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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4976, 5 March 1877, Page 2

At au early hour on Saturday morning what is known as the summit tunnel on the Eimutaka line was pierced from end to end. The locality of the tunnel and its nature will be remembered in consequence of the description given of it some mouths since by a special correspondent of the New Zealand Times The length of the tunnel is some 630 yards, or 28 chains 11 links, and when the workmen on either side met each other they were only out

in line about 7 inches. The contractors are Messrs. Collie, Scott, and Wilkinson, who are to be congratulated on the approaching completion of their work. With the lining of this tunnel will disappear the last obstacle to the completion of the railway to Featherston, the works on other parts of the line not being of a nature to cause delay beyond the time required for this. An unfortunate man named John Buckley has been taken into custody on suspicion of lunacy. There can be little doubt of the man being of unsound mind, to judge from his eccentric conduct and ravings after being placed in oneof the cells. He gave the police a vast amount of information about himself and his past history, together with his plans for the future. But he was everything by turns and nothing long. He stated among other things that he was of noble origin, and retained certain rights conferred upon all the members of his family by their ancestors, Irish,Kings, among those privileges being one of a -decidedly barbarous if kingly character, viz,, that of cutting off the limbs of enemies or offensive persons, for which purpose he confidentially informed Detective Farrell he kept a ferocious buteher in his service at a salary of -£ O OO a year. He also expressed his intention of wiping New Zealand off the map of the world with his forefinger and also of starting an immigration agency in Victoria on his own account. He wandered strangely, and seemed to be troubled in mind by the Martin Fountain, to which he made many incoherent references, and concluded by expressing a desire to hang Detective Farrell on the top of it to dry. He will be taken before the magistrate in the morning, and in all probability committed to the Lunatic Asylum.

A meeting of the Teachers’ Association was held on Saturday; Mr. Willis in the chair. Letters were read from associations in Canterbury and Marlborough, and ordered to be replied to. Several notices of motion were given for the next monthly, meeting. The question of 'copybooks again come up for consideration, and elicited considerable discussion, resulting in the matter being postponed till next meeting, in order that the various publishers might send specimen copies of their publications if they desired. The society was requested to.obtain the opinions of the leading teachers in the district on the subject. The meeting then adjourned till next month. We regret to state that Mr. Joseph Dyer, resident secretary of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, died at his residence yesterday. He had been ailing for some time past, and his death was not altogether unexpected. The deceased gentleman by his kindly nature had secured many friends, and was very generally respected in the mercantile community. The funeral takes place this afternoon, leaving his late residence at 1.30 o’clock.

The Wellington Bifle Cadets fired for the challenge cup and four other prizes, at the Pollhill Gully range, on Saturday ; distances, 100, 200, and 300 yards ; five shots at each range. The weather was not favorable, the wiud being very high at the time, but as will be seen from the scores of the prize-takers, there was some very good shootiug. The result of the match was as follows :—lst prize (silver cup), Lieutenant Hale, 50 points ; 2nd prize, Sergeant Bandell, 43 ; 3rd prize, Corporal Madely, 41 ; 4th prize, Cadet Cruncher, with 32 points. When the Hawea arrived on Saturday morning, a man named Pilate Ghezrani was given into custody by Captain Wheeler for having stowed away on the steamer while she was lying at Lyttelton. He was not discovered until she was near Wellington. On being taken before Messrs. Moore and Duncan, J.P°s, he was fined ss. and ordered to pay the fare (405.), with the alternative of being imprisoned for throe days.

An accident of a rather serious nature occurred on the Porirna-road, about a mile from the Nghauranga Hotel, on Saturday morning. As a break belonging to Mr. Anderson, of Porirua, was coming in from that place, the horse bolted. There were three men in the break, including the driver. Two of them jumped out, but the driver (George Woods) maintained his hold of the reins, and as the horse turned a corner at full speed, he was thrown out, falling on his head on the side of the road into a gully. The horse continued his rapid career, galloping furiously down the hill, and ultimately ran into another cart, breaking the pole of. the conveyance which he was dragging. That stopped him however. Woods was taken to the Ngahauranga Hotel, and later on was taken to town by Messrs. Corbett and C. P. Worth, who happened to be passing in a break. He was placed in the H ospital, and there received all necessary attendance. It was found, however, that he had not received serious injury, inasmuch as he was shortly afterwards able to leave the Hospital to attend a cricket match, as he purposed when starting in the morning.

The Lyttelton Times in a leader upon charitable aid says of Canterburylt is startling to find that in this prosperous province much more has been spent out of public funds in proportion to its population than in any other province for charitable aid.' During the year 1875-6, in Canterbury, with a population of 75,000, the Provincial Government have spent about £9OOO for this purpose. In Otago, with a population of 103,000, the cost has been about £6OOO. In Auckland, with a population of 76,000, about £4OOO. In 'Wellington, with a population of 37,000, about £7OO. In Nelson, with a population of 24,000, about £6OO. And so on in the other smaller provinces. In the majority of provinces, both hospitals and charitable aid are supported partly by public and partly by private aid, and are managed by committees, in which both the provincial authorities and private subscribers are represented.” The following extract from an English paper gives a description of the machine invented by Captain Turquand, of the Household Brigade, for shearing sheep : —“ The most remarkable invention in the show is Captain Turquand’s sheep-shearing machine, for steam or manual power. The sheep is secured in a moment by pinioning his legs in clasps upon the inclined flap of a table, the sheep lying upon a web stretched within a frame. When one side has been clipped, the sheep is turned over almost instantaneously upon another flap of a table, the clasps being transferred at a stroke by spring catches,from one table to the other. The clipping tool, resembling a horse-clipper, is held in the hand, and passed over all parts of the animal, and can strip off the wool as close to the skin as possible, without liability to wound. The clipper is actuated with a high velocity by an india-rubber belt from a long transverse roller mounted overhead, the belt tranversing along the roller from end to end according as guided by the position in which the clipper is held. The roller may be driven by’wheel and crank, or by any motive power. It is calculated that, by this machine, a man can clip five times the number of sheep, in the same time, as compared,with hand work by the common shears.”

We have received the Church Chronicle for March. From it we learn that the cost of the erection of a parsonage for the incumbent of St. Mark’s, Wellington, will be £650 ; Mr. Taylor having secured the contract. The offertories in the Wellington province in aid of the Melanesian Mission last year amounted to £l2B ; St. Paul’s, Thorndon, contributing £2l lls. Bd.; and St. Peter’s, £2O 4s. 2d. The Victorian Government have forwarded a memorial to Earl Carnayou for presentation to the Imperial Parliament, praying that body to pass an Amended Copyright Act, so as to give colonial authors the same protection against piracy which is enjoyed by their brethren in England. Any work published there cannot bo appropriated by freebooting printers in any other part of the Empire; but a book issued in one colony is liable to be thus appropriated—supposing it were worth whde to do so—in each of the other colonies,

Diphtheria is prevailing (says Harper s Bazaar) to a great extent in some parts of lowa, and doing sorrowful work. Whole families of children are swept away, almost as it were by a blow. The physicians seem unable to combat the disease successfully, as its progress is rapid and deadly. The members of the Wellington Literary Association, assisted by St. John’s Church choir, give au entertainment on Tuesday next.

The College Governors meet at noon to-day. A meeting of the Wellington Athletic Club takes place this evening at the Pier Hotel.

It will be seen by an advertisement in another column that Mr. Hutchison invites the electors of the city to meet him on Tuesday evening at St. George’s Hall.

A tea meeting in connection with the Primitive Methodist Sabbath-school will be held in the Sydney-street schoolroom this evening at six o’clock.

The competitive designs for the new Town Hall will be considered by the City Council to-morrow. We hear only three of the ten designs are from Wellington architects. The Wellington Chess Club resume their weekly meetings at the club-room. We may state in this connection that arrangements are being made for the insertion of a chess column in the New Zealand Mail. The Kaiwarrawarra Rifle Volunteers fired on Saturday at 2 p.m., at their rifle range, for district prizes. The day was very unfavorable for rifle shooting, a heavy gale of wind blew during the competition. The following were the three highest scorers: —Captain Thompson 46, Private S. Menzies 45, and Private O. E. France 43.

Madame Atlanti will give an entertainment in St. George’s Hall to-night. In some of the towns in which this lady has appeared the Press has spoken highly of her ability as a songstress, reader, and pianiste, and it is to be hoped that the Hall will be well attended this evening, especially as Madame Atlanti has been rather unfortunate since her arrival in Wellington.

Mr. J. H. Wallace will, to-morrow, at his salerooms, Hunter-street, hold a Very important sale of city properties situated in Cuba and Tory-streets. The Cnba-street piroperty comprises those new and extensive premises, complete in 'every respect, hand-, somely fitted up for a draper's establishment, with a commodious dwelling, gas, water, and every convenience, lately occupied by Mr. A. H. McLean, draper, and at present in the occupation of Messrs. Kirkcaldi and Stains. The Tory-street property comprises shop and house, a compact little property, lately in the occupation of Mr. G. C. Sage. As these properties are to be sold without reserve, investors of capital will have a good opportunity afforded them. We have been requested to draw attention Ito Mr. H. J Isaacs’ extensive sale of household furniture to be held at his salerooms to-day at 2 o'clock.