TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2986, 6 August 1870, Page 2

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Dinner. —Mr Harris gives his annual dinner to the members of the Eire Brigade on Thursday evening next, at the Clarendon Hotel. Entertainment. —The entertainment announced for last night at the Avonside Schoolroom was, by reason of the inclement weather, postponed until the 19th inst.

Sunday School Institute. —ln consequence of the inclemency of the weather, the meeting which was to hare been held at S. John’s Schoolroom last erening, was adjourned until Friday next. Representation op Christchurch.— lt is notified by the Returning Officer that the nomination of Candidates to represent Christchurch in the General Assembly will take place at the Town Hall on Friday next, August 12, and that the poll, if necessary, will be taken on Saturday, August 13. Eaiapoi Wesleyan Church.— Owing to the very unfavourable nature of the weather yesterday, the foundation stone of the new Church about to be erected, was not laid as intended. We are informed that the ceremony will take place on Monday next, weather permitting. A great number of persons are expected to be present, including the school children. Bankruptcy. —His Honor intimated in Chambers yesterday, that in future the practice here would be for a petitioning creditor to proceed by affidavit in moving for a conditional order of adjudication. With regard to the question of costs to the Provisional Trustee, it would be recollected that on a former occasion, following the precedent laid down by Judge Chapman, he directed that the final order should be conditional on bankrupts paying two guineas costs to the Provisional Trustee. The Judges sitting in the Court of Appeal questioned the justice or expediency of such a course. Mr Garrick remarked that, under these circumstances, the Provisional Trustee might bring the whole thing to a dead-lock. He might say “ I will not act.” Lyttelton Colonists’ Hall, —An entertainment was given at the above ball, on Thursday evening, by Miss Rose Evans and Mr Claremont, in aid of the funds of the Colonists’ Society. Although the weather was very inclement, there was a good audience. The programme included, besides Miss Evans’usual entertainment, a reading by that lady, entitled “ The Collier’s Child,” which was given with great pathos, and fairly earned the applause it elicited. Mr Carder sang, with a chorus, “ Out in the streets,” and “ Thou art so near,” and was heartily applauded. Mr Woledge, with his song “ The ills of life,” created a perfect furore, and was repeatedly called before the curtain. He declined, however, to respond, on the ground that he should appear again last night in the winter readings. At the conclusion of the burlesque, Dr Donald brought forward Miss Evans and Mr Claremont, and thanked them for the kind manner in which they had given their services for the help of the institution, and also paid Miss Evans a high compliment on her histrionic powers. After a neat speech from Miss Evans, ‘ God save the Queen’ was given, and a most enjoyable evening brought to a close.

Kowai Boad Board.—A meeting was held at the Resident Magistrate’s Court-house, Leithfleld, on August 1. The following members were present : Mr Fendall (chairman), Messrs Maskell, Hiatt, Douds, and Cameron. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed. Tenders were opened for the following works :—For putting in two culverts on the Terrace Boad—M. Mullaney, £4 5s (accepted) ; D. Millar, £4 10s. For repairs to the Sefton and Bangiora Boads —D. Boyce, £6 19s (accepted) ; M, Mullaney, £8 ; D. Millar, £ll 19s ; Thos. Hanna, £B. The consideration of the petition lor works to be done on the Bail way Reserve Boad, north of Brackenbridge, and bn the road leading from the land office, Sefton, past M'Ewen’s, towards A. M'Lean’s, was deferred. A claim was sent in from Mr Edward D. Hepworth, for the sum of 2s 6d, incurred by the loss of a sheep, by breaking its leg while crossing the Ashley Bridge. The board agreed that they could not entertain the claim, the bridge being in a proper state of repair. The Clerk was instructed to write to Mr Hepwerth to that effect. The Chairman stated that he had employed Robt. Stoper, at an expense of 10s, to erect four panels of fencing at Ward’s Creek, on the Railway Reserve Road, to prevent accidents. Mr Robert Green attended, and handed in the sum of £7 4s 4d as the amount of poundage fees ‘during the last seventeen weeks. The following resolutions, having been moved by Mr Maskell, were seconded and carried “I. That, for the future, all works amounting to over £3 be submitted to public tender. 2. That, in cases of works of less cost than £3, the work shall, if possible, be done by persons resident in the immediate neighbourhood.” The Surveyor read his report upon the several works which he considered necessary to be undertaken in the district. Mr Fendall moved that tenders be called for to metal that portion of the Railway Reserve Road, between Fox’s Creek Bridge and Stewart’s Corner, and for re-metalling portions of the Mount Grey Road, Nonhport, That tenders be sent in before noon, on Monday 15 th, addressed to the Chairman of the Board, Leithfleld. This resolution was seconded and carried. Mr Maskell intimated his intention to move the following resolutions on the next Board day :—“ 1. That before the Board undertake «ny works requiring an expenditure exceeding £ it is necessary that an abstract or approximate estimate be drawn out, shewing the financial position of the Board for the year 1870-71, exclusive of any Government grant to be received ; and of the works considered by the Surveyor as being the most necessary to be done within the next three months.” “2. That the Surveyor be therefore requested, with the assistance of the members of the Board, to draw up such approximate estimates, and lay them before the Board at its meeting on . Mr Maskell moved that theseresolutions be the first business brought before the Board at the next meeting. This resolution was put and carried. The pay sheet was then considered. Messrs Benn and Walker’s account was referred to them for explanation; and with regard to T. and F. Croft’s account, it was decided to refer the matter to Mr Cunningham, as he had guaranteed, on behalf of the residents, that the ploughing should be done. The pay sheet, passed for payment, amounted to £76 7s lOd.

Theatre Rotal.— There was a thin attendance at the Theatre last night. The Northern Railwat. —It would appear, from adrertisements in owi issue of to-day, that the Government intend to commence the Northern Railway at opw.

Leithfield.—lt will be seen, from an advertisement in another colump, that an entertainment is to be given at Leithfield on Wednesday evening in aid of the funds Of a very deserving institution. The entertainment promises to be an unusually good one, and we hope it will be well attended. The Governor.—The withdrawal of the military forces from New Zealand has occasioned an important change in the provisions for the assumption of the Acting-Governor-ship during the absence of a governor. The practice hitherto has been for the officer in command of the Imperial troops to hold this temporary office. This arrangement is now precluded by the changed circumstances, and, accordingly, in a despatch of the 7th October last, Lord Granville writes as follows :—“ I have the honour to enclose a dormant commission, appointing Sir George Alfred Arney, Knight, the chief justice of New Zealand, or the senior judge for the time being, to be Administrator of the Government of that colony in the absence of the Governor.” It is to be presumed that the same arrangement will be made in the other colonies.

Postal.—The inward San Francisco mail was due at Auckland on Aug. 3, and, as already noted in our columns, the inward Suez mail was due at Melbourne on Aug. 4. The Francisco mail will bring English letters, &c, to the 18th, and, possibly, the 21st June; the Suez mail, via Marseilles, to June 17. We are not in a position to state when the New Zealand portion of the Suez mail will be brought on from Melbourne. The Tararua was advertised to leave for New Zealand ports on Aug. 3, just a day before the mail was due, and the next of Messrs M ( Meckan, Blackwood, and Co.’s steamers would probably leave about a week after. It is possible, however, that the mail may have arrived before its due date at Melbourne. In that case we might get our portion by the Tararua, which, supposing she left Melbourne on Aug. 3, is due at Hokitika on Monday.

Intekpeovincial Rbsteictions. —The following is from the Otago Daily Times :— We hear on good authority that the Canterbury Government do not intend to remove the restrictions on cattle until the next meeting of the Provincial Council—perhaps three months hence. We believe the Superintendent has full power to do so, and the only objection he can fairly make is the absence of restrictions on the importation of cattle into Otago, or the actual presence of disease in the province; our Government ought not to leave any effort untried to convince the Canterbury officials of the absurdity of the restrictions in the absence of all danger of infection. We can hardly imagine a more unjust and impolitic course than to impose protective restrictions which have the effect of raising the price of meat in one province fifty per cent, above the price in the next, and with no excuse in point of public policy or revenue. This surely is the worst kind of protection, and if the provincial authorities will not act, the Assembly should step in and put an end to such an anomaly. What would be said if regulations were imposed which practically prevented the importation of Canterbury grain into Otago ? New Steam Route.—The following extract from a private letter to a gentleman in Dunedin, from an officer formerly in the Panama Company’s service, and well-known on the New Zealand coast, will be read, says an Otago contemporary, with interest in connection with the proposed route from Dunedin to the Strait of Magellan, there to join the steamers of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, whose operations are carried on on the West Coast of South America from Panama to Valparaiso, and thence to Liverpool : — “ Since I last wrote to you I have taken a trip to Valparaiso, from which I am now returning. The Patagonia belongs to the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, which was the island of Tobago, in the Bay of Panama. They are very fine steamers, considerably larger than the Mataura. The one I am in is three thousand tons, builders’ measurement, and is three hundred and fifty feet long. She steams between eleven and twelve knots at sea without much difficulty, while she only consumes about thirty-four tons of coal a day, that is to say, one-fourth more than the Otago or Tararua burned. At present they despatch one of the main line steamers monthly. They make the passage to Valparaiso in 37 days, including stoppages,, and they call at Bordeaux, Lisbon, Rio Janeiro, Monte Video, and at a small port in the Strait of Magellan. It is intended by the company to build four more steamers, and despatch one every fortnight. They carry a great many French passengers from Bordeaux to Monte Video, and Portuguese from Lisbon to Rio Janeiro. Besides this line, the company has a very extensive carrying trade on the west coast of America, where they have some twenty steamers, nearly all paddle, fourteen hundred tons, steaming twelve knots on a, small consumption. They have deck houses, something after the manner of American, steamers, running fore and aft, with a promenade on the top, and they carry an immense number, of passengers and large cargoes.* As the passage from Otago to the Strait of Magellan by steam should not occupy more than from eighteen to twenty days—the James Nicol Fleming, on her last trip,, we hear by private letter, was only 21 days from Port Chalmers to the Horn—the passage home to Liverpool, iucluding stoppages at the ports mentioned, could easily be made in 52 to 55 days, and were mails landed at Bordeaux, there would be a saving of at least one or two days in their transmission to London. The return trip from the Strait would occupy rather longer time, on account of the steamers having to go somewhat north about, to escape the prevailing westerly winds of more southern latitudes. The Clyde Gold Roxbbet.—lt will be observed, from our advertising columns, that a free pardon is offered by his Excellency the Governor to any accomplice in the Clyde robbery “ who shall give such information as may lead to the conviction of the offenders and the recovery of the stolen property,” and that the Provincial Government of Otago also offer a reward of £SOO with the same object. We take the following particulars of the robbery from our Otago tiles:—lnformation was received by the Government yesterday morning, August 1, that the gaol at Clyde had been broken into on Sunday night, and all the Escort gold and money for the month carried off. But few particulars are as yet to hand regarding the robbery, but we learn that it must have been committed between (2 o’clock on Sunday night and half-past 4 o’clock on Monday morning. On a constable proceeding at the hour last named to the cell in which the two boxes containing the treasure had been placed, he found the outer door apparently intact, but the inner door had been forced open, and the boxes carried off. The outer door had been opened with a key, and the inner one by drawing the screws of the padlocked bolt. The thieves had coolly locked the outside door after them on leaving. The excitement in Clyde, on the news of the robbery getting abroad, was, as may be imagined, intense. The police and private detectives immediately began to search in every direction for some traces of the robbers, but with the exception of the empty treasure boxes, which were found by Sergeant Neil about 2 p.m. within fifty yards of the camp, they were unsuccessful. The amount stolen was as follows Bank of New South Wales, Cromwell, 980 ounces of gold, and £537 in notes; do, Clyde, 350 ounces gold, and £2528 in notes : total, 1330 ounces gold, and £3065 in notes. Bank of New Zealand, Alexandria, 377 ounces gold, and £1470 in notes ; do, Teviot, 392 ounces gold, and £765 in notes ; do, Queenstown, £BIO in notes : total, 769 ounces gold, and £3045 in notes. The grand total, therefore, is 2099 ounces of gold, equal, at £3 15s per ounce, to £7871, and £6llO in notes, making together, £13,981. No clue has as yet been obtained to the persons by whom the robbery was committed, but Detective Farrell has proceeded to Clyde to investigate the affair. The Banks are keeping a sharp look out for the stolen notes, the numbers of which are known.