MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8987, 27 February 1888, Page 7 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS.

The directors' report of tho Standard Insurance Company shows the income for the year to have been £85,411, and the expenditure £72,371, leaving a credit balance of £13,039. A dividend of 7$ per cent, is recommended, £2000 to be added to the reserve fund, and £5414 carried forward.

The liquidators of the Auckland and North Shore Ferry Company have accepted a tender of £9600 for tho purchase of tho steamers Osprey and Eagle from Mr. C. G. Quick, the managing director of the com/pany. Mr. Quick, who is acting for a syndicate, proposes to shortly start running the steamers on the ferry service, and intends to have a third vessel built.

The Aorangi has brought a patent from H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Grand Master of England, appointing Sir Harry Atkinson to the high othce of District Grand Master for tho district of Wellington, North Island of New Zealand, E.C., to which office he was elected some months ago in succession to Brother C. J. Toxward, who was the successor •of the late Brother Sir Donald McLean, first D.G.M. of the D.G. Lodge. A match between John Gallagher and Frederick Wells, butcher, for £5, excited considerable interest at the Thames on February 21. Wells rode on horseback whilst Gallagher ran on foot from the battery, Waiomo, to the Royal Hotel, Tararu Creek, a distance of eight, or nine miles. Gallagher was allowed lialf-an-hour's start, and won by from five to eight minutes as variously estimated. Tho winner appeared pretty fresh at the finish. Tho Lyttelton Times states that tho record of the Canterbury province for big fish caught by the rod was beaten the other day. Mr. R. Beet ham, when fishing in Hall's Creek, Leeston, got on to a big fish, which, after affording one hour and thirtyi five minutes' play, proved to bo a grand female trout, scaling 241b, the heaviest trout ever captured by fair means in Canterbury. It was in superb condition, and measured 32Ain in length, in girth, Sin across the fan of the tail, 7in in length of head, and weighed exactly 241b. Young Rait, whose disappearance over a week ago and subsequent reappearance at Timaru, when everyone . thought he was drowned, appears to be suffering from brain fever. He has now returned to his home. His escapade is likely to prove valuable to him, as the publication of his name has drawn the attention of a firm of solicitors to the fact that inquiry was being made as to the whereabouts of the. family, and from what can be learned it appears he is likely to drop into a legacy of some thousands of pounds left by a relation in Scotland. Miss Mabel Crump, daughter of the Rev. J. Crump, Wesleyan minister, Blenheim, who left Blenheim two years ago to join the staff of the Ladies' Methodist College, Melbourne, has obtained the honour of Dux of tho College, having successfully matriculated in French, ana secured the Ann Shaw and Williams' prizes (five guineas and £5) for the greatest proficiency in two languages, mathematics, and science, out of ten lady candidates. Of the general teaching staff three are New Zealanders, viz.Miss Grassmann (formerly of Nelson, and for some time second mistress of the Girls' High School, Christchurch), Miss Fitchett, and Miss Crump, the two former being graduates of the New Zealand University. The President of the College, the Rev. H. Fitchott, 8.A., is a brother of Mr. R. Fitchett and Dr. Fitchett, M.H.R., Dunedin, so that New Zealanders occupy a distinguished position in the College. The amended plan for the electric lighting of the city, submitted by Mr. J. C. Firth, provides for eight towers for lighting the city proper. Each tower , will light a circle of over 50 chains in diameter, and will have on it four arc lights of 2000 candle Cower each, but two additional lamps can be added if necessary, making a 12,000 candle-power light for each cower. These towers will vary in height from 100 to 125 feet. The present lighting of tho city is about 5000 candle-power ; of the electriclight system proposed, 64,000 candlepower. There will be twelve times the illuminating power, at only an increase of 10 per cent, in cost. A separate plan is provided for lighting the Art Gallery and Free Public Library, namely, by the incandescent system. It is found that the arc light is injurious to books and pictures, but that the other system is not. When Mr. Firth's present mill is vacated for the new premises, it is intended to locate the necessary engine and dynamo in the former. The Rev. T. Spurgeon, of Auckland, was married at the Hanover-street Baptist Church, Dunedin, on Friday, tho 10th of February, by the Rev. A. North, to Miss Lila Rutherford, eldest daughter of Mr. Gideon Rutherford, late of Victoria. It was the wish of the bride that there should be only one bridesmaid, Miss Alice Rutherford, sister of the bride. Mr. A. Knight acted as groomsman, and the bride was given away by her father, Mrs. Ruther-' lord and the friends of the family being also present. The bride was simply attired in-a white Swiss robe, trimmed with lace and orange blossoms, and worked tulle veil with wreath, &c. The bridesmaid's dress was a white fancy muslin, • trimmed with blue and white tulle, bohnet with blue trimmings. Mrs. Rutherford wore a black dress with jet ornaments and cream-coloured trimmings, and a black tulle lace bonnet with jet trimmings. Pastor Muller assisted at the service in the church, which was crowded, many of the would-be witnesses being unable to gain admission. The ceremony over, the party adjourned for breakfast to the home of the bride's father in Clyde-street, and in the afternoon the newly-married couple proceeded on their tour.

On the 6th February Mr. J. C. Firth conducted a trial of his automatic fire sprinklers, in the presence of a large assemblage of spectators, amongst whom were His Worship the Mayor (Mr Devore), Messrs. W. R. Waddel, W. Crowther, J. M. Brigham, P. A. Philips, C. Atkin, and the following insurance, agents :—Messrs. John Reia (Victoria), F. Nutter (Standard),.W. Tait (National), A. S. Baddeley (North British), T. Macky (Northern), Williams (Equitable), and A. S. Russell (South British). The site selected for the test was the reclamation ground in front of Mr. Firth's new mill, where a roughly-erected shed, 11 feet square, had been built for the purposes of the trial, whilst a heap of shavings had been stored on the ground enclosed by this structure. In the wall a few inches of pipe had been affixed, and to the end, directly over the centre of the heap of shavings, one of the automatic sprinklers was screwed. When fire to which the sprinkler is exposed, attains a heat of 105 degrees, the soldering melts, and the lever being thus freed, the brass plate which it retained in position drops away a quarter of an inch from the mouth of the valve, when the water of course rushes out, and, striking the plate, is diffused in a spray over the fire beneath. Two trials given were entirely successful, the sprinkler acting in one instance in five seconds after the lighting of the fire.

Mr. Edwin Ilornsby will leave Auckland for Australia on Tuesday next, and many Auckland residents will regret that one of its most genial and enterprising citizens is about to sever a connection of 25 years' standing with his New Zealand friends. Mr. Hornsby was for many years manager of Messrs. T. and S. Morrin's business at the Thames, when the business there was much more extensive than it is at present, and ho made for himself hosts of friends by his perfect business habits and genial disposition. Subsequently -he was removed to the firm's head office in Auckland as general manager, and while in this capacity he was entrusted with the very responsible duty of proceeding to England to order the plant for the Auckland Waterworks, for which Messrs. Morrin and Co. were the successful tenderers, and the manner in which he executed this order, and subsequently supervised the laying of the pipes, &c., on behalf of his firm, is beyond all praise. On the completion of the contract he resumed duty as general manager for Messrs. Morrin, but he subsequently entered into partnership with Mr. W. S. Laurie, as ironmongers and general importers. The speculation was not a success, and the partnership was subsequently dissolved. Mr. Hornsby then purchased the Auckland Marble Works, established in • Stanley-street, and opened an office in Customs-street, but owing to faulty machinery and a lack of trade his speculation was nob the success which ib at first promised to be. Since then Mr. Hornsoy has been engaged in various capacities. Throughout his whole career he has retained the respect and friendship of every person with whom he has been brought into contact, and they will all join in wishing to him and Mrs. Hornsby the greatest success in their future career.