MISCELLANEOUS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 142, 16 June 1892, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Nearly 4,000 acres of Crown lands were taken up in the Hawke'e Bay district last month. An Otago Central Railway League has been formed ab Dunedin, in order to open up the country in the interior.; ... Auckland telephone exchange system is expanding. There are ab presenb aboub 620 subscribers in this district. - A new line in farming has just been introduced at Aratapu, Mr J Morgan, of Clifton, having purchased four young ostriches. The Wellington Acclimatisation Society has resolved to expend £25 as a preliminary experiment in endeavouring to introduce the prairie hen and mountain quail to New Zealand. The Auckland Employers' Association have appointed Messrs Graves Aickin, F. Rowe, and the Secretary a sub-committee to bring up a report on the commercial aspect of gambling. .. Messrs A. G. Talbot, G. Home, J.A. Fullertori, 8.A., C. E. Maude, and W. H. Parkes, of New Zealand, have passed the last examinations in systematic surgery held in the Edinburgh University. Mr F. Grosch, German conchologiab, has found a remarkable beak and skull, three feeb long, weighing aboub 401b, on the beach ab Brsam Bay, near Waipu. Ib is believed to have been the head of a pike whale. - .

Mr Seddon says Whangarei haa a future before ifcWhab with ita doal, gum, timber, manganese, iron, cinnabar, and lime, and with its natural advantages for fruit growing, it was one of the favoured Bpots in the colony. The Little Barrier Island (which is aboub 7,000 acres inarea) will be made a preserve for native fauna and flora as soon as_ the Ngatiwai tribe, the owners, are in a position to lease the whole of the island. The price to be paid is £3,000. '"' Hon. Mr Cadman will give an allotment of land on perpetual lease to the Tarawera natives and those of the vicinity (300 in all) who were rendered landless by the Tarawera eruptions. . The rent will be low and occupation and cultivation will be insisted on. ■ : ■■ • During Mr Cadman's recent visit) ,< to Rotorua he arranged for the acquisition by Government of certain native interests in the township, and since his return to Wellington Mr Bush, KM. at Tauranga, has completed the purchase of five native shares. Some 50 shares are yet to be acquired. ~'. r» i Two prospectors (a white, man and a Maori) named Hall and Te Au, have found a new lake of great size and beauty among the mountains of the South Island, and Hall, who 89ems to have jumped the entire honour of the discovery, proposes that it shall be called Lake Glasgow, in honour of the new Governor. '..'•■, Several French Government officers, including a lieutenant of police, a medical officer, and an official of the Judicial Court, are at present in Auckland, having arrived here from France, via Sydney, on their way down to the French colony of Tahiti. They leave for Papeete by next trip of the Island steamer Richmond. The reduction in the inland letter postage to a penny, which was expected to come into force on the, Ist June, has been delayed for a short time, as the necessary arrangements were not completed. The Government, however, have no intention of abandoning the proposal, which will be carried out in the course of a few weeks. •<, The Government have received a cable message from the Agent-General stating that General Booth has not yet settled upon a site for his oversea colony, and that the whole matter has nob progressed beyond the region of inquiry. It is probable before a final decision is come to that an officer of the Salvation Army will be sent out to make further researches. ~ ~ Thestatement in thebankruptcy of Arthur Thomas McDonald, woolbroker, Dunedin, shows the liabilities to be: Unsecured creditors, £25,370 8s 6d, and the assets £5,711: [deficiency, £19,658 17s 6d. At a meeting of creditors on Juno 14th the bankrupt said that in 1890 he was worth £20,000. He lost £40,000 by a fall in the wool market. The meeting lasted from eleven a.m. to half-past six p.m. A resolution was carried granting the bankrupt five guineas per week for four weeks. .. : It) is nob generally known that to com plete the present rail communication between Auckland and Wellington by the shortest practicable route would need only 80 miles more of railway line to be constructed. This is by the Mokau coastline, via the Awakino River, on the West Coasb. From Te Kuiti, or Te Kumi, the presenb terminus in the King Country, to the mouth of the Awakino, via Tot<jjro (a native settlement on the Mokau), is only a little over 40 miles. From this point to Waitara, the Taranaki terminus, is another 40 miles. There are very few engineering difficulties—-none of magnitude—on this route. It is nob generally known that there were stowed away in the Auckland Free Public Library, a number of very interesting relics of the Taranaki and Hauhau jrars, in the shape of old Maori war flags of curious design. -There -.are" in all seven flags, the largesb being aboub the size of the English '■■ Royal Standard* the material being bunting and calico. Some of the designs and figures on the nags are very striking, and it has been suggested that if they were properly displayed in some place like the Art Gallery they would bee a source of general interesb. The largest flag has a ldrge figure of the Maoii god of war in red on a white ground. The flags were captured from the natives in various engagements by the British troops and colonial forces between 1863 and 1868, and form quite a historical collection. A sale of Crown lands took place on June 10. Mr G. Mueller acted as auctioneer. A large number of lots were put up in the town and suburbs of Tuakau, and broughb excellent prices. The principal buyers were John Dromgool, C. Dromgool, P. Garharty, J. Poland, A. O. Lapwood, John Bruce, W. Booker, W. Jones, John Adamson, E. C Frost, Rev. E. J. McFarland, and Mrs Boyle. Messrs) Foote Bros, boughb a section of forest land at Tangihua, 127 acres in extent, ab the npset price of £1,622 7s 6d. Three forfeited sections in bheGordon special settlement (Piako county) were disposed of to Messrs B. Montague, W. G. Osborne, and J. McLeod. William Bias bought; three lots in the parish of Taupiri, and Masefield Bros., Samuel Lush, and H. Stephenson were buyers of lots in the town of Russell. The sale altogether was maso successful. ':' ■•<■ While in New Zealand recently, the Hon. R. E. O'Connor, Minister for Justice of New South Wales, conferred with leading public men on matters ot intercolonial importance. Prominent amongst affairs discussed was a suggestion originated by the Earl of Onslow prior to his departure from New Zealand relative to the prerogative of mercy hitherto vested in governors of British colonies. The Earl of Onslow minuted a request that the Imperial Government should be asked to consenb to the transference of the prerogative of mercy in all cases of capital offences from the governors of colonies to the executive councils. At present the prerogative is exercised by thegovernorsontheirown responsibilities. A copy of Lord Onslow's minute was forwarded to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and Mr Ballance, the Premier of New Zealand, is ascertaining the feeling of the other colonies on the subject). So far as the Australasian colonies are concerned, the whole matter is in a confidential stage ; but it is undertood that the British authorities are willing for a change to be made in the direction desired.by the ex-Governor of New Zealand. The governors of the colonies are also willing to be released from the grave responsibilities now thrust upon them by existing instructions. As Minister for Justice Mr O'Connor favourably views the proposal, and there is little doubt that the change will be made on an early date. As the schooner Medora was sailing about 10 miles off Cape Brett, on May 22 the master, Mr J. H. Subritzsky, noticed what he took to be a boat bottom upwards. Determined to secure it he' went oub in the wha'leboat, when he was astonished to see the object dive down, and come up again. The stranger was eventually got on board the schooner and brought to Auckland. An examination shows that the monster is apparently of the turtle tribe. Ib is about six feet long, eighb feeb in circumference, and is possessed of four flappers. The front pair measure close on eight feeb from tip to tip, and the weight of the body i 3 estimated at between seven and eight cwt. The carcase is completely encased in shell, both above and below. Thab on the back is shaped something like a shield and is ribbed and fluted, tho shell being splashed with white spots on dark ground. The head and neck are the next astonishing parts of the creature. The head is fiah-like in shape, and about 9or 10 inches long. It is provided with eyes and spoub holes, but apparently ia without ears. Upon opening the mouth a formidable array of teeth are discovered. Whab

might be termed the terminal of the'tinder jaw, outward is a sharp parrot-like tooth, and on the upper jaw are a couple similar onea to match. Inside both the mouth and throat is one mass of teeth about an inch in length. The neck is remarkably thick, and the creature was able to raise its head about 18 inches when fighting or swimming. It is considered thab the creature is a rare specimen of tho Sparghis coriacae, or leathery turtle. This is the firßb time one of these species has been found on the coasb of New Zealand. .