Local and General

Southland Times, Issue 1190, 9 July 1869, Page 3

Local and General

A lad named HaU, was brought up at the Besident Magistrate's Court, on the 25tli ult. under the charge of having obtained money and other things on false pretences. From the evidence, it appeared that the youth had for some time, beea pursuing a systematic course of plundering, in the " Jeremy Diddler" style. Lodging for short teims at several places, under feigned names ; passing himself off as the son or nephew of some person of importance, and on the strength of hia assumed relationship, easily gettirg into debt, for boa'-d, goods purchased, cash, borrowed, &c, &c. He was sent to prison for a month, with hard labor, a lesson which may probably induce him to wort honestly lor hh living for the future. Several civs\ cases of no great moment were also heard. One drunkard fned in tin usual amount, and another indiv'dnal . was likewise fined for riding on the footpaths. In commenting on the state of provincial affairs in the province of Conterbuiy the "Lyfctelton Times" remarks :— " From various c-.uses, the public are becoming convinced that the present syst >m of provincial government is too cumbrous and too costly, and that it fails to pro Tide for the growing wants of outlying dis. tricts. It would be difficult to say how tbis feeling has arisen. We ara inclined to believe, however, thst it has been engendered quite as much by the general prostration of trade as by aav other cause. Had there been plenty of money ?n the treasury, had large pub.'ic works beau :i progress, and had activity prevailed in trade instead of di?"ness and depression, there would have been, we think, no mention of constitutional and other reforms. It cannot be said, in the case of Canterbury, that there is no work for a provincial government to do. But it can be said, with perfect truth, that there is little or no money to expend. We have si"! a large unsold estate in our waste lands, but purchases have dwindled away to a mere it'.le, compared with what they used to be. There aye still la ge public works to be done, but the treasu y is empLy. We are brought to that state :'n which the prmcipr 1 . thing to be considered is the problem of how to Kve within our means. It is under these circumstances, and from these causes, as we believe, that a cry for reform has arisen. The «Daily Times' hasthefollowing:— "Mr Wood, of the Elephant Inn, on the Ofcago s'de of the WaitakiEiver, informs us (' Oamaru Times') that when cross'^g the river a few days ago he had just reached a shingle spit, when he observed a fish leap out of the water in a small poo\ enclosed by the spit. He, seeing that the fish was imprisoned, resolved on ai:?TipUng its capture, and, after several * r'Aesi slum's, at length succeeded. He describes the fisb. as being covered with bright scales and about 11 >nches in length. He was under the impression that it was a salmon, but how this could be we are at a loss to conceive, as the only place whence Buch a fish could come would be the Waiwera, and a salmon of that size would hardly seek the sea, and even did it, it is exceedingly improbable that it wouM find its way into the Wartaki. We are not aware that there are any fish except eels " x that river. Parses enso^ed ia quartz m!a" 13 will do well to note the lesson contained in the fellow .03 paragraph from a late issue of the 'Soathe.j Cr Ogß ' : "We have been in "o'med that the commander of one of the vessels trading out of this port, on the occasion of a recent tup to San Francisco, took with him a smaH parcel of quartz token without prejudice iVocn a quantity winch had been tested at the Thames by some of the machinery there, and found to yield nil or very ?'ttle more. He had the sample crashed at San Francisco, and treated by the dry process, when it produced gold at the rate of 35 ounces to the ton ! So much for the comparative value of the two methods of extracting the metal. There can be very little doubt but that by the imperfect system of crushing, and the faulty plans in operation for bringing the whole mass into contact with the quicksilver, a startling percentage of gold is carried out into the 'tailings.' In the CaUfornian operation, per contra, the stone is ground to an impalpable powder, and proper means being adopted to bring the whole of the material into contact with the mercury by literally shaking the mass up into a kind of dough, it is impossible for any particles of gold to escape. From a northern contemporary we learn that the Wreck Eecovery Company established in Wellington some months ago, will make an, attempt in a few days to raise the s.s. Taranaki. The four pontoons by means of which tliis result is to be accomplished, are now almost completed, and as soon as they are ready the Lady Bird,with the necessary men and appliances will proceed to the spot whe.-e the Taranaki lies submerged, and a vigorous attempt t.lll be made to raise the latter vessel. The ' Otago Times' says :— " In the House of Representatives on the 4th instant, a V ;porting Debates Committee was, on the motion of Mr W. H. Harrison, appointed. Mr Harrison, in moving the resolution, remarked that it would be advisable to put a stop to the practice so prevalent among members laßt session of making { extensive corrections to their speeches ; so as, in j fact, to report their own speeches. . j A correspondent of the « Timarn He?a!d' contradicts entirely the statement lately published in that journal, to the effect that the Mao is at Temuka had gone over to Hauhauism, and were meditating an attack on the European residents ?u the district. He says that, having been present in the Maori church during the performance of their religious services, he is able to stifce positively that this is not the case, the form of worship adopted by them being that of the Church of England. He also asserts that the reported to-n-out of the Volunteers to resist an expected attack by the Maoris, is whoi'y a canard. The * Wellington Independent ' states : — " We have been informed that Messrs Crowther and Coffee, the contractors for building the pontoons in Queen Charlotte's Sound, have nearly completed two of the /out pontoons advertised for ; *ho other two -will be ready in about ten days, when the b.s. Lady Bird will proceed to the sound vith a number of men and att the necessary appliances for the raising of the s.s. Taranaki, whas we trust that the experiment will he successful, p-ad that it may prove remuneidtive to the company." The Freemasons of Auckland gave, on May 27, » grand complimentary ball to the officers cf the African squadron.

From a table showing the immigration and emigration to and from New Zealand during the year 1868, the Wellington Independent complies the following statistics :— Auckland— Immigration, 1164 ; emigration, 877. Taranki—lmmigration is nil, while emigration is represented by 5 Wellington— lmuiigialion. 940 ; emigration, 592. Hawke's Bay— lmmigration, 31; emigration, 9. Nelson— lmmigration, 335; emigration, 173. Marlborough— lmmigration, 8; emigration, 7. Canterbury— lmmigration, 1071 ; emigration, 355. Westland— lmmigration, 1834 ; emigration, 3108. Otago— lmmigration, 2919; emigration, 1487. Southland— lmmigration, 421 ; emigration, 250 The total net exeesss of immigration over emigration is 860. Of a total immigration from all ports of 8723, 4847 came from the Australian Colonies while the retarn tide was 6519. The emigration to all other parts was only 1344. A, peculiarity of the Wesland returs is the exceedingly large proportion of p lult males, and the comparatively few women and children, and all from Australia. In an article commenting on the loss of the Blue Jacket, the Lyttelton Timea says :— An impression prevails very generally that it is to be attributed to the flax she had on board. Though we can understand how this impression arose, we are at a loss to account for the ready credence it received among m;u whose experience andnatmal intelligence ought to have made them pause, at least, before arriving at sech a conclusion. In Captain Wb-te's narrative no conjecture is hazavded as to the oiigin of the fire and the remark that it is supposed to have arisen from damp woo\ i s likely enough to be true, when we take p 1 ! the circumstances into consideration; At att events, prudence suggests that the public should wait for fui iher intelligence before they attribute the fire to the flax which the iH-fated vessel carried. According to the • West Coast Times,' there is every probability of direct steam communication between Queensland, Sydney, and New Zee'and ports being shortly established. Captaia Frederick H. Troughton, the general manage.. 1 of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company — the oldest and wealthiest company on this side of the line — is now visiting the various New Zealand poxis, masing the necessary preliminary enquiries and arrangements preparatory to the steamers of that company entering upon what, we beVeve, wiH ultimately prove a very lucral ive hade. Whether the directors of the company finally determine upon extending tbeir Kne3 to New Zealand, will, we presume, depend upon toe tenor of Captain Tvoughton's report. The case of Mitchell v. Wolfskehl which has occupied the attention of Mr Justice Hargreave and a New South Wales jury for thirteen days, and will rank as one of the Australian causes ceUbres. The action involves a question of right to property amounting to £x20,000, but in consequence of the judge issuing an ord3r that the evidence should not be published till after the trril, ac present the facts are extremely meagre. Dr James Mitchell, one of the oldest settlers in New South Wales (having been identified with that colony foi* upwards of forty years) died some short time since, leaving a will in which he appointed the defendant sole executor, with the power to apply the wlio?e of his property to carrying on mining schemes in connection with the Curiawong Cop* per Mine, in which he was interested, thas total'y setting aside a previous will, by which the doctor's pvopevfcy was left to b'.s widow and children. The widow and executo s now assert tbat, for some time previous to Dr Mitchell's death, he had shown signs of his intellect becoming c'ouded, and that Wolfskehl, by obtaining undue influence over him, had compelled him to make the second will in his favor. The plaintiff Wolfskehl having applied for probate of the w^ll, it was opposed by the executors of the first wAI. A verdict has been given for the defendaut, thereby asserting that the last will made by Dr Mitchell waz invalid. We (Timaru Herald) have been presented by Mr Sealey with a magnificent specimen of quarts brought from the Opuha gorge, near to the locality of the quartz reefs lately discovered by Messrs Thew and Thurgood. We are ?i expectation of receiving other specimens from off the reef itself, and we will then forward the quartz to Wellington to get it properly tested and reported on. The * Daily Times "of the 13th inst., says : — " Mohikinui, whose once busy streei s ave sail to b 8 now thickly grown oyer with grass, is likely to he restored to i'os fo:-.mer prosperity. A x'ush is i enorted to have taken place in the ne.'shbov'aood, p ospects of from one to four peon /weights to the dish having been obtaiuec!. The Poverty Bay correspondent of the j 'Fowte's Bay Times 'says: — " Peka one of j Ma^ov Bigg's murderers, arrived here this afier- j noon ia the schooner Murewai from Porei'fcy Bay. He has been transferred to gaol, and is to be carr'eu to Wellington for trial. He may gee off fcr want of evidence; nevertheless, ha assisted in most of the murders. A bet er system appears to prevail at present iv Tauranganni, murderers are not let off as formerly ; the fact of Mr Wylie, a Government official, havJng shot the murderer of his son, and another assassin has probably had something to do with the altered state of affairs. The ' Daily Southern Cross,' of the 17feh insfc. states that his Royal Highness \he Duke of Edinburgh went on board the Galatea on Saturday morning, the 15th inst., and sat as President of a court-martial which was held on board ibr the trial of an engineer of the Blanche. Captain Ponsonby officiated as Judge Advocate. The accused was chaiged with disorderly conduct and breach of duty, and was assisted in his defence by Mr J. B. Russell, under whose advice he pleaded gx'i'tv urging extenuating circumstances, and putting in first-class certificates of ten yean' service- The accused was sentenced to be dismissed his ship, and placed at the botlom of the Vati Our Kiverton correspondent under date 9th tft. sayß : — A testimonial signed by some 60 or 70 residents in the district, was presented to Sergeant SKury on Saturday last, the sth, by H. Lyon Esq., accompanied by a ve-y appropriate speech. Sergeant Shury in replying stated that the members of the force had at that time very dis. agreeable duties to perform but that if a constable did bis duty fairly he was sure to ga'a the esteem of the respectable portion of tkeco jmrcnitv, and as far as the rest were conceded he need not care about them.

I A very handsome oil painting by Mr Samuel Morton, of this town, is now on view at the Southland Club. The picture is a copy from a steel engraving of the original, but the filing in of color has, of course, given scope enough f-jr tlie drsplay of talent on the part of the j artist, and *his has been done with marked success. The tone of the whole is indeed gocd, ! and ligh*; and shade hare been very effectively ■ produced. The subject of the picture is also a ■ rery pretty and pleasing one, being a view of Loch Ard, west of Scotland, at sunrise. The p'acid loch, the majestic hiPs, and the quaint Iv'ghland village, at the foot of the loch, occupying the centre foreground, with the sun's fiv3fc beams just kindling over the mountains, have aU been well treated by Mr Morton, and combine to form a picture which would grace any dining room. The Ministerial policy as regards the war is condemned in very strong terms by the ' Lyttel- -, ton Times,' which says : — " We have no hesitaj tion in declaring that the scheme, if carried out, ! wi i be positively ruinous to the settlers of Canj terbury. The fruits of their labors will be absorbed year by year by the steady increase of taxation, which must ensue if this policy be carried out. Sad as the results will be, it is more than likely that the Ministry will succeed in cawying out th?ir policy. The Middle Island ?s sp.'ii; up into different sections, divided against each other.* The outlying districts of every provloce hove been pitted against the centres by the adroit policy of Messrs Stafford and Hall. Something may still be done by the people. They can still make their voices heard by petition, or at public meebings. These are perfectly legitimate means of bringing pressure to bear upon a Ministry, and al} the more likely te succeed when, as at present, the time of a dissolution is near at hand." A correspondent of the ' Daily Times,' writing from Long Ford, Mataura, under date the 2lst u'.fc., says : — " Mr Wi'liam M'Nab, Knapda'e, had a narrow escape this morning from drowning. While he was crossing the Mataura river, near the accommodation house, his horso bucked and threw him off in mid-channel. Mr M'Nab was carried down by the current for a distance of about 200 yards, and would certainly have been dvowned, had not Mr Burrows, who bad witnessed the accident, run down to his boat, and saved him just as he was sinking. The rescued man was immediately conveyed to the nearest collage, where prompt measures were taken to restore him, under which he speedily recovered. The ' London Scotsman' says : — " A successful merchant in New Zealand, a Scotsman, commenced business with the following characteristic eu'ivj on the first page of his ledger : ' Commenced business this day, witti no money, little crecTfc, and £70 in debt. Faint heart never won j fair lady. Set a stout heart to a steep brae. God save the Qaeen.' " Who is he ? I A meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was he?d ai noon, yesterday, Bth ult., at which were pi-eseDt — Messrs Moore, (chairman), Calder, T. M. Macdonaldj Harvey, Dalgliesh, Hare, Crouch, M'tcae i, and M'Pherson. The chairman stated ' thai fcje meeting was caHed .'or the purpose of considering a commun : ea'^on from the Dunedin Cbambei, lelative io ce;i.ain rights claimed for vhe publ.'c by that Chamber, in conaection w-th b 3 of sale, and other mo vgages upon pevsonol p-opercv. Some correspondence which had passed between the Di/nedin Chamber and the Co'oiral Secveta y on the subject was also read, fi-oai wircb it appeared that the chief point la dispute had reference t« the obstacles at present imposed in the way of a general search of register. It appeared that the law officers cf the Government had interpreted that clause on the bills of sale act, having reference to search, ! ri a manner which the Duned'i Chamber considered wrong, and subvemve of public interest. Alter a conversational discussion of the question, Mr Calder stated his opinion to be that the government weve right in their rendering of the aci', and could not see how any other course could oofcaiu until an altevation was effected in the law' He then moved, and Mr Mitchell seconded, the foJ'ow.'ag resolution : — That the representation of Soi* Wand in the General Assembly be respectfu 1 -7 requested to give their support to any Aoieudmpnt of Bills of Sale Acts which may j^ive greater facilities to ihe publ'c to make a general search. The resolution having been canieti, the hon secretary was instructed to forward a copy of it to each of the representatives, and to the Duneciin Chamber. The Chamber then took into consideration ihe inter-colonial postal arrangements now in operation. After a few general remarks, in which nearly all present joined, the following resolution, proposed by Air Hare, seconded by Mr Crouch, was pat and earned — " That in the opinion of this Chamber, the necessities of the coony require at least two postal arrangements connecting New Zealand with the English Mail via Suez, and that the Bluff Harbor should be the first port of au-lval, and last port of de- j pavoure in one :'nstance, and that the other should connect Auckland with Sydney, and further, this Chamber is of opinion that mails could be arranged to be carried as formerly, by tbe payment of a small bonus, which would save the colony the burden of formal and costly services." Th© Hon. Sec. was requested to forward copies of this also to the proper parties. Mr F. J. Gribbs was then elected a member of the Chamber, which terminated the business of the meeting. The 'We'lington Independent, 1 of the 251 b. May, says: — "A second company of ' darkies has been formed in this city, under the name of the We^ington Amateur Court Minstrels, amongst the members of which are several amateurs possessing considerable ability who i have never as yet appeared before the public. We understand that they have offered to give a performance in aid of the funds for getting up the proposed bazaar in aid of different chav'table objects. His Exce^ency the Governor's capab:'liL"es as a writer aye commented on by the ' Wellington Independent' ia terms the reverse of complimeniai y . Tn an article on the correspondence which ha 9 lately passed between Bis Excellency and the Colonial Office, it remarLa : — " Sir Q-eorge Bowen is LHe prosiesb of -writers, and never fairly grapples with the questions he has to diacuas. He is a mere nonentity, who has continually the fear of the Colonial Office before hia eyes on the one hand, and of his Responsible Advisers on tbe other. His chief object in li *c seems to be ! o evade all responsibility whatsoever, and bo to act as to secure the gveaiest possible amount of eaa c and tranquility which it is possible for his position to afford.

The petition now being circulated in the Timaru and adjacent districts in favour of separa ion from Canterbury, is stated to be meeting with great success, all classes signing it with much alacrity. A petition on the me subject, signed by all the members of the Levels "Road Board, has already been forwarded to Wellington, and two more, from the Timaru and Gladstone Boavd of Works, and 1 Borough Council of Timaru, will follow by the nexfc steamer. « The "Southern Cross " of the 4th insfc., says : By the an-'Val of the schooner Kate Grant yesterday we learn that seriou3 disturbances have taken place amongst the natives of the Samoa group. Tbe quaerel arose in connection with the appo'Qtmeot of a King for the whole Samoa group. | Most of the inhabitants are auxious iO have a chief over the whole of the islands, but a dispute was engendered by a jealousy which existed between the different islands, two of which put forward a claim for one of their men.to f 'l the office. The Elands of . Lava", Muneno, and O julu are concerned in the dispute, and about 600 men altogether are. under arms. The first engagement toot place at Apia on the Island of j o,>ulu on the Ist of ApiP, when 70 natives were k." 1 ed, the beads of aU the wounded beiag cat off at Ibe close of the fight. The flag of the British | co oar l , was bau ] ed dowa and tom in pieces, but no Ea'Opeanß wee molested. The fighting was s'il song oq wben the Koce Grant Je-fc, and Mr Vv." 'ams, tbe consul, had despatched a lei ceo to Sydoey bva biig bound for thafc place, resquesi\ig the assistance of a man of war. The day bero>a the schooner left, Mr Fi -.v, the missionary j s.ai'ooed afc Saluatela, came in to Apia to comp!avi of the conduct of the natives .Hvmg at that &ipi'on, who have assumed a most t f jveaten\og ati'.ude, and have taken up their abode in the j c'laoel, in spite of all remonstrances. Tbe hu-ica^es which proved so desJ /uctive to the Jiji group passed over tbe Samoa gi-oup on the 16.h Mavch, by which a saw-mill belonging to Mv : Wi ''aoja was desi-oyed, and a number of na.ive houses at I'onga blown dow j. Tbe 'PaUMaU Gazette' thinks tbat P\soce ii: cd's pveseoi-3 s'^cu'd be paid for by P "j^e i A • cO. Commea ; og oa ibe nr'scelta oeous exyeasea in tbe CW { . Servii-e Estimates, t'.'P.t joi>- oa l says : — " We cannot ihink t iiat tbe d'goily o? loya'iv bB9 bren pvor>e ( y cooso'ied b\ ihose who have pc m'-iea ibe nope* ')oee Ja ibs J'&i oC a m\ 'V snoa of £.2 Is fo* ..'yj %, &c, of pie afc A ' we-p on toe emb.'.b,'oa of vbe Pi'ioe of Wales. It wivo'c be &. 1 ■"> xr.eci ioa-fc foe Be'g ; au Cove o-ne-.it has teat ii <h : s 6i". A mo'e iaa- ; (O..a.i£w?iier 5s acba-^eof £5374 14s — cose of oceiisau< g a-oVes by H'<s Boy H'^J-'ess Vje'Di'lv-eof Efroou'-h. afc ibe Caoe a^oci Acs. ua!"a, soa da-: •» Vs \J eseot vopp^e ja H.M.S. | Gp'p ea. r x'?e Oote of Eominngb. wos endowed hv >-c re. r oa, on h ; s comiog of age, w-.h a baudaowe ii'cO'T!e to enab'e b^oi io ma oi^> v bs p '.if?w po.i.'oo. Be is fovo-^'ug abcub tbe wo ii w' i ibe j■ f e 6-to j tieoi;! o" his naral ] j-P-ilr p.t. . coT>"iie-'f . !?r e'«S > '- i e y» v eseni? at>d ? LV.'e'' 'oe n)9V oe op eu oa lo d'soease ia bs i aye's ; 'oL'a be ■oa'd ■ om ie ] ; oe"al jocoiie be de/ves rom toe oai'OJ. !* ? s- 'cfc fcoi'oaoy ?s Deeoeu, it mesi; be eo-o eed m » qoa ie-s, h'^h ac we'l as losv. I<'o-.- ii>e same leasoo, iv is not i p ef&i ■■}% fco see »a i.ejn o? cbi' %c ;'o.- <be cs-jvev- ! aoce Oi Pcioce Cj '*.■'•* <i beiweea Dover and Ca'-a'S. Jfc was ve>-v jrio'hl Ibafc His Ifova! fligboes sbou'd bo v ab-oad on ibe occaaion of bisljifc'oe.'s " : ne«; oac r-e P'■ >cc, who "'ive9 atoo )g .'jreoe'veci on b'st mp- I 'age w'ia aa [ Eogr-n P Mce iJ j a baoosome do».y f oai be 1 | nai-'oo, aio vte %■ ongly iac :J9 vo vbe oo' ' ; on i \Xie.i be e'jou s. p."'' b ; 9 o^a i;'aue"'ag eioeo^es.' Tje '''aaoati Beiald,' Jooe 9th, s?«s: — t: M^io- E otvv\. at a paol'C mee< ; og on 29ih May, a-j i^ew J?'yn>oaib, acknow'ec i'i&c the«'e were ithee of T ; o Kona-u's -ebe's re*<.aing amongsi ! us, and tbaj tbe o'»ii aaiboi- ; e9 bad WiiiLeo to We l : n3 ( on fo? iosi'ec/o »s bow to act wi.h regard <o tbem. Durog ibe tb:ee days tbat tbe Galatea was Ivio" i-i Lvi.e'ioabf bo , ibe-e we-e no less than 16 950 passe s . aye 71 ed by ra : l between ChvJsfcc >o eh and Lvi-e'<'oo. r J\'e .Hans'-m sqi'^u'e.s, Jfi aooea «, a y e about to c cci a bo""ij? down es iio'^bmeoj ia tbek* ne ; ';!i oo 'oot 1 . IT. oai tbe locs' jot 1 oalwelcs'a tbr j » o ''VS'O mcc Vg o* geo- c nen 'ai'e.'esiru 'n ibe snbjoci was held last weet, wben a to I JBc eTecfc was a- iveo. e-. and M? W. Frasei 1 , of •?? -se'eush SiJiion, was e'ecied <o p oceed at ojee lo JMebof'ne to maYs ai itogciDeoii i'ot tbe recessa v p^aoc. Jccoid'ng to vbe same aiubo :-v, tbe undeidk ; )g wi '. be Bta: ed by a Jo'.iu Siock Company, pod a noiibee of sba es wi' 1 bcipLenup in Clyde. A case of b/c'.'uj-i'p oceu-red ia Fi.z.of Ga d? is, near MeiooL" je, laie'y. ! The fo'low'ig notice of a rema'table teleg aooic achievement appea- 3 in an i Eo r> l ; %h eichaoTe: — ''Between two and three o ; c!ock on tbe moroiog of Wednf&dny, 2dtK Mi — cb, the House of Commons divided oa the second leading of tbe I-ish Church BH. A si^ o'clock of thi saoie vnof.vig the New Yo*k papers, vbanka to the eae : gy of tbe New To -k AesociaVei PL-ess, caaie out wiih the reanlfc of the division, wilh a &umma y of the debate ■wbich pveceaed it, and wiih a de?cri[)L:on of the scene of eic-emeot wbich fo''owed it. This is the mo&tramd feat of jou'W-sm which has yet been accomplished; and even with the le r^esfc ia".-hiatbe deve]opment of mechanical se'ence, we do not see how this feat can be gveatly suvpa«secl, even though that wbich men 'have done is but aa earnest of .be tbiojs that they sba 1 1 do.' To u-ansmu news over Z 0 mile 3, and to set it up m .ype, io pi-'.nt it, and seH it ?a the siceefcs wiilra thee 1-oa -s, or, mfl : Dg a v owaoce foe diSfe.'ence of i.me, witV l fcis bou s of the recorded eteat hanpening, leaves but ]!w-le ioom ior the inveaiue powers of futr c W Ka.'sfcones oc Hoea." Tbe aooic t-at : e ia "V.ie.o -a is jpid'y iocreavoi, ove? \wo ions o" sp'eic/i ipjO.s uav'og Deen o n-'raed • oaa Gee 0:3 ia o^e cay. A ?or?l . v c*e^u3 ' a is eiin d b<r «-«)e ' Acf fe> ■ .ifeec 1 io be o!Te '03 i^obJiS ab Is ocr p.-""". '.I be -Ade'e'de Gai Coaapiiyhave aiaooni'ed t'avfcl-bey i-»'eaa i.bo>.ly to reduce tli<?> coa to 14s per vjoußrnd. /I discovery" oF galena o-e lia.3 l>ee^x ZDELQ3 ltX the vie ; nity of the river Leveo, Tasmaa'a. The Be^isin? Court for the Dialtio'c of Wp lace wasteldat the Lime H''ls, Dear W'olon, oa Wednesday last. Only the Revising Officer, H. M'Culloch, Esq., and the Eegistration Officer, C. R. Marten, Esq., were present.

On Monday evening last, the usual meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society, was held at the Vestry Hall of the Presbyterian Church. The Vice-President of the Society, Mr W. P. Porter, occupied the chair. The Secretary read the minutes of the previous meeting, which were confi-med. The Chairman introduced Mr William Lockhart la the meeting, who read a paper on the early history of Otago. The essayist addressed himself minutely ;o the piog.ess of that province, quoting copiously T.'om statis. ics, and concluded by a few political reami'ks concei oinj the separation of Southland, condemning the conduct of the leader of vbat movement in having hood-winked the settlers at that t'Qie, and in the end proving himself incompetent 1 ) be the pioneer of a new settlement, a remark that afterwards called forth the censure of the whole of the speakers, as being a matter that ought not to have been brought forward, without being substantiated by arguments or authority. During the subsequent discussion the educational sys.em of Otago was warmly eulogised as beiog caleu'ated to result in the growth of a contented and v : rtuous community. The next speaker c iticised the essay generally, remarking in part:cular that the i«d«» W* *K» »«»im S tw UraW its own 'afe'etices, without supplying facts suft/eatly to enable that to be done. With r-fe eoce .o the Ofcago Association, the reader hav ; og siated that such an association was fj, ffled, and that a class colony waa the aim ijieaded, he should have added, that the association did not succeed in cary-ng out that object. The Rev. A. H. Stobo followed, and t'iought that he could place the matter relative to the Otago Association in an improved light. From conversations with the Bey Dp Bu-ns aid others, on educational and religious Irrtts in connection with the Synod of Otago and Southland, he had become minutely conve.sant wiili the early history of Otago. The promoters of the Otago Association desired to form a class settlement, consisting of members of fc-.te Fee Church of Scotland — an aspiration he thought that was noble and worihy of commendation. They made arrangements with the New Zea'aod Company for the cession of a large block of land extending a certain distance around Djnedin. In the deed of the Association, one acre in e ; ght was reserved for religious and educat'onal purposes, a privilege that showed their foresight and wisdom. After being in active existence for some years, operations we^e suspended ia consequence of the failure of the New Zealand Company, and the Imperial authorities had to step in, and by legislative enactment, provide for the well-being of tin community. Several other membevstook pa'C also in the debate. A number of new members having been admitted by ballot, the Chairman intimated that the next meeting would te devoted to reading. The proceedings then terminated. An instance of one of the 511s which the pastoral tenants a c heirs to, is recorded in the 'Gipps Land Time 9.' A large dmft of sheep slarted so<ne licne ajo from the Melbourne s^de, en, route b'Yaualie station, on the south coast of C'nns Laud, originnUy numbering 7,000. The' • n limbec ha 3 been veduced to under 2,000 wbentbey passed cbvoigh Bosendale some days afterwards. Along ibe V.v?e of roue for msov mles, dead and dying Bheep were vo bo met with by ibe do:;en. A Velocepede Club has been established f l Me bourne. The latest piece of news in connection with sb'p canals is a pvooositiou to cut a cna?l navigable for the largest class of American and ofcber vest's, between Qalway and Dublin. Some Live pool men are actively canvassiog in favo? of ibe scheme, and it is stated that, so \re''l approved is it by the Americans, that the necessa y capital could all be raised in the TJniLed Stales. The distance between the two po>*is i% about 100 miles, tbe grouad flat, and it is uuders tod Ibatno engineering d'ScnTiies of moment a c ia tbe way, while a large amount of time woc'd be saved, and danger and shipwreck avoided. Tbe scheme embiraces a fleet of steamers for iow'us pu 'poses. The Melbourne 'Age' has the following: — " The Secretary of the Polynesia Company informs us that, accord : ng to the latest advices from Fiji, ilie company's su-.-veyor, Mr Glenay, had visited Suva, on the Island of Viti Levu, aad found there his surveying party, in conjunction with Kiag Thakombau's staff. They were to move on the expediion about) the end of April. Considerable excitement existed with regard to the labor question and to the capture of the Daphne by H.M.S.S. Bosario. The avrival of the second portion of the company's staff, w-tb. Mr P. Cook, the gemeral manager, was d.<ily expected. The report of gold discoveries on the island of Vauu Levu had bean again mooted at Ovalau, but we all know what 'being moo-' cd ' means under such circumstances." Captain Scott, P.M., of Sydney, is trying to establish a Bushman's Home in that city. Tbe 6 abject is exciting a good deal of al Lent 'on the 1 c, and the ' Empire ' has a veiy practical leader on it. A late ta^gram announces the fact that the -tvlway bei ween New Yo k and San Francisco wps complied. The ' Economist' of the lOih An"''i"s"™ t!ia folio wvagjoforaiatioa as regards U'e nog ess of the wovksl— n "We" m»y ca-i^^v V 3 -v soon to get news of tbe running of the fi -st Ib-ough iiH in between San Francisco and New Yo.'V. By tbe lost mail >' ••om Ame?-ica the informs T'oahps been >eceived that there ooly remained a gan 07.o 7 . 8Jm :i e3 beiween the two constractiag pa\>iies— the one working wes«w?<-4 iVom the At<aaiic eide, the other eastward from the Pacific. Trams ac now vuon : ng all the way between the | Atlantic and the Pacißc, except over this gap. I The re r io ts are renewed as to the bad construe; "on of i lie line, and if it is Ike other Western lines i i America Kwi 1 not be we l ! constructed ; but a few months ago a suvveyo", appoiated by the United Slaves Government, repoited rather f.ivo abVoat 09 J ' ie a 8 ttt an y iate not worse ;hai ibe generally of works to which it belongs. Tbe promoters may have wished only to do eyou'-h to m»ke a title to the Foited Siatesboods aod lands promised them, but at any rate a Vr\e has been built that will be much better than noje. Eve a contractors' Hues in Eagland «c muny of them not bad vhio^s for the public, though the mode of flading the money was ruinous and corAcout Hatur.JOT), Victoria, lambing is going tra B£Lc'>ac;o<'V. j.t is said the average wi Ibe ore? 99 per ceai. ihij year. Meat p-'eserviog caxipanieß are about be'<ng established in several parts of Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia.

From Stewart's Island we learn that no trace, has yet been found of the old nan, Walshlager, who went amissing on the 20th of May, although search has been made for him ever since in all directions. Our informant further states that Buckley's party are still working at Ruggedy Beach and Smoky Core, and are making wages. Another party of diggers, from Orepuki, are also on the Island, on a prospecting expedition. They are now on the southern coast, but whether successful in discovering gold or not is yet unknown; The Auckland * Weekly Herald,' of the Bth inst., has the following : — " A year or two, and Auckland will number amongst her citizens — thanks to the incredulity with which the richness of the Thames reefs was for a long time received elsewhere — move men of larger wealth than all the Australian colonies put together can show ; and when we take into account that only a patch of the actual goldfields at the Thames have as yet been opened to European enterprise, who i shall say what our future has not in store for us — wealth, population, political freedom from Middle Island interference, and the first place in commerce amongst the Australasian colonies." A letter from Waikato, received in Auckland, states that Kereopa, in addressing the natives, at Ohineroa, expressed his determination to "eat the eyes of all the clergymen in the island." This declaration, says the *•• Southern Cross," j 8 uni<i" a °° ■<■"»" «■* «J-»a"'«-'r ~»»»«m»«v»- : ***«»- hut we are inclined to think that Kereopa has set himself to accomplish an impossible task. A friendly chief has also sent notice that. Kereopa intends to make a raid upon Tauranga, and that Te Kooti may at any time make his appearance in Waikato, at the head of an armed force of Ngatitaoroas, Ngatihauas, and Uriweras. We iearn from a contemporary that a new, and so lar the mo»t feasible scheme of tele^ra jhio communication between Australia and blnglami, has been proposed by Mr W. B. Fooler, late chief inspector of the lines and stations iv South Australia. He proposes to carry a ii.c across from Adelaide to Port Lineolu (167 nil thence by land to King George's tfouu I (i<>±7 miles), Perth (iOS miles), North-west o.^ or Nicol Bay (634 miles, and thence to ia i br submarine cable (800 miles). The total ost is estimated at £325,380, and the calcuUti«m* oi revenue made by Mr Todd, the Superintendent of the South Australian Telegraph show a profit of 20 per cent., without subsidy. The sea between Nicol Bay and Java is free from coral. Mr Fowler is at present in Melbourne with the intention of organising a company to carry out the project. There are now published in the United Kingdom 1,378 newspapers, distributed as follows :— England, London, 266 ; Provinces, 779 ; Wales, 51 ; Scotland, 136 ; Ireland, 131 ; British Isles, 15 • total, 1,378. Of these there are 63 daily papers published in England, 1 in Wales, 11 in Scotland, 13 in Ireland, and lin BrJash Isles. In 1859 there were published in the United Kingdom, 966 journals. Of these 43 papers were issued daily, viz :-30 in England, 6 in Scotland, and 7 in Ireland ; butm 18b9 there are now established and circulated 1,378 papers, of which no less than 80 are issued daily, showing that the press of the country has very greatly extended during the last ten years, and more especially so in daily papers, the daily issues standing 89 against 43 in 1859. In addition, there aw many periodicals which, though containing news, are not properly newspapers. Upwaids of 80 have been registered in New Ze< ■.=. and. A meeting of gentlemen favorable to action being taken in establishing a new source of industry in this proviuce, namely that ol preserving meat for export, was held on Wednesday 23rd ult, at the Southland Olub Hotel. Considerable interest was manifested in the undertaking ; representatives of the banking, squatting, mercantile, and ether professions being present, to the number of twenty-five, Thomas Watson, Esq., in the chair. The procedings being preliminary were chiefly of a conversational nature, the principal speakers being Messrs Calder, Cibbs and* M'Pherson, all of whom had evidently been watching the development of this manufacture in the Australian Colonies. A unanimous Teeling prevailed that the scheme, if camod out properly, economica"y, and with due regard to the errors or accidents which hal taken place in the early stage of the Victorian process, would not only nrave remunerative, but ot real benefit to the province. The first-named speaker drew especial atiention to the judgment which would be required in the site of operations whicL- must combine grazing facilities with those of easytransit to port of shipment, and pointed out the encouragement this enterprise would give to settlement, the cultivation of grasses, and the steadiness to tbe market for fat stock. On the motion of Mr Gibbs, seconded by Mr Donald M' >ona!d, the following resolution was unani. mously carried-" That a Committee be formed to make euquii-ies into the different processes and arrangements ior meat-preserving m Melbourne and the probable amount of capital required for the operations of a company, such Committee to make a report to some future meeting. some rema-ks having been elicited to the effect that it was undesirable any delay should take place, as the months Worn about January to May were alone available for curing purposes. Oa the motion of Mr J. F. Jones, seconded hy Mr W. H Pearson, the following Committee were chosen— Messrs M'Kellar, Calder, M-Pherson, GHbbs, and the Chairman (Mr Watson.) A resolution proposed by Mr Jones, seconded by Mr D M'Donald— "That Mr D. Macrune be elected Hon. Secretary, was then carried, as also an unanimous vote of thanks to the Chairman. Previous to the chair b= ing vacated, Mr W. M. Pearson strongly advocated strenuous measures bein» taken to develop the underground resources, which he felt Bure existed at greater depth than had hitherto been tested, and which he considered £100 would be we!' expended in fathoming. His remarks were listened to with attention, but the lateness of the hour prevented any further obeervations being made. On this account, no doubt the claims of a aister project to that of meat-curing, namely, the encouragement of woollen manufactures, was not introduced. While one description of product from our stock was being exported to an Europeau market of vast extent, to be consumed not only in the cities and towns, but by the various navies, the colonies themselves, China, Fiji, &c, the wool should be retained to empJoyJaborm^e^nmnu^uriu^ CIU1111U&, uuu mtv w~ — i " •"»" w • would form an excellent manure to fertilise the land under cultivation. . The 'Mercury' says that about 1600 mixed sheep, clear of disease, were purchased from a station in the Wairarapa during the past week at lOd per head. The skins alone are worth from Is 3d, to Is 6d. Amon" the despatches from His Excellency Sir George Bowen to the Secretary of State for the colonies, recently presented to Parliament, is one enclosing " a letter addressed to the Governor of New Zealand by the Superintendent of the province of Ofcago," M? Macaudrew's letter is dated 22nd December last. His Honor s object in addressing the Governor was to urge His Excellency "at once to summon t'ae Imperial troops," or else to " cause an immediate dissolution of the Assembly and a fresh election." The latter contains a dissertation on the self-reliant policy and its effects, with special reference to Otago. In transmitting this letter to Earl Granville, with other documents of the kind, His Excellency remarked that he considered ltnis " plain duty to decline compliance with the prayer of all memorials and personal representations of AB*a prcof of the poverty of the Provincial Government of Wellington, it is stated by the •Independent* that the police in that province have received no pay for four months, so that " the constables »r» forced, to live upon, credit, and suffer all those wnich resc.fc olra amply pockeU" A severe shock of earthquake occurred in Invercarain on Thursday, the 24th ult., at halfpast ten o'clock. It lasted for the space of about ten seconds.