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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 138, 4 September 1863, Page 3

Remarkable Works or Human Labor. —Nineveh was 14 miles long, eight wide, and 4G miles round, with a wall 100 feet high, and thick enough i'ur three chariots abreast. Babylon was 50 miles within the walls, which were 75 feet thick and 100 high, with 100 brazen gates. The temple of Diana, at Ephesus, was 420 feet to the support of the roof. It was 100 years in building. The largest of the pyramids was 421 feet in height, and 950 on the sides. The base covers 11 acres. The stones are about GO feel in length, and the layers of 201. It employed 020,000 men in building. The labyrinth in Egypt contains 500 chambers and 12 halls. Thebes, in Egypt, presents rains 27 miles round, and 100 mites. Carthage was 29 miles round. Athens was 25 miles round, and contained 350,000 citizens and 400,000 slaves. The temple of .Delphos was so rich in donations that it was plundered of 410,000,000, and Xero carried away from it 200 statues. The walls of Ibnne were 15 miles round. Australia v. England.—Rowing Match between Green and Chambers.— This race was contested on Tuesday, the IGth dune. The course was from Putney-bridge to Morllake. Twenty steamers were in attendance. loaded with the friends and backers of the competitors, and thousands of spectators lined the shores. Many of the latter had gone to Putney by railway. Such a concourse of people never before assembled on the banks of the Thames to witness a boat race. Betting for days before was 2 and oto 1 against Green. At live minutes past two o'clock. Green having won the toss for the inside place, a start was effected. Tremendous excitement ensued, as Green led by a clear boat’s length. For the first mile and a quarter the speed was somewhat wonderful, Green rowing three strokes to Chambers’ two. After that distance, Chambers gained ground, passed, and won with perfect ease. Time—Twenty-five minutes; Green’s time, twenty-nine minutes. Green was seized with spasms daring the race. Two doctors had to attend on him on reaching the umpire’s steamer. He feels confident that had it not been for the sudden attack he would have won, and has since challenged Chambers to pull in August for 4200. Chambers has declined to row on the Thames, hut is willing to pull on the Clyde. The race is likely to come off.

Tju; “Sea Seupkxt."—Tho “Great Sea Serpent ” lias again turned up, and appears to be looking abler the African mail steamers, for a letter just received hero, from one of the officers of the Athenian, states “ that all doubt may now be set at rest about the “ Great Sea Serpent.’” “On the 6th May ” says the writer, “ the Athenian, on the passage from Tenerifie to Bathurst, fell in with one. At about 7 n.m., John Chappie, quartermaster at the wheel, saw something floating towards the ship. He called the attention of the Rev. Mr. Smith and another passenger (who was on deck at the time) to it. On nearing the steamer, it was discovered to be a huge snake, about 100 feet long, of a dark brown colour, head and tail put of water, the body slightly under. On its head was something like a mane of seawood, and the body was about the size of our mainmast.”

An Army of Baboons. —The Cape Argus gives this account of rather a perilous adventure As Mr. F, Hugo, of Simon’s iown, went up amongst the mountains in search of a missing dog, he came suddenly upon a troop of large baboons. He had two dogs with him, both of which sprang forward and attacked them. Mr. Hugo, seeing that his dogs were in danger, jumped off his horse, and with stones had a long fight with the animals, which after a while made off. One of the baboons was killed, and discovered to be one of the largest of its species that had ever been seen in the neighborhood.

A Tourist at the Cape.— Mr. Charles Eeed, lately arrived in this colony from New Zealand, has started on horseback to ride through the colony, the Free State, Transvaal, and Natal. He was at Bloemfontein ou the 18th ot April, and had then riddeti 1,100 miles on the same horse.

Further news of slavers in the Pacific has; been received in Sydney. A fine armed barque of 400 tons, with captain and officers of Spanish cut, of various names, and hoisting various colours, was at Sunday Island, to sail thence for Callao on the Ist July. Landed 300 islanders there to recruit, taken from the Duke of York, Clarence, and other islanps. Some were so weak that they wers drowned in the surf whilst landing. Eighty died soon after. Eighty died soon after. Twenty-two Europeans and half-castes were were settled at Sunday Island growing supplies for whalers ; but catching disease from the jieople landed, eight died ; the remainder abandoned the island, and went to Upolu in the schooner Emily, the trader having first seized all their stock. This barque met a trading canoe off Upolu, and took natives and all property out of her, and sent her European owner adrift, without food or water, out of sight of land. But he reached Upolu in two days, The barque is one of a fleet of seven. The islands visited have been nearly depopulated, only very old men and a few women and young children being left; the remainder were driven by force to boats, and all resisting were killed. The barque got under weigh whenever a strange sail appeared. Some of the Islanders would possibly escape by taking to the mountains. This statement is communicated to the Melbourne papers by telegraph from Sydney,

Tiik Loan Mania.— We extract the following remarks from The Press (Canterbury) as being applicable to our >nvn case in Hawke’s Buy —“ There is nothing at any time so papular as extravagance. There is no easier task than to persuade any man or body of men to borrow—nothing more difficult than to persuade them to retrench. That is even the case when the money spent has to be raised out of the scanty earnings of a straggling|peasantry. How arduous has been the task of the last thirty years to curtail the expenditure of England within the limits which the people will consent to bear ; and can we be surprised that here, where the greatest part of our income arises from a sort of God send, from a stream of revenue which flows in from the sales of land without our knowing it,' can we be surprised that any body should be moft popular which proposes to spend most money ? That there will be, a few' years hence, a great reaction is perfectly certain, when others will have to incur the odium of making these reductions in the expenditure which a foreseeing moderation iu the hour of plenty would have rendered unnecessary in the day of adversity. We understand that arrangements are actively progressing for the construction of the line of telegraph through the Island. The posts for the Canterbury portion have been ordered from Tasmania; and the Otago Government, we believe, contemplate a like step. The latter have also sent homo for the wires, insulators and instruments. Some difficulty has been experienced in arranging with Southland the line of route, but this, we believe, has been overcome, and in the course of a few months Otago may hope to be in telegraphic communication with its neighbours on the other side. —Otago Daily Times. Her Majesty continues in good health, and now appears often in public. A splendid specimen of lead ore, weighing SOlbs., has been brought into Nelson by the discoverer, Mr. Sullivan. The Provincial Government have promised to grant him a lease of the district in which the specimens of copper ore were found some time ago, at Wangapeka.