News of the Week.

Otago Witness, Issue 931, 2 October 1869, Page 14

News of the Week.

JuA f -new i/pennyv,^ening, , ipaper %i n pm istalted'aa r she f-namef -name M c-the Independent.^, , !jr ,..A'U/i;i i'j^st. $Lii>y '*Mr A. 'R.,B^Thom&on.:,is gazetted, Inspeotorifor .the .province,.^, the voom M Mi Arthur>Kenn,edy, > dep,eased.^ V( » I Desertions from ,«>^^ n «S ' lSthßegimentstationed^t Auckland^have ■.beenivery^OTt. palate, <>§?s&£<s men deserted in about three week^timi^ j Velocipedes are becoming oommon m InJ vercargil-VW'SktUed^ridersi however, havd not yetmad.e.their ) *ppearan.ce, ( and, haye consequently !f been, numerous. , . t The boats ' belonging to Mr, Buchanan's whale fishery, at Ikolaki, near, Akaroa,- have succeeded, in , another ■„ whale, making the fourth captured by .them^ this ■season -„, r , ;.,> s « ,> - rV ,I - •„ The Maoris at Moerakihave, it is eaid, removed inland from the beach, at that placs, through" fear of the tidal disturbances ex- . peotednex^mottth. Our Queenstown contemporary announces that the, well- known horse Morris Dancer has recovered from his recent illness, and us once more "a perfect picture.' A Bpotted seal, 7 feet 9 inches in length, was killed by Mr ,G. Newey pi Oamaru on the beach at Kakanui on Thursday week. The • skin is reported ,to be altogether unuJ]ured, and well adapted for the museum. The Southland papers report that the difficulty in connection with the prosecution of the Oreti railway works has been removed. The contractors have paid' np the arrears due to the workmen, and work is to be resumed forthwith. Work has once more been actively resumed . at Clark's diggings, in the Mount Ida district, which wore abandoned during the winter. The present population at this diggings is estimated at 100, of whom the greater portion are Chinese. The Government hivvo announced their intention of giving another LIOO for the prosecution of the deep shaft at Wetherstones, in the hope " that it will be found sufficient to test the ground thoroughly, and that the Goveri ment w^l not be again called on for assistance." Resolutions have been passed by both Houses of the Queensland Parliament, granting a bonus of 5000 acres of land to the exporters of, 750 tons of fresh uncooked meat, manufactured in the colony and Bold in Great Britain or Ireland at a price not less than 4jd per pound. Mr James Shand, M.P.C., has been appointed a Commissioner, in the room of Mr William Fraser, for the purpose of consulting with the Southland Delegates on the subjpet of reunion. The three Commissioners, Messrs Shand, Reynolds, and J. L, Gillies, left Dunedin for Invercargill on Saturday. An experimental shipment of kauri gum to the United Statos is about to be made from Auckland. A merchant in that city has loaded a vessel of 500 tons for New York, almost exclusively with a cargo of gum, and the result of the venture is awaited with a good deal of interest. A Chinaman has been killed, while workiug in his claim at tho Lammeriaws, by a fall of earth. At the Kyeburn diggings, a miner named Alfred Scarlett has , mot with his death from a similar cause. Accidents of this kind havo been very frequent in the mining distrusts of late. Mr William Gardiner, a New Zealand colonist of 27 years' standing, died at Nelson a few days ago. The Nelson pnpers claim for Mr Gardiner the distinction of having been the first ropemaker in the colony, the ropes manuf Actured by him being made from tho native flax. Christchnrch appears to be a bad market for Thames mining Bharca. , We learn from a local journal that a long list of Bhares in. various companies on that goldfield were offered at auction a few days ago, but, with one exception, were not disposed of. The lot oold was ten Imperial Crowns at 36s each. The stfttemont made in a private- letter, and recently published in a Ohrintohuroh paper, to tho effect that Sir George Grey with hiß nieoe Miss Matthews wan about to revisit New Zealand, is confirmed by the Southern Cross, whioh adds that Sir Goorge will reside at Kawau " for some length of time," The Thames Advertiser states, on the authority of natives who have oomo to Shortlaud from tho interior, and whose word may bo relied upon, that Te Kooti does not foel himßolf comfort ible, and wishes to get book to the Uriwertt country. Ho ha» stated that ilthe Arawas or Europeans intorrupt him he Will fight it out with them at Taupo: Tho following was the state of H.M. O»ol, Dunedin, during tho week ending oo Satur. day last :— Awaiting trial, 2 toon and 1 worn»» ; penal servitude, 26 men ) hard labour, 67 nvn and 11 women ; debtors, 0 men ; total, fk) men and 12 women. 6 men and 6 women were admitted during the week, and 4 men and 3 tromen were disabarged duriujf the satao period. ■ The eleotf on o! tixe Superintendent is i at prosent oooupving * 1«8» » b *» °' P w £»° . attention in toe Proving ot Auckland, Tho contest, oocorJing to. a Thames papor, will lie attbaoCher »etweou Mcssw Williamson Md Pollen, and will-to judge (torn uisfaft symptoms—be as oloielyfought a politioal battle as the Provlno* of Auckland has ever witnessed.

' The ifattners in the Tuapeka, distinct have taken' advantage of the late.fine weather to get their spSting/work/'fofwardi most of the crops 1 being down. It is said that consider^ able itaipi'Ovementß.iliayerbeen^^ffebted ori the fairriW in this di&rtetf ; -In the Waipori district, also, more .-ground, than usual has been put, .under orop this year., From Mount Ida, N thVaocb'unts received are equally satisfactory. ( .. t .;, , -„,„•,.- j 'Robert Mack'ay,, whose; savage assault on "his 1 wife we 'nieritioWd in a re'deut issue/ was tyttttgtife lap -tiefqre ' the 1 ' Police "Magistrate dn 'Melbourne on*he i3th : inst. t The evidence ( adduced proved the assault to havesbeen.one of iiaMmoßtfibmiial-leharacter. Mackay was" .cprnmitted fgr trial, on the charge of attempt,, ing to'murdeY his- wife, "and ,was removed in. custody, 1 " "having'displayed, throughout the hearing,," says 'the Argus, " a stolid apathy of demeanour n<it often ' everi'in Criminal Courts." 1 t ; ( '; , ' \<(" r* ' As jwill be seen by our shipping columns, some of the passengers on board the Airedale .visited the wreck of the Taranaki in Bowden's Bay, and brought away several specimens of marine incrustation and portions of her decks as curiosities. The action of the"teredp navalis " has reduced the woodwork of the vessel to the consistency, of a sponge, the whole substance being quite soft. A part of a spoko of her wheel — hardwood— exhibits the same decay. Captain Kennedy informs us that where there was a. good coating of paint on the woodwork ifc appeared quite fresh, save that of a slight outside incrustation . The number of births registered in the colony (including the Chatham Islands) during the year 1868, was 9391, and of deathß 2662, the excess of births over deathß thus boing 6729, or at the rate of 253 53 per cent. For Otago the figures are : Births, 23Q7 ; deaths, 604 ; excess of births over deaths, 1793, or at the rate of 296.85 per cent. The rate of deathß per 1000 of the populationcalculated to tho nearest unit— was as follows :— Nelson, 8 j Southland, 9 ; Chatham Islands, 1 1 ; Auckland and Otago, 12 ; Welington, Hawke's Bay, Canterbury and Westland, 13; Taranaki, 14; Marlborough, 17; and all New Zealand, 12. In the lately published list of the Acts gassed during the late session of the Assetnly, there is one noteworthy omission, viz., that of the Act to allow vote by ballot. Regardingthe cause of this omisgion thj Nelson ifixaminer sayß :— There is a etrange history about this measure, if it could all be told. Ministers, and particularly tho Premier, professed themselves its warm supporters, yet when a defect was discovered in it after passing both Houses, s they resisted the attempts of its honest supporters with the most frivolous objections to get the measure amended. The truth is, the election for the Superintendents of Auckland and Otago must presently take place, and it did not suit the views of tho present holders of these offices to have the ballot in operation within the next few months, and bo tho Bill Was dropped. An influential meeting of Southland squatters ood stock owners, was held at Fletcher's accommodation house, Elbow, on the 16th last., with reference to the starting of a Meat-Preserving Establishment. The subject, says the Southland Times, was very fully discussed, and the necessity of such a moans of disposing of surplus stock generally admitted. It was ultimately agreed that all present should use thoir iufluencr in getting the New Zealand Land Company to fix upon Southland as the site for tho plant they have now on the way out. With this object in view, it was considered expedient to request a grant of land from tho General Government, to bo devoted to the construction of » light railway, or tramway, towards tho Mataur.i. the badness of tho roads being the chief objection the Company has to fixine upon Southland aa the scene of their further operations. We have received a copy of Part 2 of tho " Reports of Cases decided at Nisi Prius and in Banco in the Supremo Court of New Zoaland, and on appeal to tho Court of. Appeal," edited by Mr James Macassey. The present number contains the cases decided between August 9th and December 24th, 1864. It is unnecessary for us to say anything regarding the merits of this publi. c&tion, tho value of whioh is well known to every member of the profession. We may remark, however, that an editorial noto profixed to this numbtr statas that its publicstion has, owing to "a multiplicity of professional engagements," been greatly delayed, but that " mora strenuons efforts will, in future, bo made to ensure tho publication of the Parts at shovtor intervals." The l>ook is printed and published by Mr H. Wiso. who has done his portion of the work vory creditably. Tho following Is th« despatoh referred to in a r*o«t telegram, convoying Her Majesty's aoknowleagomonb ot the welcemofliTon.tbo Duke of Edinburgh in New Zealand : — Downing street, 10th July, 1860. Bir— The Qaoon has hoard from His Koyal Highness the Duko of Edinburgh, of tho groat cordiality and loyalty with which he has been received in Her Majesty's Anstntlarinn Colonies, and »he is anxious to express her strong unse o£ tho feeliog dispUywi in this rooep. tion, whioh the Duko is most desirous that she should recognise. Her Majesty oonv mands you, therefore, to convoy to the people her warm acknowledgements of the kind reofeption whioh lists been given to His Royal Highoew, Mid their hearty and unanimous loyalty to her person and tho throne,-— I ha»e, Ac. Gbasvilli.— Governor Sir G. Bowen 1 G.0.M.G.,4a, &o.

- .tw^yeafa? of/ftge, >&* l j3sgh&srjol ■Mr, iTohn M'Tsi^idM^m^uMf mikiok a fiVi ago'and Has.noifsince- beM heard 1 of. ' ' lt v appears"thii* tHe dnild had'heen playing, with another girli 'five' yearsfbfc age) !who.-Btated tha,t w her < playmate, (had, fallen inib the xiver,wh,ioh is abput, sixfchains distant from' the house. The riVer^asW mediately 'dragged for a considerable distance; and'an-actlve search Iwas bothrby the neighbours an&thep,<>lice ? . After four days' unwearied searching, -however, ..it was oonjaiderecl'usetess to cbntitiue'th'eir efforts;' 1 and 'a net 'Has 1 accordingly been 1 stretched- l otoroßß the river toi prevent , the "body ,n which itria believed wilt ritfe, t(f the surface, on the ninth day,- from .being carried-* down, to, the niouth of the stream. '),,., ,/ '-' V' i : 'X Blue-book lately issued by tneimperinl Parliament contains a 'passage showing that H.R.H. the Duke of- Cambridge,. the >Fi«ldMarshal^ Commanding»in-Chief, r , protected' against * the , removal* of the 18th Regiment from New 'Zealand. Under date 28th December, iß67 ( ' hiß Royal HijrhheßVs secretary,' Cot Johnson, intimates to the War Office that the Commander.-in.chief, "is desirous of drawing the attention of the Secretary, for ,the Colonies to the important question of the. withdrawal of the battalion or infantry from New Zealand, and trusts they will concur with His Royal .Highness in opinion that it would be very prejudicial to Imperial in- > teresta to leave that important colony with out regular troops, a course that appears to have been contemplated, but which His Royal Highness hopes will not be carried out." The following persons were received into the Gaol last evening :— John Palseir, committed for trial at the ensuing Criminal Sessions of the Supreme Court, charged with having, on the 14th instant, at Hawksbury, feloniously entered the store of Mr Robert Oxley, and stolen therefrom 2 pairs ■of blankets, 14 bottles of gin, 1 pair of boots, 5 shirts, 9|lbs of tobacco, and 7 yards of calico ; value, £loiss3d. Alsowithhavingon the 14th inst. stolen from the promises of Mr Franciß Franks, at Hawksbury, one gallon keg of ' beor, value LI ; and with having, on the 16th inst. stolen from the prem'sea of Mr Richard Nelmes, one bucket, value 4s, for each of which offences he was sentenced to one month's imprisonment, the sentences to be cumulative. John Brice, alias Difblin Jack, sentenced to be imprisoned for 16 days, with hard laboir, for having, at ' Palmeraton, on the 21 st inst. been disorder, y and assaulted Sergeant M'Mahon in the execution of his duty. We are requested by the Hon, Mr Dillon Bell to publish the following telegram from His Honour Mr Ormond, Superintendent of Hawke'sßay:-"Te Kooti, with from 250 to 300 men, attacked Tokano — one of our positions— on Saturday. Severe fighting took place, which resulted in the defeat of the enemy, with considerable loss. Our force was composed of 249 natives and two or three European officers. The enemy {led, leaving seven dead bodies in our hands. The enemy had plenty of ammunition ; he fired 2000 rounds, and there were 30 and 40 rounds of Enfiold ammunition in some of the pouches tiken. The Wanganuis had not yet got to McDonnell's position ; and a portion of his force at Rotoaira, including Constabulary, wero not engaged. No 2 Division of the Constabulary had also not arrived, but wore close up, and a general attack upon the enemy was to be made today. Seven wounded were the only casualties on our side." Among the passengers by the steamer Gothenburg, on her last trip Irom Melbourne to Dunedin, wore throo younß Chineso women— tho first of their sex, according to the Tuapok i Press, that have come U> Otago from the Flowery Land. They were disguised in male uttiro, but a close observer could detect, in tholr voices and general demeanour, as well as in thoir petite appearance, unmistakoable evidences of their r«al sex. They arrived in Lawrence by tha ooaoh on Tuesday last, leaving thoir fellowpassengers of the Bterner sex t6 oomo on s y waggon from Danedin. On the way up it became necessary, at a bad portion of the road, for tho occupants of the coach to alight and proceed for some distance on foot ; but the fair Celestials, when left to their own resources, could only mauago to locoraoto slowly and with great difficulty, owing to tho fact that, in common with all Ctuneso females, they possess feet more remarkable for deformity than for utility. Wo understand that all thro© of tha ladies are married, and have oomo hithor to join their husbandh.

Mr Dillon Boll's reply to a requiiition, signed by the Mayor and ahoot eighty of tuo principal oitistens ot Christohurob, requesting him to address the inhabitants of that city on a day to be named by himsolf, appear* ia ala o issue of tho LytUlton Timw. It is as follows . -Dunodin, Sept 18-Tobu Wcrshin tho Mayor of OhrUtahurch and thp other floutleuiensigoing the requisition. Gontlomen, —I am much hooourod by tho receipt, today, ot yoor invitation to me to address • puollo TOwtino in OhnristeUuroh. In passmg thronaa yoar oity the ofehor day, I was surprised to find how much misapprehension seemed to exist as to the policy ol the present Ministry. Your very kind letter gives me the opportunity of makin« explanations whioh I believe will dispel thatniisapprehen^on, at % time when it is more than over neoosia ry, that, if pouwble. tho men of tho Middle Island should pull together, tarn trying to arrange my time so as to mtot you, and hope tohave the satisfaction of, naming »n early day (or tho purpose. I havo the honour to remain, with great respect, Gentlorawo, your [very faithful servant, F. Dillok B»U.

" The drawing, ,of :the Arfr'tfrnoftiifor* the disV«^^th^ai»Bnr^ll^^Js^k place, .pn, Saturday, af;ternoon/|ati ihe photo* graphic (establishment" of tha|^6^S^i W number of gentlemen mtereßted'' s "wV<e*pre» , sent.^andj'the proceedings a highly satisfactory manner. The number of share"hold&rs waS l 217", and<thafc 'bfrtfte pifees.'S6, so that< there was yne.pjize, for every- ,six shares.' TKoMmbers^wfere abwt 4 frsm v a lottery, box^by A r little; girl', $he.^r^eßj ; being drawn from a bag by another. Three gentlemen were' 'appointed 'front' the' body of 'shareholders to act as scrutineers..,, The foUowjng is a " list 'oi those ' who "drew the ' principal prissea :~Mr <r.<'LanHe'igne<--30 tgulneat pr&e • Mr W. M.,Hodgkins— 2s, gfliaea. prize ;Mr J. S. Parry— 2o guinea" prize' ;v; v Messrs J. Smith,' Qti ] Greenfield, , ¥nd E: De: CarieHie guinea prizes ; Mr &W. Geddes— B guinea prifce. THe other prikeo varied' in value' Mm 4-ito 2 guineas. ,' ,' , t , -fv^; fa^:', Ladies are about to be admitted to the privileges of v Oddfellbwship in Vi6t6ria.' A cdrresponcleirjr'of a Melbourne paper wjt&es that some ■ months -ago the- Ancient Order of Oddfellows in, that colony affiliated with the Independent Order of Oddfellows in America, the latter of which numbor 250*000 members, many of whom, occupy ja,,hjgh position v in the , social ' and. political, world. In the new ritu&L, introduced!, by the American order , there, ; is what it termed the "Degree of Rebekah,," conferred only on the wives- of members. 1 , A lodge in connection with this degree has recently been formed in Ballarat, and will be opened in the third week of this month, for the purpose of initiating the wives of members into the mysteries thereof } and as this is the first occasion on which ladies have been privileged to become practically acquainted with Oddfellowship, it is "expected that a very large number will 'avail themselves of the opportunity., Already ,a large number have signified their intention of coming from Sebastopol. A fire, by which the Tokomairiro fluxmill was destroyed, took place on Tuesday wee k. It appears to have been caused by a spark from the engine falling into ono of the bales of the prepared fibre. The nre was first perceived t-y Mr ytreeting, one of the proprietors of the mill, but, notwithstanding thu instant efforts made for its extinction, it spread so rapidly that in five minutes the roof of the shed in which the firo broke out, fell in. ' The end of the shed nexb the engine waa pulled down, and the engine was thereby saved, but some of the machinery was much injured, and the bales of flax continued to burn for several hours. The total loss is estimated at L2OO, none of which is covered by insurance. In addition to this, also, many. of the workmen were sufferers from their clothing being destroyed. The fire waa particularly unfortunate, inasmuch as arrangements had been made for the t removal of the flax the same afternoon. Mr Streeting, however, has declared his intention cf repairing the damage as quickly as possible, and hopes that in a few (jlays the mill will be once more in working order. The following account of the death of the late Mr Kennedy at Clyde, is given by the Dunstan Times:— Mr Kennedy had been uuwell for the past week, but was thought by Dr Niven, who had been attending him, to be getting quite convalescent. About three o'clock on tho day of tho sad catastrophe tho deceased, Dr Niven, and others, were taking a walk on the terrace between tho camp and the town, when ho suddenly raa from them down tho bank and precipitated himself into the current. A hue and cry being raised, a number rushed to the rescue. Among tho foremost was Mr Prank Foote, Cobb'a agent, who heroically plunged into the water and caught hold of him*, but was unablo to maintain his hold, owing to the persistent struggles of Kennedy to freo himself. After buffofcing about for o »horc timo, Footo rooeived a blow from Kennedy's feet, which soparatod them, when Foote returned to tho shore touch exhausted. Tho doooasedn continued floating down the stream in an upright position, cvidont'y trying the whilo to drown himself, as had ho in tho least atrnck out for tho shore, he ooald not have failed to reach it. At length, after Hosting down tho stream for about two hundred and fifty yards, ho sank. Tho body has not yot boon recovered.

No. I Company City .Guards competed on Saturday morning lust at tho Kaikorai, for their Cup, and wore fortunato in being favoured with a oalm though duH'irtoming. Tho winner vai Colour Sergeant Douglas, with * sooro of 67. This competition oxcitod oonsider&blo interest among tho members of tho Company, as, had Corp. M'Grngor, tho Into holder of tho Cup, been auocctsful on this occasion, the prize would havo become his property. Tho scores mwlo will, it is hoped, bo considerably oxeoodod in tho next competition, but considering that tho shooting soaaon may bo said t6 havo hardly oomtnonwd, they augur well for tho success! of No. 1 Company m its Company matches during tho Approaching shooting stanon, Tho following aro the sooroa of those who completed thoir firing, and exceeded 35 ttotot*. on the occasion undor notice, the four highest scorers being

.ThelAte iM]ttx'''oil,jCii^ett,'a,t pe&ni'mtnsrs thWo^ with -^unmixed gratiiioa' tion^rrasfe^^ Lawrence dontemporaryy is that «new chum John appearV very Jmuch iaddioted to claim jumping. He also appears,' says the same authority, to haye'conrfciSntlous soruples in reference to takihg'outVmirier's bright, and has occasioned a good- deal of- trouble to the resident > dffiber^ ! ' : / fl ; "^'" 1 '<;<u.i.,,': The following. , p»rtioular t s, jegarding^. the late accident at Owens's Ferry, on. the Ka. warau. river,; jalreadyj reported',by .telegram,^ are given by^heuW.akatip ,Mad,:— No stage ooaoh is, a,tj present being .run, ,and on the pijeBent occasion;, after one j6r - tw,o, breaks down in the cart used between Gromwe'l and the' Nevis Punt, the passengers had to 'walk adisv tauce of two miles to Edwarda's, where another spring cart was obtained. Ati Owens's Ferry the horse jibbed while" on the punt, and the driver- (Macpherson) .wasi preoipitated' into that rapid stream." Mr Owens, jumped into a boat, and tried to catch sight of the man as he rose to the'Burfab'e: Mr Hallenstein (Mayor of Queenstown) rendered valu', able assistance 1 by following on the bank the progress, of t the drowning ma'tii and directing the froaiman, ?who eventually suooeeded j in' oatching Maopherson by the hair, but owing to the strength of the s current, was unable to do more^than keep,his head aboyb water. Lower ' down,', the " river . the . bbat oame tlear a point, „when Mr . Hallenstein ( 'ruShed into the 1 river, and at theririk.of his own life stayed the passage of the boat. ' Maopherson was apparently lifeless, and 'it took a considerable time :to restore him to a state, that might be, considered out of danger. Messrs Hallenstein and Owens deserve great praise for the manner they despised danger in saving Maopherson's life. A lady passenger who shared the dangers was not the least zealous in lending aid. A correspondent who has had considerable experience on both 'the Victorian and NewZealand goldfields, writes to the Greymouth Evening Star regarding the Thames goldfield as follows*:— " This Thames rush is not a storekeeper's rush, nor a duffer's rush. It has got quartz reefs, and some few of them very rioh, although -not so rich by a long way as has been circulated about them. The Thames rush may be called, as indeed it is called by many, a sharebroker's and general swindler's rush. There are several hundreds of companies in existence. The locality of many of these alleged quartzreefs is not even known by the shareholders. They don't want to know. They know there is no gold. All they want is to sell their scrip to tho first flat they can catch. Four-fifths of the companies whioh have been rushed into existence never produced an ounce of gold, and never will. The amount of paid-up capital in these mines is all moonshine. There is not a sixpence in the pound in hard cash. It ia a gigantic bubble, and when it bursts, as very Boon it must, thousands and thousands will find themselves ruined, swindled, robbed, or beggared. I£ some of these sharebrokers — men, not a few of them notorious police-cha-racters — are not yet lynched, or tarred and feathered, it is Btrango to me. Do not let any of the flourishing reports you hear about Auckland induce any of you to leave Greymouth if you can only make a living and hold your own." Onr Otepopo correspondent, writing on the 24th inst, says ;— The Rev. Mr Ryley delivered a lecture hero last night on "Earthquakes." After comparing the various dangers of the sea with those of the land, the 'ecturer proceeded to detail very minutely the disastrous effects of earthquakes. He referred to the one which ocourred in Calabria in 1783, by whioh 60,000 lives wore lost ; and to the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, whioh occurred on the day of tho Feast of All Saints, when one-half of tho population was in the churches, and 30,000 were killed by the falling houses . In 1746, about 200 shocks wore distinctly felt in Pern in the short space of 24 hours. In describing the cause of these terrible phenomena, Mr Ryley said — The Hindoos attribute it to Brahma, the chief person in their Trinity. Aristotle, on tho other hand, ascribes it to a mysterious power called To Pnetima, the spirit j but soientifio men of the presont day bavo a more satisfactory and oonrinoing theory — viz., that God is tho author and primary cause, and that he regulates these convulsions by certain laws. Tho earth is ins great measure elastic, and has thus tho property of transmitting shocks on the same principle as it convoys sound. The great oentro or focus of a shock is gonoral y in the ocean bed, and tho shook is transmitted through tho earth at the rato of from 7,000 to 10,000 feet per aocond, and through the soa at about 4,700 feet per second. Mr Ryley ooncluded his address by a fow remarks on volcanoes, a subject whioh ho promised to take up on another occasion.

A correspondent of the Colonist, writing from the Thames, gives the following particulars regarding tho quarts- crushing batterice in uso on thatgoldtleld :— *• The whole of them consist at present of about 350 stampers, fully threo-fourths of which aro driven by steam, on or near the flat, the remainder by largo water-wheels up the different guMes. Nearly all these batterios have paid their ownors very well, and are a sale investment, if properly worked and looked after. The price for crushing has been as low as 16s per ton by wAtorpowor, and from LI to 24s per ton by ■team. A fully employed battery is kept going from Sunday night at 12 o'clock till Saturday night At the same hour, the hands ia aiUndanoo being ohangod «ve ry twelve hour* A battery of from ten to

twelVe , stampers will crush, "if ' not inter. rupted, about a ton o^ zz i ißer*>ioa,t»*^^i B er *>i oa ,t»*^^ .there ; is a variation, through JtEpj •Msture^of^b^sione^ BQffc,, i wb.ile / pther;kinds are as hard as flint, id which latter case, more^tedious. J By, way of 'in^^lln^tara^on,,©! the imnaense power necessiry'tp cfriCah a ton bf'qufwjfe'z'iut'o the fittest; pWaer^ I- -give 'the following' calculation,; on' WVery 'iDo'derate scale?^Taking a' teji stamper battery] driven at average 'speed,' wbach'iWaHouV'thirty-five to,. forty .pounds of steam toi the the Bald stampers are lifted 1 ajid dropped atleast fifliy times per mrattte'eacb., or 3000' time's in the. hour. Every stamper ''Weighs, lonI o n an' average,' 'four owt^ 1 and, ''consequently* the enormous weight of 120,000 owt;, or 6,0u0 tons; is lifted per hour to crush 1 a ton of ciuarfiz." ' " "'"'?'', The annual meeting of the Dunedin Cricket Club, was held on Tuesday, at the Shamrock Hotel. , Among those present' were Messrs H., D. Maddook, in the chair, W. D. Murisou, F, Pantlin, J. Murison, J. "0. Fulton, jCC, Kettle, ,E. T, Collinspn, R .Brown, R. Ij)obson, A. Creagh fI J., Allen,' SnW, Logic, ;and W. Shand. The report and balance i sheet w.ere submitted and agreed to, it being Ishojforn .that, 1125 of, the debt liad been 1 paid off during the past season, and that there, still remained a deficiency of about LIOO. Offioe bearers for the ensuing' year were , elected as ' follows :— President, Mr G. X," i burton ; Vice President, Mr H. D. Mad'dbok ; hon.' '\seoretary and treasurer, Mr. El T. 1 Collinson j and members of committee, 1 Messrs C. C. Kettle, E. T. Colliuson, H. O. ; Brewer, J. CV Fulton, J. Murison, V. Pantlin, JT," Rattray.and F. Russelli" It was then debided that a oollector should be appointed to receive subscriptions ; that the annual subscription Bhouldbe L 2 2s for piayiog members," and LI Is for honorary members ; that a disoretionarypowar should be given to the Committee to admit junior members at LI Is ; and that' the 1 names of those members who do not pay their subscriptions before the ' Ist December, should be posted in the pavilion. The opening match of the season was appointed to take place on Saturday, the 9th prox., and it was also agreed that each member, on payment of the subscription, should be entitled to a copy of the rules. The following gentlemen were elected as new members :— Messrs W. Shand, 0. Muston, G. F. Bowl*tt, B. H. Logic, R. Snow, and D. Locke. A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings.

Mr Carleton, M.H.R. for the Bay of Islands, writes a letter to an Auckland journal, in which ho sketches the great advance made by the province of Auckland within the last year or two. He says :—": — " It is in no spirit of vain braggadocio that I write these words. No one from tho North Cape to Stewart's Island, can any longer pretend to doubt of the future that lies before us. Great, comparatively, as is the work already done at the Thames, it ia nothing compared withwbat remains to be effected. Weare operating upon one end only of a gold bearing range which, in the opinion of the most reliable authorities, 'extends to Taupo. Flax, which baffled us by its intraotability for some five-and-twenty years, has suddenly become an artiole of export to whioh no reasonable limits can be assigned. No one out of employment ; no one, at least, that has the oourage to work ; tho very children dressing flax, are a support to tho household, instead of being a burden upon it. That population (I allude uaoro especially to the Waikato immigrants), whioh four years ago was an incumbranoe to the province and a misery to the Provincial Government, urging claims for relief whioh the Government oould not but acknowledge, but had not the means to meet, — now uncomplaining, and a source of substantial strength. Whereas a short twelve months ago every third house in the town and suburbs of Auckland was anoccupied, house room is now to seek j while the lees on writs, whioh then were averaging from L2O to L9O a week, have dwindled down to some two or three. The only people out of work are the bailiffs of the Sheriff's Court, whose livelihood is gone."

A new description of wool-washing maohiue has boon invented by Mr Coyontry, of this city. The mode of operation is as follows :— The wool is placed in a V shaped trough, having a pitch of 1 inch in the foot ; from this trough it enters the miohino, which is 14 feet in length and 15 inches in breadth, lined throughout in a semicircular form with stout galvanised iron, 14 gauge Down tho whole length of tho maohino is v row of wooden spikes at an anglo of GO degrees both wnys in tho form of tho lettor Y. Tuoso aro all fastened to a pieoo of wood one foot in broadth. Tho motivo power is given by a wheel four feet in diameter, and an ordinary crunk, which givo tho spikes a vibrating raotbn. As soon a* tho wool onters the machine, it is seized by the spikes and a vibrating motion ensues, which thoroughly oleans the wool. It is kopt in this position throughout the whole length of tho maohino. It tnon enters a box 4 ft square, with a perforated slide Tho wool is now olearod of tho water it han boon wathod in, and • smart shower of water is thrown upon it from a perforated plate At the top of the box. which thoroughly deans it. With this machine, two boyo can wash as ranoh wool as ten men oould do in • day by tho ordinary process. It can be worked by any power, either steam, water, or manual. Its advantages aro that it doee not knot the wool or break the fibre, the common fault of other machines hitherto in uio. The necessary amount of water required for this machine is a head of about four oubie inches, and tho estimated oost if about iLW «wl» mwhlne ooaplsie,

„ The prospects of the Dunstan district,: ib 'ording to the local journal of the 24th ult. were nevW so) bright* as^they are at present., ,Jhe.,r^efri,ai:B6ndigptGully--ie., Goodger IsMpwfcv-'iwsrar^^ sWe ; satisfao(ory^reßultß)'Sß it has been their, fortune for the last few months; Barnes and; parby, the Aurora Company,, are pushing a Head withthe erection of their maoMnery, and are expected to begin' crushing in about six weeks':' Barryt - and - party have applied for a lease of 16 acres, adjoining the Aurora Company's' claim. , The shareholders in , the, company are principally, business men residenc "atn Cromwell ana Clyde. They have already cot some very good prospects, and it is to be, hoped thejr speculation will turn out weU. ( , r *here> s •are, several other- companies " on, this' line of reef 1 , but", as' npne° have J reached a very great depth, nothing definite can ! be' said of them, 1 except thafe the stone in every shaft that has been -sunk contains gold. — The same journal, writing <i tho unusually,' warm weather lately experienced in the district, says :~This early summer is, 1 we are' afraid, only a foretasted of what; "is to (come. A hot, dry, rainless one, > similar to , that of 1881*2, would exercise a most depressing effect upon the mining interest, and especially upon the sluicers. There is now. no hope for a fall of snow, and that resource is gone. In the' Lake district, the fall of snow this winter has" been extremely light, but as it "rains more in that'disteriofe than: with us, we* will probably not have the compensating influence of the rivers reaching a low level. ' ' '

The matoh between the Honourable Artillery Company, London, , and , the Dunedin Volunteer Artillery Company, the result of a challenge from the No. 2 company of the former corps, the oldest volunteer ,company in England, to the Dunedin Volunteer Artillery, was fired, on the part of the latter company, at the Government rifle range, Kaikorai Valley, on Thursday week. It was originally fixed for the beginning of .July last, but, owing to that period being so near midwinter here, +he shooting, on the part of the Duuedin Company was postponed to tbe present month. The conditions were seven shots at ranges of 200, 500, and 600 yards, Hythe position, Wimbledon targets, rifles and ammunition of Government issue, no sunshades or sighting shots. As a memento ot the match it was also arranged that the losing team should present the winning one with a Bet of 10 silver cups bearing suitable inscriptions. The matoh has excited some attention in vo'unteer circles, and the result is awaited with a good deal of interest, as both companies are known to possess dome good shots. The shooting on the part of the Dunedin team is scarcely up to the average, but this is probably owing to the match being shot so early in the season, and to the use of the Hythe position at the longer ranges instead of the " any" position adopted here. The weather was good, with a light breeze from the right front. Captain and Adjutant Atkinson superintended the matoh on behalf of the Honourable Artillery Company, and took the scores. The scores of the Eaglish Company will be published on their being received, which is expected to take 'place shortly. Sergeant Muir (59) is tho highest soorer on the side of the Dunedin Company. The following are the scores : —

A correspondent of the Southern Cross, writing from Raglan, gives a description of a remarkable discovery lately made in that neighbourhood. He says :—" About six or seven years ago Mr RiohardTodd, Government surveyor at Raglan, while walking on the shore at tho south head, And being olose under the mountain called Karuni, discovered, amongst a largo number of iramanse boulders, one that that was very beautifully oarved. I have been informed Mr Todd took a drawing of it. It had tho appoarance, said Mr Todd, of having been exeonted a very groat number of yoars. Two stono ohisols ana an axo head wore found oloso to it. Owing to tho encroachment of tho sea and aotion of tho tido, this iinmonso bouldor had boon displaced from its original position, and disolosod the entrance to a wonderful oavoru, running a very groat citstanco under the mountain. On this disoovory being made known to tho settlers by tho natives, a party of Raglan pooplo, having provided themselves with lamps and torches, penetrated the oavern for at least half a mile, and were obliged to tarn baok, they navies commenced their research too lato in tho day. The oavora his been desoribod as a most wonderful one, very lofty, Apparently in plaooa two hundred foet high, with immenso stalactites whioh seemed to be forty or fifty feot in length, And whioh had a very grand appearanoe from tho reflection of tho lights. The party were oompletely wet through from tho dripping of tho wattr from the root At About half tho distance they traversed a vtry large, ouriously shaped rook, it having the appearanoo of a Urge altar, seven stops About two feet six inohes high forming toe approach to the table or Altar. Prom the foot of this rook a very powerful stream of water wells up with great foroe—H AppArently hartog a sabterraneii ptmge, Th»o»Tsrnat

thia spot is described as:be£no'3oft. wide. /At ' this spot were discovered the bodies of 87 : Maoris, all being in a perfect state of , preservation, in faot petrified 'into stone, evert (their *m*ts' "having-'undergone „ The parties whpwplaced these bodies ,there must'^vfe^denttyjbe^n^awairiifof jthe proparties of the dripping > water. There i 8: > a /native settlement close' by the spot, and some < ;very'6ld 'nativeWiye* there;' but, they ; have r no knowledge of- "tho? existence of the oavern, but it is- said' they -Have a tradition «if a J ve r ry v powerful ( king headf (Jaarters at»,thnir sfottlemiint,, viz.,^Karuni. Mr Todd, 'when he discovered the stone, had an, idea that it, had reference to' the. burial- . j ,A Tokomairiro paper, states that the Rev. Charles .Connor. has received last Veek from the friends and members of his late charge 1 in ' the, Oamaru district the sum of ' forty-seven "* pounds,,') "in recognition' of his; past' tin- ' Wearied and zealous labours amongst them in behalf of the Redeemer's cause." When he ' • left the district in May' last, the managers of - St. Paul's gave him sixty pounds^ rb com* ' pensatib'n for improvements on manse and 'glebe., 4 ""„■;• <-->■'/"' "•"' l ■ ' -

200 600 600 Tl. Captain Maofarland ... 21 ... 18 .. 17—56 Sergeant S. Muir 2i ... 21 ... 17-59 Sergeant Smith 20 ... 19 ... 13—52 Corporal Ogilvio 23 ... 18 ... 14—55 Gunner Hielop 21 ... 20 ... 17—58 Gunner Peako 18 ... 19 ... 14—51 Gunner Hannah 20 ... 15 ... 15—50 Gunner Curie 16 ... 15 ... 19—50 Gunner Reid 19 ... 16 ... 10—45 Gunner Brown 13 ... 20 ... 10—43 619