SOUTHERN ITEMS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1127, 15 February 1870, Page 3

SOUTHERN ITEMS.

PtEAstiKE IW. — Tho s.s. Airedale, Captain .Kennedy, left the wharf yesterday morning soon after the appointed time, for the excursion trip to Port Underwood and Pieton ; and, judging from the number who had taken tickets, the enterprise seems to have taken remarkably well, xhe decks of the vessel were so crowded, as she steamed away from the wharf with her living freight on board, that locomotion must have been extremely inconvenient and troublesome, if not almost impossible. Nearly 500 persons are supposed to have been on board, and even then so considerable a number were left behind on the wharf that it would have answered to have laid on another steamer to follow the Airedale. Those who had provided themselves with tickets were admitted first on board, and then as many more as could be conveniently accommodated were also admitted by paying their fare; but those who were left behind, not having provided themselves with tickets^ could hot, with any justice^ cotnplam of having been disappointed. The Airedale arrived at Picton at 4.50 p.m. yesterday, and left as?ain at 6.10 p.m., and arrived here at 11.30 p.m., after an exceedingly pleasant trip. — Wellington Advertiser, Feb. 8. The Flax Esroitr.— We rejoice to see that Mr. Pierce Cotter sent a further quantity of flax by the Gothenburg yesterday. We also noticed one bundle of | the leaf simply dried, bub in no way prepared. This is scut, no doubt, that experiments may be tried with it at Melbourne or in -England. — Ibid. BAttk of Australasia. — A branch business house of the Bank of Australasia is to be opened afc Wanganui in the course of a very few days, an excellent central position having been secured for the purpose in the Victoria Avenue^ " Taranaki B.s.— The operations upon the rudddr of the Taranaki were varied on Saturday by the presence of that curiouslooking personage the diver. The coflerdam, which we have described as a sort of barge fixed on to the steamer's stern, was found to leak. All attempts to remedy this from inside failed; because the more the Californian pumps emptied the eofierdam, the more tile pressure from outside drovo the wedges used for stuffing the leaks inwards, or out of their places. By the opposite method, stuffing the leaks from outside, tho greater the pressure of the outside water the better tho leaks are stopped, the wedges being forced in. So the diver's services were required. When we saw him he was taking a rest at the water's edge, looking in his waterproof dress and steel collar, like ono of the stuffed knights to be seen in theArnidury of the Tower of London, as if he had been juat unhorsed in a tilt and was getting ready for another. For his helmet lay on the pier above, with its glass windows and the hose screwed into the back of it, wherewith to supply air to the submarine operator by means of a pump in a box close by ; and the rope was still round his waist, wherewith he communicates his wishes to his fellow-creatures above water. The object, namely the unriveting of the rudder braces below water, was successfully accomplished by about 4 o'clock, and the coffer-dam removed. — Advertiser, February 7. Native Raw Material. — A correspondent of the Oamaru Times draws attention to certain native raw materials which he believes to be well suited for the manufacture of paper, viz.> the koradi and raupo. The kofudi requires to be collected when dry, theii tied into bundles, or pressed into bales, and then would make admirable " broken stowage" for wool ships, at half or quarter freight. The raupo requires to be cut when ripe, then wind-dried and packed into bales. The flower of tlie raupo contains a very beautiful yellow powder, of a far more brilliant colour than the yellow of the " Shumuu," which is so largely used in the calico printing trade, and the powder, if collected and sent to the dry-salters of Europe, would therefore command a high price among colourmakers and calico-priuters. — Ibid. j\ T E\\ r Government House. — In consequence of Mr. Ben Smith, t-J:e architect and also the contractor for building the new Government House, having filed a declaration of insolvency, the Government has called upon the sureties to complete the works, and Mr. John Martin, who is one of the sureties, has undertaken to go on with the works, aud for that purpose has called for tenders for the different sections. Very little progress has been made in the buildings for the last few days. Sailors' Lack. — Some of the man-of-war sailors on .shore, to-day, were passing the lire-bell at Te Aro, when eight bells were struck on board the Challenger. Some of them proposed to strike the hour on shore, and accordingly rang a peal on the fire- bell, which had the effect of turning out a few of the firemen in uniform, and causing preparations to be made for bringing the engine to the scene of the supposed conflagration. — Evening J^ost. Obituaky. — One of the oldest settlers of the Province, Mr. Isaac Lovelock, died yesterday. He came out in the Boltonin 1840, and was one of tiie first who landed at Lambton Harbor, those avlio arrived by the earlier vessels having established themselves at Pctoni. His eldest sou is said to have been the first white child born in Wellington. — Ibid.. Mr. B. D. Danvers, kte an officer in the Chatham Island guard, has writteu to the Southern Cross as an authority on tho poiut, to state that from the description given by Mr. Firth he clearly recognises the man Firth conversed with at Thompson's monument as the veritable Te ICooli, ! the Chatham Island prisoner. What value is to be placed on Mr. Danvers' statements may be gleaned from the fact that he also recognised Martha in the woman who accompanied Kooti. Mr. Danvers has apparently forgotten that Martha was captured at JN'gatapu, was a witness against the Poverty Bay murderers on their trial at Wellington, aud has since been and is now living at Poverty Bay. — • JZvcmng Post. The Glass Blowers. — In addition to the usual attractions oh' the Glass Blowers' entertainment it was announced that, last night, two prizes would be awarded — one for the best aud ouo for the worst conundrum on tho glass steam engine — and a large house assembled in consequence. After the usual manufacture of f'unuy articles and lecture on the steam engines by Mr. WoodroiTe, a committee, consisting of Messrs. Blundell, Prideaux, and Curley, was appointed judges of tho merits of the conundrums, of which a largo number were sent in. They were a very poor cullection, the prize for the best being awarded to tho following, by Mr. Kane: — " What is tho difference between JN T ew Zealand and the glass steam engine? New Zealand can do without the Governor, but the engine cannot." The worst, where so many wore bad, was allowed to be an attempt by Mr. Mitchell—" Why is llie glass steam engine like a corkscrew ? Because you cannot open oysters with it." The first prize consisted of a beautiful chain glass pipe, worked in colors ; and the second, of a cradle. The customary distribution of prizes afterwards took place. To-night those prizes will include a beautiful case of glass ships, and on Friday night a prize will be given for tho best poem on the glass stoam engine. — Ibid.