The Tuapeka Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1870. "Measures, not Men." LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 137, 22 September 1870, Page 4

The Tuapeka Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1870. "Measures, not Men." LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The English mail via San Francisco will close at Lawrence on Thursday, 29bh inst., at 8 p.m. From advertisement it will he observed that the Lawrence Total Abstinence Society will hold a public meeting to-morrow evening. We are informed that Mr. Fiffe sold hia share in the claim and water right of Fiffe and Co., Blue Spur, on Monday last, to Mr. Craddook, for the sum of £760 cash— Mr. Hayes, agent. Some of the claims in the vicinity of Waitahuna Bridge are doing well. Oue party there, for instance, who hold a five acre claim, obtained 10 ozs. of gold as the result of one paddock's stripping for the week's work. We are glad to leain that the Tuapeka Pioneer Lodge have expressed their appreciation of the admirable manner in which Mr. Wootton carried out his contiact for the late anniversary of the lodge held in the Athenaeum. Our contemporary the " Southland Times " gives Otago credit for being a much larger gold producing province than it really is. The 10,908 ozs. of last escort, we may inform our contemporary, was the produce of a month — not of a fortnight as he appears to think. The last of the Athenaeum Readings came off on Thursday, and was a great success. Mr. Copland, Solicitor, occupied the chair. The readings and songs on the occasion were well given, and elicited great cheering throughout. We regret these pleasant entertainments have been brought to a close. We observe from the "Cromwell Argus" that Mr. Shepherd, M.P.C., has signified his intention of addressing his constituents in the Cromwell district before the special sitting of the Council. We have had no intimation of Mr. Shepherd's intentions with regard to his Tuapeka constituents, so we suppose he does not purpose addressing them. The Commercial Assembly Booms are about to undergo great improvement. The ceiling is to be raised four feet, and the room is to be considerably lengthened— that part of it now occupied with the stage is to be thrown into the body of the hall, and the stage to be carried back. When finished, we understand it will be the largest and most elaborately decorated upcountry hall in New Zealand. It is very seldom in the present day that we find a coroner's jury returning a verdict of felo de se ; but in the case of the poor waggoner Colgan, whose dray got stuck in the mud on the Mount Ida road, and who then committed suicide in despair, the jury thought proper to pas.s. th.at verdict. Why should poor Colgan be refused Christian burial. In his case a verdict of temporary insanity would have been more reasonable.

The voting in the (Ecumenical Council on the Infallibility of the Pope took place on tlie 13th July— 43o voting for it, and 88 against it, with 62 conditional votes. For some days past a requisition, in behalf of Sub-Inspector Dalgleish, has been going theround of Tuapeka for signature. The object, we understand, is if possible to get Mr. Dalgleish. reinstated. At the Havelocb coal pit, Mr. Auld only oharges 10s a ton for first-class coal. Had the road contract between Havelock and Lawrence been completed before the winter set in, Mr. Auld would have been competing with ooru r Lawrence coal merchants, whose charge is 15s. a ton at the pit. "We are informed that the Norwegian Waterrace, whose source is in the neighbourhood of the Canada Reef, is making rapid progress. When another four miles of race are made, an, abundant supply of water will be brought tobear upon those spurs at the back of Waitahuna township- spurs which are known to be highly ' auriferous. The skeleton of a man was found in the river, j near Sandy Point, and between Clyde and AlexI andra, on Monday last information was conveyed to the Alexandra Police Camp, and ConI stable Morkane proceeded to the spot and re- ! moved the skeleton out of the water. It was then placed in a rough coffin and buried. There was nothing observable in the appearance of the lemains that would lead to their identification ; but it was evident, from the size of the bones. i that they had been those of a man consideiabV above the average height. It is conjectured the skeleton is. that of the unfortunate Robert Ralston, who. was drowned in the Clutha, below the Wakefield Ferry, on the Ist of January. "Cromwell Argus." The rapid way in which Bills are rushed at the end of the session is something wonderful. On Monday Mr Brandon brought in a Bill to enable the Deputy-Superintendent of Wellington to call the Provincial Council together, in the absence of the Superintendent, in order to comply witlx that clause in the Constitutioa Act which requires that not more than twelve months shall elapse between any two sessions of Council. This Bill, rendered necessary by the continued absence of Dr i'eatherston, was passed through all its stages in exactly nine minutes and a half. In like manner, the Canterbuiy Railway Gauge Bill was passed in something under twelve minutes yesterday morning. — "Times" Wellington Correspondent. The following was issued as a Daily Times Extra on Saturday. :— Nelson, September, 17th. An expedition, comprising 350 French war ships, with 40,000 men, is preparing to sail for the Baltic ; hence Elsinore is reported to be tlia basis of French operations. France, it is said, intends to bombard all the Prussian towns on the 13,Utic, and land an army numbering 100,000 men on its coast, thus taking Prussia in the rear. A Prussian despatch boat is watching the progress of the French ironclads. Strate- / gists profess to make out th«,t the battle air Metz, notwithstanding late engagements, will be on very equal terms. The Freach Baltic Expedition is considered an effective flank movement. According to the "Nelson Colonist," the following are the population returns of the Australiau colonies and New Zealand, with the number of members for each : — "Victoria, with population of about 800,000, has only thirty members in the Upper House, and sixty in the Lower ; New South Wales, with a population of about 500,000, twenty-one members in ths Upper House, and seventytwo in the Lower South Australia, with some 200,000 inhabitants, has but eighteen members in the Upper, and thirty-six in the Lower ; while New Zealand, with 250,000 of populatiou , has fifty members in the Legislative Council, and seventy-six in the House of Representatives. Taking mere population as the basis, New Zealand has four to one as compared with Victoria, nearly thre& to one in comparison with New South Wales, and considerably above that proportion wnea we take South Australia into account. The "Daily Times" correspondent writes as follows regarding the Assembly Committees, which are as nicely packed as could be imagined :— " I alluded in my letter yesterday to the report of the Waste Lands Committee on the petition of 180 settlers at Mount Benger. This petition went first of all to the Public Petitions Committee, who recommended that it should be sent to the Goldfields Committee, which Committee could not, or would not, do anything; with it. The prayer of the petition was in favour of a system of deferred payments for land, and Mr Brown was determined that it should at least be reported on. On Mon-lay.jue 1 therefore moved, that in the opinion of the House, it was desirable that the "Waste Lands Committee should report on it, and he succeeded in carrying this in spite of some opposition. Very much against their will, the Committee met and agreed to a report that a system of free I selection was the only remedy for the numerous [ grievances connected with the Land taw of Otago. Wh'en this report was brought up Mr Yogel moved that it be priuted, so that feeing circulated in Otago. the people there might 1 , have full time to consider the subject it dealt with, Mr Mervya very pertinently asked whatjcoianection free selection had with the prayer of the petitioners who had already selected their land,, and wkhed to be allowed to pay for it by deferred payments. He said they had asked! for bread, and the Committee had given them a stone. The motion for printing was carried after some further debate. No Committee has made itself so generally unpopular this yea*- as the joint one on Waste Lands. The members of the Council who are on it are almost all squatters, and this class has a laige majority amongst the members from the lower Hottse^^ s.O that the joint Committee is anything bu t an. impartial tribunal in matters affecting pas'-teral interests, as almost all Waste Lands ques tlons necessarily do. Next session a very determined, effort will be made to, avoid a Joint Committee,, and. to have an independent House ons.

The aurora Australia as seen from Peel-street last evening was something magnificent. Our Manuherikia correspondent's letter was received too late last night for insertion. The Wethersfcones Readings take place tonight. We understand that a good programme has been got up. We understand that a Private Quadrille Club •was formed in the Athenaeum last evening. Mr. Twigge was elected secretary and treasurer, and Mr. John Grant, M.C. The first assembly will be held on Monday evening next at eight o'clock. On Tuesday evening the coach from Tokolnairiro was considerably behind its usual time, having been detained by an accident which happened to the pole of the coach, which got broken. The roads between Havelock and the Half-way House are such that nothing more surprises us than the fact that Mr. Pope finds it possible to come in &o punctually without broken bones. Our Wellington correspondent seems to give Mr. Mervyn very little credit for his labours in the Assembly. We cannot agree with him in Ms remarks, and as a proof of Mr. Mervyn's conscientious and straightforward conduct as a representative of the people, we have extracted a letter of his on the land question which appears in the " Dunstan Times," and shall publish the same next week. The Rev. Father Maloney delivered a most eloquent lecture in the Athenaeum, Lawrence, in behalf of the funds of a new Catholic Chapel here. The subject of the lecture was, "Why is li eland so discontented." The hall was filled to overflowing, and the rev. lecturer showed by his eloquent, humourous, and pathetic addiess that he was well acquainted with the founts of laughter and tears. We regret that owing to the war news we are obliged to hold over our report of the lecture till next week. We beg to draw the attention of the Municipal Council to the fearful state of the road from the culvert as far as Mr. P. Robertsons, Whitehaven-street. Now that the roads are drying up, if a man were put on to fill up the awful ruts which there abound, until more permanent improvements -were made, they -would cerUinly confer a great public boon, especially now that the principal traffic between Dunedin and Tuapeka crosses that way. Several of the Waifcahuna ladies- including Mesdames Dewes, Cook, Anderson, Turnbull, and Goodman — withr- their usual readiness to assist every good cause, are about to take steps to get up an entertainment in behalf of the Benevolent Institution. Waitahuna as well as Tuapeka has reason to rejoice at the existence" of such a benign institution as the Benevolent Asylum, whose doors are at all times ojien for the relief of the indigent and distressed. TFlien shall we see the ladies of Tuapeka using similar efforts for a similar object. Hitherto nearly everything of the description has been done by the male population, whereas the work is really woman's work, and of a kind in which she only can truly excel. On Sunday last the Roman Catholic Chapel, recently erected at Havelock, was opened by the Rev. Father Maloney, who delivered a sermon very apjwopriate to the occasion. The attendance was very good. The chapel is a neat little structure, capable of comfortably seating about SO persons. Mr. Harry Adamson was the contractor, and we are informed the building cost about £SO, the whole of which sum had been disbursed by the voluntary contributions of Catholics and persons belonging to other denominations. The ground upon which the chapel is built has also been purchased. The Catholics of Havelock, who number upwards of 40 members, are in advance of other denominations, they being the first who have planted their church in this rising township. We had the pleasure of inspecting the other day, at Mr. Dewes' store, Waitalmna, a beautiful specimen of quartz impregnated with course gold, which was broken off a reef in Long Gully, situated between Dewes' Folly and the Canada Reef, about three miles from. Waitahuna. Cameron and Forsyth are the names of the miners who made this rich discovery, and are the same persons who found a beautiful specimen of quartz a week past iv the gully referred to, whioh specimen, when crushed by Mr. Turnbull, tanker, yielded 5 ozs. of gold These miners, we are informed, have taken up a two acre claim, and registered the reef. In the immediate neighbourhood of the reef, and embraced within their claim, is a beautiful red cement, not very hard, and showing every sign of a good paying prospect. We learn that the party are well deserving of their lucky find, as they have been persevering for a long time without much success. The following is a copy of a letter forwarded to the Provincial Government with regard to a block of land which we understood the Government had given as a small recompense for the Island Block, cruelly put beyond the power of the people. We trust the Government will not commit a similar blunder with this block as they did in the case of the Island: — "Millers Flat, September 7, 1870.— Sir,— I have the honour, on behalf of the residents of Millers Flat, to solicit fiora you such information relative to the block of land thrown open on Miller and Henderson's run, Benger district, for agricultural purposes, as may lead to a satisfactory explanation of Mr. Stuart Forbes not having proceeded with the survey of the block in question, after being over four months residing on the ground. You will also kindly favour me by informing me when it is the intention of the Government to proceed with the surveying of that block, as the people are very anxious to settle on the land this season. An early reply will infinitely oblige.— l have the honour to he, sir, your most obedient servant, C. NtoHOLSON. — D. Reid, Esq., Secretary Land and Works, Dunedin."

The second total abstinence meeting at the Blue Spur was held on Friday last. Dr. Copland in the chair. The meeting was addressed by the chairman, Mr. M'Lelland and several other gentlemen. A society was formed, Mr. Manuel being elected president, Mr. Carey secretary and treasurer, and the following committee, viz., Messrs. M'Lelland, N. Mills, jun., Brydie, S. Uren, H. Irvine, R. R. Clarke, and T. Varcoe. Somewhere about twenty signed the pledge, making a total of forty members at tlie Spur. The movement shows great signg of progress there.