MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11301, 20 December 1898, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

Tlie following have successfully passed the; September surveyors' examination, held, under fife'bdattl'i^-A: C..' Murray-Ayrisley,; 'Ohristchurch ;H. li1. 'Kdgecombe, ' A-tick-i laiul: CO.. lvL'ltellar, Dunedin'; C. Qtway, , Wellington j F. J., Ledger,. Nelson; !WAissley, Auckland: ■-~.. . • .

Dr Hoeken informs us that. ho 'receiyqtl ■!>■' telegram oh the. 7th from. Alexandra; staiitts (hat-a perfect specimen of a.mon's.epri;. hi,'] jupt bean discovered in that locality. ■ If this interesting piece of news be verified, it wilt bn. the second perfect egg that has been fotiiul.. Mr. Eif'e was. ttio fortunate discoverer : ot ths nrjst ■ specimen, which he .unearthed whiUt dim^inp; tin. alluvial.soil at the TCaikonras. ta this'early sixties! This egg was taken lo Kn..;laiul, andithcro. purchased lor, lOOgs. Its.di-; mansion's are n little over 9in in length arid "in in breadth. In 1865 an ev,i wils fou!1(' near Cromwell measuring nearly 9inl)y binUnfortunately it was broken, whilst beinß-re-moved from its bed. The late Mr W. B. V). Mnntell, of Wellington, restored quite a-mim; ber of oggßby piecing the various fragments together— a ,-. work demanding immense labour anct patience. As indicating the size, he was wont to say that a man's hat made an-excel? lent eggcup for thei egg. We hope to receive further news1 of this all but unique find.---. ;

The police returns of the number ! 'of-men available in the various classes.of the militia are not yet completed, and it will bo some time yet before.returns oan.bo received from all the districts. The incomplete returns available show that in the city and suburbs over 3027 can be summoned to muster in the first class (single men from 17 to 30 years), 873.in tho second class (married men from .17 to 30 years and single men 30 to 40 years);, aiid 1203.in ilia third class (married men 30 .to 40 years and .single .men 40 lo 55 years). What proportion of these would pass the medical inspection .whioli lias to take place is quite unknown. . .... ~ . .-.■•: •. The output of coal from (.lie.mines' of the Westporf Coal Company ' (Limited) for the month of November was 26,44-3 tons.4cwt. Tho Lyttolton Harbour Board's i per cent, loan of £16,400 was subscribed, at an average of £100 5a per £100 bond'

■ A poll was taken on the, Ist on the proposal of the Ocean Beach Domain Board to levy a rate of £d in the pound to carry out Mr Leslie Reynolds's scheme for the restoration and protection'of the beach at,:St.'Clair. f- The result of tho.'voting was tjhat.the prbppsal.rfas rejected by a majority of, 515 votes. ' The vital statistics forlast month are as follow:—Births, 80: deaths, 40; marriages,.ss. For the same month.of last year, the.births numbered 105,, deaths 44, and marriages 36. , The criminal sessions.of the Supreme Court closed oh the 3rd inst. at a quarter past 9 p.m., ■:.after sitting from 10 o'clock in the. morning. Tho arson case was resumed at half-past 10 o'clock, and the addresses of .counsel occupied the attention of the. court until 1.30 p.m. Mr Bowler spoke for 25 minutes, Mr Fraser (for the Crown) for _40 minutes, and Mr Solomon's address occupied very nearly an hour and a-half. In tho afternoon his Honor.summed up. and in doingso spoke upon the principles, which should guide the jury in coining to a verdict, and commented upon the evidence, ovory part of which was again submitted to the jury His Honor's summing un concluded at 5.20, and the jury, after deliberating for nearly four hours, returned with a verdict of guilty on. the third count of tho indictment, for conspiring to commit arson, but 'recommended both accuaed, and tho younger one'(Baldwin) very slrcngly, to mercy. His Honor said ho should give weight to. the-recommendations of the jury, and sentenced Baldwin to six months' and Eobson to 1.8 months' imprisonment, with hard labour,. The case.was, as his Honor remarked, a long and intricate one, and'it is worthy of mention that Detective M'Grath, who, so far as the police are. concerned, has had charge of the case 'throughout, evon to watching.it'prior to its committal, was complimented by.counsel for. the accused and by the Crown prosecutor upon the able and fnir manner in which ho had discharged his duties.' t ■■'.-.■