LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 124, 23 June 1870, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It ■will be observed by advertisement that Dr. CaiT the celebrated mesmerist will not appear in Lawrence till next Thursday. The Athenseum Headings will take place thi3 evening, commencing at 8 o'clock punctually. The programme is a good one. The English mail via San Francisco will close af the Post Office, Lawrence, on Wednesday evening, the 29bh instant, at 8 o'clock. W. A. Tolmie, Esq., of Dunedin, has been Gazetted as Deputy-Superintendent in the absence of His Honour James Macandrew, Esq. We are informed that Mr. Georga Walker has sold out all his interest in the Lawrence Coal Pit to Mr. Philip Uren ar.d Mr. Enoch Tonks, for the sum of £650. Dr. Halley's dog "Cnrio," three years old, and only weighing 200z5., died from a cold the other day. This is the smallest dog we have known in the colonies. Our local naturalist purposes having Curio stuffed and placed in his^ museum. m. We are requested by the collectors of the fund in aid of Mrs. Richards to state that as the list of subscribers will be published next week they will be obliged if those gentlemen, who have not yet paid the amount of their subscription, will be kind enough to do so.

A CDRiosrrr was handed to us the other day in the shape of a gullet knife, bearing the following stamp on the steel : — " Deane, London Bridge, a. d. 1700." It was fonnd at Evans Flat, and is in a complete state of preservation. The wood of which the handle is formed is as hard as the blade. Any person interested in relics of the past may see this curiosity at the office of this paper. In the R.M.s Court on Tuesday, June 21, before W. L. Simpson, Esq., E.M., and Alex. Stewart, Esq., J.P., the adjourned applications for Bottle Licenses of Mr. Cox and Ah "Wing were considered and granted. The application of Robert Grieve, for a General License, Blue Spur, was brought before the Court, but on account of the building not being finished, the applicant to apply at the next sitting of the Court. At the usual meeting of the "Waste Land Board last wpek, the valuation of improvements made on sections 13 to 22, block X., Tuapeka East, was approved. The following application* to purchase agricultural leases were granted :—: — John Smith, section 42, block III. ; James Docherty, sections 5 and 6, block I. ; William Smith, section 54, block 111., Tuapeka ; E: Lancaster, sections 4, 10, 8, 9, 11, and 5, Crqpkston district.

A Wetherstones correspondent writes as in the following strain, with reference to the quadrille party lately commenced in that place : — " All the old mouldy bachelors of Wetherstones have formed themselves into a quadrille party in the hopes of getting themselves a little refined. But, having failed to get any of the fair sex for partners, they have invited all the married women in the place. As a matter of course, their husbands have to stay at horn« and nurse the babies, while their wives enjoy the spree."

From the following extract, which we make from the "Fiji Times," it vrould appear that the Fijis are not the Goshen they have been sometimea represented :—" "We are sorry to hear that Mr. Dixon, whose plantation is near to Kubalau Point, has been attacked by the natives of "Wainunu, and severely beaten. — The late heavy, and long continued rains, have destroyed much cotton on Vanua Levu. and April hitherto has been an exception to our April weather. The rains are later this year than usual, and on Ovalau, we have probably had more than bur fair share, for we have had rain almost every day and all daylong. Vs Xaofc lor fiae. weather now.'*

FfiOH the ** Fiji Times " we learn that the cotton planters in the various islands of the Fiji group met at Levuka on the 14th April to take steps towards forming a society for the mutual protection of the life and property of the whites against ,the outrages committed by the natives, A committee of settlers was appointed to prepare the constitutions and rules of the proposed corporation. The Lapwing arrived -at Levuka on the 13th ApriL We observe the passenger, list contains the names of our late townsmen Messrs. Clark and Smith. The Rev. H. L. Gilbert delivered a lecture in the Athenaeum, on Tuesday evening, on "Tin and Copper Mining in Cornwall." Mr. Jamison occupied the chair. The attendance, considering there was no public notice of it given, was pretty fair. The lecture was a most interesting one, and was illustrated by diagrams of Mr. 'Gilbert's drawing, which enabled his audience minutely to follow him in every detail through all the labyrinths of a Cornish mine. It was all the more interesting from the fact that Mr. Gilbert merely recited the story of his own experience as a miner in Cornwall. The lecture embraced the entire working of a mine from the sinking of the shaft to the raising of the mineral and its preparation for the smelting process. The lecturer carried his audience with him in his vivid description of several scenes of danger through which he had passed, and the providential escapes he had experienced. The mine which the diagrams illustrated was the well known Botallic mine, which the fcrince and Princess of Wales visited in one of their Cornish tours, and in which Mr. Gilbert worked for several years. The lecturer's description of the setting day, pay day, and sampling day were highly interesting, We can easily understand that the contract system adopted in the working of these mines has had much to do in nurturing that manly and independent spirit which characterises the Cornish miner, meet him where we may. A correspondent furnishes us with the following particulars of the anniversary ball and supper of the Eoxburgh Lodge .— " On Thursday last the Oddfellows of the Roxburgh Lodge celebrated their first anniversary in Beighion's Assembly Rooms. The attendance, although not so large as was anticipated, was very fair considering the bad weather, and awful state of the roads- Members from the Tuapeka and other Lodges, who had intended being present, showed wisdom in staying at home. The supper, provided by mine host, P.G. Bro. Beighton, was all that could be desired to satisfy the appetite of the most fastidious, perhaps had an extra glass of beer been included in the ticket, a few grumblers would have been satisfied. The supper was not characterised by the usual toasts, and speech making was unknown. Before the tables were cleared for the second part of the dance programme, Mr. James Smith favoured the company by singing a local song, which appeared in one of your recent issues, and which was so well given that it elicited an encore. In a few minutes dancing again commenced, and was kept up till daylight. I was highly amused with two or three Scotsmen, who were greatly indignant at the absence of Scotch reels from the programme. After their continued importunity, the M.C. — who could not be said to excel in the performance of his duties -kindly granted their request in one or two instances. The ladies turned out well on the occasion, there being number sufficient for three sets and to spare Mr. Burton's performance on the harmonium gave general satisfaction. Altogether the anniversary was a success. The following extracts from a letter ieceived by Mr. M'Beath from Mr. J. M. Clarke, late of Lawrence, will be interesting to our readers :— "Levuka, Fiji, April 18th— We arrived here after a fifteen day's passage, pleasant in the extreme, with the exception of a fifty hour's gale, in which the deck of the Lapwing was never dry. During the gale the main sail was blown out of her, and the top mast carried away. On Sunday, accompanied by Smith and one of the Fiji merchants, I went to the Roman Catholic Church, and afterwards to Vesper's and High Mass. There were about 200 natives present. We were the only white men present. The church, which is a fine new building, is furnished with six bells. 1 have heard nothing to equal them on this side of the line. I was quite delighted with the music of the choir, which consists of thirty-six young women, the oldest being about twenty-three years of age. After service our friend introduced us to the clergyman. Father Berre, who received us with marked respect. He told me that some of the girls of the choir had been in training fourteen or fifteen years. Smith and I, accompanied by another gentleman, called upon the widowed' queen of this island. Her majesty presented mb with a number of lovely shells, some of them well suited for ear-rings. I will take the first opportunity of sending you a few of them. Things here have been very unsettled lately. A good many white men have been killed by the natives, and others have been driven off their land. The white population have been holding meetings to organise some means for retaining their position in the islands. I met Mr. Mu'n; late of Tokomairiro. He is doing wall. Tra- 1 veiling here is done in open boats between the various islands. The time taken being from one to eight days. I saw Mrs. Ledingham the other day. Ledingham was away looking after some land. There are two bakers here, both doing well. Meat is Is a lb., but there is very little consumption for it. If it were salted I believe it would sell at 8d or 9a a lb. People here are free from taxes or customs. The hotels are open Sunday and Saturday alike ; in fact, there is no difference-between Sunday and week days. There is a great absence of a silver currency in the islands, and I O U's, written on parchment, are the most common representatives of money under a sovereign. The paper here is published every Saturday. It is supposed xo come out in the morning, but it is often Jate at night, and subscribers must go for their papers. I like this place and the climate very well. It m a good country for a man with a small capital, but all others may stay at home."

The General Government seem determined to utilise the electric wire. They announce that Telegraph Money Orders for sums not exceeding £10 can be forwarded to any part of the colony.

Notwithstanding all the talk about flax, and its preparation, it is rather singular that Dunedin merchants have not a stock in hand of flax-rope useful for ordinary purposes. We know of a gentleman in Lawrence wh o ordered a quantity of 4-inch rope from Dunedin, and was informed that such a thing was not in the market. One of the means the country has in its power of showing its belief in the p 7 wrmium tenax, is by showing the good example of using it.

We observe from the " Wakatip Mail " that Queenstown is ahead of us in brewing— we do not refer to quality, but the brewers there, Messrs. Surinan and Davis, advertise for 10,000 bushels of barley for malting purposes next season. They recommend the kind to grow as chevalier. The price will be according to sample, probably 4s or ss. This crop will be ready next December, and they will then have suitable malt by June following, or about twelve months from this date. We shall be glad to learn when our local brewers, Messrs. Bastings and Kofoed, who are pushing so successful a business, will be in a position to make their own malfc, as the impetus it would give to farming would be very considerable. The malt house Messrs. Surnian and Davis are having built is to be all of stone with tiled roof. The size of it will be 50 feet by 30 feet, and height 14 feet— a very large building. The "Mail" further- states that the brewers "can readily sell all their grains at 6d per bushel, but that the bakers prefer to make their own yeast. This surprised us, for ale yeast is undoubtedly more wholesome, though the dough, may take longer to rise. Private families, however, use the yeast. The price of ale per hhd. is— xxxx, £8 ; xxxxx, £10 ; and families can obtain smaller quantities."

We had the pleasure the other day of inspecting the nursery of Mr. Pressly, which is replete with every description of plants, shrubs and trees, suited for the district. As yet, Mr. Pressly's nursery is small, but it is astonishing how he has economised the ground at his disposal and brought forward, from the seed, such a crowd of beautiful and healthy plants. Several cypress trees especially attracted our attention. These trees, Mr Pressly infouned us, grow as rapidly as the blue gum, and their graceful symmetry puts the gum entirely in the shade. The laurels, evergreens, and hollies, look as fresh as can be expected at this time of the year. Their is a good specimen of the WelUngtonia gigantica, or hig tree of California, which, in course of time, if transplanted into favourable soil, will be a wonder unto many. Walking round the nursery we observe currant and gooseberry bushes of every variety ; thousands of thorn quicks and a large bed of rhubarb roots; but, perhaps the greatest curiosity is a plot of peas an inch above the ground and called ringleaders. Being the first pea of the season they are true to their name. They surpass any pea yet known for their speedy growth. Mr. Pressly informed us that last year he sowed some of these peas side by with five other sorts and they were in blossom before the others were above the ground. From the time they were planted till they were filled in the pod and ready for use, no longer than six weeks elapsed. We wish Mr. 'Pressly success in his endeavours to introduce some of the choicest known plants into the district, and we have no doubt he will find the settlers and lovers of the garden generally, encouraging him by making his labours profitable.