Untitled

Southland Times, Issue 1093, 20 January 1869, Page 2

Writing in the ' Melbourne Leader,' " Under the Verandah " says : — " In these dull times it is refreshing to hear of people making money in mining. Who is there that doesn't know little Jones of Ballarat ? The luck of little Jones is proverbial. Jones made up his mind some time ago that he would visit his native country. Before his departure the cautious Jones sold out a few hundred full Band of Hope shares at £120 each. This was good, but Jones did something even better. He had a dream about North Clunes shares, and bought three hundred at eight pounds each. Shortly after, the shares began to rise, and the mail takes home to little Jones the pleasant intelligence that his shares are worth about eighty pounds each, or £24,000 for what cost £2,400. Besides this, he had £3,000 iv dividends. This, I think, is the best single mining share operation publicly known in Victoria."

Rabbits have become a perfect nuisance in a I portion of the New River District. They have n< overrun several fine farms, and if something is ai not done to exterminate them, serious loss will cc 3 ccur totfoMett lers residing in their vicinity. hi A mvo*ins of the subscvitoers to the Southland Races for Clin year, was held j»i; the of Wales Hotel, on Tm^tj. afternoon, 10fch . inst. There was a very goodalrenaahce of gentlemen who take an interest iv matters connected with ' the turf. The business brought forward consisted of two propositions, the firstrrbek|jf;." that the Club should avail itself of Mr Mortons offer of "* the use ot his paddock, aud hold the racing meeting this season at Wallacetown." An amendment to the effect that the races should be run on the old course was proposed, put and lost, when the original motion was then put and carried. The matter was discussed so vigorously, both before and afLer the resolution was passed, that another motion was proposed, j"; vesting in a committee the right to hold the i racing where they chose, said committee to con- J sist of Messrs Smyth, Swale, Hare, and the j Stewards. This was ultimately carried with few dissentients. The second matter of business was a proposal to postpone the races till the 4th and sth of March, the days previously fixed, 18th and 19th February, being also the days on which the Tuapeka meeting takes place. As several owners of horses had sent down promising entries c in the event of a posfcponment, it was of course agreed to. Some other business of detail terminated a very animated meeting. Coal is said to have been found at Kadavu, in the Fiji group, and a specimen of kauri gum : also, hitherto supposed to be confined to the Pro- , vince of Auckland, is said to have been found at Nadi, in the island of Vita Levu. It is probable, , however, that this last has been cast up by the sea. We understand that the Agricultural Statistics will be taken this year by the police. They will be completed about the end of February. Mr Macrorie, having been appointed Census Superintendent, will compile and arrange the Statistics for publication. The 'Southern Cross," of tha 2nd inst., says : — We have been obligingly shown a private letter from Opotiki, dated the 16th December, which contains some importaut items of native intelligence. The writer states that there need not be the slightest apprehension ot a general rising on the East Coast, as the great bulk of the natives there, so far from sympathising with Te Kooti, regard him with the greatest abhorrence, and have determined, when an opportunity occurs, to take utu for the murders he has commitied upon friendly natives. A meeting of the Ruatahaua natives has been held, at which feelings of indig. nation were expressed at the atrocities perpretrated by the arch rebel, and it was determined to call a general meeting of the natives of that district, to be held next month, in order to decide as to the course to be adopted to obtain utu for the barbarities committed by Te Kooti and his band upon neutral as well as upon loyal natives. The natives appear to be somewhat apprehensive that Te Kooti may make an attack upon them, and it is probable therefore that the meeting will be a numerous one, and that some decisive steps may be resolved upon. The letter says there is no truth whatever in the report that, the TJreworas from Ruatahaua and Whaiti had joined Te Kooti's party, the fact being that only a small party from Maungapouwhatu has gone over. The Whakatohea natives held a meeting, and heard the report of Wi P ere relative to the doings of Te Jiooti and his followers. The narrative complet ly changed the views and intentions of the natives, who condemned Te Kooti in very strong language, and expressed their determination to take the side of the Europeans in tbe event of another raid being made into the district. There can be no doubt that the frightful atrocities perpetrated by Te Kooti upon his own countrymen have cut him completely off from all sympathy from any but the effscourings of the tribes, the thieves and marauders. The same paper says : — On Christmas-day, W. H. Taipari, the native owner of Shortland town lands, entertained his native friends in a ve-y liberal manner, according to his general custom. There was a goodly gathering of natives, and the feast of fat things was served ' al fresco ' near his residence. Of course, ample justice was done, and the natives appeared to enjoy themselves amazingly. A little complimentary speechifying followed, but the aid of an interpreter was not brought into requisition. We must congratulate Mr Taipari on his successful entertainment of his native friends in truly European style. It is stated in the ' Timaru Herald' of the 30th ult. that an attempt is likely to be made by Meßsrs G. G. Russell and Co. to export fat sheep to the Dunedin market by the steamers trading to that port. The Fiji correspondent of the " Otago Daily Times' writes as follows : — " Our arrival in Levuka was peculiar in regard to the number of children on board, and Young Fiji has received a great comparative accession. Levuka is improving, and new buildings have been put and are going up during the last fe w months. It bears, however, a dull aspect, owing to the absence of planters from town, as they are busily occupied in gathering the cotton crop, which promises a large increase this year. In the harbor there were the barques Ellesmere and Anna, the Banshee schooner, and the Eliza schooner. The latter sails under the Tahitian flag, and brought as passenger a French naval officer, who left to-day in the Ellesmere for Sydney after a short stay in Levuka. Reports of all kinds are afloat as to the nature of his mission, but I find a general impression afloat that it is political, and a general dread among the settlers that it may be preliminary to the occupation of the Islands by the French Government. No one here likes the prospect of this, and all would prefer greatly to see either the English or American flag hoisted in the group. As matters are now, it would surprise no one to find a French vessel of war down one day, to take possession, there being several powerful Catholic Fiji chiefs who might be induced to favour a cession. Once lost, the value of these islands wonld be appreciated by England, but too late for remedy. That the : French have a keen taste for acquisition in the Pacific is abundantly proved by their annexation I of Tahiti, and more recently of Opara."

A correspondent informs us that Riverton just low presents an animated appearance, drays md waggons arriving daily from the up ;ountry stations loaded with wool. The Beaton lias fairly set in. Messrg Whittingham Brother! ire enlarging 'their premises, which will, when completed, surpass in extent, &c, any mercantile establishment in Invereargill. This firm employs nearly twenty hands, and its operations are of a moat extensive and varied character. It supplies th* Orepuki diggings and the Lake Wakatip almost exclusively with goods, and purchases large quantities of the produce of the farmers of the Western district. — There is but little mining news from the Orepuki. Taylor and Co have expended a large sum of money on sluicing purposes, without having as yet obtained a corresponding return, but they appear to be sanguine of ultimate success. It is to be hoped that their enterprise will meet with a suitable reward. — The Rivertou Steam Saw Mill is kept constantly at work ; there is a ginger beer and cordial manufactory always busily engaged, and a brewery has recently been opened by Messrs Densham and Scully, which supplies the wants of the locality. Altogether Riverton is a very pretty, healthy, little town, admirably situated, and slowly but surely progressing. The Melbourne correspondent of the 'Otago Daily Times,' writing to that journal recently says: — There wa3 a rumour current here some time ago that we were one day to be visited by the great novelist Charles Dickens, who, it was •aid, would make a " starring" tour for the purpose of reading his works to " Young Australia." It is not very likely that rumour was anything more than one of those 'canards which find their way into the papers when news is scarce and Parliament in recess ; but at all events if we hare not got the immortal author of" Pickwick" himself in Australia, we are now happy in the possession of one very nearly related to him — if that is any consolation— since his son, Mr Edward Dickens, reached our shores by the good ship JBlackwall, the other day, with the intention, it seems, of taking to squatting pursuits in the border district of Riverina. At a meeting of the Acclimatization Society, held on Tuesday afternoon, 19th inst., a subcommittee was appointed to enquire into, and report upon, the circumstances connected with the recent escape of the young trout from the Wallacetown ponds. It was mentioned as so far hopeful, that several of the young fish had recently been seen by Mr Howard in a stream below the ponds, showing that although exposed to the chapter of accidents in unprotected watere a number of them at least had escaped their enemies, and were as yet doing well. It was also decided that an appeal should be made to the public to support the society more liberally than has as yet been done, and it was agreed to adopt a system of contribution lately tried with success in Tasmania — not only in money, but in any shape in which people chose to give it, the accumulated property being afterwards sold at auction. As a Rood beginning to the proposed bystein, we may mention that the Hon Dr Menzies then and there gave the society a section of land in the town of Invereargill. The Director of Meteorological Stations (C. B, Marten, Esq.), reports that a smart shock of earthquake was felt at the Martendale station last Thursday evening — the 14tn instant — at 9.45 p.m. "It was preceded by a loud subterranean noise and a quivering vibration ; tho main shock was almost vertical, and could not be said to have any lateral direction. The noise more resembled an explosion than the ordinary low rumbling sound, aud the shock was an unusually sharp one. The barometer was steady at 30 - 02, and tbe temperature of the air higher than at any time since 1866 : the thermometer standing at 82.2 deg. in the shade ; the sky clear ; a dead calm ; moderate amount of ozone ; the air dry ; humidity about 55. Slight electric disturbance has followed the earthquake, but none of any importance. The solar radiation has been very great since the Ist inst., exceeding 140 deg* almost daily. On the 10th inst., the insulated thermometer exposed to the sun's rays, rose to 150 deg. Fah."