Probincial Mems.

Southland Times, Issue 979, 3 July 1868, Page 5

Probincial Mems.

" ' !Mr Charles Rou3 Mai tea, Director of-Meteoro- ' ' 'ogiea! Stations, report* as follows : — Th.9. weather ;V ! during the month of May was unsettled and ~ r ?howery in. an. unusual degree, but no heavy rain "'"'' occurred, and there.were several intervals of five „. father, lasting from three to four days each". ' JJThe wind was moderate throughout} the strongest ■ v . hreeze - was from the eastward on the 24th. ... - iJuring the 24thi a severe storm passed : some ' Ip&ei to the southward. The day.at this Station '■ "■ ■*&» extremely fine, and the barometer high. ;• The . ,: mean temperature of the month was 46*3 deg, i > rwhich is 0-7 deg. below the average of nine years. The rainfall was -892 inches } which does not • differ ■materially from the average of the same v \ period: The readings of the instruments were as -"•' follows :— Barometer— maximum, 80*288 inches ? '- - (3rd and- 22nd) . Barometers-minimum, 29310 inches (Ist). Barometer— mean, 29-941 inches. '■■'■ Birometep--range,lQ < 978 : inches (aU corrected . : and reduced to 82 deg Pah., and sea level. '■'"' Thermometer in shade— maximum, 64-8 deg. ' (l9th). Thermometer in shade— minimum,. 246 """'' deg. (4th). Thermometer in shade— mean, 46*3 deg. Thermometer in shade— total range,. 402 1 deg. Thermometer, in shade — mean daily rangs " 17-1 deg. Radiation— Solar maximum, 94-9 deg. '■■■■■■■ (9fch). Radiation— terrestrial minimum, 18*2 deg. (4(h). Hygrometer— mean dew-point, 40'ldeg. ■ / Hygrometer— mean vapor tension, 0 f 248 inch.- :'. Hygrometer— mean huiridity, "79 inch. Rain-fafl-^tctal in month, 3-92 inches. Rainfall— - c maxunum daily, 057 inches (Ist). Rainfall— at days rauvfeli, 17. Evaporation— total in d month, 2-42 inches. Cloud— mean amount, (0-10) ■ ?4'9. Wind— N., 2 days $ S.E., 4 ; W.< 9j ;* NVW., 14 days. Anembmeterr-mean daily mfove • ._ i ment, 171 miles. Anemometer-r-maximum daily ; -. movement— 3Bo (253). Thunder on 21st j hail ■■ : - 30th ; fog on 20th. Towards midnight "'*■"" Non the 31st a Btorm commenced, which conr * "'tinued during the Ist, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of June; ";'..<■'■ it-was remarkable for its severity and duration, 1 ; but belongs 1 rather to the June, than the May ■"' : , : report, although it demands notice in the latter, ! as having begun at the- close of that month." "-'■ '■ The- Amateur Evening ; Entertainment, in aid 1 ' of'the-funds o( ttie Southland Hospital, that took 1^ .place at" the Theatre Royal on Wednesday, 24th TV June, was one; of the best that has yet been ■* -given. Notwithstanding the audience was not ' ' 'nearly io numefous as had been expected, all who srere present appeared to be more than satisfied .- !with the programme provided, and expressed sur'^priseat' the 'number of accomplished lady and : 'gentlemen amafenrs " who ' gave their assistance ?upon. this • occasion.; The acquisition of lady .: amateurs should- encourage : the committee, to continue their exertions, W convince them that j ' there'is talent in'lnvercargul, which when brought .-. together, . can produce a most enjoyable and in--V -structive 'entertainment: The; promotera of these ' : popular reunions are ßeserving; of praise for, the c Jperfept arrangements. made, and we hope the "", will support them, in their worthy efforts ; toswell-the funds of our public institutions. !It •". is not usual to "'cbmment in detail upon an ". amaienir 'performance, suffice it. to say that all 'strove to do well, and: succeeded. Most of the • lady yocaUstff were honored with encores, arid all ' met with marked^expressiohslof approbation. The '; : mstrumen^i musip was extremely creditable'to '/ the performera. : The readings displayed gobd >- taste on the part of the selectors/ and full justice '■- the authors in the rendering. An;l important feature of the evening was the delivery V ; of a Bhortond instructive lecture, which was "V listened to with great attention throughout. • ' : *'A fafal accident occurred to a little Maori ~L Vgirl, fiye jears "of age, at.Riverton. on the -18t*a .Thursday hwt; The child, named Mary i Murphy, had beenplaynig about the door of her 1 ;iather^'s'. house" without jainy particular attention 7 ; being paid tq her, after awhile searci was made;and she-was traced for v short distance,; to where •s 'the trunk of a* lar^e tree was laying across* the "liver Waimatuku. If was t at once feared tha the. child had attempted to.crosß the. dangerous - bridge thus formed, and" a search a little lower - down proved that" etfeh had been the case, as "her body was discovered at the edge of the .'. stream, quite, dead. At an inquest, which was .'■ held an Mondayi a verdict in accordance with the ■' fact was 'returned. J^rom fixe annual. summary of imports and ex ports it appears that the value of articles impor«fed into Victoria during 1867 was L 11,674,080, '■ and of the exports L 12,724,427. Of the imports , ---L5,943,455 were from the ITnited Kingdom, L3,271,42l from other British possessions ; (principally the neighboring colonies) and L 2,459,264 from foreign states.. Of the exports r7T-L9^76,715.were the produce of manufacture of Victoria, L 1,145,830 of the United Kingdom, L95i,550 of other British dominions, and 1650,332 of foreign states. The gold exported was worth L 5,738,993; the wool L 3,818,347 ; •antunony ore, L 497 2; black sand, L 861 2; flour, X75.849; wheat, L 31,85 6; hides, 126,775; leather, L 70,803 j and : tallow, L 34,686. The. Melbourne correspondent of the "Daily Times " writes :—" I understand that some Victorian shorthand writers have been engaged to proceed almost, immediately to Wellington, New; Zealand, to report the coming Bea'sion of the General Assembly. The Parliament of New South 'Wales will meet for the despatch of i .business at the end of August." •■- A meeting of the Committe of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, appointed to confer with the Government aa to the grant of a site fora Show yard, was held on Saturday, 20th ult. The Secretary stated that the Committee had - visited all the localities where there were Government reserves, and selected, as the most suitable place a,.blook of/land situated on the North Road, being the corner section to Gala-street. He had applied to His Honor for a grant or lease of this block. In an 'interview with His Honor he was informed that the application had been placed before the Executive, but it was considered that the land ; applied for could not be so appropriated, it bein» reserved for public buildings, but expressed a desire; on the part of the Government to aid the Association as far as possible, in the obtainance of another suitable site. The Treasurer (MrDalgleish) stated that he also had had an interview with His ; Honor who had expressed to him the same kindly, feelings towards the Society, and pointed out other* sites available. Tho vice-President stated that - iipoh learning the results of these niH r>ie,ws, 'himself and other Members of the iQotminktee had selected the section adjoining the. Cricket ground-as thenext best one to be applied

for, althouglritwniidrbe somewhat expensive toclear. He had, liowm>r, oalled for tendore for tho work, and ur number of tenders had been sent in, frour £18 upwards. ' It was resolved that a deputation- should wait upon His Honor with.r.efrrenoe to the granting or leasing oi'tbis land, with, instructions to contract for the clearing oflthe same upon the arrangements for its transfer to the Association being completed. The fourth of the Penny Readings entertainments came off at the Theatre Royal on f riday 19th June, "with the same success aB has hitherto rewarded the efforts of the Committee of management. The lower part 'of the house wag respectably filled, and the audience seemed to enjoy themselves bb much, and to feel as comfortable as they did. in the building where the previous meetings were held. Amongst a number of old acquaintances who appeared on the Btage, one or two new friends put in an ap« [ pearance, and took part, in the programme. The readings were all well giv«n, and attentively listened' to, the house being found much easier to fill with the voice than was anticipated, the muisical pieces, ((instrumental) were also rendered with that preoision and taste whibh is alwayß apparent in the playing of our amateurs. There was, however, one element of the r proceeding evenings noticeably absent on this occasion, vis. :— vocal music. The lateness of tfee time at which the Committee decided to continue their entertainments at the TheatreV probably prevented the vocalists from getting anything, prepared, and the defect will no doubt be remedied on the next occasion. The following prologue was read by Mr Irvine,' and was thoroughly appreciated by the : audience j— : PROLOGUE. What I Penny Readings living one night more ! I thought they would have died out long before j As, judging from the history of the past, Twas judg'd that certainly they could not last ; And that it would be very useless trouble To take part in a Penning Reading bubble : "For in all things we tried, decline was chronic— They broke up like, pur poor old Philharmonic : Societies and wooden rails alike were rotten — They Boon decayed and quickly were forgotten. Those times are long gone by ; we'll look before To brighter days than e'er were days of yore j : — The fatal crisis past, we'll hope to see A golden era of prosperity. I know there are some grumblers left in town Who fatten in the place, yet cry it down ; There may be also left, in town, a few Who say that they can nothing get to do ;. But I believe they have themselves to blame, ; and that, if elsewhere, they'd just say the same. I think, my friends, there is sufficient cause To say traded better than it " use' to was./ A person very seldom now, we find, Slopes off, not leaving his" address behind;— Yet people used to <lo so very often — . I heard of one man leaving in a coffin j — But now, when everyone is making money, We never here of anything so funny. Since, then, in these times everyone's succeeding, Be sure success will crown our Penny Reading. The "Daily Times," 16th June, says:— "Qn Friday night, about six o'clock, a land-slip took place at Mr W. Hooper's residence, Surry Gardens, Peninsula, happily unattended with loss of life. The house, consisting of five rooms and dairy, : s. situated about four chains from theeige of the Bay, on a considerable incline, which had . been, excavated a breadth of 40 feet, to afford a suitable. Bite. It had been enlarged recently, and the painter had just finished his work that very day. . After several premonitory slips of no importance, about Beveral hundred cubic yards gave way in a moment, and crushed in the kitchen end of the house. The servant, who was in the kitchen, had-barely time to; escape, when it '.was filled in a moment with a mass of earth and gravel, The furniture' in the kitchen has been destroyed." : , The 'Nelson Examiner," 6th June, says :r-r " Thel Government has . been furnished with . a rough estimate by the Provincial Engineer of the cost of constructing a dry dock in our harbor, cabable of receiving a vessel of the size .of the Panama and New Zealand Company's steamer Otago. Mr Blackett's^ estimate for constructing a dock built of stone, 235 feet long, of adequate width, and with fourteen feet, of water on the sill at average tides, is £31,982, but he thinks it highly probable this sum. could be, reduced some L 5,000 or L 6,000 should the natural foundation prove a bed of rock, as he believes it to be. The Superintendent wishes to appropriate. to the construction of this dock a sum of. L 12.000 set aside fer another object, but for which he considers it will not now be required, to supplement this by about L 5,000 out of the present year's revenue, and to complete the work by a vote next year. If the L 12,000 referred to can be secured for tho dock, it will be a beneficial method of applying the money, since a dock constructed as proposed by Mr Blackett would be an enduring work, and prove of the highest service to our port and the trade of the city. Some difference of opinion exist 3 as to whether a slip or a dock would best suit the requirements of Nelson, but although something may be said for both, we have the opinion of the General Manager of the Panama and New Zealand Company, that a dock would be preferable, and . this coming from a gentleman whose vessels would contribute no small item to the trade, should have its weight." . The Balclutha correspondent of the " Bruce Herald," of Wednesday, thus alludes to the progress of the Salmon Ova :— " It will reasonably be expected that any information emanating from this locality respecting the salmon hatching experiments may be relied upon; for this reason, that ,1 have hitherto carefully abstained from giving, publicity to the thousand and one rumors concerning the experiment, that would only have served to make uncertainty more uncertain. Since, however, there is no longer a doubt, that so far as vitality having been secured to the ova is concered, the demonstrative proof of numerous young fish being alive and kicking in their cradles or boxes, will be highly satisfactory to your readers. The leaky objections, more freely than charitably urged against the boxes, have swollen up into satisfactory efficacy. Upon this point it may not; be out of place to remark upon the virtue of a fault. Had the boxes, been put together in the first instance so as to be perfectly ti^ht, the natural 'effect of water upon' wood, would have altered the record from a satisfactory, 'consummation into condemnatory thoughtlessness, inasmuch as, before "this time every box would have burst to a degree that would; have ; "been fatal to the retention of the ova. 'The real fact of the -matter is, that preparations for receiving the ova were commenced far lop late, 'and as everybody .knows/ anything "done in : a hurry is rarely done welL'V'': :.u J .. ■ ;:

■ Tiro «"£ge; w llth^runerßays'.— "The criminal statistics of the. colony of Victoria, just publiahed, show a satisfactory decrease in the : amount of ornno a3 compared with previous ■ years. The total 'number of persons taken into custody vfP& 23,721, of whom 14,573 were sura- ■: marily convicted, 558 convicted on trial, and the •remainder discharged by magistrates or acquitted by juries. Of those taken into custody 18,791 were males and 4950 females. In all classes of < more serious crime there is a considerable decrease as compared with the previous eight yeara. There were 9351 convictions for drunkenness and disorderly condnet." The latest South Australian papers to hand contain but little intelligence of general interest. We extract the following :— " The AuditorGeneral has issued the comparative statement of revenue and expenditure for the quarter and year ending 31st March, 1868. It stows that the revenue from all sources during the first three J months of 1868 was £170,360, as against £185,124 in the corresponding period of 1867, while tht total revenue for the year was £701,531, as compared with £862,716 during the proceeding twelve months, exhibiting a deficiency o! £161,185. The expenditure totals are bb fol : low i-^-Quarter ending March 81, 1868. £181,978; do, 1867, £280,412 j year ending March 81, 1868, £104,837 ; do, 1867, £1,132,186 ; 'j decrease in the year 1868, £227,299. Xhe memorandum giving particulars of the bonder debt, including English accounts, to December 31, 1867, supplies the following information :— Amount of bonds issued, £1,644,400 j do, redeemed, £367,150 ; do, in circulation, £1,277,250 ; interest paid, £500,881. The total revenue balance at the commencement of 1868 was £116,114; and by the close of the quarter on 31st March, this had been reduced to £104,446." A frightful murder, committed at Bullock Creek, near Sandhurst, is chronicled in the " Bendigo Evening News" :— "The victim, whose name is Kooney, has lately returned from How Zealand, where he had been successful in mining, being possessed of some £200 or £300 in deposit receipts. His supposed murderer, a man named Doolan, alias Parker, appealed to him for charity, being very.hard up, and the deceased took him into his tent and shared his 'tucker' with him, permitting him also to sleep there. Rooriey had 1 not Been seen for a day or two, but no particular notice was taken until yesterday, when Doolan made his appearance at a shanty and spent some few shillings. Dancing was going on to the dulcet tones of a violin, and Doolan. having run up ,a score of two or three shillings, remarked to the fiddler that he: must go to his b y bank and get more. Being asked where his bank was, he replied ' a hollow log.' The fiddler and another watched where he went, and found him go direct to Booney's tent. When he came back, they proceeded with a lantern to the tent, on opening which they were almost overcome by the intolerable stench. They discovered the body of the unfortunate man Eooney, in an advanced stage of decomposition, with his skull smashed in and his brains scattered about. A stone-breaker's hammer was in the tent, which bore marks of being the weapon used in the perpetration of the murderous deed. Information was at once given to the police, and Mounted-constable Nolan at once proceeded to the shanty, and apprehended Doolan on a charge of wilful murder, and conveyed him to the Marong Lock-up." The "Sydney Morning Herald," 9th June, sa y a : — " By the Magellan Cloud, which left Fiji on the 21st May, news has arrived that Thackambau has been defeated by the rebels. With respect to the native war, therefore, some error has apparently occurred. The intelligence received by the schooner Jeannie Duncan, via Lyttelton, being to the effect that King Thackambau had been victorious over the mountain natives, but Mr Thurstonj the acting English consul, who was direct from the spot, was on board the Magellan Cloud as she was getting under weigh, and stated that Thackambau had been beaten back, the rebels having gained the advantage." ■ . ■ ■ A Parliamentary return has been issued; in England, stating the salaries [of the several colonial governors. At the head of the roll stand the two great prizes — Canada and Victoria, each paying its governor £10,000 a year. Jamaica, New South Wales, Mauritius," and Ceylon follow, each with its £7000 a year. Then come South Australia, the Cape, Hong Kong, British Guiana, the Straits Settlements (Singapore), and Gibraltar, each £5000 a year. Next are New Zealand and Malta, £4500 ; and then Tasmania, Queensland, Barbados, Windward Islands, and BritishColumbia, £4000. Trinidad Days £3500 a year; and the Bahamas, West African Settlements (Sierra Leone), and Antigua and Leeward Islands, £3000. Bermuda pays £2746; Newfoundland and St. Helena, £2000; Western Australia, £1800 ; tfie Falklands, £900; Labuan, £800---and Heligoland, £500. The list of lieutenant governors and presidents of council ranges frum Natal, £2500 ; through British Honduras and Penang, £1800 ; Prince Edward ; Island, £1500 ; St. Vincent, Grenada, • Tobago, Dominica, St; Kitt's and Nevis, Gambia, Gold Coast, and Lagos, £1300; Malacca, £1200 ; the Cape, £1000; the Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands, both £800 ; St. Lucia, £700 ; and Montserrat, £500. The total is £149,246 ; the population about 10 millions. The " Jewish Chronicle," a very high authority among the people whose views it advocates, has the following remarks in reference to the new Premier and Judaism : — "There seems, indeed, to be a singular mistake as to the relation of Disraeli to Judaism. Some Jews censure him as an apostate, and urge his apostacy as an instance of tergiversation. Some Christians scoff at him as a Jew, with a singular disregard of all. they owe to the Hebrew race. Now, the fact is that, in plain English, Disraeli is neither an apostate nor a Jew. He was born of Hebrew parents. His father, Isaac Disraeli, the author, and his mother, a scion of the Base vis, were members of ! Shephardim Jewish families. His "grandfather 1 and grandmother, indeed, rest' in the Portuguese ; cemetery at Mile-end. Benjamin Disraeli was admitted into the communion of Israel, but his i father, thinking fit to quarrel with his synagogue : failed to teach his child Judaism. One' day i ßogers, the celebrated banker poet, happening to iviait at Isaac Disraeli's house at Hackney when •Benjamin was afrout five or six years old, and regretting to find so intelligent a youth without religious instruction, took him to Hackney Church . jErom tin's eventdates his absolute and complete Severance from the Jewish communion. He ■became a Christian, and a great genius was lo»fc; kouß." .-...•-..■-"■ ■; ' • „

Great inconvenience is felt in the town from the of a bell to be rung at the regular hours of labor. In moat towns in the various provinces, 'arrangements are" made with the Fire Brigades for the use' of their bell, and a reliable party engaged to strike' the time; morning, noon, and evening, the. cost being defrayed by the City Council or the Town Board, as the case may be. Invercargill has neither Town Council or Town Board ; still, some Btepß should be taken to secure the regular ringing out;of the lime by the town bell, either by the or by publio subscription, . A new and commodious store is in courae of erection on a seotion, formerly known as a Maori Reserve, in Eak-street. It is intended as an auction mart for Mr Osborne. From information received we •understand that the subject of the formation of 'Farmers Clubs is, attracting attention, and that it is probable tha* steps will be taken in more than one of the Agri- ( iultural districts to establish them previous to the next show £of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association. . ■ The "New Zealand Government Gazette," Bth •Tune, contains a . proclamation convening the General Assembly for the despatch of business on Thursday,, the 9th July. -..■'■■ Some of the northern papers censure Mr Stafford for having granted such favorable terms r o His Honor the Superintendent to complete the Winton line of railway. Major Richardson has reoovered his popularity in Otago. He was enthusiastically cheered whilst addressing a publio meeting recently in' that province. . < . A deputation from the committee of theSouthland Agricultural and Pasto&l Association had an interview with His Honor the Superintendent, on Tuesday the 23rd June. The depui tation consisted of Messrs Cochran, Dalgleish, i Rusaeli; Smith, and Ham. Mr Dalgleish. stated the interview waß to inform His Honor that a site for a permanent show yard had been fixed upon if it could be obtained, but as it was the intention of the' Association to expend a considerable amount ou the improvement of the ground, the committee felt desirous of learning the longest term for which they could obtain the site. He stated that the block selected was adjoining the Cricket Ground at the top of Spey-street. ■ His Honor' thought that a very judicious selection had been made and said that everything would be done to meet the views of the ; ' Association, but he feared that without the sanction of the Provincial Council three years would be the extreme term. Mr Cochran stated that.it was most desirable that something should be decided, as conditional contracts for clearing the ground had been received. Hjb Honor stated that tio delay should arise, the Provincial Solicitor, (who had been sent for) explained the power of the Superintendent over reserves was limited, but that a Bill would' be prepared for the next session of the Council which would more clearly define the leasing of such portions of the town belt as had been appropriated, and the application could be included. After an interview lasting over an hour the deputation retired having thanked His Honor for his courtesy and attention. Some interesting information regarding the southern diggings has been received by the " West Coast Times," from the captain of the. cutter Harry Bluff :— The cutter Harry Bluff arrived in the river recently froma long cruise to southward, where she has been absent since the 12th April, on an expedition undertaken for the purpose of supplying provisions to the many parties of miners who were then 1 scattered up. and down the coast. The venture, which was on ship's account; did not, we are sorry to;say,' prove a profitable one, as the great majority of the diggers down south told' a lamentable tale of unauccess, and instead' of being able to lay in,fresh : stores, were clamorous for a passage back to Hokitika. The Harry Bluff left here on the 12th April, and firstly proceeded to Guard's Bay, where she arrived on the 15th. . Found, about thirty diggers there, who complained of the poverty of the place, and made good their statements by expending very little money, indeed upon the cutter's cargo. From Guard's she went to Jackson's Bay, which turned out a worse market, as only five men were located there^ Her next place of call was Smooth- water Bay, which she stripped of its population by .taking away the only party of diggers who were, to be seen or heard of in this out-of-the-way locality. Gorge River was her next port of call, and her arrival there being heartily welcomed by between forty and fifty others, who requested Captain Brown to wait a fortnight whilst they prospected a piece of country up the river, which they ; believed to contain payable gold, and in the event ; of its turning out a duffer, the majority promised to take passage foi HoVitika in the cutter. At the end of twelve days they returned with bad accounts, and thirty-two of them left in the little vessel on Friday last. She made another call at Smooth-water Bay to land a, few of the men, and then headed northwards. ..Put into Jackson's on Sunday, to find the steamer St. Kilda at anchor there, all well on board, and the same evening made a final, start for Hokitika, off which, she arrived on Tuesday evening, and was towed in by the Yarra. Twenty -nine 1 passengers returned by her. The Harry Bluff experienced/ very fine weather during the trip, the only exception be>ng 'a bit of a blow ' that came; on from the: N.W., on the sth. ult. , ' - . . The " Sydney Morning Herald " informs >,us that the Great" Western Railway, TSew South "Wales, has, been extended 15 miles westward to Mount Victoria. The opening trip. was made on May Ist, and the tranlc inaugurated by .his Excellency the Governor, with Messrs Parkes and Byrnes, and other gentlemen,, went up in the first train to the new. .halting place. The train in question left Sydney at a quarter before seven in the morning, and despite the early hour and the doleful proapect of getting no breakfast until some indefinite period in the afternoon, several ladies' and gentlemen 'took advantage of the opportunity to visit the mountains. .The Government of Tasmania has appointed an agent to proceed to England to encourage emigration to that colony. - , I , . We learn. from the ," Grey River Argus," that J. A. Bonar, ; 325q.,, County Chairman, will shortly be called to the Upper 'House, an' invitation to become a member of which has' recently been received and* accep ! ted'by"him. Mr Bbnar will be! a valuable accession to 1 the Westland re? preaentatives in the Colonial Parliament. :

The Melbourne correspondent of the '? Otago Daily Times" gives the following.— " The' approaching marriage' of His * ExceUenoy the' Governor's eldest daughter with Mr 0; Bright (of the well-known mercantile and shipping firm of Bright Brothers and Co.) is one., of the chief topics of conversation and gossip among what may be called the "upper ten'^of Victorian society. The whole ceremony and its surroundings will, I hear, outvie anything! of ths. kind' which has occurred in the colonies. The bride*" elect is described as a most amiable and acoom pUshed lady, and Mr Bright is in the prime' of life, wealthy, and of first-class public and private imputation. He belongs to a .Bristol family whiohhas long been favorably known in commercial circle*, and the Victorian firm has in« fluential connexions 1 mi Edndori; larerpool, wad other poitß. I hare heard Very startling and interesting accounts -of the f size, cost,' &c, of the wedding cake, ' of the ' brideV trouaseaitj of the magnificent dresses of the train of bridesmaids, nd all the rest of it." ! A Victorian paper says i— " The following conversation; transpired in the hearing of a c*se : in whict A; H»Us was^ sued the other day in the Maldori Police' Court for calls. The defendant having been" called, Mr Merrifield applied tfcjat the Bench would look at the iffidsrtit of" service :— 'The Police Magistrate^i)o i you appear for Hass? Mr'Merrifieid— No, your'wOrsnip; Mr Haroourt— Defendant is now in Court.: Mr, Merrifield (as'Hass, who was sitting prominently , in the assessors' box, was about to rise)— Never mind; he' does not appear; (Hass'sat down.) TheP.Mi— MrMerrifield, : ifyoudo not appear, we will call Hass ih'the lisual way. ' "Mr 'Merri- ; field— He doe* not appear, your worship ; neither do I for him, r but I ask' yOur worship to at i the summonß. Cdnstabler-A. HassJ A. Hass, AHass. Defendant (prbmptly)-^-Here. Mr Merrifield, amused and : disgustedyWen/youare 'A. HaßS,' indeed. Now you must' take the consequences j I have done with you." Ac P.M.— -Do you now appear for the defendant, Mr Memfield ? Mr Merrifield— No, ; your^worship ; I only ask that you w^ w^te him down ' A. Hass," " '■ / We learn from a Victorian paper that an almost unprecedented case occurred in the Police Court, balyrford, when , a !man ; named John Smith- was brought up. charged by Sir : Thomas jConneli, ; .taker, ; t Lopg . Gully, with having embezzled 30s, the property of the complainant. . When Mr Connell got into the witness-box and took the Bible in his hand, Mr Martley, who was engaged for the de^ fence, asked the bench if he might put some few questions to the prosecutor before he should be sworn. Mr M'Laehlan intimated that he might do so, and Mr Martley inquiredif he beUeyed in the book which he held in his hand, and which he was just about to kiss. Mr Connell said, "No, lam not a Christian." ... In reply to further questions put by counsel and the bench, he said, " I am a Scotchman, I hold opinions of my, own. I suppose I am entitled to do b 0,?.". MrM?Lachlan Baid he supposed Vx Connell must have belonged to one of the lost tribes. He regretted that any Scotchman should admit that he was not a Christian. He then. asked what was it he believed in ? "I believe/ 1 said Mr Connell, "in a Supreme Creator of the universe." When asked if he believed in a future state, he Baid, "I have my doubts about it." Mr M'Lachlan then declined to take, his evidence, and the case, was remanded. Attention was, called, to the fact that Mr Connell's name was on the jury 1it.,.. ... . . . ; . ;. .. ..-.., „: ..... ■ V The annual report of the Victorian Water Supply Commission gives, a vast amount of information. The total amount of money at the, credit of the department has arisen from the sale, of debentures, which realised. £492,184 net... jQf *lus £326,181 has been spent on the Coliban scheme, £128,352 on the Geelong supply, and £J. 5,000 handed over to the Ballarat Water Supply, r Mr Christopherson estimates that £1,600,000 more will be required to complete the . entire _ scheme,' of which the Colliban works will absorb L145,000j Geelong, £40,000 j Kyneton,- £5000; Woodend £1000 ; Bacchus Marsh, £00,000 ; and Heathcote, £60,000. . . V The " New Zealand AdvertiEer " says are glad to notice that a system- recently established by the Government in connection with": the Telegraph Department, whereby, in effect, nearly 200 telegraph stations are added to the list of those already known as such, may be said to he a most decided success. For those of our readers who are not acquainted with .this extension of telegraphic facilities we will briefly narrate; its prominent features as follows :— ln those country districts where the electric wire has not as yet been carried, or where it has been considered- un- 1 necessary to establish stations; the post-masters have been supplied with telegram forms, on which a person wishing to forward a. telegram writes his message. He then encloses it in ; an envelope, and addresses it to the nearest telegraph station.* The post-master has then to see to its transmission as a letter to that station. On its arrival there the officer in charge of the station- opens it, and transmits it by wire in the. ordinary way to its address. The number of post offices thus supplied is, we believei about 200,: distributed over the provinces of Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, Gtago, and Southland. It can be readily seen the great advantages to the' public this Byfetem must- be, bringing, as it does, thousands within reach of j the .telegraph, 'where, otherwise, they would be compelled :to depend upon the not always tod rapid postal carriers in the up country districts. A man now resident in Wanganui, wanting' to communicate with Dunedin; can post his telegram to>Wellingtonj from whVre itcan he forwarded by wire to Dunedin, re achmg ' there 'within' a ' few hours; of its leaving Wanganui, while -without this Bystem he would have had to depend "on the post office, and to wali'a fortnight. Such are' the advantages of this new' arrangement,- and for iti initiation the Cipvernment deserve great praise. A Wellington paper states that His' Excellency j Sir George Bowen hftß ; recently presented to the library of the General^Assenibly a copy of his | interesting book; entitled "Ithaca in 1850." The library has also been enriched lately by a gift from Jdnas ' Woodward, .Esq.,, of vie : follpwing curious works :—•' The "Book of Doctrine Covenants of the. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Belected from ; the Eevelationß of God, by Joseph 'Smitiu 1 ' ; j"The. Book of Mormon— an account written by the ; hand of Mormon upon plates : token fronij the /plates "of Nephi. ; , Tjfanslated ; r by } ,_ . ; Jopeph v , j a Smith,." '/Biographical Sketches, of ; Joseph . Smith, ithe Prophet, and his Progenitors. By. Lucy .Smith his mother." '

' The* Westlami paperifsUta that, Mr Gillei, cJ r toTfcm of Cat^y and G^e fc . o<Hoksk*, irl», ias just returned from Queensland, in the firm's ~ iteamer.Star of the South, r giret. a ytaj, depict* ibie account of the condition of ttie.mineri theft* Che alluvial diggings in., the Maryborough dift* jrict are almost completely, worked ou^, and thott*. lands of men are rushing about the country frost, place to place wherever, the, rumor, of, gold is, bard. ' The qnart* reef « are idle, there, being no machinery for, crushing,, and no , probability ef Uiere being any for some considerable time. Aft. the itime the Star of the South left, a 'roth had. let in to ttie Cape Riyer diggings* to the north ofCleVelahd Bay, and thousands > of, .men ww n^k^thither, aooounts firpm^that place., Were not very fcror*ble..as. regard*, the,, diggings* and the' exikreme unhealthiness of the climate and( scarcity of water had produoed afarfu^ftinoinft, of mortality amongst the. miners, upwards of 'seventy out of some fire or fix hundred .hating, died fifoin fever and' ague or sup-stro'kjs. Mr! Gilles states that all the Weit Ooiut hands ara anxious to get back, but they hare hot the means; The Star.of the South could have been orammed with return passengers if she would hare taken them at the rate offered., ,A good;many are knocking about' Sydney and other parts of New South^tPales. . _„[■' .'.'.,;. „;,,.- -.-[^ We take the following extract from a leadings article in the "Southern Grow,? (Auckland), 10th June:--;". If any e^deneeiof the d«cay of provincial institutions were required it Might bft found in theeleotipns for our^ProvinoiaL Council, The time is not. very long,gonei>y whett an ardenfr contest for the honour.pf jepresenting a city constituency in the, Council was a common- oocur* rence. Candidates went; to the poll i in eompael phalanxes, and electors were urged to Totelbr the whole ticket and nothings but thee tickete W» cannot say that the results were at all times equal to the effort made to produce them. - More than once the throes of the -constituency^ hate pro* duped representatiTes of a ceilibr* almost mouse* like, and no doubt there was somethinjt ludicrous enough^ in the: a&ir . But it may -well b» questioned, whether there- was not an . adTantag* in the labor, independently of the result. ■ -Better, perhaps-— at least more healthy and abortire; attempts,' to. do something- worthy in politics: than no staruggles at all. And it seems v though provincial;institotioßs:withi us hid oome to this. The mass of lourielectors hare ooased to care., about : «. representistire 'in the Council; nearly every Buitableman has eeasedto dream of offering himself as a t jcanc|idate. If this goes on, proTincialism must dieof jnaflitknu** A. journal has been. stag^.in,Wel)ing<i!g)i:iCall>d the " New^aland Advertiser," Jui the:,ppeninf leader, the following.; political .ppmipjai are announced:—""^ believe that the ; .time has ' almost come when. Jfew^ Zealand, should, ooaee ta consist of nine Bemi-independant^ stotej^. eaoh with its own governmental machinery and Lagit lative "Assembly. The' &et that the Colony, cannot afford so much Ghbveinmeht, ' that the, depart* mental^establishm'ent is out of all proportion to the work to "be dorie'or the number of taxpayexfl who have to bear the burden is every be> coihrn'g more painfully,' more alarmingly apparent, and it is therefore the duty of all interested in the _w,elfißje, we.hadalmost said, the - existenoi'of timiu adopted land -to -consider well ■ the question of m remedy — the^fprnvwhich. the efideritly impending chsoige. shall, assume. : We believe that tbe on^ satisfectory solution, of , the ■ problem lies 'in ths establishment of one Legislature, and irae strong economical; government f t the- oolohy— in the absorption of the nine exiftmg centres into" one and the, full development of whatis termed^local self-goverHment-rrmore properly local self •ad* ministration. Districts are now arirriifhffig at much imiHortance as „pe^rtained t^u'ome of the Provinces a few yea^Sr, ago, and -irheretitheee districts ar> dut^t from ihe chief; towns they feel r with ..,^w centraliaing.- policy naturally. , actutates - Provincial Governments in which the representation of .the towns settled districts is usually of an overwhelming charactorJ!' :; , ' = ..;:... -.i j- : x . -,■:-.,': ■:...:!.: J «i. The following is ; an extract of a^letter reWred from a gentleman who left lnvercargOl 7 «>me time ago for the" Kju :— '^ You'^'awT aware 'that when I arrived here' l purchased 'some land trom. the natives at 2s 6d per a^j and commenced to grow cotton, but after a- 1 resiaenice of some dozen months or so, I' find that the" xHmate does not suit me, nor the late fall in the price of cotton, and it is my intention to' leave nwoa as I liare made the necessary arrangements.' I '-hare "'not lost anything, since I came here, but. J Qartainly huve hotgained.much.^. I sold, one piece,, of. land " at a. very ,goo/i t profit j land is rising ia value. lie Islands are as beautiful and,fertileias,any in the world, t^y can produce^ anything grow in the tropics. I think sugar and coffee will be^ the ; staple yet. ; There are aboutl^BOO ' Europeans scattered over the group, , and; people are arriying ( from i the colonies. s by every . T«esel. The great drawback :.to. . the settlement ofjithis place is the want of a propergovernment^ if that boon was conferred there would be, no doubt, as to the rapid settlement, of the : islands. ; It is • great pity MJ that some , of the; Australian Coloniee do not take possession of the islands, . as.it w^told give a feeh'ng of security to life and; propertj which .certainly does not, exist here. at. present. The greater part of the people who arrivo, are not possessed of money — that is beyond, a few pounds orso^— and it is 'the worst place in the .world for a man to come' to who has no means* as there ii no employment for whito ir labor." I thinkth'e sort of people this place^ would" "suit is the. fanning chws,' and every intending 0 settisr Bhould be possessed of at'least from to £400. He can then buy land and obtain im« ported labor. The natives cannorW depended upon,'- sometimes you can' get any amount of labor from them,' hut perhaps the Very feme, yon want them irio'Bt they are busy themselves. They ■ are' good : to clear the' land and get it ready for planting, and they' do not cbst'ypn mucb^'but to prosper you must have' lafcor that can always he depended upon." .«--,: .The following pleasing, instance, of liberality on the part of a Maori, is tiius notioed s by jthe ; " Aawke^ Bay^H^ald'! ,^l% S^'irr"."S^Pday, the. native, chief Tareha brought to town about 15 tons of potatoes, t which he has hft^jad over to the Superindent and Mr ,Button, as 4 present to .the European inhabitants of, Kapier* It is proposed that they phall be distributed, ,jn lots of two Mts I to each family, among tiiose.whi)) this morning, and cwfll^ntm^ tfll Ihursday erening^next, at six o'okek." ;

A Melbourne paper says :— " Captain Gardiner of St Enoch Station, between Carng. iaw and Stockyardhill, haß recently taken up a ■station on the Adelaide border, and (according to of the "Ballarat Star") the 'kangaroos are co plentifhl thereon that the men -on the station hay», daring the last quarter, , secured 3,000 kangaroo skins. There are .100,000 sheep on the station, and it is thought ' that there are twice as many kangaroos as Bheep, Sot only have the kangaroos so be depastured on the station, but it appears they hare to be watered : *Iso, and that with water raised from wells for the purpose of watering the sheep, as the kangaroos frequent the watering troughs, and are killed there in great numbers. It is further stated that last year, before Captain Gardiner rented the station ■ there was a number of men on it engaged in killing kangaroos alone, and that these persons shipped. 16,000 kangaroos skins to England." It is rumored in political circles in "Wellington • that there is likely, to be an addition to' the Upper , -House of two gentlemen resident in Southland. j Specimens of silver ore, reported to be very rich, have been discorered in Queensland, near _Rockhampton. We extract the following from the "Southern Cross," 10th June :— " There appears to be every probability that Sir George arid Ladyßowen contemplate returning to Auckland within a few months' time. It will be remembered that, when - the visit of HJ&.H. the Duke of Edinburgh to (Auckland was projected, Government House was repaired' »nd- fitted up for his reception. The •furniture was 'supplied by Messrs Winks and Hall, and Mr Haliday, of Shortland-street ; and, " when it became definitely known that the pro- : posed visit was abandoned, the surplus furniture " was returned, while as much of it as was neces- ' aary to meet existing requirements under the ; altered circumstances was selected and purchased Mby the Government. This portion now remains *t Government House. The drawingroom and diningroom being completely furnished, as well as the other apartments on the ground-floor, and a number of bedrooms in the second and upper -storeys. The magnificent furniture which had -$een provided expressly for the Duke, consfeting *of a large state bed, with His Royal Highneßs's •creat and monogram, chiffonier, &c., have been returned. The domestics left in charge of Government House lave received no orders for the removal of any furniture, and even the carpets remain down, and the ante-rooms are unaltered." "An instance of the durability of colonial wood," the " Hobart Town Mercury 1 ' reports, « has been witnessed at Mr Bobert Walker's muL A water-wheel, constructed of Huon pine, which has been at work on this gentleman's premises for nearly fifty years, has recently undergone examination, and has been found to have suffered little from its lengthy service, being almost as sound as on the day of its erection." The following.from a Victorian paper,may be interesting to intending hippophagists :— "As an instance of the cheapness of a certain description of horßß-flesh just now, we might mention that an unbroken nag, being one of that class designated •weeds,' was disposed of by auction recently at ifce ridiculously low figure of 35." The court for the revision of the Wallace Electoral 801 l was held on Friday last, by H. M'Culloch, Esq., Eevising Officer. No private objections were lodged ; four names were removed from the roll at the instance of the Registration Officer, (C. E. Marten, Esq.), one being dead, and the remainder not in the district. There were twenty-five new claims, of which twentyfour were admitted, one being disallowed on the .objection of the Registration Officer, as " not in district." - Our Bluff correspondent, under date' the 27th insfc, sayß : — " That part of the town known aB the General Government Reserve, on which are erected the Customs and Poet Offices, and which has been an eyesore to the inhabitants as presenting a most desert-like appearance, is now : undergoing a process of reclamation. The ground is being filled up and levelled, and we understand •that a roadway is to connect the wharf with Gore•treet. The footpaths in Gore-street are also having a brush up, and it is rumored that they are to have a coating of gravel over them. This will be a great acquisition to pedestrians who have hitherto had to walk over the boot tops in loose sand, The large box drain is now all but completed; speculation runs high as to whether it will be serviceable, but it is to be trusted it will accomplish the end for which it was made. By the s.s. Omeo from Melbourne, on her a-ecent trip, there arrived a very valuable addition ito- our provincial herds. The importation we ; allude to consists of three cows, a yearling bull <and a calf. . The lot were selected from the .renowned herd of Messrs Morton and Leach, for : Messrs Holmes and Barnhill, of Castle Rock. We had the pleasure of viewing the cattle at the . : *Club Stable«, on Saturday afternoon, and certainly ; .finer animals it has never been our lot to look mpon. The young bull is a most promising .-iaaimal, while the cows are all that could be l desired for grazing purposes. They are, Jasßamine 9th, Jassamine 13th, aud Buttercup 6th, all cows -of pedigree and prize winners. The first named - one especially is a perfect type of her class and obtained -the highest awards at the Victorian ■ shows; " The accounts from the Cape digging!," gays the "Rockhampton Bulletin," " are encouraging; The great drawback to these diggings has been the want of water. Those who have been, able to hold out during the long spell of fine weather wpj now probably profit by the plentiful supply of water. The quantity brought down by the Boomerang — 1600 ounoes— is not a bad indication j of the richness of this goldfield, even under the most unfavorable ouroumstances. No doubt reefs i will be soon dfccovered in the neighborhood, and we may hope to see a large mining population permanently settled at the Cape. The class of j diggers wanted there are men with some capital who can afford to wait for rain. It is madness for a poor digger to face the dangers and privationi of so long a journey. The existing regulations are ; notoriously defective. Following, blindly, the regulations of New South Wales, our -Government Have paid no regard to the peculiar «nd exceptional cuxtmistances of our goldfields The gold in Queensland is found in patche», the reefr are scattered in thin veins, and yet the regulations give no more extended claims than in New South W*les. The whole subject requires reexamination, and a new set of gold regulations should be framed founded on broader principles and witfrmore liberal ttms"

The Invercargill Rifle Yolunteera met for drill, and the inspection of arms, on Friday, 26th June, at the commodious room in the Exchange Buildings, kindly lent to the Company by the proprietor, Mr Tulloch. The muster, jras good, between forty and fifty members, including the band, bring present. They went through the ordinary evolutions most creditably, and "were complimented by Captain Harvey, who «• pressed a hope that as a drill room had been obtained, eTery member would mate it a duty to attend. He also stated that in order to be perfect in their drill for the inspecting parade, upon the arrival of the Hon. Colonel Haultain, Defenre Minister, nightly drill had been ordered. We heard on Saturday that Colonel Haultain had found it necessary to return to head quarters at once, and -would therefore no* be able to visit Southland. While on volunteer matters we may mention that the formation of a light horse cavalry company is contemplated, and • that a sufficient number of gentlemen have ex- | pressed their intention of joining in the movement ' to render the project successful. ' • Our files from Queensland are to the 10th inst. The reports from the new goldfield at Yabber were unfavorable ; but gold has been discovered within fourteen miles of Warwick,' on the Canning Downs run. Mr J. Macdonald reports that the returns already sent in to him, under the section of the Polynesian Laborers' Act, requiring employers of that description of labor to inform the Government of the. number of such laborers in their employ, comprise 705 South Sea Islanders, who are employed by about seventy different persons. Several returns have -yet to be 'sent in, Borne from large employers ; and it is estimated that there are at least 1500 of the islanders in the colony. Those already received show that the islanders are scattered nearly all over the colony. There are some on the Maranoa, the Comet, the Barcoo, the j Upper BurdeMn, the Warrego, the Balonne, and many other places. There will soon be some at the Gulf, as a vessel is about being laid on for there direct from the islands.