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Southland Times, Issue 1263, 10 June 1870, Page 2

The anniversary soiree and ball of the Loyal St. George Lodge of Qddfejtowj^opk^jik^ ia^the Theatre Koyal last evening. We will give it a more extended notice in our next issue. The second lecture of the course nnder the außpicea^fi3j|-4T£s*4s] P^^^^Pf^^^^l ment Society was delivered on Monday evening last in the Presbyterian Church* SlayratreeV by Mr Thomas Perkin3, the subject being, as announced—" Mempryjjtsjcgumtiqn jand culture^" The attendance was much larger than at the opening -l6ctareV and, 1 th^e coarse- being now fairly started, a large attendance at future lectures may be' reckon&d. 'u^onJ : c The°ie^t»rer his discourse by an allusion to' thValteration,.made'in tlie'^(igrafaimej:b>i<3Rfiioh the subject of the evening had been broughtfonfrardJoat-ibfTits q.Aj*rtised4Wsiticaiwin_tie_j?ou.rjie..__..He_rejnaJ I ked that, considering the importance of the faculty ratende^io^Vft rejswedj ajsd.the Necessity foriits possession in order for hearers to derive much advantage from' lira" course itself, the subject was entitled to a prominent position. Since cofn■mencmgiaprepara 1 bis lectar^toiiadifou'^d^tiiat the subject was so much larger.! on its gra^p.ihan he had at first conceived, that it would be impossible.for,.him..to dp moce Athafu evening ttian deal with it in the abstract — ignoring the ideaV JandrtiieipQetic-r-and^leaving the branches of ad-., vantage and pleasure to form (if required) topics' ■foF'separateT'lectares^onnothßroccasionsr" ' He -then gave a.brief r but concise* definition of the Sfrdrft memory,"* wft,h r "its counterpart's in ijhe French and Latin languages, and touched upon the distinction . between the. wprds,^ (frequently regarded'' as' synonymous) " menibry " and. "recpUec}ion y — the, former presenting , past, .objects ' or^deatr without effort, the-latter being-the 1 eflfbrt to recall. Hel illustratbd' this by a Bimple ljut telling allusion to-«-school-boy at work upon; a slate^ who -had. carefully inscribed.bia characters or, figures there, but had. all: but obliterated ; thdm byShia.breathii.Thetboy.restored the.:figures {by swinging the slate backward and.forward to, dry it "Wiat.tbos process did for theibpy^TOQQUection did, for tbe mental tablet, brushing it up and dearihg it from; film; ". The : lecturer pointed out the mind's collective, faculties,; and placed ;■ memory? . in/charge ! as^ ' "custodier. The^ question, :<t Whether is memory* a natural |on an acquired faculty ?.'! was opened by ah:eiplana-' tion of the sense in which the term " acquisition" had been employed in the title of the lecture, and 'was reviewed 'at some length, being answered jin the affirmative. "Proofs drawn from earlwsj; childhood (and' youth),, schoolboy days, and me ! yariouS conditions of life, were accum.nlatedlin rapid succession; and instance after instance followed of wfcat the retentive faculty had been able to accomplish. The subjects of memory's aohievements were fully as diverse as the authors of the achievements;, proving thatj ; the affinity jof the mind wifh its" subject being ' ascertained^ -there is-Uterally- no^ubject or-object-which-meto-ory would not r tenaciously ,graap; Systems jof mnemoaics,'ran'gingback : toßome ! soo years 8.0.V "presented, and explained, ,the '/lecturer ' expressing, ido'ubt .aa > ■ to; .their ; applicability,^ aKd < . designating i them as, in < his; opinion; ' ."'rather cumbrous than helpful;" . In .dealing- with: the j "iculfeire " of i " fhe faculty," the: essential • was ?laid down .to be that of J* attention;!' but a aoukd ; phyeical, . condition;; jras^;ialmoisb,r:(equauy , insisted upon. The choice .of :; .-Bubjepts : (for?ir"the.'l exerciser .of JmrimOsy) Hwithiiwhich fthei.Y mind.!'iajUin:iTjftffinity,v.r was illusl&afktfi . byireference/vtou the caaa i>f ZlLinnaua, . a»dt tiie .lecturer closed by a few short {practical hints; .Ittie concbiding|,pprfcion j of, ;the v4ee.tjice.owas . pfechap*passed over somewhat tpp,. rapidly. Of tne lecture ,as a" whole th6' audience throughdut testlfi^ita'Mgh appreeiatioii. ' '•Prbnrfirs^'Wwali jdufjng t&& ho.ur/ffhipb^wAsTJP^ftd-pj^el^B^y, there was no flagging or wearying in. infearest. ©n the motion of. tTames Harvey, r^Esq. ? a, rote ? o£ 'tliafiia waX tendered to 1 Mr" PcJl-kin^ and .acfcnow-

lodged. The proceedings of the evening _ were opened and closed by praver by the President, -the Rev. A. H. Stobo. The next lecture of the course was announced to "be by James Harvey, Esq., on " The life and writings of Sheridan." . We ; are glad ~to observe that our townspeople are actiag on the axiom,. "Jove helps those who help themselves," in the matter of improving the foothpaths. It gives as pleasure to record that a meeting of residents and owners of property on the south side of Tay-stree^ took place on Wednesday night, in Mrs Puettelkow's hotel, to ! oossideY fte state .oftfie, pathway on that side. of the street, when it was resolved to take steps at once to raise fundiTwith the view of having the -said-path way gravelledin ■ a- manner- similar r the side-walk on- the , north side of thje street. A cotjunittee was appointed .to carry out thi3 resolution, and report- afc an .adjourned meeting, take place next Thursday evening. ! The oyerlandmail from Dunedin, due on Tuesday evening last, had not arrived la9t night, the mailman having been unable to cross the Kaihiku, through flood. This is the second "timer within a: .short i period that the same ordinarily-insignificant stream has stuck u$ |the mail, notwithstanding we hear so much of the perfection of Otago roads and bridges. ; ,^—We-are-informed that several tenders for j the purchase of the Mokomoko railway platform were received by the Government on Wednesday, in answer to advertisement, but that none of them were- considered /eligible, being all ridiculously low in amount. *-' • ; On Thursday, 9th inat., six fine ewes passed through the town en route for Oamaru by -the ets.; Claud HaimiJbra.^The -pheep were, fromithe choice flock of Messrs ISutton Bros., Wright's tß.ushyand had been purchased by J. W. M'Lean, Esq., of Redcastle. They were of the pure Lincoln breed, and were covered from horn to lioof Tji%a thjc.k .flgece, of $ie long ,b.eavy wool |for3»lwßH^he jbreed is famous. ..: >;..-.. ; | r : Sn an articlajcpndenjning the r very. b prevalenjb . practice of* " interviewing" Ministers by deputation, the Melbourne Argus says : — " But the evil of deputationing assumes much larger dimensions, *and"BTnacbrnrore dangerous character, in Victoria than in Great Britain. In the latter a member . of Parliament is a personage of some position and dignity, who is not always ready to go the -ecraqds of bis constituents, or to execute little somuusaionsjfor them, whether of a .public or a private nature ; while British Cabinet Ministjers are somewhat difficult to 'approach. These cir-"OtHnstances--operate as a wholesome check * to ; deputationing in the old country, and keep: it within bounds. But with us it runs riot. When >we^feave- henp members 780 complacent as to run sewing machines for their constituents, or to negotiate the sale or exchange of buggies, and Ministers of State whose store-doors stand invitingly open to the general public^ it is not very surprising that frequent personal appeals should be made to ihe 5 Government, or that many hon. members should" pass a considerable portion of their time; in ; driving abo]itv^tEthejricQ§s;tit^eht3, and aiding them to persuade Ministers to grant their re-, quests." The writer recommends that " the Government should decline to receive any deputa.JiP'l.Sßtil its business has been fully disclosed in writing. That done, the threatened visitation could be parried, in many cases, by the prompt concession of reasonable demands; while in another class of cases the same effect would be prpducedrb^the jerejnptory refusal' of demands that^wVre' not reasonable."" "" " \ A monster pear, weighing 31b., is mentioned ;by the Ballarat Star as having been gathered in the -garden- of Mr 0. M. Watson, Soldiers'-hiU. The tree on which it grew bore no other fruit. ! Mr G. 0. Leech, barrister-at-law at Oastlemaine, has for some time past been givin? Sunday lscture# on- religious topics; |Ttie-<(2f. A. i ~M&i\ flbVij says^that Vthe attendance ] of hearers - nas*soTar exceeded 1 any idea tfiat Was originally formed, and the interest of his admirers Has Arisen to B0 ardent a pitch., that they have dete^rtmine^tyfouhiCthemselveß into a society to support; him in his theological enunciations, and,' if need be, to provide a substitute in his absence. Thus hai»-b<sep,iprined.the nucleus pt^ hew: sfcctr for the of-iheldoptruiesithat are termed ' advanced theology.' A council of nine has been appointed to form a constitution." | -•" HBwing'th.e'-week rumors have been afloat? of some hiteh having occurred between the Winfon railway engineer and the contractors, and that the works had been suspended in consequence. From enquiry we find that the-difficulty- resolves itself into' aTOry.smaliaffairindeed,and.affeptg simply the interpretation of a clause in the specifications regairdiog a small portion of -the work. It happens itteatHit^therWintbn end of -foe line, some three quarters of a mile or so of the formation was -roughly laid with gravel at the time- the original ! contract was in operation, and -when the present contractVaJ takenup if was specified "that the gravel was to be allowed to remain.' It so.happens, nowever^that some portions of it are but of the proper level, and the contractors decline to move it;' reading jthe v clause'referre_d .to as meaning t^at they should not touch it, The engineer's rendering is, of course, that it should be allowed to tetmißSnlbn^thsriine, hut that, in places where, hea'ps require to be lifted, or hollo.ws filled up, it is the contractors' duty to do so. u As the whole an)tir invplvea only a small amount of labor, it is not likely to bej the serious obstacle the " man in the" street " "would make it' out to' bd. J We understandTtHe Gtovefnment r declin;ed.! .the responsibility' oi; ' OTjde'ring' 'ttlfe chairs' requujedL , to complete the . Wrntoia railway, anii!that ?he rails will be, v laid in a temporary manner only, for the last'.'mile or so. " The line will be" finished as fair ; as possible, leaving' sufficient chairs ; to_ "half-ciiair" the remainder. The sleepers willibe a'll'put in/ and each rail" will be" chaired "jat each end, and in the " "centre "' only; instead ofj at three points between the end sleepers. In that condition, th.9 line will be available for traffic, although over fcha 'incomplete portion the trains will.-jrequire to prooeed rather Blowly. , With, 'proper caution as to speed, there* need "be nodanger, even t^fith i the;-: Une in that state.. Accident could only be caused by the lateral mo- ' tion of. the. engine bending the Tails at the points where the " ties " are wanting, and as the line is almost straight, "there will be very little risk.; Moreover, Brslpw run over the short, unfinished distance' wuT add but " little to the length of th,e trip, andLa considerable saving to the province may.be effected by allowing more time for procuring the deficient metal. j - -^Js-it-the -correct -thing,"- asks the- Geelong Advertiser, "to shoot deer in Victoria? The Acclimatisation- Society. .will "doubtleßs^fire ; up j at- ' the "idea'" of such .a simple' ' question v being r ' asked. Still it is a 'fact that^deer have been shot ' within--10 miles of Steiglitz, not by vandals, but by nien^ wishing ta preserve their; crops'. TEe deer caij: now be seen browsing about in herds numbering . . over'is : aid f 16 heidi If 'the Acchmatisation' Society wish to propagate : the breed, they had better distribute. the daer aforementioned over thft colony, so that the farmers in any one particular district" may nob "regard them as enemies.*' -t _ . - ■-^Cone Peak'^ (Manawappri Lake) ":Maniwapori Lake," " Takatimo Mountains, Otago side/' and -" Te Anau Lake, west armi" are the names'; affixed to four water-color- sketches of New Zear land scenery -now on view at' Mr j Macrbrfe's ; auction mart. (The first, third, and last pictures ; combine mountain, forest, ; and water jthelseoond a range of hills, and a little forest. In the first j a boat, witn'a mast stepped, and a human figure/ are very well introduced; and the whole are ex-y ecuted in a manner' betokening t much care^skill, and good taste ; the tints are well chosen and! blendedy 'producing a very ■: agreeable. : general effect. Those 'acquainted with, the locality;] acknowledge the sketches ■.■ ta be true to native, giving an excellent idea of the. magnificent, lakeland 'mountain scenery of the ' interior." 'Oh the whole, we may congratulate the artist — Mr S Moreton,. . of . . this .town,, now, we undexsisind, sketehing for a Melbourne illustrated paper— bar ibis productions, and trust that he Tnay yet make ""many of ourfinestlandscapes" familiar as houflehold words,V, bothrheje,and elsewheip. ] 3fr BI G/Hierbns,~sufgedri, has "communicated -rtortjje Mi x&i Mail theipllp.whig;metbod of;trepting diphtheria : — " I gave my boy^a liad*of tjiretf .::oi*.^.ij, iT.U'i - - '

years, a strong mustard poultice to the throat, gave an emetic of ipecacuana, and warm bath, all of which had no influence in arresting the disease. Next I applied finely-powdered sal acetos (salt of sorrel) by blowing it into the throat, which had the effect of making the child vomit a quantity of glassy-looking mucous fluid. About two hours alter I placed the patient on my knee, where he inhaled strong fumes of sulphur, produced by placing powdered sulphur on Hot "ashes. In an hour he went td sleep, andremained-asleep for 10 hours. On the folio wing morning heVwas con-Talesceri^-'I took the greatest^ precaution to prevent draughts or cold, and pNserirea' in the room an equal temperature. Before tEe sorrel and .sulphur were-used, the eyes-were of a pink color, lips,livid, body clammy, and breath offensive. - ; A correspondent of ' the Melbourne Argtis, writing -from - Western^ Australia on the' 30th: April, sayß ; — " Matters are steadily progressing towards an important change in the constitution, which may be said now to be close at hand. The G-overnor is known to be in favor of the change ; the Secretary of State "has sanctioned it, and is further^ reported to hare conceded the claims of the colday to the continuance of all grants in aid of, the. police and other services, which have been framed on a larger scale than would have J been necessary but for the convict population; i and last, though- not least, the majority of the i nominated members of the present Legislative ' Council have pledged" themselves to support the householders' petition. The Council has been summoned for the 23rd May, for the sole purpose, as the public notice states, of considering this petition 'from certain householders of this colony, praying for the adoption of that form of representative _ government provided for in .the Imperial^ \A.ct -13th c and 14th Victoria, cap. 57.' This. petition, if ,» conceded, and it may be: as-, sumed it will be conceded, will necessitate the passing of "a'bQl to declare the new constitution, and, in effect, to dissolve the present one. The requisite'steps must then be taken to assemble a ; new- council witE as little delay a r s ! pos'sibje,; to take in hand such work as. may be' required ifor the ensuing year.'in the shape of 'Estimates, j&c. It is rumored that the Government.'tinder the auspices of the active-minded man now- at its head, have many measures of importance to 'submit to the new Council, among which may be named a bill to form district i boards', and to enable those, boards to assess the ihhabita'iits; for the "repair of roads in the several, districts^ '.''and bills ;tb introduce the land registry ; on the iToriiens system, and ,the bankruptcy ,lawa.'!as latelyamended in . England. Thus the . newlyelected, members will find some real " work cut out, and [something more'than talk, before them. Meetings have been held in almost every district in the colony to urge on the Governor to take measures for the' introduction of representative government witnout delay, and he has^ shown a "laudable ' desiris. to meet the", wish es. of the inhabitants. Some people fancy that representative^ ~gogerament-isto-proye~a-specieß of panacea for all ills — a combination of " Holloway's , pills and the goose that lays the golden eggs" — but it may be doubted whether they , will -.express, the same opinion some frsrelve months -hence. There are few persons who do not .see that the more is inevitable, and that the concession could not with safety longer be~delayed. Those who least relish . the change are the old hands in the Government service, who cannot fail to • realise that their day is passing away, and that, they must make way for younger and more energetic, if not far better men. • Ichabod, the glory is departed' from Israel,' i w. their cry." . ... It has been long a matter of surprise and dis-. grace that in Invercargill' neither an Athenaeum, Literary Institute, nor Public Beading Room exists. In Riverton, with far less pre'tentions than; ourselves, and with a very much smaller population, it has .been found possible to, start and carry . a Reading-Boom and -Library"quife' adequate' to the wants of the district, while here no provision has been made. s Time after time public meetings.have been called to, consider the matter, and projects hate been put forward, which ba've .found their grave in a committee appointed jto arrange and reports The Southland Club Heading -Room (which at its best was - of an exclusive character) has sunk, into a. state of utter useless? ness and deejay. It ' m' ; understood that it iB not iatended"td carry~on the" same rafter th¥exp^ration of the present month. .Several gentlemen have, we understand, taken the" matter in hand with% Yiew to the establishment of a Reading Room and Library on a "broad andjliberal basis, and on such terms of membership as shall secure ; extensive co-operation. Thedifficulty of ■ securing 'suitable premises in which to start the Institution — and which has proved on several former occasions; the difficulty, operating- -fatally for the r project-^does nofc now exist. We hope that ina} few days, the. public will be called upon! to "signify ' its assent ..to" a. prbpbsal which' will be brought forward; to supply the existirigVant. ; l£e^ Vtcbmtejle la Chapelle^ "tolerably well- ; known in^tfye .colonies \ ifl. connection with theatrical speculations, has the consent . of the Emperdr 'of th"e French to organise ;a series at Spanish bull- fights 'to be given in Paris during the coming'summer." The" Count' has 1 mad& arrangements for several picadores, chulps, and toreros of high class-and estimation in Spain. The whole affiiir. is intended . to be a, " very per-: feet ■figHt." In the meantime the : company com- : mencQ a serieaof performances at ;the:Agricultural hall, Islington,, .L-...1 Z:\~r1 I *■'•;, ! The;seasbi> for t>lbligTiin^ ! nTalcn ( e*"h'aving again come round; it' is'satisfactdry tb 1 find that* the local societies Have not' succumbed 1 to the long-pre-vailing agricultural 'depression, ' . but are ; asvigorous and enthusiastic -as ever, and that dur--ing~the -presenlrmonth we~~are to hare two-field days. The people of 'the': western division of the" province have given effect to their propensities for union' in an amalgamation of the two societies hitherto existing in that quarter. The ' Western District Association, the name of the joint society, will hold .their meeting on Thursday, the 16th insfc., in one of Capt. Howell's paddocks, Flint's Bush. The Long Bush Society's match comes off a week- frirther on in the month, yiz., Friday, the 24th, at Mr R. Hamilton's farm, • Rozelle. It is worthy of remark that on this occasion both competitions take place on lea land, instead of wild ground as formerly. The result "shquld"b"e~,a im^ea^mprovement in the' "work"manship, and aiß'ore' home-like. appearance-ih the field generally. We should imagine both matches will be honored' by,' the pr>gehce of ,a goodly | number of townspeople; ' . '; „.; j I