Probincial Mems.

Southland Times, Issue 1190, 9 July 1869, Page 5

Probincial Mems.

The problem- for a lady's attire for the velocipede appears to be in & fair way of solution. A party of young ladies have takett ap tbe matter in New York, preparatory to making their debut in the approaching summer, and the "Velocipedist" thus describes their dress : — ''Let the outer ' dress skirt be made so as to button its entire length in front. The back part should be made 1 to button from the bottom to a point about three-eighths of a yard up the skirt. This arrange ment does not detract at all from the appearance orf an ordinary waking costume. When the wearer wishes to prepare for a drive ehe simply loosens two or three of the lower buttons at the front and back, and bringing together the two ends on each side seperately, buttons them hi this way aronnd each ankle. This give 9 a full skirt around- each ankle, and, when mounted, the dress falls grace- • fully at each side of the front wheel." A northern contemporary says : — The ingenunity of the rebels on the East Coast in furnishing themselves wtih ammunition, or subsitutes for what would be considered indispensible requisites for European warfare, is noticed by our special correspodent. The cartridges made by them are said to be very creditable specimens of workmanship, with the gum from native flax used to fasten the paper togetaer ; and for wads they make use of round pieces dried fungus. The Urewere, oi as w» may term them men of the mountains, are described as fine specimens of Maoris, and run about their native hil.s like goats. Iv the House of Representatives on the 18th inst., the following papers were laid on the table : —Return showing the total amount expended on defence purposes since the 30th of June, 1869, the amount expended iv excess of appropriations, and the liabilities incurred ; return showing in detail the appropriations for defence, which amount in the whole to the Bum of £241,000 stated in the return laid on the table on the 11th Juite, 1868 i return of arms belonging to the Colonial Governmenty and how distributed ; also a 6tateroent of the number ordered from England or Australia ; also a return of the various forces, European and Native, and where stationed. The ' Westport Times' states that a man named William Smith, a drayman in the employ of Mr M'Cormack, Westport, lost his life on Saturday afternoon by a very simple accident, which is thus related by a witness at the inquest : — " On Saturday evening, while I was standing on Stanley wharf, I saw the deceased drive a horse and dray into the river. After he came out, he turned the horse round, and put him in the river again. He was sitting on the dray, on the side next the river. That side of the dray went down deep into the water. The deceased tried to get the horse out,, but it plunged 5 the dray and the horse sank ; and the water came up the man's neck. He struck out with his hands to keep himself afloat, and got to the horse's head, but as soon as he got hold of the head, the boree plunged more violently with his fore-feet. Tbe hosse seemed to strike him with his feet, and in a few seconds both dissappeared." The ' New York Leader ' contains the following items of press gossip : Several of our contemporaries are discussing the question as to the highest price paid for journalistic work, and some seem inclined to think that the one hundred dollars per column given to Fanny Fern by friend Bonner, of the 'Ledger,' caps the climax. Not at all. Mr Stephen R. Fisk, of the ' New York Herald, was offered one hundred guineas — over five hundred dollars — by the London ' Times ' for his report of the Atlantic race, making about two columns of that journal. Mr Fisk refused the offer, preferring to make the ' Times ' a present of the account, and thereupon Mr James Gordon Bennett paid him one thousand dollars for the same report, printed in the ' Herald,' making five hundred dollars a column — the largest sum ever received by any journalist. The c Melbourne Age ' says :— During the recent trip of Sir James Fergusson and suite to the Mount Gambier district, a visit was paid to the far-famed Blue Lake, generally supposed to be. the crater of an extinct volcano. Captain French and the President of the Marine Board sounded it in 24 different places and found the depth to vary from 30 fathoms to 112— the average depth being 43 fathoms. At the spot where they found 112 fathomß, they sounded carefully all round, and found it to be a smal circular hole, the edge of which varied from 40 to 45 fathoms. After the departure of the viceregal party, some workmen engaged in getting up the boats used by the visitors in exploring the lake, discovered an opening in the rock, which proved to be an extensive cave. They explored it for about twenty yards, without getting to the end of it ; bat were then forced to desist, as they had no lights with them. A quantity of dingylooking specimens, resembling coral, were found and forwarded to Adelaide. We hope our South Australian friends will have the cave thoroughly examined, and we shall watch with interest for the result of their researches. ___ 'The Pleasant Creek News' learns tEaT-*---description of eagle different in plumage and size to the eaglehawk has been seen lately in the country to the north. " The bird is described as larger and apparently more powerful, with a grayer plumage and a much larger and lighter beak. Our informant, who has much to do with travelling stock in that direction, informs us that they are regarded by Borne of the aborigines with a feeling akin to veneration ; they are strong enough to sail away with a young lamb, and that although apparently but migrating in this direc- j tion, some of the squatters complain of the ! mischief which they cause, as well as of their boldness and ferocity." A late Auckland contemporary states :— " Two men were shot at Auckland while the Naval Artillery were firing one of the Armstrong guns. One of the men, a Mr Martin M'Dermott, tin■mith, was standing about forty yards to the right front of the gun, and on its being discharged he was seen to stagger, and would have fallen, but a bystander ran to his assistance. On a medical examination being made, it was found that a piece of metal had entered between his ribs on the right side, and lodged in the cavity of his chest. The doctors had not been able to extract the piece of metal, and the case is considered a very serious one. Another man, whO8 « name is unknown, was at the same tun* wounded in the groin. A piece of metal, about the size of a crown, was taken from the wound, and tne man was able to walk about eopn. after.

"The colonial boy," observes the « Clunes Gazette,' " hat becdme a recognised institution in our society ;■ bis precocity is seen in whatever he takes in hand. Unfortunately, this is evidenced most in an unnatural tendency to eril ; s want of reverence for everything that it sacred, be it either divine or human ; hir disregard of every tie, and recklessness to consequences. On Tuesday last there appeared four bright specimens of the class before our police court ; they had been prowling about the town for a week, sleeping in a mia-mia and straw yards. In' a mia-mia in Mr Mac Donald's paddock, they had located them* selves, and were found interestingly engaged in plucking a goose, whose head they haft} twisted off and they favoured several storekeepers with their attentions, relieving the till of some of the loose silver; supplying the want of a new hat from one, some comforters from another, and pocket knives, &c., from a third ; and having a good I supply of meerschaums they managed to steal ' some pounds of tobacco, and so the young scamps moved along. The conduct of these lads when before the court was of the most hardened reckless character, grinning, laughing, and prepared to turn all that was said into fun." An article in the Hobarfc Town Mercury on the Duke of Edinburgh's torn 1 *H»ougl» th©»«s colonies, after characterising his visit to New Zealand as " a political mistake," goes onto say :— There was a want of consideration— a some thing approach* ing to an insult to New Zealand — in sending there one of the finest specimens of the British Navy, fully equipped in men and material, to lie idly in their waters in holiday trim with a holiday crew, while within a few miles of her the colonists were probably engaged in a hand to hand fight with the ferocious savageß. The money spent in a raree show on their waters, while not one penny is spent in aiding them in their deadly struggle, with the contrast between the condition of the Colony's forces and that of the Galatea's crew, are too marked to be pleasant or gratifying to the ' colonists. According to the Colac correspondent of the 1 Geelong Register,' a meeting of gentlemen was lately held at Colac to inaugurate a society which will, for want of a better name, be known as "The Anti-Shouting Society." The gentlemen present bound themselves by promise not to give or take drinks in the way of shouting, under penalty of a fine of £1, to be paid to some good or charitable institution. The meeting elected a president, vice-president, and secretary, and contemplates erelong calling a public meeting to promulgate their principles: ; I The telegraphic correspondent of the ' Daily I Times,* under date June 30th, says :— The Government have received despatches from General Chute, intimating that in obedience to instructions received by him from England, a copy of which he encloses, he has given orders I foe the several detachments of the 18th Regiment ' j to concentrate at Auckland, preparatory to their | immediate removal to Australia to relieve the 14th mow stationed there. The necessary arangemento for their transport will be made by Commodore Lambert. Mr Cracroft Wilson, in an excellent speech moved his resolutions in favor of the Ghoorkas. Mr Fox moved the adjournment of I the debate to the 9th July, saying that it opened ' up a cardinal point of the policy of the Government, which they would then be fully prepared to discuss. Mr Ormond has been appointed ■ Government Agent on the Bast Coast. He left for Napier to-day. Te Keoti, with 200 men, has reached Moerangi, 40 miles from Tupaeharuru. The latter place, which is garrisoned by 170 men, he intends to attack, and declares that his god | has given it and all the people in it into his hands. The proposed policy of the Government j has given entire satisfaction here. Great faith is j placed in Mr MLean's management of Native affairs. | The 'Wellington Independent* says: — 'Some nte resting information has been laid before the Assembly on the subject of emigration. It appears that an influential Bociety has been formed in London for the promotion of emigration to the colonies the committee of which numbers many names of note. A sum of £6395, has already been raised by subscription, and 900 emigrants have already received assisted passages to Canada, and 200 to Queensland. Other bodies will also be sent to the colonies from time to time. The following letter has been addressed to the Government here : — " Sir — We venture to bring under your notice, the enclosed resolutions, unanimously passed at a conference on emigration recently held at the Mansion House, together with a copy of the application paper in use by our committee, and I some other documents issued under our authority, in the hope that your Government may be inclined to afford the society pecuniary and other I assistance in the promotion of emigration to your colony. You will see that we exercise great precaution in the selection of emigrants, and that our system is that- of reciprocity, believing as we do, that the assistance of deserv- | ing unemployed workmen and their families in their desire to emigrate, is an advantage both to | this country and British colonies. Should your Government aid us in our undertaking, we promise that your wishes in respect to the persons I selected for assistance shall have our earnest confrft^acation. and that the emigrants aided from our fu'u»d shall have tn«- ap^nu ■ .» x — ruu. accredited emigration agent here, or any one your Government may appoint, before their embarkation. We sh.all be extremely glad of any information from you upon the important question of how far our surplus labor may be rendered available in your country, and what faculties you can afford in settling any emigrants we may send you. Trusting that this effort to improve the condition of our deserving unemployed workmen and their families, and to benefit British colonies, may commend itself to

your Government, and that we may receive your assistance and support. We are, &c, Jaa. Clarke Lawrence, Lord Mayor, President. G. Grey, Henry Eingscote, Committee. J. Standish Haly, Hon. Sec. To the Hon. the Premier, Auckland, New Zealand." Mr Stafford ha« sent the following reply :—" Colonial Secretary's office, Wellington, 26th May, 1869. Gentlemen, —I have the honor, by the direction of Mr Staf ford, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter and of its enclosures, will b« presented by his Excellency's command, to both Houses of the General Assembly, for their consideration.— l have, &c, W. Gisborne. The Lord Mayor of According to the Wellington ' Post ' one of th« Bank managers in Sydney iB about to leave for New Zealand, to open branch establishments in several of our New Zealand towns.

We (• Daily Times') regret to learn that Mr Dawbin hat repotted to the Government that nearly all the salmon ova are dead, and that all hope of » successful issue to the experiment may be considered at an end. There could be no doubt that this unfortunate result is owing, to the unusually lengthy passage of the MinJora, and to other unfortunate circumstances of which ' enough has been said. In the event o an experiment being repeated it is worth while con. •idering bow such a result may, as tar as possible, be avoided. The suggestion made by sergeant Quinn in a report lately published in cur columns, relative to the emplo>ment of the Clyde ships for the purpose, is a good one. Nor is the advantage of more rapid passages, ' referred to by the sergeant, though certainly the chief advantage, the only one to be obtained by their employment. There is also in their favor the fact that the ova can be procured at a much lets distance from the vessel, so that a lengthy railway journey, like that from Worcester to London, is avoided. The Clyde ships, moreover, start more punctually to their advertised date tban those sailing from London, thereby avoiding unnecessary delay after the ova are placed on board. There ia yet another plan, however, which has been proposed by the Acclimatisation Society of Southland, and which appears to have much to recommend it. We refer to the proposal to send to British Columbia for the ova. The passage thence in a good ship averages from 40 to 60 days, while the ova could be obtained in the immediate neighborhood of the vessel, and be put on board the very day of her departure. The matter is deserving of consideration both by the Government and the Acclimatisation Society. The • Grey Biver Argus,' of the 19th inst., B&ys:— "Where the late fire took place is now the scene of busy labor, and the carpenterpower of the town and neighborhood is taxed to the utmost to supply the demand. Those who suffered by the fire are vicing with each other in the speedy erection of their places of business. The offices of Mr Perkins, solicitor, and shop of Mr Trist, blacksmith, have been redirected on their old sites ; the store of Messrs Hamilton and Nichol is rapidly approaching completion, and will be occupied in a few days. The piles are being put in for the reerection of Johnson's Melbourne Hotel, and Flannary*s Harp of Erin Hotel ; and similar preparations are being made for the store of Forsyth and Masters, who have built and are now ocoupying a temporary building opposite the old site. Tenders have been called for the reerection of the Bank of Australasia, but the others have made no sign, pending the instructions from head- quarters. There is no gratitude in Governments. This i» the burden of a complaint made in the Crowlands district. uWe often wonder,'*— we quote from the * Pleasant Creek News'—" what wo have done to deserve the back view of the present Ministry, as hitherto we have been their thick and thin supporters— have hurrahed for M'Culloch and Co. till our throats grew husky. We have worked like tigers to return their supporters, but for all that we receive none of the good things that usually fall to the lot of such enthusiastic constituencies. Some say that lukewarmness on the part of our representatives is one cause of it. Be it what it may, our position here is a finger-post of disgrace to any Ministry. We have a population of over 2,000 souls, yet we have but one magistrate ; no coroner within twenty-five miles ; no collector of imposts j in fact, we have nothing that in any way indicates the sway of a liberal or enlightened Governmant, and I begin to lean to the belief that our representatives are not sufficiently interested in the welfare of the district. I wish tne Ararat folk would lend us their member for a session. What a host of grievances he would hurl at the Government! Why, he would fight with them until his eyelids could no longer wag, but he would have them redressed; but we have no M'Lellan, and so we suffer. The following interesting particulars inlreference to the Waikare Lake, in the vicinity of which is the present scene of Col. Herrick's operations are taken from a letter in the 'Hawke's Bay Herald :— The canoes used by the natives on this lake are of immense size, and even with these the natives do not venture to cross the lake save in clear weather. In a H.W. or S.E. wind, one of which is almost always blowing, a horrible sea is ; produced. The country ob the shores of the lake is rough in the extreme — dense bush and mountain ranges, inter sected with gorges and deep gullies, and so deeply indented by deep bays, that the distance round it is: double its actual length, which from Te Onepoto to the landing place for canoes at the commencement of the road to Boa Tahuna, must not be less than 10 or 12 miles ; whilst, from the extreme end of the Wanganui-a-Paora branch to the extreme end of the Wairau, it must be 18 or 20 miles. From Te Onepoto the Tiki Tiki Headland is probably a mile and a half. The white man who lived with Te Warn after the fighting at Wairoa, in 1866, swam across from Tiki Tiki to the Panekiri bluff, overlooking the Onepoto, to fetch some articles !eft by Ie Warn at the landing place, and back ajrain. "tore^n^ n eb.wt'o?'wa!terM, that it has ao outlet save by the Waikare Taheke stream, by which it discharges itself through a cavernous tube passing right under the JtaUkana hill, so that its outlet is several hundred feet below the level of the lake, and its warm waters are discharged into the rocky bed of the watercourse,

with a hollow roaring that, in bad weather, is tremendous— the stream being a foaming torrent like a mill sluice for miles on its descent to join the Waiau. The TaUey of the Waikare Taheke is grassy and open, and with no great expenditure of labour might be converted into a good road until it commences the ascent of the Baiakaha hill at Te Kopane, where it wilt be remembered Te Warn laid in ambush and kiliei nine of the friendly natives at the Brst volley, and so severely wounded our old friend Ihaka Whanga. A number of people paid a visit to tha dluff on Saturday last, in consequence of a telegram received in town, to the effect that a couple of whale, had entered the harbor. On arrival^of the train at CampbeUtown, it was discovered that the unusual visitors had made an abrupt departure. fl« Imm of oheswanto wew trten by the Duke visited by the GaUtetv.