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Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1918, 29 June 1869, Page 2

The New Botanical Garden. — This morning a gang of prisoners was marched from the gaol to the Acclimatisation Secioty’s Grounds, Water of Leith, where they commenced working at the new botanical garden to be formed there. The Commercial Bank. — We believe that the liquidators of the Commercial Bank of New Zealand will shortly pay a further dividend of 7s Sd in the £. This wi 1 make a total dividend of los in the £ ; the last dividend having been 7s 4d in the £.

The Assault on the Police at Waikouaiti.— At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Waikouaiti, yesterday, Frederick Wain, Roderick Cameron, and Henry Francis were charged, on remand, with assaulting and resisting Constable Porter, while in the execution of hj s duty, at Hawkesbury, on the 12th inst. They were committed for trial, bail being allowed.

Gold Prospecting.—The people of Wellington seems to be suffering, if we may judge from the reports in the local papers, from a gold fever. They have satisfied themselves that quartz reefs exist in the Province—payable gold-bearing quartz reefs —and they arc determined, apparently, to find a goldfield. The following, from one of the local journals, appears to be about the latest; —“Air J. F. E. Wright, of Goathurst Farm, has shown us a line specimen of gold of over a pennyweight, procured by one of his men at Otorong, near Tcrawiti. The man informed Air Wright that the last prospect he washed was over a grain to the dish, and that he never saw a prettier wash in all Ids digging experience. The man has been ten years on the Melbourne diggings, and feels confident that the district is rich in gold.” While on this subject, we may draw attention to the fact that the two men who rccontl} 7 reported a quartz discovery in the Opuho gorge have again started for the scene of their alleged discoveries.

Mistaken Identity.— The following unpleasant results of mistaken identity appears in the Honthern Cross of the Ist instant: —“An exciting scene occurred in Queen-street at a late hour last night. A soldier named Beth all, belonging to the 14th Regiment, stationed in Melbourne, but at present on furlough and on a visit to Auckland, was walking along the street when he was suddenly pounced upon by a passer-by, who cauhgt him by the collar in a most frantic manner, and dragged him into the road, crying out, ‘ You’re a murderer. I’ve seen your likeness in the waxworks exhibition in Melbourne, and I’ll lock you up,” He then attacked Bethallin a most desperate manner, tearing his coat to pieces, and it was only when Police-constable MT-uffcrty came up that he was made to desist. Bethall at once gave him into custody on a charge of assault, Ody (the name of the aggressor) still reiterating that ‘he was a murderer.’ When at the station he was more like a maniac than a sane person, and it was difficult to discover whether he was mad or tipsy. He was locked up in one of the colls, where, doubhess, he very soon came to his proper senses. Bethall, who was in plain clothes, was walking along very quietly at the timo the frantic attack was made upon him.” The Earthquake at Lyttelton.— The Lyttelton Times, of a late date, has the following about the late earthquake “ Shortly after the last earthquake, three men rather fond of their nip, from which they had been disturbed, were standing together. One said ‘1 say Bill, did you hear that?’ ‘Yes I did and no mistake.’ A minute or so passed, when Tom again spoke. ‘ I say Bill, do you smell the sulphur ?’ ‘ Well, I do smell sumroat queer, and no mistake. Don’t you, Jack.’ Jack admitted he also smelt the sulphur. They stood staring at each other in the greatest fear, and gave the imprcs.-ion, as one told a friend afterwards, that the nether-most pit had suddenly opened, and they had nothing to look forward to but an instantaneous headlong rush into it, and among its inhabitants. Suddenly Jack clapped his hands to his breeches pocket, and connecting his feelings with (the earthquake, —“My God, I’m burning,” and he was undoubted 1 ) 7 , for in his fear he had put his lighted pipe in his pocket, and ignited his wooden matches, which accounted for the smell of sulphur. Bill aud Tom .expressed great comfoit when they found that their sojourn in the pit whs delayed for some time, and that Jack was the only one who had a foretaste of its quality.

Rabbits, —The following appeared in a late number of the Melbourne A njm To turn a curse into a blessing is to accomplish a remarkable feat, and it is an instance of our local industrial energy, that while the

carcisc of the rabbit is successfully hawked throughout the city and suburbs, a demand for rabbit fur is likely to arise. It is perhaps not generally known that the soft, silky undergrowth of hair on the rabbit’s back is the chief material of which the light grey felts used by hatters is composed ; and the increase of rabbits in Victoria has turned attention to the subject of hat-felt manufacture, which the Melbourne hat-makers have very much at heart. There arc many things to favor such an enterprise. The “down” from the Victorian rabbit is declared by experts to be decidedly superior to that obtained in France, England, or America ; its price is Is 4d. per lb., as against the English price of 8s per lb , and finally, there is, of course, the “ protection” afforded by customs duties, freights, &e. These facts come to the surface in c uiuectionwith the present attempt to establish a felt manufactory by Mr John Gray, of 104 Little Col ins street east, who spent the best part of his life in the iniimifacturc of this felt, both on his own account at Southampton, and in the celebrated London factories of Townend, in Lime street, and Pritchard, in Stamford street. Hitherto there has been no scope in Victoria for the exercise of his skill; but, taking advantage of present circumstances, he now proposes to supply the Colonial market with the desired material. A visit paid to his modest factory a day or two since, showed that something definite has been done. With a hand “ bow,” the most important implement employed iu the work, he has already produced felt for several hats which prove more thaa.snfheieutly that the main hkve been overcome ; and Lj.q, prqfcafcay,tp£bej able to supply the same article at 2afid which la Imported from fat he the ; price could be brought and one bowing machine would fchhsVunc’ 100,000 rabbits per annum. The whole of the machinery requisite would not cost more than LSO or LOO ; but such an outlay appears to be too much for Mr Gray, who has also to encounter a minor obstacle, i.e.., the difficulty of getting merino wool of the longest staple. With affairs at this stage, it would appear that a very little effort on the part of the Melbourne hatters and soft-goods men would establish a new manufacture which would command the Colonial markets.

Taranaki Iron-Sand. —The Taranaki Herald of a recent date gives the following information about the Pioneer Steel Works :—Such is the name Messrs I hj nochsberg and Company have given to their works on the Great South Hoad. We paid another visit to the place the other day, and found that the furnace had already reached the roof of the building ; also, that the waterwheel had been fixe;l and was revolving. It is supposed that everything will be in readiness for the first smelting in about a month or six weeks time Other Provinces that happen to have what they imagine to be steel sand lying on their shores, are apparently jealous of Taranaki, and are boastful in their remarks of the quantity they have on their coast, but they forget that the flux which causes the sand to smelt they may not have, and which they would have to get from this Province, namely, a peculiar clay to be found onl) 7 at Urenui. On Saturday last, says the Southern Cross, we were kindly favored‘by Mr Von der Heyde, with a view of a small bar of stool, manufactured from iron sand taken from the beach at Taranaki, and smelted at the works just completed of Messrs Henochsberg and Co. While returning from the South the week before last, in the s.s. Phcebe, Mr Yon der Hyde visited the new smelting works ; and a small portion of iron sand —about two handfuls, which he had taken up from the beach—was placed in the crucible, and was converted into a bar of superior steel, winch was afterwards brilliantly polished. The steel produced from the iron sand, as most of our readers are aware, is a most valuable commodity in all parts of the world, ami we have no doubt that before many years are over titaniferous iron will form one of the principal exports of this Galony. Most fortunately for the Province of Auckland, it has been bountifully supplied with iron sand on the West Coast, being especially rich in this metalliferous compound from the Waikato to Manukau Heads, and on i o the Kaipara. The smelting operations being now so successfully exhibited at Taranaki, we shall speedily no doubt have many imitators in Auckland, and a commencement cannot be made at too early a date. We have no doubt that Mr Von der Hyde will he happy to favor any person interested in such matters with a view of the small steel bar on application. Being the first of the kind we have had in Auckland, it is well worthy of an inspection.

Velocipedes. —ln reference to the velocipede, the latest innovation or rather revival, of this fast period, the Loudon scientific journals point out that the use of the india-rubber tire will make quite a revolution, both on the employment of the vehicle on rough roads, and in the rate of speed and ease of working it. In 1851, at the Crystal Palace, a heavy cart wheel, tyred with india-rubber, was made to pass over the hands and feet of the beholders, without giving any jerk whatever to the wheel, or the slightest sensation of pain to the experimentalists. It is believed that if the velocipede were mounted on wheels thus prepared, the necessity for the smooth road and for carriage springs could be dispensed with, while the danger to life and limb from being run over would be much dimini lied. It seems that some indiarubber tires have been applied to' traction engines with perfect success, as they give a “ bite ” on the ground which exceeds all expectation ; and we are assured that an almost incredible rate of speed may be thus obtained—that the velocipede can be moved at the rate of twenty miles an hour, while the muscular action of the feet of the person propelling need be only at the rate of two miles. Nay, it is said, that an active young man may even drive the machine at a speed of forty miles an hour. The apparatus is thus technically described : —“ Let a secondary wheel, thirty inches in diameter, provided with an indiarubber tire, be fixed on a short secondary spin tie, with a crank nine inches long at each side, placed at ISO deg; also, let a pinion or nut, live inches diameter, indiarubb-T tired, be fixed on the centre of the main driving axle, the bite of the two being equal to that of any gearing ; attach two long horizontal pedals to the cranks, with shoes provided with small friction rollers, and the machine will be complete ” As for the obstacles in the way, a machine moving wich such speed would, like the railway carriage, require a road to itself, for no plan has yet been suggested to prevent horses from shying in the presence of these swift machines, or to save pedeatrians^from

being knocked over, though Toy ever so elastic buffers. Moreover, it seems that the patent vulcanised indiaruhher tire, which is capable of accomplishing such things, has been locked up for over a hundred years by the absurd state of our patent laws ; and that every portion of the process is stuck over with patents like quills on a porcupine. It is quite sure to be dragged from obscurity, however, now that the velocipede, in an improved form, has again come into fashion.

We have received a copy of the third number of the series of lithographed likenesses issued by Messrs 8, Lister and Co., Stafford street. The picture is that of the Bev. Mr Scrymgeour, and the artist has succeeded iu drawing it very correctly. Mr Henderson was the lithographer, and Messrs Lister and Co, the printers.