Miscellanea.

Memoeial in Southland. — The following memorial to the Postmaster-General, respecting the mail steamers, was adopted at a late meeting of tho Invercargill Chamber of Commerce : — " Invercargill, 12th June, 1866. — Sir — I have the honour, on behalf of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce, to lay before you the following resolutions adopted at a meeting of the Chamber held this day (Tnursday) :—: — ' This Chamber views with deep concern and regret the proposed change with reference to the arrival and departure of the Northern steamers at the Bluff. Hitherto the steamers have left the Bluff northwards three times in each month, viz., on the 2nd, 12th, and 22nd of the month ; and by the proposed new arrangement there will be only two monthly steamers, viz., on the 16th and 28th. The Chamber would respectfully urge upon the General Government, that instead of the number of steamers arriving at the Bluff being reduced, all the mail steamers which leave Auckland for the Southern Provinces should extend their voyage to its proper terminus at the Bluff; that Southland and the Lake districts might receive the full share of all the benefits derivable from the steam mail service of the colony. The Chamber would make this appeal the more earnestly, impressed as they are with the fact that the Province of Southland is just emerging from a crisis, and any action on the part .of the Government having for its end the diminution of the frequency of opportunities of communication with the Northern Provinces would materially retard its recovery to political and commercial prosperity. By the present arrangement, the Southland mail to Europe via Panama would require to leave the Bluff by the steamer on the 28th. The Chamber would respectfully suggest that it would be very desirable that it should be so arranged that one steamer would leave the Bluff on the 2nd or 3rd of the month, so as to ■ be in time for the mail steamer leaving Wellington for Panama on the Bth, thereby affording opportunity of reply by the outgoing steamer. — I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant, (signed) Henderson Law, Chairman, Invercargill Chamber of Commerce." The Southland Gold Field. — Speaking of therecent gold discoveries in Southland, the Times, of the 15th ultimo, says : — " A party arrived from Riverton yesterday (Thursday), bringing two large parcels of gold, obtained from the Longwood Range s it is coarse, and mixed with quartz. From its appearance, it would indicate that the spot from which it was obtained is not far distant from a gold-bearing quartz reef. It is heavy, rough, and shows no signs of being water-worn. Should a quartz reef be found in this district, its character Jas a gold-field will be established." English SFomnsa. — The Chester Cup, run on April 25, was won by Mr. W. G. Bennett's Dalby, by Daniel O'Rourke — Highflyer's dam. At thS Newmarket Craven Meeting, on April 3, the Handicap was won by Mr. H. Savile's Earring. Mr. H. Carew's Delight ran first for the City and Suburban Handicap, at the Epsom Spring Meeting, on April 12 ; and for the Great Metropolitan Stakes, at the • same meeting, on April 13, Mr. R. Kirby's Treasure Trove came in first. At the Newmarket First Spring Meeting, on April 17, the Two Thousand Guineas were won by Mr. R. Sutton's Lord Lyon ; and the One Thousand Guineas, on the 19th, by the Marquis of Hastings Repulse. Both winners are by Stockwell. Are other Worlds Inhabited? — Professor Draper recently delivered an interesting lecture on the above subject in New York. The Neio York Herald has the following abstract of the lecture :—: — "After some introductory observations, Professor Draper said that within the last few years science had stretched her hand across the almost immeasurable distance which separated us from the fixed stars, and told us that there were in them many substances with which we were here familiar. He could tell them that astronomers were able, by examining the light coming from the stars, to detect their appearance. What reason had they to conclude that the planets were inhabited ? The two planets that were nearer to the sun than the earth might be dismissed, for they were too hot to permit of animal or vegetable life. The first planet outside the earth, Mars, was fifty millions of miles more distant from the sun than we were. It seemed to him by far tho most interesting object in the heavens, from its similarity to the earth. There was visible upon it a large expanse of water of a greenish hue, the remaining parts were land, of a reddish tinge, and at the North and South were accumulations of snow, presenting appearances strictly analogous to those of the Arctic and Antarctic regions of our globe. The lecturer spoke of the moon, which, he said, seen through a telescope of moderate power, presented, when eight days old, a very ragged surface on the northern side. Valleys could be seen, but they did not contain water, and consequently it was no use to search for inhabitants there. There might be air and water on tho opposite side, and we could not see them. There might be inhabitants there, but our chances of making their acquaintance were feeble. So far as perceiving any visible traces of habitation on the moon, she presented, through the telescope only a sterile waste, and no token of activity. Astronomers were able to determine now, by the aid of photographs taken from time to time (which was done with considerable difficulty), the unchanged condition of the moon. It was shown by this means that no chance took place, though an interval of years may have elapsed. The Professor then exhibited a photograph of the moon taken by himself, which, by the aid of the calcium light, was made perfectly intelligible to the audience. He went into a minute explanation of its surface, which was very interesting, and was highly appreciated by the audience. Professor Draper very properly remarked that in reasoning on such a theme as the one presented for their consideration, they ought to be admonished not to let the imagination control them in their investigations. Ho maintained that it was clearly established that on many of the bodies of tho solar system many of the elements of tho earth wore found ; that the same law which ruled the solar system ruled the universe, and that we might be sure that nature, operating upon the substances by similar laws, must ever produce the same results. It seemed in accordance with reason to believe that there may be many other globes containing intelligent beings formed on the same plan as we were, but different : some, perhaps, better, and others worse. In conclusion the lecturer spoke of the effect of climate upon human beings, ana was warmly applauded on taking Ms seat."