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Dunstan Times, Issue 522, 19 April 1872, Page 2

(to THE EDITOR OK TH R DUN STAN TIIIKS.

Sir, —In the report of your FourteenMile Beach correspondent, published in the kst issue, allusion is maile to a letter that appeared in the Taapika Times, giving some account of the herons and quails of the Fourteen-Mile. Although your correspondent has concealed it under a thin veil of banter, he evidently credits me with being the author of that letter. Would you allow me to inform him that he is entirely mistaken in supposing me to he the author of the letter in question, my knowledge of natural history being] too limited ■for me to presume to write an account of the animals inhabiting the while tfieonly information 1 possess respecting herons has been derived from persona who have travelled in those wild regions, and who report the existence of a misanthropic specimen of the genus that has been seen wandering disconsolately about the beach for several years, until apparently alarmed by the near approach of civilisation, it suddenly Hew up the ranges, scratched a hole in the side of the hill and buried itself from the gaze of mankind. Permit me to add, that your correspondent would be better c.ployed fulfilling his mission, (for which he is so well qualified) as a jolly old hermit, or becoming renowned as a mighty hunter, who would " beard the rabbit in his den, ' rather than emerging from his solitude at Sleepy Hollow to mingle with the world and play the part of a literary Kip Van Winkle. I am, Yours. &c, W. F FOKRESTAlexandra, April 10, 1572.

Mr St. John Branigan, lately at the head of the Armed Constabulary, has had a relapse, and his condition is such as to necessitate his being placed under restraint, and it is even tluought that his physical organization will riot long outlive the loss of reason. The following notice of a machine in the International Exhibition in Loudon, which may be of interest to the miners and battery owners in this district, we copy from the Mechanics’ Mai.a~.ine: —“One of the useful inventions hitherto unnoticed by us is Husband’s pneumatic ore-stamping machine, a model of which is exhibited by the manufactures, Messrs Harvey and Co-, of Tayle, Cornwall, and Gresham House, Old Board street, London. Those of our readers who are acquainted with practical mining will readily admit that the old system of stamping ore is a tedious, slow, and expensive process. Although tin dressing machinery has been much improved, the crushing or pulverising process is precisely the same as it was 200 years ago. The motion of the old stamphead being produced by cams, the greatest speed that can be attained is from 50 to CO blows per minute. The pneumatic stamps give an average ofSO blows per minute each, with a productive power of 10 tons ofwork per day of 12 horn s as against one ton by the old stamps, This is effected by working the stampheads upon the pneumatic principle, motion being imparted through a crank shaft, fitted with a pulley, and actuated by a portable, engine. The aj • paratus is very portable and can bo taken to pieces for transport, and as every part is very light, it can he carried over mountainous districts by mules or drawn by oxen. Whenever practicable, wrought iron is subsitutedfor castjirou in this apparatus, thereby' decreasing the cost of transport by the weight and gseatly diminishing the risk of breakage. There arc a number of these machines doing satisfactory work in Cornwall and several are in course of construction for goldmines in A cert alia and other parts.”