The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1385, 10 March 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1881.

The City of Sydney with the Sun Francisco mail arrived a* Auckland on Tuesday, and sailed for Sydney at 10 a.m. yesterday. The distribution of prizes to the children of the State School will take place tomorrow evening, at the Theatre Royal, and not on Thursday next, as was inadvertently stated in last evening’s advertisement.

The following report, addressed to the chairman, was received by the Kumara Prospecting Association at a meeting held last eveiitrtg u We respectfully beg to report that that we have bottomed the shaft about 90 feet deep ; sandstone wash at bottom, but uo gold. We got a few colors at 49 feet level-. We have now commenced another shaft about a quarter of a mile to the west of the old one, and are now down eight feet. We first started to sink a shaft on the side of the terrace, but were beat out with water. Hoping this will meet your approval, we are, air, your obedient servants, J. Donnelly and Party.” A very large number of the brethren of the mystic tie left here early this morning to be present at the installation of the officers of the District Grand Masonic Lodge of Westland, E.C., which will take place to-day at Hokitika. A banquet will be held in the evening. An illustration of the benefits of life assurance was afforded in the case of the late Mr James Ryan, the station master of the Kumara station of the Greymouth and Kumara Tramway. It appears that some three weeks since he saw Mr Campbell, the canvassing agent of the Austratralian Mutual Provident institution in Kumara, and intimated his intention of insuring his life in the above institution. His life being accepted—the first deposit was, paid on the Friday preceding his death, and the receipt sent up from Greymouth on Saturday. When he died on the Tuesday, the letter containing the receipt was found unopened. The company has intimated its intention of paying the policy forthwith. A most extraordinary occurrence (says the Inangahua Times) is reported to us as having occurred at Soldier’s, near Reefton. It appears that on Sunday evening last, two men named Brown and Gibson, were returning home from Reefton to their hut in Soldier’s Gully, and when about half a mile from the Grey road they saw ahead of them what at first appeared to be a small shrub on fire. As they approached it, however, it assumed the appearance of a ball of bluish fire passing slowly over the bush at a height of five or six feet from the ground. As the luminous appearance passed the travellers, one of them, Gibson, was struck by the body on the side of the head with such violence as to render the man almost insensible, and the light then vanished. The sufferer managed to crawl home, but for some hours was in such a state of agony that his mate was several times on the point of leaving for medical assistance. In the course of the night, however, the man recovered. Strange to say that no mark of any kind was caused by the contact. A correspondent of the North Otago Times says;—“l do not know of what kind of wood the firkins were made in which it Was packed, but 1 do not think Iher Would be any difficulty in procuring New Zealand timber suitable for the manufacture of tubs and firkins which would not ‘ taint’ butter. American firkins and tubs are made of white pine and ash ; the first would ‘taint’ butter but for the muslin lining and the method of packing, and I will venture to say that I could pack butter for the Home market, Canadian fashion, in New Zealand white pine firkins or tubs, which would carry Home without Wood taint. Hitherto glazed pottery has not readied that point of perfection which would fit it for such a purpose; besides which its breakable nature is against it, and its price and weight render it out of the question, when light, tough, and durable wood is obtainable. The production and export of eggs is also worthy of the attention of colonists ; raw and steamdried feathers are also worth exporting.” Te Whiti (the Taranaki Herald says) has gained another convert; and this time one who is well educated and versed in the English law. It will be remembered by some that after the engagement with the natives at Te Ngutn-o-te-manu in 18G8, a native boy was taken prisoner, and as he seemed to be an intelligent lad, he was sent to school by Sir W. Fox, and educated. After a time he was articled to Dr Duller, with the view to his studying the law ; and from all account the boy shewed a decided talent for that profession. This native is now about twentythree years of age, and had every prospect of a successful career before him ; yet he has abandoned everything and surrendered himself—body and soul—to Te Whiti. He is now at Parihaka, living as the other natives are living there. From this it is very evident that it is impossible to civilise the Natives ; and it is only a waste of time and money attempting to do so. They are, I hear (writes iEgles) something given to over-insurance in New Zealand. An agent the other day was

negotiating with a cottager for an insurance against fire on his household goods. The proponent wanted what the other considered too much insurance on his belongings, considering the modest dimensions of the dwelling which contained them. Upon this being hinted to him he explained that he had “a fine natural history collection, accumulated during the last ten years, and for which he wouldn’t •take £100.” Inquiries amongst the neighbors resulted in the agent ascertaining that it was ten years since the proposer married, and that the only natural history Collection on the premises was a wife with six fine children. A ttaval officer who has had the opportunity of a close inspection of a figurehead picked up at sea by the Girl of Devon, expresses his strong conviction that it is the figure-head of the missing training-ship Atalanta. He gives a description of the figure, and adds, “ There are no signs of its having been in collision, but it appears to have been forcibly torn away. The bolts (iron oftes) remanding are so rusted and corroded that no marks are discernible. The figure is carved out of yellow pine ; the nose appears to have been damaged and replaced with new pine.” This latter fact is significant, When it was reported that the Girl of Devon had picked up a figure-head, supposed to be that of the Atalanta, the Admiralty wired out to know whether the nose was of a different wood to the rest of the figure. Captain Grant says that from its size, careful carving, and the way it has been painted, it is not like a merchant vessel’s figure-head. The Paddington Station of the Great Western Railway was lighted for the first time on December 23rd by the Brush electric light. Thirty-four lamps have been hung from the roof of the station over the various platforms, but only thirteen were lighted. The experiment was made under the supervision of Mr Spagnoletti, telegraph superintendent of the Great Western Railway ; Mr Allen, engineer of the Anglo-American Electric Light Company, and other gentlemen connected with the company. At half-past eight the wires were attached to the terminals of one of the dynamic machines, and the terminus was in a moment illuminated amid the cheers of the spectators. In one of Mr. Tennyson’s newly-pub-lished poems he draws a graphic, but not at all complimentary, portrait of a surgeon in a children’s hospital. This gentleman is represented as having “coarse red hair, big face, big chest, big merciless hand,” and as being “happier in using the knife than in trying to save the limb.” The British Medical Journal asserts that such a figure as this is unknown as a type in any of our hospitals ; and says that medical men will bitterly feel the insult Mr. Tennyson has offered them, and the injustice he has done. Mr Morris’s ball is postponed till the 16th inst. To those in search of merriment, visit S. S, Pollock’s, and obtain the great Irish song “The Babies in our Block,” or “Little Sally Waters”; price sixpence. [Advt.]