CANTERBURY.

Bt the Lord Ashley, Capt. Kennedy, we have received our usual files of papers from tbis Province up to the 19th inst. We are glad to hear tbat the late S.E. gale, which created so much •devastation' in this Province, was only slightly felt at Canterbury, and that the crops, for which serious fears were entertained, suffered little or no damage. We make the following extracts from tbe papers received by tbis opportunity: — As a set-off against the almost tropical heat of tbe few previous days, we have during the present week been indulged with a. reminiscence of winter, in the shape of continued strong south west-— or more properly south east — winds, accompanied by a heavy driving rain, the thermometer standing only so much above 40 degrees as during several days of the preceding week it exceeded 80 degress. The effect will doubtless be almost destruction to the remainder of the small fruit, but we do not expect to *hear from the plains that the rain, accompanied as it has been with brisk wiuds, has done any darauge to the grain crops. The change commenced on Monday afternoon and only began to show signs of improvement yesterday evening.

It has been announced within the. past few days that the vacant post of Emigration Agenf; in London for this Province hss beet} filled up by the Provincial Government by the appointment of Mr. John Marshman, hitherto acting Provincial Treasurer, and lor several years pre viously performing the duties of Auditor. Tbe office of Provincial Treasurer is thus again temporarily vacated : and it is understood that Mr. R. J. S. Hannan, hitherto Auditor, -'will perform the duties until the return from leave of Mr. C. C. Bowen who holds the permanent appointment.. The appointment to the auditorship has not been announced. AJr. Marshman, the new Emigration 4gent, sails for London by the Mennaijl in about a fortnight.— Lyttelton Times.

The race ball at Mr. Joynt's hotel, Kaiapoi, j came off successfully on Wednesday evening ; and though, owing to tbe weather, the attendance of visitors from a distance was limited, all the residents of the placo were tbeie, and expressed themselves highly gratified with the arrangements Mr. Joynt had made foj their amusement. Tije Christchurch bau4 were in attendance, antf the dancing did notceapeuntjl some time after daybreafci—ZfluJ. Harvest \n now rapidly advancing, Already some fields of wheat are tpyning yellow, ready for the sickle or reaping machine, and tbe latter are equally ready r fqi 'their- work. In one or two fiels here and there reaping has .already begun. 'The weather of lasit week and the present, so far ?i| it basgone, has-been by go means propitious

to the farmer, and if it continues will seriously interfere with harvest operations. In some places the wheat crop, where it is a little heavier than ordinary, has been knocked about a good deal, and the damage done will become more serious as the crops assume an advancing stage of ripeness. There has been nothing yet to grumble at, for though the past ten days have been euld stormy and wet, still it is much better that such weather should come now and be over than that it should wait to accompany the farmer through February. The great breadth of land under wheat this ysar makes it a question of great consequence to the proviuce at large whether the harvest will be got in easily aud safely or with a loss. — Ibid. Markets. — The approach of the harvest seasonjbegius to animate tbe grain market, without, however, the usual accompauiment of a rise in ptice. We quoted last week a reduction in the price of flour by the millers. This must be takeu as owing, partly to the late importations from Melbourne, but still more to tbe approach* ing delivery of new wheat into the market. The miller is, of course, careful that the high price, in proportion to the cost to him of the wheat, to whjch it is possible to keep flour in this province, shall uot be maintained too late, and a decline is established for a month or two on the one side that a reason may be afforded for depreciation on the other. The millers have not yet made a reduction equivalent to the fall in the Australian markets since the higher rate was fixed here ; and it is not improbable, therefore, tis well as for (he reason above stated, that a few weeks more may bring flour down lower still. Wheat is now being bought for delivery after harrest at ss. to ss. 6d. If there were more mill power in the place we should find a beneficial result to the farmer even from a lower figure. There would be a freedom ftom the heavy tax upon the staple article of food *, aud the absurd and disastrous commerce, arisiug from the exportation of grain at a low figure and its reimportation in the shape of flour at a price which knocks down that at our mills and with it in turn the home market for our wheat, would quickly come to a termination. Under different circumstances, the importation of flour from Melbourne, which at present is sufficient almost to create a panic, thrilling from one extremity to the other of the agricultural interest would either be rendered impossible, or would not take place uuless our own supplies after large exportations of flour were running short, when it would prove a blessing to all concerned This year, with the stale of affairs in the North Island, our farmers need not want a market for their grain, within modeiate but profita b limits. — J6id.

Christohuroh Mechanic*' Inshtutk. — The second ennual conversazione was beid in the Town Hall, on Thursday, Jan. 3. His Honor the Superintendent, as President, opened the proceedings and introduced Mr. Ollivier, who proceeded to read Mr. Haast's Geological report, given in our issue of the 26th ultimo. The reading was received with great iuterest and attention ; at its conclusion, the assembly was addressed by the Revs. C. Fraser and J. Buller. Mr. Olliver then read a Prize Essay of the Institute "On the diffusion, extension, and improvement of knowledge among the working classes." He then, as librarian of the institute, proposed a scheme for enlarging their present small stock of books. He said that the Canterbury Vocal Union had volunteered to give a concert for this object, and he hoped that each gentfeuwn who should attend it would bring with him at least three books : he himself would bring 50. The evening throughout was enlivened by the staius of the Christchurch band and the melodies of the Canterbury Vocal Union. The following is a list of the contributors to the decorations and embellishment of the Town Hall on this occasion ;— Dr. Barker, Messrs. J.C. Wilson, F.N. Campbell, E. Recce, Ballard, J. Anderson, L. E. Nathan, W. Wilson, C. J. Rae, F. F, Thompson, Latter, Brown Asraussen, Stagg, Smith, Foley, Worth, Oswald, aud Reader.

The Revekue of the Province. — The annual and quarterly statements of revenue and expenditure for tbe period ending 30th Sept., 1860, are published in a Provincial Government Gazette, which contains also a variety of an. uounceraents dating as far back as the llth October. Th« receipts from the three-eights of Customs for the year was £l 1,947 Os 6d, indicating a gross Customs revenue of about £32,000. The receipts from the same source for the last quarter ofthe year were £2913 18s 3d. Crown lands during the year produced £48,244 6s Bd, of which £10,454 5s 6'd was contributed during the September quarter. Publicans' and auctioneers' licenses produced £615 in the quarter and £1590 in the year. Of immigrants' passage monies due to the Government £2350 was recovered during the year. In the same period, the Registration of Deeds produced fees amounting to £547 18s Bdpilotage fees were (gross) £297 15s 2d; Lyttelton jetty wharfage fees were £110 6s 7d, the produce of the last quarter of the year ouly; and a total sum of £72,019 17s 7d is made up from miscellaneous sources. Of these last, £19 19s 6d is credited to the province of Otago, as a repayment by it of expenses incurred in the capture of prisoners. Tbe yearly expenditure includes the two great items, public works and immigration. The former cost £23,184 lls 9d, including £1996 14s sd, the expense of tbe department. Immigration cost £13,688 14s 9d. The grants in aid of schools amounted to £2262 IOs; the cost of the Executive departments of Government was /C 2486 7s lOd: tbe Provincial Council cost £497 Os 3d ; justice—including Supreme Court, gaol, registration, police, and inspectprof sbeep— cost £5787 Qs 7d ; the Wasto Lands Board and Surveys (including '.contract surveys) cost £9050 13s • the Harbour department cost £670 fls lid; charitable, £1762105; printing and advertising, £BD3 ls 7d j grant in aid of building churches, £2850; buildings and furniture, £5856 3s 3d : Government plantations, £258 14s 7d ; the railway,£sß3s 9s interest on overdraft, £233 8s 10d ; all which with a few minor departments and services, amount to £79,246 2s 6d. The difference between expenditure and revenue fbr the year, i*7326 V Ud, is added lo the bank debt.