INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IV, Issue 264, 21 September 1867, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

The Daily Times says: — A lunatic in ' the Asylunv, at Auckland has committed i iuicide by cutting his throat with a broken pane of glass, in a most determined manner, during a violent fit of insanity. „-.... Several of the large mining companies ( At the Blue Spur, Tuapeka, says the %Bntcc Herald, have lately washed up with highly satisfactory results. The present position and future prospects of mining undertakings, on the Spur are extremely .good,. arid all interested confidently anti-, ■cipate a most prosperous summer. Morrison and Co. have finished washing up, and the yield of gold from their upper race was the best that they have ever had; the return . obtained from the lower race was poor, and owing to the heavy expenses incurred in cutting a new race, and opening out a new face, did not cover expenses. Livingstone and Co. have cleaned up the whole of their races, and obtained a lar^e quantity of "gold; the yield from their lower race was particularly good, as that had not been washed up for more than five months. The Blue Spur Company sometime ago fired a charge of upwards of ia ton of bad powder which proved a failure, and more recently they fired ablast with the best powder, which answered admirably, and they are busy washing, =and have plenty of loose cement on hand. The Perseverance Company fired a charge, .•of. 18001bs of powder on the 29th, with good, effect. Capture of ax Illicit Still near Ranqioka. — From information received a few days since, the police had reason to believe that illicit distillation on a large scale was being carried on not a hundred miles from Rangiora. With characteristic and laudable promptitude Mr Inspector fender with three other members of our police force, all in plaiu clothes, proceeded to reconnoitre the premises. They kept watch and ward all night, which, considering it was bitterly cold, speaks wonders for the. zeal of our police, and if their teeth chattered somewhat, it may readily bo conceived it was the cold wind and not from fear, though they were only four, «nd they knew not what might be the number of the ferocious gang they were seeking to capture. The locale was a very likely one for the purpose of the nefarious trade, and from the space enclosed with cob walls ; no doubt a large quantity of whisky was manufacturtd. The moonlight night made it favorable ior watching, but nothing suspicious was heard or seen, and the patience of our •worthy police was fast waning, not to •speak of their being positively bluo with •cold. But just as dawn began to streak in the east, an incident occurred that jawoke all their vigilance. A ferociousJooking fellow (we hear since that his name is Little Dan) was seen to go towards the building, and disappeared •through a door, while soon after an <unmistakeable smell of distillers' "wash" was perceived. Now ivas the time for action, and Mr Inspector Pender was fully, equal to the emergency. Advancing rwith determined steps, he and his three •comrades boldly marched up to the door. Lifting the latch, it opeued and revealed -the whole manufacture. Two of the gang aveje at work, and were just concluding what was technically called the "wash," ■preparatory to distilling the whisky. The police tried to capture the man " Little ■$? -©an," he being evidently the arch mover A- dn the nefarious business ; but we understand he eluded them by hiding in a heap . of malt that lay stored in suiother part of the building. They, however, took possession of the afore-mentioned "wash" in the Queen's name, also the still, which 'js on a new principle. Mr Detective Feast asked the Inspector if he didn't think it was ?, curious sort of still. The Inspector agreed that it was of an unusual •.- ;sort, and no. doubt was the latest improvement, and he thought they might congratulate themselves that they had ferreted out the most cunning and wholesale ksystem of -fraudulent manufacture ever before heard of the colony. At this stage of the proceedings, leaving one of their number armed to the teeth with a brace ri)f pistols, rattle, and two life-presorvers, with instructions to shoot any of the gang /who offered resistance, the remaining three proceeded to the Lion Hotel, to refresh the inner man, which they sorely required after their arduous night's work. At this stage of the proceedings, our informant left, but we have since learnt Y"fchat there is a slight mistake on the part *f the police. The man " Little Dan," it ,appears, on the departure of the three •policemen, came forth from his hiding- , «place, though he was near bolting again when he saw the constable in possession, who, mindful of his instructions, proceeded to point a pistol at his head with •one hand, while he sounded the rattle twith the other. The man Little Dan, however, did not run away, in fact, as he lexplained after,, he was so " took all of a heap that he couldn't." It appears the simple-minded man had taken the four members of our worthy police force for burglars, and had hid himself accordingly. He now earnestly assured his visitors that far from doing anything to defraud her -Gracious .Majesty the Queen, the manufacture that had raised their suspicions was simply that of beer. That the maichine they had seized was not an improved still, but was in fact a frigerator (refri.gerator ?) for cooling the worts. The building in fine was only a brewery. We must say in justice to our police, that no m«m could be more ready to express their .regret for the little mistake they had made, and they joined heartily in the suggestion of Little Dan that they should '.' -drown all ill-feeling in a tankard of the . best brew on the premises. After doing justice to the tap, Little Dan produced a •square bottle of real old Scotch whisky, which he slily remarked he could recommend, though it was not Rangiora manuiacture. When our reporter left, they were all on the best of terms together. — Jjyttelton Times. . Salmon Ponds. — The hatchingponds, for the ova of salmon, troXit, and other fish that may be obtainable, erected under the superintendence of F. Huddle-' «ton, Esq., Secretary of the Acclimatisation Society, in the rear of the Government Buildings, are now complete, and appear' as if they would answer well, the ' .only matter of doubt being whether, from • the shallowness of the ponds, the water -contained in them will not be too warm. At present the supply of water is but scanty, being drawn from'Campbell's milllead, and the object of laying it on was simply to test the wortdng of the ponds. As soon as the water-works' main is laid ■down, the supply of water may be increased to any extent, and as it will come direct in pipes from a gorge where, even

in summer, the temperature is little influenced by the season, the temperature of the water in the ponds may always be kept low, so that we hope they, will be found to answer. It is too late this season to obtain ova from Tasmania, but v?e expect to be fully prepared to make the experiment next year of introducing those valuable fish into the rivers of our province. — Examiner. A Mr Angevstein has, it appears from the Christchurch papers, been lecturing in that city upon "Petroleum." The Press says : — " Mr Angerstein contanded that the sub-stratum of New Zealand was of a coral formation, from which, under peculiar circumstances, which he asserted existed in the case of the Canterbury plains, petroleum was formed. He had no doubt but that if borings were, made to a sufficient depth, petroleum would be found. He contended, also, and gave his experiences in different parts of the world, that gold and several other minerals would be found by sinking. Coal also, he was sure, existed at a greater or less depth, and that the obstacles offered by the streams from which the present artesian wells were fed could be overcome by simple machinery. He thought that the cost of sinking a well of a depth sufficient to test whether petroleum really existed or not would be about Ll2O. Several questions were put to the lecturer by Mr St. Queutin and Mr Hart, in reply to which Mr Angerstein stated that he was prepared to analyse the watei from any of the artesian wells in Christchurch, and to prove that petroleum was to be found in it. It was decided that Mr St. Quentin should furnish Mr Angerstein with water from several wells for his. analysis, the meeting pledging itself to support Mr Angerstein in sinking a well, provided that his statements should be borne out by facts. The meeting, after having passed a vote of thanks to the lecturer, separated."