Local and General.

Southland Times, Issue 979, 3 July 1868, Page 2

Local and General.

By the arrival of the fararus., wa«i»-in?th» possession of two days later news from- ;ltsl» bourne. The intelligence is most important, the Assembly has taken up a definite attitude of t> most serious character^ in consequence of th» refusal of the Governor to comply with th» request embodied in the addreas pf the Assembly, on the question of the Darling Grant. ■■..-■- ■: ; V The following is the state of H.M. Gaol at Invercargill for the month ending 30th June ult. Sentenced to penal servitude, 4 males j sentenced to - hard labor, 4 males ; imprisonment . only, B males ; awaiting trial at Supreme Court, 2 male* » criminal lunatic, 1, male ; total, 13 males. Be* ceived during the month, 4 males and 2 females. Discharged during £he month, 1 male and 2 females. Increase for the month,' S males. The sixth of the Fenny Readings comes off in the* Theatre Boyal to-night. The , programme, which is an excellent one, appears in another column. '■''■'■- „...■;.' _ •■.;' ;./*~, .'_:i >?. \ ■ ■ The annual meeting of the member*" of : the Southland dub was held on Tuesday, 80th June. Mr J. Mitchell was called to the chair. Th» Hon. Secretary brought "up hi* report, and m committee was elected to consider the working of the institution, to report to the members on Tuesday -next.'- > • -' We learn that the vessel that Mr Harrold has for a length of time been constructing on Stewart's Island is completed, and fiurly afloat. We have received the following description of the new craft. She is a fine strong, built vessel, 80 feet long, 22 feet breadth of beam, and 8 feet 6 inches depth of hold! AU the inside timbers are ironwood, and all tree, nailed iwith ironwood. The iron work used, was manufactured by Ifr Wilson of the Otago Iron Foundry- The sails, riggings, &c, are of the very best description, and when completed she will be 'one of tb* smartest vessels on the coast of New Zealand. Mr Harrold has had great difficulties to contend with since he laid the keel of this craft ; but he has now overcome them all. . ! A Melbourne paper says.— "The true oriental ruby exists, and has been found in ouTvVictorian mines, is now beyond a doubt. Some years ago Dr Bleasdale mentioned that one had been found by Mr Ulrich, the able minerabgUt of th» Q-eological Survey, not far . from Mount Silica* Some people were sceptical on this pointy and though Mr Ulrich had mistaken some other hard Bubstance for the ruby. Curiously enough, the unmistakeably evidences of its existence among us have, come from that district, and a couple of dozen of these interesting crystals, picked rout of a very miscellaneous jumble of matters generally found about pur primitive formations/ hare bee» shown to us. Among the allied substances was • new color of sapphire— -the oriental aquamarine — and the green sapphire." ; ;