THE PROVINCES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue III, 26 May 1870, Page 6

THE PROVINCES.

Some alarm was occasioned amongst the occupants of the pit at the A merican Theatre, on Saturday night, by the cry of " fire" being raised. During the representation of "Phik -Maori," a settler's house is burnt by Maoris. When this scene came on, and the brand was placed to the scenery it blazed up very fiercely, and one or two persons — not thinking that it was "all in the play" — incautiously caled out "fire," and there was an immediate rush for the door, but the pit was so crowded that scarcely anyone got outside before the mistake was discovered. — • " Thames Star"

A half-cast Maori woman, named Lucy Grey, who claims to be an illegitimate daughter of Sir George Grey, has been committed for trial, charged with robbing an Adelaide contractor, named Moses Firth, of 9a sovereigns, while on a visit to

Melbourne,

In order to attract attention to the novel performance of a Maori war dance at the American Theatre on Saturday night, the mana^ment had prepared a large transparency mounted on a hand-cart, depicting the Maoris in full war paint. This Wage in the street caused considerable excitement. It is said to have been wilfully set fire too and we believe the matter will be investigated in the Police Court.

Another accident from keroseiw occured in a shop in Pollen-street on Saturday night. A lamp burst in the window, aud the oil which it contained spread in a liquid flame over some of the material, but the assistance of some the bystanders was promptly rendered, and the fire was extinguished before any great damage had been done. — .*' Thames Star"

The first shipment of preserved meat, from this colony to England, has just been made by Messrs Walton, Warner and Co , who are sending home 121 cases of 61b tins of preserved mutton, and 3 cases of preserved tongues, prepared by the Canterbury Meat Export Company (limited) from sheep grown upon the station of Messrs Cridland and Walton, on the Ashburton. It leaves in the Christian M^Aausland during next week, and from the superior quality of the meat we have seen preserved by this Company, we have no doubt a profitable and ready market for it will be found. The Company, are now in full operation, and shipments of this valuable export will now steadily proceed. We look to this new market for the disposal of the surplus stock of the country, and the improvement which is taking place in wool, as the means ere long of lifting the sheepfarming interest from the great depression which has so long hung over it We understand that the Canterbury Meat Export Company have their engagements made for some time forward, and the greatest activity pervades the works. — "Canterbury Times."

The "Charleston Herald" furnishes the following mining intelligence from Candlelight Flat : — In a gully, approaching Candlelight, Rice and party are ground sluicing abandoned ground, and report that it is paying them at the rate of from £10 to £12 per week. This party suffered considerably by the recent floods ; but damages to their races and dams have been repaired, and they are now in full swing. They anticipate having eighteen months' profitable work. — Taylor and party are now in, full work. Some time ago they purchased the engine claim; known as Mace"< and Co.*s. The have since abandoned the engine and erected a water-wheel forty-five feet in diameter, which drives ten head of iron stampers, each 40l)lbs. weight. We observe that a company has been started, under the style of the Auckland .Agency, Discount, and .Loan Company (incorporated), under the ? ;oint Stock Company Limited Liability Act, with a capital of £LO, OOO, in £20 shares, whose object is to make advances on from £5 to £500 to respectable householders.

A Christjhurch correspondent of the " Timaru Herald," commenting upon the defeat of Mr. Moorhouse for the Superintendency, refers to the work which that gentleman was the principal instrument in carrying out, and which has so much crippled Canterbury, in the following words :—"lt: — "It may be asked, could we afford to pay the enormous cost of the tunnel ? Were there no alternative lines of communication with the English ship \ The tunnel, however, is made, or rather supposed to be made, for heaven knows when it will be really finished (thank 3to somebodies), and being pledged to a tunnel — after opposing it at. starting — there are plenty of people who will agree with me in blaming Mr. Moorehouse, when in office for the second time, for not carrying out the railway to the ship. Even on the hustings at the present election, he laid no particular stre33 on this. Mr. Moorehouse, with all his talk about the railway, never appeared to comprehend it tho-

roughly as a scheme. And what had not that tunnel cost us? When shall we cease to pay for it] I don't mean in money, but in crippled means, in public works for which we have nothing left, in short supplies to road boards. The extra cost of the tunnel over other expedients would have bridged all the rivers, and roaded the province from one end to the other. The man who has a dozen or two of bad roads to get to market is now paying for the tunnel."

The Auckland "Evening Star," 13th April, says -.—That vanity is not the mere product of civilisation was this morning exemplified in a shaving saloon in Lower Queen-street. A Maori whose hairs had began to show a slight sprinkling of the snow of years, entering, requested the proprietor, Mr. Symonds, to restore the hairs to the hue of youth. For the sum of " ten herring," which he paid like a man and a brother, the Maori's locks assumed a raven tint, and he went upon his way rejoicing.

The pasturage rents in the Province of Canterbury for the year will amount to about L 34,000. Last year the rental was L 32,388. A late Auckland paper is responsible for the following : — Whether resulting from any particular state of the moon, a special conjunction of the stars, a peculiar electrical and magnetical state of the globe, or any unusual meteorological condition of the atmosphere, certain it is that Hymaa's rices are singularly fitful. His altars are so groaning to-day beneath the burden of human hearts laid on them in sacrifice, that we feel constrained to devote a special pargraph to his service. We are happy to record that this morning. G. P. Pierce, Esq., Manager of the New Zealand Insurance Co., has been united in marriage to Miss Connell ; Francis Innes, Esq., Deputy-Assistant CommissariakGeneral, to Miss Lyell ; J. B. Bradshaw, Esq., member of the General Assembly, to Miss Boulton ; — Willoughby, Esq , from the Waikato, to a second Miss Boulton ; S. E. Hughes, Esq. , solicitor, to Miss Ansell ; and two other gentlemen, as we understand, wellknown citizens, who this morning for ever renounced the liberty and joys of single blessedness, and led captive by the charms of female loveliness, have entered upon another and better state. We observe that the shipping are all flying bunting.

The TaurangaNews states that a canoe has been capsized on the Rotora Lace, with twenty natives on board. Eight jen were drowned including a chief of considerable rank.

The "Auckland Herald" remarks: — The news of the fall in the price of flax fibre has in some cases damped the ardour of those who were going largely into the manufacture of the article, but all owners of established mills are full of confidence. New Zealand flax must force its way into a high position . E nglish ropemakers may say what they like, but the factof the large sale which is effected of New Zealand rope by the Auckland ship chandlers speaks for itself. Almost as much native rope is sold as that of European man after urers. It is found that from one and a-half inch, to two inch is the most useful size for rope of native fibre. A large quantity of inferior stuff has been shipped away, but since the fall in price every endeavour ia being made to turn out a better article. Whilst on the subject of flax, we may mention the fact that we have heard complaints from some of our importers of European rape that a considerable quantity of New Zealand fibre has been found to have been introduced into its manufacture.

A petition has "been addressed to hia Excellency the Governor, praying him to declare the oity of Wellington a municipality under the Municipal Corporations Act. This suggests to our mind that Wanganui stands sorely in need of a carefully framed Act providing for it the means of Local Self-Government. Practically, the existing Town Board does not possess sufficient powers to deal properly with the necessities of the town, and the sooner it obtains them the better, — " Wanganui Chroaicle." The returns or the revenue collected at the different ports in the colony for the quarter ending the 31st March last, have been published. The total amount collected was LJ.99,664, being an increase of L 10,075 over the corresponding quarter of 1869. Auckland shows an increase of L4,0?7 over last year's quarter ; New Plymouth an increase of L 445 ; Wellington, an increase of L 2000; Napier, an increase of L 796 ; Nelson an increase of Ll,841 ; Westport an increase L 1,236, 236 ; Greymouth an increase of L 1,478 ; Hokitika, a decrease of L 5,466; Lyttelton, an increase of L 1,455;, 455 ; Timaru, an increase of L 10 0; Oamaru, an increase of L 133 ; Dunedin, an increase of L 2,954 ; Invercargill. an increase of L 30 2; and lliverton an increase of L 207.

The Auckland "Herald" says— "We are happy to learn that there is a speedy prospect of a good many of the rebel prisoners being strnng up at Wellington. A batch was tried at Opotiki, and found guilty. Many of these were old offenders, known to have been comrades of Te Kooti in his worse deeds. Five hundred Ngatiporou3 were conveyed home by the Stuart and Rangatira, and the prisoners were conveyed to Wellington by the Star of the South, as well as the Wanganui natives, to the number of four hundred, en route for their homes.

The "Thames Advertiser" says: — . " Ths cheif Ropata, of Ohinemuri' has sent a letter to Siortland, claiming a share in the £5,000 to be awarded for the discovery of a payable gold-field. The ground of R>pata's claim are : That the proclamation was for the discovery of a gold-field in any part of the province ; and that he, at a certain date, gave to Mr. John Williamson auriferous specimens from Ohinemuri. Ropata, however, forgets two things : that Ohinemuri is not yet opened as a gold-field, and that it has not been proved to" be payable. Therefore, till the Provincial Council proclaims another reward of £5,000, which they are not likely to- do, Ropata has no chance."

"Why are women like churches? Firstly, because there is no living without one; secondly, because there is many a spire to them; thirdly because they are objects of adoration ; and lastly, but by no means the least, because they have a loud clapper in their uppejestorey.