News of the Week.

Otago Witness, Issue 1418, 25 January 1879, Page 16

News of the Week.

,» We understand letters have been received in town to the effect that the first of the large steamers to ply between New Zealand and London, chartered by the New Zealand Go. vernment, is expected here early in March; that she is to sail on her return voyage about Ist April, by way of Magellan's Strait ; and that Lyttelton is to be last point of departure. The only available fast route to England hitherto has been by steamers from Melbourne ; but now, with steamers of nearly 3000 tons running direct from our own doors, we are to be no longer dependent upon another colony. We believe the passage Home ia to be done by the new line in 42 dayß. The controversy upon religion, between Mr M. W. Green and Mr Charles Bright, the Freetbought lecturer, was commenced in tbe Queen's Theatre on Tuesday evening. Thebui'diug was crowded in all parts, and tne discussion was listened to with keen interest. Mr iloss occupied tho chair, and was assisted in timekeeping by gentlemen appointed for that purpose. A number of gentlemen occupied the platform, amongst whom were tho Rev. L. Moore, Mr Rutherford (Mayor of Caversham), and the Hon. Mr Stout. The question, debated was " The Divine Origin of Christianity " — the term "divine origin" being taken _ to mean, in a sense in which no other religion is of divine origin; and "Christianity" being understood to include the deity of Christ, and His atonement for man's sin. Nothing short of a verbatim report of the discussion would be likely to give satisfaction or to prove useful to those interested in the controversy, and with the limited space at our disposal, this could not be attempted. Both speakers were from iime to time applauded, and in response to all the applause, from whichever side it proceeded, there were expressions of dissent ; but order was maintained throughout, and the speakers were heard with equal fairness. The only interruptions which prevented tha speakers from continuing their remarks were those of applause, and so keenly were the questions discusfeed, that Mr Green requested his friends not to applaud him, as tho cheering subtracted from tho time allowed for reply. Although the arguments were sharp and earnest, no undue heat was observable, except in the temperature of the theatre. The building being crowded, and the means of ventilation insufficient, the atmosphere was most oppressive. Articles prepared in this Colony for exhibition at the Australian International Exposition, which i» to be held at Sydney in August next, will be forwarded by the Government of New Zealand free of charge, and returned to tbe exhibitors, or sold and the nmney paid to them. The exhibit* must, however, be approved of by the commissioners appointed for that purpose, and must be ready to be shipped from Wellington before the end of July. Further particulars of the conditiors under which the Government will take charge of the exhibits will be found in another column. The Otago portion of the San Franciaco mail arrived on Monday morning per Hiuemoa, and reached the Chief Post-office a few minutes before 10 o'clock. The Hons. J. Macandrew, Minister of Public Works, and J. Ballance, Colonial Treasurer arrived in Duuedin on Monday morning. The Hon. R. Stout, Attorney-General, is also now in town. The breach of promise case-— Cayford v. Carruthers, to be tried by common jury— is set down for the 27th inst. The case Macdonald v. Proctor, in the Supreme Courb, was brought to au end about G o'clock on the evening of tbe 17th, the Jury finding a, verdict for plaintiff for LSO. The following tenders were accepted at Wednesday's meeting of the City Council Works Committee:— Filling up ditch at South Recreation grouud, Matheson Bros., Lloo ; forming part of Ivlaitland street, Barnes and M'Kewan, Ll5O 12s Gd ; Southern Market shed (one year's lease), L 34 103 ; south-west part of Cattle Market Reserve, Mornington (one yeai'd lease), John Campbell, L 9 ; sewer at Moray place and Filleul street, Matheson Bros., L 790 ; sewer at High and Hope streets, Matheson Bros., L 1026. Several tenders were rejected as informal, in consequence of tho deposit-cheques not having been marked, and the depo&ita not being sufficient in .i«uiunt. _ Foo thib reason, fresli iendeis will have to bo invited for ono year's leii3e of tho Stuart street wei^hIn'idk'o, and of north-eiwl porlioii of tho Cattle Market 110-jervu

The following urgent telegram concerning the accident to Mr Oonyers, the General Manager of Kailways, was received on Wednesday from the Hon. Mr Ballance :— " Gore, January 22nd, 4.20 p.m.— Hon. Mr Stout.— I regret to inform you that^ Mr Conyers, in passing from one carriage to the next at this station, came in contact with a tank and fell, receiving a terrible blow on the forehead. He remains unconscious, and the doctors fear he may not recover. We leave him here, but^ the sad accident has completely marred the trip." The first general meeting of the Dunedin Catholic Association was held on Wednesday in the lower hall of the Athenaeum. The president (Mr J. F. Perrin, 8.A.), occupied the chair, and made some remarks as to the necessity of the existence of such a society, and how it should be conducted. The report of the Board of Management, which was unanimously adopted, showed the Association to be in a flourishing condition, having a membership of already close upon 100 persons. The following were elected office-bearers for the ensuing year :— Messrs J. F. Perrin, president ; A. H. Norman, vice-president ; 0. Fox, secretary ; R. A. Dunne, treasurer ; A. Corrigan, librarian; W. Williamson, sub-librarian ; P. E. Daniel, assistant-secretary and reporter of debates. On the motion of Mr J. J. Connor, a vote of thanks was passed to the officers of the Society in recognition of their efforts in the formation of the Society. At the close of the meeting it was announced that it was the intention of the members of the Association to take part in the procession at the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of the new cathedral on Sunday afternoon, and that a soiree would be held shortly to celebrate the opening of the Association's rooms. Tbe annual meeting of the members of St. John's Ohurcb, Milton, was held on Tuesday evening. The Ilev. Mr llonaldson occupied the chair. The balance sheet and report were read and adopted. The former showed that there and was an overdraft at the Bank of L 39, and the total of current liabilities, including that amount, was L6l. This amount was principally incurred through building a chancel. Messrs JR. E. Jones and ]?. Twiss were reelected churchwardens. The arrangements for carrying out the annual picnic of the congregation at the Grove was left in the hands of the. Vestry were. The customary vote of thanks were passed, and the meeting ad-, journed. At a meeting of the Vestry, held, afterwards, Messrs 1\ Wayne, R. R. Jones, J. W. Matthews, and F. Twiss were elected parochial nominators. A marvellous electrical storm passed to the south of Melbourne on the [night of the 4th instant. It is described by the Argus as one of the grandest and most magnificent electrical phenomena ever witnessed outside the tropics. The sky appeared to rain lightning of diverse character, and parti-coloured "a feu d'enfer dazzling and dreadful." Sometimes the lightning shed a marvellous glow upon the bellying surfaces of the clouds, " and in the indescribably brief interval between flame and flame it seemed as if a gigantic hand were suddenly drawing a black curtain over the heavens, and aa abruptly withdrawing it. Underneath the clouds, upon the horizon's furthest verge, torrents of water appeared to be falling." The storm passed round, dej>ositing no moisture on parched fields and gardens in and around Melbourne that stood so much in need of it. Mr Deans liberated 1200 trout in thoTuapeka streams on the 17th. The Synod of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of D lined in met on Wednesday for the transaction of business connected with the clergy. The function commenced by a procession at the church of the clergy of the diocese in their vestments, after which Pontifical High Mass was celebrated, the priests singing tue Gregorian music for the day. There was a large congregation. A large and influential meeting was held in the Schoolhouse, Macraes, on Saturday evening, tbe 18th instaut, the business being to take into consideration the urgent necessity of getting a missionary to settle in the district who would labour amongst the settlers of Macraes, Moonlight, and Waihemo. Mr W. E. Griffin, the chairman, explained the object of the meeting, and an animated discussion ensued, after which it was moved by Mr Donaldson, and seconded by Mr Gifford — "That a committee be appointed by this meeting — consisting of the following gentlemen : Messrs Hay, Gifford, Griffin, Simpson, White, and the mover (Mr Donaldson), with power to add to tho number — to carry out the object of the meeting and report upon the same." Carried It was also moved and carried, "jPhat the Committse be requested to give Mr Flamank the preference of acting as missionary for the district." A West Coast visitor to Wellington writes to the West Coast Times as follows :— "Nevada, in the United States, boasts of its silver kings, but if all is realised that is expected from D'Urville Island, New Zealand will, before long, have copper ldnrs from the mines there. When the Company took up the lea?e first, or rather when the promoters, prior to the Company'n formation, did so, some of the savants of this town — Dr Hector and Mr Travers es- \ ecially — denied that the copper lode would prove exteusive, and predicted that it would fail at a short depth. Like greater geologists than themselves, their opinions have proved valueless, for the lode has been laid bare at a depth of a hundred feet, and for the distance - of a mile, and so far from decreasing in either sixs or value it has greatly thickened, and the ore now being got at the lowest levels ia that known as the silver-grey ore, which contains copper to the extent of from sixty to seventy per cent., and silver at the rate of about twenty ounces to the ton. There are no shares in the market, so there is no object in puffing the venture, but I refer to it aa it was owing to West Coast enterprise that the lode was first worked, and the main shareholders still reside in Hokitika, and have a fine and well-recognised property in this apparently barren, inland." At Temuka there arc a large number of children ill with diphtheria, and deaths from that cause have been very numerous of Jate. The Timaru Ilerald says that on Thursday three deaths occurred, and, unfortunately, many more of the children are not expected to recover. The case of Black's Trustees v. Watt and o'hera came to an end on Tuesday close upon midnight. The Jury found a verdict awarding damages to plaintiffs in the sum of LlOlO. Auctioneers' licences were granted to|the fol" lowing at the Custom-housa on Wednesday : — Walter Inder, Naseby ; Jno. A. Duthie, Mil ton ; Jno. Cole Chappie, Tiger Hill : Wm Hayes, Lawrence ; Cbavles Coiclougb, Groinwell ; Andrew Campbell, Dunedin ; Clifford Christie, Balclutha. On Sunday evening last the hay-rick of Mr J. S. White, at Ohoka, was discovered to be on fire, and in spite of every effort the hay produce from 35 acres was totally consumed The slacks were not insured. The fire id sup puscd to hjtvu beun the work of au incondiary,

The meeting of the shareholders of the Cromwell Quartz-mining Company, which was to have been held on Wednesday, lapsed for want of j|a quorum, and is to be held on VVednes • day next, the 29th inst. At Mr Varley's lecture on " Billy Bray, the Cornish Miner and Preacher," delivered m Christchurch on Monday evening, the amount received at the doors for admission was LB4 9a, which is to be devoted to assist the Blind Home and other institutions connected with the Tabernacle at Notting Hill, London, it having been intimated to Mr Varloy that they were suffering in funds from his prolonged absence from Home. We have been shown a sample of silver ore taken from a well-defined vein about four miles from Queenstown. The ore Jbears a close resemblance to that of the Rangitoto Mine of the West Coast. The find may lead up to something tangible if prosecuted, and the lode is certainly well worth looking after. If the Milton Bowling Club can get the consent of the Dunedin Bowling Club to be allowed to play a match on their green, the M.B.C. intend to challenge the Christchurch Club during their visit to Dunedin. The Rev. William Gillies, of Timaru, delivered a highly interesting lecture in tho Societies' Hall, Outram, on the evening of Tuesday, 21st inst. His subject — which was " Pluck, Perseverance, and Probity, as illustrated in the lives of W. and A. Chambers"— was introduced by a graphic description of several Scottish customs of " auld lang syne,' ' bringing forcibly before his hearers the great improvements in every sphere of life which the last half -century has witnessed. The indomitable energy and frugality of the Chambers' was made a text for many earnest appeals and valued counsels to the young men of West Taieri, towards whom the lecturer's heart seemed to warm as he recalled his ten years' pastorate amongst them. Although our West Taieri friends are no better than folks elaewhere in turning out to lectures, the pleasure again seeing and hearing Mr Gillies caused them, on this occasion, to fill the place of meeting; and, despite the nominal charge made for admission, the sum ot nearly L 5 will be given, as net proceeds, to the building fund of the new church. The Rev. Mr Kirkland occupied the chair, and warmly supported a voce of thanks to the lecturer, moved by Mr Hodges, on behalf of the West Taieri Mutual Improvement Society, at whose request the lecture was given. The vote, it is needless to say, was carried with acclamation. We are glad to hear (says the Southland Times of 22nd instant) that the Mataura Paper Mill is again in active operation. The mill had been stopped in order to effect certain necessary repairs and increase its producing power, and this would have occupied more time than has so far been devoted to it. The exigencies of business, however, necessitated a resumption of operations sooner than was an ticipated. The product of the mill has attained high reputation throughout the Colony, and consequent upon the influx of orders, the directors decided to set the mill going, nnd complete the addition of the machinery as opportunity offered. This is good news, for if there is one thing more than another that should excite lively it is loca industry. The project of a second expedition to New Guinea has been received with considerable favour at Wellington. The Chronicle, referring to this subject, says:— "Messrs Allen, Mills, and Spillei were so favourably impressed by the capabilities of this fine island, when they visited it in the barque Courier a short time since, that they have determined to organise another expedition, to stait from Wellington i-iomo months hence, for the purpose of opening up a trade with the natives. They have already received offers from about 40 persons willing to join the expedition, and they are sanguine that they will have no difficulty in securing quite a sufficient number of volunteers. A schooner of about 80 tons burden is to be purchased and thoroughly equipped with everything necessary for such an expedition. Interpreters will be secured, and every precaution taken to prevent a fiasco, such as occurred on the trip in the Courier. The promoters are satisfied that that expedition failed purely through the deception practised by the American captain from whom the Courier was bought. The expedition is intended not only for trading purposes, but also to thoroughly prospect various parts of New Guinea for gold and other metals."