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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2528, 24 March 1871, Page 2

The Governor. His Excellency took liis departure at half-past two o’clock this afternoon, and proceeds overland to Christchurch hy way of Oamaru and Timam. Ho wid reach Oamaru on Monday. .International. —Mr Henry Driver of this city has been appointed Consul for the Hawaiian Islands. The Races,— Amongst the inevitable omissions in our account of yesterday’s racing was the fact that Mr Robert Murray of Rattray street provided the lunch for his Excellency the Governor, and the wines were supplied by Messrs Couzen and Scoti, the contractors for the Grand Stand booth. Both were pronounced excellent by those who partook of them. Princess Theatre. —The “ Lancashire Lass ” last night attracted the largest audience of the week. The performers now bring well up in their business the drama throughout plays much closer and with better effect than on the first night of representation. “The party by the name of Johnson ” increases in public favor, and is indeed a character that no playgoer should to omit to see—once at least. The drama will be repeated this evening, and to judge from the reception of yesterday we should say for many nights to come. Electro-Biology.— Captain Wilson gave li'S second seance at the Masonic Hall last evening to a tolerably fair audience. The lecture, embodying a history of mesmerism, was listened to with great attention, and was rendered additionally important by his exposition of the possible practical application of this science to the future cure of disease. The experiments which followed the lecture were very successful, and the grotesque conduct of subjects in the cataliptic state created great amusement among the audience. This evening the Captain will deliver a lecture upon Clairvoyance, and the experiments, which promise to be in the highest degree interesting, will be illustrative of the subject. Narrow Escape.—On the evening of St. Patrick’s Bay, an old man of the name of Curtis, who lives by himself on the west side of the Tuapeka river, distant about one and a-half mile from Lawrence, whilst wending his way home after milking his aoats, stumbled into one of those little gutters cut round the mouth of a shaft to prevent its being Hooded by surface water. When be stumbled he naturally put forth his left hand to break his fall, but ere he had time to recover himself he went headlong down the hole, the depth of which was 2tift. there being about llift. of water in it. He immediately came to the surface, and avain disappeared under the water and came up again, This time he got his hack firmly on one side and his feet on the other, and managed to wriggle himself clear of the water and hy means of the notches in the shaft. Mr Thomson’s Hydraulic Engine. - We had the pleasure of witnessing the working of Mr Thomson’s working model of an engine for lifting water from rivers. He docs not claim it as an original invention, although it is an original application of a known principle. It is so simple in construction that any carpenter or wright would be

able to make it ; so light that any digger would be able to carry a powerful engine on his back. Two arms cross each other at right angles, to the extremities of each of winch floats are attached, at an angle of 20 degrees from the plane of the circle. These are immersed in the water and the action of the current causes them to revolve at a speed proportioned to its velocity. They are attached by a pin to an eccentric, which works a forcing pump, and water can consequently be raised to any required height, provided the hose or other pipes can sustain the pressure. As a criterion of what may be accomplished, we may state that Mr Thomson estimates that with a diameter of 8 feet, floats measuring 40 superficial feet (10 feet each) and a current running at the rate ot four miles an hour a power equal to 12 horses can be obtained. Mr Thomson claims no patent right, and everyone is free to use the advantage—a gift that many will find much to their advantage.

The electors of Cuver.shani will be addressed this evening at Air Hayes’s Store, Kensington, by Mr J3an\foril, at and by Mr tire immediately afterwards.

We have been requested to call attention to an advertisement, which appears in another column, relating to the New Zealand Government Life Insurance and Annuities. The advantageous terms offered by the Government, and which are embodied in the advertisement, render its perusal we 1 worthy the consideration of intending assurers or purchasers of annuities.