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Southland Times, Issue 1237, 15 April 1870, Page 2

- - There would appear to hare been heavy rains up-country lately, although we hare been enjoying such fine weather for the last few days. On Monday the Oreti, we learn, began to rise, and speedily oyerflowed its banks, laying a considerable extent of the. flats trader .water, and doing Borne damage to fences, roads, &c. At 'the Waianiwa Bridge, part of the road, only recently repaired from the effects of a former spate, has 1 again been washed away, the gravel being carried into the ditch on the lower side bodily. Messrs Hay Bros.' flax mill was also flooded, and 'iterations suspendediu consequence. As there r iias ; been no rain'i ? to occasion the rise for a ¥bng -way inland, the fall must have taken place -amongst the. mountains, at the head waters of the river, and probably the volume has been largely ..increased by the melting of the early snows. The Shamrock, Eose, and Thistle Lodge, of the Oddfellows Order, long desirous of obtaining a suitable building of their own in which to hold their meetings, and otherwise provide for carrying -on the business of the Lodge, some time since purchased the extensive premises in Tay-street, formerly known as the Union Hotel. Some alterations were, of course, .requisite to adapt the building to its .new purpose, and for some weeks the house has been in the possession of carpenters, 'painters, and paperhangers. The improvements 'are all but" completed, and the opening of the hall will be celebrated by a" supper and ball, to be given next week. A visit to the premises showed that no pains had been spared to render c apartments v «b convenient and comfortable as possible, nor has elegance and taste been overlooked. On the ground floor is a large hall, 40 x 20ft., for public assemblies, the opposite side of the lobby being occupied by the private rooms of the keeper of the institute. Upstairs is the hall in which the members hold their ordinary meetings, aho measuring 40 x2O feet ; a large room, about half the size of the hall, fitted up for a library, of which the nucleus has already been formed, and two smaller rooms, available for waiting or cloak-rooms, as occasion may require. The manner in which the wh^le of the renovations have been executed, reflects credit alike upon the architect, Mr Kerr, and the contractor for the work, Mr Bonthron, while the associated proprietors may be congratulated upon the possession of a spacious, handsome, and complete establishment. .j The first regular meeting of the Mutual Improvement. Society takes place at the PresbyDJferian Hall, Tay-street, on Monday evening, at the '"usual hour. The first business, we understand, will be the enrolment of members for the season, after which some readings will be given, or possibly, should "the President, Mr Stobo, have returned from an up-country visitation in time, the evening will be occupied by an opening lecture. Those for whose special behoof this Society was organised, young men, ought to attend and join at once. As an inducement for their doing so, it may be mentioned that arrangements have been made for a number of lectures during this session, one to be given monthly, or possibly oftener. We learn that the gravelling of the North Road at the four-mile swamp, is approaching completion. The contractor, Mr Shearer, expects to finish in the course of the ensuing week. - Mr Reese's weigh-bridge was sold at the <Prince of Wales Hotel on Wednesday last, by Mr Ross, auctioneer, for the sum of £100. The purchaser was Mr L. Rodgers, and we understand the machine will shortly be moved to a position opposite Mr Mitson's hotel in Tay-street. Sixty fine stud Leicesters, mixed sexes, from the Company's paddocks, have been nibbling the grass :in the Government reserve during the past day or iiwo, waiting the arrival of the Claud Hamilton, for shipment to Dunedin, they being destined for breeding purposes in Otago. Westport (says, the Times of the 29fch ult.) underwent yesterday the ancient and almost forgotten excitement attending a new rush. From midnight on Sunday, and until night-fall yesterday, the boatmen on the river were busily engaged conveying passengers from the north shore to a secluded spot in the South Lagoon. A few of these were from the town, but the majority were from the Northern Terraces — Terrace men who, happening to be in town, took advantage of the opportunity of visiting the locality of the rush, or who, having received a hint from friends, travelled towhwards from the Terraces during night. Rußhes across rivers are often of a suspicions character. The general public-do not always give the boating fraternity the credit of being superior to the temptation of causing a; little excitement when some of the current coin! of the realm is likely to come their way. But ! this was not, in any equivocal sense, a boatman's rush. Iv its beginnings it was lona fide, and, so far as it has gone, it is of good report. It would have been more of a rush but for the physically discouraging .prevalence of relentless rain.

The first cylinder of the Wanganui bridge was sunk on the 31st ult. Trade is improving in some of the country districts of Auckland, gum digging and flax dressing receiving a large measure of attention. The number of diggers in the Collingwood district, Kelson, is variously estimated at from 350 to 500. „ The lasfc 'arrivals area party of diggers from Auckland. We regret to learn from the Australian papers that Mr Weld has met with an accident, having broken two of his ribs by a fall from his horse. According to the "Examiner, gold-bearing quartz i 3 supposed to exist in the Maitai Valley, close to Nelson. Upwards of two tons of stone have been taken out and are being crushed by a small two-headed stamper driven by steam. A partial washing; revealed the presence of gold in small quantity, but it is quite possible that by sinking deeper a better specimen of stone might be got. A "fine mansion," from plans by Mr James Wrigley, is being: erected for the chief Bapana, on the Pukerahui Hill, near Auckland. According to the quarterly abstract, the estimated population of Victoria, on 31st December, 1869, amounted to 710,284 persons, the increase during the year 1869 being 25,958. The arrivals by sea during the year were 5151 males, and 2529 females. The Taranaki papers state that some of the electors of Omata intend to nominate Mr Henry Sewell for the seat for that district in the House of Representatives, rendered vacant by the resignation of Major Brown, should news be received by the next mail that he will arrive in New Zealand in time to attend the ensuing session of the General Assembly. From other sources we learn that Mr Sewell is a passenger by the Somersetshire, now due in Melbourne. The Timara Serald furnishes the following particulars regarding the^ recent boiling-down operations at the Washdyke establishment : — The total number of sheep put through the vats is about 5000. Of this number there were some 2500 old ewes, which were dry, and had been fattened up, averaging 401bs in weight, which yielded 131bs of tallow per head. A mob of 1500 wethers averaging 481bs, gave I7lbs of tallow per head. The average weight of a lot of half-bred sheep operated on, was BSlbs, and 221bs of tallow were obtained per head. These sheep were of a mixed sort, several small ones being in the mob, and this consequently reduced the general average materially. According to the Auckland Serald, Colonel M'Donuell is about to marry again, and retire into private life. „ The Wellington Advertiser, referring to the late captures of prisoners by Ropata, enquires — " What is to be done with the prisoners ? Are they to be turned loose again at once ; or is the farce of trials for high treason to be gone through first." The Oamartt Times, states that a mangelwurzel root has been exhibited in Oamaru measuring four feet in circumference, and ■weighing forty-seven pounds. _• . Sir George Grey has contributed a very interesting paper to the January number of the Fortnightly Review on the death chant of the savages: The examples which he gives are Maori laments, and some of them are very fine indeed. A Wellington paper writes : — <c Some of our members of the General Assembly fancy that propositions are maturing for suggesting separation — Auckland to be the head-quarters for the Northern, and Dunedin for the MidJle Island.", There are, it appears, no less than 1340 officers employed in the Civil department of governing the Colony of New Zealand. The salaries vary from £1700, which ia the annual amount received by Chief Justice Arney, to the lowest, £5, which is the rate allowed to various postmasters. Barlow, of bluetail-fly celebrity, is now^a sugar planter in Queensland. • Mr Erank Buckland, in Land and Water of January 1, comments upon the salmon discovery of last year. It will be remembered that it was stated that two men fishing in the Derwent had caught, with a seine, a salmon ten inches long and five inches in girth, and a second nine inches long. Mr Buckland makes the following remarks: — "These fish can hardly be called salmon ; if anything, they are small grilse. I should be exceedingly anxious to examine the specimens. If our Australian friends wish to know if their experiments— to which we must all wish the greatest success — have succeeded, they should examine the upper waters and tributaries. The breeding salmon will show themselves there readily enough if they are in the river." King Thakombau, of Fiji, has sent by Mr Drew, in the Jeanie Duncan, recently arrived at Wellington, as a present to the Governor of New Zealand, two rolls of native cleth made from the bark of the mulberry tree, known in the island as ," tap pa." .They are of the choicest patterns and manufacture, and were prepared for two of the young chiefs to wear on the expected visit of the Duke of Edinburgh last year. Some fine roots of the " piper.methisticum," of which the " yagona," or native grog of Viti, and "kava" of the other islands are made, accompany the " tappa." A large turtle was also sent, but unfortunately died a few days before the arrival of the vessel. Mr B. P. Sealey and a party have started from Timaru to. Mount Cook, ,to take a series of photographic views of its glaciers. Among other objects, they mean, if possible, to reach the summit of the mountaip. Low fevers among adults, and dysentery among children, are very prevalent in Greymouth. .......