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Press, Volume XIV, Issue 1829, 22 February 1869, Page 2

Theatbe Royal.—"Under the Gaslight" was repeated at the theatre on Saturday evening to a good house. Resident Magisteate's Cotjbt.—There were no police cases at the Court on Saturday. Flbst Poet of Gam,.—The "Hokitika Daily News" says the General Government has decided that the first port of call for the Suez mail shall be Hokitika. Spbeydon Faie.—The committee have determined to hold this . fair on Friday, March 12, instead of on March 10, as originally determined, because the Rangiora fair takes place on the latter day. Acclimatisation.-A very fine king penguin was presented on Saturday last to' the society by Mr Heywood of Lyttelton, stated to be of a very uncommon species, and a decidedly fine specimen. Kaiapoi Bobotjgh Council.—At four p.m. on Saturday—the time for closing—no nominations of auditors or assessors had been made. In the report of the Council's proceedings—published in Saturday's issue, for | £70 read £7. Sneyd's Cobnee Embankment.—By this time the two years during which a local com- : mittee undertook the management of the I works at Sneyd's corner, embankment will have expired. A balance of about £12 remains unexpended of the £500 voted and the whole embankment is in good repair. The Westland Debt.—Mr Stevens, the arbitrator for Canterbury, is now in Westland. It is expected that the arbitration will not commence until after the close of the session of the County Council, which will be about Wednesday next. The Mail by the Omeo.—There were despatched by the Omeo on Saturday—For the Australian colonies, 309 letters, 3 book packets, 193 newspapers. For England, via" Suez, 830 letters, 10 book packets, 1420 newspapers ; via Marseilles, 160 letters, 1 book packet, 3 newspapers. For Northern ports of New Zealand, 191 letters, 2 book packets, 183 newspapers. Aquatics.—We are informed that a novel kind of race is in contemplation among the members of tho Railway Rowing Club, to come off next Saturday. It is to be, four men, each over thirteen stones in weight, against four men under ten stones. Should the race be actually decided upon, we shall give further particulars. Hoeticultubal Society. —Mr W. H. Williams has offered a prize of £5 for the best kept pleasure garden, of not lees than a quarter of an acre and not more than two acres in extent, and situated within five miles of the city. Intending competitors must give notice before the Ist March, and the prize wiil be awarded on the Ist April. Nobthebn Volunteebs.—A correspondent writes— -O wing to harvest time, and the want of energy that has for some time characterised the volunteer movement, for all the good they are doing the volunteer corps might bo disbanded, and when the movement revives let it be started on a better footing.

Gold in Stewart's Island —Gold has been discovered in Stewart's Island. Testimonial to Mv Sale.—A number of gentlemen at Hokitika aro getting up a testimonial to Mr G. S. Sale. Sad Accident. —Two miners, named Robt. Jackson and Korney, wero killed on Monday by the fall of a tunnel at the Hauhan. Bishop Jennbr—Bishop Jenner addressed a meeting of members of St. John's Church, Waikouaiti, on the 13 th inst. Bluff Railway.—The Bluff and Invorcargill railway was re-opened on the 10th inst. A diversion line to Kew was opened on the same day. Wesletan Church. — A brick church, capable of sitting 600 persons, is about to bo erected in Stuart street, Dunedin, for tho Wesleyans. Whaling.—The barque Japan, tho pioneer vessel of the Victorian whaling fleet, came out of Messrs Hughes and Sinnott's floating dock, Melbourne, on the Ist inst. The Greenstone. —Accounts from tho Greenstone are not so flourishing as heretofore, and the auriferous resources of the place seem to have been overrated. The Turf.—The Launceston Champion Cup, of 400 soys, with a sweep of 20 soya added, was run for on the 2nd inst., and won by Mr W. Field's Strop; Mr G. Tait'a Qlencoe coming in second. Large Mining Tunnel.—A tunnel, over 600 feet in length, for a tail race on the west side of Enterprise Gully, Mount Ida district, has just been completed by McKcnna and party. New South* Wales. —Mr Martin's motion of censure upon the present ministry of Now South Wales, for their restoration of Mr Duncan, has been defeated by a majority of six. Representation oe Dunedin.—A Dunedin paper says a requisition is in course of signature to Mr Michael Sherlock Gleeson, requesting him to come forward as a candidate for the representation of the city at tho forthcoming election. The Drought in New South Wales. — The 13th inst. was proclaimed as a Day of Humiliation and Prayer in the " Gazette " of New South Wales, "in consideration of the very serious calamity from which the colony is suffering by reason of the protracted drought." Steam Communication with Fiji.—The Fiji fever appears to be still spreading in Austrslia. Efforts are now being made to start a line of Bteamors from Rockhampton to those islands in opposition to the Sydney line of the A. S. N. Company. Government Reports. ■— Tho Westland County Council have passed a resolution that the proprietors of the " Hokitika Daily News " and " West Coast Times" bo requested to furnish a tender stating the price at which they will undertake the publication of fair and correct reports of the proceedings of the Council. Sunstroke. —A little girl three years of age named Lucretia Langlois, the daughter of Mr Luis Langlois, Hawkesbury Bush, near Waikouiti, received a severe sunstroke on Friday week, from the effects of which she continued delirious for three days and nights, aud was not expected to live ; but is now recovering. Earthquake.—The earthquake felt here on Thursday morning, the 14th inst., was also felt at Invercargill. A local paper says the shock was a very gentle one to those who have felt them as they occasionally occur in Wellington and elsewhere, but the rumbling sound preceding the vibration was very loud and prolonged. The Duke of Edinburgh.—By reference to our telegrams it will be seen that H.M.S. Galatea, with the Duke of Edinburgh on board, arrived at Adelaide on the 15th instant. —A letter received by the County Chairman of Westland from the Colonial Secretary, in re: ference to the visit of H.R.H. the' Duke of Edinburgh, states that the Prince will visit Hokitika if invited, and his stay will extend over two days. Land Claims.—The claim of Mr Green (of Dunedin), to certain blocks of land at Bluff Harbor was, at last advices, before the Land Claims Court at Campbelltown. The case has been before a select committee of the Legislative Council, whose report is to the effect that Mr Green (of Dunedin) obtained a grant by misrepresentation from James and William Spencer, half-castes, whose claim is based on the will of their father, James Spencer, senior. The Proposed Customs Union. — A lengthy discussion of the proposed Customs Union took place in the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce on the sth instant, when the following retolution was unanimously agreed to : —" That this meeting cordially approves of the action taken by the committee of the Chamber in initiating a movement for the establishment of a Customs and Excise Union, with one uniform tariff for tbe Australian colonies, thus affording facilities for the freest interchange of colonial produce and all other merchandise. That such a commercial federation would, in the estimation of tin's meeting, result in immense advantages, direct and indirect, to the colonies in general, and that its realisation is an object well worthy of the conttinued efforts of the committee." j Melbourne.—The Melbourne correspondent of the " Otago Daily Times," writing on the 9th, says—Parliament meets for the despatch of business on Thursday next. The new Land Bill, which is, I hear, almost ready to be submitted to the Assembly, will no doubt occupy the greater part of the session, and will probably give rise to some interesting debates. I learn that the principal novelty introduced in the measure will be the allowing of all payments on land leased for agricultural purposes" to go as part payment for the fee simple of the allotment, with the moderate addition of five per cent, interest on delayed payments. It is not unlikely that in the new Bill some further attempts may be made to frustrate the endeavors of that numerous class of persons here who are always upon the watch to take advantage of any loopholn in our Land Laws, through which they may find a chance to get possession of the public terri* tory without fulfilling the conditions provided by law. Since it has been discovered that, in spite of all the precautions taken against transactions of that kind in the present Act, numerous cases of evasion have recently occurred, it is currently reported that the Government intend to proceed with the utmost rigor of the law against all offenders of this class ; and in fact criminal proceedings have actually been set on foot against several individuals who have been detected in the practice of "dummyism" at the va-ious land sales throughout the colony. '

Tiik Rkpohtkd Marsacbe late number of tho «Arg,, 8 » 80T , Ir* woulu nppenr to bo little foundation ■r 3 for tho story l.itrly circulated of a nZ' the isl-md of Tanna. Wo learn tW T ohl dated tho Ist of November, ha, b"en in town from ono of tho persons iZT* said to have been murdered. It .»«» f re tho whole of tho whites on Tanna w ** tling down to cotton-growing, and do very well. No mention of any ca C *' . to is made in tho letter. * tataatrophe The Waiatt Auuifbrous —By ti,« tesy of Mr Boetham, R.M., wo hare b VJ° W ' nutted to peruse a letter from a miner in f?" Waiau country, on tho Otago sido, H« I that "there aro several parties of 1T working on and near tho Sunnysido run ""if had takon up a water right, and several oil,. 0 parties had done the same thing. H 0 W ;A J to have a miner*) right, and to° acquire a til for Ins race, as also did others. Tho tenor f the letter evidently goes to show that dm pecting in that almost untried country i BBO °!" what successful.—" Oamaru Times." j Flax Gum.—A. Southern contomporarv says—Every one who has watched tho proeri of tho numberless experiments which ha been made during the last fow years to util'!° the pJiormium tenax, is a ware that onoof tlf chief obstacles in tho way has been the senco of a gummy snbatanto. To m rid of this in any way has hitherto bL one of the great aims of tho flax-drcsg-r and largo quantities of it havo accordingly been wasted. Wo now find, howovor from an article in tho 'Practical Mechanic's Journal' that this gum is likely to become au article of somo commercial importance, as it has been found "to stand alone out of ninny envelopes." Wo recommend this fact to tho consideration of all who are interested in tho subject. Meat Preserving.—Tho Melbourne Meat Preserving Company havo given a docisivo proof of tho excellence of the meat; preserved by them even when exposed for a .lengthened period to a high temperature. Tho " Argus" siys : —ln response to tho invitation of Mr Caldwell, a number of gentlemen, including several of tho leading merchants of tho city assembled at the Company's premises for tho purpose of inspooting tho opening of a case of preserved meat, which had been allowed to remain four months in tho furnnco-room attached to the works, where tho teraperaturo on an average was at loast 110 degs. Tin case containing tho mutton was composed of fin deal boards, securely fastened, and about 3ft by Ift in dimensions. Tho meat, prepared in the usual manner, was placed iv these cases, and when packed, a quantity of liquid fat was poured in until tho cases were completely filled. They were then nailed down, and placed in tho furnaco-room. When opened, tho temperature appeared to havo had but little effect upon tho moat. The fat resembled soft wax on tho surface, but was quite firm at the depth of about an inch. She meat was then taken out, and a porrion of it prepared for luncheon. When dressed it was found most delicioua and savoury, ail present expressing the most perfect satisfaction with the result of the experiment.