The Southland Times. SATURDAY, SEPT. 3, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 39, 3 September 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. SATURDAY, SEPT. 3, 1864.

Ip we were to judge of the interest taken in the forthcoming elections by the amount of talking they have given rise to, we should be inclined to think that thepeople generally cared nothing whatever about the matter, and were quite content that things should go on in the old style, ' which has already done so much sub- , stantial injury to Southland, and caused her aflairs to be paraded on every possible occasion by the Press of New Zealand as a shocking instance of the straits a community may be placed in by extravagance and bad government. Take a file of colonial newspapers for the last six months, and many pages will not have been glanced over before some notice of our unfortunate condition catches the eye. "We could reprint columns from our contemporaries, both in New Zealand and Australia, in proof of what we. say. Only as lately as the 23rd of August we find the following tit-bit in the Nelson Colonist : — " Southland is a new Province. It is bank- " rupt ; the people are suffering in every " respect, not a few from a want of bare " food; trade is in a ruinous condition ; tho "value of property has fallen, in many "instances, sixty or seven *y per cent., " and even at that reduction purchasers " cannot be found ; the people are fleeing " from the Province as from a land "plague-stricken; debt, difficulties, and " bankruptcies are the order of the day, " both in the G-overnment of Southland, "and in its people." The Colonist insinuates that our misfortunes have been caused by our separation from Otago, but though we can neither agree with him as to the cause, nor the extent he assigns to them, we must admit tliat the picture he has drawn bears some resemblance to the reality. The people are not starving, but work, is not' plentiful ; property has decreased in value ; and at the present moment the G-overnment is not in in a position to meet its liabilties. Our settlers are not, as far as we canjjsee, panic-stricken ; on the contrary they appear determined to " take things as they come," and not trouble to think how far a remedy may rest with themselves. It seems an almost hopeless task to endeavour to arouse the public to a sense of the importance of getting together in the next Council a body of men really capable and willing to do the work which will be set before them. "We are at a loss to account for this apathy. It cannot be that our fellow-citizens look at the proceedings of the Provincial Council as of no moment ; and surely it is not caused, by the opinion that the members of the old Council are the best men that can be found, and will come forward again and be returned in the natural course of things. Either supposition does violence to our common sense. Dearly bought experience shows conclusively that the Provincial Council possesses quite enough power to make it dangerous to the prosperity of the settlement, unless its members are men of at least average ability, and good business knowledge. "We do not wish here to name any gentlemen in particular, but, with all due deference to the judgment of those who elected them, we hold a decided opinion that there were some at the Council table, .who would have been far better employed either in teaching children the alphabet, or in whale-fishing, or in bullockdriving, than in making laws for the people. All these occupations are highly honorable, and, no doubt, each requires talent of a peculiar order for its successful prosecution ; but in the Council it is quite thrown away. If the people appear indifferent as to who shall represent them in the Council, they also seem indifferent, though in a less degree,|as to who shall fill thepost'of Superintendent. There is a strong feeling that the present occupant is not all that could be desired. Some go so far as to think and say that much mischief is to be attributed to him, and that much more is in store for the Province should he be again elected ; but few, comparatively speaking, have gone the length of speculating as to who ought to be his successor. In the every-day business of life, where a position of trust is about to become vacant, it is not the usual thing to allow the matter to stand over till the last moment, and then take the first applicant who can show fair testimonials to his fitness, to perform the duties which will be required of him. "We do not see why the electing of a Superintendent should be regarded as of less importance than the choosing of a person to fill an office of trust in any private firm. However much the new Council may curtail the powers ofthe Superintendent, a great deal of weight -will atay* belong to - the^ pbst. The

Superintendent will always have influence, and it is therefore necessary that great care should exercised in ; electing^ him. It is certain that when the General Assembly meets, the affairs of Southland . will be thoroughly inquired into, but before that takes place there is time "to " set the house in order." We cannot, unfortunately, do away with the. past. We must rest content to be laughed at, and probably abused in;•^' : tVe..?Hou^\'b'^' Representatives, and by the Press, but we have it* in our power to watch against a repetition ofthe errors into which we have hitherto fallen. We can elect a Council ■which shall number none: but y men of respectability and good sense, and we can secure the return of a Superintendent who will command the confidence, not only of the Council and people, but also of the G-eneral Governmesnt— a man who is at least the possessor of two ideas, and willing to admit that others may be gifted in a like manner.; If .this* ; -is done, and the Council set "earnestly to work to solve the problem of how to get" the Province out of its' difficulties, which, after all, have been very much exaggerated, and are really no greater than those of Otago, the General Assembly will certainly give their assistance to place our affairs once more on a satisfactory footing. Several names have been whispered to us as belonging to gentlemen who will be " first favorites " in this election forthe Superintendency ; but the choice in reality, will have, for various reas ons, to be made from a very limited number. There is no lack of men who possess all the necessary qualifications — except time to devote to the public service. That must always be the ease in a young settlement where almost everyone is engaged in business, and where the revenue will not permit the payment of a high salary ; but setting aside those who might for that reason be debarred from accepting the office if elected, there yet remains one or two .who, if we mistake not, would be willing to occupy the post, and able to fulfil its duties with credit to themselves and substantial advantage to the Province. Almost all we have urged in this article we have before brought under the notice of our readers, but the repetition is excusable, nay more, it is necessary. Too much prominence cannot be given to these matters at the present moment. We have purposely abstained from mentioning any names in connection either with the elections for the Council or that for the Superintendency. It will be time enough for us to compare the relative merits of the various aspirants for seats in the Council, when they shall have openly declared their intention of becoming candidates for the honor With regard to the Superintendency, we shall shortly have something more to add. In the meantime if we have succeeded in creating a lifctle interest on the subject in the minds of the people, if we have been able to awaken them to a sense of the importance of the occasion, our object is fully accomplished. In our shipping columns we publish a list of the immigrants expected per the ship Sevilla, which sailed from the Clyde oii tho 23rd of May last, and which is consequently now fully due. They appear to be of a class well suited for the province, comprising as tliey do, ploughmen, agricultural laborers, dairymaids, gardeners, weavers, rope makers, and between twenty and thirty domestic servauts. The opening ball and supper at the Union Hotel, Tay-street, came ofl* on Thursday evening last witli great eclat. A large company was present to welcome the host and hostess (Mr. and Mrs. Murdoch) back to the Union, and the evening was most pleasantly spent by all, the greatest harmony prevailing throughout. After the usual company drill last night, Captain Harvey explained to the volunteers present the manner in which the appointment of adpitant had been filled. He stated that the request of the company tliat Mr. Rodd should fill that post had been duly forwarded to the authorities at Auckland, but that no reply had as yet been received. Prior to tlie receipt of this request on the part of the company, tho explanation of Captain Junor, the recently appointed adjutant of the Southland Militia, had boen received ; and both on account of his being a tried officer, and his holding a similar appointment in connection witli the militia for the district, his application had been favorably entertained. After this application by Captain Harvey, aboutcightecn privates of the company asembledby advertisement, in the Globe Hotel, Tay-street, to take into consideration various causes of dissatisfaction existing in tlie minds of certain members of the company. The person who advertised the meetiug was called upon to preside. On this being done, Mr. Brown confessed to having, ivith the advice and concurrence of some others, convened the meeting, and he explained the reasons why such a step had been resorted to. Several members now acquainted the meeting tliat their meeting was an illegal one, and might have been prohibited by the captain, upon which the chairman remarked that the matter had been rather hastily gone into, but that the meeting was not convened out of any want of respect to their superior officers, but simply because dissatisfaction had arisen in the company at the apparent haste wi;h wliich the election of officers had been gone through, but more particularly with the election by Government of Capt. Junor as adjutant, in opposition to the general wish of the company to secure the services of Mr. Eodd for that appointment. A long and animated discussion followed on the illegality of their proceedings, Messrs. Munro and Kingsland being the principal advocates of matters remaining as they had been already .decided by superior powers. Seeing, however, that nothing of a practical nature could result from their deliberations, if illegal, a resolution to the following effect was proposed and carried^ viz : — That we, the undersigned, beg to request that you will call a meeting of the corps at your earliest convenience, to dispel the present cause of dissatisfaction expressed by some of its members." Tins document, which was required to be signed by at least three of the company to command a meeting to be convened, was then handed round for signature, after wliich the meeeting dispersed? In reference to this meeting we regret to observe that the officers of the company did not feel it their duty to prevent any demonstration of the kind in question. It is a bad precedent to establish, to say nothing of the illegality of the proceedings, or the actual insubordination manifested by certain members of the corps. In reference to Captain Junor's appointment as adjutant of the Southland Volunteers, , it will doubtless interest our readers to learn that that officer has been appointed to fill a similar commission in j connection with the Militia for the district. The j Militia Act wo understand is about -to be puffin force, and all those (who are not Volunteers) eligible, between the ages of 18 and (we think) 45, • will be immediately enrolled. Another effort is being made, in Tasmania to discover a payable goldfield! VA petition, numerously signed;- is being - got up, praying that Government will place a -sum : on the Estimates . sufficient to engage the services of Mr Hargreavea, ?hrN«w fikrath Wales gold discover. '

have been kiiidly; furnished •fein^theSupex-. - intendent's; Qffic'e'iwith; the gaol wtuiraa|lfpr. tne - cmdivi*npf which w]e glemthesfplloy- ....... 7 ing particiil^!i-^-Tfieftbtal numbe^f pfiMner» received info gaol firor^the Ist lo thej3ist|ingiMt was 'i 2l' males. : TKeSnumber :of'^nkonsrayVdhicharged 'during s^etperiotij.was 20 in^ai^and x t*he;nuß^erfcirafihed^in "gaol '^onpl^e^lst 7^ th» month was 32;.inales. The prisoners' received during the month... are classified as .follows :— - . Native country — England, 4; Scotland, 5; Ire- ..... land, 5 ; America; ■'■■•■Vy-: New-;Sonth;^V^ee^ ;1 ; Corfu, 1; sDemerara, 1 ; France,, 1 j Poland 1. Total, /2l.Bßeligion-fProtfistantsj l4 ; JSewiah, 1% ■', Roman -Catholic, '6. "Occupation— Laborers", 8 ; cooks, 2 ; reeamen, 6 ; hotel:keepersi^2 keeper, 1 ; upholsterer, 1 ; ; forwarding? agenta, 2; ■ carpenters, ' 2 '; coach driver ,"_ij contractor^ 1. Education— Can neither read nor " writer 2T"reacf, and write imperfectly, 9 rread and-*wiite well;r9p; *" read only, 'l.y' Convictions— Debt'; 8 ; drunEeri-: ness, 4 ; assault^ , ; 6'V l^cc^y, 2. j iCfcrnini^tal for Trial — Fraudulent conspiracy,.-!. Of~tl^ prison- cers confined on 31st August, ' we gleam'the following : — Total number, 32. .... Offences— Larceny, 10; debt, 5; assault and . robbery,. 2.;. T perjury, 1; cutting and wounding,* 1 ; uttering a forged cheque, 1; forgery and uttering,'!; :iUeg^ion premise's, 1 ; assault, -3,; fraudhlent oonspira^y^p^rembezzleiheht, 1 ; lunatics copA^ed 'for _"jnaedibal treatment^ 5/ » In -19 cases ; out ■ of- -tH^ 32 the sentence ranges from 21 to 12 months' imprisonment with hard labor. „,Two of the; prisoners are under sentence of penal servitude for five years, from July last, „for„ assault and robbery ; and another for larceny T with violence, for^four years. The nativity "of the prisone»;^e!fihd;tojbe as follows — England, ,11 j Scotland^ :£j Ireland, 7 ; New South Wales, 7 1 ; Victoria ::I^jA^nca, 2; Corfu, 1; Poland, L 1 i JE^' ,^iaSirir r TEB three prisoners lo whom! thS heaviest 'sentence ia attached, are natives of Ireland. We are glad'fo observe that the Local Committee in connection with the New Zesdand Exhibition intend again turning their attention to thelsubject. A meeting is convened to: be held :*mv*HisQHonor the Superintendent's office, on Tuesday first, at four o'clock in the afternoon. We trasfcit will- bewell attended, and that something of a practical nature will result from it. The Otago correspondent ofthe ACfeelong Advertiser is well known to be an incorrigible croaker. He : writeß generally in a strain 'so exultant -with triumph on the downfall of -his adopted:Piovince; that one is almost tempted to believe there is something good and desirable in such a state qf matters. The black-balling he gives Otago, -however, is of little concern. to ns ; but he does not seem satisfied with one Province as a target, he must have the whole Middle Island. Regarding Marlborough, he eagerly seizes a statement in the y Press, -which points to something like starvation -amongst laboring and mining population, should; nothing better befall them than four _or five shillings per day on the Government roads* Then comparing the state of Otago (which, according to him; is bad enough !) he draws a picture of our own Province of Southland, which, for their gratification and amusement, we lay before our readers in it« / entirety. It is very concise, ; the language is of the choicest ! and the imagination displayed — well, we leave onr readers to judge of it ! — " If) however, we are in such bad case, and all of us more or less suffering from that kind of disease to which Panurge was subject, and which it is said in Rabelais "at that time they called lack of money," it must be admitted that our difficulties are light as gossamer compared with the crushing: weight of those afflicting our 6ister Province, Southland. At Invercargill the state of things ia described as awful. All tho largest firms are giving up business, and a regular stampede from there of all that can get away is taking place." We, Otago Daily Times, yesterday, had sent to us for inspection a fine ripe strawberry, taken from the garden of Dr. Hulme. The plant ha* been without protection of any kind, and the fruit is well grown and of large size. The production of a ripe strawberry in mid-winter is a pretty conclusive proof that the climate of Otago is not so bad after all. Mr. E. H. Carew, officer in charge at Nokoinai, under date 20th August, writes as follows:--— " The newly occupied tunnelling claims mentioned in my last report are proving payable, oii an average from fifteen shillings to a pound per day per man, and the holders expect the yield to improve as they penetrate further into the hill. At the Surface Hill extended claims (old worked ground) are eagerly sought after. This ground was originally very rich, and it is expected to pay handsome wages for re -working. No river claims have been taken up for some time past, as the surface earth on the banks, generally used hero for filling in head and wing dams, has been so much frozen as. to be unprocurable." We, New Zealander, have been informed, on good authority, that the hon. John Hall, during his recent visit to Auckland, was charged by the Ministry with a request to the Provincial Government of Canterbury, that immediate preparations be made for the meeting of the General Assembly at Christchurch. From the issuing of such instructions at this time, it is obvious that ministers contemplate the contingency of their finding it desirable to advise an early convocation of the legislature at that city — unless, indeed, as has before now happened, some interesting casualty may cause the Assembly to be convoked in Auckland itself. An heir to property is wanted in Canterbury. The. following is from the Lyttelton Times .- — " In the month of November, 1862, there died, at Kaiapoi, from the effects of an accident, , an aged man named James Murray, who had, previous to his decease, become possessed of some little property. As he died intestate, a couple of cottagea and other property, which were mortgaged to the Kaiapoi Building Society, fell under the management of the Registrar of the Supreme Court, who gave notice in the various newspapers of taking possession, and took out letters of administration. Up to the present time, we are informed that no application whatever has been made to claim the property, which, including what was mortgaged, was then valued at about £300 ; but as he left no personal estate, that would be subject to his debts. About thirty years ago, deceased is supposed to have served in the 61st Regiment, in India ; that lie left that country in 1855, and proceeded to the Victorian goldfields, where he remained eight years, and then , left for New Zealand. He is supposed to have been born in Connaught, Ireland. The London Review of the 25th June says : — "One of the most interesting discoveries, that hasbeen made in natural history for many years was recorded at the meeting of the Linnsean Society, on Thursday week last. A perfect skeleton- of the Dinomis, or Moa, has been found by a party of miners in New Zealand.- This huge bird, ofwhich no living specimen has yet been seen by Europeans, has hitherto been regarded as extinct, its former existence having been demonstrated by the presence of gigantic bones, met with in various parts ofthe islands. Up to the present no complete skeleton was seen, but now we have been supphed with the entire series of bones of one individual. Some of the bones were exhibited .to the fellow* ofthe Linmean Society* and were most interesting. The femur is of enormous size, and, strange to say, the ligaments connected with its head are in such perfect preservation that the specimen-appears to be quite recent. From, this circumstance, it is evident that the bird to which it belonged" cannot be long dead ; for had the bone been exposed to such a climate as that of New Zealand for even fifty years; the i easily-decomposed" tissiae T of ithe ligaments must inevitably have undergone destruc- - tion. Professor Huxley, who examined 7 the femur, declared that, from the appearance ofthe ligamentous structures and his own experience of the; New '-■ Zealand atmosphere, he felt inchned ; to : think j thau bird itself liaa. been in existence .ten jeMtrago. The moa ia a! bird cf the bstrict br^. 6 a^ have reached a height of from ten to fourteen feet. The Maories insist that the oreatnre is still living, and-the-bushmenassert that- they have seen it pasa-^-* thefr;.. camp, fijes,, ---We: ; haye, ; every r reason to hope that a living specimen ia&y yet I be observed and, captured, rand that tbfis^elic of an almost bygone race may hot be classed in the same category as the;d<&6,-~wluchls only known . „ to m by; two aolitair remnantßrHu heiiriuidL M « -■• i-' -• --yv^VAYyyyWAA^Yy

A gTeat deal is beihg,-and-ha9 been, said on the; manner *in which the attempts mado to raise the -«teatMhip""Sootia"was "conducted, and' "the "company ' ore- :odnsidered; .-as >haym^ to : avail tliemlelvea' of the fine weather which was enjoyed, and which wasjleemed bo favorable fori the successful carrying out of the operations.: These parties who talk and- think Ihus labor under" a" "very" great 'misapprehension,! for a moment's consideration would show them that nothing could have been more adverse for the enterprise than the "fineness of the weather. As usual, the fine weather was accompanied by easterly winds ; but as is 'well known by residents at the Bluff,, these easterly winds do not produce the same effect on, the waters of Bluff.Farbor as they do on shore, and the reason is obvious — with the'wind in^the east, the sea is always heavy, with a swell on which; is. produced. and impelled by the. force of the wliole Pacific. This kind of swell and heavy sea was experienced by the Scotia, whereas had there been what is very commonly the case, westerly winds, or even gales blowing, the water where the Scotia lies woidd have been little disturbed. ,In fact, the harbor would have appeared as smooth as a mill-pond. :,. It is a mistake, then, to say the company erred in not seizing the proper opportunity. It would be correct to say that . they were unfortunate in the weather being too fine. We earnestly hope that out of the wreck will be saved sufficient to reimburse the enterprising company in the outlays they have incurred. " The Maryborough and Dunolly Advertiser, of August 19, thus refers to the discovery of anew Goldfield in the Wimmera district. A gentleman, on the reliability of whose statement we place implicit confidence, has furnished us with the j following particulars Telative to the discovery of •a new goldfield in the Wimmera district. It appears that a prospecting claim was registered at j Landsborough on Tuesday, by five miners, named Alexander Mather, Robert Mather, Tom Cole, Carl Brown, and Cross. The prospectors obtained 22 dwts. from two loads of washdirt, in twenty feet sinking. The locality of this new discovery is on a fine- likely looking flat, four miles long by about half a mile wide, about three miles from the Navarre pound, five miles f'om Barkly and ten from Landsborough. A considerable number of miners from Malakoff and Landsborough are on the ground." The Otago Mail of 25th uit.. contains a long communication from "Locomotive," advocating in opposition to "Water Carriage" the construction of a Railway to Port Chalmers from the capital, Dunedi j. The following is one of the paragraphs in the said communication, which may be of interest to our readers, referring as it does to our own Railway system. " I have not mentioned in my notice of railways- projected, or now being carried out in this colony, those of the neighbouring province of Southland,' a portion of which (the line to the interior) is so near completion j that it will shortly be opened for traffic. It has been so much the fashion of late to allude to the action of the Southland Government in prosecuting those works to a successful issue, during a period of temporary commercial depression, and by means of loans' advanced against debentures for the moment unnegotiable, as reckless tampering with the public interests, or worse, kc, kc" •" Nevertheless, many persons well qualified to judge, are under the impression that we shall be taught by after experience, that the G-overnment of Southland, with all its faults, in pushing forward such works has taken a great step towards relieving the depression so severely felt, and and restoring that Province to its former healthful state. And in proportion as Southland is benefitted by those works, so surely must Otago suffer ; since it will be mainly by absorbing our Lake trade, for with such facilities and economy in travelling to and fro from that district, and in the transit of goods, Invercargill must have the preference over Dunedin." The Argus of the 23rd August contains a very interesting article on the statistics of Queensland. The revenue has increased from £175,500, in 1860, to £390,800, in 1863, or 118 per cent. The expenditure, exclusive of certain special items, carried to separate accounts, was £161,500 in the former year, and £355,700 in the latter. Tlie value of land sold in 1863 was £223,436 against £192,582 in the previous year, or an increase of 16 per cent. The Customs' duties amounted to £96,107 in 1862, and £125,199 in 1863, or an advance of 30 per cent. The postal revenue of 1863 was £11,481, against £8,878 in 1862. Licenses yielded in the latter year £9,042, and £12,341 in the former. The major portion of the funds available, either as revenue or by loan, ap-t-ears to be devoted to public works and the promotion of immigration. The Legislature of Queensland have authorised loans to the extent of £831,000, and of the unexpended portion of this sum £564,000 is still available for the former, and £89,700 for the latter purpose. The New Zealand Herald gives the following anecdote of the battle of Rangariri -.— •' Amongst the many stories that go the round of the soldier's tent when the inmates are enjoying a smoke and a gossip, is one of a circumstance which occurred at the attack upon Rangiriri. The General, with his usual indifference to danger, was standing at a short distance from the pa, while the attack was going on, with the bullets whistling round him as thick as hail. One native in particular had been seen to take several deliberate shots at the General, and as soon as the shot was delivered to drop behind the parapet. Seeing this a soldier of the 65th crept up close under the parapet, and as soon as the Maori showed himself he jumped up. snd bayoneting him, shot his companion with his rifle, and then rushed back with a cheer and an Irish yell. The General, it is said, praised the man, and said a few of those words wliich are dearer to a brave soldier than gold. These little stories will form instances of British valor as long as New Zealand is a country inhabited by Britons." The following reference to the Benevolent Asylum at Ballarat is made in the Argus, of 24th ultimo, in an article on Ballarat— its Institutions. It may, perhaps, catch the eye of some of whom it may concern. Speaking of the inmates, the article says : — " The women and children are lodged in the southern -wing. Ofthe former, there are but few. Though the days when the paucity of women led to their being " cooeyed " in the streets are over, Ballarat has yet, it. seems, no surplus of the softer sex. There are seldom more than a dozen female adults in the place, and these are either old women, or sick and helpless wives, whose husbands are playing the truant on New Zealand E! Dorados. The women have plenty of sewing found them, for all the inmates are attired in raiment made on the spot, or altered from the clothes charitable people supply the institution with. The children are educated and taught how to do domestic work." The following letter to the Superintendent from Colonel Warre, in command of H. M. troops at Taranaki, is published in a Provincial gazette, as a warning to settlers of the gathering of the natives in that district, and the probability of hostilities :— " Garrison Office, New Plymouth, August 8, 1864. Sir,— l have the honor to request you will take some steps to caution the inhabitants that large bodies of rebel natives are now assembling at Mataitawa and Te Arei. As it is extremely probable that these natives will scatter in small parties through the bush, the utmost vigilance and caution is enjoined to prevent & needless sacrifice of life. The usual alarm signal " (3 guns) will be fired in the event of actual or known dinger; on hearing which all persons working beyond the limits of the Block houses should come into town, or seek the protection of the several outposts. Civilians going to Bell Block are recommended to avail themselves pf the convoys, which will leave town every Tuesday and -' Saturday, at 9 o'clock: a.m., : returning the same afternoon. No person should proceed on foot beyond Bell Blockhouse," unless with an armed escort; and should any; women and children be living at Bell ' Block, they are recommended to come into town; as protection cannot be afforded them atthe -blockhouse. All- the picquets on the south road beyond Omata are withdrawn at* siuiset^between wMcttKoiar and" r *afn*nnfle fione of-th«'roadfl icaobe &psi&&&& ?&te.

iVhjiugmgß.umm^tmfm-" .. > I ii.|'JU.'-UJ-J."-.[-^J.I-J.. ..*-■ J. ' Despite of all that has been said.of. the poverty stricken condition of those persons who.. leave "Invercargill for other places, it sometimes ekes out that all are not in the sad state pf impecuhiosity as they are generally supposed to . be. A case in point is reported in tho Police Court proceeding-) of a Dunedin Journal, from which it will be seen -that' the drunken fool rdfered to was possessed of more money than he could take proper care of. " Bridget Anderson, the woman remanded yesterday on a charge of stealing £76 from a drunken fool was unable to give evidence. Mr. Weale said he was unable to make out a case, and that tho complainaint no sooner left the Court than he returned to the place, and the people of which he complained. Tho Magistrate wished the complainant to make his statements. Peter Gibson said he was a resident of Inyercargill. On Tuesday he made the acquaintance of the prisoner, and staid in her company the whole of the day. His purse contained £76 when he went to Wdke's. On going to bed he saw the money safe in his trowser's pocket and counted it. Seven £10_notes, six single notes, and some silver — amounting to £76 6s, He changed his mind as to stopping there, and on leaving, prisoner asked him to stand a drink. On going to pay for it, he found his purse gone, and prisoner admitted having taken it. She then returned him a portion of the money. He was in about the same state as he was in Court yesterday morning. The Magistrate said complainant was not in a fit state to know whether he had £40 or £76 in his purse. The Magistrate said he could make nothing of the case, and dismissed the woman with a caution." The inhabitants of Dunedin have for a long period been given to excessive murmuringa and lamentations on the large death rate which exists in their midst. Notwithstanding this outcry, and their allusions to defective drainage, impure water, kc, we are inclined to think that if they would but practise cleanliness as much as they preach it, no inconsiderable portion of the cause for complaint might soon vanish. The Daily Times of 31st August has the following paragraph, which will fully explain our meaning : — " Many of those nuisances with which our town abounds are daily dragged to light by the researches of our indefatigable Inspector. Yesterday morning a number of individuals were charged with neglecting to keep clean their premises in various parts of the city, but as the majority of these persons were in poor circumstances they were not fined in heavy amounts. But in one of these cases this was not so. Two respectable and well-to-do citizens had permitted a right-of-way on their property in George-street to get into such a disgraceful s^ate, that it was actually covered throughout with a foot-and-a-half of night-soil. The Magistrate stated that he had visited this place, in company with the Inspector, and said that he considered it to be the most disgraceful and abominable nuisance that was ever permitted to exist in the city. Tlie parties concerned promised to remove tho nuisance immediately, and were each fined 30s. and costs. During the hearing of these cases the Magistrate took occasion to pay a very neat compliment to the Inspector of Nuisances upon the manner in which he discharged his very disagreeable public duties." A special meeting of the Town Board took place last evening in the Board Room, Tay-street. The following members were present, viz. -. — Messrs. Moffat, Broad, Hay, Webster, Reynolds, Livesey, Jaggers, Lumsden, and Smith. Mr. Jaggers was elected chairman pro tern. The application made by Messrs. Learmont, Gibson and Co. to form a right of way entrance across the grating in Dee-street to their premises was taken into consideration. A discussion ensued, after which it was moved by Mr. Smith, and seconded by Mr. Moffat, that 'the application bo granted, whereupon Mr. Lumsden moved, and Mr. Livesey seconded, that permission be withheld for the present. The opinion of the meeting was equally divided on the question, and the original motion was only carried by the casting vote of the chairman. The meeting then proceeded to the election ofa chairman (in room of Mr. G*. M. K. Clarke, resigned) up till lst January next. Mr. Jabez Hay was proposed by Mr. Lumsden, and his nomination Was seconded by Mr. Jaggers. Mr. Hay stated to the meeting that his business requirements for the next few months woulcl not permit of him devoting that amount of attention to the office that was required, and begged to decline the honor. It was next moved by Mr. Broad, and seconded by Mr. Moll'at, that Mr. Livesey be elected chairman. The motion was carried" unanimously. Mr. Jaggers then vacated the chair, ancl Mr. Livesey was installed into office, on doing which he returned thanks for the honor conferred on him. There being no otiier business before the meeting, it was thereafter adjourned.