TELEGRAPH TO PORT CHALMERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 216, 18 August 1862, Page 5

TELEGRAPH TO PORT CHALMERS.

At last the Telegraph line to Port Chalmers is completed, and ia working order. The Deputy Superintendent sent a complimentary message through it on Saturday to the Town Soard of Port Chalmers, and a short while afterwards we were in receipt of a formal message from the Port. In our shipping column, also, will be found evidence of the newly opened line. We shall describe at greater length on a future occasion the line, and the mode of operation adopted. Many difficulties have been encountered through the hilly nature of the ground, and we must congratulate Mr. Driver, the lessee and contractor of the line, on the success which has' crowned his efforts. At Canterbury they had two balls and two public dinners to celebrate the opening of the Telegraph line between Christchurch and Lyttelton. Although not tlie first in New Zealand, the Dunedin and Port Chalmers line is surely entitled" * to some public recognition.

The Omeo, -which was advertised to take back the Euglish mail, had not arrived up to a late hour last night, and she -would now be scarcely able to catch the mail steamer in Melbourne. The mail once missed, not only would the people ofOtagobe very seriously'inconvenienced, but the loss -would be felt all over the Colony. The Queen has nearly a hundred boxes on board for transmission by the English mail steamer, and the Airedale is hourly expected, with a supplementary number.. Takiug these circumstances into consideration, we believe it is the intention of the Provincial Government to arrange for the specia! despatch of a steamer. The Gothenburg is due hourly. She is advertised to go on to Canterbury ; but doubtless an arrangement might be entered into with the agents. The Queen or the Airedale would also be available for the purpose. If any one of these vessels left at daybreak on Tuesday she would easily be able to catch the mail steamer, which leaves Melbourne on the 26tli; No serious inconvenience would result to the Northern Mail Service by taking off the Queen or the Airedale, as, the one not taken could return to Wellington with the mails from England now hourly due. Under present arrangements, the Airedale would go down to Southland. She, or the Queen, coulp stop at passing to pick up the English mails for that Province. We think there can be no do to tliat the General Government would refund ut the Local Government any expense that might be incurred. It-would be a serious tiring- v it flic, public despatches were delayed for a month""

ABSTRACT OP THE CENSUS OF OTAGO

(FROM THE DAII/T TIMES, AUGUST 7) We lately gave a resume of the census of New Zealand for 1861, confining our remarks chiefly to the industrial and commercial condition of the various Provinces, particularly the Province of Otago. It is our present intention to make an analysis of the social and educational condition of the Province o Otago, and of its agricultural and pastoral ope-

rations, basing our calculations upon the Abstract of the Census for this Province, published in the Provincial Government Gazette of yesterday. This Abstract is a very valuable and interesting record, and furnishes abundant proof that the gold discoveries have not had any deteriorating influence upon the social condition of the people. Twelve months ago, it was predicted that the gold discoveries, however much they might increase the commercial prosperity of the province, would be the* means o introducing a population containing elements of disorder, immorality, aud crime. How utterly unfounded those anticipations have proved to be, the history of the last twelve months affords abundant evidence, and the tables before its furnish a complete vindication of the intelligent character of the population The population of the Province of Otago was' in December, 1861, 30,269, inclusive of abou' 3000 miners unenumerated. Of this number' 21,328 were males above 16 years of age, and 3346 adult females.- There were 41G3 married males, 2336 married females, 260 widowers, and 132 widows. The population of the various districts is stated as follows: —City o Dunciin. 5850; Town of Port Chalmers, 390 ;

Town of Oamaru, 107; Eastern District,

1293; Western District, 1234; Central District, 1724; Tokomairiro, 1813; Clutha District, 921 ; Maniototo District, 334; Northern District, 1252; Tuapeka District, 11,472: Military in Dunedin, 106. Miners in gullies, &c, and on the roads, 3000 ; on board shipping in harbor, 673. Of the adult population of the Province, 714 were members of educated professions, merchants, clerks, &c ; 1,497 were artizana" and skilled laborers ; 955 were unskilled laborers ; 1,922 followed other industrial pursuits; 573 were storekeepers and tradesmen; 1,624 followed agricultural and pastoral pursuits; and 10,826 were gold miners. We will now enquire into ■ the subject of education, and endeavor to show the respective degrees of education of the mining, agricultural and pastoral districts, and the City of Dunedin, including Port Chalmers. In making our calculations we shall compare the number of those who can read, or read and write, with the number of population over six years of age. Dunedin and Port Chalmers had a population over six years of age of 5,130, of whom

427 could read only; and 4,496 could read and write. The mining district had a population over six years of age, of 11,425, o •whom 159 could read only, and 8201 who could read and write. The agricultural and pastoral districts had a population of 7117, o whom 866 could read only, and 6133 could read and write. It will thus he seen that the proportion of educated population, i. c. who could read and write, was in Dunedin and Port Chalmers, about 88 per cent. In the mining district, slightly over 71 £ per cent; and in the agricultural and pastoral districts nearly 86| per cent. There were being educated in Schools supported by Government aid, 354 male children, and 292 female children ; and 163 male, and 265 female children, educated in private schools. 105 children attended Sunday Schools alone, while 455 attended both day and Sunday School?. Of religious denominations, the Presbyterian Church numbered 10,596 ; Church of England 9062; Roman Catholics 2745; Wesleyan Methodist 607; Congregationa Independents 395 ; Baptists 272 ; Lutheran 117; Hebrews 103; Unitarians 26 ; Society of Friends 8 ; Primitive Methodists 7 ; other denominations 65; including 2 Mahoraedans

and 10 Mormons; those under the head of " unknown" numbering 3160. Of the popula-tion-of the Province, 8849 were born in Scotland, 7494 in England, 3154 in Ireland, 167 in Wales, 2720 in New Zealand, 777 in Australian colonies, 140 in other.British possessions, 309 in the United States, 80 in France, 194 in Germany, 366 in other foreign countries, 79 at sea, 2834 unknown, besides 3000 unenumerated miners. The Scotch muster strongest in the City of Dunedin district, numbering 2673, against 1588 English, 313 Irish and 25 Welsh, the balance being made up of other nations. On the diggings the population consisted of 4001 English, 2303 Irish, 1446 Scotch, 94 Welsh—the balance being natives of other countries. In the agricultural and pastoral districts, the Scotch were by far the most "numerous of the natives of the United Kingdom. To lodge the population of the Province, there were 1017 wooden, houses, 96 houses of stone or brick, 670 houses built of other materials, and 3563 tents. Of these different descriptions of habitations, 4992 had only one or two rooms, SI 1 had three rooms, 315 had four rooms, 132 had five rooms, and 394 had six rooms and upwards. Comparing the amount of accommodation with the population, we find that there were 6144 houses and tents, or about 11000 room 3, for a population of 27,163. There were 42,254 acres of land fenced in, in the Province, of which quantity the Central District contained 13,708 acres. In the Tokoraairiro district, there were 9,940 acres; Eastern district, 5,351 acres; Clutha district, 5,000 acres; Northern district, 4,687 acres; in Dunedin City, 629 acres; in Oamaru Town, 131 acres; Port Chalmers, G9 acres; and Maniototo district, 69 acres. Of the whole land under crop in the Province, 8,220^ acres *<jre sown in grass, 4928^ acres in wheat, -,518| acres in oats, 667^ acres in potatoes, 504J acre 3in gardens and orchards, and 248| acres in other crops. The greatest extent of land under crop was in the Central District, the quantity being 7,020£ acres; Tokomairiro district had 3,696 i acres; the Eastern district, 2915 acres; the Northern district, 2319£ . acres; the Western district, 1,575 acres; Clutha district, 1213£ acres; Dunedin City, 329 acres; Port Chalmers Town, 128J acres; Maniototo district, 46^ acres; Oamaru Town, 11^ acres; the Central district, the principal crop grown was wheat, 2870 acres ; grass, 2088 acres; mixed oats, 1626J acres. In the Tokomariro district, theprincipalcrop grown was oats, 13282- acres; grass* 1156 acres; wheat, 921 acres. In the Eastern district, grass was the principal crop, being 1915 acres; next oats, 570 i acres; and wheat, 246| acres. In "the Northern district 1 grass was also the principal crop, ot which there were 1343^ acres ; there were also about 800 acres in wheat and oats. In the Clutha district, wheat was the principal crop, of which there were 456f acres; next oats, 305 acres; and grass, 280 acres. The other districts do not call for any particular definition. The Tokomairiro district had the largest number of horned cattle, the number being 7913; the Central district had 6643 head. The Clutha district, 5385; Northern district, 5259; Maniototo, 4806; Eastern district, 2419; Western district, 1255; Dunedin, 342; Tuapeka, 252 ; Oamaru, 190 ; Port Chalmers, 80. The greatest number of sheep were in the Northern District, the number being 212,890. Maniototo had 196,941. Tokomairiro, 85,031; Clutha District, 82,922; Eastern District, 1957 ; Tuapeka, 1512; Western District, 1022. The Northern District'

contained the must horses—Bs3 ; Tokomairiro had 847 ; Central District, 1816; Glutln District, 541; Dunedin City, 536; Eastern District, 393; Western District, 322; Maniototo, 240; Tuapeka, 160. From the preceding short review a tolerably correct idea may be tunned of the social condition, occupations, and general characteristics ot the population of Ofcago, and also the extent and nature of the agricultural and pastoral operations carried on in the several districts ol the Province.