We notice that in answer to Vaughau's challenge, TwohiU has accepted to run the mile race over again for an equal amount on Saturday, 3rd Feb: aary. He also offers to run various other distances, under other conditions. Complaints are constantly being made by persons in search of agricultural land in the the Grey Valley of the difficulty of getting access to maps of the whole distiict, or plans of the surveyed unoccupied sections. We believe complete maps of the surveys maybe inspected at the Land Office, a* Cobden, and also of certain districts at the Government Surveyor's Office, Ahaura. There is nothing of the sort to be found at Camptown, which is just the place they are most required. There are at present numerous intending applicants for agricultural areas iv the Nelson Creek, No Town, Twelve-Mile, Eed Jack's, and the surroxinding districts, but they are unable to obtain that full information to which selectors of homesteads are entitled. We trust this neglect .will immediately remedied, because besides the great public inconvenience it entails, 'the revenue suffers materially in consequence. A tea ineoting takes place at the Weslfiyan Church, South Beach, this evening, at halfpast six o'clock. Another of the series of entertainments by the Literary Society is announced to be given in the Volunteer Hall, to-morrow night. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, at Hokitika, on Tuesday, Samuel Solomon, carrying on business as A. J. Solomon and Co., surrendered to his bail, charged, on the information of Mr Edward Patten, Collector of Customs, with having sold, on the Bth instant, to Augustus Boys, 121 bof gunpowder, without a license to sell the same, contrary to the previsions of "The Arms Act, 1860." Mr Harvey prosecuted, and Mr Button appeared for defendant. After evidence had been taken the information was dismissed, Mr Harvey then said that he had four other informations against the defendant, and he proposed to proceed with one ■•' l which the 'lfoimation had been laid undar the 32nd section of the Act. Mr Button applied for a remand, which, after some ti;scussion, was granted, Defendant was then remanded to the follow ,'ng day, bail being allowed, h' nself :i LIOO and two sureties in LSO each. It) respect to the other three infoi .nations, defendant was ordered to enter into his ov. a recognisances in LlO in each case, to appear on the fo'lowing day. The manufacture of tomata sauce is being carried on largely in Auckland. A skating rink, and the manufacture of ice, are amongst the latest enterprises at the Thames. Mr Canning has purchased the Oakburn estate, Bawke's Bay, for L9BOO. The Canterbury Government has passed a resolution encouraging the planting of forest trees. Reaping has already commenced in the T:»naru distiict, rid ?i a fortnight is expected to be general. Dr Macartney, the Crown Law Adviser and King's Counsel in Fiji, is at present lectuilng at the Thames. Wanganui is feelinp the want of water. It is proposed to spend LIOO ' i s* -Mng and bricking a large we 11 . The Chinese in Otago are gathei'ag a 1 ! the old iron they can lay their hric's on, for shipment to Cjina. : Things in Tasmania are in such a depressed state that the very thieves are reported to be leaving the colony. Instructions have been given to the Auckland police to enforce the provisions of the Bakers and Millers Act and the Poisons Act. A young man named H. Warner Stephenson, aged 22, died suddenly in an ep*"eptic fit on the 4th of Januaiy, in Jermyn street, Auckland. Deceased had recently been married, A case of seduction has been heard *i the Supreme Couifc at Christchurch, and a Mr Bennison has received LSOO damages against a Mr M'Dvt-*aith therefore. At Wel i; n o .on, aMr SpacVman has recovered in the Supreme Coui I;, LSO damages from a Mr James Mitchell, for trying to make it appear that there was a deficiency in the accounts of the Poilrna Feny school district rates, of which plaint'ff had been the collector. - The Wanganui Chronicle reports that a fire recently broke out in the premises of Mr Hurley at Turakina. The store contained drapery and grocery goods of all kinds. A large portion of the former was burned, and the remainder much damaged. A man was seen smoking beside the store at a late hour the previous night. The building was insured,, but there was no insurance on the stock. The West Coast Times of yesterday states, upon the authority of Mr John White, that the Australian Steam Navigation Company have given up, for the present, the idea of re-opening steam communication between Sydney and the southern poi fes of New Zealand. The Company desire to enter upon this trade, and will do so the moment a .reasonable amount of encouragement .offers ; but at present the ;\iducement is insufficient to justify the Company ' l incurring the large expense involved in placing one of their firstclass steamers on the line. ' An amusing " sell" was perpetrated at Lawrence, Otago, the other week. A piece of quartz containing a large number of specks of gold was exhibited, those showing it saying it came from Reservoir Hill, where a reef had been just found. Great excitement was created, and quite a run on the timber market was caused by the demand for pegs for the purpose of marking off claims. Sure enough the quartz came from the locality indicated, but the specimen indicated was a work of art, not nature— those who exhibited ' it having practised on it the interests . ■■

operation known as "salting;" The specimen was well got up, and the salting reflec-ted-the highest credit on those who had performed it: " '•> ; '••■■'■' The following florid word-paintinp auent the weather is from' the Wanganui Chronicle:—"A hpa\/ doM.i-pour for twelve or even twenty -four hours would just now be a g -eat blessing. It is looked for, but a 1 ! sigjs'are just now failing' the weather-wise. The setting suu wentcUywa ~i a cloud— the ri'stog "sittt waded in a' clotid— there' waa ; a slight overcast, possibly; even a few drops of rain ; it has been so again and again— but Imperial Apo'To once more flogged bis steeds fiercely up the meridin, and scattered and swept away the poor attempts, the ildiculous nebulosities, which turned out a delusior ", , . •■■..■;,.... The Neio Zealand Herald says:— On Saturday afternoon two horse races came off on the Epsom race-course. ; The first was between Mr Hale's Black Eagle and Mr M'Gee's Marquis. The distance was one nr 'le, and the stake LSO. Black Eagle came in an easy vctor. The time was lmin 564secs. This was very good time. In the next event considerably more -'nterest was manifested. It was between an Australian horse named Daydaw _i and the well-known horse Harkaway . Harkaway came in an easy winner, the jockey being unable to hold him in, even had he felt so inclined. A protest was entered, on the ground that he had run inside the post, but the stewards gave in that he had fairly won the race. Black Eagle is one of the horses entered for the Greymouth Handicap, and carries only 7st. I The notorious Redpath, who was connected with the extensive railway frauds in England in 1856, arrived in Adelaide from Frf^mantle during last week, hav'ng received a conditional pardon. At Freemantle Redpath was quite a distinguished character, always holding himself aloof from the ordinary "ticketers." The other bondsmen used to touch their, hats to their distinguished brother, who wrote clever letters to. the local press under a norn de gvsrre, was the founder and honorary secretary to the Working Men's Association, was especially shunned by the free classes, who professed to regard him as a social agitator. The police would not peijiit him to land at Adelaide, so he went on to Sydney. Redpath has always had a great desire to exchange the Swan for the eastern colonies, and applied to a local Minister of the Crown, on one occasion, to get him transferred to Victoria. His pardon does not allow liim to go to England. Tho Soutltern Cross of the 18th says :— The stone used for the ornamental work at the front of Supreme Court House is, in parts, rapidly crumbling away. Portions of it, on being slightly rubbed with the fingers, drop to powder, The sculptured work is also sharing the same fate. One of our eminent English Chancellors has had a blow on the nose ; and a cherub has a dimple on the forehead, a part where cherubs are never dimpled by sculptors of any arti3tic taste and pretensions. Queen Victoria is quite losing the roundness of her face, whilst Pr'nce Albert, who appears to have been carved with a crick in his neck and a cast in his left eye, is looking gloomily at her out of a coiner. It is possible that, some preventive means could be adopted to prevent the stonework from going further to decay. If so, the sooner the attempt h made the better. Royalty, cherubs, r id Lord Chancellors ought surely to be treated with respect and consideration due to the exalted positions. The Americans, it appears, possess, this this season, a colt of more than ' ordinary merit in Harry Basset, and are anxious to test the powers of English and American thoroughbreds by a match at even weights with one of the best English three-year-olds. Colonel Bruce — his owner — has offered to matah him against Sterling, whose performances during the past year deseivedly place him in the first rank at 7st 121 b each ; one mile and a-half ; the match to be lanin America. Sterling's engagements, it was thought, would prevent the match taking place. Mr Blaydon, however, the owner of Sterling, immediately after Sterling's victory in the Free Handicap Sweepstakes, at the Newmarket Houghton Meeting, scratched him for the 200 soys sweepstakes with Favonius, and commissioned Mr Tattersall to make the match for L 10.00 0; one mile and a half ; even weights ; and to allow Harry Bassett L2OOO if he would run in England. In other words, Sterling's owner is prepared to stake L 12.000 to LBOOO upon his colt. So superior do the Americans consider Harry Bassett to any of their own horses, that, in any weight for age for which he is entered, the only question is who will be second.