The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1864. THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 108, 18 March 1864, Page 3

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1864. THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES.

KPECTEJIUR, AGESDO. " Hire evevy man thine car, but few thy voloe: Take each man's censure, but reserve tlij judgment. This above all, —To thino ownself tie true; And it must follow, S3 the night the dHy, Thou canst uot then be false to any man."

J!y the 'Plicebe,' which arrived yesterday mornitiu; iu the Jtauukau, we havo received southen. Hies to the latest dates. The principal items o: intelligence are those of tho skirmish at Taranalci and the destructive fire and consequent loss ol'lit'e in Invcrcargil. The Provincial Council of Tai'anaki commenced its twelfth session on tho the Bth inst. Kxtendcd harbour accommodation is urgently insisted upon by the Superintendent. The account of the skirmish at Ivaitaki will be found in full in another column. At "Wellington the public and papers aro ail by the cars together, squabbling about the Panama contract, and the interests of the \'AS. N. Company. Clause 2/ of the con-tVu-t with the I. C. K. M. Company is an indigestible pill for the "Queen ot tho South Pacific," tlie " City of Delights," situate somewhere in Cook's Strait. Tlie Nelson journals contain little else than extracts fronl Auckland papers. In Otago nothing of any interest has occurred since our last dates. Tho weather has been severe for the season, and most of the liiglior hill* were covered villi saow. The In:', esteri wkleli

li:ul arrived in "Dunadin. thiit on ttio Bth instant, brought down 14,030 ounces of sjold. As a consequence of the cold, the rivers were fulling rapidly, mid diggers -were in great expectation of procuring larsro rpinnlitics of cold. It was expected that in a few weeks, and in the absence of anv heavy fall of rain, the lieaiix would be as low as -when Hartley mil Kiley first discovered gold on its banks. A fall of seven foot in tho pcriJendienliir was nil th.'i , was required before the bench claims would asjain become workable. At Wanuhorikin. also, diners were nnsiously awaking the falling of ihc river. From invercariril w learn that a serious ennf!'!!Tn!ioii has resulted in (he loss of tivo lives mid a lnrjrr , nninunt of rroprrfv. Tt occurred enrlr on tho morning of the Ist in*(. 'Hie "Kvfflsior Hotel, the Tni-n-CTiyi! Thnrs office. Spencr l nnd Co.'s ft tobo<v">m.sf s shon. tlie Cril'-vion 11.■.;<•] and Concert Hall, and i'mallv ihe I'nion 13m ik were burnt to the !':■.>::»,]. The full particulars of this sad afi'air Tvill be .seen in another column.