Untitled

Southland Times, Volume VII, Issue 541, 15 August 1866, Page 2

We perceive that a cargo of Peruvian Gf-usno lias arrived, consigned to Messrs Morison, Lu,.v and Co. As spring is setting in our farmers will have the opportunity to supply themselves at a very appropriate time with this valuable artiole for farming purposes.

The news by the Northern mail is most unimportant, no business of interest had been transacted m the Assembly up to the departure of the steamer, The general intelligence \ s meagre in the extreme. From an official notice we learn that in consequence of newspapers being posted in duplicate or in packnges of a still larger number, they have been detained at the chief Post-office. We would therefore call the particular attention of our readers to the following rule, which we understand will be strictly carried out, viz:-- --" Newspapers for transmission within the colony shall be posted in single numbers, so put up that the date of publication may be readily seen. Packages of newspapers consisting of I more than one number, shall be treated as book packets." It is with regret we learn from our telegrams that the " Zephyr" has been unable to prosecute her trip to Horbart Town. When she left the New River, she was considered thoroughly seaworthy, and her owners expected she would make a splendid trip, although they had decided upon putting her on the slip in Tasmania to be more completely repaired, than the appliances in Invercargill permitted ; and one of the owners (Mr Livesey), left by the Otago on Saturday last, en route for Hobart Town to superintend the work. The extent to which circumlocution can be carried out by the Government of New Zealand was exemplified from a paper presented to the Assembly. We learn, that a Mr Friend arrived sometime since in Canterbury, intending to start business as a eausagemaker, and bringing with him eleven kegs of preserved sausage skins. Upon arrival these Bkins were detained by the Custom authorities as part of pigs pi'ohibited by the Government, after endless trouble, and not getting the kegs, Mr Friend appealed to the Assembly, which elicited from the acting Inspector of Customs, anacute and lucid reply ; — " the collector is instructed to give up the skins provided a certificate is produced from inspectors under the Diseased Cattle Act, to the effect that they aye free from any infectious or contagious contamination. The " Wanganui Chronicle,,' of August 1, says it ip very pleasant to learn that, as time moves on the necessity of any fighting with the disaffected natives becomes " small by degrees and beantifully less." Latest accounts from Patea tell us of the submission of another lot of Hau-haus, and that the general disposition everywhere is for peace. The rebels have at last discovered tbat the power arrayed against them is too mighty to b 9 coped with, and, naked and famine-stricken, they yield to the force of circumstances. They will find in so doing that they have made a wise choice, and that the utmost kindliness and forbearance will be extended towards them by the colonial authorities. Mnjor M'Donnell is now at the scene of action, and will, no doubt, exercise the large powers bestowed upon him with a salutary discretion. A public meeting of the settlers in the east district of Southland was held on Monday, the 13th of August at the Waihopai Bridge Inn, for the purpose of deciding the course to be adopted in order to the improvement of the communication between Invercargill and Waihopai. The subjoined petition to His Honor the Superintendent was adopted : — " That your petitioners beg respectfully to represent to your Honor — 1. That the extensive district — including the Oteramika, Mataura, Lothian, Mabel, Otarewa, and other districts — in which your petitioners are settlers has from the foundation of the Province, attracted the greatest proportion of rural settlers, and now inclupes within its bounds an extensive range of agricultural settlements, some of them of a magnitude probably unequalled in any other British colony. 2. That the main trunk road for communication between these settlements and the town of Invercargill, for the conveyance of produce to market, or stores, &c, for station use — called the East, or Dunedin road — has for the last four years been almost utterly neglected by the late governments, no fair and just proportion of the public monies having been set apart for its construction and maintenance, in consequence of which neglect it has now become in such a state as to be totally impassable for ordinary and necessary traffic. 3. That in consequence of the deplorable state of this main line of road, the interests of the settlers -in the district are so seriously affected, as to give rise to an apprehension of utter Jailure overtaking them in their agricultural enterprise, a fear already indicated in a growing inclination to part with their holdings and leave the Province — some having, in fact already done bo, and others having discontinued their projected agricultural improvements. 4. That such unfortunate consequences resulting from the long impassable state of the East Eoad cannot fail to prove greatly detrimental to other interests besides those of the immediate settlers in the Eastern District, inasmuch as a positive cheek being given to the progress of this part of the Province in population and industrial activity all local commeraial enterprise as well as the national revenue returns are injuriously affected thereby. 5. That your petitioners feel convinced that the facts above referred to only require to be placed before your Honor to claim your Honor's earnest attention, and your petitioners therefore humbly pray that they may be taken into most serious consideration by your Honor's Government, and that your Honor will be pleased to direct that measures be speedily taken to have the East Road made on the most dnrable plan of construction, and to the fullest extent possible in the present circumstances of the Province. Some short time since two parcels of mineral products obtained at the Pahi the value of which it was difficult to estimate, was forwarded by the manager of the Bank of Otago to Sydney to be tested at the Royal Mint of Australia. The Bender considered that the ore and sand contained platinum and with a desire to obtain the best authority in the Australias, upon the point, forwarded the specimens to Sydney. The report of the Acting Master of the Royal Mint is now before us, from which we learn, that this valuable metal has been found to exist in the sand in large proportions. The Acting Master of the Royal mint 5 under date the 19fch July, reports, upon the ore and Hand forwarded to him aa follows : — " Report. On two samples of mineral, N, No. [231-66] referred to the assayers for qualitative examination with instructions to ascertain if platinum was present in either : — No. 1, sample of ore contains no platinum ; No. 2. — a sealed sample of sand contains a large proportion of platinum." This report coming from the Royal Mint of Australia must be reliable, and should be an inducement to the minera of the Riverton Gold fields to carefully preserve the sand from which it ii obtained. ' /

The following is the state of H.M Gaol, for the week ending, Tuesday, the 14th instant. Sentenced to penal servitude, 6 males ; sentenced to hard labor, 7 males and 1 female. Lunatic 3, 6 males and 1 female Debtors 1 male, imprisonment 1. Total, 21 males and .2 females. Received during the week, 1 male. Discharged during the -week, 3 males. Decrease for tlie week, 2 males. ___^__________