THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, MAY 20, 1862.

Colonist, Volume V, Issue 477, 20 May 1862, Page 2

THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, MAY 20, 1862.

On Tu. sdiiy last thft Provincial Council of the Province of Nelson went through a lew formal preliminaries; to-day (Tuesday) they commence their duties in earnest, and if, is to be hoped that they will do them fearlessly, and free from all partisanship. They have been sent to the Council by the public to look after the public benefit, and no personal or friendh' Vitas should away them one moment, or make them foget the purpose for which they have been elected. Many new members have been sent to the Council, from whom honesty of action and candour ol speech will be expected. The drafts of three bills have been published in the newspapers, so that members of the Council as we!! as the public- (whose interests are concerned in their rejection or adoption.) may have due time to carefully examine them, and to suggest additions, o; object to any clause they may contain. T*o of these are very short ones, avid have been published in our paper, name!}', 'An Act to authoiise the Suj ertntendont to let the Government Wharf at the Port of Nelson, and to make provision for the Management of t,'he same; and ' Ai^ Act to amend an Ordinance for regulating the Sale of Fermented and Spirituous Liquors.'

Thn first of these, in addition to a short preamble, contains five clauses, namely, ' Sup'-rintendent may make rules, &c., for the management of the Government Wharf;' 1 Rules already issued authorised by this Act;' 'Penalties may be imposed for breach of rules;' 'Rules to be posted up at Wharf';' and ' Wharf may be leased ' The second bill has only three clauses:— 'Transfer of licenses;' 'Justices may transfer licenses when holder quits house, or refuses to transfer, fee.;' and ' When persons to whom certificates are issued refuse to take out license, cettificates may be issued to other persons.'

Tiie third bill contains some fifty clauses, and concerns the (at present) richest class of sealers (and absentees) of this province. It is called the Scab Act, and is founded on ihat in force in ihe richest pastoral province of Nmv Zealand, namely, Canterbury. This will lequire very great attention, as many oi the clauses, on a cirsory view, appear to contain many arbitrary poin'B, for the general good probably, yet if that good can be attained without harshness, and without empowering one individual with despotic power, so much the better. We have not vet given-,this bill in full, but the following heads contain the stings cf the bill, and will enable our readers to judge of its tendency for good or for evil. Inspectors making false reports are liable to a penalty oi £50, or six months' imprisonment. Inspectors may require owners to make declarations of muster of sheep; may refuse to grant certificate; and may call upon persons to give evidence. Owners of scabby sheep will be liable to penalties, and notice to be-given of infected sheep. ■Scabby sheep to be branded iS; infected sh^ep must be kept a certain distance from boundary of run or public road, and Justices may order them to be herded. Masters of vessels permitting sheep to be landed without certificate liable to a penalty. Sheep not to be introduced by land without certificate. Sheep to be dipped before being introduced into any proclaimed district, and on being admitted by land or sea. Penalty for driving scabby sheep, which may be destroyed in certain cases. Sheep dying not to be thrown into the streams, &c, but to be burned or buried; and any person slaughtering infected sheep, or exposing them for sale, liable to heavy penal lies. Any person wilfully communicating the scab, or'setting at large any infected sheep, liable to imprisonment. But the main duty of the Council will be the monetary one. We have so lately spoken on this branch of the subject, that it will be only necessary to alludo to it in order to strengthen what we said regarding the reduction of expenditure as far as consistent with the effective working of the Government business. The colony of Victoria, with all her wealth, is setting her house in order; and it behoves those who do not desire to bring greater odium on Provincial Governments (and in this category we place those

whom our contemporary, in its apish flu'1" keyisrn, is pleased to call the • mad demo" craev 1) to work them on as economical principle* as possible, and assimilate them to private establishments. It may be referred lo any commercial or manufacturing.firm whether the amount of business transacted by Governments geneially justify the payment of so much money in salaries; or whether such salaries with so little business would not soon bankrupt any private estate? The following extract will explain our allusion to Victoria:—'The Council must not place themselves in an invidious position at anybody's bidding. And it would be a positive dereliction of duty for the Government to come down to the house with any proposal for increased taxation. The house must not allow them to do what they would not allow others to do ; and they are therefore shut up to the exercise of a sound, a wise, and a judicious economy. A further loan has been talked of, and not, we believe, without the concurrence of cci tain members of the Government. But we must put ourselves in a position of paying off what we owe before we think of getting father into debt. And there is no way of doing that.now, except by setting our shoulders steadfastly and resolutely to a reduction of the general public expenditure. Let the Gove nmeni only take the load in this, and they will at once have all th<3 intelligence and influence of the colony at their back.'

Let our Government and Council do likewise, and they will counterac; the evils so industriously circulated by the enemies of sell-government and advocates of a corrupt centralisation, extend the influence and power of P'ovincial governments, and gain the respect and support ot every honest man. Street Disturbance.—On Saturday last, at mid-day, a disturbance occurred at the crossing of Bridge, and Trafalgar streets, and lasted for a considerable time without any intervention whatever being made by the police, although the disgraceful proceedings took place only a street's length from the lock-up. A huge fellow, named O'Brian, appeared to be desirous, of quarrelling with a man from the country, who was on horseback, and his desire at length became fearfully demonstrative by his placing himself directly behind the animal, and; applying violent blows be-tween its thighs, to the: imminent peril of his own life and jeopaidy of the videv, who somewhat unaccountably declined to ride away from his assailant. Fortunately for both men tha horse inflicted no injury with its heels, and only on one occasion pushed its quarters against its pursuer, and tumbled him into the mud. The man continued to pursue the horse and rider for some minutes, cluu'.lung, pulling and thumping. Tin's interesting exhibition then assumed another phase, and a fight followed. After this the man and horse disappeared, and the arclidisuuber continued to alternately run and roll about the muddy-streets, until sufficiently dizzy with excitement and the drink he had taken lo permit of his being placed in a cart without much risk to tlie constables, who at length appeared. In the Magistrate's Court yesterday the person above referred to, under the name of James O'Brian, was fined £1 and costs for being found drunk and disorderly. The Magistrate at the same time remarked upon the ranissness of the police in allowing the disturbance to continue so long, and in not having some one in Court to prefer a charge of assault against the prisoner. Bank of New Zealand—By a General Government Gazette we learn that the fourth instalment of ,£1 per share, payable on the shares allotted in the capital stock of this bank, has been fixed by the directors to be paid on the 18th of August next. Bank op New Zealand.—We have just looked through the report of the directors of the Bank of New. Zealand for the half-year ending March 31, 1U62. The principal pait of thia report with balance sheet will be found in our last page. la addition to what appears there the report contains list of directors, managers and agents, as well as a list of shareholders, comprising over seven pages, double columns,' with about twenty-five Nelson 'shareholders. Major Cooper.—The Duke of Newcastle has confirmed the dismissal of Major Cooper and Mr. Broughton from her Majesty's service in the following words: —' The conduct of Major Cooper, in his seduction of a young native girl, and in his subsequent attempts to regain possession of her, is so flagrant, and the importance of checking such scandals on the part of the colonistoiu authority is so great, that—although I am generally much averse to reopening charges which have been once disposed of—l find it impo sihle to arrive at any oiher conclusion than that both Major Cooper himself, and Mr. Broughton, who assisted him in this matter, were properly dismissed from her Majesty's service.'

Small Birds.—An Australian paper (Border Post) says:—An Ovens contemporary, lately bitten by the WiUonomania, goes in for the introduction of small birds as a means of ridding the colony of certain destructive insect pests. We very much fear tlie coveted hodge-sparrowa and other feathered songsters would be productive of more harm than good. •' Small birds' are about the greatest nuisance the vigneron has to contend with, and the grape crop suifers sufficiently from the attacks of these colonial pests, without our importing that gamin of the bird family, the sparrow and his accomplices. Nkw Goldfielp.—lntelligence reached Sydney a few days ago that the reported discovery of a payable goldneid at Bathuvst had been confirmed by the result of further prospecting the ground alleged to contain the precious metal, and it had been found in sufficient quantities to warrant the expectation that had induced the Government to authorise its proclamation ns a goklfield. The gentleman on whose report the Government has acted is Mr. M'Lean, whose statements and prognostications respecting the Lachlan have been so signally verified.—Empire.

Thr Steam Regenerator.—Economy is the order of the day, and to attain that object is the pretension of each one who comes forward either with an invention or an adaptation which he vvishc'3 to place before the public for their patronage. These inventions and modifications share the usual fortune of all things here below. There is a great noise at their birth, but it is not granted to all long to survive that epoch ia their existence, that being reserved for those which are so simple and so self-demonstrative of iheir good qualities as to root themselves in the good opiuion of the world. We have seen the steam regenerator—a newlymodified steam engine—in operation; and, as regards its simplicity, we are bound to say it is simple enough, although it owns a triplicate paternity —' three different engines in three different counties born" having each contributed to its perfection. The principal feature of the inventiou consists of tho introduction of a surface condenser, of novel and efficient character, between the boiler and the cylinders of the steam-engine. After performing its duty in the cylinder, the steam passes into the condenser and is converted into water, which is conveyed back to the boiler at a temperature varying between 70 and 80 degrees. By this arrangement the feed-water of an engine, which averages something like 25 gallons per day per hoise-power in the ordinary way of working, is reduced to less than one quart, or the quantity which is required to.make up for the slight unavoidable leakage at the joints, valves, and packings. This enormous saying on the quantity of feed-water required has the effect of rendering less boiler spnee necessary, for, as no eteam is \wted, less requires, tg be

rated. No ctiid water being pumped in tlie boiler, a great economy of fuel also takes place, amounting, it is asserted, to no less thai. 50 percent, for highpressuie, and 32 per cent, for l ort--in-Ci.sure engines. As ttii! fced-wacr is jieifW'-riy !iim< from its contiiiu.il distillation wiiih: ciiculai:^, deposit mul iiserustaUmi'in tne boiler .".re diminished^ in :he 3.11 m: proportion as the supply oF cold feeu-wati-r, or about i)t) per mv. The invention has hitherto been principally tried in France, with excellent results. To test its value in this country, it bus been applied to Messrs. C.iUinges, Patent Axle Works, Westminster-briiljce-road, steam engine; and our observation was directed to determine i-s economic worth. With ihe condenser attached, the engine made fifty revolutions jut minute, working with the greatest smoothness and case. With the regenerator disconnected, and with the ordinary steam exhausted, the number of the revolutions at once tell to 30 per niiimie. The result of a week's working of GO hours with the regenerator attached showed a consumption of of 47 cwis. of fuel; without the regenerator (38 cvrta were consumed in the same period. It is claimed for tliis invention that, in addition to its great economy, as no cold water is pumped into the boiler, there can be no great changed of temparature, and that, as incrustation is reduced to a minimum, there is a proportional decrease of the liability to scalding, binning, and consequent explosion. The expense of applying the apparatus is stated to be £2 per horse, and if only half the expectations of the inventors are realised there 13 no doubt that the improvement will be of the utmost importance. — London Paper. Curing Meat.—ln Morton's Ct/kopccdia of Agricidture, Mr.Ewart gives some valuable receipts for preserving meat. For rounds of beef and legs of mutton to be hung, he recommends 1 lb. salt, £lb. sugar, ond £oz. powdered saltpetre. 'I ma mixture will be sufficient for 14 lbs., and should be well rubbed into the meat, which oughr to lie in a tub for three or four weeks, and be turned twice a week. Af:er this the hams must be lightly bound with coarse linen tape, and hung in a kitchen where there is a fire for at least three weeks. For pickling or curing meat for family use, it is recommended to take 6 lbs. of salt, 21bs. of fine sugar. ! 3 ozs. of saltpetre, and 3 gallons of spring water The brine should then bo gently boiled, and as long j as any scum rises it must be carefully remoTed, and when"quite cold poured over the meat till every part is covered-