A Balclutha suetionist c^lls the publican's slate il Sixpenny ' Readings." Adjutant's compulsory parade takes place at the Drillshed, Milton this evening. Five hundred head of store cattle, said to 'be- the best mob in Southland, we're receiit'y •sold from a station there at L 2 per head. The East Taieri bridge has of Lite under•gone an overhaul, has been re-planked, and the drawbridge taken off, we presume ■on account of its being so seldom used. Our Balclutha correspondent writes : — here i^ surprised at the low figure at which the contract for the last 1(H miles of the Clutha Railway has been taken up. By-and-by we may expect so see a premium phid for the privilege of navvy ing for the General Government. Seeing the ?reat difference between the Govprnment Engineer's 'estimate, and the amount of the accepted tender, it must be a r-ource of satisfaction to members of the medical profession fco know 'that " to differ,* is only hnman after all. The contract +aken by Mr Richard Wilson. of Milton, for the removal of the original 'church of England from Tokomairiro, to "Waihola, was completed some weeks ago, Vhen we announced the opening services. But the friends of the church there, were Hot exactly satisfied with the appearance of their church when removed according to contract, and have since hfid tlie sacrerl ediiicc linea, siaiciea, ana varnished, so fcrtat it now looks comfurtahle and well, and those •who years ago used to worship within Us "walls here, would now have sr»me difficulty in recognising the building to be the same. It is seated for from 50 to 60 worshippprs, ! and we gladly learn that a very few pounds , only remain as a debt upon the church, in which we understand the Tlev R L. Stanfor.l intends to hold service monthly for the present. We trust that the good example set by St. John's Church, Milton, in so greatly improving the grounds surrounding that sacred edifice, will speedily be followed by the kirk session of the Presbyterian Church here, and "we feel certain that, were this much needed improvement entered upon, many willing hearts and hands would be found to assist in the necessary work, by contributions in money ■or kind. We hope that some active member of the Deacons' Court, will take the matter in hand, as no difficulty would be found in bringing matters to a successful termina tion, before the season is too far advanbed to enable evergreens and other shrubs to be successfully transplanted. A Meeting of the' Milburn Road Bonrd Was held in the school-house, on Sa'urday, "the 26th inst., when it was unanimously agreed that a rate of Is in the £ be levied this year, As it will take about 9d in the £ to payp esent liabilities, leaviug 3d for curl*fej}fc feXp&ttSfeS. Tl\fe follftwiiig af>£>r>ltt(:M<M}!s were recommended to the General Road Board :- — Chairman, .Tames Blues ; lion. Clerk, Collector, and Treasurer, George Lindsay ; Inspectors of Work?, John France and Thomas Reid : Commissioners to hear appeals, John L. Gillies. M.P.C., and Alexr. Molliso",|M.P.C. To any person contemplating suicide, we can suggest a means of disposing of himself so as to make his end serviceable to those he leaves behind. Let him hire a buggy and drive on to the north approach to the Clutha bridge. The least carelessness will only then be required and over he goes neck and crop, down the embankment. If his neck is not broken he may conclude that he was born either to be handed ot die a natural death. . Should the possibility be sustained, his neck •will be broken — Coroner's inquest — Accidental death — Intimation to Government that , some one has at length be" n killed. Tenders •will be received at the O^iice of Secretary for Land a rl Works for fencing north approach ~ o JBalc.utha. bridge.

The inquest, "by Mr J. E. Brown; 3. P., and a Jury, into the origin of a fire in the stackyard of Mr James Adam, Bon Accord, a report of which will be found elsewhere, was resumed on Monday, at 1 pim-. Mr W. Taylor, solicitor, appeared on behalf of Jas. Russell. The Coroner and Jury having inspected the ground, the witnesses examined last day were re called, and re examined by Sergeant Mallard, and cross-examined by Mr Taylor. Several of the witnesses testified that according to their belief, the various footprints spoken to had been raade by the boot produced, and which belonged to James Russell. Jonathan Golding, who was adduced as an expert bootmaker, explained minutely the peculiarities of both the right and left boot produced, and said that so far as the impressions went, the boots and the prints corresponded exactly. He had no doubt whatever that the impressions had been made by the boots shewn. The hawker, named Archibald Fraser, who, it was alleged, had slept in the same room with Russell on the night of the fire, was called, but refused to give evidence unless he were previously informed as to who was to pay his expenses, and Sergeant Mallard being imable to satisfy him upon this point, he gave no evidence. All the witnesses brought forward by Mr Mallard having been examined, Mr Tciylor intimated, on behalf of his client, that he would reserve his defence. The Coroner then briefly summed up the evidence, and the Jury wishing to retire were locked up After a consultation of from three to four hours, the Jury returned a verdict of arson against James Russell. The Coroner then thanked the Jury for their ; t endance, and the patience and attention they had niani- ! fested throughout the proceedings. He ■ also paid a, higK compliment to Sergeant Mallard, for the efficient manner in. which lie bat conducted the enquiry. The proceedings wore continued throughout the night, and the Jury were only discharged about five o'clock yesterday morning. The Kurimoto Road Board have just completed several bridges across the many creeks which intersect the coast line of road. These will prove a great acquisition to the settlors and tiMvellers, as previously the sea beach formed a portion of the road, which at time of spring tides and dark nights, could not have been very agreeable to travel. We must give this Board credit for the energetic manner in which their tax is levied, lifted and expended, and would recommend many Boards of far larger radius to take an example from it. Fr*>m the seventh annual report of the Telegraph Department, we gather the fallowing information : — There are now 2107 miles of line, carrying 3507 miles of wive In 1866, 27,237 telegrams were sent ever 699 miles of line ; in 1871.312,974 telegrams over 2000 miles of line, or nearly twelve times the number of messages. There were then only 13 stations, there arc now 72. The cash revenue was then L.5,561 ; it is now. L 22,419. The t tal value of business was then little over 1.6000 ; it now exceeds L 32,000. The average cost of maintaining the linos in 1866 was L,3 9s 10d per mile ; in 18T0, it grew tr> L BQa 111, but lias smeo been reduced to L 5 19s t>d. Tlie number of private, pre?s nnd provincial service telegrams in 1870, was 122,545 and in 1871 more than double, being 253,582. on this , adoption of the shilling tariff. The total ] value of bnsin ss done, and the total expenditure were, iv 1866, L 6,045 and L 6.377 ; in 1871, L32,296anc1L32,598; almost exactly she same relation being apparently maintained, but whereas it cost, on an average, close upon five shillings to send each telegram in 1886. It cost in 1871, a fraction over two shillings. __^ Our member, Mr Wm. A. Murray, appears to be determined not to keep his light hid under a bushel, and we ai'e glad to perceive that he does not shut his ears to what is going on around him, although possibly we might differ from him as to the manner of showing it. Take for example a Bill to encourage the improvement of land in New Zealand on a similar principle to the Drainage Acts, 9 and 10 Victoria, the usefulness of which is universally acknowledged, and which was so strongly recognised that a unanimous resolution was carried last meeting of the Council in favor of the Governßient bringing forward the question before the Assembly. Whether it w.ts wise thus for our member to step in and filch from the Government what they ha 1 been instructed to do, or whether he, as a private member, is likely to give more wei .-lit to a measure of that kind than if it had been brought forward by the Provincial Government, and supported by the vote of iho Provincial Council, we will not pretend to say, but if we cannot admire the judgment, we can, at all events, acknowledge the zeal. We are pleased also to obs^-i vj that he apparently has been turning his attention to a question that was mooted at one of his meetings during his candidature, and to which, at that time he appeared not to have gi yen any eonsiderati n viz., the benefits that would likely arise from, and the advisability of establishing a Government Bank in New Zealand, especially as a means of more directly utilising our own capital for our own wants, and so directly save the immense cost, to the colony entailed by the employment of middle men or foreign banks. Without Mr Murray's remark it is very clear from the question put, whether he has posted himself up in the subject, or whether he has determined a scheme sufficiently clear and practical iv his own mind as to enable him to place it intelligently before the Assembly. But this we doubt, both from the character of the question and the Premier's reply. However, it is well that the subject should have been mentioned, as ■ it ma^ pave the way for others to take it up; | although from the influence and power of the Banlcs both in and out of the Assembly, we fear there is hut little hopes of success in the meantime. We would recommend the views put forward some years ago by one of our Provincial Treasurers, as a first step, the EfGl-tin^ in o£ the thin e<3<?e, viz., to create our G-olcl Receivers' offices Banks of deposit, receiving £old at a fixed Vcilue, giving deposit ' receipts bearing interest at a minimum rate, ' and negotiable ; convert the bullion into a I current coinage by the establishment of a ' New Zealand Mint, and so save the colony ; the immense sum? lost in the export of the ■ raw material and utilise in a far higher degree our own capital, an enormous amount of which is lying throughout the colony, • especially on th» goldfields, idle and dormant, ' which, if brought : nto the hands of the Go- ! vernment, would relieve to a certain extent, their dependence on foreign capital, to say nothing of tha immense saving that might b 9 effected in interest and otherwise. This I view of the subject, we th'.nk, would be most likely to recommend itself to a Government . whose whole hobby appears to be the getting I of money ; the mere {issuing is found to ba a very .simple affair, and we fdo not doubt f ab even Government themselves will deny that they have had no trouble in the world in adsnding the funds as fast or even faster than they could obtain them*

The iDisWiei library at Hillend School, Ls now open. : '. The Victorian parliament, during last year spent L4OOO in subsidising the Agricultural Societies of that colony; this aril ount was voted and nearly all spent. When will our Ofcago societies receive similar aid ? | Mr Geokge Williamson of Oberamika, has left his farm there unsold, and has purchased 700 acres from Mr Shanks at Tuturau, ! Mataura, which he intends to cultivate. Mr I O ugh ton the saw miller and flax manufacturer, formerly of Southland, has also purchased land from Mr Shanks, and has settled down at Tuturau. This Would appear to show the superiority of the soil on the northern banks of the Mataura as compared to the eastern district of Southland, in which we are told that any number of properties are going a-begging. A correspondent writes : — There are two occupations better than that of a slanderer. The business of a neighbor, he who cleans out middens, is not a clean but it is an honest, and is said to be a healthy employment. A muck-worm, which is continually wriggling its little body among filth, has a rather dirty time of it, but probably the little animal is doing some good or it would not be there in the dunghill. The occupation of a liar, or slanderer, a libeller and a scandalmonger is so far worse than that of the nightman and the muckworm, that it is I not only a dirty and filthy, but is also & \ rascally and V:l!ainous occupation. A petition to the General Assembly, in favor of a measure embodying the principles of Sir Wilfred Lawson's 'permissive Bill, is being numerously signed in the Molyneux, ' : Kaitangata and Hillend districts. Miyht not the Temperance Society of Toknumiriro take up this matter and join {.he olhor kindred societies in this laudable attempt to get some law put into force to put down the evils of intemperance \ As a sign of the times, we are informed | (hat at the sale recently held of Heddon Bush Run, by Messrs Martin and Ci>., of Invercargill, only one boitaJUe bid of 1:2000 was received, although the property was supposed to be withdrawn at LSOOO. We gladly learn that the Taicri Derby Ploughing Match Committee, af. or paying no less than L7O, offered in prizes at the late match, had then a surplus left in hand of L3O 2s, which amount has been placed at interest as a nest cj;g for next year's Derby. This speaks well for the ComsnUt'ie, whose i efforts may be considered more as the private j undertaking of a few farmers than as a public Society . Thk Southland Agricultural and Pastoral i Association, in offering a premium of L4O, for i ! the best draught entire to travel the district for the season, suggests an idea to the agricultural Societies north of the Mataura, which might be acted upon to great advantage. I Joux Pati'EKSox, a laborer, residing in Wailiola Gorge, unfortunately lent his all, hy fire, on fhe nl^ht of TKtirs.Uy, ilia 24tli insfc., when the s-.»d lint n- which he and. Ins wife and lar^e family dwelt, was completely destroyed and they were thus cast houseles-i and penniless upon the world. A subscription list was at once commenced on behalf of . this respected laborer, and was worthily headed by the neighboring settlers with con- j siderable amounts. Two or tlm»e other friends also spent several days in canvassing j the district on his behalf, and when the list reached us a goodly sum had been collected. I No doubt Messrs Blues and Duthie would , gladly receive further help from the chavit,- j ably disposed. I The all bnt incsssant and very heavy rain I which fell from Monday evening till a late hour last night, appeared to threaten a repe- I tition of the floods of three ye.irs ago. The ! Tokomairiro river was observed to rise two . feet in one hour yesterday afternoon, and ' preparations were made to secure the safety of the wool stocked in the Tokomairiro Fell- I nvmgery (Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co.) in case of flood. Before midnight, however, ( the sky cl'-ared, and although the !v\romefcr ' continued low, the probability of a flood had disappeared. James Russell, the farm servant referred to in the evidence taken before the Coroner, ! was imprisoned on Thursday, on suspicion i of incendiarism at Bon Accord farm, but was admitted to bail, himself in L2OO ar-d two j sureties in LIOO each. He surrendered to his bail yesterday before Mr J. L. Gillie?, J. P., when he was committed for trial at the Supreme Court, on the 4th prox. Bail being accepted on his owti and two f fiends sureties, for double ihe amouuts above named. In- the R. M.'s Court, Milton, yesterdny, before Mr J. P. Maitlan'l, "1.M., on the case Keith v. Whits, being called, Mr Taylor, plaintiffs' counsel, applied f° r ;i remand till Tiuslay next, which wis granted In the case. Dickson v. Brijli, claim LI 9 10? 6d, Mr Taylor for defo ndant, judgment WiU given ."or plaintiff with costs. FaoM our report of the last meeting of the Town Council of Balclutha. it will be learned that. B.irr street is shortly to be opened for public traffic. We heartily congratulate the settlers in : he Fine a lddistriot, to whom this street will open a good road for the conveyance of their pioduc3 to the local market. Mr John Thomson, lessee of the Kaitangata coal mine, is making good progress with his tramway from the pit's mouth to the point of shipment on the bank of the Matau. Settlers who have made a trial of the coal speak highly of the coal as a clean* and bright burning fuel. W\i hope to hear that Mr Thomson is able to meet the market with a price that will ensure him a lar_;u sale. Wk understand that Mr H L. Squires, of Wyndham, Mataura, who was the first settler that purchased land on the Mokareta Hundred, south of the Mimihau, five years ago, has recently sold his property there to Mr (/Ujvrles Anderson, formerly manager for thy J New Zealand and Australian Land Co., at ] 35s per acre, and va'ua'lm for improvement 3 . I The cattle being al-o taken over at valuation iWe believe Mr Squires and family have ! since removed to Invercav^ill, and regre' '■■ that the Mataura district should have lo«t in i him one of the most public spirited of he settlers. Mr Squirt a was an active member of School, lloacl, and other local Boards, and i ever ready and willing to exert himself k< , uttermost in furthering the best interests o! ; the district, and lias all along fought hard for the honaflde. settlement of the land, both •by his pen and personal influence with hi.« i neighboring settlers, having spent many •<■ day and travelled many a mile on behalf o his fell.uv setcLrs. Settlers in the Matauva district will h a - rejoiced to learn ihat patience and perse veranc have at length overcome the difficult'!" which have attended the construction of M Doull's mill and water-race. The establish- I ment, we observe^ is now rearly to receive wheat for gristing.

TitE! next of the course of Sixpenny Readings, takes place at Inch Clutha to-morrow evening. The steamer Tuapeka met with an accident last week which detained her above , bridge for a few days. She has again found her way to the Port to resume her trips as us'ial. The nominations for the Mayoralty and. ; Couneillorships, under the municipality now erecting in Invercargill, took place on Wednesday, 23rd inst., Mr H. M Cnlloch, R M,, presiding on the occasion. Messrs Mitchell and Wood were nominated for the office of Mayor, the day of election being tixed for Saturday. 26th inst. There were 17 candidates nominated for councillors, and the offices of auditorship were uncontestedj Messrs Macrorie and Flemington being elected. Although we are no admirers of Mr T. L. Shepherd, me:nber for Dun3tan. yet we are not of those who think that "no good thing can come out of Nazareth," and we confess we cannot admire the taste that dictates the bespattering of any public man with sundry slang aliases, admitsable as a, joke in private ; but certainly not fitted for the columns of a public journal. The reference to any one, holding a representative position, in the same manner as if he were some notorious criminal, cannot but tend to break down j that respect for the institutions of the country, which should be held equally by the electors, and those who represent them. Need we wonder that able men are loathe 'to take part in public affairs when the guardians or leaders of public opinion are so reckless of the feelings of those who repre- , sent the public, and whose only consideration appears to be pandering to the viliated tastes of the mob. However, we «iay censure Mr Shepherd's want of control over Ins vanity, and express regret that- his egotism destroys in great part his usefulness ; yet our experience of him has been thar. he is possessed of a fair share of ability, and certainly a much larger amount of political honesly than those two numbers, Messrs Haughton and Mervyn, who appear to hive set themselves and others against him. Mr Shepherd deserves the th inks of the Province—yea, of (he colony— for carrying the resolution for separate reports fr >m the Waste L.-mds Committees of the two Houses, and we feel assured the good results thai will flow from it will he evident when the question of the Waste Ta'ids will coma up for discussion. As t > goll.ields member, he has done his constituents good service, being the means of ca'-rying the same principle in regard to a new Go!* I; elds Act. Let Mr Shepherd but control his vanity, and we have no fear but that he will ren ler fair service to the count, y, in the Assembly. A coK'ESPo^pext writes :— Mr Caloutt, in his unique tour for the negotiation of 'and for the Southern Hail way, found some g »od Samaritans at Otokia (nviii with long he ids). It appears that Mr Palmer demanded payment for his land adjoining the Reliance Hotel, or that which the line monopolised. | On the other hand, the Henley Estate proprietors and several others on the west bank of the river, offered their hind free, with site for a station, which, we are informed, was accepted. Nov. till then did thu people in the vicinity of Hie Reliance Hotel see their folly, by which the whole community on fhe east side of the Taieri river, including Otokia. Mutipipi, and ICurimoto, were cut off from the railway station. No doubt the river can he bridged at the Taieri Village, but why cause this additional expense ? To build a railway station on the Henley state is pure madness— nothing else. We are sure, had Mr Calcutt known the state of the said site in tim-3 of ordinary floods, he wonld never have negotiated upon the conditions above referred to An influ.-ntial meting was lately held at the Reliance Hotel in ordor to petition the Government as to tho propi i'3ty of the select -d station site. We are informed th it Mr E. Palmer offered half an aero as a sit') for tho station at the Reliance, and we have no doubt that, rather than injure so many of his fellow settlers, he would give the lin ; as well — which we hope will be the c.ise, and the station be built upon a solid 'foundation, accessible to nil ; notlikj a swamp hen's nesr., in the centre of the swa npiosl spot to be obtained. It is to be regretted that, the Government opposed, an 1 that, a majority of the Assembly did not support- the motion of Mr Collins, " for the names of the persons not in the Government service, to whom the free use of the telegraph wires had been given." The public have a right to know how every sixpence of the public funds are disbursed, and equally have they the right to demand that they be maclfi acquainted with the uses to which public property is applied. We regret to say that the telegraph department in some quarters lias not the confidence of the public, so much so, that we have heard gentlemen declare that they dared not to trust the telegraph office with any message of a political character. We most carefully exempt our local o(Roi> from even the breath of suspicion, as we have every reas> h to believe it is conducted in such a manner as to inspire ever} 7 - c >nfidenc3. We wish wecould say the same of offices in higher quarters. " Pippins and Cheese to come." is the tile chosen by .Mr Hubert Gil ies for his lee! nre on the " Past and Present History of Colonial Life in Ota^o," to be delivered in (he A^piifeum, on Friday evening first. We h V 3 all had our shave of the " pippins," and are anxiously waiting for the good time coming, and no doubt the general desire to secure "the cheese to c mv)," will seenro a goodly audience for Fiiday evening, when s> old a colonist with so interesting ' theme will no doubt be able to amuse, enliven, and i s met his fellow-colonists, old and young. The tender of Messrs M'Leod and Co., of Port Chalmers, for the Clutha railway contract has been acctplcd, aud not that of Mr I A. J. Smith as previously rumoured. The amount of the 'ender has not b^en made public, tvut it is understood to be much untUi 1 the estimated amount. Mv M'Leod visited Tofeomairir •> last week, and purposes * returning this week to take up his permanent abodejhere till the completion of the contract, which will at once be entered upon "with spirit. It will be observed that tenders are <y.i\\: dby advertisement for cutiin^s, and estima! s for the supply of timber, and we trust that our 01 n: ha and T^komairiro bushes will be made to yield supplies, and thus encourage local industry and prevent the money leaving the district for such supplies. To contractors who are constant readers of ; he ' Gazette,' we may state that tenders a"c ! sometimes invite I w thout the aid of tae ' provincial weekly. In a township on the banks of the Molyneux, we observed the oth.Tr day, a nolice that tenders were wanted for cutting "four cords of firewood" The notice was provokingly silent as to what security was required for the fulfilment of the contract, but in a work of suoh magniI tude we suppose the lea3t th.it could be expecLed of intending tenderers is, that they would take the trouble to enquire^

> An announcement has been sent to us t'>i the effect that there is now preparing for the: : Dress, a full account of the -p -ocaedings at ; fche^ enquiry held sit Switzers by Mr J. P. R.M., into the charges pref -rred ] by William Acton against Warden Wood, together with the statements in the master, of Ennis v. Simpson, and all correspondence : in connection therewith to the General and Provincial Governments. ' The Mayoralty election foe Liverenrgill. on Saturday 26th inst., terminated in the return of Mr Wood by a majority of 51 votes, the numbei's being — Wood, 191 ; Mitchell, 140. The supporters of each candi date were very active during the day, both sides being very sanguine The majority appears to have surprised many The election for councillors is so come off on Wednesday, September 6th. Between a Total Abstinence Society movement in fnvor of the '■ Permissive Bill,'' and an anbi-shouting society, Balclutha ought certainly to become a pattern of sobriety. Tf this sort of thing goes on much longer, what will become of the publicans ? The report of the Public Works and Im- ' migration department gives the following information regarding expenditure under provisions of the Act : — -Land purchased in North Island, L 18,230 ; Roads and Teamways, North Island, L9B 623 3^ 2d : Surveys, North Island, LGBIB 19s 3d ; Water Raeos, North Island, L 495 ; Immigration. North Island, L 25,471 10s 5d ; Middle Island Surveys, L 5105 16s 9d ; Railways L 50,500 ; West land Water-races, L 229 ; Immigration, Canterbury, L°os9 os ; North Island total, L 131,408 12s lOd ; Middle Island total,' L 64 ,894 is 9d. The following is a cotnpendinm nf Hie receipts of the several pvi)vinces of INgiv Zealand for the year ending 31 t December, IS7O :-

However instructive might be the lesson that could be* diMWii from this statement, we ;it pr sent vefr iin. and confine ourselves sinvily to facts — food for reflection. Duiusg the yo.iir ending 31st December, 1870, the viluo of imports hi-o New Zealand j aiivun-'ed to L 4,63 9.015 ; the v.ilue of exports, L 4,822,750. Amongst the largest items of imports are to be found .ipparel and slops, bag* iind sacks, boo.- i and shoes, coals, flt-. M )3j«y. fl>m\ no las? than f-759 : cms malt, of the value of LW,551, ifonmnn'ei-y. machinery of v.u-Loii3 kinds, s.iddlery, spirits, stationery, printing material and paper, sugar, and woollen goods. The re burns show an import of L 105,000, and an export of L 100,015 gold specie, the exports showing the raw material of gold as L 2,103,010, 103,010 ; woollen imports, L 163,270 ; wool exports, L 1,703.944., 703. 944. Flour exports shew a value of L 132,578 ; an • that of kuiri gum as L 175 074. and tallow as L 75,593 Preserved meats only appear as valued at Ll4/235, but v must be remembered that this branch of industry has largely increased since the date of the returns. Tlie number of ve-sels entered inwards to N;-w Zealand avno'inied to 733 ; tonnage, 273.151 ; cvews, 14, 150. Entered outwards, 7(5G ; tonnage, 285,407 ; crews. 13,307- The amount of all custom? revenues and duties collected in 1870 was L 359.242. An extensive fire occurred on the mornin > of Wednesday, 23rd inst , at the farm of Mr Thomas Ferguson (an old settler and pionery of tlv.i district,), at Myross Bu-sh. A ba"<i and stable, separate from each other, together with a milking shed were burned down. Six valuable horse 3, about 500 bushels of grain, and a large number of farming implements and gear were destroyed. Mr Fer guson is uninsured, and the loss is estimated at ab<->ut L6OO. The dwelling house, bein-j at a considerable distance, did not take fire, and providentially a colt mid several milking cows were rescued from the burning oUtbuildings. Tlie ploii'iliniaii oil tlio farm, re ports ihat, lteiiitf aWiU^ fli thrift .v'fllotjk. \V, the morjiin-jf. and locking oilfc, lioSavr no hidica/ions of fire, but tha*., on waking about a i lv>nr after, lie was attracted >y the glare of the burning. It is conjectured that the fire was caused by lightning, which was frequent and vivid Ihroilurh the night. NY reason exists for suspecting incendiarism. Mr Fergus- >n, th . sufferer, has been for some years afflicted with paralysis, and is therefore not in nut ;h of a position by his futniv exertions; to repair the effects of this sad ca'ainily. We are glad to learn that the party who were working at the Table Hill qmriz, and who a week or two ago made a trial crushing of the reef, known as the Ocean View, are likely to reap a good reward for their perseverance and pluck. It will be reniomrered by many that this reef which runs parallel with the Table Hill one at ab li 10 ') yards dis.ant was prospected in a s->-r of a way so.ne considerable time ago, . n I abandoned on tlie supposition that the sloae had run out. The stone then obtained yielded well in the crushing ; but because of some little difficulties that presented themselves, and for want of the necjssiry capital to overcome them, tee enterprize was aimnj doned. On tlie failure of the Table Hill Reef ('owing to the same cause we conscientiously believe of money;) six of; the tributers put down a shaft 45 feet, near the ( >cean View, found Che reef, and have obtained a goocl prospect therefrom. Th« ; reef is about three feet sin. inches wide, making stone rapidly as driving into the hill proceeds and is at present looking well, and we trust that the returns from the present crushiug will not otiiy reiuunar it-? the party for their entefpriza ; but will give such substantial encouragement as will justify and constrain them to try at a still lower depth as well as provide the wherewithal to do so. Notwithstanding the niany disapp lintmehts and fluctuating returns that have i characterised these reefs, we are fully im- ; pressed ■with the belief that it only wants capital to enable a sufficient depth to be obtained, and the mines to be worked in a manner cons-sfent with their ascGr aiued features, so as to make them highly remunerative. The two reefs are distinct, having their under lay Jin opposite di.-ections, the rock being tlie same which forms thi bac wall in each case, or in other words, the two reefs are lying back to back, the under lay ci i■fr m uach other. We intend 1 1 referi \p this subject on a- future occisioni

Auckland £200.180 15 11 Tarauaki 8484 2 7 Hawke's B:iy 34.413 5 11 Wellington 64,524 13 11 Total North Island Pro vinc'al Revenues 316,602 18 4 Nelson 101,279 2 2 MarlWou-jh 12.436 11 7 < 'canterbury 299,19i> 9 7 Wttstlaud 87,70/5 11 S Oia-o 431.231 1 8 Southl.uifl 40,421 0 3 Total Middle Island Provincial Revenues 995,470 2 6