THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam." DUNEDIN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 317, 25 December 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam." DUNEDIN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25.

It is pleasant to turn:"fiom political - sulk jects, the Council and its proceedhigs, the Government and its doings, the Superintendent and the Land: regulations. Loan Bills, Patent Slips, Water Supplies,' Sanitary precautions, Maorldifficulties, and all the^ hundred.knd one subjecis that engross the leading columns of an Otago daily paper, to rejoice for a while over that season of the year which is identified until festivity in every spot where the English language is spoken. Apart from its religious: signification there is something in the Christmas season which appeals very forcibly, to the sympathies of those to whom its observance is a time honored institution. It speaks tothenifrom the past and brings back the memory of many an old and joyous association. Some of those who read, these lines have been wanderers over the world's surface for many years, have endured the hard buffetings which are inseparable from contact with the harsh realities of life,- have- had many of .their early dreams of the future dispelled, and* have learnt to know that the roses that strew life's pathway are not uhmihgled with thorns, and yet even these may rush back through the wilderness of their bitteresfc vdisappointments, and think of the time, in the old days,' when the season oi Christmas was one of unalloyed happiness.: The once familiar fireside may have new faces around it,—ihe cheerful voicesmay be stilled' —the old friends departed, and new-ties have almost blotted out their recollection; but the associations remain that surrounds the Christmas with a host of pleasure drawn from the past, invested with thecdrapoundinterest of all the intervening years.

It is well that, in a new country and a new home, the scenes of the long-ago should not be altogther forgotten. The matter-of-fact realities of life too surely deaden the spring of the young imagination. In after days, we none of us know the wealth of hope, that to the youth just setting out on his career, brightens the. . homliest reaLties of his position, Even those whose success has been proportionate to their expectations, may sigh when they have earned the prize for the feelings oi joy with which they once anticipated its gain. In early life all our happiness is centred in the to-come, but as we advance in age we retread the past for the pleasures which we once only felt in looking forward to tht future. And so, when Christmas comes and the thoughts pf the present and the future ire rose-colored &y the pleasant associations of the past, something of sentiment mingles with the. enjoyment, the feelings recover- the induration of long years, and for the while the world-hardened man discovers that the spring of his youthful. imagination has not altogether deserted him.

Many in Otago have maie for themselves new homes, and can look back to the past with the comfortable security of happiness for the future. Others have newly made the colony their resting-place, and are undecided whether to remain in it Amongst all the strange scenes and strange faces to which they are yet unaccustomed, | nothing will bring to them a greater sense ol sympathy and fellow-feeling than the; universal observation of a season of festivity sacred to the cultivation of the household joys. They may have left their Lares and Penates behind them, but who so desolate as not to find at Christmas some open porch ready to receive him. ■It is gratifying to. think that year after year increases the number of those who see in Otago the home of their future....._ Since, last Christmas the Province has made wonderful strides'. As its population has enlarged, so have its resources and its social enjoyments. In. the new era that has dawned the past should not be forgotten. Those who cradled the infant Otago, are not to be slighted as the child emerges to boyhood, and those who foster that boyhood may proudly think that, besides serving their own individual purposes, they are assisting to the fulfilment of its destiny, a.country that, before many years have passed,-may be in every■* one's mouth as one of the leading colonies of that vast Empire, "on-which the sun "never sets." Everything in the past promises brilliantly for the future 5 the fate 6i Otago is in the hands of those who have made it thfcir resting-place. Whilst they linger with pleasure over the festivities of the Christmas, let them not forget they have much yet to do, that much is confided to their care. From the* humblest to the greatest every man has a responsibility confided to him of which he will one day have to give an account It, is mistake to think that on any spot of the wide world man can consider himself independent "of his fellow men. The interest of one person is so interwoven with that of others that their separation is impossible. No human being can ever withdraw himself from the associations that link him with his fellow men without forgetting the duties for which he is accountable. In no spirit of cant do we thus inculcate the brotherhood of love, but because we are convinced that individual effort is a dwarf where'united energy is a giant. The old *and the new ele- | ments, united with the still newer elements ! that arrive every 'dayy may make Otago a I place to be envied, 'as' much for the materials :of happiness to- be found within-its sheltering haven, a3, for the vast wealth with which recent experiences prove it to, be^endowbd. IWe have not wished to read a homily, and 1 our readers must forgive us if, in the thoughts 1 that Christina* suggests, we bave been led to the' reflection of the divided interests which to some extent bave grown upj May they^be lost in the common enjoyment of the Christina's holidays What occasion more fittings for mutual band-snaking-between the "Old Identity'1 aria tlie " New Iniquitity''*?,,..Let, no gulf corP l.tinue to open between them; ;.Let the Cbrist--1 mas season tell them that they bave associations in common. Let the one object— to j

promote- the - -progress ♦- of. - their adopted Province, bg- the ;link to, bind together/their., thousand separate individual purposes." • , Owing to .the pressure on our- columns consequent on the"receipt of English News, We are compelled to hold over our report of the proceedings at the meeting of the Presbytery Wtil tomorrow's issue. The programme of Tuesday evening was repeated last night at the Theatre; Royal, to what i? coming to be looked on as tolerably fair house for that place 'of amusement. To-morrow the pantomime of « Harlequin and the Fatal Spon, or the Maid arid the -Magpie," will be placed-upoh the stage. ~'-,. r f Miss Harriett Gordon and Mr Hyde completed their series, of entertainments at Port Chalmers last night. Unfortunately, on the second evening, Miss Gordon suffered from a severe cold, but is now considerably recovered, and is shortly, expected to resume her entertainments in Diinedin, prior to a visit to the Dunstan. ; The Vauxhall Gardens were opened to, the public for the first time yesterday evening. During % afternoon a considerable number of people visited the gardens, and before dark a balloon;was sent up, which passedacross the bay and over the town in fine style. At ni^ht tnc' gardens were lighted up and presented a very gay appearance.' The little steamer Nugget was plying to and from the jetty and gardens until a late hour conveying passengers; We. regret to notice by our shipping report that Mi- Scott's misfortune, in connection with the floating of the steamer Victory has .been aggravated by the loss of the lighter Favourite, and several hundred pounds worth of property w.hich he had j ust recovered from the wreck, and was bringing round to PortChalmers for transhipment to the fUluff. •"'■■-■ The pleasant practice common enough in Vies toria of decorating the exterior of hotels, and. other business. premises, with .branches of trees and shrubs, in honor' of Christmas,' has been pretty freely^ indulged in here, at least in some parts of.the city. The junction of Rattraystreefc and Maclaggan-street was especially note worthy yesterday. ; The Shamrock Hotel had" ferns covering the verandah, and great branches of evergreens, &c, placed uprghtatlheline of the kerb-stone and against the house, while the Crown and the Slnkspeare were decorate! in similar fashion. la the Arcade, many of the shops were trimmed prettily, but less demons stratively. .-;A meeting, called by P. A. Mansford, Esq. R.M,, Porfc Chalmers, has been held there for the purpose of "taking into consideration the best means of contributing to the fund now being raised for erecting a National Memorial to his late Royal Highness the Prince Consort." In the intimation of the meeting, all classes were invitedto attend—" That the fuud might include the pence of the laborer, as well 33 the shillings and pounds of the more wealthy classes, and that ill might have an opportunity of joining with the British Empire in this tribute of the nation's gratitude." Unfortunately, the weather was exceedingly inclement on the evening appointed for the meeting, and the attendance was small; but Air Mansford having been voted to the chair, and jxplained the objects of the meeting, the following resolutions were passed unanimously : _ "I. That this meeting heartily concurs in the proposal that arrangements be made to afford to ayery person, who desires it, the opportunity of taking part in the intended memorial of affection md gratitude to his late Royal Highness the Prince Consort." "2. That a Committee, conusting of Captain Thomson (Harbor-Master), Vlessrs Taylor, John Mains, Basire, Monson CJrquhart, and Richardson, be appointed, to give aHect to the foregoing resolutions, by the collection >fsubscriptions; and that .Mr' Mansford be the Treasurer of such subscriptions." We take the following from the Horn*. News of Oct. 27 :—"A detachment of telegraphists and surveyors selected from the R>yai Engineer jstablishment, Chatham, to proceed to New ZaaSand, for the purpose of being employed in laying town the electric telegraph and other engineering operations in that colony, .took their departure from head-quarters, Brompton, ou October 22. The Royal Engineers took out with them a varied .md complete set of instruments for use in the work on which they will bjeraployeJ. The men composing the detachment will be absent from England several year 3." With reference to the alarm in England on the subject of the small pox in sheen, we take the following from the -'Horn- Naws," of October 27:—« Professor Siraonils, ia his introductory lecture of the session at the Veterinary College, Caraden-town, made lengthy allusion to "the small pox in sheep. As to the origin of t!i3 late outbreak he could give no explanation ; it was,: he said, invoived in mystery. As a moans of?. •stopping the progress of the disease, he advocated the separation of the souni from t!ie unbound sheep, but if that were not effectual, then he recommended inoculation, vaccination beiiv utterly useless. He expressel a hope, that ths plague was stayed in the districts whsre it haJ. broken out, and that there woull be no reappearance of it, as was the dfcse in the visitation of 1847." - * With reference to the notorious British Columbia Overland Transit Company, we quote the following from the Home News :— « lt now appears that some of the gentlemen who have written to the newspapers denying that they had authorised the use of their names in connection with this company, actually gave their consent in writing to become directors. The proceedings which were taken against Mr Henson, .the secretary, of the company, are: stayed,' and it is intended by the emigre":••». to proceed, against the directors in a civil court, Aldermau Finnis and Alderman Hale, in hearing the case on the 29th September at Guildhall, blamed Mr Collett, a solicitor1, for his share in the affair " The following, which we extract from the Lxjttelton Times, affords a pleasing contrast to the treaferaeut of lunatics in Dunedin, and we commend the paragraph to the notice of the Hospital and Gaol authorities here :—" On the evening of the anniversary Mr Seager prepared a treat for the lunatics at present confined in the gaol. This was presented in the form of a magic lantern, kindly lent by Dr Donald for the occasion, and a supper of bread, cheese, and ale. At about eight o'clock such of the patients as were capable of" appreciating any kind of amusement were brought into the mess room, where, after supper and a glass of ale had been served to each^Mr Seager proceeded to display,^ series of astronomical, dissolving, and comic views. W*hen about' half the slides had been showji, the lights were re-Jii,1 and one of the lunatics t amused the rest-by singing two or three songs in remarkably good voice; another giving a recitation. The'remainder: of the dissolving views were then gone th'cbughVahd the jpatients retired to rest/ Both males and" females were present, and we^were^mueh pleased with the perfect order and decorum maintained by all these,poor creatures, two of ttie men especially vieiag with each other in, showing to 'tlte women '©very" usual* attention' and AU,were evidently much pleased and amused", and1" this.beipg^tUe .first, tyjpe. anj£ f tJ4Bp ; ,q^ Itj^kM j has been attempted'/ the entertauitoeatkonncd an* event in their otherwise dreary and monotonous life,"

The-Unequal Mafoh, and the Ikjan of a £qveri were both repeated at the Princess Theatre last evening to a very, fair'audicnce. * The new pantomime is announced for. Boxing-Night. ThY prize design for an Engine House and Bell Tower for the Volunteer Brigade, which was stated in the report of the Town Board meeting to bear the mott», "Labor omm'a Vincit," proves to be by Mr W, ; G. Jackson, A.R.1.8. A,, and Graduate of the Institute of -Civil Engineers, and who dates *from .Victoria Z: Chambers, JSfensest^reet. The design is an effective one, Italian In sfyle, the tower being a well worked out campanile. The engine-house is 46 feet by 20 feet, affording room for Your engines j'the front being arcarfed, and closed with gates. Above, a board^' raom is provided, the same size as the enginehouse. The campanile has &,' 12 feet baseband rises in three storeys to a height of 70 feet in the whole, or of 54 "feet to the look-out gallery which is midway between a clock and an opea' belfry. For this design the Town Board have awarded the firatprize of LlO. The design for which the second prize (L 5) has been given, and which bears for its distinguishing mark, "Fireman," is found to 'be by Mr R. A. Lawson, of Princesstreet. The design-is Gothic, the centre beiu* octagonal on plan, with an engine-house <jn each side. The centre has in the basement an entrance and staircase, with, a, committee-rootn 16 feet square above. ;From the top of this rises the watch-room, which is supported by flyi n£? buttresses, and lighted by lancet windows ; then comes the bell tower,.surrounded by a gallery and surmounted by an open battlement. There is here a level roof for a look-out; and overhead spring moulded principals, uniting in tiie centro to support a flagstaff. The total height to the top of the staff is 75 feet; to the level roof, 50 feat. It has not been resolved by the Towa Board to carry out Mr Jackson's design ; in f ac t the question whether the engine-house 'and the tower shall be oombined, or on distinct sited, has not yet been settled. .

It is notified in the Provincial Gazette of yester.iay, that his Honor the Superintendent has accepted the resignation of Thomas Dick, Esq., of the office of Provincial Treasurer, and that W. H. Reynolds, Esq.., has been appointed to tho office, without salary.