News of the Week.

Otago Witness, Issue 653, 4 June 1864, Page 14

News of the Week.

[from: the daily times.] We understand that on Saturday last about half-past two p.m. a very large portion •of the-Bell Hill was dislodged by the application of the galvanic battery. We may state that the two holes containing the charges were of the depth of 45 and 42 feet respectively, and that the quantity of powder used was no less than 4301b5. The instant the galvanic circuit was completed, both charges exploded simultaneously, thereby effecting tiie main object for which the battery was wsed. We are pleased to be able to state that the arrangements which resulted so, satisfactorily were entirely under the charge of the officers of H. M. Gaol, who, since the works at Bell Hill were transferred to the charge of the Governor of that- department, bave had the entire carrying out of all operations in connection therewith. We hear that the two prisoners who, a short time since met with an accident at the Hill have quite recovered, and are again at work.

The following is the latest intelligence from Wangaaui, received via Wellington by the City of Dunedin. The « Wanganui Chronicle" of the 20th May, says -.— « Several letters • came down the river last night to the Native Magistrate, Mr White— one from Mete Kingi another from Pehi, a third from the Rev. M. Xampila, and others of minor importance. Their substance va believe to be as follows :- Mete Kingi states Chat, the adherents of Matene were 200, and that 100 were engaged in the fight ; that the number of Government natives was 400, pf whom 200 were actually engaged-, and that eighty of the rebels were killed, while on the other side there were fourteen killed and nine wounded. The names of these are given, and also those of some of the dead rebels, and as some of those not yet .published may be known to our readers, we subjoin the whole list. M. Lampilasays there were 50 rebels killed. He was not actually «ogaged, as was at first said, but remained in the background with the reserve, in order to attend to his own particular duties. The *ght lasted fifteen minute's. The nearest relatives were engaged on opposite sides. As •ne of the letters says, < The fight was between fathers and sons, younger brothers and «aer brothers, uncles, nephews, and consins.' -Jttte* it was over tiie yictora took some food •vtd proceeded to Tawhitenui, which they took possession of by ten o'clock, and on the same •4*y took other two pahs, but the names are IMS given. There seems to have been resist»oce; and 40 men, women, and children were taken prisoners, who were afterwards demoded by Pehi, an the ground that they > arere his people, but Mete King! declined to - 4&mx them up, saying to Pehi, that he was •aftaid of his (Pehi's) killing them-rather - were sarcasm. J The prisoners ere on their ' down to. be handed over to the autho"'fifies. Among them are three conspicuous «*ebels. Pehi's king flag "Paerangi" was **kken. Mete Kingi and his comrades \«em an high feather ; he subscribes him« * Colonel,' and in one of the letters 4e v styled 'General.' Haimona styles •iteself 'Captain.' The same journal ««* the 25th Mar reports as follows:— "* His Honor the Superintendent arrived last *jght,fromPiperiki, bringing with him 26 fsjjsoners, 21 of whom were men, and among wounded. The latter were taken Wthe hospital, and the other twelve to the barracks, while the women' and children were allowed to'gb, Pehi demanded the prisoners, ¥at his Honor refused to deliver them. He ha 6 declared himself again a Kingite. There -me some interesting particulars regarding the *l«te 'engagement brought down, which we ,iaust deier. giving till next publication. His ' Honor went out to-day to Pakaraka, Waito- ' tarn, where' some Ngatiruanuis and Taranakis were to meet with Bio, He was accompanied *h$ 30 of the Cavalry Volunteers and intended to warn the rebels oft the Waitotara Block. . Ac Pah Karaka, no rebels appeared, so that the party bjad a fruitless ride of forty miles. Thgf returned at six p.m. Aa alarm was given in the afternoon that they had been at-tsc'k<-d by Maories, and the first company of Militia were called oat and remained under «nus above tWo- hours, ready to march, if iicceasary, to ttielrasgistance.?

At the Booms of the Dunedin Young Men's Christian Association, Monday evening, the Rev. Richard Connebee delivered his

promised lecture, detailing his personal recollections of eminent preachers. Notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the evening, the room was respectably filled, and the Rev. D. M. Stuart took the chair. The Rev.

lecturer, after relating the circumstances which led to a somewhat intimate personal acquaintanceship with those celebrated ministers of the Gospel, the Revds. R. Hall, Drs. Jay, and Leifchild, reminiscences concerning whom he purposed detailing, confined his subsequent remarks principally to a biographical sketch of the Rev. Robert Hall, He gave a very graphic account of his parentage and early training, interspersed with anecdotes illustrative of the bent iof mind which seemed even then to presage his future fame, notwithstanding in his own estimation he failed in his first essay in the pul. pit. Following his career from the scenes of his early efforts he traced his progress in his studies in Scotland, and his acceptance of a pastorship in Cambridge ; his illness and recovery through the medical skill of Dr Arnold, and his removal to Bristol. To this circumstance Mr Connebee feelingly alluded

as it was there where he first became acquainted with him. After describing his

labours there and his somewhat untimely death, the lecturer proceeded to sketch his career in the threefold capacity of preacher, friend, and author. It would be impossible even in a verbatim report to do full justice to this portion of the lecture as apart from the subject matter detailed, there were evident recollections of the very tone and manner in which the extracts taken from his sermons were delivered, the bons mots uttered, and the terse proverbial expressions of opinion, reproof or counsel conveyed. The lecturer was frequently interrupted by expressions of approbation, and it appeared to be with almost a feeling of regret that his announcement was received that ia consequence of the lengthened sketch he had given of the Rev. Robert Hall, ho could not enter upon the notice which he intended to have given, of the other eminent men, and that he should be compelled to defer it to a future day. The Rev. D. M. Stuart was announced as the next lecturer, but that gentleman suggested that it would be advisable to wait for a moonlight night. , No definite arrangement was therefore made. After a vote of thanks carried, passed by acclamation, the Chairman pronounced the usual benediction, which closed the proceedings. I

The following paragraph relative to the supposed existence of auriferous deposits in the Mongonui district of the North Island is from the " New Zealand Herald :— " It has always been reported that gold' existed in the neighborhood of the Manugatanewha Mountain, lying between Mongonui and Hokianga, and in the streams that flow thence through the level lands in the direction of Mongonui, repeated discoveries of Bmali pieces of quartz containing the usual indications of gold have confirmed the belief. Latterly, however, a regular reef of this quartz has been discovered, specimens from which have been forwarded to his Honor, the Superintendent,- and from experiment; made, there is little dojibt that it contains gold. Should this prove true, it may yet be found, as has always been asserted by many to be the case, that on the i north of Auckland are some of the richest mineral districts of New Zealand."

We learn that a discovery of gold has been made near Blueskin. An application for a prospecting claim has, we understand, been made on the strength of the discovery. The locality is situate nine miles from the Blueskin Hotel in a westerly direction, and four miles to the left of the track from Dunedin and WaikouaitL The prospect obtained was only small, and was procured by sluicing.

The salmon experiment appears to have proved a perfect success. In its summary for Europe the "Argus" says :— " It is gratifying to be able to Bay that there ia every likelihood that the efforts made to introduce the salmon to Australian waters will at length be crowned with complete success. The intelligence received from Tasmania from time to time is of the most encouraging character, and there is ample reason for belief that at no very distant date the salmon will no longer be a stranger to the Derwent. The removal of the ova to the ponds prepared for its reception was' accomplished without mishap ; and since then numbers of the living fish — salmon and trout, in separate ponds— have made their appearance. It may be remembered that a few of the boxes containing ova were retained here for experiment, and' we are glad to say that in our own case also there has been a comparatively large measure of success. Up to the present moment there have been somewhere about 120 births ; and the fish which have escaped from their birthbags are apparently in good health and likely to live. It will be seen, therefore, that the ultimate success of the undertaking may almost be looked upon as assured, and the fact will no doubt be scarcely less gratifying to home readers interested in the acclimatisation of the salmon than it is to the people of the Australian colonies." In a subsequent issue the same journal reports : —*' The young; salmon, or parr,, now hatched at the ice-works' have become too numerous to number. They are estimated roughly at from 160 to 180. and no deaths have occurred amongst them. The little fellows are so active that when the pans are uncovered in the morning the watchers have to be careful that none escape. A few of the ova' die from day to" day, but the number so removed from the pans, still continue* to be small. At ten o'clock last night, when the temperature of the water was .54deg.^ alt ! was going on well with the young fishes,"

The Marlborough "Press" of the 25th inst. says:— "The Albion steamer, which arrived here a few days since, brought over from Dunedin, Mr Morton, Inspector of Police, Sergeant Moore, and Constables Bergin, Cruickshanks and Kinseller. This small but well selected force have not commenced duty. It was, we believe, proposed to place them at Havelock, but their presence in the township would be almost useless without the presence of two Justices of the Peace to adjudicate upon such cases as might be brought before' them. There is no lock-up at Havelock, and no building which could be used as a Court House, Until the necessary preparations are made for holding a court of petty sessions, the presence of the police at Havelock would prove of very little real service." It is the intention of the Chief Postmaster to erect iron pillar letter boxes at the junction of Stafford street with Melville street, York place, Maitland street and Princes street, Clyde street and Albany street. Mr Beaven, of the Southland Executive has, it appears, been made the scapegoat for the misdeeds of his Government. He has sent in his resignation and it has been accepted. The " Southland Daily News," in the following article, which we extract from

its columns, pleads its want of knowledge of the true state of the financial affairs of the province as an excuse for the unqualified contradiction which, on a former occasion, it ventured to make to the statements contained in this journal :— " We quite agree with our contemporary, the "Otago Daily 'Jfimes," that it is 'a very poor policy to conceal' any matters connected with the financial situation of thi3 province. Our single object from the first has been to ' sift and expose them, and so place them in their true light.' We may be excused if we have failed to entertain as desponding a view of our position, as some of our not always friendly or generous critics. But whatever the validity of the conclusions we have based upon patent facts, we have never attempted to misrepresent or to obscure the facts themselves. We have maintained that notwithstanding a general depression, Southland possesses too ample and too available sources of prosperity to warrant our indulgence in any feeling of despondency, and that for the difficulty into which we have been brought we are indebted simply to misgovernment and incompetency. We have denied in the most positive terms the statement of the " Otago Daily Times," that there had been a riot here on the part of unpaid workmen. Ifwe| did so somewhat indignantly, it was because we could not dream that the report owed its ! origin to the 'assertions of the Agent and member of the Executive, who could not be supposed to indulge in exaggeration.' We could not assume that this gentleman ' sent up to beg assistance, ... to induce compliance with his demands, made out that a riot impended, from a number of workmen parading the twon." We repelled as a malicious calumny the report that first reached us from Dunedin, that these imitation Bank notes had been printed to the order of the Provincial Government. We challenged our contemporary in almost rude language—inspired by a thorough conviction of the groundlessness of the accusation— to produce his a jthority for the libel. We then little knew how seriously Mr.Beaven had compromised the Province. The explanation of the Provincial Treasurer, that the notes forwarded to Invercargill at Mr Beaven's instance, were not then for the first time heard of by the Provincial Government, came .upon the public by surprise, and caused a feeling of protound mortification. Yet even after this we were not prepared to learn that these Treasury notes were not only printed by the order of our Executive, • proof for approval, but were * sent in large quantities to Southland,' and that ' the feedings of the banks on the subject' of their recognitioa were ' ascertained I* Before reproducing our contemporary's comments of Monday last, wo feel it due to the Province again to repeat, that the people have been kept in profound ignorance of the financial operations of the Government for some months past -, that the most earnest appeals for information have failed to meet with any response ; and that the public 'of Southland are wholly guiltless of complicity in these most ill-advised and ill-managed transactions."

We take from the "Southland News" of the 27th the following account of a reported large find of gold at the Nokomai diggings :—: — " We yesterday announced that a rumour had prevailed in town, that a large quantity of gold had been brought from the Nokomai into Invercargill. We are now enabled to confirm the truth of the rumour. On Wed- 1 nesday afternoon, a person called at the Pro- 1 vincial Treasury, Bad deposited in the hands ! of the Provincial Treasurer nearly six hun- j dred otfgces of gold, which he stated had been obtained at the Rokomal diggings, about two miles from the boundary of the Province of Southland. The party depositing the gold gave no information either as to the time occupied in finding it, or as to' the number of diggers by whom it was obtained ; but ho stated that from his observations of the country in Southland through which he had passed, he believed that a paying gold field' would yet be discovered in the Province. We may add that a party of diggers reached town by coach last evening, who reported most favorably of their success at the Nokomai, and of the general prospects of those on the ground. It appears that a rich lead of gold has been struck towards the flat, and that two strong working parties are being formed on the spot. k There can . be no question that these finds at the Nokomai will prove of great »d vantage to Invercargiil, if the Government md mercantile . community are' only on the tbrt to seize the golden opportunity." : ;

Picton appears to have escaped the disturbance and disorder which prevail at Havelock and Canvas Town. The local paper says: — "It is certainly saving much for the- community that the enormous increase to the 5 ' population which has flowed in for the last fewweeks, has not contributed a single offender to our gaol or lock-up. Although on the dig--gings we have a somewhat different tale to

tell, in Pic ton we have not had a quarrel or disturbance, which may be named as such. There have been no robberies or cases of sticking-up; nor the smallest offence, 80 for as we can ascertain, committed against person or property, calling for the interference of the authorities. The cases tried in our Police Court have been purely of a civil nature, and we believe the publicity given them will prevent any future repetition."

I The Wakamarina correspondent of the " Canterbury Press," under date of the 24th May, says :— For the last five days we have had very fine weather— at night a sharp frost, and in the day time a warm sun. The river ia now at its ordinary level, and many of the claims are sending considerable sums to the branch of the New Zealand Bank at Canvas Town. The sums taken by the escort this week to Nelson have naturally been considerably less than on previous occasions, owing to the late bad weather, about 300 ounces being the amount, showing a decrease of 900 ounces on the previous weeks. During a row on the Wakamarina diggings, a miner wa»robbed of a bank bill for L2OO— L2O ia notes, and a nugget. The thief was not discovered.

" At sunset on Saturday," says the " Ballarat Star," No. 2 locomotive, Davies' 'patent, made at the Soho works, Ballarat, was safely conveyed to the railway terminus for conveyance to the seaboard, and shipment for the Great Northern Railway, Southland, NewZealand. The transit from the Soho Work* to the terminus was managed under the. superintendence of Mr Woods, M.L.A.,and Mr William Errington, for the firm. Twentyfive bullocks were, engaged in the operation, and a large crowd of persons were assembled to view the interesting and unusual spectacle.

The Southland "Daily News" of the27t& May, says:—" The public will not be Borprised to learn that Mr Beaven, who latelyproceeded to Dunedin on a financial mission on behalf of the Government, and at whose instance the famous Southland Treasury Notes were printed, and in " private circulation only," has resigned his seat as a member of the Provincial Executive."

With reference to the failure of the wheatharvest in Victoria, the " Argus" of the 26tk May says:— With commendable promptness the Registrar-General has laid before the public a preliminary abstract of the agricultural statistics of the colony, for the year ended 31st March, 1864. These returns, which were published in Friday* " Gazette," fully realise the gloomiest anticipations of Victorian agriculturists as to the result of the past season's crop. They show that the wheat harvest of 1864 was, beyond comparison, the worst which has been experienced in. the nine years during which agricultural statistics have been collecied. In, the period from 1856 to 1863, the average yield per acre of the land hid down in wheat was 21* bushels. The highest yield in any year was in 1856, when the average rose as high as 2B*» bushels per acre; and the lowest was in 1862; when it fell to 183 bushels. But in the season of 1864 the average has actually fallen to the unprecedentedly low figure of B'4 bushels per acre. Even tHis, however, does not fully represent the situation of affairs in, some districts of the colony.

The Arrow School Committee held their sixth meeting on the 18th instant, when the following resolutions with regard to the management of the school were adopted. I. That the school fees shall be Is a week for each child attending the school, and that tha money shall be paid weekly. 2; That the hours of attendance at school shall be from 10 to 12 a.m., and from 2 to 4 p.m., and that Saturdays shall be holidays. 3. That two members of committee visit the school once A week, with a view to ascertain the manner in which it is conducted, and that a public examination of the children take" place every six: months. The school was opened on the 19th instant, and is held in fall work with an average attendance of 1 6 children. The Warden, who is on the committee, and taken tttt interest in the matter, has offered several prizes, to be adjudged at the first public examination.

On tue night of the 23rd May three diggers encamped near the Grove, on the road to th» Wakamarina gold field, narrowly escaped being burned to death under the following circumstances, which are related in th& "Marlborough Press'/ of the 25th May: — " The men had pitched their tent about two miles on the other side of the Grove, where, they kindled a large fire, by which they sat for some time previous to turning in. tWe gre informed that at the time all the men were overcome with drink. About nirio; o'clock the whole of them turnedL-iivfqr the night, leaving the fire burning. About iweitft o'clock one of the sleepert was; aroused with a suffocating sensation. .Looking .on from beneath, the blankets which he had rolled over his head, he discovered that- tha 1 tent and poles were on fire, and that the.* lower portion of the bedding -was smouldering. With some difficulty he aroused hit mates, and succeeded, in dragging them from the flames; The regatta, shirt of one of the men was burning in two.o* three places, bat hie flannel shirt beneath had prevented bit. flesh beips scorched. Had not one of the three awoke so timely; there can be no doubt but that the whole three would have perished, miserably, in the flames." ' '" ~

The Government have (saya the " Dunstan Times) at last determined on the course they will pursue in regard to the men who undertake the cutting of the raceg which are to turn the Manorburn Creek into the Manuherikia River, as well as to drain the large extent of ground lying between the course of those two streams. On Saturday last Mr S. Hickson left the following instructions for the guidance of miners at Mr Heyward's store, Manorburn Flat . — Conditions to be observed by miners engaged in cutting of the flood race for diverting the Manorburn Creek into the Manaherikia River. 1. That those miners who undertake the work shall be permitted to occupy a treble area of ground. 2. That those not engaged in the work be per- 1 mitted to occupy no larger area than the extent of one single claim. 3. That the entire right, title, and property in the said flood race, dams. &c, shall be reserved by the Government 3. Every party of miners engaged oa the work shall register with the Warden the number so employed. That the claims may be laid off at once, and, if desired, protected, and that Mr Mining Surveyor Coates will be instructed to lay off the claims also to render all professional assistance in bis power to forward the undertaking. It is the intention oj the miners to proceed at once with the work. The people of the Manorburn to a man will join in the undertaking.

The "Dunstan Times," of Wednesday, says that the new dredging company have just received the machinery which they lately purchased in Dunedin, and expect to have everything ready to commence operations in about a week. "The site selected for trial is Coal Point, about half a mile above the Manuherikia, on the east side of the Molyneux

The following Grown grants are ready for issue in favor of the persons mentioned :—: — James Adam, section 8, block 111, Tokomairiro ; James Alexander, section 8, block XXIH, Oamaru ; James Alexander, section 9, block XXHT, Oamaru ; J. B. Borton, section 7, block XIV, Oamaru ; G. W. Camp, bell, section 7, block n. Balclutha ; Alexander Chisholm, section 10, block in, Outram ; Edwin Collis, section 5, block XII, Oamaru ; Antoni Domingo, section 44, Mock XI, Dunedin ; James Dugan, section 1, block V, Fairfax ; George Duncan, sections 22, 23, and 57, block XI, Dunedin ; James Edmond, £ of river section 38, East Taieri District ; J. W. Goodbody, section 1, block H, Outram ; J. H. Harris, sections 41, 42, 43. 59 and 60, block XXHI, Dunedin ; J. H. Harris, sections 46, 47, 48 and 49, block XXI, Dunedin 5 E. J. Harvey, section 11, block IV, Waihola ; E. J. Harvey, section 3, block VII. Waihola ; E. J. Harvey, section 15, block IV, Waihola ; Mary Harvey section 4, block IX, Waihola ; M. A. Harvey, section 4, block VII, Waihola ; M. A. Harvey, section 5, block VII, Waihola • Bobert Hay, section 3, block XVIII. Dunedin ; Brian Healey, section 6, block V, Fairfex; Brian Healey, section 7, block V, Fairfas; James Home, section 17, block XI, Oamaru; John Hurst, section 11, block V,' Fairfax; Patrick Hussie, section 4. block III] Outram; Patrick Hussie, section 22, block 111 Outram; William lies, sections 10 and 11, block XIF, Dunedin; Charles Lemon, section 6, block XVI, Oamaru; John Lemon, section 2, block XV, Oamaru; John Lewon, section 3, block XV, Oamaru; George Lloyd, section 7,blockLlV, Hawksbury; John Maitland, section 11, block XXIH, Oamaru; T. H. Meeking, section 3, block I, Tokomairiro ; T. H. Meeking, section 4, block I, Tokomairiro; T. H. Meeking, section 5, block I, Tokomairiro ; H. J. Miller, section 3, block XIV, Oamaru ; H. J. Miller, section 4, block XIV, Oamaru ; H. J. Miller, section 5, block XIV, Oamaru ; Malachy Mullowney, section 5, block V, Fairfax ; J. R. Murray, section 19, block 11, Outram ; William Sewell, section 4, block XV, Oamaru ; William Sewell, section 5, block XV, Oamaru ; William Sewell, section 7, block XV, Oamaru ; Samuel Shaw, section 31, block XI, DuuedinEobert Short, section 16, block VI, Hawksbury ; Andrew Simpson, section 4, block XI, Dnnedin ; Francis Smith, section 23, block 111, Hawksbury ; Horace Squires, section 2, block VI, Fairfax ; J. J. Tame, section 11, block I, Waihola ; Michael Tynan, section 9, block 111, Outram ; T. and C. Whihan, 1, block XX, Hawksbury ; John Wilson, section 24, block IX, Oamaru ; John Wishart, sections 19, 20, 21, and 22, block H, Portobeljo District.

We extract the following from the "Argus" of the 24th May:— "For some days rumor has been busy with the name of" a person •who, for some years past, has been well known in conmercial circles in Melbourne as the manager of large properties and the trusted agent of many friends. We have refrained from alluding to the current gossip, but there is now no longer reason for concealing that Mr George Millar, lately of Rokeby Hall, Collingwood, is the person referred to. He lately sold his house and furniture, and left Melbourne, for Castlemaine, where he was interested in a brewery. Nqt returning at the time he was expected, inquiries led to the belief that he had left the colony. On Friday last, his estate was sequestrated, and a war- \ rant is now out for his apprehension as an i absconding insolvent. The names of three or four gentlemen are mentioned for whom he acted as agent in matters of rent and money, and who are involved to the extent of £10 000 .£BOOO, and £6000 respectively. It is understood that a deficiency has to be made up of At least £50,000, but we learn that available assets to the extent of .680 CO to £10,000 were discovered in the course of Saturday. It is also supposed fl»t the peraoa referred to ha« with him a yery large anra in gold, The matter is in the hands of the detective police,"

We learn from the " Dunstan Times'* that a first-rate rush has lately taken place at Black's. The prospects obtained are from one to five pennyweights to the tub. The sinking is about five feet. About thirty men were on the ground, all of whom were doing well on Saturday last.

We extract from the "Bruce Herald" the following items of intelligence from Waitahuua :— " A couple of men made application* at the Warden's Office, Waitahuna, on the 21st instant for a prospecting claim for the discovery of payable gold on a spur three miles from the Woolshed between Mr Millar's and Mr Adams' private property, but on the Crown Lands the sinking is stated to be from ten to twelve feet with about ten or eleven inches of wash dirt, and that a portion of the bottom which is composed of rotten blue slate, is also to some extent picked up. The gold shown me by one of the prospectors is bright and heavy, and of a very superior quality The prospect obtained varied from one to five pennyweights to the tub, and the produce of a day and a half's labor amounted to one ounce ten pennyweights. More importance should be attached to this discovery than at first sight it seems to deserve, as the numerous spurs and hills, known in this district to be auriferous, have with an apathy most surprising, remained to the present almost entirely disregarded and nntouched ; and, should, in this instance, a lead of gold be traced into the hill, and the matter become an established fact, I have no doubt but that the country extending between here and the Woolshed will become in time more or less worked. To shew that we are not altogether devoid of men possessing energy and perseverance, I may mention that the Prince of Wales Company have now nearly finished their water race over three miles in length, and will soon be in a position to reap the benefit of their seven months' labor, outlay, and skill ; as the race traverses a devious and formidable line of country, the difficulties ot which are of no small magnitude to men who are not snpposed to be possessed of a knowledge of engineering, hat wliose works, it can be safely asserted, would reflect credit upon professional men. This Company have applied for a large extent of ground'undec the Mining Lease Regulations, and have work before them for the next ten years to come.

Mr Hargraveß, who is at present prosecuting some explorations in South' 1 Australia, reports the discovery, in the neighborhood ot Port Augusta, of a large quantity of a poisonous plant, known as the Lotus Australia. He says that at that place there is quite sufficient " to poison 800 out of 1000 sheep, supposing they fed quietly through it." He states further that it is always found "most luxuriant on calcareous soil, and comes up quickly aftej rain. The many working bullocks which have died during the past season, and whose deaths are attributed to pleuro-pneumonia, I verily believe is from the Lotus, which engenders great thirsr, and as soon as the animal drinks he lies down and dies, close to the water, hence the large number of dead carcases at every waterhole."

The " Sydney Empire" of the 21st May has the following relative to Hie recent trial of Gardiner, the celebrated bushranger. As already stated, this scourge of society was acquitted on the charge on which he was arraigned, and it is not unlikely that the morbid sympathy for the prisoner, which is such a lamentable siirn of the moral social tone of New South Wales, will have the effect of causing his acquittal on other charges : "The Criminal Court at Darlinglrarst was densely crowded yesterday during the trial of the above prisoner. Mr Justice Wise, though still suffering severely from indisposition, occupied the bench ; and though his patience was severely tried on several occasions by the senior counsel for the defence, he displayed thronghoufc the whole of the .laborious sitting-, the most painstaking attention and the strictest impartiality. The opening address of the Attorney-General was brief and dig- I nified, containing nothing that could tend to inflame the minds ot the jury against the prisoner ; his examinations and cross-exami-nations were also conducted in a quiet and business-like manner. He exercised his right of challenge only in three or four instances, whereas the number of jurymen objected to by the prisoner was very large. Mr Isaacs exhibited his usual unfortunate propensity for poor jokes and ad captandum diffuse eloquence, and for embroiling himself as much as possible with the judge. Mr Dalley, who was also for the defence, followed the better example set by the AttorneyGeneral. The sympathy of the crowd on one occasion displayed itself by actual applause —not, indeed, of the prisoner himself, but of the counsel who was defending him. The Court during the day was not so quiet as it ought to bare been, and a great portion of ! what the witnesses said was barely audible to the reporters, whose sanctum was invaded, and their attention distracted by many persons who had no business in their box. The efforts of some of the constables to procure silence were so ludicrous as to cause & great deal more noise than they suppressed. At the conclusion of the evidence, the jury were conveyed to the Metropolitan Hotel, and Gardiner, after the Court had been cleared, was removed. Throughout the entire proceedings, he paid the greatest attention to every word that was spoken, not only by the witnesses, but by the judge and the counsel, and communicated very frequently with his attorney. He would occasionally glance round, afld seem to recognise some person in the court, but his attention was immediately redirected to the proceedings. His features and manner evinced great anxiety, although he did not appear to be by any means prostrated or overcome fey the painful ordeal through which, he ifai parang.

The "Bruce Herald" of the 2nd instant says: — The erection of a bridge across the Tokomairiro Biver at the Woolshed, has been commenced. When completed, this work will be a great convenience to all travellers on the road between this and Tuapeka as well as to the inhabitants of the Woolshed. The latter have for a long time urged upon the Government the necessity for a bridge at this place, and we aro glad to see that their repeated representations have at length been successful.

The Wardens of the Waikouaiti Hundred proposed bye-laws for the regulation of the pasturage, full particulars of which are published in the "Provincial Government Gazette" of 25th May, and the Wardens of East Taieri have also adopted bye-laws which are published in the same " Gazette."

The steamer St Kilda is appointed to be sold, and tenders will bo received by the Provincial Government until noon of tbe 25th of this month.

By proclamation, dated 31st May, the Superintendent has appointed Charles Broad, Esq. R.M., a Visiting Justice of the Gaol, Hamilton.

A meeting of persons favorable to the formation of a volunteer contingent in Caversham, was held at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, on Tuesday evening, 31sfc May, The room was well filled. R. S. Cantrell, Esq., was voted tp the chair, and having read the advertisement calling the meeting, requested one of the promoters to afford some information regarding its object. Mr Leary said that one or two of the residents at Caversham, together with himself, had thought it advisable that a volunteer contingent should be formed in the district, and agreeably to the wishes of his coadjutors, he had communicated with Captain Graham, the adjutant commanding the volunteer force in Otago, with a view of ascertaining what would be the position and privileges of the proposed Cavershara volunteers. He read to the meeting a letter he had received from the adjutant in reply, from which it appeared that amongst the limited population, the Caverbam people would have to be content with becoming a contingent of one of the existing companies. Arms, ammunition, and uniform would be provided by the Government free of charge ; and, providing the number of volunteers was not less than twenty-five, he should be most happy to recommend for a commission any competent gentleman they might choose to elect for their local Commandant Subsequently to the receipt of the Adjutant's letter, Mr Leary had an interview with Captain Graham, who appeared most desirous of I increasing the volunteer force ; and declared himself willing to forward the views of the I Caversham .people as far as lay in his power, and gave the promoters every encouragement. The chairman called upon Mr Dickenson, the secretary of the Navai Brigade, who appeared in the uniform of his company, to address the meeting. Mr Dickenson said, that at the request of his Captain, he was present at the meeting to watch the proceedings, and with tlia view of inducing the people of Ca'iersham to become a contingent of the Naval Brigade. He promised the Caversham contingent that in the event of their joining the,, company which he represented, they would enjoy every privilr ge they could desire, and that their wishes would meet with every attention at the hands of his company. A long and animate tI discussion ensued upon the merits of the different existing companies ; and a show ot hands having be^-n taken, the majority appeared in favor of joining the Naval Brigade. On the motion of Mr H. j Baxter, a committee of four was appointed to canvas the district to ascertain the wishes ot the inhabitants as to which company would be the most doirable to join. The meeting then adjourned to Tuesday next, 7th inst., at 7 o'clock p.m.

The Southland -'• Daily News" of the 30th nit. says :— " Messrs CobbandCo.'s last coach from Dunedinto Invercargill did not reach town nntii Saturday at noon, a day behind the usual time. This was owing to the fearful state of the roads in this province, which are as bad as to almost entirely preclude traffic. The Mataura River has risen to a great height, and is dangerous to cross. Messrs Cobb and Co., deserve credit for having in the face of so much difficalty continaed to run their coaches on this line uutil now, and considering the bad roads, it is no wonder that they have discontinued running their coaches from Invercargill to Dunedin. The Lake coach arrived in town on Saturday ewninp. The river Oreti is described as being much swollen and the roads are ia a very bad condition.

It is with great pleasure we find that the experiment of acclimatising the Salmon has so far been attended with even more remarkable hucceas in Tasmania than in Victoria. The "Hobart Town Mercury" of the 23rd instant, reports that the hatching of the trout was finished, and that of the salmon nearly so. It was estimated that of the latter there would be some ten or twelve thousand. The further progress of the experiment— how the young parrs adapt themselves to southern streams— will be watched with great interest. AH will be done that can be done — so far as the protection of the Derwent and its tributaries are concerned— to give the strangers fair play.

We notice that the Taranaki Provincial Council have passed a motion for doubling the landing charges at the port of New Plymouth, on all goods upon which duty has been paid in other parts of the colony. We presume this step has been adopted either to compel the payment of Customs duties at New Plymouth or by the extra landing charge to compensate for the loss of Customs revenue.

At a farewell dinner given to Mr Coppin, the well known theatrical manager in Melbourne, the sum of three hundred pounds was presented to him.

Captains of Volunteers will do well at once to send in to the Sheriff certified lists of tb.4 enrolled members of their respective corps, His Honor, Mr Justice Richmond, stated in the Supreme Court yesterday, that he should not be inclined, in future, to accord exemption from jury-service to Volunteers, unless there, were such certified lists, in proof that claimants were really entitled to the exemption.

The General Government have published' in the " Gazette" a reply^o the memorial of* the Aborigines' Protection Society to Sir • George Grey. It is generally a defence of the P° llc y pursued by the Colonial Government, and the Confiscation question. In a future, issue we will notice the document fully.

The Provincial Council of Marlborou<*h was opened on the 24fch May. In his opening: address the Superintendent congratulates the Council on the recent goll discoveries, and indulges in felicitations concerning the state of the finances, the Government having a credit of upwards of L 20.000 at the Bank. His Honor recommends the pushing on of various needed public works *< to satisfy thedemand for labor from those who have beea unsuccessful on the gold fields."