THE NORTH.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2119, 19 February 1870, Page 2

THE NORTH.

The Wild Duck brought from England to Wellington on her last voyage ten pure-bred Cotswold four-tooth ewes, which have been imported by Messrs Canning and Russell from the flocks of Mr Hewen, Norfhleacb, Gloucestershire. These sheep were picked by Mr Canning’s brother from some 500 which were offered for sale, and some of them brought L 6 10s per head. Five of these ewes are direct descendants from a ram which was sold by Mr Ewen for the unprecedentedly large sum of L 230. We ( Walrarapa Mercury) have hoard it stated that the number of telegrams rent since the tariff was altered has materially decreased, and the revenue has not advanced with that progress hitherto noted. We should like to see Mr Lemon advise the alteration to a cheap tariff of a dozen words for a shilling—address and signature not counted. Wc believe the alteration would be found to be very beneficial to the revenue derived, as the public would more generally make use of the line. In reference to the specimens of quart/ from the Never Despair Gold Mining Company, Wellington, submitted to Dr Hector for the purpose of testing, he reports : — ,l A button of metal which had been extracted by Mr Smith contained 11 grains of gold, together with two small scales of platinum and iridium, tho latter a rare metal sometimes found with the gold at Collingwo M. I understand that tho button was obtained from one pound weight of stone, which is therefore at the rate of seven ounces per ton. Tho fragment of rock -from the casing of the reef is altered sandstone, composed of subangular grains of clear quartz, cemented together so as to appear like granite under tho microscope. The'rock is traversed by thin, irregular veins of fibrous and granular quart/, in some of which gold is visible. 1,500 grains of the sample of rock, on being crushed and amalgamated, yielded 75'IOOOths of a grain of gold, •which is at the rate of loz. 124dwts. per ton.” The result of the petition to the Governor on behalf of Walter Trickcr has been forwarded to the committee appointed by the Raugitikci settlers, to use the best means for obtaining the prisoner’s release. Mr J. G. Allan, who is acting for the committee, will, we understand, wait for their instructions before taking steps to demand from the Government that the half-caste Hamilton should be at once placed on his trial for perjury ; or, if the Government decline to prosecute, at all events to find Hamilton, and so put the Rangitikci Committee in a position to proceed against him themselves. Very important evidence in Trickers favor may be elicited at this trial. Meanwhile, it is in contemplation to convene a public meeting in Wellington to ascertain the views of the general public on this matter, and if, as is commonly supposed, they are in favor of Tricker’s release, to ask them to express their opinions to that effect, and to assist the Rangitikci Committee in their efforts. It is also intended that, if it should be found impossible to find Hamilton, to refer the whole matter to the Queen of England. A passenger in the William Cargill to Napier, brought out with him an invention for flax dressing, patented in France ; and it has been proved by actual experiment that flax as now prepared, further treated by this

process, which is not by any means costly, 19 valued at Lls per ton more than before it had gone through it. We, Thnaru Herald, regret much to learn that the block put down on Thursday evening was found to be entirely washed away yesterday morning. The block was the first of the upper ones, and the sea somehow got under the protecting box and washed out the cement. The dearth of accommodation in Auckland during the visit of the Flying Squadron was so great that no less than nine people slept under the portico of the Post-office one night. The Southland Times has been informed that the Australian Mutual Provident Society has just invested L 64,000 of its accumulated capital in the purchase of New Zealand debentures, under the Consolidated Loan Application Act, 1807. The investment by subscribers, within the Colony, to the above society arc thus returning to benefit the source whence they sprung. Mr Williamson has been appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands in Auckland. Mr Tole has resigned, but retains the office of Provincial Surveyor, also Deputy-Com-missioner. The Hokitika Eceninr/ Star draws a sad picture of the state of the wharves at Hokitika and Westport. In the latter place, we are told “ that the whole of the public wharves, erected at great cost, have been washed away, and where streets existed only about three years ago, the river now runs. The damage has been, of course, enormous ; and even now, though it had been supposed that the devastation was arrested, the banks of the Duller are still being eaten away. As there, so at Hokitika, and it is hard to say in, either place, where the destruction will end. The Hokitika wharf, though not so utterly destroyed as that of Westport, is rapidly undergoing the same process ; the piles are being -washed out by the scour, the wing dams are either destroyed or so damaged as to be all but useless, whilst on Gibson’s quay, above the baths, hundreds of tons of earth have recently been swept away, and huge hollows have been scooped out, leaving a succession of earthen platforms that must shortly fall, the only tope being that no lives may be lost in their descent. The roadway is being rapidly approached, and it is quite on the cards that it may be washed away, as no preventive measures are taken. The Lyttelton Times of Thursday strongly denounces those Canterbury members who, by supporting Mr Macandrow’s motion to do away with all mail subsidies in favor of a Californian line, are responsible for the present excessively inconvenient arrangements, or rather no arrangements, for the conveyance of the English mail between New Zealand and Melbourne. It also defends Mr Vogel from an alleged attempt to cast the blame upon him. ‘‘lt is asserted more or less publicly, we believe, that Air Vogel, angry at having been thwarted by the Assembly in ids desire to retain the postal subsidies, has, since then, done his best to embarrass the whole affair. Mr Vogel made the late Melbourne contractors certain offers which the hitter declined to accept. These offers were all that Mr Vogel was authorised by the Assembly to make. It is difficult, therefore, to see what more Mr Vogel could have done, unless lie determined to contravene the expressed wish of the Assembly.” The Provincial Government of Canterbury have accepted a tender of 1.57 for keeping the river Avon clear of water-cress during the next twelve months. If that stream were near London, what would not a contractor pay for the privilege ? The Provincial Government of Nelson arc advertising for proposals for the erection of a slip, dry dock, or floating dock, in Nelson harbor, the same to be kept in working order for a term of years. The terms as authorised by the Patent Slip or Dry Dock Act of 1807, as amended by the Floating Dock Act of 1869, are returns guaranteed at 10 per cent, per annum, for ton years, on amount of capital expended on such work not exceeding 1.25,000. An approximate return of ordnance and small arms in store and on issue in the Colony of New Zealand, on the 26th of August, 1869, prepared by Colonel Gorton, gives the following result: —Ordnance, .‘IS, ranging fiom 40-pounder Armstrongs to 3-pounders smooth bore ; rifles, 18,456, 198 of them returned unserviceable ; carbines, 2,793, 128 unserviceable ; revolvers, 858, 19 unserviceable. Out of this number there are 2,559 rifles, 215 carbines, and 90 revolvers, returned as in the hands of native auxiliaries—hut one can scarcely fancy the number to lie correct. No guess is made at the number of our arms that have found their way into the hands of the Han-bans, nor how many of the weapons in possession of the “friendlies” could by called in if required. .Since this return was prepared, a number of Snider rifles have been received.