PROVINCIAL AND GENERAL.

North Otago Times, Volume XI, Issue 360, 3 November 1868, Page 2

PROVINCIAL AND GENERAL.

A telegram in the "Daily Times," untler date, Octo J ber 29, reports : — The St. Kilda, which arrived at Napier, reports that nearly 300 of Capt. Morgan's Friendlies have left the East Cape for the protection of Tauranga (Poverty Bay), and Wairoa. Mr Richmond and Mr M'Lean are at present at Wairoa. Therehas been no fighting, and the rebels seem to be keeping out of the way. The opening of the Provincial Council of Canterbury has been further prorogued till the 13th prox. The " Wanganui Chronicle" speaks boldly in a leading article against the employment of the Friendlies. It says : — We once more put on record our conviction of the impolicy of employing natives, as our auxiliaries m putting down disaffection in the outlying districts. Solitary instances tnight occur in which they would be useful. Moutoa, for example ; but as a general rule their aid can only be an incumbrance. The Government is at this moment relying largely upon it ; we fear it will turn out a broken reed. .Disloyal Maories will never be put down by loyal ones. So long a^ you permit the Maoris to fancy that you require their help to do your work, so long may you from time to time, anticipate Maoii outrages. British supremacy must be asserted by British power alone. Mining operations at the Rawakawa Coal Mines, in the Bay of Islands, are being vigorously carried on. -A tunnel for opening up the seun in a new direction is approaching completion, and in the meantime 80 tons a day can be supplied by the old drive, which is quite close to the water's edge. A tramway has been constructed for the conveyance of the coal from the river to the wharf, by which means four tons of coal can be shipped with as great ease as two could formerly. All that is wanted, it is said, is a constant supply of vessels to carry away the coal. — Daily Times. The advent of Mr " Money" Clarke to the run formerly held by Chalmers Bros, at Moa Flat has not, it appears, resulted very favorably as regards the settlers round about. The rate per head for depasturing stook on the run charged by its former occupiers was 10s. This, however, has been doubled by Clarke, who demand* LI per head, and has given notice to that effect to all and sundry. A meeting was held at the Robert Burns Hotel, Moa Flat, on Monday evening last, and a deputation was appointed t'o wait upon Mr Clark and represent the matter to him. They, however, utterly failed in their attempts to induce him to reduce, hi« exorbitant and unrighteous demands. Such a proceeding as this will by no means strengthen the squatting interest ; in fact, it will do good in the long run, and by stirring up the public against a monstrous oppression, will hasten the downfall of a system of monopoly which is ruining Otago and driving population from our shores. It appears that Mr Clarke states that sooner than receive the 10s. per head he would give LI per head for them to be taken away ; so that it is evident that this selfish old man wishes to compel his neighbors to sell their stock, and so depopulate the country, in order to aggrandise HIM. We trust that some active steps will be taken to secure " the greatest good to the greatest number. — Tuapeka Press. The " Southland News" writes: — "For the curious in such matters, we note a singular barometrio eccentricity, observed on the 15th current— the eve/of the severe storm experienced on the morning of the 16th. It is necessary to premise that the barometer is an oldfashioned one — a column of mercury in a, glass tube, with a weight resting on the exposed snrface of the metal, and communicating by means of a slender cord with the hand of a dial, on which is marked the several variations of which the weather is supposed to be capable. As suspended against the wall, ' very dry* appears marked low down on the right, and thence upwards we find gradations culminating in, if we remember rightly, 'change.' Downwards,, on the left, we, pass from ' windy' to ' stormy,' and lower still, ' very stormy.' Below, and between this and 'very dry,' there is a space equal to about one-sixth" of the circumference of the dial, over which the hand is neither intended nor expected to pass. To the astonishment of the observers, however} on the occasion above referred to the hand, after rather suddenly dropping to 'very stormy,' went still lower, until it began (as in the case of spring balances, with dial and indicator) to rise for a second circuit, and actually stood for some time at ' very dry,'. while we need hardly say that a perfect deluge of rain was falling. At first it was supposed that some portion of the mechanism had gone wrong, but after a short time the hand slowly retraced the space it had .traversed in excess, and stood at ' very .stormy* until the atmospheric disturbance had in same degree moderated." . A company for cutting stone by steam has been formed at Footscray, and their works were opened on the 5th ult. The following particulars regading the undertaking are given by the "Age":— The company have erected an engine of 25 horse power, and with the aid of various mechanical appliances they are enabled to cut stone for street fagging, building, and other purposes to any thickness. The machinery consists of six frames j in each of these are fixed iron blades, which, with the assistance of sand and water, divide the stone required to be cut. The blades are an eighth of aa inch thick, and have been manufactured'at the Dudley. street Rolling Mill. They are moved by means of levers connected with a horizontal shaft at the rear of the building, the dimensions of which are 70ft. x 22ft. It is said that by means of this machinery the company are enabled to cut from 250 to 300 yards of flagging per week. The greater portion, of the stone, is procured in the immediate neighborhood, and is said to be much more durable than that known as the Caithness stone. A singular specimen of the file-fish, captured at Lyttelton recently, and sent to the Museum at Christchurch, is described by the " Times" as follows :— " It is a speeies of balistes, and is about a foot long, seven inches deep, and an inch in width. The prevailing color is deep slate. The fins are bright orange, and the eye3 and tail are both tinted with the same color. The skin is as rough as a file, and it is from that circumstance we suppose, that the fish derives its name. This fi«h is occasionally found on the English coast. In the'list of New Zealand fish, compiled by Dr Gray, of the British Museum, there is no mention, that this genus has been found here."