THE Otago Daily Times.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 302, 8 December 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times.

v Inveniam viatn auffaciam." .*

DUNEDtN, MONDAY, DECEMBER 8.

Outside the circle of the immediate framers (whoever they may be), of the proposals, there appears to be a tolerable unanimity of opinion as to the defects of the land system, and the readied mode of remedying them. It is recognised that the regulations, devised origi- „ naliy for a particular purpose, to facilitate the acquisition of land, now serve only to' defea that object. The system of application, to begin with, was designed as a means to permit any person to obtain the particular land he required. The limited auction between two or more applicants was* presumed to be an ex-. ceptional case; but «ince the land is understood to be of a higher speculative value than the upset price, it follows as a matter of course that" for every block-there is more than one applicant; and the limited auction simply serves to keep, out purchasers ,wbx> do ,not comprehend the complicated system.' rThe „ Crown Lands Commissioner in his^report thus refers to tlie.subjec.t.:^ &vi rf - > - That portion of tlie Land Regulations which pro-' tides for an auction .between-the applicants for' the same land, whose*npplications have been made on the saine wday> is generally fittte understood by tKe public, and is attended by mucK- inconvenience; thiyliow-** rever, 'arises from'that wEich was understood to?be an exoeptioH .liaviug becwme the rtile-^tlie cause 6K: its lifiving become the rale is thats^ted before,'that much of the land having acquired a higher value than the Government fixed prico^oC£l, there wiJl always > be a large number of applicants ior such lands/mimy of whpMare mere speculators/ , * + >„ ,' Further pn he says :~'i Tie system of open " auction 'is* the: only ;one whereby the ,full "V.Talue of the land can be obtainedI,'1,' afld that ** any rules 6r,regu|atioas^which 'teh^feSrdis^i '* conrage' speculation inj land; equally tend to *'i t£e deduction'of the* amountTreceivable' )>y

„ TJuaJsiing3, U3,to- the consideration,—is :it wise,or politic to allow r the land to be purchased for less tbanits-value? In the'early days of.the Province the system was comprehensible enough. If you will consent to spend so much money on the land, you may Have it a* the nominal price ,of lOaper acre. Such was. the meaning of the low upset price. - and the improvement clause; and we are not prepared to argue whether, if it had been a practicably workable system it would have served the then purposes of the Province. It is to be doubted whether it is not, in almost every case, better to allow commercial transactions to find their own level' rather than to regulate them by artificial restrictions. At any rate, what might have been expected came to pass. The land was greedily taken at less than its value, but the improvements were not carried out. The improvement clause then simply became a handle in the hands of speculafive capitalists. They could afford to hold on till its repeal became assured, and they understood enough of business to know that sooner or later the Government would be compelled to give valid titles to the immense number of landowners who held doub'ful ones. They knew also that in reselling portions of their purchases they were securing allies who would make common cause with them. The same thing goes on how;—persons purchase bad tenures, becausethey get them cheap. In other wordsj the improvement clause is so much, detracted from the value of the land, which sold with an immediate title would fetch a higher price. The speculators are not to be blamed for taking advantage of a principle that their common sense told them was unworkable. But the administrators of the public estate will eventually have much to answer for, if they, in the face ol; all Ifchat experience teaches them, continue to allow the lands to be sacrificed • for less than their worth. The raising the price of the land to its fair value, and the doing away with the improvement clause, are fair cbrolibries oh the arguments adduced. Legislatipn is inadequate to force people to cultivate. The attempts ;in that direction, have not only proved signal failures,'but have promoted the evils they designed to cure. The money which might have been devoted to cultivation, was expended in further purchaser of land, whilst those whose means were insufficienty found the improvement clause, with its insecure title an insuperable bar to obtaining legitimate advances of capital. Thus the clause played into the hands of, the,wealthy speculators, whilst its operation injuriously affected the poor cultivator. ■.. > But although^ lpgal restrictions have been and always must be impotent to discourage speculation, the ordinary application of; natural? laws will go far towards effecting that object. Two circumstances encojurage; the speculator, the obtaining a thing for less than its value, and the artificial restrictions that tend to vest in him. the monopoly of buying and selling. Both^these condition^ exist in the Otago regulations, but let rhem be done away with—let land be raised to its approximate value, anil let any person have the unfettered opportunity of buying,—• and all inducement to speculation is at an end. Persons would only buy what they considered they had a use for. ,■: ■ : , ' To now return to the question, is it right or wise to allow the public estate, to pass away Tor less than its value? Whatever inducements it might have b?en necessary in. the early days 6f the Province to offer to settlement, or to the investment of capital,—the hour has Purely' passed when it is justifiable ? to «ecure these at the sacrifice to the State of its public lands. Neither to those who are here ; oowj nor to the colonists who in future riny make the Province their home, is it fair that , the public property should any further be frittered away at less than its value/ Let every one* have the opportunity of purchase bat do not allow a few to derive advantage at the, expense of the many. Herein v lies the difference between the past and the present. The facilities 'afforded in the early days of the settlement were calculated to apply to every settler. But any facilities offered now, would only advantage a few to the loss of the many; Take- for instance the first ship load of Immigrants who arrived. It was no doubt legitimate to. eh-s courage them by giving them land for less* than its.value. But when the riucleusTof a com-: ;qiunity.wasiformed;:further sacrifices only went to benefit a few, at the expense of the bulk b i the settlers. Supposing now a ship load of immigrants was to arrive, and that land was given to then at less than its value, what an injustice would be perpetrated on the 40,000 inhabitants upon whom would fall the cost of this bounty. Those of the 40,000 who in times past derived a like advantage would still have the right to complain. They would say justly enough, we are the pioneers—we have now made the place sufficiently attractive not to require inducements of the kind for fostering population. We thus arrive at the conclusion' that, the time has arrivtd for administrating the public estate with reference to its value, • without sacrificing it for the purpose of securing population. We have also seen that, apart from this" consideration, no possible plan can-be devised for sacrificing the land without paving the ,\vay to the plans of speculators. In fact, the selling the land at less than its value 1 induces speculation and discourages cultivation. - 'The principles of the remedy are apparent on %he surface, the details, are the difficulty. The restrictions to which the Government proposes to subject speculators, by taxing their land aresimply unconstitutional. Tliere is no medium between giving them a good title and forfeiting their lands. The latter, besides fallingj upon the* immediate buyers, would also affect the many hundred persons wjho 4bave bought from them. "The* courae^wbuld'also be beyond^jthe^ conception of |*the terms of. purchase, and would*' be open to other objections., -but'which it is not necessary to mention^ as no,, pane person sWouTd think of proposing such an expedient as forfeiture. lAs we have said, there is no^medinm^ouTse— taxation would be another word, for^ retaliation; -and if'the power were admitted; it would reduce \ fhe; value, ojt'&\l ''jCrown titles. On the, other band, by legalising'the titles, the facility, would* be given for cultivation, as the owner would.-have 'the. poweVoY borrowing, money a*s he'improved hisl estate.';* The present uncertainty merely iowJeWi^^alue of jthersoia-landjas well aVthat;of^Vuntjol^ land, a? it.places the two in competition. BuY .leaving the.past on onesided we have to^cspnVrtK^e *pimnuf?"" f 5 ~, - >¥c have saULthe land-fihould'.bejTaised to 'improper value. andutjwiU nuttee to jsaywhat tl&fe~^^hM|&l&!*

~ missioned mentions tfr»t there iran exceptfona vclass of Jand on the seaboard of much higher value than other land: This might be constituted into a separate class, the-same as suburban land in Victoria, and be always subjected to open auction. But for ordinary good agricultural land, as f r as possible, the Canterbury system fthonld be adopted, the purchasing it by application at the upset price. VOwihg.-to tlie Land Sales and Leases Ordinances, tinder which most of the pastoral runsv* are alienated, free selection could not be established over the whole country for a few years. But in the meanwhile the Hundreds would be amply sufficient for the purpose. If free selection were permitted in the Hundreds, the planjvrould have a fair test, comprising, as this^denomination does, [ the best land of the Province. But even free selection over the Hundreds could not be al« (lowed; without an Act of the General Assembly, which would require ratification by the Grown. ; Something approaching to it, howj ever, might be attempted without any other than Provincial action. By the advice of the Provincial Council the Governor 'could raise i the upset price; and the Land Commissioner might be instructed to flood the market with the available land in the Hundreds, which ; would then remain open to application aßcording to the existing rules. In fact, by .offering more land than could be bought, the < surplus would remain open to selection, whilst i speculation would be effectually discouraged. But if the Committee preferred an alteration by action of the General Assembly, we believe there would be no difficulty in persuading the Governor to hold a special Middle Island Session about February, when a revision of the Tariff, alteration in land regulations, and other subjects of a-kindred domestic nature, might be dea t with.

A meeting of the Provisional Directors of the "Water Works Company was held on Saturday last, at which Mr Thompson, the Chief Surveyor, who is consulting engineer to the board attended. Several schemes were considered, and that which was received with most favor was one for the supply of upwards of 100,000 gallons 'per day, which is far in excess, of present requirements. The directors determined to advertise for a practical engineer to investigate the design, which when done will be laid before the public. They also resolved to postpone for the present the receipt of applications for shares. This course of the directors will commend' itself to the public. It shows their determination to carry through the project, and their reliance on its success. We have received some letters reflecting rather ill naturedly on the company which we do not insert, because .we believe they are dictated by the desire to serve personal ends rather than to promote public interests. Our open column is always at the service of the public for. communications of a bond fide nature, but not for those covering a sinister purpose. If other people have a better plan to propose tban-that the present company has taken up, let them do so, but they have no right to try and promote their own scheme by running down that of their neighbors. It is said that the prospectus now before the public does not reveal any. scheme,

I whilst it states the'amount of capital required* This is quite intelligible. The promoters propose availing themselves of a cheap and quickly to be carried out plan of collecting water ftom some of the many sources of supply that are known to exist in the neighborhood of the town. The exact plan ia to be decided on by the directors, and we admit that until they had arrived at their decision it was premature to ask the public to subscribe for shares. That invitation they have- now sus- • I pended, and what more can the public ask than that a number of gentlemen, whose i standing and position are a guarantee that i they will not lend themselves to a bubble specu- | Nation, should take upon themselves the task of devising a scheme of such paramount importance to the community. At the same time, it should be remembered that the matter is not altogether in a crude condition. Mr Thompson, consulting engineer to ]the company, reported years ago on several pfaris for supplying the town with water. These are now available for choice, and the company could ask no abler assistance that that of its consulting engineer. Mr Thompson; for many years in India, made the question of water • supply- a subject of 4 close and attentive study. We take it the company does not mean to experiment ori a gigantic scheme that would take many years to carry out. But, viewing the immediate necessity for a supply of pure water, and the comparative facilities for procuring it afforded by the several sources in the "neighborhood, we presume the directors mean, to fis; on an inexpensive and easily jcarried out plan; which-will at once 'supply the much required desideratum. ,One reaspii for their having 'hastily organised the coiripany, is probably to tefceadTaritage of the sittings of thecounctlto.ask for Government sapporti subject of coursetoi approval of their

To shew that the subject is not wrapped in the obscurity with which one or two persons are endeavoring to invest it, we proceed to give a resume of the several plans suggested by Mr. Thompson some years back. We should add that in the rather unusual coune we are pursuing of supporting the company tt *so early and undeveloped stage of its existence, wpareactuated by the considerations that its promoters do, not shrltdk from the responsibility of declaring their connection with it 'that its objects are sound in a commercial point of view, and calculated to effect much public benefit, and. that although the precise nature of the plan is not decided pa, clearly no difficulty exists in the way of deciding on one. But even under these circumstances we should have been content to leave the directors to take their own course without remark, did wenotrecognise the lil-naturedly hostile feelingi with which the attempt harbeen made to throw ridicule on their proceedings, • The plan proposed by-Mr* .Thompson was to take "advantage ol^the various streams which ran'from the.hiils at the,bacVof»,tbe}town, to .save their,waters •£& high,level- vftjere Sbey. are pure andruncbatatninatedy and^tp conduct |hem jnto the tpwa by. pipes*. He did not l ■level, as, m case of, bursting, theM,reservoirs ' t would thj££a(snjjß^»a^ xvcniolife}^b'uthe>BuggestedttKat«s^&'wr* , ; i r water4in£ficie%^y^tQ-wtai^m|^a4%^pl^ '

which flow in the vicinity of London street, Regent Itoaci,'and Maclaggan street, would afford a minimum daily supply- of 158,598, gallons, or sufficient for the supply of 5,293 persons, at the rate of 30 gallons a head This . would he if the water were taken at an elevation of say 150 or 200 feet, and no provision made for saving any extra quantity that might come down in the shape of freshets and storjn water. The maximum supply from -these streams, hasing the calculation upon the area drained and the annual rainfall, would, it seems, he 549,450 gallons per day, or enough to supply 30 gallons a head to 17,315 peopleWithout, however, reckoning upon more than .a portion of this extra supply, which, indeed, would not be available without the construction of large reservoirs, Mr. Thompson was able to ..calculate that he wou'd be able to supply the wants of 10,000 persons at an outlay for works equal to 30s. per head of the population to be served. But this was only a portion of Mr. Thompson's scheme. He foresaw that in course of time the population must be expected to exceed 10 000, and he therefore in proposing a plan made provision for the supply of the larger number. In addition to the three small streamlets which from the extreme facility with which they could be applied to use, he was first induced to look to, he found that there were three other streams of con- ■ siderable volume each, and all of which could be pressed into the service; the North East Valley Stream, with a minimum flow of 843,556 gallons per diem, or enough for 28,118 people; the Water -of Leith, with 3,033,238 gallons, or enough for 101,108 people; and the Kaikorai, with 934,334 gallons," or enough for 31,110 people. This would give a total for the three streams of 4,811,128 gallons, or sufficient to supply 160,336 people with 30 gallons of water each/ every day. This also is without reckoning upon storm water, which, as in the case of the smaller streams, would -at times largely increase the volume of water, and which in the course of the year would nearly double the above estimate. * For the purpose of converting the waters of these larger streams to use, Mr. Thompson proposed to erect works of a suitable character, but to take the water at a considerably higher elevation thas from the smaller streams, thus securing a pressure sufficient to afford high service to all parts of the town. It was not proposed, in dealing with the larger streams, to make great reser-. voirs, any more than for the lesser ones, the object being not only to avoid needless expense, but to keep clear of danger. Neither wai it intended to commence the whole of cither set of works at once, but as the drawing a supply from each stream would be a separate work, it was intended to con structone at a time, according as the population increased, and the demand for water became enhanced. , Thus, in the first instance, sufficient supplies nvg-ht have been drawn from "the London - street and Maclaggan - street streamlets, calculated to supply a population of nearly 3,000 souls; next recourse would have been had to the Regent Road stream* which would supply over 2,000; and when these sources became insufficient, the NorthEast Valley stream, capabable of supplying 28,000 persons; the Kaikorai, with enough for 31,000- and the Water of Leith, with a supply sufficient for 101,000, could all ba taken in turn; thus affording, in all, sufficient for a population of 165,029 persons Mr. Thompson did not reckon upon being able to apply the waters of the larcje streams bo cheaply as the small ones, but he estimated that whereas the works for the small streams would cost at tho rate of about/ 30s. a head for the population supplied, the expense upon the large ones would be in the ratio of 403. per head of the population supplied. These calculations were made years ago, when Dunedin was comparatively in its infancy, but although the town has altered immensely since that date, there is no reason to ' believe that any material alteration has taken place in such natural features as the rivers and streams, which in all probability have always cpnti.iued to pour down the same volume of water from the hills where they take their rwe. The question of cost however, may have been considerably affected by the large increase of population, and by the increased facilities of roads, and the development of trade, and it is by no means improbable that what some years back could not be done for leas than 30s. or 40s. a head, might now be accomplished for a fur less sum. It is but right also to mention that Mr. Thompson did not pretend that his calculations of cost were more than approximate estimates, as of course he had not thought it necessary for the purpose of a preliminary report, to prepare detailed plans, estimates, or specifications.

The annual meeting of the Otago Rural Deanary board, is announced to be held in Dunedin on Monday the 15th January.

We observe, that the lately started Dunedin Waterworks Company are advertising for a practical engineer. :

By the Wonga Wonga wo have received later advicos "from Canterbury and Wellington.

The first (yirtrterly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, will be held at the Athenaeum, on Friday, the 12th inst.

A meeting of master bakers is announced to be held this evening at Moir's Hotel.

A special meeting of the subscribers to the Benevolent Institution, is to be held at the Athtin^um, on Friday 19fch inst., to'receive the report of the Committee of management.

By the Cosmopolite we have received files of Hobarfc Town papers to the 24th. The news has been anticipated by the Tamar. ;

The escort from the Nokomia arrived in town on Saturday; afcenoon,' bring down 1,030 ozs, 12dwtsofgold.

We notice that Mr Blackwell's racer r " Shillellagh," one of the horses entered for the Champion Race, lias arrived safely by the Cosmopolite, which vessel brings besides a number of valuable horse stock.

The following Government sales of town lands are advertise I to take place in the month of January; Port Chalmers January 5; Outram, West Taieri Ferry, January 7; Grayton, East Taicri, January 9; Waihola, January 10; Molyneux, January 13; Kaitangaia, Jauuary,l4. •

That populai favorite, Miss Emma Neville, is to-take her benefit this evening- 'at the Princess' Theatre. /Anunusually attractive bill is put forth for tlie occasion. Miss Neville is to appear for the first time in an entertainment called the "Old House n& Home ;" and as a further attrac, tioo, the play of ♦'jpucretia B.orgia" is promised WithMadameDurei in the principal character.

< By the Prince Alfred we hare received Southlaud papers to the sth inst. Tiuy do not contain anything of importance, and no later, news had been received, cither from the Nokomai or Wakatip diggings, .^ Miss Emily Wiseman had no occasion to be dissatisfied with, her benefit at the Princess' Theatre oa Saturday evening:, for the house was tUwugbly well filled, and with a most respectable audience. -The novelty for the occasion was the " Octoroon," which was produced for the first time at this house. The cast was an unusually strong one. for in addition to the whole strength of the powerful regular company of the theatre, the services of Madame Duret and Mr Le Roy had been secured. The public is already tolerably familiar with the plot of the piece. The part of the heroine was, of course, taken by Madame Duret, who may be said to have made the part her own ; and in liko manner. Uncle Petewas played by Mr Le Eoy, who as usual achieved a very decided success. His conception of the character of the humorous old negro is certainly capital, but we would suggest to him the advisability of< slightly curtailing the delivery of his speech to the slaves and bis by-play at the auction. The pretty little part of Dora Sunnyside was prettily played by Miss Emily Wiseman. As Salem Scudder Mr George Fawcett was all that could be desired ; Mr Hall was capital as Jacob M'Closkr; and Mr Small and Mr John I)unn as Colonel Poindexter and Captain Ratts were also very good. Mr Tom Pawcetfc exhibited a very just idea of thecharacter of the Indian, Wahnotee; and we must not forget to notice Miss Fanny Wiseman, who 'as little Paul fiiirly astonished the audience by her drollery,miking Paul a sorfcof male "Topsy."'' The piece was capitally put upon the stage, and was played with great care, and may in every particular be pronounced a success. It had been originally intended for the piece to have been fallowed by the farce of "Sally Scrags," but owing to the lateness of the hour this was not attempted.

Tuesday nisjht, (tormorrow) .is fixed for the benefit ot Mr W. D. Shiels, at the Theatre Royal, and we notice that the programme is an attractive one, combining the play of," Rob Roy," a recitation of Burns' Tarn ,o'Shanter, and an afterpiece entit.ed the Eton Bay. As the Bailie Nicol Jarvie, Mr Sheils is undoubtedly clever, and his previous representations of this character have been exceedingly successful. We have no doubt the patrons of the Royal will muster strongly, particularly the Bailie's country meu^ as we see that the performance is under the patronage: of the Caledonian Society.

The usual weekly meeting of the Dunedin Debating Club, will be held this evening at Gray's Assembly room, the subject for debate being—" Is it necessary to have recourse to arms to compel the Maori to submit to British law?"

A private in the 2nd Battalion of the 14th Regiment, stationed at Wellington, has been sentenced to twelve months imprisonment and hard labor for stealing three watches and a chain from a jeweller's shop.

" The House on the Bridge of Notre Dame," produced at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening, is an intensely sensational drama in three acts. To indicate only ths most prominent points in the plot, there is the (supposed) murder of Ernest de la Garde, by his uncle ; a pretended Ernest, who is a gipsy, and acts under the instructions ofyhe confederate of the uncle ; the murder of the gipsy, as.soon as he confesses the fraud and discloses what he believes to have been the assassination of Ernest; and the re-appearance of that personage to the confusion.of the uncle and his assistant. The piece is rea.lly interesting throughout, which some sensation dramas are not; and it was most creditably produced and acted. The. scene of the "lone house," with the Seine, and the bridge with its lights, was especially well got up." As Ernest, Mr Holt had little to do, Zambaro, the gipsy, being of course, the chief character. The advance'from the rough awkwardness of the wanderer to much of the ease and polish of the French gentleman, was subtly marked and there was great breadth and vigour in the impersonation, especially from the moment when Ztmbaro determines to confess his imposture. Mr Ryan was excellent as Rigobert, the rascally horse dealer and innkeeper • and Mr Wolfe did well as the villain of the drama, the Count de Forquerolles. Melonie. the young Creole, who loves Ernest, and who detects the trick which is successful with her lover's mother, received the fullest justice from Mrs Holt; and another pair of wooers, a lawyer's clerk and a waiting maid, could scarcely have been better represented that) by Mr Dale and Miss Hart. There is one-bit of "sensation" in the piece, which when well d»ne, as it was on Saturday evening, tells immensely. Mr Holt, as the gipsy, seems to be lying dead on a sofa ; but as Ernest he enters startlingiy, there | being no hint; that the sword wound given by his uncle had not been fatal. Tha old favorite •' Susan Hopley," was the afterpiece. "The Count of ; Monte Christo " is announced for this evening.

Great efforts are being made in Southland to secure the. trade of the Lake District, and a steamer—of which we extract the following description from the Southland News— is to be shortly placed on Lake Wakatip by an Invercargill firm:—" The steamer will carry fifty tons of general cargo, and will have comfortable accommodation for about forty passengers. We have inspected the model, and, from the opinions we heard expressed by several nautical men, should think her a boat capable of attaining considerable speed—at least ten knots--which will enable her to make two trips a day. She has also another advantage over the generality of New Zealand steamers. In place of firing at the end, as is ; usual in our small coastal boats, her boilers will be l-aiaed, thus affording a means of firing from balow. By this method steam can bj got up in a very * short time, as nothing but wood will "be,: used—a very great desideratum in such an undertaking. Her engines are of |h twelve-horse power, and capable of being workisd up to sixteen or seventeen, and the proprietors only await the arrival of a few small castings from Dunedinto despatch them at once to the Lake. -To show that the projectors; do not intend to talk on this subject, we way state that Captain. Sinclair; left town yesterday morningj with, all the necessary tools, workmen, provisions,; &c., fbr^COTrylfag.put this project, and we are given to understand that the steamer will be fitted out and running;iii about six weeks.'? v ;■ ,v;'. ':{;i; ■"': \. ;.■:.;■ ■ C'-u^iv/^-v

The following from the Southern News, red instant may serve as a warning to bash travellers :-—" On Sunday forenoon a messenger came into town from One Tree Point, bringing intelligence that Mr F. Collins had been missing since the previous day, and that it was supposed he had lost his way in the dense maze of Seward Bush, owing to the very cloudy character of £he day. His neighbors had been in search of him for several hours, but were deterred from further prosecuting* their search by the want of pocket compasses and gunpowder. Mr S. Bevan, to whom" the message was brought, procured a supply c both, and started for One Tree, Point. -By. re*-' peated firing, the the bush was penetrated. *Mr. ; Collins* ear was caught, and he made his way ta, the quarter whence the sound proceeded,.and was, rescued from his unpleasant situation, afterdating ,been lost in the bush for ,twenty-four* hours. It is a wonder the pocket compass is not is nyt more, frequently made " thojjßuihman'i" bosom friend*' 1 "**' ;

j- Afctho nominatioa on Thursday aS^aikon- | aiti, Mr Johu-Kichard Jones was duly elected a member, to'represeut tho district'of Hainplen in the House of Representatives. He was nominated by Mr White. .MrVogel was also nominated by MrM'Masters, but the show of.hauds being in Mr Jones's favor, no poll was demanded oa his behalf.

It is an old saying that one sids is always right until the other is heard. Afresh illustration of the truth of the proverb is offered in a letter which we publish elsewhere in reference to the subject of sluicing water rights. A deputation lately waited upon his Honor the Superintendent to urge the injustice of preventing the hil sluicers using water by night as well as by day. Now a gully worker writes to impugn their statements, aud to state the other side of the question. On which side justice lies it is still difficult to determine, but it seems more than probable that there is right on both sides, and that all that is needed ia an adjustment of rights in the several cases.

In the last letter of our Dunstan correspondent it was mentioned that Mr Gibson (of McLeod and Gibson) had visited the new diggings, and purposed making a rep jrt upon them. Mr Gibson has since come to town, and has written a report upon the routes, which we publish elsewhere.

We understand that the discovery of an important mineral has been made in the neighborhood of the Danstau, one which wo pointed out many months ago might be looked for in the Province. We hop? by next - issue to be in possession of, further information on the subject. -: ;

We have received a; communication from the diggings at Murphy's Flat. Our correspondent states that there are about one hundred midcrtf on the ground doing well, and wduld do better but for tue short supply ot water. A gool many miners who had left tliis place for the JDunstan diggings were returning to their old workings.

The estimates for the Province of Canterbury have been brought before the Provincial Council of that Province. The estimated revenue from all sources amounts L375,00i), of which L43,1 U is expected to be derived from ordinary .revenue; L 216,884 from territorial, and Ll 15,000 from debentures for the purposes of railway, telegraph, and bridges. The expenditure is estimated at L 333,849, of which LHS,OOv) will be applied to the purposes on which; the debentures for, that amount are to ba created. The Government intend to spend L 155,529 oa public works, and L 41,953 on immigration.

The Invercargill folks are an.enterprising pushing sort of people; but the following letter which appears iv she fnoercurgill Times is decidedly as. good a specimen of" vaulting ambition " as we have seen for some time:—" Sir,—What are the Southland Government aboux ? Why don't they start an escort to the Shotover? Are they afraid of O tago ? Do they think the Otago Go vernmen t will object? Perhaps they will; if so, why let them. But can they prevent it ?• When a Southland trooper is out of Southland is he not a private individual; and can the Otago Government prevent a private party from carrying go^d with a revolver in his belt ? Of course they! cin't.- Thfe escort could wear plain clothes when ia the other Province. Yours, &c., W. I>." It would have been as wellif " W. D." h*d explained what the immense advantages he evidently5 supposes would, accrue from the course he recommends, would consist of, seeing that Southland could derive no revenue whatever from the gold, and would have to pay the expense of its.conveyance.

The Wellington Independent, 2nd inst., says :— "It is known to most of our readers' that Sir George Grey has a small island near to Auckland; where lie is endeavoring to acclimatise birds and animals froai the Cape and; elsewhere. Sir George is equally anxious to introduce fish, and we understand that while recently in Wanganui, he visited several lakes in that neighborhood with a view to purchase. It is generally thought that Lake Alice in the Bangitikei district most approved itself to his Excellency's views."

The great danger of bush or grass fires in the I neighborhood ot towns has been exemplified in j an alarming manner ia Canterbury, Tiie Lyttle- j ton Times of the 3rd iasb. gives cue following account of a fire of this description which chreatened L/ttleton a few days ago :—•? Lyttle-. ton was ia a state of alarm on Friday aud Saturnay last, lescthe towa should hive bwnswept by a fire which has baen hanging on the outskirts and which has consumed all the grass westward of the Bridle Pufch as far a3 thepjint beyoad Dampier's Bay- Oa Friday the iuiiabitasits of that district were kepi; up all night eugajjei in watching the progress of the flamas, and beating them out when they approached too ilose to the houses. On, Saturday ..tlie fire spreai eastward, and was only stopped by the Bridle Path. The house occupied by Mr Pe.jpo.Jk hii v mrrow escape, the* fire -'running along closa to a gor3B hedge which surrounds the garden. On Sunday, another alarm was raised by a fire in the direction of the powder magazine near PollhUL* Bay.* rhi'oughout the whole period the members of the Fire Brigade exhibited great activity, aad whirever the greatest danger was apprehended, there. the superintendent and his men were sure to ba tbund. We trust that after this warning it will be made compulsory for those erecting tenements in the outskirts of the town, to clear at least six yards around their dwellings. Were this uaivec sally done, no evil consequences could follow from grass fires."

We extract the following list of political gossip from the Wellington. Independent ;—" Seeing Mr Se well's name iv the list of passengers from Auckland, on a visit to Canterbury, we are reminded that the Attorney-Generalship was not filled up at the latest dates. From MrSewelland the, Attorney-Generalship it is but one step to Mr Janies Crowe Richmond and the memorable sce.ne on the closing day of the Assembly, when that gentleman did yeoman's service for the Domett Mini6try by speaking against time; and it is but one more step to v the announcement ia Satar day's Gazette, that the same J. C. Richmond, Esq., has been appointed a commissioner of Crown Lands at Nelson. The Oats always rail at kissing going by favor, but the Ins of all parties generally adopt the rule nevertheless. " Filling the public offices with his favorites and creatures " is a charge invariably brought against every holder of patronage; but, so foe from our following in ' the vulgar wake, and. upbraiding the Domett j ministry, we congratulate them on their wisdom,", and think Mr Richmond ifully entitled to all he , has obtained considering the amount of not over pleasant work he did for iti We are not aware^ whether Mr Richmond continues the editorship of the Nelson Examiner."

The following item of Native news is from the Wanganui Chronicle :—« A^depatation from, the Tara&aki natives, arrived at Kaiwike a few,days ago,Vithare«i^3tfor3oo men to enable them >to stop the road-making at Taranaki, should it be carried beyond a certain point. A message was sent up the river to Pehi, asking bis opinion on the matter, He replied that he disapprove^ o f j it, and that if any of them went, they might clear I out altogether, aa they would "not be*jeceired P again at Wanganai. ,Thi» message checked the ardour of tha Kaiwike natives, 'four of whom ' hare gone north to inform the Taranakia that their rejiuwition cannot be complied with. Theinitiyea to the north ofthis are driving cattle to-Ctbe Taranaki market, where good prices axe ob^