LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Colonist, Volume XVII, Issue 1838, 19 November 1874, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Kabamea. —Those immigrants who desire to proceed to the Karamea settlement are requested to meet Mr Elliott, the Immigration Officer, at the Dep6t at seven o'clock this evening. Mr R. Hyland, an old settler of Motueka, has been appointed Superintendent of the settlement.

Thebe is still no intelligence of the 'missing schooner Kaituna. Mr. Cross, the pilot, has received a telegram from Mr Seed, stating that neither the Otago nor Wellington saw anything of her, and that instructions haß been sent to the masters of vessels leaving Dunedin or Christchurch to keep a good look out for her.

City Pbopebty.—Yesterday, Messrs. Sharp and Pickering sold by auction, the land and warehouse in Bridge-street, lately occupied by Mr. T. R. Fisher, to Mr. George Harper, for eleven hundred and ten pounds sterli g. Scholaeships.—The examination of candidates for the Provincial and Governors' Scholarship will take place on December 9. " The New Immigbation Babbaoks.—The new barracks which have been built in Waimea-street by Mesßrs Bethwaite and Robertson to the order of the General Government, are completed so far as the mere buildings are concerned, and, in a short time, it is expected that the internal fittings will be supplied. The front of the structure is of wood, but the rear and roof is of galvanised iron ; the building is capable of holding about 300 persons comfortably. Two wings of the building are reserved for the married couples, and are laid off in forty-eight small compartments measuring each ahoufc 9ft by 9ft. There are two sleeping apartments for the single men, and one for the single women. There are aho three dining rooms, one each for the single men and women, and one for the married couples. In all there are fourteen rooms including the cook-house, officer's apartments, &c. The place is substantially built, and well ventilated, and is altogether far superior to similar places in other Provinces. The only fault we can perceive in the new building lies in the smallness of the bed rooms of the married people. Should the place be at any time full, those with large families will experience some difficulty in disposing of their children. The Califobnian Minstbels.—This talented

troupe of artistes made their drat appearance in Nelson on Tuesday evening in the Odd-Fellows' Hall. There was a very large attendance, and the Minstrels, whose fame had preceded them, met with^an exceedingly warm reception. The programme was well selected, and the Btyle in which the various items were rendered gave general satisfaction. The first part of the entertainment was composed of some pretty little Christy Minstrel songs, in singing which, Meßsrs Rockefeller, Mayor, Amery, and Campbell distinguished themselves. Mr Amery has a very fine voice, and we should say is an accomplished musician. He was successful in the highest degree in his song " The Desert." The corner men, Messrs Suttori and Kelly, were particularly good, and, in fact, it may be Baid tuat the troupe taken as a whole is as good as j can be found anywhere. The step dancing of Messrs Sutton and Kelly was greatly admired. Mr Rockefeller's performance on the banjo was especially good, and as a player on that instrument, we doubt whether his superior existi. His imitation of the bells was fully appreciated, and encored. There was a very efficient orchestra, and the troupe may be congratulated on having made such a successful debut before a Nelson audience. A couple of hours may be passed very pleasantly in the Odd-Fellows' Hall. Last evening they appeared for the second time and were fully as successful as before. The final performance will take place to-night. The troupe are assisted by Mr Cuilimore, a very able pianist, whose performance adds considerably to the success of the entertainment. An entirely new programme will be sub. mitted this evening. ■ Webletan Church.—During tbe past week the Wesleyan annual district meeting has been in session here. For some reason, best known to the heads of that church, the courtesy displayed towards the Press in other places was not shown towards this paper ; therefore, a report of the proceeding* doet not appear in theie cohuuuY *

Shbbp.—Messrs. Sharp and Pickering report sales of 250 fat Wanganui sheep at the following prioet— shorp sheep, 16s. to 175.; iheep in wool, 235. An Old Townsman.—The Melbourne Argus of November sth, thus speaks of our old friend Mr. George Cotterell: —" Cotterell is not only as good as ever, but better than ever. He is not merely clever, he is' wonderfully gifted. His characters are not sketches, they are finished portraits, but they differ from the average of portraits in being all life-like; they are cabinet pictures, highly elaborated, but in no degree spoilod by elaboration. You may study each one separately, and never grow tired of studying it. If all characters in all plays were as truthfully represented as Mr. Cotterell represents his characters, acting would be the most complete of all the fine arts."

Voltjnteebs.—The Artillery Company fired yeßterday morniup, under the supervision of Lieut. D. Burn, for the choice of district representatives. The ranges were 200 yard?, target 6x4 feet; 400, 500, and 600 yards, target 6x6 feet; position any throughout; seven shots at each range. The following are the scores above 50 points : — 200 400 500 600

yds. -}ds. yds. yds. T'fcl Band Sergeant Harling 23 ... 21 ... 19 ... 17 ... 80 Captain Pitfc 25 ... 23 ... 14 ... 13 ... 75 Gunner C. Bird 20... 22 ... 16... 7... 65 Bandsman R. Bird 20 ... 19 ... 33 ... 8 ... 60 Gunner J. Edwards ... 17... 36 ... 13 .., 7 ... 53 Bandsman Douglas ... 23 ... 15 ... 9 ... 6 ... 53 Sergeant Wimsett....;. 23 ... 13 ... 10 ... 6 ... 52

Hops.—The Australasian of November 7, reports : —Values of hops are well maintained. 1874, Tasmanian have been selling at Is 4& to Is 6d and Is 7d. A parcel of 35 bales were taken up for export at Is 6d, duty paid. Shoobridge's hare been held for Is 9d. 1873's have ranged, according to quality, from 9d to Is. Inferior 1873 Kents bring lg 4d to Is 7d for medium, and we quote Is 9d to li lOd for best quality. For 1872 values rise from lid to Is 2d.

News from the Palmer diggings (Queensland) to October 15, states that the field is turning out a rioh one, and the banks alone are sending down weekly from twenty to thirty thousand ounces of gold to Rockhampton. Provisions are at famine prices.

Imposts and Expobts.—The following figures have reference to this Colony, and tells of its progress: September September quarter, quarter, 1874. 1873. Imports £2,280,543 £1,473,261 Exports 668,788 800,597 The falling off in exports is accounted for under the ■cads of gold and hemp, otherwise (says the N&w Zealand Times) the general exports of tho Colony hve been steadily increasing. PosT-OiriOTi Savings Banks.—-The following tale gives the Post-office Savings Banks transactions in bis Colony, during the September quarter of the preent and last year:— 5ept.,1873. Sept, 1874 Savins Banks open -.. 95 99 Accosts opened 1,901 2,822 Dit> closed 969 1,433 Numb? of deposits 10,386 14,085 Numbt of withdrawals 5,426 7,996 Amounof deposits £140,378 £182,263 Amounlpf withdrawals £108,825 £153,244 Excess f deposits over withdraws £40,552 £29,018

THRBBire one hundred and fifty Good Templars in Havelofc, Marlborough. They have converted the ComnVcial Hotel into a Temperance Hotel, which will 3 opened with a ball to-morrow evening. About tLee thousand persons travelled on the Otago railways on the 9th of November. Native I^trsTHr. —We learn from the New Zealand Times hat the natives of Opape, in the district of Opotiki, We completed the erection of a new council hall, r oourt house, or hostelry for strangers. It measures & feet 6 in. in length, 24 feet in width, from floor tojdge-pole is 12 feet 3 in., and the walls in height areifeet 6 in. It is handsomely carved. It is reckonedhat during its construction the native workers engasd consumed food to the value of £200.

An experieted wool-sorter has been brought from Viotoria by $ Donald McLean for his station, in Hawke's Bay|The Eerald thinks it would pay other flock owners tdo likewise.

A labO-e n|ibef of sheep have died recently in the Wairarapajistrict, Wellington, and on exemination of their biies it was found that a worm affected each of their bins ; the worm was about half an inoh long, andisembled the grubs found in rotten wood. j Leat? tobacq in large quantities, is sent from Albury to the Sidney market. The sbippiii was so numerous at Melbourne during the weej>nding October 24th, that tix ships were waiting foberths, besides those at the piers being double-biied. Melboitene |s visited by a heavy thunderstorm on October 25tfynd Elizabeth and Flinders-streets were flooded. \

Blondin's fii performance at Melbourne was witnessed by t|e thousand persons. It was cut short by a thun(storm.

Messes. Soigbg & Son's clothing factory at Melbourne givetfaployment to three hundred and thirty hands, wlfcum out three thousand garments per week. ! Salmon. —Thenolt of a true salmon has been captured in thrower Derwent river, Tasmania, and the people otat Colony are jubilant thereat. Mbs. COLoiod(or "Polly Plum") has been lecturing at Melbous on women's rights. She apologised for the abselj of a chairman at her first lecture by saying that sh&d not been able to find a gentleman with suflicie courage to take the chair at a woman's rights niing. SpiENDID She!—At the Victoria Agricultural Show, the other ly, the four sheep which were awarded the firsljrizes weighed respectively two hundred and eightiounds, two hundred and seventythree, two hundretid seventy-two, and two hundred and seventy. \

At a cattle salej Melbourne on November 4th, Lord George, an i|or(ed Bhorthorn bull, was sold for ueven hundre^uineas ; Royal Theodore and Baron Theodore, |rthom bulls, bred at Nepean Towers, New Soutlpales, sold for four hundred and twenty-five and foijundred and fifty guineas; and Poliuto, a Victor! yearling bull, went for one hundred and thirtjnneas.