Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 397, 21 August 1869, Page 2

Local and General.

Inquest. — An inquest was held by J. W. S. Coward, Esq., coroner, this morning, at the residence of Mr John Grubb, Lyttelton, on the body of Mr Thomas TMunroe, late captain of the ketch Margaret. Mr T. Leslie •wks chosen foreman of the jury. James Wyman, sworn, deposed: The deceased was with me in Decanter Bay. He went ashore on Thursday morning in the dingy. He came back and said there were two women and a child wanting to go to Little Akaloa, and asked me if I wonld go in the boat. 1 complied, and we took the people round to Little Akaloa, and lauded them. We put off, and the deceased asked me if I would go ashore to get a drink of water. We ran the boat on the beach and got out. We did not make the boat fast. After we got on shore a roll came in and carried the boat out; she drifted up the bay. We ran round the rocks. The deceased was about ten yards ahead. I asked him if I should run to the heads and launch a dingy. He said, "I will show you the dingy to launch. ' Deceased sat down, took off his boots, trousers, and shirt, and jumped into the water. He swam out, but the tide drifted the boat out farther, and he could not catch it. He swam back to the place he had started from, and got into the middle of some kelp. He called out, " Jem, come I and help me, my legs are fast."! I threw off my things md swam out, but I could not get near him, the kelp was so thick. I swam back, andtald deceased to take it easy, as the boat was coming in. Ii got to the boat, and sculled her back to the place where I had last seen the deceased, but he had sunk. I then pulled up to the head of the bay for assistance, which I got. We searched all night without success, but in the morning the body was found. It was in the I same spot where I had last seen him alive. George Ashton deposed: I live at Little Akaloa. I heard of the accident, and went out to lend assistance. On Friday morning, after dragging for two hours, I caught the deceased with the grappling hook by the ancle. The face was disfigured. By a'juryman : There was a large quantity of kelp near the place. The men had been all night cutting it away with scythes. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death," expressing their opinion that the witness Wyman had done all that lay ih his power lo Bare deceased.

Volunteers. — In a New Zealand Gazette, dated Aug. 14, it is notified that second Lieutenant Francis Pavitt, of the Canterbury Engineer Volunteers, is promoted to be Lieutenant. Postal. — In a New Zealand Gazette, dated Ang. 14, the following are appointed ; ostmasters in this province : — Thomas Helms, Prebbleton ; J. H. Bailey, Kowai Pass ; George Willis, Malvern ; Henry Palmer, Burnham ; John Glasson, Arowhenua ; and Thomas Slay, Flaxton. Oxford. — On Monday night Mr Dolamore gave a lecture at the Mechanics' Institute on New Zealand, which was fairly attended. On Wednesday night the amateur Christy Minstrelß, from Rangiora, gave an entertainment. The songs were well given, and the farces elicited much laughter. *r*REEMASONRY. — We notice that the erection of the new hall, in Manchester street south, for the Canterbury Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, has been commenced. The St. Augustine Lodge contemplate the building of a new hall also, in Manchester street, nearly oppjsitc to the Congregational Church. TnE Medical Profession is Canterbury — In the Legislative Council, the Hon. Mr Mantell has given notice of his intention to ask the Hon. the Colonial Secretary whether the Government has taken or proposes to take any steps toward prosecuting under the " Medical Practitioners Act, 1867," certain persons in Canterbury reported by the Public Petitions Committee to have signed a petition as duly qualified members of the medical profession, they not being so qualified. Thomson's Road Steamer. — It will be remembered that we were at some pains to draw attention to the above invention. An Otago contemporary informs us that the Superintendent of that province has received by the mail a letter from Mr Auld, the horae agent of the province, in which he writes regarding Thomson's road steamer, as follows : — "ln my letter to your Honour of 14th May, I stated that I was about to communicate with Mr Thomson, the inventor and patentee of the road steamer. I have since seen him and heard from him. He states that he would have been glad to have sent out a steamer and carriages on the footing formerly stated by your Honor, were it not that his steamer was in such demand here that he is able to sell them faster than he I can build them, but he states that he would be glad to receive an order from the Government for one, of which he would endeavour to give early delivery. He suggests that it would be desirable to have an engineer appointed on behalf of the Government to see : the steamer tested before it was shipped, and to certify that it was capable of doing the work stated in his printed circular. From the above, it would appear that while Canter-* bury "thinks about it," and considers it " very desirable," &c, other places act. 1 A Lizard Story.— At a recent meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, during the course of some remarks on a paper by Dr Knox on the power of the true lizard to reproduce its tail after it became detached;, Dr Hector put a broad grin on the face of the representatives of science -present by narrating the following lizard story, which he said he had from the lips of a well-known old whaler. It runs thus: — At an early period of the history of the colony, while the narrator was living on the Island of Kapiti, he used to amuse himself occasionally, in the intervals of work, by watching the innocent gambols of the lizards on the island where they abounded. He would crawl up as noiselessly as possible without disturbing them. In a minute or two he would raise a fearful yell, which used to terrify the lizards so much that they shook off their tails in fright, and scampered off to tlieir holes minus that necessary appendage. He would lie perfectly still for a short time, when the lizards would shyly peep out of their holes and look carefully round. Seeing no sign of danger, howr ever, they mustered up courage enough to venture out and look for their lost stern piece. Upon finding it, and making certain that it was not a case of mistaken identity, they used to back up carefully to the detached member, which, after a few wriggling contortions, they invariably succeeded in reshipping, and travelled off rejoicing. The narrator Wound up his tale by naively adding that he would not have believed it if he had not seen it with his own eyes. "^Entertainment at Tai Tapu. — A very interesting entertainment was afforded to the inhabitants of the above place on Tuesday evening la^J| the proceeds from which amounting £o±s, were applied to the liquidation of a small debt remaining on the school house. *Tbe entertainment was intended to consist of a description of a tour froui London Bridge to the coast of France, by Mr Ollivier, but this gentleman, on opening his book, discovered that he had brought the wrong one. The mistake, however, was amply: compensated by the substitution of some choice reading and short racy memoritic descriptions or the pictorial illustrations. Mr Ollivier fully sustained his reputation as a public reader, and the truthfulness with which he pourtrayed the Irish character in the vernacular provoked roars of laughter from a numerous and appreciative auditory, who seemed to realise in its fullest extent the obligation they were under to Mr Ollividr for his endeavours to please. The Tai-Tapu choir gave their contribution towards the harmony of the evening by singing several choice pieces, with their usual accuracy and ability. Mr 3. 3. Herrick, chairman of the school committee, proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Ollivier for his readiness in coming so long a journey to promote their hilarity, which was carried by acclamation. The singing of the National Anthem brought to a close the proceedings of one of the most pleasant and agreeably spent evenings at the Tai-Tapu. several of the auditory on leaving expressing their regret at not having an opportunity of listening to J Mr Ollirier more frequently. ■

Royal Irish C.R.V.— A concert and hall, in aid of this corps, will take place at the Town Hall on Tuesday evening next. We understand that an attractive programme is in course of preparation, and will appear on Monday. Masonic. — Some literary members of the craft residing in Dunedin have, it seems, formed the idea of starting a New Zealand Masonic Magazine, devoted to the dissemination of Masonic information, and reporting the proceedings of the various Masonic bodies in this colony. The first number of the Magazine was to have been published early this month. Sharebroking. — It appears that speculation is active in Wellington. In less than a fortnight, Mr James O'Shea, sharebroker, disposed of shares to the value of £7700— in the Thames Gold Mining Company, City of Glasgow, Inverness, Golden Crown, Puriri, and Royal Alfred, principally in the firstnamed. A Wellington contemporary says : — The present fluctuation in the Auckland share market has caused a lull in the speculation here. Shares in the Golden Crown and Puriri compauies are, wo understand, withdrawn. New Zealand Flax. — A Wanganui paper informs us that ten flax mills are at work in the district beyond the Wanganui river, and some others on the Waitotara, and between there and Wanganui. The quantity brought into Wanganui weekly is now very considerable and rapidly increasing, and producers are beginning to thiuk of sending it home direct, without the extra expense of freight to Wellington. There will now be sufficient wool and flax, to freight two or three ships annually for England. >Usli£ctokal.— lt appears that Mr Cuthbert Cowan, who was elected member for the Wallace district immediately before the meeting of the Assembly, has never thought it worth his Avhile to take his seat. Lately, he has resigned an honour which he does not seem to have coveted from the firfJtX The Wallace district includes part of the provinces of Otago and Southland, and Mr J. C. Brown, one of the Otago goldflelds representatives in the Provincial Council, is a candidate. . Mr Brown, says an Otago contemporary, will probably be elected. He will, it is supposed, vote with Mr Stafford. An Improvement.— From our Northern files, we learn that the number of stock ; shipped from Wanganui to various ports j from January Ist to August 12th,18G9, is as follows:— Cattle 1758, sheep 14,936, pigs 1050. During the first four months of the year, sheep were selling at such low prices as from ls to 5s each; boiling down was carried on with a profit, and sheep farmers were all but ruined. Now, according to the, local journals, prices rule pretty high, boilingdown has ceased, and shipping off has so rapidly increased during the last two months that if carried on for a few months more ma like ratio prices will rule still higher in these districts. New Zealand Landholders. — The London correspondent of the leading Wellington journal, writing on June 12, says: — " The flight, as I am informed, of a certain Mr T , a sheepfarmer of the Middle Island, caused a great sensation some time back to those whom he had honoured with his custom. He was reported to be in Portugal, but this appears to have been a ruse. It is vow sttaed that he is at present in River Plate, South America. It is said also that he borrowed £5000 on his run, off a London firm, and decamped with it. This has seriously damaged the prospects of New Zealand landholders who wished to borrow in London at six or eight per cent, on mortgage of their estates in your colony." The above, we presume, refers to a " Mr. T." who was recently a member of the Legislative Council, and who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the northern part of this island*. Giioorkas. — The Wellington evening paper supplies the f ollowing :— An admirable, though unintentional satire on the request the Legislature is now about making to the Home Government to obtain the services of Imperial troops, was furnished by. tlie speech of one of the Maori members .on Aug. 1.3, the report of which is as follows :— Mete Kirigi did not wish the Ghoorkas to be brought to New Zealand (cheers). He had heard that they were a murderous people— that they were Hau-haus (laughter). He was willing to have English soldiers ; and had seen the good of the soldiers under Generals Cameron and Chute. They never attempted to take the friendly natives' food, or interfere with their women or children ; but remained quietly in their barracks (loud laughter) ; but as for the black men, they (the friendly natives) continually heard that they murdered women and children. He was agreeable for commissioners to be sent to England. The Maoris were Very much iv fear of these black men. They must not be brought to New Zealand. The Front. — A Wellington contemporary has the* following apt remarks:— We never see any news now about the war or the Front in the Wanganui papers, or for that matter anywhere else. There is no " Front " now, or if there is nobody knows where to find it. Colonel Whitmore is still in Wellington, but his oftlce as commander of the forces has been abolished. The Government had, we believe, some idea of recognising Colonel Whitmore's services to the colony by offering him a sort of semi-military appointment in Wellington, and in fact did offer hipi one at a salary of £600 a year, on condition that he resigned his parliamentary position, and interfered none at all- with politics. The gallant colonel, however, declined tht offer, and there the matter rests at present. Meantime Colonel M'Donnell is walking about Wellington free from active service, and holding no appointment. There is no war; no front; no commander of the forces; no military movements; and but for the fact tliat the colony is still paying highly for defence purposes, we "should ' he' led to suppose that there were no colonial forces.

A Meteor. — A Wellington paper says that a most beautiful igneous meteor was seen on August 12 to burst in the northwest corner of the sky, aud take a south-easterly course until it was lost sight of behind Mount Victoria. The explosion revealed two globes of fire, but one soon disappeared ; the other, with a luminous comet-like tail, crossed the heavens until lost sight of. Swing Bridge. —By a notice in our advertising columns it will be seen that Mr Bowmaker, the contractor for the repairs, intends closing it on and after Tuesday next altogether! The timber for the woxk arrived yesterday per the ketch Fawn. IMr Bowmaker requests us to stale that for the convenience of parties attending the popular entertainment at the Institute that evening, he will rig a temporary footbridge, and allow persons to pass free of charge. For the remainder of the entertainments he will make a reasonable arrangement with the conimittee to carry the audience over by the fenya Mr Bowmaker intends putting on a strong gang of men, and carrying out the work rapidly. Preserved Milk. — A short time ago, we drew attention to the fact that a dairyman near Auckland had succeeded in producing preserved milk of a superior quality. In an Auckland paper received yesterday, we find the following, which refers to the preparation noticed before :— Mr Wallis, of the North Shore, has received a letter from Mr S. M. Connell, of the s.s. Hero, in which, after stating that he had tested Mr Wallis' preserved milk — which, by the way, had been six months in bottle — he goes on to say that he will take 100 dozen on the return of that vessel from Sydney. Another order also has been received from Mr liunbury, late of the firm of Harrison and Co., of Grahamstown, Thames. The boon offered to miners and others living far back in the rauges, and to seafaring men and ship passengers, by this new industry is immense. * Fire Police. — His Worship the Mayor attended at the City Council Chambers, at three o'clock, yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of swearing in and enrolling gentlemen who were willing to serve as special -fire constables for the ensuing year, commencing this day. The following gentlemen were sworn in : — J.V.Ross, H.A. Davis, A. A. Dobbs, Charles Kiver, jun.; F. A. Bishop, William Gavin, Robert Sutherland, j\ S. Hawley, John Hebden, William Pratt; W. White, jun.; J. P. Jameson, H. E. Alport, Thomas Bullick, W. H. Hobbs, W. A. Knapman, John S. Guthrie, Joseph Munnings, William Hislop, J. C. Angus, Daniel Reese, Francis 3. Smith, George Fletcher, and John Hart. His Worship will attend at the same place for a like purpose on Tuesday next, at three o'clock. t£ad Occurrence. — We are sorry to record tne death of Thomas Munroe, captain of the ketch Margaret. It appears the vessel was in Little Akaloa, loading timber, and on Thursday morning the dingy broke away from tho head of the bay, and the deceased went after it. Clambering over the rocks, and throwing off his clothes he jumped into the water, but he had not proceeded far out when he got entangled in a large mass of kelp; he managed to get his shoulders clear, but it got round his legs, and rendered him powerless. His perilous position was seen by his mate, who went to his assistance, but he was unable to get near enough to render any help. The body was dragged for, and after tome hours spent in cutting away the kelp, it was recovered^ The deceased was a single man, and higHTy respected. The body was brought up to Lyttelton yesterday afternoon, and an inquest will. be held . The Gold Fever. — Our exchange files, from both North and South, prove conclusively that the fever has not abated one whit. There has been a fairly large rush to Stewart's Island ; the new field at Maerewhenau, near Oamaru, has drawn a good many ; the existing and supposed quartz reefs of Westland and Nelson are creating a large amount of interest ; and Dr Hector has reported that there is gold in the Wellington quartz. The latest Northern discovery is thus mysteriously referred to by a Wanganui paper : — We have intimated that gold has been discovered up the Wanganui river in the direction of Taupo. We can now inform our readers that the locality and all connected with the discovery will be communicated to his Honor the Superintendent immediately on his return to Wellington, which may be this day or to-morrow. The locality is, we believe, within the boundaries of the province, and can be more easily reached via Rangitikeithan by the Wanganui river. From what we can learn, however, Wanganui will be the port, and it is to be hoped that by well prospecting the ranges extending into this district, payable gold will be found nearer home, liy the beginning of next week we may be able to say more upon the subject. A Napier paper of August 13 has the following : — A day or two ago, at the homestead of Messrs Russell and Canning, Porangahau, a tame duck was killed, in the gizzard of which was found a piece of quartz, with a spec or specs of gold visible on the surface. The discovery created, as may be supposed, some excitement, and several persons are said to be prospecting in the neighbourhood. It is also said that gold, embedded in mica, has been discovered at Maraekakaho, and that specimens have been brought to town. The later news to hand from Invercargill regarding the reported discovery of quartz reefs at Stewart's Island, is confirmatory of the remarks "already published. It is stated that in one only out of many pieces of quartz tested, has gold been found, and nothing is said as to whether the indications furnished by this specimen are of a character to justify the excitement that has prevailed in Invercargill. Captain Harrild, of the schooner Margaret — a gentleman thoroughly acquainted with the island — stated that the goldflelds were " progressing favourably." He also stated, however, that the reefs were situated in the ranges, and that they were difficult of access, owing to the want of tracks, and the impenetrable character of the bush. These statements are confirmed.

Mb. Haughton. — It appears that thi3 rather celebrated member of the General Assembly intends to settle down at the Thames. The Wakatip paper says that Mr Haughton has entered into partnership with Messrs Broad and Keddell, lately wardens on the Thames goldfield, uuder the style of Broad, Haughton, and Keddell, legal and mining agents. Tutu. — At a recent meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, Dr. Hector read a report giving details regarding experiments by Mr Skey, analytical chemist in the Government laboratory. The most interesting result recently obtained by Mr Skey was the isolation of the poisonous substance in the Tutu plant. Many experiments had been made for tliis purpose during the last six years, both in the laboratory of the Geo-, logical Survey and by chemists in Great Britain, but had always failed to discover the poisonous ingredient of the plant. Ashort time ago Mr Henry Travers collected for the museum a large quantity of ripe seeds of the Tutu {Coriaria rascifolia), and on these Mr Skey has recently experimented. By a process which was described he has discovered the poison to be a greenish oil, unaffected by, and insoluble in water and mineral acids, but soluble in acetic acid, ether, alcohol, and chloroform. This oil is combined with a red coloured resin, which is insoluble in ether, b)' removing which the poisonous oil was obtained in a pure state. Four minims of the oil administered to a cat produced, in the course of half ah hour, a succession of violent convulsions, following at intervals of twenty miuutes, accompanied by twitchings and contraction of the extremities, and dilation of the pupils. A large proportion of the dose was vomited within a few minutes after it was administered, so that the poison must be extremely powerful. The quantity of the poison contained in the seed is 12 per cent of' the weight. A similar oil has been detected by Mr Skey to be the active poisonous element in the Karaka seed {Corgnocarpus lacirgata), which will account for its having hitherto escaped detection, and he suggested that the discovery might lead to the detection of the active principle of many poisonous European plants that have hitherto eluded research. Sir David Munro stated that he had seen the cat while under the influence of the poison, and that the symptoms exactly resembled those of a sheep that had eaten the Tutu plant, except that the hind legs of the cat seemed to be paralysed, while a Tuted sheep stood erect and had free use of its extremities, although unable to direct its movements. E tertainment.— Last night the parishioners, of St. Michael's and All Angela entered upon the course pursued with such benefit in other parts of the city, and achieved a most decided success/ The Literary Institute had been wisely chosen for the entertainment, and being almost in the centre of the parish was of convenient access. The Very Rev. the .Dean presided, and the hall was densely crowded, many being also compelled to content themselves with space in the lobby, where moderate hearing was obtained, but seeing was entirely out of the question. A very choice programme had been prepared, but we are inclined to think this was not the sole attraction, the object of the entertainment as explained by the Rev. Chairman— school improvements — being a great inducement to attend. The instrumental overture ,to "L'ltaliani in Algieri" opened the proceedings, and received full justice at* the hands of Messrs Packer, Biinz, Spensley, and Coombes, a good round of applause greeting its termination. Mr Merton followed with ". The Arab's farewell to his steed," which, notwithstanding evident indisposition, he sung very creditably. He was freely applauded, but the improved manner in which at a later period of the evening he gave " The White Squall," .Tecured him a well merited encore. Mr Ollivier, with characteristic humour and effective expression, re id an amusing picking from Once-a-Wee/t, called " Mr Larquison's Story," which excited much merriment. Mr H. Thompson sung "The bloom is on the rye" in appreciable style, but being encored, he was much more successful in his rendering of "Liquid Gems." "Deh Con Te" from "Norma" was played as a piano duet by Mrs Whithair and Mr Packer, with good effect. Mr Harman read the inirth-provokiug sketch " Wouter von Twiller," from Knickerbocker's America, and was ajpplauded. The vocal duet " The Sailor signs as sinks his Native Shore " was sung somewhat slowly, but in excellent tune, by Mrs K. Thompson and Mr Appleby, and was, redemanded. Mr Coombes played the finale te " Lucia di Lammermoor " as a cornet solo, with his usual skill. Miss Ward sung "Oh ye tears " in her best style, and in response to an encore gave "Milly's Faith" by Claribel, with great sweetness and expression. She was also subsequently encored for her singing of " Effie's Faith," one verse of which she repeated. Mr Hawkes evoked both laughter and applause by reading - a short American tale called "Mrs Bullfrog's dowry," and written by Hawthorne. The quartette " Crabbed age and youth " was well sustained by MtbTK. Thompson, Messrs Appleby, ti . Thompson, and Packer,and was warmly applauded. The Rev Chairman read " The pied piper of Hamelin " with taste and suitable modulation of tone, receiving good proof of appreciation from the audience. The overture to " The Caliph of Bagdad " cloied the programme, and was really beautifully played by the instrumentalists previously named, an encore being vociferously ; demanded. The National Anthem then terminated the entertainment, and the audience separated highly gratified with the treat which had been afforded them. During an interval in the programme the rev. chairman took occasion to thank the performers for their assistance during the evening, and announced that the very satisfactory result of I the entertainment would induce its repetition at an early date.

Magisterial. — There were ho cases set down for hearing at the Christchurch Magistrate's Court this morning. New Gold Mining Companies. — The New Zealand Gazette of Aug. 12 contains applications for the registration of 24 new companies at the Thames. The paid-up capital of these companies is £320,500, the largest'- amount in one company being £67,500. -.--.-•- Water Velocipedes.?— We; understand that the intended race between two of these machines is further postponed until the opening day of the boating season. Appointment. — It is notified in a New Zealand Gazette, dated Aug. 14, that Mr G. W. Schroder is appointed Registrar of Marriages, Births, and Deaths for the Amuri district ; also. Clerk to the Bench for the same district. Auriferous Land. — The Hon. Mr G. L. Lee, in the Legislative Council, has moved for leave to bring in a bill entitled an Act to enable the Superintendent of the province of Canterbury to reserve from sale certain lands for mining"purposes.