CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1398, 11 May 1865, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL.

The Council met at the usual hour on Monday n 'ght; the following members were present Messrs. Luck (Chairman), E. B. Bishop, C. W. Bishop, Bailey, Lane, and Barnard; The minutes of the former sitting were read and confirmed.

A letter from the Provincial Secretary, stating that the Government would be glad if the City Council would employ some o£ the workmen at preBfent out of work, on the understanding that the wages do not exceed 5s per diem, and that the men shall be employed on some work of public utility. Letter from the late City Surveyor, asking for three months'salary from the date of his resignation, lhe request v;as refused. Another letter was read from Mr. Moore, acknowlettyuiy th-i uniform courtesy and attention with which «e had ken treated by the Council. Letter from the foreman of the jury of the inquest held upon the body of Benjamin Carter, draw--IDg the attention of the City Council towards the state of the road in Barbadoes street, where the accident happened. The 1 own Clerk was directed to acknowledge the receipt Of the letter, and to inform the writer that be Council would put the locality in repair as soon s they hurl the funds to do so. 'If. I'.. B. Bishop proposed that the list of ratePayers lie revised by the assessors, with the assistance ? a co ">petent person, and that Mr. R. J.S.Harman ® to undertake the office. r. Lnne seconded the motion. «ir Larn»ird should oppose the resolution. He ould rather wait until the decision of the iriagise® Was known. It was asserted, on the one hand, at the lawyers of the city were apt to raise objeco- *° tllc roll for the sake of business; and, on the thf-')," assessors did not understand business. The magistrates were placed in their the V° see 3 us tice done between the ratepayers and ty Council. Next Monday night we shall

know what their decision will be, and the Council I can then take action in the matter. For his own part, he did not see how the Council could withdraw j the list from the consideration of the Bench of > Magistrates. It was more than they dare to do. A , public advertisement had emanated from the Council, > stating that the list was open to objections, and, in . good faith towards«the public, the Council could not ) now withdraw it. There was another point to which i f ho wished to draw attention. Under clause 45 of l the Ordinance, the Council could ■ dismiss the assesr sors whom they had appointed. If the present t assessors were not capable of doing their work, let | the Council ask them to resign, and appoint more competent men. This would obviate the necessity of having a new list, [ Mr- C.W. Bishop could not see how the Council could f that evening pass any resolutions tending to go fars ther than they had already gone. Let the opinion of the Magistrates be taken as to the legality of the I rate-roll. Let the Council request the magistrates to i adjourn themselves, and the Council could withdraw > the present objectionable roll, and fall back upon the ' old one, which might then be revised. He should be sorry to see any resolution passed, overthrowing the legal protection which the Council had hitherto en- ' joyed. He objected to the Council meddling with ( the valuation of the city properties made by the as- , sessors; the work ought to be left entirely to them. He should oppose the resolution; he would rather take the course which he had indicated. He should ■ therefore move an amendment, to the effect that if ' the magistrates decided that the roll was invalid, it ; should be withdrawn, and the Council should fall back upon the old roll, to be revised and laid before an aajvarned meeting of magistrates. Mr. Barnard seconded the amendment. The Chairman remarked that the Council were in the hands of Dr. Foster, and must be guided by his advice. He (the speaker) agreed with the resolution of Mr. E. B\ Bishop; hut considered that they could take no action in the matter without consulting Dr. Foster. It was a question of policy against legal points. Dr. Foster had greatly aided the Council by his able advice, and they could not do better than adopt his suggestions. He thought the Council somewhat to blame in not giving the assessors a cleur and definite explanation of clause 18 of the City Amendment Ordinance. The amendment was put, after a few observations from Mr. E. B. Bishop and Mr. Lane, and was carried. After some further routine business, the Council adjourned. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, Fob the Year Ending March, 1865. Gazette, May 1.) TO HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT. Sir,—The Board has the honor to present its Annual Report for the year 1864-65, in accordance with the provisions of the " Education Ordinance, 1864." The Board desires, in the first place, to explain that the remarks made in this report are intended to apply (except where the contrary is expressly stated), to " ordinary schools " alone, in contra-distinctioh to " superior schools " as defined by the Ordinance. Since the date of the last report three new schools have been established—the Ashley Bank, Halswell, and Saltwater Creek schools. Two schools which had previously lapsed have been revived. Two schools previously established have ceased to exist. The schools which have been revived are, one at Wairarapa on the Harewood Road, and one on the North Road, near the seven mile peg. The masters previously employed in these schools having resigned their appointments, it appeared to the Board necessary, before sanctioning any new appointment, to assure itself that the schools would be conducted with efficiency; as their condition was, under previous arrangements, very unsatisfactory. As regards the former of these schools—on the Harewood Road—the schoolroom, besides being unlined, was not provided with a fireplace of any kind. The natural csnsequence was that, on the one hand, the attendance of the children was most irregular, particularly during the winter; while, on the other hand, the effect on the health of those who did attend was likely to be very prejudicial. On these grounds the Board declined to continue the grant unless the evils pointed out were removed; and the result was that the inhabitants of the surroun ling district raised among themselves a sum sufficient to place the building in a proper condition, and the accustomed grant was then renewed. The case of the school on the North Road is one almost precisely similar; and the Board has the satisfaction of believing that, so far as the comfort of the masters and children connected with these two schools is concerned, none of those interruptions which used so frequently to interfere with the regularity and efficiency of the teaching need now be apprehended. The two schools which have ceased to exist are those at Oxford and Little Akaloa._ The masters of these schools, being dissatisfied with their postion, resigned their appointments. As regards the Oxford school, the relations subsisting between the master and a portion of the inhabitants of the place appear to have stood in the way of any local interest being felt in the welfare of the school; and this, added to other causes, to be mentioned presently, very greatly interfered with the progress of the school, as well as with the comfort of the master. In the first place, the site originally fixed upon was found so inconvenient for a large proportion of the children as to make it necessary that the teaching should be carried on in two separate buildings—during one half of the school-day in one and the remaining half day in the other the effect, of course, being to deprive tho children of the district of half the ordinary amount of instruction. More- ! over, the school apparatus, which was insufficient for one properly organised school, became altogether I inadequate when it was distributed between two schools. . The school-rooom, originally used as sucn, was s unlined, and the general air of discomfort appears to j have discouraged the regular attendance of chilt dren, even for the short time during which the teaching was carried on. 1 The school-house, according to the representations ; of the master, was, besides this, barely habitable. All these circumstances combined induced the ' master to seek employment elsewhere, and made him willing to accept of a post at Ashley Bank, although at a smaller remuneration; inasmuch as at r this latter school there was, at the time, no master s

residence. . , , , i No fresh appointment has taken place to the Oxford School, the Board being unwilling, until proper provisions had been made for making the school efficient, to sanction any arrangement which, until such provision is made, can only have the ettect of causing a wasteful expenditure of public money. As regards the school at Little Akalea, the master, considering that his remuneration was insufficient, resigned his office. This appeared to afford an opportunity to the Board for insisting, before any en, gagement was entered into for the continuance of the grant, that certain evils affecting the well-being of the school should be removed. These were principally the following 1. No provision existed for the drainage of the site, and consequently the health of the children was 2. The out-door offices were in a bad condition, and used indiscriminately by the whole school. 3. The school-room was not lined, and enjoyed no provision for warming it in severe weather. SCHOOL STATISTICS. The following figures will serve in some measure to indicate the progress which has been made during fhe number of the schools aided by the Baard actually in existence is 32. t The whole number -of scholars in attendance during the year 1864 was 2698, while the number for 1863 was 2412; showing an increase of 2£6. Taking the average attendance of the December quarters of 1863 and 1864, it appears that during the former period the average attendance was 1084, and during the latter period 1220; showing an increase of 136. The school fees received during 1863 amounted to £2033 14s 9d, while those received during 1864 amounted to £2209 15s 2d; being an mCr Dunnglhe o grelt 2 e d r part of the year 1863 the grant was administered on a principle different from that adopted i>y the Board, and therefore it would be difficult to institute a comparison between the expenditure per child of the one period with that of the ot Tbe plan adopted by the Board is to separate the e ?m U or that incurred for the maintenance of schools already established. I The expenditure on permanent objects, such as ! buildings and others, which have not to be provided , f ° r prevTo°u n S d toThe appointment of the Board these i two classes appear not to have been kept distinct ! and thus it was not easy to distinguish the amount required for existing schools from that available for I the establishment of new schools.

, Without, therefore comparing the expenditure of the one period with that of the other, it will be only possible to state the actual expenditure during 1864, divided into the two classes above mentioned. The current expenditure out of the Government grant, for the maintenance of ordinary Bchools during the past year, was £2920 5s lid. To this has to be added the expenditure on " superior schools,' £565; making a total of £3485 5s lid. The expenditure of the second class oil objects of a permanent nature was £2497 7s lOd, Thus the total expenditure on the maintenance of superior and ordinary schools, together with the contributions towards the erection of buildings for seven newly-established schools, amounts to £5982 13s 9d. Leaving out of the calculation the sum required for the maintenance of " superior schools," which is a fixed sum, settled by law, it will appear from the foregoing statement, that for an average attendance of 1220, there were expended during the year 1864 the following sums Government grant, £2920 5s lid ; or, at the rate of £2 7s 10Jd per child. School fees, £2209 15s 2d ; or, at the rate of £1 16s 2d per child. Being a total expenditure on the maintenance of the schools at the rate of about £4 4s o£d. If, in addition to the above expenditure, the sum of £2497 7s lOd expended on the erection of buildings, &c., be taken into the calculation, an additional sum per child must be reckoned of £2 Os lid ; raising the total average per child to £6 4s ll^d. The addition of this last amount, however, would hardly give a fair idea of the normal rate of annual expenditure, because during the year now under review an exceptionally heavy outlay was required on account of buildings, and it may be expected that the sum to be expended on this object for the current year, will be reduced by one-half. On the other hand, while the increase in the number of schools will have the effect of increasing the actual amount required for their maintenance, the consequent increase to be anticipated in the number of scholars will reduce the rate per child. EDUCATIONAL DISTRICTS. In accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance, Educational Districts have been proclaimed, including within their limits such schools as were already in existence when that measure became law. One new school at Saltwater Creek has been established since, in connection with a new district. Local committees have been constituted for the local management of all the schools aided by the Board. These local organizations have, as the Board believes, worked generally with marked success. Not only have they, as a general rule, created an interest in the respective schools among the residents of the localities with which they are connected, but they have also been the means of establishing a valuable supervision on the spot, which it would be impossible for the Board, or any other central authority, to exercise. It is true that, in some cases, this local supervision may be considered little more than nominal; but in the great majority of cases it has proved itself very direct and effective. Upon the whole, the system has produced results which can only be looked upon as beneficial. It has been the desire of the Board, wherever pos-

eible, to give effect to the principle contemplated m the Ordinance, by imposing upon the local bodies the whole of the virtual management of the different schools, and as far as possible to reduce the functions of the Board to those of general supervision. For the present, indeed, while the new system is yet in its infancy, it would be hardly possible for the Board to abstain altogether from guiding, or at least advising, the local committees, or to leave these bodies entirely to their own resources. Indeed, as will appear from a comparison of the amount of correspondence carried on by the Board previous to the passing of the Ordinance with that which has taken place since, it becomes apparent that the duty of inaugurating the new system has required more constant attention than before. PRIZES. The Board has, with the view of exciting emulation among the children in the different schools, adopted the plan of awarding prizes to such as may have

distinguished themselves for continued diligence and £ attention. A. list of the names of these children will be found appended to the present Report. The Board is of opinion that this practice is one 11 likely to be attended with beneficial results, and ? would submit to your Honor whether it would not be u expedient to extend and consolidate the principle by creating permanent endowments on a considerable scale for the benefit of those children who may compete successfully for the rewards held out to th The Board suggests that reserves of land be made, to be subsequently conveyed to the Superintendent j> in trust for the purpose. * The proceeds might be dis< a tributed either in money or might be applied to the payment of expenses of board and tuition at the « " Superior Schools "in the province, or for the main- u tenance of the successful candidates at one of the r universities in the mother country ; or they might be distributed partly in one form and partly in s another. • ' . In any case, it seems to the Board that the competition should not be confined to a single school, t but the best pupils in the whole province, at what- f ever school they may receive instruction, should be J qualified to compete. This, besides exciting the emulation of the pupils, would be calculated also to impart a healthy stimulus to the respective school J authorities, and induce them to raise as much as pos- < aible the standard of attainments in the schools with t which they are connected. REPORTS OF INSPECTOR. In the appendix will be found the detailed Reports of the Inspector of Schools, from which it will be seen that the progress made in the instruction of the children is, upon the whole, satisfactory, although doubtless many deficiencies exist. The Board has adopted the plan of communicating to the respective local committees the substance | of such portions of the information therein given as j may appear to call for remark; and this, whether ( such information is favourable or unfavourable. In the latter case, the Board, after allowing a reason- • able space of time to elapse for the correction of such defects as may be out, purposes to hold. a special personal inspection, in order to ascertain how far these defects may have been corrected. # This method appears well calculated to bring pointedly to the notice of the school authorities those deficiencies which require special attention, and which, though obvious enough to the practised eye of the Inspector, and indeed observable by strangers, may frequently, from long habit, have become so familiar to those more intimately connected with the school as to be to them scarcely perceptible. The experiment, so far as it has been tried, appears to justify the anticipations of the Board. BUILDINGS. The buildings completed since the date of the last Report are the following

1. At Ashley Bank, a school-room and master's house detached. 2. At the Halsewell, a school-room and master s house under the same roof. 3. At Templeton, a school-room and masters house detached. 4. At Timaru, a school-room and master's house under the same roof. 5. At Heathcote Valley, a schoolroom. 6. At Saltwater Creek, a school-room. Here a site has been acquired by the residents for £50, and £70 has been contributed towards the buildings. Thus, £120 has been raised by local efforts, and £150 con- • tributed by the Board. 7. At Leithfield, a commodious house is now in course of erection for the use of the master, with accommodation for a limited number of boarders. It 5 has been thought not unlikely that many persons • resident in the country to the. north of the Kowai, . at too great a distance from the school toallow them to send their children as day scholars, will be glad to avail themselves of the benefit of an efficient 3 school to which their children can be sent as r boarders. , At Papanui, the school building has been lined, r and other considerable improvements made, at the • cost of the inhabitants of the district. '' The Harewood road school has also been lined, ana " provision made for the warming of the school in wmter, also at the sole cost of inhabitants. _ The North road school, also, besides being hnea, has received other improvements ; the whole ex- . pense having been defrayed out of voluntary con- ' tributions. The liangiora school has been lined by the same means. . " The school buildings at Duvauchelles Bay na been placed in a proper 6tate of repair, antl dwelling-house enlarged, at the cost of the in tants ; in accordance with ft previous promise, a crease of £20 has been made to the annual gra support of this school since the completion Other smaller improvements are being id in different schools, so that, in the opinion of the Board, the state of the buildings is much more t satisfactory than was previously the case, rit SUPERIOR SCHOOLS. or Special Inspectors appointed by the _ °« d ' t j on I the authority of the 55th Clause of the Education

Ordinance, have been engaged in visiting and examining the pupils at the " superior schools." The result of this inspection, as regards two out of the three schools, was satisfactory, though the Board regrets to find that this was not the case as regards Christ's College Grammar School. A communication has been made to the authorities of this last upon the subject, .and it is hoped that on a future occasion it will be found that the points noticed have been attended to. Appended to this report will be found the reports of the special Inspectors. By order of the Board, Henry John Tancred, Chairman. March 30, 1865. Appendix I. LIST OF BCHOLAIiS TO WHOM PHIZES HAVE BEEN AWARDED BY THE BOARD. William Gebbie, Governor's Bay district school. Mary Mathews, Kaiapoi Church of England school. David Souter, Christchurch St. Michael's school. Jane Winter, Fapanui St. Paul's school. Jane Jennings, Papanui St. Paul's school. Margaret Reston, Lyttelton Church of England school. Thomas Foster, Rangiora district school. Julia Seager, Upper Heathcote district school. Thomas Booth, Woodend district school. Emily Reader, Christchurch St. Luke's school. Charles Reader, Christchurch St. Luke's school. Eliza Allen, Christchurch St. Andrew's school. Rosa Moore, Okain's Bay district school. Benjamin Bartrum, Ashley Bank district school. John Edward Stevenson, Duvauchelles Bay district school. Jesse Hall, Kaiapoi Wesley an school. Reports on the Superior Schools. Christchurch, Dec. 17, 1864. Sir, —I have the honour to inform you that, in j compliance with the request contained in your letter j of October 29th, I have, in conjunction with Mr. | Restell, inspected the three schools named by you, viz., , The Christ's College Grammar School. The Christchurch High School. The Lyttelton High School. The results of this inspection are embodied in the enclosed report. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, G. S. Sale. Hon. H. J. Tancred, Chairman to the Board of Education. [Here follows the report of the Christchurch Grammar School, which will appear in our next.] Christchurch High School. The classical class in this school was occupied with Latin grammar,-and the translation of easy Latin sentences. The boys appeared to be exceedingly well drilled in the work which they had done, and were able to answer grammatical questions very fairly. There appeared to be rather a tendency to encourage readiness and smartness of answering, at the expense of a solid acquaintance with the language, the result being that those boys showed best in examination who professed not merely a good and retentive memory, but a quick and ready memory. I would suggest occasional exercises in translating easy English sentences into Latin, on paper, as a means of encouraging reflection and originality. The boys who were most advanced had been a considerable time in the school. In this school considerable attention appeared to

be devoted to mensuration. lam unable to say anything of their excellence in this subject, from want of aquaintance with it; but they answered such questions as I gave them from their book readily and correctly. In Euclid four boys could answer propositions in the three first books very well. One of them, Johnstone (aged fourteen, and six years at the school) will probably become a good mathematician. This school enjoys a great advantage in having a good play-ground ; and the head-master pays considerable attention to the gymnastic training of the oys. The number of boys on the books is 130, leir age ranging from fourteen to six, and two are jed fifteen and sixte&f respectively. They are hder the care of two masters. G. S. Sale, Inspector of Schools. November 30, 1864. The High School, Christchukch. The pupils present at the inspection, 126 in nutner, are instructed in two separate rooms, by Mr, cott, rector, and Mr. Cook, assistant. The school-rooms are well fitted, furnished, and ghted; there is at present no provision for warmig them. A warm aspect, thick walls, and good oof obviate much cold. . The ventilation was sufficient on the day of inpection. The boys, in the upper school, taught bj Ir. Scott, passed a generally creditable examinatior n English and in'arithmetic. Their expertness ir he latter has always been remarkable. About su >oys in the upper school are able to work questioni n fractions, practice, and proportion, and three o: hem in higher rules. The lower school is very creditably conducted bj Hr, Cook, several of the pupils in his highest forn :onipeting advantageously with the forms nex tbdve them in the upper school. The discipline is good, securing good order an< ■emarkably punctual and regular attendance. » J. P. Eestell,

Inspector of Schools. November 30, 1864. Lyttelton High School. Classical studies form no part of the work in thi school. The reason alleged is that none of tli parents of the children have any desire that th classics should be taught. In mathematics the children had evidently bee: (reiV well and carefully taught. Their quickness ii irifhmetic was very remarkable. Three of ther pasjsed a very good examination in the first two book Df Euclid. They appeared to understand the sub ject remarkably well. In algebra they had done bu very little ; what they had learnt they knew the r °ln English history a large class was examined and [nearly all answered the questions well and coi rectly ; the questions, in this subject, were confine to the period which the children had been studyin duting the half-year. . , oood order is maintained, but there is a decide want of more buildings, as well as of a play-grouni The number of pupils In the Lyttelton High Schoi is ninety-two, of whom thirty-seven are girls. Tt ages of the pupils range from fourteen to four. The arjj under the care of two masters, and all meet ] one school-room. G. S. Sale, Inspector of Schools. November 30th, 1864. ' The High School, Lyttelton. h. mixed school of boys and girls is here vei creditably conducted by Mr. J. D. Fergusson, wil the assistance of Mr. Ross. The average age of the children is lessthan at tl Christchurch High School, and their attainments a proportionable in English subjects and arithmetic. The number of subjects of instruction beir judiciously limited, a higher standard of accuracy attained in the elementary branches.. The junior classes have improved under Mr. Ros they read and spell fairly, and have a good gener knowledge of the subject-matter of their lesso books. J. P. Restell, Inspector of Schools. isov. 30, 1864. &REAT SALE OF HORSES IN LONDON. Doubtless there arebut few residents among us fr( the old country, who do not remember that quiet lit sale yard in Piccadilly, with its small and unprete tiohs doorway, its neat "run " leading to the comf< table loose boxes, from which used to be trotted soi of the finest park hacks and carriage horses e\ seen on the London pavements -, but neither can a one who has ever transacted business there fail recollect the uniform courtesy and civility always < tended by Mr. Anderson and his manager. Not lo since we heard of the death of the proprietor, and the incoming mail we have the result of the sale horses lying on hand at the time of his dea Anderson's yards were never so famous for thoroui bred and facing stock as for carriage hori hunters, and hacks, in which class of stock he considered the authority. And the price obtaii contrasts strongly with that obtained for horses the Australias and New Zealand. The sale, c ducted by Messrs, Tattersall, extended over th days, and the 107 horses of nil classes realized' average of £205 is (id, on the aggregate of 20, guineas. The first day's sale, held in Green stn Park Lane, on Tuesday, February 7, inclu horses for harness purposes, to the number of

Bell's Life, from whose columns we take the na list of prices, describes the scene in a some- ap what graphic manner, and states that the yard Pr " was worse crowded than a theatre on Boxing night." G f Every dealer of any notein the trade was represented, T1 and many of them held commissions for foreign inl powers. Colonel Hay gave the highest price for a W match pair, 540 guineas ; while Lord Cardigan was hii the purchaser of the next lot for 520 guineas. The co horses fetching the highest price were Marvel and sa Cantab, who realized 370 guineas each. For Marvel, as! the agent of the King of Sardinia offered 350 ho guineas ; but Mr. Bell, who is said to be the lucky las owner of a splendid match for him, purchased him m: by a bid of 20 guineas. The 41 lots realized 6,627 guineas, or an average of 161 guineas. a i Mr. Edmund Tattersall conducted the second day's th sale, in Bryansforie-street, Portman-square, submit- w; ing 28 lots of riding horses, which realized an aver- co age of 182 guineas. Echo brought 600 guineas from Mr. Bristow; but, to give a description of him, we cannot do better than quote from Bell.—" The sensation nag, however, of the sale was a grey gelding, called Echo, said by some to be an Irish bred one by a thorough-bred stallion out of an Arab mare, but by others to be in reality a Prussian horse. Still, in any case, Echo has earned a reputation about town, - having been on and off in Mr. Anderson's hands for some time, and at one period, in proof of his fine temper, carrying a young lady of some ten or twelve w years of age, the daughter of Mr. Majoribanks. He P 1 is a stout little horse, with two good ends, hut deficient in his middle, and altogether with rather a °' foreign or Arabian air about him ; or giving one " more the notion of a light-weight charger for 8 Ibrahim Pacha than the park hack of an English " gentleman. But it was his action that sold him— P pronounced on all hands to be the grandest ever " seen, equally good behind and before, and for which £ Mr. Bristow had to give the almost unprecedented * price of 600 guineas." The 38 lots, under style of hunters, - were disposed e of on the third day, at Mapesbury Farm, Willesden, a

and realized splendid prices. Mr. Bristow again became the purchaser of the highest priced horse ; " while Harkover, an Irish steeplechaser, was knocked f < down to Mr. Alexander for 600 guineas. The whole proceedings appear to have been a grand success, giving satisfaction to both purchasers and those interested in the sale. Mr. Tattersall announced, at = the conclusion of the proceedings, that Mr. Steward, who had managed for the late Mr. Anderson for many years, would carry on the business in future under his own name. ~ On Tufesday, in Green street, Park lanei HOUSES FOB HARNESS PUBPOSES. -j G8 Dumpling, br m (Mr Sewell) ... ... ... 70 Juniper, gr m (Mr. Bromhead)... ... ... 60 J The Phenomena, b m (has trotted -within the month i three miles in 8 min 46 see in a common buggy) (Mr. Leslie) ... ... ... ••• 190 ; Cheltenham, b p g") have been driven together ( 210 Arab, bp g > (Lord Suflield) \ 100 : Canary, d m (Mr. Sewell) ... ... ... 72 Plantaeenet, b g") have been driven together C 200 Pembroke, b g j (Mr. Phillips) I 270 Brutus, br g ? have been driven together ( 240 Cassius, br g > (Lord Cardigan) \ 280 Othello, bk g (Mr. Eennie) ... ... ... 160 Overplus, br g (Mr. Banks) ... ... ... 100 Starch, br g "I have been driven together |* 340 Undergraduate, br g J (Col. Hay) L Hardware, b g (Mr. Barnes) ... ... 185 Hampton, b g (Mr. Harvey) ... ... 175 The Moor, bk stallion (Mr. Banks) ... ... Mv Whitelegs, br g (Sir R. King) ... ... ••• 170 King Gobbo, b g (Mr. Barker) 100 Prince Plausible, b g (Mr. Phillips) ... ••• 140 Yorkshireman, b g (Mr. Clark) ... ... ••• 100 Seraglio, b g (Mr. Baker) ... ... ••• 54 Marvel, br g (Mr. Bell) ... ••• 370 Candover, br g (Mr. Giffard) ... ••• I-' 0 Sanspareil, gr m (Mr. Percival) ... ••• 200 Cantab, br g (Mr. Coleman) ... ... " ™ Confederate, b g (Mr. Butcher) ... ... 80 Alberto, b g (Mr. Kirby) ... ... ••• 65 Droitwitch, br g (Mr. Bass) ... ... 140 The Model, ch g (Mr. Peters) ... ... ... 85 Desdemona, br in (Mr. Sewell) ... ... ••• 180

The Trotter, br g (Mr. Blackborne) ... ... 80 Gasometer, br g (Mr. Wigram) ... ... 70 Phoenix, br g (Mr. Brown) ... ... ... 45 Columbine, ch m (Mr. Rice)") have been driven [ 90 Clown, ch g (Mr. Kennard) J together L.170 Cedar, ch g (Lord E. Eussell) ... .. ... 180 Peacemaker, eh m (Mr. Kennard) ... 150 Multum in Parvo, b g (Mr. Rice) ... ... 210 Majestic, ch g (Mr. Muirhead) 120 The Queen, ch m (Mr. Casenove) ... ... 160 Total ... ... 6,627 Average, 161gs. On "Wednesday, in Bryanstone street Portman square : BIDING HOESES. GS. GS. Joan, b m (Mr. Ste- Shamrock, br g (Mr. phens) ... .. 41 Fenwick)... ... 230 May Day, b g (Mr. Prize, br g Col. BurStone) ... ... 140 naby) ... ... 80 Jewess, br m ... 100 Miss Grobbo, brm (Mr. Brunette, brm ... 90 Alexander) ... 175 Elegance, br m (Mr. Bronze, brg ... 200 Clark) ... ... 150 Hussar, brg ... 120 The Linnet, b m (Mr. Noble, br g... ••• 220 Banks) 190 Maple, chg 300 Nancy, b m (Mr. Wat- Cossack, br g ... 150 ne y ... ... 125 Temperature, br g ... 320 I Echo, grg (Mr. Bris- Elastic, b g 220 ! tow) ... ••• 600 Clarionet bm ... 80 Hidalgo. br g (Mr. Stepping Stone, b g ... 105 . Messert) ... .... 50 Marlboro, gr g ...ISO . Mahogany br g (Mr. The Hack, ch.m ... 100 , Watney) ... ... 210 Newmarket, b g ... 160 ' Napoleon, b g (Mr. Bonnie Dundee, b h ... 170 . Knight) ... ... 220 " Magpie, chg (Sir M.S. Total ... ...5161 Stewart) .. ... 360 On Thursday, at the Mapesbury Farm, Willesden. HUNTERS. GS. GS< The Daw, b m (Mr. H. Safety Valve, br g (Mr. Womb well) ... 160 Cavan ... ... Gazelle,bm (Mr. Rice) 160 Mermaid, b m (Mr. 8 Miss Arthur, br m (Mr Nicholls)... ... 9o B Grisewood) ...280 Challenger, ch g (Mr. 6 As You Like It, b g . Barnes) ... ... 1W . (Mr. Yanden Eynde) 130 Rouffra, ch g (Mr. Tan i The Bird, br g (Mr. der Eynde) ... 70 l Banks) 75 Supple, ch m (Mr. 1 Croom, br g (Mr. Har- George) . ... 250 8 tigan) 200 Sir Stephen, b g (Mr. Firefly, b g (Mr. Phil- Parker) ... ... 65 lirjsl ... ...120 Th<! Gelding, br g (Mr. Tom Moody, brg (Mr. Child) ... ... 100 Child) .. ••• 260 Shuttlecock, br g (Mr. Sir Hercules, bkg (Mr. George)... ... 320 » Child) ... ...200 Newsmonger, br g (Mr. •- King Tom, b g (Mr. George) ... ... 280 d T. Percival) ... 80 Meriden, b h (*"• g Birdcatcher, ch g (Mr. Hetherington) . HO Hartigan) ... 340 Old Pallas, b g (Mr. a Electric, br g (Mr. Alexander) ... 200 1 Phillips) 130 Who Dare Say 800, ch i Charlemont, b g (Mr. g (Mr. George) ... 400 * Graham) 270 Buccaneer, b g (Mr. ® Welcome, b g (Mr. Bnstow) .. ... 620 y Powell) 250 Cigar, gr g (Mr. Child) 260 n Lottery, br g (Mr. Golden Drop, chg (Mr. Child) ... -310 Bnstow) ... 350 Yellow Leaf, ch g (Mr. ® «. Kn Hutton) 190 (Mr. Grisewood) ... 350 TTavk-over. b £ (Mr. Prince Victor, ch g Alexandra) ... 600 _ (Mr. Richards ... 240 I Hard Steel, grg (Mr. Louth b g (Mr. Bnah ce ) ... ... 150 tow) ... .» wu Total, 9110gs; average, 239Jgs. te GS. re Total ... ••• 6.627 Total 5,161 g Total ... 9,110 * 8 Total ••• 20,898— average £205 Is 6d al THE HEATHCOTE REGATTA. a ~ TO THE EDITOR OP THE LYTTELTON TIMES. Sir,—l should feel obliged for space in youi columns to expose the very shabby way in whicli the Lyttelton Boating Club have been treated by tm promoters of the Heatheote Regatta. We sent oui boat round to the river under the impression that n we were successful in the races, we should obtair the prizes within a reasonable time of winning mi them j however, it appears that we were great!j ;le mistaken, for although we won the Aniateu n- Race," for which we were supposed to receive silve: >r- cups, up to the present time we have had nothinj ne but a few inches of pasteboard. , .. er Trusting that a sense of justice on the part oi tn ny Heatheote Regatta Committee will cause this matte to to be righted, (X- ' I am, &c., ng ONE OF THE CREW. by of the timaru hospital. ■ TO THE EDITOR OF THE LYTTELTON TIMES. L g IR —As the publication of a letter addressed b, ms me to the Provincial Secretary, which appeared m led late paper, may give rise to some misapprehension, i in be(? leave to bring under your notice the circum an- Btances of the case. ree Rather more than eleven weeks before that lette the appeared, Mr. Belfield, Chairman of the Commute 398 of Management—which consists of Mr. T. Hall an ,et Mr. J. Beswick—requested me to take charge of t* led Hospital pro tem. I did so. At the end of a fe 41. weeks it was rumoured that another medical man-

iraely, Dr. Christy—was coming down to take the jpointment. On this I addressed n letter to the rovincial Secretary, requesting to know whether the nvernment had or intended to make an appointment, he answer, from some subordinate, which I received, iformed me that Mr., liolleston had gone to the Test Coast, and no appointment could be made in iB absence. By-and-by Dr. Christy came down. He )urteously called upon me, and among other things lid—" I saw Mr. Rolleston in Wellington, and he sked me whether I would like the appointment of ospital surgeon at Timaru. When we parted his ist words were," remember, I make you no prouse." Now, Mr. Editor, this exclamation, following such question, is more conclusive to my mind than a lousand protestation?. I always knew that the ays of politicians were crooked•, but I think such miduct is unworthy of even a politician. I am, &c., DUN. M'LEAN. .Timaru, 2nd May, 1865. THE WEST COAST ROAD. TO THE EDITOR OF THE LYTTIiLTON TIKES. Sir,—My imaginative faculties being small, I Conine myselt to the practical. If the Government (?) really do want to find the /laori pass by the liakaia, why do they not offer to >ay the Maoris for their guidance to the same ? This pass, we are given to understand, was tabooed >n account of the loss of a large party, who were on heir way by it to the West Coast, for a supply of ;reen-stone. The Maoris are reported as successful inders of gold on the West Coast; we read that they jrospect and lead the diggers to new sites. It may je assumed that the tapu no longer exists. The digrings are reported as likely to extend south of the Wanganui, and yet more southern rivers. Does not ;his point to the necessity of the Rakuia pass being examined, and the question of its practicability being it once ascertained ? The inventive genius of man is never so strongly displayed as when engaged in the discovery how not to do it! When, when is this folly to cease? Is it only to he by effluxion? HEURETES.

HOKITIKA. By the City of Dunedin we have received, with much satisfaction, the first number of the IVest Coa-st Times, dated the 3rd of May. An apology is made for the late appearance of the issue, by reason of the great delay of the steamer which brought the plant. It contains eight small pages, but a larger size is promised. "We extract copiously from the local news. Commercial.—Notwithstanding the very inclement weather prevalent during the past fortnight, the yield of gold continues, so far as we ckn learn, very satisfactory. Within fourteen days over 12,000 ozs have been exported, and we believe we are within the mark when we say that 10,000 ozs are now in hand, and awaiting shipment. If the state of business may he taken as a criterion of the prosperity of the field, we have very good reason to be satisfied; as, notwithstanding the immense increase in the number of stores, all seem to be doing well, and few complaints are to be met with. We believe, however, that too much credit is being given, and observe Avith satisfaction that an effort is being made to substitute cash payments. The majority of our large storekeepers have been bitten too often on the Otago fields for them to pursue .a system of reckless credit here, but a warning is neither unadvisable nor unnecessary. We are unable at present to furnish quotations, as extreme reticence is observed in the matter of prices, scarcely two storekeepers selling at the same rate. 'In fact, till very lately, the supply being very uncertain, prices were entirely dependent on stocks in hand, and fluctuated greatly. ! Bread has fallen to Is 6d the 41b loaf (at some places Is) ; and meat, of which the market was a week ago quite bare, fetches now from Is to Is 6d per lb. Timber has been reduced from £2 10s to £1 5s per 100 superficial feet. It has been offered privately as low as £1. Accidents.—The West Coast goldfield has been a fatal discovery to many, scarcely a day having passed for some time without bringing to light the remains of some unfortunate who has perished, alone and unfriended, on this desolate coast. We publish, in another column an account of two enquiries on the bodies qf men found dead, and regret that hitherto many similar discoveries have taken place without the least publicity being given or circumstances made known which might tend to prove the identity of the bodies. We shall endeavour to form a list of bodies thus found, with whatever marks, &c., that may be apparent., with a view to furnishing a clue by which distant friends may be able to ascertain the fate of missing " mates " or relations. Any exact information from the older residents on the coast will be gladly received. A swag, fastened to a saddle, was found last week near the Arahaura river, under circumstances that leave no doubt as to the fate of the owner. A man, named Matthew Carney, was reported drowned at the Teremakau on the 18th ult., but the body has not yet been found. An inquest was also held, a few days back, on the body of a man, named Robert Evmill, nephew, we believe, of Mr. Bruce, of Christchurch, when a verdict was returned of ' Found drowned." The Law op Auctions.—A piece of what may be characterised rather sharp practice on the part of the police, took place on Monday last, when Mr. Kilgour, auctioneer, of this town, was charged at the Resident Magistrate's Court with selling some goods ten minutes after six a few days before, " the same being contrary to the regulations of the Auctioneer's Ordinance." We should be the ' last to counsel or excuse a breach of the law, and no doubt the said Ordinance is a piece of profound legislative wisdom ; but really such a charge as tins I is almost enough to brin~ the law into contempt. We regret the Magistrate should have viewed the 1 case so seriously as to impose a fine of £5 upon the offender 1 The Steamer Nelson.—We observe that tenders are being called for floating the steamer Nelson, that ' has been lying high and dry on the end of the spit . for the last three weeks. We have littler doubt that with proper appliances she will be got off as readily , as the Storm Bird, and these, we believe, have been left behind especially for the purpose by Mr. > Thirkell, who succeeded in launching the last-named vessel* > Extensiok of the Goldfield.—Reports from the South have so far gained currency that a steady > exodus has taken place of miners who are still on the look-out for payable claims, or who are dissatis- ' fled with the prospects of the fields at present open. Wanganui and Hokarita are the main subjects of ! conversation among miners, and should anything betokening the presence of payable gold be received ) from thence, a considerable rush may be expected. The Bruce, we believe, had been chartered by the ) Government to explore the Hokarita,and was to have sailed yesterday; but almost at the last moment, it ) was discovered that they were short of coal, ana would have to wait till the arrival of the City of > Dunedin. The Maotis affirm that there is 14 feet ot water on the bar of that river ; and that once in, ships of large tonnage can proceed up the river for a great distance. Captain Gibson is to report on the capabilities of this new port. From Wanganui itself it is difficult to obtain precise information; but the latest and most reliable intelligence is to the effect that there are but very few miners absolutely at 'work, though there are over a hundred present, and - more'to be met with for miles down the coast. The Hospital.—The Government of Canterbury have acted with the most praiseworthy energy m erecting an hospital, which is now completed, and r the residents of the goldfield can in honesty not reh fuse to contribute their quota towards an object so e charitable and excellent. The need for such an esr tablishment is particularly great on a new rush if where hardships and exposure cause great suttering n -more particularly when a climate is added where „ ra i n seems to be as plentiful as air, and where men y may be considered amphibious. iSubscnption-hs S ha ve been lying at the banks m the town, but hitherto not responded to with the liberality desirable or necessary. Lists are about to more «i< ely distributed, and we trust the residents of Hokitika especially the miners, for whose benefit the 15 is intended—will subscribe handsomely and willingly. Dr Rutherford Ryley has been appointed surgeon. The Weather.—An effort is being made by some of our business men to obtain subscriptions for i ie purpose of forming footpaths, and m some draining the main street. Really, if we are o .i the rain of yesterday as a criterion of our forthcoming winter weather, the sooner such animprove>y ment is effected the better ; or, with any thinglike a the present traffic, it will shortly beeome who y ( I passable. As it is, its condition after a sl wer n- reminds us of Dunedin and Invercargill in the olden er U Roads, Goveknment and , P f PLE t ~? t} ™ U ® t re^ ee patent to the newest arrival here that thei great [id question as to the value of t he he depends upon the course that may be taken m jw reference to the formation of tracks. so as to enable — the diggers to obtain the necessaries of life at a less

cost than they are now called upon to pay at ft distance from the port. In all directions the dense bush hems us in—impenetrable to every effort unseconded by the axe or tomalmwk, and cffonng an almost insuperable bar to the efforts of the prospector. .Even where these men liav, hewn their way, the mere half-formed tra. kt, encumbered as they are with the debris of the forest, are utterly impassable after a storm ; while the condition of the unfortunate beasts engaged in packing sufficiently proves the labour, even in ordinary weather. It would naturally be supposed, therefore, in view of the inestimable benefit that would be conferred upon the district by the formation of tracks, that ihe Provincial Government would make this object their first care; but from the foregoing accouut it would seem, that they are so indifferent to the development of this important field, that they have declined to spend any money on it unless the residents themselves take the initiative, when their subscriptions will be supplemented from the public revenue to an equal amount. Tills drctrine—compelling us to pay for benefits denied to us, and then taxing us again before we can obtain those benefits —is sounjustas to call for the strongest reprobation. It is true that in Otago such a course has been adopted—that the residents on the goldfields have submitted to be taxed in every way, and then voluniarily subscribed sufficient funds to pay for works that should have been paid for out of those very taxes ; but we do not remember that even the " Old Identity" ever had the assurance to make such a proposal themselves. Even had they done so, it was no more than might have been expected from them ; but that such a proposal should have emanated from a member of the Canterbury Government—hitherto regarded as the province par excellence of New Zealand, the embodiment of all that is liberal and progressive—certainly has caused no little surprise, and. we may add, indignation. We fee! convinced that we are only on the eve of gold discovery in these hitherto unknown regions; and should proper steps be taken by the Government to aid those who have already contributed so much towards opening up this part of New Zeala'd, the province will derive substantial benefit, and they •will receive—as they would deserve—the gratitude of every miner and storekeeper on this coast; but a pettifogging, candle-end and cheese-paring economy •will not only retard for years—if it does not, indeed utterly ruin—the district, but be utterly unworthy the Government of the most progressive, prosperous, and important province of the Middle Island of New Zealand.