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Evening Star, Issue 3125, 24 February 1873, Page 2

According to the Lyttelton Times Chiarini’s Circus Company took over L 3,000 in Christchurch, as the gros-i proceeds of twelve pirfonnances there. The company played for fifteen nights iu Auckland, and the proceeds in that cPy fell L4OO short of the sum taken in Christchurch.

We commend the following to the police authorities A correspondent of the Ballarat Courier is of opinion that the plan adopted by the police of being on duty in pla : n clothes, Las struck such terror into the juvenile mind, that a crowd of boys on mischief bent seems now a thing of the past. He states that where street corners used to be resorted to after nightfall, any £■ male may now pass unheeded and without insult. At about half-past seven o’clock yesterday morning, Haley, one of too Auckland gang, who has for time past, owing to illhealth. been employe I as clerk at the gaol, attempted an esc pe. It appears that at the time stated the warder gave him permission to shake the two office-mats on the step of the front d >or ; and while so engaged he turned round and throw some popper, which he had concealed under the m it, into the eyes of Warder Hagau, who was on duty at the gate, and then ran over the road, the warder following in hot pursuit. Haley only succeeded in getting as far as the junction of Cumberland and Stuart streets before he was apprehended. A mau named Orbell, who was coming along the street at the time, coming to the warder’s assist ince, Haley was immediately re-conveyed to the gaol,

Describing the circumstances attending the arrest of Franks, the man who lired a pistol at his Wife in Chalmers’ Church, Hobart Town, the Mercury states, that ‘.‘on Wednesday morning Detective Simpson and Constables Hidge and Duggan went to a German’s house in Macquarie street, where they had ascertained Franks was. The German denied that he was in the house, but Detective Simpson having set the other members of the force lo watch, entered, and after a little search found Franks in a room writing a letter to the edit- r of the Mercury , in which, referring to what appeared in a former issue of that piper, about his at-empt, he ex pressed his surprise that people c-uld tell So many lies, evidently intending to conclude by denying the attempt on his wife’s ILe He wanted to finish the letter, but was told that ho Guild do so at the station, to which place he was taken. In the room a sixbarrelled revolver was fo mil, with one chain her empty, and the rest loaded with hall similar to that found in the church. s ome percussion caps were also found cormpomling with the one Franks used. Franks was brought up at the Police Court on Wedncs day, charged with feloniously shooting at his wife with intent to kill and rnurde-, and was remanded, lie is a resp ctablc-koking man, thirty eight years of age, but has the appearance of being much younger. While in the dock the flashing of his eyes left an impression that ho was either suffering a good deal from nervousness or mental derangeme.it.”

“Save me from my friends!” Mr Reid will have to cry. Rarely two years ago, he was the pet of the Provincial Press ; now one journal after the other condemns him j indeed, the Bruce Herald alone can be found to say a good word for h:s policy. Ihe Mount Ida Chronicle fears we shall be again saddled with an agragnau Executive, which has always been the opponent of goldlields’ interests, and urges that before Mr Reid returns to office, the constitution of the Wa to Land Board should be altered so as to include a'due representation of the goldfields, in fact, that it should be an elective body, no member of the Government, other than the Chief Commissioner, being qualified for election. “ We cannot conceal,” observes our contemporary, “ from ourselves, that it was Mr Reid, the agricultural party’s idol, that first negotiated the sale at Maevewhcnua, which, after much anxiety and expense, was fortunately arrested. It was Mr Kcid who stated, on examination in Committee, that he was in favor of selling large blocks at a nett result of Ills per acre. Low, there are no large blocks available that are nob more or Those that are not—that are purely agricultural-—Mr Reid would be the very'last man to throw open, otherwise than in sections ; else what would the I ajeri farmers say? Mr Reid has seen clearly enough that large areas of poor land are actually lying waste and not knowing how valuable these blocks are for outlets for mining. sees no reason why they should not be realised upon. It is Mr Roid’s ignorance, not hia honesty, that we impugn ; and this Waste Laud Board legally constituted, will be a weapon in his bands capable of dealing deadly blows to the best interests of the goldfields. In a late issue we stated that a public meeting had been held in Chnstclmrch tor the purpose of urging on the -Government the necessity of completing the railway to the Mgdyerii Hilts, in order to utilise the coal deposits known to exist jri Uia.t iQca.ity. A coneapoudeut of the J/yflcKull J lihcj gives, the following unsatisfactory account of the quality of the coal iu question Having procure tae Malvern district,

I carried them to a common IG-inch firegrate, set in the ordinary manner. I first [diced seme paper in the bottom of the grate, afterwards a few chips ou the top of the paper, and filling up the grate wit!>i a samp e, 1 set lire to the mass, and the operation was complete. There was very little difference in the burning of any of. the samples, and what is said of one applies to all. If you will call the stuff operated upon Ihjmfe; why, I say as lignite the samples were pretty good ; but, if yon insist on calling it coal, ftbey were, ns coal—rubbish. It has a villainous odour, collapses on the least application of the poker, has poor heating powers, and, in short, 1 would sooner pay double its price and stick to Newcastle coal. Another correspondent of the same journal, in replying to the above, saysln January, 1871, I purchased from a person in the H.vorata district 21 cwt. of coal from this particular part of the Malvern Hills, agreeing to pay the same pricj per cwc. as I would purchase Sydney Newcastle coal at the railway station, which at that date was 40s per ton. This quantity of coal I carefully tested against a similar quantity of Newcastle coal, with an eight-horse engine, having a full-sized Coruhh boiler, and 1 found, as Mr Bird st ites, that it bad rather a shaley appearance; but by admixing a certain quantity of water before putting it in the funmeo, I found in a short time it caked together, similar to the smal coal used by hlackMniths in their forges. 1 found it to bo a much more rapid generator of steam than Sydney coal, but it showed a deficiency a? regards its sustaining power. It had. however, this great advantage over the Sydney coal, that it did not create any thing like the quantity i f soot, which speaks greatly in its favor as fuel for multitubular boilers. The ashes were very free fr< in clinkers, which at all times prove very destructive to fire bars.

The attention of tho representative Volunteers is directed to a general order in another column, in which is notified the date of sail ing of the steamer which will convey them to Nelson,