Untitled

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1201, 19 December 1871, Page 2

At the Thames, a few days Ago, an application \*as made by Margaret Cairns for the temporary transfer of her license for the British Empire, Grahams town to Tararu, on the occasion of some sports. His Worship to applicant: " What is the nature of the sports, do you know?" Applicant- "Yes, your Worship—a horse race and a foot race." His Worship : "I don't think that at any time a few people choose to get up sports that it is necessary to have a canteen in attendance; but it would be very impolite in me to make a.lady the example of a refusal. The application is granted, but jn iuture I shall noi grant these permits on occasions like the present." The Marlborough Express records an inquest which was held on the 7th insL, at the Wooipack Inn, lien wicktown, before H. Williams, Esq., Coroner, and a respectable jury, touching the death of Robert Watson, blacksmith, of that place, whose body had been found in a branch stream of the Wairau River on the previous day. The unfortunate deceased had been missing since the evening of the 28th ult. Messrs. John Slow, Win. Ladd and Donald Monro were severally examined, and from the evidence adduced it would appear that Mr Watson had left home about 5 o'clock on Tuesday morning, on horseback, whilst under the influence of drink, and travelled as far as Whay man's accommodation house, where he had breakfast, and three or four glasses of ale He left the house about halfpast nine or ten o'clock, taking with him half a-pint of brandy. In about 5 minutes he returned, paying he had lost the bottle, and was consequently sup plied with a second half-pint of brandy. The landlord, Mr Wbayman, accompanied him as far as the stopkyard, and having put him on the right track, returned home, since which deceased had not been seen alive. The jury, after a careful consideration of the evidence, returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased, Robert Watson, was found dead in the Wairau River, but by what direct means he came by his death there was no evidence to show.

A late "VVanganui paper says:—-One of the greatest floods seen by Europeans in the Manawatu has taken place. There was heavy rain in the end of last week, but the rain alone would not account for the immense volume of water which has poured along the river swelling far beyond its banks, and deluging an immense quantity of land on either side. The consequences have been very disastrous. The Norwegian settlement has- been all but broken up, and its inhabitants obliged to take shelter in Palmerston. The road from Palmerston to Foxton, formerly a canal of mud, has for the time being become a river in itself. Settlers near the banks of the Manawatu have lost large numbers of cattle and sheep, the carcasses of which are strewed along the sea beach In some instances, we regret to say, even houses have been carried away, leaving their owneis without shelter, and in one instance at least compelling them to take to a canoe to save their lives. These are some of the dangers and difficulties that the pioneers in a new country have to encounter. Altogether die damage done is very serious.

A correspondent, writing from Makara, informs us (Wellington Independent) that on the 6th instant, whilst felling bush for Mrs M'Mannaman, on the very lofty hills between Terawiti and Oloranga, he observed something very like the hull of a vessel floating on the water in the Straits. He did not take any particular notice of it, at the time, but went on with his work, thinking it was a- steamer, although he ibmarked that he could see no smoke. A few minutes afterwards he looked in the same direction foi the object but it disappeared. He afterwards went down to his tent and mentioned the ciicumstance to one of his matesj who said

that Jack, another of the party, had aust mentioned having observed the same object from another part of the hill. From this evidence we are left to draw our own conclusions, as the object is stated to have been too far out at sea to enable any one to say definitely what it was. The day was remarkably clear, although the wind was stiff, from the north-west. The sudden dis appearance of the object seems altogether to have puzzled our correspondent, who also informs us that a good sized boat has drifted ashore between Otoronga and Mr Ashdowns place at Ohon, and suggests that it may be the boat belonging to the Judds'. It has no name on it, nor h there anything about it by which to identify it. The London Spectator quotes from a letter of the Times correspondent in New Zealand, a paragraph, to the effect that " the Colonial Government is in great want of laborers to execute large public works, such as railways and roads, and intends >o offer very good teims, namely, a cheap passage, two years of guaranteed employment upon public works, and a block of land in freehold close to the work to be executed. Should English laborers decline these terms, assistance will be sought in Germany and Scandinavia," and remarks, "We greatly fear that in this country at least the desired supply of men will not be obtained without the addition of a free passage. A navvy can save £lO for himself and for his wife; but a navvy will not go, and an agricultural laborer, *ho will, has not £lO to Vpend. The object of the demand is, we presume to obtain a more respectable class of settler; but it would be better to trust to the judgment of a colonial agent, and allow him to oiler the only terms which attract English laborers at once, namely a free passage for the family, a pound a week for the two years —lower wages than the current rate—and the block of land at the end."

A wash composed of lime, salt, and fine sand of wood ashes, put on in the ordinary way of white-wash, according to an American journal, renders a shingle roof fifty-fold more safe against fire from falling cinders, in case of fire in the vicinity. It pays the expenses a hundred-fold in ite preserving influence against the weather; the older and niore weather beaten the shingles, the more benefit derived, Such shingles are generally more or less warped, rough, and cracked. The application of wash, by washing the upper surface, restores them to their original or firm form, thereby closing the space between the shingles, and the lime and sand, by filling up the cracks, prevent it warping. By the addition of a small quantity of lampblack, the wash may be iuade of the same color as old shingles, and thus the offensive glare of a whitewashed roof may be avoided,

The following, with reference to the London wool sales, is from the News of the World's commercial letter :—The fourth series terminated on October 12. The attendance throughout had been large, and, with light stocks on hand, buyers appeared anxious to make early purchases, and bid with animation. Prices opened at an adxance of Id lo 2d for clean Heece and scoured wool, and on good greasy flocks Id per lb., anything combing or half-bred icalisiiig even higher rates. At the close a further advance was quoted, say 2d to 3d on washed wools. New Zealand, both woshed and greasy, was briskly competed for; some good parcels, both fleece and scoured, sold high, as well as good long stapled light greasy soits. Sydney and Queenstown showed an improvement in quality, and were well competed for. Port Phillip was in good demand, particularly for good well got up scoured sorts ; fine wool was very scarce. South Australian was in small quantity ; low greasy and faulty showed very little alteration in price. For the next spries (November 23rd) the following lots, were booked : Sydney, 18,978 bales; Port Philip, 6315 ;* Adelaide, 1376 ; Van Piemen's Land, 555 ; New Zealand, 5058; and Cape, 19,415; altogether, about 70,000 bales will be available.

The Wellington Independent says ; What are the uses of an athenaeum % We a>k the question because we think the local institutions of the colony should be made to supply the functions

pertaining to a national library as far as possible with the means at command. The first of these duties, we tal?e it, should be the bestowal of a little care to secure and preserve the contemporary history of all parts of the colony by regularly filing the newspapers published in the various provinces. Time was when this source of information, so useful to strangers visiting this city, and to those resident in it, was replenished with a regularity which reflected credit not only on the institution but on those connected with its management, but that time has passed away, and with it have gone the files of newspapers, which always formed a reading reference onq-jes-tipns connected either with topography or chronology of the colony. We are induced to suggest that this good old custom should be revived if possible, for the reason that persons are continually calling at our office to see papers of back dates, and of other provinces, for which it can neither be expected that* we could find space to lay out or time to arrange. We are awai'e that much has been done by the committee of late, but we cannot help remarking upon the late mistake of improving the til oh out of the place altogether. It is not very gratifying to our contemporaries, or to ourselves, to knqw that contributions made to the Athenaeum in the shape of newspaper literature are sold for wastepaper after they get there. An adjourned case of assault came, on for hearing at Blenheim on the Ist inst. Before resuming che hearing the Magistrate, Dr Muller, said he had to state that he had received a letter apparently from the accused, in which reference had been made to the now pending. That he had not read the letter, and, as any attempt to tamper v*ith a Judge or Magistrate during the progress of the case was a very serious offence, he mast call upon Mr O'Mahoney to apologise, or he. should feel it his duly" to commit him for contempt of Court. The letter was then handed by the Bench to the acr ,cused, who expressed his regret if he had done wrong. The defendant had to be reprimanded several times during the hearing of the case, and eventually he was committed for trial at the. next sitting, of the Supreme Court in Marlborough on the charge of a common assault.

The Southern Cross, Dec. 4, says : On Saturday the firing at the first stage, for the Cup presented by his Worship the Mayor, took place at the Rifle Range, Mount Eden. The distanced, were 150 and 200 yards, five shots ac each range. At the former range the bull's eye was 8 inches square, and at 200 yards the bull's-eye was 2 feet by 1 loot- Considering the very heavy .south-westerly wind which was blowing the tiring was remarkably good. There were 32 competitors, whp were divided into two squads, in order to get through the work in a shorter space of time. All those whose aggregate scores at this stage did not amount to 25, will be disqualified from firing in the second stage. In spite of the unpleasant state of the weather, 21 of the competitors qualified themselves for the second stage, having made 25 and over. Corporal Soall, of No. 3 Company, and Corporal Naughton, of the Hobson Company, made the hghest scores, having each made 33 points.

The steamer Baltic, recently built at Belfast at a cost of A 130,000, for the Oceanic Steam Navigation Cora-. panv of Liverpool, is one of the most luxuriously fitted vessels afloat. Her saloon measures 60 feet by 10 feet, and is provided with lounges of crimson velvet, marble mantelpieces and open grates in which coals are burned, an escritoire, and piano. The ladies' boudoir is a gem of taste in pink and white. A. bar-rooom is provided for the thirsty, and for those who are fond of medicine there is a chemist's simp, while the culinary arrangements are described as perfect. The Baltic is on ihe line between Liverpool and New York.

A. correspondent of the Argus w riies as follows ; —As public attention is at present exercised on the question of alum in bread, the following extract, containing an opinion of the greatest analyst of modern times, may not be uninteresting to your readers. A long letter in the Scotchman, subscribed an

<" An Old Traveller," and dated Munich, July 25, 1854, is thus concluded:—"l have visited Professor Lie beg, and seen his admirable lecture room and laboratory—models for imitation in other countries. He told me that in England the bakers use a great .quantity of alum in making bread. It is employed to make the bread white, inoist,.and soft. It acts by coagulating the gluten of wheat, but it is deleterious in its effects. He ha.s discovered that -•water saturated v/ith lime produces the ; same whiteness in bread, the same softness, and the same capacity to retain while the lime removes all the acidity from the dough, and supplies an element needed in the structure of bones, which is deficient in wheat, and still more so in rye. I ate bread made of it in his house and it was excellent. He uses 51bs of water saturated with lime, to lOlbs of flour. No other change is necessary in the process of baking. Th eli m e coagulat es the gluten as effectually as alum does. The bread weighs well, and the bakers consequently approve of it. He allowed me to report the discovery at discretion." j