GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 269, 27 March 1873, Page 5

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

The Provincial Council is appointed to meet on Tuesday the sth alay. The number of emigrants sent out to the Colony since the arrival of Dr Featherston in London is 6,899 ; and they were forwarded to the Colony in thirtj'-nine ships. The groundwork of an extensive system of sericulture is being formed in Canterbur3 r . Mr Armstrong, the Government gardener, has propagated 400 mulberry plants of the best varieties for sericulture. According to a contemporary, no other town in the Colony can compare with Auckland in the valentine bminess. There they sell amazingly for a couple of weeks, and this season one bookseller, iv a small way, very quickly disposed of valentines that cobt LIOO wholesale. Even Maoris buy them, and set their European brethren an example by carefully eschewing such as are likely to offend. Lovely brunettes best please the Natives, who are confident that dark-complexioned ladies must be half-castes. 3 here is a curious passage in the evidence of the master of the chip England relating to the dietary of the emigrants despatched by Messrs Saville, and Co. He says, "The dietary scale was in every respect inferior to the dietary scale issued for emigrants to Victoria or New South Wales. The latter is L' 2to L 2 10s better. The L 1.600 paid to me by the charterers represents about fonr-sevenths of the nett receipts for freight and passage money. The remaining threesevenths represents the profits of the charterers, or about L 1.000." The construction of the submarine boat is being pushed forward as speedily as possible by the sub-contractors for the hull, Messrs Thomas and Sparrow, Cumberland street, and we are informed by Messrs Villaine and Nnttall, the contractors, that the remaining portions of the work will be sublet this week, in order that the various sections may be completed at about the same time. The first section of the hull or bow of the boat is almost completed, and a good portion of the stern is ready for fitting together ; most of the_ material required is on the ground, and, if no unnecessary delay occurs, efforts will be made by Messrs Villaine and Nuttall to have the boat ready for removal up country before the roads are bad. Dr Buller's "History of the Birds of New Zealand " has now reached partiv., only one number more remaining to complete the work, and this, according to the Home News, was to -be issued 'in April. The parts already published contain altogether 300 pages of letterpress, royal quarto, and 21 beautifully-executed plates of New Zealand birds, comprising all the rarer and more remarkable forms. The book has been well received by all the scientific reviewers, and much praise bestowed on the author ; and, what is rather remarkable for a high-priced scientific work, it has proved a succesß in a commercial sense also, the whole of the edition of 500 (with ibe exception of a few copies reserved by the publisher, and not yet colored) having been subscribed for, and the list being closed before the last part of the book has left the press ! The list itself, headed by her Majesty the Queen, contains the names of all the leading scientific men in the country, such as Owen, Darwin, Hooker, and the Duke of Argyll, &c., as well as several royal names and distinguished savants on the continent. The news of the Ministerial difficulty in New Zealand reached Melbourne on the 4th March, and, judging from a paragraph in the Argus of the following day, it must have considerably agitated the Hod. Mr t eynolds, who seems to have had the idea that the resignation of the Premier would make very little difference. This is the Argm paragraph :— " It was rumored yesterday that there had been a crisis in New Zealand, that the Ministry had resigned, and that Mr Fox had been sent for. The probability is that the rumor arose out of a misapprehension. Mr Reynolds, one of the delegates from Rew Zealand to the Intercolonial Conference, and a member of the Ministry, who is now in Melbourne, expresses his entire disbelief in the accuracy of the statement. Mr Hall has been obliged to retire from the Cabinet through ill-health, and Mr Waterhouse only accepted the position of Premier, on the distinct understanding that he was to be relieved of the responsibilities of office upon the first opportunity. There will be consequently some changes in the Ministry, but Mr Reynolds attaches no credence to the report that there, has been a Ministerial crisis." The following is the opinion of one now resident in Auckland, but who has served with distinction in the Imperial army, and had much experience as a Volunteer Officer in our Volunteer force :—": — " The capitation grant is a mistake, it is not always fairly distributed, and is frequently given to men who seldom attend parades. Whilst capitation money is given, it should be distributed by committees elected by all members of each Volunteer corps, but in my opinion it would be advisable to disband dilatory corps, and pay a small fixed sum to those corps who exhibit a proper spirit. Moreover, I would dismiss all cadets under 14 years of age, and would form a few companies of older lads, and they should be totally unconnected with adult volunteer corps, whose companionship is detrimental, as the youngsters learn to smoke, &c , from their elders." The Lyttellon Tiuteis Auckland correspondent, who records thi3 opinion, says :—": — " The capitation grant is a rather sore subject here. 1 know of one volunteer who was entitled to LII capitation money, first and last. I believe he has received in all— just thirty shillings— he tells me the Government was not to blame." Doubtless many of our Volunteers could tell a somewhat similar story. When the history of juries comes to be written, the best anecdotes will come from the States, where the panels are f uuny ; and the worst from Australia, where they are unreliable. » w o far, nearly everything has been beaten by a Queensland twelve, in a great cattle stealing case, which is attracting much attention over the border. A man -named Henry Bedford is sworn to have gone into the business wholesale, driving off 100 bullocks, 100 steers, 100 cows, 100 heifers, and one valuable pure white imported bull, from the Bowen Downs station, and disposing of them in South Australia, 2,00 D miles away. The owners are wealthy, and lavished money in the chase; and the bull, which could be sworn to among a million, enabled them, as they fondly imagined, to run the chief depredator down. Bedford was swern to have sold the animal, and in a false name ; and one of his accomplices turned Queen's evidence, and made a full confession of the entire transaction. There was no defence, but an attack on the approver, and the Judge, seeing the way the wind was blowing, warned the jury of the value of their oaths, and charged them in direct terms for a conviction. They came into a Court for a verdict of acquittal and the Judge ejaculated, " Thank God, gentlemen, the verdict is yours, not mine !" Cattle-stealers, say the. Brisbane and Sydney papers, have got a lift, and to station-owners the result is a great blow and sore discouragement, for in future people may lose the heart to prosecute A. second case of the uncertainty of the lay occurred in Melbourne last week. In the case of Begg v. The London and Aus tralian Agency Corporation, the plaintiff sought L 5,000 damages for wrongful dismissal; and a second case is arising oat of

the same circumstances. Mr J. H. Clough brought a like action against the Corporation. When the jury were considering their verdict in the first case Mr Ireland, Q.C., one of the learned counsel for the plaintiff, consented to let the second case abide the result of the first, so certain was he of getting a verdict for his client. The other side seemed to be possessed with a pimilar fear, and refused the offer. The second case was scarcely opened, when the jury who tried the first came into court with a verdict for defendant, to the intense astonishment of everybody. In the ■ second, the verdict was for Mr Clough ; damages JL2.500. The nomination of a successor to the Hon. John Hall in the Provincial Council for the district of Bakaia. was attended by some rather amusing circumstances. The Hon. Colonel Brett, in proposing Mr Bluett, took occasion to refer to a person named Jebson, who had been spoken of as a probable candidate, in not very complimentary terms. After calling him an overbearing, imperious, and blustering man, Colonel Brett expressed his satisfaction " that Mr Jebson had had i the good senßC not to come forward that day. He had hidden his diminished head in one of the coal pits, where he should remain, and not see the light of day any more." After a Mr Tayler had been proposed, and the ! Returning Officer was about to close the proceedings, some of the electors present called the attention of the Returning-Officer to the fact that two traps were visible in the distance, over the plains, one of which they | affirmed contained Mr John Jebson " put ting on steam," to arrive in time for the nomination. The Returning-Officer then Baid he would allow Mr Jebson a few minutes' | leave, so as to see whether he was a candidate or not. Some few minutes having elapsed, the traps containing Mr Jebson and a few friends arrived, and Mr Jebson then came forward and said — "Mr ReturningOfficer and gentlemen,— l have a candidate to propose for the honor of representing you in the' Provincial Council, one who I may aay it fully qualified and capable for that position, and' one who, if elected, will, I feel sure, worthily discharge all the duties of the office. I have much pleasure in proposing Mr John Jebson as a fit and proper person to represent the Rakaia district in the Provincial Council. Of course, if no one seconds ir, it will fall to the ground." The Return-ing-Officer — You are alluding to yourself, I presume ?" Mr Jebson—" lam referring to Mr John Jebson." Colonel Brett wished to know whether it was legal for Mr Jebson to propose himself and blow his own trumpet in the way he had done. The Returning-Officer said that Mr Jebson's nomination was perfectly legal, greatly to the gallant Colonel's disgust. The ltev. Mr Bluett was returned by a majority of ten over Mr Jebson. A lecture was delivered by Bro. Dr Dunn, on March 12, at the Friendly Societies' Hall, on "Oddfellowship." There was a good attendance, and P.G. Bro. R. T. Wheeler occupied the chair. The lecturer regretted that he would be compelled to _ disappoint his audience, and said that instead of giving them a lecture he would talk to them. He intended simply to give a brief outline of Oddfellowship, and the objects fcr which they were banded together in a common brotherhood. The origin of the Order was very ancient ; indeed, he had heard it stated that it was co-existent with the foundation of Chiißtianity, although he was not prepared to endorse that statement. The idea of forming the Order was first conceived in the year 1788 by a number of poor marble cutters, who, in self-defence, through beiug ground down to the verge of starvation, initiated what is now known as Oddfellowship. He repudiated the idea of their Order being considered as essentially secret in its character. There was no more secrecy in connection with it than in that of the business of a banking company, and it was founded on the broad principles of " Friendship, Love, and Truth." He reprobated the practice of lodges meeting at hotels, as it might possibly tend to lead to bad habits. The practice in America in connection with their Order was that no liqnor should be served in lodge-rooms. As he intended to return here two years from hence, he hoped to see by that time an encampment in Dunedin, as he looked upon it as the backbone of Oddfellowship. Some were under the impression that the holding of an encampment would lead to a less degree of interest being taken in subordinate lodges ; but they would find that such would not be the case. Dr. Dunn then proceeded to explain the manner in which Oddfellowship is conducted in the United States, and stated that homes are provided for members of the Order who are incapacitated from working, and provision made for the maintenance of the widows and orphans, of deceased brethren. Their motto should be " Excelsior," and they ought ever to bear in mind the principles of their Order, which, if properly carried out, would invoke upon them the blessing of God. The lecturer interspersed bis discourse with several pertinent and well told anecdotes, and was listened to throughout with great attention. P.G.M. Bro. Micbie proposed a cordial vote of thanks to Bro. Dr. Dunn, and P. G. Bro. Russell seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. After transacting some formal business, the lodge adjourned.