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Southland Times, Issue 1155, 29 October 1869, Page 2

We hare been requested to intimate that the Mutual Improvement Society has resumed its usual weekly meetings, every Monday evening, "at the Presbyterian Hall, Tay-street. Next Monday will be occupied with readings by several of the members. It is with regret we learn of the death of the well-known jblood sire, Premier. ' His losb is hot only a heavy one, pecuniarily, to his owner, Mr Stark, but will be asource of much disappoint • menlrto msnyof the 'settlers around Invercargill, " i amongst whom the horse's services were widely engaged for this season. The manner of the poor animal's death is also another illustration of serious consequences resulting from apparently trivial causes. It appears that on Tuesday morning last, 26th inst., Premier left Wallacetown, under his owner's charge, and proceeded upcountry; .Near Ryal Busb, Mr Stark stopped to speak with some person on the road. The horse, as ia natural to animals in such high condition as entires generally are, kept champiDg at his bit, pawing, and prancing about. At the. side of the. road there was a ditch, so small as to be scarcely worthy of the name, and yet it was the cause of the horse's death, for, in swinging round, his hind foot slipped into it, and he fell backwards on his haunches, fracturing one thigh bone severely. A veterinary surgeon was

at once sent for, but on arrival could do nothing for the poor brute except saving him further pain by putting an end to his existence.

We learn that an effort is about being made to get up the Caledonian Games this season again". When it is remembered how very successful they were in all respects last year, but especially as affording two days really delightful holiday-making to the citizens, there can be no doubt of the committee being well supported in their efforts on this occasion.

Those of our readers who take an interest in the Fijia, will remember that the publication of the Planters' Journal — the first newspaper published in the group — was stopped towards the end of last year, as being in advance of the requirements of the place. Since then, however, a stream of immigration has steadily poured into the islands, caused mainly by the enterprise of the Polynesia Company. With increased prosperity, the want of a newspaper in 1 Levuka was much felt, and has at length been supplied by the publication of a neat little sheet, entitled the Fiji Times, published weekly. It is both larger and better compiled than the defunct Planters' Journal, its general appearance being very creditable to[]so youthful a settlement as Levuka. The Tasmanian Government offer a bonus of £2000 for the establishment of two mills in that colony for the manufacture of sugar from beetroot.

Advantage has been taken (says the Daily Times) of the temporary return to Dunedin of flfr fct. John Branigan, to present him with a public recognition of vis services for the long period during which he occupied the position of Commissioner of Police in ; this province. On the 22nd, at noon, a public meeting was held inVthe large hall of the'-Ne* Post Office,, whan a *cry flattering address waspresented to Mr Branigan. At three o'clock there was a muster of the members of the police force at the new barracks, for the purpose of an address and testimonial tO the-late- Commissioner.. The testimonial,..whichwas obtained from Mr S. Salomon, Princes-afcreefc, congiated of a very handsome service of plate, and. together with the address read at the Post Office Hall, was ! presented by! his Honor the Superintendent. To-day a handsome silver cup and elegantly chased salver of the same metal, will be presented to Mr Brauigan on behalf of some .of his personal friends. A handsome gold hunting watch and chain have been entrusted to Mr Branigan for presentation to Mr J. Gk .Fox, the late clerk and accountant to the department. Tue gift is from the members of the Ob ago Police JTorce. ' We are requested to publish the following :— " tio the Right Rev. Bib hop Jenner, Vicar of Preston, next; Wingham, Kent— July 16th, 1869. — My Lord — We, the undersigned, have just heara that you are once more in Old England.' W|e cannot express our feelings as we should like to:' do, but we must nevertheless tell you, in our hdmely way, how* glad we are at the thought of haying you again as our pastor. We. wish, for your own sake, that you had not found it neJoessary-to ; r«stui>H'; but ' we "cannot help rejoicing, on our own account, for we all feel that, dear as jou wore to us before, we love you still better in consequence of the troubles which, you have lately undergone. — We are, my Lord, your very affectionate parishioners. — Signed by the churchwardens, two overseers, and nearly the whole adult population of the parish." The Mining Journal, a paper devoted to the mining. interest, and published at Grahamstown, publishes a complete list of the gold-mining and quartz crushing companies registered in NewZealand up to the Ist September last. • According to this list the number of companies on that date was 357, with a nominal capital of £6,070,951 15s, of which £4,628,795 15s was paid up. The Grey Siver Argus learns that three of the present -Wardens in Westland have received " notice to quit." The names mentioned are Messrs Keogh, Aylmer, and Price. According to the local journal, some parlies are about to start from Queenstown direct for Martin's Bay, for the purpose of taking up land under the Otago Settlement Act, lately passed by the Colonial Legislature. In an article on the telegraphs, the Independent, of the 18th instant, furnishes the following table, shewing the cost of working the New Zealand and Australian telegraph lines : — Expenses. Revenue. Messages. £ £ £ N. Zealand 22,813 31,080 156,157 Profit 8,267 Victoria ... 41,715 41,034. 276,677 Loss 680 N. S. Wake. 26,872 30,817 132,872 Profit 3,945 Queensland 15,631 16,077 59,632 Profit 1,445 S. Australia 15,519 11,334 110,400 Loss 4,185 The number and value of New Zealand postage stamps printed during the year 1868 were 4,663,440, and £47,379, respectively. These . amounts are made upas follows : — Rates. ; ::-■•■■■ Nixmbo*. -Value-.-- '■ At Is 108,000 £5,403 „ 6d ......... 605,040 15,126 „ 3d 412,800 5,160: „.. „ 2d 1,668,000 13,900 ■■ „Id ......... 1;869,600 7,790 ' No fourpenny stamps were printed during 1868, nor, indeed, for the two years previous, a large number being in Btook. • A.Wellington correspondent writes, regarding the conduct of the public business under the present Ministry, as follows :— " Mr Gisborne does all that a man can do, but of course the business for which we pay four or five Ministers cannot be satisfactorily performed by one, and as 'there is only one here now the public business is getting sadly behindhand — a state of things not a little augmented by the very numerous departmental changes which the new Government has made. 'In fact, the new Ministry seems determined to make hay while the sun shines, and U dispensing patronage with a liberal hand, all sorts of departmental changes being made to create vacancies to be filled by proteges new to the service, and to conduce to the advancement of those already in it. In these changes interest is everything — length of service, ability, or anything else, nothing — while to have been connected with the late Government or its late members in any way, i 8 fatal. In one case a boy ju9t fresh from achool, bufc the son of a Superintendent who voted right in the House, was pitchforked -^into a situation of £200 a ye ar without even being asked to pass the ordinary Civil Service examination, and over the heads of dozens of officials who have for two or three years, in fact, ever since the department existed, held responsible situations in it at salaries varying from £100 to £180 a year. Instances of this kind are not rare now, but of course it will be all for the public good." The price of oats appears to be very high in some of the mining districts at present. In the Lake district they are selling at ss, while at Waipori they have reached the still higher figure of 5s 6d. The Oromwell correspondent of the Wdkatip Mail writes : — " A good opening exists for a capitalist to erect at the Molyneux, or nearer the reefs, if he can command water-power, .a quartzcrushing machine for general crushing purposes. The two machines now up cannot crush anything like the quartz that is raised from two claims. The opening is a safe one, and should pay hand* somely." In the Upper Buller and its tributaries, says the Nelson Examiner, about 300 men keep steadily at work, and are known to be doing well ; in the Wangapeka and neighboring' valleys several parties are profitably employed, and the district will be more extensively prospected this spring than it ever has yet been, a strong feeling prevailing that auriferous quartz reefs exist in the neighborhood. From the opposite Bide of the Bay the return of gold for the hands employed is very satisfactory ; and an effort is about to be made to open the Anatoki, in the Upper Takaka — a district known •to be rich in gold, but which, from the difficulty of reaching it, has hitherto been practically sealed against miners.