Untitled

Southland Times, Issue 1698, 4 February 1873, Page 2

A serious assault wa9 committed on Constable Geerin about 10 o'clock on S ifcurday night, by a man named Thomas Allan, one of the Bubington immigrants. Geerin was conveying Allan to the lockup in Esk-street, having arrested him as drunk and disorderly, when he refuied to walk, and lay down. The constable attempted to raise him, when the prisoner stabbed him with a jack knife in the right arm. With the assistance of Carter, night watchman at the railway, Allan was ultimately locked up. Dr Griijor was iv attendance within a few minutes of the occurrence, and dressed the wound, which, though severe, is not considered to be dangerous. Several narrow escapes have lately oocurre 1 in crossing the Waimatuku. The passengers in the Riverton coach the other day, comprising several ladies and children, had to dismount in water waist-deep before the vehicle could be extricated. The want of a bridge has long been felt, and repeatedly brought before the notice of the Government. It would ceem, however, as if some fatal accident must occur before any action will be taken in the matter. We have seen a report by Messrs Jacomb and Co., of London, on the Knapdale wool of last season, in which that eminent firm speak in terms of unqualified praise of the clip. The report states that "the wool shows great improvement on former years, and in growth, condition, simplicity and correctness of classificitim, is without exception the best flock of New Zealand wool exhibited this season.'' The prices realised ranged from 2s s id to 2s 9d. Messrs Brogden's agents having received information that one of their immigrants, named Muniie, intended taking French leave by the Ironside, sent down a warrant by a special train on Saturday night for his arrest, and sued him yesterday at the Resident Magistrate's Court for tbe amount of his passage-money and advances. We understand that the land sales in the Southland district last month amounted to £9,000 acres. The formation of the Mataura railway to Woodlands is now completed, with the exception of 7000 yards of earthwork, which might ba finished in a fortnight. The estimated valua of the exports by the Ironside is £1.03,893 7s lOd. The children attending the Presbyterian Sunday School are to have their usual annual treat to-day, the site chosen being the same as last year, Chats worth, the property of Mr Adamson. An illustration of the old saying that it is an ill wind that blows nobody good is furnished by the fact, communicated to us by a country correspondent, that the recent hail killed large numbers of the caterpillars which were destroying th© grain crops. We regret to learn that Mr Watson, manager qf the Meat Prt serving Works at Woodlands, broke one of his legs below the knee on Friday last, by a fall. A meeting of the Railway Committee was held oa Friday evening, at which it was resolved to telegraph to the Superintendent and to the Minister of Public Works, to inform them that the formation of the Mataura line to Woodlands was now approaching completion, and to enquire when the rails and rolling stock would be sent down. A second meeting was held last night, at which telegrams were read from tha Superintendent, intimating that the matter had been laid before the Govern nent at Wellington, and that he would be in Invercargill, accompanied by the Provincial Secretary for Works, on Saturday next. No reply was received from the General Government. It was resolved that tha chairman (Mr Wood) be empowered to call a public meeting for Wednesday evening, in event of further and more satisfactory answers not having been received by Tuesday night. At the meeting of the Waste Land Board on Friday the following applications were granted : — John, David, and James Spence, 9080 acres, Taringatura District, and 720 Oreti Hundred; Walter Henderson, 112 acres, Wintou Hundred; John Murdoch, lease of 430 acres New River Hundred, under the tiuaber regulations. Sections 2 and 3, block 10, and 51a and 52a, block 7, New River Hundred, were withdrawn from the bush reserve for licensing to settlers only, and sections 19 and 20, block 10, New River Hundred, were added to the bush reserve. W. J. Moffett obtained permission to cut timber for the Bluff Jetty in the Kyal Bush reserve, under the timber regulations. From Flint's Bush and Jacob's River we learn that harvesting has barely commenced. A few patches of self-sown oata are already cut, and in many cases have proved to be very much injured by the recent hail-itorms, which have also done a great deal of damage to the turnip crop. Wheat and barley have not suffered so much, and as a rule look well. It is expected that most of the farmers will commence cutting next week . At Winton some of the settlers commenced last week, but operations had to be suspended oa account of the rain. Work will c general during the present week. The damage done by the late severe storms was not much felt in this locality. In the Mabel and Long Bush districts very little has yet been done in the way of harvesting. Another fortnight however will no doubt see the reaper at work generally throughout th« district. I

W« direct attention ti the prospectus of the National Bank of New Zealand, published in oar advertising columns to-day. The Bruce Herall gives Mr Murray, M.HE. a great deal of credit for havin.r sent a sarapU of tussack grass to Melbourne to be experimented on for paper-making purposes, and refers to the matter in §uch a manner Jas to lead to the belief that this was the first occasion on which the qualities of the grass had baen tested. This is not the oase. The Government of th» late prov&ce of Southland, sow five or six rears ago, sent a sample ton of grass to Lon lon, to the care of Mr Morrison, the agent for the then province, who duly reported on it to the effect that the material was highly suitable for papar-mak. ing, but that the cost of freight, Ac., would prevent its being utilised while cheipsr materials could be obtained. About two years sine c several gentlemen interest id in tho matter se nt j samples of the tussack to Mr Rimsden , proprietor of the Melbourne mills, with the result of finding that the freight charges would not leave any margin for an export trade in the raw material to be carriel on. Wd sh >uld not have referred to the matter had it not been from a desire to point out that, with the Government bonus of £2500 for the first 100 tons of paper manufactured in the Colony, and the abundant supply of fl*x and tussack, a very important industry might be profitably estab* lished. At a meeting of the Canterbury Flax Association, held to consi ler matters relative to an exhibition of flix-dressing machinery, a subcommittee was appointed to consider a report »pon the expense of holding the exhibition, an d other details. According to Auckland papers, the working of the newly -discovere 1 coalfield at Awitu — on the shores of the Manukau — is likely to be attended with the most unqualified success, and to add another rich industry to those already existing in that province. \.t one place thara is a seam aix feet, thick, only thirty feet below the su-face of the ground. The following new regulation under the Land Transfer Act has been gazetted : — The contributioo to the assurance I'uni in r>spect of land included in any Crown grant issued under the Native Lands Acts, due on the registration of suck Crown grant, may remain unpaid so long as no deilin** (other than the grant), nor any transmission affecting the Und included in such grant shall be registered. A case of strange hallucination is reported in the Christchurch papers at the local R M.'s Court. A farmer named Elija Smith, residing at the river Styx, brought a man named Edward Sales, in a cart, within the precincts of the Court, under the following circumstances : — It appears that Smith, whila out in a swamp at the river Styx, observed a man's head above the flux. He called out for the purpose of ascertaining who the person was, and receiving a very faint response, he proceeded to the spot, and found Sales in a per'ect state of nudity. Astonished at this strange discovery, Smith put a few interrogatories to Sales, and ascertained from him that he had been thnre for seven days and nights ia th c same condition, under tha delusion that he was an inmate of the hospital. Sales was so weak, from exposure and want of food, th.it he could not rise from the ground. Assistance was immediately procured, and Sales was attired in his own clothes, whi^h were lying about the place, and was brought to town as described. On arrival at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Mr Bowen made an enquiry into the circumstances, and ordered Sale* to be taken to the hospital, where he is now undergoing treatment. His answers to the Resident Magistrate were intelligible enough, but he was bo »veak that he could not sit up in the cart. The Melbourne Argus of Jan. 9 says : — A pleasing instance of the honorable feeling which is to be found amongst our traders here, as well as elsewhere, has just come under our notice. Mr Daniel Inglis, shipchaadler, who was unfortunate enough to be compelled to eompoan 1 with his creditors a few years ago, having since met with sufficient success to enable him to do »o, has this week paid off all his creditors ia full. Hooping cough is said to be prevalent at Tokomairiro. Some mauvais sujets, with an eye to a practical joke, rigged up a lay figure in the shaving chair o! a well-known tonsor on TaupD Quay. Wanganui, a few days ago, whilst the knight of the lather brush was absent from his saloon. On his return, says the Chronicle, seeing what on a cursory glance he took to ba a customer ready for the razor, he tucked up his sleeves, dabbed his brush into the lather pot, and turned to the customer, who, with his feet on cushiou, seemed quite at his ease. The scene that ensued on the shaver finding out the character of his customer may be imagined, described it cannot be, as our knowledge oi the German is not sufficient to warrant our attempting to report the exclamations of the irate " professor" as he capsized the figure and put away his instruments of tonsure. The local papor urges the desirability of providing gasworks for Oamaru. Skylarks (says the Lyttelton Times) are becoming very numerous in an! about the township of Lincoln. Their thrilling notes are constantly heard in the morning, and one gentleman states there are at least halt a dozen birds on his own farm. A Papakaio correspondent of the North Otago Times says : — Harvest operations are proceeding rapidly, and though we have suffered somewhat from the recent high winds, I am happy to say that the wheat has sustained little damage, though the oats have suffered greatly. Strange to nay, we experienced a very sharp frost this morning (22nd ult). The Taieri Agricultural Society proposes to hold a match this season for the trial of reaping machines. The Provincial Secretary requests chairmen of the District Road Boards to inform him of the amount likely to be raised by rates in each district prior to the 31st March, in order to arrange for the distribution of the subsidy voted by the General and Provincial Governments respectively. The Provincitl Government Gazette of the 29th ult. contains a proclamation by His Honor the Superintendent that the following roads in the Lindhurst Road District hare been appointed main district roads : — The Mabel road, the Mill road, the Bridge Inn road, the Woodlands road, and the Halfway Bush road. |

At the meeting of the Otago Wa9te Land Board, held in Dunedia on the 23th ult., a petition from resHents at Switzers, requesting that run 328, and known as " Gow'a," should not be sold, and which had oome before a previous , meeting, again came up. The Government — to whom the petition had been referred — resolved in the interval that the sale be proceeded with. It was resolved to inform the petitioners of the decision of the Government, and also of the condition in the lease that the agricultural land on the ran could be resumed by the Government at any time without compensation. At the Theatre on Saturday night, " Black Eyed Susan" was given to a very fair attendance — a large one for Saturday. The piece has for many yeara been a fayorite, although now a-days the public taste somewhat objects to the extremely nautical phraseology once so popular. The careful acting of Mr O'Brien as the sailor hero William, however, overcame this difficulty, and at no time has that versatile actor better pleased the audience and proved his own powers* la a part essential!/ different from those hitherto attempted, his success was assured. The rapt attention of the house during the trial scene, and his parting with Susan, fully proved this. The piece is perhaps not one of the highest order, but it affords ample scope for a really good actor in the part of William, and it is but justice to Mr O'Brien to say that he made use of it. Mr South, as the bailiff, was very comic, and afforded a pleasant relief to the more pathetic scenes The part of the hard-hearted landlord, uncle and old humbug, was well done by Mr Hesford. Susan was entrusted to Mits Alice Bray, whose performance was exceptionally good, especially in the parting scene. Mr Patchett, as the Captain, made the most of a not very agreeable part, and we need not say Mr Wotton, as the nondescript amphibious creature, part sailor, waterman, and marine storekeeper, was all that could be desired. Mrs O'Brien, as Dolly, was very piquant and pleasing. Last night the American sensation drama, " UnHer the Gaslight," was produced with mechanical and scenic effects which reflect the greatest credit on the talent and industry of the company. The Theatre was crowded from floor to ceiling, and the interest and excitement of the audience were maintained at the highest pitch throughout the performance. The culminating point of course was the celebrated train scene, which was exceedingly well managed. The sound of the railway whistle, and the appearance of the train in the distance, while Snorkey (Mr O'Brien) lay bouud across the rails, caused a breathless moment of suspense, and the rescue effected by Laura Cortland (Miss Alice Bray) wko had to break out of the goods store at the station to be in time, was n»t a second too soon, the train passing across the stage immediately after with highly realistic accompaniments. The different characters were ably sustained by ihe company, assisted by several amateurs, Mr Souths impersonation of the villain Byke being especially successful. Pressure upon our space forbids a more detailed notice in this issue, but we can confidently recommend the performance to our readers as being worthy of their patronaje.