MISCELLANEOUS. [From March 20 to April 18]

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 1571, 18 April 1872, Page 7

MISCELLANEOUS. [From March 20 to April 18 ]

Mr. Tinne, of the firm of Fraser and Tinne, has visited the Northern Wairoa to witness a portion of the machinery of the large Phor-mium-Dressing Company set in motion. Messrs. Fraser and Tinne have been engaged making the machinery for some time past, and resolved to have a commencement made without waiting until the whole plant is erected which the Company intend to place on the ground. The capital employed when in full operation will bo £60,000, and, should success attend their efforts, there is a probability of it being soon increased to £100,000. An interesting and instructive lecture was delivered in the Whardhine schoolroom on Friday, March 15, by Dr. Dal ton, on "Digestion." On Tuesday, Jfavch26,Mv. F. G. Ewington delivered an interesting lecture on the " Life and Times of John the Bohemian Martyr," in the Mount Eden Schoolroom. Mr. G-. M. Main occupied the chair. The audience was an excellent 'one. We are glad to learn that work on the Kaipara Railway is steadily proceeding, and it is expected that in three or four months the track will be so far formed that it will bo possible to ride from end to end. Several bridges are now in course of erection, and the, whole of them will probably be in hand in a very short time. Mr. Edgar deserves great credit for the manner in which he has pushed forward this work. The dry summer has favoured operations on the liue, and it has been taken full advantage of, no time having been lost since the work was commenced. •Mr. Elliott Meyer, of Messrs. Sheehan and Dignan's office, and Mr. Madden, articled clerk to Mr. Joy, LL B., have successfully passed the necessary examination to entitle them to practise as solicitors of the Supreme Court. The result, we understand, was communicated to Messrs. Meyer and Madden by the Judge'i secretary.

A Mayor's Ooiirb is shortly to be established in Auckland, Mr. Philip3 haying received a letter from the Colonial Government requesting him to confer with Mr. Beckham respecting the ovtent of jurisdiction to be exercised in that Couit, with Mich other powers as should pei tain to it. Mr. Philips (as Mayor) Las been appointed Resident Magistrate. There are 82o Justices of the Peace gazetted for the colony of New Zealand, or, aa near as may be, one Justice of the Peace for every 275 men, women, and children in the col'iny. For the colony of Victoiia the number of Justices is under GOO. The cutter ' Avon ' has taken on board, from the yards of Mr. James do Hirsch, 20 tons of tailings for export to England per ship 'Cadueeus,' now loading in Auckland harbour. 'J he tailings are intended as an experimental parcel, Mr. De Ilirsch being still convinced — notwithstanding the improved methods of treatment lie has himself introduced at the Thames — that nioro perfect extraction can be made on the continent of Europe, the result of soientiiic research and experiment. We have before ns a return showing approximately the acreage of lands held by the Grown in the various provinces of the colony. The total area included in the return is 38,363,185a. Ir. 21 4 p., consisting of 1,580,178a. 22r. 12p. of confiscated lands, and 36,783,00Ga. 3r. 9£p. of Provincial waste lands. Of this total an area of 14,731,536a. is leased for depasturing purposes, bringing in a gross annual revenue of £110,704 Is. 2d. It is of course in the province of Auckland j that the greatest area of confiscated land is to be found, amounting to 894,553a. lr. 39p. Of purchased waste lands we have 749,061a. 2r. 2p., to which has to be added 56,000a. surplus land which has reverted to the Crown from old laud claims ; making a total of 805,061a. 2r. 2p. I he total area of confiscated and provincial waste Linda in the province at present open for settlement amounts to 1,699,615 acres. This, of course, does not include the many millions of acres of excellent lands in the hands of the natives, and which is being gradually sold to Europeans. The area stated to be leased for depasturing purposes within the province is 119, 140 acres, bringing in an annual rental of £120, although in the last session of tho Provincial Council a return was brought down on the motion of Mr. Ball, giving an area of 123,900 acres of land leased for such a purpose at an annual rent of £85. The area leased for mineral or other purposes than those of goldmining is set down at 200 acres at a rent ot £95, and a penal rent of £25 for unlawfully cutting timber on Government land. The province of Canterbury receives £34,596 2s. 8cJ. per annum for its depasturing leases, and the province of Otago £59,698 5s. Gd. per annum from the same source. Were the native title extinguished over the laud in this province, as it is in those provinces, Auckland would make a better show in suca comparative returns. It should not, however, be supposed that the above sum of £120 represents all the money paid by settlers in thisprovincefor depasturing purposes. Vast tracts of land are leased in various parts by European settleis, direct from the native owners, without the intervention of the Government. These runs are increas'ng in number every year, yet no notice is taken of them in such returns as those before us, and the province of Auckland is thus made to compare disadvantageously with those in the southern parts of the colony, where no tracts of native land are to be found, the native title having been wholly extinguished. The well-known prisoner Fred Plummer, who twice escaped from Mount Eden Gaol, has it appears again made an attempt to get away. The particulars of his last effort are that about 10 o'clock on the morning of Apiil 13, Plummer was at work in the quany with two other prisoners, named Shine and Stephens. They had arranged to start in three different directions. Plummer made the first staitfrorn the quarry towards the gate and towards the new wall at a rapid pace, and would have gob clear, but for the quick eye aad nimble foot of one of the warders, named Featherstonhaugh, who made a spring in front of him, as he was gciug through the gate-way, and, placing the muzzle of his levolver to Plummer's breast, collaied him till assistance came up. The prisoner was taken away to his cell. Mr. Mackay has leturned from Ohinemmi, having succeeded, it is stated, in effecting the pui chase of 150,000 acres of land on the goldHeld. This is, of course, m several blocks, between the Puru and Cape Colville. It is said that between C3,000 and £4,000 have been paid to the natives in food and clothing during the Ohiuemuri meeting, which we should think forms a large proportion of the purchase money of the land. We are glad to learn that considerable success is attending the efforts of the City Council authorities to introduce the eaithcloset system in Auckland. The by-law relating to those matters has not long been in force in the city, but there have already been 48 applications to the Council for the necessary apparatus to carry the system into operation. The work of levelling Point Britomart steadily progresses, and substantial marks of progress are no>v observable. '1 he work has advanced to that stage that even inexperienced eyes cannot fail to observe the plan and system of carrying on the operations. Tuesday, being the annual Brewster Sessions, was a great day amongst the publicans and owners of public-house property. When the Court opened at noon the whole standing and sitting spa< e of the Police Court was filled in a few seconds. A deputation representing the United Kingdom Alliance presented a petition, bearing 2,000 signatures, against any new licenses being granted. Objection was taken to the reception of the petition, but after some discussion the question was put to the Justices by the Chairman whether they should receive the petition, and they decided in the affiimative. The meiits of the several applications for licenses were then discussed, when nine had their licenses refuser!, and a number of the applications were adjourned until the Uth June. The concert in aid of Drummer Broderick, Onehunga Rifle Volunteer Band, came off in the Institute last week. The attendance was very good, the front seats being rather too much crowded. The entertainment pro ■ vided was up to the mark. Miss Short and Miss Swan were repeatedly encored, and Mr. Watson had no sooner ended one of his songs than another was demanded. Mr. Homeyer acted as manager, and Mrs. Howard presided at the piano. Major Gordon, under whose patronage the concert took place, was present. The officers and a considerable number of tho Onehunga Rifle Volunteers in uniform were there also. Part of the Onehunga Rifle Baud, under Corporal Blakey, played one or two pieces with care and taste, Broderick taking the bass and tenor drums under hia charge at the same time. The annual publicans' licensing meeting was held at Shortland on Tuesday, before the following J.P.s : — Messrs. Goldsmith, Kilgonr, Puckey, and Power. Before the business of the day commenced, a petition, signed by 279 teetotallers, praying that no new licenses should be issued, was presented to the Bench ; and also another of similar purport, signed by the JRev. Father Nivard, Rev. Mr. Hill, Rev. Mr. Buller, aDd the Rev. Mr. WiJson. The Bench replied that, inasmuch as it had npt been shown that the terms of the Licensing Act had been complied with in obtaining the signatures of two-thirds of the inhabitants, the petitions could not be entertained. The business of the Court then piocqeded. There were 90 appli3ation3 for old licenses, of which a number were adjourned fqr a month, and the rest granted". Of five applications for new licenses, two were granted, two adjourned, and one shelved. Five applications for wholesale licenses were grunted. " Much surprise," says our Coroinandel correspondent, "has been excited here by the appearance of a Mr. Peppercome, who has recently returned from Sydney, after a residence there of 20 years, and who claims, by virtue of a deed signed nye-and-twenty y^ars ago, by Ara Kura and Pita Taurua, to be holder of all the block of land above highwater mark, extending from. Wynyardton

township, above the beach, to the Kapan«a Creek. The case will be brought before the lawyers, and will pi obably prove a very interesting one, involving, as it doe?, a va<-t amount of most valuable mining property." Tbe plans which have been sent in to the Provincial Government for a now hospital were on Monday exhibited in the Superinton. denl/s Ofhcc. There are fourteen in number, homo of them arc works of art, and sonx 1 of them merely the work of " botcher* 1 ." Tin maximum sum intended to bo spent in building a hospital is £10.000, but a building according to some of tho plans could citainly be carried out for leas than half that aum. There is one excellent plan beautifuUy framed in a glass case, which appeal s not t > have bi'en prepared for this competition. A building earned out according to tliM design would certainly be an ornament t . to the place, but those who profess to leuov about those things think tho plan could not be earned out under £15,000. The plans were examined by Dis: Phileon, Goldsbro', and J. J(. Nicholson. The plans will likely remain on exhibition for some time to come. The dhectors of the B.iy of Islands Coal Coirpany intimate that they are now pre- ■ pared to deliver unset cened coal at 12s. per ton, as well as slack coal at 7s. per ton, iu • any quantiti s that may be required, alongsido vessols at tho loadin .'-ground. Although the Governor was at one time expected to reach Auckland last Menday,the expectation was dispelled by a telegram which the Mayor received on Monday from | his Excellency at Taupo relating to his jour- ; ney $ He is traveling unaccompanied by any of his Ministers. The Hon. Mr McLean, Defence Minister, has left Napier in I the p s. 'Luna,' and intends ca'ling at Opotiki, Whakalaiie, and Maketu meeting the Governor at Tauranga. The toiegram received by the Mayor was read at the meeting of the City Council yestenlay afternoon, and was as follows : — " L congratulate the citizens of Auckland on the completion of the telegraph. I am on my \r iy to Auckland across the centre of the island. Two ways are equally open and safe from here. I can go by Cambridge and tho W.zikato, or by the Hot Lakes and Tauranga. I shall choose the latter, as I wish to see the lakes again. 1 shall re-visit the Waikato from Auckland, where I hope to arrive about the 20th instant. I believe that in 12 months from this time a coach may be running fiom Auckland to Wellington. The roads in the interior are progressing fast, chiefly by native labour." To tho above telegram the Mayor sent tbc following reply : — "I am in receipt of your telegram, and shall take steps to make public tho valuable information therein conveyed. The citizens of Auckland will be very glad to welcome your Excellency again to Auckland. The interest your Excellenc)' manifests in the prosperity of the colony will be veiy pleasing to all good colonists " A quantity of the coal obtained from the seam opened on Mr. Foote's Bridgewater Farm, lulf-wa}' between the Firth of Thames and Mercer, is being tested at the Thames, and the result s>o far is very satisfactory indeed. Mr. Cohen, of the Anchor "otel, is using some of it for oidinary cooking purposes, and pronounces the sample to be of as good quality as any he has yet tried. It throws out great heat, and burns both cleanly and freely, and appears to contain a great deal of sjas. Its suitableness for gasmaking is to be put to the test next week by a gentleman who is interested in the Ihinedm gas-works Our correspondent says, "There is every probability of the expectations enteit.iined of the value of the coal being fully realised, and that it will come into general use at the Thames and elsewhere." We have been furnished by Mr. W. L. TSees with the following acknowledgment of the money collected sometime ago in Auckland in aid of the suflcreis by the late FrancoPrussian war : — "The Fiench Eelief Fund in aid of P.iris and the suffering districts t rnughout France. — Mansion-house, E.O, 7th February, 1872 Sir, — I am directed by the Lord Mayor and the Committee to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of £83 in aid of the above fund, being collection in New Zealand. — I am, sir, your obedient servant, Joseph Gibbs, honorary secretary. — W. L. Rees, Esq., honorary secretary French. Relief Fund, Auckland." It has been decided that scholarships under the New Zealand University Act can be letained by students for two or more yeaia, upon satisfactory proof of progress. No degree will be conferred on a candidate unless he has kept nine teims, or been a student in the Otas^o Univeisity for thiee years. The £70 scholarships are only to be given for So per cent, of marks on one anbjoot, and noscholatship will be given for less than 50 per cent of marks. It appears a change has been effected in the propiietoiihip of the Thames Advertiser —Mr. A. fi. Horton, late proprietor ot the Timaru Herald, having been taken into p,n tneiship by Mr. Wilkinson. Mr. Horton comes to Auckland witli first-class ctedeutials from tho youth, and we doubt not, from his long newspaper expeiience, an improved tone and greater vigour will be speedily noticeable in the columns o£ our Thames con temporal y. Tho books recently prcscnto-l by the Freemasons to Past Master >nd V.W.P CI. Chap am the Rev. Robert Kidd, LL D., aie on view in the window of Messrs. Upton and Co , stationers. The addicts to Brother G. Lavcrs, Secretary, may also be seen at the same place. Both the addiess and presentation inscription on the first leaf of one of the books are very beautifully illuminated, and well worth examination.