The Southland Times. FRIDAY, MAY, 29th 1868.

Southland Times, Issue 959, 29 May 1868, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, MAY, 29th 1868.

A couple of drays, with a considerable quantity oF the coal recently discovered on Capt. Howell's run, arrived in town on Thursday, the 28th inst. We believe it is intended to use it on the railway, with a view of testing its quality. It woald be interesting to witness a public trial of the coal in question. We understand that Mr Robert Cuthbertson has resigned his seat fer the district of Waiau in the Provincial Council. The prisoners, under the direction of the Provincial Engineer — Mr Dawson —are doing wood service in various parts of the town, by repairing drains, side-paths, &c. Of nearly all the public departments, the gaol is the most • economically and efficiently conducted ; so much | so, that the Governor, Mr Fraser, does the duty j of warden when necessary. The sum of £11 14s was collected at the Presbyterian Church, in aid of the funds of the Hospital. The programmo of the Penny Reading, to take place this evening, will be found in another column. The selections are very attractive, and will no doubt ensure a good attendance. The entertainmm 1 ; announced in our last issue to come off at the Theatre Royal to-night, is postponed, the promoters not being' desirous of interfering with the success of the Penny Readings. We believe it is proposed to establish a series of drawing-room entertainments once a fortnight^ something after the fashion of conversaziones, which will permit of more frequent social reunions. By a judicious arrangement as to time, so that neither the Penny Readings nor Drawingroom Entertainments ia allowed to fall on the same evening, there is every reason to beUeve that both will become successful. A correspondent furnishes the Australasian ■with the following recipe for a steep for smut in oats, and says : — " I have used it myself in sowing oats for a number of years with pefect success : — Bore a hole liin. in the bottom of a tub or cask, put plug in, and strainer either of tin or a bunch of twigs over hoe; then dissolve two jpqunds ol blu^tpn_eJin_hot-wato^-»£^-arith six or eight buckets of cold water in pickhng tub and empty two bags of oats in, add sufficient cold water to cover the grain, and stir it well about to let the mixture get well through it ; let them remain in three or four hours ; then place a tub or cask under the plug and allow the liquor to run oif saving it for further use. With every fresh two bags add one pound of bluestone to the old liquor and treat as before. I found it best to pickle oats the morning before sowing, as they were then nearly dry when required for sowing, which can be done more evenly than if the oats are fresh out of the pickle." A correspondent supplies the Geelong Register with the following account of the advent of an interesting stranger : — " While riding yesterday across Mr G. Armytage'a run — about eight miles south of Birregurra, at about 2 o'clock — a splendid stag with large antlers, crossed our path, arid cleared a fence in a gallant style. It has justbeen chased by a large bull dog belonging to a son of Mr Michael M'Grath's, of Birremirra. The nearest deer I think are at the Werribee, and this is the first seen in the Western district. I cautioned the parties against destroying it." It may fairly be anticipated there will be a great rush for a supply of colonial cloth when our local company have determined upon holding their first sale. The " Courier " says :— " As showing the good feeling which prevails towards the Geelong Woolen aud Cloth Manufacturing Company, and the small considerations the public bestow upon ' economic conclusions,' it may not be amiss to state that several gentlemen in Ballarat have instruueted their tailors to make them suits of the Geelong cloth as soon as a supply reaches them from the mills. As a further proof of this good feeling we may add that the price is most heroically and patriotically ignored." The 'Herald' says "Some scandal has recently been created ac Ballarat by the extraordinary conduct of certain persons who defaced certain portions of the ecclesiastical furniture in St John' 8 Church, Soldier's Hill, under the impression that it was too ritualistic in tendency. The service s were on Sunday conducted by the Rev T. M. B. Phillips, of Clunes, who exchanged for that day with the Rev W. Floyd. In the morning the preacher took for his text the narrative of the vision and stoning of St Stephen ; and during the discourse referred to the embittered proceedings of the past week, exhorting the congregation to work more harmoniously, so as not to draw down upon themselves the finger of scorn from other churches and denominations. The eastern window still remains un glazed, whilst the communion table has been refitted with a cloth having a small border of gold lace around the edge, but with no hangings. There could scarcely be a more apt definition of what we have to call the new " Ministry " than is thus furnished by the " Bendigo Advertiser" : — " The end, aim, and object of the existence of the Sladen Cabinet is to carry on the government of the country in defiance of the deliberately expressed opinions of the people. It is an audacious attempt to rule the country in the interests of a minority ; aud to create and perpetuate the reign of an oligarchy. Such a government ia the logical conclusion of the attempts that have been made to enhance the authority ofthe Council by diminishing the privileges of the Assembly, and of the extraordinary reasoning which would give to our Upper House more than the powers of the House of Lords in England, and to our Lower House less than those of the House of Commons. The cloven foot has been apparent all through ; but now there is no attempt at concealment. In dealing with such a wretched sham ns the present Administration, why. should we waste time in considering its policy, or whether it has a policy in reference to the land or any other subject of public importance ? What can it possibly matter to the public what are the professions, liberal or otherwise, of a Ministry whose very existence is an outrage and aa insult to free institutions, wliich is the wretched offspring of oligarchial insolence to the people and oligarchical subservience to the dictation of Downing-street ? The political abortion, tended as it is with fond solicitude by the old women of the Upper Houso and by the enemies of Liberal principles throughout the colony, is scrofulous and rickety, and can never survive the fi-st cold blast of opposition in the popular chamber of tbe Legislature,"

Sometime since we intimate*! that the Polire had se'zel an illicit still at Paterson's Inlet, Stewart's Island. The reputed owner was, however, absent from the i land at the time, and but consequently escaped immediate prosecution, subsequently he was got hold of and the case came before tho Resident Magistrate on Tuesday, the 26th inst. Mr Macdonald acted as Crown prosecutor. The defendant conducted his own case. From the evidence it appeared that Charles Price, who had given the information leading to the seizure and who was the first witness examined, had, on the 3rd of March last, at the request of defendant, A. H. Powell, assisted him to remove some sugar, &c, from Port Wiliiam to Paterson's Inlet, and that on the following day he further assisted Powell to remove a machine to the same locality"; witness believed the machine wa3 intended for the manufacture of spirits of some sort, and stated that tlie defendant had no house or place of abode at the inlet. He said the goods — the sugar, malt, &c. — were in Paterson's Inlet now, hidden somewhere in the bush. A document, an order for the goods, or list of them, was produced, and said by witness to be in defendant's handwriting. Defendant did not cross-examine Price at any length, but simply* asked liim whether it was not a fact that he (Price) had told several persons that he wa3 going to build a craft for defendant. Witness admitted that he had said so to several parties. Sergeant Morton gave evidence as to the seizure of the still, the subsequent arrest of defendant, and the source from whence he obtained tlie written document. This document defendant admitted to be an order which he had given to a man named Lowrie to procure delivery of the goods in question from Price. Tlie still he had discovered behind Price's house, on government land. Witness, in reply to defendant admitted that he had gone to Price's house because he (defendant) had preferred a charge of robbery against him. The defendant said he would not call witnesses but would suggest to the court that the information was purely an act of revenge on the part of Price in retaliation for his having previously charged liim with robbery. He put it to liis worahip whether ii was likely that he defendant, would liave preferred such a serious charge against Price if he had been so much in his power aa had been made appear. As for the susar fuid other commodities he asserted that he, was prepered to prove if necessary that he had been both using and selling them. The malt, of which there was only a small quantity, he said waa for use in the making of yeast for baking purposes. He had asked Price the question about the building of a boat to show that it might have been about that business that he had "gone to his place); with regard to the machine he denied being at all counected with it. The Resident Magistrate held that the evidence, resting entirely on the uncorroborated statements of Price, was not sufficient to justify a conviction. The case was therefore dismissed. The " Nelson Evening Mail " has the following : — " It seems more than probable that that august body, the House of Representatives, will number amongst its ranks at its next meeting what appears to be a rara avis in the North Island — a Fenian pure et simple. The election for the representation of Weatland North in the General Assembly is almost certain to result in the return of Mr Gallagher, in oppaaition to Messrs Home and Donne, both members of our Provincial Council. Three-fourths of those eutitled to vote at this election are notoriously Fenians, and mostly located at Addison's Flat, where the late riots took place, and where Mr Gallagher polled an immense majority of votes. The honor of representing this constituency may therefore, after all, be a very questionable and perhaps ultimately prove a dangerous one. It may not be generally known that the probable successful candidate is a miner, a resident on that now notorious locality, Addison's Flat, and that he has distinguished himself on various occasions by hia vehement enunciation of those democratic principles which have lately been in vogue in that region. It is, therefore, not unreasonable to surmise that, ere Jong, an avowed exponent of Fenianism will tax to the utmost the powers of patience and wonderment with which the honorable members of that sugusfc assemblage are supposed to be eminently endowed." Mr Gallagher has since been returned by a large majority. The " Wellington Independent," of the 12th instant has the following wMi regard to the Colonial Museum : — " Since the accommodation of the Colonial Museum was increased by the addition of a wing to the original building, a number of objects of interest have been added to the collection formerly exhibited. Prominent amongst these is a mounted specimen of the * Dinornis Gigantea,' which is placed at one end of the old building, and forms a striking object. In one of the glass cases used for the exhibition of small objects is a skeleton of the kiwi, prepared by Dr Xnox. An excellent collection of weapons of war used by the Australian aborigines, and presented to the museum by Sir George Bowen, also merits attention. The geological department ha 9 been enriched by some excellent maps, amongst which are three or four of the Waikato coal fields. Thero is in one case a specimen of brown paper, manufactured from the " phormium tenax," by Dr Von Mueller ; and in another two or three very handsome inlaid tables made of New Zealand woods. A number of photographs of the hot springs at Rotohama, most of them taken by Dr Kinder, are also worth notice. But the chief object of attraction to visitors appears to be a Maori house, which occupies one ond of the new wing. «The house is remarkable for the quantity of carving with whicli it is decorated, upon every side post and rafter being cut figures of celebrated chiefs of the Poverty Bay district, altogether about 100 in number. The house was taken possession of by our forces when Tauranga was captured shortly after the Hawke's Bay invasion in 1866. It was erected about twenty years ago by the Ngatikahunguna, for the brother of Raharui Rakapo, and took several years in building. It ia one of the most, if not the most, beautifully car7ed native houses in the country, and it ia a matter of regret that more care has not been taken in its erection in the museum. The museum also contains auother fine specimen of native carving in the shape of the bow of a canoe. Altogether, the collection now exhibited at the Colonial Museum is highly creditable to those who have the management of the institution." The price of the " Melbourne Age " is to be reduced to one penny fron} the lst of June.

According to the last accounts from America, uew poldfields have been discovered at a locality on the Rocky Mountains, at Sweetwater, in Dacota, fifty miles from Omaha, within a 10^ miles of the route to be traversed by the Union Pacific Railroad, which in extent and richness, and facilities for working, are likely to surpass any yet opened up. A table compiled from the census taken in December last, and published in the New Zealand Gazgtte of the 14th inst., shows the total number of acres under cultivation (including in this term land sown in grass) in the province of Auckland at the end of last year to have been 129,677 acres *, in Taranaki, 16,784 acres ; in Wellington, 133,888 acres; in Hawke's Bay, 31,254 i acres ; in Nelson, 41,614 acres : in Marlborough, 17,984 acres; in Canterbury, 152,659 acres; in Otago, 122,209 acres; in Southland, 31,03 i* acres; in the Chatham Islands, 341 f acres; total, 677,445 acres. The table also shows the number of acres fenced to _ have been— Auckland, 207,994 acres ; Tranaki, j 18,906 acres ; Wellington, 266,308 acres ; j Hawke's Bay, 217,005 acres ; Nelson, 459,327 acres ; Marlborough, 273,382 acres ; Canterbury, 1,013,523 acres : Otago, 665,572 acres ; Southland, 302.185 acres ; Chatham Islands, 933 acres ; total, 3,455,535 acres. The London correspondent of the " Melbourne Herald says :— " A few days ago the Dowager La ly Tichborne died very suddenly. She had from the first interview acknowledged the Australian claimant as her son. Her death wiU greatly complicate thia romantic case. There were suspicions of foul play, but at the inquest no evidence waa forthcoming that could at, all sustain this. At the funeral there was some disturbance, another member of the family taking the place of chief mourner, from wliich he was ejected by Sir Roger Tichborne. Several letters have appeared in the ' Times ' about it, and two from influential residents in the district acquit c Sir Roger ' of all blame, and speak in positive terms of hia identity with the long-lost heir." We learn from a Melbourne paper that the Australian Medical Journal for this month contains, amon gst other uaeful communications, one by Mr John Wilkins, F.R.C.S., Collins-street, detailing the great assistance of the lately discovered instruments, known aa the laryngoscope and rhinoscope in ascertaining the real nature of diseases situated in the nose, throat, and windpipe to the lunga. By reflected light these hitherto hidden parts are now brought completely into view. The two illustrations given by the doctor will, no doubt, be interesting to the curious, as the removal of two tumours from the back of the nose is a triumph of treatment we have not heard -of before in the colony, though wo believe this feat has been accomplished frequently in Europe, and with the most satisfactory results. The other case is a splendid illustration of the good wliich may result from the system of treatment pursued, as the disease was discovered and a cure effected in in a few weeks, though it had existed many years. The "Age" announces that there will be an " equivalent " of the impeachment of President Johnson of. the United Statea, "in Victoria, before another month ia passed." Is this an authentic announcement, or is it gasconade ?