NEWS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XVII, Issue 2316, 26 September 1870, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Hon W Fox contemplates, says a Wellington contemporary, visiting tho West Coast shortly. We beg to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of " Correspondence relating to the Management of tbe Christchurch Hospital," from Dra Turnbull, Nedwell, and Frankish. A proclamation in tho " Gazette " announces that the Otago and Southland Union Act, 1870, comes into operation on the 6th of October, 1870. The General Government " Gazette" of September 20 contains the usual proclamation enjoining neutrality on Her Majesty's subjects, with reference to the war between France and Prussia. We notice from an Auckland paper that classes have been opened in the old Legislative Council Chambers, Auckland, for the instruction of ladies in English literature, mathematics, drawing, and the German and French languages. It is also in contemplation to provide, after a while, instruction in natural science. Gold has been discovered in the province of Taranaki. The land is leased by the natives to Antonio Rodriquez de Sardina, who is the the person that has discovered the gold, and now makes a claim for the £1000 reward. Mr Carrington is informed that the quartz is very good, and the people are sanguine that it will turn out a payable goldfield. A partridge made its appearance last week among some poultry on the North bank of the Rakaia. It was unwittingly killed as a rara avis by an enthusiastic, but misguided collector of specimens of natural history, whose exploit earned him the well-merited reprobation of the neighbourhood. Mr Heller, on Saturday evening, brought to a close the series of his entertainments in Christchurch. There was a crowded house, and Mr Helier expressed his acknowledgements for the liberal patronage accorded to him by the public. To-night Mr Heller performs at Lyttelton, to-morrow night Kaiapoi, and at Leithfield on Thursday.

At the Resident Magistrate's Coti't, Lyttelton, on Saturday, before W. Donald, Esq., R.M., Thomas llynes was charged with being drunk and disorderly md was dismissed with a caution. The following gentlemen have been appointed the officers to form the new electoral rolls in this province—Dr Donald, City of Christchurch E, City of Christohurch W ; J W Hamilton, Esq, Avon and Heathcote ; W H Pilliett, Esq, Akaroa. Yesterday between twelve and one o'clock the firebell in Lyttelton commenced ringing, quickly drawing a large number of persons together. The cause proved to bo a chimney on fire in London street, in a house occupied by Miss Wade. Plenty of willing hands were on the spot, and soon sueeeded in extinguishing tbe blaze, which might otherwise have been serious, being in the middle of the block of buildings. No damage was done. Our Auckland contemporaries have been devoting some amount of space to accounts of the trial of a double-furrow plough constructed in that province, and they seem to be under the impression that it ia the first constructed in the colony. To our knowledge ploughs of this description have been in use in this province for upwards of eighteen months,, constructed by local maters. It has been suggested that on the following Tuesday after the Canterbury Agricultural Association exhibition a show of entire horses in tbe northern district should take place, say at Bangiora. We have heard of persons anxious to keep up good stock being unable to find exactly the style of horse they would like. If it was known such a show would would take place, it would be a gain to the owners of sire horses and breeders. A proclamation in the General Government " Gazette " declares that Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Cape of Good Hope, shall be deemed infected districts within the meaning of the Diseased Cattle Acts. The following portions of the colony are also proclaimed infected—All that portion of the Middle Island of New Zealand lying to the north of the Hurunui river, and of a straight line from the source of that river to the County of Westland, the County of Westland, and the provinces of Otago and Southland in the Middle Island, and the provinces of Auckland and Taranaki in the North Island. Mr Thomas Hill, MRC VS, is appointed inspector under the Act. The Lyttelton Amateur Dramatic Club gave their second entertainment at the Colonists' Hall, Lyttelton, on Friday night last. The pieces chosen were " To Paris and Back for £5," " Box and Cox," and " The Unfinished Gentlemen." There was a very fair attendance in the hall, considering that it was the second representation within a short time of the same pieces, with the exception of " Box and Cox." The first two pieces went .of very creditably and about half of the last piece was gone swimmingly, but the less said about the last scenes the better, as, although very amusing and laughable, they were anything but well done. At the close of the evening the performers were called before the curtain and cheered. The proceeds will be devoted towards starting a Dramatic Club. A deputation consisting of the chairman of the Springs, Lincoln, Little River and Halswell Road districts, with Messrs Murray and Herrick waited on his Honor the Superintendent, and the Provincial Secretary, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, for the purpose of asking the Government to place a sufficient sum of money on the estimates to clear the river Halswell from water-cress. The deputation stated that unless the sum was sufficient to clear the river thoroughly, the expenditure of a small sum would be utterly useless. They also represented the necessity of granting a sum of money for improving the road leading from Burkes to Shakspeare's. Hin Honor said that the Government already contemplated placing a sum on the estimates and would give the matter favourable consideration. Captain Ashby, of the Siam, writes as follows regarding flax :—" I have no doubt a great number of persons in Auckland will be disappointed at the price of flax. Large quantities have come over of late, and a large portion of it very inferior got up. This is one of the principal reasons of the great fall in price. I was informed by a flaxbroker only yesterday afternoon that hundreds of bales of New Zealand flax will have to be sold to make paper of, owing to the rough state it came to London. I wrote last year when in England, and explained to those interested in flax that they could not get their flax too well dressed for the London market, and if they send it to London in a first-rate condition it will always find sale, but not at the fabulous price given at the end of last year. My opinion is its value will be, in no distant time from this, from £27 to £33 per ton for the very best." The " Taranaki Herald " is glad to be able to state that steps have been taken towards the formation of a company in England for working the lease granted to the directors of the Pioneer Steel Company. The general terms agreed on between Mr Davis and the liquidators, are that the shareholders in the late company are to receive £10,000 chiefly in snares in the new company, if the capital of the latter does not exceed £80,000 ; and a further allowance in paid up shares at the rate of 10 per cent on all capital raised beyond that amount. A letter was sent to England by last mail to Mr Davis's connections there, authorising the formation of a company on those terms, and a copy of the lease and other documents were dispatched by the same mail. Between four and five o'clock p m on Friday last another sad and fatal accident occurred at the Ashley river. A young man named Patrick Croskelly, about twenty-seven years old, was riding a horse from Leithfield towards Kaiapoi. At the river in question it became restive, and reared over with Croskelly into the water. He was seen by some youths who were near, to be carried a little way down the stream, and to get partially out of the water on to a shingle spit on his hands and knees. Was heard to cry, but he disappeared again, probably with the edge of the spit giving way. Deceased has some relatives in Christchurch, and during three years he has been in the employ of Messrs Belcher and Fairweather, of Kaiapoi, as a drayman, whose service he had left only a week or two ago. On Saturday, Bergeant Mullins, Messrs Barnes and Murphy, with others, were engaged searching and dragging for the body unsuccessfully. The search was to be continued on Sunday. It will be needless after this occurence for us to again repeat how necessary it is that the bridge ought forthwith to be repaired, as it was within a few 1 yards of it that the acoident occurred.

There are strange rumors current, snys tho " Post" os to the operation of the late Act for altering tho gold duty. By some peculiar fluke (by no moans rare, it would appear, in regard to the legislation of tho Into session) exporters of gold will bo relieved from the payment of tho duty between the first of October nnd tbe first of January next Whether this was intentional or not we cannot say, but we doubt whether tho Government can conveniently sparo thi* revenue