LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 174, 8 June 1871, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We must decline to publish a very persona] communication signed " Ragamuffin." The opening of Mr. P. Ormond's hotel, Roxburgh, is postponed to Tuesday, 4th July. The amount paid into the funds of the Building Society on Friday last was £165 6s 6d. A man named John Stark has lost his life from injuries caused by falling into the Graving Dock, Port Chalmers. Mr. J. F. Kitching, Moa Flat Station, invites Renders for breaking up and clearing between' 400 and 500 acres of land. Mb. Matthew Hay will hold a sale of dairy cows, fat bullocks, and other stock, at the Commercial Sale Yard, Lawrence, on Saturday next, 10th inst. We have been favoured with a report of the anniversary tea meeting of the Roxburgh Presbyterian Church, but must hold it over till next week. From the " Mount Ida Chronicle," we learn that the telegraph poles have been erected as far as Kyeburn, and the work is temporarily stopped for want of poles. The usual Athenaeum Readings take place tomorrow evening, when we understand several novelties are to be introduced. The Wetherstones Readings come off this evening. A few days ago, at the head of Munro's Gully, Mrs. Jenliin Evans, while near her house, which is situated on a sideling, slipped down and broke her leg. Dr. Halley was immediately sent for, and set the leg, and. reports favourably.

It is found, on winding up affaire ia connection with the late banquet "to the liberal members, that there will be a balance of a tt*t pounds in the hands of the committee, which, it is proposed, shall form the nucleus of a fond for the purpose of organising ft Political Association. Mb. A. J. Smyth's tender for the construction of sections 2 and 3 of the Clutha Railway for the sum of £21,000 has been accepted. It la said that when this portion of the line is fairly commenced, it will give employment to about 300 men, which should go far to lessen the swarms of unemployed men now in Dunedin. We have received a copy of the " Illustrated New Zealand Herald" for this month, which, in addition to its usual large; number of well executed engravings, contains an eight-page supplement and a large and splendid view of Sydney. The " Herald "is becoming more and more creditable to its energetic proprietor, Mr. R. T. Wheeler. Encouraged by the great success which attended the Tuapeka Ploughing Match of last year, the promoters have decided to hold a similar one this year, and, as will be seen by advertisement elsewhere, have called a meeting of fanners and others interested in the matter, which is to be held in the Athenieum, Lawrence, on Thursday, the 15th inst. A correspondent at Alexandra, writing under date 30th May, says :— The river rose three feet this morning, owing to heavy rains at the Lakes, causing the dredges and bank claims to come to a stand still. Part of the machinery of Convoy's quaitz reef is on the ground. We have the donkey at Alexandra all right, and he works admirably. The boy who was hurt so seriously is fast recovering. In the Provincial Council on Monday, Mr. Reid moved that the honorarium be fixed at 15s. per diem. Mr. Shand moved an amendment to the effect that the sum of £25 be paid to all members except those of the Government j mileage, Is. per mile each way ; and that £1 a day be deducted for each day any member may be absent from his duties, except through illness, or with leave of the Speaker. After soma discussion the debate was adjourned. Thk Criminal Sittings of the Supreme Court commenced on Monday. The calendar was an exceedingly light one, there being only five prisoners for trial. The case of Alex. M'Leod, charged with a libel on Henry Driver, will have to stand ovei until the nest sittings, owing to the Government having recently amended the regulations on the subject of the conduct of prosecutions. The Crown Proseentor announced that the Government did not intend to prefer an indictment against Mr. G. B. Barton, the defendant in the telegram libel case. On Saturday evening last, one of our Lawrence tiadesmen, v/hile absent ftom his shop a short time, had his desk robbed of £20. The police, we believe, are actively investigating the matter, but as yet no traces of the thief have been discovered. As will be seen from our police report, a man was convicted of stealing from a tent on the Hospital Flat, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment in Dunedin Gaol. We trust business people will be on the alert, as it is evident that we have amongst ua expert members of the "lifting" profession. The ceremony of consecrating the Rev. S. T. Nevill to the episcopal charge of the see of Dunedin, says the " Dsdly Times" of Monday, took place at St. Paul's Church yesterday. At 8 o'clock, morning prayer was said by the Rev. E. G. Edwards. As early as 10 o'clock persons had assembled at the door of the church, but the public were not admitted for another half hour, during which between 200 and 300 people were waiting without. The arrangements throughout were excellent, ticket-holders only being admitted until shortly before the hour for the service commencing. The result was satisfactory in the extreme, over-ciowding and confusion being altogether avoided. By 11 o'clock the church was filled, seats placed down the aisle being also occupied, but we nevertheless noticed several empty seats in various parts of the church. At four minutes after 11, the procession advanced up the nave to the chancel, while the choir and congregation rose and chanted the 122 nd psalm. The ante-communion service having been read by the Primate, assisted by the Bishop of Nelson and Waiapu, followed by the Nicene Creed and Introit, the Bishop of Wellington preached an admirable and appropriate sermon from Titus, 1. 5. After a voluntary from Beethoven on the organ had been played, the ceremony of consecration took place.

The following petition is being numerously signed :— To his Honour James Macandrew, Esq., Superintendent of Otago. May it please your Honour.

We, the undersigned settlers, miners and others, resident in the Tuapeka district, beg to petition your Honour upon a matter that deeply affects our interests in the Tnapeka district. Some considerable time since, as yonr Honour ia aware,' 3ooo acres on run No. 123, held on .lease by Mr. James Smith, were proclaimed open for settlement. Up to the present time about 1000 acres of that land have been taken up, fenced, and cultivated. The grievance which your petitioners have to lay before your Honour i 4' tbu, that the run for the cattle is insufficient to enable the settlers to live by their land. And not only is the unoccupied portion of the block insufficient fur the wants of the settler* located upon it, but from there being no boundary fence, they are continually annoyed and put to great inconvenience and expense by their cattle going beyond the boundary and being impounded by the runholder. The knowledge of this state of matters, we can assure your Honour, has already " prevented several persons from taking up land on the block, ar.d hence debarred them from settling in a part of the country, in the neighbourhood of which they have been mining for years, and where they have formed ties which they do not wish to sever. ' Tour petitioners would therefore recommend to your Honour* serious'consideration the necessity of having the whole; of run No. 123 thiown open for settle? roent; ~ They do so in the firm belief that such an event would be hailed with gratitude by tba ; whole population of Ttropeka. Your petitioner* have reason to believe that the runholder Vould not be exorbitant in bis demands for couapensa-. tion ; and from the large revenue raised by -the; Tuapeka and Waitahuna depasturing districts, they feel confident that the opening of the ru% would soon recoup the compensation, and pr6v» highly remunerative to the Government, bendea providing a large area of good agricultural Uto4 for settlement in the midst of a comparfttiyetyr large population,

Ox Saturday last, Hugh M'Ewan, miner, while at work in Morrison and Co.'s claim, Blue .Spur,'. was struck in the side by a piece of cenjent. It was at first thought the accident waß of a serious nature. Dr. Stewart, in the absence of Dr. Halley, was immediately in attendance, and bandaged the part affected. On the following day, Drs. Stewart and Halley visited the patient, and found the accident not no serious as to require their further attendance unless a change for the worse took place. Am accident happened to a man named Shepherd in Watson's Bush, Smith's Run, the other day. It appears that one of the carters, while tightening the rope round a load of wood with an axe handle, lost his hold, and the axe blade suddenly came down upon Shepherd's shoulder, and made a severe gash in it. We are glad to learn he is progressing favourably. The death of Sirs. Harry Jackson, the wellknown actress, is recorded by the " Auckland Herald," of the 24th May. Mrs. Jackson had long been suffering from consumption, and her decease had been expected. She was twentynine years of age. The number of accidents that have lately occurred at Mount Ida has caused a general desire to be expressed in the district for the -erection of a hospital at Naseby.