NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume XV, Issue 1531, 28 May 1872, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Provincial Council.—Our arrears of Council reports will appear in our next issue.

Thb Taranaki with the English mail by San Francisco, arrived here at a late hour last night. She was bar-bound one day in Manukau harbor, otherwise she would have readied Nelson, us expected, on Snniiay evening.

Coujngwood Coal Company.—By advertisement in this issue it will be seen that the luff-yearly general meeting of this Company takes place at Sehafee's Hotel, Colliujiwood, on Wednesday, the 19th proximo. Tblhg-baph Link to Motueka.—The line is now open to Motueka, and yysterday several messages passed between there and tins City. We congratulate our neighbors on the other side of the Bay, upon now possessing an advantage which renders them in emergencies independent of the not too satisfactory postal service existing in this direction. Bank of New South Wales.—The forty-third Report of the Directors of the Bank of New South Wales, presented to the half-yearly general meeting of proprietors at the Chief Banking House at Sydney, on Tuesday the 30th April last, shows that the net profits for the half year after deducting rebate on curren* Bills, interest on deposits, providing for bad and doubtful debts, reducing valuation of Bank premises, and paying taxes on note circulation, amounted to £7<i,545 Is. 5d., to which is to be added the last half-year's undivided balance, £3,666,163.8 d. giving for distribution the sum of £76,211 18s. Id. The Directors recommended that this money should be appropriated by paying a dividend of £12|- per cent per annum, £62,500, by adding £10,000 to the Reserve Fund and by carrying the balance £3711 18s. Id. to the profit aud loss, (New account). The Reserve Fund after the above appropriation will amount to £318,000.

The Death cm? Me. E. DeCarle.—-Last week we gav> an account ot this sad affair, and we now extract from the Wesifort Times of the 17th the following additionalparticulars :—Mr. DeCarle wa3 well known through the Australian Colonies, having for many years been largely engaged in mercantile transactions, from which at one period he hud realised a handsome fortune. He had only lately arrived at Westport, and whs completing arrangements for the establishment of a boating service on the Buller. We hear that he also proposed to take up some two hundred acres of agricultural land near the Landing, and that his intended jouruoy to Nelson had reference to this, and also to the purchase of cargo boats. He was a member of the Masonic Brotherhood, and his funeral will take place to-day with ihe customary obsequies. The deceased wua 45 years of age, and leaves a wife and family of six children iv Melbourne. The police discovered in the pockets of his garments £21 19s. in notes and coin, and an undated cheque for £35, besides various small articles. It was surmised that the body-would not be washed outside the breakers, and Sergeant Kiely and Mr. Towndron were up ut day break, carefully searching along the beach between the town and tho Orawaila river, passing the spot, where the boly ultimately came ashore. A Mb. Kobeiit Wilcox, of 'Melbourne, has invented what he calls a mus oal boat. At the stern she is to have a sort of paddle-wheel, which id connected with the barrel of a harmonium, placed in the boat When the boat is rowed along, the paddle-wheel will be set in motion by the watei 1, and of course the musical instrument commences to play. Mr. Wileox fiu?«e3ts that the instrument; can be furnished with separate barrels, that sacred music could be laid on for a Sunday. By this he hopes to satisfy all classes. He is taking steps to secure the patent.

The agricultural laborers' combination in England is extendiug. The trades unions aye furnishing funds. Farmers and landlords nre alarmed. The movement, is assuming national importance.

The Thames Advertiser of May 7th, says :— " A somewhat singular circumstance has been brought under our notice by the manager of the Huurnki Saw Mills. A few days ago, a large log of lcadikiiteii was brought to the mill. It was sound at both ends, and was, to all appearance, an excellent solid 102. But, when the first slab was taken oil'it, a cavity of about three feet in length was discovered, and in it wus found the remains of a tui bird, in pood preservation. It would appear that the bird died while sitting in its nest, and tho wood grew around it. There were eight inches of solid timber, on all sides of the bird.

A Si/EitPiNO- Attorney.—A rather laughable incident occurred recently at the Police Court, Brisbane, (Queensland). An attorney took his seat, at the table, and, with brief before him, patiently a?raifed the calling of his case. But the business which had priority was long and tedious, and the attorney, yielding to the soporific influences of tho surroundings, began to nod. Meanwhile the principals in the case slipped out of Court, and came to an amicable arrangement of their differences ; and one of them, taking advantage of a quiet moment, carried off the brief, probably thinking thereby to make a more sure end of the trouble. Several persons observed and enjoyed the joke, the fun of which was increased when the attorney roused himself from his dreams, and looked all around and felt his pockets for the missing document.

In "Victoria they can now crush quartz at a profit tlut will only yield five pennyweights, and can so treat their tailings as not to lose a pennyweight per ton of pyritous gold.

Mbs.YeIiVERTON's first readings at Hong Kong were, it is said, given to a crowded house, aud were very much applauded.— The Queen.

The number of miles of railroad now in operation in tho United States is 60,382.

How TO Clear Land. —A G-uildford correspondent of the Mount Alexander Mail, (Victoria) has practised successfully (so he says) the folio ing method of removing the Btumps of trees from the ground : —" He sprinkles on the tops of the stumps from 6.. to Is. worth of kerosene, and as the stn-nps are seamed, weather cracked, or decayed, it soon disappears. On the top of the stumps he piles the refuse wood, and after two or three days, sets fire to them, and they burn completely up, roots and all. the ashes are then scattered about. Digging up stumps has always been hard and tedious work, but now a lad con do the work, and have scores on fire at once."