Social and Domestic.

Southland Times, Issue 1066, 2 December 1868, Page 1

Social and Domestic.

.<■■ • : : «• The * Nelson Evening Mail,' 4th Nov. says :— " Ijiom a letter addressed by the loyal Maoris of Wanganui to Dr Featherston, Mr Fox, Mr Richmond, and the members of the General Assembly, we extract the following :—* Friend, Mr Fox, our advice is that this tribe theNgatiruanui should be exterminated I Not one should be left alive to create fresh trouble in this island. Do you consent to this proposition, viz., let the women be preserved as slaves for the Europeans, and all the children be killed, lest they should grow up and destroy and eat more Europeans and satires.' " We take the following from the 'Otago Argus,' 7th Nov.: — "A very determined but ortunately unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Captain M'Kinnon, was made by one of the crew of the Tararua, whoße name we have been unable to learn, as the vessel was ahout to leave Sandridge for this port. Captain M'Kinnon observing the man seated on a portion of luggage, quietly asked him to get off of it. Without saying a word, the man drew a dagger and rushed at captain M'Kinnon with it ; the hitter avoided the blow that was made at him, and seizing his assailant, struggled with him for some time, until both fell over one of the hatchways into the hold. When they reached the bottom of the hold Captain M'Kinnon was underneath, and the man was grasping him tightly by the throat. He aimed a blow at his intended victim, and as the dagger was decending, the second mate, whose attention Jiad" been directed to the spot by the noise, caught hold of his arm, and a fierce struggle took place between them; .the latter being severely cut about the hands and wrist before he overpowered the man. The New South Wales Minister of Land, at a recent Agricultural Show, stated — " That the extension of the railway into the southern and western districts had kept the loaf in Sydney this year a penny or twopence lower than it would otherwise have been ; large importations of wheat had been kept out, and a least £50,000 or £60,000, which wonld have been sent to California for breadstuffs, had been diffused in the colony. The completion of the line to Sutton Forest had increased the price of wheat in the Queanbean district from 2s and 2 s 3d to 7s and 7s 6d per bushel. We take the following statement of the richness of the Auckland quartz reefs, from the ' Southern Cross/ 2nd Nov:— Twelve hundredweight of stone from the Middle Star Claim, crushed recently in a berden, gave a splendid yield of 300oz, retorted gold. The Victoria Battery: 3,0000z of amalgam, being a portion of that obtained from the crushing from the Hobson Park Claim, retorted 5560z of gold. Souter's Battery, at the foot of the Waiotahi Creek, furnished as the result of the last 314 tons of stone crushed by this machine the splendid yield 0f3,1960z Bdwt 15gr retorted gold, quite sufficient, we should think, to assure those at a distance that the Thames quartz is not quite so barren of gold as it has been frequently represented to be. According to the Ministerial statement made by the Hon. John Hall, the Government propose to maintain a permanent armed force of 500 men, to suppress native outrages and maintain peace. The pay is to be Is a day above the existing rate. It is proposed to give something to the officers, and the divisions are to be increased from 60 to 100 men. The cost of the Constabulary will be increased from £47,497 to £81,000, to quote Mr Hall's words : — The Government also in the presence of a great emergency would ask the House for a contingent vote of £45,000, but only £5000 of that vote had been expended. It therefore did not follow that if a contingent vote were given, the whole of the money would be expended The amount he would ask would be £50,000, making with the balance of the last year's contingent vote, £90,000. The Government thought that they would be in a position to put a thousand men in the field if necessary. The Government proposed to meet £33,000 out of loan. It was proposed to issue Treasury Bills. There was no doubt the emergency was great. Not only were storms passing over the West Coast, but clouds were appearing over other parts of the colony. But the difficulty could only be met in one way, by opposing to it a united front. If that should be the case there could be no doubt as to the result. But if their councils were divided, than the prospect was extremely gloomy. The newly-elected President of the Wesylean Methodist Conference, opened at Liverpool on July 30, in his inaugural address, instead of confining himself to Methodist affairs, took a wider range, and glanced at some of the external relations of Methodism. He hoped that the Methodists would keep to their via media. Individually they had their political convictions, but they were not disposed to take political action in their corporate capicity. Any union of the Methodist connection with the Church of England was out of the question. They were not partisans of State churches, and could cast off any church that was unfaithful to Christ. He spoke strongly against the Tractarianism and Rationalism of some sections of the Church of England, and intimated that in some way or other some of the questions now disturbing the public mind might come under the consideration of the conference. Mr Hall's address was listened to with great interest by the conference, and his sentiments were endorsed by his ministerial brethren generally. About 500 ministers attended the conference. A warning to those who indulge in the practice of throwing stones is reported from Wellington. A youth was brought up before the Magistrate there, charged with breaking one of the telegraph insulators in the Hutt Valley, by throwing stones at it. The culprit pleaded that it was merely " a lark," but the Magistrate was inexorable, and committed him for trial at the next Session of the Supreme Court. |

A Melbourne contemporary has the following : — " If our American cousins are not annexing any unconsidered trifles in the way of territory at present, they are absorbing the raw materials of nationality upon a scale that woald soon people the new country purchased from the Czar. During the month of July last, no less than thirty thousand European immigrants arrived at New York. Fancy thirty thousand a month, while we in Victoria consider ourselves tolerably well off in increasing at the same rate per year. But this is not all. No less than four-fifths of the number were Germans, the remainder from the United Kingdom. We in cur wisdom refuse to allow any but natives of the United BJngdom to participate in the benefit of our immigration system, forgetting that the bulk of the emigrating classes in these days come not from England, Scotland, or even Ireland, but from beyond the Rhine." The ' Wanganui Times ' is responsible for the following : — " It is not true that Tito Kowaru seized the p.s. Sturt in the Patea river, cooked and eat Captain Fairchild, and then died of indigestion. It is not true that after cooking the Captain, Tito Kowaru said he was terribly tough and not worth the firewood and trouble taken in cooking him. The only foundation for the report was that Tito Kowaru had offered ten thousand acres of land with free selection, a good title, and fall protection — which the Pakeha Government could not give — for a good feed off Colonel Haultain when last at Patea. Of course the gallant Colonel, deeming discretion the better part of valor, escaped under a strong escort, and is now safely lodged at Wellington beyond the reach of danger. If he has not to thank Tito Kowaru for his life, he may at least thank him for his thousand a year and a house to live in. Were it not for Tito the Colonel's occupation was gone." The 'Southern Cross,' Nov., 2nd, has the following : — " During the month, various attempts, wise and unwise, have been made to get the natives of the TJppjr Thames to open their country to gold prospectors. Mr Mackay, Civil Commissioner, had a meeting with the natives, at which he pointed out the position of matters — that there were Europeans at Shortland who wished to come up the river in search of gold, and that he desired to make proper arrangements so that there might not be trouble. The owners of the land would be paid the same terms as had been done at Kauwaeranga. Mr Mackay pu^ the matter in all its bearings before them — explaining his own position, the position of the Government, and of the miners. The reply to all this whs, on the part of the Hauhaus, a point, blank refusal to open the hind. They said : " Then let not the Government back those diggers, and leave us to deal with them." Wikeriwhi, one of the friendly natives, said that he would open his land, and he was followed by Perinike who said the same thing. Mr Mackay accepted these lands on behalf of the Government, but specially reserved to himself the right of judging when it was expedient to take possession, and stating that he would not do so at once. The Haultaus then disputed Wikeriwhi's title to a part of the land claimed by him, and Mr Mackay said that any difference in that matter would have to be settled by the Native Lands Court. Hopihous at once answered : We will not in any way recognise the Native Lands Court, or have anything to do with it. The Hauhaus then, unanimously and formally, protested against the whole transaction, and went away very sulky. Since then the miners at Shortland have held a meeting, at which twelve delegates were appointed to go up the river and see the Kingite natives i and accusations were made against Mr Mackay that he did not really wish to open the land. The deputation did not go up, but egregiously foiled. It is feared that if the miners " rush " the district in spite of the natives, the latter will make an attack on the settlers in Waikato. The following very cutting and satirical remarks on the subject of the Taylor scandal, appears in the ' Age 5 ' of the 7th inst. :— " The star-chamber still fulminates in Collins-street east. No efforts are being spared to free the precints of the conventicle from that smell of brimstone which has been all-pervading of late. Excommunication is the heaviest penalty as yet, but there are better times coming. An auto da fe under the Corinthian columns would have the merit of novelty when the ban of the church begins to loose its terrors for backsliders. They mean business, I can tell you. Let the Press beware. Let those misguided church-members who dared to disclose the secrets of the Council, when sitting in closest chapter, take heed to themselves. It at was the last meeting seriously proposed and deliberated upon, though not carried, that any member of the congregation disclosing to the Press the church proceedings or decisions should be held " guilty of misdemeanor.' and be summarily expelled ! Telling tales dosen't suit these Christian people. There are data by meanß of which one may arrive at the precise degree of enormity attributed to this newest form of misdemeanor. The congregation regard and would punish it as they do adultery and offences in the first category of crime." The ' Sydney Mail,' 27th ult., says :—" Among the documents laid before Parliament is some correspondence on the Treason Felony Act. The Duke of Buckingham declined to advise her ! Majesty to assent to it, and remarked specially on the severity of two of its clauses. The Earl of Belmore put the despatch before his Cabinet for their advice. They stated, in reply to the despatch, that the clauses complained of were not the severest part of the Bill — that they were not more severe that the suspension of the Habeas Corpus in Ireland — that the local Executive was the best judge of the measures necessary for the public safety — that vigorous measures were rendered necessary — that the Bill had effectually answered its purpose of preventing seditious writing and speaking, and that no prosecution had been rendered necessary. They, therefore, declined to alter the Bill, and hoped her Majesty's Government would reconsider its I opinion."

An inquest was held at the Heathcote hotel, Heathcote, Victoria, recently, on the body of an unfortunate man who was poisoned at the i Prince of Wales hotel in that locality, '■ through taking a glass of cyanide of potassium. Six witnesses gave very voluminous testimony, and the jury returned the following particularly mild verdict —'• We find 1 that about 10 o'clock p.m. on the 4th inst., the ? deceased, George Wilson, came suddenly by his ■ death in the bar of the Prince of Wales hotel, Heathcote, from having taken a large dose of cyanide of potassium, accidently administered to him for whisky." The ' Bendigo Independent adds : — " We should scarcely have imagined it required a jury to tell us this much, but we are informed that they omitted mentioning the name of the landlord of the hotel, because he was only an amateur photographer, and ignorant of the fact that cyanide of potassium wa9 a deadly poison. After making all allowance for his want | of chemical knowledge, we cannot help thinking 'he should have been pretty certain thiß I vile stuff was not very good to drink, and we I cannot so easily excuse him for leaving it in a I bottle labelled ' Kirkliston whisky.' " ] We observe that Messrs Cochran, Granger and Blackwood general merchants, have opened a branch establishment in Dee-street. The premises now entered upon by them being those lately in possession of Messrs A. J. Smyth and Co, Auctioneers — formerly known as Monkman's City Auction Mart. With a little internal alterations, the building has been transformed into a very commodious warehouse, in which an extensive stock is already displayed to great advantage. The Directors of the Panama Mail Steam Company, says the ' Argus,' have reduced their passenger rates very considerably. Saloon fares from Melbourne to Southampton are now lowered to £80 and £85, and second cabin to £50. Captain Middleton, of the barque Day-spring, which recently arrived in Victoria from Hong Kong with Chinese passengers, many of whom died on the voyage from scurvy, was brought to trial at the Criminal Sittings, on the charge of neglecting to supply the passengers with the provisions stipulated, and also with ill-using them on the voyage. He was convicted of misdemeonour on both accounts, and received the sentence of twelve months' imprisonment with hard labor. The new Attorney-General of Victoria has determined to put a stop to little raffles and games of chance, which are frequently got up by the ladies as a source of mirth and money in connection with bazaars and fancy fairs held for the benefit of charitable and religious purposes. But it appears that, as yet, the fair sex have come off victorious, and have very adroitly turned his proceedings into a source of profit at the very bazaars he sought to put down. We quote from the ' Bendigo Advertiser' the following remarks upon the recent prosecution of the Sandhurst ladies : — " As the case was opened, however, it became evident that it had little or nothing in it ; for whereas the law, under which the summons against the first defendant (Mrs Buckley) was taken out, specially states that the offence against the said law consists in any alleged de- | fendant disposing of tickets for a lottery, in which he or she is ' beneficially' interested, it could not be otherwise than proved that not only was the defendant not beneficially interested, but like all ! parties similarly circumstanced, derived no benefit, and was wholly disinterested, except in the general interest in the success of the bazaar. The Bench, of course, adopted such a sensible and just reading of the Act. The case was disi missed, and the prosecutors, instead of the prosecuted, were mulcted in a heavy penalty by having to pay a considerable amount of costs." | The 'Argus,' of the 10th Nov., says :— " The | races yesterday were attended by a very great concourse of people, the delightful weather inducing many to spend their holiday on the course who never did so before. The Maiden Plate was won by Mr Clarke's Palmerston ; the Railway Stakes by Mr Fisher's Blondin ; the Melbourne Cup by Mr Tait's Glencoe j the Hurdle Race by I the Sydney horse, Faugh-a-ballagh ; and Blondin was again victorious in the Darling Stakes. With one exception all the prizes were carried off by Sydney horses. Very few members looked in at the Bubscription-room in the evening, and there was no betting on future events." We observe from Mauritius news received in Melbourne that serious flood had been experienced in Natal in the month of August last. Although a considerable amount of property was destroyed there does not appear to have been any loss of life. A new gold-field, it is reported, has been discovered about thirty-two miles from Kilmore, and within six miles of Tabilk Vineyard. The sinking is sixty feet, and ten pennyweights to the tin-dish of washdirt have been obtained. The Tasmanian papers are discussing the subject of the annexation of that colony to Victoria, but the idea as yet has not Jbeen favorably received. The ' Mercury ' writes — Were our possession of free institutions under the British Crown an obstacle to our commercial and individual prosperity, Victoria's laws and administration are scarcely the refuge to which we would flee. They are a beacon to warn us off the quicksands of democracy gone mad, rather than a sheet ancboi for our State barque. At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, 17th inst., the man Smith, who sometime since escaped from the Lunatic Asylum, was brought up on a charge of arson, he having, during the time he was at large, set on fire a hut in the neighborhood of Riverton. The Magistrate did not, however, seem to think the case one to be sent to the Supreme Court, the prisoner being a well-known confirmed lunatic. Having already effected his escape twice from our very insecure asylum, and having recently manifested symptoms of increasing violence, the unfortunate man was sent to gaol for safe custody.

, We learn from Canterbury papers, that the ' ship Light Bi'igade, now loading at Lyttelton for > London, will take the largest shipment of New Zealand flax yet sent from this colony. The , Halswell Flax Company have already shipped 100 bales, and during the present month 150 more r will follow, making a total of 50 tons. The flax [ has been very carefully manufactured and put . up, and is said to be in excellent condition. An i experimental shipment of half a ton made last year by the ship Beautiful Star having proved * highly successful, great hopes are expressed rei garding the present venture. Beferring'to the report that the number of men i under the command of Tito Kowaru is 800, the ■ ' Wanganui Chronicle' states, on reliable 1 authority, that not even half that number has ever been in the district at one time, provisiraß 1 for so many not being obtainable in the locality where Tito has pitched his camp. A dinner, in commemoration of the return of Captain Alexander M'Kinnon from Japan and the East, was given to that gentleman by several friends in Dodson's Proviucial Hotel, Port Chalmers, on Friday evening, the 6th Oct. The 'Tuapeka Times' says:— "One of "Big Clarke's" bullock drivers summoned him the other day for wages due to him from the time the station changed hands to the date of his leaving the employment. Clark, who appeared in person, evaded payment by stating that the run did not belong to him, bu<; to his son! It is an amiable trait in the character of a man reputed to be worth millions, to deprive a poor man of his hard"gained earnings by a mean paltry trick." Mining affairs in Westland are in a promising condition. No excitement has taken place anywhere on account of large finds, but a steady yield is being obtained. We extract the following from a letter under date 18th October, written by the Thames correspondent of the ' Daily Times.' After detailing the particulars of progress in the mining districts, which it would appear is very small, says : — " The foregoing are only two or three amongst a number of crushings that have recently been made, and are, I think, amply sufficient to satisfy your readers that we really have some gold here notwithstanding the hitherto smalluess of the returns, which I think will be found now to increase very rapidly. There is no denying the fact that as far as the Province of Auckland is concerned, this field is under a cloud at the present moment. Everybody who could promptly raise the money to do so purchased right and left when the diggings first broke out, with the expectation of obtaining a very speedy return for; their outlay. They quite forgot the fact that the Thames is a reefing, not an alluvial field ; in fact, the majority knew nothing at all about mining matters when they purchased, and consequently, in many instances, burnt their fingers. At the present time, if you offer a man in Auckland a share for sale, he looks upon you as a swindler, and characterises the whole body of miners as a lazy, loafing, good-for-nothing lot. The notorious bushranger Garrett has again fallen into the hands of the Otago police. He was brought up at the Dunedin Resident Magistrate's Court, on the 10th inst., charged with having burglariously entered the premises of Mr Allen, seedsman, Princes-street, Dunedin. The case was remanded. A deputation from the miners of Orepuki and Longwood waited upon W. H. Pearson, Esq., on Friday last, to tender to him the thanks of that community for his efforts in the furtherance of the mining interests, and especially for hia representation to the Postal authorities of the necessity for a Weekly Mail to Orepuki. A meeting of the citizens of Dunedin was called by the Mayor of that city, in order to give the members of the district the opportunity of j rendering an account of their stewardship during the hist session of the General Assembly. The only members availing themselves, of the invitation of the Mayor appears to have been Mr Reynolds and Mr Dillon Bell, Mr Paterson declining to attend, Resolutions were passed, expressing confidence in Mr Reynolds, and censuring the conduct of Mr Paterson, with a request that he should resign. The • Lyttelton Times,' sth Nov., says .— " It appears that the promoters of the Constitutional Association are taking steps towards its formation. A form of declaration, stating in broad terms the object sought to be obtained, is being handed round, and has already received the signatures of about two hundred of the leading people of Chrischurch. Steps are being taken to canvas the whole of the province, in order to obtain the support of ail those who are favorable to the views of the Association. An Otago journal states that the Otago Provincial Gazette of the 28th ult. contains an account of the revenue of the Province for the quarter ending 30th September. The Gold Fields receipts— including £2,711, revenue during suspension of delegated powers — are £20,000 ; from Crown lands, £26,000 ; for tolls on roads, £2,336 — making a total, with sundry items, of £53,480 — or in round numbers (deducting exceptional revenue) £50,000 — equal to £200,000 per annum. The revenue is mainly kept up by forced hind sales, and these returns show how rapidly the province is parting with its capital — the waste lands. Yet, with all these sales, we doubt very much if the revenue will not fall short of the estimates, even taking into account the large areas of land taken out of the squatters' runs that have yet to be sold. As to carrying out all the votes of the Council without a loan } that is simply ridiculous to expect. The expenditure is £109,000 odd, being nearly double that of the revenue j and under this head loans figure for £32,782 ; roads, £21,083; bridges, £2,250; public works, £6,514; and golctfielda, £1561. The chief amount of the expenditure still continues to be in the Dunedin home dis trict.

For some time past complaints have been made by the settlers as to the rapid and unchecked growth of the most destructive of all we eds — the Scotch Thistle. In some districts, we are informed, it is spreading vrith great rapidity, and we are asked why the " Thistle Ordinance, 1862," has not been enforced. The reason why it was not enforced in past years we are unable to state, but by a Proclamation in the ' Provincial Government Gazette,' of the 6th November, it appears that after the Ist Dec, 1868, it will be rigidly enforced in the districts of Invercargill, Biverton, Campbelltown, and Jacob's River. For the information of our readers we subjoin an abstract of the Act, viz. :— ''It shall be lawful for the Superintendent, from time to time, by proclamation in the ' Provincial Government Gazette,' to declare that this Ordinance shall come into operation within any district, and thereby to proclaim the limits of the district. Any person who shall fail to cut down and use every possible means to 1 eradicate and destroy any noxious Thistles growI ing on land belonging to him, or in his occupation, situate within any district within which the said Superintendent shall by any such proclamation as aforesaid declare that this Ordinance shall come into operation, after he shall have received seven days' notice in writing shall be liable to be fined any sum not less than ten shillings or more than thirty shillings for every day that such Thistles shall be permitted to grow. The occupier or owner of any land abutting on a road, who shall after notice as aforesaid, permit the said Thistles to grow on the half of such road adjacent to his land and bounded by the middle line of the road, shall be liable to the like penalty as if he had suffered the said Thistles to grow on land in his tenure or possession. It shall be lawful for the owner or occupier of any land within any such district, or for any person to be appointed by the said Superintendent for that purpose, to serve a notice in the form or to the effect of the Schedule. In case any such Thistles shall be growing upon any unoccupied land, or upon land the ownership of which cannot be ascertained, then it shall be lawful for the owner or occupier of any land within such district, or for any person who shall be appointed by the satd Superintendent for that purpose, to cause a notice to be published in two consecutive numbers of at least one newspaper published within the Province of Southland. If the Thistles upon any such land as last mentioned shall not be cut down and as far as possible eradicated and destroyed within ten days from the date of thß last publication of such notice, it shall be lawful for any Resident Magistrate or two Justices of the Peace having jurisdiction within the district, to make an order authorising any person or persons, to be therein named, to enter into or upon such hind and eradicate or destroy all noxious Thistles growing thereon : Anl in case it shall be proved on oath to the satisfaction of any such Resident Magistrate or any two such Justices that any costs have been incurred in eradicating or destroying such Thistles, it shall be lawful for the said Besident Magistrate or Justices to make an order for the repayment of such costs to the person or persons who shall have incurred the same. The occupier of any land upon which may be found any noxious Thistles which shall have run to seed, shall be liable to a penalty of not less than £5, and not more than. £20. From the Melbourne papers to hand, we learn that His Excellency Sir H. Manners Sutton and Lady Sutton have been through the Western Districts of "Victoria, and have returned from their trip, having visited Mr Robertson, at Colac j Mr Neil Black, at Gleiformiston ; Mr R. Henty, at Caramut ; Mr Learmonth, at Ercildoun, and other old colonists. The journey extended as far westward as Warrnambool, and from thence the plains were crossed to Ararat and Pleasant Creek, while Ballarat was visited on the return journey. The party were everywhere received in the most hospitable manner. The facilities for acquiring land for actual cultivation now offered by the government, are liberal to a degree. The ' Argus,' a journal that has for many years opposed the land policy of ttie M'Culloch Ministry, in its issue of the 9th inst., says : — " The current month has witnessed the introduction of a startling novelty in the management of our great public estate. On Monday, the 2nd instant, a considerable area of land was thrown open for selection, to be held under licence, for agricultural purposes, at a yearly rent of two shillings an acre ; and the opportunity thus afforded for acquiring land on easy terms was not neglected. The extent of land which one person might select was 160 acres j though few succeeded in securing so much, the land thrown open being for the most part laid off in allotments of eighty acres or less, and there being more applicants than there were lots. That the land obtained in this way was acquired on very easy terms will be obvious when we say that much of it was worth several pounds an acre — had been proved to be worth so much by the sale of similar lands, in the same localities, by public auction — and that the new selectors are almost sure to obtain the fee-simple of their holdings, sooner or later, on payment of the usual upset price of £1 an acre. Their present tenure will consist of a yearly licence, but experience shows that when the lands of this colony pass into private hands, no matter on what terms or under what conditions, the holders become the purchasers in the end, and at the minimum upset price." The New Zealand Gazette announces the declaration of two new hundreds in Otago. The one, to be called the Traquair Hundred, consisting of 35,000 acres in the Waipori district ; and the other, called the Stuart Hundred, consisting of 15,000 acres, in the Waitahuna district. The Board of Agriculture (Victoria,) we. observe, has offered a prize of £50 for the bee! practical subject of " Takeall," dealing especially with its origin and cure.

The following description of a machine for flax dressing, made at Wanganui, and brought to Wellington to be improved, is given by the ' Independent * : — " The principle is the same as that of Dougal's machine, as improved by Price of Auckland, but will dress twice the amount of flax with the same amount of labor. Three of these machines could be driven by a five horsepower steam engine, and being of a light and portable character they can be easily removed, when one flax district is exhausted, to another, where it could be worked by horse-power. One ton of- flax is produced out of five tons of the • green material ; the value of the one is £5 per , ton, and when dressed will realise at Melbourne £30 per ton at the paper mills. One man and ? four or five boys can produce by this machine 5 cwt. of dressed flax per day. The flax, which requires no previous preparation, after being put through the machine, has only to be rinsed and bleached to render it fit for manufacturing parposes. We learn from Northern papers that a prospecting party, under the leadership of Captain M'Donnell, has just returned to Wanganui from the Taupo district. Notwithstanding the incle- ( ment nature of the weather, the failure of their stock of provisions, and the danger to be apprehended from the Hauhaus, they seem to have been tolerably successful in their search, for a goldfield. Captain M'Donnell reports that they struck a reef, and found gold in other places in payable quantities , but were compelled, owing to the boisterous state of the weather, to return. ■ He also expresses it to be his opinion that 'a payable field exists in the district, though, owing to the difficulties to ba encountered, it will be some time before it can be worked. ; From a return just issued of the Customs revenue collected at the different ports of the colony during the quarter; ending on the 30th ; September last, we (' Daily Times') find that, as compared with the corresponding quarter of 1867, there is a falling off to the amount of £5016, or about 2.55 per cent. Of the 26 ports enumera- ; ted in the return, only 6 show an increase— viz., ; Auckland, Bussell, Westport, Dunedin, Iny«*T cargill, and the Bluff ; the rate of increase being 37.65. 16.84, 14.29, 12.63, 5.07, and 177.77, per cent, respectively. Though relatively the progress . made by the Bluff is the most striking, yet absolutely the amount— £l28 — is but insignia 1 - . x cant, and by far the greatest ' increase is shown by Auckland, owing to the development of the Thames Goldfield. On the other hand, the largest decrease in the returns of the more important ports is shown by Hokitika; being at the* rate of 44.66 per cent ; while the lowest in the . scale are the Chatham Islands, which contribute only £1 to the general total. The ' Daily Times,' 12th Nov., says : — "From the beach workings at Kartigi, near Moeraki, we learn that a very fair sample of gold has been got for a considerable time past. One storekeeper in the neighborhood informs us that within the last five months he has purchased over £1500 worth of gold the produce of this beach, and it is well known that a large proportion of the gross yield finds its way further down the country." We have to acknowledge the receipt of the Acts passed last session by the General Assembly, and also, Hansard to the end of the session. It is a singular fact that no less than seven colonial dioceses are without bishops at the present time, while tnree more are temporarily unoccupied, their bishops being in England. The New Zealand 'Examiner' remarks: — Either their work must be unimportant, or neglected. We cannot think the former, and hence are reluctantly compelled to take the latter conclusion. Truly the directors of the worldly affairs of men seem more in earnest than those appointed to look after their spiritual well-being, for we never yet heard of a Governor leaving his post in charge of a deputy in order that he might come to England for a great " talkee," or to refresh himself with a series of visits to his friends. Sickness is said to be very prevalent in Hokitika just now, the prevailing complaints being low fever and bronchial affections. In an article on the general depression throughout the colony, the ' Wellington Independent* remarks : — " The only way in which better times can be brought about is by reducing the cost of Government, enforcing a rigorous economy in every public department and developing the resources of the country by the establishment of new industries. If wool does not pay to send home, then we must become iLanufacturers of cloth j while, instead of boiling down, we might try our hand at preserving meat for export. Candles, soap, beer, spirits, papers, and a host of other things might all be profitably manufactured on a large scale in New Zealand. Some of them are so already, more especially beer, but the trade would bear immense extension." It is reported in Adelaide that "Captain Thunderbolt," the notorious New South Wales bushranger, has made his appearance in the neighborhood of Culgoa, and within a short distance of Burke, where he shot a police-trooper who attempted to arrest him. During the month, says the 'Argus,' there has been an election for the relurn of a representative to the Legislative Council for the North Western ' Province, at which the retiring member, Dr Wilkie (the chairman of committees) stood for re-election, but was opposed by Mr Brands Eobertson (a local man, who formerly sat in Parliament) who was returned by a large majority. In the election for the Eastern Province Mr B. Williams, the retiring member, was mure fortunate, as he was returned after a pretty -tdottr^— "~ contest. 4?here have also been two elections for ■— """ the Legislative Assembly, one at Castlemaine for the seat vacated by the retirement of Mr Bindon, in which Mr Etto "was victorious over the LOTaL-r . Liberal candidate, Mr Tucker. The va«u«^in. 3 the representation of Geelon& caused by the^-- " r death of Mr Nicholas^Footfc, has beenjG)^ °y the return of JUJfGraham Ber£y«^- s> "~ ■ :