TIMARU.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1266, 21 July 1864, Page 3

TIMARU.

(From the Herald, July 16.) New Custom House.—lt will be seen from our advertising columns that tenders are called for the erection of a new Custom House in Timaru. Excavations have already been made m close proximityto the proposed new Jandihgrplace for the btiildfng, which is to" be divided into fourr large room's, and Will be, we believe, a very creditable addition to oar rapidly increasing town. ' " J The New liAtoiNG-FLACE.—We are glad to see that the work of digging away the cliff for improving our boat service has been commenced. Yesterday morning the contractors, Messrs. Ellis and Co.', put a staff of men to work on the face of the cliff "forming the embankment below. This undertaking is of no little magnitude, as the cutting, extends for about seven chains along the cliff, the upper part oi it running back 63 feet, and the height of the cliff being 35 to 40 feet. The toe of the embankment will "be extended to high water mark, with a depth of 10 feet, so as to rest on the'rocky strata beneath the shingle. It speaks well for our . community that such m'en'as the present contractors come forward to undertake so large a work for the public. English Birds.—Mr. E. G. Stericker write# to the Herald, as follows:—" In your issufe : of ,the 25th June a'paragraph, appeared stating that some birds had been brought from Melbourne by me. Such was not the case; they were sent to me by Messrs; Purneli (who were in Melbourne en route for England), to be turned out in the spring into their bush property. I may also state that it is the intention of Messrs. Purnell to eehd out more English birds/as they take great interest in their acclimatization. With respect to poisoning hawks by strychnine, your readers might imagine that-1 put it forward as an original idea. My object was merely to draw attention to a safe method of poisoning without endangering the lives of dogs, &c. I think that all who are interested in acclimatization, or the society which has recently been formed, ought to take steps td exterminate a bird which will, on the introduction ol smaller ones, be most destructive, especially amongst the >oung during the breeding season."