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Southland Times, Issue 1330, 1 November 1870, Page 2

It is notified that the Judges of the Supreme Court propose to appoint sittings under the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Acts, to be held in the Supreme Courthouse, Wellington, in the second week of January, 1871. We have to remind members of the Acclimatisation Society of the half-yearly meeting, which, as will be seen by an advertisement in another column, takes place at the Prince of Wales hotel on Thursday evening, 3rd inst. As business of importance has to be decided, members should make it a point to attend. By a private letter received from Wellington, we {Canterbury Press) learn that it is probable a Permissive Bill will be. brought into the Assembly next session by the Hon. the Premier, and that a vigorous effort will be made to support the movement by the various Temperance Societies and others throughout New Zealand. A sale of town sections took place at the Land Office yesterday, at noon. The attendance was fair, and the whole of the lots, with the exception of two, found "purchasers at .the following prices : — Wallacetown, sections 3 and 5, block VI., £4 10s each j Orepuki, -section 1, block IT., £5 10s ; Winton, section 16, block T., £54 ; 15, block V., £50 ; 3, Block V., £7 14s j and 10, Wock V., £6 2s. The two remaining unsold are sections 5, block V., and 7, block V. A complimentary benefit was given at the Theatre Royal last evening to the Lancashire Bellringers, who are to leave per first steamer for Australia. It is gratifying to report that there was a very good attendance. The entertainment comprised a performance by the Bellringers, a negro medley by Mr Daniels and a gentleman amateur, and a mesmeric seance by Dr Carr, the whole programme being carried through to the apparent satisfaction of the audience. An Adelaide telegram of the 14th ult. reports that Mr G-awler, solicitor under the Real Property Act, has received leave of absence for a short time, with a view to his proceeding next week to New Zealand,to initiate the working ofthe Act there, which was passed in the last session of Parliament, and is almost, a transcript of the one originally introduced here by Mr Torren3. In the working of this Act Mr G-awler has had great experience, and he is , therefore well qualified to fulfil the mission entrusted to him by the Wellington Government. A correspondent furnishes the West Coast Times with the following information respecting the early discoveries of gold in. that locality : — I am in a position to state that in 1843 a gentleman arrived in Canterbury from Manilla, for the purpose of prospecting the Grey Valley, but he found the journey too dangerous to be undertaken overland, and was unable to charter a vessel to go by sea. In 1845 a relation of Sir George Grey's attempted to organise an expedition with the same object in view, but wa3 persuaded to give up the idea, as some wiseacres assured him the gold specimens he had seen were but carbonate of iron or copper ; and it was only after he had been a miner in California and Australia that he was assured his first opinion was a correct one. In 1847 the Rev. William Clarke, a geologist, of Sydney, N.S.W., stated that he was certain gold existed on the west coast of this island. In the beach districts of Southland rabbits have become a perfect nuisance, against which the far- ' mers are waxing very wroth. To check their spread, simply on the principle of a preventative measure, would be to impose a floating liability I upon a pursuit already well burdened by the pressure of the times. To render that check a reproductive labor is a proposal which would suit the view of our agricultural friends much better. In Victoria the work has been undertaken on that footing. One of our Melbourne exchanges says : — " A new industry has been started by Mr H. Solomon, in Union street, in the shape of curing rabbit skins for the home market. He will probably have some bales ready in time to be sent home by one of the wool ships. It is pleasing to be able to notice the commencement of such an industry, for it has often formed subject for regret that hitherto skins which are really valuable have been wastefully thrown away. The Tararua, from Melbourne, is advertised to arrive at the Bluff to-day, and although it is not expected that she will bring the Suez mail, it is not improbable, considering the regularity with which that service is performed, that she may bring some intelligence of it. .. She was to leave Melbourne on Saturday, and should arrive at all events on Wednesday. The Rangitoto, via Hokitika, was advertised to leave Melbourne on Wednesday last, and as that is the route specially appropriated for the mail service since the subsidy ceased, we may look for it in Otago a couple of weeks hence. The outgoing Suez mail leaves Melbourne on the Bth, ' and as the sailing of the Omeo has been postponed till the 4th, there is not the slightest chance of mails from "New Zealand reaching Melbourne in time." These facts go to prove that until some better arrangement can be mado, the Suez line is going to be of little use to us. On Sunday last, that portion of the suburbs between Harrisville and Clinton was placed in imminent danger from a serious bush fire. Fanned by a good stiff breeze from the northward, some smouldering embers broke out into a flame, which spread so rapidly that by mid-day the utmost difficulty was experienced in warding it off from buildings situated as above. The police, under Inspector Chapman, were on the ground, and, aided by a few civilians, succeeded in preventing the fire from getting a disastrous hold of any of the tenements, although some of them had a very narrow escape. The flame 3 s continued to rage the whole afternoon and until a late hour of the evening, when a smart shower came down, which in a great measure checked their progress. Along with the rain came a change in the wind, and although the fire is not yet completely quelled, it has been driven away in a direction which leaves no immediate cause for apprehension. A woman lately walked up to the Melbourne Hospital, requesting to see the doctor, and on an interview being granted, she made the following incoherent statements : — That her names were Emily Elgin, Jessie Miller, and Jessie Gibson, with a whole string of others ; that she had been poisoned 1,000 years ago by a washerwoman,

md that she had been buried in Invercargill jhurehyard, but the graredigger had split her bead open with a 9hovel, and afterwards mended the fracture with the yolk of an egg. Lately she said she had been singing to the seven churches. She knew the doctor quite well since the time he Was going to shoot himself. She had herself seen him with a gun in his hand, but she had prayed iiim to be careful with the weapon. She-positively nffirmed that she wa3 the daughter of David, and •■descended from a line of illustrious ancestors. The doctor states that she has been to the hospital on several occasions, and that he has handed j her over to the police authorities on her previous ! visits. As she was deemed to be quite harmless, i ion this occasion she was allowed to proceed on her way. ___ _ __