MISCELLANEOUS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXX, Issue 5115, 14 January 1874, Page 7

MISCELLANEOUS.

OK Tuesday, Dec. 30, after the usual practice of the Tonic Sol Fa Union, Mr. McGarngle presented Mr. Bloomfield, the conductor, with an eight-day timepiece on behalf of the members of the Union, who had receired their certificates To the list of birds acclimatised in this pioyince under the auspices of the Acclimatisation Society, we may now add the white swan. The French warship ' Vive' reports having surveyed Campbell Islaud, and made a plat* -form for instiumenta for observing the transit , of Venua. The weather was very miBty while there. A new issue of postage stamps was made on January 1 . The stamps of course bear the imprint of the Queen's head, but the colouia differ slightly from those hithei to in use. The following is a description of tho stamps : — One penny, Queen'a head on oval ground in mauve ; twopence, Queen's head in dotted circle, printed in < rinisoa lake; threepence, Queen's head m oircle, printed m acpia brown ; fourpence, Queen's head on a square ground, piiuted in. Indian red; sixpence, Queen's head in circle und hexagon, printed iu blue ; one fehilhnc, Queen's head, on an oval ground, printed iu green. One of the firemen, named John Longwell, of the s.s. ' Governor BlackalJ,' died some what suddenly ou board that itesmer on January 1. The vessel was then in latitude 24 38 S., longitude 177 43 E., and bound from Kandavau for this port. It appears that Lougwell wai at work in a stoke-hole, when he was observed by one or two of his shipmates to fall suddenly. They ran to his assistance, and carried him on deck, but despite every effort made to revive the poor fellow, he died at about 1 o'clock. The funeral took place the next morning. The Xtu< Zetland (!<t >IU> of the 31sfcDecember contains a statement of the number of vessels and tonnage in and out of the Manukau during the last year. The tonnage for 1S71 was 18,649 tons ; for 1S72, 22,308 tons ; and for 1873, 24,003. The settling, in connection with the Auckland Jockey Club meeting, came off at the Auckland Hotel, on January 7. Everything passed off satisfactorily, and the following stakes were paid over : — Mr. James Watt, £323 3s.; Mr. W. Walterf, £299 5«.; Mr. H. Redwood, £294 10s.; Mr. Muun, £37; Mr. O. McGee, £47 10a.; Mr. McGeehan, £44 109. ; Mr. Campbell, £23 13a.; Mr. Kavanagb, £15 3s. ; Mr. Fitzgerald, £9 10s.; Mr. Standish, £4 0*. Total, £1,118 13s.