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Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 92, 22 September 1863, Page 2

In our issue on the 18th, several errors unfortu- ' nntely found their way into the Meteorological ' Observation?. We now correct them. For barometer, 22-087 inches, read 29-587 inches. For ' horrizon, read horizon. For eorruscations, read ■ coruscations. For making an arch, read flanking an nrch. For dot-tin* almost the sky, read darting about the sky. For daily average of temperatui^ read daily range of tempera ture. The [fact is, that our familiar sprite who takes the observations, writes " an uucommon careless hand." The Invercurgill Town Board in the present "fishy " aspect of their pecuniary affairs, will be glad to see that they have companions in misfortune. The Daily Telegraph of the 17th thus describes hoiv the bailiff lias " come down like a wolf on the fold " upon the Town Board of Dunedin : — " An fiiuusiur scene took place nfc the meeting of the Town Board on Tuesday. The business had scarcely commenced, when a bailiff walked in and road to the meeting a writ issued against the Bonrd at the instance of Mr James Dempsey, contractor, for the amount of the damages, costs, and other expenses of the late trial before the Supreme Court in re ' Dempsey v the Town Board.' The bailiff immediately commenced the customary process of taking an inventory of the furniture of the oTice, and in a most officious manner opened drawers and safes, securing their keys, slamming doors, prying into every conceivable cornpr where treasures might be secreted; and jotting down in his note-book the number of pens, ink» bottles, wafers, blank cheques, now, alas, of no further use — chairs, tables, stools, clocks, and even the magnificent transparencies which decorated the windows of the Town Board office on the occasion of the marriago of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. This was too much for the endurance of the members. The Chairman gently remonstrated with the bailiff upon his unbecoming interruption of the business of the Board, but that iron-heeled functionary was only heard to mutter something about " an unpleasantduty," and proceeded calmly to take a note of the contents of a drawer. Mr Jenkinson moved, that the B >ard adjourn till nest day in order to allow the bailiff an opportunity of, making his inventory, which was agreed to, and the Board adjourned. The members had scarcely left the room, when ihe hawk's eye ot the bailiff a ighted upon the cash box. It was immediately pounced upon, but tho Clerk to the Board rushed valiantly to its rescue. A scramble ensued for possession of the box, which at one time seemed very likely to culminate in something serious, but after a little while the fray was amicably arranged by the two gentlemen counting over the contents between them, and each " making a note of it." We understand that Mr. John Holland, late manager of the Theatre Eoyal, Criterion Hotel, has taken the UDion Hotel, Tay-street, and contemplates large additions to the adjoining Concer. Hall, which he will open under the name of th " Lyceum Theatre." His experience as a Theatrical Manager on tho Continent, will guarantee a first-class description of entertainment. We wish him cv cry success. The Mount Alexander Mail says—" A strange story is told of one of the men who has recently volunteere.l for the war in New Zealand. Ifc appears that he had been tor some time a patient in Castlemaine Hospital, being supposed to be suffering under chronic rheumatism. However, on reading the news of the breaking out of war in the Auckland district, his rheumatic veins glowed with martial ardor. The tempting ' conditions ' were too much for him; a campaign against the Waikatos aud a fifty acre farm at the end, were irresistible. The rheumatic individual became quite well with marvellous rapidity, obtained his discharge from the hospital, presented himself to the enlisting officer, was examined and pronounced sound by the examining surgeon— who, we may remark, is one of the honorary surgeons of the hospital— and is now probably rejoicing in his strength as he nears the seat of war."

The following amusing instance of colonial impudence is from the Waicatip Mail of th"c 12th :-r " Two men entered the Nonpareil Pie and Coffee House, ard having eaten and drank to their heart s content, tendered, as the prica for their 'joint repast, the liberal sum of sixpence, as represented by three postage stamps of the colony of New Zealand. Upon the amazed proprietor remonstarting with them, a volley of abuse was bis only answer ; and it was with some difficulty that this accomplished pair of loafers wero eventually e jected. It. is much to be regretted that they were not given into custody for, proper punishment. The Daily Times stifis:— "Onr shipping report states that the ship Sir Ralph Abercrombie, which arrived at the Heads on Saturday, spoke on the passage the ship Annie Wilson, bound from London to Auckland with emigrants. The crew and passengers of the Annie Wilson were reported to bo in a state of mutiny, the cargo hayingbeen broken into, and violence used against the captain. The officers had been compelled to arm themselves and sixteen of the passengers had been enrolled as special constables for the preservation of order." - At the Police Court yesterday T. S. Mason, charged on the information of constable M'Killop with conduct tending to provoke a breach of the peace, was fined 40s or seven days imprisonmentSamuel Hawkins, for indecent exposure of the person, was find L 5 or one month's imprisonment. James Collins, charged with beina: drunk in Deettreet by sergeant Dow, was fined ss. John Barr, upon, the information of Mr George Lumsden, was, for damaging public property to the value of twelve shillings, fined 403. Thomas Crack, charged with being 1 drunk and disorderly in Taystreet by constable Buyer, was fined 20s. The sample of "alabaster, which, in a previous issue, we mentioned as alleged to be from a quarry of that mineral within the Province, has been submitted to T. Heale, Esq., chief surveyor, for report. The rapidity with which the house in Esk-strcet blazed np on Saturday nisjht, and the .narrow escape from destruction of the wholo block, point ' to the necessity for some better organisation for the prevention of '(ire than at present obtains in Invercargill, A fire brigade is said to be — but as far as we can loam, its existence, as a body, is c mfincd to hearsay. There are no hook and lad.der companies, no axe men, no buckets, no ho3e, no public fire engine. There is a captain, there arc a few india rubber coats, and all is pretty well told. In a town composed almost entirely of material so ready to ignite as wood, it certainly would seem to be the interest of the inhabitants mid Insurance Companies to guard against the danger. One night's work might lay the major part of the town in ashos ; and then it would be t>o late regretted, that, no precautionary measures, such as the formation of a proper Brigade, had been taken. Some little time ago, alarmed by the constant occurrence of fires, a crowded public meeting took place in Dunedin, when influential inhabitants having addressed the meeting, ib was resolved that a Volunteer Fire Brigade should be formed ; and on the spot more than fifty enrolled as active members. Since then, there has never been a fire but the same was promptly suppressed by the agency of the Brigade, which was furnished with suitable appliances from Melbourne. As the Invorcargill Brigade appears to be suffering from suspended animation, it might be unadvisablo to adopt similar means to those employed in Dunedin for its resuscitation,, or for the formation of a new one. We have before adverted to the necessity there exists for a clock, placed in such a position as to be of service to commercial men and others. The present peep show affair at the Post-office is of little use. Strangers cannot of course be aware of it, and townspeople have not always the time in the crowded portion of the day to fight thoir way to the " hole in the wall." On last English mail day towards half-past eleven o'clock, there wore so many scrambling to ascertain the hour, that ordinary quiet folks thrust thoir letters into the box regardless of late stamp", and reck- I less of a month's delay. The Provincial Government would earn the thanks of the community, by placing a legible clock on a public .'site, such the Government buildings, or the General Postofllce. We do not think the expense would break their Bank. The General Government Gazette of the 3rd inst., notifies the appointment of Jackson Keddell, Esq., (late Warden of the Dunstan) to be Captain in the Auckland militia ; also, that His Excellency the Governor has call d Major Whitmore of Hawkes Bay to the Legislative Council. A ! meeting of the Town Board, convened for yestettday, afternoon, at three o'clock, lapsed, for want of the attendance of five members, the quorum provided by the new Ordinance. There were present Messrs G. M. K. Clarke, Giller, Garthwaite, Lockart, the Engineer, and the Clerk. Three quarters ot an hour's grace was accorded ; but at the termination of that period, no other members turning up, Mr Gillon suggested that they had waited sufficiently long. He regretted that members had not thought it worthwhile to attend, inasmuch as there was some important business to be transacted. ■ At the steeple chase, which took place at Adelaide, on the 10th instant, Mr Formby's Gay Lad, came in Ist ; Mr Wilson's Cadger, 2nd ; and Mr Jewell's Westbury, 3rd. The Ladies' Own Newspaper, a Scotch journal, says,i" There is a weed called the sida retusa, which grows wild in unfrequented streets and vacant places at Brisbane, in Eastern Australia, and was looked upon there as a pest. This weed has been found to yield a valuable fibre, and L3O a ton for 3.000 tons havo.been offered for it, for shipment to England." The Argus of the loth, says, that " the Tasmanian Parliament has passed a resolution imposing Is per ton on all vessels entering Tasmanian ports, to meet a portion of the expense of maintaining the coast lights. It is provided that no ship shall pay more t lion once in six months. It has also been resolved to bring the subject of the lights in the Straits, maintained at the expense of Tasmania, before the Governments of Victoria and New South Wales.' * Up to date of the Alhambra leaving Sandridge, Colonel Pitt had enrolled in Melbourno 1,000 men, as volunteers for Auckland. The. average enrolment at the office is said to have been 20 a day Tlie ship, Golden Age, will take 200 to Auckland. * By the arrival of the Alhambra we have Melbourne files to the 15th inst. The Argus of that date has a telegram from Sydney, dated the previous day, which bears thus — " Sir Henry Barkly is staying at Government House. Lady Young held a reception to-day. Lady Barkly was present. The steam frigate, Curacoa arrived yesterday, biinging Cape papers to the Slst of July. A war is raging between the Hottentots and the Damans. The Confederate cruiser Alabama is in the vicinity of the Cape, awaiting the capture of homeward-bound Indiamen. Government intend despatching a portion of the troops here to Auckland immediately, a detachment of the 12th having arrived here from England on Saturday." We understand that amongst the arrivals las night by the S S. William Miskin, is Mr, J' Small, who. from what we can learn, proposes to favor the public of InvercargiH with an olio of oddities illustrative of Irish character, and embracing some moreeaux from his repertory of comic vocalisation. We may presume that it will be of a character deserving the patronage of he ladies and gentlemen of the town.

Tho Fenny IHspatch,a. Dublin weekly, solestgßCf announces lhafcthe Maories have atgain broken oS? in the Taravalki District. Thepeople of Taranjß,; 'would, we. have no doubt, rejoice that they hadß- £ rather than m the neighborhood fdf' New PjjH? moutlu ' "' - i H." The enthusiasm of the Queenstown townflh people is great. Now it takes the form of scnsatioß^i meetings, now of horse-racing. • The' latcs^fl^J^ is better — the ecclesiastical. ,It appears that J^ carpenters of Queenstown have volunteered theB 1 ,. labor gratis, in laying tho floor, &c, to compleH the new Cliurcb. of England. H On Wednesday last, three or four martial lookinS fellows were to be seen, loaded witli extensive kitjB \ " wending their way " along the Bluff RoatJ. Upo»* inquiry,- it was found that they belonged to tfcß', iSouthland Constabulary, and were en route ftß* Mokomoko, where the Inspector has just appoinUKi a Police Station, in consequence of the grejHl growth of population in that district. H$ . A" now gold field is reported to have been diißf overed near Roekhampton, in Queensland, biß^ tho'rumor needs confirmation. jr In a late Sandhurst (Bendiyo) paper, a writ«M| in alluding, to the call for volunteers , for thX? New Zealand war, suggests* that tho Tictoriajv Government mi;ht with profit adopt the £§Sh£ acre dodge in making a railway from Sandbar; to Albury. Give the navvies nothing whilst makic the line, and fifty acres of land on completion. "] men are so easily persuaded to leave aquietcounlt for the' certainty of .being shot at from som ambush by a wild race, simply fur tho purpose « getting fifty acres of land, and to get this pett boon, risk life and limbs, I think it will open U| the question 'as to whether it would not payt retain them here, offering a "similar bounty afte working three years for nothing, and not bei J r liable to be shot. The writer ofthe above extracß. must indeed be a peaceably disposed citizen ; LS; had better stop at home, for he evidently,. knowS ' nothing at all of the pleasureablo excitement cBL "a small taste of a row." v ■- On Friday evening last, the second Assembly oM: the series came off at the Royal Princess' ConcerH Hall. It was numerously attended, • and went o(M ■ successfully. There have been good houses lately at the Cri terion Concert Hall and Theatre. The advent o ; the New Company from Dunedin, has increases 3 the popularity of the Concerts. A female vocalist \ a comic man, a dancing man, and a man heavil '•.:■ sentimental, havo been, with a good pianofnrl ? player and violinist, added to the company* 0 \ the recent arrivals, Mr Leeman, who does tli j " thrilling," in the form ofthe " Slave Ship," &c -' seems to be tho most popular. Mr Lockyerisalso ; favourite ; his ludicrous songs, and the invariabli i white hat, which all comic men affect, seemed t | hit the audience immensely. The clen < artiste, and general favourite, Miss Stanley con tinues to please in her songs; and her Flings tnee! \ with the usual enthusiastic applause. An amusin; faroe, in which. Miss Stanley and Mr Lnckyer appea as "darkies," convulses the audience, and closes tli \ evening's entertainment. In spite of the circulatioi .' of any quantity of beer and brandy, very good order is kept. A gallery has been added to tho :«■ ~ commodation of the Theatre, and the stage ha; ] been provided with a subterranean green room : which, with two dressing room 3, has been suitabl: furnished. An up-sountry Victorian journal, the Crcswkl - Advertiser, gives some details of a Moa doinestf cated at the Dunstan, which would lead one to belicv ; that this singular, and heretofore unappreciated : crrature, is likely to be of great uso as a beast o burthen. The Advertiser says that, — "A 1! ■. M'Lcod, butcher, Victoria-street, by last inai ; received an interesting letter from his brother, ; miner working near the Kawarau,"not far from tt ( Dunstan, New Zealand, informing him that tb >.. late floods, although they did considerable damagfß : were also the means of bringing to him the monH: . ster bird, the existence of which is still doubted™: a few, namely, the Moa. It is supposed that t A bird, living on some uninhabited mountain, waM?carried down by the waters; and easily caught bK : Mr M'Leod, who adds, that he sometimes rides o it — it being eight feet high, and sometimes eve; uses it forpig hunting. We have hod no opportunit of inspecting the original letter, but the respech bility of our informant is undoubted, and as furtlu information on the subject is promised, .we .shall l glad to lay tho particulars before our readers i soon as they reach us." It was announced in the Church of England c Sunday last, that in futurethe Second service wou! be held in the evening at six o'clock, instead of i the afternoon at three o'clock . To the sportsman, the Waihopai rive presents attractions. We have seen a white cran id cst, the " sad remains," shot in the immediat neighborhood of the first bridge on the North roas This genus of bird, we are informed, is frequentl to be come across in that locality. As to il edible qualities, history is silent, but'to those wt affect stuffed birds, the, white crano. would 1 invaluable. ' Tho New Zealand Industrial Exhib: tion will bo inaugurated at Dunedin on tl • first day of Janury, 1865, and a Royal Con mission has been granted constituting an execute body to carry out the enterprise. As wo hai - already said, those who have .the interests of tb Province at heart, should take early steps in ordf that Southland may be properly represented. As to the rush at the Deep Creek, the Wdkati ; Mail says: — "The rush at the Deep Cr« though at present . characterised as a " shicer seems to possess some reasonable claim to be coi sidered as something better, as we have heard ; several small parcels of^gold having b.een purchase Yesterday wo were informed that a nugget of 1 dwts. had been sold to a gold-buyer at Arthui Point; and we should, not be surprised if the were soon a revulsion of feeling on the part oft! miners in respect to this place." The Southland 'Provincial Government Gazel of the 17th inst., contains a proclamation by H Excellency Sir George Grey, vesting in t! Governor of New Zealand, all the powers given I the. Native Records Act, 1856, to Commission! appointed under that Act. There is also apt clamation constituting the'Jlataura and Aparis Hundreds. The Rules and Regulations oft gaol at Invercargill are published. The apostle of congugal philanthropy a». suffering womankind, Mis 3 Rye, who recently V rived in "Otago with a ship load of prospect! wives for the prospective husbands of thatP<| vince, has, we perceive by the July mail new papers, owing to the falure of her scheme, beco» \ the butt cf the " smart writers" of the how country press. Every journal — even the most I girrnxficanfc provincial — has sometliuagr to say ■ ■ the unfortunate lady, something sarcastic, soia, I thing derogatory to strongmindedness. They ; i declare, that they severally ! the project would be an unsuccesa, and every o ■ appears to consider it hia duty JfoJ^Mg^lialii !| over the futile efforts pt 'the " Johnißiinca i| adventuresses. One ;cquntry j journal allude x tho female captain, as- "a Miss B.je 3 wja&jst % evidently writing wittTa' view to convince 31 | Rye, that if she conceive^ Kerself a. world-* [| celebrity, 'ihe. is '. mistaken;'...: ..We', scarcely t!« '§ this kindhearted lady deserves to^e so ridicuk Ig for, had •it not • ibeeuM that : ''. Her i char m arrived in Dunedin at a Jtitne when the place ' % swamped by the imcpniingiqf litff -a dozen yes % with female' immigtants, her scheme would h' '§■ been a success— atAny 3 rate;,as,tfar as procuri || respectable emplojn^t'fbtShe'^wlible' of «|; -young ladier. -: ; " '"■' ' ' ||