Untitled

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4896, 3 January 1889, Page 3

Cable communication with Europe is interrupted by the floods in South Australia.

The Mawbera will leave for Lyttelton and West Coast ports to morrow (Friday) instead of Saturday.

“ Good wine needs no bush," which may be applied to the Fisk Jubilee singers. Everyone knows they are to be heard at the Theatre Royal this evening. The rainfall at Greymouth for the past year was the heaviest for years. In inches it was 109'963 ; in 18S6 it was 105*050 ; in 1837 it was 97 062. It rained 239 days last year, and 221 in 1886, and 199 in 1887. What a country for umbrellas and gum boots.

The s.s. Grafton arrived from Dunedin at 1 o’clock, bringing in 150 tons, including 182 bales woolpacks, and 104 bales cornsacks, for various consignees. She leaves this evening for Lyttelton and West Coast taking about 10 tons produce and 45 bales wool. The caretaker of the Immigration Barracks desires to acknowledge the receipt of a quan" tity of strawberries and cream for the inmates of the institution, and also New Year cards for the children.

This morning was one of tin hottest of the present season. The official weather reports showed that at Oam. the thermometer at several places stood at over 70 degrees. There were Gisborne 73, Oastlepoint 73, Blenheim 71, Lyttelton 75, Timaru 75, Clyde 73, Balclulha 78, Invercargill 71- Timaru’s record ought to be much higher than it is, as the thermometer is kept in the telegraph office, a cool building, whoso early morning temperature at all events is much below that of out-of-door shade. At 10 a.m. the same instrument registered 85. The wind at 9 a.m. was generally north westerly over the south Island, south westerly over the North Island, but everywhere light. Some ochres suitable for paint manufacture have been found at Waikaia, Southland. The Times says : —All the samples are exceedingly fine in texture, and should require very little preparation to fit them for the market. They also take oil very freely. They are to be seen in the raw state, mixed ready for use, and three boards are shown p anted respectively black, bronze green, and dark brown (shades much used in coach painting). There can bo no doubt that if these minerals exist in such quantities as we arc informed they do, their mining and preparation for the market should develop into a valuable industry. Fortunes have been spent in searching for the more precious metals, while minerals of no less value from an industrial point of view are so to speak, trodden under foot. Mr T. Fleming, Mayor of Invercargill, got into a little trouble with councillors in his first week in office. A South Melbourne man wrote over asking prices of gas tar, and the Mayor, without consulting the council—(to avoid losing a mail ho explained, and a chance of securing £3OO for tar was not to be let slip)—offering 20,000 gallons of tar at 4d per gallon, casks extra 3s to 3s Od each. Some councillors thought this proceeding “ extraordinary," he “ should have consulted ;’ hoped he would not act in such a way again “ must doxpress isapproval.” Councillor Fateh took the Mayor’s part, saying he had done quite right to lose no time, the objectors were old councillors who were piqued because the new Mayor did not consult them. Finally all formally approved of what had been done.

Blenheim Palace has lately been fitted with a fine installation of the electric light, no less than 1,200 incandescent lamps being employed, The magnificent library of the Royal College of Surgeons has just been provided with the electric light, and the installation has given great satisfaction.

It'must be a serious matter to have to serve on the grand jury which sits at Provo, Utah, judging from a report recently issued of the work by tho jurymen recently engaged in investigating the bills of indictments placed before them. It appears that their session lasted no less than thirty-three days, and that during that time they “ found two hundred and thirty-four indictments ” for offences which were chiefly attributable to the evils arising from polygamy. 3fivo hundred and nineteen bales of hay, consigned to Bartram and Son, from New Zealand, lying at No. 4 wharf, Melbourne, caught lire about 5 o’clock on the afternoon of the 16th ult, it is supposed through someone smoking close at hand. A large number of bales were destroyed lire and water. Tho hay was not insured. Electric lumps have been used for signals on tho (South Pacific Bailroad for about eighteen months at Oakland Station, California. The lamps require 12 ampere to give sixteen candles, but a current of only •8 ampere is employed, which greatly increases tho life of the lamps, and yet gives a sufficiently powerful light for signals. Some of tho lamps have been lighted for 2.600 hours, and it is thought that they will last another year. The. first cost of the plant is slated to have been low, and (here is great economy in I the working expenses. 'I he light given is j also more satisfactory than was that of the ! oil lamps, as tho face of tho lens is not | blackened by soot or smoko, and the light cannot be blown out.— English Mechanic,

Duke Maximilian of Bavaria and the Duchess Louise will celebrate their diamond wedding in October. Their four daughters are the Empress of Austria, the Queen of Naples, the Duchess of d’Alerupn, and the Princess of Thurm, who will all be present. Creighton Webb, the New York society man who acted as guide to the Duke of Marlborough during that nobleman’s visit to the United Slates, has 100 scarf pins, given him by the bridegrooms of as many weddings at which he figured as best man. A new idea in tricycling has been invented by an Englishman, who has been travelling with his wife through France on a machine fitted with a bamboo mast on which a sail can be hoisted. The wind has sometimes kept him moving, even on up grades, without using the pedals.