News of the Day.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 34, 29 May 1872, Page 2

News of the Day.

The Mails. — The Taranaki, with the February and March mails, arrived early yesterday morning from Manuknu. Something serious must have occurred to the steamer City of Melbourne, which should have sailed from Auckland List week with the outgoing mail for San Francisco. This steamer left Sydney with numerous passengers about a fortnight since, but hud not arrived at Auckland on Monday. The Hero, which had sailed for Sydney, was to keep a look out from the mast head, and bum bluo lights at night and throw up rockets, in the hope that she might pick up tho City of Melbourne on the passage, supposed to bo disabled by her ma* ohinory breaking down.

ThiEGUurii to Motueka. — The line of telegraph to Motueka is now complete, and messages were transmitted through on Monday last. Native Outuage at Hawke's Bat. — A mob of natives at West Clive broke into aa hotel a few days ugo, drank the liquors, assaulted the inmates, and destrojed property of the value of £200. Immigration.— We have intelligence from Wellington, that Dr. Featheraton had made arrangements for despatching 2,200 emigrants from Europe during the present and past month, to be distributed as follows among the different provinces— l2o to Auckland, 150 to Wellington, 400 to Napier, 130 to l^cton (via Wellington), 500 to Canterbury, and GOO to Otago, besides about 300 to be sent to' the various ports under the auspices of Messrs. Brogden. They will consist of 1,400 British, 600 Germans, and 200 Scandinavians. The Germans are to be sent in equal proportions to Canterbury and Otago, and the Scandinavians to Napier. Fire in Southland.— A destructive Cre took place at Winton, on Sunday last, and the store of Messra. Cross and M l Williams was totally destroyed. The loss sustained is valued at £1,300, of which £750 is covered by insurance. An Improbable Story. — A most improbable story has been circulated in Lyttelton. It states that a pencil document, which had been enclosed in a bottle, had been picked up on the Ocean Beach, near Dunedin, written apparently by the first oflk-cr of (ho ship Matoaka, which sailed from Lyttelton for England three years ago, and has never since been heard of. It states that the writer and several seamen were in the long-boat S.W. to N.W. of New Guinea, and that all the passengers were lost. Now iv the first place, for the boat of a vessel bound to -England, by way of Cape Horn to pass through all the clusters of islands which dot the Pacific, and find itself 2,500 niilcß to the northward ; and then in the second place, for a bottle to drift back to within a I few miles of the port from which the vessel started, are occurrences not to be reconciled with probability, and are unworthy of credence. Who Pays tub PrpEß.— The Inch Clutha correspondent to tho Bruce Herald writes :—": — " Is it not a. notorious fact, that New Zealand has the high honour of being the only country in the world which holds the palm of victory as far as taxation is concerned, she having tho highest score. Great Britain is £2 Bs. 2d. ; Victoria, £4-; our adopted country, nearly £7 per head. While Buch is the state of affairs with us, and while the provinces are gradually approaching insolvency, is it well for our Colonial Treasurer to be charioted in regal splendour along the streets of the chief cities of the sister colonies, basking in the sunshine- of fame, surrounded by the applause of the great and wealthy, and who in connection with New Zealand is looked upon as the champion of progress and the hero of prosperity — the ablest statesman in the southern hemisphere ? How is this pomp and seeming greatness maintained ? Its mnintenance is wrung from the purso of the industriouß, hard-working settler, who left his native land with the determination, after a severe struggle in reclaiming New Zealand wilds, to acquire for himself and family an independent home, but who finds his fondly-cherished hopes almost unattainable just on account of tho most exorbitant sums ho has to pay in the shape of taxes, to satisfy the caprice of an extravagant and reckless Government, whose whole aim seems to be directed towards one pomt — self-aggrandisement, and the attainment of silken seats of security. We are told that New Zealand is now iv a flourishing and prosperous condition ; money is borrowed by the million ; gigantic public works and railways are in course of construction ; the country is to go a-head at a rapid pace. We have had a specimen of the first Btart given to the Southern Railway line. The Government accepted the tender of a gentleman for the construction of the line ; the work was begun and carried on for some time; eventually the contractor got to Dunedin, filed his schedule, and left the hard-working men whom he employed to pay their bakers', butchers', and grocers' bills in the best possible manner they could. Now, sir, those are hard lines meted out to the labouring man, who, besides this loss, has nearly £7 per head to pay for all his family for taxation. Are tho Government to blame in connection with this transaction? I presume the Govesnment have a right to ascertain ere a tender is finally accepted, whether or not tho tenderer is in a competent position to carry out all the arrangements stipulated for. Most decidedly a man of straw ought never to have had anything to do with such an undertaking, which we understand is being carried on by burrowed money. Those men who wrought in connection with this line have to pay interest for the capital expended ; had to provide the necessaries of life while working there, and after weeks of hard toil had to return home, as there was no money to pay for the labour they had performed. Who has the money ? Is not this part of the million loan ? Surely this is not tho best method of developing the resources of our adopted land — never can we succeed while this burden hangs so heavily upon our shoulders, which every day becomes heavier and harder to bear ; and if not speedily removed, we shall be compelled to succumb to ; and then we shall bo in a position to accord the honour of our prostration to the Hon. Mr. Vogel and his unsound and rotton policy." Eemauts op an Unknown Eace. — A Chatham Island correspondent writes to a contemporary :—: — " It may interest tho curious to know that our extensive lagoon is margined on one side with smooth, hard crystalline limestone rocks, all of which are as copiously inscribed as the walls of Sennacherib's palace. The characters are of the rudest description, iv basso relievo not unlike the carvings on old runic monuments, and some are as sharply cut as if done but yesterday. The aboriginal natives are utterly ignorant of these characters, or for what purpose, or by whom they were thus graven on the rocks, no traditions relative thereto having been handed down." Competitive Examinations. — The "Loafer m the Street " writes as follows in the Canterbury Fress: — "The examination for the Government scholarships is, I hear, coming off shortly. I trust the examiners will remember that the great thing in examining is to give questions that no candidate can possibly answer. The Civil Service examiners, I think, originated the idea, aud it works well. What do you know of Lopez de Vega and his works ? Compare the latter with thoso of Tom Taylor. Draw an historical parallel between Heliogabalus and Te Kooti, and give reasons for thinking them benefactors to the human race, and deserving of the Monthyon medal. I've been drawing a parallel lately between the noble savages of the North and those of this island. The North Islanders are a fine race. Some of them employ their time quietly enough. They plant potatoes, kill a white man or two, and burn some farms. Thoy dig up their potatoes, and return to the whites. They say they bear no ill-will to the pakeha — far from it. They get forgiven, and go back and eat their potatoes. 1 never met any of them, but the above facts I glean from North Island journals. 'The Southern Maori is very noble. His strong point is selling eels. He may have other characteristics, perhaps equally interesting, but I'm not aware of them. As an eelist ho is unequalled. I heard three Maoris trying to sell eels to my landlady yosterduy. The first said his wore quite fresh ; they were killed yesterday. The second said his were fresher ; they were caught to-day. The third said his were freshest; they were caught tomorrow. Beautiful system of commerce, the above. What a happy thought that our commercial morality should be so closely imitated by the intelligent Maori." New South Wales Ministry. — A Ministry has been formed with the following members : Mr. Parkes, Premier; Samuel, Vice-President of the Council ; Piddington, Treasurer ; Famuli, Secretary of Lands; Sutherland, Secretary of Works; Lloyd, Postmaster ; Butler, Attorney-General ; Innes, Soli-citor-General. Australian Overland Telegraph.— South Australian Government telegrams state that the completion of tho overland telegraph is delayed by unprecedented wet weather. Operations were to have been resumed at the beginning of April. There is still a gap of 250 miles, .but when reduced to 150 a horse express will be established. This is expected

to be accomplished about August. Scurvy and rheu matism, have broken out amongst the men workinj on the line. Spiritualism:.— Mr. James Smith, late editor o the Australasian, has delivered two lectures 01 Spiritism in Dunedin, on the two last Sunday even ings— the first in the Masonic Hall, the second ii the Theatre Royal. The lectures have created i great sensation in Dunedin, and the newspapers an filled with correspondence of all degrees of ability maintaining every possible view of the subject. Mr Smith prefaced his first lecture by saving that whci he was invited to Dunedin, he subniit'ted the mattei to his spirit friends, and they not only advised bin to come, but furnished him with the' introductory lecture he was about to deliver. The good therefore which his remarks might contain belonged to tin higher intelligence of which he wus the men amanuensis, and if he failed to reach the hearts oi his audience, the fuult— he feared— would bo his own. One of the correspondents referred to above, thus describes tho lecture: — "Mr. Smith, I see, states that there are 20,000,000 of Spiritualists, but in his reply to my letter to his own showing he is at one with the Bhuddists. Intimately acquainted, as I was, with many Bhuddistd, 1 am clearly of opinion that he is correct in classifying his religion with that of the Bhuddists, and who number not 20,000,000 but 300,000,000 of souls. My experience and observation of that religion, and I have walked with freedom in their temples, is this : That while the priests (such as Mr. Smith is) preach total abnegation; their constant precept to tho people is the efficacy of offerings. They are despised by the intelligent classes, but they control the ignorant by a most elaborate paraphernalia of spirits (such as Mr. Smith has at his call), which make their votaries the most prostrate and abject in tho world. The Effect of Fencing on tug Pboduction of Wool.— The question of the advantages attendant on fencing in tho runs, and letting the sheep go at large, when, compared with fhepherding tho sheep on un fenced runs (says the Pastoral Times) has now been pretty well tested on the Darling. It is estimated that the sheep have at least on an average one pound of wool more when they aro per-uiitti-d to go unshepherded. For is this all— the wool is decidedly cleaner, more free from dirt or "gritty " substances, and has moro yolk, so that tho advantages of fenced stations aro undeniably great; in fact, shepherding sheep will be dispensed with wherever it is practicable to do so— the point may be considered as settled in theso districts. We are sorry to hear, says a late Independent, that Dr. Viard, the Roman Catholic Bishop, is very ill and not expected to live very long. His Lordship has been ill and is etill recommended to the uravera of the faithful. l J An exploring party, under the leadership of Mr. Browning, of the Survey Department, ha 9 been sent out by the Westland County Government, to explore the head waters of the Ilokitika and Kokotahi Rivera, it being supposed that quartz reefs are likely to bo discovered there. The Provincial Council of Canterbury has unanimously passed a resolution, requesting the (General Government to take earnest steps for the defence of the seaboard of Canterbury. A company is being formed in Canterbury to bring the lino of railway into the centre of the city, the railway station at the present time being three-quar-ters of a mile distant from the city. The high price of labour has caused a stoppage of nearly all tho deep claims at Ross, in Westland. The miners refuse to accept £3 10*. per week for ten hours a day or £2 15s. for eight hours. The Westland Waste Lands Board has temporarily reserved from sale the land applied for by Mr. Brogden and Sons, in their application regarding the large water-race proposed to be constructed by°thafc firm. Mr. Karslake's resignation of his seat for Coleridge, in the Province of Canterbury, in the House of Representatives is published in the Gazette. Mr. G. Hart and Mr. Jebson, both Government supporters, have issued addresses to the electors, announcing their intention to contest the vacancy. Mr. Cracroft Wilson, C.8., an opponent of the Government, ia also spoken of as a candidate. From the financial statement made by Mr. Reid, in the Otago Council, he appeared to be of opinion that there ia a probability of the holding of a special session of the Provincial Council towards the end of the year, rendered necessary by the financial legislation of the General Assembly. A great raid has been m.ido by the police on the West Coast Gold-fields upon the bakers, under the Bakers and Millers Act, and several offenders have been fined for breaches of the Act. Mr. Macassey's motion in the Otago Council " that the Council regret tho unnecessary appoint** mentof Judge Ward,especiallyas the provincialuuthoritieß were not communicated with," was carried. The Waikato Times tells an amusing story of a case of "pounding." It says :—" The following took place m one of the townships in the Waikato : Two individuals found some cattle on their land, and determined to impound them. The cattle were' rather wild, and they drove an old cow as a decoy, riiey succeeded in getting the cattle into the pound, md, feeling rather fatigued with their exertions, they adjourned to a public-house to refresh the inner man, leaving tho cow outside. The poundkeeper came along during the time they were imbibing and impounded their old cow. The termination jf the affair was tho pounding of the pound-keeper, riiis is the most complete case of " pounding " we iiave been called upon to record."