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Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3102, 19 January 1871, Page 2

" Counting Chickens," ko.—Paris is not yet taken, but the pen with which Count Bismarck is to sign the treaty of peace is already prepared. Herr Bissenger, of Pforzheim, has manufactured out of massive gold an imitation of an ordinary stoufc goosequill. The quill itself is polished, in order that it may be more conveniently handled, but the feather closely resembles a real quill, everj fibre being represented, while the back of the feather is thickly studded with brilliants, and below them a Count's coronet and Bismarck's monogram are engraved. Besides the engraver and maker, two gold-smiths were engaged on it for fivo weeks. The gold employed ia of eighteen carats, and that part in which the brilliants are eet is of twenty-one carats. Dbowned. —The " Press" gives the following fnrther particulars of the drowning case that happened at the Sumner on Sunday laBt: —It appears that a party of some twelve or thirteen personß, amongst whom were Mr and Mrs Williams, Mr and Mra Heath, Miss Pierce, and others, went on a pleasure excursion to Sumner. Shortly after arrival the females of the party wont into the sea to the eastward of the Cave rock to bathe. At this part of the beach tho sea makes a bend inwardß, forming a kind of semi-circular bay, and the consequenco of this peouliar formation of the land is the existence of several dangerouß undercurrents. Mrs Williams, who it appears was a good swimmer, being confident in her own powers, went further out than the rest of the party, and was carried out to sea, notwithstanding that Miss Pierce and Mrs Heath made every effort to savo her; tbe former young woman venturing out of her depth would have been drowned, had not a man from a craft lying in closo proximity jumped overboard and rescued her, much exhausted. Mrs Williams, however, was past hope of saving, and shortly afterwards the body was thrown upon tho beach by the breakers, at a point further up. The body was at once conveyed to the Sumner Hotel, but life was extinct. Native. —The Auckland correspondent of the " Lyttelton Times" writes as follows under . date Jan. 5 : —The uneaßiness lately felt respecting native matters in Waikato haß greatly diminished with the advent of the New Year. On the 17th of last month the Hon. Dr Pollen returnod from investigating particulara of the Pirongia murder, but as yet the result has not been public j possibly, because friendly native chiefs are at present collecting further information. Latest accounts from Tokangamutu, state that the Ngatimaniopoto, headed by Rewi, condemn Todd's murder' and meditate Becession.from the Waikato proper ; that another influential section of Hau-haus likewise ignore Tawhiao's authority, and, in brief, that the King party is falling to pieces. Meantime natives that lately gloried in /Todd's untimely end, seem to be getting rather apprehensive and excuse the foul deed by pretending that the confiscated boundary was wrongly fixed. Fine-looking and apparently well disciplined detachments of Armed Constabulary, armed with sniders, left here for Waikato at early dawn, on the 20th and 21sfc of Decembor. At present about 200 Armed Constabulary hold the various redoubts in that district; and a strong force of volunteers can ba speedily collected in case of emergenoy. All things considered, Wa kato should be deemed tolerably safe from a sudden raid. Ifc is not thought likely an incursion on a large scale will be attempted, though Government haa warned outlying settlers to be on their guard against isolated attacks. Coubt News. —The Queen was present afc the Parish Church of Crathia on Sunday, attended by the Duchesß of Roxburghe, the Marchioness of Ely, and Viscount Bridport. Afc a musical soiree at Balmoral a few evenings since, a new ballad, "The Parted," composed by Mr John Barnett, wbb sung by the Princess Louise, with great feeling, to the delight of Her Majesty and a distinguished party. The Marquis of Lorn sang Gounod's charming romance for a tenor voice, " The Empress of my Soul," with much artistio taste aud finish. Mb Chables Matthews has bidden farewell to the Melbourne public. In his valedictory speech he said—Our visit to Sydney, Adelaide, Ballarat, Castleinaine, and Kyneton have been equally agreeable. (A voice : How about Bendigo ?) Oh, I had forgotten Bendigo. (Cheering, and great laughter.) The only little speck upon the Australian sun was visible at Sandhurst, and tbere I met with what Sir Charles Coldstream would have valued —a now sensation. For the first time in my life, I had the odd novelty of playing to a single person in. the boxes (laughter and cheers); and even he, after the seoond act of the comedy, went oufc for a drink and never returned (repeated laughter) leaving mo to what is figuratively, but in this caße literally,

_ . — v called empty benches. A Sandhurst papei explained fche phenomenon by saying that 3 was an impostor altogether (roars of laughter) and that Bendigo was not to be humbugged like tho reat ofthe oolonies (repeated laughter) 5 but as no one came to see me at all, 1 don't exactly understand on what they grounded their opinion. (Great cheering and laughter.) However, I shall go homo and study hard, and who knows but some day I may rise to the Bendigo standard. (Continued laughter.) Luckily, elsewhere my imposition has not been detected, and I have been able to swindle a good deal of gold-dust out of your deluded pockets. (Long-continued laughter.) Gas Notes — The accounts for 18S9, for thirteen gas companies by which London is lighted have been published. The authorised capital of the thirteen companies is about £1,5000,000. The quantity of gas sold during the year is nearly nine thousand million cubic feet, and tho aggregate amount received by the companies for publifl lighting and for lighting by contract, £222,000. The companies have taken during tho year about 1,250,000 tons of coal. The price at which four-fifths of the gas is supplied is four shillings, the remainder being cannel gas at five shillings and six pence per thousand cubic feet, and the supplies by the South Metropolitan Company at three shillings and two pence and three shillings and four pence, and by tho Independent Gas Company at three shillings and four pence. The Poweb ojf Raixboads.— Horace Greely in the " Tribune," says :— " No individual, no city, is safe thafc underrates the power of railroads. That potent genius, the locomotive, can unmake as easily as ifc makes a great city. As a railroad centre, Chicago has no equal, and her sagacious merchants are reaping the harvest of a vigor and foresight that has been surpassed by no group of business men in the country. Chicago may do well to call to mind the old story of Acteon. He trained and followed his hunting dogs so long and so far, that at length, for want of other game, they turned, gave him chase, and tore him in pieces. Tho spirit of railroad enterprise and railroad monopoly, which, within a generation, hae changed Chicago from a trading post to a metropolis, is actively devising the means oi taking away the supremacy in the grain trade, of which she is not found worthy. Sewing Machines. — What a gigantic business that of making sewing machines haa become. Twelve companies sold during the year 1869 320,669 of these machines. The largest number sold by one company is 86,781, These wonderful contrivances do the work that fingers used patiently to accomplish without assistance, and yefc the sewing work done by fingers alone has not been decreased measurably. Neltbaijty. — The complaint ofthe Berlin authorities and press that French steamers havo token out cannon, rifles, and provisions from New York comes wifch a bad grace, since the official information shows that the Germans sent out the first instalment of recruits from fchafc city ; that the French Minister had knowledge of the departure of 250 on one occasion, but preferred not to enter any protest, since so small a number could nofc be held to be of any importance to the numerical strength of either army. Since thafc fcime both sides have bought and shipped arras and munitions, as they have a right to do. — "New York Times."