NEWS OF THE WEEK. [FROM THE DAILY TIMES]

Otago Witness, Issue 846, 15 February 1868, Page 11

NEWS OF THE WEEK. [FROM THE DAILY TIMES]

A correspondent at West Taieri has favored, us with some details as to the damage done by the flood in that neighborhood. He writes, " The estimated loss of property of every description cannot be less than from L15.0U0 to L 20,000 in West Taieri alone, not including roads or bridges. The loss in. horses and cattle has almost been nil ; but that of sheep, growing crops, and grass has been very heavy indeed. The greatest loss in sheep has been sustained by Mr Grant, of Gowi'ie. Mr M'Nichol, butcher, Messrs J. Shand, J. Allan, and others, have lost a good many ; but the exact loss cannot yet be ascertained, in consequence of the flocks getting mixed by the sweeping of the fences by the flood, thus leaving the Plain a great commonage. "It is supposed that about twothirds of the growing crops have been destroyed, and the grass is at present almost rendered useless for food, from the quantity of sand left on it by the river. Asa future compensation for preaent loss, the alluvial deposit left by the river will render the soil much more fertile for years to come. A great portion of Mr D. Borrie's paddock has be^n washed away. A large liver was running along the eastern part of the township of Outram, where was situated the police station, which has been entirely carried away, including court house, dwelling house, lockup, and stables. Close to the Police Camp were the workshops and dwelling houses of Mr Reid, blacksmith, and Mr Chisholm,. carpenter, which have suffered dreadfully, everything outside being carried away or buried in the sand, and all inside very much injured with the wet. The greatest loser ia the township is Mf Tynan, publican, who had expended some LI 500 in new buildings and improvements. All these shops and nooses wiU have to be removed immediately, as; they are in imminent danger by every' flood. Every house in 'the township has; suffered, more or less, and, in fact, the present township reserve is rendered valueless. I believe the total loss in the township will be about 1 L 2000."

The following report with regard to Mount Benger district, was made by Mr Warden Hickson, on the 3 1st January :—": — " The New Year has opeted very unfavorably for the miners, the weather during the whole month, with an exception of a day or, two, having been wet and boisterous, and much, more like, winter than the middle of summer. The Molyneux has been at high level, and remains so, with every appearance of rising much higher. All the mining in or about the Teviot is at a stand still, but' at the Pomahaka, Campbells, White Creek, &c, parties are setting to work extensively, opening up new claims, cutting tail races, &c. Some few parties who have been at work for a long period are obtaining gold, and I believe in very payable quantities. It is d fficult to arrive at thVexaet quantity of gold, raised in this district; but judging; from the amount sold to the storekeepers here alone (as much again being taken to othtr places for sale) during the past 12 months, and distributing it equally amongst, the mining population,- each individual should have realised about 20oz, or the value say L 75. This appears to be very little, btrfc it mast be borne in mind that from 80 to 200 Chinamen have been working in. the district these 12 months, and they are satisfied with very small earnings. The expense of livingis small in comparison with, other portions of the Goldfields, and therefore I look upon the district as one well adapted for men of small means to make a start in, or more commonly speaking, a 'rise.' The farms of the agricultural miners are looking well, notwithstanding the weaiher, and I have nodoubt that they will reap a fair harvest, and be enabled to partially supply the wants of other places less fortunate. Estimated population — Miners, European. 450 ; Chinese, SO ; storekeepers and others, 200 : totaj, 730."

Telegrams often announce strange things. One in the Wellington Independent of the Ist insfc. begins thus : — "Letters from Bishop Jenner state his determination to come to the Otago meeting of Otago Rural Deanery " !

States. 1 ' . ■. Some of the claims* on the Thames Goldfield seem to be very productive. The Steamer Tauranga lately arrived at Auckland, from Shortland and Tapu Creek, bringing 14320zs of gold from Hunt's claim. The special correspondent of the Herald, writingon. the 27th ult. says:— "The crushing of Hunt's stuff still eontinue&atStone's machine. About 60lbs of amalgam is taken out of the boxe3 every twelve hours, and up to Saturday morning the yield was SOOozs of retorted gold. Should there be time to crash tha stuff now ready, there will be about 2000oza for the mail from this claim alone. Barry's claim has sent up a i-mall lot, out of some; specimens I believe. The Star of the South, one'of thenew claims tip the Moanataira Creek, 0! which I sent you a favorable, report a fear days ago, has .crushed 501bs of specimen, stone which yielded 45qzs of gold. Twenty pounds of stoDe from the same claim, inferior stuff, gave sJozs of gold. The YoungCanadian claim, on. the same creek, Mr Wilson, of Freeman's Bay, and Mr Morgan, of, Napier street, has some very fine stone — indeed, the whole of the claims on this part of the Moanataira gully fully warrant my recent favorable report. From the Tapu we have a one pound nugget, which, as I believe it will be in Auckland before this can reach you, ought to be seen to be appreciated. A. claim near Goodall's machine, the Property Reef, has shown some first class stone within the last few days."

It is stated by the Auckland papers that, during this month, a vessel will be required at the Bay of Islands to ship betw«ett3<W)o < ' and 4000 barrels of whale oil for the United

The fortnightly-meeting of the Moray place Social Improvement Society, was held on Monday, in the Moray-place Hall. The Mayor (the Hon. J. Hyde Harris) presided, and briefly addressed the meeting, preliminarily to the programme of readings, recitations, aud songs which formed the entertainment of the evening. The readings and recitations were given by Messrs Stanley, Smith, Lakeman, . Walker, Gilchrist, and Jack ; and by the choir and others, the musical part of the programme was contributed. The essentially instructive item of the programme wa3 an. essay, by Mr Thomson, on "The Rise of Steam Navigation." As usual, the proceedings- were concluded by vo.tes of thanks to the various contributors ef entertainments or. instruction, and by the company singing the I National Anthem.

The firing for the General Government District Prizes for Volunteers, is now going on in different parts of Otago. Those prizes are in three sets, and the Province is divided into three districts. The publicati n. of auy of the scores made, until the firing has been completed in the several districts, might tend to. deceive or to annoy, but could not possibly have any other result. — The firing for places as Representatives in the Colonial Contest at Wellington, is also in progress ; but the number of Representatives to be sent will depend, primarily, upon the number of men who compete, aud, secondarily, upon, the making of not less than a stipulated score.

Native new 3of a pacific character has lately been received in Auckland.' The Weekly News says : — " We understand that very important news has been lately received in town by the Government authorities and others from several Maori chiefs, indicating the pacific intentions of the King and his principal advisers towards the Luropeans. We hear that a majority of the King Maoris have determined that there shall be ' peace for 70 years ;' and that nearly alr^af them are for peace instead of war, the only difference being as to the duration of time it bhnll last. Seventy years, in Maori phraseology, we believe, means two generations, and will, therefore, if kept faithfully, last the lifetime of most of our readers."

A lecture was delivered in the First Church, on Tuesday evening, by the Rev. G. Sutherland. The lecture was announced a3 specially addressed to the Young Men's Christian Association which exists in connection with the First Church, but there was a numerous attendance of others besides members of the Association. The Rev. Dr. Burns presided. " Modern demands on Christian Young Men, and the way to meet them," formed the subject of the lecture, and by the reverend lecturer both parts of the subject were treated in a way which made his discourse at once interesting and impressive.

In speaking of the Penal Establishment Commission of Inquiry, the Wettinyton Independent says :— "Mr J. O'Neill, M.G.A., of Auckland, and, a member of this Commission, has arrived in. town, and will proceed to Otago on business relating to the Commission. Mr Haughton, M.&.A., of Otago, also 'a member of the Commission, is at present in Sydney, and will return to Wellington in a few days. It is expected that the Commis sion will shortly commence its labors,' when these gentlemen will furnish such reports as they have obtained." — [Mr Haughton returned from Australia about a fortnight ago.]

It is stated, "by the Wellington Independent, that Capt Benson, by the last mail, received official intimation from his directors in London, that Her Majesty's Government could not take possession of the Island of Opara, in consequence of French protection having been extended to it in May last. This intelligence was conveyed to Lord Claud Hamilton from the Foreign Office. Its loss, says the Independent, is much to be regretted, and "would not have occurred if Sir George Grey's -wishes had been carried out, he having applied for its survey and occupation the previous year.

Two fires lately occurred in Auckland.—the first on the night of the, 29th, and the second on the night of the 3oth ultimo: The. first arose in & 'dwelling-house, in 'Sussex street, Newton road. The house was totally destroyed. The occupants were Mrs William Fleming and family (five), Mr Fleming being absent at the 'Thames. The second fire originated in the shop of Mr Strong, storekeeper, Official Bay. The building and contents were insured with Messrs Jackson and Russell, of the Imperial Fire office,' io the extent of L 550 .' We understand that 1 the deputation of Clergymen appointed recently with reference the Solicitor-General, on Wednesday ; and toadayofhumiliationand prayer, waited upon that Mr Harris stated that he would authorise the closing of the General Government | departments- (except the Customs) on the 20th inst. The Customs department, Mr Harris explained, could only be closed by authority of the Governor — an authority which he felt quite sure he would be able readiJy to obtain ; so that all the General Government, as well as the Provincial, departments, might be closed on the 20fch.

The Scientific American ffSt9H the following ■. notice «$ anew .lubricant for inachiiiery |— 1 '' From specnßCßbi of theiChinspe tallow trfee, tnmsplMitedintb Northern India, Dr Jameson has made severali hundredweight of greake, and has forwarded an trial 4 portion of it to the Punjaub Railway,' to hare its qualities tested as »' lubricant. The grease thus obtained forms an exceUenttauaw, and bums with & clear, brilliant, and- white light, emitting no.unpleasant odour or smoke."

In the Dunedin Gaol at the close of the week, ending 7th February, 74 men and ,7 women were prisoners. The causes of their detention were as follow :— Awaiting, trial, 5 men j remanded. 1 man ; penal servitude,, 17 men j hard 1 labor, 40 men, 6 women ; .imprisonment^- 2 men, 1 woman ; t ui .default of bail,-l man ; insolvent debtors, 8 'men. During the week. 3 men and 2 women I'were discharged, and 4 men and 1 woman. i received.

Mr Frederick Williams, a settler in Marlborough, recently had four stacks of this year's grain crop .destroyed by fire. The nre was wilfully caused by a boy named Ward, living on the farm. On the following day Mr WiUiamsjs house, with a quantity of valuable property, was burnt, but the fire in that case is believed to have been accidental

The mail from the North, on Tuesday, brought intelligence of the wreck of the Echunga, at Uapier, during the late gale. The Echunga was lying at Port Chalmers recently, and when sic went North, she took part of her original cargo for Napier.

Our Presbyterian readers will be sorry to learn that the Rev. T. Oswald Dykes, the colleague of Dr Candlish, was obliged to abandon his cherished design of visiting New Zealand (after taking his passage), in consequence of intelligence requiring his immediate return to Scotland.

Several fires have lately occurred at Auckland. A dwelling-house in. Sussex street, Newton road, occupied by Mr Fleming and fanwly, b.aq been destroyed. Mr Beeson's house at Uoromandel has also been burnt to the ground.

The enthusiastic demonstrations at Sydney, on the arrival there of His Royu.l Highness, Prince Alfred, will be found noticed in another page. •

The Timaru Herald of the Bthinst. re"OaWeMesaa^tastp^lrTSTOr «ad.J£ing sold the wreck of .the WiUiipi Mukin, at their sale rooms; The: following •were ■■• the . (prices realised : — Engines; and boilers, L 35.; MIL; anchors, &c, Lll^'iron' tank, LI 10s." „.«!';.. • We extijact the following from the'Timarn, JETerald of the Bth inst r- 1 -" The accounts we publish to-day of the floods aud 'gaSta in. various parts of this and the neighboring Province, exoeed in their 1 seriousness anything that the Colony haa ever before witnessed. At present, it is quite out of the power of any one to estimate- the damage ooae with any thing like accuracy. ■' -Perhaps' the destruction of which we .have already

beard may be put down between- half a mil- 1 lion and a million of money. ' In our own dis ■ I trict, the loss has been variously calculated from fifty thousand to a'Qrundred thousand pounds. Coining just at the present period, the floods have greatly crippled the Timaru district. With the heavy losses^ of sheep caused by the snow storm in thespKng, and the present low price of wool,' the squatting interests were not of the most flourish-, ing nature. But now they have received a further blow, by the drowning of thousands of sheep. The farmers, a month ago, were thought to be likely to make up their losses of the previous year, and confidence in their operations had been entirely restored. Now, in nine cases out of ten, they have no crops, andinmanyinstancesno homes. Theroadsand bridges have likewise suffered severely, and muchmoney must be expended uponthembefore they are again in a condition to permit traffic to be resumed. The public appear so paralysed that they have as yet takeu no action to make provision for the opening of dray communication. The Road Boards have no money to do the work, but a depution from the various Boards should immediately proceed to Christchurch and obtain from the Government funds to make temporary provisions for carrying on theixaae of the district. Scarcely one-half of the season's wool has reached town, and another bale cannot be brought in until repairs have been effected. In Otago the Government has most energetically faced the difficulties of its position, and gangs of men have been put to work in all parts of the Province, to open up communication again. We do not for a moment doubt that the Government of this Province would at once take action were the matter represented to them. Indeed, they should do so "without any communication from the Road Boards at all At whatever cost, there can be no doubt that traffic must be again opened." la a letter from Arrowtown, dated the 4th ?ast., our correspondent says :—": — " At Macetown, the miners are actively pushing for"ward sluicing operations, and a large amount of gold ib being obtained. Several parties are working the bed of the river, and obtaining very favorable returns. One party thus engaged, have just got on to some really good ground, and -well they deserve it. They had to construct a tail-race to drain the water from their workings, which occupied in the construction some eight or- nine months. In the Twelve Mile Creek proper, a party of five are carrying on extensive operations, and are taking the bed of the creek up of a face ; they also having had to construct a tail-race at a great cost of labor. When it was finished, an enormous slip came into their works, which will necessitate three weeks' hard pushing to get it away. Happily, however, no injury to life or limb occurred throuah it. Other parts of this creek bed are being worked by smaller parties, who anticipate good returns. The gild is, however, very patchy, but coarse and rich, when found." A man named James Douglas has been committed for trial by M. Keogh, E3q., Resi--dent Magistrate at Waimea, charged with murdering Hugh Carmichael, at German Gully, on the 6th of December. The West Coast Times of the 29th January gives the depositions. Evidence against the prisoner was given by a man named Thomas Williams, who stated that he had informed him,-while confined together in the Lock-up at Hoki±ika, on the night of the 22nd January, that Carmichael had robbed fa'rn of half an ounce, or twelve pennyweights, of gold. He saw him do it, and where he hid it. This was three months previous to the death of CarmichaeL They were mates at the time ; but never worked together after. The prisoner said he went to deceased's hut, and Carmichael, when he saw *him, seized a tomahawk. The prisoner ran out and Carmichael followed him with the tomahawk. The prisoner had a piece of firewood in his hand, half round and half square, about seven or eight pounds weight, so that it would either cut or bruise. They were fencing as if going through the sword exercise ; sA one time he thought Carmichael had the best of it, for the wood was so heavy he <jould not well fence with it. After fencing for four or five minutes, he at last struck the deceased a blow between the left eye and ear, somewhere about the temple. 'The deceased fell, and never got up, nor spoke again. When the prisoner saw Carmichael was dead, he threw the tomahawk into a water-hple, and the deceased after it. Thinking the hole was not deep enough to conceal him, he dragged the body out and threw it into another water-hole twenty feet distant. The evidence of Williams was confirmed by James Hiekson, Senior. Sergeant of Police, stationed at Hokitika, who unknown to the prisoners, had entered the lock-up and overheard the conversation between the prisoners. The prisoner was committed for -trial at the next criminal sittings of the Supreme Court.

Our Cromwell correspondent (says the informs i u.B thftt- 'in 'n rv "" n g dis^' trict never: looked more '«opeful, nod tljafc; ther-Govenmieaitabfi'tke -Province f 'might, ■safely depend ;apda; receiving more revenue ; ffromtkisfieldiniutureaianithjiskioneat any time.daring the-imoat prosperous days bf ; the. (New Zealw4Ck)ldneia&- At Bendigo Gully,, •quartz reefing id likely to Ibe effectively -carried out this :year. Last year,- some work was doriein following a " leader ;"• but . the work was abandbneifor reasons Jiot generally, , •known. * Messrs Barrett and Lpgan^ have "resumed operations, 'and,, judging from; the 'quartz 'already, raised^ a splendid quacfc.r^eef ' ison'theeveof being^eyejoped.^ , v ,; (

'• ' Another fire-^-the second within a fortnight in Christchurch 'on the. night of the 7th inst., and. one nlan, named Rankin, was burnt to death, being unable to escape 'from the building in which the fire arose. -The fire broke out in ■ a grocer's shop, ' opposite the Post Office, and contiguous td the Duke of Wellington Hotel and a house-occu-pied by Mrs Pope. The Brigade were early on the spot, and prevented the spread of' the flames. Of the fatality by which the fire was accompanied, the Press says :—"lt: — "It had, been rumored during the progress of the fire that a man was in the building. when the fire broke out, and as he could nowhere be found, the suspicions gained ground. , As soon as the ruins were sufficiently cooled, a search was made amongst them, and the fears that were entertained were only too true, for the charred skeleton of the unfortunate man was found, lying on its back, near the front of the ruins. All that remained, of the body besides the skeleton was a small portion of entrail. The remains of the poor fellow — whose name is Rankin — were collected together and placed in a case. Mr Swale, who was partner in the grocery business with the unfortunate deceased, gives the following particulars with reference to the disaster. He states that a little after 11 o'clock, when in bed, he found the place was on fire, and immediately jumped up and called upon Rankin to run for his life, as the house was on fire. Deceased, however, he says, treated what he told him with indifference, and he was obliged to rush from the house at once to save himself. He states that he had to run through the flames, and was much burnt in consequence. He avers that he has not the slightest knowledge as to how the fire originated. The building destroyed belonged to a Mr Walton, and was originally insured by him for L2OO in the London and Liverpool office. Mr Walton had occasion some time back to go to Australia, and on returning a week or two ago. learnt that the person whom he left here as his agent, with full power and means to keep ! the building properly insured, had neglected to renew the policy, and consequently he loses the insurance money. Mrs Pope's premises are insured for L 750, viz. in the Royal for L6OO, and in the New Zealand for Ll5O, but this amount will by no means cover her ! loss."

The election of two members of the County Council for the town of Hokitika, took place on the 3rd instant, and was simply a walk over for the two successful candidates — Messrs Bonar and. Shaw. Information of some of the other elections had been received, and the West Coast Times looks upon the constitution of the first County Council of Westland as settled as follows : — Chairman, the Hon. J. HaU. Members for Hokitika — J. A. Bonar, W. Shaw. Members for Greymouth— J. A. Whall, W. H. Harrison. Members for Westland District — J. Clarke, E. Barff, T. Keary, C.Hoos.

At the first annual general meeting of the New Zealand Society, which was held lately at Wellington, the Secretary read a series of papers by Mr Skey, detailing some of the most interesting results of the work in the Colonial Laboratory during the last few weeks :—(1.): — (1.) A paper on. the amount of silver in gold from Makara. An analysis showed it to contain 13.60 per cent, of silver, a rather large proportion, making it approximate in this respect to the least argentiferous gold from Coromandel. Mr Crawford called attention to the very various analyses of gold found in New Zealand. The gold of Otago and the West Coast contains a very small proporbion of silver ; in gold from the Coromandel districts and the Thames, on the contrary, the proportion of silver is unusually large. The analysis of a small sample of Makara gold showed a considerable proportion of silver. He could not say this was more than a hint ; but still it hinted to them that the Makara gold had more connection with the Coromandel than with the South Island gold ; that it came from a different rock, and had been deposited under different conditions to the gold in the Middle Island.— (2.) A paper giving . the results of an analysis of the fixed constituents of rain water collected from a galvanised roof ; the analysis having^ been undertaken more especially with a view to determine the quantity of zinc present.— (3. ) A paper on supposed coal from the Auckland Islands. — (4.) A paper on extract of Towai bark, furnished by Mr Grayling, of Taranaki. — (5.) A paper on water from the Whangaehu river, Onetapu desert, Auckland, furnished for inspection by Mr Gilbert Muir. — (6.) A paper on phosphate of lime for manure, sent by Mr Ryburn, of Auckland, for analysis.— (7.) A paper on coal from Preservation Inlet, forwarded for examination by Mr Eccles, of Dunedin. Mr Crawford read the following papers, which had been transmitted by Dr Hector :— Report by Mr Buchanan on the geology of the country between the Lower Clutha and Mataura Rivers ; report by Capt. Hatton on the geology of the Great Barrier Island.

ffi^rinßanfcT^rpußi^dffiner-was given, to iLordLTbtdton and' Mr Selfe.' * The MSuperintenfUmtof tlWrpK)fvince,,of Canterbury was in. the chair. Mesprs Reeves, Meraon, ana, IJr'l&dnald 1 'occupied the" vi6e-eh£irs'/ Thefre' 'were «p«ry ftuenoUy^-deiiiofa'stratiobtf'fcOwards theguesla,;.aud,:in;the speeches made^ there jrept numerous references made to. the.early history and' progress o"f the settlement of Canterbury. '"On tne'following day a breakfast was givenr.'to'-Lbrd-Lytteifen and Mr Selfe, by the, , e*rly .^colonists of Canterbury, including those who came out in the first four shipaj which: arrived' in "Lyttelton in December,'lßso,'and a fteto-whoj had come to ? tha* part , of i New Zealand previously to that date. Altogether, there were about 200 persons present, comprising' every class of society, and both sexes, the sole qualification being the arrival in Canterbury within the stipulated period. • The only exceptions made were in the case of , their Honors- the Superintendent' and Mr Justice Gressou." .The' chair was-taken-by Mr J. E. Fitzgerald.

The 5 Committee' of Management of* the jFundof New^ealand Scottißh-Masonie Benevolence, have resolved that, on the 20th inst. the first election shall take place of a boy to be educated at the High School. At a meeting of the Committee, held at the offices of MrM. W.Hawk'ns, Stafford street, on the 31st ult. the following resolutions -were agreed to :: — ** That' provision be at once made for the education at the High School, Dunedin, of .one boy, the child or orphan of a poor Brother holding of this Constitution, pursuant to Bye-law No. 13 of the above Fund. — That the period during which «uch provision shall continue shall not «cceed four years. — That no candidate shall be eligible for election unless of the age of ten years or upwards. — That no boy shall be entitled to receive the benefit of this Fund after he shall have attained the age of sixteen years —That any candidate, who shall be unsuccessful at his first competition shall, if he be again proposed at the next ensuing election, be entitled to add the number of votes recorded in his favor at the first election to those which shall be recorded for him at the second election.— That this, and any future Scholarships instituted out of this Fund shall be designated, 'The IS ew Zealand Scottish Masonic Free Scholarship.' " The Committee of Management consists of "all the office bearers of the Provincial Grand Lodge, Right Worshipful Masters and Proxy Masters of Lodges in New Zealand, and subscribers for life, and for years." A Sub-Committee for education (Messrs V. Pyke, James Mills, and M. W. Hawkins) have adopted, various rules for the first election, which is to be by ballot. Each member of the Committee of Management is to be entitled to propose one candidate; but it is apparently intended that the selection for nomination shall be made by the respective Lodges. Amongst the other rales, we find the following: — "The nomination of every candidate shall be by letter addressed to the Provincial Grand Secretary, at least three clear days prior to the day of election, which shall set forth the name and circumstances of his parents, and the name and number of the Lodge to which bis father belongs, and be accompanied by his father's diploma, if obtainable. In case the father's diploma be not obtainable, the member proposing will be required to vouch for him. " "No candidate shall be eligible for election unless his proposer shall produce to the Committee of Management a certificate, signed by tlie previous instructor of the candidate, showing that his acquirements are sufficient to qualify him for admission to the High School."

A letter from our Clyde correspondent, which was delivered from the Post Office yesterday, has been delayed by the floods, as is evident as well from the state of the paper as from the date of the letter—February Ist. We hope tharthe floods may not have wholly destroyed the crops, of which our correspondent was on Saturday week last able to write as he did in the following extract :— " In mining matters, there is considerable activity all over the district, and from all quarters accounts come to hand, that the miners are profitably employed. The continued rainy weather, although, in some few cases it has been productive of harm, has nevertheless afforded an ample supply of water for sluicing purposes ; and as it is by this mode of werking that the majority of gold is obtained here, the wet weather has been rather beneficial than otherwise. Except in damp moist places, the agriculturists have been in nowise injured ; as from the extremely porous nature of the ground in this quarter, an excess of moisture is scarcely possible. The crops never were so prolific ; and we shall produce quite sufficient cereals for home consumption."

A friendly rifle match took place lately at Auckland, between Mr W. Sly, of the Scottish Company, Dunedin, and Mr W. H. Hazard, as representing No. 1 Company of Auckland Rifle Volunteers. In its report of the match, the New Zealand Herald says :— " The firing, on the whole, was not equal to what might have been expected on either side, although Hazard succeeded in beating his opponent by five points. The ranges decided upon were '3oo, 400, and 500 yards, seven shots at each range, in any position. The number of points made were— Hazard, 42 ; Sly, 37. Considerable excitement prevailed throughout the contest, and although the total scores of either competitor were far below the average, both men are known to be good shots, and better scores may be expected at the return match, which we believe will take place when Mr Sly (who is connected with the 8.8. Wellington) returns from Dunedin next month.

,The aTinjyersKfXflflH»e mers Congregatipnal'ph^urch, .was held onr Ttfesday evening.^ 'iThe* wows were presided; over by the lady-members of the congregation and their Mends, r After>, t^v>(the rewlination of- the Rev. Mr Smith, who Ijad] re- , ceived a caTT from' the congregation, was ' proceeded with; the ceremony being 'conducted by the Rev. R. Connebee, assisted by the Revs. Messrs Johnston, Sprimgeour, and Oliver. Mr Connebee preached from Esira^ 10th chapter; 4th verso. After the ordina.tion, Mr Bauchop,,,, the. Treasurer, gave a detailed statement v of receipts and expenditure during the year, which "showed a balance of L 7 7s Id" to the credit ' of the Church.. Mr Stevens, the Secretary, gavea' review of- the- -state of the Church, especially referring to .the loss, of Mr ' For. saith, their late pastor. The working of theSabbath' School- was -dwelt upon ; and Mr Stevens expressed a hope that a Sabbath. School Union would be established in Otago. He looked to Dunedin to take the initiative ; but if the city did not stir, he' trusted that, at least, a Union would exist amongat the Sunday Schools of Port Chalmers. The parents of children ' Should patronise the schools, not so much pecuniarily, as by occasional visits, which ho -was . . sure, would stimulate the teachers to greater efforts. — Mr Gilbert' and Mr M'Phee delivered'addresses congratulating ,the congregation on their choice of a pastor.— The proceedings were soon afterwards concluded.

The Farmer gives the following notice of what is said .to be improved and economical bread :— " "We learn from a paper recently laid by Professor Wilson before a meeting of the General Committee of the Society of .Arts, that a French savant, 'M. Mege Mouries. instituted experiments about ten years since, which shewed that, by decorticating wheat (an operation effected by a simple mechanical process), not only grain can be stored for any length of time without deterioration of quality, but that the flour made from grain: so prepared yields more bread, and is more nutritious, than that • from flour, as it commonly comes from the , mill' One hundred parts of flour of this sort will make, say, 140loaves, whereas 100 parts of other flour will only make 130 ; and' each of the 140 will be far more nutritious, owing to ,the greater quantity of nitrogenous , matter the flonr f rom decorticated grain contains. All -that is taken away from wheat by this process of decortication, is the three outer coverings — the epidermis, epicarp, and endocarp — which consist chiefly of ligneous tissues, and form the- v bran (being distinct from the ordinary bran of the mealing process)' 5 and though these three outer tissues are unfit for humanfood, yet they are adapted for the food of cattle. It has been computed that we shall this year require foreign supplies to the extent of 8,000,000 of quarters of corn ; whereas 5,000,000 of quarters, treated by the new process, would be equal in food- value to 8,000,000 treated in the ordinary way. Bread from? flour thus prepared is used in several of thelarge public establishments in Paris. The obstacle here to the introduction of the machinery which would effect this immense saving, and give us a better article as well, is — the prejudice entertained, especially by the lower classes," against bread and flour which are not perfectly white j in other words> which are not adulterated."

The removal of the Resident Magistrate and the Clerks of his department, from the Supreme Court to the n?w Court in the Piovincial Government Buildings, was, in one respect, a , public convenience — but, ia another respect, it is a cause of daily annoyance. People who have occasion to attend the Court, now save time in going to and returning from it ; but thebusiness is constantly interrupted, or is conducted under difficulties, owing to the noise from'*Bond street. All the carts and wagons that go t© or from the old or the new jetty — except those that come or gosouth of Jetty street — are taken along Bond street, to avoid hill-work ; and. the consequence is that, during the time' the Court ia sitting, there is a racketing noise such as is* perhaps, not equalled in any other part of the city. Something should be done, tothe building or to the street, to lessen the nuisance. Frequently, it is impossiblefor a lawyer to hear bis client, or for the Magistrate to hear either ; and that is agreat annoyance to all, and one that should, if possible, be remedied. A Magistrateought not to be stunned by street noises, whole he is trying to understand, and to acfc justly, in cases that are often very complicated indeed.

We learn from the Lachlan Reporter that " most of the squatters are actively engagedin cleaning, classifying, and improving their I wools. The great- drawback hitherto hasbeen the water, which is not adapted for wool-washing in consequence of its brackish' nature, and the mineral properties it contains. Mr Sydney Gibbons, the well-known-analytical chemist of Melbourne, has been. entrusted vrith the task of testing some of" the water from the Willandra back country, in order to discover by what means it maybe improved, and rendered useful for woolwashing. Mr William Taylor, the f ellmonger of Deniliquia, has gone to Willandra to superintend the washing of the remainder of the Messrs Dessaily's wool. The Messrs Dessailly have this year shorn on the Lachlan. back plains over 130,000 sheep. Some of the wool has been sent to Melbourne, whilea large part of the remainder is to bo waahedy cleansed, and improved under Mr Taylor's, superintendence. That gentleman's experience in Yorkshire and Australia in getting 1 up wools for the market renders him peon* liarly fitted for the task which he has undertaken."

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Suspicions of foal t>l»y- with reference to tKeorij^^.tl^Pl^^^hrißjDlrnrch, by -which Rankra loat his life, have become very grave, and Swatetnas *eßn"arrMted. J.J .' -The Lyttdton Timevi&yiU %A*'W appears that a few' days ago, Einkin and Swale *adag*ied to dissolve partnership. " On> Friday- night, they were heard to enter the shop together, tuid shortly afterwatda they.-went up- stairs to bed. Soon after, "high words took place between them, and ■ then a shuffling sound was heard by a neighbor. AH became quiet, but on the neighbor going' into the backyard shortly after, smoke was observed issuing from tKe. back premises of the house; and Swale looking on quite unconcernedly at the far end of the garden. The alarm was given, .and although Swale* was -seen about several times, he said nothing respecting Eankin being on the premises until the flames' had broken out in every part of the building. A -travelling bag, < containing wearing apparel -and other articles, was afterwards discovered behind a cask near where Swale was standing." The fortnightly Escort, which arrived in ■town on Tuesday af t6rhoHn J , brought only the gold from the Taapeka district. The following were the quantities received — Tuapeka, 1180oz 2dwt ; Waipori, 3760z 4dwt ; Waitahuna, 191oz 15dwt ;' \Yoolshei, 82oz 6dwt ; being a total of 1830oz 7dwt. The Escort from the other districts has been postponed in consequence of the state of the roads after the late floods, but it is expected that the ■quantities of gold remaining to be escorted -will be received in town on Friday. On the occasion of the wreck of the Star of Tasmania, at Oamaru, Mr Stephens, the first officer, was directly instrumental in saving three lives ; and Sergeant Bullen behaved with so much bravery, that a number of residents in Oamaru have communicated iwith the Commissioner of Police, expressing the hope that the Sergeant's conduct will be officially and substantially rewarded. This da the second time that Bulfen's name has been similarly associated with the Star of Tasmania send her crew. When' that ship was loading at Oamaru, in February, 1866, Mr Stephens, then her second' officer, attempted, with two or three of her crew, and two other persons, to go off to the ship. This was on the 4th of February, 1866. The boat was just clearing the surf, when one of the rowers missed a stroke, the boat was thrown •on her side, and her occupants, except one, were pitched out. Some of them swam ashore ; one. who stuck to the boat, was rescued by the life boat ; and one was drowned. Mr Sterhens was caught in the surf, and was in imminent peril. Some men jumped into the surf to save him ; the foremost man -being Sergeant Bullen. Before he could get Stephens out of the surf , Bullen was, by the force of it, twice driven out of sight, and his safety was all but despaired of ; but, though greatly exhausted, he saved Mr Stephens's lif e. On that occasion, the •conduct of Bullen was reported to the Commissioner ; and the Police Gazette of April, 1866, records that LlO had been awarded to the sergeant, as an acknowledgment of his -courage in rescuing Mr Stephens, "at great personal risk."

The Dnibj Times of TLursday said: — We have received from Mr George Webster, of this city, a letter with reference to the account we published yesterday, of the conduct of Sergeant Bullen, in saving the life of Mr Stephens, at Oamaru, in February, 1866. Mr Webster writes, "Your account of the matter, is' not quite correct ; your reporter has, perhaps, been misinformed. The true facts of the case are these." After detailing the circumstances which preceded the upsetting of the boat, and of some which followed, but which, for the present purpose, ■ are not of any importance, Mr Webster continues — ' ' Stephens was rolling in the surf, when I got a line tied under my arms and went to his rescue. Sergeant Bullen coming in after me. I got hold of Stevens by the arm, and handed him to Sergeant Bullen, who was behind me. I do not think I was over the middle when I gript Stephens, unless when the surf dashed up in my face. I came out of the water no worse than if I had been bathing, only more -excited. I can hardly conceive why the reward of LlO was awarded to the Sergeant. He did nothing moFe than an ordinary person on the beach would have done, namely, ; when some one quicker than he had brought the person from amongst the surf to safety, 'he (Bullen) catches hold of the man, and places him on dry land." The statements which we made yesterday were based mainly on an account of the accident which was published in the Oamaru Times, and which was republished in the Daibj Tivms of February 12th, 1866. We make now the following extract from that account : — " The second mate of the Star had a very narrow escape, and assistance did not reach him a moment too soon ; for, ere being saved, he had more than once disappeared. Several men rushed to the rescue ; the foremost being Sergepnt Bullen, stationed here, and a man named Warren. All behaved with the utmost heroism. The Sergeant, we believe, was the first to reach the drowning man, and was himßelf twice forced under water in his endeavors to, save him. Stephens was at last brought safely on shore, but insensible, .and in a most exhausted condition." Sergeant Bullen's conduct was, we repeat, brought under the notice of the -Commissioner of Police, by influential residents in Oamaru ; and it is to be presumed that the reward was given because inquiry showed that the representations thus made were correct. Those representations, to say the least of them, confirmed the published account.

Messrs »waeniv> , whojhaye Jteen. prosp^c^rjjg. "for^coWai'tlie source^ of tae^aWtikeiriver,' «:'.. >i_ ■ ..i.'MTHf". i r >'\ -.•/JIKM t t'lf«ft.« <)* * , The jnominationi of candidates; vfofttbe ,vai. cant , seat ,io*..- Bell f Ward^-iirere/- attjn«&ricedI shorjily a#er noon ou Monday,, on .the terrace, 'of the Provincial Governrnenl Buildings; between 40 and 50 personal being present— The Mayor (the Hon." J, H. Harris),presided; ;■ and the Town/Clerk (M> J. M. Massey) read the three nomination papers which hid been lodged at his office. The candidates' are — Benjamin, Bagley, chemist/ George street^ proposed by >W.- D. Sutherland, seconded by Alexander M'Gregor.— George 'Smith, CargilL' street ; prqposedby'T. M.' Wilkinson, seconded by JE. K. M'Liskey.— : " John Rennie, produce merchant,. George street ; proposed by F. Bow/era, seconded by W; R. McGregor. — The Mayor said that there being three candidates, and but one member to be elected, "all connected with the election were postponed until Friday, 14th inst., when thepou would take" place, at the Oddfellows' • Hall, George street. • If the candidates ' wished to speate, however, he should be glad to give them the opportunity. — Mr Bagley said that if he was elected he would do bis utmost to show that the confidence of the electors had not been misplaced. Hecouldnotpromisetobe,ortotry to be, an ornamental member of the Council; but he would try to be useful. He could not promise to electrify the Council with lpng speeches ; but he w,ould certainly try to work hard. He must admit his want of experience in public life ; but he thought many residents in Bell Ward would admitthat they knew him te be earnest and energetic about whatever he took in hand. He was in earnest now ; and if sent into the Council, he would do v his best for the public good. He would not ride any man's hobby, nor would he accept any man's ready-made opinions as a guide : he would consider every matter brought forward, as fairly and as fully as he could, and he would vote for what he beiieved to be right. — (Hear, hear.) He should always be thankful to receive information from those who could give it, and to be aided by the experience of those who had made Municipal interests their study ; but he believed that he should be able soon to make himself acquainted with the details of the working of the Dunedin City Council. Up to the present time, his connection with public affairs had been confined to reading the published reports of the meetings of the Council ; voting for members of his Ward ; i paying his rates when they became dve — ( " Hear, hear," and laughter) — and indulging somewhat liberally in the Briton's privilege of grumbling. His interests were those of a ratepayer in Bell Ward, and they were likely to remain so. He felt that he had a duty to perform — to pay a debt of gratitude for favors received at the hands of the inhabitants of Bell Ward during the last five or six years ; and should he be elected, he hoped that that feeling of duty would never be absent from his mind. He came forward for no prospect of benefit to himself ; but he placed himself in the hands of those who knew him well, and he hoped that they would trust him. He would not insult any ratepayer by making a personal canvass. He thought the rat«payers would know their opinions ; if they would vote for the man ■they believed to be the best, they would have done their duty ; and whatever the result, he should be satisfied. — Mr George Smith said that he was pretty well known as a member of the old Town Board — and as a member of that Board he helped to make the city, of which the Council had never yet appeared to know how to take care. — (Laughter.) He had worked hard and honestly for the city, and he should be glad to do it again— to work practically, by going round where improvements or repairs were needed, and seeing and advising a3 to how they could be made most promptly and cheaply. That was a sort of duty not sufficiently attended to ; and as he had no shop to look after, he could attendtosuchaduty. He desired to be honest and true — to do what he could, not only for his own requirements, but for those of his constituents. He thought he could maintain his own footing in the Council, without being caused to swerve by any man ; and he desired to do what he could for the benefit of his fellow-citizess. — Mr J. Rennie said that the other candidates had set themselves up as about to be men of action ; but each had, on the plea of making no speech, delivered what seemed very like a carefully-conned address. — (Laughter.) For himself, he wanted to be a man of action at once. He threw himself upon the ratepayers: if they thought he was a proper man to represent them, let them elect him, and he should be very proud of the honor. His interests were identical with those' of the ratepayers generally ; and he desired to promote the interests of the ratepayers. He •had been asked to consent to be nominated, and that asking showed a certain amount of confidence in him, for which,. he was'thankfuL He meant to contest the election, and and he meant to win it. — (Laughte.*.) He would spare no pains, and no expense, to secure his return. — ("Hear, hear," and laughter.) — The proceedings were concludedby thanks to the Mayor, for presiding.

The Customs authorities at Auckland r lately seized a yacht named the Lizard, as being concerned in smuggling on shore spirits and wine from a schooner in the port. . A man named Wile was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, under the 177 th clause of the Customs Regulation Act, and James Miller, forfeited his bail. A third, named Benjamin Pillenger, was fined Li 00 under the 163 rd section of the Act.

In some incident notice* ofjhe results of the recent flood,, the Oamaru ' Times says :—: — "The fimewi ,of -Beven 1 . ftistoti drowned at Tostikta by.the nooiing «tiihfr.Kakanui,;*a6k ipTajee mJMm)*#i aad wae.attended by # ■ large cortege of horseman. The short noticft wSJUm ,was giyen.,preyenfced t .siere; being, so, large' an attendance of the townspeople as would otherwise, doubtless, have rbeeri the, case.— We" learn that thy flour will at 'Kaka lnui has been exteMsivdy^ damaged by there- ' cent floods, and will' require a good deal I 'of repairing to put- it m" working' order.' • The 1 ; null wheel was completely' destroyed, and the water was within six inches of the flour in the second floor of the building, r— Wool continues rto. arrive ; there are now about 700 bales in. town awaiting shipment, but until the new boats of the' Landing Service arrive, there is little 'chance of getting it away." • Mr Warden Stratford, on the 31st ultimo; estimates the population of the Nokomai district at 700, including ' 550 miners j and he reports' as follows :— '• ' This has Been a stormy" month'; a succession of gales, rain, and hail have rendered the Mataura Ford impassable for. fourteen days, and those ©f the Waikaia for more than a .week. I mention these rivers, as the egress and ingress of Switzers are mainly made through these riverai Loaded drays from Dunedin were detained at the Pyramids for 14 days on this very account, all of which might be obviated by, the expenditure of a few hundred pounds in catting a dray track one mile from the Pyramids on the Otago side of the Mataura, and on occasional places on the Otama run, and the building of a bridge across the Waikaka Creek. The secret of high cartage and limited trade from Dunedin all lies on the two stumbling blocks, ' The narrow 1 and deep .Waikaka, 1 the rapid and dangerous Mataura.' The draymen are at the mercy of these whimsical and treacherous waters, sn instance of which 1 have quoted in this report. The consequence is that every article of merchandise is very dear, some not always obtainable. The storekeepers complain bitterly, and charge higher ; and all those whe , are not storekeepers pay, murmur, and, of necessity, endure. This tax is more severely felt just now, as while half the population is employed, the other half are looking on, waiting for water, which will not be in under two or three months. The Carnie, or BigRace (for so I must call it, as it has no name) has been most rebellious this month, under the, pressure of torrents from the various gullies crossing its course. Neither stormchannels nor any other invention can save its , retaining walls from bursting away during such weather as we have had during January ; and we must hope for a change, or a number of hired men will be discharged. It is not an uncommon thing to hear the sound of rushing water, and see hundreds of men at work at 11 a.m., and at 2 p.m. perfect stillness in the claims, and the game changed to quoits outside .the public-houses. The lessees of water suffer very much by these drawbacks as well as their hired men ; but the men who are waiting to become lessees are the greatest sufferers, as they are for the most part living on hopes, fossicking, and credit. The bone and sinew of the Independent Race Company are progressing favorably, in spite of the bad weather, and have cut more than half the length of the race. It must not be forgotten that they are employing between 30 and 40 men all the time, and bringing competition to the water market, which is highly desirable where water power is the principal machinery used. The population is still increasing, but I must ignore them in my monthly estimate, as we have not room for them at present, and they will have to go somewhere else. lam sorry to see the effect of some under-current influence in bringing over men from other districts to »pend nearly all their means, and then go back again. If some capitalists will come and cut a race from Dome Creek to Muddy Flat and Menlove'a Terraces, and from the Waikaka to Switzer's proper ; then, and not until then, shall we have room for any more poor men. The races in existence ( ncluding the Independent Race) will only employ about 400" to 500 men, at the most (including business people), and a discount must be allowed for percolation and race accidents ; and as for other methods of working, the cradle and tub men muster 50— all told, and the tail-catchers are to be despoiled of thoir trade altogether shortly by the great Tuapeka Graball — a new invention for saving gold in the sluices. A miner from the Waikaka diggings has this month applied to cut a race, 12 miles in length, to that place. The race is to carry twelve heads, and when completed I hope will revive that locality, for the population has fallen off from 30 to 6 during the last three months. I was just about to report a change in the weather, but a storm is brewing in the S.W. ; and January ends as it began — a month of storms and floods."