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Southland Times, Issue 1541, 23 February 1872, Page 2

At Levuka (Fiji), a storekeeper advertises " ropes and chains for securing houses against the approaching hurricanes." A lunatic patient in the Hokitiki Hospital, while walking with his keaper, sprang into the river, and was drowned, while attempting to swim across. Dr Riley, the Principal Health Officer for Fiji, writes to the Levuka paper to say that unless something is done to improve the sanitary condition of that town, an epidemic will inevitably visit it. Tho oats grown in the Oamaru district this year are said to bo a very fine sample. Two experiments in weighing some parcels to hand gave a result of 47Jlbs and 49£1b9 per bushel ' repectively. The fir3t number of the Tnangahttd Herald has reached us. It is very creditably got up, and deserves the support of the community of the rapidly-improving locality in which it will circulate. The New Zealand Gazette of the 10th inst. contains notifications to the effect that MiThomas Morell Macdonald and Mr Edward Drury Butts have been appointed Crown Prosecutor and Clerk of lhe District Court of Western Otago respectively. We have been authorised to state that should the weather continue unfavorable, the programme of races announced for to-day, will bo postponed until to-morrow. If this course should be finally adopted the bellman will be sent round to notify the fact. In the absence of such announcement the races will go on. The puerile attempt to raise a false issue, made in the last publication of the contemporary print, is unworthy of notice. Having been impeached before the bar of public opinion for foul and malicious slander, and having allowed judgment to go by default, its aspersions will no doubt be estimated at their proper value. A report haa been brought from Sydney to Auckland to the effect that Mr Webb has arranged with the A, S. N. Co. to carry the mails from Auckland to Sydney, his object being to secure the American subsidy for a through line. There is little prospect bo far of contributions being received from New South Wales or Victoria. The canvass for subscriptions on behalf of the sufferers by the racent flood at Q-reymouth has been actively prosecuted by the committee appointed at the public meeting held on Monday night. The collectors on Wednesday evening had finished Dee-street, Esk-street, and part of Tay-street. The amount collectei was £65. The Mayor forwarded a telegram to Greymouth, authorising tho Mayor of that town to draw £60 as a first instalment. A correspondent senJs us the following : — The parents of children attending the Woodlands school met in the sehoolhouse on the 15 th instant to witness the examination of the children preparatory to the breaking -up of the classes during tho harvest holidays. Upwards of forty pupils presented themselves for examination, tho majority of whom had not attended any other school. The children acquitted themselves satisfactorily. At the conclusion, the Rev. Thomas Alexander, in a few remarks, complimented both the teacher (Mr M'Clymont) and the scholars on the general efficiency atttaine.l. This school haa been in existence not more than seven months, aud despite the opposition offered to its establishment, the attendance proves it to have been an actuaj waut. When the classes are resumed, it is understood that the attendance will be largely increased. The want of suitable quarters for tho k teacher and his family is much felt.

The contracting surveyor for the Mataura Railway (M.c Brunton) returnel to town tho middle of this week, having completed tho entire through surrey of tho line. Everything pre paratory to the issue of tenders is now accom- ( plished. The following, published by a lington paper on the 6th in3t., Trill be read with intent in connection with tne foregoing :— " Yesterday notice was given to Mr Brogden by the Minister of Public Worte that the data for the lines—Auckland to Mercer; Wellington to Upper Hutt ; . Napier to Pakipaki ; Invercargill to Mataura ; and Dunedin to Balclutha — would be supplied on that day month. Mr Brogden is allowed another month to prepare his teniers, and immediately on their acceptance the work 6f construction will commence." A lease for working the Mount Nightcap seam of brown coal, fuller particulars of which appeared in last issue, haa been applied for. What the applicants propose to do is in the first in- ! stance to bring down about 20 tons from the ' outcrop, with the view of getting the quality of I the ccsl properly tested. A portion of it will be given to the locomotive manager for firing the engfes, and another portion distributed amorgst the furnace keeepera and principal hoteli. The remainder will be forwarded to Dunedin. In anticipation of its arrival there, the manager of the gas works, and other parties employing powerful combustion, have been asked co experiment upon it. The result of these , various trials will guide the projectors of the affair in their future movements. In order that the undertaking may be purely of a public character, it is understood that the Mayor will be asked to convene a public meeting to discuss the merits of the proceeding. Communications have been made to us from Oteramika which lead us to believe that the Eoad Board of that district has got into rather an awkward fis, consequent upon the neglect of the Provincial Government to discharge its obligations. The Board, it appears, collected some £500 of rates, which was paid into the bank to the credit of the Provincial Government. This, we may explain, is a special condition made by the Q-overnment to ensure payment of the subsidy. In the hope that the subsidy would be paid, and the whole amount (£1000) made available, the Board entered into contracts, and now when their payment is due, the Board finds that, owing to the impecunious state of the provincial finances, only a portion of the subsidy can be obtained. Meantime the contractors are clamorous for their money, and if the Provincial Government has any regard for the credit of provincial institutions, the amount due will be made available without further delay. John Christie, whose apprehension at Christchurch waß chronicled in a recent issue, was received into gaol on Wednesday, having arrived from the north per Coorong. In Christie it appears there is more of the distinguished criminal than was at first supposed. A contemporary, after relating the circumstances attending his apprehension, goes on to say that he rode on borrowed horses from Winton to Selvvyn, in Canterbury, where his progress was stopped by the Canterbury police, representing himself as a detective in search of one Christie (who was himself), was close upon seven days in the saddle, hardly taking any sleep, and brags of his exploit. He will bo remembered as having caused a great deal of alarm hardly two years ago by goiug on the Taieri river in a boat, which he turned bottom upwards, in order to make his relatives believe he had been drowned — a ruse that succeeded for a time. Intelligence was received by the Alhambra that tho Chinaman, Kee Chang, who succeeded in duping certain gold-buyers at Orepuki a few weeks ago, has been apprehended in Newcastle (N.S.W.), whither it will be remembered he succeeded in starting for when he made good his escape from New Zealand. On leaving this colony, it would appear that the good fortune ' which attended Chang in his late adventure entirely deserted him. The banker's draft he carried away haß been intercepted, so that after all the fraui will not fall so heavily on the victims of his duplicity as at one time it threatened to do. Another bit of bad luck has befallen Chang in a peculiarity of the law of the p^ce to which he proceeded in his flight. According to the statute book, the offence with which he is charged is defined to be a misdemeanor, and, strange to say, in no other part of Australia than New South Wales could Chang have been arrested. By the word arrest, we mean of course for an offence committed outside of that colony. Unless the tide takes an unexpected turn in Chang's favor, he may be expected back in a few days to speak for himself. A Church of England Bazaar, for completion of the organ fund of St. John's Church, was held in the Exchange Hall la9t night, and the night previous. The stalls, which were presided over by Mes lames Dalgliesh, Wade, and Monckton, displayed a choice variety of articles, appropriately selected, and artistically arranged. The attendance of visitors on both evenings was very creditable. It will be seen by the advertisement that the bazaar will be resumed to-morrow (Saturday) . Between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the premises situated on the Bluff road about 7 miles from Invercargill, and known as West's Accommodation-house, were destroyed by fire. The buildings have been unoccupied for some considerable time past. We have not heard how the fire originated, but as a number of bush fires are known to have been raging in the neighborhood, it ia not improbable the fire was . communicated in that way. One of these fires, which burned fiercely on the Invercargill side of the Seaward Bush, caused considerable alarm to parties residing in the vicinity. During the progress of this conflagration, Messrs M'Callum and Co.'s saw- mill is reported to have been in imminent danger. A large quantity of firewood belonging to the wood-cutters at this end of the bush was also destroyed. The Star Comiquc Troupe, who gave their first performance in the Theatre last night, is by far the most legitimate entertainment of the kind i that has been given in Invercargill for a long time back. With yesterday's press of engagements on hand, it is almost impossible to enter into 1 ' detailed particulars. Mr Clarke has a particularly good tenor voice, and his songs were deservedly i encored. Mr Barry O'NeiFs comic repreaenta- ; tions, coupled with his rapid transformations, were really first-class. He comes well spoken of by the public of Victoria, and last night's performance proves conclusively that that favorable opinion was well deserved. Professor Satinders's ! harp solo was excellent, the only fault being that it was not repeated, despite a persistent call by the audience. The negro delineations, more especially the piece entitled an original farce by the [ company, was a half-hour's performance, mirthprovokiug with scarcely a moment's respite. The attendance, although not crowded, was, all things considered, good. A change of pro- ' gramme takes place this evening, when we have no doubt there will be a large attendance.