MISCELLANEOUS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 259, 15 September 1874, Page 7

MISCELLANEOUS.

A blacksmith in Gisßgo~W lias succeeded in gajfc of a racing horse to that of a trotter by simply fastening an extra pair of shoes, heavier than usual, to his forefeet, whenever he wants the horse to trot, and taking them off" at all other times. The suddaff change of weight on his forefeet forces horse to changohis ,- A new pass between the West and' East Coasts is supposed to have been discovered by Mr James Evans, of Hokitika. This gentleman, it seems, was out cattle hunting up the..valley,of a river called the Waitahi, and passed over to another watershed, which is thus described by the West Coast Times • "Be f tw.efin.4o.and 5Q .miles inland, as the crow_ flies, the river, or some other that joins it, divides into three streams. One of these flows down to the West Coast, another goes off diagonally, but a third flows to the eastward through an—as yet- unexplored canon or gorge. As it must be very evident water cannot run up-hill, there seems every reasonable ground for believing that cither the stream in question finds some lake into which to empty itself, or that it affords a clue to a route through the' rift into the M'Kenzie 'country, or some other part of the lowlands of Canterbury. The country en route is doscribed as magnificent. Timber flats with splendid trees of the most valuable kinds of wood, long reaches of beautiful pasture, and everything, in short, to tempt settlement of -the most substantial kind." Mr Evans, it is farther stated, has gone with a party properly provisioned on an exploring expedition. The following is from the Melbourne Telegraph :—" We have been shown a design for an improved sea-going steamer, the inventor being Mr Wilcox, of this city. Mr Wilcox proposes to utilise the displacement of water (caused by the immersion of the vessel) as a propelling power, and further provides for the least possible friction. The construction of his vessel is of such a kind that it is next to impossible that she could ship a sea ; and the oscillation, which forms so disagreeable a feature of the modern clipper steamship, is reduced to a minimum. The propelling power is of a very powerful nature, and the inventor has also, by a new method of steering the vessel, remedied the impediment to speed which at present attaches to the action of the rudder in modem steamships. It would obviously be unjust to the inventor to disclose the principles of his theory; but we can honestly say that, so far as we can judge of the matter, it points to a new and important improvement in ocean travelling. Those who may be desirous of inspecting the design and hearing the inventor's explanation of his theory, can sea Mr Wilcox at 39 Little Collin's street west."

Between the year 1830 and the year 1808, the bush of this colony disappeared at the rate of 133,526 acres per annum. Between 1868 and 1873 the consumption was at the rate of 634,200 acres per annum. At the present rate of consumption,'the remaining area will have been exhausted in less than twenty years. The consumption of timber in Ota*o between 1830 and 1868 was at the rate of 484| acres per annum. Between that date and the end of last year it had risen to 43,200 acres, at which rate the remaining area of bush in the province will disappear in about 4t years.— Guardian.

A hailstorm of extraordinary fury burst oyer Lyons the other day. Hailstones were picked up as big as chicken's eggs, and weighing in some few instances 12ozs. to 14ozs. All the skylights and greenhouses were shattered, and houses in exposed positions had their windows and Venetian blinds smashed. Some people were wounded by the stones. All the crops within reach of the hail are ruined, but the storm seems to have spent its chief fury over the town. The damage done to the hospitals alone is estimated at £35,000.

Alas for fallen greatness ! (says the Melbourne Herald.) When Topley, Hewitt, and Bird, the English pedestrians, first came to Melbourne, they were the admired of all observers. At the present time Topley has retreated to his native land, Frank Hewitt has resigned running and given his mind to bookmaking ; and Bird, the "swallow-catcher;" the greatest hero in the trio—hear what the Launceston Tribune has to say of this quondam nine days' wonder :—On Saturday afternoon A. E. Bird, who has settled down in Launceston as a respectable fish-hawker, ran from the railway gates at perth to the Duke of Wellington Inn, Launceston, a distance of ten and a half miles, in fifty-six minutes. Bird had been backed to accomplish the distance within the hour, the stakes being £2O. As Bird has been for some time " on the teetotal," it was confidently anticipated that he would eclipse all other performances, and so it turned out. A large number of persons assembled to see the finish, and the pedestrian, on his arrival, was greatly cheered and complimented. It is said that Bird is willing to run from Campbell Town to Launceston, a distance of forty miles, in four hours and a half, provided he can get good odds.