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Southland Times, Issue 1581, 21 May 1872, Page 2

i "Wo continue to receive complaints about tile disgraceful condition of the Dunerlin roacl, ..~ r ,~i~\}j- v-i-^n iTuutura and fopotunoa. 'JJie notorious " Williamson's Pinch," is becoming worse and worse. Our members should see to it without delay, if only out of consideration for the safety of their own necks on their return from their senatorial labors. The Town Council met last night for the consideration of bye-laws in Com'nitteo. The plans for the improvement- of the Puni creek reserve will be examined at a special meeting for the purpose, to be held at 2 o'clock to-day. At a meeting of the Railway Committee last night, some points connected with the Immigration Act were considered, and a sub-committee appointed to obtain further information. It was also resolved to take steps for ascertaining without delay the exact position of matters with regard to the Mataura railway. The return rifle match between representatives of the Volunteers of Invercargill and Riverton, comes off at the range of the former on the Queen's birthday (Friday first). It will be remembered that the Invcrcargillites were beaten at the Riverton range a few weeks ago. We should expect them to make better shooting at their own butts. If again defeated, the Riverton men will certainly be entitled to claim the palm of superiority. A dinner and ball will take place in the evening in the Theatre Royal. Judging by the preparations being made, we | should say they will be very successful. The Theatre was again well filled on Friday evening last. The promise of the Trial Scene in the Merchant of Venice ; and of the sth Act of Othello (the murder of Desdemona), attracted the attention of all lovers of the drama. Of Mr Tavar. s's Shylock, we have spoken before, as well as of Miss Surtees's Portia. We must therefore be content to say rnac eacfi ai3playocl their u™al excellence. In ' Othello ' wo were glad to find that Mr Tavares played tho ' Moor ' on this occasion, instead of intrusting so onerous a task to an amateur. This arrangement was a manifest improvement. The characters of lago, Bassanio, Antonio, &c, were necessarily delegate 1 to such local talent as was available, and this of course debars criticism. All intelligent playgoers recognisa the immense disaivanta^e good actors labor under when adequate support is absent in the representation of the subordinate parts. Tho most perfect Othello would be ruined by a Desdemona, whose appearance, language, gesture, or general presentment, outraged our ideas of Shakespeare's chaste, trustful, and loving wife. If this is felt by the audience, what must the actor feel when placed in such a position P It is no slur upon the amateurs present on Friday night to say that they were not up to the mark of professional acting. To expect this would be out of the question. Miss Surtees's Amelia, however, made amends for tho shortcomings of others. It was throughout a fine piece of acting, the best we have seen her perform. There wa3 no " patchiness" in it, it was good all through, no one part prominently better than another, a very common error, be it remarked. The slight farce, called the " Bashful Lover," was very amusing. The embarrassment of the simple lover, who was at a loss what to do when his pretty cousin laid her head on his shoulder, provoked shouts of laughter. Such lamentable ignorance is, we believe, rare nowadays. Education has made vast strides, and we opine that none of our young men now placed in such a trying position would bo likely to fail in promptly solving the difficulty. They understand " women's rights" better, whatever doubt and hesitation they may still feel with regard to hor ultimate " mission." " Man and Wife" was again capitally played, and well received. Mr Tavares delivered a most interesting lecture upon '' Charles Dickens " at the Club Hotel last evening. Very few people, wo feel sure, were aware of his intention, or a better audience would have been secured. The lecturer in a pleasing and graphic manner recalled some of the incidents in Dickens's remarkable literary career. In a clear and masterly style he indicated the peculiar nature of his genius, and ably supported his remarks thereon by examples taken from several of Dickens's works. The lecture was listened to with marked attention. Mr Tavares'e powers aB an elocutionist are of a high order. An amusing comic scene concluded a pleasant entertainment. Mr N. Salomon requests us to call attention to his announcement in our advertising columns that he has opened out his stock of jewellery in the Club Hotel. Members of the Southern Cross Lodge of Freemasons are reminded that the usual monthly meeting takes place to-morrow night at 7 o'clock, when tho ceremony of installing tho Worshipful Master for the ensuing year will be performed, the proceedings being appropriately terminated by a banquet. An Auckland paper of a recent date says :— ■ " Maoris are sending their children to schools where the English language is taught, both at the Thames and in Hawke's Hay. Mr Commissioner Locke states that in the latter province, at 3/Laketu, he saw a Maori girl acting as tutoress, and teaching European and half-caste children in the English language, and that great progress was being made." t

We ara ple-iserl to learn that thore is gome i prospect of the lino of telegraph being extended to Winton, the Inspector having examined on Friday last the respective merits of tho two routes, namely, hy Willacotown and up the North Road, a*vl along ihe railway line. It will bo observed from our advertising columns th.it that well-known hostelry, the Pi-inrv of W:il--ei, has pissed into the hands of Air Richard Powell, who lias so successfully conducted die " Albion" for some time p.ist. Tho f:ic:!i'r.-3 af!V<l"<.l by the Tnimi;»»tion A^t appear to be better appreciated in Southland than in Otnuo proper, at lenst as yet. A Dune.lin paper ?;^ s : — "During the month ending tho 11th Mlureli, li intending immigrants, equal ' to 125 adults, hsi'l passages procured for them by their friends here through tho local Immigration Otii.-o. From that date up to tho 10th of thia mouth, applications were mule to have 63 persons, equal to 58 statute adults, sent out. We cannot give any particulars as to the forunr, but we learn that tho respective numbers of the latter from the different parts of the United Kingdom were — Scotland, 25; Ireland, 18$; England 14^ ; total, 53. 25 of this number were described as domestic servants." A trial in Auckland of stuff taken from the margin of Lake Taupo, showed both gold and silver existing in small quantities. The Provincial Government of Tavanaki offers a reward of £1000 for the discovery of payable golduelds hi the province. Four deer are said by a correspondent of the Tuapeka Times to have been seen at the Remarkable Gap, between Nokomai and the Nevis, at an elevation of 6000 feet above the sea level. At the meeting of ths Otago Waste Land Board, held in Dunedin on the loth inst., Mr J. H. Harris applied on behalf of Mr AT Nab, that he might bo allowed to purchase his pre-emptive right on Run No. 194, under the 83 rd section of the Waste Lands Act, 1866, he having failed to purchase it in the ordinary way within the prescribed time. It was resolved that Mr M'Nab be instructed to apply in terms of the Act. The Rev. D. M. Stuart, of Knox Church, Dunedin, has had the degree of Doctor of Divinity conferred upon him by his alma mater, the University of St. Andrews. The Thames Advertiser says : — lt is currently reported in Auckland that the Norman romance mystery has been exploded by the filing, on the part of the claimant, Mr Jones, from Dunedin, of another affidavit, before his Honor the Chief Justice, partly apologising to the Judge and to the widow. It is said that since the proceedings in chambers, when the affidavits in opposition to her application were filed, Mr Jones has had an interview with Mrs Norman, and failed most unmistakably to identify hor as the alleged Mra Robertson, of Dunedin, milliner and barmaid. A Coromandel contemporary states that double the number of carpenters could be profitably employed there if they could only be obtained, and adds that there are great complaints of the scarcity of labor generally. All Freemasons Lodges in Calcutta and Bombay were to be put into mourning for three mon f ha, on account of Lord Mayo's death. The Auckland correspondent of the Lyttelton Times say3 : — Captain Huttou, the AssistantGeologist, was at the Kawa Kawa coal mines a short time back. In directing the miners where to sink for a seam of coal, he told them to go to a depth of 170 feet. It may interest some students of geology to learn that the seam was reached at a depth of 168 feet. Some of the miners expressed great admiration for Captain Button's accuracy. The Timaru Herald is authorised to state that Mr Stafford will not address his constituents thia recess. On April 17th, after a career of about seven and a-half years, the Timaru Land, Building, and Investment Society was officially closed, as determined by the following resolution pas-sed by a meeting of members on tho 12th of April — " That as all accounts in connection with the Timaru Land, Building, and Investment Society having been finally audited, and arrangements having been made f>r the payment of unrealised shareholders the accounts due to them,' and also for the delivery of all deeds to realised shareholders — the Society be declared finally closed on Wednesday next, the 17th April, 1872." During the existence of the Society a sum of £21,000 passed through its hands. Investors who remained until the termination of the Society received fifteen per cent, for their money. It is notified in last week's Provincial Government Gazette that Messrs G. F. Robertson, F. H. Geisow, and J. D. M'Arthur, have beon appointed by His Honor the Superintendent to be District Surveyors for the Hokanui and Oteramika, Aparirmi, and Ejre and Invercargill districts respectively. There are 56 boys and 45 girls at present in the Industrial school, Dunedin. Besides receiving educational instruction, the boys are employed alternately in keeping the garden in full working order, and the girls in general household work, sewing, &c. The average cost per child is 4s lOJd per week. A movement (says the N.Z. Herald) has originated with our local importers for establishing a freight company, owing to the enormous freight charges which Auckland merchants are compelled to pay Messrs Sh iw, Saville and Co. A much bettor plan would be to form a company, purchase half a dozen good iron ships, and lay them on tho line between Auckland and London. The company would, of course, have a London agent ; and full cargoes both ways could be absolutely assured. This being the case, thore need be no risk of loss uncovered by assurance, and as the company felt its ground it could easily add to its fleet. In this way, and in this way only, can we see the possibility of shaking off the Shaw Saville incubus. If it be true (and we believe it is) that the freight on any one of their ships — the Caducous for instance — on a single voyage, would buy the ship itself, there is so much greater eucouragement to establish an Auckland lino. Some years ago a threat to run a line of vessels from Auckland to London caused Shaw, Saville and Company to send out a better class of vessels than they had been in tho habit of doing ; but when it is possible to send New Zealand produce more cheaply to England by Victoria — paying steamer freight to Melbourne, and by sailing vessel thence to London — than it can be shipped direct from Auckland or any other New Zealand port, the necessity for a . change is apparent.