TBTERE was no meeting of the Balclutha Town Council on Thursday evening last, a quorum of Councillors having failed to put iu an appearance. A meeting- to promote the early closing move? rnent was held in Milton last night. In next issue we pur^ ->se referring more at length to this laudable step. Two casts of petroleum oil arrived in GHsborno on February 15th from the Poverty Bay oil 6pring3, This is the first oil in bulk which has been sent down. The Rev. Jas. Paterson will deliver an ad? dress on Sabbath evening in the Presbyterian Church, Milton, on the subject of the present Moody and Sankey revival in Britain. The groat American Circus Company is aunounced to appear in Milton this, and to-morrow evenings. The Company received very favorable notice from the Press, and drew good houses, whilst in Dunedin lately. We learn that the * Otago Daily Times ' Printr iug Company has paid its shareholders a dividend of 12£ per cent for the past year. Rumor has it that the ' Guardian ' Printing Company has not been quite so successful as the • Times ' during the period that has elapsed since its last yearly statement, when a loss was, we oelieve, recorded. At the Tokomainro Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, John Droughan was charged with stealing a silver lever watch, value £10, from the person of Thomas Casserly. From the evidence it appeared that prisoner had some time psefiously been made a present of a cheap guard chain, and had subsequently taken the watch. Prisoner was .committed for trial. We observe that the programme of the Ama ; teiir performance in aid of the Miltou Athenaum Library Fund, on/ Wednesday night next, has been issued. It comprises a new musical drama, •which should be a success, as we belfefe the members of the Dramatic Club have been at careful rehearsal for some time past, and new dresses bare been mado, We notice too tbat> the Company will hav/s. fcheassisjanoe of .a debutante, yf whose ability report speaks highly.

\ " The Bazaar' in aid of ;thci ; W.eßleyan 1 01i'iirbh, / . Milton, will, we notice, be held in the Volunteer Hall, on the 10th; and iaoth. inst. Before 'those, •dates we hope to give some further -notice iii' with bo praiseworthy an object. ■■;..; ! : . The Rev. ■ Jsunos- Paterson, the pastor elect; of .; Waihola; w,ill bo placed in possession of his new,, icharge by the Balclutha Presbytery, on. Thursday, the 18th inst. The Edict will be read to the conigregabion on Sabbath first by the Eer. James : ;Ghisholm, who is. at present residing at the 'Taierj Beach, haying exchanged pulpits with Mr Patenon for a, few Sabbaths. We understand jthat a service will be held in the church the same evening. , ..-•.:• ; Aij accident occurred, at Mr Potterfs sawmills,: iKaitangata, ;on Wednesday afternoon, . ; when -a, ■workman .named Dayjd ... "VjThitney allowed his right hand to come into contact with the saw,. :by. tirbich it was severely lacerated. : 2)r ;Smiti ( of Balcliitha^ was at once sent for,.and ;fduric the palm of the hand much 'torn. The ''thumb' and second finger also' were so smashecl .thiait imputation of both was necessary. This •operation was at once performed, the patient' ihaving been put under the influence of chlorbjform for the purpose. : A^a meeting' of the Balclutha lodge of Q-ood Templars, held on Wednesday evening, it was iresolied that as far as practicable and consistent •with che rules of the order, the ordinary business' idf the lodge 'shall in future be taken up only once a fortnight, the meeting of the alternate week to be devoted to harmony, readings, &c, and the , officers were requested to give immediate effect to ■resolution. The first harmony night will be this night week. • "With the exception of late patches the crops in ihe'Glutha district have all been cut down.: A large quantity has already been carted in, and sbculd the weather continue favorable the greater ,pait will be finished next week. Although thißshing has been commenced little has yet been done in this department, the first object being to mfely secure the crops. As harvest operations ha-va progressed, ample evidence has been witnesed of the superiority of the crops this season. TJpn some of the ridges, especially, they hare newr been so good before, and should reasonable priies be obtainable agriculturists will this year hate ample returns for their labor. at a, meeting of the Kaitangata Coal Coinpaly, held on Friday last, the resolutions passed 1 at i tormer meeting in favor of an amalgamation with the Kaitangata Railway Company were confirned. The latter agreed to take over the lialilities and assets of the Coal Company, and a corimittee was appointed to complete the arrangemeit. The Railway Company met immediately thereafter, when the following gentlemen were ele:ted direotors — Messrs James Davidson (Chairmaa), A. J. Smyth, W. Aitcheson, Regd. 'M'Ckraald, and Dr J. Gr. Smith. It was arranged thtt .contracts should immediately be called for fencing of the line of railway agreed upon. xT the quarterly licensing Court, held at Balchoha on Wednesday, J. P. Maitland, Esq., R.M., anl a long with him Messrs Pillans, Gt-rigor, and Dr Snith, J.Ps. presided. The following applications wire granted : — Transfer of license from Townseid to John M'Neil ; John Barr for a night liense for the Farmers' Ai'ms Hotel ; also, transfe: of license of said hotel from John Barr to Win. Lloyd. The Bench remarked, with reerence to night licenses, that it was not consilered expedient to grant such to all hotels, as it entailed an extra amount of work upon the pilice, and that night lioenses would only bo ganted when they were considered necessary for tie convenience of the travelling public. The sale by Messrs Capstick, Duthie and Co., en Saturday last, of sections on the Fairfax road, toe property of Mr Jas. Martin, brought together a large attendance, and spirited bidding was the order of the day. The whole of tho road fronts agei (20 sections) from Burns«st''eet, adjoining Mr Jas. Smith's late property to Clover Hill, adjoin'ng the Fairfax Toll Bar, were disposed of at ■vrlnfc we consider exceedingly satisfactory prices— ran/ing from L27 to L45. Twenty back sections wer sold at prices ranging from L2O to L2B, and iheß was every likelihood of the whole 130 section offered fetching very satisfactory prices thraghout, but one of the furthest back seotions offecd fetching only Lls, Mr Martin thought propr to reserve it at L2O, when every person on tie ground, as if by one simultaneous movemen^ turned on his heels and quitted the ground. As i(was the 40 sections sold were purchased by 15 different buyers (showing that there is every likeliiood of many of them being speedily built uponand occupied), and fetched LlO9l 15s, or an aT?rage of L27 6s each quarter acre section, being equal to LlO9 3s 6d per acre, for what, we believe, cost, within the last 15 years, 10s per acie— not a bad return for what ma.y even, yet be gensidered suburban land.