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Southland Times, Issue 1056, 13 November 1868, Page 2

Ifc will be seen from our advertising columns hat a meeting of the Directors of the Southland Lgricultural and Pastoral Association is called or on Thursday, the 19th inst. The business we mderstand is important, and a full meeting esirable.

The Tararua will leave the Bluff for Melbourne on Saturday, 14th November. A correspondent, signed " Locomotive," in« quires, " Why tenders are not called for the construction of the railway from Kew to the InverCarfill Station." We are not in a position to answer the question, but report says that a patriotic politician, possessing some useless land over which the proposed line must run, refuses to come to terms. with the Government, except on preposterously high terms. Certain enterprising American newspaper pro* prietors are said to be making arrangements for fitting up a composing room, and a small stereo foundry on board some of the mail packets, so as to have the English news all set up and cast i into columns ready for use as soon as the vessel arrives in port. The 'Herald' (Auckland), 31st October, says : — " We understand that several alterations, additions, and improvements are being made at [ Government House, for the reception of Lady ' Bowen, who is expected to arrive here about the 2nd of December, from Wellington. A neat and compact building, consisting of a four-stall stable, coach-house, and harness-room, is to be erected in rear of the house, on tHe site occupied by the old one which was burned down, and a further communication between the servants' quarters and Lady Bowen's suite of rooms is also being effected. We also learn that it is in contemplation to render the ball room, built in anticipation of the visit of his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, a permanent structure, by removing the present roof, shingling it, and generally i strengthening it ; and by internal fittings and j decorations to convert it into a handsome and j convenient private ball or concert room." i The following remarks were made by Mr i Stafford in reply to Mr Fox's resume of the pro- ■ ceedings of the session: — "There are two Pro- 1 vinces still — Otago and Canterbury — which have yet a right to expect a revenue from their land. I call Nelson only half a Province, as it has no land revenue, although it has a fictitious revenue, regarded in a permanent sense, from its gold. Nelson was a little quiet sleepy humdrum place until gold was discovered there. Its population was only being increased by the number of births which exceeded the deaths. There is no immigration into the province and no life ; in fact, it was proverbially the Sleepy Hollow of New Zealand. It was not a province in the proper sense of the word, and was simply a town, because the one country district traded with Christchurch from first to last, as it will always continue to do. It is no more a part of Nelson than the Channel Islands are a part of France, although the people there speak more French than English." A correspondent writes to the Australasian, and and says that hiß merino sheep are all that can be desired, but complains that they^want the black tipping at the end of the wool produced by an accumulation of the grease combined with dirt. The Editor makes the following sensible remarks upon the complaint : — " When sheep have been previously shorn late, there is of course less time for the formation of the hard black tips. In warm weather the jolk rises most, none of it is then washed out, as happens in wet weather. For these reasons clothing the sheep would tend to increase the collection of hard gummy matter at the outside of the fleece, and this mode is followed by the Americans in tne production of " brag" fleeces ; but these black tips add greatly to the difficulty of properly cleansing the wool, and the quality of the wool may be quite as good without them. In fact, the tendency of the true Australian merino is to become almost entirely free from them." In the vineyards near Albury (Victoria) the Brown Muscatel and the Malbec vines are loaded with grapes, and there is a general prospect of a good grape crop. A lode of copper is reported to have been found near Yass, (New South Wales) by a Government official. One specimen is estimated to contain at least 90 per cent of copper. The Grand Annual Show of the Royal Agricultural Society or" England, says the ' Daily Telegraph' which has been so judiciously held this year at Leicester, may be considered as one of the most successful on record, 96,653 persons having paid £6,740, Is 5d for admission. The field trials of tillage implements lasted a week, under scorching weather all the time, and watched by large numbers of agricultural and other spectators. A letter appears in the 'Sydney Morning Herald,' giving an account of fresh hostilities which had occurred at Fiji, between the settlers and the mountaineers occupying the country on the Upper Rewa, not many miles distant from where poor Mr Baker was killed. About 41 natives were killed, including a chief, and also a settler, named Creelman. A considerable amount of property is in the hands of the natives, including a large quantity of ammunition. The plantations of Messrs Pfluger, Lukes, Ridsdale, Kinross, Stanley and Fisher, are supposed to be entirely destroyed, and the total loss cannot be less than £5000 or £6000. A deputation was | appointed to consider what steps were advisable to be taken in this emergency, and Messrs Livesey and Bentley, waited upon the Commodore on board the Challenger, and elicited his opinion that the settlers must be prepared to defend themselves, and that there was not the slightest probability that the Government would ever make Fiji a British colony, as it 'had quite enough to do with the colonies they already possessed.' The Charybdis was at Levuka, at the disposal of the British Consul. The Canterbury ' Press,' of the 27th ult., reports : — " On aome stations rapid progress is being made in shearing — in instance of which, at Glenmark, on last Wednesday, over 70C3 sheep were shorn, and the following days, from the number of men it was intended to employ, even a larger than this number would be daily disposed of." The 'Sydney Morning Herald' gives the following movements of the vessels composing the Australian squadron :—" We understand that H.M.S. Challenger, Commodore Lambert, is about proceeding to Melbourne, and her cruise will probably extend to Adelaide and Hobartown. H.M.S. Blanche will proceed to New Zealand, on completion of refit ; the Rosario, at present on that Btation, returning to Sydney. H.M.S. Charybdia is ready for sea, and will sail for the Pacific on or before the arrival of the next English mail. H.M.S. Virago is now absent on a cruise." •

The Bankers' Magazine in an artioleon New Zealand Banking Bays:-— The branoh banks of the colony have from their own resources been able to transact large operations in gold, and to stimulate pastoral and agricultural pursuits. They have hot been without losses, sometimes indeed heavy and disastrous, but the long experience in the other colonies and great ability of management have carried them successfully through all trying epoch of New Zealand, by enabling them to establish a business, which with highly remunertive rates, justified certain risks which are almost inevitable to the position they occupy. There has been a great decline in sheep farming, not only from the fall in wool, but the super-abund-ant sTpply of animals for the markets of the colony, which have especially affected some of the largest customers of banks. A correspondent of the ' Australasian,' writing on the subject of station-made soap for woolwashing purposes, says : — It is highly important that soap for such purposes should be chemically : neutral, for if the article contains an excess of caustic alkali, although the wool appears to be well, scoured, an action will be constantly going on in the bale which will cause the wool to turn out harsh, when opened in England. On the other hand, if there be an excess of grease left in the soap, the wool wL'l "mat together and turn out heavy. The ' West Coast '^Times' of the 22nd inst., states : — " The assent of the Governor has been given to the new Westland County Act, the first County Council of Weatland has ceased to exist. The election of the new Council is fixed to take place not later than the first week in December* The names of Mr Bonar, Mr Shaw, and Sir Mowatt are mentioned as probable candidates for Hokitika. Mr Prosser, it is understood, will offer himself as a candidate, but whether for the town or for one of the country districts, we are ' unable to learn. Mr Reeves' name is also mentioned as a probable candidate. Other rumours are to the effect that Mr Swale will offer himself for a seat ?i the Council." The ' Daily Times,' of the sth October, says : — " A private letter received from Taranaki states that during the recent earthquake there, the earth seemed convulsed by a perpetual pulsation for six hours, and for forty-eight hours afterwards sleep was hardly possible, as the constantly recurring shocks were very violent. It ] is supposed that there were no less than forty I shocks, and some were felt even on the 21st, ' more than two days after the occurrence of the first." A correspondent of the 'TaranaK Herald' stages that the Kaitaki ranges, in that Province, in which gold was recently discovered, closely resemble the ranges at the Thames, and that the quartz found in them is also very similar. In reply to a numerously signed requisition from the inhabitants of Timaru, Mr Stafford has intimated his willingness to represent that district in the General Assembly. It is said that no local candidate will contest the election with Mr Stafford. Pleuro-pneumonia is said to be very prevalent just now among the cattle in Canterbury. It is, however, not of a very virulent nature, and if taken in hand early, can be easily cured by veterinary treatment. The crops in Victoria are in a very unpromising condition. Owing to the want of rain, the grass is brown and stunted, and the hay-crops bid fair to prove a complete failure, while the root-crops, are also very poor. To add to the blackness of the prospect, moreover, not only has the dreaded take-all made its appearance, but great havoc has also been occasioned in several districts by the grub. A correspondent of the London ' Times,' writing on the subject of the Australian mail services remarks: — If mails could be despatched from Sydney and Melbourne each fortnight alternately by Suez and Panama, the colonies would enjoy a double communication with England at little more cost than is now incurred for an unsatisfactory and fluctuating monthly mail. The utmost speed and certainty would be insured for the transmission of letters, and travellers would, through the natural rivalry of two great companies, receive the utmost advantage of either route as might suit their local convenience. Mr James Roberts, of Connewarre, Victoria, states that he can point out a large goldfield in Tasmania ; and the ' Hobartowu Mercury ' is in great hope that the reward now offered by the Government of that colony will induce him to do so. A new oyster-bed, of great fertility, has been discovered at Okehampton Bay, better known as Lord's Bay, on the east coast of Tasmania. We take the following extracts from the annual address of the Provincial G. M. of Otago, which will be read with interest by the Odd Fellows of this town : — " In the report from the last A.M.C., I find that on the first of January, 1868, the total number of members connected with the Order to be 417,422 ; showing an increase on the year of 12,290, and if we take this as an average rin the year, the Order would number, on the Ist July last 453,567, nearly half a million strong. With reference to our own district it is also gratifying to see that we are on the increase. According to the last report that was submitted to you by my predecessor, this District numbered 13 Lodges, having 1011 mem- . bers good on the books, with a total worth of Lodge funds £644$ 19s 2£d. We now number 15 Lodges, having 1111 members, showing an increase of one hundred members good on the books ; while the total worth of the Lodges (not including the two new Lodges), is£7S65 — being an increase of £1515 0a 9£d in the year ending in June last. I issued a warrant in June last to enable several past officers to open the Loyal St. George Lodge, Invercargi l !, which was opened with the usual ceremonies j and although a small Lodge at the present time, I believe it will soon be one of the largest in Southland. You will be pleased to hear that the District Bye uaws have been certified by the Revising Off! or, and that the copy has been forwarded to 1..0 Registrar in Wellington to be regiitered i.i die Gazette. I regret that the correspondent, in reference to the proposed new Districts had to be referred back to define the names, instead of the Goldfields District to that of the Lawrence District, and the Southland District to that of Invercargill District. This correspondence will be laid before you." Ihe ' Age ' (Melbourne) states the Govern--1 ment have recognised the auriferous character of the country in the vicinity of Mount Martha, in the county of Mornington, and have declared it

to be a goldfield -within the meaning of the Act. The result of this recognition is, that under the new regulations, Phillip Island will be brought ■within the area of selection of. the 42nd Bection of the Amending Land Act. The Lands Department have surveyed the north-eastern p.ortion of the island, and have subdivided the allotments into convenient sizes, varying from 40 to 165 acres. At the extreme north-eastern corner the allotments range in extent from 11 to 25 acres. But these are very few in number. There is, however, much valuable land available on the continent within a radius of thirty miles of the locality of the goldfield, which will be seized upon with avidity.