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Southland Times, Issue 1210, 15 February 1870, Page 2

A meeting of residents in Harrisville and Harewood, and others interested in the drainage of that locality, was held at the schoolbouse. Harewood, on the evening of Friday last. Mr E. D. Butts in the chair. The subject under discussion was the necessity for something further being done to provide an outlet for the heavy run of water now coming down to the North Road side drains in that locality, owing to the cutting of ditches round Mr Thomson's property adjoining. The whole matter was fully considered, and several resolutions hearing upon it were .passed. Mr Tuson was appointed to drawup a petition to the Government on the subject, and get signatures to it, and Messrs Butts, Cleave, Weir, and Gilmour were elected a deputation to present the same to the Superintendent. On Monday afternoon the deputies accordingly waited upon his Honor, presented the petition, and explained fully the requirements of the case. His Honor paid the uimost attention to the remarks and explanations made, and promised that no time should be lost in having the matter looked into by the Engineer of Roads, on whose report, of course, the action of the Government would depend. The deputation having thanked his Honor for his courteous reception then withdrew. The steady rain that accompanied the easterly weather which prevailed during the greater part of last week, has caused such an accumulation of water on low-lying ground, that damage to culverts must be looked for. We hear that one or two on the Bluff Harbor and Invercargill Railway line have been destroyed, and that a heavy expense will be entailed in order to repair them. It is to be hoptd that they will be afc once restored, so as not to interfere with the traffic on the line. We regret to hear that the heavy fresh in the Waihopai on Friday and Saturday last, has done serious damage to the bridge afc Woodlands, crossing to the Company's stations. The structure, a lengthy one, has been rent asunder in the centre, and will be unfit for traffic for some time, but it is believed it may be repaired without necessitating its being taken to pieces. The bridge over the same riirer, on the East Road, ia also injured to Borne extent, and wants attending to. The flriTvnal congregational soiree of the Invercargill Presbyterian body takes place on Thursday, 17th inst., in the Church, Tay-streefc. An advertisement in our other columns informs those desirous of attending where tickets may be obtained. Considering the very social and pleasant nature of several meetings recently held in connection with Mr Stobo's church, the gathering in question will, no doubt, be a large one. Members and adherents, at all events, ought to turn out en masse, as those enjoyable reunions are the best possible means yet devised for diffusing a spirit of sympathetic cordiality and activity throughout religious or other bodies. Tea will be on the table at half-past 6 o'clock. The pas-

tor will, no doubt, occupy the chair, and several other speakers are expected to take part in the programme. We are often amused at the great want of knowledge of the " land we live in," which is sometimes displayed by our colonial contemporaripp. The following specimen is taken from the Marttorowgh Express, which informs its readers that " the barque Lavishing Water, from Newcastle, ran ashore at the New River, Otago. and is a total wreck."

"We hear bad regress expressed by farmers on account of the continuance of wet, especially, as the last bout of rain has been from the eastward, and accompanied with a degree of heat very, apt to damage grain in the etook, or where it m laid, by causing it to sprout. The fields are now nearly ail white, and it only requires a fortnishfs' sppll of dry breezy weather to allow of the . grain being all safely garnered. A little of the brilliant sunshine we had too much of in December, would be a god-send at the present moment.

Three cases were upon the list for hearing at the Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday, 14th inst. Two of them, however, small debt cases, were settled out of Court, and the third one, a dispute about fencing between two proprietors, whs settled by each being ordered to erect half, costs divided.

The predictions of Saxby of a severe storm with hi<?h tides at the beginning of October last, appoar to have caused great alarm all over the world. We know what uneasiness was occasioned in the South Pacific, and from a private letter we now learn something of the alarm created in the most out-of-the-way corners in the North Atlan. tic. A correspondent, at Newfoundland, writing* to a friend in Inverr argill, says : — " The prognosticated storn of Saxby has done great harm, not the storm itself, for we have had no storm,' but the dreid and aUrm caused by credulity. I believe some folks would rattier that we had had a storm. This was for the sth of October ; many were seriously frightened, removed , their household effects to high situations, and took much trouble. The fishermen generally hauled up their craft and gave up the fishing about the bay. Now, suppose there are in this bay 3,000 fishermen, to lose three quintals per man from this false alarm, it would amount to £9,000, fish being now at £1 per quintal. Many parties would not venture to j sea or move their vessels until after the storm was I over, or, at least, uniil after the tune predicted had passed."

The Wellington Post say s : — The pnblin generally are aware that the House of Representatives numbers amongst its members an ex-publican named Timothy Gallagher, who in his own person presents a lively example of the manner in which men by accident sometimes get pitchforked into positions nature neve* intended them to fill. This illustrious senator, presuming on. thfr forbearance with which he has hitherto been treated, has, like Jeshurun of old, " waxed fat and kicked," , and at a recent meeting at Charleston, in the conrse of what he infant for a speech, hag stigmatised the Press of New Zealand, with one exception — the Charleston Herald — as being the ' most "venial" in the world. It is to be supposed that this Solon of the Bonifaces meant to say " venal," and one scarcely knows which excites the greatest amount of wonder— Tim's boundless audacity, or the base ingratitude he displays towards the Press which has forborne to castigate him so long, but which will scarcely exercise such forbearance in future. The Charleston Berald will scarcely be proud of a compliment coming from such a quarter, and the rest of the " venial " Press may well exclaim, "ignorance itself is thus to be a plummet over them." Have we lived to stand at the taunt of one who makes fritters of English ? 'Tis enough to be the decay of journalism throughout the land. Are we ridden with a donkey too ? Shall we have coxcombs of frieze ? 'Tis time we were choked with a roasted potatoe.

With reference to the reported arrival of the Matoaka the Lyttelton Times says :+-" The following telegram was received from our Hokitika correspondent immediately after, the Gothenburg's miiilß were landed : — 'The Argus has a telegram, dated London, December 10, which states — Arrived : Ramsay and Matoaka, which had been posted at Lloyds as missing.' There is no further news, but we think the above may be taken as conclusive that the Matoaka has arrived at London. Her arrival, it will be remembered, is announced in the latest dated telegram frnm London, and, taking it for printed that she had just been reported when the telegram was despatched, she had been out over seven months. The fact that the Matoaka is coupled with the "Ramsay in the Argus telegram is some confirmation, if such is required, of the bare announcement that she had arrived. In an authorised list of wool ships to arrive, received by last mail from London, and dated November 3, the Ramsay, from Brisbane, was noted out 140 days ; the Matoaka, 174 days ; and the Prince Arthur, from Adelaide, 165 days. When the news became generally known, great joy was manifested. In Lyttelton the vessels in harbof, the principal merchants' offices, and many ' of Ihe stores displayed bunting. A similar demonstration was made at Kaiapoi, several wellrfenown^ana respected residents in that town having gone home by the Matoaka. .;. The Dunedin correspondent of an np-country Otago paper draws the following gloom y,. picture of the state of affairs in the commerrial emporium of the colony ; — A very uneasy feeling is . abroad in commercial circles, and many are looking for a repetition of 1865. We have had the stoppage of D. H. Miller and Hay, Brothers and Wright announced, the latter for a considerable sum, and more are looked for I think there is no occasion for much fear. A few up-country storekeepers have gone to the wall. Tuapeka, and its bolsteredup adjuncts, have proved to be r ither frail, but after the squall we may look for fair weather again. The truth is, there are too many middlemen in Dunedin, and as they have their bills to meet, goods must be pressed • on country customers, whether they are needed or not. Credit gets inflated, and men are trusted large sums, who, at home, would not have been in business, unless in a very small way. The temptation at present is great, and the result, let the bankruptcy records here and Clyde proclaim to the world. If the existing panic will clear the atmosphere of overtrading, and induce a sounder mode of transacting "business, it will prove a gain. As a consequence of the suspicions current, the banks are buttoning up their pockets at the very time they should float the deserving through the stormy tide. Banks generally are only fairweather friends. You may raise the wind to any extent in calm and sunshine, but once let a cloud cover the sky, then woe betide the unfortunate who depends on them for succour. It is one of my standing perplexities why we allow ourselves to be so much at the mercy of such institutions, and why we supply them with fun-iB, the profits of which go to England or Australia. I wish the coming man — the poet — the Robert Burns of the 19th century, would arise to teach us all better ideas connected with trade and commercial morality. A speaker at a public meeting recently held in Nelson, on the subject of the Wangapeka diffi- j culty, said — "They would all admit that trade was paralysed; one man who had taken the trouble to go round the town and count the empty houses and shops, said that there were from 220 to 240 ; 2000 miners had left the West Coast i during the hist year ; and the revenue was -falling ' off. Instead of over £100,000, as estimated ior the year, being realised, there would probably .be a deficit of £25,000, seeing that the revenue for nine, months had only reached £55,000." There are (says the Southern Cross) any amount of claims being sold up by orders from the Warden. The promising mines that a few months ago were worth £20,000 with a paid up capital of £15,000, where are they now ? One claim, with a high-sounding golden name, was sold for 13s. Poor shareholders, who bought in at 25s a scrip, how long will it be before you are again troubled with gold fever ? But never mind, you will have many, many brothers in misfor. tune. '

By the last mail one of our leading mercantile firms received from their London correspondents several samples of flax, marked with the prices th<*y respectively realised in the English market in November last. As no accounts sales have yet come to hand for shipments made from this place, people are naturally anxious to know how the fibre of our local manufacfurers will stand comparison with the samples alluded to, which are all Auckland flax, shipped via Sydney. All the samples sent are of a greener shade of color than any we have seen here, and even the best does not appear better cleaned than that turned out by our local mills. A parcol marked "11 bales ex Norfolk," which brought iroin £36 to £37, is certainly inferior to wh<\t Messrs Hay Bros, and Mr Henderson are now baling up. Another 'sample, ex same ship, marked " Sefton Mills, good, fair-cleaned fibre, 6ofr," and which brought £44 to £45. may be ns good as any produced here,, the fibre being poss ibly fully as sound, but it does not appear superior to the general run, and is not at all equal, either in color, clpanness, softness, or length r.f staple, to some we have seen produced by Mr Oughton, of Roslin Lee. Another parcel is alluded to in the letter, but no sample has, unfortunately, been sent of it. It was ex " Walter Hood, from Sydney, marked D.E. and brought £51 and £52, being characterised as finely dressed, soft, clean fibre. As a good deal of the material is now accumulating at the various mills, as also at the stores in town, it is particularly desirable that we should have some pretty close estimate of its value, to guide our manufacturers in their operations. The comparisons we have made lead us to the belief that, if carefully assorted according to quality, some of our flax will fetch the highest price quoted — £50 anil over — the greater proportion of the remainder will probably average £42 to £43, and the balance, £35 to £38 ; parcels unsutched or unhaeklfd lower figures, and tow from £12 to £14. Them is one tiling which, although it may be regarded as trifling in itself, i 3 nevertheless worthy of attention. Those who read the reports of sales of flax cannot but have observed the number of complicated brands which are coming into use in the trade. This is ; almost sure to lead to confusion, at all events lengthy marks are never liked, and are likely to be changed, ; shippers should therefore choose as short and distinctive a brand for their product as possible, so that its cumbrousness may not necessitate or lead to a change -ifter the material it. covers has established a character in tho market.

" Australian youth," observes the Avoca Mail; " has often formed a prolific subject for pen and pencil. Precocity here, and what the fashionable cattle-judges in the old country call ' early maturity,' run pretty much in the same groove. But a day or two asro a little fellow dismounted at one of our hotels from a • long-backed steed,' and with the greatest coolness inquired whether he could have accommodation ' for his horse and himself.' He condescended to explain that he had ridden that day from Buninyong (a distance of 65 miles or thereabouts), and was ' going on to Archdale. Never mind,' said he to one who looked at the journey from an English point of view ; you needn't put yourself out to tell me the way ; keep the Arcca River on your left, and you're sure to be right: I'm all right in my map, anyhow. D'ye see?'""

The Lyttelton Times states that an experiment has recently been made by Messrs Miles & Co., with the view of ascertaining whether New Zealand flax is subject to spontaneous combustion. About five weeks ago a quantity of flax was thoroughly saturated with water, and then done up in a bale. The bale having been sewn up in coarse Backing, well tarred on the inside, was packei in a wooden case, and placed in Mr John Anderson's engine-room, so as to be subjected to the heat of the fires Yesterday, the bale was opened in the presence of several gentlemen, among whom were the agents of the principal Insurance Companies. The flax was found to have dried considerably. The middle of the bale was decidedly warm, but there was no appearance of scorching or extreme heat. In some places the fibre had commenced to rot from the action of the water. The result must be considered satisfactory, as it is certain that either wool or hay would have shown signs of fire under similar treatment.

The Cromwell Quariian of the 3rd insfc. reports as follows of the reefs in that district : — At the present moment the Reefs are exciting much more lively interest than they have done since the memorable discovery of Mr Colclough in October last. Faith in their value appears to get every day stronger and stronger, and there is good reason to believe that the Aurora crushing, which commences to-morrow, will completely removp any manner of doubt that may yet remain upon the point. Preparations for prosecuting the wort with increased activity are perceptible on every hand. The public stamps about to be put up at Bendigo have already received so many engagements for trial crushings that no other work will be got done by the machine for some months after it has been set in operation. This will bring matters to a final test, and decide the question as to whether or not additional machinery is desirable. Within the last day or two the mining reporter of this journal examined every claim at work on the ground, and although his report is held over for next week's issue, it speaks of a Bteady improvement being perf ctly visible in the character of the stone. The Pipeclay Gully Reefing Company, at the Carrick Range, are equally determined to test the' merits of their ground. They yesterday accepted a tender for the conveyance of ten tons of stone to the battery at Wakefield, for the purpose of making a trial crushing. The amount to be paid for cartage is at the rate of £7 per t"n. Last, and not by any means least, is the Waikerikeri Reef, lately opeued in the neighborhood of Clyde. The shaft is down 33 feet, and a prospect of four dwts taken out of fourteen ounces of stone. The company have decided upon erecting machinery forthwith, and we have it on good authority that within three months from this date there is every prospect of a five-head battery being at work. The alluvial ground at the Waikerikeri has also been tried, with results reported to be highly satisfactory, so that we are perfectly i justified in saying that the prospects of the district ware never more promising than they are at the present moment. A " foreigner's picnic " was to be held in the Buller district on the 14th February. The Westport Times says : — " It is not to be a meeting I of aliens -suclv as those who refuse to drink the Queen's health, or who insult Republicanism by pretending to patronise that noble human invention. It is not to be altogether an assemblage of those who, though living under British institutions, have not been 'to the manner born.' It is not to be a Fenian demonstration — thank Heaven. It is to be a meeting of ladies and gentlemen who, though not born on British soil, have probably been cradled there, and who, whether cradled there or not, have attained maturity and wisdom sufficient to be'ieve that the British flag is not a bad one to live under, and who have a notion that there are worse ways of killing the weary days of Wesport life than by holding a picnic." The Taranaki Serald, on the authority of Dr St. George, of New Plymouth, gives the following as the best course of treatment in cases of tutu poisoning : — ln the early stages, a plentiful supply of strong coffee, mucilaginous and diluent drinks should be administered to the sufferers; and immediately afterwards an infusion of mustard, t solution ot sulphate of zinc, and tartarised anti- | mony. The use of the stomach pump has been found to be useless, as the seed (a stone in which [ the poison ia contained) cannot be well brought up with that instrument ; but if the white of eggs, soap, mucilaginous drinks are taken in quantities, followed up with powerful emetics, it evacuates the deleterious effects. We have to acknowledge receipt of No. 2 of the " Christian Observer," a . new monthly periodical published in Christchmch. It contains, besides some well-written essays and judicious selections, all the religious intelligence of the movements of the various Protestant bodies \ throughout the colony. Its size is demy 4to, 16 pages, and, typographically, it is very well got '< up. We heartily wish it success. , I