LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1300, 29 August 1870, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On Thursday, the 4th inst., an inquest was held at Dyke's Hotel, Riverton, before Dr Deck, coroner, on the body of the child M'Nee, drowned in the Waimatuku the previous Tuesday. A verdict of accidental death was returned, and a rider added to the effect that the residents in the neighborhood of the accident ought to erect a footbridge over the river at or about the spot. Mr Leopold Beit, a well known resident at EoMtika, attempted to commit suicide the other day by taking laudanum. Fortunately he was discovered before the poison had time to do its work, and by the application of the usual remedies recoTered sufficiently to be able to be removed to the camp. Difficulties in business are believed to have been the cause of the act. The fibre in some bales of flax dressed at one of the mills in the Wairarapa is stated by the local paper to have averaged over eight feet in length. The Waikaka diggings, from which, so much was expected a year ago, appear to be almost deserted. Only a few diggers are now at work, and most of the gullies are worked out. A writer of " Rhymes for the times" in the Wellington Advertiser brings the members of Assembly under review. 'This is what he says of the Riverton representative : — My Lord Granville's bold assailant, in the House quite a new chum, His motion on Imperial policy was known to be all hum ; But fresh votes in uncertainty are not allowed to flutter, So Fox and Stafford both resoled not to spare the butter. Fox's unguent prov'd most soothing, and won the vote, you see, Old M'GHllivrav, of Riverton, became a young J.P. In the course of his speech on the financial scheme of the Government, Mr Haughton, who is known as the " funny man" of the House, thus referred to the Soutluand railways : — He would, upon this matter of railroads, call the attention of the Committee to the fact that this Colony bad already, with regard to railways, got one skeleton in the cupboard. There was the railroad in the Province of Southland, which runs from Invercargill to the Bluff. When that railroad was made, it was supposed that it would be the j means of bringing the most extraordinary pros.perity to the province of Southland. Crowds of immigrants were to arrive by every ship— land ' was to he trebled in value — inferior land to become arable — the country overspread with agriculturists, smiling with happy farms — Invercargill was to become a great city instead of being a wilderness of empty tenements — a sort of modern Pompeii on a larger scale. People from the country, when they came -to town once a year, instead of going out again as fast as they conveniently could, would be induced to stay for weeks. The hotel-keepers danced 'for -joy — some nearly •went out of their minds ; they rushed into .furniture, carving, and gilding — properties which, alas ! too often furnished items, in the sad result, .of those documents too often appearing in the Gazettes. What was the result ? There was the railroad and there was the train ; but where were the immigrants and the property? The train did not run unless there were passengers ; it would run for two . or three, and it would stop .to pick up anybody on the road. No doubt a great convenience, but not a financial success. •What was the consequence ? The Province of j Southland had no revenue at all — the unhappy Superintendent did not even draw his salary, and that proved provincial affairs in a bad state indeed. The lands 'of the Province were all mortgaged to the General Government — it was obliged to renounce its independence and submit to the legal authority of his honorable friend the Superintendent of Otago. He hoped there would not be a like consequence to the Colony from the proposed scheme, that at the end of the ten years we should not be compelled to go to KingThakam-* baui and ask' to 1 be- taken under- his protection. He only pointed the attention of the honorable gentleman to what had happened ; and he asked the honorable gentleman to recollect the skeleton in the .cupbo'afd, and not to go on too fast with ids scheme." At the Resident Magistrate's Conrt on Friday, the sth inst., Messrs Crisp and Debereaux sued Messrs Driver, M'Lean and Co. for £10 10a 6d, balance due on work done, and £14 13s, damages for breach of contract. Mr Harvey, for defendants, admitted the agreements on which the action was taken, also that part of the claim for work and labor done, but contended that if any breach of contract had occurred, it was on the part of plaintiffs themselves, and therefore they were not entitled to recover. Mr Wade, in opening for plaintiffs, said the case rested on two separate agreements, but as the one hinged upon the other, it would be better to treat them together. The first was an agreement between the parties for the following work : — Plaintiffs were to transport 3000 sleepers from defendants' sawmill in the Ryal Bush reserve, out to the railway line, at the rate of 2d per sleeper; but this remuneration was also to be held as payment for the performance of certain work on their part in the construction of a tramway for the purpose. Only 2586 sleepers, however, had been supplied to plaintiffs for carriage, and as payment for making the track depended on their carrying the full complement of sleepers, they held they had a reasonable claim for compensation for the balance, 414. In terms of the Becond agreement, plaintiffs were to cut for defendants 500 logs, for the purpose, of being sawn up into sleepers by. the mill, and which then farmed the .material of the first contract. The logs: were to be. qf specified sizes, at various prices. Several departures from the terms of both-con-tracts had subsequently been arranged for mutual benefit, but these did not affect the ease. Plaintins said that when only 276 had been cut, defendants' manager, Mr Bell, ". knocked them off work," saying no more were required, and that if they cut fiiem^Jhey (the. defendants) -would not take them. HDfclients, Tie contended, had taken the cutting at a low rate, in consideration of its being " a winter's work ;" they had performed a great deal of preliminary labor in the. formation of tracks, &c., which would have servsd for the haulage of the full quantity as well as for the half, and they consequently claimed compensation for being deprived of the gain to accrue from completing the work, which they estimated at Is per log fur the balance, 224. Defendants had since requested plaintiffs to complete the job, but they had declined, as in the interval — four or five weeks — a number of bushmen had been at work in the reserve, and they would have greater difficulty in finding suitable timber. Neither contract was limited by time, and the only question seemed to be whether defendants actually annulled both agreements by ordering plaintiffs to stop work. On this point the evidence of the principal witnesses on either side was flatly contradictory. Crisp, on oath, said, with regard to the second contract, " Bell knocked us off on a Saturday, sor 6 weeks ago ; he asked how many logs we had in the bush ; I told him, and he said, • cut no more ; if you do, we won't take them.' I said it was not right, and that we should expect some compensation. On the same afternoon, in company with 3'ebereaux, saw Mr Bell again, when he distinctly told us he would take no more. Debereaux said we should expect compensation. Bell said he had nothing to do with that." — J. Debereaux, sworn, said— alluding to the interview in question between himself, former witness, and Mr Bell — " Mr Bell said no more logs were re-

quired ;we spoke of the gravel contract ; I said we ought to get it as compensation ; Mr Bell said I had better see Mr M'Lean about it ; Mr Bell afterwards toJd sue if I would take 7^l I would get it." In cross-examination by Mr Harvey, witness said — " After the agreement was signed, there was something said about the full complement probably not being required ; Mr Bell distinctly told me to knock off. He said they would not take any more logs. I did not make any distinct claim for compensation to Mr Bell. I just said we should look for something." For the defence, Mr Harvey called Mr Bell, who deposed — " I did not knock them (plaintiffs) off finally ; my words were simply, 'do not rut any more logs u^il we see what is wanted.'" In reply to Mr Wade, witness said — " When I stopped Crisp, he did not remonstrate. Debereaux did not claim compensation either. He did not suggest to me that they should hare the gravel pit in consequence — he never mentioned it. Had they said anything about compensation, I should certainly have told them to go on and finish." Mr A. M'Lean said the men had applied to him for their money a few days previously. He had offered them a progress payment, amounting to nearly the amount of work done, as stated by themselves, reserving a small balance until the | work -was checked. They had made a demand, j however, for £10 as compensation for stoppage, which he repudiated altogether, and they had | consequently refused the other. In reply to Mr Wade, witness said — "I did not understand plaintiffs were offered a preference with regard to the gravel, by way of compensation. Did not know they had been knocked off. They nev#r were knocked off by anybody, that I know of, | and they can go on now if they like." Several other witnesses were also examined at length as to the manner in which the contracts, so far, had been performed, and other matters with no direct bearing on the issue. Neither counsel addressed the court at the close of the evidence, and His Worship gave judgment to the following effect : — The whole case depended on the question whether defendants had, by any conduct of theirs, prevented plaintiffs from completing their contract ? Had such been done, it would have given plaintiffs a right to rescind the agreements, } and bring an action for damages. It did not, however, appear from the evidence, that they had been absolutely precluded from going on with the work. Indeed, it was quite competent for them at any time to have finished the work, and then, if necessary, to have compelled payment. Both men said that Bell knocked them off. This, Bell firmly denied, and he might point out that there was evidently some doubt as to what Bell did say. There was a discrepancy on this point between the plaintiffs. Crisp said he (Bell) said "We will not take any more logs ;" while Debereaux said the words were — " We will not require any more logs." Judgment would be for defendants, with costs, £4 17s. On the 7th, a rather complicated action between Mr J. Kingsland and Mr T>. Macfarlane, Menzies' Ferry, came on. Mr Kingsland, plaintiff, sued for recovery of £9 5s 6d, balance of account. Defendant lodged a set off of £12 4a 6d — £6 16s 6d, price of a cow sold to plaintiff, and £5 8a horse hire, and hotel bill of plaintiff's messenger to take delivery, of the cow. It appeared that plaintiff had purchased, unseen, a good quiet cow for family use, on the suggestion and recommendation of defendant. A difficulty occurred about getting the animal brought down from the Mataura, but it was ultimately got over by Mr D. Kingsland, junr., accepting the offer of a spare horse Mr M'Farlane had in town with him, to ride up, do some other business, and drive the beast down. The hotel bill accumulated during three days' detention at defendant's house, waiting for the cattle to be got in. In the interim another cow and calf were bought, and as they were rather difficult to drive, Mr M'Farlane again suggested that the messenger should ride his horse, as he wanted to send one to town to bring some person up at any rate. The cow sent to plaintiff turned out unsuitable, and had been sent back. Plaintiff described her as a " kangaroo," in reference to quietness, and a " lantern," in reference to condition. Defendant said he had merely guaranteed the cow ordinarily quiet, she having been " hand fed, and brought up about the doors, but never milked — first calf ;" also, that D. Kingsland went up to the Mataura on other business, and did other business on his way back. That the horses had not been lent, buthired. This was denied emphatically for the plaintiff. His Worship thought it apparent the horses had been lent, consequently the items for hire would be struck out ; also the charge for three days' board and lodging, as it wa3 evident the expense had been incurred in connection with the taking of delivery, and was not occasioned by plaintiff's messenger. The cow haying -been returned, would also, of course, be struck off; reducing the set-off to £2 9s 6d. Judgment for balance, with costs, £1 10s. D. M'Farlane sned D. Kiugsland, junr., for £S, the price of a cow alleged to have been purchased and taken delivery of by defendant. Defendant's statement was that he merely bought the animal on approval, for his father, and that, not being approved of, it had been returned. Plaintiff as positively insisted that the purchase was an unconditional one, and produced an account for the amount in defendant'a own hand- . writing. He also brought a witnesß to speak to the value of the animal, and its disposition. His Worsliip held the point to be simply whether the sale was absolute or not ? Defendant said it was not, and plaintiff admitted something had been said by defendant about the animal " pleasing his father," from which it would appear that the sale was not final, and the written note handed in merely dealt with the price. He should therefore nonsuit plaintiff. At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday, 15th, a workman named Black, sued two subcontractors on the Winton line — Tannock and Lambert — for £7, due to him for wages. Defendants pleaded inability to pay, on the ground of not having been yet paid themselves- Plaintiff alleged that defendants had got paid, at least for a large portion of their contract, and naively remarked he thought men ought to be paid before masters pocketed profits. Judgment for the amount, with costs. We are informed that the General Government have pome to the rescue of the Invercargill Volunteers in the matter of a site for their drill shed. By the Rangitoto Capt. Harvey received information that the structure might be erected on the Supreme Court Seaerve, opposite the jail, in such a position as not to interfere with building of a courthouse. The site it will be admitted is about the best which could possibly have been selected. There is plenty of room, snd a nice ' green plateau for open air exercise. It will be seen that tenders are invited for the building of the shed. The Oamaru Herald states that it has been shown a sample of paper made in Scotland fram 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 Israel/ used for paper-making purposes. At a meeting of the Canterbury Philosophical Institute, held recently, Dr Powell read a paper on the analysis of the registry of mortality in the Christehurc.i district for the last ten years, which concluded with the following suggestion : — The Government publishes monthly returns of the meteorology of the coiony. The births and the mortality, which are, I venture to think, of yet more importance, pass unnoticed. I would hum bly suggest that the Registrar-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 furnished to the different local registrars for distribntion, on application, to the medical practitioners, and that no return of death should beaccepted unless one of these forms was properly filled up by the certifying practitioner, and that monthly returns of mortality should be published in the prbvieces, and that at least every year a general return should be published for the whole of New Zealand. I see nothing impracticable in all tais, and I am sure that the result would be very valuable.

The G-reymouth Star says that Mr W. H. | Harrison, in advocating the annexation of that portion of the County of Westland, lying north of the Teremakau, to Nelson, has incurred the wrath of Hokitika, the consequence of which is he is no longer Educational Inspector, his salary having been omitted from the County estimates. Telegrams can now be forwarded from any station in the colony to England and the Continent of Europe, via San Francisco and New York. The charge is £2 4s for ten words. The Cape Standard of the 24th of May sayg. — "The Montrose called in here in consequence of damage sustained in a gale whilst off the Cape. Had it been known when she left Zanzibar that she would have called here, Dr Kirk would have undoubtedly written to Sir Thomas Maclear, forwarding the news he had received of Dr I ivingstone. Bub it was not known that the Montrose would put into Table Bay, and we have not therefore the information with regard to the great traveller with all the particulars as we should desire to have it. We have, however, the fact — and that settles all doubts as to the rumor from the West Coast— that Dr Livingstone lives. Captain Anderson states that : he had had a conversation with Dr Kirk, the ! political agent at Zanzibar, and he had informed ' him that "he had just received a letter from Dr Livingstone ; that the doctor was quite well, and would shortly make his appearance at one of the European settlements. Captain Anderson remembers nothing more than this ; but Dr Kirk had said that he was perfectly assured throughout that the rumors of Dr Livingstone's death were unfounded." Under the heading of "An Infernal Crime," ! the Neio York Herald of the 28th May relates the following supposed atrocious attempt to fire a vessel : — " The crime charged against a man named Lange, a dealer in picture frames in this city, ia one that should give him a pre-eminence in the criminal catalogue for diabolical intent. He shipped a box on the New Orleans steamer, and secured an insurance on it of 1650 dollars, and the box proved to have been prepared with explosive and inflammable material, and was only prevented from burning the Bhip by the watchfulness and activity of the captain. In the box were vessels of alcohol, gasoline, and turpentine, and fire was apparently to have been set to these by a chemical that would explode with slight friction. The friction was provided for by mice shut in a box, who, in gnawing their way out were to fire the train that might have destroyed the ship and all her company at sea. Here then, is, if the change prove true, a man, who deliberately contrives that awful calamity, fire, on a ship at sea — contrives the possible death of twenty or thirty persons — to secure the small | prize of sixteen hundred dollars insurance money. He should be tried by a jury of sea captains and sailors." An Auckland contemporary gives the following account of a lynching which took place at the Thames.: — " G-eorge Preston, the informer on and principal witness a-jainst James Wilson, who has been, committed for trial to the Supreme Court, on a charge of stealing specimens from the Whau G-old Mining Company's ground, was this morning tarred by the men working on the claim, and is now in the Hospital suffering from the effects of the treatment he has received. Preston, who lives at the foot of tre Karaka Creek, went up to the claim, but was told by the rest of the men that if he went down the shaft he would never come up again. The manager thereupon sent him down from the claim to work at the machine, but the men there would not allow him to work. He again returned to the ground, when a number of men seized hold of him, stripped him to below the waist, poured a quantity of tar on his head, and rubbed it on his body. Preston had not the sight of one of his eyes, and some of the tar got into the other, so as to make him, temporarily, almost blind. On being released, he set out for home, and a man who was coming down, took compassion on him and led him to the hospital, where he was cleansed, and his eye attended to. There is, we believe, no danger to the sight of the eye, and Preston has suffered no permanent injury" whatever." . The ollowing item of news by the mail did not appear in our summary : — Mj J. E. Fitzgerald, formerly the chief member of the Executive Government in New Zealand, and now comptroller of the colonial exchequer, has been gazetted a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. A clergyman of Brisbane — the Rev. C. Searle, formerly of Christchurch and Invercargill — has taken his departure quietly from that city, and Queensland, to avoid arrest on a civil suit, though only for a small amount. The circumstances surrounding the case appear to be bad, as the local journals expresa a hope that further steps will be taken to make " this individual " satisfy the just claims of his creditors. When the news of the loss of the Tauranga was received in Auckland, many of the shops were closed, and the newspapers next morning appeared in deep mourning. Tne gloom caused in Auckland by this event is said to have been very great. Miss Ross, of Maungatua, has now considerably recovered from the effects of her long trance. She is visited by many persons, with whom she converses rationally, but is yet unable to rise. Her case at present is very favorable, but Dr Weber considers it doubtful whether she will permanently recover. " At a public meeting held in Auckland on the 10th to consider the Colonial Reciprocity Bill, the following resolutions were carried :—" That this meeting views with alarm the Bill now before the House of Representatives, entitled the Colonial Reciprocity Act, which provides that the G-ovemor in Council may from time to time declare that any article whatever, when of the growth, produce, or, the , manufacture of the Australian colonies, or of any one or more of them, is or is not admissible into New Zealand free from ,duties.of Customs, fearing that under such and under the head manufactures, a treaty may- be entered into injurious to the trade, and disastrous to the manufactures of New Zealand." " That considerable progress has been made in New Zealand during the last few years in several branches of manufactures, amongst, which may be mentioned, shirts and clothing, boots and shoes, saddlery and harness, soap and candles, carriages, furniture, and tw^edj_andthjajneeting is of opinion that for "some time to come those manufactures require at least that measu"e of protection which the present tariff affords, and believes that, if such is withdrawn, the result will be that the manufactures already in existence will be crippled, and some of them crushed, at?d that the establishment of new and similar industries will be prevented." " That in the opinion of this meeting the operation of the j Acfc should be confined to articles the growth and produce of the Australian colonies, and even then to those articles only which are not and cannot be produced to advantage in New Zealand." 1 That a. petition be presented to the. Governor in Council, praying that no duties may be remitted on articles of Australian manufacture, except only such as are not, or cannot at present be, manufactured in New Zealand." The Sydney correspondent of the Argus concludes his remarks on the late conference thus: — ■ We all know now what we want, and we have : found out that we nearly all want separate ' things. Victoria wants supremacy, New South Wales wants free .trade. South Australia and , Tasmania want, a free Victorian market for their \ produce, and New Zealand wants freedom to increase its customs' revenue a3 the exigencies of • its war taxes may demand. How is it possible to reconcile all these differences ? Two poems, entitled respectively "Beautiful Snow " and " Beautiful Child," have been published by a number of colonial newspapers, and am^ng these by a Southland print, with very romantic and sensational histories attached to them. The " beautiful " illusion regard to the latter piece at least) is rudely dispelled by the Melbourne Leader, .which clearly shows that "Beautilul ! Child " is a gross plagiarism of a poem from the pen of Mr Sheldon Chadwick, which appeared several years ago in the London Journal, entitled ! " A Mother musing o'er her Child."

| 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 have a Colonial Agent at home ? Mr Fox said that it was 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 Mr Stafford coincided with the remarks of the Hon. the Premier. Mr Bunny suggested the appointment of an Ambassador to the Court of St. James from New Zealand, instead of an ajjent. The correspondent of the Bruce Serald says that embankments seem to be the order of the day in West Taieri. "Mr James Allan, Mr Grant (Gowrie), Mr David Borrie, and Dow Bros., have individually commenced to throw up embankments round their farms to protect them from the floods. These may effect some good, but i I 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 I Times says : — The report of the Adulteration of Food Committee has made some people in Wellington feel uncomfortable. Coffee bought in Wellington has been found to be composed of foreign substances adulterated with coffee. Oue sample of English beer contained cocculus indicus and nux vomica. Wines and spirits were in every case adulterated. On the consideration of the " Sale of Spirits in Native Districts Bill" 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 ; I approve of this bill that no public houses should be erected in native _ districts viLthey are erected in districts where there are few nativesand 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 ; let the gi-og be kept in the European districts ; if a bill <Bmld be brought in to stop white people getting groer it would be well. I oppose the 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 want 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 Assenbly made some law against Europeans obtaining land from natives for grog. This is all [ have to say. (Cheers.) Mete Kingi ssid : I approve of this act. I have frequently asked the Q-overnment to pass laws for the Maoris on this as well as other subjects. Do not keep the laws to yourself, you should publish the laws so that the Maoris may know them. Out of my tribe twenty chiefs have died by means of grog. What I now say is for myself only, I leave it for my tribe 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 chiefs of my tribe by grog. This is all I have to say. (Hear, hear.) The Overland China Mail says : — Europeans are generally raider the impression that the Celestial social hw and code of morality is of the lowest order, and that chastity with their women is but a bye vord. This, no doubt, is in a measure owing to so few westerners being really acquainted with the highest class 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'slife 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 over his "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 her husband's coffin, his body then being in a state of decomposition, and there lingered for nearly four days, until death put 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 Riverton correspondent, writing on the 13th inst., says:— "At the Court-house, on the 10th, before H. M'Culloch, Esq., R.M., Mr W. Rowles, of Riverton, was charged by Mr Ackers, of the New River 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 Riverton side of the Waimatuku, and Mr Rowles, 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 Criep was summoned under the Licensing Act for selling beer and spirits without j a license. Sergfc. O'Keefe deposed that, being armed with a search warrant, he found a barrel of beer and some brandy on 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, 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 one 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 found to 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 ; Hew Plymouth, 2,385 j Wellington, 143,482 ; Wairau, 233 ; Nelson, 85,384 ; HoMtika, 1,957 j 'limaru, 3,642 ; Dunedin, 203,220 j Bluff and Riverton, 2,041* ; Mongonui, 147 j Wanganui, 5,153 ; Napier, 11,057 ; Picton, 216 ; Westport, 325; Lyttelton, 118,492 i; Oamaru, 1 4,907 ; Invercargill, 5,114 ; Chatham Islands, 2 j 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 biwught up at the Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 17th, charged with having, 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 guilt/ 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. Blaoklock, Esq., and W. H. Pearson, Esq., J.P.s, sentenced him in the full penalty— one year's imprisonment with hard labor.

The Southern Cross (Auckland) says : — More than one gentleman has recently succeeded in eluding the vigilance of his creditors in Auckland of late, and making his escape with a tolerably full pocket to America or some other haven of rest. We do not know, however, of any instance on record in which a creditor was so skilfully baffled as in the case of a gentleman — well known at the Thames — who took his departure for San Francisco by the City of Melbourne. On the occasion in question, just as the " City " was about to start, our traveller came on board, and in o -der to avoid the possibility of any too solicitous creditor espying him, he ensconced himself snugly behind a screen. A brief interval elapsed, when an anxious creditor — who had evidently an idea upon the subject — appeared upon the scene, and, as luck would have it, the fugitive was at that moment peering suspiciously round from his hiding place. The creditor at once caught sight of him, and rushing up, greeted him warmly with, " Why, you are not going to leave us, are you ?" " Hush, hush," said the runaway with hesitation, " don't use my name, for goodness' sake : I am watching a man who owes me £200, and who is trying to bolt." Satisfied and consoled, the creditor departed. So did the City of Melbourne with the debtor. This is an illustration : of one of the advantages which Auckland derives from being the port of call. The following harrowing incident to a resident, of Melbourne, who was trying to raise the wind by a loan from a friend in Ballarat is related by the Courier :— The story runa thus — The. person referred to wrote to a friend in Ballarat r'pqnrp*"ing the loair-of in his communication, no doubt the more effectually to open his friend's purse strings, that unless the amount reached him by return of post he should be compelled to commit suicide, either by poison, drowning, or discover some more novel method of quitting a world which had not behaved over kindly to him. The friend in Ballarat, being either unable or unwilling to make the advance, apprehended that the threatened suicide would be committed, and for some minutes he was puzzled how to act in the emergency. At last he determined to lay the letter before the police, and having done so, the latter at once telegraphed to the authorities in Melbourne, who, in their turn, took prompt action in the matter. Two constables proceeded to the house of the writer, and arrested him for threatening to commit suicide. The writer vehemently protested against such an infringement of the liberty of a subject, but with little avail, for hej-was straightway marched off to the lock-up. There -he. was able to , procure the attendance of several friends, who, with no little difficulty, at length ronvincfci^the police that there was no harm intended when'tbe letter was written, the only object the writer ha3%a^.' piling up the agony," being to succeed iv obtaining^the loan. The latter was then allowed-to go. at large, : butnot before he had been sternly recommended by the police not to indulge . in such threats in future — a recommendation- which, under the circumstances, we should scarcely think was necessary. There has been a good . deal qf chaff indulged in, both in Ballarat and Melbourne, over this incident ; but the writer of the letter is said to be still very angry at the use to which his letter was applied, and vows vengeance sooner or later against, his " friend " for the inconvenience to which lie was subjected through, such "ground? less fears for his personal safety. . ' A curious feat (says a contemporary) was perr formed the other morning by a bulldog. The owner was amusing himself by throwing pieces of wood and stone into the water at Shortland wharf, which the bulldog was retrieving as well as if the water had been his native, element, diving and ducking with as much ease as a spaniel, On coming to the surface after one of these exploits the dog had a fine kahewai in his mouth, quivering and struggling to get out of the novel trap into which it had got by some inexplicable means. The fish was. a pound or a pound and a half in weight. • At a sitting of the Supreme Court at Wellington the other day, one of the jurors claimed' volunteer fire brigade, duly enrolled under the Volunteer Act. Judge Johnston said that he could not find that volunteer firemen were exempt from service as jurors, although they were exempt. j from service in the militia. At the same time he recognised the value of the services of such a body of men, and as he was satisfied that the applicant had actually been engaged as a fireman within the last year, he would grant him exemption in the, present instance, but his doing so must not be .taken as a precedent. ! The Lancashire Bellringers arrived in Invercargill rather unexpectedly, and made a first appearance in the Theatre Boyal on Monday evening to rather a thin audience. The entertainment itself, we may say briefly, is at once novel, clever, and delightful — something which every one can enjoy. Mr James Wallace, of Otehuhu, Auckland, lias manufactured a double-furrow plough. A public trial of it to;-»k place in the presence of a large number of farmers, all of whom are said to have been astonisbe i at the performance of the implement. The Taranaki News is endeavoring to persuade the settlers to undertake the growth of apples there, in order that the province may be supplied with that useful fruit without importing irom Nelßon. - The N. Z. Serald complains of the wholesale destruction of oysters going on along the coast, and suggests a license, and stringent regulations for the fishermen, to stop the waste going on. The Corporation of Fiji Settlers has been organised and its constitution adopted. The object is to enable the white men and natives to work together, in keeping peace, and administering justice. - A London company is constructing a railway in South America, and photographs of the completed portions of the road have to be sent to London as vouchers for the work done by the contractors before they can receive the successive instalments of their pay. A gentleman at Clyde has become possessor of a few Maori relics, recently found in a hole or cavern in a golly called Italian Q-ully, which lies on the east bank of the Clutha, about" half-way between Clyde and Cromwell. These consist of a mat of about five feet in width, but of which only two feet of the length have been made, the ends of the unplaited flax still hanging fringe like as if the Maori who was making it had to leave it unfinished ; a quantity of dressed flax in hanks, ready for use, and colored white, red, and black ; a short hank of twine made from flax ; and a few chert stones. Also, a tremendous eel-pot made oi narrow bands of flax. These are all, considering the time they have lain — probably 50 or 60 years--in a fair state of preservation. On the white flax, small pieces of the yellow skin left by careless dressing, can be easily seen here and there, Something like the dye which has been used is observed covering the floor of the cavern. It is the intention of the possessor of the relics to visit the spot and examine it carefully. Probably the Maoris have had in- haste to take to this holej scared by the sight or approach of the North Island natives who made a raid on this Island some half century ago. A large nugget was broughtjinto Milton (Tokomairiro) on the 13th inst. It is described as being about the size and shape of a pullet's egg, is apparently one mass of solid gold, weighs 11 ozs. ; and is said to be worth about £41. John Smith, in whose possession it was seen, says he found il on the 27th ult., beneath a large boulder in a gullj near to Mr Mill's farm, about four miles from Milton, on the Canada road. He and his three mates have been working in the gully for the lasl 3 months, but hitherto have only made " tucker.' Smith says the gold in the locality is coarse (and in coroboration, produced a veiy good sample) but patchy, and only found in very small quanti ties. . Mr W. Evans has been ejected a member oi the Westland County Council in room of MJ Beeves, resigned. i A poultry show was held in Christchurch oi \ (be 7th inst., when 173 exhibits were made.

In concluding his speech on the financial proposals of the Government, Mr Wilson gave an excerpt from an imaginary history of the colony, written ten years hence, and which we published in our columns. Mr Yogel retorted upon the honorable member for Coleridge by saying that he had prepared a histoiiette, which wa9 as follows :— " These railways were constructed at the instance of a beneficent G-overnment, supported by a wise and far-seeing Legislature, out of money which otherwise might have been wasted on the introduction of Goerkhas, to please the vanity of a well-meaning but wrong-headed old gentleman named Cracroft Wilson, C.8." At the Resident Magistrate's Court, 11 th, W. H. Pearson, Esq., and D.'M' Arthur, Esq., J.P.s, on the bench, T. M'fiwan sued George Richardson, bookbinler, for £4 18s 3d, goods sold and delivered. Defendant confessed the amount, but pleaded inability. Time was given him to pay it in weekly instalments of a pound. James Colyer obtained a slaughter-house license for Tewais Point. Ab an encouragement (says the Bruce Herald) to the junior ploughmen of the Province, an incentive to their perseverance and future progress, we gladly make public the following facts regarding the largest prizetaker of Otago, Mr William Fowler Christie, who, for age, is only advanced a very slight at"gfl Ti»v< — *1 hr» ™"i""- t T uuj tiLu limit fljr mv Junior class. He is in every sense a colonial ploughman, his fi i- st effort at holding the stilts having taken place in the Taieri a few years ago. To be sure he was bom in the same parish as Ponton, whose ploughs are now first prizetakers here, and his father was- intimate with that country blacksmith who is now reaping a rich reward from the manufacture of his ; ploughs ; but beyond this, the morest tyro in the art of ploughing in the Province is on a level with him, and similar honor awaits them if they but tackle, the work with similar spirit, the language of his father being — " Willie was aye a firm haddei% . ever since he was a laddie." Mr Christie has in all taken 29 prizes, 16 of which were gained during the present season ; of the 29, 5 .were: <*lst- prizes, 5 for best fearing and finishing, 4 second prizes, 3 third prizes, 1 sixth prize, and 10 extra prizes ; also his first prize taken in 1864, which. was a special one. Besides the honor, the monetary value of these prizes must have been ■ very; cotfsfderable, probably reaching above £100, and we .'shall be very much dissappointe i, if, during-. the next year or two, some of the present junior hands do not run him very close for first h nors. ' After along and animated debate, the Legisla^ tive Council has agreed to the. following resolutions on the con iuct of the Imperial Government — " l>That in the opinion of this Council, the best interests of New Zealand will be consulted by remaining^ajntegral part of tha --British empire. 2 That tKere^ are : nofe aufßcient grounds for believing that tn&people of England desire, the disintegration of thY- empire. 3. Tliat this Council regrets the course adopted by the pome Government towards the colony j but as the causes of dispute have been satisfactorily discussed by the Colonial Government, antlVs an indication of a desire to preserve a friendly feeling towards the colony has been, made by the Home government, it is undesirable to make any further reference to past misunderstandings." • A speculative spinster, a Miss Barker, who does business at the Ballarat Corner, made her firat appearance lately on the boards of the local theatre. The lady recited what she termed "The New Chum's Lament," which a local poet i%& done into twenty verses, concluding with . " I'm crusty grown, my bread I'd earn, I find I've been done brown, And not a crumb of comfort left; I'm a loafer on the town." ; ' She was interrupted by two or three rounds of "l^^eofn^ihtention of making a fortune in the Winter's Freehold claim, several bouquets and a large well-proportioned cabbage, were thrown on the stage. Miss Barker was led off by Mr Gainsborough. The Star aids,— Another farce concluded the performance. " ''.' The 1 'Salldrai Star states that Mr' Eddie, manager i>f the London Chartered Bank at Ballarat,.and Mr Guthrie, assistant manager of: the same bank, are to be relieved, and that Mr Q. A. Chalmers (late of Moa Plat, Otago), of the head, branch at Melbourne, is to aucceed Mr Eddie in the managership. The fourth of the current series of lectures in connection with the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society, was delivered in the Presbyterian Church, 16th inst., by W. H. Calder, Esq. The subject -chosen was " The Sword and Pen." The lecturer handled the subject well, and maintained the interest of his audience to the close. ' - A conference of farmers and papennakers was held in the offices of the Scottish Chamber of Agriculture the other day with' reference to tho growth of fibre for paper manufacture. : A large : number of plants, including beet, broom, thistles, nettles, &c, was mentioned as being suitable, but difficulties were expressed in the way of growing these to the extent necessary for the manufacturers. Straw waa, spoken of as being the materiel best adapted for the purpose, if it could r be purchased at a sufficiently cheap rate; The meeting separated without coming to any formal resolution, but both parties seemed desirous that the subject should not be lost sight of. ■