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Southland Times, Issue 1033, 5 October 1868, Page 2

We have to acknowledge the receipt of c The Journal of the Agricultural Society at New South Waleß.' It is a well got up work of 16 pages, and contains a large amount j>f information interesting to agriculturists. Our Bluff correspondent says :— Yesterday a rery large number of excursionists arrived from Invercargill per train, having availed themselves of the cheap fares, offered by A. J. Smyth and Co., auctioneers, who, we understand, had engaged a special train for intending purchasers at the sale of I. N. Watt, Esq., residence, and furniture. We would remind intending tenderers for the road works en the Great North Eoad, the Biverton road, and the Otatau road, that this day, at noon, is the time appointed for the reception of the tenders. His Honor Mr Justice Chapman, the Supreme Court, Dunedin, an Tuesday the 29th September, announced that his duties as Judge would cease after that day. He explained that, in this colony, there could only be six Judges at one time, and that, upon Mr Ward's commencing his functions, the judgeßhip he held would lapsed. Gold it is stated has been found on D'Urville's Island, in Cook Strait. The Island belongs to the Province of Nelson, and the ' Evening Mail,' a Nelson journal states that certain parties in the capital of the Province have leased the Island for 21 years from the Maori landownes -Among the Notices of Motion before the General Assembly — we find one by Mr Yogel to the effect, that it is desirable that negotiations should be entered into with the United States for the free admission to that conntry of wool grown in the colonies. The House of Representatives have recommended that New Zealand meantime is to be kept at all the telegraph stations in the Colony, and the Government are going to take immediate steps to carry- out the recommendation of the House. - A goldfield is said to have been discovered within a few miles of Dunedin. The ' Daily limes,' 28th ult., says :— " The talk of good gold getting at the Silverstream. diggings continues. A story was told yesterday, that two men who came into town for provisions, stated that they had fallen in with a party of diggers who showed them about 21b weight of nuggetty gold, got at the Silverstream. The 'Argus,' 24th ult., says :—" The provisional directors of the Polynesia Company notify by advertisement that, with the view of enccuraging early occupation of the lands of the company in Fiji, they propose to give free grants of land to shareholders under the first issue, in the proportion of forty acres to every twenty shares subscribed for. The/prise at which land may be taken up by shareholders under the credit clauses of the prospectus, has been fixed at 7s 6d per acre." A Government Official, it will be Been from our" report of th^Prbvincial Council, has been charged with havj^f tampered with the tenders, for the completion /of the -Northern Railway. It is a moßfc \ serious- Charge, and one which requires instant investigation." It' is most essential and necessary for the credit of the Pro isioo, that this matter should be thoroughly, into — that steps should be taken to satisfy ti'ie public mind as to whether such a ci ne has been committed, and if it has, who are the' guilty parties. We earnestly trust that prompt action will be taken by the Government to sift this matter to the bottom^

We take the following from tbVWakfctip Mail, 1 of the 24th ult. :— " A special meeting of the members of the Municipal Council took place on Thursday evening last, for the purpose of taking into consideration the desirability of at once oommunioating with the proper authorities in order to ascertain if it was their intentiop to discontinue the mail service between tnveroargill and this place, as there was no mention made in the postal notices for 1869 of tenders as to the present service between Athol and Kingston and Kingston and Queenstown. The Major and all the Councillors wisre present, except CrHallenstein, and it was resolved that before drawing up a memorial on the subject the Town Clerk be re* quested to communicate with Mr Chief Postmaster Barr, Dunedin, asking him whether the omission was an oversight or intentional. It can hardly be believed that it is the intention to discontinue so valuable a service to the distriot as the one in question ; if so, there is no doubt our Southland neighbors will have something to say on the matter as well as the residents here. For various reasons a great injustice as well as injury would be inflicted. Our merchants import a large quantity of their goods at Southland ports, and consequently bills of lading and invoices would not arrive until some time after the goods had been daUverad_hfiiM._Then again, the road is open all the -year round, and sometimes for a month at a time, last winter, the residents were posted up with the late intelligence via Invercargill, owing to the Dunedin road being blocked up with snow. Besides, in another two months the finest steamer that ever floated in these waters will be seen, and greater certainty and facilities j of Lake transit will be afforded. We had to thank the Stafford retrenchment scheme for the redutcion of the bi-weekly service to weekly, and let us hope we shall not have to censure Mr Hall for an attempt to disorganise trade and retard the progress of the country by discontinuing it altogether.