The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1868.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 42, 20 February 1868, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1868.

Our readers will peruse with interest a letter on silkworm culture from Mr Batchelor, of Wakapuaka, which appears in another column. Mr Batchelor has already devoted much time and attention to the subject, and is, os his letter shows, firmly impressed with the feasibility and importance of carrying ont this branch of industry. We may add that Mr Gibson, of Clifton, Takaka, has a large quantity of the ailanthus growing very freely on his property, in fact so freely that he has cut down a considerable quantity, finding no use for them. We understand that Mr Gibson holds precisely similar views as to the introduction of silk culture, and has expressed his intention of forwarding the experiment by the cultivation of the ailantbtis, when the eggs arrive from Queensland, whilst Mr Batchelor will continue his culture of the white mulberry, with the corresponding silkworm, at Wakapuaka. We are glad to find that our remarks on this subject have had the effect of creating considerable interest in the community, a number of persons having visited Mr Batchelor's plantation and inspected his silkworms in their present state, whilst he has received many letters makiDg enquiries on the subject.

A few seconds before 11 o'clock last pight, a sharp shock of earthquake was felt in this city. The evening had been heavy and oppressive, and the sky was thickly overcast with dark heavy clouds at the time that the shock was experienced, and the weather has since continued to be very sultry and oppressive. From our Wanganui files we learn that for some time past, dense clouds of smoke have been issuing from the highest peak of Tongariro, and it is just possible thafc the eruption in that quarter may have some connection with the subterraneous disturbances which have been felt in so many parts of the colony. In fact mother earth seems to be shaking from the centre to the extremities, for it is hardly possible to take up a newspaper which does not give an account of earthquakes more or less violent in every quarter of the globe.

Whatever may be said of the doings of ' Sleepy Hollow,' it is at all events satisfactory to find thafc its Financial Reform League in showing more symptoms of vitality than, judging from comments which appear in the Taranaki Herald of the 15th inst. are manifested by the kindred association which has been founded in the i Garden of New Zealand.' That journal complains that it is at a loss to discover what has become of the Taranaki Financial Reform Committee, and presuming that they have met together every week to consider the question upon which they wera appointed to deliberate, gives it aa its'-- opinion that they must have relapsed into the same state as was described by our northern contemporaries to have happened to the natives at Tokangamutu. The Herald says : — We hear of Reform Meetings at the North, and meeting for Eeform at the Sonth, yet in the middle— at Taranaki — the inhabitants,

who were suddenly fired with a similar enthusiasm, appointed a committee to act for them that have quietly gone to sleep and thought no more about the matter. The Steeplechase at Wakefield, which came off to-day, has attracted a large number of spectators .from town, advantage having been taken of every available means of conveyance to the scene of action, and the city has consequently preseuted anything but a lively appearance during the day. We have made arrangements which will enable us to offer our readers a report of the proceedings in our next issue. In reference to rumors which have been afloat in town during the day, we may observe that on enquiry at the Police Ofiice, we find that no further intelligence has been received with reference to the missing lad, Burkett, of whom mention was made in our issue of yesterday. From our Taranaki files we learn the following items of local intelligence. The races at that place come off on the 31st of March and the lst of April next, and the committee are using every effort to iuaure their success. H. R. Richmond, Esq., has been appointed Resident Magistrate for New Plymouth. The petroleum works, which had been stopped for a short time, through an accident to the machinery, commenced operations again on Monday last.

The Champion Billiard player of Australia, Mr Hitchen, who, as we have already stated, is now on a visit to New Zealand, for the purpose of giving exhibitions of his skill on the * Board of Green Cloth,' is expected at Wellington in a few days' time, and will probably take Nelson in his tour through the colony. Mr Hitchen, who is reputed to be the second besfc player in the old country, is now in Christchurch. He played his first game in this colony at Dunedin, where he gave 300 points out of 1000, and beat by five.

The Rev. F. Thatcher, late Private Secretary to Sir George Grey, left for England in the 'Kaikoura' on the 7th instant. Algernon Lempriere, Esq. has been appointed Private Secretary to the present Governor.

The Westport Times mention thafc a sale of timber belonging to Mr Frank Fisher, and seized afc the suit of the Union Bank, had taken place on the Hth instant, and realised from 9s. to 10s. per 100 feet. The money is ordered to be paid into court, pending the result of a further appeal against the judge's decision ordering the sale under the execution.

From the General Government Gazette of the 30th ulfc., we find that the total export of gold from Westport for the year ending 3 1st December, 1867, amounted to 86,41S ounces of the value of £342,404, against 1203 ounces of the value of £4650 in 1866.

The Oddfellows' Ball at Charleston on Thursday evening last, was attended by 200 persons, and appears to have Jbeen a complete success. Some time ago MrHacket, a gentleman well-known both here and on the West Coast a8 a geologist and mining surveyor, went to Melbourne for the purpose of forming a company to work the Buller coalfield. The Westport Star, however, regrets to learn on reliable authority that his prospect of success is distant indeed. So many bubble speculations have been floated on the Melbourne market, and so many gentlemen of means have lost by them, that they are now very wary ofnew speculations unless they are backed up with good local names.

The following telegrams from Christchurch are published in the Hokitika Star:— The inquest on the late fire, which has created • intense interest, occupied quite seven hours. " A verdict of wilful

murder was returned against Swale. Tho losses by flood is estimated on the whole province at £200,000. The losses in Otago are supposed to be much greater. The whole of the Taieri plains aro submerged, and many lives haye been lost.

The programme of the Greymouth Annual Races is published in the West Coast papers, and gives evidence of increased interest in racing matters in that district. The stakes to be run for show a large increase on those of the last meeting, and a large number of entries for the various events may fairly be anticipated. On the first day, the 17th March (St. Patrick's Day), the events are to be— Trial Stakes, £40; Packer's Purse, £30 ; Town Plate, £50; Butchers' Purse, £30; Hurdle Race, £50; Hack Race, £10. Several handsome stakes are offered for the second day's racing — the Greymouth Handicap of £1 50 j Cobden Plate, £30 ; Ladies' Purse, £50; Hurdle Handicap, £100; Hack Race, £10; Consolation Stakes, £25. It is stated to be highly probable from the amount of money at the disposal of the stewards, that there will be a third day's racing, when several valuable stakes will be run for.

The death, on the 6th instant, of Major Speedy, who had been a much respected resideut in the Province of Auckland for thirteen years, is noticed iu the Auckland papers. The gallant major, who had been ailing for some time past, visited Auckland at the commencement of December, to take leave of his son, Captain Speedy, under orders to proceed to Abyssinia. Upon his return to the Mauku he was thrown from his horse, aud sustained a fracture of the collar-bone ; the effects of this accident are supposed to have accelerated his death.

By late advices from England, the Acclimatisation Society of Otago were informed that their agent in Scotland had arranged to send out by the ship Celestial Queen a quantity of salmon ova.

Some experiments have recently been made in Dunedin to test the relative strengths of New Zealand flax and Manilla rope. The size of both ropes was l£ inches, and the pieces operated upon were ahout 12 feet in length. The Manilla rope broke with a weight of 9|cwt., bufc the rope manufactured from the flax withstood a strain up to 15cwt., when ifc also snapped. Saturday last (says the Yass Courrier) was probably the hottest day thafc has been experienced this summer. During the greater part of the day there was not a breath of wind, and the rays of the sun appeared to beat upon the earth. As instances of the intensity of the heat ifc may be stated tbat one of the mail horses belonging to Messrs Cobb and Co. dropped dead near the Gap ; a working bullock in the team of William Mitchell died suddenly in a yard at Mr Hart's Hotel, and another working bullock in a team died the same day on the plains.

It may not be generally known that the penalties for the offence of cutting and taking timber growing on private property are sufficiently severe to deter offenders, for whose information we publish the following clause (No. 32) of the Act to Consolidate and Amend the Statute Law Relating to Larceny, &c, passed duriug the late General Assembly, and in force since November last : — Whosoever shall steal, or shall cut, break, root up, or otherwise destroy, or damage, with intent to steal, the whole or any part of any tree, sapling, or shrub, or any underwood, wheresoever the" same may be respectively growing ; the stealing of such articlo or articles, or the injury done being to the amount of a shilling afc the least, sh.Jf, on conviction thereof before a justice 6f fche peace, forfeit and pay over and above the value of fche article or arlji-

cies stolen or the amount of the injury done, such sum of money not exceeding five pounds as to the justice shall seem meet ; and whosoever having been convicted of any such offence, either against this, or any former Act, shall afterwards commit any of the said offences in this section before mentioned, and shall be convicted thereof in like mauuer, shall for such second offence be committed to any public gaol, there to be kept to hard labor for such term nofc exceeding 12 months, as the convicting justice shall think fit; and whosoever having been twice convicted of any such offence (whether both or either of such convictions shall have taken place before or after the coming into operation of this Act), shall afterwards commit any of the offences in this section before mentioned, shall be guilty bf felony, and being convicted thereof, shall be liable to be punished in the same manner as in the case of simple larceny.

The Medical Times and Gazette says Dr Richardson, in carrying out his researches on the bichloride of methyline, has been led into a new inquiry — as to the condensing power of the pulmonary surface for gases and vapours. He believes that all gases and vapours which enter the blood by the lungs are condensed by the pulmonary surface into a liquid state previous to absorption, and this physiological result he finds in curious accordance with the facts brought to light by Professor Graham on the condensation of gases by platbium and colloidal substances. If the condensing power of the lungs be proved, it will afford an explanation of some interesting and difficult physiological problems.

Written telegraphic dispatches are transmitted from the central telegraph station in Paris to various other points of business through iron tubes three and a half inches in diameter, laid down not very far from the surface. At each station there is a reservoir of water, compressing hy its weight a reservoir of water beneath it. The telegrams are placed in a cylinder fitting tbe tube air-tight ; the compressed air is turned od, and the cylinder with its roll of despatches is shot through to the next station, or, if by any chance it sticks fast at any point, the ■water from the reservoir is let in, and by the fall of water the point is marked. The system is as simple as is economical.

* I want to buy a sewing machine,' said an old lady, entering a shop. 'Do you wish a machine with a feller ?' enquired the shopman. * Goodness, no !* she exclaimed. ' Don't want any of your fellers about me.'

A new pill has been invented in America. It is made of india-rubber. One box cures and renders your overcoat impervious to water.