MISCELLANEOUS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2610, 29 November 1865, Page 5

MISCELLANEOUS.

The funeral of Mr. Edward Kingi whose demise we announced in our last Summary, took place on the 28th ultimo, from his house at Mo tint Eden", to St. Mark's Cemetery, Remuera.' The body wait conveyed in a, hearse, which the greater part of the mourners followed on foot. Mr. Edward Porter and Mr. Patteison were the chief mourners, and, .as might have been expected, * large number ef the oldest citizens of Auckland weto present. The burial service was read by the Lord Bishop of New Zealand/ Major-General Chiite, Commander of the troops in New Zealand, paid a visit of inspection to Penrose Camp on the 30th ultimo ; but no parade of the troops took place. On the evening of the 2nd instant, Major Hoaphy, Chief Surveyor to tho General Government, delivered » lecture in the Mechanics' Institute, on tho "Geology of the Auuklaud District,' 1 before a largo audience. He began •by a brief sketch of the science of geology, from the primary granite till, as it might be phrased, at tho last loaf of tho tertiaiy period, man appeared. In speaking of the rock 3, which were metalliferous, tho lecturor said that we mii»ht look for metals only in the veins of the primal y rocks, such as granite, slate, mountain limestone, and gneiss. From Motutapu and Waibeki to Maraitai, and along the west side of the Gulf of the Thames, up the country past Ngaruawahia to Fampipi, was a continuous clay slate ridge known to 'bo metalliferous. No very rich lodes had yet been discovered, but it had been atcei tainod that the whole rauge was metalliferous, and it \> as not improbable that gold might be ; found in large or small quantities. From Cape Colville past Coromaudel to the mouth of the Thames certaiuly, and perhaps fuither, extended a slato rauge, but above the greater part of it lay a mass of old volcanic rock, which conoealod its riohes, except in places where streams had cut. In those places where the streams had cut through quartz veins, there gold hud been found. This formation occuned at soveral places — at Wangarei, at the Bay of Islands, at Hokianga, volcanic masses were piled ou the top of slato locks. The lecturer said that he was certain that but patient reseaich was wanting to lead to discoveiies of vast importance amongst those rocks. Major Heaphy said the Auckland district was a basin. Wsiheki, Marnitai, and the high lands beyond formed the one boundary of basaltic lock, while the mountains about the Manukau Heads, Waitak^rei, and to wardsKaipaia formed the other boundary of trachytio rocks. The lecturer spoke of the fossils found in tertiary basins in other parts of tho world, and said these could not be expected to be met with in the Auckland district, and one cause of iheir non-existence was that during its deposit tremendous volcanic .action had been" going on. It was doubtful if it was at that tune fit for animal life at all. In all the strata cinders rind tufa predominated, and fossils were extremely rare. Only in two places within thirty 01 forty miles could fossils be found — a species of estuary shell-fish. 'This absence of foisili had caused great difficulty to geologists in classifying tho rocks with the rocks of Europe The lee tin or then spoke of the volcanic craters in tho district, saying that within thirty miles there weie no fewer than sixty-two independent ciaters. The peculiaiities of the crateis at the Lake, at Mount Wellington, at the baiin at Onehimga, and other place, were described with the assistance of numeious diagrams', and a de->onption given of operations which must have taken place in oidei to form them The boiling springs of itotnmahama and Hotorua were then descubed, and the theoiy on which the Icelandic geyseis -which aie quite similar— had been accounted for, clearly stated. The diffeienccs in the periods of the ci uption of the difiei cut volcanoes in the Auckland district weie stated, Haugitoto having been the one last active. Major Ileaphy concluded a very interesting lecture by thanking the gentlemen of the survey department of the Waste Land Department for their assistance in gettiug up the illustration! A meetiug of the fiietuh of the lemporauce movement was hold on the evening of the 2nd inst , when it was unanimously losolved to organize a society, to bo called "Tho New Zealand Temperance League." At the close of the proceedings, tho pledge [adopted by the League was signed by upwards of fifty perions. • Ou the ei/eniug after the public demonstration noticed elsewheie, Messrs. Amos and Taylor, contractors for the erection of the Supreme Court-house, gave an excellent supper to about sixty of the workmen employed on the building, in the Auckland Hotel (Mr. J. Vialou's), and tho entoitainers snffered nothing to be wanting on their part to make their guests enjoy the evening. Wo understand that various changes are about to be made in tho rates of pay and nature of offices held by soveral gentlemen connected with the Volunteer and Militia Departments, consequent on instructions received from the Hon. Defence Minister, Colonel H&ultmu, at picsent at Wellington. It has often been a matter of sui prise how the Maoris obtained their ammunition ; but wo believe were a seaching investigation made it would be found that they are often enabled to make their own gunpowder, from tho necessary iugredients. being obtained from shepheids and others in the inland [districts. A few weeks ago several kegs of aalt--petre and sulphur were forwarded from Wellington tp Rangitikei by Mr. W. Taylor, to a sheep station in that remote district, < and it is posit bio to conceive ' thftj; any demand made to the shepherd by the rebels , for supplies of this nature might sometimes be complied with, if only through, fuar. , It has been several times stated that Te Da, tho great ,bigh-priest and prophet of Pai Marirism', was amongst those taken prisoneis by the Arawas under Mr. Mair, .itTe Toko Pa. That is not tho 'case,"!?*' TJa being, it is supposed, at Taranaki. This mistake has perhaps arisen through Te Ua being confounded with To' Uwhi, a mnn more villainous but lei>s fanatical. 1 A meetiug of members of the Church of England Special Settlement Mas held in St. Matthew's Schoolroom, Hobson-street, -on- Thursday oveuing last, to consider the desb ability of getliug additional land surveyed and ready for aebtlemcnt. A cominittce was appointed to report upon tho selection of tho remniuiag portion of the Church, of England Special Settlement block of 'land lit Pakiri. '< ' ' An application wad' made some time ago to the General Government for letters patent,' by Messrs. • Osborne atid Boyd, for n cement which 1 wm to bo composed by tui improved method of mixing pulverized «corin t ash and lime. An objection' whs made> to' the issuing of the ' letiers patent 'by the Superintendent of the province bf Tarantvki, in consequence of which Mr. Weaver,' Engineor-in« Chief' of this province, had received a commission from his Excellency Sir George Grey as investigator into the objections rahed againut the 'application. All paitie* interested in tho 'matter 'are to ooramuni^ cate With that' gentleman as early as possible. . j ■ SeveraUmportant 'improvementßihava lately been made in the arrangements' at' the Aucklaud Mechanics'' Institute. A room lias- Keen fittod up in which the magazines and other periodicals may bo road,' thu« obviating the overcrowding of the'reatiing. room, and rendering it easier to get the newspaper or periodical desired. ;. A want very much Mt in Anokland has also been, supplied! to some' extent in'the arrangement of a, collection of books of -reference, la this oolleotioui are' such. woiks at tho "Eucyolo-ptedia'Britaimioa'/M-a vecy handsome set,, which edit,' we understand, £36} Hooker's " New

I^'l^TV^^on mttlianibdriteißncßs, fteW Ztaknd' : Statute> '• fiies of 'til* Aubklitud YeW papers, &6; ' '">*- >>•■*, -s ■• _■ j.. «. < 'mi plaotfdn -Monday kst, at thh'WSate Lands Offico. Mafi^vv*, MonWnfti aM Eaglari"4triqts,' an'a'id' «ie pawBli l! of.^aifciiUfei > "oonnfcy'df USen: 1 MA •°I*M cl T w **?«»i Deputy WmW Lands Comi»i r s&i6het<, officiated' ' M adctionefer, 'and a large quantity of > land was dispo»ed ' 6f ~afc fair prices. ;