The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1879.

Kumara Times, Issue 916, 6 September 1879, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1879.

The Christchurch coach, with a very heavy mail aiid six passengers for Ku • mara, passed the Bealey early this morning, and is expected to arrive in town ■this afternoon in time to forward the Greymouth portion of the mail on by tram.

On the arrival of the local successful candidate from Hokitika last night he received a perfect ovation from a large body of.the 2 ‘ free and independent” community of this, district and, after making his maiden speech as a representative, was amidst a st irm of cheers carried >'dd hi/ ;to til: ro c h.uj or ia.s ■; ;. f supporter.

At the Theatre Royal this evetiing Rainers original Diorama of the American will War be exhibited and, judging from the very favorable notices that have appeared in the Press throughout the colony in regard to this Diorama, there can be little doiibt that it possess more than ordinary attractions. We notice that in Auckland especially it drew crowded houses nightly and that the lecturer Mr Harry Stanley is spoken of in the most complimentary terms. During each evening a free distribution of gifts will take place, and as the Diorama will be .only on view here for three days those washing to witness, it will- have to take an early opportunity.of attending.

The following letters are now lying unclaimed at the Post office, ituniara : Charles Brown, James P. Carlsen, H. Debenham, Edmund Fvine, Mrs Johanna Gorman, Chas. Griggs, Patrick Hily, William Law, J. M‘Donald, Mrs M. Moore, Henry Robinson, M. Ryan, Thomas Thornton, M. Wilhelm Timm, William Wills.

Messrs Master and Reeves were yesterday returned for the Grey Valley, the votes recorded for the two gentleman named being Masters 1089 and Reeves 1013. Despite the eloquence of Mr Drury he only succeeded in obtaining 34 votes throught the whole electorate.

Wit sometimes consists of an unexpected definition of words. “ Father,” said a youthful progidy to the professor of mathematics, “ can ,you tell me the difference between one yard and two yards 1” In an instant the mathematical brain Began to run over the theeorems of Euclid, but no clear answer came. The professor looked into the boy’s face and remembered that Hadyn played the cathedral organ when he was five years old, and began to wonder if this boy was equally gifted. “Do you give it up ? ” “Yes iny son, I think I must and he grew very grave and solemn. “ Well, the real difference is a fence, father.” The boy went out to play marbles; while the old gentleman thought of a great many things which he couldn’t express.

Recent American papers report a base of cataract in the human eye having been cured by the application of electricity. A Dr Wiliiaih B. Neftei, of New York, subjected the patient—an old lady 63 years of age, with incipient cataract—to repeated applications of electricity in the neighbourhood of the diseased eye, with the result that tile cataract has been entirely dissipated;

A long and important report on the timbers of New Zealand and Australia appears in one of the last numbers of the Engineer. The relative powers of the various timbers to resist the attacks of the teredo, as tested by experiment, are elaborately set forth, and the results are very interesting. Tne only timbers which have come out at all favorably from the trial are the totara and kauri of New Zealand. Iron bark, blue gum, and jarrah are speepily riddled by the marine insect pests. The worst results of all, however, were given by another New Zealand timber luat.u or black pine, which posss ;ssing considerable durability either or water if spare 1 by insects, is generally attacked by insects, is generally attacked by grubs on land and teredines in the sea so vigorously th- piles have been known to be - mplel ;.y destroyed in six months.