Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1587, 22 March 1873, Page 2

Local and General.

His Honoe the Judge.— His Honor Mr Justice Gresson is expected to arriye by this evening's coach, from Hokifcika. Tf so, his Honor will sit in Chambers on Tuesday next. Colombo Road School. — The average daily attendance at this school is now over 300, and there are many applications for admission for other children in the district. Sporting. — A cross-country meet, or which fairly liberal prizes are offered, will take place at Waimate at an early date. There are three events, viz. — Maiden Steeplechase, of £30, with entrance of £3 added ; South Canterbury Handicap, of £70, with sweepstakes £5 added ; Interprovincial Steeplechase, of £100, nominations £3, and acceptances £5, both added. Accident.— On Thursday evening, Mr Hill, veterinary surgeon, in driving round from Tuam street to the stables in rear of his residence made too sharp a turn, and one wheel of., the trap coming in contact with a verandah post both shafts were broken, the trap was overturned, and Mr Hill thrown violently into the street. Fortunately his injuries did not extend beyond a few bruises. ; Inqxtest. — An inquest was held at thfe Wharf Hotel, Ferry road, yesterday afternoon, before Dr Coward, coroner, ana a jury of. which Mr Fred. Peel was foreman, on the bodies of twin, sons of Mr Robfc. Gimblctt. The infants (who were born ,-on Sunday morning last) died in the absence of any medical maa. Dr Powell, who made a post-, mortem examination, deposed that the infants bad died from natural causes, and a verdict was returned to that effect / - • ■ ' Pbesentation. — Yesterday evening, the members of Sfc. Albans Choir' and friends to the number' of forty, assembled in the district schoolroom for the purpose of taking part in a presentation to the Misses Kirk, who are about to leave this province for Taranaki, where the Rev. W. Kirk has been stationed. The proceedings wore opened by a tea, which was tastefully provided by the lady members of * the choir. On its termination, Mr Morley, secretary to the choir, said he had been requested by his confreres to present the Misses Kirk with two photograph stands made by Mr Richard Wells. He expressed regret that the! Misses Kirk were compelled to leave the; St. Albans district, and hoped the stands would serve in future years to remind them of the many sincere friends they left behind. The Rev/ W. Kirk replied, on behalf of Mb daughters, in suitable terms, and during the remainder of the evening indoor games of variouß kinds served to^ bring^ the proceedings to a Batisfac;tory termination. ' "

_ Cbiminai. Sittings. — The Criminal Sit?., tings of the Supreme Court will commence on Monday, April 7. There is a large number of cases for trial. Hop G-ho-wtno in Tasmania. — The hop crop at New Norfolk, Tasmania is much heavier than was the ease last year. Over 500 acres are in fall bearing, and nearly 3000 men, women, and children are employed in picking. Is these no Australia ? — The Times under the above heading, gives the following extract from the Pall Mall Gazette :— We fear that emigration is too often conducted in a very loose manner, and that many poor persons in this country who have been induced by philanthropists to leave their own homes for lands alleged to be " flowing with milk and honey," find too late that they have made their position worse instead of better, and have, in fact, performed that feat vulgarly known as " jumping out of the frying pan into the fire." Nothing can be more melancholy than the account given by some agricultural labourers, who emigrated to Brazil in May last, and whose letters, of a " painfully interesting character," have just been published, of their condition in that country. " They have used us very badly," Bays one. "We have not tasted bread since we have been here We live together like pigs — in worse than pigsties ; and we shall soon all be pined to death here. We would not have come here for all the world, if we had known. It is a shame to get us but here like this. There are 114 out here with us, and we have all petitioned the Emperor to come back. There have five died in three weeks." Another complains : — " They have deceived us very much. You may expect me back in a short time, as soon as I have the money, and be sure and tell my brother George not to come out here, for it's no good, for they never fulfilled their promises. We have not found anything true what they have said. The houses are not so good as they are in England. We have nothing to eat but black beans and rice. There is no bread here. We have no bed to lie on but the cold ground. I have not undressed but three times since I left old England." It would be interesting to know who is responsible for the sufferings these unfortunate emigrants have endured. We learn from am. American paper that the man-of-war Portsmouth, now lying at the Brooklyn navy-yard, is fitting for a Government expedition to the Pacific. She will first go to San Diego, Lower California, and will then survey the waters of that coast. At present there are no good surveys of these waters, and, as they lie in the path of the San Francisco steamships, it is said to be of the utmost importance that there should be. The Portsmouth will next proceed to Honolulu, and will make that point her base of supplies. She will then survey the belt of the Pacific, lying between 25 degrees and 30 degrees north latitude, and will survey belt after belt — one to the north, one to the south . of .the central one — till the survey is completed. This method of crossing aiid recrossing to the; north and south will be pursued because it is: best adapted to the winds which prevail in' those seas. • * , : About a year ago rumours reached us that a snug littla 40-tonner, called the ' Kingfisher, owned and sailed by Mr F. R. Lee, a dis-; tingui3hed Royal Academician and a veteran yachtsman, had left England for Australia.: We subsequently heard of her arrival at the! Cape, and of her return to England, -whore' Mr Lee speedily sought out a larger and more comfortable craft to , bear him. through " the' roaring forties eastward of the Capo." His selection was the schooner Linda, ot 126 tons; built in 1869 by Camper and Nicholson, of Gosport, for Mr Clifford Smith. In- his new craft Mr Lee left Plymouth on July ;22, ; calling en route at; Madeira on August 4, at Cape de Verdes August 12, Cape Town September 27, remaining there for three weeks; She then left for the island of St Paul's, and thence to Amsterdam Island, where a landing could not be effected ewirig to heavy weather; She arrived at Melbourne on December 14, remained about a week, and proceeded to Tas4 mania, visiting Hobart Town, Port Arthur, and Fortescue Bay, from whence sho made, a, fine run of five days to Sydney, and arriving early on the morning of the 28th, , gave Mr Lee an opportunity of seeing some of our fastest yachts cither racing or cruising at the Anniversary regatta. , We. believe that .this is the first time that the St George's ensign- of the Royal Yacht Club has. been seen in these waters, and they are flown by ag pretty' a craft as could well be designed for cruisiing. Sho has every indication of speed as well as power, bui comfort rather" thaq great speed seems to have. been. the special design of 1 her- builders. Hei* model ha achiairj-able-T-a nicely' r6uhi3ed -side, 'plenty : of free} board,, and just enough! shleer !tb r g{ve n het plenty of lifting power forward, without being unsightly. A fine entrance; and prettily carved stem, terminating in : a half -bust figurehead^ give her a smart appearance at the -fore end. Her stem is. marked by. a lqng|overhang which the present system of yacht measurement has helped, to ; perpetuate.- ;'A ; good sized gfg oji davits amidships, and a ! -yacht 'punt of tlife usual -•' desoriptiom, forms herrcqmplenrent ojf boats 1 ., Thait she can go is v testified by^3og> showing 1551 miles for. six days, and 1100 for five days, during her outward passage.? Oh. stepping below we find a large and splenqlidiy finished saloon, upholstered with crimsOrijj and ornamented with _ mirrors and manbganjp panels. Abaft of this is the ladies' cabin, alsp elegantly fitted, but converted for the nonce into a repository of curios, &c., collected by Mr Lee during his present cruise. Several spacious staterooms complete that portion df the vessel intended for pleasure. The sailing master and crow are berthed forward, and botli in their portions of the yaoht and in the steward's department everything is fitted up with a nice regard to comfort, convenience, and Bpace. The date of the Linda's departure from Sydney ib not yet fixed,- but it is probablethat she will leave for New Zealand in the early part of February, and-, return England, via Torres Straits.— Sydney Mail. \

Tkie Maiauba Railway. — An Inrerci giii paper states that the formation of t Mataura Railway to Woodlands is now coi ploted, with the exception of 7000 yards earthwork, which might be finished in a foi night. Silver Coinage. — Hobarfc Town h lately received the following new silv coinage from England : — 32,000 florins, 64,CK shillings, 48,000 sixpences, and 32,000 thre pences. A similar supply of the small coins would be by no means unacceptable this colony. Scandalous but too Common. "It quite time," remarks the Australasian, " th utter discouragement be shown to pedestrii feats. At the sports the other day a youi fellow about to run on his' merits, and for h own amusement, was more than once insults before tho event by offers of , money not win. He wasn't to be bought, and he d win. But isn't the existence of ah unde current of swindling of this kind sufficient stifle the little interest which is still taken , pedestrian contests ?" .■ A G-ood Woek.— The Neio Zealand Sera says :— On visiting the Church. o£ Englai cemetery we observed with much pleasure sailor from H.M.S. Blanche busily occupii in painting the head stones of several of t officers of the navy who fell in action durii the Maori war. The man was evident taking a great deal of pains with his wor and the stones wear a very different aspect what they have done for many a long daj but of every man of war that arrives in tl port there is sure to be one or two of the m who like to go and have a look at where t bones of their brave officers lie, and no dou they will be pleased to see that some oi takes an interest in keeping the grave Order. . A Wrap, in " Lamb's " Clothing.— Tl champion billiard player of the. Australia colonies visited, the goldfields recently inco nito. He strolled into a billiard-room Tuapeka, and challenged tho marker, .wl after beating him two or three times; ga him 20 out of a hundred, and a f ew shillin were staked on the game. The marker w< again, and also won several other games. T spectators began to laugh at the strang* who, however, in spite of his numerous cLefea preserved a smile "that was childlike .ai bland," but being jeered at, expressed 1 willingness to play anyone that could be f oiii in the district. The result is, that ; fche Ai tralian champion departed from the townsh a richer man than he came to it, and that number who tried to fleece found themseh shorn. . Our, readers can supply the. moral this simple narrative. The Poveety Bay Oh Spbikss.-^— T Standard, published at Gißborne, Pov,er Bay, has. the; following upon a natural pi duct, which is, likely to give great commerc importance to the district :— Our oil spriu it would appear are attracting the attention the outside world. Amongst the last arriva two gentlemen, said to have had' some expe ,ence in these matters, have paid us a visit wi a "view of practically testing the capabilit of our petroleum springs. They purpc taking advantage of the favourable change the weather and visit that part of the count where this source of wealth is to be foiu 'Captain Reed is, we believe,' most interest in. the land, and he expresses a great desire offer every possible facility to these gent men, or others, possessed of sufficient capi and knowledge, by which means it may 1 come a lucrative industry. We s shall- aw .the report of these gentlemen's iopiriion'w intei'est.- > : : . New Zealand TiMBEB.^The foilowi memorandum by Mr Balfour upon. New. Z hind woods possesses much value. He saj " New Zealand woods are for the most p; short in the grain and break with little wa: me, although.to; thk there ,is ( a; numbervaluable exceptions', yet the ra^ioof 'safe lq to breaking weight is high," which !. greatly go pensates for this peculiarity/ The • black 1 a red birch will be largely used 1 for public, wpi in future,. as they grow to a largo 'size' a possess very valuable properties.' He su'gge a complete investigation' of all the facts a matter of real public importance. Anotl matter he recommends to the consideration the Government for investigation, namely,'! proper time for felling timber. In couritr 'where the climate is severe the' season* is ! m winter, or. midsummer,; when VtheJ trees moat free of sap. v In; Newrisealand, where climate is never severe and trees never cc to. grow, he suggests v that midsummer yrox be the; best time. Spring and autumn are worst seasons for felling. .Attention shoi also' be paid to the important question" seasoning-timber. ' ' ■ ..■•-:'.: •■. The Last New Dodge. — Encouraged, doubt/sHy tlieTieinpiiihg bonuie's Vofferedi^ General Government? for jthe es^blishmenj new industries, some, individuals of a speci tive turn of mind (says the Tuapeka Tim have .endeavoured to, intaKhice.a simple ( 'expeditious mode of turning the natoral sources, . of r . the to., account, which described as the "five pound trick." 'i modus operandi is as follows : — A gentlei of agreeable manners but of uncertain- mo and place of residence, enters a public hoi and having established friendly relati between the landlord »nd the individuals \ may- happen to be..present ,and 'himself, vites the whole to partake of liquid refn ment. When he extend^the said invitat he ostentatiously exhibits a five pound n that it is all the monej has in the world, or something to that e£f and that he intends^ to stick to it as long possible.- «■ He- manages to convince the . ]& lordorbar^nan, that the. note ho is exhibit is a genuine" fiyer." ; When the ,liquo.rs being drunk he adroitly changes tte five ft one pound note,, throws it to tho indi^id behind the bar, who, having previously amined it, feels certain of its amount, thn itcareleßsly into. the. till, and gives the cha for q, .-five. When, at ' tho solemn midnij the day's takings are being counted, the v of lamentation is heard in the house whei the liberal stranger ha» shouted. -. „ •.

Bankruptcy. — The Registrar aat in Chambers .yesterday, and disposed of a number of Ibarikruptcy applications. A New Ofeba Company.— &' 'German opera troupe were performing in San.Francisco a few weeks ago, and intelligence' has been received that they intend visiting Australia immediately. The troupe is Bpoken of as very superior to any that has visited that .city, and the baritone ia specially mentioned as being something marvellous. The Cape Route.— The Melbourne cororespondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, writing on Feb. 26, says :— The advocates of the proposed steam service by way of the Cape of Good Hope are of cpurseamongst the -dissentients from the resolutions': of the Conference in relation to future, postal services. These gentlemen, have, . however, certain dissentients from their own proposals, •and the most prominent of them, is a medical gentleman of repute in one of our suburbs •(Dr Thomson), who has a great -penchant for yachts. And the worthy doctor has for some time been advocating a rapid sailing service •by the Cape route, to be done by yachts of large build, and suited chiefly for passengers. His suggestions were revived the other day in ■a lengthy paper addressed to the President of the Chamber of Commerce, and inserted in =fche Age. The document is an elaborate one, and contains a vast amount of useful information bearing on the question of steamers and sailing ships and their capabilities. An iron yacht of 2000 tons could, according to Dr Thomson, be made as strong as an iron ■braced girder, and would be less costly than 'the .ordinary steamer, the slow, deep, dirty 'sailing ship, or the hybrid auxiliary with the Worst faults of both and the advantages of neither. If confined to the passenger trade, for which alone the ship yacht is fitted, its spacious deck would be cleared fore and affc for exercise from obstructing , hencoops, cowraheds, sheep-pens, and piggeries ; and the passage might be made between this and England in fifty days, the quickest yet refcorded passage by a steamer being fifty-three and a half days and by a sailing vessel fiftyeight days. Notwithstanding, however, the .^clever . and well-sustained arguments ■ of the .writer, carried out as they are: almost to ■^demonstration, he has at present but few disciples, and the public regards bis views .only a 8 but theory and speculation. ■•■' 'South Atjsxbama.— The South Australian •Correspondent of the Australasian, in a letter •appearing in that journal of March 8, says : '—The Register, from an analysis of about •100 reports that have reached it from various farming districts, has come to the conclusion : that the wheat yield for 1872-3 will be about '■•12J bushels for the -whole province. This cannot be considered a large average in Victoria, but it has given rise to fervent thanks--giving in this colony, where of late years the has been dishearteningly poor. Affectingas.it does an area estimated at 775,000 ,*cres,- it (.means an aggregate produce of 9,400,000 bushels, enough to feed the greater part of the inhabitants of Australia and New, -.Zealand. Deducting 2,300,000., bushels for • seed; and for local consumption, we have- an exportable surplus of 7,100,000. ; bushels, or; .between 160,000 and 170,000 tons. This ;will; 'not go far towards making up the deficiency in the supply of Great Britain, but it will bring, in a handsome return to the colony in '.the. way of hard cash. "We cannot/ of course, " shut; our eyes to the fact that we are sending "away 'the riches of the land, but whilst our home population remains so small as it is, there -is no help for it. Speaking of population, we : are Horrified to find from the re-giitrar-general'a statistics, that during last year the excesß of emigi'atipn over immigration was considerable, eight or nine hundred "persons more. hiving left the colony than '^came into it; ' Natural increase is doing much 'for* South Aiißtralia, but'it ib not pleasant.to find ' * that , so. maiiy. of the people; ore taking '"tHeniflelveSjOff.;'; ' ;^ i L .;"/. s .'.\'.' ':.[[["" ' :: ;' ; !! ". t yy'/^HqiESAM'dATIiE.STE^IKGINj' QUEENS- ' XAi?Dj.— riL remarkable catfjle-^teajing'case, says .Vthe', Australasian of "March;. 8; was -teied at , Roma;;! Queensland, about -, three weeks . ago; "Henry Bedford was' charged , with, having ,Btolen ,4flo.head of. cattle (from Bowen Downs in March, IS7OV The number missed- from J;he. station. at the time, was 1000. One animal Hwaß','a valuiable bull: 5 , \The witness who . threw I most' light on the case was/James 'He was ", in 'company with, dnd c three _ other, men, .named IM'Kenzie, .Dbuidney, and " Brooke, on Bowen Downs station, in.'thb;year 1870, in charge, of drays and horses belonging "^oaman named; Forrester. ' They all wtent 25 miles "up the Thompson Kiver, and there built cattle-yards. Whe,n the yardß were completed, he, with- the others, mustered a large number of the .Bowen 'Downs cattle, and fi!le'd;/tho yards witK them. The cattle were afterwards drafted off nvinobs of 200and^300 at a time to Forrester's camp.: The'wlu'teJ bull oufeide the court was [amongst the, cattlp taken^at that" 'iiiaej ! lh'ej Object Tieing' that He "would ..keep the/ co'wJß-.and^ heifers quiet, of "whi,cb! ■th'ere"were : a lar^enumber in thein6b'J fT -Ultir maleljrthe wh^bl# 6f the cattle were' driven 1 off bf] Eeafordi 0 M^Kenzie, and BrtfoEe'tb-i wards colonies. irt'e^wilnew' was not a very^satiflfactory one, it must: lie admitted. He Had escaped from punishment himself because the jury thought him'insanpi He was sent to Brisbane, but broke oufrdf'tlje The authorities re-arrested him in New South Wales, and gave hinva.free pardon to induce him to furnish fair evidence in ! the t present trial. But there was proof; 'independently of M'PhersonV statement, that, in the month of June, Redford sold the bull and '-•■ two ' cows to a man named Allan Walke, in 1 South Australia, at a place 1000 ■miles from' : Bowen Downs. The -bull was identified with readiness by the owners. The jury acquitted the prisoner. Much surprise w.as, evinced at the verdict, in which the judge joined: and, after having requested the fpreman,to repeat it,. he said, "Thank God: gentlemen, that verdict is yours, not mine." The 'costs of the witnesses in this case were «»m£600.;: \ t \ ;;-:. ~' ; "";' \ ; ' ...y' - :; "\ '

The Invercargill correspondent^df ihe Otag'p JDaily Times . writes .: — The schooner Nancy arrived in" the New River last week from a Bealing cruise to the Snares, where she has been singularly successful. Her cruise ex- ! tended over a period of two months, and she brought back 400 skins. The above venture resulted in a suit before the Resident Magistrate's Court. It appears a Bill providing a close season for seal hunting was passed last year, and the seals in question were taken in contravention of the provisions of that Act: A modified penalty of £1 was imposed, together with a caution against any future transgression of the kind. Meantime an important point arises. The Aucklands and Campbells, both seal hunting grounds of great importance, are said by the Resident Magistrate of Invercargill to be included in this bill. If that be the case, then the effect will be to exclude the New Zealand sealer from hunting at these places, while American barques and barques ffoih 1 ; other nations have perfect freedom to land there and kill away without detection. J The return of the screw steamship Otago to these waters is like the welcoming back of an old friend. Some three years or more have elapsed since she hauled down the flag of the Panama and. New Zealand Company, and betook herself to trading between various ports in the Indian Archipelago and in China, and . the good name which she creditably acquired in her New Zealand voyaging she ha« consistently maintained during .her Oriental career. A slight tinge of romance attaches to her re-appearance in this port. In September last Captain Underwood was commissioned by Messrs M'Meckan, Blackwood, and Co, who knew the worth of the vessel, and wished to Becure her for their fleet, to proceed to China and negociate for her purchase, at a reasonable figure if possible, but at all events not to return without her. Fortified with these instructions, he left Melbourne on September 11, in the R.M.S.S. Tanjore, but without any mention being made of his name or destination in the outward passenger list, and many and profound were the speculations as to his abrupt disappearance, not a, .word having been breathed as to his projected mission. .On arriving at Galle, diligent search was made in the columns of Indian and China newspapors as to her whereabouts, but not a trace of her could be discovered, and Captain Underwood's inquiries at Singapore were attended with no better results. At Saigon, however, he found a clue to the coveted steamer, and following it up to Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Che-foo, in North China, he found her at the latter port sailing under the . North-German flag. By dint of money and fair words he succeeded in his mission, and after completing the purchase at Shanghai he carried the vessel away in triumph to Hong Kong. At the latter port he made vigorous exertions to get her ready for the Australian voyage under canvas, and in five clays' time, an almost incredibly short space for the amount of work done, the Otago, barque-rigged, was ready for sea, and Captain Underwood took his departure for Melbourne on Jan. 5. . All down the China.Sea the Otago had very light winds, and after passing through Banca Strait on Jan. 16 she beat through the Strait of Sunda on Jan. 18. From thence until reaching the parallel of lat. 37deg S. the passage was marked by light variable winds and calms, and after crossing the meridian of Cape Leuwin at noon on the 15th inst, variable weather, with the wind from S.S.W. to S.S.E., with a very high sea prevailing, to Cape Otway, which was passed at 8 a.m. on the 21st inst. Throughout the voyage the Otago has behaved herself admirably, and shown what her sailing powers are under canvas. Captain Underwood speaks in terms of high praise concerning her performance, nnd mentions that on one occasion, the 14th inst., she logged 3iß knots, and her passage from the Leuwin to the Otway bHows. an average of ten knots on the distance. The Otago is in as fine order as scrubbing and paint can make her, and has a look of utter cleanliness all over. She was taken up the Yarra to the Queen's wharf on Saturday morning, and made fast . alongside the s.s. Aldinga. The .Baloon of the Otago is as elegant and handsomely furnished as ever, and looks not a whit the worse for wear. No time will be lost in getting her into active service. — Argus.