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Southland Times, Issue 1590, 11 June 1872, Page 2

His Honor Judge Ward arrived by the Ran^itoio on Saturday^.. The sitting of the District ..Court, intended fpr to-diy at 11 o'clock, has, we understand,, been a.djoumed to the sama hour ' to-ißorrcrwi ■ ■.••• ' -. w ■ • . . . : __Weliave much pleasure in announcing that- a matter which has bpeh agitated in our. columns has at last received the attention -of the Gjvernpiqnt. In reply to a memorial requesting.- the erection of sheds at each of the stopping places on the Qxeti rail Wiiyj..at present provided on. ly with uncovered platforms, tho Wuilacotown road crossing, Makarewa, Hyal Bush, and Forest Hill, a letter has been received 'by Messrs Cochraa & s ' Black wood' f?orn 'the Government, stating that : authority had been given to provide the necessary accommodation. In the present severe weathor, the settlers will agree with us that this step lias •riot been taken a day top gpodj and we. hopo r no time will be lost jn carrying ouf this muchneeded improvement. •'■_'. ■. .!-.■! '■.•'. '.- Two hundred pure-bro'd Lincoln ewes arrived here on Saturday last by the Rangitoto. We understand that these sheep are from the stud flock of Messrs Taylor and Watt, Wanganui, andthat they are unusually good. One hundred of. them are for Mr B isstian of Dunrobin, fifty for Mr Bell of Waimea, and fifty for Jli\ llill of Wantwood. As it has been hitherto impossible to procure ewes of tiiis breed in Southland, we may congratulate the settlers on tho enterprise shown by these gentleman in making this valuable addition to the flocks of the Province. We have been informed Mint an intercolonial and inte'-provincial regatta is proposed' to be hold in" Port Nicholson, Wellington, about next; T?eb_ruary. The. principal ev&nf is .' to.' be a race between four- oared gigs, fop wliieli a prize~'of £150 is to be offeree!. r Thfere is also tb'ba a rujce for four-oared inrigged gigs, and a race 1 for wlmleboats. The.races are to be open to allcomers, whether professional or, otherwise. . , As it.^s well • known that this district possesses a fair share of "beating talent, wo expect that some of oiir local oar.-men are likely to pul in a olaim for a share in the representation of the Province at tlio.lbr.th:coming contest. . . . . . .... ; At! Kiverfon, on 'Saturday last, tho police 'appreheuded Jame3 /Mackintosh, sctilei- a,t the Limdstoije . Plains^ . on a warrant issued on the ! application of ilessrs Wluttiiigham-'Brothor-a.aTid i t Instpne, charging him with .the theft Of sacks, and-^jOO'bushels of oat3,-^the g|pj)oity of that firm. The case ia to be hear] in the R, M.'s 1 Court here to-day.

Our Bluff cot-respondent, writing yesterday, *ays : — As the Riingitoto was about leaving the wharf for Melbourne at daylight on Sunday morni:ig, a man was found hanging from the insile gan^w.iy of; the steamer, suspended by a fopo 'attache 1 to his nedv, 'and. immerse. 1 up to the 'waist' in the .water. . Capt.iinpM_ackie was promptly- on the spot, an I had him" brought" up on dc-k^bnt it was tw>n evident that life was quif£ oxtin^t. In the r.h.ienc.i 'of a .police ofli.'er, [he snp_,-cyi,l^vio^.,.of ..Custom.s w (Mr O'Toul;.') had (hoc otl.BS worn by thodfccascd searched, when tho f->il<)win^ ariinlrs were fi.iihJ : — Some tsilver, a silver watch, which had "stopped at 6.30, and a pocket-book c intaiuiiig sundry "prtpefg", besides a drift on the Bank of New .South Wa!o3 for £"297, issue 1 in favor of John Rod lon. An I iuquest was held by Dr llo^igkiuson, coroner, this morning, when from the cvi ! -no? of th- 1 niglit w.itjchmin' and others it was ascertained : that decea3.-i ha.i been a s'owoVay on board; j that lie had boen. .•walking about- the deck all nvj.ht ; that at 3 o'clock iv tho morninjr ho partook of some coffoo alon^ with the 'night watchman ; that in the course of conversation he sai 1 there were several detectives on board looking after him, ani frp.m other peculai-id s in his remifka, the watchman was of opinion fliat deceased 'was of ansorrad mind. A verdict that deceased ' committed suicide :w bale, in: .a state of tempo ary insanity was retuniecL ..When wil. the Grovernment light the BluiT wharf P This is the second case of drowning, to say notfflng of .the minor accidents, that has occurred there lately, and which might have been prevented had there been a light.'' To give, you an" example Of the danger there is on account -of the- want of tlis'necessai'y provision, I raay-sfca-te that it is only a few nights ago 'that a gentleman, a passenger by the Albion, fell, and sustained some severe bruises about the head. Such miserable accommodation for passengers as that afforded on this wharf, even in daylight, does not, I believe, exist at any other port in the colony. The business at the Resident "Magistrate's Court yesterd iy wa3 confined to a few civil cases of slight, importance, the charge announced ' :> be preferred by the police against Terronco Q-.illoway being deferred. Harvey v. iEirkwood -was , a claim for' "£8 8s 4d for professional services'. ] Judgment for £1 2s with costs, the- -remainder for defen laut, as the . pla.ni.uff had_omitted tq^. furnish defejida-nfc- with- a bill- •of costs, which it 1 appears is necessary before a solicitor can sue for charges 'incurred in defending a case in the Resident Migistrat ;'s CoOTt. ' • Snthf rland v. Hamilton was a claim for £10 for branding a bull calf alleged to be the property of the plaintiff. ' The calf- was proved to be -the? property of tho plaintiff, and to hivo been branded by mistake. Damages assessed at 30s, costs £7* 9s. Ryan v. Trumble^ was a claim for work and labor done, £3 9s 6d. The sum ot £2 10s was- paid into court, and judgment was given for that amount, the evidence being very conflicting. In Craig and G-ilmour v. Highett, £1 Bs, .and Mitchell .and .Co. v. Roebuck, defendants, dil not appear. Judgment ( for plaintiffs in default.! It may be well to mention, as a warning to . persons in . tlie* habit of attending /'the _.-ooart,that a man of the name of Thomas M'Ewan was sentenced to 24 hours 1 '- imprisonment, for contempt of court, by interrupting the proceedini!3 by; hissing; ■ --■ • • ■-- - - -. jl In reference to tha bottle that wa3 pickel up iri'Dfunedin, and taken to Lytteltonby Mr Morey, of Aaaroa,. contain ing a, document in refereace to tho lost ship MaftoakX fhe Lytteltbn Tinves 1 states' — " The handwriting of thejJpe.umeut published in Sur issu-3 of yostordsy, purporting to have been written, by the first mate of the Ma^oaka, has been closely and carefully compared with ship receipts—^in possession of Messrs Miles and Co! — and it is clear that the handwritings are totally 'dissimilar in every respect. It would thus appear 'that a very cruel and wicked hoax has been perpetrated, and, __taking everything into account there can be no doubt tint tho perpetrator was a person of some eduj.itrion, who was acquaiflfed with ocean currents. "Tt has been suggested jthat the X)unedin spiritualists, who some time back gave forth a vision about the Ma'toaka , alleged to have been seen by one of their number, may%now something about this so-callod mes~ sage, from the deep." Darwin, the greatest naturalist of tho day, has beepexperimenting on tho influence of bees in causing the growth of clover grasses. Ono hundred stalks of white clover wei'e planted and bees allowed access to them, and the result was that 2£99 seeds were produced by tho plants. T.wenty other stalks were cot.-out.in same locality, and sußjected to "the same treatment^' except that they were protected" from the bees, and not a^ single <■ productive seed was yielded. One thousand stalks of -revi clover were set-out, [from which bcea were allowed to gather honey, and they yielded 2"UO seeds; while from the same number, which bees were not allowed to "approach, no productiye seeds vvero gathered. An paper -says r — " Our end- of the Waikato railway is progressing- favorably. Tenders are invited foi the supply of <£fto)io. 'blo'ciing ■ ■'arid T rubble required at -Parnell tuhhel. The filling in at Mech'anjC3'~BYv v 'js^-,"Blowirig beginning" "to make :eome show, while Fort Britomurt is already almost numbered with the past. Its demolition, 'however, is a work of time arid patience. Some temporary delay has been caused by orders com-" ing down not. to fill in any. more of freestone until a sea-wall has been erected. This is in order to prevent any possibility of the silting up of tho hurbdr." We learn from the Lyttelton Times that 'a special meeting of the Presbytery of Canterbury was held within tho church at Hokitika on Wednesday evening, 22nd May, for tho purpose of moderating in a call to the Rev. J. W. Cree to be the minister of that congregation. There wore present the Rev. C Fra3er (moderator), W. Hogg], and Mr A. Scott, elder. The minutes of a congregational meeting were read, embodying a resolution, to provide, an ..annual slinend o£ £.100 _j with rannse. The usual for,in. of. calL was pro- i duccfl, aud was siguect by almost all present. There appear' to be some good claims at the Ljell, West Coast. A iwelVo daya 3 crushing iron) one yielded the owners £50 a man. A one-eighth shafrd in" th'ii claim recsntly- changed hands for jElbdO'/ancl'a jWrc." 1 ! of'tlii.-ty scrip found a puv:. chaspr at.N^'lsou for £1500. ; Complaints are made -in Auckland that' tho Cadets Gro qff-their vifl.es iu^tjia. streets waeu ' returning from parade. Half-a-dozen of thorn also JoufrftgetF 'the neryps.of an old gentleman who was peacefully" walking along the streets, by presenting their rifles at him. '

The Offtirn Roils Ordinance, IS7I , was brought into operation on tha 3th inst., by a proclamation by tho Superintendent, The Provincial Council of . Canterbury lias pn?3e<3 a resolution affirming' the expediency .of the General Government taking ths ..control and. skl ministration of the police^ force Niil \ tti&fc- Pxa— vmoK y ,;■ '■■.' %^~ ■■'-.. < *'"*^ .-'■f I '"' '.'"'.'. Amirw definition of n. geni\emin was givejijpthe Supreme Court, Wellington, lately, when a ! witness sni 1 a man was a gentleman beo'imo " he i did nothing." On hearing" tii'iiT, Mr' Juiiice \ Johnston said he had heard the word "go titleman" defined as ''-one who spent other people's moivy." ■ ■■- ■ Twelve men and a sergeant of tbo Armed I Constabulary arrived, in Dunelin. on the sth innt. Tlio district en-iin^er advertises in the West Coasi papers for three hundred men to be emI ployed in tlie making of a roal to Recfton, In;vngahua. Mi- Robert Tlirt, of Wellington, an! Mr N E Iw.irds, of XcUon, are to be called to th<> Legislative Council. ' f •'' ' A r.vthor ludicrous incident, for -the truth of which the Southern Cross siyg it can vouch, occurred iv con nee ! ion with certain- public .works proceeding no!- a thousand uiiiea from Auckland. A son of St. was instructed to take a ■'ray and proceed' to Tfewrriarket and 'brin^ in three "fro^s," a piece of ponderous railway furn'ture familiar to m>3t people wlicT Have seen trains bein? shunted froTi line to line. 'Pat proceeeded on his mission, and to the annoyance of his employer did not make his appearance till the evening-!-an annoyance wh'i'eh • gaye 1 ' place to another fooling ■vvhen^tiro cause -of .-the dela,y was explained. " Begorra, sir," said Pat, " shuvo an' wasn't I trying my best to find fche -bastes, and the people there all tould me that there ; was plenty of them, but they only came out at noight ' — and allure they're the very divil to catch." The Auckland Herald understands that there is a probability of an exhibition of works of art being held in Auckland next spring, under the auspices of the Society of Artists. One of the mo?t recent and ' interesting additions to the public col.ections at the Canterbury Museum is a male skeleton of the Troglodytes Gori'la, which was articulated under the •superintendence '>f Professor W;n. Flowers, F.R.S., Director of tho iluseum of tlia-R-oyal College of Surgeons, London," and was' considered before .'it left England to fye.-the, finest, and most perfect skeleton of the gorilla in existence. JLooking .at--fche size and form of th : o boaes of this creature, . no one cou!d have any doubts, s.iys the Press, of the correctness of the reports -of its enormous strength. Some other large additions for the Museum are on their way from Berlin, consisting, of a whole series . of vertebrate skeletons, and quadruped and bird skins from Central Africa. We are informed (says 'the Wellington Independent) that tho Government, afcer carefully considering the reports and recommendations of Mr FTuughton, and tho Engioeer-in-Ciuef, have decided to construct "worts for' the supply of Writer to the Thames goldfleld. The plan adopted is the pne known a 9 the " low level," and instructions have been given' for clearing' the- libe for tho raeo, and arranging for the." purchase of jiati've add privato lunds, through which in a few places tho racs must pass. - We pre3tima that the interest upon "the outlay will be ma"Je a charge upon the Provincial revenues, although there is very little_jdaub_t that tjie.wqrk will be a directly remunerative one. We must confess our astonishment that with Ao many wealthy. mining, com r puiies upon the Thames igoldfield the supply of water has not been taken up by public enterprise, | and wo cannot help expressing the opinion that tho Government in undertaking this work isnatfutig a concession to the 'Thames goldfield. which is hardly in accordance with the principle upon which {he Legislature agreed to provide ■money, for the assistance of works of , this kind,, upon goldfields. ' ; • : '-. Dr William Smith .is to edit ."A.. Primary History of Britain," in which an attempt will be.= 1 made to meet a difficulty which" lnw already" formed a topic of discussion atyschpol boards ; ■ he will"" endeavor to exhibit the leading facts and events of our history in a form '"free from', political and sectarian bias, and therefore suitable ; for schools in which children of various denominations are taught/ ' ' A gentleman in Geelong is about to try the experiment of snipping butter, in two .'pound. tins, to China. Some time, since .he sent some butter to Calcutta) and it. paid very well. . Horses and drays are scarce at Coromandel. £L 103 a-day is easily obtained for a pair of horses. Writing of the recent election for the city of Nelson, the local Colonist says : — Considering the position and antecedents of the two unsuccessful candidates ; considering the nature of their policy, if policy they can be presumed to possess, except that pf direct opposition to the Ministry ; considering, further, tho position occupied by Mr Liickie as an independent and discriminating supporter of the .Ministry ; .and above all, considering that for years Nelscta has beentho head quarters .of the ; mqit' virulent and unreasoning opposition to the Ministry and its policy, both of ( wjiich h'lve been steadfastly misrepresented. ancT maligned, this election fells ita own tale "of the opinion of the people respecting that opposition, and their desire to~gTve flic "Ministry a fair trial, hitherto !u!n fairly sought .' to be denied. Regarding tho nomination speeches, it may be permitted to us to say that, if Mr Luckie was somewhat pointed in some- of his references, there was good and necessary cause for his being so. Mr Richmond's speech was more than usually vigorous, and was both temperate and kindly natui-ed, and it contrasted with that- of Mr Sauntlers, who cTealt -even more than, ordinarily in personal assault, and was both less judicious and loss effective than his friends could have - desired." . . It; is stated that 'the rails for the trucks upon the road from the Kaitangata coal, pit to the Clti'na, Eiver are now being laid, and it is expect! d that in the course" of a week or a fortnight the icrport trade will commence. .' Hjiwke'fl Bay, according to the Herald, "is almost exclusively a pastoral Province, and is daily becoming more so. • Messrs Gr. F. Martin & Co. request us to direct littefitioiuFo ,the fact .that/the wool sale,_ advertised t.i t&ko pluce to-morrow, is postponed till the .22n& iii3t,,.on account of the inclemency of the weather preventing several lots from coining to hand in time.