The Southland Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1870.

Southland Times, Issue 1230, 29 March 1870, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1870.

To make room for tKe news bj the mail, we are 1 compelled to hold over leading and local matter, also report of the Sons of -Temper ance anniver-; »ry- , - . . ' Thursday being the anniversary of separation/ -ltfll-ie-observed as a holiday bj ttie-banks. -- -•■ -''■ It ' would appear that the scheme of ' high; charges, for some time past in operation in the. Telegraph Department, has ; not been found td. answer. In our other columns this morning the Government advertise some very beneficial, changes in the rates, and it is to- pc hoped the new and liberal scale may prove more profitable than the old one. There is only one of the changes made to which exception may be taken " '—the ' discontinuance of certain shipping telegrams.- • ■ -'■•■ •■' '"■•■■ ■ ■•'*"_• At the Kesiflent Magistrate's Court on Mon-^ day, 28th inst., pne unfortunate was fined 5s ■. for having indulged rather freely 'on the previous evening. Mrs Tarlton sued Driver,' M'Lean and Co., for £100, ■ damages sustained through defendants having, wrongfidly converted certain : timber, growing -on plantifT s land, to'their own use. Mr Macdonald appeared for plaintiff, and led evidencei in support of his case. Mr Harvey, for. defendants, admitted having taken certain trees, a* alleged, but pleaded ignorance' of the

trespass. His clients held the risht to cut timber in the same bush from other parties, and they had un-vittingly entered plaintiffs ground. He tendered payment of £31, for the tress admitted to have been taken, at the same rate as .his clients ■were paying to adjoining owners, viz., 20s per tree. Mr Macdonald, j however, contended that his client was not entitled merely to the value of the trees removed-, bilt to consideration for the damage done to her -property. After hearing ieng|hy s evidence on both sides, judgment was given for plaintifl^for £60 and costs. A fatal accident has occurred at the Gate Pah to one of the armed constabulary, of the name of .Burrows It is thus_ described by a correspon- j dent of the Auckland, ifemz^d :—" After pitching j camp, the duties ofthe day were over, and the men strolled, about . till, nearly, dusk, when I and , another, walking backwards and forwards on the jroad, and almostdose to the redoubt, were startled JFy^aTlbud explosion about thirty yards from us, jfollowed by what at.the moment, appeared to me ito be fireworks known as Roman candles; three going up neariy vertically, and a fourth describ* ;ing an arc towards the gully on the right hand side of the road. Almost immediately after I , heard the remark, 'Somebody is hurt,' and at once proceeded to the site of the explosion, . where three or four persons were standing round ithe prostrate form of Burrows, who was lying on 'his back in a pool of blood, with arms extended A second glance Bhowed half one. side of the 'poor fellow's head blown away, and a large ; quantity of brains scattered in the dust, together j with abrpken piece of skull about* the size of-my • hand! The. poor fellow had in the course of his [ramble found an unexploded 112-ppunder Armi strong shell, from which he extracted a quantity i of powderi and then,|with an incautiousness that j savored of infatuation, laid a train to the interior j \ of -the*' shell; which instantly exploded' with a : fatal result. 1 Severri other persons standing near :had a very narrow escape, and one or'twb, ex;periencedin sueh' explosions,- immediately threw themselves down onthe ground." * The Lyttelton'y Times of March 17 eavs :— The ; figures published in our columns yesterday, showing the yield of. the harvest just gathered in, afford a remarkable proof . of .. the -rapid growth of agriculture in Canterbury, during the last two years. The quantity of wheat grown this season is almost equal to the quantity grown in the whole colony during the year 1868. Taking wheat and barley, together, the yield from the Province' this Tiarvest is iequal tc the whole produce of the Colony in 1868. This is to be accounfed! for 'partly' by th'e^ large average yield Of the present year,- and partly by the increase of land under tillage. The Government statistics just publhhed-in -Adelaide return, the average yield of wheat in South Australia as six bushels per .acre Canterbury, returns gjve_an average of 28 bushels of wheat, 33 of oats., and 31 of barley. It is not surprising, to learn that the. farmers of South Australia are being ruined on all sides, and that those who have the means are. leaving the country for, other colonies, for it is well understood' that though the yield in Canterbury has been exceptionally good,- the farmers as a class will not profit much by it, owing to the high rate of wages paid for harvest work and the low prices ruling for grain. , . . ■ , t " The following- strange story is told by the Wellington Evening Post .—Some two years ago a married couple, whom we will call A., resided in Wanganui, having two children, girls— one three years old, and the other five years old. Their neighbor, Mrs 8., was a widow, who was not blessed with olive branches, and feeling, naturally enough, very lonely, she used to "berrow" the eldest of the. two girls spoken of to keep her company, and so frequent did this borrowing become that at ; last the little girl remained at Mrs.B.'s. altogether. Surprised at not having, seen the child for some time, Mrs A. went one day to see what was the matter, and then discovered that Mrs 8., having taken to herself a vice-husband, had suddenly decamped without tuck of drum, carrying the little girl with her. Efforts to find the missing parties' proved yam, and some time ago Mr and Mrs A. came to live in Wellington. On' Saturday last Mrs A., walking through one ofthe streets of Wellington, suddenly saw ' Tier lost' child in front of a house. ' The child recognised her mother, and ran to her, but before they could leave the spot Mrs B. appeared on the' scene, and after a struggle forced the little girl away, alleging that she waß her mother, and that' Mrs A. had no claim to her. Mrs ; A. ran to her husband, who at once prepared to take legal proceedings against Mrs B.; but before coming to extremities, he called upon her. Seeing that the gam© 1 was up, the child apprppriator . (can she be called a kleptomaniac ?) withdrew opposition,, and surrendered' the 'child to her father. Mrs B. had evidently taken good care of her compulsory ward, who was restored to her natural guardians clean, healthy, and well-dressed. She told them that Mrs B. had tried very hard to make her ( believe that- she -washer- mother, but without avail;- her ; recollection was too vivid.. It is almost a pity that Mrs B. ," caved in" so soon*; had she herd out a little ' longer, and the matter come before the Supreme Court, sqme. , Colonial artist might have fceeh able to have supplied a companion piece to a celebrated scriptural painting, which would have* been! entitled the " Judgment of Johnston." The Napier correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says' that " the Natives are thortgagin^ and selling their birthright every day for a mess bt pottage, - Unfortunately, our politically great are not quite unconcerned, so Major Heap hy is not likely td'save much from their claws'. - He is here just now more for appearances probably than use, for to do any good he is too late. A very independent • high-minded- -man,, * without any political' or private connection, alode- COuld" doany thing now to save the relics of the Maori property. When all has passed from them, what is' to become of these poor people ?'■' ■-- ' ; '-■ •The Butenian, a Scotch paper, of December 18th, says : — " It is rumored that the Marquis of -Bute, disgusted at some of the goings-on -in connection with the <E:umenical Council, has left the ' Eternal City,' and is meditating^ a return to the church of his fathers." - The Wairarapa Mercury says *. — We hear bf one lot of sheep which were boiled down at the Berhampore station, realising' J Osvper head, and some at Featherston lis 6d each. The settlers have at last obtained some knowledge of the value of their stock, an 1 will not be: slow to take advantage of it. The foot rot has appeared in the flocks of many of the runholders in Hawke's Bay. A member ofthe Armed Constabulary, formerly a resident in. Nelsbn (says the Evening Mail) writes to his friends-here from a certain station in the, North Island, giving.an account. of, his pre- • sent mode- of life, which does not appear to offer many attractions to youths of an ambitious turn ; of mind. Not being a mounted trooper, ourinformant is-nbt required to wear' the elegant but unaffected uniform of shirt collar and spurs, but, ; as a member of a respectable infantry company, | he usually appears hi the light and airy costume : of half a red blanket, tied .round the waist, a few; rags hanging about his 'legs,' "just for decency's ' sake .".and a round" forage cap without a peak. Such is-thedress-^the work- -fleems. tb consist of, hunting up sly grog -sellers, which appears to be; a not very exciting employment, and our volunteer plaintively remarks, that when he joined, it was under- the impression that he was to be "a soldier, .hot a bobby." The arms; principally used are Btated to consist of pick andshovel, and the writer bf /the letteris of opinion! that, with tbe exception' of the- absence of the; mystical. letters N.G". on 'a prominent part of the clothing, and of many little' Comforts enjoyed by, the prisoriersin * Nelson gaol,' there is' very Tittle] difference between the life he and his comrades; lead, and the dress they wear, and that bf thej gang of hard labor men who are to be seen walking through the streets of Nelson twice a day on their way to work. . - '■ j The Gippsland Times says :— " Several cases of a dangerous disease known as 'spurious croup ' have occurred in this neighborhood within the last few days, and a medical gentleman ! of the town informs lis. that'in almost every instance he can' trace the cause to the" disorder of the ■ 'systenl brought about by eating unwholesdfhe fruit."

The following tenders for gravelling 44 chains of the North Road, south of the Junction Hotel, were opened yesterday by the Government : — R. Powell ... £288 15 0 "Jas. Gallagher ... '*, 240 0 0 James Shearer (accepted) ... 199 15 0 R. Holorin (informal) 246 0 0 During the last eight months (says an Auckland paper) our forces have killed seventy-nine natives at a cost of £400; OX). Each deal Hauhau has therefore cost £5000. The Dunedin correspondent of the Cromwell Argus sars that " the Wesleyan Bazaar turned out a perfect success. Notwithstanding the sal state. of the. money. market in Du«edin, the onter,-. prising ladies who had the management of this affair contrived to extort the sum of £350 from their victims. The last night it was open, several novel features were introduced, such as the sale of sides of mutton, pigs, geeße, ducks, &c.' ' A lady, signing herself " Mela," writes a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, Reiving ap interjesting account of a trip to the Thames goldfield. Jand to Coromandel, and of the dangers hy flood and field encountered. The mud flats at Coromandel appear to have given the worst trouble. The fair writer says :— " Only fancy ! my wading through the slnsh alone, and with my carpet-bag to carry, and, every now and then sticking fa.st ; and the gentlemen — or rather hears— of whom there were several, all being too muoh occupied with their own precious selves to offer to extricate me. At last .we came to a deep slough, and this fairly broke down my courage ; as, when I saw the gentlem'<h turn the r trowers up and ■ prepare to wade it, I wondered how on earth I was to get through, and should certainly have gone back if I could, but there were no means of doing Bland at last a half-caste took pity upon me, and pulled me through as well as he could, but- 1 was a nice spectacle, being far over my boots in mud. A Sydney paper publishas the result of an experiment made lately by Mr Robert Tooth, in ' ,New Zealand, to try the value of a cross between : the Merino and Lincoln sheep. The sheep were first crossed and then bred both ways, so as to ' give two to one of Lincoln blood, and two to one of Merino, but breeding back to the ■ Morino destroys the good pffect of the first cross in a great measur*. The Merino flock; in "its- original condition, averaged 2£lb of wool, fetching Is 81 per lb., while the half-bred produce averaged 4lb of wool each, which, at the same sale, .realised 2s 4£d per lb. The second cross with, the Lincoln brought up the average to 51b a" head, the wool fetching 2b per lb., or 10s a fleece, against the average of 4s 2d for the Merino flock. Besides, the crossbred sheep ?iyes 801 bof mutton at two years old, more than double the weight to be expected from the Merino, and is much more steady and .easiLy_ -managed.. Thi| experiment has been carried out during a period of five years, "and .coincides,' exactly with the results obtained in Victoria and New South Wales, hy persons who. have: tried the -Lincoln when it could obtain grass enough without too much travelling. 1 ' .' " "< >\ , The Grey River Argus publishes the following extract from a nrivate letter received from Natal. After stating his disbelief in the South African GoldfieldsVthe writer goes, on to isay ■:—.. " Things at prespht look rather dark, Govern, ment spending at the Tate of about £30,000 per annum more than the income of the colony. We are just getting 'over a crisis, caused by land speculators, kite-flying,,. and fictitious, trading ; but I think things aw* now come to- a level, and trust- that affairs will improve; When I came here eight years ago, oxen were fetching £10 to £12, now £3 to £4 ;' sheep were worth 20s to 255, now 5s to 10s ; a good horse you would have to pay £25 to ,£4O for, now they are a drug ; everything else in proportion. Sheep have got a fair trial in Natal, but they don't do well, except in particular and isolated spots.. My partner (a Mr Whyte, who haß now gone to New Zealand) and I commenced with 800 young ewes, kept them with every care and attention for five years, and all we could sell then was 1100, having only sold about 50, and killed a fevr for our own use. I am now giving them up altogether. ' You can buy land at present suitable for grazing purposes and agriculture on a small Bcale for Is per aCTe — I mean without any buildings and improvements. I bought a farm of 2500 acres the other day for £550. I could not erect the bnildings on the- place for the money. There are about 250,000 natives to 18.000 or 20,000 Europeans at present in the colony, and the disproportion annually increasing. They are at present quiet, ahd the geheral opinion is, they are likely tr> remain so ; but this is a subject upon which I cannot express a decided opinion of my own. With the above number of natives it is very difficult to getdabor, especially of a reliable kind. Wages are 5s to 10s ;per month for ordinary Kaffirs, and 20s to 30s per month for waggon drivers. Their food is" entirely what we call mealie meal, or Indian, corn meal, whioh is generally very cheap, say Jd per lb, of which a Kaffir gets 31bs,per diem, so that a Kaffir's food costs about 43 per month, his wages about 7s, and I consider at that it is dear labor." At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday last, an experienced old station hand, who had evidently come to town to " knock down his pile," sued the landlord of the Royal George Hotel for ' £3, the balance of a sum he had left in his hands forßafe keeping. It appeared that the tough old toper had sold Mr Wright a house for £10 10s, of which he drew £2 10s on the spot,' and left the balance, £8, in the purchaser's hands, Mr Wright, to prevent mistakes! giving him an.LO.TT. for the same, The depositor .then "knocked about town," coming in at intervals for " a note" as he required it, aud which of course he. got, the I.o.lT. ; '.B;being j in turn torn up, and a.fresh document issued at . every decrease of the capital./ When the latter had been reduced to aome £3 or soj the custodier remonstrated with the man on the reckless nature | of his proceedings, he having commenced to; "shout champagne" all- round- -The advice— to " draw it mild ' wa,s, however,, spurned with contempt; and the adviser told in rather forcible terms to "mind his own business." ■It -did- not appear that plaintiff had been drunk, at least hone of the witnesses considered him to have been so, ajid the whole" of the cash,' it was sworn, passed through '-. his hands, until there was only £L left. He denied, however, all' knowledge of the champagne business, and,-;could not remember receiving the last three pounds. His Worship held that although plaintiff inigh* not be drunk in the opinion of ; the witnesses, it was evident from his^ proceedings that he was under the influence of; liquor to such an extent that his request for more should have been refused. Judgement was given for plaintiff for £2, with costs; On Saturday, the man, George Meredith, remanded on a charge of forgery, was brought up for further evidenbe,' and also on a fresh charge. . Both charges were of the same nature, and amounted to this. He had drawn" but and issued two cheques for £3 10s, each, purporting, to be in his own favor, as John Jones, and signed by J. and M. M'Kellar. One ! of these . he had succeeded in cashing, at Mr Flint's hotel, Dipton, and the other at Mr Glenn's store in Winton, in both cases the wives of the; proprietors being the parties to accept the sham document. Both cheques when presented of course met the same fate — refusal, The evidence of Mr and Mrs Flint, and of Mrs Glenn, having; been taken, the prisoner was remanded for eight days more, to allow of. the attendance;, of JMr M'Kellar. The same party was sued by Jj M'Carthy on an L'O.'TT. for £6. He at first denied ever .having sighed >ny ! such paper, or ever! having been indebted to plaintiff for such an amount. On the document being shown to him,l he betrayed his recollection of the transaction by expressing a doubt of its being " the same- one,'' and then attempted, to explain-it by saying they had " got him drunk andmade him do it." Two witnesses having sworn to the bona fides of the transaction, judgment was given for the 'amount; with costs. . .'.'.. :yi\'\. ": \ The New Zealand Gazette of the 7thJ inst. con--tains the delegation to his Honor the Superintend j ! dent of the ptowers "held by his Excellency the Governor underthe "Diseased Cattle Act, 1861," and; " v thg Diseased^oattle;Ae,t, r Amendment Act; 1865 -""also the appointment . of Mr Andrew Mitchell -Meikle-f-of" her Majesty's Customs, to superintend the survey and admeasurement oi ships under the provisions of "The Merchant Shipping Act, 1854," at the port of Invercargill.