THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 296, 1 December 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam."

DUNEDIN, MONDAY, DECEMBER 1. The proposals respecting the disposal of the waste lands of the Crown, just laid upon the table of the House, would be a fitting sequel to those of last session, only that, equally destitute of anything to recommend them, equally ill considered and irrational, the element of mischief is added to their composition besides that of folly. We write strongly, because we consider that tlie.i mere fact that any body of men holding the 'i reins of government could propose such regulations is most injurious to the repletion of the Province for honesty, consistency, or judo-- i ment. It is utterly incomprehensible how such proposals could be gravely brought forward. Are they the result of a want of knowledge of the first principles of political economy, or do they cover a mischievous attempt to get up a popular cry to serve for the ensuing elections. Before proceeding to farther general remarks, it will be well to examine the proposals in detail. As a key to their character, it is first necessary to say that they are all evidently directed against the introduction of capital, whilst they encourage a system of pauper farming under the direction and supreme .control of the Government. With this key the whole of the ; proposals may be understood at a glance.; The first two are as follow ; — 1. That in order to secure the finest agricultural land from immediate sale, it is absolutely necessary that lands of a secondary character should be thrown into the market, in blocks of not more than 323 acres, in order to afford the means of investment; by the farmer of capital who wishes to enclose and lay down the land in artificial grasses and also with a view of obtaining funds lor opening out the country, by the formation of roads and by improving the navigation of rivers and lakes. 3. That areas of ihe best agricultural land be laid off, with adjacent temporary commonages of an inferior class, and be brought into the market |n blocks of from 10 to 50 acres, from time to time, to suit the requirements of small capitalists and labouring men. It will be observed that the object of the first is to " secure the finest agricultural land "from immediate sale" "to the farmer of " capital." He is to be allowed "lands of a se- " condarycharacter " only, whilst on the other hand, the non-capitalist is to have the lands of the -best-quality in blocks of from'ten to fifty' acres. But he is by no means to. haye cgntrql of his own. Rule three stipulates for improvements on penalty of the land being taxed, and: specifies ,hat a bill for the purpose is to be introduced in the General Assembly.. Rule four asks for a tax of blank per acre on all lands hitherto sold that have not been improved to the extent of £2 per acre within four years of their purchase, Rule five introduces another system of free grants to emigrants, still more objectionable than that proposed last session, inasmuch as the "unfortunate emigrants would be still more deluded in supposing that the concession held out to them vwas of any material value, and would be still more rigorously under the control of the Government of the day. We give it in full :— That it is expedient, \cifch a view to encourage immigration, and to enable immigrants to obtain mjt more than 5!) acres of land without competition, that the Government, by means of purchasiuc; certain areas, afford immigrants the opportunity of becomI ing the lessees, "with, a purchasing clause, on condi. tipn oj: paying a small annual rent, and of improving the land jLo the anfoant of £2 per acre within 3 years, and in case of the non-fulfi Impnt of the conditions, the lease to terminate,- without compensation, aj; the .end of the period. As we have said two principles run through these regulations —the disposition to capitalists and to encourage pauper farmers bound hand gnd foot in tjtje power of the Go-

vernment. To deal with the last first, any > system that places the individual interests of a large body of men. under the control of the Government is mischievous not to say revolutionary in a Constitution entirely depending as this does on popular suffrage. Each one of these purchasers and lessees will have a separate case, and with each will the Government separately deal. The man of correct opinions may hope to escape taxation or forfeiture, "whilst he of opposition tendencies may expect his land fo be taxed or his lease forfeited. Thus we ses an enormous engine of corruption and jobbery opened, which it will be impossible to keep 'unworked. The emigrant enticed out on the promise of these leases will find that they are almost valueless. Jf he have sufficient money to justify him in enteringinto farming, he will not want the paltry, accommodation for the price of the land Rather would he obtain his title, and borrow money on it as he requires it. If, therefore, he accede to the Government plan, he will be dssatisfied with his success, and, conceiving himself the victim of a false system, will con-sider-any course legitimate that enables him to evade it. His power as an elector will be the lever 'which he will use. The small capitalist purchaser, taxed for non-im-provements, will feel himself in the same position. Some reason, quite sufficient to himself, will have prevented hi 3 spending i money on improvements. Perhaps he may not have had the means, and lie will curse the tyranny that endeavors to fetter his freedom of action. " Absolute grants" will be his, as well as the lessee's cry, and every political influence he possesses will be thrown into the same scale as that of his -brother victim. The Superintendentsliip of Otago .will shortly be a prize more attractive than the governorships of a host of minor colonies, and we may anticipate the fiercest fight for it. Struggles, such as periodically convulse America, may be expected, and nothing should be more dreaded than giving into the hands of unscrupulous candidates the power or control over a numerous body of electors. This argument, whilst it exposes the enormity of the proposal which the Government makes to the Council, effectually does away with the plea that if the power asked for by the resolutions be granted, it may still bg used with discretion. Grant that it may not be venally employed, yet the temptation to so use it will be as strong as the discretion will be absolute. In the neighboring colonies where so many experiments in land regulations have been tried, they have always carefully abstained from placing discretionary powers in the hands of the. Government which might by possibility be used for electioneering purposes. There at least, they do not choose their own Superintendent, and the experiment might have been safer than here where it would inevitably be used as a mere electioneering agency. We do not conceive that any person with the least political knowledge, can doubt that il these'hangers >on, on Government favor are to be tolerated, they will baud together to control future elections. Let us now turn back to the second feature in the proposals,—the desire to discourage capitalists. Perhaps Aye should more properly say to frighten capitalists, because the proposals are such that the Assembly could not possib'iy. ratify nor the Crown assent to them. Nothing is regarded syith mere horror by the English capitalist, than the attempt to do injustice to vested interests, and we say it advisedly, that the mere desire on the part of the lpcal Govgrnmgnfc to inflict a retrospective tax on purchased of land, will have a most prejudicial effect. The proposal of taxing the land of absentees, a milder measure than the present o ne, has before np\v been scouted. But in the present instance jjot osly absent, but resident proprietors are to be taxed because they have not found it suit them to expend money on their purchases. In a mail or two the Province may probably have to send home for a loan, but what chance will it haye of secui-ing ijfc gn; favorable terms if the news gets abroad tha£ the local government has such a horror of capitalists as to make them the subject of injurious class legislation. The capitalist any more tliqn. the cultivator has no right to get land at less than its value. But he has a right to do what he likes with his own, and the proposed infliction of a tax is nothing more than to say, because you are wealthy we intend to dip our hands into your pocket's. Already, the value •of the public estate is frightfully diminished by the absurd restrictions surrounding the purchase of land. T^ho, we would like to know, will buy land when in. addition, to his present difficulty in obtaining hi§ title^eeds, he has to run the • risk of having his land taxed. If th,e present Government have the power to tax for improvement,. they may, at some future time, think fit to define the nature of the improvements, and, in fact, there would be no limit to the burdens they might impose. The title to land would be utterly yalu.clegs as a security if it were subject to the power the local Qoyernment pretends can be exercised. The bill suggested would be laughed out of the Assembly. The time has not yet come when Crown grants can be tampered with ? and their value invalidated by local t -]yiunicip.al Governments, that Owners and .trustees of. land may feel quite easy. But it is none the Jess.discreditable that such a proposal should be made, and if the Council haye the dignity of the Province at heart, it will undoubtingly reject the proposal without referring it to a committee. We have purposely avoided entering into the details of the subjects to which we have had incidentally to'r^fer. The proposals on their faee,-carry-their own Qondemnatjon, and ■ Qn the broadest grounds they deserve'sum-.! lpary rejection. It might be if fhere is ! anything jn the present state of the Province to .reader^excusable, of even to account for, the departure from all rgcQgniged conditions of political economy. But no, if looked at as a matter of practice; the rules are equally faulty aa if regarded from a theoretical point of view. The Province already offers inducements to population, its great want is to secure the inyestmenfi of the capital now carried to neighboring colonies! Instead of. discouraging that investment every facility should be given to the investor. Again, the circumstances of the present are mostunfavor-

able to agricult * rial pursuits. To force men to improve their lands now is tantamount to askiDg them to incur a loss, whilst on the other hand the increasing population supplies the assurance that in the natural course of things-the-pursuit of agriculture will gradually be resorted to without any artificial pressure being exerted to promote it.' The gold digger who is allowed to purchase land in the Province would prefer doing so to conveying his capital to other places, and in the natural order of things he would occupy it and place it to a profitable account. The same may be said of the largest capitalists. There are no men so wealthy as to afford to allow their wealth to remain idie. The increase to the population affords a guarantee against the land being kept in an uncultivated condition. But that guarantee the Government would destroy by pauperising the population, and driving>way every one with money to invest. If the Government had the power which these proposals pretend to, the land revenue of the Province would be at an end.

Without desiring to .dictate to the Electors their choice of members, we may at least be allowed to express a hope that there will be a considerable infusion of new blood in the Town Board, to bs elected to day. £To doubt some of the old members will be useful in the new Board, but if all or nsar ly all the old membars bs returned, what becomes of the dissatisfaction hitherto so generally expressed ? Amongst the leading topics which should engage the consideration of the Electors in deciding on the candidates for whom to vote, we may mention the supply of water to the town, an efficient system of underground drainage, the making the streets, taking up and re-ma-ring Princes-street, and last but not least, the securing a charter or act of incorporation which will make the city free of Provincial control. At present the Town Board is but a puppet in the hands-of the Provincial Government; it is not even allow ed a permanent chairman to represent and administer its civic privileges. Its security is worthless—the Banks will not accept its guarantee ; and, in short, the citizens of Dunedin are mocked with the mere shadow of sell-government—the reality is wanting. If they think they are' competent to exercise it, they should make it a stipulation with the candidates they select to see'c an act of incorporation, and to procure the appointment of a chief magistrate or mayor to represent and rule over them. .

About 150 of the electors of^Bell Ward assembled at an adjourned meeting, held on Saturday evening last, at the Odd Fellows' Hall, Georgestreet, for the purpose of hearing the views of the candidates for a seat at the new Town Board, as representatives of the above ward. Mr Frederick Dick was called tq the ohafr. Mr Donald Henderson, in answer to the question put to him, said he was in favor of a more equitable system of assessing the rate-payers, and would not rate proper yat its fall annual value. As regarded the Octagon ; he \v9ald be in favor of a public market being erected there. Although ft had been mentioned as a site fqr the new Post Office. He did not approve of asphalte pavements. "He preferred stone, as. more durable and cheaper in ' die end. As to paying fop the payetijeijt, he thought the present system an injustice"to the cenants of property, who had to pay for paving if they had three years of their leases unexpired. Freeholders should bear a part of the burden. c was most decidedly in favor of a public loan or water works ; and did not approve of gas pipes being hul under the cent»e of the footpaths. If returned, he would do liis beat to serve the ratepayers in general, and those of Bell Ward in particular. The speaker sat down amidst considerable applause. Mr Fenwick came forward, and in answer to Mr Birch ? replied that he was not prepared to'say that he Would vote for a permanent assessor being appointed. He would pledge himself to.'support the proposition of the Qctagon site being a market. Was in favor of a loan' for yep,reductive pj+biie works. Was of opinion that the Town Board should have a recognised head as Chairman. Did not approve of the late Board signing the G.is contract ; but would not pledge himself to endeavour to rescind it. Mr Fenwick having retired, Mr Jeffreys was called upon by the Chairman ; aud in answer to various queries, said he was in favor of a water supply by a private Company, under proper and | judicious restrictions. As to the Octagon, it was i a matter for consider ation ? whether it was more ! fit for a Market than a Post Oiiice; but in that j he would do as tha ratepayers wished. He had sufficient time to attend to the interests of the Ward, as he left his office at 4 o'clock daily,— and the Town Board generally sat about that time. Mr David Milne having been proposed at the previous njeetfng, was then requested to state his views. He said "he was 'against the Gas contract, and would nullify it'if''he could. (Cheers.) As to whether he had time to devote to the Board ; if elected, lie could say he was entirely his own master, aud could do with his time-as he thought proper. (Laughter and applause.) He disapproved of jobbery and wot'jld do liis best to prevent it. (Cheers.)' lie thought $he" Octagon every way suited for a marketplace. They wanted water-works and sewerage. The public reserves should be strictly protected, and not diverted from their original purposes. (Cheers.; He would not per mit the cattle market site to be used for the pijrposc, of erecting a lunatic asylum thereon. Tjid not approve qf "asphalte fqr pavement, and thought stone the cheapest and best material. Mr Milne sat down amidst much cheering. Mr Birch was also questioned and spoke generally in fayor of the-views of the rate-payers present.' The names ,o.f the other gentlemen scr lected were then rga'd by' (lie Ohairrijan, apd as there was no re3ponse ? it vas 4oved and seconded that Messrs Birch, Hcndcrsqa, Milne, FeWick'i and Jeffrey were fit and proper persons from whom to select three gentlemen to represent the Ward. The show of hands was as follows : — Henderson 32, Fenwick 27, Milne 21, Birch 17, Jeffreys 14. A vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded the^proceedings. It was understood that all the above gentlemen will go to the Poll this day.. "->« ■■ ' - ; :+■>■■. , :... I : An extensive building is being erected by Messsrs Murphy and Co. as aaaddition to their hotel, the Shamrock, Kattray street. It is a " sign of pio times/ as showhjg the constantlygrowing demand for gcad hqtel aQco.rn'iijod^ion t and it is generally of interest, because, in the new building there will be a room 60 feet long, 30 feet-wide, and of proportionate height, which will be very useful for large meetings and other public proceedings. The room is specially intended "for a Freemasons' hall or lodge. The first annual show of the Mew Zealand Agricultural Society took pla-e at ■ Auckland on thel2th.November. jfihe exhibition was*exceed! i»giy satisfactory, • • ~

A meeting of the rate-payers in No. 2, or High Ward, was held on Saturday evening, at the Shamrock Hotel, Rattray-street, for the purpose of hearing addresses from Messrs Switzer, M'Leod and Sibbald, to promote whose return to the Town Board an influential committee has. been formed. There was a fair attendance, ivir E. Quick was called to the chair. He briefly introduced Mr John Switzer who said that from his opinions and acts during his five years' membership of the Board, the rate-payers would by a lo to judge his principles. But in future, works of a magnitude never dreamed of before would ..have to be carried out. A good supply of watt r was needed, and there was no town in the colonies better situated for getting that supply cheaply and of good quality. There were almost natural reservoirs at the topofMaclaggan-street, Lwiulou street, and Pitt-street. Money conld not Ik; <U>voted to any purpose more important; and- r.vxfc to it would be an expensive system of sewc-iv^e. But greater powers were needed before ilusl* things could be done, and especially the power of borrowing, which he would carry out to the extent to 'which- the year's rates would pay riic interest. A muncipal council ought to be estnulishedtin place of the town board ; and he would recommend that a petition praying for it should be got up in each ward, signed as numerously as possible, and presented to the Provincal Council without delay. Us would prefer encouraging l!io formation of a Water Company, to the lLard undertaking the work. But this he held— taut something effective must be very speedily du:i-. He defended the signing of the gas contract by the late board. There could not be any thing amiss when gas was to be got as cheap as m lYr-l-bourne ; and he knew that the Company would lose during the first two years. They wisho!, however, to have a good basis for the Company ; and he thought the contract was securing the stability of a great institution. Mr Alexander M'Leod said he'wonld advocate general rates for jilting and sewerage ; and he inclined towards guaranteeing a Water Company rather than spending borrowed money on the works. Mr John Sibbald said he was an advocate for um-ij-cipal powers which would keep within Duueiiu revenues now divided over the whole colony. Water could be cheaply supplied; but it beat him how sewerage was to be obtaiued except at very great cost. He agreed generally with the previous speakers, Resolutions, declaring Messrs Switzer, M'Leod, and Sibbald, to be fit and proper persons to represent the ward were aimed unanimously, and the proceedings -were concluded with thanks to the chairman, A match was played on Saturday afternoon, on the Recreation Ground, between eleven of t'.ie Dunedin Cricket Club and membcrsof the Princess' Theatre company, aided by two or three other gentlemen. The ground—as we suppose it must be called ? despite its swampy state—was wholly unfit for anything, like comfortable "playing. The Princess' men went first to the wickets! They scored 50 ; the noticeable points of the innings being the good bowling of Ryder, .mid the large number of byes, numbering 20 or Li. The Dunedin Club scored 49 ; Carey, wi(h 'his fast underhand bowling, taking seven or e^ht wickets of the ten. He" was assisted by Audreys who bowled veil. 'The Princess' Club Went again to the wickets, but time was soon afterwards called, so that they remained victors by one run on the single innjngs. In the form of an advertisement in anotiW column will be found a statement of: the' Receipts and Expenditure of the Town Board for thj period from the 12th April" to 27tli' November by which it yiU bg ssgn th s t the Jjjoard dt;rin r th^f, period incurred an outlay of Li'9,lßo His' 4d, th« greater portion of which was expended in the improvement of streets, of which a list is there given. Of this large sum only L 475 19s 2d appears to have been derived from assessments, the rest being made up by a Government vote of L2,00u, contributions to cost of footpaths L 3.549 io.s ad> about £400 as contributions towards improve! ments in various streets, and an overdraft at the Bank of L10,678 v 5s 4d. The elections for the new Town Board take place this d^y • three members leaving- to be chosen for each of the four Wards'. The polling place's areas follows :—so, i, South Ward,) the room ' adjoining tjie onjee "of the Commissioner of Police, Princes-street' No 3, HJgU Ward, thp'sQsrn Board QiUwl Princes-street. No 3, Bell Ward, the Oddfdlouv Hall, George-street. No 4, Leith Ward, the building lately used as the Albion Hotel Bar George-street. The polling booths will be opened at ten o'clock, and closed at four, but no new candidate can be proposed after eleven pjolpck. Any ratepayer on. the roll can vote for 'any' 'qualified person, by inserting the name aud address'in the 'voting paper and signing jt ; and the duty of'" scrutinising the papers and making the vnfavn xrM\m two days, is confided to Mr Charles Reid, the Clerk to the Board. The Brethren of the Otago Kihvinning Lodge of Free Masons, will hold their first^ Annual .Festival to-day. A grand banquet will he given at the new Sail, Princes-street, at liajf-past six o'clock.' ' ' * i I'■ ' - An adjourned npeting of the General Committee of the Separation League will take place n't 4 p.m. to-morrow, in the Chamber of Commerce;; Athemaum, for further consideration qf the pctitjon to the .Queen "' '-■••-.••- .; .- . The leasing of the stalls in the new Fish Market, Rattray-street Jetty, will take place to-day by public auction, at 12 o'clock, on the Jetty. The leases will be for one month, subject to certain vspecified conditions. A special licensing meeting will be held at the Court House, Tokqniairiro, to?morrqw, at eleven o'clock,'for the piirpbse of ;recei:vin^ application^ for the transfer of publicans! 'licenses within that district. ' ! '■ '' ' ' '" TheTf illiam Miles, with 339 immigrants for the Non-conformist settlement, arrived in 4 uckla»q ' on the }§th • qjhe jjassengere com-' plained bitterly qf the. u.nseawor.thy qqn^i'tion of the vessel j the state of which and the general' arrangements on board appear to have been of a discreditable character. By the arrival of the Geelong we are in pos- • session of Canterbury papers to November 27th : The principal item of interest is the report of tho sale ofaspecimen of gold weighing 4 ounces, said to have been obtained near Mount Cook. ThY stqrr js told by *he LyLUtton 2ft& of kemW "David Coppediekp w*s reputed at the Bnwjeas? Theatre on Saturday night ¥ i h W ' Ws W . Mr Qeqiße'^V^." k Mfeawbcr, and Mr Hall's cleVer UriJh W takmg finely, while the other characters, were -'1 exceedingly, well sustained. ** Richard the Third was reproduced at the Theatre Koyal o n Saturday evening, to a:capital houS The hqmpb^ed king was personated by Mr Holt, who dul justice to the character. An ex cfclleatYarce flowed, and ■ sent every oneWe in the best possible sgirftg, " " -« » "i®

In his valuable report on the Otago Gold fields, Mr Vincent Vyke quotes an account of a gold seeking expedition np the Molyneux, which was undertaken many years ago. The j account which is from the pen of one of the ex- j plorersis as follows :—" Nearly all the Maori residents at the Molyneux at the time of our I excursion were strangers, having been only a few years in the place. There were only a man and woman who knew the country between the mouth of the river and the lakes. The man, Raki Raki, had resided on the Wakatipu Lake but had left many years ago. He left a brother who had two wives, behind ; and who, he said, were the only Maories in the interior. He told me he once picked up a piece of " simon" (gold) about the size of a small potato on the banks of the Molyneux, but did not know its value, and he threw it into the river. They told us they had seen the small" simon" on the sides of the river where three canoes hud been lying. On seeing a jmmll sample of gold (which, I think, Mr Meredith brought down from Tasmania, about the beginninfj of 1852) the natives were the more convinced \yc should find it in the sands of the Molymux. As some of us were on the eve of starting for Australia, we thought we would give the yjver a trial first, more e-jpccialjy as we had the ugi'viccs of a Californian miner, who had left a 1 whaling vessel in the Bay, We made a party of \ five and started up the river in March 1852, in a j Wha'eboat which I brought from Dunedin. We prospected the bars atid banks of the river, as far as a creek now pained the Beaumont. As none of up knew anything about gold-seeking, except the American, and getting nothing more than the color, we resolved to return, after having nearly a three week's cruise ; the more so, as t\\e river seemed a succession of rapids, which it was difficult to get the boat through. If our Californian miner had bucn the practical hand he represented himself to be, I have no doubt we would have bepn gijcpepful at least in getting a good prospecf;.'' On Saturday evening an address and a purse of gold were presented to Mr Henry Stratford, who has resigned the office of timekeeper and storekeeper on the Bell Hill Works, which he had held from the commencement of them. The men mustered round the office when they dropped work at five o'clock ; and the presentation was made by Mr B. W. Jackson. The address was thus concluded ; —" The kindness and urbanity displayed by you towards all on the works, and your readiness to give information or assistance at any time, has secured the respect and esteem of those who now, on behalf of the subscribers, attach their names." Mr Stratford, in acknowledging the presentation, said that he at one time had to muster 600 men three times a day ; and it was greatly to their credit that a task which would otherwise have been very tedious, had been rendered easy by their punctuality, and their readiness to enter into any plan suited to the time and circumstances, The majority of the men before him were Victorians , and any one could see at a glance that they had enjoyed better times. He most sincerely trusted that they would soon again know those better times. It was good policy in the Government to make provision, by these works, for ensuring the necessaries of life to those who were hard up : it was especially so, seeing that most of the sufferers were Victorians, and that Victorians had very materially assisted to make Dunedin the wonderful place it now was, If he ever found himself shipwrecked on the way to the Dunstan, he knew he was likely to meet with a good many who, from a remembrance of Bell Hill works, would gladly share a loaf and a tent with him.—(Loud cheers,) There were on Saturday 850 men employed by the Government—200 on tho Hill, qnd the remainder on the Octagon excavation, the Recreation Ground, and the Hospital Reserve. The largest number employed on any one day since the commencement of the works, was 780. " ipiie Art-Union of London OftVjr as the first prize in their drawing for |BG3, the beautiful lifesize marble statue of " The Dancing Girl lieposing," by W. Calder Marshall, one of the gems of the'international Exhibition, which \je may pjjjeburae }m' by this'time been closed! The ifatiie is valued at guineas. Tlie subscription is one guinea, and in addition to the chance of winning the work of Mr Marshall, or some other prize, it secures a fine engraving, and a set pf. sjightly Ghaded outline illustrations to the !poet'paurcate!^'' ff Idylls p£ the King.*'' T,hc engraving is from a paiuting by Dicksce, called •' A Labour of Love," and has been executed by H. C. Shenton and C. 11. Jcens. A young and lovely mother has her child on her shoulders, and is bounding lightly across an open piece of country, the child crowing in glee, while a dog scampers beside Her, There is jjoh\c capital w,ork in the engraying", wfuch. is 'altogether'a'good' and' jalcagant work". The illustrations, 16 in number, are (Iffyv/n q.nd engraved by Baqlo Priolo, of Edinburgh, and to them waa awarded the premium of £100 offered by the Council of the Art Uuiou ; there being 43 sets in competition, including 540 drawings. Subscribers names inusc, as we understand, be sent home by the next mail ; and that ear, be done throu.gh tho Hon.ora.r-y £-cei;etary fcr t)tago, Mr A. It. Livingston, book-seller, Staf-fjurd-streeL ■ . An inquest was held on Friday at the Newmarket Hotel, Dunedin, before Henry Ho worth* .^'sq., coroner, on Uie body of Momford* Wilks,whq htuj died suckien|y pn tiic previous day. JEromtlie ii; appeared that the' ctaceased l(ad for two days boon sulfuring from a severe cold, and that on Thursday afternoon he went to bed about 3 o'clock, but rose again at 4, saying that he felt as if his throat was stopped up. He objected to have a doctor culled. He contiuued about the same all the evening, Abqu,t haU'-na,st ia the lii'orniiig he jumped but of bed' making "a great noise in his throat,'arid" motioned to his wife to give him a little gin, which he tried to swallow, j but could not. Dr Hocken was then sent for; but before he arrived the" man was dead. It appeared iro'm the medical evidence of Dr Ho'cken that'the cause o| cjeath was suffocation, caused by closure of orifice' of the windpipe, consequent upon Swelling, (ndu.c,'e4' % iiiilan^'mitiQn, 'The jury found that tho deceased died from natural causes. We have received a letter from Mr J. H. Jenkinson defending himself from an attack made upon him by a contemporary, which, in accordance with our usual rule in such cases, we mus^ decline to insnr-fc. U;he Ijun'edlh"Rebating Cjlub will meet as usual thi& 6veriing. 'Hie sub^ect'for'debate 1 is,* "t)ugUl qk|3itafPunishmeht to be abolished ??• ' • " 'An advertisement in our present issue notifies time Mr J. C Atidrcw has laid poison for wild hogs on his run' No. 160, V[alta.t# ' ' Ifefe are in receipt or Wellington papers to November 'S^ncl. ''The neWis ■' v dn Wednesday the hull, gear, fitting's, and raachinory"of the s s. Victory wilj be submitted '^ uu^Uo-auqtion by Messi4 K. Moss and Go. "..;' We observe by an advertisement which appears elsewhere that a lecture will on Wednesday evening be delivered in Knox Church to the Young Men's Christian Association by J. W, Sulli van, Esq., F.K.G:S. The subject of the lecture will be "The best Ocean Itoute3,as indicated by the Physical Geography of the Sea."; " " mdtitlily meeting of the Volunteer F,ire Bri-§ade;-for' the-'election of officers,' and fbr other usiness, is to be hdd this evening; at the Pro^ Viticial Hotel' =•-■■• y,-.f . i i >■■-■