News of the Week.

Otago Witness, Issue 571, 8 November 1862, Page 5

News of the Week.

(i'UOM THE DAILY Tl.\n; c .)

We have received a small paper covered voWme entitled the Cmiterlmr" Songster, aud containing ton of Mr Timtcher's lojul songs, sung at tlio Town Hall, Chrisfelnnvh. oM fri'in-l's wit li.is not dcM-rtcd him, Amidst trie loc.it hits which it n junoa a local unowle tec to appreciate, mo can di-eurn the same sparkling puns, good humoured jokes, and wo shou.d add unnnstakeable personalities wiih which Mr Tlntcher use- 1 to delight his Duncdio audience*. Mr Tlia'ehcr's phn is to make the few suit r tor the nvmv, and oa the principle, "he liw^h.- at suar3 who never felt a wound," those not at acked arc delighted to see the kind office performed for their friend-. We subjoin tho concludiug verso of the son-r, Our Brave Volunteers, ot' whom individually and collectively, Thatcher seems to entertain a rather poor opinion : — They go out to shoot, and their skill is'nt trreat now, 'Tin seldom the target h struck I've henr-1 siy, And to shew their precision allow me to state now What happened when they wers out shooting one day : A bullock fell, some say the noise terrified him And cau-e 1 his decease, but I've my doubts and foa rs That the poor thing fell dead with a ramrod inside liim —

Shot away in mistake by our brave Volunteers.

We have been informed that after the usual examination, Mr Henry Dyer Maddock has been admitted atDunedin, to practise as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. — Communicated,

A large, and influential public meeting was held on Wednesday evening, at the Golden Ac;e Hotel. Wetherstone's, to take into consideration the conduct of certain members of the Mining Board, in absenting themselves so long from duty, &c. Dr. Anlerson was voted to tue chair. The chairman having explained to the body of the meeting the object of their being called together, a series of resolutions were proposed, seconded, anl passed, and a committee ol gentlemen appointed, to at once memorialise the Government, in order to ascertain the best steps to be taken in the matter. After a vote of thanks to the chairman, who promised them every assistance in his power, the meeting separated. — Communicated.

We understand that the first meeting of the General Marine Board will be held at Wcliiugton on the 11th inst. Captain Robertson, who has been lately appointed as an Inspector of Steam Vessels, aud who has also been made a member ot the General Marine Board, has received instructions to repair to Wellington by that time. He will, we believe, go by the Claude Hamilton on her return trip northwards. The Claude Hamilton brought down Captain Johnson, also an In speetor of stpa'ii vessels, and a member of the Board, who will return with Capt. Robertson.

The promoters of the Fancy Baziar in ai i of the funds for the erection of the English Episcopal Church have at length fixed the when aud the where. Through the kindness of J. Hyde Harris, Esq., they are permitted the use of the grounds surrounding his private dwellinsjhouou, the Grango. The wares will be sold in large tents or marquees erected for the purpose, and if tho weather he fine the most compljte success may be predicted for the bazaar. In fact, it will he more of a fancy fair than a Im.uir, conbincd with an open nivfcte. We understand that a good band will be engaged to play in the grounds. Fancy baza-wa aru generally "better fun" for Jientlemen than for ladies, excepting always those presiding at the stalls, but in thfs case the walking through the grounds, the gay music, and the animated scene, will h.ive charm? for ali. Although a bold experiment, wo think theeoninrttee will find it an entirely successful one, and thfy are entitled to thanks for attempting it Following it we may hope perhaps to sec some suitable ground chosen .or a public promenade, and a subscription band engaged. But in our enthusiasm for the open air portion of the arrangement wo are forgetting th: stalls with their pi e-iiding boutiquieres —a numorou3 list of whom appears in a imticeinannthercnlunn.and which will probably be s' lll further increased by fnirassistantfriends." A* f rthe wans, we da>e not sny how much we exp»ct from the delicate hands that for months pasth»vi» been weaving all kinds of fancy products. We have omitted to say that the 16th of December, and the following days are flxwl for the opening of the bazaar.

At an early hour on Mo. day morning (aboat half-past five) the door of Duncan's store,, H llattray-strcef, wae discovered to be open, and it was^ shortly foun I that the iron safe had beea bo-lily carried away. The safe, we understood, contained all the books of the business.

We were pleaded to observe ou Monday that a piece of fe.iciug had at lust been erected "alongside the path left for pedestrians, in Kigh-steeet, so as to keep them off the dangerous precipice occasioned by the progress of the work in the cutting.

We had on Monday an opportunity of seeing a private letter from a gentleman, formerly a resident in Otago, who has taken up his quarters at. Madagascar. Ho says— "The resources ot this newly opened and magnificent country are immense. Iron, gold, silver, tortoise-shell, dyewoods, copal, gums, aniseed, rice, lemons, bullocks, poultry in enormous quantities, 4 geese for a dollar (4s). 3 turkeys for the same price, or 12 ducks or fowls ; bullocks, 8 dollars each ; dark brown lama sheep, 3= 6<i a head. Plenty of money to be^made, but a feaiful risk of life." The letter is written from the Mauritius, whither the writer had gone, partly on business, and partly for change of air, the climate of Madagascar beimr so very unhealthy, lie concludes his letter by saying—" We have still the cholera here in the Mauritius, I regret to say, though lately it has much diminished, and after all it's not so bad as the Mad tgascar fever."

We notice in one of the Sydney telegrams that Mr Pritchard, Her Majesty's Consul at the Fiji's has been removed from that port, and Mr Win. Owen, of Adelaide, appointed in his stead. This change has, no doubt, been brought about by the report of the Speci.il Commissioner, Colonel Smythe, who was despatched by Her Majesty's Government to make an inspection of the Islands.

It is amusing to see the singular reports of the Otugo Gold Fields which find rheir way into the columns of some of the Victorian newsp.ipeis. One of these in the Maryborough and Dunolly Advci User, states, in respect to the Dunstan, that " when the water went down there would be a scratch for a few men and then it would be over!"

T'<e monthly meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade was held last, Monday, at the Provincial Hotel ; Ciiptain IL-es presiding. Mr W. H Mumford, lion, secretary, read the minutes of the last meeting, which were confirmed. lie also read some letters, including one from the Melbourne house of Dal-ety, Rat tray, and Co. announcing that the engine previously mentioned as bein-f on sale at Sydney had been purchased for £270, aud would be shipped direct to Dunedin —by steamer, if too heavy a freight was not demanded. One member who is in ill health, sent in his resignation, which was accepted ; and there were five nominations of members, the ballot as to which will take place at the next monthly meeting. On the motion of Mr Johnston, seconded by Mr Beechcroft, it was resolved that the practice meetings should bs held fort nightly instead of weekly. Mr Braithwaite moved that the hour of meeting for practice should be seven o'clock iustead of eight ; and this was seconded by Mr Wales, and carried by 10 votes to 7. Several members urged that seven o'clock v/ould either be very inconvenient for many of the Brigade, or was so early that they could not attend pracf.ico without neglecting business. Lieutenant ilurphy proposed that the meeting at seven o'clock should only tuke place once in two months ; and, the votes being equal, the Chairman gave his vot« for the propisal, saying he was < onvinced that tln.< tar.'ier hour would be inconvenient for many. Some accounts were ordered to *>c paid. The Chairman reminded members t at the annual meeting, for the eltotiou ot officers for the year, and t!ie uppoiniment of hosemen, &c, would be held on th\d fi st Monday in next month.

A deputation of inhabitants of Lawrence, tho newly-surveyed township at the Junction, Tuapeka, waited yesterday upon his honor the Superintendent, to represent tbe injustice that would be done to them should the land be sold, and they be allowed no valuation for their improvements. They presented a memorial, a copy of whitm we publish, with the report of the proceedings, in another pjnee. The result af the deputation was quite satisfactory to the inhabitants, ns it appear* d that none of tho occupied allotments would as yet be put up for sale, and that, when sold, they wonid be offered at a set price, to be hereafter fixed by the Waste Land Board.

_ We are gUd to notice that attention h being directed in Canterbuiv to tlio pn-p-uati n of the Plionntuir Ti-n 1.1. cr New Z-aland fl ix. The reuorca of 'ho of n'ire exhibited at the Great Exhibition were conclusive as to its oxclllenee and general adaptability for manufacturing purpo^? Th.< chief difficulty iv the way has liinie.to neon r. it s.) much th<- f.ir t oT not being j •ink-- to produ .1 mirkotalile fibre, but to pi 0- , dice il in sue lantity. and at -,ueh a price as to i eoiunij'ul h 1 ,y and u-ofitaUe sale. Of the fl-ix machine i. ;nted i Cante 1 bury, the Li/tteltmi Times says-. " During tho pas- week a machine for this pun o«e, pntentet ! v Ml- Ritchie of Nor- ' wieh quay, has been trie 1 ith, we believe, veiy | encouraging results. Th mchine, wh-ch is in the form of a revolvin ylinder is fed l>v the hand with the fl ix whio a this instance" was perfectly dry. After be -> passed twice into fjie cylinder it is drawn ov\ .1 wisp of soft and tole- i r.ihly even fibre, in all uses fit for rope making, much of it in a state f'. spinning purposes. We understand that at pre nt th. 1 machinery which has lately arrived fro 1 England i« only on its trial, and that some improvements a-e contemplated before it is to he workjd. We heartily wish Mr Ritchie success in his experiment. No man will deserve more of New Zealand than that one who first discovers a simple plan for turning the flax to profitable accoun'.

We have not recuvcl ft <i tlv- General Government a complete file of ci 1 s passed during the late ses.-ion. Ou cou temporary, the Lyttltton Tim's appears to hi re Ikvii more fortunite, for in a late issue it gives ah wacts or" all tha new Acts. We extract norn it tho followhg abstract of the " Commen' ement of Acts Act,"' which is an important one, inasmuch as it fixes the time when the several Acts passed during the .osskm shall co-no iuto operation :— " The Commencement of Acts Act— An Act for defining the time when Acts of the General A<-sjml>ry shall come into operation. This Act rojjc-als Stu-tion 3 of tlie Interpretation Act, 1353, and brings into force every Act of the General Assembly which shall not prescribe the time from which it is intended to take effect, and which shall have bean assented to in Her Majesty's name three months after the day on which the Governor's assent is given."

The f diowing is a copy of a letter to tlie Nelson Examiner fio'ii a gentleman on iufinvire terms with the Mnorios : — '-Is it true, as .stated iv the Ex'tmi >er of to-day, that we have only 5,000 troops in Now Zealand ? If so, I Jear, from inforniation which I have this week received Ciom two Maori chiefs, from Motueka, that, we shall shortly find ourselves in adik-inmi. The natives often make mo acquainted with their secrets, and they have told me that a grand effort is about to be mado, almost immediately, to crush the pakcha ; that the Waikatos are arranging for tlie concentration of the whole of the natives capable ot fighting, and to make one grand nnd final struggle to drive out the p.ikeha. Messengers and letters have been sent oil", to all p.irts of tiie islands, requesting the co-operation a:d help o, a'l, and to meet at the Waikato at a given time and that time, they tc.l mo, is very near. They (the natives of Motuekn) have received a letter, instead of a messenger, requesting them to be there at the tima appointed, but they refuse to go. " JVo te Quini Matore," th-iv say ; and they have also hoisted the Queen's fl ig. Now, sup"posing that, by this dodge, the W.iikat-js Miececd in getting 10,000 men together, or even J3,000, every man amomrst them, in their mode of warfare, is nearly equal to an Englishman ; and, as such, can we meet 10,000 natives, with 5,000 English troops ; or c:m we meet 5,000 ] We might, if the whole of the troops couhl he concentrated at a given spot ; but. Auckland must he protected, Taranaki al-o, and Waugmui, Wellington, and ILiwkeV Bay ; and then where is your force to re&Kt (his contempl.Ued attack ? The natives arc shrewd •; they know ■ ur weakness, aud intend shortly, it seems, to take advantage of it."

Canteibury bids fair to be well supplied with fuel from its own coal-fields. The coal from the Kowni mines proves to he excellent, and about five ton.* a day is now being raised by the few men ac work. Vie price at llio minus is iroin 20s, to 30s. per ton, :cording to quality.

A serious ac ent occurred at the Police Barracks soon aft six 0' lock last Tuesday. As Mounted Constable Nadt»n wa<- preparing to go out on the night patrol, m>\ revolver accidentally slipped from the nail on \ ich it was suspended in the room, and, fallini n his foot, exploded, the ball going through c side of hiy instep, and burying itself in tl. 3ole of his ioot. Dr Hoc ken was speedily p attendance and succeeded, after a tudion; j-nd difficult operation, assisted by Dr Wilso in extracting the ball. On enquiring at a late mr last eveniug, wo were i.iforme 1 that the wou led inna was progressing favourably.

Though comparisons are some times orlious, the comparative amounts of the escoits from the gold fields of New South Wales and those of Otago show very favorably for this Province. The aggregate amount from tbe New South Wales gold fields by the last nsoort was 11,0710z. against 15,605 from the Ota^ field".

The iron safe which was s len '.jin Duncan's shop on Sunday, has been ft nd b/ the police in a sequestered gully, near tt e Maelaggan-street quarries. The spot selected for concealment, is perhaps the most lonely aud hidden in the neighborhood. It had been broken open wit'n a 26ib weight hammer, which was found close by. The safe was lashed to a pole, which must have been carri id on the shoulders of two men. It is supposed that four men were concerned ; and that two of them got inside, and lashed the safe to the pole bj a rope made of calico flour hags, cut up. The two confederates, it is supposed, made a disturbance outside, and one was taken to the watchhouse by the two policemen on duty. As soon as the constables were away, the men inside must ba\e carried off the safe, which weighed nearly two hundred weight. They must have had some (UfßcuHy in getting it to the position where it was discovered, and then for their pains they found nothing inside but some books, which they left behind.

Speakingof the proposed line of electric telegraph through the Middle Island, the Nelson Exiimiu-r says :— " Tho cosi; of carrying the scheme out from Nelson to the Bluff, is estimated rouphly ac L 20.000. The distance is, in round figures, 500 miles, taking the coast in Nelson and Marl borough ; and, as the number of stations would be small, the whole, on a modest scale, may be constructed at L4O per mile average. The line from Hobart Town to Launceston cost L 52 per mile, some years ago. Of tho above distance, about 50 miles are in Southland, 110 in Otago, 170 in Canterbury, 100 in Murlhorough, and 50 in Nelson. The whole proportionate contribu 1 ion of Nelson would tnus be about L 2.000, a sura quite insignificant for so great a benefit as this."

The New Zealand Gazette, October 22nd , contains a proclamation by His Excellency the Governor, declaring thu the followin? persons have bicome naturalized British subjects : — Mello Schcnkel, master mariner, Lyttelton ; Michael Albert C.is»ius, Dunedin ; and Jacob Fogel, storekeeper, Dunedin

A very interesting feature is proposed to be added to the Fancy Bazaar in the shape of an industrial museum, or exhibition of local arts and manufactures, and natural products. It will be a specioß of Great Exhibition on a small scale. It is hoped that persons having any articles worthy of exhibition will contrii-'ite them. A committee has been appointed to nake the necessary arrangements.

The Cricket Club played their flrsfcgame on Wednesday on the old ground. Its condition is much the same as last year, but it promises to be speedily improved as Government have placed a large number of men on to drain it.

A s )iree wa- announced to be held on Wednesday evening a 1 he East Taieri schoolhouse. We received an ii ation to attend, but too late to enable us to m 3 arran . amenta for sending a reporter.

We notice iv the W. IH»gto" papers that the Emerald Isle, which stai tv • from Dunedin a week or two ago with the exj' 1 v ig party for the West Coast, had to put into ' .Uington on the 22nd October to procure medic , assistance for one of the seamen.

Tlie latest official report from Major Croker, the Commissioner of tlie Tuapeka gold fields, dated Ist November, n "ntioncd that the rush to theDuubtan and the M lyneux had recommenced, and that the populat on of ihe Tiiajfeka gold field was, therefore, r.t the decrensej about 500 miners had taken their departure during the precedipg week.

The Provincial Council of Southland have created a Chief Engineer's Department, and the ofjice has been conferred upon Mr. Harold Fenton, formerly aisistant lurveyfir.

- '■<■' a proclamation of Ins Honor the Suporin- 1 te nt. the Dunstan Gold Field is included in j tl lam.irn Slau-hter Homo District, and the ]\ c moi Gold Field in the Cluth.-i Slaughter li< u<' District. By the Proclamation, the places specified are brought under the provisions of the Orlinance "for regulating the Slaughtering of Cattle in certain places,'' and no person after the date of the PiMclnmntion can legally keep a Slaughter House, without the same being duly licensed.

The condemned convict John Fratson con-tinuc-s calm, and upon the whole in c;ood health. His wife has several times visited him, and he has by some means become a wore that efforts nre being made towards obtaining a commutation of the death sentence. He h.is more than once asked whether the Auckland mail had arrived ; or when it was expected ; but of course neither the governor nor the warders have conversed with him on the subject of a possible commutation. We believe that we arc correct in stating that the report of Mr Justice Gresson has not yet been forwarded to His Excellency Sir George Grey. All that could be prepared in time for tlie last' mail, was a letter stating thut the report vras being prepared.

His Honor the Superintendent has appointed the following members of the Polbe Force to be Inspectors of Slaughterhouses : —Tnapeka Distiiet — Ileher Hc-wson, vice John M'NTally, transferred ; Clutha District — Francis Bullen, vice Thomas Blatch, discharged ; Tokomairiro District — Thomas Melauophy, vice Francis Bullen, transferred.

Notice is given in the Provincial Government Gazette to the Assisted Immigrants who arrived by the ship Robert Henderson, on 6th October, IS6I, that their bills for passage money are now overdue, and that payment must be made to Mr Allan, the Immigration agent, without delay.

His Honor the Superintendent, has by Proclamation in the Provincial Government Gazett , declared that tbe ground occupied by the Storm Water Channel at Wotherstone's, and to the extent of thirty fec-t on each side of it, shall bo exempted from all mining operations,

By a contract made between the Provincial Government and theowiicrs of the steamer Geelong, a subsidy of £1,000 per annum is to be paid for maintaining weekly communication between Dunedin and O-unaru, calling at Waikouaiti and Mocraki, each way. The ch-u-ges for freight and passengers are fixed as follows :— To or from Wuikou ti, Moeraki, or O.imaru, goods, 30s per ton, to Lj taken from ship's side at the expense of consignee : wool, 12? 61 por |bale, to be brought alongside at the expense of shipper ; grain, Gd per bushel. Passenger lates : To or from Waikouaiti, saloon, £1 15s ; steerngo, £1 ; passengers paying their own expense of I nding and shipping except at Dunedin. To or from Moeraki, saloon, £2 10s ; steerage, £l ]0s ; and to or from O'imarii, saloon, £2 15s ; steeeago, £1 los ; passengers paying their own costs of landing and shipping at each place, except nt Danedin.

It Aril! be seen by an advertisement which appears elsewhere that the promoters of the project for an Industrial Exhibition luivc not been idle. Already an influential committee has been formed, and a guarantee fund raised, and the project is now fairly launched. Tho committee will be prepared to receive a very wide range of articles fc exhibition, including raw materials of all kinds, goods of all descriptions manufacture*, in tho colony whether from native or imported materials ; labor saving machinery, either of colonial manufacture or imported; minerals, ore*, and metals, building materials, architectural drawings and designs, photographs, &c., &c, in fact all kinds aud descriptions of objects that can in any way be regarded as illustrative of the industry Jof the cry. > >y. It is to be regretted that the time before th xhihition must tike pkep is so short, only so "i six weeks, else there can be no do 1)t that ther« would be a considerable show. At the Great Exhibition in London, the New Zaaland Court put in a very respectable appearance, and had there been time, it is more thau probable that many of those who were exhibitors there, would have sent'someth:ng to the local exhibition now about to be held. As it is, we fear the committee will have mainly to depend upon Otago, although at the same time we feel satisfied that many articles from other Provinces will find their way into the Exhibition. We notice that Mr Cantrell, one of the Committee, will attend daily, between the hours of 1 and 3, at the office of of Messrs F. Moss and Co., Princes-street, for the purpose of giving information to intending exhibitors.

An official notice in our advertising column announces that the nomination of candidates to represent the District of Hamplen in the House of Representatives will take place on the 4th of December, at the store of Mr James Mitchell Waikouaiti. It will also be seen that the nomination of candidates for the seat rendered vacant by the resignation of Major Richardson takes place on the 1 5th November ; bnt with regard to the latter, the provisions of the Amended Representation Act appear to create a doubt as to the legality of the proceedings.

In a letter recently written by Mr Ledger, the importer of the llama and alpaca into Australin, a new remedy for the scab in sheep is described a 9 follows :—": — " It may not be uninteresting^to some of our stock-breeders to know that the oil of juniper is a most efficacious specific for the scab in sheep. Iv 185j and 1856 immense numbers of sheep — in particular, merinoes — were carried ofrY by this dire scourge in the Argentine Confederation. The flockmasterg were at their wits' end and anticipated losing the whole of their stock. An Italian chemist suggested this remedy, and it was found to answer admirably :—: — To I lb of lard mix a quarter of a lb of oil of juniper ; rub well in. I found that very few required a second dressing. It only costs 3d a head."

We understand that instructions have been sent up to the Nokomai, to assist the miuers to a limited extent in bottoming the wet holes in Victoria Gully, which unaided, they hava been compelled to desert.

A lief nsing meeting was held at the Provincial Se< Ttary's office, on Tuesday, when the followin., deierred applications were granted :—: — J. H. Noding, Waipori Accommodation House ; John Prosper, Clyde Hotel, Moeralri ; S. Jones, Refreshment Rooms, Princess' Theatre. The application of Thomas North, Otago Diningrooms, was deferred ; and that of Thomas Jaggo of Waikouniti Sandspit, refused. Bush licenses were granted to David Carey, Blueskin ; and James Morrison, Coai Creek ; and the applications of W. H. Valpy, Dunstan Road ; and Adam Sutherland, Look-out Point, were deferred, there being no appearance of either applicant. Wine and beer licenses were granted to J. D. Jones Tamova House ; John Brown, Great King-street ; and William Woolry, Water of Leith Hotel. The applications of Henderson nud Inraan, Cafe deParis, and William Best, Bendigo Hotel, were deferred. Bottle licenses vero granted to the following persons :— Willia n Saunders, Upper Taieri Ferry ; Cornelius Bunbury, Staflbrdstreet ; Jacob Fogel, Great King-street ; Henry Jones, Waikouaiti ; William Abel Wood, Mac-laggan-street ; anl John Hurst, Stafibrd-slreet.

Simultaneous attention, it appears, is being devoted towards the exploration of the West Coast on behalf of several provinces. A private expedition from Canterbury is already on its way. Thp Otago Government a'e proposing for an extr ,s ye one. and are calling for tenders for a si • ' ncr for the purpose; and the Southland iVeais, ii. ne following paragraph, tells of one fitting out .'*i ,i\ Southland:— "The party fitted out by Mr J.G. Hughes of this place, for a Sealing and Exploring Expedition on the West Coast, sailed on Monday ast. Tlie party, consisting of seven men, is under the immediate supervision of Mr M'Laren.and is well eqnipped in every respect, and furnished with provisions for four months."

The Pastoral Times (DenlHquin) says, since the mute to the Gulf has been made known, the eyes of many young men connected with pastoral purt»oses have been directed to Carpentaria. A party formed of twelve has been here who are gathering themselves up for a start. They will take with them about 10.000 sheep, with horses, mares, huU locks, &c, &c., and a number of goats, As the party is composed of thorough bushmen, who are capable of contending with the dangers and difficulties of tbe route, we irjay expect that they will be successful if no more than ordinary dangers have to be contended with. The leaders oanlive upon anything that is to be found in the hush— fromanopposurato abunyip j andthiß strengthens us in our belief that, with a fair amount of preparation before beginning the journey, the little pttrtv-srfuU of the pluck and energy of Australian bujhmea— may succeed in establishing thenucleug of a colony iv Caxpentwui,

A Gener.il Meeting of tlie M.U.1.0.0 F. is announced to t;iko pkt'^e on Moivhy Evening, at tiio Shamrock llou.-l, fir tV: purpose nf establishing a Di-tiict Widow and Orphan Fund, and other business.

Still in the various Australian papers, we find f.equent mention of the notorious btn-hranijer Frank Gardiner. The Melbourne Illustrated Post tells the following story !e«}jei:tng li'im :—: — " For --o.ne ti'ue pa,, 1 - .-,'iis worthy has withdrawn himself from t lie aduil; ing i-ye-< of those who delight in narratives of immlerand robbery,nn,lit was suspected thlit he had quitted the colony for New Zealand. IJowi-ver, we me credibly informed that Frank still li jnors New South Wales with his presence, and ihout three weeks ago was seen near Baga. by a person who knows him well. Gardiner was on horseback at the time, and the only arms he apparently had with him was ft double-ban oiled gun. The friends exchanged salutes, and reinol up their horses. After some general conve«"-ition. Gardiner's friend asked permission to exa- -me the. gun ; it was courteously handed to him, md after testing the barrels and finding them loaded, the traveller remirked* that it was in his power to shoot him (Gardiner). With the utmost iwiwfial ■?ire, Gardiner said, ' You can do as you like about that; fire away, i you think pioper.' The traveller, however, took no such coM-u-dly .nvnntajre, and, handing tho piece back, IUI (lai diner to pursue his journey unmolested." From the Grenville Advocate, (a Ballarat paper) w e obtain the following still more wonderful yarn :— " A gentleman just returned from the Lachlan states with confidence, from a personal knowledge of certain facts, that the man Gardiner is no other than Sir Frederick Pottinger himself. The person who brings tho intelligence is a respectable Ballarat miner, of nine years' standing, and is at present residing at the Durham Lead, Buninyons."

The app)intmenfc of Christopher William Richmond, E*[., to be one 01 the judge 1 ' of the Suprein" Court of New Z -aland is notified in the A'ew Zealand Gazette. The appointment datea from the 20th October. The following gentlemen have hcc-M appointed Justices of the Peace : Andrew To-id, I'^q , East Taieri; Frederick Wayne, Esq., Upper Taieri Lake ; Jackson Keddell, E*q., Danstan. The latter sentlemau and Johu Wallace Murdoch and St. John Brani^an, E-iji-s., have hem gazetted as Resident Magistrates. Mr Alexander William Logic has beun appointed Sub-Collector of Customs sit tha Port of Taieri, and Mr Frederick John Wilson Postmaster at Ot'ikia.

The Wdlington Advertiser admits that the Home Government would grant separation if the inhabitants of the Middle Island would n-'k for it, but .deludes it«elf into the belief tint the majority of these are averse to it. The following are our contemporary's remarks on the subject: — "We need not delv e ourselves with tho idea that if separation were demanded by the inhabitants of the .Middle Inland, the Home Government would nofc grant their p.-.vyer; for ths comvc tlu-y adopted with reference to the separation, fiist of Port Phillip from New S'-utli W.dcs.-s, and then of Moreton liay from tint. Ho.iy, iv well as with reference to the New Provinces Act of New Zealand, plainly indicates I'ut the colonial policy of England is—let the colonies alone, or leave them to do as they please. In a despatch of tho Duke of Ucwcistk's. dated Jlecember 14th, 1861, to the Governor of Queensland, he s'lys. th it ' while he Cm no objoc'iori to the piopos.il fthnt the Plains of Promise, on tho Gulf of C.u-,,ei.tiri.i, should be tempoutrily annexed to the colony of Queensland it must be distinctly understood, hy the Legislature of Queensland, th'it the annexation of this territory will probably he revoked when the growth of population or other circumstftnces.shall, in the opinion of Ilor Majesty's Government, render separation desirable for the interests ot the new territory.' And we have not the least doubt that, it' the inhabitant* generally of the Middle Islaud were to demand a separate Government for themselves, their demand would he complied with. The Colony's security, and Wellington's grounds of confidence, are owing to the faci; that the present separation is not generally desired by the South, but on the contrary, the greater portion of the settlers of the Pro-inccs of Canterbury, Southland, and M irlborough, as well as the whole of tho " Old I Icnfcifcy " at Ot-iijo, woul prefer the removal of the Seat of Government t this city, than the division of this Colony insc ' two.

The Governor has proclaimed that from and after the 24th of November, the operation of the ' "Weights anl Measures Ordinance" shall extend to the following districts in the province ox Otago :— " Commencing at the junction of tho Scrub Bum and the Clutha Elver ; thence by the Scrub Burn to its sources ; thence by the water sheds of the Tnapeka Stream, and Clutha River to the L imm.erl.iw ; thence by the water sheds of the Vaipori aud Lee, and Traquhar streams to M.-ngatua ; thence by the boundary of the West Taieri and North Tokomairiro Hundreds to the North branch of the Tokomairiro River ; thence by the Tokomairio River ; to the main south road ; thence by the said road to its intersection witli Lovell's Creek ; thence by Lovell's Creok to the boundary of run numbered fifty-four ; thence by the boundary of the said run Xo a point situated north-east of the sources of* the Crook Burn ; thence by a southwesterly line to the sources of the Crook Burn ; thence by the Crook Burn to ,its junction witb the Clutha River ; thence by the Clutha River to the starting point.

The Common Jurors, who were directed to attend at the Supremo Court at ten o'clock on. Thursday, aro released from attendance until the same hour on Monday next. His Honor, Mr Justice Greoson, in taking his scat, suggested that in Tt'sckemaker and Another v. McLean it should he agreed to take a verdict for the plain titFi, subject to a special ease for the Court of Appeal; on the ground that, though hewaa prepared to direct the jury on the materia^question, he understood the case would be carried further, whatever might be tiie decision of the jury. This was agreed to ; and His Honor then summed up. He referred to several of the leading cases quoted in the addresses of counsel ; Rnd on the question whether the defendant* had specifically appropriated to the order of the, plaintiffs the sheep referred to in the undertaking to deliver to the order of M' Andrew, his Honor reversed his ruliug at the previous trial. Then, he held the appropriation to have been sufficiently completed; now, ho holds that it w;?s not. His Honor read only so much of the evidence as related to the isaue whether the phiintiiFs had by fraud or trickery obtained the signature of the defendant to the wool-money memorandum (the, alleged new contract of the plaintiffs), by stating 1 that it was not intended to be, and stiould never be, used as creating or showing a right of the plaintiffs to property in the sheep; his Honor's opinion being plainly intimated that there was no' shadow of proof of the allegation. HaA-ing oeen briefly directed as to the mode in which they ought to assess the damages, the Jury retired about noon. They did not agree to a verdict for four hours. Either some of them could not understand the meaning of taking a verdict by consent, subject to a special case ; or they desired not to understand it from a feeliug in favor of a verdict for the defendant.' They twice came into Court to put questions, and once His Honor sent for them, expressing astonishment as to what could bo the, cause of delay; the end being that they assessed; the damages at X' 4, 410. Tins, of course, will-not' be paid, unloss the Court of Appeal, upon a state* rnent of facts to be settled by Counsel, with the arbitrament of the Judge, if accessary , shall decide that those facts legally entitle the plaintiffii to the verdict, and it need not be paid them, if the losing party chooses to carry tho matter further, by appealing to the Privy Council or the House of Lords. At the previous trial, the jury found for the plaintiffs, with L 4,041 damages.

We are glad to state that Mounted Constable Naden, who was accidentally shot in the foot by the falling of his revolver, is doing as well as can be expected, considering the serious nature of his wound. The ball was exceedingly difficult- to extract, it having becorao itnhedtWin a network Of muscles and ligaments, aud necessitated thn opening of the heel to a depth ot about two inches.

I For some time past the Taranaki and Ngatiraunai natives have driven numbers of cattle into New -Plymouth for sale, many of which are strongly suspected as being part of the stock stolen from the settlors during the late war. The Taranaki Herald says ihat the practice of purchasing th cattle has been checked by the intervention of the Commissioner appointed under the '' Ownership of Cattle QrcLiuiice," who have ordered .thatifi cattle bought from the Maories shall be'expo^ii in town for a certain number of days belore tha pnrohase shall be considered complete ; jo ithat the real owners of such as have been,; stolen,- may: hare a chance of claiming 'any that'fhEe^wOiyeafrgt , . and a half they liaveljeen away- hav# BtiU'Mfc' ~T* •1 ? •■,"-^-':*.^",^».«virfdl/!i' r^