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Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 241, 12 September 1872, Page 5

A Fortune for the Victorian Government. —Patrick Buckley, a wea'thj Victorian settler, recently died f intestate, leaving L 60,000, with neither heirs nor next of kiu. The Iron Trade. — A. late telegram in the San Francisco papers says : "In the iron trade in England there appears to be no limit to the advance in prices, the attitude of the men being the main cause of quotations being so unduly forced up." Lost in the Snow. — On the 10th ult., a man named Ecclfes left Mr Campbell's station at Joitors ou horseback, intending to proceed to Hokonui. To day the Commissioner of Police received a telegram stating, that his body was discovered yesterday near Hokonui, and that he is supposed to have perished in a snow-drift. Music in Auckland.— The Auck-

land Choral Society is cutting out a new line for itself. At its last concert, Her ve's opera houffe of "Chi!p'-ric" v- as produced with great eucoeas ,- and &« Society intends pr6ducinn'in succession' such ' operas as "The Bohemian RH" " Ma'ritaua," and " The

Rose of Castile."

Life Assurance. — As being conclusive of the value of life assuranoe, the following facts are told by the Lyttelton Times : —The life of a married woman was insured in the Government office for LIOO. Being young and in robust health, her life was taken at her age. One quarterly premium was paid, and before the next became due she was attacked by diptheria, and at the end of three days died. This occurred only a short time ago, and it is satisfactory to know that the widower has invested the LIOO in an endowment for his infant child.

Aquatic. — The hon. secretary of Wellington Regatta Committee has forwarded to uf me prize list for the forthcoming regatta, which is to be held in Wellington harbor in February next. The prin cipal event is the Intercolonial four-oared race, open to all comers, over a coui se of three miles, the fin>t prize being LI 5 ; the second ten guineas. There is a four-oared whale boat race for L 75 ; a four oared out rigged gig race for LSO ; and a pair-oared and scullers race, in each of which the first prize will be L2O.

Theatrical. — Australians will be grieved to hear that their old friend and favorite, Mr Joseph Jefferson— the Hip Van Winkle that will not be " so soon forgotten" in the Colonies — has been stricken with one of the most terrib'e misfortunes that can befal a man. Both of his eyes are covered by cataracts, the sight is almost, if not entirely gone, and little hope is expressed in the letter receiver! from America of its being recovered. Of course al= that skill aud care can do is being done ; but it is sad that one who made so much light for otherj should be in darkness himself. — Home News.

An Old Acquaintance. — Mr Birch, a gentlf man very well known in Dunedin, has been improving a visit to his native country — he is a native of Fortrose— by telling the good people of Ross- shire all about the good things that await them in New Zealand. So great has been his success, that the local employers of labor com. plain of the number of servants of buth Fexes who have intimated the^r intention of nt.-t renewing their term of service at the end of the present term. Those who have been iufluenced by Mr Birch's descriptions are, for the most part, admirably adapted for colonists.— Home Neios.

A Truthful PicTURB.^-The Parliamentary correspondent of the Colonist thus describes Mr Fitzherbert :-r-" He is the most ' ianguagable ' man in the House, rolling out the longest sentences, and however intricate these may be, never forgetting the proper relation of his verb and its antecedent, loading his speech with words and imagery, sinking and swelling his voice, and generally — well, I think speaking too much, and dissipating his ideas in a deluge of wordiness? Yet he is always listened to, from his experience and old debating power, and being regarded as one of the fathers of (he House."

Novel Expedient. — The newspapers of Auckland were considerably ine>'iv venieneed by the Nevada being placed in quarantine on her arrival there, for they were unable to get possession of their files. The Health Officer was remonstrated with, hut to no purpose ; although he had declared the ship clean, he would allow no communication with her until the local Board of Health had admited her to pratique. But by some means, which are unexplained, one of the reporters gob the ship's purser to understand what was wanted ; and a few minutes afterwards two copies of the News of the World were bbseived floating down the harbor. These were eagerly, .secured ; and thus were we in the South table to get the news soiue hours sooner than we otherwise should ,have done.

.The Situation. — A private telegram f rom,, Wellington had been shown to us. Speaking of the means adopted by the Opposition to secttie a majority on the division, the sender cay» :—": — " I have never seen such disgraceful conduct, even in any Provincial Council. Men were kept drank under lock and key ; and others were bought like bullocks. £Ta_d the Government resorted to the same. course they could hare, got a'majority, even within the hour of the division. Great oredit is given them for not doing so, and for resisting the Wellington robbers. Ormond made the speech of .the 'session* and completely, arilw-ed. every charge." And as to MrStafford's cKarice^of femning a Ministry, the same person remarks :—": — " It seems im* possible that Mr Stafford' can form a Government without Mr Vagel and M'Lean join him, as they are the most popular men in the House."

First Church. — The Rev. Creorge Sutherland preached his farewell "discourses on Sunday, and took his farewell of the congregation oa 4th inst., when the Church was crowded.- After'the devotional exercises Mr Law, on behalf of the congregation, presented to the retiring pastor an address, expressing their esteem lor him for the manner in which he had discharged the duties of his ministry daring the past, five years, alluding particularly to hi* efforts for the revival of religion and for the preservation of the ) Sabbath from the recreation that had so long prevailed. While expressing grief, at being deprived of their teacher in Divine things, they trusted their loss would be the gain of others in the larger Colony to which he, was now called. The address asked Mr Sutherland to accept an accompanying purse, containing 100 sovereigns, as a' token of .heartfelt attachment, and assured: him that his labors in Dunedin woald nob .soon befor r . gotten. • It concluded by, expressing best wishes for Mr Sutherland's future happiness in his new home, and a hoperfihatLhe and his household would experience the .protection, of the Most .High during their voyage to that sphere of labor where they trusted he" would spend many days of usefulness. Mr Sutherland acknowledged in warm thanks the kind address, and the valuable gift accompanying it ; and after prayer and singing, those present, bade him farewell personally. Mr Sutherland was a passenger by the Rangitoto to-day, and proceeds to Sydney to assume the pastorate of St. John's Church there, to, t which he has received a unanimous call, his pttaud being, it je wd, LSOO » year.

Provincial Hbvenue.— The revenue" collected at the Treasury fbr the quarter ended June 30 was L 65.948, and the expenditure amounted to L 82,813. Lost in the Snow. — Two Chinese have lost their lives in the snow at Lammerlaw. They were seen just before the last snow storm, and their disappearance having been reported to the police last week, a search was instituted, which led to the discovery yesterday of the body of one of the men near Timber Gully.

Inquest. — An inquiry was held at the Hospital to-day at noon before the City Coroner, touching the death of John Irvine^ late Ranger for the Southern district, who was [thrown from his horse on the main South road, Kaikorai, on the 20th ult. The jury returned a verdict of " died from concussion of the brain," and expressed an opinion that blame was attached to Peter Long, licensee of the Kaikorai hotel, for refusing to admit deceased into his house when brought there after the accident. — Star 4th insfc.

I A Policeman in Trouble. —On the morning of the Ist instant, one of the Christchurch constables, named Macleay, found a drunken man, named Martin Hayes, trying to gain admittance to a hotel there, hi ayes would not go away, and in the course of a straggle that took place between him and the constable, the latter drew his baton, and used it pretty freely, striking his prisoner some severe blows on the head, for which he was yesterday sentenced to a month's imprisonment, with labor, by Mr Bowen, H.M.

Emigration and Wages. — A private letter received in town, under date Kilmarnock, June sth, from a gentleman well acquainted withtb* district, says : —•• I had a call from a gentleman who has come home from Otago, to endeavour to obtaiu emigrants. They will be bad to find just now, as wages for every description off work are nearly double what they were when you left. Country girls cannot be hired ; the r wages are from Ll6 to L2O a year. One who was living with us, and was obliged to leave without notice, we only paid Ll4 to, but we cannot get any one to supply her place. I think those in Otago who wmt s rvants, must be very bady off if they are no better than thosenow here."

Building Stone. — Three samples of stone from the Mataura have been submitted to analysis by Professor Black, who reperts-rthat-one is- a greyiih-yellow sandstone, very hard, compact, and smallgrained ';• that the cementing matter, being silicious, giveß the stone the property of great durability, an I the power of resisting long ;he disintegrating action of the weather, but tbafits hardness would make it difficult to work. The Professfor, however, thinks, it excellently adapted for ordinary building purposes, and especially for heavy work, in which it could be used for large blocks. The second sample is well adapted for ordinary building purposes, but the third is too sof c for any extensive use in building.

Ouk Seal and "Whalk Fisheries. — In moving the second reading of the Protection of Animals Bill in the Legislative Council, the Hon. Mr Farmer is reported to have said :: — '• Clause sof the Bill provided that 'no person shall hunt, take, or kill any fur .seal, except during the months of June, July, August, and >eptember in each year, under a penalty of twenty pounds for each seal so hunted, taken, or killed. " That provision was prepared on the recommendation of Mr Surman, of Riverton, who fitted out a sealing exped tion everyyear, and who gave the number of seals obtained for. the. year 1870 as 450 ; in 1871, 900 ; and to March 1872, 1300. That gentleman recommended that the reason for killing seals should be restricted from June 1 to September 30."

The Sjiall-Po:j?. — A writer in one of the Thames papers says : "All the Auckland papers are raving about Captain Haiding, of the Nebraska, not having been hanged, drawn, and quartered. After all said and done I fail to find evidence that Captain Har : ding imported the small-pox. Mr Kaye, the only man who could throw light upon the matter, has denied having stated that the disease wag on board the steamer ; and all the other cases, here or in Australia, can be distinctly traced only as far as Gardiner's eating-ho,use. The first patient who died, Thompson, was not discovered to have small-pox until he had been several days at Gardiner's. Would it not be strange if, after all, it should tarn out that a very bad type of typhoid or other fever had turned into small-pox, awing to the horribly poisonous atmosphere by which Gardiner's is surrounded— it being- situated almost over the month of the Queen street sewer. If to the other instances of incapacity, neglect, and obstinacy which all Governments, municipal, provincial, or otherwise, in Auckland have always displayed, we may add the credit of having started the small pox on a tour in the Colonies, then Auckland will have the credit for a purely local industry of no ordinary type. And here I may remark that at Sandhurst; in Victoria, the authorities at once burned down the house to which the small-pox was traced— but here we are more economical: we have carefully preserved it and the disease." The San~ TTbancisco Service r A return has been presented to Parliament; , showing the number of hours Mr Webb's boats have taken in making the run from San Francisco to Auckland, and vice versa, and the amounts deducted from the subsidy for irregularities during the financial year .ended June 30th last, . The average time occupied in the outward voyage from Port Chalmers to San Francisco, was 935 hours ; on the inward trip, 906 hours. The shortest inward passage was made in June, 71, which was the second voyage of the service, when the distance from Frisco to Otago .was done in i 702 hours; and the longest was, the May ,trip of this year, when the time was. 1419 hours, the delay being caused by the accident to the Mohongo.i The shortest of the outward . trips was made in August, 1871, in 875 hours, though several passages were made in almost as quick time;, and the longest in December, 1871, and January, last, the time being 1010 and 1057 iqurs respectively. The deductions from the subsidy t amounted to L 3.384, for non-arrival of the April steamer and non-despatch of steamer from Auckland in May ; those that, could have been claimed' and were not, amounted , to L 3,644., In a note to the report it is stated that there has been no formal remission of any of the penalties. On Mr Webb's arrival in -New Zealand, he gave the Postmaster* General to understand that be had great difficulty <in commencing the .line, and had sustained, considerable loss; and, that if the fall penalties . -were to be inflicted, there would, be an. end of the line. The Postmaster-Gene/ al gave no. pledge beyond ■ the. general, assurance that the Government desired to dealUberally with the contractors. ' Subsequently when Mr Webb agreed "to reduce the payment from the, Colony, on this termination of ..the agreement with the A.S.N. Company, from L50, 000, t0 L 46,000,; the Postmaster-General informed him that it was his. intention not to recommend the Government to enforce the penalties" for breaches of the agreement committed up to that-time* The redaction in the rate of, dubBidy«isistated.tp be equiyjdenfc to the Colony ot,jmo, .. ' ;•;,;,