LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1562, 9 April 1872, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

-Mr Booth and Kepa, says .the Wanganui Herald of the 23rd j are negotiating for the purchase of two blocks of land in the Manawatu district, containing 40,000 acres and 20,000 acres respectively. Kepa is understood to be one of the bwriersi -. . , _ At the general meeting of the Artillery Company of volunteers, held last evening in the drillshed, the following -non-commissioned officers were elected : Messrs E. D. Butts and A- Brown, sergeants ; L. B. Sargster, .7. J. Cuff, R. Wesney, and H. Brown corporals. The children of St. John's Church of England Sunday School, were gathered together on Thursday evening by Mr Geo. Baker to an exhibition of the magic lantern, in the school-room of the church. About .fifty, views were presented, comprising ecrip'ure incidents, natural scenery, and humoroua pieces. It. is almost unnecessary to add that the young folks were highly delighted. It is proposed by the Provincial Government of Wellington that the municipal corporation of Wanganui should take over the bridge in that town. The bridge cost £32;000, the interest and. •inking fund upon which amount to £2,003 per annum. Although the present receipts are said to amount to £2,300 a-year, the- corporation does not seem to be tempted by the proposition. In the Resident Magistrate's Court, Biverton, on Wednesday, Kee Chang was brought up before Mr H. M'Culloch, R. M., and formally charged with selling spurious gold. The accused did not, we understand, deny having sold the cakes of amalgam, but alleged that its spurious character was wholly the result of accident ; the baser portion of the metal having got infused into the cakes during the process of amalgamation. The prisoner was fully committed to take his trial on each of the preferred charges. ?The New Zealand Gazette of March 23 contains "the agricultural statistics of the County of Westland. The number of holdings was 184 ; land broken up but not nnder crop, 215 acres ; in "wheat, nil ; in oats, 7 acres, estimated to yield 243 bushels.; in barley, 1 acre, estimated to yield 20 bushels ; in hay, 119 acres, estimated to yield 224 tons ; in permanent artificial grass, 1336 acres ; in potatoes, 218 acres, estimated to yield 94710ris ;lin ;bther jcrdps, 95 acres.; total number of acres under' crop, 1938. : A correspondent- of a contemporary writes as follows j— The reason why Australian wool is rising: in price in the London market is the. decrease of the home growth from 165,000,0^0103 in 1868 to 145;OO0,O>Olbs in 1871, say equal to 60,000 bale*. Another reason is the decrease in the American growth from 177,000,0001 bs in 1868 to 146,000,000103 in 187 L, say equal to 10&0005 bal«s |»'toTal -decrease, for England apd Aifierici ISO.OOP bales. There must also be a d^resse^ in* the~French yield of wool on aecount of the sheep .slaughtered during the war. f A small quantity of beef, preserve 1 by a new proC' ss, has been received from Switzerland. The preserver, (says the " Geelong A lvertiser,") is Mr Joseph Btamm, the principal of a seminary at Tburganvie, a canton in Switzerland, and a gentleman who for many years made chemistry a favorite study- The process is said to be both simple and inexpensive. What it is has not been explained, but it is stated that to preserve beef by it no expensive plant is required as in the case of our Australian meat fkictoi-ico. T-h o (roof comes out as a steak, and all that is required is to soak it in water anl then grill it. The meat is fresh and sweet. The monthly meeting -of the Committee of the Athenaeum, was held • on Tuesday last, • the president and Messrs Fredrie, Gilmour, Lumsden, an<] Perkins being present. A letter was submitted by the secretary, received from Mr Hislop, Inspector of Schools, intimating- his willingness to deliver two lectures on behalf of the Athenaeum. The secretary was directed to reply with thanks, "and fixing the dates of delivery at 16th and 23rd instants. Instructions were also issa-d for the acceptance of an offer for lease of the Society's reserve in tho Campbelltown Hundred at a nominal rent for one year. The question of the int.oduction to the Reading Room of a loading Irish journal was disou »S3 I. but allowed to stand over until next meeting. The other .business was simply routine. The Municipal Council met on Thursday night. Present — The Mayor (Mr Wood), and Councillors Garth waite, Blackwood, Pratt, Lums len, Ja-jgers, and Goodwillie. The rep Jrt of the Public Works Committee, held over from last meeting, was brought -up for consideration. Clauses 1 and 2 of the report were expunged, and the remainder adopted. The Clerk reporte 1 that £852 2s had been collected as rates to date. A report from the Finance Committee was read, and ordered to be published in terms of the Act. A sum of £50 was voted as part payment for the repair of the Jetty. Mr Christie's tender for 1-horse team, 11s, and '2-horses, 14s per day, was accepted. George Clark's tender for repair of the Dee street footpath, £61 8s 2d, was accepted. The Mayor was requested to attend the proposed conference of Mayors at Dunedin. The Council adjourned at 11.30 p.m. The " West Coast Times," after mentioning the great desirability of periodically removing the gold-wardens, says that the matter has already .been brought under the notice of the Government by the report of the Otago Mining Commission, and by other means, and very probably some remedy for the evil will be applied in the ensuing tession. No representations have, how"ever, been yet made in respect to the desirability of effecting a similar periodical change of Resident Magistrates. Yet there is quite as much — if not more — to urge in favor of such a course in their case. They cannot possibly avoid becoming closely intimate with a section of the community where they are located, and the consequence is that "when their decisions favor their intimate friends, they are charged with partiality, and a disregard of their high and sacred duty to judge ' evenly between man and man. It must be | admitted, , too, that even unconsciously the Magistrate will be inclined to place more reliance upon the statements of his intimate acquaintance —particularly if he be influential — than upon those of an unknown and inferior person. Without being aware of it, he enters upon the hearing of a case with a prejudice for one siJe, and the chances 'are very poor indeed for the other. The only remedy for this is tha removal of Resident Magistrates from one district to another, so as to remove at the same time even the breath of suspicion on the administration ot juttice.

The flooding of the Bay of Islands coal mines has thrown seventy men out of employment. A liquor analyst is employed in Victoria, who visits all the public houses, notes the quality of their drink, and reports accordingly to the Board of Health. A Canterbury paper says it is stated on good authority that a requisition is on the tapis requesting Mr E. J. Wakofield to resign his seat for Christahurch East in the General Assembly. It is reported that Mr J. H. Harris intends to become a candidate for the seat in tlie Provincial Council expected to be rendered vacant by the resignation of the member for Port Chalmers. It is expected that the proposed alterations in the rules of the Southland Building, Land, and Investment Society will be placed before the public in the course of a few days. A toll-keeper in .Auckland wished to collect a fee for the passage of a thrpshing m ichine, but , the Bench of Magistrates at Ofahuhu decided it i was an " implement 01 husbandry," and therefore exempt. The first geneial meetir.g of the members of the Auckland Permanent Co-operative Building and Investment Society has been held in Auckland, at which there wore shares subscribed for. As each share is for £20, the above number represents £13",6)0. The total receipts of the Provincial Government of Auckland for the quarter ending December 31, 1871, from all sources, amounted to £22,319 8s 3d, and the expenditure to £35,204 12s 4d, thus reducing the balance in the Bank, and in the treasurer's hands, brought forward last quarter, from £42,372 18s 9J to £29,487 1 4s Bd, at which it now stands. A painful piece of intelligence (3ays the Wellington Independent} reaches us from Du'nedin. Poor Mr St. John Branizan, on account of whose affliction so much sympathy was evoked, we now learn, has had a relapse, and attended with symptoms which preclude all idea of a restoration to his faculties. Hia condition was such as to necessitate his being placed under restraint, and it is even thought that his physical organisation will not long outlive the loss of reason. The agricultural statistics of Fa vke's Bay are published in the New Zealand Gazette of March 23. The number of holdings was 350 ; land broken up but not under cr.jp, 2446 acres ; in wheat, 6J5 acres, estimated to yield 10,554 bushels ; in oats, 660 acres, estimated to yield 14,536 bushels ; in barley, 252 acres, estimated to yield 5259 bushels ; in hay, 14 tO acres, estimated to yield 1831 tons; in permanent artificial grass, 70,230 acre* ; in potatoes, 236 acres, estimated to yield 739 tona ; in other crops, 90 acres ; total number of acres under crop, 72.324; in hand of last year's croD, K56 bushel* wheat, 1737 bushels oats, 351 bushels barley. The LytleltoK Times gives the following authoritative contradiction to the statement that the Government intends to introduce Chinese, labor : — We have been requested by the Hon the Besidpnt Minister to. state that the Government neither has nor ever had any intention of introducing Chinese labor into the colony, or permitting it to be introduced ar.d employed by contractors for public works. The circular ad dressed by the Minister for Public Works to the several Superintendents was intended solely to elicit their opinions on a sui-jnot which ha 1 been brought before the Government. If any bias in favor of tha employment of Chinese labor may be thought to be introduced into the circular, it is unintentional and contrary to the wish of the Government. The following has bnen handed to us for publication : — The Rev. James- Ktrkland, Convener of Missions, has been to Tuapeka, baptising other two Chinese converts, converted through the instrumenta ity of Paul Ah Chin, at present laboring as Presbyterian missionary in that locality. A few months ago other three Chinese co.nverts were baptised, making five in all within the comparatively short perio 1 of Paul's labors among his countrymen in Ofa£O. A strong ■ feeling has for some time been manifesting itself among the friends of Missions, in the direction of an additional missionary to the Chinese : what therefore is better calculated to prompt that feeling into practical shape than the above information ? ' It is to be hoped the Committee of Missions may soon have several such Chinese missionaries on the various goldfiells of ou ■• province. Monday, Ist, was very generally observed as a holiday in town. The weather was exceedingly tempting, the temperature during the greater portion of the day being moat genial, and as a consequence a large number of pleasure-seekers took advantage of the excursion train? advertised bv the Railway Manager. Those conveyed to 'Win ton mu3t have numbered nearly 100, while those who patronised the Bluff trains must, we should imagine, have approximated 3 JO. Besides this, various picnic parties, provided themselves with conveyances for the purpose of reaching the different favored localities in the surrounding neighborhood, and there enjoying a day's relaxation from the ordinary cares and duties of life. The delightful weather must hav*) rendered a ramble "by brake and stream" a pleasant recreation, and judging by the beaming countenances of the returning excursionists, the holi.lav seemed to have been thoroughly enjoyed. The Following items of Fiji intelligence appear in a telegram in the Otago Daily Times: — The excitement among the settlers continues. Public meetings have been held to request Cakobau to dismiss Messrs Burt and Woods. The settlers complain of Parliamentary corruption by the giving of offices to members, and of extravagant expenditure. The Consul refused to hand over the mails to the Government, but gave them to the Chamber of Commerce, which has established a Post-office of its own. Mr Burt. the Premier, has issued a writ against the Fiji Times for defamation of character. The Malicolo men were tried for the murders on board the Cambria, but were acquitted. Captain Sinclair was charged with ill-ti eating the same men, and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and a fine of 300 dols. He was admitted to bail pend ing the decision as to the Court's jurisdiction. The Chamber of Commerce has declared that the Government notes are not a legal tender. The natives are quiet. Sugar growing has been commenced at Suva and Savu Savu. The ramie fibre grown at Rewa is very fine, and the cultivation of this plant is likely to be extended. The cotton crop has been much damaged by rain. An entertainment of a novel description took place at the Nokomai on the evening of Saturday, 23rd. It consisted of a challenge singing match between two residents there, named respectively Samuel Bladen and George Douglas. The amount of the stakes was £2, and the terms as follows : — " The singer of five songs embracing the finest sentiment, an 1 rendered in the best I manner, to win the bet." The following judges were chosen : — By Bladen, Messrs T. Acton, D Kingsland, and P. Duncan ; by Douglas, Messrs L. Longuet, Bowe, and Harris. The songs selected by each competitor were the following : — By Bladen — " The voice of her I love," " The veteran," " Human life is a busy scene," " Have faith in one another," and "Oh fly from the world, dear Bessie, tome;" by Douglas — " Burke and Wills," " Erin, my country," " Little Nell," " Other lips and other hearts," and " Wilt thou be my bride, Kathleen." Bladen was declared the winner, the services of the releree, Mr Seehof, not having been called into requisition. The winner presented one-half the stakes tp the school fund ; , and the proceedings were terminated by a dance.-

Yery rich fin Is are said to have been made in tne beach claims at Coromandel. Nine Fijians have arrived in Auckland for exhibition in Europe and America. The Otago Graving Dock was formally opened by His Honor the Superintendent on the loth ult. The "Rev. Mr Booker, Nonconformist Minister at TCaipara (Auckland), has been killed by the fall of a tree, which he an i hia son were cutting down. A correspondent of a Murlborouuh paper says that a.rount sales receive 1 there ;<hovv the expenses charged against flax shipped to England amount to £13 per ton. \Tr Whiting, of the We firm of Oreville and Whitinz, wis a passenger to the Bluff by the S'orra Bird on *un 'a-, 3l*\ Mr Whiting proceeds to D.ig Man 1 in charge of the party by whom the repairs to the lighthouse are to be effected. An old Maori, named Pipi, living ir. W. llington Province, has shot himself under rather j peculiar circumstances. He was suffering fro.n a kind of low fever, which has carried off many Maoris about Otaki and the neighborhood, and hearing that his malady was catch'ng, he shot himself, in order to prevent it spreading among his people. A draft of 125 long woolled sheep (Leicesters I and Lincolns), the progeny of a direct importation by a well known Canterbury stock-owner, arrived in Southland the end of last week. Ninety-one [ of the number were to the order of Mr A. M. ! Clark, of Mount 1 inton, and the remaining thirty-four to that of Messrs C. Basstian, (Dunrobin), and George Bell, (Waimea Plains). We learn from competent authority that this is one of the most valuable a -quisitio:!? to the flocks of the district that has been maJe for sometime past. The Balclutha correspondent of tho Bruce Herald writes : — " In the spring of the present year, I announced in your columns that a quantity of tobacco seed had bet-n left with me for distribution am ing parties willing to try the experiment of growing tobacco in Otago. I have only se 'n the result of one trial, which can be seen by anvone who wishes to see fine healthy tobacco plants grown in , the open air without any artificial aid whatever. Mr Charles Nurman, cooper, of this town, is the grower, and I am convince i that a sight of his success will induce others to follow his example." A special meeting of the General Road Board was held in Dunedin on the 14th ult , to take into consideration applications from the Teaneraki, Windsor, and Enfield Road Boards, for authority to borrow sums amounting to £24,000, for the construction of a light line- of railway from Oamaru to the Waiareka Valley. There were present — His Honor the Superintendent (in the chair), and Messrs Reid, Bathgate, and Bra,dshaw. Two memorials and one letter, in objection, had been lodged. After discussion, it Wiiß resolved, " That the further consideration of the question be arljourne 1 till this day month; with a view of enabling ihe ratepayers. to signify their -assent, in terms of section 3 of the Otago Roads Ordinance, 1865, Amendment Ordinance, 1870, and to enable the local Boards to rectify the technical objections which have been taken to their proceedings." At a meeting of the Council of the Otago Aeclimjtis.ition Society, held on the 14th ult., the chairman read the following telegram from tlte Colonial Secretary :— " Re. vote £500,! s ilmon ova. Government about to send orders for ova, out require £500 to be subscribed by Acclimatisation Societies in addition to vote. Southland guarantees £300 ; Christehurch, £100; Nelson does not j>in. Will your Society con- j tribute balance ? Communication to you in first j instance accidentally overlooked. Government have decided as funds only enough for one expeiiment to confine hatching to Southland ponds, shipping to Port Ohalmcrs by fast vessel. Reasons for selec ing Makurewa pon Is were — lower temperature of B<sa .water } free.lom from being rendered turbi.i by diggings ; favorable nature of estuary, and number of suitable streams running int) it. Reply in time for outgung 'Frisco mail." In speaking on the subject, the chairman said he thought it woul \ be. better to communicate with the Colonial Secretary, explaining to him that the Council saw no reason why action should be taken for a iew months, and that, conditional on the Society, which could not contribute out of its ordinary income, getting the subsidy from the Provincial Council, it would be in a position to guarantee the amount. The chairman's suggestion was agreed to. The Otago Times of the 13th ult. says : — The formal releasa of the Maori prisoners confined in the Dunedin gaol took place yesterday at noon, when the Hon. Mr M'Lean (the Defence Minister), His Honor the Superintendent and Lieut. G.A. J- H. H. St. John, accompanied by Wireinu Tamihana Te Neke, of Waikanae, in Wellington, and Aperanama Tamitaporea, Waitotara (influential chiefs of the Wgatiawa anl Ngaraura tribes), visited the gaol. After the customary tangi had been in lulged in, the Defence Minister a (.dressed the prisoners, telling them that the Government had resolved to restore their liberty, hoping that they would for the future abandon the evil courses that had, in the first instance, got them into trouble. They w uld be conveyed to the North Island in the course of a few days, and the Government would provide a suitable dwelling- p' ace for them away from their old haunts. The chief Taurua, addressing Mr M'Lean, promised that when he reached the North Island, he would avoid having any intercourse with the Native chiefs ; and that they would all submit themselves to the guidance of the Government, and settle down wherever they were directed to The prisoners had received intelligence from the North of the meeting between Mr M'Lean and Wiretnu Kiugi at Tamnaki, an! they seemed to regard that event, wh'ch they alluded to several times, as a guarantee of peace for the future. A considerable interchange would seem to take place between the different parts of the colony in the matter of timber supply. We recently published an extract from a Wellington paper, in which it was somewhat vauntingly stated that telegraph poles were beini: sent from -that province to Southland, notwithstanding the large ; forests possessed by the latter. We had the other day an opportunity of inspecting some splendid logs of black pine, which were in transit per railway from Mr Murdoch's mill at the Makarewa to the Bluff, there to be shipped per Maori for , DuneJin. We believe they are supplied to the order of the contractor for the DuneJin and Clutha railway, and are to be used in the construction of some of the bridges on the line. The same vessel was to take away a quantity of hgavy timber (black pine), also shipped by Mr Murdoch, which is to be usod for the purpose of jetty repairs at Lyttelton. Our readers who take an interest in the work of acclimatisation . as carried on in Southland, may recollect that a quantity of lint seed, imported by the local Society from South Australia, was distributed to parties residing in the neighborhood, in the early part of last year. A very creditable sample of the produce, grown af the Waihopai (North Road) has been forwarded to us. Both as regards length of fibre and general quality of texture, the sample is a good one, and proves conclusively the adaptation of the soil and climate to its growth. In stating this result, it ought to be mentioned that it has been achieved in an exceptionally adverse season. The preparation of the sample is hardly up to the mark, a fact which is not at all astonishing, considering that the process employed was ot the most primitive character. It bus evidently been well steeped, but having been hand-scutched, it is far from being as clean as it otherwise would have been. In the state in which it is produced, we have heard an estimate of £36 per ton placed upon it. With proper appliances, however, there is every appearance to indicate that a full market rate of from £50 to £60 would be realised. The other parties who received seed from the Society should make known the result of their experiment.

It ia said that the Assembly will meat early in June. The foundation atone of the Oamaru Hospital was to be laid on the 2nd. News received via the Cape announces the safety of Dr Livingstone, There sire 28,313 acres under crop in the province of Marlborough this year. A short-horned heifer, four ypars old, and weighing nearly two tona, has lately been exhibited in Auckland. Mr J W. Robertson having resigned his seat in the Provincial Council for the Lakes district, both seats for the district are now vacant. i Mr James Shand of the West Taieri is shipping all his wheat to Kngland this season, the freight being Is 6d per bushel. A notorious highway robber, named Robinson, ! who was under sentence for sixteen years, has escaped from Mount Eden Gaol, Auckland. Coal of the finest qu ility has been obtained 15 miles from Westport. It is obtainable on board at 5s per ton, and coasters are able to load it from the pit itself. ' A Christchurch tinsmith has commenced the ' manufacture of tin Sidle*. Their tones are said ' to have no trace of " tinniness," their power being considerable. 1 Several nuggets have been found in alluvial ground at Irishman's Creek, Lyell, near Westport. One weighed 28:>zs, one loozs, one Bozb, and two 12ozs each. The Akaroa correspondent of the Canterbury Press writes that very little over one-third of the quantity of cheese hitherto made in that district has been produced this year, and butter is also scarce. A report reached town on the Ist, that the present drought has seriously affected Dog Island, and that at present there is not more than four days' supply of fresh water in the place. The Thames Guardian gives the statistics of crime for that place, from which it appears that the total number of charges for the year against msiles was 850, and against females 101. Of these, 767 males and 9L females were convicted of the offences preferred against them, while 83 males and 10 females were discharged. An Auckland paper says that the arrangements made with Victoria in regard to the San Francisco service, are to the following effect : — The steamers will call at Auckland from San Francisco, and will then proceed to Melbourne, whence they will return to Auckland, via Port Chalmers. Victoria will pay a subsidy of £25,000, and Port Chalmers will be the head-quarters of the line. A rather singular accident took place at the City of London mine, Thames goldfields, a short time since. While the manager, Mr T. B Hicks, was coming up the shaft, and hai reached a distance on the ladder, about ten feet from' the hotfom, a heavy weight was heard descending. Quick as lightning, Mr Hicks grasped the ladder with a firmer hold, and had no sooner done so, than he received a tremendous blow on the chest, which severely injured him, but still did not cause him to lose his grasp. On descending to the bottom, it was found that-the cause of the accident was a large dog (since dead), which in the course of his wan lerihgs above, made a mistake, and wandered below. Mr Hicks's injuries were examined, and found so severe as to necessitate his being confined to his bed for some time to come. At the last meeting of the Auckland Harbor Board Mr Copland gave notice of the following motions to be moved at the next meeting : —(1). " That all vessels arriving from the United Kingdom with immigrants or passengers, be anchored outside the North Head, and that a notice be forwarded by the pilot to the Chairman or Secretary of the Board." (2). "That a Board of Health Committee be formed, consisting of any three members of this board, whose duty shall be to visit all vessels in corj unction with the Health Officer of the port, such committee to be taken in rotation by the members of the board ; and that a fee of one pound be paid., by the ship to each member of committee, and no vessel be allowed to enter the port until a clean bill of health and cleanliness be signed by such cora- , mittee — the Secretary to collect and pay the said fee." Mr Edmund Ford has returned to Christchurch from o prospecting tour at the Malvern Rills in search of coal. He has brought with | him specimens of a fine bituminous coat, which he obtained by driving into the sHe of a hill very j easy of access, the railway, now being surveyed from Rolleston to the Malvern Hills, running through the section of land on which the coal was discovered. The seam, where first struck, was ' only a few inches in thickness, but on continuing | the drive, the thickness greatly increased, and Mr Ford is of opinion that, with a little working, a paying seam of coal will be opened out. Mmy persons are only waiting the completion of the railway to the Malvern Hills to commence operations for extensively working the coa), as well as for the manufacture of fire-bricks, and there is every prospect of a corsiderable township rising in the locality. Thelecturentt'ieExchange Buildings on M >nd iy, Ist, by the Rev. J. S. Smaliey, on the History of the English Bible, was somewhat thinly attended, there being not more than about 10J persons pre.-ent. This may be accounted ior by the various other attractions of the evening, and it is to be regretted on account of the Hospital, to which the surplus, over expenses, was intended to be devoted. The manner of the rev. lecturer's handling of his subject, and the evident research in the compilation of a vast mass of interesting facts, put forward in a remarkably attractive and interesting manner, afforded intense satisfaction to his auditors. The lecture, occupying an hour an 1 three quarters in its delivery, was listened to without the least symptom of weariness, and at its close a hearty vote of thanks was accorded. It was incidentally remarked by the Rev. Mr Rishworth, that possibly Mr Smalley may be appointed by the next conference to succeed Mr Rishworth in the charge of the luvercargill circuit. On Monday, Ist, a drawing- room entertainment, in which these two talented artistes, Miss Dolly Green and Mr J. Small, sustained the principal parts, took place in the Theatre. The attendance in every part of the house was both large and enthusiastic. The olio of oddities and sketches of character, together with the comic sketches, were sustained by the lady with yreat tact, tnd earned the hearty applause of the audience. Mr Small, in whom the theatre-going public were not slow to recognise an old favorite, met with a very enthusiastic welcome. Indeed, his performances showed that he had lost none of those powers for amusement which have already gained for him so much popularity both here and elsewhere. As musical director it is al nost unnecessary to add that Mr T. White was all that could hare been desired. The committee of the Southland Acclimatisation Society met on the 13th ult., there being present Messrs Butts (hon. sec..) Blacklock, Conyers, Gilmour, Hume, and Lumsden (chairman). Mr Butts reported that an experimental case of ova ha' I arrived by a late steamer from England via Melbourne, and that on opening the case it had been found that the experiment had failed, the whole of the ova being dead. The case instead of beiug landed at the Bluff had been i taken on to Dunedin, from whence it had of course to be returned. This delay however had not affected the vitality of the ova, which had evidently been dead for a long time, apparently proving that the shipment in sawdust, without ice, is ineffectual. It was resolved that as soon as could be done, another small experiment on a plan submitted by the hon. sec to Dr Buckland in England, or such modification of it as should be adopted, should be tried. Messrs Nutter and | Perkinß were requested to audit the accounts for the past year, and it was resolved to hold the ■ annual meeting on Thursday, 4th April.

Tho Hon. John Hall is still suffering from indisposition. A Canterbury stoekowner has named a yearling colt ?ir Charles Dilke, got by High Treason, out of Remedy by the Cure out of Young Madcap. Bishop Croke, of Auckland, complains of Collns's British History and Anderson's Geography, which are use : in the Auckland Grammar School, as being improper for Catholic children. After many unsuccessful attempts in the province, an arte-inn well has been ,sur.k at Ciive, Napier, and a splendid flow of water obtained at a depth of one hundred anl fifty feet. The Southland trade in preserved meats appears now to ha<"e resumed its wonted activity. On the 25th, no less than 220,3021 bs, representing a declared value of £2,444, were entered at the Customs for shipment coastwise. St. Patrick's Day having fallen on Sunday, the 17th ult., was celebrated on Monday as a part holiday — the banks, lawyers' and public offices being closed. The day being' Otautiful, it was taken. advantage of by a moderate Dumber for excursion purposes. The hon. Treasurer to the Provincial Hospital acknowledges receipt of £5 from Messrs Calder, Blacklock & Co., as agents of the ship Christian McAusland, deposit on behalf of a ship patient; and also of £4 5s from Messrs Aitkin and Harrison, beini their subscription and collection in shearing shed. Large quantities of Adelaide wheat continue to arrive at Auckland to millers' orders, despite the import duty imposed last session. One vessel lately brought 2220 quarters, another ie on the way with 2800 bags, and a third is loading at Adelaide. The Invercariill Education Committee met oi Wednesday, 20ch, the chref business on hand being the settlement of preliminaries between the contractors and the Board relative to the erection of the new school buildings. A letter from Mr A. M-icclonald, teacher, was put in, amounting to an offer to receive scholars at .the Government rate of fees in return for- (he subsidy proposed to be given by the Boar! for an interim school pending the erection of the Grammar School. The matter was allowed to stand over. The South Clutha settlers (s»y3 the " Bruce Standard,") are agitating for the establishment of a public market at Puerua — a very central and suitable position; and we, hope; they may be. successful in their efforts.. It has always, appeared to us that the people of Milton have been neglectful of their interests'in not establishing a fortnightly market or fair, contenting themselves with- the perpetuation of a system suitable in the early days of the settlement, but utterly inadequate 1 to the requirements of -the. settlers and others, in these days, of advancement and progress that give promise of railways to and from all quarters, . • The usual meeting of the Waste Land Board (Southland district), was held on the, 19th. Present— The Crown Land Commissioner, and Messrs M'Arthur, Dundas, and Blacklock. Mr W. Roberts's application for 52a. 2r. in section 34, block 6, Jacob's River Hundreds, was.granted* The Commissioner reported as follows :— That at a meeting held on the 29th ult., Messrs A. M'Kay, David Anderson, James Millar, Alex. Ross, D. Tobin, and Joseph Foshberider were elected wardens for the Forest Hill district ; arid Messrs Wm. Lawrence, John Brook, Win, Russell, and Samuel Hodgkhvon for the New Hiver Hundreds, at a meeting held on the 2nd ult. A meeting of the Railway Committee was held on the evening of the 20th. The chairman (Mr Wood) explained that ha had that morning forwarded a telegram to the Superintendent enquiring as to the prolonged delay in the arrival of the Government railway contractor in Southland. A reply w is read stating that His Honor; was unable to explain the delay, and adding that t/,he Ma^aura Railway Engineer (Mrßrunton) had been summoned to Wellington, understood to be in connection wi* h the commencement of the line. After discussion, it was agreed tha 1 ; the chairman should communicate by telegraph direct with the Minister of Public Works, and that a ' meeting should be called immediately on an j answer being obtained. A statement was submitted by the treasurer, Mr-Garthwaite, showing a balance of £5 odds against the committee . Mr Robert Gilmour was elected hon. collector to obtain subscriptions to defray the amount. The Municipal Council met on Thursday 21st. Present — The Maiyor, and Councillors Garthwaite, Blackwood, Pratt, Lumsden, Jaggers, and Goodwillie. A long discussion took place regard ing the upset price for the Tay street allotments Two sums, viz., £100 and £125, were submitted. Eventually the former was carried by the casting vote of the Mayor. Councillor Lumsden moved thar an improvement clause in the shape of an obligation to erect buildings to the extent of at least the amount of the purchase price, within the three years allowed for payment, should be inserted as a condition of sale. In seconding the motion, Councillor Garthwaite remarked that it was a published fact that a combination had already been formed to secure these allotments. After being discussed, the motion was put and lost. The Town Clerk reported that 65 assessments, amounting to £95 19s, had been paid. The following tenders were accepted : — T. Gonnell, for cutting ditch and erecting back fence to cemetery, £l7s 4s. Five tenders were received. J. R. M'Kay, for constructing front fence to cemetery (£4 13s 6d per chain). Four tenders were received. George Clark, for repair of Dee-street footpath, £45 4s 2d. J. Lambert was appointed foreman of the Fire Brigade, and Wm. Pickford assistant-foreman. The meeting adjourned at 11.30 p.m. A Waikiwi correspondent writes as follows : — Matters of public interest cannot fail to attract public attention, and any industry tending to advance competition in any shapa, and enhance the price of any local production, must be considered a sign of progression. A new fellmonger- j ing and wool-scouring^ establishment is being , started on the Waikiwi river, adjoining the ] railway, by the Messrs Forsyth and Mason, who state that from the superior position, adaptation of buildings, and new system of manipulation in the business generally, they will be able to give a higher price for skins than has hitherto been obtainable, and should the enterprise meet with the success it deserves, they inform me it is their intention to erect buildings and machinery for the manufacture of blankets, &c. The children of the Sunday Schools in town were entertained by Mr T. Twinning at ! the Theatre on Wednesday 13th ult., by an exhi- I bition with the magic lautern. The Theatre upstairs and down was packed with youngsters, vociferous in the extreme in the enjoyment of- the fun provided for them. A few children of the larger growth were present, possibly with the design of keeping order. If so, they soon satisfied themselves of the impossibility of curbing the demonstrative propensities of the younger visitors. The historical pictures, buildings, and representations of natural scenery were shortly described by Mr X. Perkins, as each picture was presented, the caricatures being left to tell their own tale. The show extended over more than an hour, and after a series of ringing cheers for Mr Twinning, the stampede was made homeward. The Athenaeum Committee held its monthly meeting at the rooms, on Wednesday (13th ult). Present — Messrs Micdonald (president) Fredric, Gilmour, Lumsden, M'fiwan, and ! Perkins. In the matter of leasing the society's ' reserves, it was reported that no arrangements for the same had yet been concluded. In contemplation of a projected visit to Invercargill by Mr Hislop (the Provincial Inspector of Schools), the secretary was instructed to write him requesting him to lecture on behalf of the Institution. It was resolved to call a public meeting of subscribers for the 22nd inst. to consider the propriety of making amendments in the rules relative ' to vacancy in the committee and the constitution of a quorum. . '

Edward Simpson, Esq., has been appointed Clerk of the Resident Magistrate's Court, at Riverton. The great extension in the use of gas in Wellington, h*s enabled the Gas Company to reduce the price of that commodity from 20s to ' 169 per thousand feet. The number of sheep shorn in the Southland district during the season that H just now about to c'ose, amounts to 679.400, wliioh i* an increase of 52,4i0 over that of the previous year. The erection of the telegraph to New Plymouth is progressing. The telegraph poles are now erected sa far as Taitaraimaka block, and the work is being proceeded with towards the Stony River with every speed. ■ . The total number of acres under crop in the I province mf Canterbury, aa ascertained by the I recent census, is 282.268. The gross acreage under crop in 1871 was 217.527, being thus an increase of 65,74L acres iD 1872. ! We observe from the Otago Gazette that a 1 number of sections in the township at Long Bush are to be sold on the 25'h April. The allotments vary in size fr>m an acre and a-half to nearly 15 acres. The upset price is £3 per acre. The anniversary of the settlement of the province of Otago, which fell on Saturday, 23rd, did not obtain much recognition from the- people of Invercargill, the closing of the Government offices and the banks being the only token of a holiday. The Hon. Treasurer to the Hospital requests us to acknowledge his receipt of the following items, namely, from M*ssrs Hankinson, their subscription and collection on station, £7 10s ; from Mr C. Cowan, the like, £5 2s 6d ; collected at Di ine service at Long Bush on Sunday last, £2 7s ; and from Mr J. H. Kerr, Union Bank, £1. The railway empl yes have been kept very busy for some time back. On Friday and Saturday, 22nd and 23rd, 220 tons of preserved meat, tallow, wool, and, timber— the produce of the district — were despatched per rail for shipment at the Bluff. , . The first practice by the newly-organised Fire •. Brigade was held on Monday, 28th, at which there wis a full muster of members. The, two engines were hauled out into Tay-street, and charged with water. Althoughthey had not be^n in use for some months past-, the result of -, last night's trial proved that they were both in good working order. The stute of the fire wells, was afterwards inspected by the Captain of the Brigade. An announcement appeared in one ■of the Northern papers that the timber growths of Southland had been so far ig-iorei as to induce the Government to pre p er Wellington timber for the construction of telegraph poles, in this district. As a set off to that, we nndthalsincei ibtie beginning r of February, 203,784. .feet of jsawn . timbejr have i'* been exported from the Bluff io- Melbourne, and at. the present moment either , one or two, vessels are on the berth waiting to be loaded- for the same port. t < . „ A' meeting of the committee of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society w*b helJ in the Prince of Wales Hotel on the 23r i. The members present were — Messrs Wood (President) Coupland, Movrison, Weir, Waddell,- and M \L3Od. The principal business transacted was a motion tabled by Mr Morrison — "That application be made to the Superintendent for an extra lease of ground in terms of the Ordinance." •■ On this an amendment was moved .by Mr M'Leod —r " That, previous to such application being male, the secretary be instructed to write to: the Caledonian Society, inquiring if they wew desirous of becoming joiut proprietors in such lease." Eventually the amendment was carried. An influentially-signed requisition has been presented to the M.iy->r, asking him to convene a public meeting for promoting -.the half-holiday movement in Inverc irgill: Judging from the . names appended to the requisition, we should say that no great difficulty will be experienced in carrying the point. Presuming — as indeed we can see no reason why it should not be taken for grante 1, th*t all will be agreed on the gen#al import of the question— a point; arises as to the day of the week whichshouldbe set apart for the purpose. In dealing' with this view, a. correspondent writes — " lam most decidedly in favor of Saturday. That day will be objected to on the ground that it would interfere with the country business. My answer is that Saturday is the worst day of the week for that business, and to no one would it be a greater boon than to . country customers themselves if it could be changed. Banking business and office business generally is suspended at mid -day on Saturdays, whereas on other days the ordinary hours of labor are observed. That fact alone should reconcile, our couitry cousins to a change being made in the recognised day for them, transacting their business in town." At the special meeting of the subscribers to the Athenaeum, at the Society's Rooms, on Friday evening, 22nd, the attendance was barely large enough to enable the business to be proceeded with. The alterations proposed in the rule3 were however suob, as on the face of them, commended themselves, and therefore little discussion was needed. In the experience of the ' committee, a difficulty had been found in obtaining a quorum at committee meetings. It was therefore decided . to reduce the quorum to three, instead of five, as previously. The committee was also einpowerei to declare the office of any member of the committee vacant, on account of absence, without leave, from three consecutive regular meetings ; and to fill vacancies thus, or in any way, arising without an appeal to tbe subscribers. The accumulated (unfiled) provincial newspapers were' disposed of by Mr Osborne, under the hammer, at per pound. Four-pence per • pound w »s the general selling price, one lot realising fivepence, and the Dunedin Echo sixpence. We have received from Mr Charles Hursthouse, the well-known author of " NewZaalaud : The Biitain of the South," a copy of an introductory .chapter of a new work on which he is • engaged, entitled ".New Zealand as a HomePlanting Emigration Field." As it is proposed to embrace in the .publication a variety of useful information to intending emigrants, we fully anticipate that, from Mr Hursthouse's intimate acquaintance with the subject, a work of reference will be produce I which will materially assist the efforts o*f those who are engaged in the home country in making known the advantages which this colony offers as a field for emigration. At a meeting of the EJucation Board, held in Dunedin on the 21st ult., the Secretary submitted educational statistics for the year 1871, compiled from the returns forwarded by the teachers and School Committees. The returns showed that the total number of pupils enrolled at the elementary and grammar schools during that year was 8545, the average attendance being 5626, and the attendance at the close of the year 6645. The amount contributed by the Provincial Government towards the schools for salaries, repairs, rents of school premises, poor scholars' fees, and pupil teachers was £14,802. The payment by the districts amounted to £9361, of which £7693 were raised from school s£ees, and £1663 from subscriptions, donations, &c. A gentleman residing at New Norfolk, Tasmania, writes as follows to an Otago friend concerning the salmon experiment in that colony : — The parent Balmon hatched in the ponds here have been twice in the Derwent to spawn since their liberation. Salmon, according to my authority, Mr Ramsbottom, of Clitheroe, visit their original breeding places only every two years. We have parr, the results of two o£ these visits from the sea, showing that at an interval of one and a hall to two year*, the parent fish came to spawn. I have been down to see at least three veritable specimens of salmo salar, but not iu one case were the fish trumps. Still, a salmon will be taken some time, of thatyoamay rest assured; but eo far, this fish has proved more than a match tor the auglerd. As to trout, fish from one to nine pounds are constantly killed. Qne gentleman lately ..took six, which weighed over 301 bs, one of them being nearly 9U«, '