NEWS OF THE WEEK. [FROM THE DAILY TIMES.]

Otago Witness, Issue 875, 5 September 1868, Page 11

NEWS OF THE WEEK. [FROM THE DAILY TIMES.]

Tr c ship Champion of the Seas is stated to have put into Pernambuco on the 15th of May last, ' short of coal.' The Governor has accepted the resignation of E. B» Cargill, Esq., as Trustee of the Dunedin Savings Bank. Mr George Graham Orbell has been gazetted as Lieutenant, and Mr Frederick Wain as Ensign of the "Waikouaiti Eifle Volunteers. "We believe that the Cause List for this session of the Supreme Court, contains 10 cases at present ; five being for Common, and five for Special Juries. The Akaroa correspondent of the Canterbury Press states that a shock of earthquake was felt there at about 3 in the morning of the 24th ult. "We understand that Mr Proudfoot's tender for the Kakanui Harbor works in Otago has been accepted, and that the works will commence forthwith. The Sydney Mint issued 226.000 sovereigns during July last. It received 71,000 ounces of gold for coinage. During the seven months of the year from January to July, the Mint issued 1,378,000 sovereigns. We observe by the Gazette that the Governor has disallowed "The Inflammable Oil Ordinance, 1868 j" and " The Fencing Ordinance, 1868 ;" passed by the Provincial Council here during the last Session. i New Zealand flax is now being manufactured into rope in Australia; and a ready sale at four pence per pound, can also be obtained for the refuse, which is used for stuffing | mattresses and chairs. A correspondent of a Canterbury paper remarks that in Australian papers he finds weekly returns of the imports and exports of grain, apparently supplied by Government, and wants to know why similar returm are not published in New Zealand. From the Timaru paper we learn that the flour mill commenced full work on Thursday last, and the support it had met with ha*s proved highly encouraging to the proprietors. We also learn that the scarcity of water in Timaru is so great that a fire engine would be useless. It is consequently proposed to form a hook and ladder company.

The morality of the Melbourne Club ha» been called in question. ' . During the hearing "" of a case in tite Melbourne District Court, in. which a publican was charged with allowing prostitutes io assemble on his premises, hi* counsel asserted that the Club was 'one of the principal centres of immorality in tha city/ Chicory is being cultivated in Timarn. The local journal states that a sample, grown and manufactured in the neiu'hh<rho«d, lias been pronounced equal to the imported English article. The land near T imiru is sa & to' be very -well suited for the • growth o£ chicory, and a ready sale at L 4 per ton may he' expected for it. A new vessel, named the Jane, built at Catlin's River by Mr M'Phee, cutter rigged, arrived the other day at Stuart street Jetty, with a cargo of timber. The vessel is strongly built, her timbers being composed of inonwood and other hard woods, planked with pine. She is intended to be a regular trader on the coast. • During the past fortnight at the Otago Benevolent Institution 1 boy and 2 girls have been admitted, and 1 boy discharged. The inmates of the institution at present are 4 men, 1 woman, 25 boys, and 27 girls ; total, 57. During the fortnight 152 persons received outdoor relief . viz., 2 men. 41 women, and 109 children ; the weekly sum disbursed bemg Ll2 19s 6d. A curious circumstance in connection with the earthquake wavein Tasmaniaismentioned by the Melbourne Herald. There was a very high tide in the Derwent on the after, noon of the 15th ult. At Risdon the water overflowed the road, and receding suddealy, left a number of fish high and dry, which were easily captured by those in the neighborhood. A Commission has been issued by the Court of Chancery in England for the examination of witnesses in Australia, in connection with the celebrated Tichbourne Baronetcy ca«e. It is said that the Australian claimant once known in the interior of Nevr South Wales as ' om Castro, will accompany the Commission, for the purpose of beingidentified by his former friends and acquaintances. A correspondent asks for information as to the relative amount of imports and exports in Liverpool and Glasgow. There can be nocomparison between the two, inasmuch as Liverpool stands at the head of all the commercial ports in the United Kingdom. It* export trade is nearly equal to the entire trade of the other ports ; in 1868, its exports were ten times greater than those of Glasgow. Mr Gavau Duffy has given notice that he will move for a Select Committee to inquire into and report generally on the practice of r paying or compensating members of the i Legislature in all countries where the practice prevails ; and with a special view of ascertaining in each case the rate of payment or compensation, the conditions or limitations (if any) under which it is made, and the form of leeislative enactment by which it has been authorised. The following Bills passed by the Provincial Council, and assented to by the Superintendent, have come into operation, viz. :—: — the Gunpowder Ordinance, 1868 ; the Sheep Ordinance, 1867, .Amendment Ordinance, 1868 ; the Appropriation Ordinance, 1868 9 %. . the Imprest Supply Ordinance, 1868 ; the : Cattle Trespass Ordinance, 1858, Amendment Ordinance. 1868 ; the Goat Nuisance Ordinance, 1868 ; and the Appropriation Ordinance (No. 2), 1868 9. A parade of several of the Volunteer Corps , took place on Tuesday evening, at half-past seven o'clock. The Corps present were the : Dunedin Artillery Regiment. Nos. 1 and 2* Companies, the North Dunedin Rifles, Waikari Rangers, and the Dunedin Naval Brigade. Notwithstanding the inauspicious 1 nature of the weather, the attendance was good, there being 222 rank and file on the ground, and the proceedings passed off in % . manner satisfactory to all concerned. ; The Board of Education in Victoria have just published their report regarding the present condition of education in that Colony, i from which it appears that the total popuhv i tion of the Colony amounts to 664,570 souls. i In March of the current year there were 819 common schools, attended by 101,206 children. In addition to this number, there are 17,243 attending private schools, making ' a total number of children attending schoolof . 119,149, or about 18 per cent, of the entire ' population. A Concert, in aid of the funds of the Congregational Church, Port Chalmers, took ; place in the Masonic Hah 1 on Tuesday even1 ing. There was a good attendance, and on ■ the whole the music was good. As the whole of the performers were amateurs, and tried their best to please, it would be invidious to i mention names, save that the hdy juveniles . rendered their several pieces with taste and ; feebng not expected of their years. The committee have reason to congratulate them- . selves on the success of the entertainment. The screw steamer Keera has been hauled up a little to the south of the Pelichet Bay jetty, just where the Lady of the Lake was originally put together, and the Peninsula was subsequently built. The Keera has i been put upon a pair of very fine ways ; and workmen of Messrs Kincaid, M 'Queen, and Co. the contractors for lengthening Her, hava cut or removed the rivets so as to allow of the boat being severed a little forward of the centre. The new frames are all on the ground beside the vessel, and most of them are ready for being put into position.

Preserved Australian mafcton has already been imported into New Zealand, with a view to the eßtabliriiment of a regular trade in preserved meat. Mr Anderson, of Lake Boga, in Victoria, has sent a shipment of mutton hams, smoked and spiced, to Hokitika, where he has opened a regular establishment for the sale. Vigorous efforts are being made by the Tasmanians to extricate themselves from the slough. Among the latest, is the formation of an Asaociation for the accomplishment of the following purposes :—l.: — 1. The construction of public railways in Tasmania, and to expedite the formation of a main line between Hobart Town and Launceston. 2. To encourage all public measures having for their object the improvement of agriculture inTaß mania* 3. To stimulate and ioster the establishment of Tasmanian manufactures. 4. To Bupport all projects tending to develop the material resources of the Colony. Mr Huddleston, of Nelson, has recently visited Melbourne on behalf of the Nelson Acclimatisation Society, and returned to N. Z. with some valuable equivalents for the pheasants presented to the Melbourne Society. He received the following : — One brace of hares, one brace of Egyptian geese, two pair of doves, and ten pair of sparrows. He also takes with him as follows :— One pen Spanish fowls, one pen Brahmapootras, one pen Hamburgs, one pen Houdan3, one pen Aylesbury ducks, four pairs of doves, five Angora goats, Murray lobsters, English perch and tench, and trout ova. These were all shipped on hoard the s.s. Rangioto. A- paper mill has "been established on the banks of the Yarra, in Melbourne. The proprietor ia a Mr Ramsden, who was originally » stonemason, and who subsequently made a fortune as a miller. He is now confident of succeeding in the manufacture of paper. The quantity of paper produced per week will be. on the erection of certain additional machinery, about 12 to 14 tons of brown paper, and from 8 to 10 tons of printing paper. He pays L 3 per ton for old rags, and up to Ll2 per ton tor good linen rags and canvas. The mill, when in full work, employs from 80 to 100 persons. The expenditure on the manufactory itself will be between LI^OOO and L 16.000. Tndian papers contain the report of a trial in which Captain Coles, of the British ship Eurydice, was charged with attempting the life of a passenger named Albert Haegarfc, and with also endeavouring to procure others to assassinate Haegart. The evidence discloses the fact that the sister of Haegart, a young woman named Ulreiia, had been discovered in an intrigue with the Captain, and had. thereupon thrown herself overboard. Apparently Coles had- then determined to get rid of her brother as a dangerous witness. The trial lasted two days, and a special jury found him guilty of a portion of the indictment ; he was sentenced to be impri-oned three months, and to pay a fine of 500 rupees, in default, three months' imprisonment. Melbourne is fertile in mechanical contrivances. One of the latest is in the shape of a locomotive engine ; it comprises an oven for baking purposes, with, a furnace underneath supplied with coke, and a steam-boiler surmounted with a vessel for the reception of the prepared article. It is 6 4 feet long, 2i feet wide, and 34 feet high, exclusive of the chimney, which is about 3 feet higher. A safety-valve prevents all danger of the boiler bursting. The machine cost L'6o, and is strictly a colonial production. Colored lamps ornament each side, while one is suspended to the chimney, An alarm-whistle is sounded to give notice of its approach. The purpose to which, this ingenious structure is devoted is the supply of potatoes and saveloys, 'all hot' ! A new Building Society, "The Otigo Freehold Land, Building, and Investment Society," has been projected under a provisional directory of good standing. These institutions have been exceedingly useful in enabling members to acquire by small monthly payments valuable property, often at less cost than they would have had to pay for rent as yearly occupants. We hope the directors will set their faces against an error of some of the Building Societies, that is, making advances on leasehold property. Many of the leases in Duaedin, by withholding encouragement to the lessees to erect substantial tenements', are positively a drawback to the improvement of the City. The system of leasehold urban premises, with, in numerous instances, inequitable covenants, is one requiring the interference of the Legislature. The complications which have arisen in many of the Dunedin titles in consequence have already afforded, and will continue to afford, abundant grist to the legal mill. The ship Helenslee, from the Clyde, brought 24 cabin and 113 steerage passengers. The^e were included, equal to 61 statute adults, who were assisted by the Provincial Government and eight whose passages were aided by arrangements made here with Messrs Cargills and M'Lean, the agents for the ship. Sixteen ye c single women, and. the remainder were made up of families and. single men. We learn from the Immigra- ' tion Agent, that the immigrants generally are very suitable for the present requirement of the Province. The men are accustomed to farm work. A good many of the families and single men have already been engaged ; and all the women-servants met with ready employment immediately on their arrival. Married couples, without family, receive L 75 per annum, without rations ; single men, L 52 per annum, and rations j and single women from L3O to L 35,

according to experience. — The next Bbip to- arrive from the Clyde is the Schleßwig Bride, which Bailed on June 34th, -with 265 passengers. The Duke, of Edinburgh's birthday, of which no notire was taken in this colony, was observed wifch varying degrees of fervour in tlio chief Australian cities. In Sydney, where loyalty is subject; to fits, the day wis observed as a public holiday, and a State ceremonial got up in the shape of a formal openiug of the new line from Sydney to Marulan. In Melbourne, there was no enthusiasm among the people ; the only public demonstration visiole throughout the city being an ensign flying over the Chamber ; of Commerce. This solitary flag muat have presented a ludicrous appearance, surrour-ded as t was by the unadorned flag-poles which are still left standing in the main streets. ', In Geelong, the Mayor proclaimed a halfholiclay—banks and mercantile establishments closed at noon — and flags were flying in all directions throughout the day. 3n Adelaide, the birthday was cel-brated the (by afb«r, on the score of convenience ; it was proclaimed a public holiday. A meeting in count ction with the proposed Fine Arts Exhibition took place on Tuesday afternoon in the lower room Of the Athe naeum, and was numerously attended. Mr John Hyde Harris took the chair. The j steps necessary to the successful carrying out of the object in vie>v were discussed, and eventually the following resolutions were passed: — "(!••) That it is desirable that an Exhibition of Fine Arts should be held in Dunedin in or about the month of January next.— (2.) That the following gentlemen be requested to act as Committee, with power to add to their num er, for the purpose of carrying out the last resolution : His Honor the Superintendent, Judge Chapman, Messrs R. B. Martin, Hulme, W. D. Murison, F. ; D. Bell, A. R. C. Strode, E. B. Cargill, : Oliver, Batbgate, Larnach, .T. T. Thomson, VV. Mason, Jackson, Carrick, J. H. Harris, Geo. Turnbull, W. M. Hodgkins, E. P. ; Kenyon, Butterworth, Jas. Smith, Eccles, Cantrell, Vogel, and Captain Fraser." Mr ! Hodgkins consented to act as honorary secretary and treasurer. Information is brought by the Banshee that HM.S. Brisk and Challenger were at the Fijia during her sojourn, and that the , British Consul gave the Commodore information that natives in a village on the Rewa ' ■River were troublesome . The Challenger's ; boats, with the commander, were despatched up the river with sailors and marines, and, after firing a few shells, landed at the village, and burnt several houses— -a single : native only being occasionaUy seen. Thinking the destruction was a sufficient warning not to be troublesome for the future, the boats returned down the river ; in doing so, ; they were fired upon from the scrub by a ' large number of natives, and a marine was shot through the lungs. A settler, named Creelman, who was also in the boats, received a gunshot wound, and died from its effects. The boats returned fire, and proceeded to their ship As an indication of the number of natives ki>led, 42 sticks were sent to the king, which are said to correspond with the number killed in warfare. When the village was being bom- arded and fired, the natives went back to some European settlements, and burned six houses, leaving some of the settlers entirely destitute. The above are only a few meagre particulars obtained by our repoiter. The Brisk had sailed for Sydney previous to the attack. The Charybdis, man-of-war, was shortily expected at the Fijis. A deputation of gentlemen waited on the Rev. Dr Burns on Monday evening, and presented the handsome gifts that have been exhibited in the windows of Mr Salomon's shop for several days. There were present Messrs Mercer, Rilcour, Soune^s. Oliver, and Thomson. Mr Thomson, after a few, appropriate remarks, presented the. various articles, consisting of two solid silver salvers, a cake basket, an inkstand, cruet frame, and a tea urn. Each of the articles bearing the inscription " Presented to the Rev Thomas Bums, D.D., First Minister in Otago, iN Z., by a number of old colonists and friends. 31st August, IS6S." The Rev. Doctor replied as follows :— Dear Friends — It is impossible for me to be anything but gratified, and gratified in no ordinary degree, with such, a testimonial as that wh'ioh you have been commissioned to present unto me. At the pame time, un- , fortunately, it is just a.s impossible for me to fi ,i I suitable words in which, to give adequate expression to those gratified feelings The testimonial itself is a thing of such costliness and beauty, that to see it is to admire it. Each separate article composing the testimonial is itself a perfect gem of art — a specimen of most exquisite workmanship. And now, when I look upon them all gathered together before me, I feel that it would indeed be surprising if such an assemblage of brightness and beauty should fail to command the highest admiration of every one. I must, however, say that its intrinsic excellence and beauty is not. in my estimation, the chief or highest recommendation of this testimonial. These costly pieces of plate, no doubt, possess a value of their own which no criticism can deprive them of. Still, when you inform me that the purpose and intention of you and your friends in making a gift of them to me, ia that the*, shall remain in rry house as a valued and abiding token of your personal esteem and \ regard towards myself, it is then that the effect ot this intimation is seen m imparting a new and special character of sacredness to your gift, enhancing its value, and changing its nature. I,

indeed, put a very high value upon your elegant gift ; but I put a farTiigher value, and value of a very different kind, upon thoße warm and kindly feelinga towards myself that prompted the gifts. Your testimonial hath found me far advanced down the vale of years —laid aside from public duty— my work on earth apparently very nearly done— my remaining days or years probably few and brief— still tne memory of your present kindness will all the more be a source of pleasing -remembrance to me. It will soothe me in many a weary hour. _ It will accompany my latest steps to the brink of fche grave. Ana then, in accordance with yonr own kind wishes, the different articles o£ this testimonial will be equally divided amongst the different members of my family t who, in sharing the inheritance of their father's testimonial, will, doubtless, fail not to take up the inheritance of their father's gratitude.