PROVINCIAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 310, 6 December 1873, Page 3

PROVINCIAL.

A few '.v-?eka ago wo, "Tino-^" mentioned that the Commissioner of Police had obtained plans for a monument to be erected over tho grave of the late Mr. St. John Branigan. We now learn that the sum contributed to this object by the Otago Police 'amounts to £76 69 Bd. OrigiraUy, the Commissioner had purposed creating a monument of Camaru stone, but the liberal manner in which subscriptions havo been given, has caused him to thiuk that it will bo possible for him to erect a monument of marble, or some other stone of a less perishable nature than that of Oainaru. With this view. Mr. Wcldon will be glad to receive contributions from any who may feel disposed to aid in the matter. As the Province is under a la^go debt of gratitude to Mr. Branigan for his successful efforts towards preserving law and order during a critical period of its history, and for the initiation of the Industrial School, we hope thd* Mr. Weldon's appeal will moot -nith a prompt and liberal response. Mr. Cotterell. a comedian now performing; in Duncclm, ia fiua refenel to by the " Times " : — As to Mr. Cotterell, he is, as w e have said before, indescribable. To go and see him is the only way to know all about him, and to enjoy his drol'e -ies and funny stories. Mr. Cotterrll is a capital hand at dialogue his rapid change of voice and manner being surprising. - His caricature of the operatic style of* singing was very cleverly done. We remember having frequently heard the opera before now caricatured, and. at times, very well, but we doubt if any have ever been sot vont'.'.rosopio as to present the caricature to the public: at all events, such has not been the case out here. Its novelty on the present occasion, as well as its extreme ludieiOvU-ice-a. specially ivvommended ir Hf thnse present. Avho bo* I owed well-nierf|ed applause on the ingenious author. The Mosjuel Wollen Factory Co. are making cvte;i3ive additions to their buildi.igs- and ma"hir.cry. At first, th<? Cari.idinis, were, not, from a commercial point of view, very successful at Dunedin, but now, the '• Times" reports that j all parts of the Concert room are well at- j tended. 4* »Messrs, Harrop and Neill, Princes-Street, have jus made two silver medals, for the Dunedin Itiflo Club. They will be known to competitors as aggregate prises. One is an eight-pointed star, with crossed rilles in [ a raised circle, and frosted cla3p attached ; the other is a Maltese cross, edged with ornamental engravings. The former bears the ' inscription, " Aggregate Prize, Ist Set, D R. C, 1873 ;" and the latter. •' Aggregate Prize, 2ml Set D. R.C.. 1873 " TLasame fh-m Have recently made a third medal, also known as ! a Maltese cross, to the order of Mr. oeor o'e0 'c Wilson, Sub-Leiutenant of the Port Chalmers Naval Brigade. It is to be presented to the j corps for competition. The trophy is 01m.lnented with crossed rifles, and has frus-tjd clasps above and below. A conspicuous {eiture, in letters of blue enamel, is the inscripiien, "Port QhalmfiJfclla^^ompaDy..'" .

Fish are now very plentifnl in the stream of the"channel off Port Chalmers, aod-m»py persons amuse ihemselves in apeuding a'i hour or two in-cachinga ching them. The codfish are the in'idt plentiful, and bi c almost as soon aa tho bait is put down to them Kef erring >o a recent meeting of the Otago schoolmaster*, the Times says: -"lhe animated discussion which ensned, together with the fact that some of the teachers had come 15 miles to be present, is a true index that this s )ciety is in a prosperous condition, and that those^wbo are memlers are fully alive to the benefits which are to be derived from such meetings,"

From the • « Otago Daily Times " of the 3rd instant we extract the following important information :—": — " The new Licensing Act was .very fully discussed at the Quarterly Licensing Meeting held yesterday. There was ft large number of applications for transfers and general licenses, but before the business was proceeded with, the presiding Magistrate (Mr. I. N. Watt) intimated that tho Bench were of opinion that it was out of heir power to grant any new licenses whatever. Messre Harris, Haggitt, and E. Cook, who appeared on behalf of the applicants for new licenses, look exception to ihis view, and the bench agreed to forma'ly call three applications for new Licenses to give counsel an opportunity of argning the question. After considerable discussiou the Bench adopted a suggestion thrown out by Mr. Harris, ,md resol ved to ad jou m all business before them for a fortnight, in order that the opinion of the Attorney-General might be obtained in the meantime. Mr Watt stated that the trench, after hearing the arguments adduced, had modified their views to a certain extent, as hey were now of opinion that they were not only unable to grant new licences, but were also withoa 1 ' authority to even grant transfers from person to persoa."

A new company ia to be formed in Duneedin, under the name of the New Zealand Sugar Company, Limited. The Company is to be established for the purpose, in the uTSfc instance, of refining raw cane Sugar, imported from the Pacific Islands, but the promoters also propose to. make inquiries with tfc* view of ascertaining whether the manufacture of beet-sugar may not also be profitably carried on by the Company. The capital of the Company is £100,000 in £5 shares, of whi"fc '•* ia not proposed to call up more than the half.

Tne xmnedln " Times " writing on the 3rd instant reports :: — '* Up to the present time six persons, of whom one is a female, stand committed to take their trial *at the ensuing Jannary Crimiual Sessions of the Supreme Court. One of the male prisoners is out on bail, hut the re3t are confined in the Dunedin Gaol awaiting trial."

As soon as it was found that the ailments of the passengers by the Jeasis Readman were <ȣ a harmless character, and that there was no uecessityfordetaining them iuqurantiue, they were released and sent to Dunedin, whera they arrived by the Golden Age on Tuesday dt noon. A match took place on Monday at Waikouaiti, between the No. 10 (Waikoaaiti Rifles), and the Anderson's Bay contingent of the Naval Brigade.

Tuesday last being the first day on which the immigrants, per Zealandia were open for engagement, the Barracks presented a very busy appearance. The first* to be employed were the carpenters, most of whom were eu» abled to start work in the morning. Some reasonable offers were made to a party of miners, who, being apparently in a condition of momentary independence, refused to accept the terms, as the tents were not good enough for them, and the wages did i»t «tofced those given in Wales. The person who offered to engage them had come from Manuka Creek, and agreed to pay their iouruejr up, supply them \trith tent 3, and pay them 3a 6d per diem. Some married couples were engaged as farm servants at £G5, while, one couple refused to accept J835 for six months. Single females appear to be in great demand, and few are eligible as thirty-two applications have been sent in, and all except three of those who arrived by the Jessie Readmau have left for oiher places. Carpenters received 15s^perday, and shepherds from£2 10» to £3 a week. Thirty tailors arrived by the Zealandia. Only a few of them have been engaged, but some applications have been sent from ihe counti-^which will probably clßar them out, The occupations of the passengers by the Jessie Readman who remained in Duneilft are :— l2 farm labours, four-shep-herds, two plonghinen, seven agricultural labourers, one dairy maid, one stone-dyker, seven labourers one gardeaer, ten domestic servants, three general ditto, one steward, ona dressmaker, 'one joiuer, one sempstress, and one tailor.

The burat, which left; London on the 28th September, brings 289 immigrants classified a3 follows .'—Eighteen farm labourers, six carpentes, thirty-rive general servants, four dressmakers, five dairy-maids, two housekeepers, two shoemakers, three blacksmiths* one engineer, and two masons.

The Blacks correspondent of the " Dunstan Times " writes as follows : — Dr. Webster, oneof the Executive, IJunderstand, is shortly expected in the neighborhood, -when he will select a block of 2,500 acres in the Ida "Valley to be thrown open under the Agricultural Lease Regulations, there are some first eiao* patches of land in Ida Valley, and if but some of these are included in the block, no greattime will elapse before it is taken, up- The agitation for a further block to be thrown open on Mr. Glassford's run And adjoining the present Tiger Hill block aoe» not meet with unanimous support.

The crops, whether of wheat, oats, barley, or patatoes, look splendid, and there is but little doubt the harvest will bear out present appearances, and prove a most abundant one.

Another company ia projected, to wort the deep lead afc Black's No. 3. Messrs- Kevell aad party are tho promoters. Tlie heacypastership "of the To&omairirG Grammar Scnoolis^iow vacant, Mr. Boss having made up hi 3 mind to retire from the profession of teaching, and to engage in other business.

A serious accident befel Mr. Allan, the second mate of the steamer Sameon, on Monday moruing. The vessel was loading, grain, and potatoes, ftni Allan, it appears, wa* standing on a stage rigged over the main Ibatchway on whirh the bags were landed as (hey came on boird. By some mischance, one of the supports of the stage gave way, •ho.'t Allan was prmjvkated into Ahe hold with the bag« that were on the etage. One of them, containing potatoes, fell on him, 86 also did a man who was assisting him on the bta^e. He was epcedi ly rdenw.l, aud artitOUgk no bortcs wore broken, it was evident that h« \taafpvcrely injured, as he complained of great pain in the bade and inwardly. At the special request o£ tlie sufusiw. he ♦ras removed te hid home at Port Chalmers, instead. .of being taken to the Hoßpiial, a-id he nowfiea thereunder the treutiuonfc el 3b. Drys-Aale, and iadoins wefi.

The " Guardian " is mde 1 i&l ts Mr. Wa Wymlham, of \ iv oria for a. saioil jiaxcal «? tho jarrah pino.

The Hon. Henry Campbell wTrertises in the Dnnst&n paper for Chinese labor, and ift explanation thereof, say* ia a. latter .to that same journal :—": — " I believe there are plenty of men if t&ey would eefc ia to work » bui they s em to i c trying their strength te raise itc wa^es. Tie iutn bave a, perfect right r« make the be«;t u^e of their tinx^ therefore, 3£_ don't blame them ; but I would warn them that it is possible to a. littie too far, and over do the thing. As far as I auL concerned, £ intend to take things very ea^-y, Am: sheep I dont shear this year will COT» is with double fleeces next 5 -and as carriage is like'y to he high this season. I fciini. f j&tdt. be ±£»