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Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 32, 13 August 1864, Page 2

Last mail from the North brings the intelligence i that the work of surveying the Waikato district is being pushed on as fast as circumstances will permit. A party of surveyors, with Mr. Bellairs at their head, are now in the district, and hopes are entertained that a large tract of country will soon be ready for settlement. The New Zealander, of 28th July, thus summarises the news from the Otago journals, which had reached Auckland the previous day : — " In Otago news is at a premium. The task of writer has been by no means an enviable one — he is, in fact, without ' visible lawful means of support.' Much home-made thunder, efforts at -writing against space, merely to ' fill it up,' seems to pass current — but, by-the-by, this is not confined to Duuedin." We observe that the spectral illusion of the Ghost is announced to appear this evening, and for the whole of next week, at the Theatre Royal. To-night it will be introduced into the drama of " Raymond and Agnes ; or, the Bleeding Nun of Lindenburg -, " and the same piece well be repeated on Monday evening. The last fortnightly escort which reached Dunedin on the 9th inst., took down from the various goldfields 14,915 ozs. 15 dwts. This amount wa3 contribvited as follows : — By Queenstowu, 3638 ozs. 15 dwts. ; Arrow, 961 ozs. ; Dunstan, 3,359 ozs. ; Manuherikia, 2,489 ozs. ; Mount Benger, 937 ozs. 15 dwts. j Hamilton's 1,309 ozs. ; Mount Ida, 907 ozs. 10 dwts. ; Tuapeka, 1,832 ozs. ; Waitahuna, 428 ozs. ; Woolshed,*lss ozs. 15 dwts. We have been shown the plans of thehandsome c gateway and railing about to be erected on that portion of Tay-street belonging to the TJnion Bank of Australia, and which has been a great eyesore to the locality since the disastrous fire laid low the extensive block of buildings there. This state of matters will, in a great measure, soon be remedied, as the work of enclosing the ground ia fast progressing. The gateway is of a very handsome design, and will be surmounted with an ornamental mounting of Iron. The contractor for the erection of the gateway and i ailing is Mr. John Lamont, and the designs are by Mr. J. E. Clarke, architect, of this town. There was almost a blank at the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, there being only one or two civil cases on for hearing, and these were of the most trivial nature. ' As will be seen from our report of the proceedings in the Resident Magistrate's Court, the case of Hall and M'Donald v. the Town Board has been decided in favor of the plaintiffs. The decision was given on the " moral merits " of the case alone, and any legal or technical objections urged by. the counsel for the defence were, dismissed. The members of the Board in office on the 25th February last, when the deposit of £70 was paid into their bands, were Messrs. Calder, Bcaven, Jaggers, Seandrett, Livesey, M'lvor, Reynolds, Grarthwaite, and Grieve. Considerable interest was manifested throughout the hearing of the case. ;

Teiidera are called * for for the supply of uniforms for the Southland Volunteer Rifles. Specifications are to be seen at Mr. Macdonald's, auctioneer, Esk-street. -,v ~ . . . j-The Chief Commissioner of Crown? Lands inti-s mates that Blocks VI. and VII., Winton District, ■vvill be open for application on and after the 25th inst. ; 'Also that, "On and after Thursday, th Ist "day of September, Block XIX., Invercargil Hundred, will be open for application. Person having applications for urisurveyed land in th. above block, must attend at the Land Office, personally or by agent, on Wednesday, the 24thinstant,. at, 12 o'clock,- to. have their claims settled, otherwise the 15th Clause of the Land Regulations; -will be enforced." " : "; ; / "; r :j : ' .' l We extract the following from l the' WaJcaUpMail,oi the.6th.inst. :— " After & fine long frosty ,, spell of weather, a change took place on Wednes-e day night ; and ; Thursday afternoon ushered in rain, which continued all night and a great part' of Friday morning, > during a portion of .■which, time it thundered very heavy, accompanied by vivid^ flashes of lightning. . The effect haW been«a sudden flood, causing considerable damage throughout the districts far and wide. On the Shotover, the rner rose nine feet, sweeping away waterwheals, sluice-boxes, tools, &c. From up the Lake accounts of damage.; done are rife, though in this quarter not -so easily ascertained^ : ;Np accounts hare reached ixs. from, the Arrow. Tfi.'e greatest loss is on the Shotover. T?he terrace men. are jubilant, and look to the change in the weather as the best advocate they could have secured in the graat trial question of Terrace ,v. River. , The effects 'of the flood to the elaimholders" on this river are really disastrous, and valuable waterwheels, costing from £60 to £100, have been tossed about upon the angry roll of this, tempestuous river as wooden toys of little value. Races have been destroyed, and in several places valuable heaps of wash-dirt that would gladden the eyes of a Molyneux miner are uuder the water. The river rose suddenly and rapidly, and swept all away before it. As first accounts are generally extravagant in regard to damage done-; we hope our next issue will dispel some of these gloomy tidings. Up the Lake, they managenow-a-days to secui'e themselves from the effects of & Buddeu flooi, by forming covered-in tail-races ; and this is one of the means by which the Shotover must eventually be worked. We shall be able to give further particulars in our next. The weather has again taken up, and it is to be hoped that it will continue fair for a few weeks longer, so as to give those miners who have expended 60 much labor and capital in the river workings an opportunity of reaping their due reward." Miss Ada Hart took her farewell benefit at the Theatre Royal last night, on which occasion she' was rewarded with a capital house. The performances commenced with the popular comedy of "The Serious Family," in which piece several amateurs took part. Mr. R. B. Dale played the j part of Aminadab Sleek to perfection, and created loud applause throughout. Mr. Streeton was the Charles Torrens, and Ms friend Captain Murphy 3fagtrire was personated by an amateur. Misa Gassy Matthews was entrusted with the character of Lady Creamly, to which she did full justice, \ and Misses Juno and Ada Hart represented Mrs. Ormsby Dalmaine and Mrs. Charles Torrens in j their us\ial excellent style. The piece throughout was remarkably well put on the stage, and only in a few of the minor characters was there any- I thing to take exception to. The amusing farce of the " Virginian Mummy " followed next. Dr. Galen, and his ward, Lucy, were personated |by Mr. Streeton and Miss Cassy Matthews ; but the greatest amusement was caused by the amateur who played the part of Ginger Blue, in which character he is introduced as the mummy, and conducts himself in so droll a manner as to compel peals of laughter from all parts of the house. The parts of Captain Rifle, Charles, and O'Leary, were likewise very creditably pi yed. by amateurs. The performances wound up with the favorite ballet of " The Rival Lovers," in which the Skipping Rope Hornpipe was introduced by the fair beneficiaire, who was enthusiastically applaxided. The locomotive engine for the Northern Railway was raised out of the hold of the Leonidas yesterday, and will be landed on the jetty to-day. The work of raising it was one of no ordinary difficulty, and not unaccompanied with danger, but so far everything has proceeded satisfactorily. The engine has really a magnificent appearance, and reflects no small credit on the manufacturers, j Messrs. Robinson, Thomas & Co., Soho Works, Ballaarat — it presenting a finish equal to any engines turned out in the first-class factories in the home country. The cost, we are informed, is £2000. In the course of ten days, we are further led to understand, it will be put sufficiently in order to enable it to make its first trip on our Northern line of Railway. We direct the attention of our readers to the statistical tables of the imports and exports of the Province for the last three and a half years, which will be found in our commercial columns to-day. The most remarkable increase, as regards the imports, it will be seen, occurred in the first quarter of last year, when the value of the imports for the previous quarter, ending 31st December, 1862, were trebled. Thi9 unusual increase was of course attributable to the rush caused by the outbreak of the Lake diggings. The imports of 1863, it will be observed, went on increasing, till in the last quarter the large amount of £17,481 10s. was reached. The following quarterly return, howover, shows adecline of over £4000, and the quarter ending 30th June last, shows a further decline of about £3400 as compared with the preceding one. This great decline, as is well knawn, can be attributed alone to the system of over-trading which had been pursued for the previous twelve" months, and to the reaction and stagnation of trade which consequently followed. It is unlikely that such a low return as the quarter ending 30th June last will again be shown. As regards the exports, it will be at once apparent that, if these be taken as a fair and sure criterion of the matei-ial wealth of the Province, there is every reason for congratulating ourselves on its continued and steadily increasing prosperity. The first two quarters of 1861 exhibited an export trade of a little over £8,000. In the same period of 1862 the returns show a total of over £IS,OOO. In 1863 the increase is still more observable, the first two quarters showing exports to the amount of over £64,000. The two first quarters of the current year, admitted to be one of unusual commercial depression, show exports to the extent of £70,000. To this properly belonged say £10,000 at least of the preceeding quarter, which is unusually large in comparison with the corresponding periods of previous years, and which must have included a considerable portion of the exports which generally fall to the two first quarters of the year, i.e., in the shape of wool, &c, sent to England. With the addition of this £10,000, the amount for the half year would be £80,000; or one-fourth in excess of the exports of same period of 1863 ; four and a-half times more than than that of 1862, and ten times more than that of 1861. We extract the following anecdotes of the war in the North from recent numbers of the Canterbury Press: — "In the midst of this miserable war one turns to anything like chivalry and romance with singular pleasure. The following scraps came from the pen of a Northern correspondent : — ' In the escape from Orakau, a militiaman who was pursuing a Maori, cut him down with a slight flesh wound. When the soldier di« r mounted to take his man prisoner, or kill him should resistance compel it, he found that it was not a man whom he had cut down, but a pretty half-caste girl. He took her up, brought her to the surgeon, and had her ; cared for and tenderly nursed ; and now lie has written to her brother, a Maori scholar in St. Stephen's . School, at Auck^ land, to ask her hand in marriage.'.' .Here is another of the same character : ' After the fight at the Gate Pah at Taurangaj'-one of the wounded officers who were left in the pah asked for a drink of water.- ~A Maori went down to the swamp atthe risk of his life to get a drop of water for his wounded enemy. The Maori was shot by our men in the attempt and was taken prisoner, and when the next day it was known- on what errand he had been going when wounded, surgeon^ and men vied with one another in doing all theycbuld, for him. But his leg had to be amputated, wad the poo r fellow died.",' > i ,S S tl -Q ?r OM ■£

A social meeting in connection leyan Congregation* is 'announced "to" *be^neljl in the church? on »the ' evening of Wednesday next, 'the l7tK mS * << Several clergymen and others •Will take part m the proceedings. A collectura is to be made on behalf of the rihnioh, fund.f y;i :. . £v^l • - «' ?/K'3 ! *%£-&J Thev;ibllomng' tenders were f acceptecKgpfjho Provincial l&oYemtneni; [ yesWdajr, a vizi-^sJully coals td'me^Gbvernhient. Cochrane, Arranger & Blackwood, for the supply of groceries for the Hospital. . .A „ meetmg, of the ..trustees of the- Southiaild Savings' Bank was held on the evening of Thtu-s---,day.lasty in the > Treasury Chamber. =The. ; folio %ing :Wre viz.-^— Hjb v Honb> the Superintendent, Messrs. Calder, Squires, J. ; M'Donold,'D» 3)' c Mon'ald, Koiit," Harne^ and "Mueller. ~ His Honor, Dr. Menzies, was>called oil "to preside. The absence of Captain Elles was aj)blogised for. Dr. Merizies then opened the proceedings by reading from the Savings rßa&tk Act the clarises ireferringfeo the appointment and functions of the trustees and the , constitution of the ,direcjx>ry, from which it 'appears the Qoyernor of ifew ZeaJGand, : ?or : ;*h8 time being, acts as president Simngs' Bank established "; within, the rcpiony. i f C;ht£be motion' of Mr.' Calder, seconded by Mr. Squireßj Dr. Menzies wasi elected vici3-president. His Honor now , suggested. :that a /.committee shpuld be appointed to 'draw up rules' for the* iiisti-^ tution, which would! be submitted', tbjariofcher meeting "of the trustees:?' Mr. .Calder thought this was the; proper course to' take,', .and* eug ; ; gested further/. &at said? committee should be ' instructed to gather all neces'sEiTY information, i and take steps to receive applications from gentle;men willing to accept the appointment of manager.' ; 'Mr. i D. > MTDonald' suggestedj|'also, ' that iiie matter of suretieshad as well be;imentioned to applicants Viand, after- somer discussiba, ; the meeting were of opmionthat the i folio wifig would be sufficient — The manager, himself^-in I £150, and two sureties in £lso'each.i Mr. Calder ; then moyed-^-" That a - sub-committee rbe - ap» ; pointed, consisting of Messrs. J. M'Donald, B. ' M-Donald, and the mover, to obtain all the information attainable on the Bubjecfc of the "usual rules of Savings', Banks; to ascertain whether ' convenient premises could be obtained in Invercargill; the services- of- nn -eh'gible « manager secured ; to inquire into the matter .of books ; and to report on "all these points to the first meeting of the trustees, to Be eumnioned to meet by the sub-committee when it thinks fit;" Mr. Squires seconded the motion, which was carried ■unanimously. There : being no -other -business before them, the meeting then terminated.* ■.1