The Southland Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1870.

Southland Times, Issue 1295, 19 August 1870, Page 2

The Southland Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1870.

Spiritualism — its history, character, and tendency, formed the subject of a lecture, delivered in the Exchange Hall, on Tuesday last, 16th, by Mr Thomas Perkins. His Honor the Deputy Superintendent occnpied the chair, and the hall was respectably filled by a. most attentive audience. The. chairman took occasion, -when introducing the lecturer, to declare his own ..perfect neutrality "with xegard to the subject ; only going so far as to regard it as one worthy of serious attention. Mr Perkins, after explaining that he had taken up the subject at the request ■of numerous friendß, then entered upon his theme, and from copious and carefully arranged notes, delivered a somewhat lengthy ' and moßt interesting; address. In dealing with the first head of his subject, Mr Perkins traced the -history of spiritism from its origination in America in 1848, to the present day, commenting on the wonderful rapidity with .which phase had succeeded phase in the development of the science, as it was called, and the remarkable multiplicity of -phenomena and media. In the comparatively short space of twenty years it had •-sprung -from- obscurity and- ridicule to a vast organisation, with a system of schools and literature of its-ova, and with believers numbered by the ,nullib%i~ Under the second head the speaker' dealt with the different manifestations of spiritism 'end .tae agencies by which they were produced; the sincerity of the " mediums'? in tnefrfbwn professions, and the credibility to which the"pienomena might be entitled. After making a very liberal discount on what was said to be dofie by- spiritual agencies on account of what was no doubt accomplished by mechanical contmaaces, aird'.^lßp: making: laVg&rallowan'ces'for the successful operations -of trickery, sleight of han^l^ various description^ oi " imposture, he said there "jrould Still, remain* a considerable residuum" of manifestations which could not be accounted for withopt^ admitting the intervention of supernatural powers. "" In support of^ this adnußßKgroft his p£srt, h©^ubf«6?tb.e authority of && 'and* others of equal and unimpeachable veracity, men who, although, not spiritists, had felt themselves bound to acknowledge results witnessed by themselves, under circumstances which rendered deception impossible, to be producible only by some such agency as that claimed for them by spiritualists. The third head Mr Perkins cut short, much to the regret of' the audience— he being", suffering from indisposition. He, however, 'remarked that having admitted the possibility of the existence of spiritual agencies, it became him at least to give his opinion as to their nature, and he had no doubt that they were of evil 'origin, and of necessity evil in their tendency. To prove this lie quoted from the spiritualist catechism, showing that their teaching was clearly opposed to the bible, and subversive of religion. The lecture occnpied an hour and a half in delivery, but was listened to throughout with watchful attention, the audience frequently expressing their approbation of the sentiments uttered by cordial applause. At a meeting of the Canterbury. Philosophical ]iu|titxite v helcLrecßntly, Dr Powell read a paper on the analysis of the registry of mortality in the Christcburch district for the hut ten years, which concluded with the following suggestion : — The Government publishes monthly returns of the meteorology of the colony. The births and the mortality, which are, I venture to think, of yet nose importance, pass unnoticed. I would humbly suggest that the Begistrar-General should initiate some scheme by which, the prevalence of sickness and death should be made known to the public I would advocate that forms should be famished to the different local registrars for distribution, on Application, to the medical practitioners, and that no return of death should be accepted unless one of these forms was properly filled up by the certifying practitioner, and that monthly returns of mortality should be published in'the provieces, and that at least every year a general return should be published for the whole of New Zealand. I see nothing impracticable in all this, and I am sure that the result would be very valuable. The Oamaru Herald states that it has been ehbwn a sample of paper made in. Scotland from New Zealand flax. It is a strong paper, well adapted for printing bank notes on, or for other purposes where durability is a consideration. The color is not first-rate, but it is sufficiently good to warrant the belief that flax will ere long be largely used for paper-making purposes.

In discussing the Estimates in the House of Representatives, on the item, £600 for Colonial Agent being put, Mr Kelly asked the Government whether it was necessary to hare a Colonial Agent at home F~ "Mr Fox said that it wa3 not at all advisable to dispense with this, as the item was not in the way of salary, but rather as a payment .of expenses incurred by him, and in some instances that gentleman had actually been out of pocket. Mr Fitzherbert and Ittr i Stafford coincided with the remarks of the Hon. the Premier^ Mr Bunhy.suggested the appointment of an Ambassador to the Court of St. James from New Zealand, instead of an agent. The" correspondent of the Bruce fferald s&jb that embankments seem to be the order of the day in West Taieri. "Mr James Allan,, Mr Grant (GKwneyrMr David Borne, and Dow Bros., liave individually commenced to throw up embankments round theirjarms to jjrotect them I from the"flb<s3aT These "may effect some good, but | .1 have -very little faith in* the system of every one trying to save himself, and unless there be some united system, these individual attempts will, be almost futile." ' | The Wellington correspondent of the Oamaru Times b&jb: — The report of the Adulteration of Food Committee has made some people in Wei-, lington feel uncomfortable. Coffee bought in Wellington has beenibund to be composed of foreign substances adulterated with coffee. _ Oue sample of English beer contained cbceuhis indicus, and nux vomica. Wines-and spirits were in every case adulterated. . .... . - On the consideration of the " Sale of Spirits in Native Districts Bfll' ? in the House of Representatives, Tareha, one. of • the - Maori members spoke as follows : — I wish to speak on this bill as it relates to the Maoris j I. appxoTO.Qf--thiß:bill that-iiirpnbW^itoa9etf*ht«t»a bo erected in natiiu districts ; if. they are erected in districts wher£ there are few natives .and more Europeans it would be all very welL I. have seen a_ notice from some of my constituents . against spirits being brought into their district j let the grog be .fcepjt in the districts • if a- bul bbuld T be brought in to stop white people getting ..grog it would be well I oppose tEe grog being brought into native districts because, the white man takes land away with' grog ; my land has been taken with grog; if a Maori does not, w»nt to sell his land, the white man comes to him with his grog, and the Maori is put in prison. I think* it is time, that the Assembly made . some . law against Europeans obtaining land from natives for grog. This is ' all I have- to "say. '"(Cheers.) Mete. Kingi said : ... I approve of tliis act. I hayeTrpquently asked the Gtovernmenjj to pasf laws for the^ Maoris on ttiia as well as,, other subjects. T>o not keep the laws to , yourself, you should publish the laws so ' that the Maoris may know them. Out of my. tribe twenty cbiefshave died by means of grog. What I now say is for myself only, Ileave it- for my triba to adopt it or not. The act will benefit the Maoris. I request you to pay particular attention to what I have told you about the death of the twenty phiefe of my tribe by grog. 'This is all I have to say. (Hear, hear.). . ■■>■-- ■ ! The Overland China Mail says : — Europeans are generally under the impression that the Celestial social law and code of morality is of the lowest order, and that chastity with their women is but a bye word. This, no doubt, is in a measure owing to so,, few westerners being really acquainted with^he-highest olass of Chinese,and\ looking upon polygamy as an established rule rather than' an exception. But in no country in: the world is adultery so severely dealt with; or retribution so terribly exercised for infringing on this our seventh commandment, as in. China. A horrible instance of this occurred a few days ago near Shanghai. A married lady forming a guilty alliance- with a friend of her brother's, made up her mind to put an end to her -husband's life by some means or other, and forthwith divulged her project to her paramour, who at once gallantly: offered to. undertake the work for her. He eventually effected his design by poison. The man was duly placed in his coffin and the usual ceremony performed overhis body ; but after a time suspicion arose as to the cause of his death,' and the woman, after frightful torture, admitted' having committed the crime or crimes alleged,' but to the last denied that her lover had anything to do with the murder. She was then nailed, hands and feet, on the top of Jher husband's coffin, his body then being in, a state of decomposition, and there lingered for nearly four days, until deatlTput an end "to her sufferings. Since then the man, and principal malefactor, having confessed to everything, has been decapitated, and his head now hangs in a cage", not far from where the awful tragedy took place. - Our • Biverton correspondent, writing on the 13th inst., says : — " At the Court-hduse, on the 10th, before H. M'Culloch, Esq., R.M., Mr W. Bowles, of Riverfon, was charged by Mr Ackers, of the New Biver Ferry, with having branded a cow belonging to him with his (Rowles's) brand. It appears the animal had been grazing for some time with cattle belonging to defendant and others on the Biverton side of the Waimatuku, and Mr Bowles, 'believing it to be his, branded it. The cow had now a calf, and was milked by defendant when it was claimed by Mr Ackers, who brought witnesses forward to prove his case. Judgment for plaintiff, with one farthing damages ; defendant to give up the cow and pay costs.— Mrs Crisp - was summoned under the Licensing Act for selling beer "and spirits without a license. ■ Sergt. O'Keefe deposed that, being armed with a search warrant, he found a barrel of beerand some brandyion the premises. Mr. Dyke swore to having bought spirituous liquors there. A caution was administered, and the case discharged, the beer and brandy^ being confiscated." ; The Wellington Evening Post says:— The sample of coal from* the Malvern Hills having burned so well in the House of Representatives, i people in other parts of the colony are desirous of emulating the example, and having their coal tested in a similar manner. We learn; from the Nelson papers that a fresh seam of coal has lately : been discovered at Collingwood, and more recently two new ones, the 6ne being about 2ft. 6in., and 'the other 3ft. in thickness; both of them being of superior quality. The coal from these seams has 'been tested in a steamer, and fountfto be excellent for steam purposes, and a quantity of it is to be sent to Wellington to burn in the fireplaces of the Houses of Assembly. Mr Stafford moved for a return of all the coal imported into New Zealand since 1840. The return in answer, has been presented to the House, embracing, however,' only the years from 1853 to 1869 inclusive, and from it we learn . that the quantity imported ' during those 18 years is as follows : — Auckland, 112,874$ tons ; New Plymouth, 2,385 ; Wellington, 143,482; Wairau, 233 ; Nelson, 85,384; HoMtika, 1,957 ; Timaru, 3,642; Dunedin, 203,220; Bluff and Biverton, 2,041J; Mongonui, 147; Wanganui, 5,153 ; Napier, 11,057 ; Picton, 216 ; Westport, 325 j Lyttelton, 118,492 i; Oamaru, 4,907 ; InvercargDl, 5,114 ; Chatham Islands, 2 ; total, 696,632 f tons ; total value, £1,324,030. The ship E. P. Bouverie, from Glasgow, arrived in Port Chalmers on the 11th inst., bringing 235 passengers and a large cargo. A parcel of drapery, picked up in Dee-street a few days ago, waits an owner at the police camp. John (alias James) Campbell was brought up at the Resident; Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 17th, charged with haying, on the previous day, " unlawfully obtained goods and money to the value of £1 2s, the property of Wm. Mackay, by false pretences." It appeared that on the evening of the day named, prisoner, entered Mr Mackay's house, the Farmers' Arms Hotel, and, on the strength of a cheque purporting to be signed by a well known runholder, obtained the loan of £1, and supplies to the value mentioned. The cheque having in the meantime been ascertained to be valueless, Campbell was at once arrested. He pleaded guilty when placed in the dock, and sought to palliate the offence by saying he had "got into bad company and been drinking;" -being his third conviction of a similar crime, the bench, J. Blacklock, Esq., and W. H. Pearson, Esq., J.P.s, sentenced him in the full penalty — one year's imprisonment with haid labor. :

A. small case of mat, cured on Profeß3or GJam- i gee's principle, but Vhioh. had been four months | on the royage from London, was opened at the • stores of Messrs H. J GKbba & _ Co. on Thursday last. Th& meat tuned out in better condition ' than' a previous sanijle had done, showing ap- -i parently that some im|rovement had been made in the .process of preisrvatioa, but still it was unfit for human foo& being bad in color and offensive in flavor, and had to be thrown out as soon' aa possible. > I