The Southland Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. Luceo Non Uro. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18.

Southland Times, Issue 3301, 18 January 1879, Page 2

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. Luceo Non Uro. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18.

■ ■ — - — ■■» Recognition.-— The position of Immigration Officer is not by any means either a sinecure or an equivalent for a bed of roses. An infinite variety of character has to be dealt withjand tiact of ho mean order is indispensable to reconcile differences, sooth apprehension, incite to vigorous action, and; above all, to look upon the right .side of things. ,It is not often, let the trouble taken with them be what itjinay, that immigrants after they have left barracks bestow a thought upon the Immigration Officer in whose charge they have been, and Who has been put to so much trouble with; them, at, we may add, not a very high remuneration. It is therefore with pleasure that we record one instance of consideration—bnthe part of one of the Waitara immigrants. One of them, evidently writing in the interest of others, sent a letter to Mr Lillicrap, the immigration agent here, thanking him very sincerely for the kindness he had displayed towards them, and the interest he had taken in their welfare. A Serious Charge. — At the Police Court yesterday morning, beforeH. McCulloch, Esq., R.M., William Gray was charged with larceny from a dwelling. Inspector Fox conducted the case, and Mr Matthews appeared on behalf of accused. Mathias Soronsen, tailor, residing at Mataura Bridge, deposed to having eir ployed the man in his shop at Mataura Bridge. On Tuesday afternoon, 7th January, they both left Invercargill for Mataura Bridge together. On arriving they both went to his house. Witness had some money with him — nine £5 notes and two £1 notes, all on the Colonial Bank. They were in his pocket-book. It also contained a land order for 40 acres in Queensland, a money order for £8 18s' (drawn by Robert McNab), and other papers. No one but prisoner knew he had the money.' He shewed it to him. Shortly before midnight they went to bed. Before going to bed he went into another room with accused and placed his money in a trunk, closed the door, and went into the bedroom. He put the key of the trunk into his trousers pocket, and put his trousers on a chair by the bedside. The prisoner slept at the front of the bed : he said he was afraid he would get sick during the night, and would prefer sleeping there. The doors of the house were securely fastened. Shortly after one o'clock he awoke, and struck a match, and found Gray had disappeared. His trousers also had gone. He opened the trunk, and could not find his pocket-book. Prisoner's swag had also been removed. Information was at once given to the police. There was no one in the honse that night bufc accused and himself. In cross-examina-tion, ~ witness admitted he had had some brandy, but not much. He found accused a good workman, and never saw anything dishonest about him during the time he was in his employ. The further hearing of the case was adjourned for a week. New Zealand Gazette. — The Gazette of the 4th inst. appoints the Courfc Houses at Gore and Fortrose as polling places for the electoral district of Mataura. Sittings of the District Court are fixed as follows :—Queenstown — February 10,- April 14, June 9, August 11, October 13, December 10 ; Arrowtown — February 13, April 17, June 12, August 14, October -16, December 12 ; Invercargill — January 20, February 18, March 20, April 21, May" 20, June 20, July 21, August 20, September 22, October 20, November 20, December 17. If any of the dates fall on a Sunday, the Court is held the following day. Immigrants. — The Wellington Post of the 10th inst. takes exception to many of the immigrants who arrived by the Fernglen. Our contemporary says :— " A very large number of the immigrants by this ship can only be designated as an inferior class ; a class which in the interests of the colony, .ought for the most part to have been rejected in London. Of course there are numerous exceptions ; but many of the passengers, both male and female, are stunted in figure and weak in physique, hot oyer cleanly in their personal appearance ; some even had a look of squalor : while, in general, they presented a stolidity of appearance and a singular lack of intelligence in their faces as if they had come from the most ignorant and half-starved quarters of the United Kingdom. We do not want the dregs or the weaklings of the British population. We want .here men and women of good physical frame, bright clear eye with the light of the spirit of adventure in it, and a look and lithehess that mean capacity for Work and a wiU to perform it. ; In the majority of cases these necessary qualities were conspicuously absent from among the immigrants by the Fernglen." The Post admonishes the authorities to be more careful in the selection of immigrants for New Zealand; we heartily endorse his remarks. Accident -nsARRiyjgRTON,^-0n Thursday, Mr J.. N. Wood, R.M.! held an inquest at Oreti Bush,miear Riverton, on the body of a man named John Hayes, who died under circumstances detailed in the summary of the evidence appended. Alexander Frew, a son-in-law of the; deceased, deposed that on; Tuesdays afternoon,/; th^ he went with the deceased to fetch a load of firewood. On Jre^rninghe stopped -the horses outside of •the fence, sclqse tp.tJhe house, and went on to the load of- -wood to* throw it off. Deceased was then.standing.behihd the dray, Me asked if \ntnesS;\vas Vgoing^to Jtake7the ; leader ; off, and 'he J replied there whs ;nodanger,* ; but if the deceased thought -there was be could go to theJhorse'sJ head; and hold the reins,' AAltness had commenced to. throw the load; off, when he felt "the Vdray^ ihoye,* and lbpkihg down towardsJthe deceased •he observed that he hadthe hear reinJin his hand, and the other w as iymglooseohVttie ground. ; He had drawn the - : rein-Jin hishand, andJthe horses began to pull, coding; toiind: to vyai'ds him. Witness called outdo him to catch hold of the other rein -and straighten the horses.' The deceased, however, pulled the near rein more, 1 which brought the horses closer to him. Witness observed him falling, and got off the dray. He found him behind the dray trying to raise [himself up. AVitness raised him up, and, along with his wife, assisted him in walking to the house. The deceased stated that he had put his foot in a small ditch and feU, and that the wheel of the dray had gone ; square over him. Dr. Monktcon deposed! that he had attended the deceased and found his ribs broken on' the right hand side. JEJe died that evening from the injuries he had received. A. yeVdict was returned to tbe effect that Jhe deceased died from injuries accidentally received. -There were no grounds to suspect foul play, but the deceased being a very old man be was not active enough to get out of the way of the dray,

Railway Demonstration.— We understand that over 100 telegrams, containing invitations, were dispatched yesterday to those gentlemen who are to be invited to the banquet, and fully that number of written invitations. His Worship the Mayor and the Town Clerk must have their hands very full at the present moment. The Railway Opening.— The Mayor of Avenal, Mr A. Anderson ] informs us that his Council has voted the sum of £10 towards the expenses of the demonstration in connection with the opening of the Northern Railway. The money is to be placed at the disposal of the General Committee. The amount is certainly not large," but the example is one which ought to'be-foUowed by aU.the suburban Corporations. GOOD Templary.— The order is extending at Appleby and" has found high favor amongst the juveniles, who have formed a.lodjge that j is monthly increasingin numbers. On Thurs- 1 , day nighfc the youngsters held a concert,which ' was numerously attended^ and was sustained almost entirely by themselves. The superintendent, Mr C. Hamlin, presided ahd con--1 ducted the proceedings. A veiy pleasant evening was SDent. The Strathmore Estate.— This magnificent freehold estate will be submitted to public competition by* Mr G. F. Martin, on Thursday next. The' land is situated in the Aparima Hundred, western district, and as a whole contains over 3000 acres. This area has been cut up into suitable farms varying in size from 90 to 300 "acres, and very, liberal terms will be offered to purchasers. Strathmore has the "reputation of being one of the finest properties in Otago, and presents special inducements to buyers from its close j pioximity to the township of Otautau. It is i also contiguous to the" present terminus of [ the Invercargill-Riverton-Otautau Railway. Horticultural Society.— A meeting of the Committee of the Southland Horticultural Society was held last night at the Princess "Hotel. Mr Goodwillie, President, was in the chair. There was a large .attendance of members. The chief business before the meeting was the adjusting of finances «in connection with' the recent show. The financial statement, which was submitted, was of a highly satisfactory character, indicating that the proceeds from the recent show had been very large, and that after the payment of. prize money and accounts a handsome balance would remain to the credit of the Society. The whole of the accounts against the Society, and the prize money in full, were passed for payment. After the transaction of some other business the meeting adjourned. The next meeting of the Society will be held on the first Friday in February. \ The Departure of the Waitara. — The New Zealand Shipping Company's fine vessel the Waitara is to sail from the Bluff this morning for London, it having been arranged that the Oreti shall tow her out into the straits. The stay of this ship at the Bluff has been unusually short, the operations of discharging and loading having been completed with almost unprecedented despatch. She takes away from the colony a valuable cargo of wheat, wool, and preserved meats. During the stay of the Waitara at the port, Captain Alexander McKelvie, who was in charge of the vessel, has secured for himself the sincere friendship of a large circle of the inhabitants. On Thursday night a number of those with whom he has formed an acquaintance siuce his arrival availed themselves of the special facilities afforded by the late train on the Bluff branch, and paid a visit to the Waitara. They were hospitably received by Captain McJKelvie, and a very enjoyable evening was spent, dancing being the chief attraction. The health of the , captain was drunk with musical honors, and he was heartily wished by all present a speedy and prosperous voyage. A number of his friends purpose visiting the Bluff to-day to witness the departure of the Waitara. Burton's Circus. — The attendance at the circus last night* was even larger than on the previous evening, the spacious marquee being filled to repletion. The chief attraction of the evening was that ever popular equestrian drama Dick Turpin, which was produced in the ring in an unusually realistic manner, and elicited enthusiastic applause from the immense concourse of spectators. The title role was ably sustained by the proprietor of the establishment, Mr Burton, while the subsidiary characters found efficient exponents in the various members of the company. A prominent feature in this portion of the entertainment was the stage coach and four, which was driven into the ring, where it was " bailed up" in the othodox fashion by the übiquitous and irrepressible Dick -Turpin. The splendid black mare which sustained the important part of Black B,ess, exhibited an unusually high degree of training, and went through its performance in the dying scene in a manner that at once surprised aud gratified the audience. The piece will be repeated to-night. Loyal, in his " principal " act on horseback, turned some surprising somersaults, while Lazelle and Muffitt, in their " two brothers" act, displayed wonderful accomplishments as gymnasts. An afternoon performance, will be given to-day at 2 o'clock, and this evening the company will present their entertainment for the last time during the present tour in Invercargill. On Monday night only a performance will be given at Riverton. • " The Archives of the. Universe." — The new Theatre in Dee street, now almost completed, was practically opened yesterday evening, when the Rev. C. J. Byng, incumbent of St. Matthews', Dunedin, lectured on the subject quoted above. The Theatre, although not by any me<ms in a finished state, answered the purpose admirably, and Mr Sloan may be congratulated upon the evident success which has attended his efforts to render the acoustic properties of the structure as complete as possible. Mr Byng's voice could be heard throughout his able and interesting lecture, and this taking into account the size of the building is the more remarkable when ifc is considered that several portions of the structure yet remain unfinished. AVhen the building is thoroughly completed it may confidently be anticipated that the acoustic properties wili be perfect. The building was well lighted taking into account the hurried manner in which the somewhat impromptu lights were erected, and the lights from their position have a most pleasing effect, and especially illuminate the elegant ceiling, which is an adornment in itself.. The Theatre last night was not so well filled as it was anticipated it would have been, but doubtless this was owing to other attractions. The Rev. Mr Knowles, of Gladstone, occupied the chair, and introduced the lecturer in highly eulogistic terms. Mr Byng was received with applause, and at once launched out into his subject, which he placed before his auditors with an originiality which stamped the lecture as a product of careful and attentive research. The lecturer showed conclusively that all that was uttered on earth was carried through space to the regions beyond, and drew an excellent moral therefrom. The best proof of the hold Mr Byng had upon his audience was the wrapt attention with which he w ? as listened to "throughout. At the conclusion of the lecture, Mr Russell moved that a hearty vote of thanks should be accorded Mr Byng for his -able lecture. He only felt one regret, and -that Ayas'. that the building was not filled to overflowing. He would take 1 the opportunity of mentioning that Mr Byng's services were given gratuitously, to i raise some small amount to liquidate a debt ! at present existing on the church at Glad stone. Mr Pearson seconded the motion, which was put to the meeting and carried j amidst much applause. Mr Byng humor - i ously referred to the " dryness " of the subject he had endeavored to explain and congratulated the people of Invercargill on the wonderful amount of patience with which they were endowed. Should he have an opportunity of again lecturing in Invercargill | he should take care to select a njore interest- , ing subject. Tenders are invited by JMr Burwell for the erection of school buildings at Riverton. i A cottage is advertised to let in Leet street, and another for sale in .Tweed strcot. ' Messrs J. Waddel and Co., Bluff, advertise coke and fire-bricks from Greymouth for sale. A reduction in the price of meat is announced by Herman Rose, butcher, Bluff road. A meeting of the Invercargill Fire Brigade is to be held on Monday evening for the purpose of making final arrangements for the torchlight procession in connection with the railway demonstration on Wednesday. A remarkable announcement respecting a free show to-night on the street, near the Post Office, i will be found in another column. It is now officially intimated that the banquet in connection with the opening of the Northern railway will take place on Wednesday night, at 7o'clo'ck. ' ■' . It is notified that the valuation lists for the various ridings ih the County of Wallace, for the' year 1879-80, are now open for inspection atthe Council Ghamber, Riverton. The secretary of the Horticultural Society intimates that prize money awarded at the "recent show vrill be payable after Friday next, at the .shop of Mr Goodwillie, Tay street. -The Rev. Mr Byng, of Dunedin, \yill preach

at All Saints', Gladstone, to-morrow, morning and evening. ; The Weekly Times of to-day is exceptionally commendable; comprising as it does thirty pages, inclusive of a two page supplemt. There are twenty-five pages of closely set reading matter, containing "A Holiday Trip; in the Western District,'' a : very full telegraphic, summary of " News ' of the World" by the San Francisco mail. Voluminous calograms convey the latest news from all parts of.the world, and very interesting items from Australia, whilst the latest New J Zealand intelligence of every kind is set forth in ; pages of telegrams suppHed by the new Press Association and the Press Agency. There are country correspondent's letters, full reports of local bodies.: our Paris letter, the speech bf the Hon.Mr Stout delivered at Dunedin,'a full report of the last meeting of the Southland Education Board. The budget of. intercolonial news, specially compiled, is - veiy Interesting, and there are full ahd'reliable' re-' ports of the proceedings ih :■ connection with the Mataura election, includiug the result. The progress of new- buildings ; in Invercargill is described, aud the commercial and shipping pages are very full and readable. Some good articlesjare to be found in the Spirit of the Press columns, and agriculturists will see vmuch to interest them hi the pages . devoted to the Farmers' Gazette. An extraordinary account of an extensive Bank of England robbery is worth, perusing. A great deal of inf ormation worth knowing is to be seen amongst the scientific and useful- articles. J As usual much care has been exercised in connection with the ladies' page— the poetry is good; a very instructive letter by Sylvia, in . the Home, Joiu*nal, is quoted ; household recipes, notes on fashions and family pastimes are full and varied, and some laughter -wili. be found amongst Fun; and Fancy. The nrs fc part of an interesting story by the Hon. Mrs JHJ Clifford, will recommend itself, we are sure. "■ The Weekly Times is in fact a first-rate family journal; and is sold by all booksellers in town. ' .