The Southland Times. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 186&

Southland Times, Issue 897, 10 February 1868, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 186&

We would call attention to the auction Bale at Mqeller Bros., Dee-street, of drapery, clothing, &c. The extensive stock of goods will be sold without reserve. The sale commences at eleven o'clock to-morrow. We understand that it is probable arrange-* ments will be completed for the laying on at home of an immigrant ship for this port. A' number of applications have already been made, and many more are expected to be received before the next mail for England leaves. All parties desirous of bringing out their relatives or frienda should not lose this opportunity. . The Volunteers will commence their district match-shooting to-morrow, Tuesday, 10th inst. . Although this is ostensibly a match between the '. Invercargill and Biverton Companies, it involves more — by it will be determined, in a great measurei the question, shall Southland be represented at the Grand Colonial Eifle Match, to take place at Wellington, before His Eoyal Highness the Duke ■ of Edinburgh. It is to be hoped that some of : our riflemen will prove worthy of being called t upon to put in an appearance on that occasion. I

Referring to the Otago and Southland Investment Company; Morgan's Trade Circular Btates that the directors, having received their accounts from Dunediri, have declared an interim dividend at the rate of ten per cent, per annum for the half year ended 31st July last, leat ing a considerable balance. . V; The sudden death of Mr Hill's splendid mare, Fashion, alluded to in our report of the races, is much to be regretted ; being not only a loss to the owner, but also to the Province." ' It is a remarkable coincidence jthat Exile, the most promising horse in Victoria, after running, and winning j staggered and died, in a similar way to that of Mr Hill's mare, Fashion. The Boston correspondent of the New York Tribune supplies the following notice of Mr Dickens in America : — " Meanwhi le, until night, Mr Dickens has kept himself strictly secluded from all but one or two old and intimate friends. His rooms are at Parker House, and there he has [ remained, busily engaged all day, in writing and j study, except when he is taking his daily eight mile 'constitutional' walk with his publisher, J Fields, and steadily declining all the invitations to breakfast, dinner, tea, supper, parties, balls, and drives, that hospitable Boston pours in upon in an unfailing stream. Much of his time is spent in the most laborious pains-taking study of the parts he is to read. Indeed, the public has but little idea of the cost, in downright hard work of mind, and body, and voice," at which these readings are produced. Although Mr Dickenß has tead, now, nearly five hundred times, I am assured, on the best authority, that he never attempts a new part in public until he has spent at least two months over it in study, as faithful and searching as Rachel or Coshman would give to a new character. This study extends not merely to the analysis of the text, to the diserination of character, to the minutest points of elocution ; but decides upon the facial expression, the tone of the voice, the gesture, the attitude, and even the material surroundings of the actor, for Acting it is, not Reading, in the ordinary tense at all. Mr Dickens is so essentially an artist that he cannot neglect the slightest thing that may serve to heighten the effect of what he has undertaken to do. And he is as conscientious, sj strict in all his dealings — a very martinet in business, and thorough man" of "affairs — that he will leave nothing undone that ■ time and labor can do, to give the public, that pays so much for the pleasure of him, the full worth of its money. This is the reason why he, a man of the world, greatly delighting in society, thoroughly fitted to enjoy it himself, and to make othess enjoy it — deliberately cuts 'himself off from it, until his task shall be done. ' I am come here,' he says, 'to read. The people expect me to do my best, and how can Ido it if I am all the time on the go? My time i 3 hot my own, when lam preparing to read, any more than it is when I am writing a novel, and I can as well do one as the other without concentrating all my powers on it until it is done.' " ' - The heavy traffic that is now on those streets from the railway station to the East is cutting up Eak and Tay streets with a rapidity that will soon render tfiem extremely bad, unless stepi are talten to keep them' in repair. The number of draye loaded with metal for the . roads now being constructed, and the wool-laden waggons that are continually passing and repassing, renders it absolutely necessary that a small gang of maintenance* men should be engaged. In all cities in the colony* even where municipalities exist, the maintenance of _tha jnain— «tUB"B"unaertaken ~by,~~and TTcfiarge upon, the Government. In Invercargill, there being no Town Board or Council, it is impossible that the streets can be kept in a proper condition unless the Government do it. A few pounds expended at the present time would do more to preserve and consolidate our permanent streets than as many hundreds will do a year hence. The middle of Esk-street and Tay-street require repairs of an inexpensive character. A few loads of gravel for the filling up of ruts, and fresh timber for the crossings from the Q-overn-ment offices to;Bose's corner, in Tay-street, and also the crossing at Deveron-street, is all that is needed to preserve the road for a long time to oonje. This is not, however, all that is wanted. The drains in all the principal streets have become foul and dilapidated, and unless there is something done before .winter sets in, they will be entirely useless, dangerous, and destructive of life. The Government should at once attend to this matter. A gang of four experienced men could do all required in a few weeks. In other towns, of.no greater importance than Invercargill, a much larger number of men are constantly employed in work similar to that we have mentioned. Among the recent contracts let there is one for lowering and gravelling the side patiis in .Esk-streets, from the corner of Dee-street to the railway station. This jwas muck. required, the existing sideway being very dangerous, and compelled passengers by the train to walk through the cart-track. It -Jb ,a .w ork that -should have' been long since accomplished, and will be a great convenience to the public when 'finished. It is to be hoped that other works of a like character will be pushed forward. , .-...,,- : A meeting of the Committee of tie Southland Horticultural and Agricultural Society took place . at the Princess Hotel, on Friday last. Mr D M'Arthur was voted to thechair. It was resolved—"That the Secretary advertise three extra prizes, for peaches, plums, and gosseberries, respectively; and that in future .the fresh butter shown should be free from 'salt. -That, the date of the exhibition should be altered to Wednesday and Thursday, March 18th and "19th." Other business in connection with the ensuing Show having been taken into consideration and arranged, the meeting terminated. :.'.":,. It was formerly accepted as> a" truism that no matter whatever other organisations flagged, the Envercargill Volunteer Firef Brigade would never Fail in maintaining its character for perseverance md efficiency. Ihe attendance of the members was most exemplary on all occasions of eiiher Bre or practice. What has become of them now ? For months past nothing has been known of the jondition of the Brigade. "Fortunately, there has ieen no fire in the town calling for their assistance; but it is notable that ( . the custom of aeriqdically inspecting the engines and:, the fireanks has been neglected, and this leads to a fear ;hat in the event of a fire breaking out the nachinery for its extinguishment might be found mworkable, and the members of the Brigade unlisciplined and useless. This compeny did earn or itself a high reputation, and it is to be hoped hat, by a return to its former activity, it will maintain it. It is an institution that should not c allowed to retrograde.

The Australasian thus treats upon the neces* Bi'ty of sending a steamer in search of the missing brat's crew from the Auckland Islands : — " While the terrible story told by the few survivors of the wreck of the ship General Grant on the Auckland Islands, still lingers in the memory of the public,, no effort whatever has yet been made by the Victorian Government towards ascertaining the fate of the chief mate and three seamen who went to sea in a small boat, twelve months ago, with a view to bring relief to their fellow-sufferers, and were never heard of afterwards. Surely the probabilities of the case are enough to warrant sending the Colonial steamsloop Victoria once more to the scene of so many disasters ; not, as before, to depart without leaving behind something to help those who might be shipwrecked on those islands in the future, but some subbtantial token of the human sympathies of the first Australian colony. The JN'ew South Wales Government annually sends a vessel with supplies for shipwrecked people to the Booby j Islands, and if the New Zealand Government | omit to do their duty in respect to the Auckland j Islands, there is no excuse for our imitating a bad example, or asking ourselves who are our responsible neighbours in this matter. It is extremely probable that the boat in question drifted to sime other island, that it was destroyed on beaching, and that the occupants are now living without means of escape. In any case it seems not too much to ask, in the interests of humanity, that H.M.C.S.S. Victoria should be sent to the islands, not only to search for the lost, but also to leave behind an iron house of refuge, and stores secured in cases of galvanized iron, for future castaways. Such means of relief left in the principal harbor might go far in saving many lives, and doing an amount of good which cannot be reckoned up in money value. As was mentioned at the time, the instructions given to Captain Norman, and his limited supply of stores, precluded his doing thiß when in search of shipwrecked people on these islands once before ; but he might be better guided now. We rind on inquiry that the Victoria is unemployed, and the death of the late lamented Captain Wilkinson leaves the Admiralty survey in such condition that a few of the ensuing months can be fully occupied with shore duties. If the Victorian Government do nothing, why should not the Victorian public subscribe to help in this cause ?" The West Coast Times of the 2nd iaat., says : — " The chief event of the month in connection . with mining matters was the despatch of an expedition by the Government, in the s.s. Kennedy, to ascertain the fate of and relieve the diggers of Jackson's and Big Bay districts, news having arrived in town to the effect that the most frightful destitution reigned there, no vessel having called at either place for nearly three months. The nearest depot of stores was at Okariti, to reach which, however, involved a long and perilous journey of some eighty miles, across many unbridged and unboated rivers and round dangerous headlands, where the unwary traveller is placed in imminent jeopardy of being washed away by the surf. The tempestuous and rainy weather which prevailed during the months October and November rendered the journey doubly hazardous ; but driven to desperation by hunger and the fear of starvation, a party of diggers accomplished it from Jackson's Bay, and made known the condition of those left behind. The Kennedy was not off, the purpose of the expedition was accomplished, and we are happy to say the men were not-found -reduced to ~tne dire straits "represented by the first cry raised, and were moreover ascertained to be in the receipt of good returns, and when supplied with provisions were quite content to remain where they were."