INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1061, 8 April 1873, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

The actual number of shares Bubscribed for in Auckland, in the National Bank, when the share list closed was 14,119.

A man named Humphreys died recently at Balclutha, Otago, while under the influence of chloroform administered for the purpose of an operation. Deceased was the son of the late Alderman Humphreys of London. He attempted suicide in Dunedin some time since.

The teachers in the employ of the Auckland Education Board are to be paid 20 per cent higher than the Government schoolmasters in Victoria. The Wanganui horse Shamrock has been sold to a Maori chief on the East Coast for £l5O.

Nelson, about; the moat suitable place in the Colony for flower growiag, is the only one of the principal towns that cannot raise a horticultural show.

The Dido cannot be the pleasantest of H. B. M. ships if the " Cross's"' account of her is to be believed. It says that in less than twelve months more than one hundred men have escaped from the Dido, which has been described in Auckland as " a floating hell," owing to the intensely severe discipline or tyranny, systematically .practised! on board that ship. A,man belonging to her, and wearing ' several " good conduct" stripes, somewhat' hesitatingly remarked " Gddpmows, it is only too true that the Dido is a miserable vessel to 'sail in." Ask any seaman of the ißlanche for his opinion of the Dido-r-dr rather of her captain. •Printers, above all others, have reason to know that the fraternity of " show folk " are as a rule bad marks in commercial transactions. Here is one instance of the free and easy ways of the " profession." The Southland News says: —We have to acknowledge receipt of an affecting souvenir—from we presume, one of the theatrical levanters —in the shape of a neat " shillelagh," weighing something less than fourteen pounds. It came up from the Bluff as a parcel, addressed, ' News Office. Glass, with care.' A label attached bore the following inscription : —' In re O'Brien, Accept enclosed valuable jnsthrumint as security for amount due—or as payment in full. Dr O'Toole. Stormbird, Ist March, 1873." We intend to give it a conspicuous place among the articles of virtu that adorn our sanctum."

" Snyder" in the Auckland Herald, says : —" The Acclimatisation Societies nf the colony are at "it again: The English rats having exterminated the colonial breed, are now playing mischief with the eggs of insectivorous birds ; so it is proposed to introduce the stoat, to exterminate the rats. When that is accomplished, it will be found necessary) to introduce something to exterminate the stoat, such, perhaps as the ichneumon, or the alligator, or something ichthyologic and ferocious. The acclimatisers will, I believe, never rest satisfied until they have imported the ova of the elephant, that we may enjoy the manly sport of hunting them." A game new to the Colonies has been initiated at Nelson, " polo," or hockey on horseback, which has become exceedingly popular in England within the last eighteen months, was played in the Botanical Gardens, a few days since ; and the mail says considering that it was new to all the players, the game passed off" most suecessfully. At the commencement of the game the players on each side are drawn up behind their respective goals with the exception of oue of the captains, who ou the ball being placed by the umpire in the centre of the ground has the first hit off which is the signal for the others to gallop forward, when a regular melee ensues. Somo of these miniature cavalry charges were very cleverly executed, and the display of horsemanship was on the whole highly creditable, not one fall occurring through the day, although in some instances, there was a slight tendency on the part of the riders to part company with their horses, but the balance that was so rudely disturbed by the collisions that every now and then took place was always recovered in time to prevent an actual upset. The scrimmages were capital fun, and were heartily enjoyed by the numerous spectators as well as by the players themselves, amongst whom the utmost good humor prevailed notwithstanding the hard knocks received, and the temporary inconvenience caused by the charge of an opponent. A peripatetic schoolmaster out on a holiday from Christchurch has been visiting the West Coast and on his return communicated his experiences to the Press newspaper. His impressions were languidly favorable generally, but his feelings were ruffled, according to his own account, at the journey between Hokitika and Greymouth, the drivers coming under his especial ban, and he speaks of them in most disgraceful terms, characterising them as " foul-mouthed offensive men," and branding Messrs Cassidy and Co, with " lasting disgrace" &c, &c. These gentlemen purpose adopting very sharp measures with the Press or their libeller, and gentlemen of the long robe will probably have work to do very shortly in connection with the case.

A Bishop Colenso controversy has sprung up in Invercargill on a small scale. The denizens of one of the ecclesiastical establishments were lately constrained to remonstrate with their spiritual head, for discoursing at greater length than was considered advisable, on portions of scripture which certain classes of the community think would better be left out bodily. This intrusion was resented by the reverend gentleman, who took his hearers to task, aud rated them roundly from the pulpit, informing them that if they were bent on going to the bottomless pit, he was determined they should not go like so many " mealymouthed maidens." That this earnest divine's figure of speech is always well chosen, msy be gathered from the fact that, some time ago, when discoursing upon a tender passage in his own experience, he jauntily observed, "I dropped it like a hot potatoe." The corporation of the City of "Wellington have just raised a loan of £20,000. The terms are less favorable than those on which the Nelson City Gas loan was recently obtained ; Wellington paying over 7 per cent, for its

money, while Nelson got its loan 1 shade below 6-J-. Scandinavian immigration may provi an economical mode of populating th] country after all, as We read in a Nd South "Wales paper that a Swedis! woman, who arrived at Maryborougl Queenland, >by the last iinmigratio: ship, gave birth, to four female iufants all alive and doing well at the date c the -last tadvicesv

, Mr, Justice Johnston on Rogues.-j "We take the following fron the Pom of the 11 ulto.;—" During one of thl sheep stealing cases this morning, Ma Gordon Allan argued that the prisoner Death must be innocent, because hi appeared to be a fool, and sheep steal; era were generally very clever. H« Honor took exception to the argui ment, which he said meant that rogues were clever and honest men fools. In spite of the supposed division of the race into knaves and fools, his exper* ience led him to believe that th< greatest knaves were the biggesi fools."

The AgenkGeneral.—The "Welling! ton correspondent of the "Wanganuil Herald says: —" It has been frequently] stated that the Hon. John Hall has! not gone to England to supersede the! Agent-General. Strictly speaking this' may be correct, but I know that he has taken with him an authority to] assume the Agent-Generalship in the' event of anything happening to Dr; Featherston. The doctor's health was stated to be bad ; the Government in* tend to appoint some one to attend to the business of the colony, taking it out of the Agent-General's hands, and leaving him to be the political repre« sentative of New Zealand. It is very probable that Dr Featherston may resent this—'l believe it is intended so to act as to make him do so—in which case, should the resentment lead to resignation, the Hon, John Hall would immediately take the office, and the Government would have got rid of P § Featherston without incurring thfe odium ofdissmissing him. There are more ways than one, &c. Articles of jewellery received in the colony are chargeable with ad valorem duty of ten per cent. It is not generally known to the public that any letters or packets containing such articles sent through the post are liable, i with their contents, to be forfeited. The value of the imports to the Bluff and Invercargill for the quarter ending December 31st is given £39,992, and to Riverton £7404, of these amounts nearly £35,000 went to Victoria alone.

The Southern Cross of March 11 says : —" The Hon Mr Vogel ,the colonial Treasurer, has arrived, and, in spite of the many stories which have been propagated lately as to the state of his health, he is, we are glad to ob* serve, in as good condition as he baa been in for years past. The statement that he is sufferiug from 'angina pectoris' is quite unfounded, and one is almost disposed to fancy that political opponents and their organs would rather wish that it had been true that his medical advisers had directed him to abstain from political life for a couple of years, the statement having been made with such persistent repetition. Happily for Mr Vogel that story too ia quite untrue. The Invercargill correspondent of the ' Otago Daily Times' writes thus—"We have just had a lesson in the noble art of serving God and Mammon to the best practical advantage. The modus operandi is worthy of being studied by men of enterprise desirous of extending their commercial relations. The hero of this occasion is the agent or canvasser of a Mutual Provident Assurance Society, on a visit to Invercargill. First he pushes business in the usual way by personal solicitation. Having exhausted the patience of the inhabitants, he next invited them to a free entertainment in one of the public halls, which wound up with the old story about losing no time in getting a policy. Having, as the miners would say,' worked out this bit of a patch,' he adroitly shifts the position, and on the evening of Sunday last, turned up trumps in one. of our city churches. The subject of this worthy gentleman's discourse is said to have been a stirring one. More than one procrastinating sinner is reported as having been converted to a sense of the danger of delay in providing for his latter end on the terms laid down by the Mutual Provident Association. It will be interesting to note the next move made by this piece of compound Teracity. Meantime, inquisitive people are desirous of knowing if the State Church of Otago authorises its congregations to become advertising agencies. If so, it will have the effect of shutting up one or more of our ably conducted newspapers."