NEWS OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 134, 26 November 1875, Page 11

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

The names of persons wishing to subscribe to the Christian Brotheis' School Fund will be taken at the door of the church as on last Sunday. We are requested to remind the gentlemen who were good enough to act as a committee on last Sunday of the .above. The Melbourne race week has, as usual, seen the houses of a number of pleasure-seekers robbed, while their owners were absent, and card-sharpers, with hoc genus omne, have made their usual pile. The Wellington correspondent of the ' Daily Times ' says : — The annual value of the city has just been made, and it represents an increase in rateable annual vaiue during tho year just passed of upwards of .£24,000. As this increase in annual value must represent about a' quarter of a million of money spent in building within the year, it affords a pretty good proof of the rapid progress which this city is making. During- the month of October six vessels, carrying close upon 2,000 emigrants, were despatched from tho Old Coiuitry for New Zealand. A traveller for Messrs. Matheson and Co., named B. H. Solomon, has been arrested at Wanganui, on a charge of forging a cheque on the Bank of New Sotith Wales. The exhibition of the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association, at Oamaru, proved highly successful. The exhibits in all departments were most worthy of commendation. The weather on both days was unfavorable, and the excursionists from Dunedin appeared to have suffered severely; for ha,ving been accompanied by wind and rain all the way from the Heads, they were landed at Oamaru, in an open boat, at 7 o'clock in the morning, only to find that sleeping accommodation could not be provided for a large number of their party. It is slated that Sir Julius Vogel intond s to leave ?an Francisco on December Bth. He may therefore be expected to arrive in Now Zealand early in January. Sib F. Dilxon Beil, in addressing a meeting at Waikonaiti, said that he had relinquished his design to retire from Parliamentary duties, as he thought that at this period of diflic.lty every man of «xiDerienr:e should offer his services to the country. He had chosen to "come forward for Waikouaiti because he had often thought it a pity that the district in question should not be represented by on 3 oi' its own residents. The financial position required that no request to continue the present state of affairs should be listened to, and the question now was, what is to be done in tho future ? The responsibility of determining this lay with the electors, and would lie with their representatives. If asked with what he would replace this Province, he would answer as he had before answered — nothing. No sensible man believed it possible that the old Provincial system could be maintained, nor was there the least chance of the colony being divided into two or four Provinces with a Federal Government. Such a theory, though not bad, was impracticable. He still held to the opinion — which, he expressed before the last session of the Assembly — that it was not necessary altogether to abolish the Provincial Councils, but that they should be stripped of legislative functions, and converted into Boards of Works. If returned he woiud try to unite the Otago interest in the General Assembly. Although opposed to the sale of land on deferred payments, because of its faulty working in Victoria, he would withdraw his oppossition to the system, since it has been successful in effecting settlement in Otago. The following tenders have "been accepted by the Provincial Government of Otago : — Contract 1,064, constructing and metalling 58 chains of road situated between Clark's and Johnson's, G-avan Whitefield, .£595 4s ; No. 1,065, constructing and metalling road between Stogg's Bridge and tho bridge near Somerville's Mill, Alexander Anderson, ,£435 10s; No. 1,067, construction and part pitching of 76 chains of road on block 11, Tuapeka East district, D. Macrae, £714 14s 9d ; No. 1,068, construction of stone and timber bridge over Minzion Creek in block 111, Bcngor district, William M'Lelland, .£3OB 3s sd. Only one tender was sent in for the construction of the Seaward Bush Railway, and it was informal. Up to the present the Government has not decided whether or not it will invite new tenders. The Auckland papers report that on tho night of November 5, some miscreant in the dress circle of the Prince of Wales Theatre in that city, sprinkled vitrol on the people below in the stalls. Fortunately the liquid did not fall on the face a,nd eyes of any one. A portion of a lady's silk dress was destroyed by the corrosive acid. Port Chalmers continues to be tho scene of accidents ; hardly a week now passes but we are sure to have " another serious accident." While the hard-labor gang of prisoners wore engaged falling earth off the Port Chalmers Grammar School site, one of them slipped while the earth was in motion, and «. portion of it fell on him, jamming one of his legs beneath it. He was speedily extricated, and having been supplied by Mr. W. Elder with some lotion to reduce tho swelling, he proceeded on board the hulk. After a few days' rest he will no doubt resume his work.

"We have received lately from Messrs Reith and Wilkie a book which we wish to bring under the notice of our readers, as -we are sure it is one in which many of them will feel a special interest. It contains two reports, one on the Geology of Otago by Mr. Hutton, and the other on its Goldflelds, by Mr. Ulrich. The' names of these gentlemen are so well known that it is only necessary to mention them as the authors of the book before us in order to draw to it the attention of every one who feels either interest or curiosity on such subjects. They do not pretend themselves to have made more than a beginning, or to have laid more than a foundation for future investigations. But nothing could be expected beyond this, and though the information afforded us is not as full or as accurate as it will be hereafter possible to make it, still it must be looked upon as the best that can be obtained up to the present, and will therefore be certain to be appreciated and welcomed. The entire of this country, and especially the Province of Otago furnishes a rich field of investigation and study to the geological student. Nay more, Otago abounds in mineral wealth of almost every kind, to which a great part of it 3 prosperity will be owing in the future as it has been in the past. But geology will give great assistance in unlocking those treasures, and so we feel sure that any treatise like the present, even though it did not possess the same special claims to attention, would be received with satisfaction, not ouly by the curious, but by every one who is desirous of beholding the evelopment and advancement of this Province. Above all, it mtist prove to be specially interesting to miners, as it gives an account of bhe reef's and goldfields, which are worthy of particular notice. It is published by order of the Provincial Council, as it was by its order the reports were at first collected and furnished. As to the way in which it has been brought out, it is very plain and unpretending", and more m the style of a pamphlet than of a. book. Many would bo inclined to find fault with it for this reason, but if a work is useful and valuable we are not much inclined to find fault with its outward appearance. Besides, this is a sort of book on which decoration is not usually bestowed. And there may have been another reason inducing the publishers to bring it out in this unpretending f ashiou. It is illustrated with several plates and maps, which of course were very expensive, and if in addition to this it were expensively brought out, it would perhaps be put beyond the reach of many for whom it is iutended. As it is, its price is very moderate, and, therefore, every thing considered, we have no hesitation in recommending it to those who wish to get as good information as can be obtained on the subjects it treats. Wellington wholesale produce prices : — Flour, .£lO 17s 6d to ,£11 ; wheat (milling- in demand), 4s 6d to 4s 9d ; oats, 2s lOd to 3s Id; rnaise, 5s 6d; barley, 3s Gdto 4s; bran, lOdto lid; pollard, 6s; potatoes, 60s (overstocked); cheese, lOd to lid; butter, 10d; good salt hams, lid to Is; bacon, lOd. The excursionists from Dunedin to Oamaru Agricultural Show had an unpleasant time of it. After getting outside the Heads the vessel began to feel the effects of the strong wind which had been blowing during the day, and sea-sickness became the order of the night. Added to this, rain fell pretty heavily, and a large number of the passengers being compelled to remain on. deck, owing to there not being room for them in the cabin, their misery was greatly increased. The steamer reached Oamaru about one o'clock on Thursday morning, and the passengers were at once landed in an open boat at the breakwater in course of construction. After walking up to town — no small distance — a large number of the pleasureseekers were greatly astonished at finding that they could not get sleeping accommodation " for love or money." The ship Waitara left London for the Bluff on the 25th September, with 216 souls on board, as follows: — Male adults, 85; female ditto, 64 ; male children, 29 ; female ditto, 29 ; infants, 9 : equal to 178 statute adults. Their various occupatians are : Farm laborers, 22; general ditto, 23; farmers, 4; gardeners, 3; ploughmen, 3 ; navvy, 1 ; carpenters, 6 ; joiner, 1 ; smith, 1 ; hammerman, 1 ; saddler, 1 ; shoemakers, 4 ; fishermen, 3 ; tailor, 1 ; brickmaker, 1 ; pavior, 1 ; groom, 1 ; printer, 1: Single women : Dairymaids, 3 ; general servants, 14 ; french polisher, 1; housemaids, 2; kitchenmaid, 1; laundrymaid, 1. Their nationalities are: English, 94; Scotch, 41 ; Irish, 73 ; "Welsh, 8. Mr. John M'Lean (Morven) will bo a candidate for the second Waitaki seat. The electors of the Ashburfcon (Canterbury) district in public meeting assembled, the other day, resolved to support no candidate who will not pledge himself to vote for the following, viz : " Runs to be let by public auction." " That in bhe ovent of the Provinces being abolished, the agent of the General Government in each Province be elected by the majority of electors of each Province." " That should further taxation be required, improvements, artificial or agricultural, bo exempted." " That the mere essentials of oduca tion be liberally supported from the consolidated revenue as a primary necessity of good, free government, all superior education to be paid for.'" "No general political questions to be decided by those holding a pluraliuy of votes to property." The following telegram was received by Mr. Colin Allan, immigration officer, wlio has been in Invercargill for the last twelve days, awaiting the arrival of the Adamant : — " I have no apprehension regarding the Adamant. She is very slow, and on her last voyage Home was so long chat eighty guineas premium was paid on her by the insurance companies. — C. E.- llaughton." The ' Southland Times' very properly thinks that the Agent-General's department is blameworthy for having accepted a vessel known to be " very slow/ i'or the conveyance of immigrants. Let us hope that "very slow" is the only fault of this vessel which has been, the cause of such high pressure excitement as to raise the insurance premiums on a former occasion to eighty guineas' Some few months since (says the ' Tuapeka Times') a solitarypheasant took up its abode at Mr. J. Bryant's farm, at Bow Bells Flat. The fact was represented to the Acclimatisaton Society, Dunedin, through Mr. J. C. Brown, who obtained a mate for it, and

the two seemed to take to each other very soon. A. few days ago, in -walking over the ground where the grass had been burnt Mr. Bryant discovered nine pheasants eggs. If the practice of burning the grass is continued we fear that it will interfere to a great extent with the acclimatisation of these and other birds. An accident, (says the C N. O. Times') with serious results, occurred on the morning of Friday last. At a little before eight o'clock some railway laborers were proceeding to their work in a truck being driven before an engine, when, as they arrived at the crossing of the Dunedin road, by the White Rocks, aboxit two and a half miles from town, the truck was thrown off the line, by metal, overturned. About twenty men were in the truck. Those who were sitting on the opposite side to that on which it went off were thrown clear of the truck, but others fell with the truck over them. Six or seven were more or less cut aboiit, but three were found seriously injured. Their names are James Crow, James M'Bride, and John Beamish. The latter has a fractured collar-bone, and lacerated legs ; Crow is badly bruised all over; and M'Bride has received internal injuries, lie having fallen with his abdomen across the line, and the truck across the small of his back. Crow and Beamish are getting on tolerably well, but M'Bride's case is serious. The usunl meeting of the Dunedin Branch of the 11.A.C BS. was held on Monday evening last, the President in the chair. The Secretary being a.b ent through indisposition, Bro. M. Connellan was appointed Acting-Se. retavy. After the usual business had boon transacted, Bro. J. J. Connor moved, and Bro. J. Murray, seconded — "That a Committee, consisting of Bros. E. Carroll, Bourke, Cantwell, Connellan and the mover, be appointed to revise and consider the proposed anr ndments in Laws, and bring up a report at the quarterly meeting." The next meeting will b« held on Monday evening next, and it is expected that important business will be brought forward. We have just been shown two medals executed by Mr. Hislop, Princes-street, to the order of Mr. Wood, Principal of the Catholic Schools, Lawrence. They are of pure gold, and we should think would weigh about one ounce each ; they have been made for the purpose of being presented to the best boy and girl, we presume, at the forthcoming holidays. The medals arc about the size of a crown piece ; the border presents a rich appearance, being tastefully raised and worked in shamrocks, while the face, which bears the words, on either side, "in hoc sir/no voices," and "honoris causa," together with a beautiful Celtic Cross so highly polished that it presents the appearance of gold-tinted glass. We have never seen anything in the way of medals intended for school premiums to equal the ones Aye have been referring to, and doubtless when the space, which has been left for the fortunate prizetakers' names have been filled in, they will think so too. These medals would point as an index to the vigor with which our schools at Lawrence are being worked. Duking the week we have had the Lynch Troupe. They have been unfortunate in having- bad weather, the result being very poor houses. This circumstance is to be regretted, for we feel sure that had it proved fine a liberal patronage would have rewarded their efforts. The performances as a whole are Avell worthy of support ; but we were somewhat surprised to find that in an entertainment of a high-class character such as one would expect to find associated with Bellrmgers, that a class of comic songs, at once low and vulgar, should be introduced into it. We are sure that the gentleman engaged m these vulgar exhibitions would please his audience quite as well, and gain for himself infinitely more merit as a comedian and a vocalist if he were to sing and act up to the taste of his patrons and not to try and drag them down to the level of low public-house concerts. We wore, as was everyone, delighted with the Bellringers, and regret that we have not time to give a Full notice of the entertainment. The laughable farce ' Glycerine Oil' was the cause of uncontrollable mirth. We notice that on Saturday afternoon there will be a performance for schools, etr.