The Southland Times. MONDAY, MARCH 29, 1869.

Southland Times, Issue 1132, 29 March 1869, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, MARCH 29, 1869.

. — . — . Acclimatisation.— We are requested to state that, the meeting announced to take place on Wednesday next, is postponed till further notice. The Duke of Edinburgh. — We understand that this Province wiU be honored with a visit .from His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh after he has completed his tour through the neighboring Province of Otago. The Lake District will most likely be the last place visited, previous to His Royal Highnesß's arrival in Southland. Cheap Trains. — To-day, being Easter Monday, and consequently a semi-holiday, the Government, we observe, intend to run cheap, trains at convenient hours to and from the Bluff. No doubt, should the weather prove fine, a good many wiU avail themselves of the opportunity for a ride on the rail. The "Weatheb. — In reference to the late severe storm, the Director of Meteorological Stations, remarks : — " The magnificent weather ex- ' perienced throughout the last three months was terminated on the 21st by the autumn equinoctial gales, which set in with unusual severity, continuing during the three foUowing days with heavy rain and haU, frequently accompanied by violent thunder andUghtning. The wind was very strong from W. and W:N;W., occaaionaUy veering to W.S.W. Between the 21st and 25th, 2*82 inches of rain fell, and ( 3455 mUes of wind passed, the pressure several times being nearly 301bs. The barometer stood at 30*17 on the 20th, and had only just begun to fall, when the storm commenced, and it remained perfectly 'steady at • 30*00 inches during the first 36 hours, subsequently fluctuating between 29*31 and 2970. ; On the day before the storm the amount of ozone was greater than registered on any previous occa- , sion. The temperature was remarkably high for the season, from the 14th to the 28th, rising on the 17th to 80 degrees in the shade— the highest temperature recorded in March for seven years (i. c. since 1862) ; the solar radiation — 140 deg. — was also exceptionally high. The storm abated on the morning of the 25th, but the appearance of the weather is still threatening. This gale has been the first since the erection of the new anemometer, which has sustained it in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. — Chaeleb Rous Marten, Director of Meteorological Stations, Martendale, March 26th." The Gouelay Family. — During the past week this talented famUy have been giving a series of those clever performances — delineations of Scottish character — 'for which they have acquired both a home and colonial reputation. Unfortunately the weather broke on the very day of their arrival, and has continued of the most inclement description ever since, so that their sue- • cos b in a, pecuniary aspect cannot have been 'so satisfactory as it otherwise would. On many of the evenings on which they . have . played the wind and rain has been such that only the most enthusiastic would venture out, and consequently the houses have been rather thin. Uris to be hoped the weather may hold up this evening so as to allow all who can appreciate the rich dry humour and broad Doric of Scotland an opportunity of enjoying the treat in store foT them by a visit to the Theatre Royal. As the famhy leave for the North ,by . the Gothenburg^, 1 to-* night is announced as their last appearance. They are really deserving of a bumper house. Good Fbiday. — Friday, 26th inst, being Good Friday, was observed as a general holiday, business throughout the town being entirely, suspended. . There were none of the usual holiday appearances observable on this occasion, the day having been one of steady rain, in fact the day had more of the appearance of a wet Sunday than anything else. An additional air of solemnity was imparted to it through the Presbyterians having elected to observe it as their usual " Fast Day," preparatory to a Sacramental Sunday, so that there were divine services in both the English and Scotch Churches, which' were weU attended. Through a misprint in the local almanacs Good Friday was put down for 9th April. Auckland Islands. — The ' Independent,' of the 14th inst, says : — " H.M.S. Blanche, Captain Montgomery, Bailed at seven o'clock, on Thursday morning last, for the Auckland Islands. She proceeds thither for the purpose of ascertaining if any wrecks have taken, place in that! vicinity, and to render any assistance if required. | The dep&t of provisions left on the islands wiU also be inspected, and whatever necessary supphes may be required wUI be furnished by this vessel. Mr Balfour, Marine Engineer, was a passenger by her, and proceeds thither for the purpose of making some observations on the islands, and reporting to the Government. The trip wUI occupy about a fortnight, when the Blanche wiU return to this port." , Rich Claim. — A dividend of £800 per share for the month of February has been paid to the fortunnate shareholders of the Golden Crown Claim on the Thames , Auckland. Titokowabu.— rßy way of Taranaki we (Wanganui Chronicle) haye v some native information , which we believe to be thoroughly reliable, and which, as forming a break in the cloud, we have great pleasure in making public. It is a fact that Titokowaru'B men are deserting him, and that in considerable numbers. It appears he has been | misbehaving himself in reference to the women in the camp ; it can easily be understood that a savage so cruel is also coarse and sensual ; and hence has arisen a disaffection among his followers. The consequeuce is that the rebels are falling back, and the most likely thing is that they wiU not fix upon any permanent encampment nearer this district than the old one of Te-Ngutu-o-te-Manu. So much for Titoko. Of course these facts have no bearing of any great moment on the King movement generaUy, the pacific or warlike tendencies of which appear at this moment to be undetermined, and which a very slight incident might influence the one way or the other. _ .. Was of Extermination. — The ' New Zealand Herald ' of the 4th inst. says : — Lord GranviUe's instructions are "imperative, and his ExceUency's reply to the deputation at WeUing^ ton puts the matter clearly enough. The fact ia the Home Government begins to see plainly and to hint as much to us, that the war to be satisfactorily concluded must be one of extermination. Great Britain, while it will make no remonstrance if our Government pursues such a war, does not like the idea that British troops should assist in the work. The sooner the Colonial Government sets about its duty in earnest the better. There is no need to be squeamish in the matter. Either v.c must hiU the Hauhaus off or they wul kill us off. The offer either to Europeans or friendly ] uitives of their land to those who will occupy it, and rfo much for the head of every Hauhau brought in wUI very soon simplify the position, A ahd bring the war to a satisfactory termination. All that the Government will have to do will be to act ori the defensive, to keep our settlements from invasion, and to leave it to private enter-

prise to keep the enemy off within his own territory. There cannot be more than from three to four thousand Hauhaus at Kawhia and on the east aud west coasts. If £20 for each of these was offered, £80,000 would settle the question. Revivalism in "Wellington. -There has of late been something resembh'ng what is called a religious revival, going on in the Wairarapa Valley, of which the promoter is a gcntU_»an named Backland, who disclaims connection with any particular sect. On his first arrival in the Valley some months ago, he was received with open arms by Mr Ross, the Presbyterian clergyman, and Mr Rishworth, the Wesleyan. asked to their houses and invited to preach in their churches. Tho ' Mercury' says : — Gradually, however, they discovered that the opinions held by him was riot the same as they professed, and further that his religion was peculiarly like that of Plymouth Brethrenisn. On Monday the Bth inst., Messrs Ross and Rishworth called a meeting at the' School-houso, Carterton, in order to explain this view of the case, and to announce to the audience that in future neither would have anything to do with the opinions expressed by Mr Backland. In retaliation, Mr Backland called another meeting on Friday night, in the hall at Carterton, to rebut the charge brought against him by the Rev Mr Rishworth." This last meeting appears to have been of a most extraordinary character. In the first part of it Mr Backland explained his views, and expatiated on the happy results of his preaching in the Valley, especially at Carterton. He was supported by his own particular disciples, who were principally of the fair sex, and unusually energetic in their partisanship. When he had concluded his address, Mr Rishworth, who was present, endeavored to obtain a hearing, but at fir3t without success. A state of confusion took placa which defies description ; the whole of the audience at once stood up, and jeers and hisses, laughter and cheers, with whistling and shouting all intermingled, took the place of the most perfect order and silence in which Mr Backland had been listened to. The sense of the meeting, however, revolted against such a display of unfairness, and a hearing was : obtained for Mr Rishworth, who accused Mr Backland of having | deceived Mr Boss and liimself in reference to his religiou3 views, and of holding the tenets of the Plymouth Brethren, in reference to which sectthe read several condemnatory extracts from the London Quarterly Review. He asked Mr Backland numerous questions as to his creed, which he refused to answer, except by affirming that he preached from the Bible. The proceedings throughout -were disgraceful to all concerned in 'them." The 'Mercury' says, 'to find a parallel for them one must go to the penny theatres in "Whitechapel, or tfie beer-shops in Ratcliffe Highway.' 'The women were particularly unruly, and the clergymen used some rather strange expressions towards each other, such <as, ■ You never got a straightforward answer from Plymouth Brethren yet. and never would,' ' I'll unkennel you yet,' Ac, Ac. The tumult at last became unbearable, and the meeting broke up amidst great excitement and confusion, and as Mr Backland was leaving the Hall one of ' his dear friends' threw a towel smeared with butter^ over his head, which was an appropriate conclusion to the disorderly proceedings. The African Gold Fields. — A digger, who has just returned from Natal, desires through the ' Argus,' to warn miners from leaving that Colony for those African fields. He says hiß own experience was unfavorable. He had seen Mr Black, the leader of one of the prospecting parties, who said he should not return to the diggings on any account. He and a party of thirteen men had been there for six months, and only got. one half-ounce of gold. Ho had fever twice, and was glad to get back alive within the settlements. Stories were told in Natal of washdirt being stacked, but that was unlikely, as the rainy season was then on. He encloses ah extract from the ' Natal Mercury,' which writes unfavorably, saying : — " Writing now in the middle of December, and many months after the news of the •dazzling' richness of tho Tatiu goldfields first reached Natal from the interior, we have to say that as yet gold has not been obtained in quantities sufficient to pay for the labor expended. It has been dug at the Tatin, in the interior, and aU the Umtwalumie and the Tugola in Natal under somewhat promising circumstances. What the future may develop we know not, but hope ; for the best. Of one thing we aro certain — we are neither prepared for an indiscriminate rush of gold-diggers to our shores, nor his anything as yet been proved to warrant such a rush. . If men choose to come here— knowing those thing's, and desirous of ascertaining what is the true value of the recent gold discoveries — they will be welcome, and we shaU all wish them God speed, and": .assist them to the utmost of our power; but if they come misled by romantic speculations about the Ophir — by prophecies, after the fact, of scientific men greedy of notoriety — by false and 'exaggerated .newspaper reports, we can. only pity then- ill-fortuue." The Alaem in Waikato. — The ' New Zealand Herald,' of the sth, gives re-assuring intelligence from the Waikato. • It states as fallows': — It would seem that the statements furnished to Captain Clare, and by Mm to Colonel Maule to the Government, were not warranted by the facts of the caso. If, as our correspondent states, these rumors are wilfully got up by interested parties for their own profits the Government wiU, wo trusf, sift tbo matter to the bottom, and find some means by which the law' may be brought to bear upon them for their chastisement. Sele-Keliance. — The most prominent organ of the Self-reliant policy, the Wellington Independent, makes a singular admission as to the danger involved in the policy. A recent article on the subject remarks : — " If there is to be a general ri-sing, it is not one or two regiments that wiU save the colony from ruin. Should that event happen — and we have too much faith in the good sense and enlightened self-interest of the native race to anticipate anything so terrible — the North Island will either have to be reconquered by an Imperial army, or abandoned-" Dismissal of Mb M'Lean.— The Wellington correspondent, of the ' Otago Daily Times,' writing under date, March 20th, says :— r The notice which appeared in tbe Gazette yester- ' day, to the effect that the New Zealand Govern-; merit hacl withdrawn from Mr M'Lean his authority as its agent on the East Coast, has caused. a good deal of talk here, and although the Opinion is that it wiU injure Mr Stafford's position and strengthen the hands of his opponents, it is allowed that under the circumstances no other course was open to the Government. It was impossible that they could retain in office as their a»ent and representative a gentleman who in another capacity had felt it is duty to thwart and defeat their wishes and orders. That Mr M'Lean did' this in preventing Kdpata's removal with his Ngatiporou to the West Coast is notorious. The Government was, for many reasons, particularly anxious that the chief in question should join Whitmore's force, and the statement of available force hi Hawke's Bay, published semi- officially by the ' Advertiser,' proves beyond any doubt that Ropata and his men wore not in the least required for the protection or defence of that province.