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Southland Times, Issue 898, 12 February 1868, Page 2

It will be observed that Mr H. E. Osborne will continue his sale of drapery, &c, at Moeller Bros., this day, the sale commencing at one o'clock, instead of eleven as on the two previous days. At the firing for the district prizes yesterday, Mr George Reeca gained the highest number of j points in the first class, and Mr Francis Campbell in the second. The Riverton corps fire to-morrow, after which we shall be able to announce who are the winners. The steamer Waihopai arrived at the wharf yesterday, from Dunedin. She brings a large assorted cargo. She is advertised to sail for Dunedin to-morrow. A Gape of Good Hope paper says : — " The rise and progress of this colony from 1852 to 1865 inclusive is marked by many and various statistical fluctuations. The colony has an area of 104,931 square miles, and in 1856 contained a total population of 267,096 persons. In 1865 the gross amount of public revenue was £856,762, including amounts raised by loans. The expenditure during the same year, including repayment of loans, amounted to £870,089, as contrasted with a sum of £252,495 in the year 1852. The loans raised in 1805 amounted to £337,717, and those repaid to £218,574. The public debt in the same year increased by more than £100,000, as compared with that in 1864. The annual tonnage of vessels entered and cleared from 1852 to 1865 reached its maximum in 1858, and was represented in 1865 by 519,499 tons, 427,794 tons of which belonged to British ships. The total value of imports reached its maximum jn 1857, and then amounted to £2,883,588, as compared with £2,125,332 in 1865. Two shocks of earthquake were felt at Wellington — one on the 29th ult., the other on the Ist inst. No material damage was caused. By the arrival of the Wellington, from Lyttelton, last evening, the Otago Daily] Times Bth inst. says : — We learn that the steamer Wainui, Gapt. Hepburn, was detained in that port by stress of weather, and would probably sail for Dunedin and the intermediate ports on Wednesday or Thursday. As yet no information has been received with regard to the Wm Miskin, and it is impossible to Bay whether Captain Bain sought refuge to the northward, or was able to proceed to sea. We are informed by telegram from our Port Chalmers correspondent that Mr Wiggans, a passenger by the Wellington, and who left Akaroa, on Tuesday, states that the Wm Miskin had not put into that port prior to his leaving. Further intelligence, however, received by the Geelong, from Oamaru, states that the William Miskin had gone ashore at Timaru, and is a total wreck. The Bed Hover had sailed. We could not learn whether the crew of the [William Miskin were saved or not," Sir George Bowen has arrived at Wellington to assume the government of the colony. In Lyttelton harbour, a considerable amount of damage seems to have been done to shipping. The Press of Wednesday 7th Feb. reports : — "The effects of the late S.E. gale have been seriously felt in harbour. Several valuable and useful vessels have suffered, amongst others the lonia, Captain Driacoll, drifted on to the rocks at Dampier Bay, and is a complete wreck, so much so, that nothing of her with the exception of a few stray timbers is to be seen. The schooner Sisters lies on the beach at Dampier Bay, having lost her foremast and her bulwarks carried away, besides other damages. The fine yacht Lady Fenwick is completely smashed, as the Miry Ann drifted ashore on the top of her. The Mary Ann, though high and dry, has received but little damage ; but on drifting ashore, ran foul of the Lady Fenwick, and totally destroyed the latter vessel, which had been hauled on the beach, and it was supposed made snug. No damage appears to have happened to the iarger craft, though most of them dragged a considerable distance. Some of the water-men's boats were damaged owing to the audable exertions used by that body of men to assist in getting off certain Teasels."

Great floods have occurred in the Province* of Canterbury, Nelson, and Marlborough, caiwing destruction to property to a large extent. The Dunedin Evening News of the Ist inst. contains the following glowing description of the ability of a local preacher. As he intends visiting Invercargill shortly, it is but right that successes achieved in other localities by our "admirable Crichton" should be fully set forth:— "Any one who hears Mr Earl must be convinced that to be able to speak well is an ornament and useful accomplishment. The importance of good elocution is sufficiently obvious. Mr Earl follows nature, and to follow nature is the Jfundamental rule of oratory. Mr Earl evidently has frequently observed the various ways by which nature expresses the several perceptions, emotions and passions of the human mind, and he distinguishes them from the mere effort of arbitrary custom or false taste. Mr Earl gives and clear a full utterance to the several simple and complex sounds. An insipid flatness and langour is an almost universal fault in reading, and many public speakers often suffer their words to drop from their lips with such a faint and feeble utterance, that they appear neither to understand or feel what they say themselves, nor to have any desire that it should be understood or felt by their audience. Mr Earl does not belong to the class I here refer to. On the contrary, he is an almost perfect preacher. As there are some cripples that get on horseback because they cannot walk, so there are some people that bellow because they cannot speak. Such fools should pay a visit to Mr Earl on to-morrow evening. Mr EarJ's oratory emphatically points out the precise meaning of a sentence in Bcripture, and he shows plainly in what manner one idea is connected with and rises out of another idea, and he gives to every syllable its proper sound, and thus conveys to the mind of the audience the full import of the wholo quotation. A grammarian could improve his grammar, a logician his logic, a rhetorician his flowers of speech, a man of sense his sagacity, by attending a course of Mr Earl's admirable sermons. He never leaves a topic until he has explained its difficulties in a manner that exhausts all that is complicated in it. A poor subject he enriches by his oratory, and a good theme literally glows on his tongue. During his discourse not an eye sleeps — every heal is directed towards the preached. His manner and his matter is ever simple. Since his commencement in St. George's Hall there has been no reduction in the number of his attendants, who include members of almost every Christian persuasion. And no wonder. There is no preacher in Dunedin equal to Mr Earl in the gift of oratory. He is a genuine orator. He speaks with ease, and consequently the listener hears with ease. As painful speaking entails painful attention, so does fluent wisdom yield a pleasurable sensation to the ear of the pleased orator. Mr Earl says common sayings in an uncommon way. The strength of his voice, the obvious earnestness of his manner, the picturesqueness of his gestures, the excellent delivery of his anectode, his splendid talent for telling narratives derived from Scripture, and his ability for passing with perfect ease from plain sense to the highest flight of pathos, and to the highest reach of oratory — all these do contribute a pious attraction, which sufficiently explains the power j he exercises over the large audience, which, every Sunday evening crowds to hear Mr Earl in St. George's Hall. Indeed it is a pleasure to hear him. There is no turning up of the whites of the eyes j there is no snuffling ; there is no nasal accompaniment ; there is no drowsy apathy or aristocratic langour. All is life and energy and muscular honesty of purpose with Mr Earl. He is a man who piously hates shams, and he knows well that many men who wear the cloth divine are merely shams. A good preacher wants a good audience, and a few men like Mr Earl would soon prove the death of Bitualistic mummery, because the emptiest brain would, after a time, prefer his simple, but strong oratory, to imbecility clad in the religious millinery in which the Bishops of Dunedin and Salisbury evidence their superstitious degeneracy. What we want in the church is more of the soul, and less of the body — more intellect wedded to spirit, and less sensuality wedded to mercenary motives and pampered luxuries.