DUNEDIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 310, 9 January 1868, Page 2

DUNEDIN.

(■p-ROJ-f QUB. OWN CORRESPO-NPENT.) December 28, 1867. Some seotiona of the reclaimed land in the immediate vicinity of the jetty, was sold by auction or Saturday last, by Messrs MTJandress, Hepburn and Co, Very good prices weje realised. T?he section to the north, of the jjetty brought in the aggregate the sura of LI3OO, for 14 years' leases. ; those on the north side, for . 96 years' leases, brought L.3310. These figures seem to prove that things are far from being in the depressed atato so frequently spoken oi as. existing in Dunedin, At the meeting of the Acclimatisation Society yostejday, a long letter was read 1 from Mr Sargoad, of London, giving the ; details of a large shipment of birds for , this port per the ship .Warrior- Queen,. ' The preliminary difficulties seem to hava been great, but to have. been, all successfully overcome by the enthusiastic energy l . of Mr Sargood, The shipment numbera. : 1392 birds, contained in 119 cages, and; comprises specimens, of> Ift different varieties of the feathered tribes, songster . and songless, and vary in size from thej , swan down to the oxeye. A house has been built on the de,ckof theshigfor their accommodation ; and the whole is unde? the management and care of a man and. 1 his son^ very appropriately named Bills. 1 They are professional bird catchers, and. . intend to take with them, when," they return home, a selection of the birds native* to, our colony. The Warrior Queen is, a pretty fast ahip^ and has now been out ' about 65 daysij sp another- fortnight or • three weeka ought to ace her at Portt l Chalmers with her very iuteresting cargo. i Long letters from Home as to the Pro-* . vinciaj. Government's importation 0$ , salmon oya have been published^ giving the details, and all the information neces--1 sary- for the careful treatment of the. tittle ! strangers when they arrive on ouj shores.. 1 The most of our larger rivers are now--1 rendered so very muddy by the operations; l of the diggers oi\ their higher waters, that r it will b© a matter 0$ some difficulty wher-% ' to placeHthe breeding ponds so as to ensure as large a chance of success as possible. 1 Several ol the streams on the. west sidet , -of the Clutha, haye been mentioned as^ t - likely, and more than one of the riverss falling into the sea on the eastern coast 1 have been spoken of aa being; quite pure* 1 as yet, and having no taint from any' t sluicing or n-urgng of ajsy kind. Opera- : tionst, whatever river- may be selected, wih\ • be immediately commenced, as there is; . little time to construct the various works^ ' From whatever cause, chaijges, in the; weather in this district are remarkably sudden and severe. When I had closed! ■ my last letter it was blowing a hurricane I from N.W., which did a good deal of ■ damage in the way of breaking down; . fences, smashing windows^ and tearing; . down trees, all round the neighborhood^ On Monday the morning was lovely, but, ! ere noon it was raining, and between twa 1 and three distant thunder was heard^ 1 getting gradually louder and louder, till [ between four and six it was right over the . town — the flash and the crack becoming* almost simultaneous. All the time th& rain was, falling in torrent^ h^avy large*. 1 drops, mingled with hail big as pistol I bullets. Some damage was done by- the, i lightning — a house in Cannongate was. struck, and the fluid in its passage to the> , earth performed some wonderful vagarieß^ but hurt nobody, though several people were in at the time ; a cow was killed a.% ' Port Chalmers. But most damage was. done by the rain. Shortly after four all the water courses coming down from the, I 1 high ground were flooded by as much ; water as they could carry ; but the rain seemed falling heavier, so that by five, o'clock a flood was the result. In every street where water could run, and in every place where water would lie, there it waa to be seen. Immense damage was done to the waterways all over town ; and it will take much time and heavy expenditure ei«fc the damage can be repaired, and the various drains, &c., cleared out again. Christmas was observed as a close holiday. The Golden Age made her usual trip to the Maori Kaik, and was wqU filled. The day was fine, but dull. On Boxing Day the Oddfellow's had thei? annual fete at Vauxhall ; but there seems, some sort of a fatality attending fetes ovey there, for the day was very showery, and; consequently enjoyment only so-so. Bufc i for all that there was a good many people, . over. A good many balls and other means ; of amusement were advertised. At the Theatre, a new burlesque and pantomine. ; were produced— Little Jack Homer— -. ' which promises to have a j?qod run. The, 1 scenery and acting are both very good. 1 and liberal encomiums are bestowed by th^ ("Press.." ■••"'.