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Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2608, 27 June 1871, Page 2

Appointment. —Mr Edward Dobson, late Provincial Engineer of • anterbury, and, for the last eighteen months, engineer to the Melbourne and Hobson’s Bay Railway Company, during Mr Els lon’s absence, has been appointed Engineer of Water Supply, by the Victorian Government.

Mail Contract. —We learn, says the Post, that the tenders for the performance of the steam mail service between the Manakau aud Pictou, calling at Taranaki and Nelson, has been opened, and that the New Zealand Steam Shipping Company have obtained the contract.

Clan Campbell. The representatives of the clan Campbell, in Australia and Now Zealand, will be glad to hear that it has been decided to defer the bresentation of the clan’s wedding gift to the Princess Louise until August next, in order that the members of the clan in the most distant colonies may join in this expression of welcome to the bride of their future chief. Female Prospectus. —The Southern Cross tells as that four ladies, three married and one single, the latter of whom was formerly a barmaid of the Royal Hotel, Trunkey Creek, shouldered tools, aud went out recently on a gold mining excursion. They found a reef, sunk a shaft ten feet, ami took out a ton of quartz, which is now lying at the Helmore machine to be crushed at the first opportunity. The Thames Goldfields. — Telegraphic intelligence reports mining matters at the Thames to be of a very encouraging character; while private letters state that business is much depressed, in consequence of numerous forgeries of scrip coming to light. The latest case of forgery is that of a mining manager who forged the signature of a local merchant, and afterwards sold no less than LI7OO worth of scrip bearing the forged name, and the forger is stated to have got clear off. The effect has been wbol -some, for it has made intending purchasers of scrip exceedingly cautious. Social Gathering. —Late Southland papers contain lengthy reports of the social gathering at Invercargill, to welcomo the Bishop of Dunedin. In the course of his speech his Lordship is reported to have referred to the subject of church services as follows :—He had searched the scriptures in vain to find that praise badly conducted was more acceptable to God than when the human voice and its accompaniments were properly trained and cultivated. Ip the home country, this branch of public worship had of late received much more attention than it had hitherto done, and certain examples in point were related in connection wuh the congregation with which the rev. gentleman had been associated. In concluding, he paid an eloquent tribute to the paramount importance of praise in the services of the church. To some extent he said that prayer partook of the characteristics of a selfish principle in their adoration of the supreme power. It was a supplication for beneficent goodness necessary to sustain them throughout their earthly pilgrimage, aud with this life their prayers would cease. Not so with the praises which extolled the goodness of an omniscient God. They were tho expressions of a heartfelt gratitude that would survive this life, and that would only be perfected when they entered the sacred portals of an endless eternity.

Calculating Machine.—A couple of months ago we gave an account of a machine for registering weights, invented by aMr Stephen Roff, of Grcymoutb. The inventor took a model to Melbourne, where his invention was succcsfully tried. It may be briefly stated as follows:—The model consists of a small boat made of iron, 4 feet in length by 14 inches in breadth, and 10 inches in depth. In this is fixed perpendicularly a small tube or barrel about 2£ inches ir diameter at the bottom, aud gradually tapering towards the end to a diameter of lj] inches. At the top is placed a dial marked after the manner of a steam guage or clock face, with a hand which points according to the weight placed in the boat. Experiments were made to show the practicability of the invention. Weights were placed in the boat amounting to 501b., and as each weight was put iu the hand on the dial moved to the figures represent ng the actual weight in the boat. The experiments, so far as the model was concerned, proved the success of the invention ; but its application on a larger scale still remains to be tested. This invention, if successfully carried out, is expected to do away altogether with the necessity of weighing cargo on scales ip fihe leading and unloading of vessels. This machine yroy.li). be fixed in a vessel, and as any additional weight was’ put on hoard it would be registered on the diaf. Another valuable use to which this hivem tiou could be turned would be to indicate the leakage in vessels. Should any vessel spring a leak, with one of these self-register-ing machines on hoard, the weight of tho water entering would be indicated on the dial. Ross lias received L 2500 for a fourth share iu the invention.

Messrs, Harris and Hewitt, champion pedestrians, take a benefit to-morrow (Wednesday) evening, at the Princess theatre, Miss Adelaide Bowring, Mr, J, B-

Steele, and several gentlemen amateurs yo lunteer their services, and as the champion winners have not been very courteously treated by the powers that be, we hope that the public of Dunedin will reward them with a full house, Mons. Floury, as usual, promises his assistance iu the orchestra, aud altogether a good bill is provided. A public meeting of the Dunedin Abstainers Union will be held in the Congregational Hall, Moray Place, to-morrow (Wednesday) evening, at 8 o’clock, when readings, recitations and songs wi 1 be given.