The result of the firing at Dunedin for colonial representatives shows the supre macy of the Otago marksmen over the whole of the colony to be not one whit diminished. Captain and Adjutant Atkin son has forwarded to us the following ♦telegram of the men who have qualified. Erom the scores given we infer that the tiring was at the 400, 500, and 600 yards range, and it will he observed that Mr Christie is, somewhat singularly, the lowest scorer but two out of the seventeen whose names are given. _ The following are the scores: —Dixon. 54; Blalch, oO ; Key, 50 ; Buchanan, 49; Brown, 4b ; Wilson. 45; Henderson, 44 ; Cowie, 44; Reid 44; M'Laren, 44; M'Farland, 44 ; Lean, 43 ; Marshall, 42 ; Hutchinson, 41 ; Christie, 41, Taylor, 40 ; Muir, 40. The Oamaru and Hampden men have yet to Robert Johnston, a laborer, working on the Port Chalmers line of railway at Blanket Bay. was killed a few days ago. A blast had been put in the tunnel lead in" to Sawyer’s Bay, the train had been lighted, and all had sheltered them selves—he amongst the rest. As the blast was rather long in going oil he raised his head above the stone behind which he was sheltered. Just then the explosion occurred, and a fragment ot rock struck him on the forehead, killing him instantaneously. The “Otago Daily Times and the “Lyttelton Times” both contain para graphs complaining of the inefficiency or the telegraphic service under the manage merit of Greville’s agency m New Zea-

The people of the Tuapeka distiict, Otago, have worked themselves up into a state of quartz excitement. Nearly every individual carries a specimen in his pocket. Casing, dip, and dwts per ton supplant the weather as standaru topic ot conversation ; and an alarming amount of practical and scientific know,edge of quartz reefing has been developed by parties hitherto deemed densely ignorant on these points. The premonitory symp toms of quartz fever are appearing. A strange phenomenon was observed at Nelson the other day just before dark. 