LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1537, 13 February 1872, Page 2 (Supplement)

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Harvesting (saya the Lake WaTcatip Mail) is now pretty general throughout the district, but, in many cases, the grain crops are rather light. An extensive rush is said to have taken place to Teviot creek, in the vicinity of Greymouth. The workings are alluvial, the sinking being 16 feet, and the prospect 13 grains to the bucket of wash dirt. A correspondent of a Melbourne contemporary ■aye that India offers a good market for preserved meats. He says: — "What is required is best pieces of beef, mutton, &c. , tongues, soups, corned and spiced beef, rabbits, game," &c. We are glad to learn that the difficulty con. nected with the forwarding of the mail to Queenstown has now been obviated. Government has at length conceded the terms offered by the Lake steamboat company, so that the interruption referred to in last issue has now been provided for. By proclamation Jta the Provincial Government Gazette of the 3lst ult., the following portions of the " Municipal Corporations Act, 1867," are extended to the town of Invercargill ; — Part 13, government of boroughs and bye-laws ; part 18, sewerage, &c. ; part 19, lighting; part 20, water supply; part 21, markets ; part 22, miscellaneous. The local paper reports that harvesting is now pretty general throughout the Dunstan district ; with but few exceptions, the grain crops are thin and to present appearances will barely pay the expense of cutting. The root crops, carrots, and potatoes are a perfect failure, the late frosts followed by the high winds and long continued drought causing this disastrous result. In regard to the question of the deepest mine in Victoria, the Ballarat Star states : — " In the mining statistics last issued, the Albion shaft, Steiglitz, is given as the deepest, but the New North Clunes now exceeds the Albion in depth. The New North Clunes pump shaft is now 910 ft. deep, and is, no doubt, the deepest in the colony. It is still being sunk, the plan of the directors being to reach a depth of 1,200 ft. or thereabouts . The brewery at Waikouaiti was totally destroyed by fire on the morning of the 29th «lt. The fire is believed to have been accidental, and to have been caused by a slight over-heating of the malt-kiln. A quantity of grain and brewery utensils were saved. There was an in•urance of from £200 to £300 on the building. The drought has seriously interfered with the artesian wells in Christchurch, some of them having ceased running, the now of the remainder being diminished. A Greymouth paper says : — An extraordinary sample of the results of patience and ingenuity is exhibited at Gilmer*s Hotel. It is a working model of a high pressure steam-engine, carved out of rata with no better appliance than an ordinary penknife, by a resident of the mosc remote district of " Moonlight." The minute size of the model, the perfection of its details, and the nature of the material and of the instrument with which it was carved, make it a work well worthy of notice. The attention of the Victorian Government has been recently turned to the proposed expedition to New Guinea, which indeed the Executive has been asked to support by a grant of money. The final reply, which has been forwarded to the expedition party, states definitely that such support is refused, and that if those forming the expedition commit any acts of piracy, or in any way come into collision with the inhabitants of New Guinea, they will have no claim for support, help, or countenance from the Victorian Government, or the Imperial Government as represented here. What is done by the expedition party will, therefore, be solely on its own responsibility. The Superintendent, along with the Hon. Mr Beeves, left Invercargill on Monday by coach for Dunedin. During his stay, he was waited upon in reference to the through postal service to Switzers, as also the conveyance of the outgoing and incoming mails via San Francisco. With regard to the former, an understanding was given that provision would be made forthwith for completion of the service from the Longford to Switzers. A promise was also given that special arrangements would be made for transmitting the Southland portion of the mail from Dunedin immediately on arrival of the steamer, and that the outgoing mail would be similarly provided for. The work is to be done by a special coach. We also learn that the Government will be strongly recommended to undertake a branch line of railway to connect the Oreti line with the Rirerton district. His Honor the Superintendent, accompanied by the Minister of Public Works, returned to Invercargill from Riverton on Friday, 2nd inst. On Saturday afternoon they proceeded by special train to Win ton, from whence they posted on as far as the Fern Hills, returning again to Inver. oargill in the evening. The Mayor (Mr Wood) accompanied the party as far as the Fern Hills, with the view of impressing on the Minister of Public "Works the urgent necessity that existß for the Winton. etrtouoiuu line being speedily undertaken. We are informed by Mr Wood that throughout the whole of the journey his efforts in that direction were ably seconded by the Superintendent. We are also informed that Mr Reeves expressed himself agreeably surprised at the nature of the country through which they passed, with regard to its prospects for settlement. G-. E. Houston,- Esq., of Johnstone Castle, Benfrewship^ Scotland, who recently paid a risit to/^n 0 Lake district, makes the following suggestions : — " With regard to making Lake TOdtatip attractive to tourists, lam exceedingly -/sanguine, and feel sure that the thing can be done. From my own experience, — and that, of course, is small, — I know that there is a general desire in Victoria and New South Wales to escape from the excessive heat of summer. Tasmania is old and well-known ; New Zealand is fresh and unknown — in fact, so little known that no one dareß to even think of going there. In addition to the Australians proper, there are plenty of English travellers knocking about the Clubs in Sydney and Melbourne, and also squatters from Queensland, cooling themselves in Sydney, and wishing they could go somewhere else. Now, if the beauty of the scenery, and the accessibility of the approach to it, were clearly and effectually jfepreaejrted to all these individuals, and brought uider "their nbtice,~Ja : large^nHmher would be J ;va^f*eted,to the district/ '^0~ j

From £2 16s to £3 per week is being paid to harvest hands in the Oamaru district. The anniversary of Robert Burns's birth was celebrated in Dunedin on the 25th ult. by a supper. The drought in Canterbury lasted for nine weeks. A heavy fall of rain took place on the 25th ult. The cabinet makera of Melbourne have been on strike for an advance in their wages from 50s a week to 545. The Union Sash and Door Co. of Auckland at its half-yearly meeting declared a dividend at the rate of 20 per cent, per annum. It is rumored that the Government are concocting a scheme for supplying the Press with telegraphic English and other news. The hon. treasurer to the Invercargill hospital desires to acknowledge through our columns a donation of £2 from Thos. M'Kellar, Esq., per John Hare, Esq. The Ballarat Mail says that 200 residents in the Chinese Camp there, have been hired by the farmers to do harvest work, at from 17s to 25s , per week, with rations. The Foreign Enlistment Act, 1870, of the Imperial Government, has, by proclamation of the Governor, been brought into operation within the colony from the 16th ult. j Captain Johnson and Captain Edwin have been appointed Examiners for conducting the examinations of ships' officers under the provisions of the Merchant Ships' Officers Examination Act, 1870. According to the Ballarat Star, Mrs Aspinall, wife of Mr B. C. Aspinall, the barrister, has been j appointed telegraphist in a Government station at j a salary of £200 a year. The Independent says that one capi'alist at Bendigo received £50,000 last year in the shape of mining dividends. Had another dividend been paid at the close of the old year, instead of the beginning of the new one, his income for 1871 would have been just £1000 a week. The Government of New South Wale 3 has issued the following salutary notice : — " Any employe of the Government on any goldfield who may in future deal in mining shares, or hold miners' rights or claims to mines on such goldfield, will be removed from the Public Service." Mr Brogden's laborers on the Waikato Railway are on strike. They refuse to work more than eight hours a day, except for extra pay. They held a meeting on the 22nd, at which about 200 were present, and resolved to agree to these terms, and to maintain their rules as a custom of the place. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Ist inst., the three Chinamen arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the late gold fraud, were brought up. One of the three, by name Ah Kong, was fortunate enough to obtain his discharge, the others being remanded to Riverton for hearing, when it is believed one of them will give such evidence as will secure the committal of the other. The Cape Argus of October 19, says : — "Ab an illustration of the rapid development of the diamond trade, we may here mention the fact that yesterday, Messrs Jones and Co. sold diamonds in Cape Town to the value of upwards of £4,000 ; and that that was the third diamond sale held during the present week." The notorious Redpath, (says a Victorian con • temporary) who was connected with the extensive railway frauds in England in 1856, arrived in Adelaide irom Freemantle the other day, having received a conditional pardon. His pardon does not allow him to go to England, and our Convict Influx Prevention Act prevents him coming here. Rather an alarming fire, which appears to have been smouldering for some time past in Seaward Bush, broke out on Sunday 28th ult., in the vicinity of the entrance to M'Callum's tramway. During the night, fanned by a stiff breeze, it rkged with considerable violence, causing serious apprehensions to those residing in the vicinity. Another fire raged in the Waikiwi Bush, where a considerable amount of damage was caused. A correspondent directs our attention to the fact of a great amount of carelessness being displayed in the matter of starting fires both in the bush and open in the present dry weather. He thinks that some punishment ought to be meted out to those who thereby endanger the property of others. It is highly necessary that the utmost caution should be exercised at a time like the present when everything is as dry as tinder. We learn from the Southern Cross that Ropata, the capturer of Kereopa, had dealt handsomely with his followers in respect to the £1000 reward. It is usual for the leading chief who may sell land, or otherwise obtain possession of money, to appropriate all of it, or as much as he possibly can, for his own exclusive benefit. Upon receiving the £1000, however, Ropata divided it evenly between himself and followers, every member of the party receiving as large a share as their leader. The subject of spiritualism is still being discussed at great length by correspondents of the Melbourne papers. One writer says : — I have been asked to define what is spiritualism ? I reply that it is a revelation of the unseen world — a removal of the veil which has hitherto concealed it from the eyes of the generality of mankind. That unseen world environs us on every side. I cannot better illustrate its nearness to us than by the words of the spirits themselves — " You have often walked by the banks of a river ; you have often seen the fishes swimming in its depths, they moving in their element, and you in yours. They were unconscious of your proximity and presence. We are just as near you as you were to those fishes, and most of you humans are still unconscious of it." The warrant for arresting the Chinaman, Kee Chang, at Newcastle, N.S.W., was despatched by the Claud Hamilton to Melbourne on the 29th ult. Unless the exceptionally good luck that has thus far attended Chang, follows him during his flight, there can be no doubt but that he will soon be back again in Southland to render an account of himself. We hare heard it stated that the Mary Cumming, in which he left Port William, met with baffling winds in the Straits, and that she put about with the view of attempting the passage through Cook's Straits. That statement comes from some fishermen who lately crossed from Stewart's Island, but we are not in a position to vouch for it. If it turns out to be true, it is hardly likely that the fugitive will succeed in making good his escape. Residents in the country districts, and travellers from town, are complaining much of the state of the various bridges and culverts. The bridge over the Waihopai on the North Road, at Gladstone, is in an unsafe state, having a large hole near the centre of the roadway. The various patchings which have been administered from time to time to this bridge (like all other merely temporary repairs) have proved but false economy, and so thorough a repair is now needed that it is questionable whether the cheaper course would not be to erect a new structure. The bridges and culverts in the Waianiwa district require attention, and the present fine weather for roadwork should not be allowed to pass without at least ai much surface work as will prepare the road somewhat for the coming winter traffic. Unless this is done (as the roads in most directions are being rapidly fenced in, making deviation impracticable) communication through the winter will in some places be virtually stopped. The state of matters on the Bluff Road (which has been so often referred to) is still so bad as to be in many parts dangerous. Culverts have given Way, leaving large holes in the roadway, and the bridge over the Mokotua Creek is all but impassable. Whether by accident or design is not known, but by some means this bridge was set on fire about a fortnight back. A portion of it has been burnt, part of it has fallen in, and the remaining part hangs in a state of dangerous suspense. To cross either on foot or horseback is hazardous. We would direct the attention of the Boad Inspector to the matter »■ requiring immediate remedy.

The Presbyterian Synod of Otago and Southland closed its sittings on the 19th ult. Levuka (Fiji) can now boast of its Mayor and Corporation, as well as a Chamber of Commerce and a Masonic Lodge. An attempt was recently made to burn down the gaol at Napier. An accomplice made a confession, which enabled the gaoler to frustrate the plot and arrest the incendiary attempt. Harvest has commenced in the Tokomairiro district. In some cases the crops are being eaten off by sheep, and it is feared that on too many farms they will not pay the expense of cutting and thrashing. Reaping has also commenced in the East Taieri, where the crops are said to be very indifferent and discouraging in the extreme. The quantity of grain shipped at the port of Riverton during the year 1871 is estimated at 70,000 bushels. We have received particulars of the following:— lo,99l bags of oats, 3868 bags of barley, and 275 bags of malt. At a special meeting of the shareholders of the Southland Building, Land, and Investment Society, held on Wednesday evening, 24th ult., Mr W. Wood was unanimously elected to the vacancy in the trusteeship caused by the resignation of Mr W. H. Calder. We have been requested to state that the Bank of New Zealand was not a loser in any way by the recent transactions in spurious gold, the counterfeit nature of the article being at once detected by the agent of the Bank in Riverton when it was presented to him for sale. At a meeting of the Railway Committee, held on the 25th, it was agreed, that a deputation consisting of Messrs Calder, M.H.R., G. Lumaden, and John Blacklock, M.P.C.'s should wait upon the Hon. the Minister of Public Works in reference to the extension of railway works, immigration, &c. The following is a verbatim copy of a letter received by a gentleman in business in Nelson from a country customer who, it is scarcely necessary to say, is not of English extraction : — " gj r> — A chele bi at Nelsone vouen the E'ngliche maile arrive et A comme te si you bate date acconte. hopine you coite voile A remembre you votre tres humble." &c, &c. There has been a terrific conflagration on several runs in Marlborough. The whole country from Awatere to Flaxbourne is burned. Sheep were roasted aliye in mobs ; fences and feed were all destroyed. The fire is still raging, and is now (20th) spreading behind Messrs Richmond and Stafford's runs. The Cape Run was burned, with about twenty miles of country near Starborough. The homestead was saved with difficulty. The Presbytery of Southland met, with leave of the Synod, in the First Church, Dunedin, on the 16th ult. Present— The Rev. T. Alexander (Moderator), Revs. A. H. Stobo, A. Stevens, and D. Ross (Ministers), and Mr F. H. Geisow (elder). The Rev. D. Ross applied for leave to form a Kirk Ssssion, and got permission to proceed with the election of four elders without the assistance of assessors. The Presbytery then took the call of the Rev. Mr Thomson to Winton into consideration, and appointed Wednesday, the 14th February, as the day on which they will take Mr Thomson on trial, that gentleman to be examined in Hebrew, Greek, and Church History, and to preach a sermon from 1 Tim. i. 15. The Rev. S. Water 3 appeared as a commissioner for the Clutha Presbytery in support of the call o f the Rev. R. Morrison to Lawrence. Mr Stobo read a letter from Mr Morrison, from which the following is an extract :— " If I looked to worldly advantage, to my bodily ease, to the pleasure of working among my own people, and not a class composed of different denominations, I would accept the call at once. But the people here, in a spiritual point of view, are in so necessitous a condition, that I shrink from the responsibility of leaving them. Lawrenne can with ease obtain a man more worthy of being their minister than I am, but this people, so careless, and yet so very dear to me, would with my departure be deprived for a long time at least of the means of grace. I think, so far as my humble judgment goes, that it is my duty to remain here in spite of the many difficulties and discouragements I have to contend against. Indeed these very difficulties and discouragements constitute to my mind the strongest argument in favor of Switzers," &c. The Presbytery therefore agreed that they would not allow the transfer of Mr Morrison from Switzers to Lawrence, in which decision Mr Waters acquiesced. The meeting was then closed with prayer. At a vestry meeting of St. John's Church, held on the 25th, for tho election of office-bearers for the ensuing twelvemonths, a lengthened discussion took place regarding the memorial on church government to the Reverend the Primate and Bishops of the several Dioceses in New Zealand, and emanating from the clergyman, churchwardens, &c, of the Church of England, Invercargill. Mr F. W. Wade reviewed the different statements set forth in the memorial, and contended that it had no right to assume to be an expression of opinion from the Church in Invercargill. He concluded by moving the following resolution : — " That, having learnt that a memorial, purporting to be a memorial of the clergyman, churchwardens, vestrymen, and lay members of the Church of England in Invercargill, has been forwarded to the Right Reverend the Primate, and to the Right Reverend the Bishops as Chairmen of the Standing Committees, and Presidents of the Synods of the several dioceses in New Zealand, this meeting desires to express its dissent; from the statements in the said memorial contained, and deeply regrets that the memorialists should have so expressed themselves as to lead the recipients of the memorial to the erroneous conclusion that it emanated from the church members as a body, whilst in fact it was never submitted to either a parish or vestry meeting." Mr H. G. Fielder seconded the motion, and spoke in favor of it- Mr Thomas Pratt also spoke in fayor of the motion. Mr D. Macrorie defended the memorial, and argued that it did not assume to emanate from the church as a body, but simply from certain members of that church. In token of that it was pointed out that tHe memorial proceeded upon, tho preamble that it emanated from the undersigned members. He concluded by moving as an amendment — " That this meeting regrets that a feeling should have gained ground that a memorial lately published in the public papers emanated from St. John's parish as a body, which would have been obviated by publishing either the names or the number of names signing that memorial, and that the chairman be requested to cause the necessary corrections to be made in the journals in which the memorial appeared, and to all to whom the memorial has been Bent." The chairman, the Rev. Mr Tanner, likewise gave it as his opinion that it could not upon the faae of it be construed as a memorial from the church as a body. He admitted, however, that it was an omission that the names of the memorialists, or at least the number signing, had not been appended to the memorial as published. He thought, however, that the amendment would meet the views of the gentlemen who objected to the wording of the memorial. Mr Gibbs also expressed a similar opinion. He stated that he was one of the promoters of the memorial, and as such he assured them that there was no intention of giving it forth as a memorial from the Church as a body. All it aimed at was an expression of feeling by those members of the Churah whose names were attached to it. A proposal by Mr R. S. Borne that the question should be adjourned was not pressed. After being further discussed, the motion and amendment were put, when the former was carried with only two dissenting voices. The following gentlemen were thereafter elected : — Churchwardens, Messrs H. G. Fielder, and H. J. Gibbs; Vestrymen, Messrs F. W. Wade, J. W. Mitchell, W. Stuart, R. Buchanan, W. B. Scandrett, R. S. Borne, H. M'Culloch, B, A. Dickinson, and Tuson.

A maiden assize of the Supreme Court has been held at Nelson, on which occasion Mr Justice Richmond was presented with a pair of white gloves by the sheriff. The Secretary to the Education Board, Mr Hislop, has informed the Waikiwi School Committee that a sum of £225 has been granted for the erection of a school-house in that district. The Canterbury Provincial Council has voted 100,000 acres of pastoral land to endow a school of technical science or other educational purposes contemplated by the Canterbury Museum and Library Ordinance. Telegraphic communication with Europe is going to be a very expensive affair for the Australian Press. £500 per annum is the sum asked by the Associated Press from those journals that wish to receive the benefit of the arrangements made for receiving a fifty-word daily message. As the time for sending in claims to be placed on the different electoral rolls has again come round, it may be of some importance to the public to learn that Mr W. H. Pearson has been appointed Registration and Returning Officer for the electoral districta of Invercargill and Mataura. There are no fewer than one hundred and forty- two rivers, streams, and streamlets, between New Plymouth and Wanganui. They are a capital feature of the country, but rather expensive in a road-making point of view. The Canterbury Provincial Council has voted £500 towards the establishment of a Com Exchange in Chriatchurch. It is expected that the City Council will contribute a like sum, and that another £500 will be raised by subscription in the agricultural districts. On Saturday 20th Major Atkinson, attended by Sergt.-Major Paxton, superintended the firing for the choice of colonial representatives at Riverton, when Vol. Henderson was the only volunteer in this district who has qualified himself for the competition. In the Canterbury Provincial Council a Beries of resolutions were proposed to simplify the form of Provincial Government, and make all the paid officers of the Government permanent and nonpolitical ; the Superintendent to discharge the duties of Provincial Secretary for Public Works, and to be a member of the Council ex officio. After a brief debate, the resolutions were withdrawn till next session. A meeting of the Town Council took place on Friday, 19th, His Worship the Mayor in the chair. The assessment roll prepared by Mr Rogers was disallowed on grounds of inaccuracy, incompleteness, &c., and the Town Clerk was appointed town valuator, provided no legal difficulty existed. We believe the solicitor has given his opinion that there is no obstacle in the way of this appointment. The Otago Meat-preserving Company advertise in the Dunedin papers that they are prepared to enter into contracts for the supply of sheep, delivered at their factory, Green Island, during the month of February, at the following prices : — "Sheep weighing 421bs, at Id 3-10ths per lb ; sheep weighing 451bs, at Id 5-10ths per lb ; sheep weighing 481bs, at Id 7-lOfchs per lb ; sheep weighing 501bs, at 2d per lb ; cattle at 17s 6d per 1001 bs (only prime animals will betaken). I Wethers under 42lbs will be declined, or taken at a valuation. Terms — Net cash on delivery." On Friday evening, 19th, a meeting of the Invercargill District Branch of Oddfellows took place at the Oddfellows' Hall here. Delegates were present from the Riverton and local lodges. After the usual routine business. Deputy Prov. G.M. Goodwillie was elected Prey. G.M., and P.G. Shields Deputy P.G.M., the thanks of the district being accorded to the retiring G.M., Bro. Wm. Eraser. Bro. Porter presented the balance sheet, reporting the accounts as correct, but the death rate as having been unusually heavy, £60 having been paid during the past six months on account of deaths. The amounts paid for constructing the Oreti Railway, reconstruction, &o\, are — Co Davies, between August, 1863, and October, 1861, £64,718 ; f>r" plant, £20,000, which, together with the £27,000 awarded by the arbitrators to Driver and M'Lean, makes a total of £111,718, or, estimating the length of the line at 20 miles, the rate per mile, £5,585 18s. The above includes the 8 miles of wooden railway, commonly known as Davies's patent. But for that patent and the connection of a few other patent speculators with the work, trom £2,500 to £3,000 would have been sufficient. We are well pleased to note that the inhabitants' r of the Wakatipu are indefatigable in their efforts anent the speedy construction of the Kingston railway extension. At a meeting of the Queenstown Council, held on the 16th inst., the following resolution was passed : — " That the letter of the Hon. Mr Reeves is unsatisfactory, as it refers to public works in indefinite terms, and that this Council believes that the completion of the Winton and Kingston line will open a valuable area of country fit for settlement, and should not be delayed." The letter is not published, but we judgo from the tenor of the motion that the Council has been in communication with Mr Reeves on the subject of constructing the work. The following telegram was received in Dunedin by the Hon. Mr Reeves from the Defence Minister at Wanganui : — " I have received a telegram last night to the following effect — Tito Kowaru, with thirty-two men and about the same number of women and children, came out of the bush to a settlement on the coast called Omuturangi, a place about thirty miles north of the Patea river. A tangi was held and several speeches made. Tito Kowaru made a short speech, and said he had come out on the coast and was desirous of settling down peaceably, whether or not the Government would allow him to do so he could not say. As far as he was concerned, he meant to settle peaceably aud not to molest Europeans any further. At the adjourned half-yearly meeting of the Education Board, held in Dunedin on the 18th ult., the Board took into consideration (1) the report of the select committee of the Provincial Council on the petitions of Roman Catholic inhabitants of the Province, Session xxix. ; (2) a resolution of the Provincial Council, Session xxix., relating to the said report and petitions ; and (3) a memorandum on the same subject by the Provincial Secretary : — It was resolved (1) that the schoolmasters and other teachers employed under the Board be enjoined to adhere strictly to the -terms of the Education Ordinance, 1864, in regard to the reading of the Bible and religious instruction ; to take care that both parents and children be informed that attendance at such reading or instruction is optional; and to avoid the use of any lessons containing words or expressions offensive to Roman Catholics or other denominations of Christians ; (2) that the Secretary be instructed to take steps in conjunction with school committees and teachers to secure the use of such class books in the public schools as shall give tbe least possible offence to Roman Catholics and other denominations of Christians ; (3) that the Board express their appreciation of the prudent and fair manner in which they believe the school committees and teachers have generally acted in the past, in reference to the reading of the Bible, and the imparting of religious instruction in the public schools ; (4) that a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to every school committee, and every teacher connected with the Board. Consideration of a communication suggesting the taking of steps for providing means of education at Stewart's Island, was postponed. An application from Ryal Bush was referred to the Inspector, to ascertain if the district could be conjoined. Applications for main schools and for rent allowances and salaries were deferred until the annual reports had been all received, when a general examination into matters regarding buildings, distances of schools from each other, and proportion of teaching power to number of pupils, would be made.

The importation of a quantity of the Hindu's wrecked cargo of teas has elicited some newspaper correspondence in Melbourne. The tea is declared to be unfit fov human consumption. It is not generally known that a small portion of scraped horse radish will keep milk for two or three days from turning sour. The horse radish does not impart an unpleasant flavor to the milk. The Sydney Chamber of Commerce has passed a resolution recommending the Government to subsidise Webb's line in the same way aa it was proposed to subsidise Hall's. The Government are indisposed to promise. The Government have appointed Mr Tancred, C. E. , of Canterbury, to be the Commissioner to decide upon the claims preferred by Mr John Martin, for loss sustained in the completion of the Governor's residence. Matthias Block, aa absconding debtor from Tasmania, who was arrested at Wellington a few months ago, has been acquitted on the charge of absconding, on the ground that the petition in bankruptcy had not been filed when he absconded. A tunnel 3,700 ft. long, and costing £20,000, is ' about to be constructed by a public company i through the Cape Colville Peninsula to connect ' Cororaandel harbor with Kennedy's Bay. The tunnel will, it is said, not only open up a large extent of auriferous ground, bat make an excellent means of communication from the Coromandel mines to the crushing batteries. A gold prospecting expedition, under the leadership of Mr Barry, well known in connection with the earlier history of the Thames goldfield, has started from Auckland to the Tairua district, in which favorable indications are said to have been lately discovered. The honorarium paid for the General Assembly session of 1866 was £7,346 ; in 1867 £6,14,1; in 1863, £7,339; and in 1869, £6,949. The return of 1870 has not been made public, but the cost of the past session, each member receiving £105. will be £12,915. The crops in Canterbury are being secured in first-class condition. The yield this season will be comparatively small. As s rule, however, the grain will be of better sample than that harvested last year. Later intelligence states that an enormous quantity of oats has been blown out by a nor'-wester, and wheat has also suffered severely. Our Long Bush correspondent writes :— The crops here, as elsewhere, are suffering from the check they received from the cold in the earlier part of the season, and from the drought of the last three weeks. They are in a very backward state, and harvest operations cannot be commenced for some weeks yet. Turnip-sowing, is actively carried on, and if refreshed with a good soaking shower, germination would be greatly promoted — and a good crop the result. Writing from the Waiiu on the 22nd ult., our correspondent says : — With the exception of Wairaki aud Blackmount, all the stations in this neighborhood have finished sheep-shearing. The weather has been very favorable to the work of the season, it having been for the most part dry and warm. Indeed the drought is somewhat excessive. The ground is literally cracked, but the pasturage is everywhere luxuriant, and all the flocks and herds which come under my cognizance are looking remarkably well. The West Coast goldfields, especially in the Grey district, are improving. The Customs revenue at Greymouth for 1871 was over £4000 in excess of the previous year, and nearly £8000 higher than in 1869. During the first week of this year, 22,0690zs of gold were shipped from the West Coast — 14,809jzs from Hokitika, and i 7026 from Greymouth. The gold from Hokitika included 70450zs from the Nelson diggings, that amount having been sent from Westport a few days prior to the departure of the Melbourne steamer. The value of this exportation is £82,808. The first really practical fruits of the acclimatisation movement in Southland, at all events that department of it relating to the introduction of brown trout, was inaugurated on the occasion of the arrival on the 29th, of Sia Honor the Superintendent and party. A trout weighing 2or 2\ lbs was taken out of the ponds and forwarded by Mr Butts direct to the Superintendent at the Sluff. The compliment was duly acknowledged, accompanied by an expression of satisfaction with the apparent success of the movement, as also a statement that after being cooked it was duly appreciated as a luxury. It appears that the Australasian Steam j Navigation Company have given up, for the ; present, the idea of opening steam communication between Sydney and the Southern Ports of New Zealand. The Company desire to enter upon this trade, and will do so the moment a reasonable amount of encouragement offers ; but at present the inducement is insufficient to justify them in incurring the large expense in- | volved in placing one of their fir3t-class steamers on the line. We are glad to learn by the Southern Cross that the Messrs Brogden have no intention of introducing the truck system into this country It appears, says our contemporary, that fears were entertained by the contracting firm that, in undertaking duties in a country the circumstances of which were unknown, the pos sibility mi<*ht arise of the progress of the works being impeded by the difficulties which the workmen might experience in isolated localities in procuring the necessaries of life, and accordingly the power was reserved to the firm of establishing stores for the supply of such goods a3 might be required. That such necessity will not arise is well known to everyone familiar with the spirit of competition that animates our colonial business men, and no attempt whatever will be made by the contractors to interfere with the legitimate course of trade. The Southern Cross of the 18th says :— The stone used for the ornamental work at the front of the Supreme Court House is, in parts, rapidly crumbling away. Portions of it, on being slightly rubbed with the fingers, drop to powder. The sculptured work is also sharing the same fate. One of our eminent English Chancellors has had a blow on the nose ; and a cherub has a dimple on the forehead, a part where cherubs are never dimpled by sculptors of any artistic taste and pretensions. Queen Victoria is quite losing the roundness of her face, whilst Prince Albert, who appears *"o have been carved with a crick in his neck and a cast in his left eye, is looking gloomily at her out of a corner. It is possible that some preventive means could be adopted to prevent the stonework from going further to decay. If so, the sooner the attempt is made the better. Royalty, cherubs, and Lord Chancellors ought surely to be treated with the respect and consideration due to their exalted positions. What shall we do with our boys ? is a question that must be beginning to cause some anxiety to parents in this district. The facetious reply given in Victoria some time ago, namely, to marry them to the girls, is a solution of the problem which unfortunately does not dispose of its difficulty, for the majority of the boys having to depend upon their own exertions for their success, it is necessary that they should follow some industrial calling to enable them to make a fair start in life. It is to be regretted that agricultural and pastoral pursuits appear to present bo few attractions to the rising generation. There seems to be a rooted disinclination in the minda of colonial youths — more especially those reared about towns—to tackle anything like hard work, and in the absence of that lighter employment which the carrying on of different manufactures affords, the question of their proper occupation becomes a very important one. These remarks are suggested by the fact of over twenty applications having been sent in for the situation in the railway department recently advertised. With the cry of dear labor coming from the country districts, and want of employment for native-born youths arising in town, it is evident that more attention will have to bo paid to fostering in our young men that true spirit of colonisation whose highest ambition is to assist in subduing the wilderness, and making the waste ■ places " smile and blossom like the rose." (

Before leaving on the sth, Mr Reeves communicated to the Mayor the satisfactory announcement that instructions had been given to the Engineer, Mr Brunton, to proceed with the permanent survey of the Kingston extension line so sQon as that for the Mataura was finished. Mr Thomas Russell, who has recently been staying with his family at Pah Farm, remained in Auckland on the night of the 22nd. At midnight some person knocked at the door of the farm-bouse, and being refused admittance, discharged six shots from a revolver through the window. Mr Russell's son had a narrow escape from being struck by one of the bullets. The Bank of New Zealand has shipped four casks of iron sand from Auckland by the City of Auckland, for London. This sample ii being forwarded for testing purposes, and it is to be hoped that further experiments may lead to some cheaper method than has already been discovered for the preparation of iron and steel from this deposit, of which the colony has such abundance. It was stated recently that a strike in the building trade had taken place in Wellington, i The following were the resolutions agreed to by both sides : — l. Tliat forty-six hours constitute the week's work. 2. That the employe's be paid by the hour. 3. That the question of wageß be a matter of arrangement between each employer and his men. 4. That the number of working hours per day be eight, excepting on Saturdays, when the hands shall work six hours, finishing the day at throe o'clock. 5. That the foregoing rules be binding on all the matter builders of Wellington. The local subscribers to the Royal Scottish Art Union will be pleased to hear that the cases containing the two prizes and engravings have arrived by the Cifcy of Dunedin at Port Chalmers. The following letter received by the representative hero will explain how an unforeseen delay has now arisen, annoying, in consequence of the promptness shown this season in the conduct of the business of the Society : — " Dunedin, Jan. 22, 1872. — Dear Sir, — I have yours of the 16th inst., enclosing shipping bills for certain cases per City of Dunedin. The said cases, amongst others, are landed and warehoused by the ship's agents (Messrs G-. G-. Russell & Co.), pending our production to them of the bill of lading, which document has not reached me, having, I suppose, been lost in the Rangoon. As the agents decline to deliver on indemnity, the business must stand over till return mail from England. — I am, &c, W. Dalrymple, junr." Many ingenious calculations, says a contemporary, have been made with regard to the amount which has been realised by the woolgrower owing to the advance which has taken place in the price of this staple ; but it has perhaps never been noticed that the addition to the income of the colony, owing to the increase in the quantity of wool produced, has been eyen greater than that which has been obtained by this rise in price. The quantity of wool exported from New Zealand in 1870 amounted, in round numbers, to 37,000,000 lbs ; and it may be safely estimated that the quantity which will be exported this season will reach 50,000,000 lbs. Even an advance of 3d per lb on the whole of this quantity would only realise £925,000 ; but if the price of wool had not advanced at all, and remained the same now as it did in 1870, the value of this increased quantity at Is per pound would amount to no less than £650,000. This large increase of production, when added to the large increase in price, must have a most beneficial influence on the prosperity of the country. The production of wool will go on increasing year by year ; but it is probable that the rise in its price has already reached its limits ; though this is by no mean 9 certain. A tolerably accurate idea can be formed as to the price which will be obtained for next year's cotton crop, but there are at present no means of forming an opinion as to the price which will be obtained for wool. Need this always continue the case ? Major Atkinson held a parade of the volunteers on the drill-ground, Monday 15th ult. The muster was not strong. There was a large attendance, however, of spectators. After being put through a variety of evolutions, the volunteers, preceded by the Band, and followed by the cadets, marched through the town. On returning to the drillshed, \t was notified that the ttovernment had accepted che services of the proposed Artillery company, when upwards of 2* members were sworn in, Major Atkinson stating that the existence of two separate companies in the town would create a healthy feeling of rivalry, and he trusted that No. 1 would keep up its present state of efficiency. After Major Atkinson had thanked them for their attendance, the volunteers gave him three hearty cheers. We may state that the feeling amongst the byestandera seemed to be that the District Adjutant !ia " the right man in the risjht place." If the ! volunteers pay the proper attention to preliminary drills, we may expect to see manoeuvres of a more advanced grade performed during Major Atkinson's next visit in March. The children of St. John's Church of England Sunday School received their annual treat on Tuesday, 16th ult., in the school-house and grounds connected with the church. Whether the number present on the occasion may be taken to represent the average roll of the school, or whether, in this instance, every youngster on the roll felt it a special duty to be present, we know not, but a goodly number of both sexes and all ages gathered together, apparently bent on making the best of a holiday. If the zest with which the proceedings were gone through may be accepted as a simile of the earnestness with which the scholars of this school apply themselves to school duties, the parties concerned in the management, ai)d the patrons of the school, have no reason to complain of want of interest. A variety of amusements were provided, and holiday fare ad libitum. The distribution of prizes by the Rev. Mr Tanner, showed by their number and value that ac a rule the scholars had been well conducted and deserving. The exhibition by the magic lantern, which has become a feature in this annual gathering, concluded the entertainment, and after a day of good-humored fun and rompine, the young company dispersed in the hope of enjoying many more such treats. It is said that teachers are much needed for this school, and that hitherto the largest share of the burden of it has fallen upon one person, and that one a lady. This is not as it ought to be. In a congregation like that assembling at St. John* Church, no difficulty should be felt ia providing the assistance necessary for the proper maintenance of an institution the value of which in connection with any religious body can scarcely be over-estimated. Some excitement has been caused in Fiji through the British consul, while attempting to board a vessel called the Peri, having a pistol presented at him, and his life threatened, by an employe of the so-called Government. A publio meeting was held on the subject, when a deputation was appointed to wait on the consul. On the interview taking place, the consul, thanked the deputation and the meeting they represented most sincerely for their action in the matter. The insult offered waß not to him personally, but to the British flag, and he considered it the duty of every British sabject to support him at this juncture. British aubiects composed 90 percent, of the white population of the islands, and it was contrary to their best interests to permit such an occurrence to pass without remonstrance. He could assure them that the feelings and wishes of the majority of the British population would always be heard and carefully attended to. He would not counsel any violent measures to gain redress, as his position was such that he could afford to await the arrival of a man-of-war, when an opportunity would be afforded the deputation of urging their views on the present state of affairs respecting the interests of British subjects lin the Fiji Islands. A somewhat, lengthy conversation was then entered upon between the members of the deputation and Mr March, with reference to the means to be adopted fo&the preservation of the right* of British subjeots ia Fiji, after which the deputation withdrew.