AUSTRALIA.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3760, 7 September 1869, Page 4

AUSTRALIA.

By the arrival of the barque ' Auatra'in I ' we havp received later Sydney papers to the 27th ultimo, and Newcastle papers to 28th, fcr wbicli we nave to thank Captain All.in. Later Sydney commertiiil, Auitialiao telegram', aud shipping will be found in other coIuidub.

We have to acknowledge the couitesy of H. N, Brewer, Esq , Sub Collector of Customs, 'Onohunga, in bringing the mails by the s.s. • Kecra * and s.a. 1 Wanganui ' into town last evening. The b.s. 'Airedale,' Captain Kennedy, with tbe Bullish mail, may be expected to ainve iu tbe Manukau on Saturday next. A meeting of the ratepayers of tho Whau Highway District wa 1 ) held in the Whau public hall on Saturday evening, to consider the boundaries of the di a triot. After some disoussioD, a report of which will bs found elsewhere, it waa resolved that the boundaries of the district Bhould be extended in a Houth-eaateily direction the same as the WJnu I'duciiti >nal District, with tbd exception of the Hud in the Mount Albert district. The meeting then separated. We have been shown a plan of the Silver Cloud and adj inmg claims, piepared foi lithography, copies of wh'ch will \e distt ibnted to the several shareholders This is an excelleut idea, and were it done in all claims would be of great use and convenience to shareholders and intending purchaser^, as uot only ig the relative p isitio 1 of the claim seen at a glance, but also the nm of reefs known to exist in adjoining claims can lie t aoed. In the plan hefore us of the Silver Cloud Claim, a large number of shiires in which changed hinds last week, and for which there appears t) be a fair demand, the run of the famous leideis of the Star of Fermanagh and I 1 ail of Frm claims in shown, and also the two drives whioh have been put in to cub either leader. The Earl of Erin'n leader runs through the entire length of the claim, and that of the Star of Fermanagh onuses the claim into the Great United ground. The bilvtr Cloud comprises an urea of about four aorea. Tho orimiual sessions of V>& Supreme Court were continued yesterd-iy, when the who'e of the d i y was ocoupied with the trial of Nathaniel Dorrington, who was arraigned on an indiotmenb charging him with unlawfully selling a quantity of gunpowder t*> an aboriginal native named Hapianna without; a license, in contravention of ihe Arms Act. At a quarter to eight o'clock the jury retired t> their room to consider their verdict, and after an absence of twelve minutes they returned iato court with a verdict of Not guilty. Mr. Brookfield, in answer to his Honor, stated that there were two other charges *gaiut>t the prisoner, and that the charge of celling arms would be proceeded with this morning. The Court then adjourned. Tka regular monthly muster for inspection of "the Auokland Rifle Volunteers was held at the Drill Shed last evening, when about 90 members attended on parade, The arms and accoutrements of the men ware minutely examined, and were found to be in a satihfacb >ry condition, A number of exercises in the manual and platoon drill were then gone through iu a creditable manner, Colonel Lyon was present", and expres'ed the pleasure he felt afc being agai'i amongst them. He had befoie commanded the Auckland volunteers, but did nut Bee many of the old members present that eveniu/, He regretted that the attendance was so Mtnall, but h»<l been in» formed that a large proportion of the members of the oorp< were absent at the Thames. Anything whioh he oould do to further their interests would afford him great pleasure %o perform, and be would always be reaiy to consult with any of the office) s for the purpose, The men were then served wi'h » number of rouudi of Ammunition aud afterwards dispersed, Mr. Henry Ellis, one of the candidates for the Superintendenoy, proposes giving an enunciation of his politioal principles at the Meohanios' Institute, on Thursday evening next, at halt-past seven o'clock, when the other candidates are also invited to ntfcnd. We give in another parb of this issun a condensed r-porfc of a disoission which took place yesterday b9twePii the Gas Committee a| pointed by the City Board and two of the duectois of the Gas Coruuany. It will be seen that tho only terms wh ; ch the Gas Com[ an} is wil i :g to accede to is u> supply the gas by contract. This to our mind is something like tailing the Boar<l t j go "next door " when there ia really no " next door " to go to. The directors of of. tbe Gas Company are pretty well aware that if

tenders were inv ted for ths supply of gas t > tlie city there would lie no second on«, and ihe directors would still be able to demand their own p ice. 'I he argument thwt in the ueighbnuimg eolmtes gas is generally supplied by the contia t system may ceitunly prove that the plan is a very advantageous one where there are Reveral gas companies in existence, bub it is of no value whatever whore theia is only one as in Auckland, and which ia able to enjoy a loonopoty. Probably the difficulty would be patisfactonly solved if an energetic movement were set on foot for the formation of a rival company, on th° coopera ive principle. Wo observe that a Mr, Smith of Dunedin has offered to supply that city with gas at 12^ 6J. p"r thousand. Probably Mr. Smith might find a favourable field for competition iu this city. The usual meeting of the City Hoard of Commisfu'onors was held yesterday, when the ordiuaiy business was disposed of. A meeting of the Acclimatisation Society was held yesterday forenoon, afc their room?, in the Custom-house building, Foit-street. The ordinary business was gone through, a repot t of which will be found In another column. A. "VV. Eagt,Esq., J.P., and J. Mitford, Esq., J.P., occupied the bench at the Police Court yesterday, and disposed of no fewer than ten cases of drunkennesp, and ouo of indecent exposure in the public streets. We observe by advertisement that the first meet of the Auokland Hunt Club will take place at Ellerslie, on Tuesday, the 14th instant, at 2.30. We are requested to notify, for the information of the pi lice, masters of veBS-1', watermen, and employers, that any 8<>ldier belonging or attached tu the 2-I8sh Regiment (with the exception of noncommissioned officers) who. without leave in writing from his commanding officer, is found on Queenstreet Wharf, on board any vessel or boa^ or more than one and a half miles from the Barracks (whether at Auckland, Whanganui, or Napier), may bearrested as a deserter, and, if he be convicted of the crime of deseition, that the person apprehending him is entitled to a reward of £1. With regard to the rewaid of £7 offered by the Colonial Governmeut for information as to offences agaimt tho 81st section of the Mutiny Act, we are also requested to explain that masters (managers or owners as the case imy be) of vessels, boits, or mills, in which any such 8'ilher in regimentals is found, will be proceeded against under that section, as v\ ill also any person reomviug into his house, or any other building, any such soldier. The adjourned meeting of members of the Chamber of Ceinmeice will be held at the Exchange room on Thursday next, at 3 o'clock p.m. The transfer books of the Long Drive Goldmininc; Company will be closed this day, at 4 p.m., until noon to-morrow (Tuesday), when a dividend will be payable. On Saturday evening, constables Brennan and Gwynne, of the Grahams>town police, arrested a man named Kavauagh, a deserter from the 18th Regiment. A orowd quickly collected, and lescued the prisoner from fchs hands of the police. The constables were nuiyhly handled, but biicceoded ia lodging one of their assailants, named Neilson, in the lock-up. Kavanagh, meanwhile, escaped. Two other deserters were apprehended the same night. The Be i oh Claim was extensively circulated for (signature on Saturday at the Thames. A i man was stationed at the corner, near the Whaif Hotel, for the purpone of procuung signatures, and he was very successful in doing so. At the theatre another man also booked a great number of names, aul by their united labours several hundred signatiues were attached to the petition. The Rhortland Times of yesterday writes in advocacy of a fcstimoniil to Mr. George Clark<?on, the gentleman who had the good fortuue to strike gold in the famous Shotover Cluira first, and who is about to depart from Auckland to the "old country." The editor thinks that an expression of opinion b} the people of the Thames and Auckla-id would come very gracefully, and bo exceedingly gratifying to Mr. Chrkson on leaving to visit hi3 native land. Calls have been made in the following goldminins; companies :— Sea Lion, 5s. ; Lone Star, 6J. ; Pukehiuau, 6d ; FianLlin, Is. The following is the opinion of the editor of tha Shoi tlaud Times ou the Supeivitondeney question : — " Mr. Williamson and Dr. Polleu have formally announced their intention of co ning forward, and it does uot s<em likely that a third competitor — unless it be Mr. Eilts, who was first afield— will preseut himself. Mr. Ellis may be a very good man, and a very wise man, and, as he himself s<iys that he is the btst man the <1 o'o.s could possibly choose, the m ijority of the tlectuM ought j e lups to vote for him, hut, neveithe'es", ho has not a shadow of a cluiic Tde c >iifc sfc will lie albo_eihei b<-tireen Mtssr-i. Wil.iauiMm and Pollen, and will — to jud^e frt»m txistniii; nym toins— he as closnlv-foual t a political batole as fie provi'ica of Auckland has ever witnessed." Wp have Ken lequested to staio that, tlic> musijal and hfcu'aiy ei.t >it wuniotib m ail of hfc Matthews Suuday School having been postponed fiom 'I htusday to Fiida\, the tickets issued bearing the formei date wnl he awidaUa for tidansaou on the dav sub-eqmntly chosen. Emilius Morad, a Mauritius cieolo, was charged at th u Heeident Magistrate's Court, on Saturday, by Tnomas Watters, of Grahamstown, with forcing and uttering a cheque for £5 10s. on the B>uk of New Sou'h Wales, Auckland, ou the 23rd nl&. Ue was remanded for eight daya. Two Chinamen, one of them sixty years of age, have been received into the Chrj^iau communion, at the We8leyati church, Foresb-qfcrerfc, bandhur^t. Th<y were iiaptiitid Jicoband Lazarus resppcbiff' lv. A wcvlthySan Kranci--cot'Linaman lusheome il<Vni.u>. Ilia ouutrymeu say he is insane, and have locked him up. In a Western town lilely, the town council (Ii-liber»ted whether thoy shouli plxnk tlie road, or present a pair of top boots to each uiili inhabitant. Tne bu t3 won the (lny.

We have been requested to draw tbe attention of the trade fco the 3."vle of ai>ple«, timl)er, opossum rugs, find jam s , ex ' Graco Darling,' fr 'in Hobait To«n, which will t ke placo at thb rooms of George W. JB.uaey, Quten-stnefc, ti - lay, ut 11 o'clock, — A DVT.