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Otago Daily Times, Issue 1152, 30 August 1865, Page 4

The Government have called for tenders for the completion of the Kawaruu road to the Dunstan, and also of that from Frankton to Quecnstown; and tenders will, we believe, shortly be invited for the completion of the electric telegraph from Tokomairiro, via Iviwarau, to the Dunstan, and thence to Queenstown.

Brethren desirous of forming a Masonic Lodge, nnder the Irish Constitution, sire requested to attend a meeting at the Shamrock Hotel, on Thursday evening, the 31st instant, at half-past seven o'clock.

An interesting £ I note was paid into the Treasury yesterday. It represented the first " conscience money" that has, we believe, been paid in the Colony. The note was handed in by a Catholic clergyman, with a statement that it had been forwarded to him, for the purpo?e, by a man at present resident in Sandhurst, Victoria. Who was the sender ? A digger who forgot to take out a miner's right, but did well here, aud has grieved for his ingratitude ? or some one who smuggled jjold out of the Province without thinking it necessary to favor the Customs with the duty ? From whatever cause the note was sent, tbp sender cannot have suffered in hi 3 con-science for a lengthened period, seeing that the noteia of the Commercial Bank of New Zealand, which only obtained power to issue during the early part of the present year. It appears from the *' Tuapeka Recorder," that iv Mr M'Uoll has opentd up a field for the manufacture of bricks, in one of the gullies intersecting the range at the back of the new Schoolhousc, and that he has already turned over clay BufDcicnt to form at least 50,000 bricks. A new pug mill, capable of turning out 20,000 bricks per week :is shortly to be added to tlie establishment, so that we may shortly expect a valuable auxiliary to be added to the building material at present in vogue amongst us. Mr Macandrew, on moving the second reading of the New Provinces Regulation Bill,! illustrated his argument by the case of Southland. He said he had reason to know, that it would have been fur better if that Province had remained united with Ottigo, instead of being erected into a separate Province. He stated that it could be proved that, whilst Southland was part of Otago, a larger amount was expended upon it thau had been received therefrom. He would not enter into the present financial condition of Southland, but ha would say that he believed from its having been made a new Province, some L 20,000 or L 30.000 had been spent in red tape and officialism, and this, he thought, was the case with other Provinces in New Zealand.

The performance at the Princess Theatre passtd off ■with great spirit last evening. " Miriam's Crime," and the new burlesque, "Faust," were repeated. The driima plajs well, whatever may be thought of its moral ; and Miss Dolly Geeen as Miriam, and Mr J. L. Hall as Biles, deserve praise for the excellence of their acting. Mr Farj eon's burlesque, as might be expected, told better on repetition. The puns were given with more certain point ; the local hits and allusions, in which the " Night attack by the Volunteers '' 6tands out prominently, were given with more pungent utterance, and were better received ; and the droll diablerie, from the flash which always accompanies the appearance of Mehistophiles to the electrobiological manifestations, never missed the right instant for effect. It is quite comprehensible that the performance last evening was, in other respects than the smoothness which only repetition can ensure, much more nearly what the au'hor desired, than was that of Monday ; but it is also certain that the impression produced by the first performance of the burlesque, as evidenced by the comments to be heard on all hands yesterday, was one which must have been very gratifying to the author; and that that impression must have been strengthened by the closer adherence to the dialogue as written, which was in many cases easily to be detected by those who were present on both occasions. All engaged on the stage, however, must be complimented on their unruistakeable desire to do their best ; and Mr Fleury and the members of the orchestra must hy no means be excluded from tho compliment. We doubt if ever there was so much beautiful operatic music before introduced into a burlesque ; and Mr Fleury has tied tho whole together with really masterly accompaniments, which have been, as a rule, unexceptionably well played. The audience showed a disposition last evening to encore unmercifully. It is natural, perhaps, that this should be the case ; but the additional labor that would be entailed by compliance really ought not to be imposed upon the actresses and actors; and, although it may be very agreeable to listen a second time to a charming air, or to see again a quaintly grotesque dance, we are sure that constant repetitions are calculated to interfere with the general effect of the whole work. Miss Mathews could not escape an encore in the song about the charming. Patty of Anderson's Bay; cor could Mr Hall and Little Laura Wiseman avoid, repeating that in-

tensely comic version of" The Nervous Cure," which is introduced in the garden scene. The trio "What mystery" (from ''Maritana") not from " La Sonnambula," as was said yesterday, through forgetfulness), was beautifully sung; and co were the serenade, by Miss Mathews, and the eong of Miss Marian Dunn. The song by Mepbistophiles.in praise of wine, was a capital specimen of Mr Hall's power as a burlesque singer. Mr Richardson, as Valentine, should be mentioned. He looks well in the Highland costume ; and he tells with great gusto the legend of tho assault by the Naval Brigade/ and of their sousing by the Fire Brigade. Mr John Dunn's Martha, is an intensely funny piece of acting ; and little Laura Wiseman as Me-phistophiles ./?/*, " plays up" to the poses and grimaces of Mr Hall with such spirited aptness, as to make the reproduction wonderfully correct. The new scenery, by Mr Tannett. was again greeted with rounds of applause ; and the burlesque is. in every respect, put upon the stage so carefully and well as to show that the lessees are determined to fulfil the promises they made at the opening of the season. All who desire a hearty laugh, whether from punning run" wild and smart dialogue, or from odd dances and groupings—and all who j like good music, smart dresses, and effective scenery-will fiud that in "Faust," Mr Farjeon and the members of the company provide abundautly for their gratification. We take the following from the " Tuapeka Recorder" of the 25th :—" At Waitahurm, a party of Welch miners, known by the name of Jenkins and party, are busily engaged driving into one of the spurs on the range opposite the lower township. Already they have completed from 300 to 400 feet of drive* which has brought them upon a seam of wash-dirt, ranging from 2 feet G inches to 3 feet in depth; and which yields on an average 2 dwts. to the load. One feature of the ground is, that it holds up very well ; consequently, but very little timber is required for propping purposes. The tolal value of the plant belonging to this party is estimated at from four to five hundred pounds." We find from the Northern papers that Miss Aitken was performing at Napier, and was expected to proceed next to Wellington. The joint Committee of the two Houses of the General Assembly, on" the " reporting" question, have not yet made any presentment. Additional members have been added to it in both Houses. Our Dunstan correspondent writes :— Messrs Thompson and Co. and Messrs Crumpton, of Alexandra, have just completed a new stream-wheel, to be worked by the current of the Molyneux. The wheel is five feet in diameter, and exactly resembles a threebhided screw propeller. It is intended to drive the pumping machinery of a claim at Conroy's Beach. The trial of the model was most satisfactory, the desideratum of combined power and speed being obtained. Of all the numerous inventions for deriving motive power from our rapid running rivers, the screw propeller is the most simple, and will doubtless be the most iiuccessful. In reply to a question by Mr Wilkin, as to elForts to discover the site of the wr.-ck of the City of Duuedin, the Postmaster-General stated, in the Assembly, that every practicable step had already been taken to obtain evidence that should throw light rpon the circumstances and locality of the wreck, without the least result. The apprehension was that she had met with some accident immediately in the vicinity of Wellington. Captoin Perkins, of the Cymraes, has forwarded to us a very fine specimen of Grey River coal, procured from the original mine on the Nelson side of the river. It is a true coal of very valuable quality, of a brilliant jet black, and so easily combustible that it ign'ies readily in the flame of a candle. The Cymraes has brought a cargo (which has been disposed of), in the hope of opening up a market for the article in this Province. The only draw back to its general use as a fuel is the expense incident to working the Grey River mine and putting the product on board ship. |In a late communication from the Teviot (says the " Tuapeka Recorder ") our special reporter states, as a significant fncfc, that five different descriptions of gold are to be found in that locality. The river gold, which is almost as fine as dust; second, the island gold, which is found about half-a-mile below the gorge, and is of a light color, and scaly ; tiiird, that found on the river bank (east side), immediately above the township, which is also scaly, but of a dark color ; fourth, that obtained from the river bank, two-and-a-half-miles above the township-reef gold, with little appearance of the action of water; and fifth, the Sixteen-mile-beach gold, which is found to be so very fine,-that it requires to be amalgamated by quicksilver. The Exploring Expedition, under the command of Mr Vincent Pyke, was to start from the Dunstan, on Monday morning last, on its journey to the "West Coast. The debate referred to in our telegram upon the Jarvey case was on the following notice of motion by Mr Vogel, as it- appears on the order paper of the House of Representatives, Friday, 25th August, to move " That the papers laid on the table relating to the Jarvey ca6e be printed." The " Marlborough Press " of the 19th inst., states that "the most indescribable alarm was felt yesterday morning by a number of residents at the centre and lower end of the town, when dense volumes of smoke were seen to issue from the gunpowder magazine situated within the precincts of the Government buildings. Those who were proceeding in that direction retrained stationary or retreated to a greater distance from the threatened danger, while the residents near the Waitohi bridge looked on in trembling alarm, not knowing what moment the magazine, together with the Government buildings, might be blown into space. Mr Cawte, the governor of the jail, despatched one of the officers to give the alarm, and for a time there was great terror and miich confusion. It was, however, shortly ascertained that the gunpowder had been, removed from the magazine, which had been discovered by Captain Baillie to be so damp as ; to have completely destroyed a large quantity of gunpowder, together with many thousands of rounds of ball cartridge. The smoke which had created > such unwonted dread wa* caused by a fire

having been ignited to dry the building. While on the subject, we cannot avoid giving expression to the general feeling that the pre> sent magazine is most dangerously situated, as, should the gunpowder by any mischance become ignited, the whole of the Government buildings would be blown into the air and every life inside sacrificed. There were, previous to the removal of the gunpowder, nearly one hundred barrels in store." A ploughing match took plnce at Blueskin on Friday last; the ground selected being on the estate of Mr J. Anderson, Murray Hill, Waitati. The attendance was good, there being visitors from Dunedin and from Waikouaiti, as well as a number of tho resident settlers, their wives and daughters. The weather was very favorable, and everything passed off most satisfactorily. The judges were, Messrs Robert Wilson, CLarles M'Gregor, and David Wright. The following were the awards :—First, L 3, John Harvey, owner ; second, pair of backhands valued at L 2, given by Mr Falconer, George street, Dunedin, John M'Millan, ploughman to James Young; third, Ll 10s, Andrew Drysdale, jun.; fourth, Ll, K. B. Fe:gusson> ploughman to A. Anderson ; fifth, maul and wedges, given by Messrs Wilson and Kay, Blueskin, Peter WilsoD, jun. The prize for the best kept harness—a whip, valued at Ll 10s, presented by Mr Fraser, saddler, Dunedin—was awarded to K. B. Fergusson ; that for the best finish—cap and cttel, presented by Messrs A. and T. Inglis, Dunedin—to J. M'Millan : and 10s for the youngest ploughman was taken by A. Drysdnle, jun. After the match, a number of the visitors assembled at tho Waitati Hotel, where they partook of an excellent dinner, and spent a very pleasant evening. The correspondent of the " Tuapcka Recorder," writing from the Teviot under date the 23rd, says : —" The river has continued to fall during tho last week, and it has now reached its former low level. Parties generally, as far as I can learn, have had a very fair, week, notwithstanding some interruption to their operations, occasioned by the accumulation of ice in the races. Mr Warden Simpson took his departure on Thursday, the 17th, so that Mr Alymer's arrival may bi daily expected. The public mind is stil' agitated in connection with the removal of the firstnamed gentleman, nnd a strong desire is expressed to have the matter thoroughly sifted, with tho view of ascertaining the reasons which have induced the Government to commit so gross an outrage upon the ft dings of the community. The Progress Committee meet to-morrow evening, and it is to be hoped they will follow the matter up, and not let it rest until they have arrived at a proper elucidation of the mystery." There was not so good an attendance at the Panorama in the Theatre Royal lost evening as on former occasions, but those who had the good fortune to be presort, confessed, by their repeated plaudits, that they thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment. It is indeed rare that the citizens of Dunedin have an opportunity of visiting an exhibition of this nature, where a display of so much real talent is visible ; and when that opportunity presents itself, is it now does at tbe Theatre Roy.il, it ought to be embraced by all classes of the community. A new and very attractive feature is announced to be added to the entertainment this eveving. At its close there will be a distribution of gifts to tho audience. Many of thc-so gifts are very handsome and costly, comprising gold-mounted opera glasses, silver ware, articles of jewellery, &c. We give in our present issue the speech of Mnjor Atkinson (the Defence Minister) on moving the second reading of the Militia Bill, which we take from the " Wellington Independent." On the subject of the deviation in the Mariner's Compass, the Postmaster-General lately made an important statement in tho House of Representatives, in answer to an enquiry by Mr Wilkin as to the production of correspondence. Major Ricbardson said:—" When Mr Balfour was conducting the Survey in Cook's Straits, with a view lo ascertaining where was the beat place for laying down the telegraph, he found that the compass was very incorrect, and on further examination, he found that in one part, at least, if a vessel had steered by it, the variation would have been nearly double. Considerable correspondence had taken place on the subject. He had received several reports on the matter, and had sent to Otago for other reports. As soon as he received them, he would lay the whole before some well qualified scientific gentleman, "and on receipt of his report he would have no objection to lay all correspondence on the table." The following is the substance of the resolutions proposed in the House of Representatives by Mr Jollie as an amendment upon Mr Macandrew's New Provinces Regulation Bill. The resolutions declared the expediency of appropriating adequate portions of the , Territorial Revenue to the uses of outlying ; districts of Provinces, and of introducing a Bill providing accordingly : —l. That the ' i Lands Revenue of each Province should be- ' coaie charged to the extent of 25 per cent, for the purposes of the Act. 2. That such 25 , per cent, of the gross revenue should be car- 1 ried by the Receiver of Land Revenue to a j separate account. 3. That on the constitu- 1 tion of Local or District Boards, by Act of ■ Provincial Legislature, the Receiver of Land Revenue should pay over to such Board its i certificated proportion of the 25 per cent, re- I served fund. 4. That District Boards, en- ' titled to benefit under the Act, mightbe established by. petition of inhabitants to the Governor, and by proclamation by the Superintendent, after certain forms observed. 5. that the . Commissioner of Crown Lands should furnish ; to the receiver of Land Revenue, monthly ; returns of the territorial revenue of the Pro* vince, and of the proportions contributed by districts; and 6. That the district funds accruing under the Act, should not bo made liable for the construction or repair of main or trunk lines of roads. The House refused to go into committee on Mr Jollies resolution, by 22 votes to 15. A sad accident took place at Tnnpeka Flat, on the forenoon of Tuesday last, by which a miner named William Keating lost his life." It appears, sayi» the "Recorder," that the deceased was engaged stripping the face o£ a paddock, a few feet ggep, when about two

hundred-weight of stuff became detached aa fell in upon him. When taken up. it was found that ha had fallen upon one of tha foils of his pick, which had entered the stomach, immediately above the abdomen, causing a frightful wound, from which the blood flowed copiously. A messenger was at once dispatched to Lawrence for medical assistance but before it arrived, the poor fellow breathed his last. Deceased was about 26 years of age a native of Ireland, but had been working at Tuapeka Flat for some considerable time past. On Wednesday, at noon, an inquest was held by the district coroner, at Anderson's Store; and after the above facts had been deposed to, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of "accidental death." At the conclusion of the inquest, the funeral took place. The coffin was borne shoulder-high, and was followed by some hundreds of the miners working in and around the Flat. On the mournful cortege reaching Peel street, a num ber of tho towns-people joined the procession as it proceeded slowly up the hill towards the cemetery. At the grave, the Rer. Father Duhig, after reading the funeral service, improved the occasion by admonishing the byestanders of the uncertainty of human life.