LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXIV, Issue 3162, 31 March 1871, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Patent Slip. — Now that the Patent Slip question lias been grappled with in earnest, the provi-ional directory nro rapidly potting through tho adjustment of tho details of the transaction. On Wednesday tho representatives of Messrs Kennard and tho provisional directors settled all tho business connected with tho transfer of tho material to tho company, and wo beliero on much better terms than wore at first mooted by Sir Chas. Clifford. With respect to the site, the Provincial Government, promised to exorcise all tho power vested in them on behalf of the company towards placing them on a satisfactory footing with respect \o their tenure of the ground. So that everything in connection with the negotiation is now so well advanced, that no difficulty oxist.s to prevent the linal completion of tho transaction (so far us this place is concernoi) before tho departure of Sir Charles Clifford ; ami tho commencement of the slip may thcreforo bo looked t'ov very soon. The Telegram Case. — In answer to several enquiries we may explain thut Mr Lurnaoh, who opened the Proas Telegram addressed to the " Times," ia a largo shareholder in that coinpauy. Tho contents, of course, became known to all tho passengers on board, and telegrams convoying tho late nows were recoired in Dunedin long before tho "Times" extra was published. The Collector of Customs, going on board, had of course no difficulty in learning what was in everybody's mouth, and tho Government received the short telegram ho compiled without in any .way violating the eecresy of tho Telegraph Department. The telegraph officers received both the message of t,ho " Times" and of tho Independent: (containing also tho latest nows) in the usual way, and transmitted them accordingly. Every statement wo made has now been proved by witnesses on oath, and the Government triumphantly vindicated from iho charge ot " stealing telegrams" or " violating the Becresy of the department." Ciiickkx. — A. mutch will bo played to-day on tho new grouud between tho Wellington Grammar School uhd tho Crofton School, wjekets to be pitched at 12 30. Tho following are the names of the players : — Grammar School— Palmer (captain), Tully, Walhice, Eager, Bisl.op, Maxwell, Wutt, Hnckworth, Mil'lß, 11 also, Barnmd ; scorer, Pransfield. Crofton School — C. Franco (captain), F.France, Johnston, Tanner, Bid well, Stock, Barton, Brown, Hadfiold, Brown, Lemon; scorer, Send. A Country Sale. — Wo draw the attention of those interostod in such inatfors to a Bale which comes off to-day at noon at Grass Leas Farm, Porirna Road. Besides the ordinary effects of a farming household and tho usual implements in a dairy, there is one lot — a number of very flne milch cowg— that ought to attract many buyers. The sale will bo unreservfd. Dr. Featherston's station at Akiteo is announced to be let for a term of years. The house and furniture are to bo sold by auction at an early day. Tho paddocks adjoining tho house uro to bo let for a term of five or sovon years. Licensing. — Tho 18th of April is tho date fixed for the next annual licensing meeting of tho Wellington Bench of Justices. Intending applicants must lodge their notices of application before Tuosday next. Town Property, — The Ship Hotel was put up at auction yesterdny, but was bought in by the mortgagees (the Trust aud Loan Company) for £800. W.V.F. Brigade. — The report of flio above brigade, ordered to be printed at their last meeting, will appear as an enclosure in our next issue. Tub Extraordinary Assault Case between two members of tho Civil Service, to which reference has been made in the public prints lately, cornea off at ten this morning before the .Resident Magistrate. The Volunteers turned out in good strength last night, and went through drill oi^ tho Keciaimed Land. They were escorted through Willis and Vfannors streets |after drill by tho Garrison and Artillery Bands. Mr Ben £mitu, <vo observe from an advertisement, has resumed tho practice of his profession. Skip-imposed Taxks. — When grumblers cry out about heavy taxes, do they ever consider how many tliey could esapo withoutmuch loss or inconvenience ? From tho Appendix No. 2 to the Journals of tho House of Representatives, receipt of which wo acknowledged yestorday, wo learn that in 18G9 the following articles yielded revenue a9 follows : —Brandy, £142,989 11s; rum, £59,745 2 3 lid; whisky, £59,628 9s; geneva, £51.815 0s lid ; gin (sweetened), £14.404 2s 4d ; wine (in wood), £28,942 10s 5d ; wine (in bottle), £8,014 12a 8d ; tobacco, £88.448 5s 6d ; cigar*, £12,0(39 (is 9d ; alo, portor, &o, £17,073 13s Id— amounting to £483,157 145 7d of the total revenue of £823,506 13s 3d. Wo observe also thut tno duty on tea amounts in round numbers t0 £50,000 ; coffee, £4,400 ; dried fruiis, £0,400j sugar, treacle, and molasses, £80,000. Volunteering. — It will bo soon from our telegraphic columns that owing to rough weather off Napier tho Luna, afttr having put to sea, had to return to port. Sho was to have reached horo some time this morning ; but her arrival will now depend entiroly upon tho weather. It is not probablo, however, that her detention can be vory long. Wo prosumo thut when tho Otago riilemon do arrive an appropriato recoption will bo given them by their brother voHiuteera of Wollingtoti — samething rnoro croditublo to volunteers than the mere hurry-scurry )nu»ti*r of an impromptu wolcomo. A disorderly scamper to tho whurf would reflect but poorly on the head of our volunteer force. Wo do not know whothor any orders have been issuod on this matter ; wo hopo thoro have, and that our remarks aro uncalled for. Knot, probably it is not too lato to have some organised plan of reception bo as to afford tho different companies a li£tlo time to ho prepared. We havo every reasonable confidence in tho skill of our marksmen in the corning mutoh between them and the representatives of Otago, still wo incline to tho opinion that tho result will bo another leat to add to tho alreudy luxuriunt laurela gained by the true shooting of tho Otago men. We would, however, desire to see manifested in all the voluuteor matters which may have to be

gone through during the stay of our Southern friends, that our volunteers should at leas show that they understand the routinoof drill and the ctiquettu that is due from one volunteer body to another. Jem Fisk.— The Now York " Times" thus depicts Mr Fisk, who has attained unenviublo notoriety and not or.iy in America, but through a great part of the civilised world : — " He is nob bimply a bad man — that every body knows — but he is a man who lnugha at and despises nearly everything that this community holds caered. He is, wo believe, a nearer approach to the ruffian of the Pagan or Oriental type than anyone who I has yet appeared in a prominent position in any modern Christian state. He hus stolon on a scale never before equalled, except by armed conquerors, and he has so secured tho control of th^ Governor of the stato and of the Legislature and of the Judges, that he is ablo to use them in defeating all efforts io make him disgorge his plunder, and is even ablo to socure judicial assistance in the perpetration of fresh knaveries. Nor is this nil. With tho proceeds of these thefts he has surrounded himself for two or three years with a bevy of drabs, with whom he appears publicly in a gilded coach drawn by six horaos, and in a theatre which is carried on merely as a convenient cover for his debauchery. He hus as his standing counsel, who appears for him in dofonco of all hia rascalities, a member j of Henry Ward Beecher'a church and a member of the Bur Association, both of these being organisations whose express object is the purification of morals and elevation of individual character. Scholarship and Pbofessional/ Sttcoess. — The Solicitor- General, Air J. JX Coleridge, in addressing the Edinburgh Philosophical Institution lately, paid that while he admitted in the broadest way that scholarship is notes?ential to grent public and professional success, yp.t it contributed not a little to the practical efficiency of some of our greatest mon. Abstract the scholar from Mr Gladstone and Mr Lowe, abstract the man of letters from Mr Disraeli, nnd you leave them denuded of a considerable portion of that power by which I hey sway their followers. Say rather, perhaps, by which they gained and keep their success, not by which they practically rule. Might it not bo fairly contended that that part of both Mr Gladstone anl Mr Disraeli, which comes out specially in their literary work, is not only not the purfc which makes them successful rulers, but perhaps thut which has mado them unsuccessful rulers ? The intellectual complexity of Mr Gladstone's mind, the brilliant viewinoss of Mr Disraeli, have constantly startled and alarmed tho country, never increased tho faith in their practical measures. Mr Gladstone's great elements of practical success lias been his Lancashire lucidity, keenness, iind frugality, especially as shown in finance. Mr Disraeli hus had no success as a practical administrator at all. Lord Palmereton was preferred by the country to both, because lie was much more limited than either, and had that strength and firmness of purpose to which limitation of intellect so much contributes. The Por-mcAL Fotuhe of Australia. — To us it seoins clear that the two main tendencies of Australian policy are towards commercial froedom and federal alliance, and whithersoever these lead wo would not stand in the way. But our hope and faith is that, when left perfectly five to decide for thomselvep, these portions of modern England will of themselves come to tho conclusion that it wore butter all England should bo united under one flag, and ono great federal law, with one invincible fleet ever circulating round tho world for the" common defence of all who man and pay for it, but with separate and local land forces under tho control of ench local executive, and only capable of being etnployod otherwise than at home when some particular province culls for their aid. With such a bond of union, all English communities would bo secure from molestation ; without such a bond, do what they may may, t hoy never can be safe. With such a union, English industry, whereever working, would, under all circumstances, have a fifth of tho world for its market ; and English labor, wherevor born or bred, would have accessibly, and of right, tho most magnificent rungo and choice of employment the world has ever seen. It is a consummation devoutly to bo wished by all who love the people in sincerity, and who think tho preservation of our historic name, and the comfort aiid welfare of our children, better worth having than cent, per cent, of gambling profits, or tho aggregation of unenjoyablo riches in the hands of a greedy and grasping few. It is the only prospect of combining the good of democracy with tho glory of empire. — "London Exaniinor." A Shell Stort. — The following strange tnlo of the sea ia vouched for by the Melbourne correspondent of the " Bendigo Independent -. — A report is current in town that the schooner Prima Donna, which arrived in port on Saturday, ostensibly from Noumea, New Caledonia, has really brought to market a most valuable cargo of pearl shell from some unknown island in the Pacific. It is said that the captain of the craft was lately wrecked on ono of Iho islands of the Pacific Ocean, but suceoeded in making li;b escape to New Caledonia, and eventually arrived in Sydney. While walking the quay there ho noticed the arrival of a small craft from tho west coast of Australia with penvl aboil, which afterwards sold for upwards of £1-1,000. The shipwrecked captain, on examining tint valuable cargo of shells, immediately recognised them as tho eanie species that he had observed in immense quantities on the uninhabited island on which ho was wrecked. He kept hia counsel, came to Melbourne, where lie had friends, and disclosed to thorn what a prospect thoro was for u fortune to be mado. They believed histalo, and at an expenditure of a few hundred pounds, fitted out the Prima Donna for the venture Sho has been away betwoon threo and four months, found tho island, filled up with shells, and arrived on Saturday last with a cargo worth many thousand pounds. Such is the Btory going about. At all events, tho shipping reports record tho arrival of tho Prima Donna, Bchooner, with ninety tonß of pearl shell, which I am told is worth nearly £200 per ton. Tricking- the Doctor. — The " Gaulois" says that a country doctor in Franco was knocked up ono night, and his servint ushered in a young peasant girl, who implored him to como as quickly as possible to Madanio D.'s, who was taken very bud with her trouble. "Which Mndamo D. is it?" "Tho one at X., sir." " Why, I was there to day, and nothing was said about Biich expectations." " Ah, well, sir, ladies arc sometimes out in I their calculation?, they say, but for tho lovo of Heaven niako hasto." Tho doctor had his gig brought round, and telling tho girl to got iu, drove off to X., a distance of six miles. On arriving at the village, tho girl got out, and at onco retiring to a safe distance, grinned at tho doctor. " Many thanks, doctor, for the lift ; you can go back again now. I was timid, and did. not liko to travel such a long way and on foot. Madame D. is quite well, but the first timo /want auybody I'll be sure to employ you." Acclimatisation. — From our Hobart Town exchanges, we learn that tho last catch by the net at the mouth of tho Plenty, will, probably, set the salmon question for ever at rest. Ono fish from tho meshes measured 24 inches inlength ! and 17 inches in girth, and weighed all 7 lbs as it lay on Sir liobert Officer's drawing-room tablo yo'sterday, at noon. This specimen presents far different features to those of nny fidhea oven of tho same size that havo been hitherto submitted to tho public eye, the red trout-like spots being entirely absent, while the belly of the fish is more silvery, the head neater, and tho general out and shape of tho fish, more, to our mind, liko tho salmon proper. The fish referred .to abQvo was inspected by a number of gentlomon skilled in pisciculture ineluding Judge Francis, of New South Wales, Mr M. Allporfc, Mr Buckland, and othei-8. The fish had lost tho eilvery appearance it presented when caught, and the well-known spots of bkosalmo tnttta were exhibited* In

comparison with, the trout already at the Museum, and from a raoro attentive examination, there was bo doubt of its identity as a sea trotifc. It was pronounced by Judge Francis to be a splendid specimen!. A correspondent of the paper we have been quoting from Bays, referring to the fish described : — As it turns out, the boasted salmon is no aaltnon proper at all, bub simply another salmon trout, notwithstanding the unqualified assurance of at least one eminent colonial authority on the dwellers of tho deep, that it was the genuine thing. Thus, again, the colonists have been disappointhd, and one begins to doubt if the true salmon ova ever came to Tasmania. A Pboihsing Invention. — Mr Whaley, of Now Orleans, hnß perfected an invention for propelling street-cars by condensed air. Each car will have two cylinders, or tanks, to conturn the compressed air, which is to bo used as a meter. These cylinders are on the top of the cars, and are to be charged at the depot, by an engine worked with steam. In connection with these cylinders there is to be an engine, for which a special patent has been obtained, to roceive the condensed air and rotate the wheels of the car. On a recent trial, with a pressure of 90 pounds to a square inch, oue of these machines carried eight men 3£ miles in 7£ minutes, turning corners and stopping with the greatest ease, Dating Machine. — it has been proposed by Mr Whiteman, of Haverstock hill, accord- . ing to the " Scientific Review," to use a machine so constructed that the type-box is carried by a swing-lever, which turns on a spin He affixed to the underside of the top plate of the machine, and the ticket to be printed, or printed and indented, is brought under tho type by means of a swing-lever, which turns on a spindle affixed to the upper side of the said plate, and which consequently describes an arc of greater radius than that described by the bype-levor. Arms or projections are formed on the type-box aforesaid, against which arms the back of tho ticketlever or lugs t-heron bears or bear, bo that when the said lever is pushed inwards it brings tho typo down upon, or forces it into the ticket. Hoisting Jack. — Tho invention of Mr F. ffollyberry consists, says the " Scientific Review, of a stationary upright frame provided with a centrally vertical sliding bar, which is raised and lowered by means of two levers, one of which serves to hold the bar at fcho height to which it had been raised, while the other iv taking a fresh hold, both levere operating upou the bar through the medium of clamps which bite the bar — one when pressure or weight is applied to the bar, and tho other when pressure is applie I to the lever.