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Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 84, 20 December 1864, Page 2

! The sura of £161 was deposited in the Invercargill Savings' Bank on Saturday. Altogether there have been upwards of £210 received in the eight days which have elapsed since the opening of tho establishment. It seems probable, therefore, that ere long the bank will be largely patronised. , The usual annual examination of the pupils of the Invercargill Grammar - School will take place to-morrow, at half-past seven i o'clock in the evening. We are requested to men--1 tion that the presence of those interested in education is invited." An accident occurred on Saturday, at Uivorton, by .which -a man named William Dallas narrowly escaped drowning. Ho had gone on board the schooner Kafe to transact some business, and, as he ' stepped into the boat on leaving, it capsized, and he was precipitated into the -n-afcer, and immediately sank. The Aparima ferry man, John i Campboll, -who witnessed the accident, rowed without delay to tho spot, and succeeded in rescuing him before life was extinct. . Had it not been for the activity of Mr. Campbell, Dallas must inevitably have been drowned, as when rescued he was quite insensible, and as it was ebb- [ tide »6 fclio time, would have been swept out to I sea. It will be observed by our advertising columns that an amateur concert will be given on Friday, 23rd inst;, at the Theatre Eoyal, in aid -of the funds of the Invercargill' Ladies' Benevolent Society. We have been informed that the programme will embrace some capital selections from celebrated masters. It is rumored ( that the. General Government' has appointed an experienced gentleman to thoroughly " overhaul " the financial condition, of Southland, with a yiew to future assistance. Should this be tho ease, Mi«. Pearson's visit to the North will prove of small utility. Mr. Pearson, owing to the delay of the Titania through bad weather, did not reach Dunedin in time to proceed to Auckland by the Rangitira. . We believe he went by the Phoobe. r We perceive that in the various Provinces arrangomenta are being made for the .usual Caledonian Gatherings on the first of the new year. What has happened to those in Southland who are interested in such matters that they have as yet giv.en; no sign?.- If ' thoy purpose having a gathering thoy should lose.no time in making the necessary preparations. L <. , As will be seen fronr our commercial column a -handsome day's work was done at the . Custom House yesterday, the tidy- sum. of £3,699 Os. Id. having been taken on homo consumption goods. This arose from some merchants in * town having recoivod early intelligence of a rise in the rate of duty payable, and boforo it could bo enforced, they hastened to take large quantities out of bond. From tho usual analysis we give, it will be observed that brandy figures highest, whiskey next, thon gonova, rum, and wine. In-these times it is something to find that traders can pay for duty alone, on tho four first named articles no less a sum than £3,244. 10s. Od., and throw into tho mai'kot above 7,700 gals, of ardont spirits. •

We beg to call the attention of our readers' to an advertisement relating to the Mechanics' Institute. Mr. T. L. Bright will deliver^ lecture at the above place on Tuesday, 30th Dec, at halfpast seven in the evening.' The subject selected - is "Servants and Symbols of Thought," and from the lecturer's previous efforts, and his well-known ability, -we are sure these who attend will be amply rewarded for their trouble. Private advices from the Nokomai speak very favorably of the diggings id that locality^ and the _ trade with Invercargill ia beginning sensibly to increase. The number of drays leaving town' for the new w.orkinga is considerable, and is growing larger every week. We have heard that a party of miners have recently bottomed a paddock in which there is six feet of wash-dirt, and . from it as much as 2 dwts. to the tin dish have m been obtained. A few of our enterprising townsmen are so satisfied that the CTokbmai will be a large and permanent field, -that they have determined on erecting a large hotel; -to be called the United States Hotel. The building is being proceeded with. We also hear of several large stores about to be opened. Our merchants should certainly use every exertion to secure the advantages which this opening seems destined to' place within their reach. The news from' the Lake district ie not of a very exciting character. The Shotover correspondent of the WaJcatip Mail, referring to an accident which occurred on that river during the month of October, says': — " The body of poor Hutton, who was drowned by the upsetting of a boat at Maori Point, on the 4th October has been, found afc old~ Butcher's Pointy about eight miles below the place of the accident. The intelligence reached •the Police here by a messenger on Friday afternoon.. The Coroner of the district, Justin Aylnier, Esq., rode off and held an inquest, on Saturday morning, when a verdict of ' accidentally drowned was found. The face presented a most' fearful appearance, being squeezed up into all sorts of contorted shapes. Sergeant Heal, however, was able to recognise him, he being personally known lo that officer, so that .there is jio doubt about his identity. The body was found through, the removal of an bid head dam." On the timbers being loosened, by- the owners and allowed to. float down stream, the body rose with' them, 'and was almost immediately pulled ashore. I This is how I anticipated the body would-have been found, and went down day after day,- to examine the old' Maori * Point cracing, where the deceased was last seen, expecting that as the water lowered at the new head dram there, that he wouid be found caught; among the old timbers. There was a silver watch- : on the person of the deceased at the tune of the accident, but it was not found at' the time the body was recovered. Several of those who knew him left here to attend his funeral at Queenstown, on Friday: We are compelled, by pressure on our space to hold over our usual summary of the news from • the various provinces. , The Wanganui Chronicle says : — " A crisis ia native matters seems rapidly approaching. 'A great meeting ©f the Jlingite leaders is -being held somewhere in the Taupo country to make final arrangements, it is said, for a general and decisive rising about the middle of this month. Natives who have lately taken the oath of allegiance, state tliat such a rising at.this particular time has been in contemplation for more than a year past, and, so firmly are our friendly natives convinced of tho truth of this statement, that when Col. Logan sent up the river to invite the chiefs to come and receive the colors worked for them by the Wanganui ladies/ they replied they dare not at present leave their posts." State of Her Majesty's G-aol at Invercargill for " "week ending Monday the 19th inst. : — Sentenced to penal servitude,- males, 5; sentenced to hard labor, males, 11, females 3 ; sentenced to imprisonment only, males, 1 ; lunatics, males, 8 ; on remand Eesident Magistrate's Court,.males, 1 j committed for trial before Supreme Court, males, 1. Total — Males, 29, females, 3. Received during the week, males, 2, females, 1 j "discharged during the week, males, 3. - ' , The following comparative statement* relating ' to the new tariff is from the Southern Cross : — "The dutyon spirits will be ,the ..same as in Tasmania, and 2s. per gallon more than in Victoria, New South Wales, and South-Australia ; on cigars and snuff it will be eighteenpence more than it is in Victoria, sixpence less than it is- in "New South Wales, and sixpence more than it is South Australia and Victoria ; on tobacco it will be sixpence more than in 'Victoria, a shilling more than in South Australia, and the same as in New South Wales and Tasmania ; on ale it will be fifty per cent, more than it is in any of the other colonies. On tea it will be. the. same as in Victoria and Tasmania, and double what it is in New South Wales and South Australia; on sugar, as we liavo said before c there will be no increase, but it ia already fifty per cent, more than ,in the other colonies. The revenue^ which it is estimated will be;obfcaincd from these increased, duties is as follows : — Spirits, £55,740 j cigars and snuff, £5000 ; ■ tobacco, £31,964 j wines, £10,6-48 ; ale, £20,778 j I tea, £13,561 : goods by measurement, £27,585 ; ' goods by weight, £2910 j making a total of j £198,216. Of this amount the Treasurer-states * I £151,000 is raised on articles of luxury, viz: ' spirits, cigars, snuff and tobacco, wines and beer ; the measurement duties being levied indiserimiI nately on articles of necessity and luxury. His calculations, he informs the House, are based on the assumption that the increased duties will neither diminish consumption- nor increase smuggling ; and he expects a considerable increase of revenue; even from existing duties, by. the apl pointmont of a competent Inspector of Customs. ! If the £198,216 is realised, the Provinces' three- ' fourths^ says the Treasurer, will be increased by j £74,331. " % ,