DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 5, 20 May 1843, Page 3

DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.

A Meeting of the above Society was held at- Hart's Exchange Hotel on Thursday last ; we regret we are unable to give any account of the proceedings, as we were not present, having not heard that such a meeting was intended to be held until it was over. In the evening, the Members and others interested in the prosperity ot the Association dined together in the lanre room of the J Exchange Hotel.— To those who know Mr. Hart's taste and good management we need scarcely say, that the dinner and arrangement were such as might do credit to any of the very best Intels in England itself — and certainly tended much to convey no mean idea of the comforts of a New Zealand life. — Meetings of this kind, when, well conducted, tend to much good.-'— On the prt-* sent occasion, the Stewards were evidently at fault in not having before hand arranged the details of the evenings korero. Vaticus appropriate toasts were given, and some good speeches were made t but too much was left to chance. We trust that on any occasion of this kind in future, the necessary arrangements will be entrusted to some gentlemen who have been accustomed at home to move in such matters. A very slight mistake may in it* self destroy the harmony and Rood feeling which ought to exist at nil such meetings. Ou the present occasion we have to regret the occurrence of one circumstance which tended greatly to destroy the unanimity which otherwise characterized the meeting, viz , an insult offered to the conductors of the public press present at the meeting, or, if not an insult towards them individually, was at least high'y derogatory to the Meeting generally, and such, as few possessing an adrquate degree of selfrespect could overlook — our ailu i n is to the conduct of the Meeting when the toast of " The Press " was drank. — Instead of calling for a response from one of the two Editors present at the dinner — the call was made to A Reporter, occupying a chair at a side table taking his notes. This person certainly addressed the meeting in vejy suitable terms, but, not being one of the parly or occupying a Biat at the dinner «able, he had most j unquestionably no title whatever and no right to be allowed to address the meeting under any circumstances, but especially so when the Editors of both papers were themselves present. We confers that we felt not a little intuited at this extraordinary conduct, but we felt still more strongly that we were not among-it those behaving as gentlemen from the fact of aggravating the former insult by calling upon one of the gentlemen present who were connected with the press, to second the response which had been made by the Reporter — and after telling the Chairman our opinion of the conduct of the meeting over which he presided, we-left the room. — We think the least thing Dr. Johnson, who presided on the occasion, should hive done, would have been to apologze in writing to the gentlemen whom he was the means of allow- | ing to be so grossly insulted — the usages of civlized society would at least teach bo much — but it has not i been done. Notwithstanding the dullness of the times, transfers of land, are still carried on.— His Excellency Mr. Shortland has, we hear, just effected a Sale to Mrs. Hobson of the beautiful suburban allotments which he purchased at a late sale. We have not ascertained the price, but having obtained the land at a very low figure, he would no doubt receive a large advance on the original cost His Excellency has too much experience in these matters to ''sell his hens in a rainy day." Wednesday the 24. h instant, being the Queen's Birth Daj, will be observed as a Holidayat the Bank. Zi'\ t^xv. Canal. — We observe that t n's great undertaking is al length finished. The water was admitted to flow through a week ago. The navigation oi Queen-street, the lower end of Shortland Crescent High-street, and Fields-lane will be open during the whole winter. — We fear the banks of the canal are not strong enough — if they fall in, the houses in Queen street must suffer. But Mr. L ; gar, the distinguished engineer of the works, as well as the *üb-engin»;er and manager, Mr. Hailes, are satisfied with them, and bo, we hear, is his Excellency, Mr. Shortland, provided there is just sufficient depth of water to enable small canoes to paddle from door to door, until the Roman road through Shortland Crescent and other parts of the town is finished. A guard of soldiers will be placed on the banks of the canal and at the top of Shortland Crssce.it during winter, to prevent the citizens from being drowned in the one, |or breaking their necks by falling over the precipices near the other. His Excellency is huaaan°. and provident — may he and his officers live for ever 1 ! >^ Great Barrier Mi mikg Company. — By tfie Rory O'More we have been favoured with a report of the proceedings at the Copper Mines, since the departure of Mr. Abercrombie from this place. From this report we are enabled to give a brief, and general idea of the operations at the mine from the commencement : — Mr. Kinghorn, the active and judicious manager of thi-se mines " arrived at the Barrier in October last, but much -of his time was necessarily Jost in making roads to the mine, and in erecting houses for the miners. Much time was also lost in boring through a rock in accordance with the directions of a supposedfeperienced miner, but without any success," After this failure, Mr. Kinghorn " took the matter into his own hands ; and at once struck into good ore ; the result of which has been that 20 tons of ore have been shipped to Sydney, and upwards of 70 tons more are now ready at the mine for shipment. A greater quantity of ore would have been raised by this time, but for an unfortunate accident eccurring to two of the miners, principally through their own carelessness, which reduced the working of the mine to one fourth its usual quantity, and that for some weeks. The operations are now confined to the working of two beds of ore, the one of blue, and the other of yellow colour, and both of superior quality." Mechanics' Institute. — The adjourned debate on " Matrimony." will take place on Thursday first, at the usual time and place. New Zealand Be- f. —At the shop of Mr. Buckland, in Shortland Crescent, may be seen some New Zealand beef, equal, if not superior, to English itself. This beef is the produce of New Zealand ; the cattle having been purchased from Mr. Chapman, the missionary at Roturua. — Communicated. The Prisoner Pickering — We regret to hear it is intended to forward Pickering, together with the Port Nicholson prisoners, to Van Dieman'a Land. We always understood that his sentence had been commuted by the late Governor ; and we certainly think, that both m account of his own good conduct since he has been confined, and on account of the Petition got up in his favor, His Excellency might shew a little mercy. We understand he has been very useful in gaol, in -teaching the other prisoners to read and write. His sentence was altogether a severe one. And certainly, the way to reform him, f$ not to send him amorg hardened villains in Van DlemarVs^Laod. We trust Mr. Shortland will take this opportunity of manifesting that he has the wish, aa well as the power to exercise the Divine i attribute.

Accidental Death. — One oi the soldiers belonging to the 96 th, lost his life by falling over the rock near the Barracks, on Sunday last. Smuggling. — We understand tint a large schooner was setn the other day lying snug in a harbour not far from Lewingston's Island. We know of only one vessel which has lately left Auckland which could answer the description. We fear our Customs, while disagreeably severe upon the honest trader, holds out too much inducement to the smuggler. We never shoulJ have Cus'oms in such a place as New Zealand, and we are glad to find this opinion powerfully supported by such an ible paper as the Weekly Chronicle.