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Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 89, 22 April 1870, Page 2

The Hon. J. Vogel was a passenger by the Royal Alfred to tlie Thames this morning. The Thame3 Volunteers returned to the Thames on Thursday evening, from Tauranga, by the p.s. Return of the Superintendent.— His Honor the Superintendent, T. B. G-illies, Esq., returned from his ivsifc to Tauranga by the steamer Tauranga this morning. The Star of the South will leave for Napier on Monday evening. We have learned that LieutenantColonel Lyon has not left to-day for the Waikato, and will be present at the parade of the Auokland Jtifle Volunteer Battalion to-morrow evening, at five o'clock. It is hoped and expected that there will be a full muster of members. The long succession of bright, sunny days has been et length broken, and a regular downpour during last night, and continuing intermittently to-day, seems the commencemeat of a steady rain. Pity that such delicious weather as we have had should ever require change ; but to housekeepers looking disconsolate at empty tanks, and settlers at their thirsty lauds, the change has been a very welcome one. There is no sign of the s.s. Auckland, from Sydney, as we go to press. She may be looked for either this evening or to-morrow. The Police Court to-day was singularly void of interest. After delivery of judgment in the Matakana Highway case, which had fallen to the ground from the penny-wise principle of not employing counsel, and the disposal of a small drunkards' list, the ease against Mr. Mackenzie, in the matter of a promissory note, being compromised, was dismissed. An accident of a novel and alarming kind occurred yesterday afternoon on the Queen-street Wharf. A horso and cart loaded with two tons of flour, and belonging to Messrs. Thornton, Smith and Firth, backed right over the side and on to the cutter Catheriue. The boom and bulwarks were smashed, and the horse, suspended for a time by the harness ever the side of the vessel, was at length lowered to the beach uninjured. That no serious injury to anything or anybody should have resulted, is the most remarkable feature in the occurrence. It is astonishing how difficult it is to remove the " bad name" when once given to a dcg. The phormium tenax, iv its infancy as a merchandize, was branded as liable to spontaneous combustion. Repeated trials have shown it less liable to tire than most fibres; but it is all the same. The Claud Hamilton, on a recent trip to Melbourne with wool and flax, was on fire whilst going up the Bay : of course it was the flax, and only the flax; and in current conversation yet in Melbourne, the fire is attributed to the flax; and yet careful investigation has shown that the wool was damp and greasy, and some, when landed, was "nearly red hot, while the flax was only burned a little outside."

The theatres were better attended last evening than the night previous. At the . Prince of Wales " A Bird in the H and" was produced, and played well, followed by the burlesque of " Camaralzaman," and through the good burlesque acting of Mrs. -Ryan, passed off as successfully as before, although there were many hitches which ought not to have been last night. At the Duke of Edinburgh an act from " liamlet" was attempted, Mrs. E. Holloway appearing as the Prince, when, judging from the applause she received, the impersonation must have pleased her audience1 fc'ome of the members ot this company might with advantage study their parts a little more, many of them

coming before an audience'not knowing what they are going to]say. or do. Xonight:the same programmes are announced. . Compensation Coxtet.—A rather singular inquiry was opened to-day by_Mr. Commissioner Beckharn. The Commissioner had awarded at a former sitting the sum of £700 to Boberfc William Bmg, a Taranaki settler (since deceased-), whose house was burnt down by the rebels m March, 1861. To this award there have arisen up three claimants, viz., one Llewellan Nash, by virtue of a first mortgage, which, he alleged (by his attorney), he held over the said house and premises; Dr. Jacob Samuels, D.D.L.L.D., as assignee of a mortgage on the said house for £334, at 15 per cent., and now amounting to £1024; and a Mr. Broadmore, as surviving trustee under the will of one George Patteson, who, it was alleged, purchased the house from Nash, who had become possessed. The parties having put in their respective claims, it was agreed that Nash, who is in England, should be communicated with, and the inquiry was adjourned to the 11th of January, 1871. The Queensland Express, just to hand, thus speaks of the new " Thompson Eoad Steamer" lately imported, and to which we referred in a leader a few weeks ago. We may state that in the course traversed there are streets and " pinches" steeper than our Wyndnam-street:—•" On Wednesday afternoon a trial trip was made, through some of the streets of Brisbane, of the traction engine "Pioneer" (lately imported from Scotland by Mr. Dalrymple), the result being most satisfactary, and proving that the engine is fully capable of discharging the work for whiojh it is specially intended. The engine started from the front of Messrs. J. and G. Harris's store, and ascended the steep gradient with ease ; rounding Williamstreet, it shortly diverged into Alicestreet, and proceeded to the wharf at half-speed, three miles or three miles and a halt per hour. Upon returning, the Pioneer passed the Parliament houses, and proceeded to the Government Domain, where she was inspected by his Excellency. The engine subsequently steamed down to the end of Williamstreet, returning to her point of departure. The time occupied in coming from the intersection of Edward-street with Alice-street to George-street was three minutes. The steel clips which are attached to the tires at first sight would appear to be but temporarily put on as a protection to the india-rubber. This is not so, the clips being the latest invention to enable the engine to ascend heavy gradients. The steering-gear, although apparently hard to work, is most effective, inasmuch as the engine can be turned in a circle, the diameter of which would not exceed its own length, which is about 13 feet 6 inches. There are three wheels, consisting of two large driving-wheels, weighing about 18 cwt. each, and a steering wheel, much smaller, the tires on each being 18 inches wide. The furnace iS adapted for wood or coal, and the watertank contains sufficient to keep the engine going for ten hours. The whole has been fitted by Mr. James Stone, the superintendent engineer for Messrs. Harris' firm, and he states that it is perfectly under control. The weight of the engine is about seven tons, and it has a capability of drawing a load of at least 20 tons up any of the gradients passed through in the trial trip of to-day. We understand that the Provincial Grand Master of the I.C. intends opening the Masonic " Lodge of Light,'' at Grahamstown, on Wednesday next, the 27th instant, at high noon. A choral service is to be held in the afternoon, at St. George's Church, at which the Key. Kobt. Kidd, L.L.8., will preach. A banquet will be held in the New Lodge lioom in the evening, presided over by the W.M. of the Lodge. It is expected that his Honor the Superintendent will arrive at the Thames to-day on board the Sturt. Some of the Thames Volunteers will also be brought up by the same vessel. Notice is given by the Secretary of the Northern Land Association that unless all claims, owing by the Association, are lodged with him before noon on tbe 25th instant, they will not be recognised. Notice is e;iven that Thomas Macfarlane, Esquire, Provisional Trustee in Bankruptcy, has become trustee in the estates of Hobert Hagan, of Onehunga, and Louis Rich, of Gruharnstown, bankrupts. The annual general meeting of the members of the Auckland Club will take place on Tuesday next at two o'clock. A meeting of shareholders in the Vale of Avoca Company was held at the Q.C. E. Hotel yesterday. The rules of the company were revised, and the appointment of directors confirmed. The mining manager's report was read, by which it appeared that 100 tons would shortly be ready for crushing, and 100 tons per month crushed regularly ; also, a quantity of forty tons from another reef in the company's ground, which has averaged about 18 dwts. per ton. The balance-sheet was highly satisfactory, showing a balance of £140, after payment of all working expenses and two dividends of 6d. and Is. each. An entertainment in connection with the Pitt-street Mutual Improvement Class will take place this evening. The Eev. J. Berry, president of the society, will take part in the proceedings. Da. Nicholson, Provincial Secretary, proceeded to tbe Thames last evening, on business in connection with the Provincial Government. Concebnjng the virtues of the herb pennyroyal or menthapuleqium, a correspondent (of the Queensland JSxpress) sends the following information, which will no doubt prove valuable to residents in the bush or elsewhere: —Having been

several months encamped in the bush on a ridge where there was a great number of native bears, opossums, bandicoots, and native rats, when the weather had become warm, that the whole of the dry ridge had become swarming with fleas. I found that the native bears, opossums, as well as the rats, carried each a different variety of this troublesome insect. Latterly, I found that all these varieties found their way into my sleeping bunk, and not only into my bunk, but if I sat or stood on any of the dry sandy parts of the ridge, thetl would see tbe fleas leaping on my pants from the ground. These fleas were at least of three different species, and three different sizes—one a very large brown flea, three times the size of the smaller kinds; the two smaller Kinds were jetblack, the one kind having much smaller limbs than the others. I found that either kind were equally troublesome, so troublesome that I could not spare time and means to rid myself of them. I was, however, unsuccessful till I met a gentleman who asked me if I knew the herb called penny royal; he said that he read in a book that no fleas would come near the penny royal. lat once took the hint and gathered some of the penny royal, which I dried up, rubbed into a powder like snuff and sprinkled over my blankets and bunk, as well as over the sandy floor of my humpy ; the result was that, after a few applications, there were no fleas to trouble me. The Australian native penny royal is a small herb with a very small whitish flower ; it grows in detached patches on dry ridgy ground, aud it is very often to be found in the close proximity of cattle camps—like the sida retusa and the couch grass; sheep and cattle carry the seed and drop it about their camps. The native penny-royal has a very pleasant and strong aromatic flavour, and tastes nearly as hot as ginger.