Social and Domestic.

Southland Times, Issue 951, 15 May 1868, Page 3

Social and Domestic.

The steamers Auckland and Southland, [both left Porfc Chalmers for Bluff on Wednesday afc 3 o'clock, but had not made their appearance at a late hour last evening. Is there no Inspector of Weights and Measures ? We recoUect that some yeara ago aU the weights, kc, were imported at a large outlay, and we beUeve they are in the Police Office, but up to the present time they do not appear ever to have been used. Surely the authorities ought 'to appoint an officer whose duty it would be to examine aU weights, and see that they are up to the imperial standard regulation. A meeting of the Pastoral Association was held on Friday, Ist May, when Mr Dundas was reelected President, and Mr Cowan was re-elected Secretary and Treasurer, The accounts ofthe Sheep Department were laid before the meeting The foUowing gentlemen were appointed to form the Executive Committee of the Association :— r Messrs Cowan, R. F. Cuthbertson, BeU, and j Moore, and the case ofthe Inspector of sheep waß referred to them for examination. The Com* mifcfcee met on Saturday, and the result of the examination wUI be found embodied in the foUowing resolutions. 1st — Thafc in the cases ot Raymond v. Morrison Law and Co., and Basstain v. Raymond, the evidence of Mr Fielder showed such ' great indecision and want of clearness, as are calculated to be very prejudicial to the interests \ of sheepowners, in any future important cases that may arise. 2nd. That paid Inspectors of sheep must be strictly prohibited from possessing or having any interest whatever in sheep either hero or elsewhere. That the fact of one or more of Mr Fielder's transactions having been in scabby sheep, renders this prohibition the more necessary, and that this circumstance is calculated, iv the eyes of the pubhc, to lay his conduct open 'o suspicion, thus materiaUy affecting the credibUity of his evidence in a court of law. 3rd. — That this Committees' resolutions be forwarded to a fuU j meeting of the Sheep Board, with a request that it should take such action in the matter as seems to it best. A resolution to the effect that Mr Fielder's conduct was such as to necessitate a recommendation for his dismissal, was negatived. We understand that Mr Cuthbertson has, since the meeting of the Committee, resigned his position as a member of it. — Communicated. In a letter addressed to the •"* DaUy Times," the Hon Matthew Holmes suppUes the foUowing information with regard to the yield of -his crops during the past season : — " My principal crop was wheat, the varieties sown being white Essex and Sheriff's bearded. The latter was introduced into the Province by me, having been directly purchased from Mr Sheriff, the eminent East Lothian agriculturist. The lowest average for fields of at least 50 acres in extent, was 37 bushels per acre, and the highest 51 bushels. These averages would undoubtedly have been increased by 10 bushels an a cre , but for the unusuaUy wet weather which curred a month before harvest. The highest average of oats — short Tartarian — was 58 bushels per acre. The season's crop has been aU safely housed and in dtore, and amounts to between 14,000 and 15,000 bushels. This gives an average yield for aU the land under crop (wheat and oats) of 43£ bushels per acre, which would have been exceeded but for the unseasonable weather referred to. I may add, some of my tenants have had better crops than mine, apd my crop was not the best in the district."

We understand that in consequence of th* contemplated completion of the Oreti line of RaUway, several large sales of land may be expected shortly. The Government ought to push on with the* pubUc works recently authorised by the Council, in order to prevent any unemployed men from. leaving the Province. During the winter month* especiaUy, it is advisable that the laboring population should be fuUy employed. The "Argus" of the 25th inst. conains thet foUowing items of inteUigence :— The political crisis stiU continues. No fresh Ministry hai been formed. The M'CuUoch Administration continue to hold ofiice, pending the appointment of their successors. The members of the Opposition to whom the Governor has applied, j refuse to take office without the power of dissolution, in the event of an adverse vote of the Aa^: sernbly on the question of suppUes, and tho M'CuUoch Cabinet refuse te return to office unless the Governor consents to the. Darling grant being included inthe Appropriation Bill. Hjb ExceUency hesitates to accede to the wisb.ee of either party. Parliament, although summoned for the 16th ult., has -not yet been formaUy opened, although it has met and adjourned on several occasions. — The wheat harvest in Victoria shows a decrease of 1,151,312 bushels ac compared with the returns for 1867. Gompeiatively high prices are anticipated. — Our goldfields are in a very healthy condition, and it ie hoped that the yield for the; -present year wUI show an increase on that ,for 1867. — The .postal. arrangements are causing great dissatisfaction. Nearly every maU steamer leaves here on Sunday, and in consequence of the absurd regulations which are in force, it is almost impossible for merchants to obtain bills of lading for' the gold which, they transmit. — The. preservation and ex- ! porfcafcion of meat is rapidly rising in importance, and promises soon to become a very, valuable ■industry. The " Timaru Herald" has the foUowing : — "Captain Lusher, of tie , Lady Bird/ on hWL arrival afc Timaru, on j the 25th ult., made a report which should.be as fuUy known, tp all. coasting vessels as possible. He reports that, when on his way to this port, about three o'clock on Saturday morning, he was deceived and delayed for nearly three hours by the glare of a bright fixed light at an elevation of 30 or 40 feet above the sea level, exhibited on the beach, about 13 or 14 mUes north of Timarh, which light waar at first taken by him for the. Timaru harbour Ught. Captain Lusher is unable to account for the appearance ofthe Ught, and suggests that it must have been placed there for the purpose of deceiving vessels, and drawing them ashore. To say the least, the appearance, of inch a light in j the place named is very suspicious, as there is no : habitation near. It has been pointed out that the Maories might have been employed in- fishing at the time, with a Ught, or that the grass in the neighborhood might have been on fire ; bat as Captain Lusher went in near, and was hove to for some hours, he would not have been deceived by such Ughts. On his next trip the Captain will take the same course, and should, the lighfc, again be shewn, he has intimated that he wiU send a boat or two on shore, and thus find bnt for what purpose it is shewn." - Mr Deck, sen., gave a lecture in the Exchange BuUding, on Wednesday evening last, upon "Ritualism; its Progress and Danger." Ihe attendance was numerous, and the lecturer evidently had devoted, considerable care in reading up ecclesiastical history in itß bearings upon the subject selected, whilst he avoided anything like a sectarian spirit in his discourse. Our Bluff correspondent;, writing nnder date 7th May, says : — During the week we have experienced the first frosty weather of the season. On Monday and Tuesday morning the gronnd wai covered with a coating of hard frost, but now the atmosphere is more unsettled, and we may look for a buster with the usual accompaniment. The lasfc of this season's fleet of English shipp, the Maria, Capt. Duncan saUed yesterday afternoon for Ofcago to discharge the balance of her caigo and wiU return to this port about November with a cargo of guano for the Company's stations and wUI then most Ukely load wool for London. Capt Duncan speaks very highly of this port as affording every faciUty for discharging, more especiaUy heavy packages, such as machinery. We trust that during the recess the Government will do something in extending the wharfage accommodation ; as it now stands two ships cannot safely lay alongside. The contractors for the erection of the signal man's house on the hiU are almost at a standstiU for the want of lime, Judging fiom the plan it wiU be a very substantial buUding of four apartments and wiU hare a very imposing appearance. The work of drawing the material up hiU is going on satisfactory. The look out station at the signal staff is also in the course of erection and wUI be finished in a few days, the Government, seem to be looking to the comfort of the officer in charge on the hiU, and not before it was wanted ; heretofore, he has had almost to put up with every disadvantage and exposure to the weather. The Bluff Reading' Society have rather retrograded during the last month, but this may have been on account of the severe weather whioh we hare had rendering travelling out of doors in the evening a work of groping in darkness. Wa recollect the Government some time ago advertising for tenders for the drainage of Gore-street ; we woidd remind the successful tenderer that tha inhabitants of CampbeUtown in general would I rather that he would take Borne steps to get rid of this nuisance than aUow them the noxious privUege of indulging in puddling. ! The " New York Tribune " relates the following anecdote:— -Some years ago, when Macready was performing in Chicago, he waa unfortunate enough to offend ono of the actors, a native American of Western type. Tbis person, who was'cast for the part of Claudius in "Hamlet," resolved to pay off the star for many supposed offences. So in the last scene/ as Hamlet stabbed the usurper, that monarch reeled forward, and after a most spasmodic finish, stretched himself out precisely in the place Hamlet required for his j own death. Macready, much annoyed, whispered*. j— • Die further up the stage, sir !' The monarch lay insensible. Upon which, in a stUl louder voice, Hamlet growled: — 'Die further up the stage, sir!' Hereon Claudius, sitting up, observed, ( I bleeve I'm King here, and I'U die where I please.' So the tragedy concluded. - Mr R. J. Creighton, for many years editor of the Auckland " Southern Gross," hu retired. A complimentary dinner was given to him on tha athtdt. .