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New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5977, 13 January 1881, Page 5

""Among - the . many curiosities—scientific: : Mr/ Justice: Gilhes' brought with him on his return from ; Eur6pe ' Sd America "may. be mentioned: P^whjch ■:■'■ Has been'very seldom seen, by the settlers of : • New Zealand: We allude, to the pedometer. ■■■ OricrinaUythis'was a French invention, "£*&& sometime only a science *™ty ■'■' Tfibugh tKettV very imperfect, there was the germ of ! a 'useful , i<fea in the invention. however, the little instrument has ; been considerably, 'improved, and now, with ' proper adjustment, it faithfully and correctly : iTrecordsrthe distance walked by the wearer. It is in the shape of a rather small medium- . ..sized watch, glazed front and back. The dial-on the front is furnished with a single . hand or index pointer, and the outer circle of the dial is marked off in quarter-mile spaces, like minute marks on a watch dial. Of course each complete mile is marked and numbered. To where the of a ■watch is usually attached is fixed_ a lengthened hook, which, when it is intended to wear the instrument, is placed over the edge of the vest pocket.. The pedometer' thtis hangs in the pocket as a watch would "rest on the bottom of it. When the wearer, walks, and the mechanism adjusted to his length of step, the mechan- ' ism is set in motion, and as each quarter of a mile is traversed, the index faithfully records'the distance thus gone over. The principle of the .movement appears to be a nicely noised and weighted lever, which moves up, and down with every step the wearer takes. A" small screw is supplied for shortening or lengthening the arc through which the weighted end of the lever moves, • thus accommodating the motion of the mechanism to the length of the wearer's step. This adjustment is made by walking -.several times over a measured quarter of a mile' until, it is found that the distance traversed and the distance marked agree. This done, the same wearer may walk.fast or slow, along a level or undulating roadway, and the little instrument suspended in his vest pocket will correctly record the distance traversed, for it has been found by carefully-conducted experiments that a person walking alone makes little or no alteration in the length of his pace, whether he walk fast or slow. The little instrument is well worthy of examination; and if they were generally worn we doubt not the silent ~. record would show that men of active busi--ness habits cover a far greater mileage each day than they-have any conception of. Another curiosity Mr. Justice Gillies has brought with him the local booksellers might make common enough. A method has recently been adopted- of electroplating quill pens with a fine- anti-corrosive steel. The quill pen points are sharpened or pointed at each end, s'o that each has two writing points, and may be used as an ordinary steel pen. They are very flexible, durable, and for some . time at least the newness of them would no doubt siecire a considerable demand if were available for purchase in our stationers' shops. . :

A trial of Whangarei coal was made on board the Rotomahana on her trip frem the Thames on Tuesday. The coal answered well, although it had been lying in Messrs. Fraser and Tinne's yard for a considerable time exposed to the weather.

Mr. W. H. Raworth, the talented landscape has been awarded by the Commissioners of the Sydney Exhibition a medal, along with a special first degree of merit, for his beautiful water-colour landscapes, 22 in number, exhibited by him at our late show. These views of New Zealand and New South Welsh scenery were greatly admired by the public. ; :

A public meeting of the friends of temperance was held last night in the Temperance Hall, Albert-street. Mr. Brame said he had received ajetter from Mr. Newman, excusing himself and Mr. J. M. Clark, Mayor of Auckland, the ground of their excuse being that they had both beeu thoroughly soaked with the rain in proceeding from town to their • homes. They were on this account unable •to be present. He (Mr. Brame) therefore - .proposed that Mr. John Waymouth take the chair. (Applause). The Chairman having made a few remarks, The Rev. Mr. Dunn addressed the meeting. He recommended that all societies formed for the furtherance of temperance should unite and" co-operate, thus showing a firm front to the enemy of mankind which the demon drink emphatically was. Mr. Price (Wellington) said it was encouraging to find the highest intellect, the purest patriotism, the truest morality and religion in this age had begun to see that " the drink trade was.at the very root-of all the evils, the misery, crime, vice, and profligacy which prevailed in the world. The speaker expatiated at considerable length upon the principles of political economy as applicable to the drink traffic. Mr. Brame addressed the meeting, and moved a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Price for his valuable address. Carried by acclamation. On the motion of ■ Mr. Price, a vote of thanks was passed to the Chairman. Mr. Waymouth said it was time that something further was done than hold meetings. A gentleman had offered to put down £50 towards a coffee palace in Auckland. (Cheers.) Friends of the cause should think of it.

The Bay of Plenty Times of the 11th January says :—"Mr. Sheehan reached here lass week and spent a couple of days whilst th«; Lady '. Joeelyn was landing her passengers. From the moment that his arrival became known the Commercial Hotel was besieged with natives waiting to • interview him. The minds of the natives are in a very disturbed and unsettled state, andthongh we were not privileged to listen to these interviews, still we were placed in a position to ascertain that there is a general discontent existing throughout Taupo, Waikato, and this district, and that a general statement of grievances is being mide out and will belaid before His. Excellency, should the Governor shortly visit the inland districts. Mr. Sheehan has also \rndertaken, professionally, the cases of a number of natives who allege . .grievances, which will probably be brought before the civil sittings of the Supreme Court." ■ : ' ".

'■ Owing no doubt to the unusual inclemency of the w.eather, the attendance at the Theatre Royal was small last night. The programme was a very attractive one, in the form of a revival .of Bulwer Lytton's well-known play the "Lady of Lyons, "• and the cast was a very fair one, although there were traces of , hurriedness in the preparation, and some of the principals,,notably Beauseant, were very imperfect in the text. However, the leading parts were so well sustained as to compensate for a few.deficiencies. Mr. J. B. Steele sus- . tained the leading rdle, that of Claude Mel- , notte, carefully and thoughtfully, and brought out ' its distinctive traits effieiently . and well. Mrs. Lingard, as Pauline,' dressed and acted elegantly aad 'well as usual. , Mr. Lingard selected for himself the part of Glavis, no doubt as being the only humorous one in the entire cast, and he made the most of it, and Mr. Overtop, as'' Colonel Damas, succeeded in - making a feature of the part of the brusque, . but kind-hearted, soldier. ■ The other parts were played fairly, and on the whole the production would have teen a success had there been' , a large • audience. " Pink •Dominos" is underlined for to-night. ' .... ; At the monthly, ineetin" of the Council ;of the 2J,5.W..-. Agricultural .Society, it was . decided in the case; of the trophy given by ~; the TOw Zealand.Mercantile Loan Company, should .be riven for wool and. '.one for for wool. \ ;'..;•

.A correspondent writes urging that action, should Wtaken to, see;that.the Actßelating to the employment of < females is carried' into! effect. , ?;',■■••'■■■'■:■■ . '' '-,;•,.- ;• -u, .>. ■■ ;.- i .:.' The ship Hereford, which was stranded at Cape Paterson, on the-Victorian Coast; has become a total wreck. " We learn that the New Zealand Insurance; Company had £790 upon the-vessel-or ca'rgc. - - ;:; ■■•■■;' In consequence of the large number of books that have been borrowed 'from the lending branch of the Free Public Library, Sydney, and which are now unlawfully in the possession of the "persons' holding them, it is the intention of. the trustees to issue writs against all parties who have thus infringed the' regulations, with a view to prosecution. ' ' In memory of the late Colonel Pickard a brass tablet has just been placed in the Rutland Chapel of St. George's ChapeL Windsor Castle. It is in close proximity to that of the late Sir Charles Phipps, and bears the inscription—" To the memory of Lieut.-Col. Arthur F. Pickard, V.C., C.8., R.A., Asais-tant-Keeper Privy Purse and Assistant Private Secretary. Born April 12, 1841; died March 12, ISBO. This monument was erected as a tribute of respect by Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught, and His Royal Highness Prince Leopold. Not slothful in work; fervent in spirit." The monument is very handsome, the design being in strict accord with the architecture of the chapel. Colonel, than Lieutenant Pickard, served in the New Zealand war in Captain Mercer's Battery, and led one of the forlorn hopes at Rangiriri. , ;

When the Tauranga Reception Committee went on board the Lady Jocelyn, a reception was given in the saloon. Captain Jenkins, of the Lody Jocelyn, replying to the toast of his health, said:—"l am aware that Tauranga is comparatively a young place, but I know no other place in the colony that combines in itself so much all the elements that go to make a district prosperous as does this part of the East Coast. (Hear, hear). You have got here a splendid stretch of excellent land, which, if the people at home only knew of it, would induce many to come out and take up their homes here. (Hear, hear.) The population in England is getting rather dense, but I am glad' to- say ■ there is room here for thousands, and' your part of the colony offers unrivalled advantages for persons with a li-tle capital, for they can use it to much better profit here than at home. There are multitudes of people in the old country who would be very j.lad to come out and settle here, were they only aware of onehalf the advantages that your country offers, in your splendid climate, superior land, which can be purchased at such a cheap fignre, and the ready market you possess for selling your produce in the fact that you have such a fine harbour here, which will enable you to ship your products direct to London. The class of passengers who are now coming out are furnished with means, in contrast to those who came out in early days, who had no means of their own, though many of these latter have turned out highly successful colonists. With regardjto the harbour, I niay remark that a little improvement will make it a good and safe one. I do not see the slightest difficulty in any ship coming in here, and when I return to London, and will likely be questioned about it, I shall not have the slightest hesitation in saying that it is easily accessible by ordinary ships ; and that when once they begin to know what is required here, Tauranga harbour will be just as good to go into as any other."

Tne Thames Advertiser states that through the exertions of Mr. Adam Porter Te Aroha is likely to possess a public school at no distant date. The Board of Education have promised to erect a suitable building on the reserve near Lipsey's house, and to appoint a competent teacher as soon as they received a list of twenty-five children of; a school age. A list is now being made up, and will be forwarded to Auckland this ireek. . . . . . ■ ' :

The peach-preserving industry has rapidly increased at the Thames. Orders have been received from the extreme parts of the South, and Mr. Hudson has been visiting numerous parties making them offers to purchase their crops. So successful has bsen the enterprise that between 30 and 40 tons will be required this season to meet the growing demand.

The bootmakers of Sydney are on strike, in consequence of a change in the mode of manufacture, which involves a loss of 10s a week to each workman.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph, in announcing the arrival in- Sydney of Mr. Smythe, says :—"Mr. Smythe tells us that in his being obliged, for private reasons, to decline accompanying Mr. Proctor to India and the far East, that gentleman at once telegraphed to the American Literary Bureau that he would arrive in New York early in February, and that organisation, in three days, wired back that they had concluded lecturing enfagements for him in Canada the outhem States of America, which Mr. Proctor will visit for the first time."

Taking advantage of her presence in Sydney, some of the admirers of Miss Christian,' whose voice has gained considerably in volume by her trip to Europe, are taking steps for organising a special concert during her stay in Sydney, at which she would sing selections from the large repertoire of new songs which she brought with, her from England. :

During his Invercargill season some of Herr Bandmann's company happened to fall foul of ; the local evening paper. Mr. Bandmanriat one of the performances, in replying to the attack, said that as one who had been successful in every corner of the world, he was prepared to wager £100 that the company he had then supporting him was a better one than had ever before appeared in New Zealand.

Friday's Observer will contain the result of the Drawing for the Christinas Prizes, together with an Important Notice Relative to Another Lot of Valuable Gifts. Bo sure and. buy the paper, or you will miss your chance.—[>dvt.]

Mr. A. Trust, jun., has been appointed clog registrar for the Turanga Highway District « i

The British Hotel is to be re-built, and the plans. He, may be seen at Mr. J. Wrigley's office. Tenders will be received until noon on the 24th instant. . . .

To-day, at 1 o'clock, Mr. R. Arthur will sell a quantity of fruit which has arrived by the Kotomahana, from Sydney. The fruit consists of apples of .various kinds, oranges, .plums, peachos, passion fruit, &c. ' The library of the Young Men's Christian Association, which has been closed for re-arranging and classifying the books, is again open to subscribers. A notice to this effect appears in our advertisement columns. • ' • A special meeting of the shareholders in the Union Beach Gold-mining Company is advertised to be held, on the 26th instant, in the large room of the New Zealand Insurance Company's Buildings,' at 2 o'clock, for the purpose of considering the financial position of the.company. -~».-. ■ < : ■ The new Dog, Act is to be worked in the Howick township highway district, and Mr. Thomas Mclnnee is appointed the registrar. .■'.:■ A second dividend in ; the estate of Robert Dinnison, of Hewmarket, a bankrupt, will be payable at the office of Mr. H. B. Morton on the 16th instant. . In another column will be found the official statement of the affairs' of the following gold-mining companies : —Queen of Beauty, Mint, Columbia, United, Victoria, and the Old Golden Calf. ~■ .... . - ; .',..• ,; , '■■ To-day, at noon, Mr. R. Arthur will sell, by order of the mortgagee, tho Woodstock Farm, near Papakura, the property of Mr. J; B. Hay, the estate containing about 1700 acres, with homestead, etc.. . Messrs. B. Tpnks and Co. will hold to-day a sale of land situated' in Waikato, Remuera. Otoma- ■ tea, Takapuna, and. an: allotment at the comer of Vin. , cent and Cook streets. The sale bogina at noon. '• , ■