THE PROVINCES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 113, 7 April 1870, Page 6

THE PROVINCES.

At the Washdyke Boiling-down Establishment last week 1430 old ewes from the Pareora Station of the Canterbury and Otago Association were passed through the vats. The yield -of tallow from these sheep was 13lbs per head. During the present week a small lot of half-bred Leicesters will be boiled down. These halfbreds, averaging about 70lbs, will, it is expected, give close upon 281bs of tallotv to c&ch. sheep. — " Timaru Herald."

We understand that Dr. Haast hsra been offered the position of Colonial 'Geologist for Western x\ustralia, by the Government of that colony. The public will be glad to learn that Dr. Haast has declined the offer. — " Canterbury Times." Messrs. Price of Onehunga, Auckland, have completed a new flax machine, which is capable of turning out half-a-ton of fibre daily.

A correspondent of the Wanganui " Chronicle " relates the following incident: — An admirer of Maoris one day took a dark friend of his into the dinning room of the Wanganui Hotel, and the Maori complacently took off his boots and began to insert his digits between his toes in evident enjoyment of the operation. The odour, as of Araby the blest, speedily filled the room, and smelt so sweetly in the nostrils of a warm-hearted but impulsive Irishman, who formed one of a group of gentlemen in the room, that he took hold of the Maori and bundled him out neck and crop.

The Wellington correspondent of the " Wairarapa Mercury " writes as follows : — The Governor has been on a visit to the Waikato, and — wonderful to relate ! — directed, before starting, that all ceremony was to be avoided ! He actually sent telegrams to all the magistrates and principal settlers not to prepare addresses, &c. ; which forcibly brings to one's mind Leech's picture in " Punch," where a dialogue takes place, something as follows :—": — " Gentleman on horseback, meeting country boy — ' Now, don't take off your hat and bow to me, as you might frighten my horse.' Boy — ' I wasn't going to.' "

Two young mcii, named Thomas' White and Henry Cleaver (the latter a son of Mr. Cleaver, who some years ago kept the Plough Inn, at Richmond), lost their lives in a deep pool ia the Wairau River on the 1 lth inst. They had left Mr. Ockley's, in the Wairau Valley, to gather blackberries on the opposite side of the river, and it is supposed young Cleaver's horse became unmanageable, and fell with him into hole in the river ten feet deep, and that the other young man lost his life in attempting to rescue him, as they were found the next morning clasped in each other's arms. — " Nelson Examiner."

The p.s. Luna has at last been purchased by the General Government for the sum of £10,000, It is repotted that she will run as fast as the p.s. Sturt with only one engine ; and when occasion requires, she can attain a speed of sixteen and a-half knots by the use of both engines.

The New Zealand "Gazette" intimates that a fine of £100 will be paid to any one giving such information as will lead to the conviction of any person supplying arms and amunition to rebels.

A Coramandel correspondent of the " Daily Southern Cross" writes as follows: — News has just come to hand from the remote and somewhat inaccessible region of Whangapoua, of a rather awkward row between. Maoris and Europeans, which arose in this wise : — There has, ib is said, been a long-standing dispute between Messrs. Craig and Harris, which has been referred to law, and decided, if I remember rightly, in favour of the latter, with a provision that the former should have time to remove timber already cut. A day or two ago, as Mr. Craig's men were at work on the beach, near the mill, some one, supposed to be acting for Mr. Harris, ordered the men to knock off and give up their tools. This request they promptly declined. A threat, I am sorry to hear, was then made use of, to set the Maoris on to them, and put them in an adjacent water-hole, or words to that effect. A regular row then took place ; the Maoris did set on to the men, and tomahawks were brandished, if not used. The Europeans, seeing numbers to be against them, and that they would be fighting with long odds against them, gave up the contest. The matter, I believe, will be investigated in one of our law courts. Mr. Craig goes up to Auckland early next week. Coromandel must be growing in importance. We notice from our exchanges that a newspaper has started there entitled the "Coromandel Argus." The further details which have been published of events at Tauranga and the East Coast are calculated to excite both alarm and anxiety. It is true that much which is conflicting yet remains to be explained, but the main facts of the attack on Opape, and the massacre at Opotiki, still remain uncontradicted. There may be errors as to details, but it is clear that Te Kooti has recommenced the work of bloodshed and plunder. So far from the war being over it has assumed a more hideous phase than ever. It is "Maoris against Maoris." Te Kooti is evidently bent on revenge against those natives who have fought on our

side, and the massacre already heard of is, it must be feared, but the prelude to others. The Government are evidently unprepared for the grave crisis which has arisen, and judging by the past, the colonists have no confidence iri their ability to prove equal to the occasion. The prospect is indeed but a gloomy one, and the sooner the Assembly is called together at Auckland, the place nearest to the scene of disasters, the better will it be for the colony. The following amusing scene is described by a recent Auckland journal : — The other day a Maori gentleman who, like his pakeha iriends, no doubt, found business nearly at a standstill, resorted to the auctioneer's hammer to drive a little trade. Perching himself on the pailings of the market, he began to sell to the highest bidder, and without reserve, watermelons, kits of peaches, grapes* &c. A large crowd soon gathered, and •some spirited bidding ensued for the various lots. It was amusing to hear the Maori urging on his bidders with "Ka pai this kit," "Big melon this one, pakeha!" "How much you give ?" " One herrin — one herrin three cop — thank you — only one herrin three cop — going, going ; one herria sicapenny — £a pai." Prom the hearty manner in which his audience entered into the fun, we are pretty sure our would-be auctioneer drove a slashing trade for the time being. And when our dark friend came to the balancing up, he could very well report bidding brisk, prices highly satisfactory.

The Wellington Correspondent of the "Oatnaru Times," writing under date March 18, says, — The season for those last resources of " local" writers, the " monster gooseberries " has, I believe, passed, but if you want a yarn, I can give you a really tough one, attributedto no less aperson thanMr E. W. Stafford. It is a good one, even for him, and that is saying a good deal. It is as follows : — A few gentlemen were speaking about th« large yields of fruit in their Nelson gardens this summer, when Mr E. W. S. capped all by saying that a pear tree in his grounds had yielded this year one hundred and twenty four thousand pears, and that last year its yield was double that amount.

A dividend of £75 per share was lately paid in the Jamaica Claim at the Thames. The previous dividend, paid at Christmas, was £58 16s per share, this makes a total of £133 16s per share paid in less than three months. It is expected that there will be another crushing in a few weeks.

A trial lot. of about 3cwt. of quartz, sent to the Thames to be crushed from the Province of Nelson, was put through at the single stamper battery of Souter's machine, biit was found to be non-auriferous, not a single spec having been obtained from the parcel.

The Bendigo correspondent of the " Dunstan Times " writes: — A ll parties are pushing on work vigorously. The last excellent crushing of the Cromwell Company (nearly four ounces to the ton) appears to have given a fresh impetus to the place, which will probably be augmented when the Aurora Company washes-up. This Company are putting through some fine stone just now. They have effected an improvement in the race, and are able, notwithstanding the scarcity of water, to drive five stampers in place of four, as they have only been able to do for the past fortnight. The additional five-head battery is nearly completed, and when the rain comes the Company will be able to rub off their list of applications for crushing stone, which list is, I believe, a tolerably lengthy one.