DUNEDIN.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 12, 26 January 1870, Page 4

DUNEDIN.

(Frcym our own Oarrespaintent. ) January 20, 18?0, Business, the all-absorbing topic in these lucre-making colonies will he the first theme on which I. will touch in this, my first letter to the Ahgus ; though I am sorry to s;iy that thfr state of business here at present is not a very inspiring Subject, or one calculated to raise the spirits of the writer. For a month or to the end of last year, a for the better took place in the aspect of affairs in Dunedin, and I have not for many a year seen the faces of our business men look so cheerful as they did about last Christmas, in anticipation, I suppose, of tho satisfactory show the credit side of their balance sheet would present. Since the New Year t however, a reaction has taken place, and things are duller than ever, and the h'te floods, with the prospect of a bad harvest, did not to make matters any better. ■ As a result of the bad timeis, oar theatre was closed the other night by the bailiff* taking possession, and it, along with the Provincial Hotel is tiow passing under the hammer. To the regular Julbitue, of the theatre, it must have beei> a palpable fact lately that it could nol; possibly be. paying, and that this state of affairs might have been expected. The company that have so long occupied the hous<» have goneup to Christehurch for a month, pending the re-opening of tho theatife. Though, none of them stars of the first magnitude, they are a decent lot of. people, and taking them on the whole, I never heard that; they encroached so much 071 the good nature of their creditors as most of their profession are guilty of doing, so that they carry with them the g iod wishes of the inhabitants of Dunedin. At the last session of the CouneiJ the west coast of Otago, in 'the neighbourhood of Martin's Bay and Preservation inlet, was opened up for set lenient, and fre* grants of 100 acres of la :id offered to bond fide settlers over 15 3 ears of age who should occupy the land for ten vears, at the end of which time fc'iey will of c< urse be entitled to the Cn-wn grant. Two meetings of intending 53 tiers have latelv been held under the am >ices of Mr Ashcroft, the member for lOamaxn, who has also advertised his inten >ion off laying on a vessel, "should snifl ient inducement offer." Neither of th > meetin- s were largely attended, nor di< 1 the enthusiasm of those present reach fe 1 /er-heat in anticipation of the brilliant prt spect before them in their new El Dorado. It will, I fear, require more than the per -masive eloquence of the member for Oai laru to counterbalance the evil name thi it the west coast of Otago has gained for j.he inclemency of its climate and the ruggt dness of its natural features—a name, f rom what I hear from those who have ba m there, it doee not at all merit. The liberal offer of the Government should, hoM ever, induce settlement, which its splen lid harbours, reputed mineral wealth, s nd proximity to the Australian colonies i'lould ultimately

make prosperous. The Presbyterian Sync d of Otago closed their annual meeting last night. The report with regard to the Si istentation Fund was not at all satisfactory ' or soothing to the feelings of those membi ?rs of the Church who subscribe liberally to it. It appears that though the gross retu.rns of this year show an increase over thosi: of last, through the munber of new charge =i, there are more claims upon it, thus reduc mg the dividend to something under .£2OO ; and as many of the country churches depend almost wholly on this fund for their minister's stipend, his salary is thus actually no more than that of almost any skilled artisan. Of course, it is not to be supposed that this i* the case with many of the clnuvhes, but it says little for what is supposed to be the wealthiest body in Ota«o, that they, by their niggardliness, allow any minister of their body to bo reduced to such a beggarly pittance. Among3t other matters discussed by the Synod was the question of Psalms v. Hymns, which was settled in favour of the introduction of the hit or, although in a great many congregaticrs they will not be introduced. =

Three homo ships havn arrived ciirring the past week, the '.!.' >u Liverpool, the Queen .15t a, from LofiTOh, with 25 passengeis, anil the Christina M'Ausland, from Ghi3gof, with 130 passengers. The latter is a jjew vessel added to the no.v dplenciid fleau of Messrs I'. Henderson and Co., anrl made the q.uick passage of 7.) days. • <

The cry for Immigrati*;) js agiia heity?

pretty freoly responded to, and the labour market must be gotting. well stocked. At present, owing to the shearing and harvesting operations going on, there are fow men unemployed, and I beliovo most of the hia arrivals have been already engaged.

A remarkable instance of the shifts to which a member of the liberal professions may be put to in Otago appears in this "morning's paper. A person who had practised as a,surgeon, and who holds a diploma from College of Physicians, had, I suppose" as a dernier resort, engaged hitaself to Hay Bros., tailors, as a " cutter." As to whether he be skilled or no in cutting deceased " humans" there was no evidence, but that ho had mistaken his voca-tion-as a cutter of garments the magistrate was of opinion, as well as the tailors, and gave them a verdict, leaving the poor surgeon without his £l6 for his month's cutting.

Spiritualism is finding its way amongst ns. Regular seances are, • I believe, held, and communication established with the ■spirit world through the medium of some Dunedin lady or ladies, who found herself or themselves endowed with the remarkable faculty of " calling up spirits from the vasty deep." Mr Wilson, of the firm of Wilson and Birch, has been elected to represent Leith Ward in the Municipal Corporation without opposition. The City Police Court, presided over by t'je Mayor, Mr Birch, has become a regular institution now, and relieves the Resident Magistrate (much to hia comfort, I should think) of all the charges of drunkenness and vagrancy, so many of which require to tje decided here. I have not heard whether or not the city is to pocket the fees and tines, the dispute about which was the t-'ause of the Mayor's Court being abolished iu Mr Mason'B time.