Looal and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 104, 12 September 1868, Page 2

Looal and General.

V Ratepayers' Rolls. — A Provincial Gazette published yesterday notifies the places appointed for the revision of the ratepayers' rolls of the several Road Board districts. Canterburt Waste I/axds. — From a return dated August 1, we learn that 5,563,099 acres of the waste lands of this province are held under pasturage license. The revenue derived is £34,990 18s 6d per annum. XJLocal Industry. — Messrs G. Coates and Co. have shewn us a couple of gold medals manufactured by them for the Mandeville Farmers' Club. These medals are intended for presentation to the champion ploughmen at the late contest.in the two classes of wheel and swing ploughs. The design is m^st appropriate, aud the workmanship highly creditable to Messrs Coates and Co. We may add that the medals are manufactured from New Zealand gold. Fire. — The roof of a skillion attached to a house occupied by a Mrs Drummond, in Tuam street west, was observed to be on fire at a few minutes before nine o'clock last evening. It was extinguished, however, before much damage was done, by oue or two persons who happened to be passing through the thoroughfare at the time. The fire appears to have been the work of an incendiary. Mrs Drummond was from home at the time of its occurrence. Rain Wanted.— The Geelong Advertiser of the 21st ult., contains the following ;— " A ground rain is much wanted, many hundreds of acres are still ' not up,' but tbe grain remains as it was upon day of sowing ; the continued drought is becoming really alarming both to farmers and squatters. Creeks and water-holes are very low or completely empty, and the grass is vainly trying to grow. Should this weather continue much longer, says the Economist, hay and all kinds of fodder will ri c to a much higher price than at present. There is yet plenty of time for heavy rains, and growers will be indiscreet to relax in the least in their operations. .Should the fall of rain be heavy, in a week or two, the crops will h*ve abundant time to grow bulky, especially in the cooler districts." Cn*MPAGNE From Petroleum. — The British Medical Journal says: — It is no longer a secret of the cherviist's laboratory that clear golden syrups can be made fr un starch and sulphuric a id ; that delicious wines and brandies can be made from beetroot ; that a b irrel of peanuts can be transformed into an excellent coffee ; tint lard can absorb an enormous quautity of water in certain conditions ; that, in fact, there seems no limit to the adulterations that an intelligent and dishonest chemist can practise upon his fellow-men. All these marvels of chemical science have in these latter days become degraded into mere tricks of trade, and their chief beauty is in their capacity to enable unscrupulous dealers to lighten the pockets and destroy the stomachs of the confiding and consuming public. Concerning the article of champagne, a writer in the Cincinnati Journalof Commerce tells us that it is made from a thousand different substances, even from refined petroleum. Yes, from tbo fiery benzole a sparkling, bubbling, foaming champagne can be produced, which will delight the eye, tickle the pa ate, gladden the heart momentarily, but quicken our paces toward the graveyard. This a new use for petroleum, which those who hive been experimenting with it as an agency for generating steam have little dreamed of. Who can say thnt the Pennsylvania oil territory, now considered mostly worthless, may not some day be regenerated into the great champugne- producing country of 'he world ? Roiling Down. — Subjoined is a letter published in the South Australian from a station-holder on the Murray io the manager of tho boiling-dowu establishment at Wentworth, showing the net proceeds of two flocks of sheep disposed of in different ways : — Lake Victoria, Lower Murray, Aug. 9, 1868, — Dear >ir, — 1 have received your letter of August 5, asking for information as to two flocks of fat sheep forwarded from this station in June last — 2020 wethers to the Adelaide market, and 1804 ewes to your boiling-down establishment. The two flo ks, as far as I could judge, were in the same condition when they left the station, the wethers were much the largest and heaviest sheep. The wethers, afler' travelling six weeks, were sold in the Adelaide market at 6s Cd per head. The charges on sale, losses and expenses going to town, came to Is 3d per head, leaving a vet relurn of 5s 3d per head. The ewes were travelled three days to your establishment, and yielded 18jlb of tallow per head, valued at '3£d per lb on tbe bank of the Murray, amounting to 5s 4fd, skin at ls 6d, makes 6s 10J-1; deduct Is 7^d for boiling and tanking, leaves a net return of 5s 3jd, or a halfpenny more than the wethers, which ought to have brought at least a shilling a head the most. You can make any use of this letter that you like, as I can give you all the details if required. — Yours truly, P. H. Gell. D. Grant Goose, Esq.