Untitled

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2143, 19 March 1870, Page 2

Supreme Court. —The trial of the case Harropv. CToker terminated last evening, the jury finding for the plaintiff on nearly all the issues. The Cvnodrome. This amusing place of entertainment is, as it deserves to bo, crowded with spectators every evening. To parents desirous of giving their little ones a treat, we can most cordially recommend a vidt there. The Crops.—The dry windy weather of the past week has enabled farmers to progress rapidly towards a finish of the harvest operations. A competent authority has stated to us that the probable loss of grain by the wind and bad weather in the district will be from3o,ooo to 50,000 bushels.— Bruce Standard. Cricket.—Two matches were played on the South Recreation Ground to-day. In that between the first eleven U.C.G. and the first eleven of the Citizens’ C.C., with Headley, the former had made 80, with a wicket to fall. In the match between the second eleven of the D.G.C. and an eleven chosen from the Albion and Citizens’ Clubs, the latter mafic 39. Political.—The resignation of Mr Donald Hankinson, member for Riverton in the General Assembly, is announced. Mr M'Gillivray, a member of the Provincial Council of Southland, is a candidate for the vacant seat, and it is thought he will be returned unopposed. Mutual Improvement Society. Last evening a number of gentlemen met in the drill shed of the North Dunedin Rifle Volunteers for the purpose of forming a Musical and Mutual Improvement Association. Mr Copeland was called to the chair, and the following gentlemen were elected as office bearers ;—His Worship the Mayor, President ; Mr J. Copeland, Vice-President ; Mr Less, Treasurer; and Mr A. Fraser, Hon. Secretary ; Working Committee, Messrs Atki> son, Hume, Biin, Hutchinson, Hutton, and Cherri a./ It was resolved that the first of a series m c uicr-rts under the auspices of the society take place on 18th April ; the proceeds of the concerts to be devoted to improving the drill shed. Scveial other minor resolutions were passed, and the committee were requested to meet on Friday, 25th inst. to report progress. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman.

The Circus.—Wo were glad to see a fair house at the Princess Theatre last evening, to witness the splendid riding and acrobatic feats exhibited there. Of necessity there must be much similarity in all exhibitions of this character, but they never tii-c. The docility of the horses, the daring of the riders, who, standing or sitting on the animals, arc compelled to adopt graceful and classic attitudes, or to fall, have charms for all who can really admire the beautiful in art, while the perfect self-confidence and ease with which every change of position is made disarm all apprehension for the safety of the performers. The feats on the tightrope, with and without the balancing-pole, were executed in a masterly style, and the tumbling is of a very superior order. Nor should wo forget the songs, recitations, and witticisms of the Clown, who gives his audience credit for some taste in literature, and for being able to comprehend quips and quirks of a higher character than the buffoonery which suited village clowns at home. It would not do perhaps altogether to discard the drollery connected with the long ■whip, for from time, immemorial we have been accustomed to it ; but the hearty laughter that followed some of the best literary jokes last night showed that we live in an age when intellectual grotesquerie is understood and appreciated. Wo commend the Circus to those who really wish to spend an enjoyable evening.

Acclimatisation.— At the meeting of the Southland Society on the 11th hist, the Secretary read a letter from Mr You], of Loudon, acknowledging the receipt of the remittance for the purpose of getting a shipment of ova from the Clyde. Mr Youl was strongly of opinion that the season was then {December) too far advanced to give tire experiment a fair chancy and advised delay till the next spawning. He also suggested that the Society should endeavor to obtain some at least of the ova from the StormontHeld Ponds, on the Tay, hut implied that that would require considerable influence, as lie had never been able to obtain any from that quarter, although frequently getting most valuable assistance from the managers in other ways. Mr Galbraith, of the shipping linn, (Patrick Henderson and Co , Glasgow, had also written, expressing the willingness of his firm to assist the Society as far as possible in the transit of the eggs, and also advising delay tid next season. The subject of getting a supply from 'Tasmania, supposing the salmon experiment there to have been successful, by contributing to the expense of discovering the spawning beds in the upper waters of the rivers in which the lieh are believed to exist, was also discussed ; but it was generally thought preferable to go to a certain, instead of a doubtful, source of supply. In the meantime, the etary was instructed to communicate with the .Superintendent of Otago, to ascertain whether that Province w;is disposed to join this society in the proposed shipment from the Clyde.

Mu. IfITZOEUALi).—The Wellington correspondent of the Oamarn Times gives it as an on il>f that Mr Fitzgerald’s real motive for visiting England is to obtain a colonial governorship, and that he believes that he has such claims on the Imperial Government as to justify the hope that he will succeed. I for one shall be sorry to see him permanently settled out of the Colony, for our sake, not his ; hecjmso wo cannot spare any of the few men of his stamp that we possess.

Fire.— The Balclutha correspondent of the Brace Standard, writing under date the 17th ihst., says : —lt is my unfortunate duty this week to chronicle one of the most distressing occurrences that has ever taken place in tills district—-the total destruction by fire of all tho crop belonging to Mr John M‘Neill, after being gathered into the barnyard. This morning, about two o’clock, lire was discovered to have caught hold of one of the stacks, which spread with such rapidity as to frustrate all the efforts of those present to save anything within its reach ; and, consequently, all the stacks, together with stable, out-houses, reaping-machine, chaff-

cutter, &o , were consumed. It was with great difficulty the horses, which were in the stable at the time, were saved. One sow was burnt to death. A large barn, newly put up, was saved only by the exertions of those who were present. The loss incurred by such a disaster cannot well be imagined, and the origin of the lire in the meantime remains a mystery. Bruce Election. —It seems to be a foregone conclusion (says the Standard) that Mr J. C. Brown is to walk the course on Monday next, as the representative to the Assembly, in room of Mr J. Cargill, rcsigncii. There was to have been a meeting of electors on Tuesday evening, but it lapsed on account of another important meeting being hold the same evening. Since the proposal to hold the meeting was first spoken of, circumstances have altered. It is now distinctly understood that Mr 1. L. Gillies will not stand, which we much regret; and Mr Cutten has given no sign of his coming forward as a candidate. We are virtually shut up to accept Mr Brown ; and although we fear his oratorical influence may be small in the Assembly, yet he is well known to be an excellent whipper-in. He is exceediagly popular as a representative by the gold fields community ; and as the electors of Bruce in these outnumber those in the agricultural districts, we presume no other man besides Mr J. L. Gillies would stand the ghost of a chance to be returned. If we may accept the assurances of the Tuapeka Times, he will, for one session at least, prove himself worthy of the confidence of the electors. This fact of an agricultural district being swamped in its choice of a representative, by the larger number of electors on the goldfields should suggest the necessity for an alteration in the boundaries of the electoral districts. The nomination takes place here at the Court-house on Monday next, and the election on the following Monday, if required. A Novel Life Baft.—The wonders of the water-plant Victoria rer/ia have often appeared in print, but the following report of an experiment made upon that plant in the Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park, London, almost surpasses our belief. The Land and Water is responsible for the report:—“ Only a traveller’s story ! ” such used to be the reception of many curious and wonderful “ natural history” facts re ated by travellers before the beginning of the present century. The study of Nature was then in its infancy, or, more correctly speaking, illustrations in aid of the study were then few in comparison with those of the present day. The increase of the facilities for travel during the last fifty years has been the means, more than all other items in the progress of civilisation, of making us acquainted with Nature’s work, arid lias also prove*!, in general “traveller’s talcs,” to be true, or at least “founded on fact.” If our grandmothers bad been told that in “outlandish parts of the world” there grew waterlilies with such big leaves that one of them would support herself and her good man sitting comfortably in their easy chairs—“ Ah ! only a traveller’s tale ! ” would have been the answer. But in her days there were nosuch journals as Land and Water, and natural history was then treated almost as a mystery, and not, as now, a popular study. Although we are all familiar with the wonderful tales told by voyagers on the Amazon of the buoyant power of the leaf of Victoria re;iin, now a common and well-known water plant, I have not seen recorded the actual weight supported ; it may therefore interest your readers to mention an experiment made here last week; —A leaf was selected, the worst but one of eight on the plant, as we did not like to destroy the best; it was, however, pretty perfect, only a few holes within six inches of the margin ; dimeter, 5 feet 6 inches. On this leaf I placed a wheel 3 feet 6 inches diameter, with eight spokes made of thin ■wood, and a small footboard, on which I stood and floated “high and dry the wheel was necessary to distribute the pressure over a considerable portion of the surface, the texture of the leaf being exceedingly tender (the footboard did not touch the leaf, but rested on the spokes of the wheel). 1 have no doubt that if the wheel had been of the same diameter as the leaf it would have served as a liferaft for a small family, as the next experiment will show. The wheel and footboard were removed from the leaf and the surface left quite free ; we then gradually spread over the surface shell gravel previously weighed out in lots of half-cwt; basketful after basketful was shovelled on up to 3cwt, when the gardeners standing by would not believe their own eyes, and began feeling under the leaf, thinking there must be some other support than water—but no, the leaf floated quite free ; another 201b, and another, and .•mother, was thrown on, and yet the good all ip remained seaworthy and no signs of foundering; 42Glb called, water began to leak in through the holes ; the excitement, or perhaps the heat of the “ stove ” in which we worked, made ns rather hasty and unsteady in loading cargo, the weight of which was being augmented by the leakage, and an unlucky cast tilted the leaf on one side, the water rushed over, it crumpled up like a sheet of paper and sank in deep water, carrying with it a load of 4361b (besides water). This is the greatest weight I have yet seen a leaf support, and the weight now on the plant may he considered equal to It tons.

Wi; notice that entries for the match on the 23rd inst. arc to be scut in to the Secretary of the Otago Yacht Club on or before Monday next.

The fortnightly meeting of the Commercial Building and Mutual Investment Society, is announced to be held at the olhees, Princes street, on Monday evening, the 21st instant, from six to eight o’clock. Mr Elder will also receive subscriptions, &c., at Port Chalmers ou Monday evening, between six and eight o’clock.