Science Art, and Manufacture.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1633, 1 December 1874, Page 445

Science Art, and Manufacture.

A Simple Safety Lamp.— Attention is directed by a correspondent of a contemporary to a simple safety lamp recently invented at home. He considers it may be of service to miners, and describes it thus: —" Take a phial bottle of the whitest glass you can find. Insert a piece of phosphorus of the size of a pea. Pour upon the phosphorus as much boiling oil as will fill onethird of the phial. Cork the phial so as to exclude all air. This is the safety lamp. When it is required, open the phial to admit the atmospheric air, immediately re-corking it. The lamp is alight, and will give at least as much light as an ordinary miner's lantern. When the lamp becomes dim, merely open the phial for an instant, carefully re-stopping it, and repeat the operation when required. It is said that these safety lamps last for six months without further ' trimming.' " [The above is no " recent invention." We remember constructing one of them over 3D years ago. We have seen this lamp described in several very old collections of philosophical recreations and amusements.—Ed.]

A very Simple Pantograph .—Schnaus suggests the use of a fine rubber cord, about fifteen inches long, supplied with a loop at each end, and having on it a small white bead, sliding upon it with gentle friction. By securing one end to the table by a pin, and passing a pencil through the other end, and drawing its point over the paper with the right hand, keeping the string stretched, and causing the bead to describe the outline of simple drawing placed beneath it, a tolerably good copy of the drawing will be produced, bearing any desired proportion to the original, according to the position given to the bead on the string ; thus if the bead is in the centre of the cord, the drawing will be double the size of the original. The best results are only obtainable after some practice, and by employing a finer point than a bead.

Our Six-Legged Rivals.— lt is a remarkable circumstance that those creatures which mimic man most nearly in mental and social development should be not his nearest allies among the vertebrates, but members of an entirely different order. It is something more than remarkable that they should stand to their order—the articulata—precisely in the same relation that man bears to the order with which he is classed. The harvesting an t_which provideth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvesthas been proverbial for thrifty wisdom, certainly since Solomon commended her ways to the sluggard ; how much longer, we have no means of telling. Had the wise man enlarged upon the way some of her kind have learned to secure plenty without labor by the enslaving of others—the raiding ants of our correspondent in Arkansas are probably given to the practice —his advice would doubtless have been more highly appreciated by lazy humanity, too many of whom have hit upon the same expedient without the help of revelation. But wiser than the common harvesting ants are the agricultural ants of Western Texsa—the only Simon pure and original Grangers—who have solved the transportation problem, by bringing not the grain but the grain fields to market. They have learned—possibly through the gradual desiccation of that now almost desert region —that chance productions are but a precarious support in a climate like theirs, so they surrosnd their communities with fields of rice grass, which they protect by killing all rival growths, and in due season harvest their crops, doing all by well timed and concerted labor. Could there be a happier illustration of that ideal state of organized industry and mutual helpfulness,Jwhich philosophers have dreamed of and enthusiasts labored for since Plato planned his Republic? As in Sir Thomas Moore's Utopia (reading ant for man), every ant has a right to do everything; and they do know that, if care is taken to keep the public stores full, no private ant can want anything; for among them there is no unequal distribution,]so that no ant is poor or in any necessity; and though no ant has anything, yet they are all rich. We have seen how all the common attributes of mankind arc mimicked by these Bix-legged rivals of ours, to a degree unapproached by any other class of animals. But man, we are told, has a faculty higher than thrift, higher then fellow feeling, higher even than reason. It is the faculty of reverence, the basis of religion, whether manifested in the fetichism of the Fantec or the faith of the Christian. This the theologians are wont to declare is shared by no other terrestrial creature. But here comes the French observer, M. Lespes, with a story which distrubs our sole remaining ground for pride of peculiarity, raising the suspicion that ants too may have a religion. In the nests of certain ants, and nowhere else, there is found a species of blind beetles which appear to be entirely dependent on their voluntary guardians for food and shelter, yet make no material return for the kindly services they enjoy. To complicate the matter, some of the communities of thiE species of ants are found to be destitute of beetles, which they greedily devour the mwnent the beetles are exposed to them. On the contrary when the beetles are placed near the nest of the communities which possess them, they are straightway fed and cared for most tenderly, and defended as resolutely as the ants defend their own young. Clearly the strongest of natural instincts, appetite, is somehow restrained in the case of these little keepers of asylums for the blind. What is the restraining influence 1 Similar conduct on the part of a tribe of men would be unhesitatingly attributed to a rude sort of religious feeling; and Sir John Lubbock wonders whether something of the kind may not actuate these ants, whether they do not regard their helpless though relatively gigantic wards with a feeling akin to reverence. Is it possible that they have arrived at a stage of development parallel with that of the beetle-worshipping Egyptians 1 In our pride of bulk, we despise the ants for their littleness. But suppose they were as big as horses, proportionately strong for their size, as thoroughly oiganized and as intelligent $s they now are, where would we be ?

A Press Club hasbeen formed in Dunedin under very favorable auspices, A dinner to inaugurate the club was held on the Ist inst., at which his |Honor Judge Chapman was present, and proposed the toast of " The Press Club " in the following terms. He supposed he had been asked to propose the toast from the fact that he once formed one of what Miss Fanny Kemble used to call " The Press Gang." In fact, for many years during the time that he was studying the law, he got his living by his connexion with the Press, and a very respectable mode of getting a living he thought they would admititwas. (Applause.) Hehadbeenconnected with newspapers to a considerable extent; but he was not there to tell the whole of his personal history. He would endeavor to confine himself to some portions of the history of the Press of this Colony, which probably no man in the room except himself was aware of. First of all, he would congratulate those in the room upon the organization of a Press Club in Dunedin. He would not go into the com-mon-place remarks with reference to the advantages of uuion—" Union is strength," and so forth. £He W ould in this respect confine himself to cordially congratulating the Press of Dunedin upon the formation of the Clubhand he hoped that those connected with the Press in other towns would by-and-by determine to unite for social intercourse. (Applause.) This would lend to improve the tone of the Press the tone of newspapers towards each otherwhatever effect it might have when some unfortunate persons are to be attacked. (Laughter.) Perhaps the advantage then might not be of so much advantage to the public. Perhaps the maxim of the Press would be like the maxim attributed to the attorneys—to be like shears,notto cutthemselves, but what came between. (Laughter.) He would now come to what would be of interest to his hearers, the early history of the Press of this Colony, particularly the newspaper Press. He would be guilty of an observation that would sound something like an Irish bull, though he was not an Irishman, and say he knew tlie Press of New Zealand before it existed. They would soon see that this observation, although it looked like a bull, was borne out by the facts. The first systematic attempt to colonize New Zealand was made by the New Zealand Company. This company, after some difficulties, opposition, and so forth, established what they called the first Colony at Wellington. Before this Colony was started, a newspaper was projected, as necessary, for the settlers. This newspaper, it was decided, was to be edited by a very old friend of his, Mr S. Revans, who now lived at the Wairarapa Valley. The first number of the first newspaper to be established in New Zealand was published in London upon the 6th of September, 1839, one month before the colonists left London. He was, therefore, they would see, justified in saying that he knew the Press of New Zealand when it was only in the womb of time. (Applause.) The little history he was about to give them was really very interesting. The first batch of colonists started from the Thames—from Gravesend—in the month of October, and the first ship, the Aurora, arrived in New Zealand on the 24th of June. She was followed by the Oriental, which arrived on the 31st of January following; and then came the Duke of Roxburgh, which arrived on the 7th of February. The next was the Bengal Merchant, which arrived on the 20th of the same month, and then came the Adelaide on the 7th of March with the press, plant, and building for the establishment of the first newspaper in New Zealand. The Adelaide had been delayed at the Cape. She brought building, press, types, editor, and two or three compositors. (Laughter.) Mr Revans, who was on board this ship, met with an intelligent lad—almost a boy —known to some of you—Mr Thomas M'Kenzie, as they then used to call him. He became Mr Revans' apprentice. As he had said before, the Adelaide, with all the materials for the establishment of a newspaper, dropped anchor on the 7th of March. The types, press, and so forth, and the house for the printing office, were brought out, the house having been built in frame by Mr Manning, of Holborn. The house and everything else necessary for the paper, were landed three weeks after the Adelaide dropped anchor, and the first number of the paper was issed on the 18th of April, or six weeks after the vessel dropped anchor. The name of this publication was the New Zealand Gazette, and it was continued for four years, when Mr Revans left it to follow other pursuits. He became a squatter and took up land in the Wairarapa Valley, which he got from the natives. The Gazette was then taken in hand by two of the printers, including Mr M'Kenzie, and its name was changed to the Wellington Independent, which newspaper was in existence until the present year, when it merged into the New Zealand Times, and became a daily paper. He believed that Mr M'Kenzie was connected with it still, and he also believed that Mr M'Kenzie was the oldest pressman that was connected with the practical part of the work in New Zealand. Although this was the first newspaper in the Colony, he did not mean to say that the press which printed the New Zealand Gazette was the first printing press. The Missionaries—one of whom was the Rev. Mr Williams—had a small printing press at Pahia many years before, which they used to print little books for the instruction of the Maorisprinting prayers, and so forth—extracts from the Scriptures printed in Maori, and a little grammar and accidence forteaching the Maoris English.' He had seen some of the printing work done by the Missionaries, and he thought that the printers, of the present day would turn up their intellectual noses at it. (Laughter.) It was not very good press work, but it was useful in its time. There was also another little press that existed in the Colony before Mr Revans' press made its appearance upon the shores of Port Nicholson. Colonel Wakefield, an agent of the New Zealand Company, had arrived three months before in the ship Tory for the purpose of buying land from the natives. He brought with him a little toy press—a block press—which measured about 14 inches either way. This press was worked by an elbow lever which could be shifted, and there were two or three drawers in connexion with it, in one of which was a little roller, some ink, and two or three chases, while another

drawer contained the type. It was intended to use this press for printing notices, but he believed it was never used for the purpose for which it was brought out. One day he (Judge Chapman) went into Colonel Wakefield's office, and espied this same press, and, having a little affection for presses, he began to ask him about it. He looked at it, and said, " By Jove, I will send for one of those presses for my boys." Colonel Wakefield very kindly gave him the press, and sent it to him. The press was in a very imperfect condition—there was no composing stick, and no galley. He sent to Tom M'Kenzie, who gave him a composing stick, and he got a bit of copper and managed to make a galley. Having done this, he introduced his eldest son to the rudiments of practical printing. A lot of boys at that time formed a Cricket Club, and their resolutions—which were discussed with quite as much gravity as characterized the discussion of the Rules of the Press Club, earlier in the evenng—were not only reduced to writing, but were actually set up and printed by his boy, with a little assistance from himself. (Applause.) He was only sorry he had not kept copies of some of them. What became of this press he did not know. They all knew how boys neglected their toys. He took it to Victoria with him when he went to that Colony, and he did notknow where it was now. It was the second printing press introduced into the Colony of New Zealand. The early history of the Colony was often alluded to in the Press of the present day. Shortly after the arrival of the first batch of immigrants, Captain Hobson, R.N., landed at the Bay of Islands and declared himself Governor of the Colony. He intended to establish a township at that place, and make it the capital of New Zealand. He found the place inconvenient, however, and removed to what we now call Auckland. The first newspaper established at Auckland was called the Herald. There was another newspaper started at the same place; he had forgotten its name, although he remembered the name of the man who printed it. There was rather a curious history about this paper. The proprietor had plenty of type, but unfortunately he had not a press. He bought a mangle—(laughter) —so somebody's mother must have sold her mangle—(renewed laughter)—as policemen said in the witness-box sometimes, " he did not know of his own knowledge "that he had ever seen a mangle. He had heard jokes were made about this oue. The paper used to say, "We have stopped the mangle" to insert some news of interest. (Laughter.) These were the Auckland papers. Now in Wellington the New Zealand Gazette soon had rivals. The first was established by Mr Hanson, now the Chief Justice of South Australia, who, at that time, fell out with the Government, and established an independent paper. The paper was well written, for Mr Hanson was a man of ability, but somehow or other, it did not find favor with the colonists, and died after a twelve months' existence. The then Wellington paper, called the Spectator, ran a course of ten or eleven years. He would now cast his eyes back to Endand, which brought him to his first personal connexion with that part of the Press relating to New Zealand. When the colonists started for this land in 1839 he had a number of old friends amongst them— Mr Revans, Mr Molesworth, Mr Petre, Dr Eitzherbert, and a great many of the earliest colonists. He was acquainted with a large number of them, and he promised them that he would establish a small newspaper in London to watch over the interests of the colonists. He carried out his promise, and started a small paper which was called the New Zealand Journal. It was published once a fortnight, and was something about the same size as the Home News or the London Spectator. After he had kept this paper going for three years, he began to get into practice, and he sold it. Some six or eight months after this time he was appointed Judge, and came out to this Colony. He had ten volumes of the New Zealand Journal here, and a very interesting record it was. Every public document relating to New Zealand which made its appearance at the time found its way into this Journal, from first to last, so that it now constituted a complete record of the history of the colonization of New Zealand for the first ten years of its existence. The Journal was afterwards merged into the Australian Gazette, which became the Australian and New Zealand Gazette, and was edited by an old New Zealand colonist, who held the office for many years. He had a complete volume of it, but he had lost sight of it for a time. Many would recollect that, at the time he was speaking of, the colonists only numbered about 1,100. He came to JNew Zealand in 1842, three years after the Colony was established. The Europeans then knew nothing of the Middle Island, except the names of a few headlands here and there. He could sum up all that was then known about this island in a few words. They knew that there was such a place as Port Cooper, now Lyttelton, and they also knew of such a person as John Jones, of Waikouaiti, in Otakou, as the natives called the place. They just knew that there was such a place, and this was all they knew except what they could learn from Captain Cook's maps and charts. Let them look how the Colony had grown since then. The only article of export at this time was whale oil, which was exported to the value of about £25,000 a-year, which at that time was not bad for a Colony with only 1100 people. They had no other export trade. It was only some years after the time he was now speaking of that sheep were introduced. At home the people believed that there was nothing but fern in the Colony, and that there was not a place where a beast or a sheep could be put to feed unless grass were artificially raised for it. Only in later times the vast grass plains were heard about. Then persons used to come and say that they had seen grass, and a few specimens were brought in. Let them look at the resources now. After alluding to the present prosperous state of Now Zealand, his Honor went on to say that the Press had greatly contributed to the general welfare of the Colony. He was, of course, addressing favorable ears; but if he were addressing a meeting of 60 or 70 persons, not one of whom was personally interested in the Press, all

would agree that they had maintained a very respectable character in the whole of this Colony. Now and then a newspaper lost its temper, just as a lawyer did, but generally the newspapers here were alive to the interests of the Colony. The Press was open to contributors who would take the trouble to investigate any matter of interest to the Colony, and these matters were discussed in as fair and reasonable a manner as they could be by any Press upon the face of the earth. It was with great pleasure that he proposed the toast, not of the Press of New Zealand, but of the Press Club, which institution he had no doubt would not only produce a great deal of good fellowship, but would tend indirectly to improve the tone of tho Press. (Applause.)