CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday, 4.30 p.m.

North Otago Times, 14 September 1865, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday, 4.30 p.m.

The Lord Ashley has arrived at Lyttleton frorc the North. She was detained by bad weather. Mr Vogel's financial motion has been lost by a majority of twenty-five to eight. Several of the Aiuiland and Otaejo members left the House without voting] Mr T. Russell's motion on the leparation of tla two Islands was adjourned till Tuesday (yesterday) after several night's debate. [ There has been more fighting on the East Coast The Han-Hans were defeated with a loss of 12 men. Several were wounded. I Heavy fighting is anticipated.

We are requested to direct particular attention .announcement by Mr Allan, Immigration Agent f< Province^concerning the granting of passages to ' of friends of colonists, and the conditions on whicl passages may be obtained. The attention of mine others resident Jin -the.'goldfields districts are sjx directed to thi» notions

loan the jtago [such land :iaUy

In reference to tho delay in forwarding the Mail news from the Bluff to Oainaru a few weeks since, we have to inform our readers that we have been favored with an explanatory reply from Mr Alfred Sheath, the Telegraph Engineer. We are glad to state that the complaint we made has had the desired effect, for we are informed that we ''need be under no apprehension about the English Mail," and likewise that Mr Lemon is to he afforded some temporary assistance until more permanent arrangements can be made. We have to acknowledge the courtesy and kindness of Mr Sheath i»» «> .promptly attending to this matter. A gentleman, writing to us from mmedin, says, that notwithstanding the inducem*"' 3 ne W out to the owners of the Geelong, to place her in the Hokitika trade, they do not intend *« withdraw her from her present service. We doubt not the inhabitants of this place will welcome this piece of intelligence, «nd we hope will show their appreciation by giving every possible support to their local steamer for the future. An announcement by the Secretary of the Northem Pastoral and Agrioult"ral Association, in this issue, to the effect that Messrs Williams and Whitmore, brewers, of Oamaru. will give a cup of the value of 25 guineas for the best sample of malting barley, grown in the district this season, deserves more than passing notice, and speaks volumes for the enterprise and publicspiritedness of thpse gentlemen. We refer our readers to the advertisement for particulars. Intending exhibitors at the forthcoming Show of the Northern Pastoral and Agricultural Association, will do well to observe that this day week (Thursday), the 21st instant, is the last day for entering stock, and for other exhibits the 12th October is fixed as the day up to which entries will be received. A communication from Oamaru to the Provincial Government on the subject of opening up a route to the West Coast, has elicited a reply to the effect that " the Government is fully alive to the importance of opening up, in any direction, communication between the Eastern and Western Coasts of the Middle Island of New Zealand, and will gladly contribute the sum of L50 to the discoverer of a piacticable hoise-track by either Lake Ohau or Pukaka." The opinion of Mr Thompson, the Chief Surveyor, who has already carefully examined the country in that dnectioD, is given at the same time, and it is to the effect that no pass exists below a lower elevation than 6000 feet above sea level. It appears to be the prevailing impression, notwithstanding the contrary opinions of Dr Haast and Mr Thompson, that a piacticable pass does exist, and Mr Hodgkinson, whose station is up ra that direction, purposes, we hear, to devote some time and trouble in order to solve the mystery. We hope an expedition will speedily be organised, and trust that the people of Timaru will do something more than talk of the feasibility of the enterprise. They were the first to desiie combined action with Oamaru in the matter. Oamaru is now prepared to go on with the expedition, and only awaits the movements of Timaru. We again beg to remind the inhabitants that the election of a member of the Oamaru Town Board, in the room of the late Dr Williams, will take place at the Court-House, on Monday next, at the hour of noon. We observe that tenders are called for the erection of a porch for the Presbyterian Chuich. Plan and specifications may be seen at our office. Dunedin advices report that the Dunerlin, Oamaru, and Molyneux Steam Shipping Company has been virtually established, and that a prospectus of the Company will be issued in a few days. The' major portion of the shares has already been taken up. We entertain no doubt of the success of the enterprise, and it is one in every way calculated to act beneficially on the development of the resources of the Province. A distressing and fatal occurrence took place here on the evening of Wednesday last, at the house of Mr C. Kleeber. It appears that Mrs Kleeber had been engaged in washing that day, and a pot or boiler of water was standing on the floor of the house, while two young children were amusing themselves. The mother having occasion to £»o out of the house for a little, was shortly alarmed by the cries of the elder child, and on returning found the infant with 'its head iu the water. Dr Waite was immediately sent for, but we regret to say every restorative was unavailing, the child dying some few hours afterwards. At a meeting of Presbytery in Dunedin, on Wednesday last, the following resolution was come to, viz : — That the Rev. D. M. Stuart be appointed to superintend the spiritual interests of the Goldfields population within the bounds of the Presbytery ; that the feeling of the Presbytery on this subject be made public ; that funds be gathered as soon as possible to procure adequate spiritual provision for the diggings where no provision is already msfde ; and, further, that the following ministers be instructed to hold themselves in readiness to visit such fields as Mr Stuart may deem advisable— viz., Messrs Will, Watt, Christie, and Gillies. " The Rev. Mr Gillies gave notice that at next meeting of Presbytery he would move, "That this Presbytery overture the Synod at its fii st meeting, to adopt some means of encouraging young men in the Colony to devote themselves to the ministry, and of facilitating their pieparations within the Colony for this work." Several curious and interesting looking animals have been captured by some boys, w hile amusing themselves at a ditch surrounding Mr John Lemon's property. One of theni may be inspected at Messrs Luke and Co. 'a, Chemists. It evidently belongs to the " Entomostraca," one of the great sections intj which Cuvier has divided the class "Crustacea." The " Enfcomosfcraca" again are divided into two orders — " Branchiopoda" and " Poscilopoda"— and tho animal in question answers closely the description of the former of these orders, with the exception that it has an oval and semi-transpa-rent shelly covering of a. dull bluish hue, and is of a larger size than those described by any author within our reach. The shell, which sits loosely on the back, and appears not at all to impede the vivacious movements of the animal, is about an inch in length, and oval in form— somewhat l esembling an inverted boat. It has only one eye, which glistens like a gem, as in the family " Monoculidee" or Cyclopes, of which the type is the "Cyclops Quadricornis." Tho tail is sixjointed, and like that of a. scorpion, extending from the extremity of the shell fully an inch. As in tho "Branchiopoda," the lower extremities, covered by the shell, evidently fulfil the functions of gills, and are very numerous. The specimen shown to us is apparently a female, having the characteristic oval sac on each side of the tail, in which the egg« are carried. The total length of the animal is fully two inches. "We observe that the fecuadity of its congener, the "Cyclops Quadiicornis," is somethine surprising. By calculation, it appears that at the end of one year a female, which gives birth to forty young at a time, may become the progenitor of 4,4±'2,189,120 young. Mr Luke, we believe, intends forwarding the curious and beautiful little animal to Dunedin. The moat striking peculiarity with regard to it, we may mention, is, that the ditch where theie creatures are found has no communication with any other, and was recently, quite dry, so that no one is able to reasonably conjecture how they possibly came to inhabit that place. It has been thought by some that the animals are not yet in their perfect state, and that they have been deposited as eggs by some insects, and are only now undergoing one of the strange transformations to which some insect are known to be liable. \ In our sketch of the proposed new Chuich at Otepopo, in- last week's issue, we stated that the probable cost of the building, when completed, would amount to about L1500. We now are given to understand that the expense will not be much in'excess of L1000, if it exceeds that sum. 1 1 j The past has been another blank week as regards business of a public character transacted at the Resident Magiataate'a Court.

We regret very much to learn that there is a probability of pleuro-pneumonia being introduced into the Oamaru district, through a number of cattle having been brought within the boundaries of the clean district from the south, where it is known that that destructive malady is still raging. This becomes a most serious question for owners of cattle, and we trust every effort will be made to prevent contngion. A gentleman, writing from the intoiiur, says : — "If such cases are to go unpunished, it will be impossible to keep the district free from this destructive disease, as bullock teams are constantly passing up and down between here and Oamaru, 1 and, indeed, there are at the present moment either one or two bullock teams from Oamaru down at the Rocky Point Ferry, where these cattle are. If these bullocks, perchance, mix with the others before they return to Oamaru, the whole district may be at once infected." We trust the authorities will lose no time in moving in this matter. ' Miss Rosa Cooper and Mr Lionel Harding arrived in Oamaru from Lj ttelton per the Geelong on Thursday last, aud gave their theatrical entertainment on the evenings of Saturday and Monday following, in the Noithern Hotel Assembly Room. In consequence of their arrival being quite unexpected, the houses they drew were poor ; but the inclemency of the weather wai doubtless also an operating cause. The entertainment on each occasion was " Matrimony," which we are informed has been recently most successful in Christchurch, as well as formerly in London aud the provinces. In the first piece, Mr Pophom, an actor without means (Mr Harding) advertises for a partner in life, and he receives numoious replies from eager aspirants for his band and heart. Misa Rosa Cooper undertakes the impersonation of the various applicants, and to her vivacity nnd versatile qualifications is the success of the piece chiefly attributable. She appears as a Lady of a poetic turn of mind, an Irish match-making mother, a Scottish maiden, an actress (with whom Mr Popham goes through scenes from the Lady of Lyons, Macbeth, &c, in rather a clever manner), and as a veiled lady of color, rejoicing in the name of Miss Snowdrop. Miss Rosa Cooper, in this character, was certainly most amusing, and the audience could hardly fail to be convulsed with laughter. During this piece Mr Harding recited the Balaklava Charge, aud " Speak gently to the Fatherless." This last, Mr Harding's own composition, has a close resemblance to the well-known "Speak Gently," of which most of our readers will doubtless recollect ; but perhaps the similitude is not intentional. The concluding portion of the performance consisted of "Astonishment, or the adventures of a gentleman running away from his wife." Here again Miss Rosa Cooper assumes various characters, and by her sprightly acting keeps the audience in great good humor. The want of music, &c, was much felt, and made the entertertainments go off more flatly than they otherwise would have done. The entertainment, we believe, is to be given in Timaru to-morrow night. We learn that on Wednesday last, at the Waste Land Board Office, Dunedin, applications were granted for 1002 acres at Awamoka, and 9906 acres at Marewhenua. 2125 acres will be offered at auction, in consideration of there having been more than one application for each block ; and there were applications for 400 acres refused, on account of their being within proclaimed gold-fields. The following " On Dit" is from the " Auckland Herald :" — " We hear that a most peculiar affair came to light at Napier, short before the Star of the South sailed on Tuesday last. It is rumored that a largd case, labelled * Bread,' had been left lying on the verandah of the Post Office, and towards night the constable on that beat seeing it there, and thinking it in a very unsafe place, deemed it advisable to take it into his custod3 r , and accordingly removed it to the station-house. Next day the excessive weight of the case, said to contain only ' Bread,' aroused the suspicion of the authorities, and the case was opened. Inside there was a small casing, about six inches broad, running the edges, into which had been dropped biscuits ; the top was covered with tea, sugar, &c, but the body of the case contained a large quantity of powder and shot. Inquiry was at once set on foot, and Dame Rumor says that this most ' miraculous box' was the property of a Government official." At a recent meeting of the Victorian Acclimatisation Society, we observe that "a letter was read from Mr Win, Black, of Oamaru, mentioning that Mr Waddell, of that town, was sending by the Hero some paradise ducks for the Society. These the Superintendent reported had arrived, and as they were very handsome birds, they would doubtless prove a great attraction at the Royal Park," The Secretary of Public Works has notified, in reference to contracts for Public W orks, that tenders must be in the actual name of the person or persons tendering. The person tendering must either call at the Office of Roads and Works and give references (if required), or send in with their tender a certificate, from some known person, certifying that their names and signatures are genuine. No transfer of contracts will be allowed, except by special permission. The " Marlborough Press" of 23rd ultimo, states : — "At half-past eleven o'clock, on Saturday night, the inhabitants of Picton were astonished by the shock of an earthquake — more severe than what has been felt for several years. The wave of disturbance appeared to come up the Sound, and pass under Picton, culminating" in a subdued crash. It did not last longer than a few seconds, and was accompanied with a rumbling sound, as of an unladen dray passing at a great rate along a hard road. Another, but leas distinct, shock was felt about a quarter of an hour subsequent to the first one. The night was pitchy daik, the wind blowing in fitful gusts, and at intervals accompanied by drizzling showers. The shock was felt at Blenheim and Renwicktown, but in a less intense degree. No damage was done to buildings of any description, nor were chimnej's or brickwork shaken to the extent of displacing the material." An Auction Bazaar in aid of the funds of the Dunstan Hospital has realised the sum of L80. A four-pouni loaf was sold and purchased so many times that the large sum of L13 was realised ; a tin of lobsters brought altogether about L4 ; and a pair of Maori hens are said to have fetched a very large-, amount. Mr Jones, the auctioneer, was knocked down by Mr Cope, the Hospital Secretary, for 5s. ! The purchaser afterwards forfeited his bargain, in consideration of the high prices of food in that neighborhood, and the quantity necessary to keep up the vivacity of an auctioneer ! The South Sefton Ploughing ~" Match (Canterbury) came off on the 6th inst. Prizes to the value of L26, together vritix * Cfc-mpinn Silver Cup, value, L14 14s., were distributed. 15 ploughs started. Plaskett, with a wheel-plough, carried off the cup for the owner of his team, Mr Keetley, of Kaiapoi, the ploughman himself receiving L7. Plaskett has this year won the Kaiapoi Champion Prize, and also one of the Rangiora prizes. An official report of Mr J. W. Rayet; who was commissioned to search the coast near Cape Terawiti for traces of the wreck of the City of Dunedin, has been published. He examined the shore from Lyall Bay to Ohariu Bay. Bulkhead planks were found along the whole coast ; Also portions of saloon seats, boats, water casks, tables, &c. It is reported that a'large quantity of couls have been cast on the shore at Otaki. When at Terawiti, Rayer made enquiries respecting what had been seen by the girl Inacmarama, aged 15. She left Wellington to ride out to Terawiti, on the Saturday the City, of Dunedin left port, and when about a mile from home, and juat befora dark, shs saw a steamer close among the rocki, and looking u if it were going round and round, and would not steer. The sailors were pulling the tails up and down, and appeared to be in great confusion. On reichiig homo the asked bet mother to come out »nd «co, bat the (her mother) wu busy mad did not go. «

On Monday morning a sericus- accident occurred to a young lad named Carr, in the employment of Mr Ogflvie, blackimith. He was in the act of leading one of the Police Camp honei to the workshop, when he allowed the animal to get the full length of the »ein, upon which it got before him and dealt him a kick oi> tbe face. He was immediately carried home, and surgical flttendance called for, when it was discovered that his cheek was pretty severely cut and several of his teeth knocked out. Beyond this he suffered no injuries, but the accident might easily have been attended with more aerioua consequences. We find the following important paragraph in a Wellington Correspondent'* letter to the " Daily Times :" — " A committee has been, or is to be, appointed in the Upper House, to tnke into consideration the circumstances connected with your late Superintendent's famous proclamation, remitting the tnx upon land. There are, I believe, three proposals talked of, one to provido for re-payment of the purchase-money to the purchaser* who desire it ; the second to remit the tax by Act on the lands concerned ; the third to p«it on the estimate* an amount sufficient to pay the extia amount permitted by the Land Act, as an alternative to the tax. Supposing the same to be charged to Otngo, it will be but a nominal operation, whilst it will free the land in accordance, with the Acts already in force from payment of the tax." " An occasional correspondent" of the " Dunedin Times," at "Wellington, has the following in a late communication, "We think it may be pretty accurately guessed who the writer is: — "Of matteis of special local interest to you, I may first mention the Oamaru petition, presented by Major Richardson for Mr Wayne, who was disqualified from preienting it through hit having signed it. I believe Mr Wayne intends to bring on its discussion. He made one ineffectual attempt to do so, which failed, owing to h : s having tied it on to a hill which itself fell through. Mr Wayne does not display very shining abilities. Hi* vote is almost invariably given to the Canterbury members, especially on subjects in which conflicting interest* between Canterbury and Otago are concerned." We have »een at Mr G. R. Taylor's store, Thameastreet, a specimen of pipeclay which has been obtained on Mr Hassell's property at Cave Valley. It is very pure, and we doubt not will become valuable, Mr B. C. Haggitt, solicitor, is in the field a* a candidate for the representation of the City of Dunedin in the Provincial Council. The usual fortnightly escort arrived in Dunedin, on Friday afternoon, bringing 10,314 oz. 10 dwt. of gold.