The Press. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1869. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XV, Issue 1994, 6 September 1869, Page 2

The Press. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1869. NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Lyttelton Choral Society will give their concert at the Colonists' Hall, on Tuesday next; a good programme bae been iseued. The "Southern Cross" states, in consequence of the small number of bankruptcy cases, the sittings of the Court will be held only once a fortnight. A painful accident occurred in theManukau Harbour, by which six men lost their lives. One of those sudden gusts of wind which are RO common in that harbour upset a boat, in which six men and a lad were. All were drowned except the lad, who succeeded in clinging to the boat till rescued.

Friday's "Hokitika Daily News" states that the County Chairman informed (he County Council on Thursday that His Excellency the Governor was expected to visit Westland in about a fortnight.

In consequence of the large number of persons unable to gain admittance to the Theatre Koyal on Friday at the performance given by the members of the Licensed Victuallers' Association in aid of their Benevolent Fund, the entertainment will be repeated this evening at reduced prices.

The criminal sittings of the Circuit Court have virtually closed. This morning, however, Mr Joynt, in Chambers, will move in arrest of judgment in the case of Thomas Oooney and Patrick Fitzgibbon convicted of conspiracy on Saturday. Jurors summoned for to-day will not be required to attend, but those summoned for the nisi prius sittings on Wednesday will have to attend on that day.

The County Council of Westland have appointed Mr Horton, late clerk to Mr Cassius, to the office of County Treasurer. Mr Guinness, of Greymouth, is to-be Chief Clerk, and Dr Dermott County Surgeon. The appointments were made with closed doors.

The Gazette of September 2 announces that Major Charles Brown has resigned the command of the militia of Taranaki, and that his name, has been placed on the unattached list.

The Provincial Government Gazette of September 4 notifies that the Governor has assented to the following Bills passed by the Provincial Council of Canterbury—The Sheep Ordinance, 1864, Amendment Ordinance 1869.; The Trespass of Cattle Ordinance 1869; The Fencing Ordinance, 186y' The Roads Ordinance, 1869.

At a meeting of the United Canterbury Cricket Club, held on Saturday evening, the following officers were elected for the ensuing year : Hie Honor the Superinteadent; vice president, Mr E. C. J. Stevens; treasurer, Mr E Parkerson ; secretary, Mr A. J. xCotterill ; committee, Messrs Blakiston, Condell, Dickaon, Harley, Mainwariug, Ollivier and Reade,

" If," pays a London correspondent of the "Sydney Morning Herald," " the colonists know how easily and cheaply Australian meats could be prepared for the European markets, they would cease to trouble themselves about fitting up vessels with expensive refrigerating apparatus, and give greater heed to the simpler and inexpensive means more ready to their hands. An ingenious Yankee has elaborately fitted up a vessel, the William Taber, with refrigerating apparatus, and is now about to take 400 tons of fresh beef at a time from Texas to New York. If the experiment fulfils the sanguine expectations of its promoter, he ie likely to find the South American Republics speedily following his example, and bringing South American beef and mutton into the English inarktt. If so. where will the land of the kangaroo be ?^"

The pursuit of journalism under difficulties is thus referred to by the " Ovens Spectator":—As an illustration of the delays and inconveniences to which the residents in the North-eastern part of the colony are subjected while waiting for goods ordered in Melbourne, we may mention that at the preeent time there is not a whole bale of news paper to be had anywhere in the Ovens district, scarcely any teamsters caring to try the Beechworth road in winter time, and the River Murray being so low that the steamers have the greatest difficulty in getting up to Wahgunyah. Since the 9th instant we have been indebted to the courtesy of the proprietors of two of our contemporaries, and are obliged to-day to publish on tea paper bought of the Bee chworth grocers, and clearing them all out of that valuable article.

The "Mount Alexander Mail" tells Uβ— " A splendid nugget, weighing 570z 12dwt line been found in the Hit-or-Mies gully, at Vaughan, just about 100 yards from where the large nugget that brought between £300 and £400 was discovered about twelve months ago. The sinking in this gully, which has been so famous from time to time for its yield of heavy gold, i? but shallow, the hole from which the find of which we are now making record being but about twenty-five feet deep. It i* rather surprising why so little has been done in this quarter towards trying thoroughly the quartz reefs. Juet about six months since from £600 to £700 worth of gold was obtained from a quartz rein, yet there has not been sufficient spirit and >igor displayed by the miners to follow up systematically the gold of which there have been so many traces indicative of rich lodeg." One of those disgraceful sights to be seen only in a Christian land might have been

witnessed, snjs the " Age," at the Melbourne I general cemetery ]<»at. Sunday afternoon. A Chinamen was buri.-.i, and a large number o.* hie countrymen having followed him to the grave joined there in celebrating the rifes of] their religion. A small fire was lighted a* the head of the grave nnd scented tapere i were burned, many handsfull of little colored j •mips of paper being also thrown in the air. .Ibout an hour was occupied by the Chinese sn performing their ceremonial, and all this time there was a crowd of gibing civilised " barbarians" round the mourners, pushing and jostling, and wantonly trampling on the neighboring graves. The poor Chinamen put up meekly wiih the gaping and derision of the mob, but pxhibiterl the utmost horror »tt seeing the resting place of their dead s rumpled over »o indecently. This only afforded extra mirth to the white savages. Such an occurrence must rouse both indignation and ehame in the mind of every right thinking person, but so many show themselves dead to the latter sentiment, we wouH recommend our Chinese fellow-citizene to obtain the presence of a constable next time, and they will have the satisfaction of finding the wretches who insult them ac cowardly as they are unfeeling. A beneficicnt protective policy, eaya the ' c Australasian," makes itself felt in manifold ways. It is now showering its blessings on the agricultural classes in an unexpected fashion. An active little white caterpillar has made its appearance on the grass lands of the colony, and is eating all before it. It is not particular as to its fare ; takes vegetables when it cannot obtain grass, and can put up with growing crops for a change. There is one thing which it does not like, and that is salt. The agriculturists, anxious to cater for its woe rather than its weal, are anxious to procure salt to scatter broadcast over their lands. But here a paternal tariff interferes on behalf of the caterpillar. Balt is" subjected to £1 per ton import duty,—why P Mr McCulloch only knows. One ofthe moat valuable industries of the colony is the preservation of meat for exportation. Salt is one of the principal ingredients necessary to the proceee, and it is taxed. Who or what this tax, on a commodity brought here as ballast for ships, was intended to benefit, no one can say. There was something more said by some wiseacre about the native salt to be obtained from Australian swamps, but no one is desirous of opening up this promising trade ; etill salt is taxed, to the detriment of our manufacturers, and now to the exceeding injury of our agriculturists. Only the caterpillar has reason to feel peculiarly grateful to the tariff of the M'Culloch Ministry. This is but one of many anomalies which a protective system from time I to time discloses. If a chance good is now \ and then achieved, it is counterbalanced by a dozen chance evils. The balance is always heavily weighted on the side of injustice. A constitutional question of some interest has arisen in the House of Representatives in | New Zealand. Major Brown, member for j Omatu, ie senior militia officer in Taranaki, and as such commands the forces in that province. This gentleman happened to vote against the Government on an important division. He thereupen received a letter from Mr Fox, the Premier, stating that the Government considered that the practice of its own officers voting against it in the Legislature was not consistent with responsible government, and requesting that Major Brown would elect between his command and his seat. The major refused to be thus put to his election, ani was then informed that the Government would not continue him in hie command, but that he might resign if he thought fit. He again declined to move in the matter, and complained to the House of a breach of privilege by reason of an attempt to interfere with his freedom in voting. After , a smart debate, a select committee was appointed to inquire into the whole subject. It is said that the general opinion is unfavorable to the Government j and we think that Mr Fox was wrong in referring to Major Brown's vote, or in threatening him with dismission for that vote. It is, however, a different matter whether on the general queetion in* volved he is not right. It is certainly essential to Parliamentary government both that the heads of departments shall be in Parliament and that their subordinate officers shall not. But in England military and naval officers are expressly exempted from the disqualifying law, and custom has secured to them from their commanding officers every facility for the discharge of their Parliamentary duties. It is certain, also, that in England the Ministry has no claim upon a military officer for hie vote, and, consequently, no right to punish him for his opposition. But, although this is so. we doubt whether it is prudent to maintain this distinction in these colonies. In whatever way this point may be decided, we cannot hesitate as 10 the prudence of the Hew Zealand Legislature defining by law those offices which they wish to regard as political, and therefore liable to change, and those offices which they wish to regard as permanent, and therefore inconsistent with political action.—"Australasian."