Local and General.

Southland Times, Issue 1049, 2 November 1868, Page 1

Local and General.

A despatch has been received by the Governor from Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, in which he requests him to draw the attention of Superintendents to certain regulations for their guidance and to inform them that it will not he possible for the Secretary of State to take notice of communications forwarded to him otherwise than through the Governor. It says : — " Persons in a colony, whether public functionaries or private individuals, who have any representations of a public or private nature to make to Government, should address them to the Governor of the colony j or, if the colony be a dependency of a Governor-in-Chief, then to the officer in the immediate Administration of its Qovernment. The duty of the Governor or an administrator of the colony is to receive and act . upon each such representation as public expediency or justice to the individual may appear to require, with the assistance in certain cases of his Executive Council ; and if he doubts what steps to • take thereupon, or if public advantage may appear to require it, to consult or report to the Secretary of State. Every individual has, however, the right to address the Secretary of State, if he thinks proper. But in this case he must transmit such communication, unsealed, and in triplicate, to the Governor or Administrator, applying to him to forward it in due course to the Secretary of State." The 'New Zealand Advertiser' of 21st October, states that information has been received of the wreck of the steamer Nelson, belonging to Messrs Edwards and Co, Nelson, at West Wanganui. The ninety-ninth anniversary of the discovery of. New Zealand occurred on Thursday, the Bth October, Captain Cook having landed on these shores on the Bth October, 1769. The ' Taranaki Herald,' suggests that as the next anniversary will be the centennial, some general demonstration should be got up to celebrate it throughout the colony, The Auckland papers state that Messrs Barron, Thompson and Co, of Otago, have arranged with the Native owners for the lease of country lying between Tarawera Lake and Te Awa-o-to-Atua, running past Mount Edgecumbe. Tha *an is about eighteen miles in length, containing probably seventy or eighty thousand acres, and the whole of one side is bounded by the Tarawera river. The term of the run is for twenty-seven years. Mr Richard Hogan, postmaster at Havelock, Hawke's Bay, has been committed to take his trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court at Napier, on a charge of embezzling a letter containing money. It would appear that there is a prospect of the Marlboroegb gol^Selds lgbin proving attractive. It is stated by the local paper that the quartz reef in the Kaituna from which rich stone has been taken, is but one of a series, which, exist all along that^side of the range, on the other side of of which ia the well-known reef called * Greenjaw's.' Specimens from another reef at Deep Creek have been tested, and it is said that if the reef is as rich as it portends, thirty ounces to the ton will be the result. Diggers have already arrived at the spot— report says seventy ; and that 300 moie are expected to arrive in Haveloclc from the West Coast. At a mee+ing held in Nelson, on the 12th October, for the purpose of giving Mr Curtis one of the city members an opportunity of giving an account of his stewardship during the session of the Assembly, the following resolution was passed, viz :— " That this meeting thoroughly endorses the suggestion of Mr Curtis with regard to the necessity for a dissolution of the Assembly before the next meeting of Parliament." The Wellington 'Advertiser,' of the 30th ultimo, has an article in which the financial state of all the provinces of the colony is passed in review, and the following resume is given : — " The only provinces in the country that can exist as they are, are Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago, and this is solely in consequence of the existence of a land-fund, or the non-borrowing of money, as in the case of Nelson. That is the question, then, for the constituencies ? Are the emasculated provinces to be kept up as provinces, for the benefit of officials, with nothing to do but draw their, monstrous salaries ? Or is the Government of the country, with respect to local affairs, to gradually lapse into the hands of the people, who best know their own wants, and are more capable of supplying them than any Provincial Government can possibly be ? This ia the , question on which the election, if a dissolution ensues, will have to be fought, and we give it concisely in three words — the ' People against Superintendentaiism.'" The • Wellington Independent,' 10th October, says: — "Mr Marchant ; City Surveyor, was brutally assaulted on Thursday afternoon laßt, while in the performance of his duties on the Adelaide Road. While measuring some contract work, a man by the name of Pincher, one of the contractors, struck him a violent blow on the head with a stick or bludgeon with which he had previously armed himself. Mr Marehant was conveyed bleeding and almost insensible to his home, and in the meantime the ruffian made bis escape, and is supposed to be hiding in the bush. A warrant has been issued for his apprehension. We are happy to hear that, though Mr Marchant has since the assault been confined to bed, he is slowly recovering. The man Pincher, was arrested two days after the assault was committed. The 'Lyttelton Times,' 19th inst., says :— "At 12.13 last night a shock of earthquake was experienced in Christchurch. The vibration was not very violent, but it was sufficient to cause the lamps in this office to swing to and fro for a considerable tune. . The total number of steamers lost on the New . Zealand cost since 1856 is 34. I

The ' Wellington Independent,' October, 20th, says : — " In the Legislative Council, on Thursday, Major Richardson, in a long and able speech, proved to demonstration — Ist, that the Imperial Government, from the Treaty of Waitangi to the year 1864, claimed the exclusive control of native affairs ; 2nd, that when in that year it nominally handed over those affairs to colonial responsibility and control, it not only retained exclusive direction of militaEy operations, but prevented the policy which had been inaugurated by the Colonial Ministry from being carried out ; and 3rd, that when Mr Weld inaugurated the 'self-reliant' policy, to prevent for the future such disastrous control and interference, it was with a full reliance on the generosity of the British nation, and the cordial co-operation of the Imperial Government. The ' TaranaM Herald* of October 10, publishes a letter from Mr Watson, in which he says that the Kaitake ranges resemble the Thames ranges in every respect, and that the quartz taken , from them is the same. 1 There is an agfotion going on in Victoria for the purpose of raising £ 20,000 as a testimonial to the Hon Mr Grant,. Minister of Lands, as a recognition of the able efforts he has made during the whole of his political career extending j over twelve years, to liberalise the Land Laws. We learn from the Victorian papers that the fruit season is likely to be one of great abund. ance. It is said the orchards round Melbourne and Geelong give great promise of excellent yields, the gooseberry, cherry, damson, plum, and quince trees more particularly, showing well. A singular dream is recorded by the Albury Banner : — " It will be remembered that a man named William Piall was accidentally drowned in the Murray at Thologolong, a month or two ago. His body was not recovered at the time, but what is left of it appears to have been found lying upon a log in such a position as to indicate that it had been floated there by the late rise in the river. The following singular circumstance connected with the finding of the body has been communicated to us by Mr North, the magistrate who held the inquiry over the body : — Some time after the man Piall had been drowned, a boundary-rider on the station, named Greenwood, dreamt that he was I fishing in the Murray, and that the deceased appoared to him. otLjthe bank of the river, and asked what he was doing there. Oroenwooa; in his dream, replied, ' Oh, lam fishing for your body, as I hear you are drowned.' ' You needen't look there,' said the shade of the drowned man, 'my body is lying on yon log,' at the same time pointing towards the place where the body has now been recovered. Greenwood told his dream to several persons some time before the body was found. The story was laughed at, but.nevertheless a search was made round the spot indicated by Greenwood, and the body has since been found there." A fatal explosion of nitrp-glycerine occurred at Nangyles Mine, .Cornwall, lately. A labourer named Davey let a can, containing a small quantity of the liquid, fall out of his hand on to a bar of iron. There was an immediate explosion, and Davey was killed ; another man was thrown a considerable distance, and was "much, cut and bruised. Silver in quantity appears to be found with, the gold at the Thames diggings. The ' Auck. land Herald' informs us that a sample of ten ounces of pure silver extracted from thirty ounces of Thames gold, by Mr Samuel Well 3, a very old colonist, refiner, of Williamson-street, Grahams Town ; and also a cake of pure silver from a much larger parcel of gold. .The following account of a new method of growing potatoes in a small space, is given by the Louisville Democrat : —lrish potatoes in great quantities can be grown by anyone having four by eight feet of spare ground in their back-yard. The process is simple. Procure a crate, such, as chinaware are imported in, and place in the bottom about six inches of straw, then more potatoes, and so on, until the crate is full. Wet the contents of the crate thoroughly, and every evening afterwards throw a bucketful of water over the top surface. The potatoes will grow and produce abundantly. When they are large enough to be eaten, they can be easily drawn out, and will be found to be perfectly white, with a very thin skin. The writer of this article has seen them cultivated successfully on board an ocean steamer. A correspondent of the 'Nelson Evening Mail' gives the following description^ of the mode in which the Hau-haus get their information :— The way they obtain information of all that is going on in an enemy's camp is simply by rigging up one or more spies in the form of the ti-tree, which grows abundantly amongst the fern and toi-toi ; these in the night take their stations sufficiently near the enemy to be able to observe all that is passing in and about the camp, whilst [ other scouts are wriggling underneath the fern and scrub just like so many rats, always careful | not to disturb the tops of the fern and scrub, in order to get information from the ti-tree spy or spies, and continually carrying back to their warriors news of all that is going on. The Grey Kiver Coal Company are pushing on vigorously with the construction of the railway to their mine. Two miles of the proposed line have been cleared a chain wide. The ' Daily Times,' 24th inst says .— « lt is worth knowing, during a time of general depression, that the amounts brought down by the Otago Gold Escorts have steadily increased for several months past. In July, the quantity brought down was 95230z. ; in August, 11,3650z. ; in September, 15,0360z.; and in October, 15,2420z. The Escort returns for October, 1867, amounted to 12,9840z. ; showing an increase during the corresponding month in the present year of 225802. The nearest approach this year to the present month's Escort was in March, when the quantity was 13,3160z. The total quantity of i gold exportedjin 1867 amounted"to*l49,39ooz.jj|

We learn from a contemporary that applications have been made to the Australian Sunken Vessels Recovery Company for the raising of no less than twenty-six sunken vessels. The project has also been mooted of endeavoring to raise the gold lost in the General Grant at the Auckland Islands. From a return made by Mr Ogilvie, Provin cial Auditor of Canterbury, we learn thit the West Canterbury goldfields account shows a revenue of L 339,613 10s 3d, and an expenditure of L 466,352 15s 9d. Customs duties yielded L 120,076 2s Id ; gold export duty, L 114.186 18s 6d ; miners' and business licenses, L 39,378 10s j and publican's licenses, L 34.112 8s 6d. . The ' Wanganui Times ' correspondent writing from Patea on the Bth inst.: — On Wednesday morning Tito Eowaru had his camp at Otia, from two and a half to three miles this side of the Patea river. "Prom Patea we could see the camp I with the naked eye. One of' the tents was par- i I ticularly conspicuous with a sentry posted in front j and other sentries at various posts around the camp, which appeared to be erected in the form of a square. The appearance of the camp took us all by surprise, and all hands turned out to have a look at it. The authorities at length decided upon having a long bowl at Tito Kowaru with the Armstrong guns. After mature consideration one gun was advanced to what was considered to be a commanding position, and after considerable difficulty the weapon was loaded and the fuse adjusted for something about 2000 yards. Then the sergeant, in a most masterly way, cried out — 'At 2000 yards, make ready— fire!' .Whiz, whiz, went the shell, but unfortunately before it reached Tito Kowaru's camp, it exploded in the air ; but mind you, sir, smoke got within nearly a mile of him. The second shot was adjusted for about 3,800 yards, went off booming, exploded in the clouds, but evidently made some impression upon the enemy, who at once commenced to raise a signal smoke around their camp. During the afternoon Tito Kowaru's conspicuous tent was prudently shifted to another position. _. , Numbers of people are taking up land under the Mining .Regulations of Otago. The regulations are said to give general satisfaction. It will be in the recollection of our readers that sometime since the Hon. Mr Parkes, then Chief Secretary for the colony of New South Wales, stated at a meeting of his constituents, that he was in possession of proof that the attempted assassination of Prince Alfred was the result of an Australian Fenian organisation. Ths * Empire ' writing upon this subject, says : — "The foundation for the marvellous story told by Mr Parkes at Kiama, is simply that a certain individual gave, information to the G-overnment, some time before the arrival of Prince Alfred, that his Royal Highness would most likely be attaeked~by an assassin, but his statement was" deemed unworthy of notice. Finding that no attention was paid to it he wrote to his Koyal Highness, after the infamous attack was made, stating that he had written to the Government without effect. This led to a reply from Lord Belmore, and the informer, in consequence, had an interview with Mr Parkes, no doubt in the expectation of some substantial reward from the Government. This mysterious person is described in the same journal as one of the common Irish informers, who made themselves conspicuous in the days of the Young Ireland party. Since that time, he has been moving about in colonial society, with results well-known to the detectives of Sydney." Mr Potts has tabled a resolution in the House of Representatives proposing that a sum of £100 should be placed on the estimates for the best essay on the following subject , — The means for securing the permanent settlement of the mining population of New Zealand, and for fixing within the colony the capital which is being constantly drained away from the G-oldfields, as shown in the great excess of exports over imports at the ports of the exclusively gold-mining districts. According to the estimates laid before Parliament, there are 4967 volunteers in the colony. The numbers in each province are as follows : — Auckland, 903 ; Otago, 874; Wellington, 866; Canterbury, 833 ; Westland, 693 ; Nelson, 413 ; Hawke's Bay, 139; Taranaki, 113; Southland, , 133 ; Marlborough, 0. We observe that the Government only estimate a capitation grant of 25s for each volunteer, treating cavalry and infantry the same. Last year the infantry received double the sum to be given this year, and i then it was considered very inadequate to the expense the men are put io. The following notice to Justices of the Peace appears in the 'New Zealand Gazette' of the 10th inst: — "Colonial Secretary's Office (Judical branch), Wellington, Oct. 5, 1868: — Justices of the Peace resident whithin each district now constituted, under ' The Petty Sessions Ac 11865,' are referred to the 7th section of that act, and requested to agree among themselves as to the most convenient time and place wi'hin their district for the meeting required by the Act in order that the Government may, upon being informed thereof, issue the necessary proclamations, — E. W. Stafford. The ' New York Tribune,' speaking of the system pursued in Australia and New Zealand of leasing the large tracts of country aa sheep runs, says : — This has prevented the establishment of such settlements as have developed our own Western States. It is difficult to decide upon the value of a country for agriculture, and for sustaining a large population, where special pursuits become monopolies. Nothing but the small farm system, in a free country, will develop all the latent qualities in the soil. The'N. Z. Herald' of the 2nd October says that the Government have received information that Te Koti, the frantic chief of the escapees, now entrenched at Puketupu, Poverty Bay has admitted to some neighboring tribes having suffered a loss of five killed and 18 wounded in the encounter with Col. Whitmore when Capt. Carr, and Mr D. Canning were killed. Te Koti himself was wounded in the fight.}

We are in receipt of a prospectus of a monthly magazine to be called the ' Evangelist.' It is projected with the view" of disseminating religious intelligence regarding all church movements in Otago and Southland. The Eev. James Copeland, M.A.M.D.. the Presbyterian Minister of Tuapeka is announced as the editor. The firat number will appear on the Ist January. The Director of Meteorological Stations, (C. E. Marten Esq.) makes the following remarks on the great 9torm of last Thursday night : — " The , storm of the 15th instant, althojgh of brief , duration, was the most severe recorded at this j station in ten years. The anemometer sustained a pressure of 351bs to the -square foot, and 'then succumbed to the force of the gale, the arms being bent out of shape, and the screws loosened so as to disconnect the wheels ; fortunately the cups were not blown away. The barometer after fluctuating during the previous week, rose on the i 14th to 29-40. On the morning of the 15th it | fell to 2874, a strong gale blowing from the N. j At 11 a.m. it became perfectly calm, the scud moving rapidly from W.N.W., clear sky alternating with slight passing showers ; at 3 p.m., the barometer decreased to 28*55, the lowest reading j ever recorded at the Martendale Station ; the mercury remained steady until sunset, when it suddenly dropped to 28*49, and then sank rapidly to 28*32, the lowest point at which I have ever seen a barometer. At 11 p.m., a furious gale set in at W,N.W., soon increasing to a hurricane, which continued all night, and until 8 a.m. on the 10th, when it lulled, but recommenced, although with greately diminished violence, at night. The barometer, rose to 28*95, but again decreased to 28*80. Abundant warning was given of the atorm, by the barometer and hygrometer, also by the appearance of the sky (strongly marked cirrus and cirro-stratus prevailing for several days , before) but the thermometer failed to give its usual indication, (exceptionally high temperature), nor was the usual Btorm— -haze, or mist, perceptible. The amouuo of ozone varied in a most eccentric manner, both before and after the gale." The latest news to hand of the Thames goldfields (Auckland), is not encouraging. The 'Daily Times' correspondent Bays : — "With respect to the Thameß Goldfields there seems to be a lull in the excitement that has so extensively prevailed. This is not to be wondered at, when we consider the wretched weather that has pre- ] vailed of late. Incessant rain upon the original roads of the district has rendered them all but ! impassable; and the diggers who can carry a few tons of quartz on their backs for crushing, so as J to keep- the pot boiling, are lucky fellows. Numbers cannot accomplish even this. The price of labor in Auckland has gone down ; there are jplenty of hands seeking labor i that is in uadica- "' slackness at the Thames. As finer weather sets in there is no doubt the briskness of trade will return. Mr William Kennedy, of Jetty-street (says the * Daily Times,' sth inst.,) a passenger by the steamship Taranaki when she was lost in Tory Channel, has shown us a handsome tea and coffee service, purchased in Dunedin for presentation, by a few of the passengers — including the Bishop of New Zealand and lichneld, and Lord Burghley — to the wives- of two settlers named Bowden, in Bowden Bay, in recognition of their hospitality at a very critical time. At Napier & batch of militiamen have been [ heavily fined for refusing to turn out when called upon to do so. Illness, defective sight, being in the Government service, having a military contract, and a number of other reasons were urged, but none were o "tertained by the Magistrate. The ' Lyttelton Times' thinks that the people of the Middle Island will be forced to look into the question of Separation before long by a sense of preservation. They will have to decide sooner or later whether it is possible for them to fight i their own battle of life, and at the same time j pay for protecting the settlers of the North j while pursuing their occupations, Our contemporary then says : — " Judging from the experience of other colonies, we hold that this will prove to be an impossible task. We are sure that neither of the comparatively flourishing and populous colonies of Australia could undertake the task of Bottling the North Island by force j of arms without being ruined by the attempt. And we are sure that if the attempt ia persevered in here, it will before long involve this island in irretreivable ruin. We do not believe that the people will sit down contentedly to meet their ruin. The instinct of self-preservation must sooner or later overcome their apathy. Owing chiefly to the fact that the expenses of former wars have been met by loans and indirect taxation, the public have not felt the shoe pinch them in a tender part. We devoutly hope and believe that the time has arrived when the colony will be unable to borrow another farthing for war purposes, and when it will be equally impossible to raise any more money by indirect means." " Some little time since," says the ' Geelong Advertiser,' "we noticed what would appear to be the discovery of a salt mine in the contiguity of the Western salt lakes. Professor M'Coy now informs us that he has communicated to Mr Pierce, the discoverer, that the salt resembles that crystallised from the salt lakes, having three per cent, of sttlphata of magnesia as the only important impurity (this tends to harden meat salted with it), there being about four per cent, of it in the salt of the lakes, and this may be got rid of by careful evaporation." . Three officers of H.M.S. Brisk secured wives for themselves in Sydney, before the departure of that vessel for England. All naval officers who have visited Sydney speak well of it, and no wonder. Half the heiresses of New South Wales have been carried off in this way. The ' Australasian ' concludes a paragraph on the recent disasters in the North by saying : — If the colonists of New Zealand do not avenge the death of these noble fellows by stamping out at once the unprovoked rebellion, they are no true men, and do not deserve that Yoa Tempsky should'have lived and died among them.

We have been favored with the perusal of a letter from Cspt. H, F- Fuller, to Mr J. G. ; Hughes, of this town, dated Rewa River, Fiji Islands, 15th Sept., 1868, from which we extract the following : — " I did not receive your letter until the 15th, owing to my being absent in the North, and upon my return I found my neighbor, Mr Crutman, had been shot in a brush with the natives, and it was only in overhauhn his papers that I found your letter. Tou express a wish to visit these islands, and ask for information. I will state facts. I believe these islands are the finest in the Pacific ; in fact, I think they are the most fertile and the mosc healthy of all within the tropics. We have different climates in different parts. Tou have all rain in some parts, and in other long droughts. The river I am on is too Wet for cotton is the conclusion I have come to, after three years trial at a loss, but I believe that if we had a market for sugar cane, we could compete with any other place. In fact everything we plant grows rapidly. Our cotton trees grow from twelve to twenty feet high, where they should not exceed six. I intend to leave here in three months for the coast, on the same island, where cotton is doing wonders. My partner, Mr St. John, started down last April, and laid down a small plantation on some land we had down there, and has already gathered more cotton then I have in my three years work. He will clear £300 off fourteen acres by Christmas next. As soon as I clear off my incoming crop I axn going to give up here and settle there. Corn grows well on the river j we can get three crops in the year. Sweet potatoes grow as well ; in fact they are a weed; yamß, pumpkins, and all other vegetables thrive, and cotton would do well to if we could only have it come in dry weather. It yields a splendid crop, but we cannot save it for the wet. If you think of trying your fortune here I would recommed you to come down yourself first, as I would not like to advise you, the mode of life and the character of the people is so different to what you have been accustomed to. I have been here seven yearaj and I must say I have enjoyed it exceedingly, having had good and an easy .life. I have made a rather bad Bpeck on this river; thefirstcrop was destroyed by a hurricane j the next by the unsettled state of things — not being able to get native labor, they being too busy fighting ; and this season owing to extreme wet which destroyed the crops as the cotton got ripe. We have a great quantity of fruit in the shape of oranges, banannas, lemons, and almost every description of tropical fruit. There is plenty of all kinds of shell-fish, and many varieties of other sorts. There has latterly been several gentlemen down here, but they only saw part of the island, and went away disappointed, thinking that all parts were alike, while the locality visited was the worst of all. I should be glad to see you, and if you did pay me a visit Ido not think you would soon leave again. No one can starve here ; a basket of shell-fish can be got in half-an-hour ; there is abundance of fruit, and native .yarn, each weighing from two to twenty-five pounds . weight. Fowls and hogs thrive well. We planters grow our own provisions, so you will see what we feed on, viz. — hot corn, bread, fowls, pork, eggs, fish, vegetables and fruit. Some of us make our own sugar. I have only 12 men (natives) they make good servants. I brought them all from the new Hebrides. Thty engage for three or four years, and I take them back and pay them off with £5 worth of goods. I think the Fijis will be a good place in time ; at present it is very unsettled owing to the natives fighting among themselves. Mr Win. Livesy is down north looking for land ; Mr Bray is in Rewa; I saw him yesterday. If you think of coming come at once. Mr Hall, late of Invercargill, has established a school. We have a number of hotels, a steam-saw mill, and many other things that looks like civilisation, j although three years and a-half since, when 1 j came here, there were no other white men here, and you could hear the native drum continually beating, summoning the different chiefs to cannibal feasts. Now we have churches and schools in their place ; write, and if you have a few spare SotrnrrATTP Times they will be greatfully received." A show of Stallions, under the auspieces of the j Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association, took place at the Yards of Messrs A. J. Smyth and Co., on the 16th inßt. Considering the ■ severe weather there was a very fanmuster of entries, five in each class. The Judges were Messrs R. Hamilton, John Morton, D, Napier, J. B. Sutton, and J. Colyer. They ] had great difficulty in arriving at a decision especially with regard to the draught sires, so many points of excellence being observable in every animal exhibited. The Ist prize, in the class for heavy horses, was, however, ultimately awarded to Mr Printz's ' Young Clyde ; ' the 2nd going to 'Emperor,' Mr BirchalPs horse ; and the 3rd. to a promising colt, which, with a lictle more 1 careful getting up for the occasion, might have i taken precedence of both his seniors. In the thoroughbred class, Mr Printz was also successful in carrying off first honors with 'Young Panic' Professor, a Riverton horse, being second, and 'Primer,' belonging to Mr Stark, Harrißville, 3rd. There was a very large attendance of country people at the show, and much interest manifested in the result, each horse having his own particular knot of admirers. After the show terminated, a meeting of the Directory of the Association was held at the Prince of Wales Hotel. A revised list of prizes was brought up by the sub-committee, appointed at a previous meeting to prepare the same, which, with some slight alterations, was adopted. It was also resolved that the next Grand Annual Show be held on Thursday, the 26th November. The tenders for the show yard and buildings were opened, but were all considered to be too high for the Association to entertain at the present time, and the further consideration of the subject was left to the Yard Committee, with the understanding that the plan of the contem--1 plated improvements should be considerably modified-!

The Theatre Royal will be opened this evening for the first performance of Fenton and Smith's celebrated Troupe of Japanese artists. The company numbers twenty-one performers, and firom the remarks in the leading journals in "Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Hew South Wales, it would appear that as a company they are unsurpassed in their particular line. The 'Age' in commenting upon their first appearance in Melbourne, says : — 'It is no exaggeration to say that so perfect and so unique an entertainment has never been witnessed in this colony.. The company is a very numerous one/ and embrace* gymnasts, acrobats, equilibrists, jugglers, top spinners, butter .fly fanners, pendal balancers, slack rope and ascension females; swinging bamboo, and tub and ladder men*. Some of the performances border on the marvellous, .whilst others evince such dexterity as is rarely witnessed The fight of the butterflies, and the juggling of the fakeer and fireman must be seen,.. for a. description of the clever trickery, by which they are accomplished, would only destroy the wonder* ful illusion." The whole of the Australian press is equally favourable in their notices of this talented company. '..-.-,, The ' Oamaru Times' states that a substance resembling magnesia has been discovered in the neighbourhood of Oamaru, samples of which are to be forwarded to Dr Hector for anal/sit. Beport also speaks of the discovery of chalybeate springs, indicating the possibility of adding a spa to the attraction of the place. The 'Leader,' (Melbourne) 3rd October, says: — 'As an example of how little dependence can be placed on the ' Home News' in commercial I reports, we notice that in the cargo lists, it does not appear that a single pound of gunpowder is on board of the Clanranald, which left the Clyde on 3rd Jnly, for Melbourne, the fact being that she has sixty tons of that combustible in her cargo.' The road from Christchurch to Hokitika, which cost the Canterbury Government little less" then one hundred thousand pounds, appears to be bat little used. One of the members' of Westland, during a recent discussion on the Westland County Bill, thus describes its utility :— 'There appears nothing much for Cobb's coach to do except to occasionally take over a lunatic from HoMtika to Christchurch. ' The last time I travelled on .the coach there were only three lunatics, and a monky besides myself.' The Militia Act is being enforced in the Northern Island. The members of the lint and second class have been ordered out for training. Provincial Government says the ' Daily Times,' has been formally voted a farce in Timaru. The electors of that district, in public meeting assembled, hare unanimously refused" to elect a mem* ber of the Provincial Council on that ground. The Melbourne ( Argus,' in Bpeaking of the forthcoming race meeting, says : — " The sporting world, since the return of the Melbourne book* makers from Sydney, has been moire lively, and a new display of odds has been made regarding our next Melbourne Cup. The Barb, Glencoe, North Australian, and Tim Whiffler are all talked about at 10 to I on the field against the best of them. The Ragpicker, Barwon, Shenandoah and Fireworks are also each mentioned as amongst the 20 to 1 division j but there are plenty of outsiders who are occasionally backed at (of course) outside prices— say from 1,000 to 40 to 1,000 to 20." Viewing the greatness, the activity, and the opulence of Melbourne of the present day, such reminiscences as the following, supplied by the Hon. J". P. Fawkner, are interesting, as reminding us of the unprecedented rapidity of our growth: — 'Melbourne completed its thirty-third year on Saturday last. On the 29th of August, 1835, the first landing took place, on a small rising ground, on which our tent was pitched on the evening of August the 29th. Our horses were then landed* and set to graze. Early in 1835 I resolved to attempt to settle in Port Phillip, having been one of those who landed on Point Nepean from the Calcutta, under Governor David Collins, to colonise at Port Phillip. This was on October 19, 1803. Governor Collins declared the plaoe unfit for settlement, . and took the whole of the people to the Derwent. I sought out some friends to come with me in 1835, and five persons agreed to help to found the new colony. Their names were Robert Hay Marr, "William Jackson, Samuel Jackson, Captain John Lancey, and George Evans. They all deserted me. Some went away, and the others took to sheep-farming, and I alone remained to found the famous city of Melbourne. I purchased a schooner, the Enterprise, to bring my horses, cattle, and household goods, and in six days after landing had fire acres of land ploughed and sown with wheat. This produced 100 bushels in January 1836. A wilderness in 1835, a. fine flourishing colony in 1868, though only thirty-threa years old !" The ' Weekly Herald' (Auckland) of the 12th ult., in commenting on the revival of trade in. that city, says :— During the past week the Customs returns at the port of Auckland amount to the sum of £4,734 14s 6d. This increase is not attributable to any spasmodic cause, such as the arrival of foreign vessels, but from the increased demand for dutiable goods occasioned by the reviving trade of the province, caused by the demand for goods at the Thames. £4,734 I4i 6d for the week is at the rate of over £240,000 per annum. The collection made at the Presbyterin Church, Wallacetown, on Sunday, the 4th ult., on behalf of the Hospital, amounted to £4 7s 7dl We learn from a private letter in the ' Age,' ot the 25th ult., that confidence is expressed in the genuineness of the gold discoveries in the Cape of Good Hope. It is represented that quartz reefs of unusual thickness abound, and that sufficient is known of their richness to justify great expections. Trade in Natal, meanwhile, is described as being miserably dull. Numbers of colonists are leaving, and house property is unsaleable. "••" ' ■;'--*