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Southland Times, Issue 1173, 29 November 1869, Page 2

We would agaiu call attention to the performance in the Theatre this evening for the benefit of Mr it. B. Wotton. The programme appears in our other coiu uns, and should be productive of an evening's pleasant^nterfcaiuuaeiit. i A meeting of the Regatta Committee will be hold this evening at half-past seven, at the GUrrick Club Hotel. We have been informed that the Government have placed a sum on the estimates for the purpose of alk><viug interest on outstanvling claims. We understand that the English mail may be expected to arri/e at the Blutf per G-othenburg, from Melbourne direct, on Thurs iay first. In Messrs S. B. Edenborough & Co.'s last monthly wool report the following remarks occur : — " New Zualands, owing to the large quantity to be offered, were rather depressed at first, but latterly have met with much better competition, and choice lots of washed and greasy make very good prices, though, as the case with Port Phillips, good scoured aye still relatively cheap. A parcel of ' battery washed ' wool from Invercargill (marked, ' Castle Rock, Superior, Battery Washed,') attracted much attention, as, independently of the beautiful quality of the wool, and the careful classing, this style of washing, whilst cleaning the wool in the most perfect manner, leaves it quite soft and Bilky ; it was eagerly competed for by many who rarely buy New Zealand wool — the price of 2s 4£d realised for the best hoggetts is a good commentary on the subject." And — " Wool appears at length to have seen the turn, and if, with the large supplies lately available, we have been able to establish a decided advance, we may reasonably expect that as trade revives wG may yet see further improvements, especially should supplies next year really prove to present a decrease on this and last year's imports." A meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society takes place this evening at the Presbyterian Hall. The matter for consideration will be a paper on British North America, by Mi W Tait, and the able manner in which the essayist treated a cognate topic some time since, warrants the expectation, that the subject will be well handled. We have been requested to remind members that this will be the last meeting of the present series, and that consequently a large attendance is desirable, there being some business of general importance to transact. The Bunstan Times of the 10th inst. says that some interesting discoveries were made by Captain. Fraser, during a recent visit to the Ida [ Valley, in the shape of several stone knives and saws. They hare been placed in the Museum.

Captain J. White, late of the ship Blue Jacket, has now charge of the ship Charlotte Gladstone. Tbis vessel was to sail in September for Melbourne, with^4oo Government emigrants, and will load wool at Canterbury for England. The following resolutions were discussed in the last session of the Canterbury Provincial Council — (1) That the Superintendent be elected by an absolute majority of the Provincial Council, i and have a seat in the Council, a ri^ht to vote therein. (2) That the powers of the Council should cea?e, except as to those subjects on which Provincial Councils may be authorised by the General Assembly to make byelaws. (3J That the Superintendent should not have a veto on byelaws passed by the Provincial Council. (4) That the ordinary executive administration of the Province should be vested in the Superintendent, assisted by such Executive Committee a as may be appointed by the Council ; the appointment of all permanent officers of the Province resting with the Superintendent. (5) That the ' ordinary meetings of the Council be held in January, April, July, and October, and extraordinary meetings at such times as may be determined by the Superintendent. The first and second were agreed to with a slight amendment. The third resolution wis passed, with the ad.litioH of the fo'lowing, on the motion of Mr Hawkes : — That it is desirable that the Council should have power to legislate on the following subjects, viz., regulating its own proceedings ; providing for carrying on the Provincial business while the Council is sitting ; altering the number of members of the Council, and the boundaries of electoral districts ; appropriating revenues ; regulating education, immigration, public hospitals, asylums, reformatories, gaols, and regulating the administration of public reserves ; regulating fencing ; the preventing of cattle trespass, and prevention of diseases in cattle and sheep ; regulating, constructing, maintaining, and diverting railroads, tramroads, ferries, Bnd other public works ; taking private lands for public purposes ; preserving health, cleanliness and order, in towns and places not within municipalities ; levying tolls, rates, and fees for the following purposes: — Support of education, support of hospitals, asylums, infirmaries, and gaols ; police ; in general expenses of the Government of the Province. The fourth and fifth resolutions were withdrawn. Our Riverton correspondent, writing on the 23rd inst., Bays : — The Popular Readings Committee gave their fortnightly entertainment at the Od ifellows' Sail on Tuaa Jay evening, a nd though most kindly and ably assisted by Mr Butts, from Invercargill, the entertainment was not considered up to former occasions. However, a most enjoyable evening was spent, and where each and all endeavored, and not in vain, to please, it would be invidious to criticise, yet we must not omit to mention a duett by two wellknown young ladies, who need only be heard to be appreciated, and who are a great acquisition to this deservedly " popular entertainment." — Mr J. E. Stewart, who has succeeded Mr Wardrop in the mastership of Riverton School, re-opened the same on Wednesday, the 17th, with a fair prospect of success. As Mr Stewart will hold evening classes for adults, this must be a great desideratum for the rising young people of the town. — This evening, Tuesday (the 23rd) a large meeting of the Riverton corps of Rifle Volunteers was 'held at the Marine Hotel to select members to compete with the Invercargill corps at the forthcoming match, when the Invercargillites may expect a warm reception. — Nothing new from the Longwood ; the last few days being cold and wet, will naturally retard the progress of the works. * It will be seen from our Tauransja correspondent's letter (says the Auckland Weekly Herald) that there has been another case of selling ammunition to natives, and that the offender has been committed for trial. Our correspondent say? : — " Thomas Short, who was committed for trial on Friday last for selling ammunition to a native, is an old soldier, formerly of the 57th Regiment. Drink, from the effects of which he was evidently suffering at the time of hearing, appears to have been the incentive to the crime with which he is charged. lie is said to have borne a good character in his regiment, from which he was pensiored. It is noticeable that the last oflfence of this nature, where a committal took place at Tauranga, was perpetrated by a discharged soldier of the 57th Regiment." We extract the following from an English paper respecting the new clothing material, into whicli we understand New Zealand flax enters as one of the ingredients : — " We (G-lobeJ have most of us seen or heard of p.\per-faced collars, but it is not generally known that the use of the same material has now been extended to less prominent but more important gnrments. It must be premised that the paper used for these is of great strength and flexibility, and can be sewn with a machine giving seams almost as strong as a woven fabric. For this reason the inventor has particularly applied it to the produc. tion of petticoats, which are either printed in imitation of the fashionable skirts of the day, or stamped out with open work of such beauty and delicacy as no amount of labor with scissors and needle could imitate. The marvel is that the really beautiful production can be sold retail at sixpence each. Another use to which paper is applied ia the production of imitation cretonne and chintzes for bed furniture, a set coating retail fiie shillings. The material of which these are composed is so flexible that a curtain may be twisted into a rope and shaken out again, bliowing as little creasing as a chintz similarly treated. White day covers for b3ds, and tablecloths embossed with designs of great beauty, will ! doubtless attract much notice. In fact, it is ( impossible to look at them and consider their cheapness without thinking this 'felted' paper may in the end have a serious influence on the production of the woven fabrics it is intended to displace. The list of articles for which it is employed does not end with those we have enumerated. Imitation leather, made impermeable to water, makes a cheap and useful covering for furniture, and even serves for shoes. Altogether, this new material seem 9 likely to start a new and important branch of industry." The total quantity of alcoholic liquors on which duty was paid in New Zealand during the quarter ending on the 30th September last was 260,142 gallons, being at the rate of 1,147 gallons per head of the European population, or 4,688 per head per annum. The total quantity gallons of revenue collected on these liquors during the ' quarter was £100,6 io, being at the rate of 8s lid per head, or £1 15s 8d per head per annum. '

In returning thanks for the toaßt of his health at the dinner after the New Zealand Agricultural Society's Show, lately held in Auckland, His Excellency the Governor replied as follows : — " Your Chairman (Mr Albyn Martin) alluded to the fact of my being an Irishman. ' The pig, they say in Ireland, is the ' gintleman ' that pays the rent. (Laughter). But I think there are very few among9t you who know much about paying rent in New Zealand, for here, I am happy to observe, that nearly every man is his own landlord (hear). I do not wish to detain you with any more statistics, particularly after the dinner of which we have partaken. I remember the advice of an old friend, an Irish Bishop, upon this subject, which advice I will strictly follow on this occasion. ' Avoid,' said my old friend, the Bishop of , ' avoid speeches after dinner ; for I assure you that, from my long experience, I have found, in the words of the apostle, that then a man sees through a glass darkly.' (Laughter and cheers). While talking of Irish Bishops, one naturally thinks of Irish Governors, to one of whom my friend the chairman alluded. (A laugh). It is most true that of the six Governors who have had the honor of being appointed Governors of New Zealand, five havo been more or lesß connected with the Green Isle. So it lias been on the other side of this part of the Colonial E npire, for all the Governors who, till a few years ago, ruled over Australia, were Irishmen with one exception ; and of Sir Charles Darling it was wittily observed that in his case he had three wives and they were all Irishwomen. (Loud cheers and laughter). Now, gentlemen, some of you may wonder why I am thus blowing the national trumpet. My object i» in the first place to show you that Ireland has her share of the good things of the empire at large ; and, in the next, that Englishmen, Irishmen, and Scotchmen should all in this new country agree to forget their local and sectional differences . (Sear). Let us be all faithful fellow-colonists and loyal New Zealanders. (Cheers). Sixteen thousand miles of sea roll between us and the passions and prejudices of the old world ; the cries of political discord are heard but indistinctly across half the globe. Lord Stanhope, in his Hißtory of England, states that George the Third observed that after so long an experience as his Majesty had had of public affairs, he never found an Irishman that would speak well of another Irishman, ' except with an object,' and he never knew a Scotchman that would speak ill of another Scotchman ' except with an object.' * In an article on the proposed railway from Dunedin to the Clutha, the Bruce Standard says : — " The members of the Council will need narrowly to scrutinisa the whole railway proposals in connection with which they have been called together, and that with the view of securing the construction of the Clutha Railway as easily as possible, but of a kind and at a cost commensurate with the means of the Province. They must take care that they do not, like Southland, " pay too dear for their whistle." With all our anticipations of the advantages of a railway, we would prefer a little delay, rather than have the railway constueted at an extravagant cost, to the involvement of the Province in. difficulties such as have overtaken Southland through her railway extravagance."