Untitled

Southland Times, Issue 1025, 21 September 1868, Page 2

It ■will be observed that the time of the b.b. Alhambra's sailing for Melbourne has been further postponed. She will leave the Bluff on Wednesday forenoon. j From a report of a meeting of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, we learn j that attention was drawn by a member to the need of importing rooks and starlings, to keep ! down white grubs which are now doing a great 'deal of harm to the pastures. It will be seen from our advertising columns that a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce is to take place at noon, to-morrow. We undar*stand that one of the subjects to come under consideration will be the proposed alteration in the postal service which if carried out, will virtually cut the mercantile connection between Invercargill and the two most important goldfields in this portion of the island— the Lake and Switzers. It is therefore imperative that members should be present at the meeting, and that decided action be taken relative to this intended change. The annoyance that has been so frequently complained of, arising from the nuisance «of stray goats, has considerably abated of late: We learn upon enquiry that during the past month no less than sixty-five goats have been taken to the stockyard, twenty- six of which were claimed, ajid the owners prosecuted, the remaining thirty-nine being sent to the public pound. This should act as a caution to the owners of such animals, as now that Spring is setting in and young vegetation springing up, the Goat Act will be stringently enforced. . . • We learn from a report recently received from Stewart's Island, that a party of miners (Buckley and party) are working at Smoky Cove, and are making wages, they are. working on a small beach, and the gold is '■ very fine and difficult to save. A party of five men have commended a fishery at Patersoh's Inlet, for the Dunedin market. They have erected a- smoking house, and have a fine cutter which they purpose to constantly run between Dunedin and the Inlet. The owners of the five cutters that were for a time employed in oyster fishing round this island, for the Invercargill market, have ceased operations. ■ -■;..' .,.' ■ The Press is generally considered to be an index of the progress or retrogession of a community; if the newspapers flourish it is generally conceded, the place must be prosperous.. Taking this as a truism, Hokitika is sliding downwards at a rapid pace. Recently it was announced that the publication of the ' Celt ' was defunct, we now learn that Hokitika has no loAger two morning papers. The •' Westland Observer,' is to be incorporated with the ' West Coast Times,' and the publication of the f. Weekly Leader,' and the * Dispatch' discontinued. The news from Japan is not likely to induce many from the colonies to emigrate to that land. The 'Daily Times,' 12th inst., has the following : — The favorite steamship Albion, formerly belonging to the now defunct Otago Steam Shipping Company, and purchased by the Messrs Hoyt and Captain A. M'Kinnon, arrived at Yokohama, Japan, from Sydney, via . the Fijis, on tne 16th of June, after a remarkably fine passage of 35 days, including three days' stoppage at'the, Fijis. From private corre spondence, we are enabled to glean that the greater portion of the passage was made with one boiler, and that her consumption of fuel only averaged fourteen tons of coal per day. On arrival, coal was worth £3 10s per ton, and she had 250 tons left. A large number of steamers were in the Japan waters, but none equal to tlie Albion. The latost dates are to the 18th of July, up to which time the Albion was still lying in Yokohama without a purchaser, although advantageous offers had been made for her. Her passengers were very, much disappointed with the place, owing to the ports not being opened and safej as: fighting is stiU going on and no stable Government rule, they could get nothing to do. . So far as, the country was concerned, nothing could excel it in beauty and fertility ; but only a few miles could be traversed inland in safety, as the nati~o3 thought nothing of cutting one's head off if a:i encroach- - tnent was made upon their lands. Also, if a foreigner did not make obeisanci: i .:• the Daimios, lie was liable to be cut dov. r 1 . Only for the presence in Yokohama of a mi.iiber of English, French, Amerii.au, and Dnua inen-ofcwar, the safety of Europeans would be in • danger. On the passage from the Fijis, a number of shoals and islands were discovered to be incorrectly laid down in the charts."

Mr J. T. Thomson, Provincial r Engineer of Roads and Works, Otago, wo are informed, has for a considerable time been engaged ;.^ mentalizing in the n»anutaettire y'ot a nutive cenaentr^pm provincial stone. After.; many exVperimtmtVJtes has siiccefedel in producing an article fi^i' J&oeraki boulders' that is pronounced to be superiorjjo the best Portland cementjyet im« .pprjggd into Ojtago. ~" > After* a/winter unusualy severe and protracted, summer seems to have fairly set in. For the past week or two we have had a continuance of the most delightful and seasonable weather. Under the benign influence of heat, light, arid genial moisture vegetation is everywhere bursting fortb, the beautiful green mantle of Spring silently spreading itself over the bosom of old mother earth. Gardening operations in the town and suburbs are being vigorously prosecuted, as are also the more extensive preparations for seedtime in the country. It is very cheering to hear our farmers generally express themselves moist , hopefully^regarding th.9 prospects of the" season. The strong frosts prevailing during winter have put the land in excellent order for the receptipn of seed, while the great rainfall of paßt montjis is looked upon as a kind of guarantee of a dry summer, so that the returns of next harvest a*e already looked forward to with pleasing expectations. If the Agriculturalists are thus generally sanguine enough to extend their operations, there can be. no doubt that— with the probability of the recommencement of extensive public works, and possibly of immigration — we may-look forward to a year of material progress such as has not been experienced in Southland for some time. \ We understand that a party, .of threeminers, who were recently prospecting for gold On Stewart's Island, and found good prospects, will leave this morning with three months provision^, trols &c, to continue operations. They are sanguine of success. ' : . In a recent issue we noticed the damage arising from a bush fire, done to the fence on the property of Captain Ellis, we have bow to note that on the 10th inst, about three chains of the fence along the Oreti Railwry line was burnt down in . a similar way. Farmers in burning tussocks or stubble should be careful to provide for keeping the fire within their own bonnds, as they are responsible for any damage that may arise from carelesnesß. The ' Daily Times'. notices a recent publication, handsomely printed in demi octavo, of " Reports of Cases decided at Nisi Prius jand in Banco, in the Supreme Court of New Zealand and on appeal to the Court bf Appeal," edited % James Macassey, Esq., Barrister-at-Law. rlt ,is to <be continued as a regular series, in the usual style of Law Reports,and will thus ensure for itself a place in every legal library in the Otago, and Southland District; The tidal wave reached King George's 'Sound, as appears by the following account of it from, a correspondent of a Melbourne journal : — " On the morning of the 15th ult at ; eight o'clock, Albany Harbor, King George's Sound, was visited by what appeared to be a great" tidal wave. The sea. suddenly rose fully 3ft ; lighters were turned round, and an old wreck, which had lain embeded in the sand for years'; was removed from its place, and carried 'further up on thjs beach." This occurrence appears to have .beep somewhat similar to that which took place in Sydney harbor on the same day. ■•- '; The following appeared as a telegram in the 'Argus/ 0n the arrival of the July mail: — A comparison of quotations of Galifornian mining companies with those Current a year ago, shbvirs a reduction equal to one million in the aggregate value of shares in the leading companies. Mr DuCane. who succeeds His Excellency ; Colonel Sir Gore Browne, as Governor. of Tasmania, is highly spoken of. The ' Hobart Town Mercury,' says:- 1 - "He has been a Lord of the Admiralty, a prominent member .of Ijhe House of Commons, — a debater of no ordinary standing in an Assembly- which embraces the first - talents of the age. As a scholar, Mr DuCane has earned University distinctions, arid from Mb high .social and .political position in . bis . native ! country he may be regarded a befitting representative of his Sovereign in this : -distant but thoroughly British dependency of jthe Crown." Telegraphic communication between the Greymouth and Westport, a distance of 65 miles, was established on the 4th .inst. The country through . which, the .line passes., is , paid ., to. Jbe,, of a most difficult character. . . =- • With reference to; the Panama Mail Servicg-the^ /Southern Cross ' says :—-" We learn; upon wHat we deem reliable authority, that the New. South Wales Government have written to Mr Vine V'Hall,' the London manager of the ,P.N.Z.,;Snd A.R.M. Co. to the effect that jfoey purpose to withdraw their, contribution to th 6 Panama subsidy, unless Auckland- were made the port -of call, alleging several reasons for such a course, and among which are the following, namely," that Auckland possesses greater remunerative irade, and that her port is reached two days earlier -than that of Wellington. • We are also informed that the merchants of Sydney are anxious to have the steamer again laid on once a month between that city and Auckland." . „-, A correspondent of the .. 'Lyttelton Times,? writing from British Columbia, concludes with the following advice :— Let me add one word? of advice to your readers, and that is, on no account to leave Australia or New Zealand for California or British Columbia. Nothing is open- for them in either place. . .; . Having for ten months carefully, and in a thoroughly unprejudiced manner, examined personally the 'States; of the Pacific, from the .Golden Gate to Bjritish Columbia, , I ; must unhesitatingly : assert ' that Australia and New Zealand hold forth ibetter inducements than either of these countries in every way. . • Messrs Allen and Co., London, have announced that the "Journal of the Voyage of H.M.S. Galatea round the World," wilT be shortly.published. „ ... ■:,,.:■ ; Mr G. P. Glifiord, manager of the Otago Acclimatisation Society, returned from Tasmania, 'to "which colony he went sometime since" to obtain trout ova-for the Society he represents, in the Free Trader, that arrived at Port Chalmersj, on Mondayj the' l4th inst. He brought with him four boxes, containing over BQO ova., . The velael had a quick passage of eight days. The boxes were at once taken to the ponds, and it is stated that "upon being' opened the moss remained fresh and moist, there was nothing like cakeiag, and as to the ova, the exception was to find one which did not look perfectly healthy."