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Southland Times, Issue 2144, 2 July 1875, Page 2

i Direct Im.\ji&bation. — Our readers wil peruse with satisfaction the letter addressed by Sir Julius Vogel to the chairman of the Railway and Immigration Committee, and appearing in our columns of to-day. The efforts of the Committee haye at length been thoroughly successful,' and the Chairman was well entitled to take credit for that body as ho did at the recent meeting. It is to be remarked that not only is the full concession made that was asked for by Southland, but there is something peculiarly hearty in the teraa.g in which the Premier makes bis announcement,

Post Office Boxes. — We hayo repeatedly called attention to the absenco of light in the coTered passage giving accoss to the private boxes of the Post Offico. We presume that there is nothing for it but to start a subscription f>>r a kerosene lamp, as the Government refuses to ro i co!»nuo 't'-e desideratum. Possibly tho charjjo of £l u year is reckoned too ■ nail to afford such a luxury. Be this as it mny, it is simply dis/rnooful that men should bo oblige.l to grope their way to boxes in the ,1 u-k, and have no le bu! touch in dealing with valuable documents, which might easily bo 1 ist through each uncertain handling. It is po.'ti'ilo certainly to strike a temporary light, but this has its mconveniencios, and is a source of danger to the building, as we have had occasion to point out before By all means l-:t there be a subscription, find let us not be too h-ird upon an ill-nourished department. Fat Stock.— lt seems something like a contradiction that while the local butchers are com plaining of the scarcity of fat stock, the Now Zealand and iustralUn Land Company should have recently negotiated the sale of 5000 fat sheep to be delivered in Dunedin. A third draft of the lot, consisting of 750 started the other day, and wo understand that they will be about a fortnight on the road. It appears that a large order like this was executed last year, ond that not a single shoep was lost on the way, Celtic Learning. — A preliminary meeting of gentlemen interested in founding a Celtic Chair in the University of Edinburgh was held in the Club Hotel on Thursday afternoon, Ist July. The chair was occupied by the lion, Dr Menzies, and the meeting was numerously attended. Messrs D. Me Arthur, D. Carmichael, K. Mclvor, A. McNab, D. McKellar, P. McKellar, D. L. Mathoson, N. S. Campbell, J. Campbell, James Mackintosh, D. N. Cnmeron, J. McCrostie, R. Cameron, A McNeill, J. K. Cameron, D. Cameron, G. McLeod, C. Grey, D. Noble, D. Mcßae, F. MuKue, Weil Ferguson, and Dr Menzies, were appointed a committee with power to add to their number. A sub-committee was also appointed to carry into effect the object in view. Mr D. McArthur was appointed to act as permanent chairman and treasurer, and Mr Neil Fergujon as secretary. The Govebnob's Box. — Under the heading of " The Governor's Box," the Wellington Poat reports the following as a part of its Police Court proceedings on a recent date : — " Julia Patton was charged with using obscene language at the theatre on a recent Saturday night. It appeared that th<« prisoner took her eeat in His Excellency's box, and indulged in various eccentricities of conduct more peculiar than polite. After a while the spectators were rather astonished to behold two feet of abnormal magnitude elevated over tho front of the box, with the ancles thereunto belonging comfortably reposing on the edge, in lieu of the operaglasses ordinarily to bo seen there. Some of ihe spectators were scandalised, and Sergeant Price interfered. The prisoner, notwithstanding her stout contention — in marvellously choice language — that a freeborn English woman had a right to do what she would with ber own (ancles), was formed into procession and marched to the cells. She was condemned to expiate her assertion of liberty by paying 20s fine, or going to gaol for 48 hours." Maobi Atthobs. — The Thames Advertisor contains the following : — t: We hart) heard reports for som* tinis that one or two of the most famous among the Kingites have been stricken with the cacoethes scribendi, and intend soon to come before the public in the capacity of authors. To Kooti, it seems, meditates something in the way of an autobiography, comprising a defence of himself, and containing Dbservations upon prophecy, religious observances, antiquities, and traditions of the Maori race, with a glance (contemptuous) at the Vogelian policy. Te Nuakau, whom we have heard so much about of lute, and who now almost invariably represents the King, meditates a treatise upon the origin of the human species. We do not know whether he kas heard of Mr DarwiD, but we understand that his investigations or speculations would go to the confirmation of the views of that famous naturalist. Te N»ukau has not got so far back as that diffused vapour thrown off from the sun from which savans now trace everything, nor even to protoplasm, but he is going to work up some tr»ditions respecting a race of beings who were here in New Zsaland before the Maoris, and who could not possibly be other than the " missing links." We hope that these aboriginal litterateurs will not keep the world long in a state of expectancy." CiiHATic Infltjencx. — We take the following from the New Zealand Times : — " The immigration policy is not an unmixed benefit : it is frequently followed bj results of altogether too fruitful a character. For instance, I am aware of a gentleman in the Pairawapa — (I am particular in giving tho name of the district, 80 that the persons I am writing about may be easy of identification) — who exac ly one year ago advertised for the services on his property of " a man and wife, without incumbrance." Suitable parties presented themselves, and the gentleman, overlooking certain evidences on the part of the lady that hor husband would not be long without an incurnbrfuice, engaged them. Id one month the lady incumbered her husband with twins, and the employer indignantly remonstrated against this, as a breach of agreement, and a taking advantage of his kindness, which had conceiled one incara brance. However, as the offending parties were newly arrived immi-gr.-mts, the employer forgave them, under solemn obligations not to do it again. But I sicken for human trustworthiue a when I have to tell how, last, week, the lady again produced an incumbrance in duplicate, and attributed her misfortune to the climate. The employer is as patriotic a soul as ever breathed, but he sajs that he cannot afford to have the population increased at his expense in this way, and further he says that though an intimate frien.j of Parson Andrew, he considers t!e circumstance I have related no. fit subject for joking." Inteecaboill Finance. — In an article on the accounts of tho different corporations in the province, the Otago Guardian thus discourses on the financial condition of our Borough :— The Invercargill accounts for 1874 present a delightful array of " advances by bunker?." There is an advance on the reserves account of £497 15» lid ; on the gasworks account, of £2,518 12s 10 i ; and on the town account, of £3, 63 16s 2d. " The capitalist "has also contributed to the comfort < of the burgesses by subscribing to a second loan of £3,500, whiflh realised £3 456. Thus, out of a total income of £14,346, £9,536 was made up of loans. The loan charges for the year amounted to £740, but it does not require the prescience of a Daniel to predict that they will Boon considerably exceed that sum. The estimate of receipts for the current year is something startling. It amounts to £18,000 of which £10,000 is expected to j be obtained from gas debentures ; £3,000 j from other debentures, while a probable deficiency of £3,000 is acknowledged, leaving apparently a net income of £2,000 j but since all the items are set down in round numbers, and include £300 as the probable receipts from penalties imposed under the Corporation byc?laws, it io impossible to treat it as anything better than a gues» >rejl o,?er the mark. Repayments of overdrafts (igure prominently on the credit side of the account, against which £800 is likewise oharged for interest and sinking fund, lnveroargill is thoroughly vewd iu the mysteries of the credit system. I

Longitet t. KtNGSWEiiL. — In the Supreme Court in Banco, before Mr Justice Johnston, at Dunedin, on the 29fh June, Mr Macasßey, on behalf of the defendant in this locally well known case, applied for a rule n<si for a new trial. Mr Macassoy stated fio grounds on which he based the application, namely, that the learned Judge before whom the trial took place was not empowered . b? law to preside at the trial ;"that thoro had b en misdirection, the question put being wheth t the stream was or was not " perfectly fit" for human purposes ; that the verdict was against evidence ; that no measure of d-irnage w.is furnished by the Judge to the jury ; nnd that the verdict for a farthing showed a compromise, for if either party was entiled to anything, he was entitled to substantial damages. His Honor stated that he would not grant or refuse the ruV, but would like the matter to stand over till he had hid an opportunity of conferring with Mr Chapman, who, while acting under a special commisiion, had first heard the case at Inrercargill. The G-aoli— The following is the state of Her Majesty's Gaol, Inrercargill, for the month endinjj 80th June, 1875 : — Awaiting trial, 1 male j under remand, 2 males and 1 female ; hard labor, 23 males and 4 females ; | do'ault of bail, 1 male ; total, 27 males and 5 ■ females. Salb of Clinton Township.— lt will be seen by advertisement that this sale lias been postponed till to-morrow evening, at 6.30, •to afford working men an opportunity of attending. The sale of Capt. Inrerarity's other properties will coraraenes at 2 o'clock this day, in Messrs Martin, Maitland and Co's rooms. The Vivians. — This troupe will reappear at the I heatre Royal to-night, when Mr Vivian will take a benefit — well deserved by him. The programme will be found in our | advertising columns.