GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 3, 17 May 1873, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

The regular fortnightly meeting of the Dunedin branch of the Hibernian Australian Catholic Society is to take place on Monday evening next, in St Joseph's school-room, at 7.30, which is the hour fixed for the winter months. The concert for the beneGt of the society which *s announced to take place on Mondaj, 26th, in the Head Quarters Drill-shed, promises to be a great success. Tickets are already going off very rapidly, and the specialty of the programme ia that Miss Aitken, the talented actress, will give one of her best readings. Pkotinciai, ComtciL.— Following the debate on the Address in Reply, and resulting from the resolution of the House thereon, came the usual difficulty, grandiloquently denominated the Ministerial crisis. Mr Reid, the gentleman " sent for," was unable between Saturday afternoon and sitting time on Monday, to form an Executive, the dim*, culty he had to contend with being, it appeared, a laudable desire to select an Executive from both sides of the House j he could, it was said, have selected one exclusively from his own side without delay. A message was read from the Superintendent, requesting the Council to join with him in recommending a dissolution. The Council adjourned until Tuesday, when Mr Reid, who had not been able to submit the names of an Executive, said he had been induced not to abandon the task. The Council then adjourned till Thursday. Since the Council has met, Mr Thomson of Clutha has been most assiduously endeavouring to ferret out whether it is the Hon. Mr Bathgate or his firm that is Provincial Solicitor, and evidently would be pleased to find that Mr Bathgate is. Mr Bathgate declares that neither he nor his firm is Provincial Solicitor, but that his firm has done the legal work usually done by the Provincial Solicitor, and has in fact, done for about £400, work of the value of £2000. Mr Bath^ate has not taken his seat on the G-overmnent Benches as Provincial Solicitor, and regards his position as a member of the fiim that is the legal adviser of the Government, as being perfectly compatible with his holding his place in the Colonial Executive as Minister of Justice. During the crisis, nothing practical is being done, and there is a full order paper waiting to bo disposed of. A cake of pure gold— 4oS ounces, the product of 600 tons, and the result of six weeks' work at the (Gabriel's Gully quartz reef— has been on view at the shop of Mr Mendelssohn, tobacconist, Princes street, and has been admired by crowds. It lenves, after paying all expenses, £1000 clear profit. Messrs Wright, Stephenson, and Co have sold, by private bargain, to Mr George McGavin, the splendid Clydesdale stallion Prince of Wales, imported from Scotland by Mr Da\id Nesbitt, at the handsome price of £500 ; aho, to Mr Edward Menlove, and Messrs Lees and Moore, a shipment of 27 first-closs mares and geldings, imported from Melbourne, per Alhambra, Dy Mr Trestrail,

Harbob Boabd.— At a meeting of importers and others interested in the improvement of Otago Harbor, the absolute necessity that existed for deepening and otherwise improving the upper part, was made apparent To enable Dunedin to hold and extend her supremacy in the trade of the Colony, it is considered necessary that the harbor should be dredged to such a depth as to allow the steamers in the colonial and provincial trades to come alongside Dunedin Wharf. A committee which had been appointed reported in favor of the formation of a Harbor Board. Ihe Board to have the Bole control of all matters relating to the harbor, including the direction of all officers employed in that department ;• to have the power to levy dues ; to have power to borrow monay Dn the security of its revenues, reclaimed land, and land "ranted by way endowment ; to have power to reclaim land, and to lease the same an<l o^ other lands that may be granted to it } all revenue from jetty dues, harbor dues, licenses and other sources relating to the harbor, also from rental of reclaimed land, and land granted by way of endowment, to be the revenue of the Board ; that the Provincial Council be moved to set apart a portion of the waste lands as an endowment for the proposed Board. The report of the committee was adopted and it was resolved to take steps for the appointment of a Harbor Board, undei the provisions of the Harbor Board Act, 1870, and otherwise to give eflect to the recommendations of the committee. Gold Retttbns.— Grahamstown, May 10. The following are the gold returns of the several companies :— Windsor Castle tribute, 816oz j Kuranui, 2330z ; Black Angel, 2190z : Little Angel tribute, 530z ; Golden Crown, 1630z ; Golden Crown tribute, 760z ; Whnu, 168oz • Moanataiari, 4470z ; Bright Smile, 600oz expected to be obtained. Ine Buffalo Co., Coromandel, obtained 200oz of gold from 4001bs of stone The escort arrived in Dunedin on the 13th instant, with the followirg quantities of gold :— Q,ueenstown, 1908oz 2dwt; Arrow, 8590z ldwt ; Cardrona, 4140z 6dwt ; Cromwell, 17760z 4dwt ; Clyde, BOOoz ; Alexandra, 710oz ; Teviot, 7400z 10dv»t ; Blacks, 5500z ; Dunstan Creek, 230 ; Naseby, 6610z sdwt; Macraes, lOfioz 2dwt • Palmerston, lOOoz ldwt ; total, 85550z 17dwt. By the last Southern escort there arrived in town the following quantities of gold : —Lawrence, 21220z 16.1wt } Wnitahuna, 3090z 9 Iwt ; Waipori, 1730z 16dwt j Tokoroniriro, 4770z I3dwt ; total, 30830z 14dwt. Making a united totr 1 of 116490z lldwt. Education. — The education question is causing great excitemeni in Christchurch. The Government, by a new Bill now before the Council, propose to take away State iiid from denominational schools, The ' Post,' commenting on the recent meeting of the Council oi the New Zealand University, charges Otago with bringing political influence to bear, to the hindrance of the Council's proceedings. It says that the Otago members persuaded Mr O'Rorke to become their cat's paw last session, in regard to his University resolutions. It believes that nei.t session a fresh attempt will be made to repeal the New Zealand University Act, and that it is not improbable that Mr O'Rorkt will aguir. be the tool of Otago. The Otago University it alleges to be virtually a Scotch Presbyterian College. In saying this, we think, il does not go very wide of the mark. That precious Board ol Education at Wellington, that could not afford to give aid to Catholic schools, but could afford the entire cost of supporting them if allowed to take them over, is evidently ashamed of its proceedings—and with good cause too. It has passed a resolution excluding reporters from its meetings. A late telegram has it that un amicable settlement with the Catholics is likely to be arrived at. The Governors of the Wellington College have resolved to have a series of lectures delivered, in accordance with the terms of the affitlia~tion grant from the New Zealand University. Wellington, as well as Oti.go, will thus hare its University. A Commission has been appointed by the Provincial Government for the purpose of enquiring juto tLe present .-tate of the Dunedin High School, with a view to sucli alterations as may bo desirable in order to make it more self-support-ing, and to add to its efficiency. A number of gentlemen will be asked to aid the Commit sior in devising measures to increase the efficiency of the public schools, intermediate between the primary schools and the University. A correapondei t writing to the ' Daily Times ' says : " I perceive you attribute the idea of the foundation of a second University in New Zealand almost entirely to the jealousy which so unfortunately prevails between one Province, or one town, and another. I wi ? h to be allowed to add that thi3 is by no means the whole of the matter. It is folly for us to refuse to acknowledge facts. There exists, especially outside our own Province, a suspicion that the University of Otago is almost exclusively a Scotch Institution. . . I have not a word to say against ar.y of the gentlemen who have been appointed to Professorships. ... I do think our Otago University would have proved more attractive to the whole of New Zealand, and probably have* 1 been generally recognised, had there been less colour given to the accusation of national preferences. You- rightly say that we still want three or four more Professors. Peruaps the elective body will find it in their hearts to appoint some of these from English Universities. ... I fear, from other circumstances, that the idea of Otago being a class settlement is not yet so entirely dead amongßt ub as it deserves to be." PoiiTlGAL.— Mr Murray, M.H.R., has received the usual compliment, a vote of confidence, from his constituents at Waihola Messrs Webb and Murray- Aynsley have been nominated for the seat lor Ljttelton, iv the House of Representatives. At the nomination Mr Webb avowed himself a staunch supporter of the Vogcl Government. Mr Murray-Aynsley would not say whether he would support jither Mr Vogel or Mr Stafford, but ho would support any Government that would carry on the works necessary for the true progress of ;he Colony. The Auckland correspondent of the 'Daily Times' states that Mr Williamson is addressing the electors in various parts of ;he Province, and is still the only known candidate for the Superintenlency. There is no sign of Mr Gillies resigning. The election will lot probably come off till October at the earliest. At the nomina;ion ior the Nebon Suburbs election, Messrs Elliott, A. J. Eichmond, Hid Selling, were Dominated. Mr Eichmond has been elected.

Emotobai, Roraa.-Those whose names are objected to on the Electoral Roll, should either attend the Revising Court— if they consider they have a good claim— or furnish particulars to the registration officer for the dutnet of their qualifications, and prevent themselves from bemg disfranchised. Each elector should see that his name is not among the list of those objected to, otherwise ho might find on coming to vote at the next election in his district, that his name had, through his own default, been struck off the roll. The Maebwhenua Block.— The Waste Lands Board has refused the application, made on behalf of the Hon R. Campbell, to purchase land at Marewhenua, opposed by Mr Stout on behalf of the miners. At the meeting, Mr Bcgg, Mr Campbell's agent, aunounced his intention of appealing to to the Supreme Court. An endeavor is now being m j *° obtalll a shearing of the case, by Mrßdgg, before the Board, and a Commission is to report upon the auriferous nature of the ground. Applications fob Land.— The Hon J. Bathgate has given an opinion on a point of interest to applicants for land, and which is, that in accordance with the Waste Lands Act, as he interpreted it, land open for sale would have to be applied for only at the land office of the district in which it was situate. In other words, a person in Dunedin cannot make application through the la id Office at Dunedin for, say land in Invercargill district ; but hem ist apply, or get an agent to apply for him, at the land office iv thab district. Casfamibb on the Otago Coast. — The three-masted schooner Marguret Campbell, during a tremendous sea, without wind, at Oamaru, went ashore on the morning of Saturday last. She soon beoame a total wreck, and was sold at noon for L9O. Her cargo, consisting of wheat, flour, and bran for Wellington, was washed out of her and very little was recovered— what was recovered being much damaged. She wa3 insured for only half her value.— The cutter Advance, uninsured, drove ashore at Waikouaiti during the afternoon of tho same day, and was totally wrecked. Previously, the brig Moa went ashore at Allday Bay, ten miles south of Oamaru. Mobe City Improvements —Two public halls are to be erected in Moray Place, one by Mr G\ R. West, and the other a Temperance Hall by a company in the temperance interest. PedestHia-nism.— The seven mile race for L 29 a side, befcweefa Edwards, the Californian walker, and M'Gregor, of Otago, was easily 1 won by Kdwards with a lap and a half to spare j he did not appeaf in the slightest deg.ee distressed. The Parsee has arrived at Auckland,- 108 days out. She brings 99 emigrants, inoluding 30 females. They are all well. The Parsee encountered fearful gale 3in the English; Channel, carrying away her wheel aud doing other damage. Da FEATEEasTOif telegraphs that the instructions of the Government with regard to immigration will be executed during the present year. The 'Hulcione left London for Wellington on April 17th, witb immigrants ; and the Contariui Fleming has left for the Blaff with immigrants. 1400 immigrants will be shipped in May, and six ships 1 are taken up for June. No firm except Shaw, Savill and Co., having, tendered for the conveyance of immigrants, Dr Featherston has arranged vv'th them foe three ships to sail for Canterbury with'immigrants at Ll6 10s per head. He telegraphs that ships may be expected to arrive at Napier in September, October* »md November, with 750" immigrants* W haling. — A wnaling vessel is being equipped at Southland, and three more are proposed to be sent to sea from this Province.Crews are looked for in the hardy Shetlandenj, a shipload of whom,His Honor the Superintendent said, in receiving a, deputation, were to arrive soon. The proposal to have a steamer engaged iv the fishery was mooted by one of the deputation. The Superintendent promised to bring the qm« ion of a boitu3 to thoso starting ou the enterprise before the Council, though he heflJ out but faint hopes of its being, granted. The Dunedin carpenters have agreed that their wages shall be 123 per day, or Is 6d per hour.

Dttnedin Choeai Society.— At the annual meeting of this Society Air G. H. Campbell read the annual report, from which in appeared that the society was in a highly prosperous state, and that there were no less than one hundred and thirty-five honoiar members on the roll During the last quarter Mr G. E. West, wlio, from the cornmeneement of the Society two years ago, had ably discharged thtf duties ot Acting-Conductor, and to whose zealous and untiring efforts it owed much of its present position, had retired in order to afford by his ussistance additional strength to the band. His post had been since filled by Mr A. J. Towsey. The Committee proposed, during the ensuing season, to prod tee Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise, Maritana, probably Balfe's Opera of the Bohemian Girl, and the Messiah. In order that these works might be rendered with dueefficiency, the best available- professio:).il assistance would be secured. The Committee looked forward with confidence to the next year's work, and trusted to receive from both honorary and performing members an amount of support commensurate with- the advantages to be" derived from a Society such a* this. The balance-sheet showed that, during tho past year, the total receipts amounted to £232 15s. 4d. f and the expenses (which included donation to the extent of £21 to two local institutions) to £166 17s. lid. — leaving a net profit lor the" year of £55 17s. lid. The assets of the Society are £108 13s. Id., and the liabilities £23 17s. —leaving a net balance in favor of the Society of £84 16s. lid. for the two years in which it. has been in 1 existence. The report and balance-sheet, as read, were uuanimously adopted. Votes of thanks were passed to Messrs West, Towsey, anxt Little for their services during the past year. The Society began 1 onSaturday evening the practice of Mendelssohn's " Hymn of Praise,."' which is to form the first part of the next concert.

Mb John OlLotohlin, an old and much respected resident of Naeeby, died in the district hospital last Saturday night, from injuries received during the day by a fall of earth while working in his Bluieing claim at Surface Hill. His funeral was largely attended. The Permissive Bill. — Energetic steps are now being taken with a view to having this measure become law at the next session of the Assembly.