The Southland Times. MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1867.

Southland Times, Issue 736, 14 October 1867, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1867.

Elections for the district of Oreti are not generally very exciting affairs, but that of last week was altogether exceptional. In accordance i with the advertisement published eight or ten j days previously, the Returning Officer rode to Lowther — a distance of some sixty miles — last Wednesday, and waited there from noon until ■** p.m.,. without a single elector putting in an ppearance. The election consequently lapsed, a3 we understand the writ is returnable on the 15th, and there is consequently no time to advertise a fresh date for the nomination. An illicit still has been seized by the T>nli™» xue rru/vwup ju.au states uiac, acting upon information received, Sergeant Naden, on Saturday, succeeded in discovering a forty -gallon private still and part of the piping concealed in the bush, near Frankton. The police have scarcely sufficient clue to the ownership of the contraband articles, but expect to obtain it before long. There have lately been some heavy hauls of fish (.oi. by boats and fishing smacks off Hokitika. Last week, the cutter Hope, after a few hours stay outside, brought in 500 fine codfish, from 3lbs to lOlbs weight, for which there was a ready demand. Mr Anderson has- played Coriolanus, at the, Victoria Theatre, Sydney, and his impersonation of that character is generally pronounced to be a brilliant success. We (Qamaru Times) are glad to notice that it is in contemplation to endeavor to give some practical effect to the general feeling that something should be done towards starting a Grain Export Company in Oamaru — a meeting having been called for Saturday, the 19th inst., at the Northern Hotel, for the purpose of inaugurating the enterprise. We trust that there will be a large attendance of our merchants and agri. enlturiote and others interested ia the »«ter,

The Adelaide papers teem with paragraphs I having reference to the preparations being made for the reception of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh. The great question in connection with the subject is whether the Prince shall land at Glenelg or Port Adelaide. This has, we believe, been finally settled in favor of the former place, the reason being that there is not enough water near the Semaphore, Lefevre's Peninsula, for the G-alatea to come to her anchor, while the G-lenelg jetty offers, every, convenience for disembarkation.. We append an anecdote of the Prince, extracted from Echoes of the Clubs. The correspondent of the Cologne Gazette, who has chronicled the bashfullness of the Duke of Edinburgh towards the fair sex, was probably in ignorance of the fact which is by no means generally known here, : as to the sngagement of his Royal Highness's | affections. Some two or three years ago, his , Royal Highness had an opportunity of making acquaintance with one of his second cousins, a . daughter cf the King cf Hanover, and conceived a strong attachment to the Princess, who is as captivatmg in manner and disposition as in appearance. The pretensions of the Young Prince were by no means discouraged by bis Hanoverian Majesty, who gave his youthful relative (at that time pursuing his studies at Bon) a general in-vitatio-i to come at will to Herreuhausen. But this r»mance of cousinship was brought to an untimely and unsatisfactory conclusion by the opposition of an irresistible authority, who could not be b ought to look with favor on a matrimonial allance' between the two branches of the family ; and the Prince is consequently at liberty to devote himself heart and soul to the career which he has chosen. It appears that flockowners in 3STapier are ! seriously setting to work at boiling down. Two companies are now iv existence, and the plant for the last established is on its way from Melbourne. The Neio Zealand Times remarks : — " We can hardly understand how there can be sufficient quantity of employment for both the works, when up to a verj short time ago, the necessity for boiling down was not spoken of at all. Their success, however, is confidently predicted."

"Living," Bays the South Australian Advertiser, "is cheap enough now, at all events. A storeman in town last Saturday bought a quarter of mutton (weighing 121bs) for Hid., and a bunch of turnips given in. Our advertising columns contain a notice of a quarter of mutton with a loaf of bread for one shilling ! We have heard of other butchers selling a quarter with turnips and carrots at the same price.

The news from the Karaka goldfield, in the Province of Auckland, chiefly relates to a false alarm as to a threatened attack by the Natives. The particulars are given elsewhere. Favorable reports have been received as to the quality of the quartz reefs prospected ; but the Southern Cross emphatically states that nothing like an alluvial goldfield has been discovered. Our contemporary Bays •. "We say now distinctly that nothing has as yet been discovered to warrant a rush, or even to justify the least excitement. That gold, has been found in the quartz already tested, is true ; that the stone crushed lias proved eminently paying is likewise true ; but as yet there has not been an ounce of water-worn gold taken out of the district open to the prospectors. We regret this as much as anyone, because nothing could be more fortunate for this Province at the present time than a payable goldfleld. Kichly-loaJed quartz has been discovered, which will, no doubt, pay to work with proper machinery ; but this ia not what is known as a payable goldfield." For the quartz reefs, machinery is about to be intro - duced, and, in most cases, their qualities are well spoken of. The gold is in close proximity to a ferruginous quartz, partaking of the favorite color, whereas the white spongy stone has not as yet shown a speck of gold. Up to the 24th ult. 400 miners' rights had been issued, and Kauaeranga waß progressing steadily. The Waikoxiaiti Herald writes: — "We learn i that most excellent stone exists in large quantities ] at Tumai — pronounced by competent judges to be second to none ?n the Province, and for general purposes equal, if not superior, to tho Oamaru stone." A question of considerable importance to OddFellows and the medical officers of their lodges was decided in the Daylesford Police Court lately. The doctor sued a member for attendance on his niece living in the family with him, contending that under the rules attendance on the member and his family meant only himself, his wife and children. The defendant maintained that the obligation extended to all members of his family, not servants ; and this interpretation was given effect to by the magistrate, who dismissed the action with costs. Mr Edward Hammond Hargreaves has commenced an action against Messrs Wilson and Mackinnon, the proprietors of the Argus, to recover the sum of £5000 damages for a libel published concerning him. We find the following in the West Coast Times of the 25th ult.: — During the sittings in Banco yesterday, Mr Justice Richmond remarked — " That some of the members were going ' in for the concentration of the judicial power of the Colony. There was no doubt the Bench and the Bar in New Zealand would never rank as high without such concentration as was adopted in other Colonies j but, on the other hand, the present system was a great convenience, and gave great facilities "for the transaction of business. The proposition, of course, had no reference whatever to the trial of issue of fact, whether of a civil or criminal character, bxx% referred solely to

I Madame Celeste had an immense benefit on Sept. 13, at Sydney. The Governor and '■iiady Young were present.

A large store in Hokitika, erected by Messrs Stevenson and Co. nearly eighteen months ago, and latterly used as a warehouse by Messrs James Chesney and Co., has met with an untimely end a few days ago hy falling ,pff the piles that supported it. Unable to • withstaul^he pressure of nearly four hundred, tons of goods (chiefly- bran which had been crammed into the store, the piles gave.wayjfl.nd down came the building with a crash, one o/ih-ftdsides being buret out, and so much damage inflicted upon every part of the edifice that it was reduced to a perfect wreck. Hamilton-street was strewed -with bales of chaff and bags of flour and bran; and. but for the late lovely "weather which has converted that usually swampy thoroughfare into solid dry land, the loss through damage must have been considerable.. As it is, says the West Coast Times, Mr Chesney will be a heavy looser, tlie reconstruction of the store being unavoidable ; and where its contents will find shelter iv the meantime is a question not easily answered, as storeage-room iB one of the scarcest commodities in town just now.

The municipal elections in Hokitika are at present the cause of some local excitement. Our contemporary, the West Coast Times, of Tuesday week states that a public meeting was held in the Prince of Wales Opera House on the previous evening, for the purpose of considering the propriety of requesting the whole of the members of the present Municipal Council to resign. Messrs Caesius, Mcc, Rees, James Browne, Bartlett, and Klein were on the stage. Mr Cassius in the chair. Resolutions were passed affirming that the coiiduct of the members of the present Municipal Council was reprehensible, and deserving of severe censure for persisting in retaining their seats in opposition, to the long expressed wishes of the ratepayers. Also, that the meeting requested the whole of the Council to resign before the 9fch October next ; and further, that the chairman be requested to communicate the wishes of the meeting to the Municipal Council. The meeting was addressed by Messrs Mcc, Browne, Rees, and Klein ; also by Cr. Anderson, who said if he wa3 not ballotted out he should resign. Mr Mowat, who stated tliat-he believed the whole of the present Council would resign, and Cr. . Ecclesfield, who also stated that if parties had allowed forty-eight hours to elapse before calling the meeting, he thought there would have been no occasion : for convening it.