CHRISTCHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1191, 26 September 1874, Page 9

CHRISTCHURCH.

(from our owjt correspondent.)

I took a stioll round the Ohristchurch Railway Station the other day, and think that the general scene, for bustle and activity, excelled anything of the kind that I ever before witnessed in New ZealandInside the sheds, of course, the amounis and descriptions of the various articles of import and export were too numerous to iudividualke, although, by-the bye, I noticed in a very conspicuous position a number of Oopeland's hogsheads. But ou-side the sheds the variety was not so marked, though the items interested me very much. Coal and timber in galore, of course, drays, railway material, blocks of building stone and other heavy stuff. The timber took up the greatest space by far, and one Jot was par* ticulatly striking. It consisted of 53 gigantic kauri logs, measuring in the aggregate G6,480 feet. One log alone was 3ft. lOin. by 3it. Bin., and lift. 6in. long, 2023 ft. super, and the entire lot appeared in excellent condition. They are, I understand, for no Bpecial purpose, but, moat probably, will be sawn up some fine day in one of our timber yards and converted into table-tops, or turned to some similar account. They were imported here in the brig Tower Hill. Some splendid Lincoln sheep were landed the other day from the ship Taunton, 32 ewes and 28 rams, being to the order of Mr Oharleß Reed, of the Ashburton, and two rams to Mr Marmaiuke Dixon, of Eyreton. The latter two are not expected to live, owing to rough treatment, bad accommodation, and inferior provender during the voyage. They are the progeny of rams bred by Messrs, JJudding, Kirkham, Mariott, and Clark, names as familiar to breeders as household words, and several of the sheep are prize-takers at the home exhibitions. Professor Bickerton rather startled many of his numerous audience during his fourth popular lecture on Chemistry the other night. He said that the best engine that had ever been turned out could not convert more than one tenth of its heat into work — in other words, that nine-tenths of the htat waa wasted. Moreover, that ia an old en« gine>--say, used for threshing and other purpogeg—a# map/ as ninety .nine parts <?f fch.e

heat engendered were absolutely thrown away, and barely the one part utilised. Whereas a mountaineer is capable of using up one-fifth of the heat contained in the food he eats. The worst of it all is, he says, that he sees no chance of improvement in the present engines, but that the air engine — now so despised — will be the motor of the future.

The great questiou of the Abolition of the Provinces does not appear to awaken the faintest shadow of interest wibh the public, though we aie all told that meetings are to be held all over the place to test the mind of the people on the subject. This same subject is to me of somewhat the same calibre as the weather. I approach it with the ut i ost diffidence.

The mutiny on board the Cathoart has created a great sensation. The mutineers have received short sentences, but, on the other hand, the captain is committed for trial for using fire arms. I could not give even an outline of the particulars of this extraordinary case without far exceeding my limits. A full report of the trials appears in the local journals extending over several columns.

At a meeting of the West Christchurch School Committee, it was reporttd that a tender had been accepted to supply tea aud cake to the children for their annual treat at the moderate sum of sevenpence per head, on the condition that at least one thousand were in attendance.

May I offer a brief dissertation on the subject of the Newcastle coal that we are coinptlled to burn here 1 Everyone that pte tends to know anything about the matter is perfectly aware that this same coal is of various qualities, and that the prices vary considerably at the mouths of the respective pits. Everybody knows too, that many of the pits are getting used up, and that what is known as casings is passed off as coal. Notwithstanding all this, the price here is uniform, both for good, bad, and indifferent, a state of things that I must confess to me is inexplicable — of course I mean almost inexplicable. I have before me now a fire of prime Newcastle coal, and it is a perfect picture. I have been hammering at one large black lump for about four hours off and on, and by diut of great bodily exertiou, and at the risk of smashing the poker to smithereens, I manage to dislodge about a cube of about the eighth, of an inch, each shot. I shall get tired presently and let the mass heat through, and ie will get pitched out to-morrow morning a splundid clinker, nearly lite-eized, and as hard as iron. Whereas, occasionally 1 have seen a coal fire here which has been quite a credit to the importer, though at the same price as the other. It is time to stop this paragraph, for domestic economy is not my forte. Several clerks in a public office had been long anuoyed with a smoky chimney. They tried every means in their power to stop it, but without avail. At last the blacks were flying about at such a rate that one of the inhabitants deliberately put the flamiug contents of the grate out at the window. Next day the smoking was as bad, so they attempted another plan, they set the chimney (in tire, to the extreme danger of the public service. This had the desired effect : it not only cleared the chimney, but melted the cowl on the top, which happened to be the cau.-e of all the annoyance — it would not turn round wi'h tho wind. There is nothing like fertility in expedients. At a sale of stock the other day, two fine English Loicesters fetched grand prices, one named Blaeklip having been secured by Mr Selby Tanercd for £100, and the other, Bluecap, falling to Mr John Grigg for £95. Mr Cathcart Wason also disposed lately of a splendid lot, 231, of merino wethers, which realised the high figure of 18s a-head. I am sorry to say that we are infettid here with a body of low, brutal card-Bharperß, and that the leader of the gang ia none other than that Duuedin importation to whom I had occasion to make reference iv a previous issue. May his shadow grow to the dimmsions of a straight line— lengtu without breadth- and may the victims become fewer and further between.

For some reason or another the railway time table is altered again, and I merely quote the hours on the Christchurch and Lyttelton line. They are as follows : — From Christchurch, 7 30, 8.30, 10 30 a.m.; 12.30, 3 15, and 5.'20 p.m. From Lyttelton, 8, 9.10, 11.15 a.m.; 2.10, 3.50, and 6p.m.

I noticed a way-bill the other day, containing details of the fag-end of a lot of railway aud bridge material. It ran thus :—: — " One monkey, one chain, one bag of nuts."

The Governor, I understand, is to be present at our next race meeting in November.

Mr Nosworthy's mare Mermaid was blessed the other day with a colt whose sire is Trad uocr — tho colt thus being own brother to Lurline.

Port Lyttelton has been looking particularly lively lately, as many as fifty vessels having been in harbour in one day.

After the Yankee system, an agency for the supply of railway tickets will shortly be established at the office of Messrs Cobb and Co. , in the centre of the cit}', to be opened between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Many of our members of the General Assembly are about to address their constituencies, to give, as the hackneyed phrase hath it, an account of their stewardship.

The Australian Colonieß (says the Argus) appear to have had another narrow escape from a visitation of foot-and-mouth disease. Two pure-bred rams imported by the Berean, from London, were transhipped in the port of Hobart Town, en route for .New Zealand ; but the fact of their being affected with foot-and-mouth disease having become known, they were yesterday destroyed. The conduct of New Zealand in refusing to join the Austra» lian Colonies in legislating against the importation of European stock is very reprehensible. It is evident that theso Colonies will not be safe so long as stock for New Zealand is allowed to arrive in vessels touching at Australian ports. Further legislation espec ally directed to this new ieature of the case ia demanded, and we trout that no delay will occur in passing it. Tho futility of quarantine is shown by the fact of these animals having been four months on board befox-e the disease broke out. Had the voyage been quicker they might have been passed and landed as sound, as was the case with t)i© Werrjbee bull and his shipmate