NEWS OF THE WEEK. [FROM THE TIMES.]

Otago Witness, Issue 847, 22 February 1868, Page 11

NEWS OF THE WEEK. [FROM THE TIMES.]

- Telegraphic , communication has been resumed between . the 'Dunedin 'office, and. Lyttelfon/'Hokitika, and Greymouth. . The Secretary ,of. the Committee appointed toascertainthe-apphcantsentitledto relief, on account of. losses sustained in the late storm; 'invites 'applications to be" made to' h.m. •'' ?'>v»"*ti «• • . •'• 1., The'.'SovthUHi&.jyem states that a' protest entered against, Post Boy, as winner of the Maiden Plat?;. at the .Soushlaad Racing Club meeting.' .has.- been, referred .to -the Otago Jockey. Club for, decision. (// ,; / . The first : meetihg of the Westland County Council was to" be held ' on the 1 Oth inst. It was riot'expectt?dthat,any important business would be' undertaken until a r day 5 or twoafterwards;''' 1 ' t;" .' '-';•--• ii ••! *A slight, shock of earthqnake/was felt in 1 Greymomh between four m and five* o'clock a.nv, on- the 7th instant. vlt onlylast about a second er two. The'^rgusstatearthat other shocks had been felt in the district during the week. ' ' ' . . | In the Dunedin Gaol, at the close of the? week, ending February 14th, the prisoners were:—" Awaiting trial, 6 , men 1 : penal servitude. 15 men ; hard labor- 41 'men, & women ; imprisonment, 2 men ; in. default of bail, 1 man ; debtors, 6 men. Total, 71 men, 6 women. Discharged during the; week, 9 men, 4 women. Received, 6 men*. 3 women. " * '■• > The Nelson Waterworks have very nearly reached completion.- The main pipes are connected with thereservoir, and on Saturday, lat inst., were partially tested. .The pipe-laying was commenced in October last, • but' a delay of nearly a month subsequently occurred, through the .inability of the contractor to proceed with the work. It is the most important work yet undertaken in Nelsoa, William Waters, a waterman at Port Chalmers, was. on Sunday morning instrumental in. saviugthe life of a seaman belonging to theBremen brigantine Pfeil. The seaman was in the act of hailing his vessel.fron^ the stem, of the steamer Peuinsula, when his footslipped, and he fell overboard. ' Raters was in. ciosejHroxiinity with his boat, and picked the man up, very much exhausted, and conveyed: him to his vessel. . X A paragraph' in the MarUioroicgh Ifeios^ illustrates the defects of the ttlegraphic line, as originally erected throughout the'colony. The paragraph referred' to informs 'us that Mr Blake and party have lately completed a new 'survey of.' the line between Blenheim, and Chrisichurch, which cuts off ihnumer. able aogles, and, when altered, will shorten the distance by twenty miles ! " We have recei-ed from. Mr Andrew Cairns-, drawings showing sections and elevations of " Cairns's Patent Track, 1 -and arrangements for crossing rivers and ravines, orfor loading and unloading ' vessels in open < roadsteads. Mr Cairns proposes to lay down light rails, capable of , being worked bj r hoi se or steant power ) aiid Jilis system for crossing rivers, &c.', is by means of rigid steel wires, on. which to slide' a basket' or truek 1 . / '_| We have received a eppy of ."Abstract Report o£ the • Progress tot .the .Gcolog cat Survey of- New Zealand, during 18J6-7, Toy James Hector,' M.DVF.R.S. Director," which. has. just been. issued from, the Government Printing Office at Wellington! fc ■■> i '\ A boy? 15' years of ago,.'.nainedj' Richard: Clifton, .has been,, committed ,f or r trial at the Supreme Court for' having stolen.'from.thebranch post office at Napier, .three post letterscontaining^ouey and ctriain, orders. The news from the' Auckland diggingtr continues satisfactory,' though the • want «£~ efficient quarbz-cruahing maohines fornw ay great' obstacle' to the development of tho field. ' ■„. ' -' . :- • ; T^e Oatnaru Races are appointed to come off on ,the sth and 6th of March! There ar& to be four eveats each day, i arid ''the stakor are sufficiently tempting to' secure, the conapetitionof first-class horses'.. '' ' ' We have to supplement bur recent report on the staj;e of the crops throughout' the Provinc6,^by'details ' from • the QueenStown district, which have ,cbme to hand- since. Ow correßpdniieht- 'writes .that' the'^Keat cropt(7oo acres) has not' suffered' in ;the4 least iit consequence' of ttie wet weatKer,"nor is- it affected by any of the' numerous 'diseases to which it is so liable. - In all respects' it is- an. excellent; crdp, nnd bears* 'a'inple testimony tothe fertility of -the ( sqii ¥ and ; adaptability of the climate.' The f increase this" season, compared with last,, js'4jpO acres' '; 'and the greaterpart of the 'crop' is oil' aew land. '/' Part of tli* crop is expected ijo'yieid '(50 bushels an acre j 'but, the aveitige^wilUbe froin.3s to 40. Jk. considerable breadth' of oats (750 acres) has been sown/ but, the, crop has suffered conoid derably'from' the. w.et, weather,! and „ it is alfected byT>light and wet. r- -Tho yield may 'be from 3l) to 50 bushels., There has (been an increase in oats of .200 acres. Potatoes (ICO 1 acres) ' will yield- about live tons, ptr acxer Turnips are a failure; but English glasses promise .well. ■. Wherever , bailey . has been,, tried/it has succeeded beyond: expectation. This district, is, well Buited for, its growth ; but there :being no market very little (5(1 acres) wasiplantud. Harvcßt is. looked for ia the Jast week in February, aud preparations have been made for it by the importation qSL reaping machines. . .

'The 28owfc bell jwhioh -was recently at. tb,o Hospital j .'ia?, beea^oj^ed to its; place,, in the tower of the new Post Office ( Without attempting strict definitions, '^t may f ,be : ; ' > v asid"'Oia|'thfe beil/^'^xeil^tMn^wood/^ti^ • Jngkte i nsing^above^^e^aqn^e,.^,' jbjie pointed'/! support being & stout beam which runs "at '^&e^base 'of I 'f&'b'si^j^sw?' : froin L;j^McKthelyane.:staff ' M^.TJuis;; though • ' qrute is..s.qmewhat,,protected "•' fiom above. " The' height of the .beam is a little over 90ft from the street. 'line.' We 'Ttlmifc^it lx>'~ be" regretted- that- the bell is "* HgibUya'tocTied : tbthebeJfin. 'ltis'>ib doubt »°tttie ! that;' placed' Tfrhere- if [hi, th'S 1 'lielL could -• hot be swUng^r not freely ; ;i butfthe vigidnesa of fixture inustj'preVeht the' true tone or ; r the ; bell /being- given*forth,,,no, matter Vhat' the .mode t of, striping, jr; The .bell was .'. r '.'Bounded -yesterdajjr.'i,' , ; Th^.tone was • better. „-, than that, which Vas". gi'Ygn'^forth.Vhile the ' bell was at the. Hospital, whraje^he jammer, - connected "with the works ' of the clock," was - « ' checked" by the* intrbdtfctidni of wire ,'unde.r- ■ • neath'the arnvof the haintner;;-; but' the tone ■>'» wasnot goodj'and- we ; are"' sure •> that it'" was 'not' theirue tone of the beU'.rc-xfc w: j -■:: . ">"• <•'' '»*'«"»*< <! ~; 'V '''V/'t? '}?•'■'"' *f- i 1 ,I . » Mr Christian Shafer, the jGrermau traveller who has made such surprising "journeys on- • ■ foot, through! soinaay cbuhtries, -baa arriyed. '.i ijn Dunedin. We ' are ' not 'informed exactly, < whence Mr, Shafer. has come," but •we believe > . •• »that it'is from 'Melbourne. l To-morrow even- •'• ing," he'<is"-to j be' entertained by 'the German " • ChoralUnion,* at : the ;European -Hotel; and. ••"an invitation is'givento'all German, residents "■> to 'attend. .':.-."-v. - • n?<n ;;,,^..>; ■ A meeting of the Regatta Committee was •" held, i on'iWedne3day^'''inthe'Xondon Hotel, '•"'• Jettyiatreet.'.'i'Mr. B: CvHaggitt, 1 (Provincial' '/ ' Solicitor) -was-hi'the chait j^The • Hoh. . Sec- •' retary'(Mr Solomon) read the minutes of the • r. last-meeting," and ithe programme of races "■ which.'.at that meeting^ had 'been adopted. •■■ The proper business the .meeting was. to ' "fix the date for the- proposed Regatta,' to.ap : ? Lijp T ointia sub-committee,', and to make arrangements for the collection of subscriptions. "It ' r was l 'agreed''that'" the 'Regatta BhOold be held' " onlif ahout"the : l3th T 6f ' April-next, wlrch is " Easter Monday;, and when + it -is" supposed J -^H.R.H.the-Dukeof-;Edinb v urgh l will be in .'the' Province. 1 -'" -The n sub-comfmttee appointed^'consisted of Captain' Dickie', Captain '■' 'Bain/Mr Street,"Mr Gibb," Mr 1 Adams, Mr Kempthorne, Mr HilU and Mr Green, with ' '" the : Treasurer and l Secretaiy.- The duty of this Committee is to 1 make" a- selection, of . races calculated ,to constitute a programme ...'.which shonld^prove : attractiyej .and induce ;,-, and it , was" agreed that,^ on .. drawing up a sufficient programme^ the Snb : .-. committee, should report.the .same to,a general- . meeting. ,; It t was i arranged, .that the Sub--.'.committee should. meet i^ a fortmgtit hence, : the v meeting to be.cbnveue.d.b'y the Secretary. . - It was stated by, Mr Green,".tHat there .was, some expectation of a prize being offered by^ "" a gentleman-residingin Dunedin-for a" 'face, 1 • r to be' pulled: in four-oafed^gigB, .'by boys ( , ■ ■ belongingto.the • different tpublic schools' in • ' the"city-j'and» it' was i agreed* 'that- 'such^a 1 *•' prize^'if. offered, : "Bhould Jbe included' in 'tithe programme;' -^ •• r v; "«-v« ; f- 4/ „,.„;.; ,', ',' InhiB report" upon" the Dunsfein'Pistrict for. . v the, month of January, Mr^War'den Eobinson estimates - the . population ,- at 1900^ includiHs? 750 European "minersi' 250 c Chinese" and. 9oo, 1 ' others, and' he? states :—": — " The ,season, has ••'• been- at least favorable for -the slnicers,' who have had an almost unlimited supply of water ' to work with; • : As a rule,- the miners have ' '- ia consequence been doing well. <-y. The' only" exception is-in-'the case of the river' workings „atthe Nevis, ,where the. stream keeps: too • "high' for ,the 'miners' to do much good.. The. agriculturists' have, so far -'had' favorable ' weather, . and ; 'the 'crops' promise 'well, if ' : they are not" injured py the 'rains jwhich have' for the last few days " ; been flying about 'the district .in a. .stormy unsettled •. ,/way. ' 'As showing the t, importance to which -. the.- sluicing interest has . attained, , I "may . . mention that I . find there,are in the district 195 water-races granted, and entitled t0^520 . sluice-heads, of water. There ,are besides; _* ' applications in .the offices^ for' l3B heads of, ' water in various races nowln 'course of construction/ nicking' in ali'lßs 'heads 'of water ■either now in- 'nse "or shortly to be turned to account. Th'is'qu'antity"6f water is T iriore than .find profitable employment for the .//number ,of miners in'the district,' and as;the < ~- sluicing 'efound .is;hot lUsely^to b'e T "exhausted .for. many years^Jw^come^t^e^re^is but little. ; reason to fear' v in the yield of •!., gold. „; Qa, ,'the^ cpn'trary* "ap; some, of .the great races Jt lately l^mshed. and^othersthat ,',. .are-^commenjed^get into steady work/ it is ' , fairly to-;be Expected ."that be a . considerable -increase 1 , ,ux /the; quaatities t to, ,«, be escorted. .Of thjs^arg'4flLuantity,of water, „ no.lessthan^^.heads'arejrjßgisWedat the ,'.' ' . Cromwell office, '.'arid- mos ti'of the new:applir, cations '.arer/n^de at''.tha^,^Lcefor)waterin . u \ Captain Stevens, of "-the.'sMp^Matoaka, •"which has,arriv- j d'at Lyttelton;-hasfbeetf •particularly fortunate^ in' bringing out a-'large of ■ Ehglietbirds.- <>:The r birds, which «• were brought out 'under charg€<©fr Mr John' '--• " t Larigdown,-cons r ist of 12 pairs -thrushes, 77 "• pairs blackbirds," 22 pairs house sparrows,..4. -J pairs hedge sparrows, 7 pairs redpolls, T.pair • r. bramble' finches.*' 1 -yejlowhammer, and 1 robin: ' The; Canterbury .PreM-says :— .V.The *•*'-■■ deaths during the' voyage -wffce so 'few as 'to- : lender the venture the most' successfuliof the • iind yet ' known ' ia the <" Coloriy ;' -whilst- the ' -ost' price of the birdsi to- the Society, is.of:- " qually a satisfactory character, and, unlike 1 ■> •' revious attempts, will prove rt ; retnunerativ© eculation to the careiul and judicious exerj» of - Captain Stevena."

f The, DMcdinr Naval Brigade bad, on Wednesday, their first'ahell-pradttee. . The Brigade h^ve'two^-Jlb 1 brads' Hotoi&ers/'ba Bhipcar.■riagek of '(we Bhould«tbikfc) a very. old ;( }jatt, • tern. > •■ (They, are, placed.on .the : .line, of ' earthwork, which tfte. .hard-labpr prisoners "have : tbiown 'out, so' is ' to' form" a • b'asiri,to' the ilorfcn -of 11 the'^ Rsfctray; 1 street" pier, : .withmt whickstuff dredged . .from .the.harbor. might be .thrown from,,bargeB. fl As there , is.. mo, r no, tackling £o UtecarriagesV'nor'any thing on or' near theearfch'wWk' to which 4 Wckling could :be; fastened;— and; as nothing -like an im ; , prompjru platform has yet been constructed '— eacn gun^when fired, gave a back jump and a s'otaeitfaulti 11 The Brigade consequently . bad. -some. (possibly good);handspike- practice, in. righting.each gnn after each shot., j Capt. 1 , "StaVely acted" as .captain' of No 1 gun, arid Lieut:D6bßie,6fN6."2/Sefgeant-Majorlnglis^ the officer wh'b recently came from the North, as temporary gun instructor and inspector, was in charge ; Capt. and. Adjutant Atkinson ' being 1 ' with him. ' ' Lieut. -Col." Cargill,, commanding' m the district: and Capt; M'Far- 1 •land, of. ;! the- Artillery, were. .amongst the tolerably. large, group of spectators. The tar-, get was 'a flag on a buoy, in a line with Grant's Braes, 1 and from 1300 .to 150l> yards' distant from the guns.>.. The . practice, .even had it m ot .been, the first- of the ■ Brigade, would deserve to be classed as a most satisfactory one." Sonic' of the fuses were not* good, -or were not well 'timed ; but generally' the distance, and > the .line of..fire,w^re.very good, indeed. . Sfx rounds ..were .fired ,fr,onv eachgun^ No doubt, before the next practice, so'mething'will bV'done'tb prevent' 'such' antics as the guns played yesterday.- I" Messrs Patrick Henderson and Co.|s ship Viola sailedfrom Lamlash ßay, for Otago", on : §th December, • with .14- • cabin .-and Hi, steerage— in all, 125. The passenger list lies at tHe office of the agents, Messrs Cargills and' M'Lean.- The succeeding' s'hip is the Caribou, -which was to sail on the 13th of this .month,. ,, „ : „ „ m..,,^,.' ■ ■ At the 1 Resident Magistrate's Court,. Port Chalmers, on Tuesdays before Mr,D. Rolfe, . and Captain Thomson, J. P.'s, Henry Thomson, 'a seaman." belonging to| the" barque" Catherina, ' was charged with having' stolen a 1 pair of trousers, the .property' of Charles, Matheson, a seaman .residing in Walker street, Dunedin. The evidence of'the'prosecutof'shdwed,'that'the prisoner came to' ; his bouse hard 'up, and remained .there snme days, being provided with food and shelter. , On the return of the prosecutor from, his. work one evening, the prisoner was gone," and a pair of trousers (produced) missed'; information was given to the police,, who found ; •the • prisoner and trousers, on ..board , the Catharina, .and arrested him. The prisoner, in defence,' .stated ' that he- ,had,' bought the trousers in Princes street, ;I)unedin, andthajt two parties could prove'that. The' prosecutor ( Having- described '! certain marks on "the trousers minutely, ' the? Bench -dfound' ' the' prisoner" guilty,- ''and sentenced 'him t6 ; six< i w.eaks' '.hard- r labor. , r 'r f ,» ..,.( -<<. : -;:■ '' -It ' was recently reported that the steamer ■ Brisk had -been- despatched froml.Sydney to,, Western,, Australia,- and.. the accounts- were , that, she, .had, gone ,to, quell either a Fenian, op' a convict outbreak. The Mfilbburnt Argus',* 'in noticing. the' circumstance^' ' says :'-— ' r S Her. Majesty's' lately 16ft' Sydney, and it" is stated that' her destination is "Western Australia.' to "which she has' gone-m consequence of 'news having been' received by the Commodore '-from the Lords of' the Admi-' ralty, by i the Panama 1 > mail," t to 1; the .effect that \an. armed" Fenian vessel «had . escaped, from a British port for the, purpose, of intercepting, the ( ship flugoumont, and rescuing the Fenian prisoners who ,were placed onTSoard of ''her I 'for transiportabion to Western Australian. 'The Brisk is/stated — presumed, perhaps 1 , 'would ba ' the better wor^j_to ' 'have ' • Bailed' 1 "for 1 Freeman tie, to cruise off the coast in search'of -the supposed Fenian' adventurer. It was. thought, when' H.M.S.' Charybdis sailed from this port on Sunday, ostensibly for Adelaide,; .that, she, was also bound further westward ; but,,as ,- a ship supposed to be tKe Charybclis .was seen by the City of Adelaide oif, Cape' Liptrap yesterday—^her course was eastwards. " • ' ' '" At a dinner given to f Lord Lyttelton and Mr' Self e in'.Chris'tchurch, his'lorltship made the following Jremarks' x on Provincialism \:-r '"'l^uring the long'yoyage from Home he, had; r bicupieh himself with reading'Gr6te"s History of Greece, "and'there- he ' fo'iind it set 1 forth" as a most pointed truth' which' was worth inculcating — that the great .political weakness and. inferiority, thewa>to of strength, of the Greek nation,' was Vanse'd by-its'- comminution; into ) numerous smairisolfiteii' •'■communities.^ :.To that cause Mr Grote attributed the decay and failure of th r e Oreek nations He did not mean to go beyondihe-broaaeßt' application of the .principle, but the t question of Provincialism "or non-l^rovincifrlisrii ' ,was ' one or -the • most important thai 3 could' be brought'] Vef ore; ,the people, and he must say that -he- hoped the Tiinie~'was"*eoming-when7'with-the increase of ;Wealth andjtbe meaoSj of communication; the' principle of .political consolidation would • bd • Borne, .in mind. . ; H,e bpligyedit/yvas'rieedless •to,preach.shis, for he jthough^ it was, nearlya vw,on ,battle,'and that the.principlewas nearly' ■.established^ -.'.But W'.was. "anxious to urge inpon thqse who .upheidj-the principle, that- it ,wpuld require ,it,e., utmost,, caution ihithe de-, tailed steps ,by, which, fa was .brought to' bear, He could not i express, an opinion, on anyo ne .detail;, j every j;bing , should . , ,b^ j left, 'to , , jbbo '.Colony, /and, no <■ obstacle Jnjteifposed j to i its "prpgrea^j but eVerystep.ya&'iQne that wou;ld ' .lejive . .a A lasting impreiajon,, . , and , ' theretore • vould nesdthe. xnosticareful^iiberaiion on the part of the politicians, .and 'statesmen of the Colony .Wore it was carried but."

■■ — : ■t . .; i ' j , — ■> — ri ' ' .' .!, J A movement iR in progress in Melbourne, for the relief of the survivors of thfe-ehip General Grant,- wrecked on the Auckland islands., „A committee has been formed, ,of which General , the United States consul J 'is a member/ and the Mayor of Melbdu'rne^MxJ. SV'Butters) treasurer. There ■are nine person3,to relieve* They are suffering from what DrSemple, resident physician at the Melbourne' HdspitaV has ascertained to be a scorbutic affection, which, preventing them frona present work, 1 ' is (expected to disappear after a ; fejjr-^vreeks'. , mixed diet and rest.' '•„.. 1 „/,. • - ■ • The Timaru Races ' were appointed , to be held- yesterday- and- to'day.-- Referring to the meeting, the Herald of Saturday says : — «" The races premisei'inHhe -number of competitors, 'to exceed those of "any previous year. But the company is not ukely to be sogbodthis year, 'as we are not to have the presence of any of the 'crack' performers. Knottingley wil^not .run, neither will he be present at'the Duriedin Races, on account of the 'penalties' inflicted by the Jockey Club, for *• all -horses' that .have won money in Christchurch.; , There are . at present 22 horses likely to take part, in the, Timaru Races. Mr Webb sends down five from his stables,' in charge of Rae, namely — Atalanta, Star, .of the South, Old Bird. , Don Pedro, and Tom King Filly. From the West Coast, we I have two, JNative and G6lde'n Cloud. Oamaru sends ! three',' Regnum, Baronet, and Billy. ■The district 'horses comprise Master Rowe, ,Waitui, Zohrab, ,Cruiser, . Grasshopper, -Odd Trick, Terry, and no less than five horses notnamedl" ' ••••-,-■ ■ • ' The Warrior Queenbrought from' London over 100 volumes as additions to the Law Library at the Supreme Pourt. . About, 50 of the volumes are -text-books^ mpst of them being "of recent 'date'; 'and' I 'the others ' consist of a number of standard 7 histories, and what are ordinarily- styled i>' books of ■ Of histories, of England,, there are' the following :— Lingard, 10 ,vols. ; Hume and Smol•lettj 10- vols'. r j r Massey, : 4' ! vbls.'; Macaulay, 4 vols. 1 ; Mahon y : 7= vols:j-Hughe3, 7 vols. Ofi.Qqnstitutional; Histories, - there are — Hallam,'3 vpls. ( ; May, 2 ; " vols. • Cressy, -1 vol. Ty tier's : History' of Scotland , 8 ' vols. and Turner's' History of" the 'Anglo-Saxons, are included-;' as.: are- .also Montesquieu's ■ Spirit of. ,LawSj.; Smith's Wealth, of. .Nations, and Mill's Political Economy.' Of Dictionaries, there are:— Ufe's ; M'Culloch's Geographical^ Knight's .Geographical ; the . French Language, the Academy's and, Fleming and 'f ibbins'B ; Bailey!s , Latin ; and Flugel's German. , , . "A correspondent narrates the following, a3 i'ucidents of'the late Eood :— "To Mr Donald 'Bqrrie, the residents of \ the to'wnsbip of Outram mainly .owe their lives. . (i At all events, loss,, of ,lite would, in all probability have occurred. ' Possessing a superior barometer,' he 'noticed, on 1 Monday evening, an unusual depression of. the jnercury ; and observing the alarming rapidity o£,,£he rise of the ,i?ver, he aroused the inh'abitailts to ' a sense of tHeir danger.' 0 Bat on this''o'ccasion. as : in Biblical times, some mocked at; the warning, or made light of it.- With.praise^rorthy^assxtluity, he insisted upon tseir removal, and his predic"tibns'worjj,''as!is well -known,' amply'verified, s'everal'oE the houses navingbeen's^Vept away. .I'L-he .unfortunate .young- mani Grant; lost'his life while \Y cn dAng hva way to the rescue of 'his parents,, 'whom he .thought in danger. It appears' that 'in' crossing a field of wheat,, covered with Water, his horse "got entangled and came down with his rider. While struggling to gain his footing the horse struck him .on the head;- stunned 'by the blow, he fell, ! and vras • drowned. — Several landslips occurred, which,,, in, one or,, two. instances,, .were attended with , serious consequences. .'At "Saddle Hill, the house of Mr Caddie was rent in two and rendered uninhabitable. Its removal to a more secure retreat is,' of necessity, determined upon..,. From a similar occurrence in Green Island, Mr Doig lost a .valuable ciiw,' which had sought refuge from 'the storm."' ''•* ' ' • " '• -' ' • • • Mr Mason"; as chairman of the late meeting at Otcpopo,- and the Honorable Mr Matthew Holmes, on Friday, presented to the Provincial Secretary, and the Secretary for Land and Works, in the absence of -the Superintendent, a petition in .favor of the construe: tion of. a railway from the Waitaki to Moeraki.. The petition was' signed by 183 persons) "representing 174,147 acres of freehold land; ■ A lengthened conversation took place, m the course, of which .Mr Holmes and Mr Jtfason entered into, particulars., T,hey con's'idered"at'leaBt 150,000 acres of land, stilL undisposed 'of, would be "improved in value by therailwa'y.': 1 . They were of opinion that' the owners of land through which the railway would pass would willingly 'consent to give up the necessary land, in many cases without compensation,- and in 'others on payment of a yery! moderate. tate., « It. was suggested that steps should be at oncetakentoobuinfromthe liind-owners 1 the'neceßsary assurance.. i>Mr Holmes' was further of 'op'ino'n that t the, money. 'could" be .obtained -at 'Home; if the Assembly^were, to, authorise ,a. guarantiee of six per ceat. R on the capital for ten years. The merrib'ers' 6f t ihe 'Grovernm'ent"'promifced that the whole matter should be 1 brought' before the Superintendent (on his return) and the Executive, .without delay. r \ J . At. a late meeting of the Shipowners' Association,' a 1 conversation . v .took. place on! the' subject of 'forming a' whaling company in Melbourne.' -It appears, that the committee, f or jspme.jbpne paBt,.have .had the' subject under discussion, r but without any practical; resuli ' ' It was' 1 now' decided that, in consequence of thef 'difficult v;of obtaining efficient men to manage any whaling expedition, it was, .not, at present,.>dvisable that steps fibroid, be taken in the'matter.

At & meeting of the Committee of tW . Oataaru Cricket Club, held/on Wedaeedaj ; last, it was resolved that the date suggested for the match , between the punedin and \ OamaruClub be agreed to— viz.;' 26th and \ 27th inab. The Oaraaru team, 'it is stated, ■will leave for Dunedin on the 25th. ' „ "We observe, from the Homepapers; saysthe - Melbourne Argus, that Sir George Grey • has been appointed to bis old Government--that of the colony of ■ the Cape 'of Good H °P e - , • , • , .- * The death, of an old Victorian? Colonist, Mr Donald Campbell, of Glengower, is noticed in the Melbourne papers. Mr Campbell died of an attack of' paralysis. " The deceased," says the Argus, "came to the Colony ia IS3B or 1839, and was amongst the,, earliest pioneers of Gipps Land. He subsequently took up a station at Bullock Creek, .extend* ing over much of the country which afterwards became better known as ' Old Bendigo,' the famous goldfield. From thence he removed to Glengower, about ten years ago. Mr Campbell took an active part lately in. the organisation of the Leichardt, Search Expedition, in the success of -which he in- ■ terested himself warmly. He was a kind* hearted and a good friend, and will be missed ■ by many throughout the Colony." A man who was given into 'custody at Clyde, on Saturday last, on a charge of mental derangement, through, excessive drinking, made a desperate attempt to commit suicide. The officer in charge left the . man, apparently calm, with a jug, containing, water placed near him, , as lie. complained much of thirst. Within three minutes, the ' officer heard a noise which induced him to return to the lock-up room. ' He* found the \ jug smashed, and the man • lying -on the ''■ floor, in a pool of blood. On being Lfted up, it was seen that he had a piece of the jug in ■'; his hand ; and when that was taken from him, he tried to tear open a wound which lie ' : had inflicted on his throat. Assistance was . obtained ; the man was . removed 'to the ,J Duns tan' Hospital ; and on Monday morn-- i ing, the medical officer had hopes of a :* : * recovery. •- ••■ •• • , \ An extensive fire has occurred in Sfcnrfc ) street, Ballarat. ' It is said to have originated j at the rear of Bignell's Hotel; a "woodea - building,- which was destroyed,' as was also \J the premises •of Kiddie, tailor jiElinthoff, ~ photographer ; and Peach, jeweller., and the fancy shop adjacent, all being wooden build- ; ings. The first of these buildings was nearly ; consumed before the fire brigades were pre- ~ sent. The rear premises of Mr Wilson, den- „'.■ tist, caught fire, but the main portion of the ] building was saved. The office of the" Courier _; newspaper was also on fire, and much damage '.- was done to the property in its removal. For a week past the stefcmer 'Alhambra '- has been overdue at Port ChalmeraA- It was . presumed, in the absence of any telegraphic ] communication, that she was r detaiued at ; some of the -West Coast or Northern ports. \ It appears, however that when 300 miles 'C from Port Phillip, 'the crank head of 'one of :, the engines gave" way, and tho 'piston had •- forced its way through the cylinder. on'| being telegraphed as off Cape Schanck, under partial steam and canvas,- the steam- ' tug .Resolute was despatched to bring her to" ' 'j Hobson's Bay, anl her cargo and passeng-rs £ were transferred to the Messrs 1 j M'Meckan | and Blackwood's other steamer, the: Omeo, * which arrived at Port Chalmers yesterday. - ~ The brig Fairy Queen, from Mauritius, has ' beenpUced in quarantine at Poz-t Chalmers, / in consequence of a death and. of a recent 3 case of sickness, having occurred s on board. "^ The death is understood to have been caused i by fever, and the Board of • Health, at a,\ meeting yesterday, issued instructions to the -fcaptain of the brig with regard to the ~A thorough purification of the vessel, and the destruction. of bedding and othtsr • material _J by which the infection m'ght 'be 'conveyed. "^ The Board will, of cour3e, meet from time to- *j time, aad decide when the release of the is; vessel may be ordered. .^ .. A petition to the Superintendent, calling A upon Taim to dismiss the R.ev. Mr Simmons '1 from his position as Rector' of the High. $ School, is, we are informed, " being carried $ about the 1 city for' signature by'Mr Sibbald and Mx Ure. We have not seen the petition y"% but; it, of conrse,. refers to and is in conse-^ queace of'Mr yimmous'a private letter to the .3 .tiishop.ot' Brechin, which, byspnw accident, "^ obtained publicity in a Home pj/per. — A Pe* tition tn liis Honor the Superintendent, in\9j favor of the Rev. Mr Simmons being retained '^ as Rector of the High School, is in course of jJ signature, 'and is being numerously aigned. \| The' Southland "Government is about to'J ' resume 'assisting immigraut3 to the Province. '* The pistes says :—": — " The Local- Government* | has decided to authorise .Mr Morrison (its g London agent, now on' a visit to this Pro--? vince) to lay, on,' direct for the Bluff, vessel^ chartered to cargo, pasiengers, andj assisted immigrants.' . '.The nrst vessel, it i» expected,' will leave England in July. Mr M>rrison has been on_a tour of inspectiotti through this Province^ and will be in the| best position- to afford information tothoso jdesirous of ascertaining, somewhat of the resources and' prospects of Southland." - - '/\ A report was recently circulated in Md« bourne to the effeci that Detective Hams had recently arrived from N,ew Zealand for tbei purpose of re- arresting "Mra Anna Mara! O'Neil. The Argus states that the report i| without foundati-n. The, object of Hwn'i} visit was to deliver into custody at the proper; quarter, a prisoner who had, been arrested; in New Zealaudj on a charge of forgery ai Ballarat. Hams returned to New Zealand by the Gothenburg. ■ , ' |

jßS'At* meeting of Kaikom congregation, at BS^T;ihe ,Bey. D.,M:rStuart p"isrided,, it ggtart^nnanim'otißly- agreed. to request the'PresR^ytery^of Dunedin.to give, them, an r early Sptfpportunity'to call the Rev: Mr Campbell' to |P&their minister.- „.The Rev. R. Hood. and g|Mr ( ?Thompson,v.TVere appointed a committee Btf^attend tft.thematter.. r-,,.- ."■ ; : .j :.,,-/. . Rf^ine lecture .se v as\ra'of ' Jhe" Tjjmedin .Young raH«b.'s Mutual I^proy^ment AssociationVWas "Wednesday evening," in' Farfelej^a/j'Hall.'--' The audience., was a. nuraer|pur6ne ;;arid .His, Ijlonor^ M * Justice Chap': pnta, presided.^The lecture, was delivered by |Mr;J.,yogel,_M ; : ; P:C.;' -M.HJR."; smdits title, pws,- !.' W»t/v» , may-! ao^or.quraelvesan'd |fe'othera;" did not eliminate pjeitishnes's '.rrom'the' 1 - inducing' 1 ': jca'tises'' of |sMfaon .'onv the .part; -of i Ifune i"tbemaelves r ' noteworthy /ay ! 'ei&yatirig', SatteVselves," and.-! benejSfthg'' others,' ';pir J in f jfaenjsfiting mankind; wit^ujt.vwibly elevating Ip^renridung themselves. ' "'He, thought that g|beh^een,man and'his fellows' a partnership ppiieKt be assumed to exist,'- out' of which |j^ftcTuderiyed benefit from the other, and of "which both.were.bound to ybrk heartily for both.' l - This .applied' ti/ all the ir'relatioils , of life : ; to ".none' ' moid, <esp'e&ciaUy"tnan to the worjk^ .of education. If,| |;in education, religion was l entire)y'overlookecL-' pthe education ' given must -be ah imperfebt unhftppy in its results.,. 1 . But then came it&.d sectarian^ .difficulty. iTf.tKe results whiclii ipjui from religion, all woidd , should^ .^l)6 worked for in ?e&ucatioh, could b'e'r!p^-* «tamed as ceVtainly/and be "diffused as widely, a sectarian sjstem as .by a -secular one, .'-'the, sectarian one should' be preferred ;' j .."because it gave a .^uaYantee for religi'-us if- "teaching. But, to insisij ; upon .&.> strictly £„ -sectarian system would • be- to-s hut out proper instruction - in' things secular ■Tf very large"%\imb'er'tof the young ; while" '<?? with a secular 'system, religious teaching Be prevented." ""It cotild' be given :;V-within the home circle. { It' could be made to r - "begin wh'ere'it'c'ould "bemoat lastingly I . begun 1 '- — at the .mother's knee. The child should :' "from mitera'al'lips' learn •'the truths 'of reli- • .gion ; and- •with' those truths' should imbibe '- . also that simply reverent faith which, in > after-tif eV;w6ulii b^ thebest saf egu ard against acepticisinjandagainstanequ'allytobedreaded mental r cbh<Htirtn-^that " which -resulted • in " Teh'gious'iritoierance. 1 - As to the nature'and .' ;^cope oKft-rifLlaT'e'ducatiori, Mr James Stuart Mill and^Mr'-LoweJ had each delivered a rejaarkaWe^'lecture or address. "/The former •advocated, -for the classics, a prominent, or -dominating^' position ;• while the 'latter, dealing*^practically with the age and' w its wantS','"Would subordinate .the- classics '.1 "to the^'odern 'languages,'' to' natural' sen ; -ence, and would prefer the teaching of writ1 ,ing, .an^spellih^j'-and-arithmetic. -to the : -teaching' f of' the classics; 1 if 'either teaching tp i be'^made' to give -way to- the other. ' " Surely, ■ ; Mr'"- l Lowe > s views were to- be ..ac-' ;. "icepted by practical men, rather than those of ,' Hr Mill-. ' ""Neglect of the -classics would not - -be a necessary. result : they would, but take " -a subordinate; and- their proper, position. - The probable "future of a-, boy, "and his, i natural^ bent^V should be more regarded ' : { -tlian tad'-; hitherto been the rule': 1 \ -consideratibrfbeing applied "under a system , -of . education 'which • should consist^ of ; iimo divisions —^the 'absolutely necessary,' '"-.-and the' secondary. The. lecturer" quoted 1 i striking passages from Mr Lowe's address, at Edinburgh; ; Be then dwelt upon education in afterlife ; and he afterwards -rapidly 5 " jenumHrated'the examples of>men who, rising from low relative positions in society, had - jnade themselves famous — and • greatly the ■ benefactors ;of mankind — by their achieve. , meats in--' art, 'in science, in the learned l.'" professions," -and- in mechanics. ) -The inV :fluence of woman was referred' to, -rather . than dealt' with —the ' lecturer saying • that the subject 1 might well form the subject of a ."' fseparafe lecture.' - In conclusion, the lecturer 'j, duties to themselves and $' to others, '6f» settlers in a country like New. fvlZealand, which had yet its position to make ""■ • and to,'.' assert. ". Inventions there , might be -^" many and important, which -would be pecu-, - "liarly fitted to the wants of this' country;' and ' " "by leading'"iJp ' to such improvements, ..di--.,..;iectly "or indirectly — by the exchange ;of ji - thought and the creation . of . an active desire ?y for self-improiiement and the improvement of .',; •'Others— by" these and other means, such t'][. societies'a's that which was then assembled, incalculable, though not soon apg"^ "parent^gobd 'ito 1 the community .-r-The'-^ec-. rture'r "was frequently and heartily applaudedj a-vbte'bf.thanks was,i on the motion of , R; v 'Oillie'B, '.. earned" by acclamation. — w-TJhanks were also voted to Mr Justice Ohap'h' iman for presiding/ \ ......' . .j- • tt. . . '•" !•}•< '.» .-- \ '■•-, ■' -. ' . ■, - £?;■ The .; ' Provincial Government ,Qazette <of blvWednesday: contains the -Revenue return of, Province' for the quarter ending Pecemg£ b«r 3lat.',r The total Keveaue collected, from sourijes'waa, L 117.043 15s;^d," which..was ,as follows •: — Customs for September, P'115742..1253d; t .Gbld.Exporik. l Duty, 3s lid.; 1/jCwro* Lands, L 28.712 7s ' Id ; Sheep and &^<3attleylflLSsessment,r L 47,524 .9s 9d;Har,L 72 10a" 3d,; „ Jetty.. Dues, gsX66Br»'Sheep Assessment, LIO6O Iss 7d ; |,Ppg Tax, 1.171 0s 2d ; .Hicensing,' L 7228 Is ; Iklmnugjjation- re-pay ments r L 529. 55.; Ediira^ktionr 1 i<4B2 -5s lid'; Lunatic "•Asylum pfßepaymehts,f 1L921 L 92 ls'3d-j-'.Gabli L5SlOs '3^; gdCollsroi)ivi>.badß, Ferries,"., and.Bridges, , L 1429, |5f148* Wijr 1 , Maps, u -lls ;i. Incidental Receipts. R^LlSSBlO^tS.d 5 .Cußf-.onis, General g'J.Gove J r'Dmenfc,.r I L22 1 : 948. 3s » 2d j -[Telegraphic t|iM:esß^g;es,^Ll3o'4s Id; Tonnage Diies^LlO 35.must .be .Reserves, f During ;! the,quftrteivthe expenditure under votes and was L 68.057 Is ;7d. x .; \, •

"~ "TheXjoraiiniftSee "of "Mie" "Ofago'TJenevoleht Institution,' by advertisement,- acknowledge the receipt < of .' various t sums amounting to L 24 7s. iff." ' ' ■: > ,:h-A .)■.,. ■ The^. series, 'pi ' Monday; Evening Concerts" which was 'commenced Jn.StiGeofgo's Hall, jon Monday* evening, will t'eat'wh'fcther or not there is really d desire amdngst Duriedinites to encourage 1- a" taste- for <music^in this' city.i Judging from, last evening; 'the concerts,! alto-. getheSr' apart from- any; .'consideration of' ■ their {^bjeot, will',- deserve,, "patronage .enough,'tomake'' them.- .'successful; .in {.a, *, pecuniary Betide.; and.', t if .such .patronage , ; is- given, wel'.'may JooX n for^ repetitions, of the experiment, so thatimmcal. performances will beconie ; a( ' tolerably regular and 'recognised means' of pttblipentertainmeni;.' ' Those who are inclined^to .b^' severely dritical oh the : pbrform'ances'will ho doubt find scope enough i6jt / > radul2'ence,'siid they may, because they 'can point .out faults; absent' themselves from tUe'ie. concerts ; but such persons- must not 6xpect;, to >be, included- amongst .those, who desire' to- -see fa-'. taste.. for' music fostered in Otago. .; .There, has/. been .erected- in St. George's HalL atf, organ .which , .was &' short time ..agtf;.impQr<^d, 'by Mr G. R. West: ;It jis,a' > small instrument, but one oi very-, good .tone';' and it 'is quite I , powerful .enough; for accompanying a chorus as' strong as is needed, ( 'effe'ct' ( in the Hall.'' It ■will perhaps be -well not to use the organ "too frfe'ely" for r ' solos,.;' for,' possibly," so ' doing may ,lead'.','tq ■ an ' undpr-estimation ,of the; r£al 3 rvalue" of - 'the instrument' - for the purposes 'of accompaniment. 7 It-.-is 'a great point' T gained,! to Li have 1, such an organ available .for. concerts, ' The programme last evening, \vas composed of ; selections from, orotorios .by Haydn and' Handel"; anil it -was a judiciously] .arranged ., programme,., '" The chorus numbered 24 voices— the singers being the 1 choir" of Stl; Paul's 'Church, 'with some additions..' '. The^'v'oices were'fairlyi' balanced,' and-, taken as a' whole, they were sufficiently numerous arid'pow'6rful for 'the HallJ Perhaps the -most nicely- 1 sung choruses were," " And the glory of the Lord,";.'* For. unto us a child is born,":'" Glory to God," and the' "• Halielujah.'-; , "- For unto us,". w.ould have been more effective, if the plan. of giving the opening. piano had been adopted. , We, did not hear ..the trio, '* On., Thee, each; living soul, .awaits." 'The duet, .''.Oh! 'lovely peace?" sung by two sisters, who have often been heard with pleasure' in Dunedin, and elsewhere, was' beautifully sung, expression and,. tone; being •" excellent;; and 1 the • encore which' was' given was thoroughly deserved.' The same two • • ladies sang," ' *' He "shall feed.' -His. flock," and "Come unto Him.; I -and.'J the". latter : svaa,,aU but , redemanded 1 .":.,. ,The; lady \vho,.,aang. l! "Oh !• thou.thatrtellcst," ; waa ( somewhat ; nervous : otherwise she .did, ,most,;c6mmenaably well. Hr AJ . , J . - Towsey, ' who presided at' '.the organ; also'.played^ &[ solo from " Samson,'/, the Pastoral Symphony; from The' : Messiah," and'' one or 'two. interludes. The Symphony was very sweetly t and ' expressively given. It deserved to be listened to by every 'one 'present, though some preferred to-;. chat vigorously, during the performance. We most sincerely wish that a-, good ■ many. < people 'in Dunedin could' be brought ,to ; - feel, that to talk during a. performance at a concert is not to show good'breeding or good taste, but is, in fact, a rudeness wbich is offensive to the majority o£ an audience. Mr ,G? f K. West conducted the concert and did so successfully—unsteadiness' by; the chorus was ' very little shown: It remains - to; be added that " the proceeds' 'of these concerts will .'be' entirely devoted- to St. Paul's Church';" that a secular 1 programme is announcedfor next Monday. .

" ,- A. correspondent informs lis that the late floods ' throughout ..the Province have' been lightly felt, .comparatively speaking, ' id the . .district's "of ' East and West Ciutha. The . ; downfall of' rain 1 , was ' exces^ aive, and' every '•] little creek and 'rill became rapidly increased in dimensions-; - but the general upland and broken nature of the country offer*' no natural facility fortheac r cumulation ,of flood water -in any Joc&lity,ifld, hence the settlers were nearly all happily ,; freed ..from . loss, and.., danger by inundation.; The. -only - immediate, damage; ,to crops" has oeen '-in' the neighborhood .of , the larger, streams. Along the banks of tha Puerua and Kaikiku, the .low-lying flits in many places were flooded to a depth' sufficient "to saturate many acres of- cut grass and early grain, the" crops being in several instances floated away, and irretrievably' damaged;' and at uMajor "Richardson's, some few sheep were drowned. The Kaihiku stream very rapidly, and flooded , the. , wide- spreading flats ,on - , the western bank .for, a r cqnsiderable distance. Doull's flour-mill and. homestead were completely surrounded bjr water, and the basement -floor, .of the. mill' flooded^ for .several hours,' causing some loss and" much incon.yenienc'e to the,prQprietOr.' 'Lower' down the' riverj at Nicol'sFarm, the out-buildiags wore flooded, and. a quantity of newly cut ' grass was washed away. "At the Kaihiku-Bridges, the river also rose to an extent never before witnessed by the residents there % Mr Dickie, the Postmaster,.. lost, a.quantity. quantity of seed' in course of being thrashed. „. In one, f of. his, .barns.his.pigi and.poultry ■were also drowned', and ihis^awelling-hause flooded^ hjs family beirg obliged do If a ve' .'Jin' hot ' haste. .The .other Residents,, at and' near the •Bridges were' also | put t0, .-much, inconvenience M and alarm for' the "safety of themselves and s'urro'u'nd,ings. .Jn^many .other, isolated. c»sea niiich temporary; inconvenience was suffered,! but ihe residents geriefally have.much'reason for thankfulness , that they, have .been .spared. Li from shanng the .heavy losses- of their IeBS I fortunate friends in other districts. J ' ' "" '

The GazefCe of the 13th insfr. contains notificationd, of ; the following promotions and appointment* in the Volunteer.,, service :— In. the, Oamaru .Eifle. Volunteers, William Jukes, Steward, to, be' Captain. ' .Date of commission, 14th September, 1867. In the ' North D,unedin Rifle Volnnteers, James Copeland to be Captain. ' Date of commission, 21st November} 1867: . • li*. ;the .East Taieri 'Rifle 'Volunteers, .Lieutenant.Thpmas Gray Shand to ,be Captain. . Date of- commission, 3rd October, • 18*67/ • Ensign John Andrew to be Lieutenant. Date of commission, .3rd October. 18?7., Charles Waters to be Ensign. Date of commission,. 3rd October,, ,1867. ,In the Bruce | Rifle yojunteere. , Alexander J. Ferguson to be Honorary Assistant Surgeon. Date .of commission, Ist November, 18*7.' In the No." 1 Comp'anypunedin Rifle Volunteers, Ensign Nathaniel ' Young Armstrong Wales ' to' be Lieutenant: 1 Date of commission 14th January, 1 ;1868; 1868. ' Adam Some'rville to be Ensign. . Date- of commission, .14th January, .1868 • The"- Governor..h as been | 'pleased to accept- the resignation of the com- ' missions held. by the undermentioned officers, •viz. :-— Captain A. J. Burns, North Dune-lin Rifle Volunteers ; Lieutenant L.'Davies, No. 1 Company Dunedin Rifle Volunteers.

'' A public meeting has been held at Nelson and these resolutions have been adopted :—: — "That, in the event of its being the intention of the Duke of Edinburgh to • visit any portion of the; Middle Island during his sojourn in New Zealand, this meeting is of opinion that H.R. tf, should be so' icited to include Nelson in the ' Hat of places he will honour with his presence." ''That the following gentlemen, .be "nominated as a Local Reception Committee, and' that they ba instructed to communicate the wishes of tbe - inhabitants of Nelson to the .Duke of Edinbu :gh; > • and to 'make the -necessary arrangements 'for entertaining . His Royal 'Highness, .should he pay Nelson a visit : — Sir David Monro, Mr Justice Richmond, Dr Reriwick, Mr J. Sharp, Mr. Henry Adams, •Mr James Graham, and Mr Robert Burn." On the question of funds, .the Superintendent of the Province 'said ""If the public wished that the 1 Duke of Edinburgh- should come here, the Government would find suchfunds as ' were necessary, for he could not think 'that it was the general desire that the Duke should come here and meet ,with no sort of reception^ though he .did not think that we ought to spend' any large, sum." -

„ The Nelson Examiner .publishes the evidence taken at the inquest -on- the 'body of r ". German Charlie," who was'^recently shot in that Province ; and also the evidence at a 'subsequent inquest on the body of- [vanhoe 'Augarde, who Bbot Charlie and then shot •himself. The Examiner t}\u&,, comments, on the tragedy :— " We .do-not .think it right thafthis most painful case should be allowed [to go before the public without a'word said as to the anterior circumstances which led to .the crime,' and which will, we doubt not, in the. mmd B 'of many, 'mitigate the guilt with which the memory of tlie unhappy criminal must ' be overshadowed. We can scarcely imagine any 'provocation so great as -that by which the unfortunate man Augarde was impelled to commit murder. He had intrusted German CEarlie with -a" letter to his sweetheart.;, this maa, in violation of those- sturdy principles _of honor which, .though not particularly refined, -are very deep -in English hearfs, and influence alike the highest and the lowest, opened -and read the letter to a number of persons, thus holding up Augarde himself, and what was probably worse m his miud, the girl to whom the 'letter was addressed, to public ridicule. Can we wonder, that Augarde,' rough and half educated 'as he was, should have intensely hated the man who ' had so injured him ? We are not goiDg to argue as to what he ought to. have felt, but as to what our •ordinary ( experience of human nature leads us ,to suppose he would feel — what would be £elt in like circumstances by the great majority of ( thosewho read the sad account of the murder! ' Add to this that he is : known 'to have' 'been a man' of a most passionatenature, and' that ' in' his 1 encl&avor (to punish ".the 'injurer the 'latter had proved the stronger, and wcanpictu're'to ourselves thd almost irresistible temptation, .under, which the, man must have been .placed,. • It is easy to say that he had ample time tp v think, and to resolve, and that the murder was one of the most coolly premeditated on record. • Unquestionably it ,was ; but who is' there who can judge of another '.jhan's st'ate^bf mind ? With ' one a passion is gone' as' so6fl as it is begun; with" another it only grows stronger, and further 'deranges th^ judgment' by long suppression.' Had Augarde been' a more educated man, he would probably have learned the lesson of civilization. with Respect to - revenge — to lay his passion aside, and ask himself, not ' What harm will this act -do -my enemy?' but 'What .good, will this, act do to me?' ' Let j.t r not be supposed; for a ( moment that we seek to justify the crime that haa been- committed 1 We have no "wish?* to "blind* the judgments of our' readers, but .we' have an earnest wish that their judgments should be formed ffoin a view of the \ whole 'circumstances, and that while they regard the deed •of this 1 wretched man with all the horror' "that \ deliberate . murder should excite, they may allow some weight to the clear evidence which .wehave, that the crime was committed under,, circumstances, of $he utmost.provocation.. Let each of us. rather,, be' thankful >tbat| he has, not been put to such a terrible trial as that .which led to the miirder of ' the mani .Charlib,' ,aud the suicide" of Ivanhoe iAugarde,"'*'" •;• ; _; , \ '•;» "' "" ■ , ' Mr- A. D. 'Harvey has been appointed the Deputy. ,of „the .Registrar o f Marriages," and of. Births. Deaths, and Marriages, -for, the 'Duristan district. '" - , ' '' ' ' ' . .-... , ..... , • j <• 1 1 . 1 < .» -.fi „

The monthly meeting of the Council of the O,tego, Kifle Association was held on Wednesday, ;-. evehirigj » .the '. following members ' being present j— Mr Moss, in the choir ; Mesßra M'Farland, Jamieson, Wales, Hardy, Muir, and Hislop (secretary). — The protest entered against those men -who did not, in the Provincial Government match, fire in uniform, was, .with the consent ,of *he Council, withdrawn. The' prizes taken in that match are as follows :— " ' ' ' > Ist prize, gold hunting watch, Private Shepherd, tfo. 1 ••• • . : * 2nd prize? 'small-bore rifle, - Corporal M'Gre- . gor, 2To. 1 3rd prize, ti«ld glass, Private Dalzeil, W.R. 4th, do, L 5, Sergeant Wedderspoon, No. 1 4th do, L 3, Gunner ,Cato, Artillery. The withdrawal of this protest (we are requested to state) must not be considered as having infringed the right of the Council to enforce its rules ; but was simply to prevent any ill feeling arising among the Volunteers. It is to be hoped that in future they will " do all'\in thoir- power to assist the Council in carrying out the rules of the Association. Messrs Moss and MS Farland were appointed a sub-committee to arrange for the presentation of the prizes, which will take place some evening- in" the beginning of next month. -. . , . ■ , The Day iof Humiliation and Prayer, on Thursday, was strictly observed, in so far a*, the closing of the General and Provincial , Government Offices (the Custom House being open until noon), and all places of business, as on.a Sunday. In all the places of worship in Dunedin there was morning service— excepting |only the Roman Catholic Church, we believe, and as to that church, the letter of the Rev. 1 Father Moreau, to the Superintendent, which we published a day or two ago, explained that only the Bishop had power to appoint special services. The congregations at morning worship were, so far as we could learn, at lea9t equal to the average of • Sundays. In most of the churches, , if " not aili' there was also evening service. — At the First Church, the Rev. G. Sutherland preached ia the morning' from James, sth- chapter, 17th and 18fch verses. Towards the conclusion of his sermon, Mr Sutherland said ' that there was one crying sin in these Colonies-^-that of Sabbath traflic. 'Jhere had been a great deal of comment on some remarks he made recently, as to that tiaffic. He did not on that occasion say that he believed the floods were because of the Sabbath, traffic ; but he did say that we were taught that God punished His people of old, for the ' sin of Sabbath breaking ; and he believed that there was -nothing more likely to bring punishment upon a country than a persistent breaking of t tie' Sabbath. He had nowhere seen such Sabbath-breaking as he had seen in these lauds.— The Rev. D. M. Stuart preached at Knox Church ; his text in themorning being, Hebrews, chap. 12, verse iO. — At Walker street church, tha Rev. R. Scrimgeour's text in the morning was, Acts, chap. 14, verse 17. — The Rev. E. It., Edwards preached in at Paul's Church, from Proverbs, chap. 3, verse 3 11 and 12; and at- All Saints', the Rev. E. H. Granger took for his text, Psalm 77th, verses 19 and 20. This refers to the morning, in each case.-^Rev. A. R. Fitchett, of the Wesleyan Church, Dowling . street, did not officiate yesterday, in consequence .of the death of his brother, at Geelong, as announced in our Obituary on Tuesday j'bufc there was a prayer meeting in the Church',- in , the moiaing, and evening service was conducted by the Rev. W. Oliver, of Port Chalmers. — At the Independent Church, v Moray. Place, Mr Jagopreached in the morning,! from St. Matthew, chap. 25, verae 13 ; and in the evening, the Rev.\K. Connebee- officiated, taking for his text, Jonah, chap. 3, verses 5 to 10. — The Hey. 'Mr Cos, of the Baptist . Church, Hanover street, preached from the Second Boob of Chronicles, chap. 7, versus 14 and 15, in the morning ; and from Isai&hj chap. 26, verse 3 9. and 10, in the evening. — There was service at the Synagogue, during the morning. '.

;A copy- of Bates, , Hendy, and Co.'s "Handbook and Diary for India, China, and. the Colonies, 18(58." has bien sent to us by the publishers. It contains, in addition to an almanac and a diary, a good deal of useful •information. "The English Tariff is given ;. • Colonial Governors aro named and their' salaries stated ; Colonial Banks are named, - as 1 are - also Crown Agents and Foreign. Ministers. There are a good m-iny part culars' as to lines of steam communication, together with tables of measure and money ; and. a !' directory of leading English manufacturers." We have been requested to correct a repeated misstatement by an evening contemporary as' to the attendance at the High, bchool." Instead of the number of boys having fallen off to 60, the class-books show the number, of 93 '5 whilst some more boys, who propose attending, .have been detained by the . floods, or by whooping cough andother illness. Then, in regard to. the number' having fallen from 130 : it has never been quite so numerous as 'that, and in the first quarter of ' the ■ year never more than 116. ' In'the middle of the year it is always highest, i- At the end of" last quarter the number -was about 110 ; at- - thebeginning about ;115.-- , During the quar r ' ter five. boys left .for situations in offices in the town. , f : ■ , «, j . .. We notice- that, .on the occasion of the in-. stalJatiou • of the , Worshipful Master and. .officers of the. Pacific. Lodge, E.C., Hokitika, a very handsome illuminated address, from, the, District Grand Lodge of Otago, was presentfed to Brother JohnL&zar, late Jf.D.G.M. bf.the Otago District. *