The Nelson Evenng Mail. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 51, 28 February 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evenng Mail. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1872.

Nelson Institute -Tho annual rneesing of members of the Institute postponed from last Wednesday will he held this evening, at half-past seven. Nelson Artisans' Association. — A special general meeting of members cf this Society will be held this evening for the transaction of business of importance. PfIESDYTERIAN SuNDAY SCHOOL PICNIC. — The annual picnic given to ihe children attending this school will be held tomorrow afternoon, in a paddock kindly lent by Mr. Brunner for tbe occasion. Notice to Volunteers. — A notice has appeared for some time in our advertising columns requesting members of the Reserve City Rifles and late members of the C'ty Rifle and Cadet Companies to call at the Militia office and deliver up their arms, accoutrements, &c, before tbe 28th instant. Tbe Adjutant requests us to call attention to the fact that up to the present, time no notice has been taken of this intimation, and to remind those who have Government stores iv their possession that it is provided by tbe 21st " Clause of tho Public Stores Act,. 1871," that " any person who shall without reasonable excuse refuse, ue<>lecf, or dela}' to deliver up the same shall be liable to a penalty of not less than £10 nor more than £50. Stoke Wesley an Sunday School. — The anniversary of this school was celebrated on Sunday, when two excellent sermons were delivered by the Rev. W. Cannel, of Richmond, and collections were made in aid of the fund. Yesterday afternoon the children met, and after joining in a number of games, adjourned at half-past four to the schoolroom, where a bountiful tea had been provided for them. A public tea followed, which was well attended by residents in the district, and several friends from Nelson and and Richmond. At the meeting, at which the Rev.W.Cannell presided, the Secretary read the annual report and cash account, from which it appeared that the sum of £2 16s. lOd. remained to the credit of the school at the end of the year. During the meeting the children recited several pieces in a very creditable manner, and addresses were delivered by Messrs. Harkness, Hammond, and Hill, who spoke of the responsibilities and duties of Sunday School. Teachers, and of the glorious character of their work, aod urged them to renewed exertions on behalf of the children under their charge. Several hymns selected for the occasion were sung by the teachers and children with pleasing effect, and at the conclusion of tbe meeting Mr. J. T. Smith on behalf of the school returned thanks to the speakers and ladies who had assisted at the tea for the interest they had taken in the matter. The success of the Bank of New Zealaud has brought a rival into the field. The Southern. Gross learns by advices from London that a new bank, with a large capital and an influential board of directors, has been successfully floated, and that our colony is to be the field of operations. It is also rumoured that Mr. Kennedy, late of the Bank of New Zealand is to have the management here. We (West Coast Times) are informed that an arrangement has been made between the Provincial Government of Otago, the Harbor Steam Company of Dunedin, and the proprietors of the Anchor line of steamers, for a subsidised monthly steam service from Dunedin to the West Coast, terminating at Martin's Bay. Either the Kennedy or Charles Edward will be despatched from this port about three months hence, for Martin's Bay, to test the practicability of such a service. A Telegraphic Error. — A blunder that occurred in the late San Francisco telegrams is thus accounted for by Greville's agent in Auckland : — " A boy was carrying the slips to tho Telegraph Office, when a portion of a telegram cut from the News of the World slipped from tho sheet of paper. (You know what villainous paper the American is for sticking, or rather not sticking, where it is wanted.) The boy picked it up and put

the wrong side uppermost. The telegraph operators having full steam on 'wired in ' regardless of consecutiveness, aud hence the jumble." The Temuka suspension bridge, Canterbury, which had only recently been repaired, was totally destroyed during the recent nor'-wester. The Bonk of Australasia has closed ils branch at Hokitika. The manager, Mr. Stronach, was entertained at dinner by some of tho principal inhabitants of the town prior to his departure. Splendid Yields. — The Goodstone Company, Majorca, Victoria, has had a good crushing, SO tous stone giving 3Ssozs. Sdwts. gold, At a crushing which took place at Paxion and Krohmat's claim, Tarabaroora, New South Wales, 30 tons of sione yielded iTOOozs. gold. The following advertisement in tbe Fiji Gazette will serve to illustrate some of tho unpleasantness of a life at these islands : — " Terrific Hurricane. — New European Rope, suitable for securing houses a„ainst the approaching hurricane, 6il. per lb. Also, small chain, for similar purpose. W. S. Morgan." According to the Tuapeka Times, the antagonism between the Chinese and European miners, which prevails on most of the diggings in the Province, is conspicuous by its absence at Wapori, where the Heathen and the Cbristiau drink and play billiards together in the most friendly manner. Messrs. Stewart and Dalrymple, contractors for the first portion of the Palmerston tramway have nearly completed their contract. The workmanship put into the job is said to be of such a sort as fo recommend Messrs. Steward and Dalrymple as contractors for the continuation of the lino to Foxton. The Peak Downs Telegram (Queenslaud paper) states that "what appears to be an inexhaustible supply of the finest table salt has been discovered on Wolfang Station, just at the foot of the Peaks. A parcel of it, has been handed to Dr. Taylor for analysis, ns it is believed there are other ingredients mixed with it." At a public meeting recently held at Levuka, a resolution was carried "that this meeting will not pay taxes at all." The direct system of taxation adopted by the new Fijian Government is distasteful to the whites. Some of them foisted upon the uative taxgatherers Colemans' mustard labels as dollar notes. Hydrophobia in Wellington. — The Post of the 22nd instant says : — "A clear case of hydrophobia occurred this morning on the beach. A dog went mad, aud its owner fortunately seized it before any damage had been done. After being secured to a post, the animal, which was snapping and foaming at the mouth, was put out of misery by a little poison." The following paragraph appears iv the Southern Cross : — " A new tiling under the sun has made its appearance in the shape of a tin violin, and is declared to be superior to anything made of wood under 100 years old. The instrument is of superior tone from the hour iv which it is made, and it may literally be made in an hour. The strings are catgut, but who can say that they too will not ere long be something else ? " Mr. George Vandenhoff, whose death had been reported by the American papers, writes as follows to the New York Herald : — " I perceive by the newspapers generally that I am dead, and have been buried in New York with masonic honors. I never, as a rule, contradict anything that the newspapers say of me ; but in this case it will not be considered presumptuous or egotistical to say that I am not aware of such a thing having happened to me, and that I am as well as can be expected under tbe circumstances." The Honolulu Gazette says : — " The | arrival from Micronesia reports that the notorious Captain Hayes has turned up again, this time as a ' trader ' among the islands in the Pacific. He has command of a brig called the 'Lenore' — probably the lost 'Lenore.' If there is an opportunity to kidnap natives, or in any other way to ' ' do ' somebody in those seas, Hayes is tbe man for the business. As there are a number in our community who have cause to remember Hayes, and may probably feel an interest in hearing of his whereabouts aud welfare, we give him this notice." The editor of the Port Denison Times records the following observation made during tbe solar eclipse of the 12th ult. "In the iron roof of our office there is a round hole, through which at certain hours the sun casts a reflection, not upon our journal, but upon the floor. The eclipse occurring at this time of the day, the reflection instead of being circular appeared as a crescent, enclosing within its arms a picture of that portion of the dark body of the moon that was interposed between us aud the sun. It was in fact a photograph , and the image was* reversed as it would appear in the camera."

The Daily Times says: — Mr. Bills, who brought out a number of birds for the Otago Acclimatisation Society, in the ship Warrior Queen, last year, and who has lately done similar service to the Canterbury Society was a passenger by the Phoebe yesterday. He intends remaining lure for a month to pick up what native birds he can, and then to sail again for England fromLytteUou, in the Charlotte Gladstone, for a second lot of birds for Canterbury. The revenue receipts of the colony of New South Wales for the quarter aud year ending 31st December, 1871, amounted to £741,412. or an increase of £70,207 over the corresponding quarter of 1870. The expenditure during the three months amounted to £916,750 on account of departments arc! special appropriations, other payments swelling the disbursements to £1,021,750. Ot this £877,405 wns for services of 1871, £32,945 for 1870, aud £6399 for 1869 and previous years. Tbe total receipts for the year on account of revenue proper amounted to £2,239,900 against £2,181,076 expended. During the performances of the fioale to the " Messiah " at the Melbourne Town Hall a rush was made to the doors by a portion of tho audience. Mr. Lee, the conductor, stopped it abruptly in tbe middle. The stoppage looked as if it had been rehearsed ; at a signal from Mr. Lee all was as still as death. Of course (observes the Leader), tbe people who were scrambling out looked unutterably foolish, and most of them settled down promptly somewhere or other. The piece was then resumed, and weDt to its conclusion with no further disturbance. The rebuke was a just one, and may with advantage be repeated in other places besides Melbourne. The Southland Neivs has the following: — The mutton birds — of which such immense numbers are periodically observed off ihe coast — are, it is said, in attendance npon shoals of small fish of tbe herring species, upon which they feed and fatten until scarcely able to fly. The fish are occasionally driven ashore ou the eastern side of Bluff Harbor in myriads, and are said, by those who have dressed and eaten them, to be equal iv point of flavor to the best sardines. If so, it seems rather a pity that the mufton birds should be allowed fo monopolise the supply. We suppose there is not such a thing as a herring net in tbis part of the colony, or it would be well worth while to " try the fishing off Bluff Harbor. There might be some difficulty in " trawling " about that, quarter — there would be none in " shooting; a net." An American paper says: — ''The worst joke that was ever perpetrated on scientific men took place at Louisiana, Mo. A man was sick with rheumatism, or something, and a fellow went round to the doctors and professors and others, and told them it was the queerest case on record. He said the man had no feeling. You could stick pius in bis body all over, and he paid no attention to them at all. He was perfectly numb. So the doctors got together, and called on the sick man to experiment. AU arrived with pins and needles, and bodkins. The man was asleep, and they got around him, and each one stuck his pin into the patient. The sick man rolled over and looked at the crowd, and thought they had come to dissect him, so he took a chair in one

hand and a bedpost in the other, and drove them thence. They are around with their heads tied up, looking for the man who said that sick man had no feeling. For remainder of news see fourth page.

The bricks burnt in the kiln erected at Shiels's claim, Inangahua, bave proved unfit for tbe purpose of building a foundation for Ihe boiler, says tbe local paper, and stone will have to be substituted. The clay in the locality is unfitted for the purpose of brick-making. A Telegraph Round the Globe.— Under this startling beading the Daily News gives a sketch of three telegraphic projects, sprung from American brains. The construction of a line between the American coast and Japan is alone needed to complete the circle of the globe. The " missing link " in this splendid chain of intercommunication is about to be supplied by Mr. Cyrus Field, who has projected a line from Victoria, the capital of Vancouver's Island , to Hakodadi, in Japan, and from thence to the Russian naval station on the coast of Asia, where, across the steppes of Siberia the wire penetrates to St. Petersburg, and is united to the great European system. This new line, estimated at 4370 nautical miles will touch at Atcha, one of the Aleutian Islands. A second route is identical with the first as far as A'.cba, from whence it pursues a more southerly course to Yokohama, and thence to Shanghai. A third route starts from San Francisco, traverses the North Pacific to Honolulu : connects the Sandwich Islands group to Midway Island, and from thence journeys to Yokohama — a total distance of 5573 miles. "We may also add," says the writer, " that it is in contemplation to Jay a cable between Honolulu and the Australian Colonies, thereby establishing direct intercourse between Melbourne and San Francisco. This line is thus divided: San Francisco to Honolulu 2093 nautical miles; Honolulu to Fiji Islands, 2950 ; Fiji to New Caledonia, 810 ; New Caledonia to Brisbane, 800— 6653 ; and 20 per cent, for slack, 1331 ; length of cable, 7984 nautical miles. Brisbane is already connectedby land lines with Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide ; also with Port Darwin on the north coast, from which place a line to Java is under contract for construction. The Dutch colony is now in direct relation with the Indian and Chinese cables." Prevention oe Bush Fires. —An important apparatus has been invented by Mr. W. L. Morton, of Victoria, for the prevention of bush fires. The following is a description of the model as recently contributed by Mr. Morton himself to the columns of tbe Argus : — A frame of light angle iron, 6ft. long and 3ft. wide, is placed on four light wheels, 18in. in diameter. Resting on the frame at the hinder part of it is a fire grate, almost touching the ground, but consequently made moveable on a joint in front, so as to rise over any unevenness of the ground or obstruction on the surface, and sink again into its position when the obstruction has been got over. From the fire grate a sheet of iron like an inverted harp sweeps downwards towards the surface of the ground, and then rises towards a chimney 5 feet high, a few inches deep, but the whole width of tbe frame. On each side of the frame are banging moveable plates of iron touching the ground, made to rise over unevennesses or obstructions, and in front, between the two front wheels, a moveable iron plate is suspended. Thus the whole effective apparatus consists of a fire-grate ' and a chimney, a portion of the ground, | with its vegetation, forming the under j horizontal wall of this chimney. The ! design is to burn the grass in stripes by i means of this apparatus when it will not | burn otherwise. It may be worked during j the day time, before tbe grass is sufficiently dry to burn of itself, or during the night time, after it has become dry enough to burn. The whole operation consists in lighting a Bmall fire in the grate, when, from the great draught up the chimney, the flame sweeps along the surface of the ' ground and eutirely consumes t_9 grass, the apparatus being drawn along on its ! wheels by a horse or by two men. As j the fire cannot spread to the right or left, or towards the horse, it is completely under control The apparatus, of which I have constructed a rough model, on the scale of \ one inch to a foot, may be made of any length and width, but one, say from 3ft to I 6ft. wide, and double the length, will probably be found most convenient. If ' made according to the scale of the model, 3ft. wide by 6ft long, it will be so light | that one man could pull it along. A atrip j 3ft wide, however, will not be a sufficiently ! safe width to depend on ; but such stripes may be made doubly wide by burning a parallel line, either close to the first, or a belt of grass may be left between them to be burned off on a calm day. Believing that this very simple apparatus, which need not cost more than about three pounds, would entirely prevent the burning of whole districts and entire runs, and the loss of thousands of pounds annually to individuals directly, and to the whole community indirectly, I freely make.it known through your columns to all the Australian colonies.