Local and General.

The Glassblowers. — Saturday's entertainment was numerously patronised.^ During the present week, some handsome prizes* will be given away.

Accident. — We are sorry to state that Dr Motley, of Lyttelton, met with a serious accident on Saturday night, he having sustained a compound fracture of the leg. Tiie Circus. — There was a fair attendance at this place of amusement on Saturday. The company will re-appear this evening, and will perform at Kaiapoi for a few nights during the present week. Quartz Reef near Nelson. — The Nelson | evening paper of Dec. 27 says it has been informed — " by a gentleman upon whose veracity it can rely " — that a gold-bearing reef has been discovered within one mile north of the city. The Moonlight Reefs. — The Greymouth paper of Dec. 30 says: — Although the precise result of the crushing of the Moonlight Quartz Company is not yet made public, we believe it is sufficiently good to induce the directors already to send to Melbourne for an additional eight head of stamps, amalgamators, &c. This will enable the company to put through double the quantity of stuff, and consequently double the available dividends. Ball at Kaiapoi. — A grand Caledonian Ball was held at the Kaik dnui Assembly Rooms on Friday evening last, but owing to the inclemency of the weather the attendance was very limited. Those present seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves in carrying out the Scotch custom of dancing " the old year out and new year in." It is a pity that the efforts of Mr Harris, in decorating the room and procuring a. first-class band, were not productive of better results in the shape of attendance. Postal. — At a meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, held on Dec. 23, the following resolution was agreed to : — " That in reply to the letter from the Chairman of the Canterbury Chamber, that gentlemau be informed that this Chamher is anxious to co-operate in any measures which may be taken to secure a regular mail service between this colony and Melbourne, but that it is a sine qua non with this Chamber, that such service should bevia Bluff Harbour." |$_r Livingstone. — We extract the following paragraph from La Patrie of the Bth October last: — A missionary, who debarked at Falmouth on the 6th inst , coming from Zanzibar, brings news with him to the effect that Dr Kirk, at Zanzibar, had received letters written by Livingstone himself. These letters were dated from the shores of Lake Tanganyika, February, 1869. Livingstone was in good health, but as he had little provisions, all his European companions had left him. Some Arab 3 alone furnished Jmn with rice and fruits for his subsistence >y / Obituary. — It is with sincere regret that we record the death of Mrs Donald, of Lyttelton. The deceased lady was a daughter of the late James Townsend, Esq., who came out with the first of the Canterbury pilgrims. Mrs Donald passed nearly the whole of her colonial life in Lyttelton, where she endeared herself to all classes by her sweetness of disposition, her active charity, and endless g6od works. ! About eighteen months ago she was visited with an attack of paralysis, from which she bever fully recovered, and early on the last day of the year another sudden and severe attack carried her off almost without warning. Manuka. — The Melbourne correspondent of our Otago contemporary, writing on Dec. 23, says : —Your crack horse Manuka seems yet likely to do something on our turf. He has been placed under the care of Mr Phillip Dowling, the trainer, and a few days since was cast and fired, the operation, as far as can be diagnosed, having been as successful as was expected. He will not do any more work until the Cup, when, if the firing has rectified his mishap, and he is in any sort of condition, it will take a good horse to show him the way round the Flemington course. He is in excellent fettle, and stood the operation well, and without apparent shock to or depression of the system.