Probinical Mems.

Southland Times, Issue 967, 12 June 1868, Page 5

Probinical Mems.

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 tbe interests of a minority, and to create and perpetuate the reign of an oligarchy. Such a government is the logical conclusion of the attempts that have been made to enhance the authority of the Council by diminishing the privileges of the Assembly, and of the extraordinary reason' ig ■which would give to our Upper House more thau the powers of the House of Lords in Ec^cnd, and to our Lower House less than thote of the House of Commons. The cloven foot has b.on apparent all through ; but now there is no attempt at concealment. In dealing with such a -wretched sham as the present Administratior, ■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 an insult to free institutions, which is the wretched offspring of oligarchial insolenc ' to the people and oligarchical subservience to tte dictation of Dowuing- street? The political abortion, tended as it is with fond solicitude by the old women of th-j Upper House and by the enemies of Liberal principles throughout the colony, is scrofulous and rickety, and can never survive tte first cold blast of opposition in the popular chamber of the Legislature."

The Otago " Daily Times," 25th. ult., says :— " A statsnient was recently published in the * Oamaru Times/ that ' there are rumors 5i town of the discovery of a payable goldfield in. Oatna-u ;' and some particulars as to what was known in Oamaru, were added. There seems to be reason to conclude that a payable goldfield has been discovered in the Oamaru distiict; but there is nothing known as the result of official inquiry and nothing to cause excitement at present. We give the following as the substance of what is known in Dunediu on the subject 5 but we do not give it officially, or as absolutely reliable. Last week, two men, it is said, applied to the Government to be allowed to see the maps of a district between a pass, which they caPed ' Dandy's,' and the Maruwhenua river. The men stated that they had been prospecting for some weeks ; that tbev had found ' better gold than there was on the Mount Ida side of the range ;' that there was plenty of excellent sluicing ground ; and that they had been making capital wages. The men stated that they had ' settled dowti' to work, and were sure they could have done excellently ; but that when they were cutting a tail-race, a man came on the ground and claimed, as private property, land through which about 100 yards of the race would have had to be cut. The men, as we hea^ stated that they offered to pay highly for the land, or for the right to cut the race ; but that the claimant would nofc accept any of their_terms^ a;i,v», J -«ri *__*^i-^«jin7trneain, "to inquire into the matter. They pointed out on the map, as the site of their working, a spot where there is no sold land ; and which spot is not within a Q-oldfield or a Hundred. The situation of the spot indicated by the men is said to be — On the Mavuwhenua river, seven miles from Graham and Cook's station, half a mile west of the Ma i-uwhenua Hundred line, and three quarters of a mile south of Trig Station G. The men promised to put in a letter of application ; and they were assured, as we are told, that whatever could be done to secure them 'protection,' under the circumstances, should be done promptly. They did not, however, keep their promise ; and they have probably returned to their work."

For the last eight or ten days we have been enduring a spell of weather wet, cold, and boisterous, such as is not equalled in the menrory of the oldest inhabitant. Heavy showe;3 of rain and hail, varied occasionally with one of snow, have succeeded each other almost y\ ithout intermission, while the cold blasts accompanying them have been sufficient to drive a damp chill to the very marrow. In town and country tl:e severity and duration of the storm has put a stop to business and rendered every one dull and miserable. On Tuesday afternoon and night the heaviest rain fell, and a thunderstorm, remarkable for the loudness of tiie peals aud the brilliancy of the lightning flashes, passed ov«»r the town about midnight. We fear to hear of serious damage being done by the swoollen rivere in the interior. It is to be hoped Ihat the storm will soon have exhausted itself and that a succession of genial weather may compensate us for that we are now suffering.

The thirteen ma ; 's a month arrangement of the P. and O. Company is now generally acknowledged to be an inconvenience rather than a benefit. Tb.9 " Argus," 23rd May, has the following reznprks, which we most fully endorse. It says : — ' Tie dissatisfaction to which the new mail arrangements have given rise in England is largely participated in by the inhabitants of these Colonies. The one additional mail per annum confers no substantial advantage on us, while the constantly varying dates at which the monthly steamer takes her departure hence for Point de Galle, is a source of perplexity and inconvenience to correspondents on this side of the globe. "When ihe mail left regularly on the same day of the month, the routine of business readily accommodated itself to an arrangement which feH in with the methodical habits of mercantile people, while the date fastened itself on the memory of the general public, and encouraged punctuality and regularity on the part of letter writers. As regards the receipt of correspondence from England, in reply to commercial advices, orders, or inquiries from Australia, a delay of a month has to be submitted to. because all letters forwarded via Southampton reach the Mother country the day after the outward mail has been despatched ; and with respect to those which are posted via Marseilles, the interval allowed for answering them — four diiys only — is obviously too 'short, considering the magnitude of the transactions to which that correspondence relates, the varied channels from which information has to be col--1 ;cL>d, and the fullness with which, it has to be given." "We take the following from the " Lyttelton Times," 27th May :— "The Inspectors under the Diseased Cattle Act are now employed in the destruction of the whole of the mob belonging to Mr Grigg, originally affected with this disease. Kfteen of the mob were shot, which is as many as can. be buried in one day. We understand that Mr Grigg has consented to allow the animals

to be destroyed, the Government having promised to use their influence -with the Provincial Council to get them to award him £o per head compensation. Many of the mob are splendid bullocks, and at present apparently healthy. We regret to have to state that Mr Hill found it necessary to bring in and shoot a Canterburybred cow, bearing Mr G. H. Lee's brand, from off the Maori run. On opening this animal, the usual signs of pkuro-pneumonia were very apparent." The "Bruce Herald," in reporting the proceedings at the Grain and Seed Show at Tokomairiro, remarks : — " No weather could have been more favorable or delightful, and no building or arrangements could have been belter selected or made, than the fine, clear frosty morning of Friday the 22nd, and the Volunteer Hall, Milton, so well adapted for the successful issue of the Second Annual Grain and Seed Show '. of the Tokomairiro Farmers' Club. Yet, we are reluctantly compelled to confess our disappoint- > ment and astonishment, that so little interest : was manifested in the proceedings, by those for whose special benefit these shows of farm produce have been organised and established, The entries in all the classes were but few in number, and the visitors, exclnsive of the competitors, who were naturally specially interested, were very limited." The " Argus" says Mrs. Florence Williams, the lady who is to make her first appearance before an Australian audience at the Duke of Edinburgh Theatre shortly, is an Italian by birth, and the daughter of Mr G. P. R. Jemes, the wellknown novelist. She resided during many years of her life at Florence, where Mr James, as is well-known, was consul. She has latterly resided in America, where she became connected with the stage, and where she married. She has never played in public in Europe, but as an amateur Bhe had much experience, and in this way she acquired that passion for the art which circumstances eventually determined her upon adopting as her profession. The educational and social advantages she has enjoyed afford reason for anticipating that in her the Melbourne stage will gain a valuable addition to its resources. We learn from the " Lyttelton Times " of the 22nd inst., that there is little likelihood of the recent attempt to introduce salmon into the province of Canterbury, being attended with any successful results. Since the day of landing from Otago, one hundred of the eggs thought to be in good condition have gone bad. One hundred gave symptoms of vitality, but there is an appearance about them which the curator by no means likes to see. They still seem to be good, but have made no progress towards hatching, which they should have done by this time, con ■ sidering the forward state they were in when landed here. Every care was taken in the removal of the ova from Dunedin to prevent shaking, and since their arrival at the Acclimatisation Gardens, no effort has been spared to briug its introduction to a successful issue. The curator attributes the cause of failure — for he almost despairs of any of the eggs being hatched — to the state of the ice-house on the to* age out. On its arrival at Dunedin, it was found that JjQlllii-o£-tKa-J-°" >i-H If-- 1 , l-.l3^««i-wnrTTH-nT-T:|m-boxes containing the ova were subject to be disturbed by every motion of the vessel. The "Evening Star" of the 28th inst., says : — The ceremony of laying the foundaticn stone of the new First Church of Otago took place to-day. The proceedings were to have commenced at noon, but there was a delay in consequence of the nonarrival of the Rev. D. M. Stuart, who was to have opened the proceedings with prayer. There was another short delay occasioned by a portion of the raised platform, which surrounded the foundation stone, having given way. Of course the occupants were precipitated to the ground, but fortunately the fall was a slight one, and no person was hut't. There was a large attendance of the members of the congregation and others ; and amongst those present we noticed the Rsv. Mr Will, and the Rev. R. Connebeo. The Rev. Mr Sutherland, junior pastor of the Church, then mounted the platform, and announced that the Rev. Mr Stuart's absence was owiDg to a family bereavement. The choir of the church, under the lnadership of Mr Taylor, sang the 300uh psalm, and the Rev. Mr Scrymgeour read the 4Sth psalm, after which the Rev. Mr Sutherland engaged in prayer. Mr Lawson, the architect, then came forward, and placed in a tin box the following articles: an illuminated document containing the day's proceedings, a list of the fiVst arrivals in the province ; photographs of the Reverend Dr Burns, and the Reverend Mr Sutherland, and also of the church and manse ; a list of the names ot the past and present ministers of the Presbyterian Church in tbe p-o---vinces of Otago aud Southland ; a list of J :he names of the ministers, deacons, and elders o" the First Chuvch j a copy of the printed p oceedings of the first meeting of the Otago Synod ; statement of contributions to the Chuuch funds during the yeara 1865-6-7 ; statistics of the province for the 1867 ; a copy of the first newspaper published iv the province — (the " Otago jSews," January, 1C49) ; a copy of this morning's " Daily Times," a copy of the " Evening Mail ' of last n?ghtj a copy of Mackay's Almanac for 1868 ; and the following coins : — sovereign, halfsovereign, five-shilling piece, half-a-crown, florin, shilling, sixpence, fourpence, threepence, one penny, halfpenny, and farthing. A person present prodnced a silver twopenny piece, and this was also placed in the box, which was theu hermetically sealed. Mr Lawson then advanced, and addressing the Rev. Dp Burns, said that it was his pleasing duty to present (on behalf of the contractors, Messrs D. and J. Hunter) the rev. gentleman with the (rowel with which to lay the foundation-stone of the First Church; and in doing so, to express the warmest wishes of the donor 3, that he (the rev. gentleman) might be spared to witness the completion of the buildiug, The tin box was theu placed in a cavity prepared for its reception, and the block of stone which was to cover it was then 'owered and placed in its position. The Fay. Doctor then applied the rule and level, tapped the store thrice with a ma^efc, and then declared the stone to be well and truly laid. Three cheers were called for and heartily given ; after which the assemblage was addressed by the Rev. Messrs Sutherlaud, Sciymgeour, and Connebee. After the choir sang an anthem, the benediction wa6 pronounced by the Rev. Dr Burns, and the proceedings terminated. The trowel, which was presentsd to the Rev. Dr Burns, bore a suitable inscription, and was supp?vd by Mr Hislop, of I iiucea-3treet.

A late accident on board the steamer Clarence, in Sydney harbor, is reported by the " Herald " as follows :— " This vessel left the wharf at a quarter past five p.m., bound to Brisbane, and when off the Sow and Pigs lightship, a sudden burst of flame and cry of fire caused her commander, Captain Fitzsimons, to order tha engines to be stopped. The alarm originated in the drawing of the stays of one of the boilers, causing a jet of fire to be ejected, by which a fireman named Peter Eoach was severely injured. The ship was immediately anchored, and a boat dispatched to town with the unfortunate man. A second boat was also sent up to town, apprising Captain Mnnro, the company's superintendent, of the circumstance. The Clarence was towed to the company's moorngs at Pyrmont. Her de« parture for Brisbane will be delayed for a day or two. The accident is thus accounted for. For? stays in the back of the fire-box having given way, a sudden rush of water on to the coals 5n the furnace displaced the fires, and blew the flame upon the unfortunate fireman." We (" Talbot Leader") are sorry to hear that pleuro-pneumonia, which it was believed and hoped had been cleared the country, has again broken out in this neighborhood, three head c f cattle having recently died in the locality of Evansford from undoubted cases of this direfi 1 ! scourge. A Kyneton (Victorian) paper writes :- " The high price of wheat this season is inducing nearly every one to sow it largely. We have heard of as many as ICB acres being sown on a farm of a little over 200 acres. It h possible to overdo this cereal, and next year may be either a year of plenty with low prices, or the wheat crop may be a failure and prices indifferent. In either case, oats will command good prices, from the small extent to which they are sown. To the small farmer w e would say sow oats — the seed will cost 10s an acre, while wheat cost 20s. Oats are woith now from 4s to 4s 4d per bushel, with every prospect of rising ; and should the mania for wheat- sow ing continue, oats must rule high next year." The "Age" announces that there will be an 'equivalent" of the impeachment of President Johnson of the United States, "in Yictoria,before another month is passed." Is this an authentic announcement, or is it gasconade ? An announcement is made elsewhere that a fresh programme is to be produced this evenirg at the Theatre Royal. We observe that the renowned Irish comedy, by Dion Boucicai.lt, of ' Andy Blake" is included. Wherever this piece has been performed the encoDiums of the press have been unanimously in its favor. The attraction, therefore, is greater than usual to-night. We understand the oil painting of H.M.S. Brisk, laying in the Port Chalmers Harbor, painted by OaptaiD Eobertson, which has been for some time on view at the Couthland Hotel, is to be raflled. The paiater is celebrated for his marine pictures. The drawing will take place at the shop of Mr K. Rose, Dee-street. In a review of the condition of the Province of Auckland, the ' Southern Cross ' of the 21st says : — In native matters, we regret that things have not been so satisfactory as could be wished. The Ea3t Coast natives hare,_on several .occasions.. ~come^reto"c6nEactlvith" the local forces, with loss on both sides. The murders of Mr Bennett White, and of two other settlers will fill another dark page in the history of New Zealand colonisation. There have been large meetings of the naves at Tokangamutu and elsewhere, and the evident desire of the majority, including the King, is for present peace, but there is a small section which is us anxious as ever to try conclusions with the Pakehas. The establishment of the King's sovereignty in the interior is as complete as if the Europeans had never attempted to combat it, and the only policy to be adopted is that of letting the natives alone. The attempts made to break the aukati which ha 3 been establ:shed in the interior have proved futile; and, entrenched as it were behind it, Tawhiao holds his sw?y undisturbed. Time only will bring about the thorough intercourse and friendly feeling which the colonists of Auckland really wish to exist between the natives and themselves. In v 13 Bay of Islands district there have been colJ'sions between the Ngapuhi and Rarawa tribes, but G-overnment has wisely refraiued from interfering. His Excellency Sir Gh Bo wen last month paid a visit to the Bay, for the purpose of attending the hvge meeting of the Natives which was to be held in hono.* of the arrival of the Duke of Edinburgh. There was but a small attendance, the fghting wbrch was then going on proving so great on attract ion that even the advent of a new Gove. nor could not counterbalance it. Sir Greorge ha 3 also visited the Native settlement at Orakei, and is now on a journey through the Waikato district, in some portion of which it is anticipated there will shortly be a large meeting of Natives. The visit, however, has not, we believe, any poetical significance, but is merely carried out for the purpose of affording his Excellency a personal knowledge of the gieat capab"' ; ties of this province." We take the following items of Northern news from the "Wellington Independent," of May 23rd : — " The news from the Upper Thames is of a mort unsatisfactory and threatening character. The contemplated rebellious movement against the Waikato is now definitely fixed to tak 3 place during the present or ensuing month ; and Hauraki is to remain peaceful ■while this is being carried on. Some fifty or sixty head of Messrs Buckland and Firth's cattle are repor'ed to have again been seized, and are now runuiug at Manawaru. There has been some further fighting at Hokianga. A correspondent of the "Hevald" writes: — Several skirmishes have taken place between the Earawas aad Hikutu section of the Ngapuhi tribe, in one of which, on the 10th or 11th instant, three of the former were badly wounded, and one of the latter — a young man from the Waiinat —is missing since tbe fight. In a second skirmish which had taken place at an earl'er period, one man belonging to the chief Mohi Tawhia's tribe, was shot through the back. The bal! has since been extracted, and the sufferer (a half-caste), is likely to recover. A few hours befora the Tauraaga sailed from the Bay a report was prevalent that the Hokianga postal an had brought inte" 'gence of another fierce contest between the two tribes, during which the murderer (Te Weka, of the Earawas), had been fled, and one of Mohi Tawhia's tiibe dangerously wounded. We may staie, however, that the report is not believed by the settlers at Russell, and we ourselves do not place much faith in it. A report reached Awanr r shortly before the Fortune sa -l ed for Auckland, that, during the ]ate skirmish at Whakatane, one of

the Queen's natives had been killed and a European wounded. Hostilities are said to be impending in the Waikato." A correspondent of the " Southern Cros3 " writes from the Upper Thames as follows : — " On the 2nd instant Tukukino, Heopa, and Tareranui returned from, Tokanganiatu. They report that all tho roads are closed against anyone returning from Tokangamutu by the King's orders ; and also that Tana te Waharoa was on his way to that place, aud was stopped by his Majesty's roadkeepers. He told (hem he was going to Tokangamutu, and then proposed returning to his tribe. The road aukati guard thereupon stripped him of his clothes and horse, burnt the clothes, and sent him back to his settlement and people. This was Tawhia's orders to the roadkeepers. Te Hira, Tukukiuo, Tareranui, and Hoepa, have been as 1 pous 1 for the people, that is, head men to collect theai together by his Majesty's orders. A lar^e meeting of natives was held on Thursday last, the 14th instaht, in commemoration of the battle of Moutea, at London, the chief settlement on the Wanganui river, when the recently elected Maori rapresentative — Mete King' — wa3 present to meet lvs constituents. The tribes numb.-r 88 n men' and as a token of their coafidence and approval, they presented Mete K : ngi with a greenstone ■weapon, three native ga oients, and the sum of £13 7s 6d, this being given, we presume, with the idea of paying him for representing them " The Chrouicle' says : — " List week a body of N"utiraukawa3 — the dissentients to the Manawatu ,purchase — drove off some thirty or forty head of cattle fro-n part of the block, on the other side of the Rangitikei Elver, held under leases granted some yearj ago by the trib<- ■, and st ; 'l occupied. It will be remembered that during the negotiation for the purchase of this block, the rents were impounded by the Superiuteudent ; but since the bock was announced as purchased the lessees thought no more of paying rent to the natives. However, the Ngatiraukawas, resenting the decision of the Native Lands Court, at Otaki, proceeded to sweep off the herds of settlers' cattle } ostensibly for rents — of which at any time that ti'ibe was only entitled to one tlr'-d. The cattle will doubtless be brought back, by the settlers turning out iv force ; but this state of things is rather unpleasant, and to say the least, a step unadvisedly taken by the non-sellers themselves." One thousand two hundred acres, in the Takitimo district, were sold at yesterday's sitting of the Waste Lands Board. Mr Eose, Bookseller, Dee-street, has sent us a specimen of the Cainden Envelope, patented by the Messrs G-oodall ; the novelty consists simply in the gum being deposited on the portion of the envelope covered by the flap, instead of on the flap itself, thereby avoiding the disagreeable operation of we fcl ing the gum, and at the same time preventing the possibility of the destruction of part of ths contents. The envelope will no doubt come into very general use. An accident, happily resulting in nothing vei/ serious, occurred in Tay-street, on Monday forenoon last. A horse attached to an express waggon ran away from Mr dai-Lo'e Cor-ial \la"nu factory, ard ia dasbing oat of the entry and acioss the street came so violently into collision with a two horse team which happened to be passing, as to throw the whole lot iuto a confused heap amongst the mud, which is pretty deep just there, lhe joint exertions of the respective driver 3 soon succeeded ia extricating the astonished ar : mals from their entanglement of ropes, chains, and st"aps, and allowing them io rega : i t~ie ; v legs. The express hots?, (said to be a vevy quiet; one) evidently of opinion that he had Dot done mischief enough, then made another -vigo-ous attempt to bolt, and, but for the determined manner iv which Phail, the driver of the team knocked down, held on to the reins, would do doubt have succeeded in continuing his volutary gallop along Tay-stieet and in doing more damage. He Avas, however, at length paciGed and induced to resume h'"s work ia more sober style. It was fortunate t'uat no one happened to be crossing the right-of-way afc the time, or the ace'dent might have had a fatal teroii nation, as it wa3, Mr Phail had a vevy nairow escape, as had also bis horses from the shafts of the waggon. The New York correspondent of the "S. M. Herald " reports that — " Professor Anderson has met a sad end. A few days ago he committed Buicide in Cincinnati, where he was performing, first having killed his little son. Domestic trouble is assigned as the cause, the despatch stating that Mrs Anderson had the day before left Cincinnati in company with an employe of her husband's. She was *olegraphed to on the road, and on receiving the terrible iatel 'gence she returned to the city. In an article advocating the establishment of a market and Corn Exchange, the " Oamaru Times" says : — " The Grain and Scsds Show recently he l d in Oamaru, brought out all the mo -c forcibly the advantages which nrght be expected to accrue from the establishment of a Farmers' Club, or some cognate institution which would provide facilit';s for agriculturists to meet together and compare notes as io the results of ther experience in the treatment of certain soils, the cultivation of the different kinds of farm produce, the best mode of treatment to be adopted to prevent the occurrence of disease in grain, or for its cure, if such disease occur — the breeds of cattle and sheep best suited for pavticular districts, and the best grasses for permanent pasture on the various soils. There is now no opportunity of obtaining the collective result o2 the experience gained by the farmers of the district — the intercourse of most being principally confined to their near neighbors. Had we even a recognised Corn Exchange or Market, held at a set time and place, there would be some such opportunity for the dissemination of much valuable information j but as we have neither, it is much to be desired that steps should bo initiated to provide what is felt to be a great desideratum to agriculturists. There is another point of view, in which the establishment of a recognised Market-day and a Corn Exchange is very desirable, viz., the being able to fix with a much greater degree of accuracy than is at present possible, the market price of tbe various descriptions of agricultural produce." The election of a successor to Mr Moorhouse, late Superintendent of Canterbury, took place on the 23rd ult., and resulted in the unopposed return of ¥"-.• Eolleston. Far less interest appears to have been displayed in tt : s election than on any previous similar accasiou.

The election of a successor to Mr Moorhouse, late Superintendent of Canterbury, took place on the 23rd ult., and resulted in the unopposed return of ¥"-.• Eolleston. Far less interest appears to hare been displayed in tt : s election than on any previous similar accasiou.