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Southland Times, Issue 1045, 26 October 1868, Page 2

The attendance at the Theatre Eoyal lately nas much improved. On Friday evening the house was well filled, and on Saturday, both the mid-day and evening performances attracted fair audiences. The programme, as usual, was both clever, amusing, and instructive. It will be Beeu from our advertising columns that the Japanese Troupe will make their final appearance this evening. In order to render their last entertainment as popular as possible, Messrs Lenton aad Smith hare reduced the price of admission one-half the ordinary charge, a step which will, no doubt, have the effect of filling the house. We observed on Friday and Saturday that the survey of the proposed deviation of the Railway from InvercargiU to the Bluff Harbor was being actively proceeded with, and wa learn that no time will be lost in making the new line from Invercargill to Kew. In the meantime the arrangements made by the Government are such as to prevent any serious loss to importers, or inconvenience to passengers. The trains are now running daily, and the goods shed at JKew, it is expected, will be opened for the reception of goods to-day. '• , I The eighth anniversary of the Shamrock, Rose, and Thistle Lodge, of the 1.0.0.F.M.CT. was held in the Concert Hall of the Rose and Thistle Hotel, on Friday evening last. It was one of the largest gatherings ever seen in Southland of a like character. The arrangements were complete, the large room was tastefully decorated, and about seventy gentleman sat down to dinner. The table was bountifully supplied with everything that could be desired, and reflects great credit upon the host— Mr M'Meniman. The whole, proceedings were perfect, _nofc a single hitch arising to mar the enjoyment of the company. Several orations eulogistic of Odd Fellowship, were delivered, interspersed with songs and recitations. The whole affair was conducted with a precision and completeness seldom witnessed. j From our ' Catnpbelltown correspondent we learn that H. M'Oulloch, Esq., R. Af ., held a sitting in the Police Court, in that town, on Friday last, tohear two civil cases brought by Captain G. 0. Budd, againßt Mr iW. Anglem, to recover the mm of £12; and against Mr W. M'Michael, for £6. These claims were made by the plaintiff upon the defendants as balance of wages alleged to be due him as navigator of the brig Amherst from the Bluff to Newcastle, N.S.W., of which vessel the defendants were part owners. The plaintiff was non- suited with costs. The dispute between the Dunedin Water Works Company and the contractor, has been brought to a close. The arbitrators report is thus given in the 'Daily Times' — "They found that the balances due to Mr Proudfoot, in addition to £2,500 in paid-up shares, amounted to £5,777 2s 3d, and £1,040. His original contract price for the reservoir was £13,286 3s sd, while hia claim for extras amounted to £14,438 19s 6d, making a total of £27,725 2s lid. He had also made a claim for special damage to the amount of £4,300 ; there was also the amount of the pipe contract— £l,o4o, making, with extras amounting to £10J, a grand total of £33,165 2s lid, subject to deduction of shares and cash paid. The value of the shares is £2,500 ; the cash paid, £13,933 18s 9d; paid into Court, £472 14s; making a total of £16,906 2s 9d to be deducted . from the Contractor's claim. , The balance claimed by him is thus £16,259 0s 2d. The arbitrators have allowed £n,817 2s 31, a buut less than Mr Proudfoot expected by £9,442 37a lid. The Victorian Glassworks commenced operations on the 9th October, the various articles manufactured, such as gas lamps, fish globeß, &c, gave great satisfaction. The clay *t preaent used in making the pots in which the glaia is prepared, ia brought from Newcastle. The 'Wellington Independent' of the 15th inst., says : — " It is reported that several of the officers in the employment of the Provincial Government have either received notice or are likely to receive notice, that they must be prepared io consent to a sweeping reduction in their present salaries, .or accept the alternative. Intimation has been received at Hobart Town of the arrival in London of Captain Gilmore, the agent for Tasmania in the matter of the submarine Cable across Bass Straits. Captain Gilmore has taken steps to expedite the construction of the cable, and hopes that it will be ready for shipment towards the end of January, or the beginning of February next. Should this be the oase, the Cable will be laid and ready for use in April. The Victorian Acclimatisation Society have just received two rooks by the ship Norfolk, from London. Two dozen were originally shipped, the two received are the sole survivors. There are said to be upwards of 1200 people at the new gold diggings ut Barossa, in South Australia. Encouraging reports Tiave "Been received regarding tho gold. ' - A nugget, says the ' Evening Star ' (Dunedin) weighing over six ounces, was found, on the 16th inst., in a gully near the boundary of Tree week's run, Tuapeka. It is thought that if the ground on that run, were thoroughly prospected, the result would be very satisfactory.

It will be ia the recollection of our readers that sometime since the Hon. Mr Paries, then Chief Secretary for the colony of New South "Wales, stated at a meeting of his constituents, that he was in possession of proof that the attempted assassination of Prince Alfred was the result of an Australian Fenian organisation. Ths ' Empire ' writing upon this subject, says :—" The foundation for the marvellous story told by Mr Parkes at Kiama, is simply that a certain individual gave information to the Government, some time before the arrival of Prince Alfred, that his Royal Highness would most likely be attacked by an assassin, but his statement was deemed unworthy of notice. Finding that no attention was paid to it he wrote to his Royal Highness, after the infamoua attack was made, stating that he had written to the Government without effect. This led to a reply from Lord Belmore, and the informer, in consequence, had an interview with Mr Parkes, no doubt in the expectation of some substantial reward from the Go vernment. . This mysterious person is described in- the same journal as one of the common Irish informers, who made themselves conspicuous in the days of the Young Ireland party. Since that time, he has been moving about in colonial society, with results well-known to the detectives of Sydney." Mr Potts has tabled a resolution in the House of Representatives proposing that a sum of £100 should be placed on the estimates for the best essay on the following subject, — The means for securing the permanent settlement of the mining population of New Zealand, and for fixing within the colony the capital which is being constantly drained away from the (3-oldfielda, as shown in the great excess of exports over imports at the ports of the exclusively gold-mining districts. i According to the estimates laid before Parlia^ ment, there are 4967 volunteers in the colony. The numbers in each province are as follows :— Auckland, 903 ; Otago, 874 ; Wellington, 866 j Canterbury, 833 ; Weatland, 693 ; Kelson, 413 ; j Hawke's Bay, 139; Taranaki, 113; Southland, 133 ; Marlborough, 0. We observe that the Government only estimate a capitation grant of j 25s for each volunteer, treating cavalry and infantry the same. Last year the infantry received double the sum to be given this year, and then it was considered very inadequate to the expense the men are put to. The following notice to Justices of the Peace appears in the ' New Zealand Gazette ' of the 10th inst:— "Colonial Secretary's Office (Judical branch), Wellington, Oct. 5, 1868 :— Justices of the Peace resident whithin each district now constituted, under ' The Petty Sessions Act 1865/ are referred to the 7th section of that act, and requested to agree among themselves as to the most convenient time and place wi'hia their district for the meeting required by the Act in order that the Government may, upon being informed thereof, issue the necessary proclamations. — E. W. Stafjobd. The 'New York Tribune,' speaking of the system pursued in Australia and New Zealand of leasing the large tractß of country as sheep runs,: aays:— This has prevented the establishment of Buch settlements as have developed our own Western States. It ia difficult to decide upon the value of a country for agriculture, and for sustaining a large population, where special pursuits become monopolies. Nothing but the small farm system, in a free country, will develop all the latent qualities in the soil.