LAUNCESTON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 284, 1 December 1871, Page 2

LAUNCESTON.

The body of a child has beeu found in ihe Thames. A verdict has been found of murder asaiusi; some person unka»wn.

Caution. — Wo would advise our readers against taking any florins, as we have seen several of a spurious nature. They are correct, so far as the " milling" and appearances goes, but feel rather "soapy," and are lighter than the usual coiu. — Grey River Argus. Mr. Reuben Waite has purchased the ketch Amateur, and purposes taking her round to the New River, Nelson Province, •with a cargo prior to open'n? a store for the accomodation of miners in liie surrounding district Another small craft sailed from Nelson with a cargo consigned to a i party at the New River, who also purposes opening business in that district. Mr. Haughton was the author of a parliamentary bon mot on one of the last days of the session. Mr. T. L. Sheppard referred to him as a "political jackal." Mr. Haughton thought it preferable Vb be considered n. " political jackal" than to be a " political jackass." There was a smile on most countenances hut that of Mr. Sheppard. Rapid Steaming to India via Suez Cakal. — The steamer Hoi laud arrived wt Calcutta thirty-three days out from Liverpool, including two days and five hours occupied in passing through the Suez Canal. This is said to be the quickest passage on record between the two ports. The Malta correspondent of the Times writes, under date of Aug. 22 : — " The following mercantile steamers have called here to coal on their way to and from India via the Suez Canal : — The Petersburg, 1 ,064 tons on the 19th of August, 46 days from Calcutta, and six from Port Said, with a general cargo, for London ; the Virago, 1,453 tons, on the 20th inst. 11 days from, London, with a general cargo, for Calcutta ' the Washi, 221 tons, on the 22nd inst., 44 days from London and 12 from Lisbon, with a general cargo for Japan ; the Glengyle, 1,265 tons, also to-day, 12 days from London, and with a general cargo for China ; the#agdad, 819 tous, also to-day, •12 days from London, with a general cargo, for Bombay. The Glengyle hod the Wushi in tow, having picked her up on the 19th inst, off the coast of Algiers in a disabled condition, owing to the crowns of her furnaces having fallen in. This service was performed at a stipulated price of £500. The Washi, which is a new vessel, had previously put into Lisbon for repairs to her machinery. The Diamond, screw steamer, passed this island to-day for the west."

During the discussion; on the Permissive Bill, Mr. Fox mode the following remarks respectipg the laxity of magistrates in refusing licenses : — " An important part of the Bill was the taking of the power of the magistrates, and placing, it in the power of the people. The reason for this was that the magistrates had not used the power judiciously ; they always had leanings towards the publican. Licenses were seldom refused, and more seldom still one was taken away. He would give an instance. They were all aware that a man had recently set fire to a publichouse at Wanganui; the object being to get the insurance money, but in which fire the life of a human being was sacrificed. Yet two Justices of the Peace went to this man while he was lying in the gaol, while the embers of the fire were yet smouldering, and while the blood of his victim was yet wreaking, these* justices went to the murderer, and allowed him to sign a transfer of his license to his brother. The police objected to the granting of the license to the brother, who had already kept a public-house, and kept it so badly that the police had to object to his method of conducting it." » The Southern Cross of the 20th ult. has the followiug : — " The Bible, which was handed to insolvents at the Supreme Court yesterday to be sworn upon was in such a torn and shattered condition that, to keep the pieces together, it had been found necessary to secure them by means of a length of red tape "wound round the covers, breadth and lengthways. Had a witness wished to open the book, as witnesses sometimes do to be certain what they were swearing by, there would have been no alternative but, to use a nautical expression, to ' cut the lashings.' One of the legal gentlemen present expressed himself to the effect that the Bible was presented to insolvents in its present broken state as being emblematical of their shattered fortunes ; whilst another thought — but this could not have been possible — that the book had come to its present condition by the amount of very bad swearing .which, from his knowledge, it had beem subjected to. It appears that before anotrrer Bible can be obtained a requisition must be sent to head-quarters, and that is about to be done." Trials of Coals. — Mr. John Kebbell, of Wellington, supplies us (Wellington Independent) with the following particulars of trials of coal at Messrs KebbelF s^rnill : — I have been obliged to refer back to past trials for a comparison, as the engine was doing more work af. the j time of experiments in 1869 than in 1871, when the Collingwood and Grey coal were experimented on. Compare English coal in 1869 and 1871. In 1869:— 1n each case half a ton was accurately weighed. English seam coal, supposed to be and looked like Hartley, lasted 3 hours 35 miuutes ; rapid generation of steam if required. Newcastle, New South Wales, lasted (1141 b waste) 3 hours 50 minutes; Bay of Islands (281 b waste pure clinker) 4 hours 20 minutes. The clinker of this coal injures the bars as bad as South Wales coal of Englaud ; otherwise a good seam of coal with five-eighth spaces between bars. In 1871, English coal, the same as above, lasted four hours 25 minutes ; clinker and waste about the same as New South Wales above. First trial of Collingwood lasted 4 hours 55 minutes ; second trial, 5 hours. This coal cokes sufficiently only to prevent it running through the bars, requires no further attention than to put on coal to keep the bars covered; clinker and waste similar to New South Wales. Grey coal (I could only get one half ton) lasted 5 hours 5 minutes. This coal would make the purest coke, as the waste and clinker were practically nil. I used to be well acquainted with the Northumberland and Durham coal in England, and can only compare it with the celebrated Tanfield Moor and Lambton seams, and consider it not inferior. In our furnaces it was found rather objectionable on account of its coking qualities: it required attention to break up the surface to allow sufficient air to pass, but where a stoker is always on the watch, the objection vanishes.