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Southland Times, Issue 1729, 18 April 1873, Page 2

The announcement of the death of John Ellis, Esq., the largest freeholder in the Southland district, appears in our columns to-day. It is but recently that the deceased gentleman visited his Southland properties of Five Rivers and Merrivale, and the news of his death will, we doubt not, take many of our readers by surprise. We have heen requested to state that a petition to His Honor the Superintendent, pointing out the necessity for some immediate steps being taken to improve the condition ofthe East Road, in order to keeo it open for traffic during the winter months, lies for signatu-e at Messrs Stock and Co.'s and Mr Goodwillie's, Tay-street, at the Bridge Inn, and at Mr J. A. Mitchell's Waihopai Hotel. The following telegram has been received by the Mayor (Mr Wood) in reply to a request that plans and specifications for the first section of the Winton-Kingston railway should be sent to Invercargill : — " Minister for Public Works regrets that he caunot comply with your request relative to plans, &c, for Winton and Kingston line being exhibited at InvercargiU. A sot of plans from elsewhere would have to be withdrawn while being copied. — Johk Knowles, Under Secretary for Publis Works." An opportunity of interviewing Mr Richardson as he passed through Invercargill yesterday appears to have been lost. Sir Francis Dillon Bell addressed his constituents in the school-house, Campbelltown, on Tuesday evening. There was a good attendance, and the audience seemed highly pleased with the address, which was, as a matter of course, to a great extent a repetition of that given in Invercargill on Monday evening. In reply to Mr Fordham, Sir F. D. Bell said that he always thought it was an aot of the greatest folly to remove the. signalman on the Bluff hill, and that he had spoken ou the subject to His Honor the Superintendent, who assured him that a sum i

would be placed on the estimates for the purpose of maintaining the signal station, and thafc the signalman would be replaced as soon as the Council voted the money. In reply to the same querist, Sir F. D. Bell said that he had only heard of the lease of the AuckUnd Islands the other day, and was very much surprised at it, and meant to enquire into the matter. A vote of confidence was proposed by Mr Smith, seconded by Mr Horrobin, and carried unanimously. In acknowledging the vote Sir Francis thanked the meeting for the courteous and candid manner in which be hid been received, and said that it was of i nportitnee that men of leisure, independence, and standing should take a share in the government of the country, but that such men would not readily be induced to do so unless fairly and courteously treated when they met their constituencies. The manner in which he had been received was all the more pleasing to him as ifc waa in such marked contrast to the spirit evinced by a small section of the meeting he had addressed oa the previous evening at Invercargill. Mr Peter M'Kellar's station, Longridge, has lately been purchased by Mr Larnach, of the Bank of Otago. The price is stated at £34,000. It is stated on good authority that negotiations are now proceeding between the G-eneral Govern • ment and the Provincial Government of Otago for the purchase by the former of the Bluff Harbor and Invercargill and Invercargill and Winton railways. From a private telegram, received in town last evening, we learn that Mr Conyers, the Rail way Manager, who is at present in Dunedin, is likaly to be permanently removed there. Mr Donald Reid is to address his constituents at Mosgiel on the 23rd inst. Tho Tuapeka paper says that petty larceny seems to have become an established industry iv Lawrence. A new pneumatic dredge is about to be placed on the Molyneux, near Clyde, by Hastie and party. In a recent case before Mr W. H. Pilliet, R.M., at Akaroa, the Rev. W. Aylmer, the local . Episcopalian clergyman, objected to having the oath administered to him, saying that as a Church of England clergyman he could testify without being sworn. The magistrate said he had never heard such an objection before, and insisted on Mr Aylmer being sworn. The Wellington Independent says that~ Mr Thomas Russell, of Auckland, who proceeds to America per Nebraska, en route to England , has consented to act as an unpaid agent of the Government to recover the penalties incurred by Mr Webb. Mr Russell is also to make enquiries regarding the prospects of a future service, but he is not empowered to conclude a contract until it has received the sanction of Parliament. Mr William Gray, of the Post Office Department, proceeds to America in charge of the mails, and he will assist Mr RusseU. The Volunteer Encampment, held the other day at Christchurch, is said to have been a failure, owing to the paucity of the attendance. In the big gun contest the Wellington Artillery carried off the palm. General satisfaction was expressed with the way in which th j y handled the gun, and they were complimented by Colonel Packe. The remains of a large bird, presumedly a Moa, has been unearthed on the Ahaura Plains, West Coast. It ia a significant fact (says the local paper), that among the written applications made by unmarried females for the post of assistant teacher at the Westport school, one letter alone was free from orthographical errors. The Nelson Mail says : — We have been requested to warn the public that a quantity of spurious coin consisting principally of sixpences is now in circulation in Nelson. The stamp is a perfect imitation of the genuine article, but the spurious coin is easily detected by its greasy feel. A Dunedin paper says that the Hon. Mr Richardson, Minister for Public Works, has taken delivery of the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway, on behalf of the General Government. In future fche management of the undertaking will be left, however, in the hinds of tlie Provincial authorities. A fixed sum will be paid annually by the Province to the General Government as interest on the purchase money, and tbe Province will receive any profits which may accrue after such payment has been made. The Times of India, of March 3, sayj :— " The Government of India have decided to establish a reserve of a thousand horses for army use, and have announced their intention of purchasing during the next few years a considerable number of remounts for the Bengal army in the open market — the number required during the present year being 1200, next year 1000, and in the following year 650. For the encouragement ot breeders an exhibition of English and colonial horses will be held at Calcutta early in 1874, and two others in the N.W. provinces and the Punjab, at which prizes ranging from 3000r. to lOOOr. will be competed for, Government having a right of pre-emption of any horses exhibited at a price fixed by the exhibitor beforehand." I The manner in which the Sydney Legislative ' Council disposed of Mr Parkes' a great Reform Bill was very neat. On the motion for the first reading (says the Sydney Morning Herald) the President called attention lo the nature of the bill, and cited several authorities on Parliamentary law to show thafc it was regarded as contrary to British Constitutional usage for one House to initiate measures affecting the rights, privileges, or powers of the other. The following amendment was moved by Mr Docker — " Thafc this Council declines to take into consideration any bill for repealing those sections of the Constitution Act which provide for the constitution of the Legislative Council, unless such bill be originated in this Chamber." This amendment was carried by a majority of 21 to 1, Mr Samuel being the only dissentient. The Lyttelton Times states that the value of a leasehold run in Canterbury, fairly stocked, ranges from 15s to 20s per head of sheep. Otago is unrepresented at the conference of Chief Surveyors of the various Provinces now being held in WeUington. Quartz prospectors in the Hokitika Valley have reported lately not only the existence of likely looking reefs, but hot sulphur springs whioh they represent as having been found at nearly boiling heat. In his work on AustraUa and New Zealand, Mr Anthony Trollope says : — I suppose that a young people falls naturally iuto the fault of

self-adulation. 1 must say somewhere, and may as well say here as elsewhere, that the wonders performed in the way of riding, driving, fighting, walking, working, drinking, love-raaking, and spe^chmaking, which men and women in Austra Li told me of themselves, would have bee r i worth recording in a separate voluice, had they. been related by any but the heroes and heroines themselves. But reaching one as they do, always in tha first person, these stories are soon received as works of a fine art much cultivated in the colonies, for which the colonial phrase of " blowing" has been created. When a gentleman sounds liia own trumpet he " blows." The art is perfectly understood and appreciated among the people who practise it. Such a gentleman or such a lady was only " blowing !" You hear it and hear of it every day. They blow a good deal in Queensland, a good deal in South Australia. They blow even in poor Tasmania. They blow loudly in New South Wales, and very loudly in New Zealand. But the blast of the trumpet as heard in Victoria ia louder than all the blasts, and the Melbourne blast beats all the other blowing of that proud colony. My first, my constant, my parting advice to uiy Australian cousins is contained in fcwo words — " Don't blow." At New Norfolk, Tasmania, tho hop crop is much heavier than was the case last year. Over 500 acres are in full bearing, and nearly 8000 men, women, and children are employed in picking. The popularity of the Magnet Troupe continues to draw good houses at the Theatre. On Wednesday night a great number of young people were present who appeared to be much amused with the oddities of Messrs Buckley and Holly in their Negro delineations, the pedestal dance as usual being much admired. The acrobatic performances of Lottie, and her brothers Frank and Victor, continue to be the chief feature of the entertainment. The skill, rapidity, ease, and gracefulness displayed in the execution of their wonderful feats must be seen to be appreciated. There seems to be an absence of effort in going through the most dangerous movements, which has the effect of setting the audience perfectly at ease, so far as risk of accident is concerned. Mr Small manages each evening to present some pleasing novelty from his extensive store of comio songs, "The Unfortunate Man," aa usual, eliciting hearty rounds of applause. All theatre-goers should certainly embrace the opportunity of witnessing this really first-class entertainment. The Treasurer to the Southland Hospital desires to acknowledge the receipt of £4 5s from W. and D. Lockhart, being their own subscription and contributions of workmen employed at their sawmill, Bluff Road. By a typographical error which occurred in the report of the meeting of Presbytery, published in last Friday's paper, the word " lay" was printed " law" in the following sentence : — " It was agreed that the Synod's remit anent the employment of lay agents be- taken up at the next ordinary meeting of Presbytery."