The Southland Times. TUESDAY, DEC. 6, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 80, 6 December 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY, DEC. 6, 1864.

In commenting on the proceedings of the meeting held in the Theatre List night, we have no intention of following the. principal, we may^ay the only, speaker, Mr. TaeltoiN-, thVqirgli the whole of the arguments and {statements set forth in his address. Whilst the action of the Council, us. far as made public up to the present time, is by no means satisfactory, we are' unable fo' condemn it in ; tlie : swee|)ing manner adoptedJ^by ;; Mr '.T Taeltqn, nor do we conscientiously agree with the major part of his reasoning. Were we

disposed to closely criticise his remarks, it would not "be difficult to show that on, some- points ;lie contradicted himself— that he used arguments at one' moment for one purpose which, shortly after, he advanced in defence of an altogether adverse proposition. But we are willing to believe that Mr. Taelton and the other gentle--men who : exerted; themselves in getting, up the meeting were,, actuated by; the purest motives. We are hound to suppose that what they ; did was, in their opinion, for the good' of the Province, but :it may reasonably "be ! : questioned whether Southland will benefit • in -, any degree' by last night's pro-: ceeding3. "We have in,a ; previous article expressed an opinion that it is probable Mr. Heale, on receiving the information .of the circumstances attending^ what' we believe wasjins election, will refuse to become the Superiiitendent of Southland;' and that consequently the Council will be called on again to make choice of a ruler.. It may be taken ibr granted that Dr., Menzies • will not. be . again nominated, 'and even supposing he were, there _ is nothing- which would lead us to thinkthat the Council would stultify their former proceedings by recording an absolute majority in bis favor. The Council must be prepared for one of two things, j that is to say if they want to appear before the Colony as reasonable beings, really intent on carrying on the busiuess of the country to the best advantage. In the event of Mr. He ale's election beingdeclared legal, and of that gentleman -declining to act, they must without hesitation either elect a third man, or they must decline to take action at all in the matter, leaving the future of the Province, in a great measure in the hands of the G-eneral Government. It would be folly, of the worst description, to surrender our privileges by choosing the latter alternative, and we take it most men in the Province are of our way of thinking in that respect. The Council have no right thus to treat the community. Each member was elected by his constituency to take his share in legislating for the Province under existing institutions, and one of the first duties he has to perform is to vote in the election of a Superintendent. It will be altogether a great blunder to allow this question to be made a stumbling-block in the way of proceeding to the important business which the Council have to despatch. It must not, or it should not, be made a question between Dr. Menzies and Mr. Heale, or between Dr. Menzies and any one else who may be proposed. And here we come to the real hitch. There is a very general opinion abroad that .the gentlemen who the other day supported Dr. Menzies, are prepared to vote against anyone, and; everyone who may be nominated by their opponents. We do not say that such is the case, but the idea has certainly gone abroad, and it may account for the strenuous exertions made to secure the return of Mr. Heale. If the supporters of Dr. Menkes are re-' solved to say — You shall have Dr. Menztes, and no one but Dr. Menzies, we can assure them the country will not go with them. Now what the other side of the House says is this, (and it must be remembered that three members out of four returned by the largest constituency in the Province are on that side), — We desire a change and will give our support to any eligible gentleman of fair ■ ability who may be willing to undertake the responsibility. It is more reasonable and just that Dr. Menzihs' name should be left out of the question altogether, and that the Council — the late Superintendent included — should unite in electing his successor from the whole mass of electors, than that half at least of the Council should have Dr. Menzies— to use a somewhat vulgar expression — crammed down their throat. If it is desirable that the Superintendent should be elected by an absolute majority of the twenty members composing the Council, and such is the opinions of Dr. Menzies' supporters, it is certain that neither lie nor Mr. Heale is ill such a position ; and should that reading prove correct, it will be the obvious duty of the Council to bring forward some one else. There is no time for petty squabbles about whether Dr. Menzies or Mr. Heale shall be Superintendent. They j are not the oiily men fitted for the office, and therefore the best interests of the Province should not be j neglected for either of them. There is one other way out of this difficulty, which may possibly be worth noticing. It may be true that at present half the whole Council is in opposition to Mr. Heale ; but it has been said that j some members were only deterred from voting in his favor because it could rot be shown that if elected he would be be willing to act. Should it then appear that he is prepared to act, there can be no reason why those members should not at once give him their support. Whatever the issue may be, we are sure that the majority of sensible men in Southland will be inclined to regard as obstructed those who will accept of none but Dr. Menzies, and will sympathise with those who, whilst preferring Mr. Heale, are not pledged to vote for him and no other.

At the meeting held yesterday evening at the Theatro Royal, a great many of those present, our own report or amongst the number, did not hear iho Chairman put the question, whether, there* were any against the resolution ? The Chairman, however, assured us that he did put the question'; but the general hhpro ssion is, that, had ; it. been ; known to the meeting, a largo : number, if ! not a majority, would havo negatived the resoI lution. We are very far from attributing any I favoritism to the Chairman. but_ the confusion at tho time rendered it difficult to hear what he said, even when close t o hmi. ; ' .- "f! It has been notified by circular that the first general meeting of the members 'of the Southland Cavalry Corpawill be held on Saturday, 10th inst., at 3 p":ra., at the Southland Club Hotel. ! The busi-; ness to 'be.t ransacted? consists: of the election of officers, oloctiou of council, conlirmation of rules, appomtmSnt of drill instructor, deciding upon

' a. uniform, and other.', matters-' of importance/! 1 It .is 'tol.be hopetl .there will . b&- ".a^large attendance;. botlV'of > town- and country m§mbers. No answer has as yet been received from the" , General Q-ovcrnment as to its willingness to re- ! cognise the corps,, but . from its . action with rela-. tion t to the, Canterbury and Otago corps, wo have treason td hope that consent will be given without; ; delay, and that a good supply of arms will be sent dowm for the use of the members. . . . . A meeting of the Chamber of ' Commerce^ took place in the- office, of; the secretary, on . Friday afternoon. The following members of c Dmmittee " wer^ present i— itfessrsV W. BL' Oalder, Jabez Hay, A. W. Grilles," Okas. Rout, C._S:_ and F. Gutter, the Secretary. The following new members were' admitted -.—Messrs. G-. Mueller, A. T. Adamson^Gr. W > ißinney,";H.:B. Monkman, and Thomas Brodrick.' -The ■ secretary .read ii to the meeting a • communic'a'tibh he- liad-receiyed; from! th^secretary of the"' Ciiambei- of " ; "Commerce ; at , .3D unedin; enclosing copy : of a memorial 'which had been' sent by that body tb^the Superintendent of , Otago, with reference to the continuance oft the" subsidy for the steam; mail 'service between Melbourne and the Southern ports. The .secretary was requested to obtain particidars_relative to this mail service, and to draft a memoriar:to;|the ( Colonial Secretary, copies whereof would also, be .forwarded, to the two members for the County of Wallace in' the House of Representatives. . ... ,., ,' A meeting of the trustees of the Invercargill Savings' Bank took place in the banks' "premises,: Tay-street, on Friday afternoon. There were present — Messrs. C; Rout, Squires, Harnett, Sender-' son, Hay, and the manager; -., Mr. Rout occupied tlie chair. • The assent of bis Excellency ..Sir G-eorge Q-rey, to- the Rules - and Regulations was read to the meeting, and the- manager was instructed to - procure- the necessary -pass books, forms, &c, for the conductihglthe, business of the Bank, which is to : be opened on Saturday first, the 10th instant, due notice of :such y; . opening. _being given. Messrs. Henderson and. Squires .were^ appointed a sub-committee to arrange with some one of the banks, in town as to the terms oh which' the account of tho Savings' Bank would be taken, and to report to a meeting-to.be held to-morrow afternoon, at the Bank.^-: ,1 ■■>■-. In the case of' Molesworth v. ■ Mplesworth recently tried in Melbourne, the following are the issues submitted to the jury, with their finding. They are equivalent to a verdict for respondent :— (Ist.) That for a period of nine months prior to the month of September, 1855, the respondent by a course of unkind conduct to the petitioner rendered her life miserable. " No." (2nd.) • That the conduct of the petitioner with R: D: Ireland in the middle of April, .1855, was unduly; familiar for a married woman. "Yes." .... (3rd.) That on or about the 6th July, 1855 the petitioner committed adultery with R. D. Ireland. , ■ . " No/! ' (4th. j That the respondent, on or about the 28th : day of August, 1855, required the petitioner to leave his house as having committed adultery with It. D. Ireland.. "Yes." ,(sth.) That on or about the 29th September, 1855, the respondent stated to the petitioner that he did not believe she had been guilty of any impropriety of conduct with the said R. D. Ireland. '-No." (6th.) That the petitioner and respondent cohabited until the 29th day of September, 1855, and that on two occasions between the 28th of August and the 29th day of September, 1855, the respondent had connubial intercourse with the petitioner. "Yes," (7th.) That on or about the 29th September, 1855, the respondent promised to provide suitably for the maintenance of the petitioner during her absence from the colony. . "Yes." (Bth.) That on or about the 29th September aforesaid, the'respondcnb promised to send for the petitioner to return to cohabitation at the expiration" of twelve months next therefrom. " No." (9th.) That, relying on such promise she did accordingly sail for England in the month of September, 1855. " No." (10th.) That between December, 1855, aud the petitioner's return from England to Victoria in the year 1556, the sum of £20 quarterly only was supplied to the petitioner by the respondent. "No." (11th.) Tint respondent in tha year 1856 promised the petitioner, in writing, to remit her to England £300 annually to maintain her* "No." (12th .) That, relying upon such promise, : she did accordingly sail for -England in the month of November, 1856. "No." (13th.) That the . respondent on the 26th June, 1856, beat the] petitioner violently, blackened her eyes,, and cut her lip. "Yes." (14th.) That the petitioner did not give to the respondent any provocation for the matter in the last issue, further than by going to his residence to demand that provision should be . made to her, and that she did not use any irrir fating language to the respondent. " Yes." (15th.) That in consequence of the respondent not remitting to tho petitioner the annuajUunu aforesaid, she returned to this" colony. "No." (10th.) That the petitioner, between March and May, 1861, committed adultery with a certain person inferred to in a letter, a copy of which is exhibited as No. 1 (commencing " My darling," and signed "Love") and is attached to the depos itions taken under the commission issued herefrom. "Yes." (17th.) That when living at 6r' near Melbourne, before the month of June, in the year 1862, ; the petitioner committed adultery. ' "Yes." (18th.) That the.petitioherj.mtthe.latter; end of the year 18S2, at or neaivßichm'»nd,vin England, was delivered of- a male bastard child. ",Yes." . ■ ' - : ■ ■:■•'; --■_ .;::-. -^.v, .-^^A- .•-.■:■:«: .7, Tho want of a market- for colonial produCO httS been very severely felt for some time past in Dunedin. Recently an application was made to the Government for the use of the piece of ground lying between tho Bank of New Zealand and the Custom-House, and permission has been granted to hold a market there twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. From private sources we learn that Roberts, the champion billiard player, may be expected in New Zealand by the first steamer from Melbourne. We arc not without hopes that before his departure from this Colony he may be induced to display his skill in -Invercargill. . It i 3 true wo have no billiard room large enough to accommodate any great number of people, but there would bo no dilnculty in obtaining tho uso' o£ suitable premises for a few nights, and a good table might also bo found. In spite of the dullness of tho times, we believe a largo number would patronise such an entertainment j and the opportunity is not likely to occur again. The Otago Daily Times of the Ist inst. says : — : " Yesterday being St Andrew's Day, a variety of sports were announced to take plaoe at Vauxhall G-ardens, in the , afternoon, in celebration of the occasion: . Tho former part of tho .day was dark and threatening, but iv the afternoon the 1 weather cleaved^ and was very favorable for. out«

''door amusement v ' Notwithstanding the induce- j ment that on this occasion aumission to the gardens -x^ vvras free, the attendance^ of ttfe s public Iwaef -very flhnitcd Those who did 1 go" enjoyed themserrei— '- by rambling about the beautiful walks of the gardens, and by engaging m various games. The principal event of the day was the continuation Tournament, was commenced on the occasion Of the celebration of the Prince of Wales' Birthday. The tdting was for a silver tiophy (cross spears), presented by the proprietor of the gardens, and a sweepstakes. Originally there were nine 'entries, and on the first day of the tournament, six rounds were taken, thei result of which, we hove already -published. Yesterday, only four of the competitors came forward v to continue the tournament, the others hav in „ _ withdrawn m consequence of the smallnes of their scores. The following is the entire score of the four competitors, showing the re - suit of each of the fifteen rounds : — B Morton 2210 40 1 O 12 12 2 3 2^r23: M. J0ne5........ 20 02 2 20 111 1 2 2 2 2— 20 E. Perrit 110 12 1 l r l 212 12 1 o— l7 T. Bailey . 01011010210100 I—9 At the conclusion of the tourney Mr. Hamilton presented the w mner with the trophy, which was a very neat design of cioss spears, with a sdver clasp and ribbon, for wearing on the breast In the evening, an alfresco ball was given, when dancing in tho rotunda was kept up till a late hour. Wo noticed, in walkmg round the grounds, -that a spacious scenic erection is being rapidly finished, and learned, on inquiry, that the object is for a night display of pyrotechmcal effects. — The present pictoral tableau represents the town and foi tress of Duppel, being a faithful copy of a .sketch taken by tho special artist of the Illustrated London News, and it is intended to represent (by means of fireworks and machinery) the exciting bombardment of this important Danish fortress. A private tual of the canonade, explosions, and ' conflagration is likely to take place on Saturday ; j and, if the result be as successful as anticipated by the proprietary o£ Vauxlnll Garden*, the first ! public exhibition of the sort m iSew Zealand, wdl take place early next week Our attention has been directed to the great .waste of excellent timber at present permitted on the Crown Lauds of the Province, and our own observation would lead us to suppose that a change foi the better might be made in this respeet./'The tune will come, before long, when this extravagance must bring its own punishment, in the greatly increased price of sawn timber. The escort which arrived in Dunedin on the 29th ult brought down the following quantities of gold -« oz.-dwt. | Queenstown . ... 1932 0 Arrow River.... 598 0 Dunstan . 2057 0 jHamdton's .. 904 0 Tuapeka . 2554 19 ' -Hyde . 998 0 ■Waitahuna 539 O . Dunstan Creek 1061 10 Woolshed . 213 15 Total 10,858 "4 . There were no returns from Manuherikift, Mount Benger, or Tpkomairiro, and the escort is s therefore a small one