THE SOUTH.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3318, 5 March 1868, Page 2

THE SOUTH.

By the arrival of the ■.». « Lord Ashley * yesterday afternoon from Wellington, we have been placed in possession of later file* of Southern papers, copious extracts from whioh will be found elsewhere. Tht political news is unimportant.

————■*■■ . uif*r* The Provincial Council was adjourned yesterday for w*nt of a quorum, m only ten members, including the Speaker, attended. The Hon. E. W. Stafford, the Premier, arrived yesterday in the 'Lord Ashley from Wellington, in order to make arrangements for the recaption of the Duke of Edinburgh, who is expected to arrive about the 16th instant. The annual show and dinner of the Papakura Association were held yesterday at Papakura. The show was on the whole very good. A report, with the prize Hat, will be found in another column. In yesterday's issue our reader* wen informed that there was great excitement at the Thames goldfield in consequence of the decision given by the Judge of the Supreme Court in the case of the Queen on the relation of W. Rowe v. Maokay. His Honor the Superintendent received a letter yesterday morning from Mr. Mackay, requesting his Honor to authorise him to appoint special constables for the Thames goldfield. The Superintendent at once sent for Mr. Commissioner Naughton, and instructed him to pro* ceed as soon as possible to the Thames district for the purpose of taking whatever steps he may deem prudent for presert ing the peace of the district in the event of any disturbance taking place. It appears after all that there are good grounds for the rumour that Mr. Barry has consented to abstain from further opposition in having his name registered as one of the shareholders in tbe Euranui Gold-mining Company. He has been instructed to proceed to tbe Thames to ascertain the correctness of the report of his share having been jumped by Mr. Mulligan, and, should such prove to be the case, a writ will be issued against Mr. Mulligui to appear at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Auckland, when the question of right will be determined. We have to acknowledge the receipt from Mr. Corbett, Chief Postmaster, of the time-table for the New Zealand steam mail services for theprwent month. It will be seen from the advertisement bearing the signature of Mr. Civil Commissioner Maokay, that the recent jumping cases at th« Thames are not likely to result in any profit to those who sought to take advantage of the adverse deoision just delivered in the Supreme Court. Notice is given to all per* sons having suck illegal possession tbat the claims are to be given up to the lawful owners forthwith, or the jumpers will be prosecuted with the utmost vigour of the law. We are gratified to fimd that Mr. Crowthtr, who has the credit of being the first to introduce Albert cars into this province, has met with such support as to indues him to place a new and commodious carriage on the Parnell and Auckland road. Yesterday was the first turnout of the new candidate for public favour, when four greys wer# harnessed to the carriage, and Mr. Crowther drove the heavy load of passengers from Parnell to Auckland, and through some of the principal streets of tbe city. The builders are Messrs. Cousins and Atkin, and they are to be complimented on the very handsome and finished appearance of the veuiole in «very particular. To give a brief description of the build, we may say that this carriage is a combination of the English and American principle, hung on elliptic springs, with perch carriage : the front of body is in the American coach style, hind boot English wagonette, with moveable canopy head. It is very low, ea-y of access, and intended to accommodate ten passengers. The painting is showy, but evidently done by a master hand. The word "safety" appears on each side of the carriage. No* that coach-building may be said to have been added to our local industries, and in the face of the. very handsome, specimens which we have from time to time had the pleasure of noticing, we trust that the business of importing such articles, to this, province at least will be quickly numbered amongst the things of the past. , ■ ■. •_„ Messrs. Quick and Co. exhibited a very creditable turn-out yesterday, on the arrival of the s.s. ' Lord Ashley,' in anticipation of Lady Bo wen being » passenger by the vessel. It will be seen elsewhere, however, tbat her Ladyship does not purpose visiting Auckland at preient. We find by advertisement inserted elsewhere tbat a project has been set on foot to have a civilians' ball during tbe visit to Auckland of the Duke of Edinburgh ; and in order to ascertain the support likely to be accorded, a request is made that written applications for tickets should be sent to Mr. John Ogilvie, hon. secretary, on or before Wednesday

At the Supreme Court ytiterday, Charles Gale and William Watts were tried on a charge of feloniously killing a heifer, with intent to steal the oaraaie, on 7th February last, the property of the Rev. R. MoJCinney, Presbyterian Minuter, Mahurangi. They www found guilty, and eaoh sentenced to two , jaatfimpriionuMnt with hard labour from date of oomnuttaL James Dumont, alias Xangdon, who WM found guilty of ©soaping from Mount Eden Gaol, aod who pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing a boat, wai sentenced to three years' penal servitude, tooommenoe at the expiration of his former sentence This oonoluded the oriminal business. The superintendents of Sunday-schools in the city and suburbs are convened to attend a meeting to-morrow evening, at 8 o'clock, at the Young Men* Christian Association Room*, for the purpose of making arrangements for taking part in the demon. stration on the reception of the Duke of Edinburgh. The offioers of friendly sooieties and publio bodies in Auckland are solicited to meet the Reception Committee at Messrs. Nathan's store, Shortlandstreet, at 4 o'olock, for the purpose of arranging for taking part in the public reoeption of h;s Excellency the Governor. Mr. Moorhouse has resigned his seat for Westland Boroughs in the House of Representatives. The posts for the electric telegraph are erected from the branch post-office in Hastings-street* Napier, as far at the Maori Club-hooston the White Road. A few weeks, we presume, will now seethe system in operation between Napier and the extreme south of the colony. »His Honor Mr. McLean, Superintendent of Hawke's Bay, has gone to Opotiki, accompanied by Colonel Haultain, -The rifle firing by members of No. 1 Company Auckland Rifle Volunteers, for the honour of wearing the badge of cross-rifles, and also for money prizes, will take placfron Monday next, at the butts, Point Ghavallieiv , , Edward McAllister, a servant in the employ of Mr. C. G. Whifcley, of Papakura, was apprehended by Detective Tsrnahan last evening, charged with embezzling the sum of £4, the money of his employer At the grand swimming and diving matches advertised to take place this afternooon at 2 o'clock, at the Auckland Salt Water Baths, the following prizes will be competed for :— lst race— Swimming, boys under 12, SO yards, prize 10a. ; 2nd raceSwimming, boys under 18, 100 yards, prize 18s. ; 3rd race— Swimming, all ages, 150 yard*, prize 20s. ; 4th raee — Diving, longest distances, boys under 12, prize 10*. ; sth raoe — Diving, longest distances, boys under 18, prize lot. ; 6th raee — Diving, longest distance, all ages, prize 20s. ; 7th raoe — Undress in water, shirt, trousers, and socks, prize 205. ; Bth race— Dive and come up through hoop in centre, prize 20i. ; 9th race — Bringing up plate from bottom, heats, prize 205, ; 10th raee — Duck hunts, prize 20s. The races will be open to all comers, and four to start for each raoe. Second man to save his stake. BeiDg the first attempt at getting up anything of the sort, it is to be hoped that it will be well patronised by the people of Auckland. These affairs are kept np with muoh spirit in the other colonies. The duck hunts are likely to came muoh amusement. Mr. Christian Schafer, the German traveller who has nude such surprising journeys on footthrough so many countries, has arrived in Ctago, and intends tramping it through the Middle Island, and then visituig the North Island. The Superintendent of Otago and the Hon. John Hyde Harris returned to Dunedin on February 19, by the steamer 'TaranakL' We understand that the Hon. the Premier has acquiesced in the proposition made by Otago's Superintendent, regarding a loan to repair the damage done to public works by the late disastrous floods. — Evening Pott, February 20. About 2 jt.m. on February 25, one of the men's sleeping rooms in the Waipuna stockade, Hawke's Bay, was discovered to be on fire. The sentry at once gave the alarm, and the men turned out — they having scarcely time to dress themselves, owing to the rapidity with which the flames spread. Every effort to stay the conflagration was made, but without effect— the whole range of building, consisting of some ten apartments, having, with the exception of one end, which was divided from the rest by a passage, been destroyed in a very short space of time. The portion saved consisted of the officer*' sleeping apartments and Mr. Peacock's store. The men are at present camping in the bn«h, but they hope, on the {return of Colonel Haultain from Opotiki, to receive th«*ontfr for that locality. Several of the men have lost they personal effects by this accident, th« cause of -which cannot be traced or explained, — •fferald. It is announced by the Sjdney papers that letters had be# n received by the officers of the ' Galatea ' announcing that orders had been forwarded to his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh to proceed from New Zealand on a cruise to the Pacific and West Indies. Last week a perfect moa skull in a state of petrifaction was discovered in the Buller. — Independent, Several ossea of low typhoid fever have occurred in Hokitika. It is due to the entire absence of any system of sewerage. We should not be at all surprised if disease breaks out in some private streets in Wellington, owing to the same cause. Unhappy, indeed, is the fate of dwellers in private streets, as the Town Board will do nothing for them except •nforos the payment of the rates. — Independent. It is rumoured that, if Mr. Harrison resigns his •eat in the Assembly for Whanganui in favour of Mr. Fox, a candidate in the person of Mr. Bryce will come forward on behalf of " central " principles. Mr. Robert Pharazyn is also spoke of as a candidate. — Wellington Independent. Light shocks of earthquake seem lately to have become quite common occurrences with us. Yesterday evening we felt one at about eleven o'clock, and again between seven and eight o'clock this morning there was just a slight sensation of a quake. Neither do they appear to have been confined to this island, as by a private telegram from White's Bay— the point at whioh the submarine cable reaches the other side — we learn that there was one at four o'olock, accompanied by a noise like thunder, and that through the night and this morning several shocks were distinctly felt. — Wellington Evening Post, February 20. The Town Hoard of Christohuroh have voted £500 towards the Dnke of Edinburgh's reception, and the Reception Committee are canvassing the city for subscriptions. A new industry has recently been started at Westport Bay, viz., the manufacture of salt for the table. The manufacture is oonducted in the same manner as is adopted in Europe. New Zealand gardeners may learn a wrinkle in Victoria, where farmers have lately adopted with success the plan of growing flax around their apple trees, to prevent their being affected by blight. Some of thoie who have thus succeeded contemplate planting rows of flax between each row of cabbages, in the hope that it will prove equally advantageous. ' According to the census returns furnished to the Otaga D'aMyTmit, the population of Dunedin and suburbs, including Port Chalmers, is— males, 10,099; females, 9,283 ; total, 19,382. The total decrease in the population during the past three years is 1,931. We have the mo»t reliable authority for stating that the Royal Mail Company have definitely decided on abandoning a call at St. Thomas, and that the decision will be carried out so soon as the necessary arrangements, now in progress, are completed. This will be very satisfactory to those' who have a prejudice against making acquaintance with yellow fever, earthquakes, cyclones, and such like, and none th* less satisfactory to those -who, like ourselves, take a deep interest in the success of the Panama communication with England.—lndepettdent. , ' ' " ; Mr. Charles Flinders Hursthpuse, the author of la pamphlet on NewZ?al*ndihaspublisbedan addendum relative to the recall of Sir George Grey,' in which, after commenting on his Grace of Buckingham's curt despatch, he says r—" Now this mode of bowling over by a pert paragraph a distinguished public officer, who. after five-and-twenty years of faitjhfyl service of the Crown, had made himself obnoxious to the Colonial Office by telling it some most wholesome truths 'about itself, may; have seemed rather, good fun to his Grace and his chuckling subordinates, rather a smart thing ''for their office to ( do ; but, assuredly, those who think that a department of Btate.cbarged with the interests of Britain's colonies, should at least conduct itself with official decency towards them and theirs, will form si very different estimate of the thing, and may even venture to think that his Grace of Buckingham's 'descent' from office should at once follow Sir George Grey's. Indeed, though the official mind of Whitehall' and the Tieasury,.ihough Tadpoles and Tapists, and men of the like calibre and kidney, may deem Sir George .« disgraced 'by his recall, two millions of Australa- * sian colonists will regard the cause of it as'one of his best titlst to honour and rtnowm." r h • > ,

" Lord Lyttelton and son have pai4 » % in g *"** to 1 Hokifciks, The Rangitikei orioketew, having thoroughly beaten their Whanganui opponents, went off, drubbed the Wellington club, and then challenged th« crew of the war-ship ♦ Falcon.' The challenge was accepted, and the game played on Friday or Saturday last. ■ , The HaxokJt Bay Time* of the 2nd instant saya:— M The state of affairs at Opotiki would appear to be very unsatisfactory at the present time. On Saturday afternoon last the Colonial Government gunboat • Sturt,' Captain Fairchild, arrived from Opotiki, bringing anything- but good news. The Hauhaus, with the scoundrel Kereopa at their head, were believed to be mustering in great force on the borders of the settlement, and further hostilities were imminent, The settlers had alio all been driven in from their farms, At an early hour yesterday (Sunday) morning, the Armed Oonstabuiary Force, stationed at Waipuna, received orders to 'pack up,' and prepare to proceed to Napier, en route to Opotiki. Accordingly, about 7.30 a.m., some 33 men, in command of Captain Tuke, set off for Poraite on foot, there not being time to lock for their horses ; the remainder, about 27 in number, left for Napier on horseback. The foot party, after a very fatiguing maroh over hill and dale, and through dense fern, arrived at Poraite about 7 o'clock but evening. Two or three boats were there in waiting for them, and conveyed the men to port, arriving alongside the Government Wharf about 9 o'clock. The force immediately went on board the ' Sturt ;' and preparations were mad* to partake of some refreshment, which, we should imagine, they muoh needed, having walked over a rough country from Waipuna to Poraite (abont 40 miles distance) without having had anything to eat. The[men (the majority, of whom were minus boots) looked very tired and jaded as they stepped on to the wharf, and complaints of sore feet were numerous. To-day, we believe, the 'Sturt' will coal, and the Armed Constabulary Forct will have at least a portion of the day on shore to purchase any articles whioh they stand in need of, bid friends good-bye, &c. This at an end, the ' Sturt' will leare for the scene of Maori depredations either | to-night or to-morrow morning. The best wishes of the people of Hawke's Bay will, we feel assured, attend the brave fellows who are now going to defend the hearths and homes of our unfortunate fellow-settlers on the East Coast against the encroachments of a wily and unscrupulous foe. We understand that that gallant officer, Major Fraser, will accompany the Armed Constabulary Force, the men composing which we trust will give a good account of themselves. The men all seem in the best of spirits, and eager for the fray. We had not heard, up to a late hour last evening, whether the men who left the Waipuna Stockade on horseback had arrived in town." The Bawtes Bay Herald of the 24th ultimo reports that strong gales of wind from west and north-west have prevailed during the previous week, causing incalculable injury to the whole country. Prayers for rain were offered up in the various places of worship on the 23rd. — Large quantities of wool still continue to arrive in Napier ; the clip this year will probably be between 6,000 and 7,000 bales.— The Napier annual race meeting was to commence on Tuesday, March 3. In view of a falling revenue, aid the great demands made on it on the part of the General Government, the officials in the employ of the Hawke's Say Provincial Government, and parties receiving subsidies, have received notice to hold themselves in readiness for a termination of the several engagements of the Provincial Government with them, should such step be found necessary. We presume that the whole question of provincial expenditure will be agitated and settled at the approaching meeting of the Provincial Council. — Times. On the 17th of January, Major Yon Tempsky arrived at Whanganui from Auckland, and proceeded to Patea to take up bis appointment as Inspector in the Constabulary fore* there. On the 19th of February he received orders to proceed forthwith from Patea to Wailcato, perhaps because of the recent disturbances at Opotiki. The sending of Major Yon Tempsky to serve under or assist Lieutenant-Colonel McDonnell at Patea appears to be one of those blunders which our Defence Minister so frequently makes at the expense of the colony. — Wanganui Times. A few weeks ago we intimated that instructions had then been received at Auckland for two companies of the 18th Royal Irish to be held in readiness to retnrn to WhanganuL Their return has been delayed, but the barracks here are now being prepared for their reception. We are informed that Major General Chute, E.C.8., purposes coming to Auckland next month to inspect the 18th, and therefore it is possible that the two companies destined for Whanganui will not be here until about the end of March.— lbid. Mr. Bewley, of Lower Rangitikei, who has been confined in the Wbanganui gaol for some time past as a debtor, made his escape on Saturday. He is reported to have been seen going through Turakina on Saturday night ; his track is being followed, and his description has been forwarded to Wellington. This act on the part of Mr. Bewley is apparently a very foolish one, as we understand that he would in all probability have been liberated in the course of a few days. — Ibid. The Wairarapa Journal says :—": — " The Telegraph and Post-office in one building is now nearly completed. As the telegraph at Featherston has proved of much use even there to the people of Greytown, there can be no doubt of the telegraph being much more used by them when the office is in working order in their midst. In a fortnight, or even less, Greytown should be in instantaneous communication with Wellington and the South. The tariff of charges, we Buppose, can only ba seen at the Telegraph Office by the general public ; but that portion stating the charges between Wellington and Featherstem, which, we presume, will be the charge between Wellington and Greytown, we now publish. Minimum charge— ten words, Is. 3d.; and l£d. for every additional word." All uncertainty regarding his Royal Highness's arrival is now at an end, it being positively announced that he will leave Newcastle for Auckland on the Bth of March. — Wellington Independent. We understand that (if funds are available as expected) the following will form part of a programme, which will give four or five days of rejoicing to the people of Wellington on the occasion of the visit of his Royal Highness to this city :—l.: — 1. On his landing, a grand procession, in which we trust all the societies in town will muster in force, and those in the country will be well represented. 2. Caledonian games. 3. Regatta and dinner to the crews of her Majesty's 'ships in harbour. 4. A champion prize race at the Hutt Races. 5. A ball and supper to the Duke. — Ibid. It appears, from intelligence received from St. Thomas, that Heinke's patent diving apparatus was at work on the wreck of the steamer 'Colombian,' and that there was some reason to hope that much of the cargo, which is valued at £200,000, would be recovered. At the time of the hurricane a large number of divers were engaged in raising the floating dock, whioh by some accident was under water, and these are now employed on the ' Colombian ' and other sunken vessels.— Shipping Gazette. We beg to call public attention to the sale of teas, sugar*, spices, Ac, ex ' Waverley,' from Hongkong and Batavia, which takes place at the stores of Mr. Stannus Jones this morning. This choice cargo has been selected especially for the Auckland market, to the order of Messrs. Oraickshank, Smart, and Co. The teas are similar, if not superior, to those imported by the same firm about two years ago, which gave such general satisfaction to connoisseurs. The sale affords an opportunity seldom met with of securing choice parcels of the above groceries. — Advt.