CONTINGENT.

Southland Times, Volume 3, Issue 102, 17 October 1863, Page 4

CONTINGENT.

i DESCBTPTIOJT. • „ AMOUNT.* Rails 40 lbs, per yard, &y, 62^ tons' per mile, and for sid- >"" ____ ings <rae<si*th, say 10i — 73 '■* y u tons, at £12 £§76 Fish plates and fastenings ... €0 Laying, at 2s 6d per yard run . . ' 220 Total per mile ... n .._ "1.156 19 miles at £1,156 '... < :.. ' ' £2lj Alteration and addition to Hoi- , * ling Stock. * ..' ... % '. .Jr '* "5 We are happy to say that the., Gore ment appear, determined to da aEj their power,,, to place ,the .varil roads of tbe Province in (i > a, prol state of repair. , Wei have* before I from the Engineer's office, the " R«j report of f works completed and in pj gress," and considering the.difficuli .toj)e contended with during t the wit n^onths in con^eqnenceof tbe very la quantity of rain which has .fallen', I result must be considered, on the wb satisfactory. If due advantage be til of the ensuing summer, , their is H fear of the principal roads of the jH vince ever reverting Jnto the miserai state they were in during last winj J.t is the intention of Messrs. Brad and Co. to commence running tbj coaches as far as the Elbow on Mooi next, and, within a very few days, ' whole distance to the, Lake. Nowtl the Otago Governments have diso tinued the subsidy > to Messrs Hen Hoyte and Co. For the*service to t> Wakatip, the firm have decided to p up the line, at all events for thepreX so that there will be a good opening! Messrs Brayton and Co., which th "will not be likely to neglect. Djinei is at the present time without a lin* 1 | coaches to the Lake, and the value I the passenger traffic can; scarcely overestimated It is . hot prow that Otago will be .long without coadj to connect her withthe ri^M gold field within her .borders; ban the meanwhile, Invercargill will-X c an undoubted benefit, tbroogh ' short-sighted policy ofifber^nejgW and, as was remarked <a short time.* 1 by a .writer in Duijedin, ' ".What^ footing Southland manages >to v>* she is safe «,to retain.*' We most « tirely concur in} that ppjnion.. *jW has been one, wreck., during the. jnpd that of the Highland Lassie,, «b 44

case df a vessel running aground with* out sustaining *erious' "damage. Both, accidents happened >iri' the 'jftew River, and inquiries -into > the" ' .circum-, Stance were '-heia 1 ' <%*' the Marine .yjjjoard, "which,,, tfri case, Tfcave what . coulfl 'he ' a, perfectly satisfactory, decision. £t appears the pilot, in charge of the High- 1 land Lassie had but recerftly joined, and as it could not be shown that his offence amounted to more than an error } of judgment, it was, perhaps, thought! ad visible not to press the matter too! hardly. ,It is necessary Ahat the most, searching inquiry should be made into the circumstances attending each jwreck, and accident to shipping in our harbor,, which do not, it must be allowed, erjoy_' a very good reputation. We venture 4o say that many of the mishaps whicH :&ave frpm time to. time occurred, might Shave; been• obviated;-by prudence. It is •not ve'ry'bften: we have rtb record loss of <life in puf harbor; But on the 6th inst., about i 5 'p.m., a-.calamitous accident occurred Bluff iHarbor. Aboafc was _-pap«zo|l/''^iiii''!;the" Channel, thereby Jso; mjjn >lost their livesi--Mr.;, -. "VV. D^r l?al!;*master of the 1 steamer Euby, 'arid toirmerfy assistant pilot of that' pbrt, 1 and;a man ; named Henry Aspinal^tlie owiier of the boat. Captain "Hall,', iStspinalj, and jtwo boatmen were going; 6$ to the steamer Ruby (tinder oanvass, when, getting into the little*rip in the No th Channel, 'the boat shipped -a-sea which upset her.. The( 4 wo'unnamed men succeeded in clinging to the capsized boat, while Captain -Hall and Asp'inall were swept away by, the current. ,£The accident was observed, tfronvthe Steamer, and-ship Helenslee ',[ •both vesselsimraediately launched their^ 'boats, the sßuby's boat succeeded im paving the "two trien who;Vrere clinging, !^4o the capsized boat, and returned to, ■ivthc ship; with them4n^afe(^;. ?The acci " £ ■dent was jilso observed from *the shore, c _and immediately the cry was raised of,; "a boat capsized?' Messrs tFordham, Co. manned their boat, and put off; to the rescue, and succeeded>in pick-,, ing up the body of Captain Hall, and; (brought it ashore to the Eagle Hotels where Br Garjory, of the barque Har% wood, used every exertten in his power.; to restore animation, but could not. succeed. 'Captain Hatlleaves a wife, with a family o'ffour children'Uttterly destitute. Aspinall leases a wife only. The public, both at the Bluff and in; Invercargill, have subscribed most. ' liberally forihe widows. The amount: raised will be between four and five hundred pounds. We regret to say. that a few days since, two men lost: their lives by drowning in the New, ltiver. They were in a boat laden with twenty-two tons of iron. How the ac-, >cidenb occurred is not known, as it was ;• dark at the time* The bodies have not yet been recovered. The people ofj tluvercargill, after Tec'eivinj; many war.n- ■ ings, at last seem fairly to have aroused ■ themselves to a sense qf the danger the,, town is m from the ravages of iire. The Town Board and the Fire Brigade ; Committee have taken steps for proTiding all the necessary apparatus, and a considerable sum has been .already collected. Notwithstanding ■ the large additions continually being j made to our population, it is grati- ' tying to be able. to state that crime in the province has by no l means increased in a like ratio. We append the gaol returns for six months '{ 30th 1863'. —

lil'' Wm.Pbaseb, Gaolet. S: Tho state of H. M. Gaol, Invercargill, for; the jfcjsQn(h ending 15 October, 1863, is as follows :— to hard labor, 13; imprisonment only,, ■■^-committed for trial, 2; under remand, 1; jßjflebtora, 3; lunatics, I;—total,l;—total, 21. Received »,«unng the month,. 22; discharged during-the S jn°nth, 21. Of the 23 received during the month, M ere for druDkenness; 5 for breach of the peace spUra disorderly conduct in tlie streets; 4 fpr debt; S.( for trial, charged with obtaining goods 18. JJ". (ler »alse pretences; 1 for medical examination, H'wmg of an unsound mind; 2 for assault. MLTjw following isthp-lißt of convictions in the ■JM Magistrates- Court in Invercargill - for M jno month ending 16th September, 1863:—Drunk. jjH wness, 42; hreach of,- police Ordinances, 21 ; j^pMMmaging public property, 1; assault, 1; breach m?f harbor regulations, 2; total, 67,

the past month there has not jbjeen so much liveliness in the building trade, as in the month preceding,. The chief .work has -been the completing stores, , hotels, an 4 residences-com-menced bpfore.** -The oaly new building of public importance, of which' the plans^are out, is the Bank of New South Wales,, a lo£tv anjd very handsome edifice, tobe erected, at 4ihe comer of-Tay 'and Bee Streets* f In hotels, the 'latest thing is an' addition to the Albambra Cafe, which, will t make that restaurant one of the largest,. in town. The s new' jWing -is from designs by Mr. 'Sanders,'^ and promises to .improve, the -appear-! ance df the-street. i As^t > halls of public B r<*sort, a -theatre is, contemplated in, Conan-street, to be built for Mr. Puet- t telkow. !From the plans, it^rromises to be- elegant .-arid- .spacious. Its design is after ftiett of a well known - theatre in Berlin. It will, whdn ..completed 'be found! to have comfortable accommodation for; both "Gods" and men. Mr Elliott is; the architect of the 'theatre* 3!n Teystreet, next door to this office, a bowling saloon is being erected b,y Mr Hall. It has a two stui£ey n ! fronV??wh*ch. will bedevoted to Cafe purposes ; and the alley stretches behind to a considerable | distance, forming a congenial parallel •to the Criterion Concert Hall. The only new villa of any pretension,' which has been commenced during ; themonth, is one in Forth-street* for Dr Origor. It is of brick, and will 1 be a very good sample of the cottage style. Plans are in preparation for many other villas and dwelling=houses both ornamental and plain, but of these we will reserve notice till they are farther progressed. The stores, whose commencement we mentioned in last issue,, are now almost all completed. Amongst these, the most handsome and -substantial in appearance, are the oifices of Messrs. Henderson Bonatr, and' Co. -in Kelvin-street, Messrs Manning and Whitton in Tay-strect, and Messrs '-£!alder,.Blackloek and Co. in the 'same street. Mr Watts' Exchange buildings are also nearly finished. The exterior ef the premises will yive quite a tone to D.ee-street. The-South-land Club Hotel.'is progressing rapidly ; a few weeks willsee t it*ready for>occupation. Moir's Hotel too*, in -Kelvin-street, is beginning to assume " 6he local, habitation." The . *P.rovi-noial 'Cafe Hotel has been commenced. In the neighborhood of theyetty, a 'number i**f small hotels have been begun, and old ones added -to.- go out«of town-*— in : the village of Wallacetor/n-^biiilding is going on with great spirit. The -chief edifice in progress there, is a*ohurch for' the Presbyterian body, from designs byMr Kerr. The little tow-n^f liivertonfs also spreading* and goed hotels arrd stores are being erected. Throughout the province there is manifest a universal tendency to exchange the tent of vaga bondage (in the nomad sense. of the. ..term)- foF the- substantial cottage of : citizenship. Ilamlets are gradually ceasing to be little clusters of white cauvass, here to day, and there to-mor-motp ; and are entering upon a steadier and more permanent phase. Since our last, several new townships have acquired importaace. Amongst them, : the one which has sprung up the most rapidly is Mokomoko, situated some eight miles from Invercargill. Its rise and progress are due mainly to railway and jetty works in the neighborhood, so its existence may terminate with their completion. The amusements of Invercargill continue to be of a description not altogether the most refined. Nothing seems to go i down with the masses, but a class of entertainment that combines the broadly ; jucular drama of a minor theatre, and the : exaggerated singing of a public house. ', Halls for stage dancing, smoking and drinking-, are most numerous, and it would be hard to find, apart from the diggings, men so religiously free and easy, as their patrons. The Criterion Hall may be considered facile princeps of the genus. At this Hall a strong company is "engaged, consisting of Miss Emma Stanley, whose forte is the ballet of the Scotch type : Mr Leeman, a deep voiced singer of the "'Ship on Fire," and similar apailing melodies; Mr I/»ckyer, who does the narrow brimmed hat and comic song business ; Mr Driscol, a prize jig-dancer ; Mr Hoi landi who paints drop-scenes of a thrilling .character, and acts, funny old men in the farces ; and a piano-forte player arid vio--1 linist. The entertainment begins each night at eight o'clock and terminates at mid night. During these four hours innumerable sonsrs, dances, and quasi-vaude villes; are got through. The public being permitted to drink, and amply snpplied with liquor within the Hall, applaud and t en J°y .'hemselyes thoroughly, - testifying tKe same in the frankest manner by loud rshouts, affectionate allusions to the | singers, arid a general hammering with boot heels 1 and glasses. Hundreds may be seen at th's Hall every nig hfc, and these not only the " nature's gentlemen," called familiarly " the unwashed," but also the professional and mercantile classes. Another Hall, which emulates and would fain be freeer and easier and outsing, ouVjig 1 , ( and altogether surpass the criterion is the Union at the East-end of T,ay-street. There, another strong com,pany performs, of which Miss Beaumont as Minger, and Professor Parker-ra stalwart a lilete, who, with " the whiff and wind of his fell sword *' cuts in twain legs of mutton and bars of lead — are the particular stars. There is another Hall in Dee-street, but the Tay-street houses seemlo luve the lion's share of the public's shillings, [n relief, and as a great improvement upon these noisy entertainments, a series of amateur concerts are about to be gven for the benefit of St. John's Church, (the Church of England,) Themcmbers of the congregation are to be the performers Of out-door amusements there are none, but shortly a good cricket club will be organised under the auspices of Mr Colyer, a professional ..cricketer. A higher tone of amusement is certainly wanted in Invercargill, but so Jong as the admirers of the existing state of things are an overwhelming majority, wecannct expect the caterers for the public to give up their own emoluments, .in order to 'have the limited patronage, of the more educated minority. Our local " Musical Association " has been making good headway. " Unsupported as

vet by -any of the leading 1 cltteen% and laboring under more than one difficulty, the members nevertheless Have so far advanced in proficiency, lhat last night they were able to give a private concert with oredit to themselves and pleasure to those invited. We understand (hat a public concert i 3 in contemplation, and judging from the performances of last night, we may prophecy that it WHI be a success.

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