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Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 74, 21 July 1863, Page 2

In regard to tbe melancholy suicide at the Elbow, noticed in a recent impression, we have been pl.-tceei in possession of more exact detiiils. It appears that the deceased (William Wright) h.-nl been for sometime past employed as took in an accommodation house at the Elbow. His master had gone from homo, intending io be absent for some ten ilnys, and the consequence was a heavy »li inking bout on the part of the servant which b ottg ton delirium tmntms. Under the influence uf the delirium, Wiight on the 9th instant, attempted to drown himself, hut was pievcnted by the constable of the district, who ai rested him and placed him in the police camp. At the .equest of the unfortunate man, the constable left hiui for a few minutes, and proceeded to the accommodation house, some three hundred yaids distant, for the purpose of procuring dry clothing Upon his leiuin, which occurred ten minutes after, he found W right suspended to a peg by a strap lound his neck, and to all appearance dead. Assistance was at once called in, and every exertion made to restore animation. The presence of medical aid was impossible; and, notwithstanding the efforts of tbe constable and those in attendance, the "vital spaik" could nit be rekindled. On the next day, the 9th inst., an iueiuest was held on the body before Messrs. M'Kellnv and Wentworth, Justices of the Peace, and a veidut was returned of '■ death by suicide while laboring under a fit of temporary insanity." No money or property of any description was found upon the body or in the possession of the deceased. Mr inspector Weldon. as the head of the Southland police, has by letter informed the relatives t)f the deceased e>f the particulars of his death. Wiight seemed to have known better days, for letters from friends were found upem him, imploring him to return home, when all would be well and he would be comfortable for life. The following is a list, taken from the Witness, of members of the now Provincial Council of Otago, tlu.se who were members of the late Council being distinguished by an astcrix:— Chuha— Jeilin 1.. C\ Richardson, *1). P. Steele, F. W. Mackenzie ; Dunedin — *Thos Dick, *Wm. Hunter Reynolds, Thomas Birch, Frederick J. Moss, * Kdward Bowes Cargi 1, *James Kilgour, * James Patcrson ; Gold Fields — William Baldwin, John Hughes, George L. Brodic; Green Island and Caversham — liet-r^e Lloyd, John Blair; Lindis — V. T. Walker ; Mtinuherikia— William Murison ;- Matau— -W. IP Mansford ; North HarborJohn Car^-ill, George Duncan; Oamaru (Country)— W. S. Gleese,n ; do. (Town) — H j. Miller; Peninsula — A. W. Morris; Port Chalmers— James Macandrew ; Taieri — W. Stevenson, D. lteid, Arthur J. Bums, *A. Rcnnie; Tokomairiio — John Dewe, 'John L. Gillies, *Jn. Hardy ; Waihola — Alexander Mollison ; Waikari — * George HepburnWaikouaiti --- Julius Vogel ; Wakatipu — William Pinkerton. Complaints have been frequently raaele of late in referei ce to the inconvenience experienced by suitors and others attending the Resident -Magistrate's Court, in consequence i of the limited extent of the building. Within the last three months the business of this Court has greatly increased, and the attendance of the general public considerably augmented. No later than a few weeks since, during the hearing of cases of more than ordinary interest, it was almost impossible to obtain ingiess or egress, owing to the crowded state of the Ctmrt. The, accommodation is altogether insufficient, and the inadequate ventilation highly deleterious to health. We trust the Government will see the necessity of at once enlarging the Police Court, or at least effecting some change for the better. Brown, Jones and Bobinson in New Zealand, should they be anxious to obtain aristocratic patronymics, will ascertain their cost by the following extract from the London Times of the 22nd April: — " A return presented to the House of Commons, on the motion of Mr Boebnck, states that since 1850, 415 applications have been made for Royal license for a change of Hume, and 308 licenses have been granted. There is a stamp duty of £50 on every such license if the change of name is made in compliance with the injunction of any will or settlement, and of £10 if the application is voluntary. The I fees payable are stated to be £10 2s. Gel. on | a change of name only; £13 12s. Gd. on a S change of name and arms; and £1 7s. 6d. for every additional name inserted in a i licence, which lees are paiel into the exchequer. But the return is described as being jnade only "so far as relates to tbe Home Secretary's office," and therefore docs not appear to include fees at the Herald's College." It is reported that the scab has broken out lately veiy severely in the northern part of Gipp's Land, amongst several flocks of sheep without any apparent cause, apart from the lusciousness of the grass. A belief in the spontaneous nature of scab is gaining ground in Gipp's Land. For the three months ending Julj 3rd, from the various goldfields of Victoria, numbering some twenty-sixjwerebroughtinto Melbourne, 343,480 ozs. The week ending July 3rd was the heaviest, 33,662 oz, having been the amount. During the month of June, eighty schedules were filed in the Melbourne jurisdiction- of the Insolvency court, and thirteen in that of Geelong. One of the schedules filed in Melbourne, was that of the Brighton Kailway Company. On the evening of Friday, laslt Mr Salle k entertained a large nuniber of guests at the, Royal Hotel with a dinner, in celebration of the opening of his. new premises. After the dinner, which passed off with great success, tbe company showing a most practical and undoubted appreciation of the good things set before them, the tables were removed and dancing ensued. The ball was kept up in the most approved " won't g 0 home till morning stylo," and the guests a cockcrow went their way through the mud r ejoicing.

It will be a matter of considerable satisfaction to many of our.readers to know that by a recent general Govcr?ime?it Gazette* the. jurisdiction of the Resident Magistrate's; Court in Southland, in civil cases, Ims been extended to £100. From the Otago Daily Telegraph, we are led to hope that the General Assembly will be called together in September. Taking int j consideration the present critical state of affairs *n the North Island, we are inclined to think that Sir George Grey could scarcely adopt a wiser course, or one that is more calculated to give general satisfaction. The Pailtj Times says, — " We notice that the cost of lighting the towns of Cast emaine, Sandhurst, and Ballarat with gas is as follows : — Sandhurst, L2O per lamps per annum ; Ballarat, Ll4 10s. per lamp per annum ; and Castlbtnaine, Ll2 per lamp per annum. At one o'clock yesterday afternoon a Licensing Court was held in the Police Court. Messrs Price, Pearson, and Fen ton, Justices of the Peace, isat on the Bench. The fit st application was from Mr Cahill, lor the Shamrock Hotel, Dei-jtree*t (adjourned from last sittings for the completion of cjjtain rooms.) Mr Weldon stated that these rooms were now completed, and that the house would be conducted in a respec ablemanner. Messrs Clarke and Grant were proposed as sureties, and the license was granted. Mr Harvey, on behalf of Mr J ulius Rosenthal, begged to withdraw the application for a license for his house in Dee-street, until the buildings were completed. He would communicate with Mr Inspector Weldon when the completion had been effected. Mr Weldon approving, a license was granted to Mr Robert Wilson for a public house at the corner of Dee-street. Messrs Grey and Sayers were accepted as sureties. The application of Robert Murdoch, Tay-street, was, upon the Inspector's recommendation, ttt once granted ; also a night license, Messrs Robertson and M lbank being proposed and accepted as sureties. Upon the motion of Mr Harvey tho application of Charles Freeman, Walker's Bush, waa adjourned to Wednesday. There was a rumor current on tflie night of Saturday last that the new Union Bank of Australia had been broken into by burglars. Upon enquiry we find that the rumor was not altogether destitute of truth It appears that two gentlemen employed in the bank iind who sleep upon the premises, having passed the evening elsewhere, returned to the bank on Sunday night about half-past eleven. Upon approaching the front entrance, they found one compartment of the door, which thev had left locked, wide open. This excited their suspicions — they entered cautiously — all was dark and quiet ; but scarcely had they advanced a yard, when the sound of a huiried scramble, as of receding footsteps, was heard overhead. The alarm was at once given, the marnger (Mr M'Donald) sent for, and the police called in. The building was ransacked from the topmost rafter to the cellars, but neither burglars, nor skeleton keys, nor any* thing to lead to indentification was to be found. It was clear that the 1 ck of the front door had been tampered with — the key wa found in the lock completely broken. Nothing however, was found mising. The bur-* glars must have made their escape by one of the windows yet unlramcd and un" paned. For the rest of the night the bank employees kept vigilant watch with a loaded revolver. The police authorities, we understand, are investigating the matter. The following notice with regard to the importation of cattle into the n ighboring Province of Otago will be read with inferos \ by ihe Southland public. The D.iihj Times says on this subject . — ''The Provincial Government has determined, after careful inuiry and due deliberation, to allow the I importation of stock from Gipp's Land, it being, however, a condition that all stock shall be subjected to examination before shipment aud prior to being landed here. We believe we may also state that tho port will be opened for the introduction of cattle from South Australia." On Saturday night in spito of the inclemency of the weather, a tolerable audience assembled at Jlurdoi-h's Concert Hall, to applaud the vocal performances of the English Opera Company. Madame Carnndini pleased, as she always does ; and dsh was well received especinlly in ballad which species of composition is, we take it, the woice of the people's un-tutored heart, in contrad istiDCtionto to the operation the voice of the people's cultivated mind. But neither was M nrlnme Carandiui unsuccessful in the higher < clnss of music ; in a well-known dtiiett with Mr Shcrwin, from Lucia, she exhibited correctness of reading and great vocal compass. Mr Sherwin, with his pleasant tenor, rendered several songs agrenbly; and Mr Small, as a "Bold Drummer Boy" amused greatly ; his scarlet coatandrollicking gait, reminding one forcibly of the drummers of an Irish militia regiment There were throughout the evening repeated encores. Tbe Company have delayed their departure for Riverton for a few days, and will, we understand, give two more eon* certs, to-night and on Thursday night. If load and weather permit, communication \vi h the Lake will be greatly facilitated. It is the intention of Messrs. Cobb and Co., in a fortnight. Irom this time, to regularly run a coach thither from Invercargill. The Civil Sittings of the Supreme Court terminated on Thursday evening at six o'clock, with the case of Hatcly v. Cheyne, a case brought by the plaintiff against the owners of the Aphrasia, for that, having been entrusted with a theodolite and i-tnnd for conveyance per Aphrasia for Invercargill from the Bluff, they failed to deliver, and denied all knowledge of the same. The damages were laid at the value of the theodolite, £-10. Verdict for plaintiff. None of the civil cases tried (three in number,) involved any considerable sum of money They were all laid for damages the highest amount being £-50. The JProvincial Government Gazette of tbe 4fch instant contains several appointments and notifications, among which are tbe following : — Freeman Jackson, Esq., J.P., to be a Visiting Justice of the Gaol for the Province of Southland ; Gustavu s Lonsjtord, to be Provisional Assistant Pilot at the Bluff Harbor ; Sergeant Morton, to be Inspector of Slaughter-houses for the District of Gore ; Constable Hiatal, to bold tbe same office for Dacrc, and Constable Butler for Invercargill. His Honor the Superintendent has granted eseraption from pilotage charges at tho Port of Bluff Harbour, to tho steam ship Aldinga, so as commanded by Captain John Stewart, and to' the steamer Omeo, so long ns commanded by Captain John M'Lachlan. A new educational district is declared by his Honor the Superintendent anil the boundaries of certaiu slaughter-house dis- ■ tricts arc altered.

AfiiaSonbr Judge Gresson, having, concluded the Criminoi; and Givil r Sittings of tho Suoronie; Court in Invercargil!, took his departure, for, the North ;o*i Saturday last. With a " Jean.es " like fidelity bf.chroniclinjj, -we may mention that he rode down to the Bluff on horseback, nrid.was accompanied by his police orderly, who duly saw him oil. That gold in Southland will soon be an estab-; 'ished fuct, there can bo little doubt. On Saturday last some very fine nuggets were offered for sale by a miner to a local goldemith, which it is ascertained were dug in a gorge to the north-west ot | the Five Kiver PJain. The miner for a longtime refused to tell the locality whore he had been working, and it was only by cross-examination that the fact was elicited. A Land Slip occurred tho other day at the Shot- < over, some four miles from Moke Creek, which Was productive of very melancholy consequences. Six poor fellows were buried alive. It appears that a creok, having unfortunately been damned up, it so swelled, that it gradually wovked upon a bank till it was completely underI mined ; and without a sound of warning, trees, . stone, and earth were hurled with a force irrcsistI able .upon two huts beneath. The. huts were | levelled to the ground nnd their inmates — with the exception of one more fortunate, who crying f° r ' relief, was rescued by comraslos living hard-by •— vcro all encompassed with a death as sudden as it was sad. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before AL Price, Esq., George Warren and Peter Tannor were fined 10s. each for provoking a breach of the peace. James Hamilton was fined 10s. for being drunk and disorderly. Margaret Hamilton, on a charge of stealing money, was libera- ed, and the case dismissed. In the civil case, Sleync and Kelly v. Butler, in which the plaintiffs claimed £11 lis. for cutting twenty-two cords of wood for the defendant, at 10s. 6d. per j cord, judgment was given for the plaintiffs, with costs. In the case Thomson and others v. English, a claim for wages, judgment was given for the plaintiffs. Defendant had attempted to escape liis creditors, but was arrested at the Bluff, and brought back tsi town. In Symons v. Fisher, claim for ±"14, tbe judgment was given for defendant. Such was the state of the roads and the darknes* of the night on Saturday last, that the coach to the Bluff, conveying mails and passengers for the Aldinga, went off the track at the Mokomoko Beach, and the horses, becoming furious, broke the poles, and otherwise so injured the coach as to render proceeding impossible. The passengers spent a weary night, huddled together nt the Mokomoko, sufficient accommodation being unobtainable. In the morning early, by strenuous exertions, the coach was enabled to continue tbe journey, and brought the passeugers to the Blnft' in ample time for the steamer — in fact, before the arrival of tho Aldinga. We bave been shown some very fine samples of gold obtained from near Swanston's, in the Province of Otago. The quality of tho gold is very similar to that dug at the Ovens.