The Sonthland Times. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1868.

Southland Times, Issue 1026, 23 September 1868, Page 2

The Sonthland Times. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1868.

An adjourned meeting of the Committee of the Horticultural Society was held in Colyer's hotel, on Monday evening. A proof-sheet of the schedule of prizes, &c, was revised, corrected, and agreed to, and will be ready for distribution to the public in a few days. The price of member's tickets, admitting the member and his | family to both days of the exhibition, was fixed j at five shillings. A motion was brought forward j by Mr Smith, seconded by Mr Preston, and carried—" That all donors of five shillings and upwards to the fundß of the Society should be entitled to a member's ticket of admission." The object of the motion is to do away with the anomalous position of donors, who, however , liberal their donations, were not entitled by the J rules of the Society to a member's ticket. A j oommittee was appointed, consisting of Messrs Scandrett, Stewart, and Smith, to bring the claims of the 9ociety to public support, under the consideration of the Provincial Council at their next sitting. ' We are informed by a gentleman who" has just arrived overland from Dunedin that -the road from the Lakes to Invercargill is in splendid condition. He says the country is looking well ; that in every direction along the road ploughing is being actively carried on, and a considerable quantity of new ground broken up. Along the whole line the vegetation was most promising, better than he has ever seen it at this season of the year. A meeting of the Southland Art Union Committee was held in the Southland Club, on Tuesday, the 22nd inst. The Secretary brought up the prospectus of the institution, and Btated that the project had been encouragingly received by the public, many parties having intimated their intention of entering specimens of art for exhibition. It was resolved that a full meeting should be convened for Friday next, to take into consideration the prospectus, and fix the time for the first exhibition. All present evinced an interest in the undertaking, which promises to become a success. Queensland bids fair to ' become almost as celebrated for bushrangers as the sister colony of New South Wales, says the 'Evening Star.' On the 3rd inst., Cobb's Coach was stuck up when three miles out from Gympie by three armed men, who robbed the passengers and plundered the mails, and then decamped. Mr Thatcher, the "inimitable," was one of the victims who were relieved of their money and valuables. A Paris correspondent of the < Mining Record writes as follows :— " Rapidity of printing has just been carried out in France to a degree far exceeding anything which has been accomplished in machine work. Marinonihas put up in the new printing office of the 'Petit Journal' a marvellous machine of bis invention, which prints 600 copies a minute. Four of these powerful machines turn out 144,000 copies an hour, the whole impression being 446,000 daily. A meeting of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, was held at the Chamber yesterday (Tuesday) the 16th inst., at midday. With one exception all _the_ jnambers were present.- The business of greatest public importance, brought under consideration, was relative to the proposed alteration in the postal service, involving the stoppage of direct communication between Invercargill, or Riverton, and the goldfields on the boundaries of the Province. After the question had been very fully discussed the ideas of the Committee on the matter were embodied in the following resolution, moved by Mr Buchanan, seconded by Mr T. Watson, and carried unanimously, viz :— That in the opinion of this Chamber the proposed postal alterations, between Invercargill and Queenstown, and between Invercargill and Switzera, without effecting any saving to the postal department, is injurions to the interests not only of this city, but also of the Lake, Switzers, and Nokornai districts, It was also agreed to telegraph to His Honor the Superintendent on the subject, apprising him of the sentiments of the Chamber, and requesting him to use his influence in preventing the alterations being carried into effect. The Hon. Secretary was also instructed to telegraph to; the members for the Province, in the House of Representatives, requesting their co-operation with the Superintendent in such steps as lie might think it necessary to take. We extract the following from the report of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, published on the Ist September : — By comparison, your committee find that the export of wool this season has been, as nearly as possible, the same as last year ; which, considering the heavy losses caused last August, by the severe snow storms, and then by the floods in February, is in itself very satisfactory. The quantity of grain exported this year has been unusually large; and the high prices obtained in the London and Australian market speaks for the quality of this portion of our products. No doubt the export of grain will annually increase, the high price obtained having had a very beneficial effect on the trade of the province. There have been fewer failures of magnitude during this, as compared with the previous year, but many small traders have gone through the Court. The caution shown by merchants and others in giving credit has been beneficial in stopping a good deal of the overtrading so long complained of, but still the supplies are in excess of the wants of the community. Mr Justice Chapman, during the heariug of a case in the Supreme Court, Bank of Australasia v. Reid, commented upon the imperfect manner in which stamps were affixed to documents, said "he had twice received drafts, upon which the stamps were so unsecurely affixed that upon turning over the paper they fell off. He thought that bankers and others should be mori> careful in fixing stamps on bills "or .other important documents." The fault of which His Honor complained, we think, is not so much that of the parties using the stamps as the defective gumming of the stamps. The commanding officer of the Invercargill Volunteer Rifle Corps, (Captain llarvr y) we learn, has ordered that the firing for the Tikes Prize Medal shall take place on Monday, the 9th November, being the annivcr ury of the birth .of -His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. It is more than probable that other prizes than- the one mentioned will be offered for competition.

Our Bluff correspondent, under date 22nd inst., sayß : — On Saturday last .a shark of unusual dimensions was captured in the harbor here, close to the -wharf. The ugly monster had evidently smelt from afar the fatty refuse from the whale recently tried«pnt, and ventured close in chore in hopes. pf-^Wuning a savory meal, little calculating that he wouTdiioon receive something too hard for. even his rapacious I stomach to digest*,. 'Gaptain Gilroy and some of j his party, who were about' the beach, observing the movements ot the huge brute as he Blowly reconnoitere-1, quickly got into their boat, and in a very few minutes had him transfixed with the harpoon. A number of willing hands then tailed on to the line, and succeeded in hauling the fish, in spite of his violent resistance, high and dry on to the beach, where he was speedily despatched. On passing the tape line over him he was found to measure ll feet 6 inches in length, by 7 feet 9 inches in girth, the largest of his species ever seen here. . ' I A deputation of merchants waited upon the Government yesterday, 22nd inst., relative to the impending interruption to existing postal arrangements. The deputation were received by I His Honor the Deputy Superintendent, the Provincial Secretary being also present. Having stated the serious loss and inconvenience certain to ensue should the threatened changes take place, both to the province and to the goldfields affected, the deputation were assured that the Government were most willing to support the views expressed, and that no time should be lost in communicating with the Superintendent, who iB now in Wellington, on the matter. The deputation thanked His Honor for the courteous reception they had received, and retired gratified with the result of their interview. In connection with the above we learn that a telegram was immediately thereafter dispatched to Wellington requesting His Honor the Superintendent to use his influence with the Government. in preventing, the proposed alteration in the service. . . . A company under the title of the Australian Central Wine and Agency Company has been projected in Melbourne. The capital is put at £100,000, in 20,000 shares of £5 each. From the Canterbury papers we ieaan that the immigrants per Light Brigade, that arrived at Christchurch on the 29th ult., were six families, eleven single men, _ and eighty-seven single women. On the Ist September all had obtained engagements except one family, six single men, and eight single women. We are informed by a gentleman from Otago that the sparrows and starlings, imported about a year since into that province,' have .increased and multiplied, and are now to be found in the districts of Green Island and the Taieri. As these birds are the deSdly enemies of worms, the farmers are taking every precaution to prevent their destruction.