GENERAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 837, 18 July 1871, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

The "Westland County Council met for the despatch of business on the 12th instant. In Melbourne it is proposed to celebrate the centenary of Sir Walter Scott's birth on the 17th August next, by a fancy dress ball, the costumes of which will be rigorously limited to those characters in the great novelist's works of fiction. The following lively picture of the Provincial Council of Otago is from the pen of a member :—" For one solid month we have been at work, and in reality little or no real work has been attempted. The whole affair is a game of humbug all round; the art lies in the concealment of the fact. I confess lam heartily sick of it, and I hope and pray that the forthcoming session of the Assembly will cut the gordian knot, and set us all about our business." A gentleman who left Auckland some months ago for England, wished Erevious to his leaving, to dispose of is Caledonian shares, but could not get a purchaser. He has since returned, and. finds several thousands of pounds waiting him for dividends. The Fijian Archipelago (says a recent lecturer on the subject) comprises some 200 to 250 islands in one group, and contains 150,000 to 180,000. inhabitants, while four distinct languages are spoken. Every tropical plant flourishes there luxuriantly, and if attached to Australia these islands would constitute the West Indies of the continent. The capabilities of the Fijis are truly astonishing. Trees grow as much as ten feet in twenty months; cotton is gathered seven months after being planted; and the cocoa nut, banana, citron, nutmeg, &c, abound in all directions.

Some allusion having been made in a debate in the Nelson Provincial Council as to the probability of Marlborough seeking to be re-annexed to theparent province, the " Press" says : —We will venture to say without the slightest exaggeration, that nothing would be more distasteful to this province, little as it may be, than going back to Nelson ; and that if any change does take place, the people of Marlborough will prefer even the autocracy of a Centralist form of Government to having any closer connection with Nelson."

The " Timaru Herald" of June 28 says:—On Friday last, on the Ninety Mile Beach the police picked up two skulls. One had evidently been in the water for some time, but the other was apparently fresh. One was probably poor Mr Balfour's, and the other most probably belonged to one of the men lost in the roadstead on the 14th of April last. Sixpenny readings have been initiated at Biccarton, East Taieri. The Dunedin University social gathering was attended by over nine hundred persons. Judge Chapman and Professor Sale were the principal speakers, the latter strongly advocating the admission of female students. Applicants to attend the evening classes were numerous ; nearly sixty students have already entered. There was a keen competition for the Knox Church University Scholarship, and Ferguson, of Tokomairiro, was the successful competitor. Though the experiment is only being made on a comparatively small scale, still to Kanieri enterprise the County will be indebted for the inauguration of gold dredging within its boundaries. As was stated in our Kanieri correspondent's letter that appeared in yesterday's issue, Messrs Hogan and Co have built a dredge, worked, we believe, by a windlass, that has already commenced operations ; it is to be hoped with success. Whether the existing appliances are sufficient to properly test the auriferous character of the river bed has not been proved, but the enterprise of the party is at least a step in the right direction, and may, very probably, prove the germ from which much larger similar undertakings may spring. July 6. The success of the dredges in the Shotover River is causing quite a

sensation in the district, and will, we (" Arrow ' Advocate") believe, lead some of our generally speaking nonspeculative " lowlanders to " come out of their shells " and take a practical interest in this branch of mining. We understand the formation of a Limited Liability Company is on the tapis for the building of another dredge. Jt is proposed to fix the shares at £1 each, thus affording both to rich and poor an opportunity of speculating. Messrs Graves and party have just got 2870zs for two days' work, and Barker's dredge got eomo 70ozs for a week's work. We also hear that 200ozs have been taken out by Wood's dredge during the past few days. Such returns certainly offer considerable inducement for the increased prosecution of this description of mining industry. The "Otago Daily Times" publishos a letter from a " Chinese Merchant," in which he takes up the cause of those of his countrymen who have settled in this province. " John " has ': also found a friend in the Duustan district, who writes to the local paper as follows: —" Why all this hue and cry about poor John ? He rarely ever enters the labour market, and does he not, in most cases, act the part of a scavenger, clearing up the leavings that his more unskilful and careless confrere has left. behind in former years? and does not John benefit the province in many ways? Is he not a consumer of mutton, pigs, and poultry, and contriuutes his quota to the revenue in the shape of miners' rights, gold duty, and court fees, as well as those of other nations ? And, if he does take a little of the precious metal with him to China, is it not as well going there as in keeping up a set of bloated publicans, as would be the case if the Europeans got it ? 4.11 are agreed that the chief industry in Otago to foster and develop is gold mining. Can any more &kilful, more steady, more patientj and persevering class of miners be found than the much maligned Chinamen? Mr Macandrew proposed to assist immigrants from Norway, Sweden, Germany, and goodness knows where. The Chinamen will pour in by thousands if they are only permitted, without his solicitations, and bring in water for the Goldfields without Mr Houghton's subsidies, and moreover, make the escort of Otago big as of yore." The division of the debt owed by Wellington, between that province and its off-shoot Hawke's Bay, has never until now been 'finally adjusted. A rough division was made at the time the separation of the Hawke's Bay district was effected, but it was not expected that this would be final. After various attempts at an adjustment, the whole affair was left in the the hands of his Honour the Superintendent of Nelson, who, in the award made by him a few weeks ago, made Wellington indebted to Hawke's Bay £22,500.

During six months, fifty-six vessels have loaded with timber at Havelock, amountingto 1,478,850 feet. Mr Brownlee is pushing his tramway up the Kaituna Valley to obtain supplies of timber for his mill, and in a few weeks will have a locomotive at work upon it.

According to the Census return of its population, Canterbury will this year receive from the General Government £88,92118s uader the " Payment to Provinces Act." In the " New Zealand Gazette " of June Bth, it is notified that the Hon Mr Dillion Bell has received authority from the Governor to accept any tender or tenders for the construction and completion of sections two and three of the line of railway fron Dunedi» to Clutha, upon such terms and conditions as to him shall seem meet and expedient (subject, however, to the provisions of the Act); and further, to sign, execute, and enter into any contract or contracts with any person or persons which may be requisite or necessary, under the provisions of the Act, or either of them, for the construction and completion of the said sections two or three of the said line of railway. The local foundry of Mr Mills, at Wellington, has undertaken to cast a fire-bell for the City Council"