain , waste. After what took place in the House of Representatives last session, when the proposal to construct such a line' . was made by Sir George Grey, it was not expected that the Government would, during the recess, take any steps in the matter. Their present action roust be recognised, with satisfaction, and if they follow up the survey by making arrangements for the construction of a line, whi:h we presume they intend to do, they will gain support .for next session, . or: at least will take away a grievance, and supply what could al-, ■ways be pointed to as a grave omission in the i scheme,of Public Works, and as. an injustice to this part of the colony. The proposed line is estimated to be sixty, miles in length.

. The Waikato County Council have imposed a tax of T oa. per head on all dogs over six months 1 old; It seems abolition has not removed one of ■ the 'annoyances which the Hon. Mr.'Stafford complained of as being an evil of provincialism ; in fact the evil seems to have, been intensified.' A Northern paper says:— “This dog-taxing power/ though useful in itself, will probably cause no little annoyance to travellers accompanied by a faithful dog. By the law as it stands, such travellers would be liable to pay the dog-tax in ' each county when a night’s lodging was obtained. Under the' old provincial system of government, traveller) had frequently to pay the dog-tax in each province to which they journeyed, and in all cases they were liable to such exaction, but under the present system, instead of nine sets of officers being bn the watbh for poor doggie, there'will now be about sixty." ‘

The news from the .Thames continues to be good. Wednesday’s New Zealand Herald says : —The Moanataiari shows to , the- fore with sowt. of ■ specimens and a quantity of debris, or loose stuff showing gold freelyi Among this , lot was a specimen, of unusual richness, said to contain fiOOozs. of gold. As it is several years since the Auckland public saw a specimen of such calibre, we would suggest that the one in question be sent up for inspection. The appearance'of the roof of the stope, after the large haul of specimens yesterday,' is very rich. Our correspondent states that it is equal to the best of the. Caledonian days. : According to actual measurement, Monday’s operations at the battery show that l'26oozs, of retorted gold was obtained, and yesterday’s work will be more profitable; therefore the outlook for the week's yield is very brilliant, and we anticipate that at least SOOOozs. gold will be obtained. Gold finds on the Thames, it has often been remarked, never come alone, lind-the present, spurt is no exception to the rule, for we find that the Red Queen is looking well, and - the Waitekauri Company, in their, loyv level, have picked up the run of gold .traced for 210 ft, .in depth. The perseverance Company, the adjoining claim to the . celebrated . Young New Zealand, have at last struck; the reef, and reports from that mine state that capital gold has been obtained. Upon the whole we have reason to be gratified with the goldfie’ds’ prospects, which, if followed up by actual development, will lead to a revival of an industry which has done much for the prosperity of Auckland.

It will, be observed by advertisement that Messrs. Pollock and Young announce their having disposed of their butchering business to Messrs. Woods, Crosbie, and Co., late of Wanganui and Rangitikei, and in retiring from the business they beg to tender their thanks for the support accorded to them during the time they have been in Wellington. Messrs. Woods, Crosbie, and Co. have been some considerable time in the trade, and no doubt will meet with as good support as that accorded to Messrs. Pollock and Young. In another column is published the prospectus of the Koramii Coal-mining Company (limited), which is situated at the Waimangaroa Basin, Mount Rochfort. The report of analysis of coal from this part of the field at Woolwich Dockyard shows that it is equal to the beat North of England coal for steam purposes {vide Admiralty report on Nelson coal, presented to Nelson Provincial Council, 16th March, 1866). The lease is for a term of forty-two years, from the Ist of January, 1877, and the royalty to be paid is 6d. per ton for the first twenty-one years, and Is. per ton for the remainder of the term. A sample of the coal has been lodged at the office of Messrs. Ladd and Co., Lambton-quay, and may be seen by any oue desiring to do so. We may mention that 1500 shares have been already taken up. The fuss that was made about Mr. Vincent Pyke’s conduct in reference to the location of the county town in Vincent County will be well remembered. The following extract from a letter he wrote to the Ota jo Guardian on the subject has not previously appeared in a Wellington paper. It is characteristic; —“ It may be news to your readers, if not to yourself, that neither Clyde nor Cromwell is within the county ; that, with some few exceptions, the residents in those towns are not ratepayers nm : electors of the county ; and that, therefore, ' they had no more right to attempt to dictate . to the council where the county offices should be located than the citizens af Dunedin have to dictate to the councils of Taieri or of ! Waikouaiti. I thought, and still think, that j the question of a ‘county town’ should have ; been held over until one or other of the towns had merged into the county. My opinion on ' this matter was well known; and I refused to i hamper myself , with pledges or promises pendling such merger. Mark now what really occurred; You say—‘Mr. Pyke voted for I Cromwell —hurrah for Cromwell!’ There you fare-wrong, Mr. Editor. Again you say— ‘ Mr. Pyke voted for Clyde—hurrah for Clyde!’ ; Wrong once more. I did neither. Believing ithe consideration of the question to have been prematurely forced on, I voted against Cromwell, and I voted against Clyde. But the i council had to meet somewhere, and I had to give a casting vote. I did so. I gave it in ifavor of the place which was most convenient to the majority of councillors, and I may be obtuse, but do you know that upon reflection I almost think I was in the right. I think also, Mr. Editor, that in your account of the matter, iyou have displayed powers of imagination far ; excelling any to which the author of ‘ Wild Will Enderby’ can lay claim. I cheerfully surrender the belt. Take it, Mr. Editor—take it, we*r it and he happy.” We have to acknowledge the receipt of the annual report of the Ballarat School of Mines, i The report states “ that the gross receipts of !tho school, exclusive of the Government grant, have amounted to no less a sum than £978. On the estimates of expenditure, for the year 1875-6 a sum of £ISOO in aid of mining schools was submitted to Parliament, and a vote, ac cordingly taken ; out of that vote a sum of £750 was appropriated by Government to this institution. The council are glad to observe that for the financial year 1876-7, the vote has been increased by £SOO, bat its distribution has not yet been effected. The expenditure for the year has been unusually large. As it was found absolutely necessary to increase the accommodation for students in chemistry, a new laboratory, capable of accommodating eighteen ;students .at one time, has been erected, at a total cost of .about £350. Donations of museum .specimens having also been more numerous I during the past year, new cases had to be provided, involving an expenditure of nearly £22. iThe number of different persons - who have isigned the roll-book during the year 1876 has | been 132, of whom 61 were in regular attendance during January term, 47 during April term, 61 during July term, and 59 during : October term. In connection with the examinations of the School of Mines, it may be well ’ to mention that several of the certificate-holders have, in consequence of such proofs of their competency, obtained good situations intbis o.Jony, and that steps are being taken to obtain the recognition of these- credentials in the neighboring colonies, from which occasionally : students are sent to the school.” : Amongst the extracts taken from the visitors’ I book, we find the followinglf has: given I me great pleasure to visit this institution. I was the first pupil under Dr. Percy in the .metallurgical department of the School of ■ Mioesj Jermyn-street, London. Knowing as I ;do how nobly that institution has vindicated I the hopes of its founders, the immense good it ■ has done in spreading useful knowledge amongst I those who otherwise would have blindly fol--1 lowed their various pursuits without under- | standing the meaning of the very details that by mere routine they acquired, and the great wealth it has created in giving to its pupils the means of acquiring wealth in the subsequent pursuit of the occupations of their life, I feel the greatest pleasure in visiting a young disciple of the parent institution, destined, I hope, like that, to do vast good. I hope the other colonies will follow the example set by Victoria through the energy of the people of Ballarat. —Julius Vogel, October 17, 1874.” The following interesting particulars of a great land sale in Christchurch are from the Press :—The sale of Messrs. Rhodes and Wilkin’s estate in the Amuri County, known as tho St. Leonard’s, and cut up into runs, with 'stock, agricultural farms, township sections; and suburban lots, took place at Messrs. Miles, Hassal, anil Co.’s wool salerooms, Herefordstreet, on Thursday, last. As might have been expected, there whs' a very large attendance. : The conditions’ were one-third 'cash', the . balance extending over six years,* Avith annual instalments, bearing 7 per cent, interest. The first lot submitted..was . the„“ Mount, Palm Block,” 1 of about 11,935 acres 2r. 15p., with 9000 sheep.: The first bid was £20,000. When £24,000 had been reached bids of £SOO were taken, and at £27,500 the auctioneer intimated that he had received authority to. take bids of £2501 This' produced another bid,. And mo more - being . procurable, the. property was knocked 1 down for £27,750, .to' Mr. Robert Chapman, the well-known merino breeder of Canterbury., .The next lot was the “North Cape Block,” of about 1610a.' ir. 38p., with. .2000 crass-bred sheep. The first bid received-was £SOOO, ahd ultimately the property,fell to Mr. Robert Chapman for £7000; , The third offered was the “ Isolated Hill Block” of about 17,425 a. .Or,'2p.. with 13,000 sheep. The run was knocked down for £43,000 to Mr. John Macfaflahe of Rangiora. Shearing Paddock Block ” of about 4094a.' 2r. 12p., with 2000 sheep, was: with*' drawn at £7250. The Pah an ’ Block ", of about -5675 a. 2r. 3p., with 4000 sheep, was knocked down at £16,500 to ■ Mr. R. Bethel, late of Selwyn. “ Kaiwarra Block,” of about 19,189 a. 2r. 15p., with 15.000 sheep, was withdrawn at £38,500. , “Humnui Block,” of about 6851 a. 2r. 29p., with 5000 sheep, was also withdrawn. , The cream of. .the, property was next brought forward. The “Homestead Block," of the acreage of 24,446 a. Or. 38p., with excellent working buildings, and 26,950 sheep, 82 horses, and 55 cattle. £60,000 was the first bid offered, and very rapidly the bids ran up to £70,000. Not all the auctioneer’s eloquence, however, could fetch* another, and after dwelling a number of times for “the last time,” the Homestead was withdrawn at the owners’ bid of £75,000. “South Cape Block” of; about 1610 a Ir 38p, with 1000 cross-bred sheep, was the last of the runs on the catalogue, and was started ■ at £3OOO. Shortly alter the start £IOO bids were taken, and eventually Mr. T. Greig, builder, of Christchurch, became the owner at £3700, the result causing considerable applause. Mr. Aikman then commenced with the farm lots. The hour was, however, late, and as the attendance thinned rapidly, only the following lots were quitted:—Lot 34, 75a Ir Ip, at £3 15s. per acre, to Mr. Jones ; lot -35, 105 a Sr

39p, at£3 10s., same purchaser; lot 36, 151 ft Ir 36p, at £3 per acre, same purchaser; lofc 39, 77a Ir 14p, at £4 12s. 6d., to Mr. Fraser ; lot 42, 104 a Ir 27p ; lot 43, 110 a 3r 24p ; and lot 44, 101 a Or 24p, all at £3 17s. 6d. per acre, to Mr. George Mr. Aikman intimated that this would close the sal, but that the remainder of the farm lots —including those withdrawn that day and the township allotments, would be submitted on an early day, of which full notice would he given, The gross proceeds realised for the day amounted to nearly £IOI,OOO.