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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1413, 28 August 1872, Page 2

We learn from our files that a lecture whs delivered on the 21st ihst., l»y Mr John Mason, in Mr Bucklani's store, Auckland, upon a new process for cleanmg wool, lately patented in London, and of which Mr Mason is agent for the colonic*. After reading a document from the patentees enlarging upon the benefits derived from this new discovery, and the profits to be gained irom its adoption by any company, he proceeded to explain the method by which the wool was cleaned, omitting only the name of the liquid. Mr Mason commenced by washing a small piece ot wool in some clean water, to take off the dirt, and after wringing it as dry as possible placed it in a glass containing the liquid, allowing it to remain for about tlnee minutes, when he took the wool from the liquid and dried it thoroughly, the wool coming out a beautiful white color. Mr Mason said that thegivMse was not lost by this process, but could be recovered by distil la tion. He stated that it was Ips intention to form a wool-washing company, if possible. The plant would cost something like £15,000, but the profit to be gained would be wxy great. Mr Mason intends, on some future oocasion, to try his experiment on a larger scale, public notice of which will be given, when he expects to have a large number of farmers present. He will then try to establish a company lor the purpose of cleaning wool under this new patented process.

The Superintendents of and Canterbury have proclaimed "Victoria, New South Wale*, Queensland, So-ith Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, infected districts under the Dis eased Cattle Act.

The appointment of Mr 11. P. Barber .as commercial agent for the United States, at Auckland, lias been recognised provisionally by the Governor. The following telegram from luvercar;a;ill appears in the Daily Times of August 10 : —The schooner Awarua, with Mr Brunton's prospecting party, under the command of JVlr Tlieophilus Daniel, M.P.C., has just returned from the Bl"ff, from a trip of six weeks' duration to the west coast of the province. The party were in search of minerals, and bring back eight tons of splendid specimens of tin and copper ores, taken from several localities from leads conducting to the main reefs."

The Evening Post hears that some important change? are likely to be made in naval affairs on the Australian station. The squadron is to be increased to ten vessels, the Narcissus (a 5.0-gun frigate of the Sutlej class), now undergoing an overhaul at home, to be riagyhip. The command will be assumed by Admiral Campbell, who recently took the Flying Squadron from the Cape of Good Hope lo England. Commodore Stirling is to receive an appointment in the Pacific.

The laic fire at Timaru (an account of which appeared in oui columns at the time) started under an open shed at one end of the building, and strong suspicion points it to be the work of a drunkard, who, probably Ut his pine and hi.-? straw bed at the, same f}h;ue»

We no)ice the following in the Southern Cross report of the meeting of the Auckland Institue on the 19th f ns t :—-The next paper was by Mr William Lodder, Marine Engineer, and was read by Mr James Stewart, C.E. The paper was upon the performance of the compound engines on board ihe s.s Star of the South. The paper detailed at some length the nature of the alterations made upon the engines in compounding them, and the advantages obtained by the change. In the course of the paper it was shown that the down passage from Auckland to Napier was accomplished, both before and after the compounding of the engines, in 12 per cent less time than the upvoyage. —In the discussion that ensued, Mr Stewart stated that lie thought the longer time occupied in coming up from Napier might be accounted for from the fact that when vessels were going from Auckland to Napier the voyages were made direct, but on coming up they all went round by the Thames. The delay caused by that diversion accounted he thought for all the 12 per cent, mentioned. - -The President remarked that the compounding of the marine engines was no new principle in the science of steam: it was merely one of those many details which had been found in practice to be advantageous. The advantages, so far a= be was aware, had been very considerable in every ease where the adaptation had been made. The alteration had been first made in Auckland in the Star of the South, but he hoped that other steamers would adopt the same method, which had been found so highly successful in the only local application that had been made.

The European Mail, June H, states that there is a good demand for New Zealand hemp in the English market.

One of the lions at the Zoological Gardens, London, died on May 3.5, at the ripe old age of 23 years.

Some silk sent from Adelaide- has been valued in London, at t.rom 5s to Cs per I.U.

The following t ole gram from Tauranga appears in the Auckland Evening Star, dated August 19:—A seam* of combustible lignite, a chain wide, hasjust been discovered in Tauranga harbor by Messrs Marshall and Qm'nn. They have brought in about a hundred, weight of the stuff as a specimen. The block is throe feet long. It is lieved here that a tine coal bed exists m< our midst. > • ; • /;

No less than 8,00.0 sheep (says the Bruce Herald) are now weekly being; potted or boiled down by the New Zealand Meat Company, at their thret* establishments at Long-bush ami K*kali ui in this Province, and at the Washdyke, near Timaru, each establishment, going through from 400- to 500 every day; and but tor the shortness supply of tinsmiths to pot tho meat a much larger quantity still would bemanipulated upon. Presuming that theestablishment at Green Island consumes., an equal number of sheep,, the yearlyconsumption of the three would represent 416,000 sheep, or onesixth of our total stock.

The Evening Post, August 9j says r —The return of impoits and exports, for the year 1871 presents some curious, feature*. We are not yet so«siu:e of thetruth of Mr McLean's much vaulted " peace with the natives " that we can* afford to do. without arms and ammunition, and we have expended about; £20,000 under that head;. £65,000 in candles is a heavy item., as is £120,000. for coals. The hardy Orcadians who, are to settle upon. Stewart's Island ought to make a prolitable industry of." h\h-curing, for ,£23,000 left the-country-for fish of one sort or another: Young ladies may be glad to know that we imported 296 cwt. of hair, and £l7 worth, of curiosities. Perhaps a few ultraabsurd chignons, aie classed under the? latter head.

" Atticus," in the Melbourne Leader,, writes thus :. —" Give me a shilling to<> get something, to eat." So I was addressed the other day by a vinous individual who hid on.ce known betterdays. Not once, b.ut frequently did he make this request of me, and several of' my acquaintances. He hung about our haunt*, and ever,, like Poe's, raven,. croaked the one refrain—always something to eat. Haw is it loafers of this. class, can, always obtain a plentiful. supply of 'liquor, but are unable-to find, anyone who will pay for a meal? It. must be the senseless plan of everybody taking-everybody to have a drink when? ever they meet, whether theywdiititor not. How ridiculous it would seem if" instead of " Have a drink," the query, was " Have a chap." "Thank you, : , I've had one." "Well, never mind, have another" Human naturecould not stand this sort of thiug, and it does seem, extraordinary that the substitution of liquids for solids should prevent us seeing the utter absurdity of: this indiscriminate system of " shouting" which still prevails, and; nowhere woise than upon the flags of Collins--stveet.

We take the following; from, the-Syd-ney Mail:—A gentleman* of high, scientific attainments and close observation, has recently, on his return from* the country, left with us a specimen, of. wood which may not be inappropriately: termed "the Picture Pine" The-wood: of this tree, when cut transversely* exhibits a sort of outline view resembling; the landscape in the midst of which it it grows. The example we have beforeus presents a really beautiful delineation of scenery—said to be like the neighborhood of the towering spires of the " Warnuni bungles," with a moredistant view of a mountain, the nodoubt equally euphonious name of which is at present unknown. Many of our English-horn readers will probably recollect how they used, when children, to show "King Charles' Oak," by making a cross section of the root of the common fern. Some persons have facetiously Kuggested that an enthusiastic geologist might possibly he led to. suppose this curious specimen of timber also shows a vertical section of theu crust of the eai th." Without endorsing such an idea, it must be freely conceded that the section of this " picture, pine" is. sufficiently extiaordinary. It is admirably adapted, for picturefry me^..

A contemporary says :—lngpen, who was recently convicted at Invercargill for the embezzlement of Government moneys, held the offices of Clerk to the Benchj Registrar of the Supreme Court, Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriage*, and Returning Officer for Invercargill and Mataura. He was also Trustee of the Court of Law Trust Fund. Yeu though so overburdened with offices, it was stated in evidence by the Resident Magistrate and by the Collector of diatoms that Tngpen was not a man of average capacity in business, and that he was dull at accounts. The question arises how do such men get into Government offices 1 The question is worth investigation. The New South "Wales Assembly ha.* refused to abolish the gold export duty.