OTAGO.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1361, 18 February 1865, Page 5

OTAGO.

By the Phoebe we have our papers to the 15th inst. We extract the following from the Otago Daily Times :— Fatai< Occurrence.—The Oama.ru Times, of the 9th inst. informs us—" On the Ist instant a fatal occurrence took place on the Waitaki, about a mile above Messrs. Low and Bruce's ferry. A young man, an Italian, named Michael Spossettor Spossetti, undertook to drive a horse off an island in the Waitaki, he being on horseback at the time himself. Having succeeded in crossing over the island from the Otago side, the stream being fordable, he- drove the horse off, and then endeavoured, without any defined reason, to swim the horses across the deep and rapid main stream to the Canterbury side. He got across accordingly, but the bank being very steep, while the horse scrambled up, the rider fell off into the river, at that place running at a fearful velocity. Almost immediately, two boats, belonging to Messrs. Low and Bruce, put off to his assistance, but from the rapidity of the river were unable to reach him, and by their utmost exertions weie only able to hold their own. The unfortunate man swam strongly, and wad seen at one time to get his footing, but was again swept off. He afterwards floated on his back, and when within a short distance of the boats, suddenly sank. By the force of the stream and its eddying motion, the. body was seen to rise and sink several times, and when picked up about a mile below the ferry, on a sandspit, life was quite extinct. A mounted constable was dispatched from Oamaruto make inquiries, and to see the body properly interred, which was done on the 3rd inst. The deceased was a sailor, and came out in the ship Gala, at present at Port Chalmers."—Feb. 11.

The Late Poisoning Case.—We have been informed that the jurors who inquired into the cause of the death of Mrs. Jarvey agreed to a rider to their verdict, to the effect that it was most desirable that an Ordinance should be passed, regulating the sale of poisons; and some surprise has been expressed that a copy of the rider was not given in the report of the inquest which we published yesterday. We can only say, in explanation, that if the fact had been allowed to be known to our reporter, it would certainly have been published. A rider has, of course, nothing to do with the legal form in which the verdict of a coroner's jury is recorded on the inquisition. Our reporter re-entered the room as soon as the public were admitted after the consultation of the jury; and he did not leave the room again until the foreman and at least one of the jurors had signed the inquisition. The reporter heard the verdict, as recorded, read to the jury and approved by them; but lie did not hear, nor was there said prior to his leaving, one syllable respecting a rider. -Ibid.

Laying the Corner-stone of All Saint 3' Church.—The ceremony of laying the corner-stone of the North Dunedin Episcopal Church was performed by the Bishop of Christchurch, on Saturday afternoon. The building, which is from a design by Messrs. Mason and Clayton, architects, Dunedin, is of Early English style, and is intended to be erected in coloured materials ; that is to say the walls will be of red pressed bricks, relieved with bands of black and white glazed bricks, and the arches above all the openings will be turned in black and white bricks alternately throughout the entire design, both inside and outside the building. The present contract is for the nave and baptistry only, the amount being something over £1300, which includes the erection of a temporary vestry; and it is expected that before its completion the building will cost about £3000. The church will consist of nave, north and south transepts, and deep chancel, with semi-circular east end. The building is designed specially to suit the present site (a quarter-acre section in Cumberlandstreet) which stands about 3ft. above the level of the footpath, and when finished will consist of a campanile tower standing out a considerable distance in front of the nave, and intended to be erected on the street line. From the campanile tower the baptistry is approached by a corridor of appropriate design, which joins the main entrance to the church at the west end of the nave. Two other entrances are also provided at the east end, thereby affording ample accommodation for ingress and egress. When completed the building will be capable of accommodating six hundred persons, allowing five superficial feet to each, exclusive of passages, &c. It is also proposed to add two small galleries in the north and south transepts, one for an organ and choir, and the other for children ; the walls of the transept being considerably higher than those of the nave, admitting of galleries without taking from the internal appearance of the nave, which will be 48 by 35 feet, and the chancel U5 by 20 feet. The walls of the nave will be sixteen feet from the floor to the spring of the roof, and 46 feet from the floor to the ridge-. The roof is of light design, and in one span, and is intended to be finished in royal blue and gold. The nave is lighted by a very large west window, and three two-light windows on either side, which are carried considerably higher than the wall-plate, to obtain proportion and light, at the same time adding to the architectural appearance of the building, both externally and internally, by breaking the roof. There being a high-pitched gable over each window, the roofing to each will add both strength and aspect to the main roof. At the east angles of the transepts the design is greatly relieved by octagonal stair turrets, which 1 form the approaches to the galleries. The building is without buttresses, the architects gaining relief entirely by the introduction of the coloured materials. The campanile tower will have a somewhat novel appearance, standing, as it does, about twenty feet to the west of the nave, and in a measure detached, for although there are precedents for the campanile standing at a considerable distance north or south of the west angles, the architects do not know_ of an instance where the position is the same as in this design. The effect, however, is decidedly good, and the difficulty of the site is overcome by the arrangement. A perspective drawing of the Church may be seen in the Fine Arts Department of the Exhibition. The work will be carried out by Mr. James Gore, contractor, under the supervision of Messrs. Mason and Clayton, architects, Princes-street. In accordance with previous announcement, those_ interested in the erection of the Church formed into procession at the North Dunedin School-house precisely at half-past one o'clock, and at once proceeded to the site at which the ceremony was to take place. In addition to the Bishop and a number of the local clergymen, there were present —his Honor the Superintendent, his Honor Mr. Justice Chapman, and a number of ladies and gentlemen. The service commenced with reading the 122 nd Psalm, and was conducted ,by the Right Reverend the Bishop, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Gifford, of Oamaru, and the Rev. E. G. Edwards. The initial ceremony being concluded, Mr.. Mason, architect, deposited a bottle containing copies of the Daily Times and Daily Mail, and a document bearing the following words, in the usual receptacle:—" To the Gloiy of God. The corner-stone of this building, to be called the Church of All Saints, was laid by the Right Reverend Henry John Ghitty, Bishop of Christchurch, on Saturday, the 11th day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the presence of th? Rev. Edward George Edwards, Rural Dean; the Rev. Edward Grainger, Curate of the Parish of All Saints, and several other clergymen ; and also of the following gentlemen, members of the building committee — Messrs. Henry Orbell, James White, George Cornwell, Vincent Pyke, Matthew H. Miller, Frederick Richardson, J. Waymouth. Architects — Messrs. Mason and Clayton." Taking up the trowel, and laying it upon the stone, which was then lowered to its resting-place, the Bishop pronounced the benediction, and said: It might not be out of place for him, on an occasion se solemn as the present, to address them in a few words of' thankfulness to Him by whose inspiration they had assembled to witness the laying of the corner-stone of a building to be erected to the worship of His holy name. No one could look around in Dunedin without seeing the necessity of additional church accommodation; and it was,therefore, a matter of thankfulness that they had been permitted to assemble together that day to commence the erection of a building which would supply that necessity, so much felt to exist for some time past. And why, it might be asked, did they attach so much importance to a building of that description? In the first place, because it brought vividly to the mind their dependence on Him to whom all homage and worship was due, not merely the worship of one or two days, but a worship extending throughout their whole existence. For several other reasons the occasion was one of great importance. The church had been commenced, and he trusted that those to whom he was speaking would not be wanting on their part to do all that in their power lay to complete it, to the honour and glory of God's holy name. After further prayer had been offered, the Hundredth Psalm wbb sung, and the ceremony concluded.— Feb. 13. . , . Confirmation. —The Bishop of Christchurch purposes holding a confirmation in the old Church, Tokomairiro, at six o'clock, on Tuesday evening.— The Escokt.—The usual fortnightly escort arrived in town yesterday afternoon, bringing down the following quantities of goldQueenstown, 1023 ozs. ; Arrow River, 915 ozs. ; Dunstan, 1534 I ozs. 15 dwts.; Manuherikia, 682 ozs. 10 dwts.;

Mount Benger, 109 ozs. lOdwts. ; Dunstan Creek, 1764 ozs. 5 dwts. ; Hamilton, 1419 ozs ; Hyde, 289 ozs.; Tuapeka, 2333 ozs. ; Waitahuna, 365 ozs. ; Woolshed, 280 ozs. Total, 10,715 ozs.—lbid.

Mb. Moss on Separation.—To the Editor of the Daily Times.—Sir, —Having by me the rough calculations on which were based my statements at the meeting on Wednesday last, as to the' amount of our contribution to the expenses of the General Government, and as there appears to be some difference of opinion on this point, I shall feel much obliged by your giving them publicity. They are as follows:— Financial year ending 30th June, 1863, Ordinary revenue of Otago, i.e., the receipts exclusive of the land fund, gold export duty, and provincial taxation: —Customs, £215,222; postal, £11,875; fees, fines, &c., £12,,171; total, £239,268. Expended as follows: —Placed by the General Government at the disposa of the Provincial Council, including the threeeighths of customs paid over to the province as received, £103,832; departments and officep of the General Government of Otago, including customhouse, post-office, Courts of Inferior Jurisdiction, Registrars, Electoral officers, Sheriff, Coroners, &c,, £31,771; new buildings (probably new customhouse), £13,061; total, £148,664, being 12s 6d in the pound of our revenue. Salaries and departmental expenses of Governor, Judges, Ministry, House of Representatives, Legislative Council, &e., £65,863; ocean, inter-colonial, and inter-provincial mail services, £59,764; total expenditure, £125,627, towards which we paid £58,690, or about 4s 6d in the pound of our revenue. Interest and sinking fund on loans, £20,774; native purposes (part of the civil list), £7000; pensions and special expenditure, under Act of the General Assembly, £58,364; total expenditure, £86,138, towards which we paid £37,000, or about 3s in the pound of our revenue. I would also observe, that in necessarily condensing my remarks at the meeting, you have made me say that the North, three years ago, was loud in its exclamations against separation. The context, however, will show you that what I really said was as reported in another journal, " Loud in its xclamations against what it called the ignorant interference of the South in Maori affairs," and that, therefore, I at that time thought the North would join us in an amicable separation, accompanied by a customs and postal union which would keep open the way for a political re-union hereafter. I would also feel obliged if you allow me to express more clearly and fully than in your condensed report, my opinions on a point which I consider of great importance. Regarding separation as an evil to be avoided, if possible, anil not a blessing to be eagerly sought either for the immediate or future benefit of the colony, I am, as much as anyone, dissatisfied with the present condition of affairs. There can be no doubt that the depression under which we are labouring is mainly to be attributed to the unhappy war in which the colony is engaged, and to the liabilities that war has entailed upon us. Had the entire management been vested in the colony, I believe, even if it had proved necessary to employ the friendly natives, who not only offered their services but in one case actually fought for us, that the war would have been finished at less cost than we have incurred so unsatisfactorily under the divided counsels and divided responsibility which have neutralised ' all the exertions of the troops. The crisis, however, has come. The colony neither can, nor will, pay more, unless the entire management of native affairs is placed in its hands. This has, we are told, been notified to the Imperial Government, and their decision will soon be known. If this control be granted, we have no course but to accept our share of the burden, and face the difficulty as best we can. If, however, it be refused, we may fairly ask to be relieved of the responsibility, and seek a separation in the interest of both islands. Separation so produced would be a widely different affair to that which the late League sought, and which, so far as the speeches of the great majority of its promoters enable us to judge, is the object of its successor.— Ibid, Feb. 14.

Lawrence.—The correspondent of the Daily Times, writing, on the 9th February, says:—The escort leaves here this morning with 23330z 1 ldwt 12grs, fully equal, and indeed above, the average. Among the old goldfields none are quieter or more steadily remunerative than Waitahuna, which, though affording occupation for but a small population at present, shows a higher rate of produce per head than any other goldfield in the province. Some movement has lately been made in prospecting new ground around this place, which will, without doubt, shortly bring to light more than one or two valuable gullies. At Weatherstone, a rush has taken place to the cement hill opposite the tow.nship. This place has been well wrought previously, but the miners are now taking up the old false bottom of cement, which is paying them well. On the Lammerlaw, a prospecting claim has been applied for to Mr. Warden Worthington, at Waitahuna. The prospects seem to be unusually good, but I cannot speak as to extent of ground as yet. I expect we shall hear more of this. • The claim applied for has been well tried, and the result so good as to leave no doubt that the enterprising prospectors will make a good lift from it. The 6th was a red-letter day on the top of Munro's Gully, owing to the inauguration of Fenton's race, a work which has taken much labour and capital to bring to a successful issue; so most naturally was celebrated as a convivial day among the miners. The number of men interested in the successful completion of one of these enterprises accounts for the enthusiasm with which such occasions as the above are celebrated. So far as Munro's and Gabriel's Gully are concerned—their yields of gqld respectively are only limited by the amount of water that can be brought to bear upon them, and this will be the case for many years to come. The weather has been very fine, but this morning has set in very wet, and seems likely to last all day—at present (5 a.m.) the rain is coming down in torrents.

The Dunstan.—The correspondent of the Daily Times, writing from these diggings on the 20th of January, reports as follows:—Till yesterday the weather has been excessively hot and dusty, when we fortunately had a change, and some smart showers of rain fell and cooled the parched surface of mother earth. To the gardens and growing crops it is a great advantage, as all vegetation was rapidly partaking a most decided yellow hue, and crops of oats and potatoes were threatening to come to maturity long before their proper time. On Monday last a daring robbery was perpetrated at the stores of Messrs. Skipper and Co., Nevis township. During the later part of the evening, while the man in charge was sitting in a back apartment, at the same time in a position to obtain a full view of the store, some thief or thieves cut through the side and abstracted a cash box containing gold and notes to the value of £250. As the cut was made immediately behind where the cash-box was placed, it is very clear that whoever abstracted it was well acquainted with the fact of its position ; so stealthily was the robbery committed, that it did not attract the notice of the person having charge of the store. No clue whatever has been obtained to the perpetrators of the robbery ; the police are, however, actively on the alert. Some of the prospectuses of the Otago Sluicing Company, together with plans of Mr. B. Smith's invention for raising water, have lately made their appearance here. The mode of raising water may doubtless be practicable, but at the same time not applicable. First, the difficulty of mooring the punts necessary for the support of the tube would be extremely difficult and expensive especially in rapid streams like the Molyneux, Kawarau, or Manuherikia rivers; to moor a single boat is bad enough, but to do the same with five or six or perhaps more would be no light undertaking. Second, the whole of the river teaches do not contain sufficient gold to pay, and when they do the depth of auriferous dirt is but small, so that, instead of there being any difficulty experienced in extracting the precious metal, there exists rather the one of lacking the opportunity to do so, raising the stuff above the surface of the water being the principal object sought. To make Mr. Smith's invention of practical utility, it would be necessary to raise the water at least 120 feet, so that it might be brought to bear upon the banks and terraces of the rivers, and when the gold is more evenly permeated through the soil; but Mr. Smith's plan of elevating water to so great a height would, for reasons just stated, be found not to answer. At the same time we, residents on the goldfields, are much obliged to the Dunedin folks for the many little inventions and plans they have brought under our notice for the extraction of gold from the soil; but being a practical people, we should certainly like to see those who would instruct us realise some positive result before we adqpt any of .their schemes. The new rush at the Nevis Flat is progressing very favourably, and will, doubtless, afford employment for some time to come to a moderately large population.—lbid.

News prom Valparaiso.—By the arrival of the barque Prospector from Valparaiso, we have a few items of Chilian and Peruvian news. Our shipping report mentions that a line of steamers had been established between Liverpool and Valparaiso, and that the two first boats had arrived, making the passage in about thirty-five days, after calling at three different ports. The probability of a commencement of hostilities between Spain and Peru increased daily. A frigate belonging to the Spaniards had been burnt at the Chinchas,and although said to be accidentally, there were some rumours us to her destruction being the result of design. The cathedral at Santiago, which was burnt down, and the burning of which

was attended with an appalling loss of life, is about to be rebuilt on a magnificent scale.—Feb. 15. Thb Late Fire.—The adjourned inquiry into the cause of the late disastrous fire terminated yesterday, before Dr. Hocken, the Coroner. Several witnesses were examined, whose evidence went to show that the fire had originated in the upholstery warehouse occupied by Messrs. Fellenberg and Forceau; but the cause is still unknown. A verdict in accordance with the evidence was returned.—lbid.

Spont vneous Generation.—ln the " Proceedings of the Royal Society," No. 65, is inserted an account of the result of twenty experiments relating to tins question, performed by Dr. G. W. Child. The substancefc used were, in ten experiments, muk; ana in ten, fragments of meat and water. Thtse were, in all cases, placed in a bulb of glass, about 2£ inches in diameter, and having two narrow and long necks. The experiments were divided into five series of four experiments each. In one series the bulbs were filled with air previously passed through a porcelain tube, containing fragments of pumice stone, and heated to vivid redness in a furnace. In others they were filled respectively with carbonic acid, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen gases. In each series two experiments were made with milk, and two with meat ; and each substance was boiled in one case, not boiled in the other. The joints of the apparatus were formed either by means of nonvulcanized caoutchouc tubing, or indiarubber corks previously boiled in a solution of potash; and, in every case, at the end of the experiment, the necks of the bulb were sealed by the lamp. The time of boiling such of the substances as were boiled varied from five to twenty minutes, and the boiling took place in the bulbs, and with the stream of gas or air still passing through. The substances were always allowed to cool in the same stream of gas before the bulbs were sealed. The microscopic examination of the contents of the bulbs took place at various times, from three to four months after their inclosure In every case but one in which the substance had not, been boiled, low organisms were found, apparently irrespective of the kind of gas m which they had to exist. The case in whicirthey were not seen was that of the meat in a bulb filled with nitrogen. This bulb burst, apparently spontaneously, and its doing so may be looked upon as a proof that in it also some change had taken place, most likely connected with the development of organic life. Dr. Child concludes by saying that no definite conclusion can be drawn from so limited a range of experiments ; but it is worthy of remark that organisms were found here under the precise circumstances in which M. Pasteur states that they Cannot and do not exist. The very abnormal conditions under which some of these so-called organisms are found would render it doubtful whether bacteriums, vibrios, &c., ought to be considered as in any higher sense than are white blood corpuscles, pollen grains, mucus corpuscles, or spermatozoa. —English Paper.