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Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 15, 30 December 1862, Page 2

"Wednesday, December 17: The Provincial Secretary laid on the table the report of the Select Committee on the Land proposals, and moved that it be reconsidered in Committee on the unimproved land bill. It was arranged that the report should be considered on Friday. The Provincial Solicitor moved the second reading of the Otago Representation Bill. lie explained that the object of the Bill was to make a redistribution of the country into electoral districts. In consequence of the fluctuations of the mining population it had been thought advisable that the whole of the whole of the goldfields of the Province should be constituted one electoral district. The Bill having been read, the House went into Committee, when a few alterations were made, and the third reading was fixed for Friday. The Provincial Solicitor, in moving the second reading of the Miners' Representation Bill, expiained that it was intended to give effect to the provisions of an Act of the last session of the General Assembly. The second reading was agreed to, and the third reading fixed for Friday. The House then went into committee of Supply. On the item Main Branch Roads, L 25,750, a lively debate ensued, several of the appropriations being opposed. Mr. Cargill regretted that he was not present when the consideration of the road appropriations was first commenced, as he feared there had been a departure from the established principle of working on a well defined system with roads. Ho was not going to oppose any particular road;

The Provincial Secretary was glad the questioi , had been raised. The Government desired to lij on the best possible lines for central interior trur>l * roads. There were lines down for twoor.tb.re; ." t such roads, all leading towards tho Clutha ami J Lake Wakatip country. It waS'a question yet tc -\ be decided whether the navigation of the Cluthi 1 could be opened up, so as to afford a river commy, _ s | nication with the Dunstan, but further inquuk i: will be made. ; _ J^jr Mr. Cargill expressed himself satisfied wit!/'', the explanation, as showing that attention had - been paid to the matter by the government, bus he thought that the government seemed hardly tc have a proper conception of its magnitude. Ii was desirable that there should be one good ro&i made into the interior to be kept open all th? ■ winter, and that was as much as could be done. ; The third road proposed would not cost less than ; a quarter of a million. He held that something : more was required than scrambling examination ; by young assistants. : The Provincial Secretary denied that the road r works were not in practical hands. The best talent ' available was employed. But the Government did not contemplate metalling the interior roads in : the present summer. Even the principal centra! road of the Province was not yet metalled ; me. tailing was very expensive, and necessarily also t - work of time. He was assured by the head of the -; department that the road via Waikouaiti would be '. made so as to be used during the winter. Mr. Cargill then moved a resolution to the effect that with the view of entering upon extensive ; works on an effective and economical system, the government bo empowered to secure the best engi- ':. neering talent within their reach, and to increase - such expenses as they may deem expedient. \ Trade just now is very dull. The rates off* cartage are considerably lower than thej' were three or four weeks back. With some descriptions of goods the Dunstan is already heavily overstocked. A rush over to this Province from Victoria and New South Wales is looked for with cer. tainty. Several ships have been laid on, and passages were being taken very freely. Tuesday, 23rd December, 1862. I Avrite you up to the last hour of the sailing of the Titania. Last night the town -was thrown into a state of alarm and excitement by a report that a large steamer had been seen coming inside the rock at the Ocean Beach, and that afterwards she had been run on shore.. Hundreds of persons made their way from : town to the beach, where, true enough, alarg« steamer was seen lying at anchor ; bur whether she was aground could not be satis- ''. factorily ascertained. How the vessel came to be in such an out-of-the-way position, was the subject of a thousand conjectures. Had a strong wind sprung up setting in for the shore, it* was -well known by nautical men that nothing could save her from being . wrecked, if she was not able to steam out to sea ; and, if able, why did she remain in so dangerous proximity to the shore. It was a mistery. The signal of distress was hoisted; no flag nor number to indicate her country or name. A rumour got wind that the vessel was a privateer, on ph'atical deeds intent; but this only obtained belief with the most simple and credulous. This morning at daylight the mysterious stranger was not in sight; but about nine o'clock she was seen steaming up the bay, and shortly afterwards dropped anchor at the Pelichet jetty. She was laden with cattle ; and it appears that the captain, ■who had never been at the port before, had mistaken the entrance. No English mail up to the present time. It is, of course, long overdue, and may be looked for every hour. The news from the Dunstan, last night, still continues of the same cheering character. Madame Hubert, of the cafe, brought her husband before the police court on Saturday last for an assault. He was fined forty shillings, but the evidence which was adduced at the investigation does not place Madame in a very favourable light -with the public. A long report of the case appears in the Daily Times.