News of the Week.

Otago Witness, Issue 1501, 21 August 1880, Page 18

News of the Week.

Mr Horace Bastings has, we understand, been urged to stand for Waikaia, theseat vacated by the death of Mr Ireland, and there is aome prospect of his acceding. The rumour that Mr W. L. Kees intends to stand can hardly have much foundation in fact. Although that gentleman has impudenc9 enough for anything, we can hardly conceive of his successfully wooing an Otago constituency. The Wellington correspondent of the Southland Times says that in the event of Mr Baatiuga declining to stand Mr Fergus, the well-known contractor, is likely to come forward. A movement is on foot in Sydney to establish by co-operation a central butter market, by which all the butter trade could be so concen trated as to equalise prices to about 9d per lb in summer, and 15d in winter, the surplus being exported to England and elsewhere. The Orient Company are fitting up their steamers with refrigerating-rooms which would enable the butter to be sent Home perfectly fresh and sweet, and we presume a Bimilar chamber for storage would be fitted up on shore, so that Btock could be held for a considerable time without deterioration. The idea is a good one, and would meet the difficulty that while at jtimes in the winter there is a great scarcity of good butter, in the summer there is an over-supply, atd consequently prices rise and fall unduly. Another thing that is contemplated in the plan to which we have alluded is the classification of the butter, so that the best quality should get the best price as is done at Cork (Ireland). If an export trade is satisfactorily established New Zealand ought to benefit largely, as ih is a country so admirably adapted for dairying. The Otago Harbour Board evidently look with alarm at the possibility of their loan bill being thrown out in the Upper House. At the last meeting it was decided that if the bill should be thrown out immediate steps should be taken to stop further progress being made in the carrying out of the hopper-dredge contract at Home, and also to stop all local works. The latter step would involve the discharging of 200 employes. The Board assert that in no other way, should the power of borrowing be denied them, can they successfully meet their engagements. It appears that the question of the Governor's salary cannot be dealt with for some time to come. In reply to a question, the Hon. Mr Hall stated last_ night that nothing could be done during the incumbency of the gentleman lately appointed to the Governorship. Representations having been made to the Colonial Secretary, regarding the importance of the Gaming and Lotteries Bill, a reply was received on the 12th acknowledging its importance, but stating that if it waa attempted to be passed this session it would be opposed, and in the present state of the business of the House it would be impossible to get it through, This U much to be regretted. The City Surveyor's departmental report for the year was laid on the table at the City Council last week. From tbe report it appeared that the value of the departmental work entered into during the year was L 49,210 33 6d, made up as follows :— Formation of streets, L 3246 Is lOd; metalling and gravelling, L 12,392 Is Id ; kerbing and channelling, LlO4l 2s lid ; asphalting, L 3398 163 81 ; sewers, L 5442 12a 6d; other general contract works, L 3177 12s 4d j sanitary w0rk,L1664 Is 5d ; reserveH and cemeteries, L 2364 9i 3d ; ordinary day labour, L 7892 6j 7d ; unemployed gangs on city works only, L 2448 53 6d ; materials and stores for the use of day labourers, L 1659 19s 6d ; and water supply, L 4482 14s Id. These figures, however, did not represent tho actual amount expended, as many contracts were running on to completion which had been commenced in the preceding year. The exact amount certified to by the Engineer during the yetr waa L 53.668 8s Id, and this sum indicated the total amount of the business done by the department which involved any pecuniary expenditure. Taking this as the actual ex panditure, tbe cost of the department has been 4£ per cent., including engineers and .inspectors salaries and office expenses. The salaries were : Engineer, assistants, and cadets, L 135 0; paid engineer for works on streets in other boroughs, Ll2B. Inspectors' salaries — Inspector of city works, L 350; ditto sewers, L 125; ditto water supply, L 250; ditto un01a ployed, Ll6O. Office expenses. L 175, Total cost of department, L 2538. Dr Hodgkinson having felt aggrieved at some remarks made by Colonel Whitmore implying that after refusing his honorarium, except to the extent of 50 guineas, he applied for the balance when he lost his election, the matter was brought up ia the Council on 22nd July by the Hon. Mr Nurse, when a complete denial of the charge that Dr Hodgkinaon bad ever applied for the balance was made. It is only right that the worthy doctor should have full credit for his conscientious disinterestedness. Mr Armstrong, locomotive engineer of South Island railways, has received notice from the Government that hiß services will be dispensed with. We notice with pleasure (says the Mataura EneigD) that since the opening of the Waimea Plains railway the traffic has been surely increasing. The business now done on the new line is considerable, and portends that it will soon become a successful and paying railway. When the time-tables are altered, as we understand they will be immediately, the traffic should largely increase. Latest advices from the Agent-general report that aa Inspector of Prisons for the Colony has not yet been appointed. A telegram published elsewhere announces the death, at Wellington, of Mr G. Ireland, member forWsikaiain the House of Representatives. Mr Ireland was in the House on Thursday. He waa known to be in failing health, but there was no expectation of any immediate serious result. Since Tbuisday.hovsever, he appears to have sunk rapidly, as his death ociurred yesterday looming at about 7 o'clock. Mr Ireland had no Colonial reputation as a politician, but from the fact that he sat in the Provincial Council as representative of the Benger district for three or four years, he was known to a considerabla extent in this Provincial District. He had reaided at the Tevio.t for some 12 or 14 years, we believe. At one time ho held the position of schoolmaster^ in Roxburgh, but before he went into politics ho had gono into mining, and worked a river bank claim on the Molyneux, a short distance above tha township named. The present was tbe fii st Parliament in which Mr Ireland sat, he having beaten Captain Madc9izi_e and Mr Bennett in the contest for Waikaia (formerly represented by Mr H. Basting?) at the last general election. He was a candidate for the same district at the pravioas election, but with Mr Mervyn suffered defeat; at tho hands of Mr Bastings. Personally, Mr Ireland was quiet and unassuming, waa of unsv/ervß-g integrity, and was greatly respected iv the diutricfc in which ho resided. He waa unmarried, and was probably 45 to 50 years of age.

The use of the cat-o'-nine-tftila as an Instrti* ment of punishment has been abolished in English prisons. It has been found that the strokes of the " cat " on the back have a tendency to ' injure the lungs, and it haß been considered advißable to revert to the old system of birching ' as a more effectual means of punishing. Those persons who contemplate leaving New Zealand for South Africa will find an' interesting article in another column written from King William's Town on June 16th, by Mr Bull, formerly oae of the literary staff of the Wanganui Herald. The Police Court sat until 9.30 on Monday evening. The sly-grog charges from Mullocky Gully were got through, and Mr Watt held over his decision until Saturday. The cases heard were against Moroni Saunders, John Kane, James Green, Michael Hogan, George Webb.ißartley Burke, David Sullivan, Lachlan M Lean, James Gridgman, Geo. T. Hegarty, William Lovell, Martin Ossenwisky, and James M'Allister. The last case was dismissed without a defence being entered into. (The point relied upon by the defence in most of the cases is that the wives of the defendants supplied the liquor, without any proved knowledge on the part of the defendants. Inspector Mallard, to meet this, states that it was previously laid down as a rule from the Bench that the husband should be summoned m all such cases, as in case of penalty thewife has no effeots to distrain upon.' Another point for the defence is that the prosecuting witnesses— two men employed on daily wages by the Police Department for the purpose > of securing Bly grog convictions-have perjured themselves. , The trophy won by Mr James M'Donald, of Milburn, at the Ohristchurch Coursing Club meeting, is now on view at the shop of Messrs S. Kohn and Co., of Princes street. It consists of a centre-stand and candelabra composed of glass and silver, and is really a very handsome prise. The names of the dogs which won the trophy are Rhododendron and Cineraria. The marble stand was made by Mr Thomson, and the candelabra by Mr Kohn. The installation of the W.M, Lodge of Dunedin, No. 931 E.G., took place on Tuesday, at the Masonic Hall. There was a large muster, including the D.D.G.M. and officers of the Grand Lodge of Otago and Southland. Bro. C. B. Braid was duly installed as W.M. The following officers were also invested :— Bro. R. Young as S.W. ; Bro. J. A. X. Riedle, J.W. ; Bro. F. R. Smith, S.D. j Bro. J. J. Blanohard, J.D. ; Bro. J. S. Mollison, I.G. } Broj W. Asher, treasurer ; Bro. W. E. Uewellin. secretary. r On the remanded charge against William Henry Felton, of stealing a sum of money from William Wenlock, at JMilton, being called at the Police Court on Tuesday, MrDeooiston, on behalf of the prosecutor, stated that he should offer no evidence in the case. It depended, he ' said, principally upon the evidence of Wenlook, who was in a state of intoxication throughout. There waß therefore} no use in proceeding with the charge. Mr Stout, for the accused, thereupon asked that the case be dismissed, and Mr Watt took this course. The further information for forgery was withdrawn by Mr, Dennis(on, and the accused was discharged. We regret to see that by a railway collision at Lara, Victoria, Mr C. Caldwell, manager oosf s the Commercial Bank at Geelong, and very well known here, and his daughter, Mißs Edith Caldwell, sustained injuries of a somewhat serious character. At latest date Miss Caldwell was progressing favourably, but Mr Caldwell complained of great pain in his back. Mr David Ross, architect, of this city, has " for some years been of opinion that old rails, after use on the railway lines, could be utilised m shop and bridge- building, instead of beams and girders of wood. When the Museum here was built he, as architect, put his opinion to a test, and every girder used in that building was constructed of a couple of rails bound together. They answered in every way most suitably. In the building he is now erecting in the Octagon Mr E3SB ia also making use of these rails as brest summers for the front. Their first cost is only slightly more than that of wood, but a great advantage is secured in the fact that the use of iron L pillars is not necessary. Thus the coßfc is really greatly lessened. Mr Ross has a strong belief, also, that the rails can be made available for bridge girders ; and with the view of making a practical experiment of their capabilities in thin respect he had a test conducted, on Tuesday afternoon at Messrs Cossens and Black's foundry, in the presence of a number of professional gentlemen and others. The girder was one which he intends using in the Octagon building. It was carried over a 16Jfeet span two feet from the ground. Twelve, tons dead weight were placed on the centre, covering about eight feet, and the deflection was only threa- sixteenths of an inch; two more tons were added, making a sixteenth additional ; and then another ton, which added nearly another couple of sixteenths. Thuß, carrying 15 tons, the total deflection waa under three-eighth 3of an inch. Those interested in the timber trade of South land .have met and conferred on the rates of carriage on timber by rail. We learn on exoelle&t authority that ie is quite a mistake to suppose, as the Railway Commissioners have Btated, that the present rates do not pay, and, as regards Invercargill, an increase would' bring the railway into .competition with water-car-riage. A truck of timber from Invercargill to Dunedin is charged L 3 6a 8d ; a tiuck of grain, L 2 7a. Guthrie and Larnach's New Zealand Timber and Woodware Factories Company will send to the Melbourne Exhibition two splendid specimens of cabinetwork — the elaborate cabinet which consists of 8508 pieces of New Zealand woods, and the door and door-frame which took a first prize at Sydney. Both exhibits were sent to the Sydney Exhibition, and have been previously described in these columns. The Company have also made several very handsome cases and stands for products and works of art to be sent to the Melbourne Exhibition. The largest of these is a very fine ,caße for Meßsra M'Leod Broß., manufacturers. This caßeis9 feet by 7 feet 6 inches, stands 11 feet high, and the iramework, which is very ornamental, consists of ebonised wood relieved with gold. The sides of the case are of plate-glass, and the pediments are filled with imitation masaic work, with the trade mark of the firm of M'Leod Bros, in the centre, The basement for the case is to consist cf a block of stearine, 7 feet by 5 feet 6 inches, and 15 inches deep, and inside the case there will doubtless be a very imposing show of the articles manufactured by IVt'Leod Bros. For Messrs Thomson and Co. a particularly neat stand has been made. It consists cf bix tiers, made of kauri, beech-lined, and having a, good deal of artistic fretwork about it. The stand has been fitted up as it will be when shown, and it makes a capital display of the cordials manufactured by Thomson and Co., arid exhibits no less than 24 different kinds ot" liqneuw, wldfb, and cordials. The Company have also made a pretty case for the exhibition of point lace, the work of Miss Logan, which is. said to be remarkably beautiful,

'"The following "from a correspondent apbears in the Wanganui Herald :-" I have just heard of one of the most extraordinary affairs that has perhaps ever occurred m the history of officialdom, and I can vouch Jor^every word lam going to relate. An officer of the Government; who is described as a ' Commiseioner,'addressed a few days ago a telegram to Sir George Grey in Maori, asking him to take up his case against the Government,, and proSing some startling disclosures. Sir George handed the telegram to » '^« » bB translated, as it had been written by a Native, which Native signed htasel * An Assessor. Thinking it referred , to one of the Native Asseaorswhobad been dismissed, Sir George showed the telegram to Mr Bryce, desiring to know the cause of the dismissal. The Native Minister replied that it was only one case out of 27 assessors who had been relieved of office m order to promote retrenchment. Sir George Grey then asked the Minister if he would be good enough to state the reason in telegram formally, so that he could reply. Mr Bryce took away the telegram and handed it to an interpreter, who brought it back with the startling information that it was from a Commissioner, and not an assessor, and that the said Commissioner was a well-known Government official. The Minister duly informed Sir George Grey of the discovery, whereupon Sir George observed that, considering the way the Minister had got the information, he should not take any notice of it ; but the Minister sharply replied that since it came before him he would notice itj and so the matter stands, lit is evident the officer telegraphed in Maori because of some lurking fear that the iela-graph-offioe could not retain so great a secret aa a high official intriguing against his Ministerial bead." • The New Zealand Times says:— A report has reached Napier from Blackhead that a volcano haa broken out under the sea at that place, a short -distance from the shore. The Natives who have seen it state that the volcano causes the sea-water to boil up, and that occasionally volumes of water are thrown into midair with a loud report. A heavy shock of earthquake was recently experienced at Wellington, and the Times thinks it possible the new volcano may have some connection with it. 1 MadameLottie Wilmot,who recently obtained ti verdict for Ll5O damages against the Sydney Evening News for libel, conducted her own case. ' Captain Barry has been lecturing to large audiences at Invercargill. On Saturday night, .after explaining that some persons in Dunedin had been surprised to hear of his, having got Into Buch society, Captain Barry said that he told them he was, like his father before him, a gentleman -bred and born, and that was how he got 'among thoroughbred company. He next proceeded to detail the exertions he had made to place the advantages of the Colony before the public of Great Britain, stating that he had lectured in every large town in England, having at one place addressed an audience of 10,000 from a spring-cart. At the same time he was particularly severe on the paid emigration agents, one of whom— Mr G. M. Reed— he described as doing the lah-de-dah in Ireland, while all were spoken of as merely theoretical men— men who had; to quote the lecturer, li never humped a swag or boiled a billy." 'i Mr R. Graham, of Auckland, arrived in "Wellington this morning (saya Friday's Post), bringing with him Wi Marsh te Rangikaheke. Marsh, who is one of the most acute and intelligent Maori chiefs, has just returned from Taranaki, where he was acting »8 Native assessor to Judge Symonds. While at Taranaki, we learn from the New Zealand Herald, he made diligent inquiry with the view of discovering what it is that Te Whiti means by the procedure which he has adopted. He says that the relatives of the men who have gone into captivity are filled with grief, and are mourning bitterly. He believes, however, that the fencing, or something equivalent, will still go on, and that' men, women, and children, and even Te' Whiti" himself, will readily go into captivity. Te Whiti can point to this : that if last year he had not ordered the ploughing the Native Commission, would not have been appointed, and no arrangement would have been made as to reserves. The last report of the Commission recommends that tbe Government should consult' Te Whiti; and, if possible, enter into an arrangement with him. Marsh haa come to Wellington with Mr Graham, believing ' that, ! from his knowledge of the Native mind and hia acquaintance with the j position at Taranaki, he may be able to assist ! h ° Government with good counsel. ' The Duke of Manchester, the popular president of the Royal Colonial Institute, is about to pay a visit to Australia and New Zealan d He will visit the Melbourne Exhibition, and will be able, by a personal visit, to testify to the value of his Canterbury settlement. We may be sure (says the European Mail) that the colonists will give him a hearty reception. The body of Mr Ireland arrived in Dunedin by Wednesday night's express, and is to be taken| on to Lawrence on Thursday morning by the 5.30 train. • There is an evident desire on the part of some hon. members of the House of Represen* tatives to bring the' session to a close. Mr Harris on Wednesday night gave notice that he would ask the Government if they were prepared to call for tenders for gags for the use of members of the House. Even Mr W. A. Murray, M.H.R. for Bruce, has seen the error of other hon, members' ways, if notjhis own, and has given notice of his intention to move a resolution limiting speeches to 20 minutes. George M'Gusty and Thomas Taylor were brought up at the City Police Court on Wednesday charged with unlawfully having on the 6th of July at Hawksbury, and on the 13th of August at Blueskin, a still-head, worm, and other apparatus suited for distilling spirits. As the information charging the prisoners with a breach of the law at Hawksbury had only been laid that day, Mr Stout (Cor the defen. dants) applied for an adjournment. The Bench decided to remand the prisoners on both charges till next day. A rumour ia very current in Beechworth at present (says the Melbourne Argus) that some difficulty has arisen in connection with the plant of the Kelly gang. That there is a large amount, of their loot planted somewhere is undoubted, bat where it is remains a mystery. If it is concealed in the bush, no one but the members of the gang knows of it. Ned Kelly is of course the only person alive who can tell where it is, and even bad he an opportunity of giving his friends the desired information it might be, after all, as difficult to' discover as the pot. of sovereigns which were hidden by Wei* berg at the Tarwin River. On the other hand, it may have |been concealed in a place he could easily explain to his friends. The rumour is that a certain friend has managed to learn where the loot is, that he has "sprung the plant," and that he has disappeared. By whom this statement was originally made is not known to the authorities. So far as can be ascertained, it muat either have come from a sympathiser, or have arisen from peculiarities that have been observed in the conduct of certain relatives of the gang, ,

It is worthy of notice that the Standard Insurance ICompany recently forwarded a cheque amounting to LlO to Mr Sibbald, to be distributed among those who, by their exertions, saved his fellmongery at Burnside when the adjacent dwelling-house was burnt to the ground. Instead of appropriating the money to their own use, those persons generously handed over the cheque to Mr Orr, the pocupant of the house burnt, who had lost his all by the fire. At a sittingcof the Supreme Court in Banco on Wednesday, his Honor Mr Justice Williams gave judgment in the appeal case Regina v. Pritchard—the case brought by Mr J. P. Jones, the Mayor of South Dunedin, against Mr Pritchard, the contractor for the reclamation works. His Honor reversed the decision of Mr Watt, and granted the appeal, with costs. In the case Braukman v. Toohey the rule for a new trial was argued, and judgment was reserved. All the other cases on the list were adjourned, with the exception of Tapper v. Miller, in which case the demurrer had been submitted to. The following memoria has been signed by many heads of families in Duntroon, and forwarded to the Bißhop of Dunedia :— " To the Right Reverend Father in God, Dr Nevill, Bishop of Dunedin.— Reverend Sir,— We, the undersigned members and adherents of the Church of England at Duntroon, approach your Lordship with filial love and reverence to protest against the transference of our clergyman, the Rev. J. O. Wilson, from our midst, and advance the following reasons :— (a). Under most ladverse conditions, Mr Wilson has exemplified himself in life, doctrine, sound speech, and general character, as a man equally worthy of his present position and our respect, (b). Possessing wide and varied attainments, and anxious to subserve them to the general welfare, he is a factor for good, which an outlying distriot, cut off from so many of tbe privileges of larger communities as this is, can ill spare, (c) The rumours, gossip, whisperings, or whatever may be their right name, against Mr Wilson are idle, vague, indefinite, unsubstantial, and childish, alike unworthy of repetition, or of being received. Admitting, for argument's sake, some little angularities of manner, and that Mr Wilson ia chargeable with the imputation of being in Colonial parlance 'a new-chum 9 (a heinous sin in the estimation of some persons), your petitioners are confident that, given fair play, Mr Wilson will live down unthinking opposition, and prove himself worthy of the respect and confidence of all.— And your petitioners, &c." In answer to a telegram from the Municipal Council of Gore, which pressed the Government not to abandon their Town Districts Bill, the Premier said :— " It has been withdrawn most reluctantly, but the opposition to getting through with Parliamentary business has been so great and persistent as to leave the Government no alternative but to sacrifice this and many other very useful measures, i which they had hoped to be able to pass into ! law during the present session. The responsibility for the miscarriage certainlydoes not rest with the Government.— John Hall." We were Bhown by Mr E. J. Downing, manager of the Bank of New Zealand (says the Oamaru Mail), a very interesting parcel of 12 geranium plants, which be had received by post j per Chimborazo, from Mr Scannel's "Home for Flowers," Swapley, Kent. The parcel was enclosed in, a miniature wooden crate and the usual brown-paper wrapper. The roots of each plant were neatly enclosed in a thin guttapercha wrapping, and to judge from what we [ could see of them, they were all alive and healthy. Should this experiment prove sue cessful, we may yet see plants that were grown in the conservatories of the Old Country exhibited at our New Zealand horticultural shows. The Riverton correspondent of the Southland News writes : — " I am informed on reliable authority that M'Leod and party, who have been prospecting for some time at the edge of the bush near Petchell'a fence, have found a reef of good solid quartz, two feet thick, showing gold through the stone. Severa holesfjhave been pnt down for the purpose of tracing the reef. It appears to run nearly north and south, and will apparently run through the Golconda and Dilston claims. Some very fair prospects have been shows, said to be taken from the reef. As this reef is not far from Lynoh'a accommodation-house, several persons interested in reefing matters intend paying the locality an early visit." The Chicago Journal's New York conespondent on the Ist July sent the following particulars of the extraordinary attempt by a Dr Tanner to fast 40 days.— "Since Dr Tanner commenced to fast— on Monday at noon— he has lost four and a-half pounds of flesh. Since Tuesday night at 25 minutes past 11 he has taken five ounces of water. His nprmal temperature shows no material change as yet. During ' the night he slept well for seven or eight hours. His face has a ruddy colour, and his general appearance is that of a man in excellent health, and under no extraordinary restraints. The third day of the fast ended at noon to-day. Thi3 morning, when the reporter asked the doctor how he felt, he replied : *As fresh as a daiav. Ido not feel any particularly disagreeable effects thus far, but I expect to at the end of 10 days.' " The mail left San Francisco immediately after this, and no further details are yet to hand ; but, from a telegram which we recently published, it will be seen that Tanner successfully completed his task. Just at the present time Dr Tanner's acquirements would be found very handy in some parts of the world— lreland and Asia Minor for instance, not to say New Zealand. Mr Jencken, in his paper on the "Laws of Negotiable Securities," states on the authority Dr Karl de Scherzer, that bonds, shares, coupons, and negotiable securities (not including bank notes, bills of exchange, and promissory notes), at their quoted value on the European Stock Exchange, exceed the sum of L 6,800,000,000. TheFeilding Guardian is responsible for the following somewhat' extraordinary story : — ' Some passengers by rail a few days ago were highly amused at the precocity of a child three and a-half years of age, by name Albert Gordon. After giving an opinion on every known topic, Master Gordon produced pipe, tobacco, and matches, and forthwith proceeded to fill his pipe. A luoifer was furnished, and the old-fashioned style in which he lit his pipe and placidly smoked would have been a subject for a painter or a physician. We are told that he has been a devotee of tbe pipe for over a year, and appears to enjoy his smoke immensely. Young Gordon U a particularly healthy-looking specimen of juvenile humanity." Riley Brothers, drapers of Sydney (remarks an Australian paper), have spent L 37.000 in advertising in Bix years. Commencing in a small way; they now employ 200 hands, and have many branches. The firm commenced advertising largely in 1874. In May of that year tbeirreceipts were L4O amonth. By April of the following year they had risen to LlOl7 a month. They increased their advertising with their business, and in May, 1875, the receipts had risen to L2OOO » month. In 1579 the business was close upon H50,0Q0,

On the 23rd June last the gauge on the New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio railroad was chauged from the broad to the standard gauge, 2500 men being placed along the line from Dayton to Leavittsburg, a distance of 225 miles, and the work began at 3 o'clock a.m., and the last spike teas driven at 9.30 a,m. Tins is the shortest piece of work of this kind on record. A concert, consisting of vocal and instrumental music, was given on Wednesday evening in Jackman's Hall, Rothesay, under the auspices of the Ravensbourne and Rothesay Harmonic Society, for the benefit of the funds of the Benevolent Institution. The Society was instituted about two months ago, and for the past few weeks the members have been preparing actively for the occasion, and judging from the musical treat they furnished last evening, there is every reason to believe that the Society will prove a decided success. Under the management of Mr W. Sankey, every item presented in the programme passed off without a hitch, and at intervals the audience showed their appreciation of the singers' efforts by loud and continued applause. The landau built by Messrs Robin and Co. for the Melbourne Exhibition is now on view at their premises, Octagon. The manager of the Wetherstones Cement Goldmining Company (Limited) announces elsewhere that at a meeting of shareholders held on Tuesday a dividend of Gd'per 8000 th share was declared, made payable on and after Thursdaj', 19th August, at the registered office of the Company, Princes street, Ounedin. The St. James' Budget is the title of a new paper published in London, being a weekly edition of the St. j James' Gazette. It is conducted by Mr Greenwood, late editor of the Pall Mall Gazette. Messrs A. Sturm and W. Tinnock have applied for a gold-mining lease of 16 acres of land at Hindon, on behalf of the Nil Desperandum Quartz-mining Company. Objections to the granting of such lease, stating the grounds of objection, must be made in writing and lodged with the Warden at Dunedin on or before the Ist day of September next. The Taieri County Council invite tenders from persons willing to undertake the duties of inspector of slaughterhouses for the county. The Taieri County Council invite tenders for the purchase of old timber lying at the West Taieri bridge. The Colonial Printers' Register is a good number, and contains a lot of information of interest to the trade. It is notified by advertisement elsewhere that Cobb and Co.'s Royal mail line of coaches will leave Lawrence for Queenstown every Monday, Wednesday, and Frida}', at 11 a.m.; and Palmerston, for Naseby, St. Bathans, Blacks, and Clyde every Tuesday and Friday, at 10.30 a.m. Land in the Crookston district, under deferred payment at 30s per acre, will be open for application at any Land Office in the Otago district, on 15th September. A number of sections of suburban land in the township of Bastings will be open for application under deferred payments at all Land Offices m Otago on Sep- ! tember 15th. Crown grants of land to William Agnew and J. B. White and others are now ready for delivery at the Crown Grants Office, Dunedin. On Saturday next, at 2 p.m., Messrs Bastings, Leary, and Co. will offer for sale by auction 32 acres of rural land in the Dunedin and East Taieri district, near the residence of Mr M'Gill. The opening for application of the Crown lands in ! blocks IV, V, and part of XI, Mount Hyde district, is postponed to 20th October next, before which date full particulars will be advertised. The Otago Education Board require teachers for schools at Sandymount, Kaihiku, Moeraki, Kensington, Seaeliff, and Caversham. Particulars will be found in our advertising columns. An examination of candidates desirous of competing for the Canterbury College School of Agriculture scholarships will be held on Tuesday, September 28th next, at Auckland, Napier, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, and Dunedin.