TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2136, 25 October 1867, Page 2

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lectoiie,—Dr Haast'a fourth lecture on Geology will be delivered at.the old I'own Hall, this evening, at half-past seven o'clock, Acclimatization. ihe usual monthly meeting of the council of t!i>B society will he held at the Mechanics' Institute, at 2 o'clock this day. Washed Wool.—We understand that the London correspondent o£ o>ie »f our leading houses, strongly recommends those who have the necessary appliances, to wash their wool, as the difference in price is something appreciable lii favour of washed "Ver greasy wools. LyTTELTOnVoLUDTEUR Hand.—The band of No. 2 Battery L.V.A. will perforin this evening in the Market sq-iare, Lyttelton. No doubt the citizens of I yttelimi will appreciate this endeavour on the pait of No. 2 Buttery to contribute to their amusement mid recreution. Wkst Coast Road Traffic.—The following is the return of the tuimbur of persons who have, crossed the lit aley mid of the stock drhen past it during the week ending Oct, 19To the Gold field*: Mules, ;)'i j female, I ; horses, 36 ; cattle, 29 ; Blieqi, 980 ; pigs, 80. From the Goldfiehls: Miles, 41; horses, 17. Akaroa Litkiiary Inhtituth.-Tlio first of a series of entertain>Heni* in connection witbj and for the benefit of the above Institute, was given in Akitroa niwn liall, on Saturday evening last, the 19tli inst. We were sorry to Bee but a small nttendaiic#, but hope on the next occasion tu luive the pleasure of meeting an oveillnwint; house. We would suggest to tliu committee that Saturday night is not the best night' o the purpose,

OnriUN Asylum.—A general meeting of o ho subscribers to this institution will be held t 11 the new school-room, to-day, at 4 p.m. I: "lie business of the meeting is to elect 1 [ontlemen to act as committee-men for tlio r msuing year. t Educational.—Monday, 25tli November i lext; is fixed for tlio election of a new School 1 ]nmmittee for the educational district of ( Saltwater Creek, The election will take I ilaco in tlio schoolroom, at 7 o'clock in the ( lYening, 1 Tim New GovEnNon, Tlio tolcgram . luoted in our issuo of yesterday, relative to i tlio new Governor, appeared in a Melbourne lontemporary of Oct. 14, as will bo seen from a rcferenco to additional European telegrams in another column. The Lath Fihe.—Ab tlio hour at which tlio lira at St Luke's school-room occurred,and tlio peculiar circumstances attending its discovery, leave not thfc slightest doubt but that it was the work of an incendiary, tlio Churchwardens of St Luke's have offered a reward of £lO for any information that will loud to the conviction of the person or persons who attempted to burn it down. Testimonial to the Dean op Christoiidrch,—lt will be remembered that at the last session of the Council, among other retrenchments, the salary of the Chaplain was outs oil. Notwithstanding this, the Dean, who filled the office, continued to perform the duties as before. Several members of tlio Council, moved by the consideration of these facts, commenced a subscription, and presented a purse containing the results to the Dean, who received the mark of esteem with a suitable acknowledgment. Pure-bred Cattle.—Some two years ago we called attention of owners of purebred stock to the fact that Colonel Whitmore, of Napier, was engaged in compiling a work under the title of the " New Zealand Herd Book," which was intended to include the pedigrees of all imported or otherwise purebred cattle in the colony. We then requested Canterbury owners to take the trouble to forward particulars of the pedigrees of their cattle, and have since understood that very few responded to the call. Colonel Whitmore now informs us that in a few months he intends to publish a second edition of his work, and will feel obliged by owners sending him up the pedigrees of their cattle. We need hardly point out the importance of such a record being commenced at onee, and that every year, as it passes, will add to the value of the early editions. Any person desirous of assisting in the work may send particulars direct to Col. Whitmore, Napier; or to Mr Reeves, at the office of this paper, who will see that the communication is forwarded, Lyttelton Boating Club.—The members of the above club, assisted by Mrs B. N. Jones and Miss Herberte, gave a second dramatic performance last evening at the Assembly Eooms, Lyttelton. The pieces performed were "Still Waters Run Deep," and the farce of " The Boots at the Swan." The audience was not so numerous as on the former occasion. The acting of Messrs Roper, Gwatkin, and D. Caro in the respective parts of Capt Hawksley, John Mildmay, and Potter, left nothing to be desired. The lady characters were sustained very creditably on the whole, although a more perfect acquaintance with the text, and less frequent resort to the aid of the prompter would have been an improvement, The farce of the " Boots at the Swan " followed, in which the comicalities of Mr Glen, as Jacob Earwig, provoked roars of laughter. Mr W. Kayner, as Peter Pippin, was capitally made up, and the character was sustained with great humour. Mr Cuff, as Capt. Friskly, was received with well merited applause, and Mr L. Caro played the part of Mr Higgins very creditably. The lady characters were also very fairly represented, and Miss Edith Mortimer, who made her debut on this occasion, achieved a decided success in the character of Emily Trevor. Mr C. J. Hodge presided at the pianoforte. A number of visitors from Christchurch were present. Colonial Inventions. From a New South Wales Gazetteer we learn that the following inventions have been patented in that colonyZorace's perpetual solar watch, Fincke's improvements in tanning skins and hides, Peppercorne's automatic engine, Sloper's refrigerating machine, Woore's woodburning stove, Tellard and Nicoll's sunblinds, Capper's well gear, Jeffrey's electromagnetic gas-light extinguisher, Lucas' goldwashing machine, Russell's stoves, Peppercorne's atmospheric engine, Chapman's oscillating amalgamator, Bell's improvements in railways and locomotives, Hall and Alderson's improved saddles, Perry's anti-collision dial, Bell's improved wheels for railways, Chester's winch, M'Leary'simproved 3-wheel'd vehicle, Korff's fire-extinguisher for ships, Hall's quartz-crusher, Blaxland's invention for preserving animal food, Partridge's preserver against fire, Birkbeck's and Pell's method of extracting gold, Nicolle and Co's improvements in manufacturing ice, Napier's modification of a differential break, Hollinshed'B improvement in carriage wheels, Lough's method of extracting oil from coal, Francis's refrigerator, Williams and Wilkinson's saw machinery, Tornaglii's circumferenter, Scott's hydraulic and pneumatic shaftsinker, Smith's harness rivets, M'Pherson's

quartz - pulveriser. On these a Sydney contemporary remarks These are the contributions of the colony to the inventiveness of the age. They are not sufficient to enable lis to claim any high rank as an inventive people, We shall do better as time 3go on. An agricultural and pastoral people do not have much strain put upon the inventive faculty, except as relates to a few laboursaving machines. But our growing mining and manufacturing industries ought to stimulate ingenuity. It will be observed that there are one or two inventions intended to subserve the interest of the digger. But they have not attained to any success. The quartz-crushers and the amalgamators inTented in the colony have not come into prac-

deal use. A serious complaint lias been lately made in England, that the mother country was being outstripped in inventiveness by other countries, and the explanation given has been the waut of special mechanical education. As the quality of education in our own schools improves, we may hope ts see the mechanical genius of our native youth more fully developed. It will be necessary to make a decided improvement if we are to advance rapidly in manufacturing industry. We can never compete satisfactorily with other countries if we are to borrow all our ideas from abroad. One of the great sights of Washington is the Patent Museum, containing the models, drawings,

and specifications of the numerous inventions that the teeming brain of America is constantly producing. Tkekigh price of labour, and the passion for rapid progress, has intensely quickened the inventive faculty of the Americans, Every year the Patent fflce report gives a list of the inventions; and the Americans justly pride themselves on each year's work of the national intellect in this direction. It is by such inventions that man's triumph over nature is to be completed—that menial labour is to be transferred to machinery—that the earth is to be made to yiuld its

utmost produce—that all waste is to be avoided—that the utmost economy in labour is to be achieved, and tlmt the distribution of comforts and the conveniences of living is tu be brought to its maximum. Tub Meeting at Waijiate —A public meelinof was held at IVnimate on the 19ili inst. Among those present were Messrs G, Parker, G, Buckley, M, Studholme, Norton, Cardalc, Turnbull, Stublis, Sic., &c. Mi .Studholme having been moved to the chair, the meeting was opened by Mr Buckley, whe referred to the hurried manner in which tin previous meeting had been culled, at which the Tiinnru and Gladstone Bill was fcl introduced to the notice of the people of the district, and at which they were induced t( consent to have the district included. 11l pointed oiit that the meeting was nut unani nious then, and that since that time a want of courtesy had been shewn to them in noi giving any further explanation or tailing any further notice of them. Mr Ilorton followed giving an account of his proceedings at Wellington. Mr Buckley then proceeded t( move the resolutions given below, giving ful particulars of the Act, and shewing how i would work. Ho pointed out that whereas the Waimate Jim,rict had received over 5i per cent, of their land sales during the las two years, now they would liave to content with Timaru and other districts for a share o

ily 25 per cent. Mr Cardale followed in n o style of a man defending his client for i tying obtained money under false pretences, c r It, "Turnbull made a strong personal I tack upon Mr Buckley, describing him as a j iol of Mr Moorhouse, and quoting words hichwore reported to hare been said by ] im in Chrißtclmrcli, to the effect that lie < Hr Buckley) could drive the Waimate people [ Ice a flock of flheep, and do as he liked with I icm. This Mr Jiuckiey(lanied, but was met i y Mr Parker, who declared thnt Messrs. i ;ceveß and Strango Williams liad told him i jinChristchurch. The following resolutions i 'ere carried. That this meeting, having had i tider its consideration the Timaru and Glad- i tone Board of Workß Act, is of opinion . That while approving generally of the -oeal Government Act introduced into the louse of Kepresentatives, the Timaru and Gladstone Act now passed is of so different , character that, instead of being a benefit to lie district, it will prove disadvantageous to lie interests of the inhabitants. 2. That in lie specific appropriation of the debentures o be made over by this Act, the important slaimsof the Waimate district have been soinplctely ignored, 3. That this meeting llso desires to record its protest against the njustice of the Waimate Road Board being 'orced to come under this Act, without its >eing optional on the part of the majority of ;hc ratepayers to join or not. That copies of ;lie above resolutions be forwarded by the ihairman of this meeting to the Colonial Secretary and his Honor the Superintendent. 3ur 'l'imaru contemporary, of Wednesday, speaking of the meeting, saysTo say that jre entirely believe that the expression of opinion at Waimate tho other evening, on the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works Act, is the deliberate opinion of a majority of the inhabitants would be to state what we consider to be incorrect. It is true that out of_ a meeting of ninety persons there were thirty-one who expressed an unfavourable opinion of its merits, and only fourteen who fully approved of it; whilst nearly fifty persons were content to give no indication of their views. This in itself is not satisfactory, because the people of the district would have been more convinced of the wish of the people of the Waimate district had the meeting been more numerously attended, and the whole of those present given expression to their desire on the point. There can be no question that they are all agreed upon one point, and that is a desire to see the Waitaki bridged. We do not complain of this desire, nor have we ever opposed the bridging of the river on other grounds than the priority of two other works over it; and these works Mr Buckley himself confessed ought to have been done long ago. If the Government could last year afford to devote £IO,OOO to the Waitaki bridge, they could have devoted money to the works referred to. Public opinion at Waimate appears to be more than usually unstable.' Two months ago a petition was numerously signed in that district, a league was formed, and subscriptions sent in to the Timaru League; and now we see some of those who paid their subscriptions and signed the petition, declaring that the bill is not all they desired. The personal part of the meeting does no credit to those who took part in it. Mr Buckley abused the townof Timaru anditsinhabitants, and endeavoured to create an unfavorable feeling in the minds of the audience. We are convinced that every intelligent man in the district will repudiate the action of its member, when he stands up and says that the other outlying districts are more capable of returning dishonest than honest members for the Board, and therefore the Waimate district would scarcely receive fair play. The charges made against Mr Buckley, that he was agitating through interested motives, and at the instigation of the Provincial Government, have been matters of common report. To say that he could drive the people of Waimate like a flock oj; sheep iuto any channel lie desired would be an idle boast from any man, and we are glad to see that the statement was contradicted. Some such boast two of the speakers declared had been made, and the subject awaits further elucidation. Since the meeting, some inhabitants of the Waimate district have presented the following address to Mr F. Jollie, representative of the Gladstone distriet in the General Assembly " We, the undersigned inhabitants of the Waimate Road Board District, view with disapprobation the hasty action taken by some of our neighbours at the late meeting at Waimate, which was called to consider the Timaru and Gladstone Local Board Bill. We regret that no opportunity of being present at the meeting was offered you. We assure you of our confidence in you as our member, and thank you for the part taken by you in connection with the bill, feeling assured, as we do, that you were but acting to the best of your power, in conformity with the criah of the district expressed by a petition, signed by many of the people who are now agitating in opposition to it. Lord Brougham.—The Carlisle Journal reporting Lord Brougham's arrival al Brougham Hall, says:—His Lordship ap peared to be in a very feeble condition, considerably more so tlwn on his visit last year and it seemed to require all his exertions with the assistance of his valet, to get out o the carriage. Having descended to the platform, he sat down in a chair until thi train passed on, his only inquiry being as t( the state of the weather, and he was thei carried across the line on another chair fo: the purpose. With the assistance of liii valet, lie walked the short distance to liii carriage which was in waiting for him, and having been assisted inside, he was driven t( Brougham Hall. We are informed that hi; Lordsliip was in as good health as could hi expected, but he was suffering from tin fatigue occasioned by his journey fron London. Lord Brougham will attain hi ninetieth year on the 19 th of September. JJRIDGING the Mississii'i.—The St. Louis Democrat says the plan of Captain James B Eadsfora bridge across the Mississippi a that point has been adopted. Its estimate!

cost is 5,0(J0,000 dols, and three or four years "will be required for its construction. The Democrat thus describes the structurelt is the great feature of our bridge that it will accommodate two double tracks of rails, one broad gauge, the other narrow, foot passengers, and street railway cars, and will notinterfere one whit with navigation ; for, of the three arches which will span together the shores of St, Louis and Illinois, the central one is 515 and the two side ones 49S feet. The two piers which will support these i-lorious arches will be tremendous masses of masonry. Yet this location is perhaps the narrowest part of the river wiihin 1,500 miles of its mouth. The pier at the deepest part of the river will be a mass of masonry 200 ft. in height, 10ft. in width, and a breadth tapering from 55ft. to 40ft, The other will probably be 170 ft. in height, as the rock is met with some 30ft. nearer to the river bottom. France and Tukkey.—When the Sultan first landed in France, at Toulon, and commenced his railway journey thence to Paris, it was said he was very much struck with the appearance of the peasants, labourers, and ai'Lizans lining the smaller stations tra-

versed by the Imperial train. " Why," lie said to an exalted personage nearly attached to his person, "these people have all got strong, clean shoes, good caps and blouses, and , trousers without holes in them. Why are , not my people dressed like these •? Why am 1 I Obliged to see rags and dirt in Turkey, instead of whole clothes and cleanliness as i here? Be sure that tids shall be altered as i soon as I return." His Imperial Majesty has not forgotten his word, for us soon as he had ; signified to the great olllcials that it was his ! intention to proceed I'rmu Kustchuk to Stain- ) bonl by land, through Bulgaria, the mayors ! of the different villiißU through which he ■ would pass were advised by mounted cxi presses that they would have to provide wellt clothed children in abundance, of both creeds, for the Sultan's inspection, and that the , new costumes of the Mahomedlm littlo ones ■ would be paid for by the Mate, while the ) parents of the Christian infants would be 1 expected to rig them out afresh at their own t expense. His Majesty must have recurred i to the subject of his above-quoted remarks } pretty frequently, and in somewhat strong t terms, else sue) a measure of precaution 1 against Imperial displeasure would scarcely f have been deemed necessary. At any rate,

tiome hundreds of- barefooted and tattered li urchins will be comfortably equipped for o; once in their lives, an! that is a positively it beneficial result of the great trip, if a com- a paratively unimportant one, r Broadiiead and the Saw Grinders,— c Broadhead has been " whitewashed" by the So- J ciety of Saw Grinders, with which he lias been t so long connected ; but it would now appear f that not only is he retained by his own \ society, but that others consider him so de- 1 sirable a member that they invite him, with t every show of respect, to jo:in them. Strange t and incredible as it may appear, it is never- t thcless tri's that on Broadhead's return from i a meeting of the Saw Grinders' Union on | a recent occasion lie found a deputa- j tion of non-union saw grinilers awaiting him. ' It appeared that the non-urionists, not being | able to obtain admistion into the old union, i were contemplating the formation of a i new society, and looking about for some i experienced head to assist their inexperience. : Broadiiead seemed to them the most likely man. The calling of a meeting of the old union to consider -whether or not Broadhead should be expelled afforded them an opportunity, and, fully expecting that he would be driven out of his own society, they hastened to invite him to take the management of theirs. We understand that Broadhead declined the new and unexpected honour—he had no need to accept it—and advised the persons who waited on him that no good could result from splitting up the old Bociety into factions, and that they ought to wait patiently until there was an opportunity of uniting all the saw grinder* in one body. The Harvest in France,—The Times correspondent, writing from Paris on Aug. 12, says:-Reaping has commenced throughout France, and will soon be finished, During the past week there waa but one day of storm, the last two days were fine ; on Saturday and Friday there was heat, and, on the whole, the week was not unfavourable. The estimate formed by the farmers of the harvest is pretty much the same as last fortnight. It is not, however, bo unanimous as to the quality of the grain, for the wheat sown in low grounds has suffered a good deal from excessive moisture. As to quantity, it will be decidedly inferior to an average year, even in the rich plains of La Beauce, comprising some of the finest corn land in France. In reality, the situation continues the same, and according as the reaping advances towards i completion the old wheat will disappear from : the markets and make way for the new. The i resistance offered to the fall in the prices of . grain and flour is easily explained. Though '• the general opinion is favourable to a reaction 1 on the present high quotations, and though i the trade is more disposed to accept favouri able than unfavourable accounts, it is certain [ that the yield generally will leave much to be . desired. ! Russian Justice.—The Gazette of Mos- ! cow relates a most shameful story. At Onfa, t in Orenburg, dwelt two persons, a rich mer- ■ chant and a corrupt judge. The magistrate r demanded a loan, and the merchant refused - to lend. The judge summoned the merchant J to attend a dinner, a demand obeyed reluc--3 tantly, and with good reason. For when the t man of money wished to escape from the 7 uproarious assembly the man of law and his i, confederates dragged him back to the table. - They wished him to play at lansquenet, and - when he refused the judge robbed him, and - his allies held him prisoner. The judge ', again demanded a loan; a firm negative was r followed by the arrival of the police, who - bound the man hand and foot. While this r violence was in progress a message was sent i- to the merchant's wife, announcing that he e would be liberated on the payment of 10,000 e roubles. The wife hurried to the house d of the Judge, and in her presence the i- guardians of the law stripped the merchant ;. naked, and thrashed him with rods. Then if he was set free, with this remark by the - Judge, "We have differed about principles; n you have accumulated great wealth, and you e will not share it with us; perhaps now you it will change your mind." Far from being !, converted, the merchant, who had the capital i. Rmsian quality of firmness, appealed for e redress to the Governor of < )ren burg, and that - exalted functionary asked him to accept 'f 3,000 roubles as hush money. "I do not sell - my blood," answered the merchant, and forths with he applied to the Minister of the Interior, v The Minister was shocked; he instituted an i inquiry; but in the end the unjust Judge > escaped with a trivial fine. i-