The Southland Times. MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1869.

Southland Times, Issue 1153, 25 October 1869, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1869.

The last of the nominations, that for Waikiwi, took place at the house of Mr D. M' Arthur, Makarewa, on Saturday, 23rd inst. There was a considerable attendance of electors, and much intere9t % manifested in the proceedings. It was ■ rumored in town during the morning that Mr Pratt was to be proposed by the re-union party, in place of Mr Toshack, that gentleman's consent to the alteration being taken for granted. On arrival at the hustings, however, Mr Pratt and his supporters were rather nonplussed when Mr Toshack firmly declined to withdraw. The original programme was therefore carried out. Mr Toshack was proposed by Mr J. M'Naughton, Mr Wood seconding. Mr K. M'lvor was nominated by Mr J. Wilson, jun. , seconded by Mr R. Preston. Both candidates addressed the electors at some length. A show of hands being called for, it was declared in faror of Mr Toshack. A poll being demanded, it will take place this day. In our last issue we stated that encouraging , reports had been received from Longwood, to the effect that a well-denned and " likely" leader ' had been struck by a prospecting party. Since then, still more promising rumors have come to hand. On Thursday last, a man named Mark Eain, walked into the Bank of New Zealand at Riverton, and presented for sale a nugget [ weighing 7 ozs. 13dwts. Of course, so extraor- . dinary a circumstance led to remark, and the man, on being questioned, stated , that he had found the nugget within a mile-and-»-half of where the reef had been discovered. As an evidence of the purity of the metal, it is said that the banker gave £4 per ounce for it. These twc circumstances — the reef and the nugget — have naturally excited public - attention. On Saturday several of ou,r towns-

men proceeded by coach to Riverton, with a view to vititing the locality, and, no doubt, within the next day or two, further particulars will be placed before the public. Meantime, it is well to admit the possibility of the nugget's having been imported, and the story of its finding at the Longwood being an attempt at a practical joke.

The Melbourne Daily Telegraph of the 11th inst, says : — " The pith of the report on the Van Yean drawn up by the Health Committee of the City Council is contained in the following, its last Bentence.— The committee submit that th.BCO3t, whatever it may be. is an insignificant consideVa^. tion in comparison with the safety of upwards of^ 150,000 persons who drink the Van Yean water.'

The history of the reservoir may be briefly summarised as a series of pLeasant visits, learned analyses, solemn reports, and forgotten resolutions. It is now certain that the water is defiled by both animal and vegetable matters, and the Health Committee rightly insist that it is bettor this pollution should be prevented than that we should trust to the probability that the water so polluted will be able subsequently to pur^a itself. This is indeed a pleasant analytical fiction. The neighborhood of the reservoir is I likely ere long to become thickly populated ; and as the drainage of the whole district appears to find its way into the various creeks which feed the River Plenty, and the latter is tho main source of supply in dry seasons of the reservoir, the anticipations of the water becorxin^ by degrees more and more contaminated are as reasonable as anyone can wish. Whether the evil will have to be met; by laying pipes from the sources of the Plenty direct, or by that a-H other means as well, it is clear that the *nter we drink daily must be kept pure at any cost ; and, therefore, that, as wo have aai.l, the pith of the committee's report is to be found in its last sentence.

A Frenchman, one M. Guichon, has entered the field with a new preparation, which, he declares, will soon supersede extract of meat. This new agent is manufactured in France, in the form of a sweatmeat, made from raw meat in combination with cooling fruits. The idea is not a new one. Some time since we {S- M. Herald) were presented with a quantity of prepared chocolate, into which a certain proportion of Australian extract of meat— Whitehead's, wp believe — had heen introduced.

Boomer, the Ballarat barber, (says the Courier of the 9th mat.) again appeared at the Eastern Police Court, on Friday morning, fojv shaving and haireufcting on a Sundayj Mr. Lewis* prosecuted under an old Act 29 Charles 11^, cap. 7, which is included in the Imperial Statute, and provides " that no tradesman, artificer, workman, labourer, or other person whatsoever, shall do or exercise any wordly labour, business, or work of their ordinary callings upon the Lord's Day, or any part thereof (works of necessity ,and charity only excepte!), 'and that parties so offending shall be fined in the sum of ss. for every such offence ; in default, distress ; or, in case of insufficiency or inability of such offender to pay the fine, he shall be set publicly in the stocks for the apaca of two hours." Mr. Vmm», for the defence, contended fchak a barbs? Wa9 not an artificer, and that the act did not apply to him. Mr. Gaunt thought otherwise, and fined Bohraer ss. ; in default of payment, distress to follow, and in default of distress, two hours' incarceration in the stocks.

The nomination of candidates for tb« yppra- ., , — >^-^>^?fw-«TVHyTn-gT:rTi^T;nr»'f plana at t.hft schoolhouse, Wallacetown, on Friday, 22nd inst. There was a very large attendance of electors, some seventy or eighty being present. For some time previously it was well known that three competitors were in the field — two in the " reunion " interest, and one, an old servant, on the side of what is known as the " independence " party. The uninitiated were therefore not a little surprised when, at the last moment, they became aware that both the gentlemen first alluded to,

Messrs Russell and Gerard, had relinquished their hopes of political honors, and withdrawn — it is said after a deal of persuasion — in favor of a gentleman from town. Proceedings were com* menced in the usual way by the Returning Officer, reading the writ. W. Marten, Esq., of Martendale, then proposed Mr J. M. M'Olure, taking advantage of the occasion to express, in con>« vincing terms, his views on the subject of rt\ union, and strongly urging the desirability of' the province maintaining ita independent* existence. James Harvey, Esq., seconded the nomination, saying that he would not have interfered with a country election, but for the fact that a town gentleman was to be proposed" by the other side, and that several other citizens, he believed, were also to take part in the business of the day. Mr W. Bussell, Ryal Buoh, next proposed T. M. Macdonald, Esq. W. H. Oalder, EBq., seconded the nomination, and the candidate being absent through indisposition,, read a manuscript— which had previously done duty in the same way on the Invercargill hustings — containing Mr Macdonald's political opinions regarding annexation. Mr M'Clure then addressed the assembly, in a pungent speech of considerable length, criticising in caustic language the action and speeches of Messrs Calder and Pearson, in connection with the question now so entirely engrossing the public mind. On a show of hands being called for, it was declared to be in favor of Mr M'Clure. A poll was demanded on behalf of Mr Macdonald, which will take plice this day. The customary vote of thanks to the Returning Officer, terminated the proceedings, which had lasted three hours. The Duns tan Times reports the discovery of what is supposed to be a lode of plumbago in the Cairn Muir Range. A specimen has been sent to Dp Hector for bis opinion. At a meeting of the Tokomairiro Farmers' Club, held lately, it was decided that the next show of the Club should be held on the Ist De-

cember. Another eruption of Tongariro took place recently. The Wanganui Herald, on the authority of an eye witness at Murimotu, 25 miles in a direct line from Tongariro, describes the eruption as follows : — At half-past. -*ix o'clock in the evening the sky became .overcast with clouds of smoke of an iDky blackness, which completely enveloped the mountain of Tongariro in total darkness. The volcano continued

smoking for half-an-hour. A shock was then

felt as though an explosion had taken place, and Tongariro belched forth from its cone a brilliant flame, which illuminated the sky for miles round, and presented an appearance, as it gradually died away, similar to a gloriom sunsefc. it lasted about two hours,

The Otago Daily Time* of the 18th mat. ia y, . «A. « Chart of the Pacific Ocean, constructed and engraved by W. and A. K. John ston,' of Edinburgh, has jußt been received by the Education Board of this province, at whose request it was prepared and published . It shows what no other map doss show — that is, the islands of the Pacific Ocean, with the American seaboard on the one hand, and the Asian on the other, as also the various ocean routes connecting these colonies with the rest of the world. It was originally designed for the me of the Otago schools, but its merits will undoubtedly attract a very large circulation among the general public.

The two towns of Shorthand and Grahams town, with their offshoots, have been declared a port of entry, under the name of the " Port of Thames; 1 ' 1 The Custom Hou3e will bo erected at Grahamstown, where a convenient site for it has been secured in Pollen-street. It is also stated that the port will be declared a warehousing port as soon as a secure examination and transit shed is erected at the landing-place, and suitable bonded warehouses are provided for the reception of bonded goods. From the New Zealand Q-azette of the 2n I mat., we observe tliat the following members of the Invercargill Rifle Volunteers, having obtained 20 points and upwards in the Ist Class in th? Rifle Practice for the year eude J 3ist May, 1869 , are entitled to wear the Balges of Marksmen denoted in aub -section C, section 93, Volunteer Regulations. Privates Graorge Reese and E. Huffidine, Sergeant J. Thomson, Corporal P. Campbell, Sergeant Colin Brown. Two very smart shocks of earthquake were felt at Qaeenstown, on Sunday, the 17th inst., at 1.30 a.m. The direction was north to south. During the interval between the Bhocks, a rumbling noise was heard, lasting for twenty seconds. A slight shock was felt in Dunedin at the same time as that reported as having occurred at Queenstown. A party who visited the Waiwera salmon ponds the other day, informs the Bruce Herald that he saw a good many salmon disporting themselves in the water, and seemingly in a very thriving condition .

Saxby's predictions appear to have been as fallacious at Wellington, Napier, Auckland, Hokitika, and elsewhere, as they were in the South. The weather everywhere, with singular uniformity, was remarkably serene and brilliant, and the tides displayed no irregularity beyond ebbing lower than usual. At the Thames this opportunity was turned to ace mnt by several " smart" persons, who waded knee-deep in the mud while they re-pegged their claims or marked out fresh ones, an occupation which a local paper describes as " more profitable than pleasant.*' In the north of the province of Auckland, however, Mr Saxby's prophecy was in some measure fulfilled. The Auckland Herald relates, on the authority of a passenger who arrived by the p.s. Comerang from Hokianga, via Russell, that on Monday, the 4th inst., a very high tide was felt at Hokianga. The tide rose between four and five feet above the | usual level of high water springß, necessitating the removal of everything from the bonded storep, ' which were flooded. Several of the setfclerd were I much alarmed, fearing a higher tide on the following day, and the bonded stores have since been removed. At the Bay of Islands, and other places on the coast, the tides have been unusually high, but no damage ha 3 been done. At 10.33 p.m. on

quarter ebb, the sea rushed at a rapid rate up the Kawa Kawa river for about a quarter of an hour^ and then receded. The p.s. Comerang, which was swung with the tide, was turned right round with its iorce.

There is now on view at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Dee-Btreet, a work of art well worth inspection. It consists of a display of the draughtsman's skill, which it must have taken months of labor to accomplish. Mounted on rollers, map fashion, U a large sheet of drawing paper, on which appears fac- similes of an indiscriminately, and yet artistically arranged litter of books, papers, periodicals, vouchers, cheques, cards, birds, flowers, &c, &c. So perfect is the penmanship, shading, and coloring we had almost said deception — that at first sight the impression is that the . originals have -been very neatly gummed on. Closer examination, however, soon establishes the fact that the whole has been elaborated by the slow process of pen, pencil, and brush, and one is left at a loss which to admire moat, the perseverance or talent of the artist. It is the production of a gentleman in the Survey Department here, and is to be disposed of on the art- union principle.

The WaJcatip Mail of the 14th inst, saya : — " Since last Thursday the weather has changed from that of beautiful summer to bleak winter. Commencing with rains, whirlwinds, and winds, blowing from all points of the compass, it appears at the present time as though winter had fairly set in ; we were visited by a hail storm today, and the hills round about are covered with snow." The official declaration of the members returned for the town was posted at the hustings on Saturday. The discrepancy alluded to by the Returning Officer at the clobo of the poll, results in Messrs Lumsden and Calder being equal, and Mr Webster having one vote taken from the number announced.

In describing the distillery erected by Messrs C. R. Howden and Co., in Cumberland-street, Dunedin, the Daily Times says " the first mashing commenced on the 13th inst. Tin works ara in full operation under the superintendence of Mr ,Hart, the distiller. This distillery is undoubtedly one of the finest in the colonies, all the modern improvements having been introduced, and the whole of the machinery and apparatus being arranged for the most effective performance of the, work and the saving of manual labor. The plant has been specially designed for the manufacture of the best description of Highland malt whisky. Messrs Howien an I Co. hare secured the services of Mr Duncan M'Qvegor, from the celebrated GHenury Distillery, Aberdeenshire. It is at that establishment that the whisky so much appreciated in the colony is manufactured."

i ->A specimen of quartz from the Rakaia, weighing 2lbs, and taken from the land bought on Monday last, was, says the Lyttelton Times, submitted to Messrs Coates and Co., who, after roasting and crushing, found a small speck of gold. The yield from the above was estimated as equal to $of an ounce to the ton. We understand that tho pjrsoas who hare purchased the land have applied to tha G-ovemnont for & proapeetors' reserve,

The ninth anniversary of the Shamrock, ROM* and Thistle Lodge of the Independent Order of Oddfellows was celebrated on Friday evening at the Theatre Royal. The fete took the shape of a ball and supper, experience having proved this the most generally-acceptable form of festivity. The Theatre was selected as the scene of the social gathering on the present occasion, and we must say that no pains were spared to add to the invariably neat, and even elegant, appearance of its interior. The finest foliage that could be culled from »he forest, artistically festooned and interlaced, adorned but did not conceal the out. line of the slender pillars supporting the upper j I portion of the building, where Bags of the gayest j hues looked brighter in a flood of light from the handsome chandelier. At the upper end of the hall were mottoes of the Order, skilfully worked in leaves and flowers, encircling the Dispensation and the roll of past officers of the Lodge. The decorations were entrusted to Mr Ross, photographer, assisted by efficient volunteers, and certainly reflected credit on all concerned. The arrangements for the comfort of the guests — who numbered nearly 100 — were most complete. The supper— provided by Mr D. Kingsland — was unexceptionable, and a great improvement on the old-fashioned plan of a set repast. Of the ball itself we can only say that it was a great success, and that Lloyd's Quadrille Band never contributed to the enjoyment of a more thoroughly harmonious party. Each appeared resolved on making the most of the occasion, and appreciating to the fullest extent all the pleasure derivable from exercise "on the light fantastic." The scene when the dancers assembled was brilliant in the extreme ; the rich insignia of the Order adding, in a marked degree, to the effective display.

Mr H. B. Osborne, as will be seen by advertisement, will hold an extensive sale of household furniture, &c., this day at noon, at the residence of Mr Smart, Kelvin-street.

Some discussion took place in the House of Representatives during the late session, with reference to Hansard. When the items — Reporters, £1200, and Printing of Hansard, £1000, came up for discussion in Committee of Supply, Major Heaphy objected to them on the ground that the reports in Hansard were not reports of what took place in the Legislature in their integrity. He objected to anything emanating from the House but what was entirely true. There was no doubt that the system, as it now obtained, was very objectionable. Such revision of speeob.es took place in Hansard, that what appeared eventually in that publication was not what was said in the House. He did not deny that the reports were better than in previous years, and that the amount of alteration was much diminished, but still the fact was apparent to every honorable member that these reports were not correct. The items were, however, agreed to. In a subsequent debate on the recommendations of the Reporting Debates Committee, Mr Fox advocated the publication of abridged reports, as in South Australia, saying that the present system of verbatim reporting led to members making long and unnecessary speeches, far no other purpose than that their speeches might be reported in Hansard, this being what was called in America, " talking for bunkum." Major Heaphy said that a statement given in a return laid on the table of the House showed that, if anything, the circulation of Hansard had decreased. If he remembered rightly, the figures showed that £80 was received from the _aale of ifaiwa*dLfo.r_the.J«at .jear_andi£BUbr_theprevious year. His own idea was that Hansard was not read to- any very considerable extent, except by honorable members themselves, i and that its greatest circulation was that which pertained to grocers' shops. Mr Dillon Bell concurred in the view of the matter taken by Mr Fox, saying that he had asked the Chief Reporter over and over again to cut his speeches down, and not to give him those horrible slips to correct and read. There wis a vast amount of printed paper in the Hansard which was of no use to any living soul. An enormous number of debates were reported which were perfectly useless, and he wanted to know whether some means could not be devised by which only those debates should be reported which had some political importance, and which contained something connected with the welfare of the country worthy of record. They did not want such an expensive Hansard, and he meant to make a pro. posal next session in which he hoped honorable members would assist him.