Untitled

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 38, 27 August 1864, Page 2

It is a rule of this journal, in #ommon with, the newspaper press generally, not to publish letters addressed to the editor unless accompanied by the name and address of the writer. This is a matter well understood, and usually acted on ,by those who have any matter which they wish to bring before the public. There arc, of course, cases in which, through ignorance or forgetfulness, a fictitious signature} is alone supplied, and then the^ letters are t usually destroyed, after notifying to the correspondents the reason for their non-appearance, and allowing time for them to rectify the omission. A large number of the letters sent for publication are not of general interest ; they relate to circumstances affecting, of likely to affect, only a few, and in some instances even personal squabbles form their subject matter. There is another class of letters which are of real public interest — letters relating to things in which all are concerned; and those, ■well written, or supplying new facts, or useful suggestions, we are, at all times, happy to find a place for in our columns. The real name and address of the writer must, however, be supplied.: We have been led into making.

these remarks by the receipt of a letter, which may be of some importance, bearing the signature —F. 8., but without giving any clue as- to .the ■writer. .. F; 8.. ihakea ' some statements 'against'a class of public servants, which he should either withdraw, orbe ready to substantiate. If he does not conform to our rule, : we cannot publish, and must consider the charges unfounded ; if, on tho other hand, he sendß his name and address, which, in this case, wereallyhope he will, the letter shall appear, and, without doubt, those whom it may, concern, will take measures for setting themselves right with the public. - A bumper house mustered at the Theatre Royal last nfeht, on the occasion of. the' benefit for tho> Provincial Brass Baud ; and theperfdrmances; asannounced, were under the patronage of His. TTonor the Superintendent and the Members of M.U.1.0.0.F., in Invercargill, -several of whom appeared in regalia. The programme, submitted on the occasion wa» a most attractive one, and the proceedings throughout ■were; v bighly successful, the applause being i at time?; most entlrusiastic. The curtain rose^d Courtney's two ac^ <j rama o f " Time Tries All," which was exceedingly well placed on the stage. The P^rt of Laura Leesbn was undertaken by Miss Eloise .Tiino, who, as usual, imparted to the character that natural air of genuine feeling and emotion, in portraying which this young lady achieves- much applause 1 and deservedly so. Mr. Str eet on .made a capital Matthew Bates, and Mr. ~R. B. Bale in the pa r t of Laura's father, appeared as an " old man » much better than we had feared, the characte r hnino: quite out of his role. The parts of Tom Tact, and the Hon. A. C. Yawn were played by amateurs, who made a decided hit, and were very successful. After the finish of. this piece, -the brass band played an overture in which they displayed the rapid improvement they are making in the use of their instruments, the harmony being well sustained. After this came " The Great Stump Speech," by a member of the band, in the color and cet-UT) of a genuine darkie. The speech sot the whole house in roars of laxighter, the local hits beiner the most telling. One or two of them were as follows : — " And what did the great Napoleon say to Blondin? Did'nt he say that Bob "Bidlev was in favor of the Invercargill "Railway ? But is that, any reason why Levy and Saunders shall know where Salek has got to ? — or any nder man ? To return to de subject. What did Jonah say when he came out of the whale's belly ? Did'nt he say that it was a disgrace to the TnvercargOl fishmarket? Am I not right? — or any odev man ? To return to my subject. What did Branegan say to Commissioner Weldon when he met Bendigo'Mac'k ? Did'nt he say that the volunteers of Invercargill were the fastest runners in the world — datis to say — if the French or the New Zralanders were after them ? — or any oder man ? am I not right ? " The performances were brought to a satisfactory termination with the screaming farce of the " Unfinished Gentleman," which went off exceedingly well, and sent the audienre home in great good humour. From our report of the proceedings at the assessment appeal meeting, yesterday, and also from an advertisement in another column, it will be seen that the ratepayers have got this muchdrearled tax reduced one-half. ;a The following is the state of H. M. Gaol, Tnverrarsrill, for the week ending 26th August, 1864 : — Sentenced to hard labor, 18 males ; committed for trial before the Supreme Court, 2 males ; imprisonment only, 1 ; debtors, 4 ; lunatics, 5 ; total 30. Decrease compared with last week, 1. Tn spite of the bitterly cold weather prevailing last night, a large number of our citizens turned out to accompany the Provincial Brass Band on their way to the Theatre, during which promenade they played several ' airs which tended considerably to enliven our otherwise rather quiet thoroughfares. The torch lights carried on the occasion also had a lively effect. It appears that a good deal of excitement has been created at the Lakes, in consequence of the recent gold discoveries in the Province of Canterbury, but the local journal very properly enjoins caution ere too much reliance is placed on the reports yet received. Those who wish to prospect, it says, " can of course dopa.rt at onoe, but those who hope to arrive on a goldfield provisioned and containing stores, &c, had better wait a little • longer. The news received was not very encouraging, and the locality is more than 150 miles from Barrington's discoveries." We are indebted to the WaTcatip Mail, of the 20th inst., for the following mining news : — "The men at Arthur's Point are getting to work again. Tv the Boatswain Company's claim last Tuesday about 60 ounces was taken out of a paddock. The miners on the Big Beach are repairing the damage done by the late floods, and expect in a few days to set in to work again at their claim. The accounts from M'Master's claim, Sutherland's Beach, are excellent, and the yield is Said to eclipse almost anything known before on the Shotover." The business at the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, was principally composed of actions in connection with the trust estate of E. Hargin and Co., Tay-street. The case of Christie v. Harper, for specific performance of contract, was decided in favor of the plaintiff, it .having been proven that the defendant, in purchasing the section of ground in dispute, signed the agreement in his own name, and not as attorney, or agent, for the trustees on Hargin' s estate. ' This latter was the understanding, defendant averred, which had been agreed to between the parties, i.e., that Mr. Harper should sign in his own name to close the sale, and that he would write to Dunedin, to ascertain from Mr. Reid, the real purchaser, and one of the trustees, in whose nane to have the transfer made. The decision, however, rested solely on the written agreement, and the verdict was given for plaintiff, with costs, j In the next case, Hargin and Co.'s Trustees v. Christie, the Magistrate reserved his decision till this morning, on the several points involved, which will be found referred to in our report of the proceedings. The other cases were of no public interest. We recommend the following paragraph, from the Otago Mail, to the notice of our Southland farmers : — " A pleasing spectacle was witnessed by the inhabitants of North Taieri on the 17th inst. The farmers of the district welcomed the arrival amongst them of Mr. Gallin, by turning out in full force and giving him a day's ploughing. The new settler must have been agreeably surprised at the appearance of the 27 teams which set to work in right good earnest to turn up his 50-acre paddock. It was a delightful day, and the sunshine was favorable to the exhibition of the good feeling which the neighbors vied with one another in evincing on the auspicious occasion. The' men turned out in their best' bib and tucker, and the horses were gaily decorated with ribbons as if for a festive scene. Everybody was in capital spirits, and if the farmers kept in the same good humor for long together, the new settler would find little trouble in cultivating his 250 acre farm. After the ploughing, which was over about sundown, between 40 and 50 gentlemen sat down to an admirable spread, provided in the new settler's house. An incredible quantity of viands and liquors disappeared a 9if by magic, ! the usual number of patriotic and social toasts i not being wanting to give a zest to the. entertain.- 1 ments. Seldom has a more jolly time been spent by the agriculturists of North Taieri, whose devotion to the noble occupation of speeding the plough, and correct appreciation of good cheer, cannot be sufficiently commended. Such hospitable gatherings as that referred to, whilst they promote the best feelings amongst the parties concerned, tend to stimulate competition, and lead to improvements in practical farming, the importance of which cannot be overvalued in a young and growing country. All were well pleased with the festivies, and on separating expressed a hope that such reunions -would not; in Suture be so few and far between." ' : / , / • : ..''. Another accident, says the Wakatip Mail, occurred at the Twelve Mile, Arrow, owing tojtheloosening of the surface soil by the .frost ..'and occasional rapid thaws; On Tuesday, a large mass of rock suddenly came down amongst a par*fy of . miners working under a facing, , and, seriously injured a man named Smith, crushinghim on the Iggs and lower part of the body. He was too much injured to be carried to tho hospital, and irill be confined; to a ;lbed.pf Buffering some time to come. ! -..-',.. ;

There appears to be no smaUyajnoimjllofp^fiwa*^^ ness at the present time in||ae-min&:<TO-apnie *'" i 1 parties wb<i|J|iave not registered theirJjipgs,^;^; in coin^U^c^^th Ny;^^j)i?o^Sbiis, of thd|3?bff ~%0 Ntusani^ Ordinance tEe'factive crusMg: of "'*>* the police tenflsjfurtherfto perplex them,;bj|<Jo}n- & pelling them at^once cto^decidejlfirst whether their ,#K; dog is worthsjihe; taxj;pV whether their laffection.:^^ for the animaljjis- so %reat aj^i^^utweigh.the lp»rsir'".■ cuniary consideration;!^ It i| rather astonishing^ how a dog,"which wasla; "dear little pet" one day, should be a " nasty pest" the next, and that , solely on acconnt of a, cpmmunication,..O.H.M.S., Being politely handed in at the door. It is then, , however^ that the battle of the , heart and the ,ppcket takes place, and., it as to be feared the.victory of the latter is a very common result, if one may judge 'from thei present suspicious appearance of floating, masses son-rthesurfacefof; the various creeks close to the town. From this it is to be ' naturally inferred that a dog is a "pet" with N some \ people; only so long! as they are not crim* , pelled to pay the tax. When this is called for, the revulsion of feehng.occurs,iarid! the ownership . of poor Tray is denied intoto, and defences of the, most curious nature are sometimes made to pppose the payment of it. A; base in pomt occurred _iil\ the.Police Court on' Thursday ;laat;; when a known public servant in town was charged with being the owner of an unregistered dog. The defendant pleaded;that the' dog/was npfc|his)>bjiit!hiß wife's, and he contended that he wM;npt :|ia^le for the-payment of th'S tax,^maaniueh^a|;;herh.ad (to use his own expression)■''separated^from'^her, never to come together; again.!" The police did not consider the defence a valid one, because the wife, when sued for the tax, might plead that »he was,a married woman, and that, consequently, _her husband was liable. The Magistrate, however, allowed the defence tp overrule. 1 this^pbjection, more especially as the defendant had further stated that his wife was. allowed a sum for her maintenance, and as it, appeared that they,were, as distinct as if a regular deed of separation had been drawn up between the parties. In preference fto defending their cases, or paying ,the tax, however, it is apparent that a very common practice with dog owners is the committal of dog murder. Anyone curious enough may satisfy himself, as already hinted, by a peep into any. of the creeks near the town. The Waihopai Bridge, it may be observed, appears to be a favorite place, plenty of heavy stone* being at hand and ready for use ! We observe that on and after Thuraday next, the first day of September, the land on Block XIX, Invercargill Hundred, will be open for application. Monday, the 15th ihst., being the anniversary of the coronation and also the birthday of the firit Napoleon, it was observed (says the Mail) by the French residents on the' Arrow as a fete day. Mr. Jules Gruerin decorated his hotel with a goodly display of evergreens and tricolored bunting in honor of the occasion; and in the evening, a ball and supper were given at the New Orleans hotel. The room was crowded with dancers numbering a large proportion of the fair sex and many visitors from Queenstown, I?ranktpn and other parts of the district. The artistic decorations of.the ball-room were complete and the profusion of good things spread on the table was enough to gladden the .heart of the most inveterate bon vivant; and the after-supper speeches were as eulogistic and felicitous as usual; everyone present seemed to enjoy himself. The volunteers met last night in the usual place for their bi-weekly drill. The Lake correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, writing on the 15th inst., communicates the following: —The Mataura Bend Eush hai, according to anticipations, turned out a .delusion ; it was never, however, believed in much or by many. It might not be a bad idea in the place of several defunct associations to get up one for : making a horse track to the golden regions of the West Coast, where a rush is certain as the season advances. The coast must always be under most favorable circumstances, difficult of acces* for vessels, and Queenstown might he made the depot for the new diggings. A few months will bring the main trunk road into the town, for sub-tenders are, tre understand, given Out to Complete th.6 contract; and we ought, then, to be in a position to compete with any other market in supplying a gpldfield within forty or fifty miles of the head of Lake. News from the Nokomai is good, and especially in Victoria Ghilly considerable, success < is spoken of. The terraces are very iteep, and the stripping heavy. The last gold escort from Queenstown conveyed - 2,100 ounces, which, taking into account the disastrous effects of the floods lately, is considered satisfactory—one or two large parcels also having remained behind. During the floods last year the escort dwindled down, on one occasion, to under 800 ounces. ;