DESCRIPTION OF OTAGO. (From the Otago Daily Times, October 27 )

Otago Witness, Issue 570, 1 November 1862, Page 7

DESCRIPTION OF OTAGO. (From the Ota go Daily Times, October 27 )

We are in receipt of a pamphlet published in Edinburgh for distribution at the Great Exhibition entitlpd, "Descriptive sketch of the Province of Otn;;<>." The matter contained in it was published some months a^o in the Witness, which piper was indebted for it to the courtesy of a high Provincial authority. The tables were published in the Provincial Gazelle, and the pamphlet as a whole may be said to be semi-official. Under these circumstances it is much to be regretted that the publishers have omittrd to stamp it with this character. The pamphlet appears in a gaudily colored wrapper, and its title would make it appear to be n fancy sketch, instead of an authoritative statement. Sevctal newspaper articles which are bound up with it are printed in the same type as the original matter, and taken as a whole the pamphlet has anything but an official appearance. It would ha\e had more weight with those amongst whom it is likely to be circulated if its title had been plain y stated " A Description of Ota^o, published by authority ; " and if instead of the fruits and flowers that embellish its wrapper an ordinary cover had been used. Before proceeding with the matter of the pamphlet, we should mention that it contains also a well executed map of the province, and threj huge chromo-lithogniphic colored engravings of views in Dunedin and on the digging.--, taken from the excellent photographs by Mr. Melhuish, sent home by him lo the Exhibition. i

The pamphlet contains much useful information, useful to those who residing on th ■ spot may still be only p-irtially acquainted with it. A short description is first givtn of the geographical leatuies 01 % the whole of the colony. Proceeding then to the first establishment of the province, which is the subject of the memoir, the writer says: —

" The original design of the founder* of thi* sctt'ement was to forma coloi.y in acordanee v. iih the principles of ihe l'ilgriiu Fatln-is. and with the hope 'that while the li.iui-* oi Dr Clialmer-s would b.> ti-,-sociato 1 wiih die locality, the principles of Dr. Chalmei^, would be enirnuen in moie endurinn clmaetT'. on the ineinori\s and henits of tin Scottish <vttlrrs in Otago. The sehniu, iv a financial point of view, did not suocee I ; the eounhy, th/Telbre, was throwa open to all win weie do irons of inve--tin^ a^l "-"ttling in it, and the result is, tint at the p e=ent mo meni all national and denominational distinctions have given place to luore general tii'ws. " It has been considered cvpfdient to mention the,e cirnnnstanc^s, bjciuoc the tonnuo of disappointed ambition anil Hi waited speculation lias not been silent. The colonists of Ot-isro give a hearty wcleo ne to their iVHow countrymen who desiie to C.T-.1 in their lot amongst them ; they care not to inquire win ther they come fiom the merry dales of iin^land. the Lonnie braea of fcjcotland, or the veidant uplands of Ireland."

Of the climate, the writer says, it is " simi- " lar to that of the southern parts of En^. " laud, but wanner in winter, and cooler in " summer. There is scarcely a fruit or flower '' intertwined with our earliest recollections " that does not find a representative in our "adopted country. The English gardening " and farming calendar may bo wifely used " by merely changing January for July." Upon the subject of land the writer' seems to approve the present regulations more than we sire peshaps inclined to do. His remarks, however, apply to the past, and perhaps he i oay recognise that the altered state of the Province requires an alteration in regulations determined on and found to work satisfactorily under other lie says :—: —

Land may be had at between £1 and £1 10s. per acre, witli a rifr.'it to depastuie stock. The upset price is £1 per acre, but should tvo or more persons apply on the =ime day for the smne allotment, it is put 'up to auction between them, and falls to the highest bidder. The whole subject of the sale of "and h outraging the attention of Government, with a view of offering every facility to the mnn of limited means of buying: land at a fixed and reasonable price. Generally speikiup:, the land is easy to clear and bring into cultivation. In certain localities there is a de" ficioucy of wood for enclosures, but the soil is admirably fitted for the formation of a substantial bank and ditch, which, with a rail at the top, makes a satisfactory fence. The country is vdl adapted by it undulating character, beinu 1 \\a\\. witeied, and its mild climate, for combined agricultural and pa k toial pursuits; and. so soon as ihe- land of the farmer is cropped off and laid down iv grass, he may expect to derive a fair income from the outlay of his capital.

The whole country not, included in Hundreds, amounting to about 12,930 snusire mile 5 , or 8.307,200 acres, is> in possession of ilock-ouneis, on licenses for 14 ycais. In a few years, on an iiveince 7or 8, the uhole country will b" resinned, and fiicilifias v. ill ti;eu be offered for the piofitable investment of capital ou terms eiisuiiiis; a secure r tenure to tho she.-p fanner?., and a mure handsome income to the Government; in thp meantime these propei ties change hands at a valuation of from one shilling to two shilling an acre for the pood-uill of the pioperty. Though "the laud refen ed to is in the possession of the sheip farmer fora certain period, any portion of it mly be iesumed at any time should it be required for agricultural settlement. Formerly n purchaser mit>ht fake up I-ind wherever he wished tlnoughout the eountiy, but this was_ altered in order that the sheep owuer might not be injuriously dNturbed ii his occupation ; the (iovernor, however, retained his power to take immediate possession of whatever land he required, and throw it into Hundreds — a, power which has been freely used, and will doubtless so continue to be whenever occasion demands.

In ordinary districts, the land unroanured yields 35 bushels of wheat to tiie acre, weighing G3.Ubs. per bushel ; cata, -10 bushels per acre, weighing 43115. per bushel ; and barley, GO bushels per acre, weighing 551bs. per bushel ; potatoes, Oi tons per acre ; and turnips, 23 tons per acre. The'nature of the soil is a a clayey loam, with a triable subsoil. In many of the pains there are rich alluvial deposits, bearing heavy crops ; but, geneially speaking, the soil is the same ou the tops of the ranges of hills as in the adjacent lowlands. The number of sheep in the country may be roughly estimated, including lambs, at a million," and the importations nro large; the clip of Wuoi is satisfactory, and the per centa^e increase of lambs particularly so.

Wheat realises on an average about Cs. the bushel, oats about 4s. the bushel, and potatoes £(j the ton.

Reference is here made to the tables in another part of the work, by which we find that the total gross area of the Province is 23,000 square miles, or 14,777,600 acres ; of which 8,307,200 acres are occupied by sheep or cattle runs, 968,320 acres as Hundreds (up to date March 1862, we believe), and 5,502,080 unoccupied or barren. "We quote the table showing the area and situation of the Hundreds :

The number of acres sold is not stated, but from a table of revenue, we gather that from 1854 to the end of 1861, a total revenue of .^•200,389 has accrued from the sale of rural laud, and of £52,231 from the sale of town land. In reference to the last, a significant fact is to be observed,— the revenue for 18(51 was oniy £7,009, whilst for 1858 it.was £8,697; for 1859 .£19,136; and for 18G0 £9,991. These uneven and retrogressive results for town lands, show the want of a proper organisation for developing municipal institutions, and argue strongly for the introduction of a municipal act, such as has worked so well in Victoria. The sales of rural lands have also been miserably inadequate. The total revenue £200,389 probably represents 150,000 acres sold, whilst close upon a million of acres are put apart for sale in the bhape of hundreds. Everything goes to show that the land system wants remodeling. We will continue, on another occasion, a further review of the interesting contents of the pamphlet.

LIVES OF WITS AriD HUMORISTS, (From !lu Snhwd'ii/ Rtriew.)

Mr. Timbs His us in his prof ice that ho thinks he ha-, hit on ,i new st} le of book ; ,md the man who desthat ought to bo held in almost as much honor as w;i3 allot! ed to the Roman citizen who could devifea •iar pleas u-e. Up lia-s I,i!;cn a doz-n of th" most jii)t''il wiit-i.-, for some Ki.i Is ol'o 1 ' v, it during the lait fvnhiry and a half, ni.d Ims to!d their lives in a series <:f !iio',-inp 'ieul a.,eo lotes, ad iiiu; another series to illustrate the wit's wit and such opinions at> hi may have held. The idea docs not stem to us a happy one. It merely comes to splitting biography into a seiies of the sent ition pai.iqrajih-, which adorn Am - nciti re.'.onipeis. E.Tiy piffo or half yagc i- ptoceded by a I i t lie siinim.uy m capital it tier.-*, "it is not to I c -upj'u-i'd that any m m's life <\ui ever hive been so enleiUiiiincj. and ii f s eve.its so nniked, th-U it will be-ir behifr btokun up, and beimt oifend a-i asueeejs'on of stai tliivj; fragment*. We !o*e all the pleasure ot bio^rapay whan we Jose its ronlinutiv ; amt although Ah-. Tiiubs justiv boasts that his pl.m pnablts him to {.void moial :vul didactic remirk-., the machincrv is rather o\ei powering for the accomplishment of so simple an end. A man «ho can only «-aye himFeii fro-n moriluinu; and twaddle by b:v;i king off at the end of every thn'y m tort\ li'io; i.ito biupiinr, K.i veiy simple person. Iv Knsif ho woie pleaded with tho notion of lor king his front door in order to avoid taking a purely voluntary walk oa n wet day. Nor doewu the u'oo'l uiin^s that t'ae wits said, and the amu-ing stuiie^ that haw b>ea handed down about tht'iu, gain by tin-- iv>l ttion There uiuhc to be a certain amount of suet if tiie plu:i> 5 are to t.i-,te nice. At th-? --iiine ti.ne, Mr. Ti n!>o U f.ir too skilful a compiler n>>t 111 1 have m ide a compilation out of the miMi.ils at his f uninand lie Las j,ivcu us two voluiuc^ which are tiuo.i^iiout plea- iiitaitd reada!,le. lie reeaU to oar me, no y the familiar lives of such men as P<ol lsmith and Steele, aud tells us more than nio-»t re;> leis can pretend to know beforehand of the cumt of .'..mc, an i IJoimcc Sniiiii. He !ia-i taken the co un of a dozen biographies of peisons, all ofw'iomln\e «-o'nclhiii£, r to jiic.-ie.it iia ; uii'l ivcii if we do not tl ink his plan a uo \\ owe, we can sifely 'iv that two are.Sdid mi pubii-she I >sitii hi f.>w pntie; iv them th..t can b; pronounced dull and s ijvifl uons.

The ii',f_ of wit-; who n'uure in this collection compri.s h, be.side.i tho-e to uhij,.i wo hau'releirud, Swift, kS'icridan, I'.ii'-oii, riji'""/ Su.iUi, and Tiitodoie II mk. \'n<>'!!>- all who ;ire t1,",.-, pi iced !>;, hii vMe. Sydney Smith appears to first. Hi-, \. it, it' not kleneCt and the in jst compivheii'-Uc, fit lei--t comes out bass un'lfi'Mich an arrintromeat as rliat adopted by Mr. Tinib-. It i-J <o e'BN ami so to award the palm without e^pt ess i"a*o!n among >o muiy well-known ine'i, tiiab w.i hf-sito-to to -.ay tint lie wasiealiy the wittiest and t!u wwst of viem ill. But it would ii"t bo dil'aeult to -ho>v (hi&h i& he iviuly b< lonjv'd to a ells? superior to a'l but Swia. If no ruiuu" ne o\er tin* li-f of mine* 1 by Mr. Timls, wo shall fi idt'ut "-witt and S\du' v Smit'ii halo ojrreatchiTact'ristic which in.hked slum nrt'ii.nnall tho others. Tli-y a'one clv uj;ht d. i_pi\ and fe'.t deeply on subjects 'fiL-al importance. Swilt was> caiHuiLen us, wront,he.'ide I, bitter, a;. 1 ci"v! : and Sjdney Stnirh could only toucli subjects which never approached the eeutic of hum m feeling But their interest was a ppiiu ne an 1 sincere inleie^t whenever it was bestowed. Swifcia-rly cared for liv'md. 1/e. lod-ed into the construction of t-ocietv, aiid put his linger on the sore place*, not withouc a ken <Ie&:ie~to afford a renie Ij, provided it weie ot his o.N'U contriving. lie tnuiuUiiicd a sort of proud indepen ience, even in his extiemost cynici-m and <••:)( ,\h lament. When lie s-iid that ii'j li'nl only m nic flu mo-t ol' lii-f intellect in order to p'.,ce hi"i,.ii' a-> no.aly as p.i-w-iMo in the social psvilioi! of <i nobleman, he u'ttucl ;t sentiment w!ii -h called for hum i^v to hi, pover, even when he prote-sed i) oe do'>iadiiinit. Tnr in.»n w hooc heart \uw ''tom with fie,co in tiutuition " was toinuthina lunch moie th-i a in^n or uir and humor nrul b" to de-eivethe title. I" the r-'m'jwiy Sydtn-\ Smith set himself tt r > coiroit the llauraiii aba y* of i;n.,iir,ii ia.v in tli'j tune ho lived in. lie wi-hul that tho Catholics s'jr>uld h:ro justice done to them, th 't the poor should ecise to be tiudjpn down, that ttie Chinch shoal. l lie decently provided for, a 4a 4 - if ihe-e n' j-j its were of intimate personal cone.'m to him. flu .v-i/.ed the moral side of his ijiie^Lion in the mid^t of all hi- sportiverievi; audhem'ide it felt tint his opinions were his own, and not merely tho ;e of a party. There aie, we venture to think, no siories so good a-> his stories, no wit, of the order _ suited to the ordinary intercourse of society, which is so copious, so ine\hau.-.ti!>!e, and rso lively ; but his .stories and his wit derived a vast additional ralue fiom the stiong "-suse and honorable feeling which for.ned the the promii.ent traits in the eh tractor of Sydney Smith. Wo c m faiicy that, under happier ciicuinsta'iecs, and with a sl'uhfly different cast, of intellect, Porson mi^'ht have belonged to tho same class of writer-]. 11 is life was so com1 lete l y a wieek. he so pertinaciously kept on the outside of all questions of importance, and he so brutalized himself by his habits of recklessness, that it is little better th in. gtvss work to speculate on what he npght have bsen. Still there are here and there indications in his history that, if " h'.s intellect had in any degree raided him to the position of a nobleman," if he had felt that what lie said and thought could have practical weight, his courage, Irs love oftiuth, and his perception of the deeper problems which are so thinly ecated over by ibn eiu-'t of soei d comfort, might have borne a fruit totally different from any that he left behind liiip.

t?lee'e and Goldsmith lWonged to a second order of wiis. No one can g.iy that they felt deeply, or that they thought they had any veiy particular truth to proclaim. But they discus«ed" subjects, and drew characters, and invented scenes which lial a cliaim ior their contemporaries and have &tiil a charm for posterity, and which wsie sufficiently ulii verbal to belorg to ma.ikind or society at large, and not to a clique or a little grnjp of fun-loving friends or acquaintances. Their wit b>s in the pocnli ir way in which their particular minds could hit off what they saw around them, and repre-ent it to themselves and others. They had a delicate and subtle appreciation of the little blndesof thought and feeling exhibited in the common types of Knglishlife. Their point of view was not comprehensive, but ho far as it went it was true. They fastrn/'d on what was hi. Herons ;md comical iv the world, but they could take in the vision of much tint is dignified, and tender, and pithetic._ No wit was ever lets verbal or !e>s capable of quotaiion or condens ilion. It only reveals itself in gentle flashes that play through the whole horizon of thrir subject, and are never concentrated into forked llame. Men who are po«se.-sed of v gift foi this sort of writing cm increase it bo much by cultivation, and it is so greatly stimulated by the effVtsof otheis in the samp line who have served as models, that Goldsmith displays it in a much more finished shape, and in much richer abundance than Steele, althouiih Steele had native poweis, so far as we fan estimate iheni, fully equal to those ot Goldsmith. Stiil, whatever differences may separate them their general similarity is much more striking than their differences when we compare them with other " wits and humorists ; " and in nothing is that similarity more visible than in their common want of any suitability ibv the treatment to which Mr. Timbs has subjected them. Little jokes and- good sayings, offered as specimens of the wit and humor of Steele and Goldsmith, produce as little of the impresjion conveyed by their best, works as it is pon-ible for facetious extracts to do. The third class of wits is that to which the remainder of the favorites of Mr. Timhs belong. They were all verbal jokers— men who worked up to a honmot, weie siyers of good tilings and would hazard everything to get their wit an opening. Sheridan was the greatest of them, and there was aside of Sheridan's character which pub him on a level altogether different from that of the Columns and Theodore Hook. He had neither thought nor deep feeling about great subjects, but he had an ardent though factitious enthusiasm. His speech on the Begums gave him, we may be sure, a nobler pleasure than that of mere success. But when he was great, it was not as a wit but as a master of declamation. ll>'s wit, when he was witry at all, lay in words, and in the neatness aud polish and unexpected audacity of the saying. This verbal wit, when we hear a little of it i& very amuyna:, but when massed together in large quantities as in these volumes, it seems more weansom» aud monotonous than we might expect. It appears to be almost wholiy unconnected with the personal ohaiactcr, or history, or peculiar genius of the utterer. The very same otory for example, is told almost in the same words, by Mr. Timbs, of Foote and Sheridan. With all his practice and expertness in coiquilatioii, Mr. Timbs could not guard himself against reper- ting his anecdote of two different people. Tiie adjuncts aie certni-dy different, mid aie very circumstantial, as iv most of these verbal faat'ue, but the joke is precisely the same. The joke, such as it is, consists in tin's. The wit is told that a critic boasts of being able to distribute at will literary refutation, aud he replies that the critic had better not be too prodigal, or he will have none for himself. When this joke isgiven to Foote, we are carefully told that Hugh Kelly was the boastful critic. When it is given to Sheridan, we are told not only that his boastful critic was Gilford, but that the bon-mot was uttered (it Brookes's as Sheridan was looking over a number of the Quarterly. When a considerable number of such stories are brought together, we besdn to discover that in a large number of instances, either the circumstances have been arranged to suit the story, and that the wit rests on a foundation of imaginary facts, or else that the wit has created the opportunity for himself by the most impertinent and dictatorial defiance of the usnges of society. Very many of the witty things of the3e volumes are merely the effervesence of licensed impudence. When Foote said to a person with whom ho was conversing, and who complained that Foote always attacked only his weakest point, " I was not aware that I said anything about your head," the fun lcnlly lies in one party to a dialogue feeling himself privileged to insult the other, and so completely is impertinence mingled with this sort of fun, th at many of the utterances of verbal wit appear, when their puthor ran no longer browbeat bis company, simply a strain of language without any fun or joke whatever. Mr. Timbs records a-, a flower of the wit of James Smith, the following description of a nice dinner :— " A sprawling bit of bacon upon a tumbled bed of greens, two gigantic antediluvian fowls, bedaubed with, parsley and butter; abracejgof soles that

perished from original inability to flounder into the ar'i ; and the fossil remnitis of a dead sirloin of beef.' 1 Sue,h an inscription might pain a Lo.t who hid attempted loenteraiu the autls <<; but if it is recorded for future generation to etijoy as a spark of wit aud humour, posterity may reasonabty wouder what on earth is not wit if this is.

Tne reputation of this kind of brilliancy is dying out of society, or, perhaps, is already dead, and we bhould be very sorry to disinter it. This is owina 1 , partly, to the gradual enlargement o^societv. The little impertinences of privileged idlers are not much prized when there is no longer a circle thro' which their fame can be immediately prope'len". But the chief reason why v;p do not much care for the sort of tiling is, that it mv be produced in such inexhaustible quantity. Th -ie is not a ue-'k in which the letterpiesa in Punch, which no one would pronounce to be exccs&ively clever or wonderfully witty, has not whole olumns which it >voul<l b.± uiijuotto compare with JaiaesSaiith'sdescription of the bacon and fowl-, and old soles. The kind of wit, on the other hand, which marked the writing of rfteele and Goldsmith, was never more relished and appreciated than now. A style that is neat, lively, and easy, and a po>ver of handling social phenomena itnd the facts of daily English life,"soasto point out whit it is not worthless or uniu-tructive to point out, and yet to entertain ;nul amusu the reader, arc a«~ sid'iou-.ly and sucee^fuliy cultivated. That Goldsmith is rivalled, it would Lc absurd, or at least presumptuous to eav ; but this is the kind of wit which alone is worth having, and yet can be approached, if not obtained, by cultivation. The higher order of v.ii— thewitofSwiftiindSy lneySmith-theirradiation of important subjects by heartfelt mirth, or plajful fancy, or genuine hu>n iur, is much more rare, an 1 is too exclusively the gilt of a happy nature tc be anahsed or imitated. Men who have it in a high degroe are sure to be rare. V/e cannot expect in o'uri dnytose any one again at all equal to Sydney Smith. But we must not conclude without observing that, in speaking of this ns a high kind of • ifc or humour we are only noting one of many kinds, all indisputably high. Mr. Timh3 has only attended to tho wits and humourists that have happened to attract him. It wou'd be difficult to asbvjn any reason why Addison should not be considered as much a wit as Stoclc, or Sterne as much a humourist as Goldsmith. There miy be a humour applied to deeplyimportant subject, as Mr. Cariyle has shown, which is tota'iy unlike the humour of Swift. Still the general div'fion of wits and humourists, according to Muir witor Irtmour .-ant'-es round g iv.it matters of real interest tv the writer, or plays gently over the face of society, or lies in verbal quickness and licence, is one that will always, we believe, be found to obtain in some t-hap'.! or other: and (he list kind of wit must nlw.ijs if fa, : rly viewed, appear as inferior to the two firbfc as it does in thy pages of Mr. Tituhs. |gn > -'t^jV^^j^-.^T-qrafr«;H.,mnwj'^^jt'.tr»yf>Lw I..iiMji.^i»i1 ..iiMji.^i»i» t »..«i.n, 1 ,, mml . [ . MM i

Australian Wheat on the Yo.!ksiiirc Wolds. — Upo.i tiie farm of \fm. Lovel, of Helpjrthorpe, there is now growing a plot of whe-it in full ear. The seed was rjrowu in Australia, and was sown by Mr. Lovel on tin 10th ot September, 1801. The ears have been in sight about eight or nine days, an unusual early appearance, especially on the Wold*, where vegetal ion i< late. 'Fhe circumstance is causing much inkrest among farmers, many of whom are of opinion that by importation of .seed the period of harvest co-il.l be accelerated. Mr. Lovel expects his Australian wheat to ripen in July, a month before the usual time.

Stranrk Attack, in a Railway Carhiaoe.— A strange occurrence took place in a traia which left Paiis for Roueii the evening before la.it. A young tradesman reading at C.ien entered a rnrrhgeat Mantes, in which an individual about 45 years ofiite, a j ounu; man, and a voiuig woman w>re already seated^ and after a few words exchanged with his fellow-travel-lers, fell n<stap. He wad shortly after awakened by a sharp pain in the neck, horn a stab given him by the man of 4:1, who had his arui raided to strike a second time. The 3 ouua tradesman, witli the assistance of the other man aud the young woman, secured the man, attempted to alarm the guard, but, their eff>rts were for a long time fruitless. The unpleasant situation lasted for a considerable time, the wounderf n»an becoming gradually weaker from loss of blood, and the young man and the girl fearing to be left alone with tfie ais.ulant. At length the train stopped and assistance was obtained. The man turned out to be a native of Grisons, in Switzerland, and the woman also a native of Switzerland, was on her way to NewYork, to be married to a Swiss, settled there. The two yonug men having entered into conversation with his charge, who is of remarkable beauty, excited in him such an ungovernable fie of anger, that in a moment of temporary insanity he seizjd a penknife, which the young tradesman "had left on the seat afrer paring his nails, and made the attack. Happily the wound inflicted is not serious. - Galignan i. A Notable Character Injuhed. -At San Francisco, lately, an elderly man known as " Peg-leg" Smith (from the fact that he wears a wooden leg) was thrown from a buggy aud very seriously injured. ' 1 eg -leg " was formerly a Rocky Mountain trappev, and, almost twenty-five years ago, while pursuing his avocation ameng the hills of the Red River district, was shot by Indians in the left leg and lost it. He was conreyed to St Louis, Missouri, by his companions, aud remained in the hospital there for nearly two years, at the end of which time he was discharged with tho "peg-Its." -So soou as the state of his health permitted, Smith procured a good horse and a few blaukets from tho beds of deceased small-pox patients, and with which he stirted for the West, and ou leaching the tribe of Indians to whom he was indebted for the loss of his leg, bestowed the blankets upon the chief as a token of ainitv and forgiveness. Tiie token was received with thanks j but in a fewdays the small pox broke out among the Indians and &oon nearly destroyed the tribe. Smith remained for several mouths iv the nei-diboi'hojd of lied hiver ffloatins; over the ruin whiclfhe had caused, and afto his appetite for revenge had been fully satiated, re turned to the white settlements and has resided for many years in Sim Francisco. He was on the Fraser Hivt-r in 1858. and was one of a party of eight or ten adventurers who in that year ascended Fraser River as far as Pnvillion Creek and lived on horse-flesh for sevesal weeks— considered in those (lavs an undertaking of no small magnitude.— British Colonist, v ancouver.

Duty on Gold.- -The following are the clauses of the bill as amended by, and passed through commit tee of the Assembly, last night :—'• 1. On and after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, instead of the duties payable in accordance with the Act twentieth Victoria, number seventeen, there shall be payable at the Customs, previous to the exportation of gold from the colony, the duty of one shilling and sixpence for every ounce troy weight, of gold about to be exported ; and at the Royal Mint, Sydney, upon gold imported thereto, the duty of one shilling and three pence for every ounce, troy weight, of standard fineness so imported 2- Provided that such duty shall not be payable at tlie said Koyal Mint of Sydney upon gold, the produce of any other country, which shall be duly im ported to the said Mint under the seal of the Customs of the port, and under the certificate ot one of the principal officers of the Customs thereat, signifying that such gold was exported therefrom iv conformity with the laws and regulations thereof. John Chinaman and the Goose. On Friday night a Chinaman was passing along CambridgeCrescent, White Hills hamlet, when 'hespieJ something lying at the door of a knight of the thimble, which seemed to tickle John's fancy; then eying all around to si'e if the coast was clear, he quickly popped clown to secure his prize, but the eagle-eyed witne-s inside her castle soon observed that the intended prize was either too hot or too heavy, for John jumped up mudi quicker than he stooped, and ran oft", shaking his hand and roaring out, " no good, no good !" The intended prize was nothing else than the tailor's goose, thrown out to cool. Some one suggested to give John in charge, but the goodnatured and sympathising- lady objected to John being decked, thinking he had already got enough, and contenting herself and neighbours with simp'y having a good laugh at his expense. -Bandigo Independent.

Ljttlh Children.-^ On that blank sheet of paper to which you compare a child's mind, I find yet more words written that all may read. I find truth. Prone to believe tho most extravagant fictions because his belief is indiscriminate by innocence, he is yet essentially a tiuthteller and is logically true. If he objects to you or me he tells us candidly "I don't like you.'' If asked to assign reason for his di 9 like he answer-3 us candidly, (> Because you are old— because you are ugly— because you smell of suuff." If he likes his old nurso better than his new nurse he tell him so plainly. Here is no cogging, no qualiryinc, no constructive lying. When he demands a gresent or hachseish, lie employs no bowing or scraping ; no beating about the bush to effect his purpose. He says simply, ' Give Doddy a sugar plum,' and holds out his hand. "Years to come he will learn to cringe and fawn, aud write begging letters, and attribute his want of sugar-plums to the hardness of the times, or to his having to take up a little bill.' So blunt is his truthfulness that it frequently becomes inconyenient and embarrassing. He makes the most alarming revelations, in all innocence and unconsciousness, respecting the malpractices of the servants, and the criticism passed by his relatives upon the appearances aud manners of their acquaintances. He suffers in the flesh for this, and is a martyr in his truthfulness. Not strong enough in his purpose to hate, he is yet ashamed and afraid to lie. He blushes and stammers over an untruth. 'Tis practice makes the liar perfect. The infant knows the truth and its seat, for it is in his heart, and he has no need to go wandering about the earth in search of it like tliat mad fellow, who hearing that truth lay in the bottom of a well, jumped into a well and was drowned ; finding indeed truth at the bottom— ior he found Death. You foolish, coaxing mothers, teach your children to lie, when you aid them in denying or concealing faults from those who would be stern with them. You, unreasoning, impetuous parents, nourish lying scorpions in your bosom, when you beat your children savagely for an involuntary accident, from a broken vase, or a torn frock. You give the child a motive for concealment ■ you sow lying seeds that will bear black fruit* you make the truth to mean punishment, and falsehood, impunity."— Household Word**

Acres. Dune'iin .. 7?,3'20 East Taieri 73!ci)0 West Taiori OO.IGG North Tokomairiro 70,400 South Tokomairiro 70*400 Waihola .. „ 70,40(1 WestCJutha .. 53'7(>C East Cluthu .. .. 4(j^72C Oamaru 87.0i[ Otepopo V! 53,7GC Moeraki 65,92( Hawksbury 71, 0K Waikouaitf 25,G0C New Southern Hundreds. Waitfllmna 40.9 CC Pouialiaha 46^081 Popotuuua .. .. C0,16C 968 5 a2C