LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 116, 28 April 1870, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

No fewer than 1.10 persons have responded to the advertisements which appeared in the homo newspapers inviting applications for the professorship in the Otago University. On Monday next the celebrated BeU Ringe?s will make their appearance in the Lawrence Athenaeum in their clever entertainment, which has given so muph satisfaction in Dunedin, wheie they have had crowded houses. We have no doubt they will be well patronised in Lawrence, Ode Blue Spur correspondent writes, on the 25th inst., as follows :— Mining matters are much about the same as when I wrote last. The water races are well occupied, although four claims are idle. Had these four claims been sluicing, water would have been very snarce this last fortnight. The Great Extended Co. fired a heavy blast, the charge of powder being 2 tons G cwt. ConsiJeiing the quantity of powder, the execution of the blast was not so great as might have been expected. The Perseverance Co. are making great progress in lowering the crown of the Spur, considering the difficulty they have to contend with. The Otago Co. fired a blast on Saturday evening last, the charge consisting of 120 bags of powder. The debris was not thrown %rb so well as in the case of some of their former blasts. Mr Nicolson, the Surveyor, from Lawrence, was present at the explosion. He will now be able to give scientific evidence upon the next commotion at the Spur. The four litigant claims are still idle, and between eighty and ninety mouths are depending upon the working of these claims for food. The holders of these claims inteud to commence their iluining to-morrow. Part of your leading article which appeared in last week's issue specifically states what steps should be taken to prevent this expenditure and fruitless litigation. Your sentiments are fully eudorsed by many. If a Mining Board was organised on the Spur, the voters would have to be very careful in their selection of members, for if a sample of the late jury in M'Nab's case got returned to judicate, the whole Spur would soon be insolvent ; but heaven forbid that I should attempt to class the Blue Spur miners with those of "Wetherstones. One of the jurymen in M'Nab's case told me personally that, on retiring to the consulting-room to consider the verdict, one of them made a bold stand for '£,210 damages, notwithstanding tha judge informing them (the jury) that one of tho -indictments had fallen to the ground.

Me. Charles Matthews is drawing crowd _ houses in Melbourne. The Colonial Rifle Match was tytakepli.iin Dunedin yesterday and to-day.^* THE Hon. W. Fox was to address the citiz'.:of Dunedin last evening at the Princess TLi« tre. Me. M'lndoe was returned for Cavershar for the General Assembly by a majority of 'i^^H The voting was as follows :— M'lndoe, Ko^^ Cutten, 71 ; Graham, 16 ; Robertson, 9. Messes. Nicholas Bros, have arranged, .. consequence of the severe weather, to exte.. the period during which they will take cartes !• visite at 20s. per dozen to Thursday, the L:_. proximo. The Rev. Mr. Menzies will deliver a lectr-c in the Blue Spur Schoolhouse, on Friday cvi . ing, the sth proximo, at 7 o'clock, on beh:.u of the school funds. Subject— " General Pi . verbs," The usual monthly meeting of the Schoe Committee will be held in the Schoolhouse, oi Friday evening, at 7.30 p.m. ; the Town Council on Monday, and a special meeting of tl Hospital Committee on Tuesday. The estimated income and expenditure of tl Corporation of Dunedin, for the ensuing yea is published in the Government " Gazette ' Tire income is set down at £3,200, aud the c. pendituro at £15,43(1,, making a deficiency c £12,286. Mr. Di'.r, of Pioton» has completed " v Marine and Sea, Coast View," executed in u.istained woods of the Colony. It contains nineteen different kinds of wood, is foiineil of 1,0; pieces, and has occupied ntailyfour years v the construction. W& are requested to state that the AtheDan;.; Headings will commence without fail on Thura day evening, May 12th. Ladies and gentlenu--who will contribute to these entertainme.it.will oblige the committee by intimating t;.. same lo tiie Secretary, at the Athenaeum. Mh. Taylor, of Tuapeka Mouth, showed .;s the other dity somj beauUful carrots aud oui >.is grown ou his farm by the side of the Mulyntu We have not seen their equal in the districtbeautiful well-formed carrots weighing 4^ i.j«. Mr. Taylor's f.irm is welt protected from t!v storni3 by the surrounding bush. We ate informed th.ifc our worthy Mayor, • .i behalf of the residents of this district, has a.. - diessed a letter to the Colonial Secretary, w.., is aow in Dunedin, i - equesting him to exre,. i the jurisdiction of the Lawrence District Coa - to the sum of £2JO. No reply has yet b(,- n received, but we have reason to believe the <tquest wi'l be complied with. At the usual meeting of tho Waste Laink Board on IFednesday, the 20ch inst., Mr. Jo.,- . Pearson made an apjuicii/ion to puroh.vio s-.-tio:is :"iO, 51, 62, and bioak 11., Tu.t;^... east. The sections were held by him uiFl< c agricultural lease The application a\-.. giantcd, with the stipulation that the purchase money should be paid iv witliia a mouth fiv^ date. A CORUESPOSD2ST informs us that the damage done by the last IlooJ. to one of tliea iiroiicb.es to the Benger Burn foot bridge^^, been lepaired by Mr. Darr, road overseer, «. ><1 three of his men. He also informs us cl . t that portion of the load in tlie vicinity of th~ bridge requires looking aftei, and consider > that a few day's woik would put it in fit,j order for the winter. The road on Moa Flu , according to our correspondent, is iv a uu - gerous state, caused principally by the watti races flowing over it. Could not the Wardou of the district compel race owners to provide propei crossings at these particular places ; We imagine it is their business to do so. Capt. Sheuard Osboene arrived in Adelaide 5 by tLe list mail, on behalf of the Briti&LAustralian Telegraph Company, to make atraugeuients with regard to the line of telegraph • which that Company purposes extending f-. Australia. One rather uncommon feature ia this Company, and which fallows their strength and the faith they have in the project, is to 1> » found in the fact that they ask for no subsidy, but intend carrying out the work as a matter purely of speculation. We trust they will be successful, if so, we may expect in twelve oi eighteen months a direct communication between Europe and New Zealand. The Wellington correspondent of the " Oamaru Times " takes the following sensible view of the manner in which the Maori rebels should be treated :—": — " By-the-bye, a Government telegram received here announces that the prisoners are coming down here to be tried. Surely the farce of State trials is not to Le played over again. What was the use of tho ' Summary Jurisdiction in Disturbed Districts Bill,' passed last s,essiqn, if it was not to give the sanction of the law to prisoners taken iv arms being tried on the spot and shot ? A sharp short trial, an hour's breathing-time, and then an ounce of lead ' well delivered,' should be the treatment of each Maori taken with arms in his hands ; and till it is, we shall have no peace. Every possible shade of the ' peace-and-kind-ness policy ' has beeij tried by successive Governments, without any success, for the last twenty years, and we are as far off now as we were at the beginning from any definite solution of the difficulty. Indeed, we are further, for we have most generously supplied our enemies with arms and ammunition to use against us.