Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XIII, Issue 755, 1 February 1860, Page 4

Local Intelligence.

Harvest has fairly commenced. The hot weather of last week brought a large breadth of wheat forward together, and. farmers have been at work tooth and nail, with all the machines they can muster, and witfLallthe hands they can secure, to save the cr;op%peeclily.! The.fear of more northwest wind, :by the effects of which the forward grain is seriously damaged, urges upon;agriculturists in this country even more than in others the necessity of cutting the wheat at once, and before it is dead ripe. The time at which the three.hundred immigrants by the Roman Emperor and Robert Small have arrived is auspicious both for. the country and themselves. They should lose no time in putting themselves forward to he hired by farmers, so as hot to lose the first few" days of so favorable a time for turning iir a; little money.,; The price of reaping.'.varies a little; but we hear that a little distance out of town last year's rate, £2 per. acre, is still insisted on.,

• The accounts; of the harvest, so far as it has gone, are - encouraging, aiid the yield promises to be a large one. '"'Early, this week Mr. Ffitch" brought in+,b town some 115 bushels of wheat,, being the yield of about an acre and three-quarters. .. Oii Friday last, the first flour of the season was brought, into market from Miv W. J). Wood's Windmill, at £26 per ton.! The wheat was grown on the farm of Mr. R.!Wright, near Riccarton. - ;

i We fear/that the absence, of any information respecting the'Burmah, which our readers will all recollect was bound for,this port with"ah unusually large cargo,;sncluding a large and valuahle con-, signment of first-class horses and cattle, must lead to the con vicfcion that' slie has perished' at sea. The \ Regina spoke her within 14 days of New Zealand, ten weeks ago, and since then nothing whatever has been heard of her. Had she put into any Australian port, we should certainly have received the information by this time. There are. numbers of persons in this Province, Nelson, and Otago, who are interested in her _rgo v Fortunately'there were not many passengers on board. But the most serious loss will fall on the colony at large in being deprived of the splendid stock which .Mr. Harris and:Mr.C. Elliott were importing: in her, and'which would have done infinite service to' the blood of Canterbury and Nelson.: This is a loss, which, though partially covered by insurance to the proprietors, cannot fail to be severely felt by the whole community. Guesses as to the probable fate of the Burmah have been made; the most likely,is that which supposes fire as the cause of destruction.

: The little steamer Planet (soon we suppose to be superseded by more likely looking boats) is doing well this wool season.;'.; Yesterday she ''brought down 101 bales of wool from Kaiapoi for the Royal1 Bride; pretty well for a 'craft:of- which it was'; prophesied! that;' she might J carry 30 bales.' '■By-an oversight in our hist issue the- revenue of the Post Office, Lyttelton, as published, was said to be" that of the past year, instead of the quarter ended 31st of December. The year's returns are as follow:— .-■-■'■■'■ '■• ;- ■■:.-(.:-.■■::■-■:: ,:■-:--.:■. Letters to other provinces of N.Z. ;.; £108 10 il" i-. Do. places outside New Zealand ..:. 684 19 9 i Do. registered ... ../ ... .... 58 '5 0 ! Do. to and from Christchurch ... 201 3 0 Do. by cross posts in the. province 125 14 11 Sale of postage stamps ;.. i;i ■ ... 305;; 4;'-6 The following comparative' statement of the letters and newspapers received in and despatched from the Lyttelton'Post Office (exclusive of the Provincial mails) in the years 1858 and 1859 is1 "of great interest:— ... ■-'-■■ ' LETTERS.'.- * " •-'■ Received. Despatched. Total; .■,.1868; i: ■-.:■• 50,954> • 22,582 ■' -73,536 ,1859 53,616 60,675 114,291 • / . -. -NEWSPAPERS, ---.y-y. ■■■;;• : •-.:'' v:' 1858 41,392 27,161 68,553 1859 61,214! 48,817 : 110,031 . In the returns from which tho above abstract is taken, the; places pf receipt .and despatch are distinguished ;; but such a large proportion:: of letters to and from the' United Kingdom are .received aud , despatched by intermediate ports, that '•: Hie return [so distinguished would be of ho real seryioe.