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Otago Daily Times, Issue 2126, 27 November 1868, Page 2

Considerable anxiety wai felt in town yesterday respecting the «.». Storm Bird. She left Lyttelton for Timarn *t Bix o'clock on the evening of the 24th, and up to »late hour last night nothing had been heard of her. She has live, stock pn board, *nd Cap-; tain Doilc would in all probability have ■ought shelter from the heavy southerly gale in Altai oa, Le Bon Bay, or Part Levy. ■---• - M Flenryaconcerbi at the rrincess'Theatre are worthy of patronage. Too selection. of niofic is good, and thfe manner in which each piece is played, shows what ci» be done eren by amateurs under a good leader. The' solo by Mr Martin on the Saxophone, » very cnrions instrument, is exoeltnt. Tonight there will be no'performanw, bnt there is a very good programme asuHnnced for tomorrow night '' i • ■ ■ ' A meeting of the OtagoKHVinning Lodge, No. 417, 5.0., was held l»st evening at the .Masonic Hall, for the purpof of installing the 8.. W.M. elect, and inventing the officer*

appointed for the ensuing twelve months. There was a Large attendance of the Brethren, including deputations from the Celtic, St. Clair, and St. Andrew Lodges, and visiting members from other Lodges. The following officers were duly installed and invested by the Installing Master, Bro. Samuel Korr: — Bro. Jno. Thomson, R.W.M. ; Bro. G. E. Dermer, D.M. ; Bro. Jno. Reid, P.M. ; Bro. It W.S. Grieve, S.W. ; Bro W. J. Burton, J.W. ; Bro. J.. Bannerman, Treasurer; Bro. J. G. Fildes, Secretary ; Bro. J. Goro, 8. D. ; Bro. J. Lanseigne, JD. ; Bro. T. B. Dermer, I.G. ; Bro. G. Blytb, D. ; Bro. W. Low, T. The members of the choir of St. Paul's Church are requested to attend special practice to-morrow evenuig at 7.30. A meeting of the directors of the Caledonian Society will be hold at Wain's Hotel, Manse street, thii evening, at 8 o'clock. To-morrow afternoon a match wiU, be played between the married and single members of the Duncdm Cricket Club. The wickets are to be pitched at 1.30, and a punctual attendance is requested. The following members make up tho eleven* : — MARIUKL). SINCLK. Beal Cairns, H. W. Buttcrworth Cairns, A. K. Carrick Collinaon Catonorc Creagh, A. Harris Fulton, J. C. Hendley Glasgow Kcnyon Kcmpthornß Maddock Kettle Rattray *' MocdonaeU Russell Macfarl*n, T. Turtou Siiiiuel Larnach, 12th man. The second of the seriea of portraits of Otago's ministers has just been published by Messrs Lister and Gresham. The portrait is that of the Rev. D. M. Stuart, and it is done on stone by Mr Henderson, from a photo graph by Do Mans. The likeness is a striking one, and the execution of the lithograph is excellent. The portrait is well worthy of a frame and a place on the wall, and there i» no doubt that copies of both it and the likeness of the Rev. Dr Barns will become part of tho household gods of many. A meeting of tho Citizens' Cricket Club was held last evening, at Watson's HoteL Mr H. S. Fish, jun., presided. The Committee submitted a code of rules, which weie, after some slight alteration, adopted. It w« resolved that a bat be presented to the nicest average scorer and best bowler of the season. Four new members were proposed, and it was arranged that a match should be played on Monday next between the married and single of the Club. Tho body of Frederick Hill, a seaman who fell overboard from the topsail yard of the ship Culler On, while that vessel was proceeding to sea on the 14th alt., was found on the beach at Otaheite Point yesterday. Information being given to the water police, they at once proceeded down and conveyed it to the Morgue. An inquest on the remains will be held this afternoon. The annual general meeting of the Art Union of Glasgow was held in that city on the 18th Angast last, when the annual report was read, and tho drawing for prizes proceeded with. Among the namas of the successful shareholders, we observe those of Mr D'Arcy Haggitt and Mr H. F. Hardy, both of this city.

An adjourned meeting of the Council of the Agricultural and Pastoral Society of Otago was held yesterday, at the Secretary's office. There were present—Messrs H. Driver (in the chair), W. A. Tolmie, D. F. Main, J. Douglas, James Murieon, W. D. Murison, Watson Shennan, J. Kennedy, R. M. Kobertson, and tho Secretary (Mr Sydney James). It wes resolved, in order to meet the views of exhibitors and the general public, that the Show be held upon Thursday, the 14th January, 18C9, instead of tho 7th, as originally agreed upon. A number of gentlemen were chosen as judges in the different classes of stock, implements, &c., and the Secretary was requested to communicate with them, and to issue the programme as quickly as possible. We observe from an advertisement ia our colurauß that the modal* for the 1868 show are now ready for distribution.

The following particulars regarding the resalt of the shipment of frogs, snails, Ac, brought over from Tasmania to Auckland by the Bella Mary for acclimatisation purpose*, are given by the New Zealand Herald : —A large proportion of the frogs, and the whole of a lot of tench that were shipped on board, died during Ihe passage. Captain Copping believes this unfortunate result to have been occasioned by the tubs in which the tench and frogs were conveyed, being made of new pine. The snails arrived in g»od order; they are fresh water molluscs, and are imported for the purpose of turning into the Acclimatisation Society's ponds, Sec, in order to keep the water clear by consuming the refuse of decayed vegetable matter. Another attempt is to be made to procure tench and carp, and on the next occasion they will be placed in glass globes, and slung from the ship's beams. When the breeding ponds are prepared for the hatching of trout and salmon, Captain Copping will probably bring over the ova from Tasmania.

In an article reviewing the position of affairs at the seat of war, the New Zealand Herald says :—His Excellency Sir George Boweu has, we learn, sent to Australia for a portion of the 14th Regiment. Every available soldier of the iine will, we trust, be sent from the other colonies to New Zealand in her necessity. Meantime the Colonial Government must brace itself to the work. That work must be something more than a mere falling back. upon.militia and volunteers. The people of this Province know by sod experience quite sufficient of the working of the Militia Act to look npon any such resort as cither practicable or profitable. To call out the' militia, if the ' call were indeed responded to, would be simply to call down commercial ruin on the North Island—to reproduce inthis Province what has rendered that of Taranaki a wilderness. The report of the Committee appointed by the Council of Education in Tasmania to report on : the working of the Tasmaniaa Scholarship Act is published in the New Zealand Gazette of the 11th inst, as also are several of the. more important provisions of the Distillation Act, 1868, which cosaes into operation on the Ist January next. The ' Court Hoose at Clyde has been abolished as the principal polling place for the Goldfields district, for ths election of members of the House of Representatives, and the Court House at Nasebyhas beat appointed as such instead. . . ' The following paragraph regarding the Governor's probable movements is from the Christohurcb. Star: — His Exoellsncy the ■Governor v expected to arrive at Christchurch on. December 21,' if the state of affairs

|in the North docs not prevent his departure from Wellington, to' make a tour of the South Inland. Wo hear that it is the expressed wish of his Excellency that the people of Canterbury should not go into any extravagant expenditure in connection with his visit. He will be most happy to meet tho public at a ball. On tho other hand, we are informed that it is the intention of the Provincial and City authorities to give the Governor such a reception as is due to her Majesty's representative, and one aljo in which the public can take part. The export of heavy timber from Hokitika ' is increasing, and tho local Press look forward to its becoming ere long an important item in the trade of that port. Another company for tho preparation of New Zealand Has, under tho patent of Dr. Purchaa and Mr Ninnis, has been formed near Sclwyn in Canterbury, in the centre of an extensive llax district. Operations w U be commenced shortly, and it is expected that five tons of fibre per week wilt c turned out by the machinery to te employed. A novel and judicious idea will »lso bo put into execution by the Comjany. They havo resolved to plant a certain number of acres every year with flax, so as eventually to employ the cultivated fibre only. The crops in Wellington are protnis ing From the Independent we learn that rain which has been much wanted of late, has fallen, and that it will probably havo tho effect of not only greatly increasing tho produce, but of making new potatoes, peaso, cabbages, and turnips earlier this year than would otherwise have been the case. Tho grass crops will be much more abundant than they were last year, and tho production of hay, milk, butter, and cheese will be increased in consequence. Tho prospecting party, under the leadership of Mr Dow, which recently went to seek for gold near tho source of the Waihea river, near Waimate, havo returned to Tiißaru. According to their report, gold was found everywhere, but not in sufficient quantities to pay for working it. They only used tho tin dish, however, and as but a small portion of the country was gone over, it can hardly I c considered as having been fairly tested. A party arc still ut work on tho spot, and Mr Dow and his men, who are sanguine of ultimate success, propose returning thither shortly. The settlers in Westland have not been slow to recognise tho value of their nativo forests. An establishment for tho sawing and manufacture of tim1 er has been erected in Hokitika, and has proved a complete success. In this manufactory it is stated that 84 pannelled dooia, and 100 pairs of sashes, can be turned out daily ; and such is tho ac. knowlcdged excellence and cheapness of tho I workmanship, that these and other articles are exported not only to the various West Coast ports, but to Christchurch, Dunedin, and Melbourne. Some of the specimens of turnery are said to bo very fine, and to exhibit very markedly tho adaptation of New Zealand woods for this purpose. Tho rush to Brighten, in the province of Nelson, of which so much was said some weeks ago by the local press, appears to be a failure. On tho ground then rnehed there •re now only from 50 to CO men at work, and of these one-half are not on piyable gold. Prospecting parties arc busily engaged in the neighbourhood, but hitherto their labours havo not met with much success, and matters generally in the district are said to be extremely dulL The Chinamen who recently left this Province for the Westland diggings, appear to bo well pleased with the change they have made. The West Coast Times says: - One and all of thcnVprefer the climate to Otago, an*l they are evidently very well satisfied with tho claims recently purchased by them. They «ay that another large shipment may be expected here shortly, as word has been sent to their friends in Otago to come over here. Northern papers stato that, owing to the disaffection said to exist among the natives : In somo parts of the Province of Auckland, Colonel Haultain is about to proceed thither in the Sturt to inquire into the state of matters.