Local and General.

Southland Times, Issue 1170, 24 November 1869, Page 1

Local and General.

A meeting of the Invercargill Rifle Volunteers took place at the Exchange Hall, on Wednesday •rening, l7lh, Lieutenant Giesow in the chair. Several matters of importance were brought forward, the members eTincing a lively interest iv their consideration. It was resolved to challenge the Riverton Company to a shooting match, between ten or twelve of each corps ; to repair the butts and ranges ; to apply to the General Government for a permanent drill instructor, 4c. • It was elicited, in the course of the discusßion on the repair of the shooting range, that there might be some danger to parties boating from Puni Creek towards the Jetty, when members were practising at the long distances, on account of wide or stray shots, and it was resolved that the markers should be cautioned to : keep a good look out. We have to acknowledge the receipt from the Registrar-General, John B. Bennett, Esq., of '- the statistics of New Zealand for the year 1863. There was a fair attendance at tlie preliminary meeting held in the Prince of Wales Hotel on Monday evening, Isth,for the purpose of forming & Caledonian Society. After a resolution had ' been passed affirming the desirability of having a gathering on New Tear's Day, a sub-committee was appointed to prepare rules for guidance, ascertain probable amount of subscriptions, make arrangements as to place of gathering, and report next Monday evening. Mr D. Web9ter was appointed hon. treasurer, and Mr N. Ferguson, lion, secretary. The inhabitants of Westland must be living imder " a mild form of despotism " if the following description by the Q-rey Biver Argus can be relied on : — " Much as we have always advocated the cause of local self-government, we nevertheless must confess that until the system o£ administration in Westland is made more Bimple, until the County Council and chairman confine themselves to their legitimate spheres of action, and greater securities are established against iacompetency or worse, give us Provincialism. In the latter case one can at least turn out the Executive, but here the people are powerless against their administrators- — or rather we should say administrator, for Mr Hoosis Superintendent and Executive all in his proper person. He is notoriously incompetent for his office ; and as notoriously negligent of its duties and obligations. In the moit rampant days of the " King Sale " system, when there was twenty times the work to do and twenty times the pressure upon the departmental staff, matters were not so bad as they are now, when the whole business of the County could be done in three hours a-day. Correspondence on 'public business, applications from public bodies, letters and telegrams from Government servants, remain unanswered for weeks or months, and trren unacknowledged, and old and respected i officers of the Government are addressed in terms . of such bombastic impertinence as to lead one to the idea that Mr Hoos is laboring under tbe that he is the autocrat of all the BtUfias."

The writer of sketches of " the epHecfrifi' jifiim* doin o£ Nevr South Wales," in the narrates tne following episode which occurred during a financial debate ; n the House. An lion, member having charged supporters of the Ministry with making evtravaganfc statements

when under the influence of " vinous excitement," the Premier, Mr Robertson, replied as follows : — " The hou. member," said he, " accuses ua of waxing warm with wine ; but I may say that frequently as this charge has been made, I have never seen anything of the kind in this Chamber. If there has been such a thing, I have nevvH* seen it. There has certainly beeu far lees of that sort of thing here than there is in similar bodies elsewhere. I have not seen it. But I'll tell you what I have seen. I have seen an hon. member tuck a napkin under his chin, and sit himself down before a roast pig, and feed off it till he was nearly bursting, and he could hardly see ouc of his eyes. That I have seen. The hon. •member says ho does not take wine j but I hare seen him take wine, and I have seen, him about as comfortable after his wiao as any man could desire ; and I have seen him about as uncomfortable, after a feed of pig, as any one would wish not to be. Then there is another hon. member who cheered the member for We3t Sydney, who goes in for water and abuses those who take wine. Well, I have seen that gentleman gorge himself with dabbage and greenstuff, and come into the House with his whole fig are distended and his eyes bursting from his head, from a bout-oufc of cabbage. Now, whilst the hon. gentlemen are taking to task those who take a little wine or a little spirits, because they have not stomachs large enough, for gormandising upon pig or cabbage, or greenstuff, we never hear them say a word about their own propensities. Some men require to take their food and sustenance in smaller doses, and of a more sustaining kind than either pig or greenstuff, and so they took wine or brandy, because they hare not the same capacity for gorging as hon. members opposite. They are compelled to condense what they take into smaller compass. Let me be understood. I am not angry with the hon. gentlemen beca use they prefer roast pig or green-stuff to wine or brandy, but, if I prefer a glass or two of wine, or half a tumbler of brandy, to a feed of pig or green-stuff, I don't see why I should not be permitted to take it." The writer above referred to, says that " the j dignity of the head of an administration can hardlr gain anything from such an exhibition," and concludes by supposing l< thafcfchis, like m!»nr another anomaly, may be accounted for by our antipodean position, which turns everything, social as well as physical, end for end, so that our terrestrial reversal brings to the top those whose true position should be at the bottom."

A meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society took place on Monday evening, 15th, at the Vestry Hall of the Presbyterian Church, Tay-sfcreet. The president of the Society, the Rev. A. H. Stobo, occupied the chair. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, the business of the evening opened by Mr D. Bonthron reading an admirable and argumentative paper on tbe question, "Is the moderate use of alcoholic liquors conducive to the temporal and spiritual welfare of society." The essayist took the negative position, quoting largely from eminent medical authorities, of the injurious effects of alcoholic stimulants to the human body, and traced its detrimental influence through all classes of society ; dispersed, on the authority :; of tbe French chemists, Messrs Lallemand, Perrin, and Duroy, the old-fashioned notions of alcoholic liquors being both food and drink, and finally proved by the analysis of the statistics of several life Insurance Societies, "with the statistics arid results of the experience of the Temperance Provident Institution, that in the deaths, 'especially from 30 to 40, total abstainers died at the rate of 6to 1000, and those using intoxicating liquors, 11 to 1000 ; these were, said the reader, facts any pei'son could verify by referring to tha Journal of Health for 1868. At the conclusion of the paper, an animated discussion followed, the larger number of- speakers taking the opposite side. The Rev. Chairman summed up the debate, suggesting, which wa-j at once agreed to, that the discussion should be continued next Monday evening, Mr Burns undertaking to re-open the question. In the course of the chairman's remarks, he stated that statistics had been recently compiled from customs returns, proving conclusively that during the year 1868 Southland, with a population of about 7000 persons, spent in intoxicating liquors the large sum of £55,000. These figures were appalling, and it became the duty of every intelligent person to carefully consider the misuse this large amount of money was being put to. There were several motions, notice of which had been previously given, considered, the most important, which was unanimously agreed to — " That the meetings of the Society be discontinued after the 29th inst., during the summer months, the Committee to have power to call the first meeting next y«ar." There was an unusually large attendance, and great interest taken in the question thr ghout the debate.

" The rise of flour in New Zealand," saj^ the Melbourne Argus, " has reacted on the Melbourne market, and has caused a rise." " Here," says the Greymouth Star, " is an extraordinary commercial phenomenon. Flour rose in New Zealand because it risen in Victoria. Now it riseß in Victoria again had for causes discovered to exist in New Zealand so New Zealand has a second time put another pound or forty shillings on, in consequence of the advices which have reached here from Melbourne. When the news goes back again to the sister colony another rise will take place, and so the two' colonies will ' See-saw, Margery Daw ; one side up and the other side down,' until the little game is brought to an end, and consumers have been subjected to a commercial pressure until no more c aa be borne."

£*- Mr Stevens met the electors of Selwyn, at '' Leeston, on the 18th ult. The report of the proi ceedings occupies nine columus of the Lyttelton Times of the 21st ultimo. A3 the district of Selwyn is the chief agricultural district in Canter--1 bury, the vote of Mr Stevens against the proposed •import duty on cereals wa3 particularly obnoxious to his constituents, and the meeting passed the 1 following resolution : — " That in the opinion of this meeting, Mr Stevens did not vote in the interests of his constituents by opposing the corn . duty." The contributor from " Under the Verandah" to the Melbourne Leader says : — " Some of the banks have a rather clever way of keeping their clerks honest. They make the whole body of officials responsible for the rectitude of each. A fund is formed to which each clerk contributes instead of paying a similar sum to a guarantee society. From this fund defaults are made up. ] If the fund be maintained intact, it, or as much j of it aa remains, becomes a benefit fund, conferring substantial advantages upon the contributors. The advantage of the mutual system of guarantee is that, if a- clerk betrays undue j extravagance or any other of those symptoms which are so frequently premonitory of deficient accounts, his fellow clerks (who have fifty times the opportunity of observation enjoyed by the manager) have a direct personal interest in his detection. If well administered, * this system 1 ought to be the one most efficient in putting a stop to those bank-official frauds which are proverbially frequent." We take the following pertinent remarks from the home summary of the Wellington • Independent: — " Adversity is a hard taskmaster, but it has taught the New Zealand people already the necessity of looking for other modes of occupying their capital and labor than the rearing of stock and the growth of grain. General attention is being fast directed to the necessity of establishing manufactories for the working up our own raw material of wool and flax. Unfortunately we have more available labor than capital and ekill at the present time ; and though flax-dressing and quartz-reefing are fast teaching us the advantages to be derived from the co-operation of capital with labor, where the two do not happen to be combined, yet so little special skill is available to start enterprizes of this kind, that it is not found practicable to supply to any extent the want which is so generally folt. It must be apparent to practical men at home that, with the raw material on the spot, ample available water power, and a market at hand for a large amount of the simple manufactures of sacking, wool bales, cloth, and woollen serge, there must be an opening for local manufactures. And if, with the English capital which finds its way out here, men skilled in this particular application of it were to come, we believe that a considerable field for profitable investment could be found." A correspondent of the Chreymouth Star says :* — " There is no one with me in the room ; and the landlord has turned down two of the three burners which are intended to illuminate the bottles and decanters, and to show customers their way into the door and up to the counter. I look out of the window. Opposite there are three shops to let, and one selling off. I flatten my nose against a pane of glass, and look as far to the right and left of me as my sight will extend, but there is not a living soul to see. I feel melancholy and depressed, and 1 say, Oh ! Eevell-street, how v .has thy former glory departed from thee ? Where, thy crowded hotels, and shops, and stores, well lined with customers ? Even the bell of the bellman is silent, and the sound of a billiard ball is no "more to be heard in the saloons. Thy theatre, oh, Hokitika ! is closed — thy dance-rooms no more resound with the strains of piano and fiddle, or are alive with the tripping of light fantastic toes ! The girls have departed, and the light of other days has faded — But what is that I hear ? It is the sound of a footstep in tbe bar— a man has entered, and called for brandy ; he helps himself out of a decanter, drinks, then calmly, and with subdued voice, tells tho landlord to put it down on the slate. He has departed, and the house is again solitary. I feel like unto what must be the feelings of the last man, or the ' last rose of summer,' or the last forlorn and deserted anything else." Talking of politics (says " Le Flaneur," in the Melbourne Herald) what a curious effect contesting an election has upon a man. I have a friend who lately stood for some out-of-the-way constituency, and bravely fought and lost the wordy battle. Before the election I speak of he was mild and inoffensive in manner. Now he is disputatious, intolerant, full of racy anecdotes and stories, and with a reckless propensity to " Bhout." He is constantly button-holing me at street corners, and cramming me, whether I will or no, with all the local Joe Millerisms which he has picked up on his electioneering campaign. Strange that so lamb-like a man as an individual Bhould be so raging a lion as a politician. We {Otago Daily Times) learn from a private telegram that the half-yearly meeting of the Bank of New Zealand was held in Auckland, on Wednesday last, the 27th, when a dividend was declared at the rate of 15 per cent, per annum. The Wakatvp Mail of the 28th ult. says that 1 "the April-like showers and occasional heavy 1 rainfalls during the past week have been very > acceptable to farmers, and vegetation of all [ kinds haß already made a fresh stavt." 5 According to the Lyttellon Times some of the farmers in the neigh borh iod of Prebbletbn have recently attached small windmills to their pumps, for the purpose of raising water. They answer r admirably, and are not costly. They can be 3 made and erected for about £12. One mill has kept about 300 head of stock supplied with ' water, s ; nce its erection, and another has kept a r steatn threshing machine going. They are ex- >'. oeedingiy useful, labor-saving, and economical. 3 A Nelson contemporary of the 2ad last, says : 9 — The news from the Wangapeka rush 'is Very satisfactory. A company has- been formed, with a capital of £20,000, to work the field. Its shares 3 are all taken up, and are already at a premium, more being in demand.

"Wetland has again been unlucky. The latest piece\of misfortune is, according to the West CocuMTimes, that the amount of the late County Treasurer's embezzlements is, by the failure of the European Assurance Company, for ever lost to the County.

On Tuesday, 16th inst.,we were shown two of the prej^i|a£ specimens of gold, from the Longwood, we hare ever seen. One piece waa about l£ozs in weight, almost solid metal, and the other several pennyweights, beautifully shaped, as if it had been designed for a scarf pin. The larger nugget had every appearance, at first sight, of a piece of amalgam, but closer inspection discovered several chips of the quartz embedded in the croTices. The gentleman in whose possession we saw it, Mr James Blacklock, also informed us that several other pieces were picked up at the same time, in the same spot, by Mr Surman and himself, at a depth of some five feet from the surface. The roughness of the specimens — the finest edges of the natural filagree work being unrounded — showed that they had not travelled any distance, while the unmistakeable evidences of their having been formed by the action of heat, confirms the idea that quartz reefs of extraordinary richness exist in these ranges. A large number of men are now at work there, and they will be pretty well prospected during the present summer. The Longwood appears to possess one great advantage over most quartz fields which ia, that sufficient gold is generally found in the course of prospecting to provide at least " tucker," so that, while running a chanc9 of making a lucky find, diggers do not need to work altogether for nothing.

We (Grey River Argus) are informed by Mr Wjlde, the Engineer and— Manager of the Grey River Coal Co., that a fine seam of coal has been discovered on the Coal Eeserve, which can be worked with the greatest ease, as it rises from the river, and can be drained without the aid of machinery. From his recent researches on the Nelson side of the river, Mr Wylde was led to believe that the run of the auriferous quartz reefs would be through the Coal Reserve on the Westland side, and in the course of operations undertaken by him to prove this, he made the equally pleasing discovery that a hitherto undiscovered seam of coal exists in such a position as to enable an enormous supply to be obtained for many years at a very small cost. This ought to prove an incentive to the new company to push on their preliminaries, 6O as to get into working order as coon as possible.

In an article on the necessity for returning a different stamp of members to the County Council, the West Coast Times says : — "We hold that payment of members is a mistake altogether, and that where it prevails a clafs of loafer is creatsd whose creed consists in the expression, ' I cannot dig, to beg lam ashamed.' They don't beg, but they are ' compensated for loss of time ;' and the County councillors value their-losa of time at £9 per week, for, say at least four months of the year on an average."

During the past four or five weeks (says the Wanganui Chronicle of the 26th ult.) the eyes of the colony have been directed, and the particular interest of this district has largely centred, on the Taupo country. Hitherto difficult of access, having no roads to it, and consequently an unknown region to the European population, it has become the last refuge of lawlessness, and there, it is to be hoped, the final embers of insurrection are now being stamped out. Not only so, but it is x-eported to be a country rich in gold ; and the Kaimanawa ranges, which form a spur of the Ruahine mountains of that locality, are at this moment eagerly searched for the precious metaJ, It would be but another illustration of those laws of compensation which seem to obtain throughout the world if the very country, which haß hitherto been the means of giving impunity to native outrage, should most materially help to retrieve the commercial and agricultural prospects which for a season were sacrificed by th&*#£ft> war. The Melbourne correspondent of the Ballara t Star 'writes : — The Argus is just now an exemplification of the perils wb,ich surround newspapers. During the recent* ifcftares at Launceston in Tasmania, it published a telegram to the effect that Louis Cohen of that city had failed, but on discovering the statement was incorrect> at once did its best to vindicate Mr Cohen. It appears, however, that he is not satisfied, and has taken initiatory steps to bring a libel'action against your contemporary. The European Mail says " New Zealand must look to its laurels in flax-growing. A circular has been issued by a gentleman in Wiltshire inviting respectable families to join him in forming a Colony in the River Plate District for the purpose of growing wheat and flax. The scheme is said to be supported by the authorities at the River Plate and is likely to be very profitable if properly carried out. We heave heard nothing as yet as to how the proposal has been received in this country." Mr Warden Pyke (says the Daily Times) in a letter to the Secretary for Land and Works, dated the 6th inst., states that in order to put a stop to the spirit of gambling in shares which had manifested itself at Cromwell, he issued the following notice : — " That in the event of any share or portion of a share in any quartz claim, held under protection certificate, being sold, transferred, or publicly advertised lor sale, the certificate will immediately be cancelled, and the holders of the claim will be compelled to put on the fu 1 number of men within 24 hours thereafter ; failing which the claim will be forfeited." He also contradicts several statements circulated with regard to the reefs, chiefly respecting the direction in which they run. Rain is wanted by the farmers ia the Wai kouaiti district, where it is feared that the unusually dry spring will have an injurious effect upon the crops. The fruit trees, however, appear to be flourishing, and the fruit season is expected to be an abundant one.

In a Gazette, bearing date the 11th iftst'/'Mfifi Wood proclaims that ho has assumed the offlcejti^ Superintendent of Southland, and calls upon the inhabitants of the Province to be aiding and assisting him therein. Mr K. Rose, the Deputy -Registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, is at present acting in that capacity until the regular ap >ointment is . made. A pheasant's nest, with ten eggs, waa discovered in the vicinity of Otepopo the other day. Mr J. G. S. Grant ia again in the field of literature, he having just issued the first number of " The Delphic Oracle." In Greymouth a few days ago three female sly grog sellers were each fine I £30 and costs ; on the same day two others were fined £15 each and costs, and a man £10 and costs. Two old colonists returned per Omeo via Melbourne from a trip to the. home country. We refer to Messrs Mafchew Holmes and D. Tiow, the latter having been absent some five months only. At the Bitting of the Wasto Land Board on Friday last, 3130 acres were disposed of. An " Old Reefer," writing in the Cromwell Argus regarding the Bendigo Gully reefs, says : — " The last sensation up to this date has been the successful striking of a reef in continua • tion of Goodger and Co.'c, and situate some quarter of a mile from the Aurora, running in a parallel direction, the ebona of which surpasses everything yet discovered in this part of the country. The lucky shareholders — Messrs Gillies, Hughes, Charnock, Ryan, Hawthorne, and Atfield — have great expectations. The stone has been tried nearly the whole length of their claim (600 ft), and in every instance where prospected very rich specimens have been extracted: Numerous visitors from Clyde, Cromwell, and other j places have come down from this -with small mantelpiece ornaments, in the shape of golden specimens, most of which have come from this recent discovery. Being acquainted with the shareholders, I selected a small piece of stone weighing four ounces, and on my return pounded the same, when it yielded two and a half grains, or a total result of 460z. 13dwt. to the ton. I was informed that Goodger and Co. had proffered a trial crushing, and when this takes place there is no doubt that the result will surpass any previous crushing in Otago. One of the original shareholders in the claim, named Hughes, after working only eight days, was ! offered the sura of £250 for a working share, being one-sixth, which he immediately accepted. Mr Brian Ebden of Goodger's party was the purchaser. Although very tempting offers have been made to the other shareholders in the claim, none of them have felt disposed to accept. I may mention that a bonajide offer of £600 has since been refused for a share. During my stay I visited several claims j usfc marked out, whose owners appeared fery sanguine of success. The ground was taken up some two miles along the I supposed Hue, and everything had a very busy appearance." ! The West Coast Times estimates the revenue of the Hokitika Borough Council for the next municipal year as follows : — Rates, £1600 ; land fund, £600; wharfage dues, £1300; and sundries, £100; total, £3300. As the Council spent during the last annual term the sum of £15,000, and it is stated that "the limit of the banks' foibearance has been reached," the expediency of borrowing is recommended. The Provincial Council of Canterbury has voted £7500 for the construction of a tramway from Timaru to Temuka, a distance of twelve miles. The late capture of salmon in Tasmania was thus announced by the Sobart Town Mercury : — We have the gratifying opportunity of announcing the first capture of the salmon in the waters of the Derwent. The announcement was made Shortly before 11 o'clock that the fish hai been brought into town, and were on exhibition at the rooms of the Royal Society, and the news spread so rapidly that in a few minutes the room was filled with, eager spectators. Amongst those who hastened to the scene were Sir .Robert Officer, Mr Morton AUport, Mr Buckland, and several members of both Houses of Parliament. It transpired that the fish were caught in the meshes of a seine net by two fishermen (one of whom was Mr Robert Ikin), at Beauty Bay, last night. Mr AUport at once recognised them, and it may be mentioned that the salmon has peculiarities of construction and appendage that are sufficient at once to fix its true character. The larger of the specimens exhibited measures lOins in length and sins ia girth; and the other one 9ias in length. Of the fish being the true salmon there can be no doubt. Sir Robert Officer and Mr AUport at once recognised them, and it may be mentioned that the fish is the only one having teeth on its tongue. Mr Allporb said he was prepared to " pledge all he was worth that the fish were the smolt of the real salmon, and the fruit of spawn spawned in the Derwent." News of the important discovery was at once telegraphed to Launceston, and forwarded by submarine cable to the neighboring colonies. The fish will remain on imspection during the day. Congratulations on the undoubted success of a great and trying experiment were generally exchanged. The following is an extract from a letter written by Mr Comisky, from the Thames goldfields, to M.r Cassius, his late partner in Hokitika : — " The people surely must be mad to keep coming here. Ido not know what they are going to do. Ninetenths of the claims on the Thames are not worth a penny ! I could name hundreds of claims that have been formed into companies and. their^ scrip sold at big prices, that are not worth anything today. Unless something turns up soon, there will be lots of people glad to return to Hokitika." Mr Walter Sherwin writes that the Carandini Company have lost by the floods in the X)vens district, their horses, buggy, and a quantity of uggage, which they value at over £200.

£>?Prize winners at the last grand show of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association will be glad to learn that the long-expected medals have at length come to hand. Having been favored with a sight of them, we can state that they are both substantial and elegant specimens of the goldsmith's art, and well worthy of acceptation. The gold medals exceed a jlittle in size and weight a crown piece, while those in silver are considerably larger, the design in both cases being the same. The obverse bears a neatly engraved inscription, stating for what, and to whom the medal is awarded, the centre of the revorse being occupied with the. agricultural symbols— wheat-sheaf and plough—in relief, encircled with the title of the association, and data of exhibition. Mr Sleep, of Ballarat is the maker, and although he has been slow in executing his commission, it must be admitted that he has performed his work well. Each medal is nicely placed in a morocco case, inlaid with velvet. They will no doubt be highly prized by their fortunate winners, in whose homes they will form cherished heirlooms ; m ementoes of past success, prompting to future., effort. We were pleased to observe several bales of well-prepared flax brought into town on Saturday, 13th, from the mill of Mr John Oughton, Roslin Lea. It is more gratifying to know that the machine has been entirely constructed by that enterprising settler, and we sincerely trust that his spirited adventure will meet with the success which it so much deserves. - ' '{' Telegraphic communication between Wellington ' and Wanganui was opened on the 4th inst., by . .; tbe transmission by the Premier, Mr Fox, of the following message : — "I congratulate you on the", completion of the telegraph. May.it strengthen the bonds of union and promote the prosperity < of the Colony." Mr Buller, the Resident Magis- ■ trate, replied as follows :— " The settlers of, Wanganui and surrounding districts reciprocate your congratulations on the completion of the. telegraph, which they accept as an earnest of future progress and prosperity." An interesting meeting to brethren of the mystic tie was held on Thursday evening, 11th inst., the occasion being the presentation to P.M. Bro. Butts, of a handsome masonic jewel, in recognition of the many services which, the worthy brother has rendered to the craft in Southland. Harmony succeeded the formal part of the business, and the uninitiated may rest assured that " the bumper toast " went round. Mr Wood met the electors of Campbelltown on the 12th inst., and informed them that he had resigned his seat as their representative. Mr T. M. Macdonald then addressed those present as a candidate in the re-union interest, and after answering several questions, the usual vote was passed in that gentleman's favor. The Grey River Argus says :—" Accidents in the BruunerCoal Mine have teea'df bo' frequent" occurrence of late as to call for special notice. It is only a month since Christopher Clarke was killed, since then three accidents have happened, one of which proved fatal yesterday afternoon. On Monday week a man named John Broadfoot was severely burnt in the arm and face by firedamp ; a few days later Charles Campbell had his ancle broken by a fall of coal out of the face, within a few yards of the place where Clarke was killed. Yesterday afternoon, John Barris and his mate were engaged filling then* last truck with coal, Barris was in front, and his mate behind the truck. Suddenly a solid block of coal, weighing about half a ton, slipped from the face and fell on Barris, crushing him to death instantaneously. His mate only heard him give one short cry. Several men ran to the spot, and; removed the lump of coal from, off Barris, and when taken out he was found to be quite dead. The frequency of these accidents requires some special inquiry into the system of managing and working the mine, as the miners now employed in it are loud in their complaints when they do speak, but it is only on occasions such as these that thev^can be induced to give an expression of opinion, and no doubt they have good cause for their reticence." A correspondent of the Age writes : — The " wreckers " in the neighborhood of the Victoria Tower, though not bo numerous as their brethren of the Lizai'd or the Start, are not a lazy people by any means. Last Sunday morning these " sea solicitors " were plying their occupation long before the last of the crew had been saved from the ship. There they were with horses and drays at the mouth of Bream Creek, picking up flotsam and jetsam in any and every shape, from a deal plank to a water-cask. Later in the week they grew bolder, until on Thursday they boarded tbe ship in a style that would hare done credit to the crew of an Algerine corsair. The boats, two in number, were quickly filled with tbe most valuable property to be got at, which the " wreckers " towed away in the direction of the mouth of Spring Creek, and have not been seen since. The settlers and residents in the Mateura district will be glad to learn that Dr Alexander AT Lean, L.R.0.5.E., has taken up his quarters among them, and intends to practice his profes* sion. Dr Dakers, late surgeon to the Charleston and Brighton hospitals, West coast, is about to take up his residence at the Elbow, and intends to practice his profession in the surrounding district*. Mr John Hare, who has since the establishment of the Resident Magistrate's * ourt, efficiently discharged the duties of clerk to the Bench, as also those devolving upou him as Returning Officer, Registrar of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, &c, has been promoted to a similar but more lucrative position at Hawke's Bay. We congratulate Mr Hare on his preferment, Cad wish him every success in his future sphere. The Southern Cross has been adopted aa the emblem of New Zealand. A notification to that effect is contained in a General Government Gazette, dated the 23rd ult. Mr Curtis has been re-elected Superintendent of Nelson by a large majority.