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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 193, 17 August 1868, Page 2

As nearly aa possible at two minutes past ten o'clock this morning, two sharp earthquake shocks were felt very generally throughout this city. They were preceded by the low mysterious rumbling sound ';which so frequently accompanies these phenomena, and the two shocks, the second of which was by far the most severe, 1 followed close upon each other. .The motion appeared to come from West

to East. It will be seen from our telegraphic intelligence that similar shocks have been experienced in Wellington and Christchurch. The shock which was felfr in Nelson was not of suffi-cient-violence to test the', effect of such visitations upon the more substantial buildings of the city, though it is stated that the workmen engaged on stuccoing those lately erected in Trafalgar-street, fancying that the scaffolding was giving way beneath them, beat a hasty retreat. Telegraphic information has also been received from Picton stating that the earthquake was felt at that place at the same time. The same recession of the tide, which we •noticed as having taken place on Saturday last in this harbor, has, we are informed, been repeated at each ebb and flow of the tide which has occurrred since, having been witnessed, both yesterday and to-day, by a large number of persons. We have received telegraphic information that similar phenomena have been observed at Invercargill, Port Chalmers, Lyttelton, Wellington, White's Bay, and Picton. A large ship, supposed to be the Ballarat, was coming up the Bay when we went to press. There will be a meeting of the Nelson and Howard Lodges of Oddfellows, at half-past 7 this eveuing, to receive the Hall accounts for the past year. We regret to state that there is no probability that the Lyster Opera Company will repeat their visit to this colony. They concluded a successful season at Sydney on the Ist inst., and the principal members of. the company proceed at once to San Francisco. The Penal Commissioners' Report gives Ehe following as the proportions of officers to prisoners in the various gaols of the colony: — Wellington, 1 officer to 7*7 of the prisoners; Lyttelton, Ito 7*5; Hokitika, 1 to s*B; Nelson, 1 to 5-6; Auckland, 1 to 13'3; New Plymouth, Ito 6; Napier, 1 to 2*4; Dunedin, 1 to 3*9; Invercargill, 1 to 3; Christchurch, 1 to 8j Picton, 1 to 3. Auckland exceeds all other prisons in the colony in the number of prisoners, having 167 convicts and 21 not convict prisoners. The next was Dunedin with 70 convict prisoners and 13 not convicts. In Auckland prison there were 14 officers, while in Dunedin with less than half the number of prisoners, there were 21 officers — showing that the poverty and mismanagement of the Provincial Government have reduced the gaol to a most unsatisfactory position. Mr Commissioner Kynnersley arrived from Westport by the Kennedy, on Saturday last. The Westport Evening Star states that steps are being taken at that place to organise a testimonial to him on his retirement from his official duties, which will shortly take place, and that a feeling to this effect very widely prevails throughout the Buller district. Committees are to be formed in furtherance of this object at Addison's Flat, Caledonian Terrace, Charleston, Brighton, Greymouth, and elsewhere. The Westport Times of the 14th inst., says that Messrs Simon and party, the prospectors of the newly discovered auriferous ground at Deadman's Terrace, had on the previous morning come on the main bottom run of gold in their tunnel, and the prospect obtained is very good. Simon and party are the prospectors of this Terrace, and for some time were the only men on the ground, many being of opinion that it was a bad spec. After a few weeks others began to tunnel near them, and at the present time there are about 200 men engaged on the Terrace. Reference has been lately made in the Grey River Argus to the mysterious disappearance of a miner carrying a large parcel of gold from Addison's Flat to Westport, who, it was surmised, had met with foul play. The Westport Times says: —A very unusual occurrence, if it prove to be as bad as represented, viz., the robbing by a mate of his. partners' hard mining earnings, has been brought to light. A man named Michael Connell is 'wanted' on a charge of robbing his mates of about 90 ounces of amalgan* arid clearing out with it. He was working at Kynnersley's

Terrace with others, one of the party being Mr P. Cooney, late of the Shamrock Hotel, but who has returned to mining pursuits. He came into town with the above amount of amalgam for sale, but as he did not return, enquiries were made, and the police subsequently communicated with, and it appears that the missing man was seen to go on board the Kennedy when she last left for Nelson. There is every chance of his capture, and in that case if the present allegations prove true,' we* trust that he wiil reap such a reward in the shape of a lengthened term of imprisonment as such scoundrelly conduct richly deserves. It. is announced that the telegraph wires will be up from Westport as far as Charleston, and everything in working order by to-day. It is stated in the Charleston Herald that -the escort on the 12th inst., brought 6,654 ounces of gold. .4. complimentary banquet to Mr Lightband, late Warden, is being arranged at Charleston. The Bruce Herald is of opinion that the members of the G-eueral Assembly should, this session, make strenuous endeavors to get the penny postage on newspapers done away with, as it seriously interferes with the diffusion of information respecting the different provinces of New Zealand, and impedes that unity of opinion so desirable in the present state of the colony ; • at all events, it considers it indispensable that exchanges between newspaper proprietors should be exempted from the absurd regulation now existing. The Auckland Herald says that altogether there will be sent away some 15000 ounces. of gold, the produce of the Thames for the month of July — or very nearly three-quarters of a ton of solid gold. The result of nine days' crushing from Hunt's claim was 10700 ounces, 8724 ounces of which has been shipped per 'Taranaki.' Hunt's battery continues its work, the heavy rains during the early part of the week enabling them to set the twelve head in motion. The yield will doubtless bring the total up to 12000 ounces for the first fortnight's work. The gold crushed from the Caledonia Claim was retorted on the 28th ultimo. From nine tons of quartz crushed, 225 ounces of gold weie extracted. This gives a yield of 25 ounces to the ton. A claim called the Golden Crown lately crushed 16 tons of quartz, which yielded 877 ounces of smelted gold. The ground had been worked for ten months without any return. A half-share was recently sold by auction for £5, and another halfshare a few weeks ago for £10, so lightly was it estimated! The Wellington Punch gives the following as the ' Latest from the Thames Goldfields': — 'Fresh discoveries every quarter of an hour. Gold scraped every five minutes from the bottoms of the vessels lying in the stream. The captain of the Whisker has discovered a rich vein in the three reefs of his maintopsail. Gold so plentiful in Anckland that 3|d. per ounce is quoted as the highest price.' We'learn from Auckland that anumerous body of the most influential settlers and diggers at the Thames goldfields intend giving a dinner to Mr Commissioner Mackay on Wednesday next, in appreciation of his services in opening the Thames goldfields. The new poll tax appears to be most unpopular in Auckland. Several public meetings have taken place in opposition to this impost and it is stated that the Provincial Government do not intend to attempt its collection. Since the termination of the dead-lock about £400,000 has been paid awayat the Melbourne Treasury. The officials are at work till a late hour every, . night, but owing to the heavy accumulation of arrears delays are unavoidable. Accounts to the amount of about £50,000 are passed every day, but in the case of judgments great care has to be taken that the person holding the judgment is the rightful owner. The South Australian Government sent to England, by the mail steamer which left Adelaide on the 20th . ult., Government Bonds amounting to several hundred thousand ponnds, in sums to suit, either large or small purchasers. .. , -'', r i The late Duke of Gloucester, .being.m conversation with Lordy Brougham on .the snbject of Reform, grew so warm in the argument that he observed, hastily, 'that the chancellor was very near a fool.':! His lordship replied, ' that he could hot- think of contradicting the duke; atMi"; that, he fully saw the force of his royal highneis's position.

"When . Dr Zimmermann was at the Court of Berlin, Frederick 11. asked him one day in conversation if he could ascertain how many he had killed in the course of his practice. ' That is an arduous task,' replied the doctor, 'but I think I may venture to say, not half so many as your Majesty.' I think it must be Leigh Hunt that, in one of bis letters, speaks of a day that would make no one but au umbrella maker happy. During a series of such days I ventured to congratulate my umbrella maker. 'Yes, that's all very well, sir,' he replied ; 4 but then there's nothing whatever doing in parasols.' A new planet was discovered on the 18th April, by Professor Peters, of Clinton, New York. It forms the ninetyeighth member of the group of asteroids which revolve between Mars and Jupiter.