Untitled

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 30, 9 August 1864, Page 2

Up to a lato hour last night, we received no intimation of the prorogation of the Provincial Council Sittings by a Proclamation of His Honor the Superintendent. It is to bo presumed, therefore, that the Council "will meet to-nighfc, in the Court-House ; this evening being the time up to which it was adjourned from last Tuesday's meeting. The next of the course of evening lectures will be delivered in St. Paul's School-room, corner of Dee and Leet streets, this evening, by Dr. J. Rutherford Ryley. Subject, "The Nervous System," a vital telegraph, •with illustrations. We are in possession of later Northern intelligence, but there is little of importance to add to that brought per the Wellington. From the New Zealand Advertiser (Wellington) of the 30th July, we take the following: — "By the overland mail this morning, ire learn that a meeting of the electors of Wanganui and Eangitikei is convened for Thursday, the 11th August, to consider the propriety of constituting these districts into a separate Province. The requisition is signed by Messrs. Hewitt, Harper, Hammond, Jordan, Currl, Campion, Cameron, Bryce, Speed) and Lewis* We learn, also, from the Chronicle, that the Wanganui magistrates intend to invite the Capital Commissioners to visit their town, and they have drawn up a memorandum setting forth the suitableness of that place for the seat of ths Colonial Q-overnment." It has not yet, we presume, become generally known that that worthy public body, yclept the Town Board, is to make its appearance to-morrow morning, at the Resident Magistrate's Court, as defendant in a Case in whr.h Messrs. Hall and Macdonald, contractors, are the plaintiffs. The chairman, Mr. Gr. M. K. Clarke, has been summoned on behalf of the whole members of the Board. The summons sets forth that the sum of £70, which was left in the hands of the Board on the 25th February last, on their taking up a contract for the formation of the Spey-street footpath, and which has since been fully completed, has not been refunded to them. Of course, the contract price for the work is also due to Messrs. Hall and Macdonald, but the summons at present takes into account only the deposit sum of £70. The names of the members of the Board as embodied in the summons, are as follows : — Messrs. Kenneth M'lvor, James Grieve, W. B. Scandrett, Samuel Beaven, Henry Jaggers, Wm. Grarthwaite, William H. Calder, W. Livesey, D. Webster, G. M. K. Clarke, W. J. Moffatt, Isaac Broad, C. H. Keynolds, and D. Smith, (now or lately members of the Town Board). We may mention that this sum of £70 was by mistake paid into the current bank account of the Board, and as money began to get scarce with them, , it also became swallowed up with the rest, and apparently -without the power of being at present refunded. It is believed by some that steps -will be taken to day -wHereby tlie*Board may j be relieved of the necessity of defending the caso to-morrow, and there can be no question that some measure of this kind is most desirable. The latest accounts from the Dunstan gold-field inform us that the " fickle " Molyneux was going down very steadily, and large numbers of claims were being taken up in the township of Clyde. Gt-ood payable prospects were being obtained, and with a further fall of from six inches to a foot, a very large amount of auriferous beach would be workable at the very doors of the township. In a paragraph in our issue of Saturday, referring to the manufacture of the New Zealand flax into an article of commerce, a slight inaccuracy occurred iiv our description of the machine invented by Mr. James Scott, rope spinner, Earnstreet. It was there stated that his machine had a cylinder with spikes, but on inquiry we find that the following is a more correct description of the apparatus. On a substantial wooden frame, of a sufficient height, is placed a long metal table or top, which is grooved or nicked, to admit of the teeth of a roller wlu'ch propels it from one end to the other on rollers, as in a saw-mill. The flax, after being boiled and steamed sufficiently, is laid in this grooved bed, and by being subjected for a short time the fibre becomes separated from the gummy or mucilaginous matter which has been hitherto found to be the great pons asinorum in the way of utilising the phormium tenax. Water is poured on the llax as it is being subjected to this crushing process, and it is then allowed to dry, after which it is heckled, on which it is found that the adhesive gummy substance Js so far overcome that it flies off in this operation in the shape of small particles of dust. This machine of Mr. Scott, although answering the purpose in a Bmall way, is apparently far from complete — the chief drawback being the flat table. If, instead of one roller or cylinder, there were a succession of them, there can be no doubt that the machine would answer the purpose much, more efficiently than it now does. However, it is perfectly obvious that the hitherto insuperable barrier to the utilisation of this important indigenous plant is fast disappearing, and hopes may be legitimately entertained that the manufacture of flax will, at no distant daee, form a considerable item in the commerce of the colony: We may mention that Mr. Scotthas, for a considerable period, ; been converting the flax into ropes of various kinds, and wool lashings, for which latter ho has had a good demand. . ■ ;~ - ■ ■— ■ . The following is the state of H.M. Gaol for the ; week ending Bth August, 1864': — Sentenced to hard labor , ! 12 ; penal servitude, 3; - solitary confinement, 1; imprisonment only, ;1; awaiting trial (Supremb'Goiiv't), 2 r debtors, 5; •lunatics, 5 ;; - total, 29.' Received during the week, s;<5 ;< discharged^ B, '.';".' ■ , •'•:■-■ " : ■'•:■ ■;';- The FdM Advertiser, of July ■ 30th, records '■ tho death' of, a man nained Alexander Drummpnd; - His body was washed on , shore on the 29tli, opposite" the South Sea Hotel, Lambtqn-:, quay, Wellington. Deceased was a passenger,, per • b.s. Airedale, from Lyttolton to Auckland, but had landed at Wellington during the stay of the vessel' 1 in that port! 'lt is supposed; the night being dark and windy, and ; the 1 lighting of the wharf being" rather ,insufficioht,Vit6gethor with the fact of his being the worse foj > ;:>liqvipr, i that«i}ft>..felljpff i the wharf while attempting to reach the steamer. We understand that Alexandor Drummond was for some time foreman to Mr.Jßoss, the contractor^ on I the Bluff and Invercargill Railway.

In auothOTcbluimlTPFe putjlishj a\deseriptioii?of? ; / Wilson' b .jOottsfc jandv^arborvTelegrapJh. System^r -which Hds ;; A}eßri % in-;yuse iixS;^i^^r6viis(^?Knc^''' October, 1863, for~'tke.\c\mvey&nee °* intelligence" to and from the New^Eiver Heads. As will be seen on a perusal, this' semaphore system is entirely 'different from" any othe^now employed," and * ! has obvious. advantages in. its, favor as ,aa optical; telegrapli.. (it 'is "generally/ allowed: that fqifin^ia much more easily distinguished than color, and it has also Ijeen- found from experience thatsiguais -■- made withy/a^* are nobfonly,;tediou?|;bTit'occasionally present . difficulties . in .using- , . th^m, as in high winds or bad weather for instance.; > liiicalins/lor whenthe, wind ?blows* in the "'d direction in, which the; signals is •; to t>p| 'communi- . ! 'Sated, there is '..also the greatest difficulty in read- ...... ing or 'making out their various eolorSjand figures, arid-froin btKer' circumstances* it is ; veryi '.*,. evident/fli^lsignals iMj jseiuap'hores are superior to,;- and mtoe td .be.jlepericbcl on, tnfti ■by nags. A gf eat ; ' saving, m cost is* .also, wo are informed; effected 'm ; ths use" of tliis^de? crip*,;,, tion of semaphore. ."We may remarkj';thatC'tl;e.;'" inventor' intends 'applying ; to His'E^ceUe^eT ?|i<^;;: Q-overnbr for letters patent, ; and that the ."copyT"" right is reserved. As he wishe§ his system to Bo fully discussed and compai'Sd with other syatenisj :we have afforded, considerable, space, for a descrip,-...,, r tion of his semaphore; 1 , , f 'to ch'surS ' [ publicity and consideration,' we would reVomm&.'d|''' i . Mr. -Wilson to exhibit a jinqdel.of . ; his telegraph inj the New Zealand Exhibition, to b.e.iield.atD.ahcdui^ „ in January next, accompanying the samewith:dra.vv;- „', ; ings and afull description of the. mode of operation. We observe that the chapol' which has been in ' course of erection for some time past on the Bluff road, for the use of the Roman "Catholic congregation at .Inyercargill, is , now , nearly.; completed. The interior presents a very airy and agreeable appearance, the almost unique, and elegant stylo of roofing contributing very materially to this end. The woodwork :'of the -walls is* intended to be varnished in a manner similar to . the apart- , ments of the railway station, and, being of na iye : white pine (a timber very well adapted for the purpose), this style of finishing, in preference to \ painting, will at once recommend itself to any one Avho inspects the building. The' pews are already furnished, and will accommodate 220 people. The only portion of the building now to be brought to completion is tho inner end, whero the altar is to be placed. A handsome balustrade is to be erected as a division ; between the. front pew and this part of the chapel, and space . will be reserved behind the altar for a robing room. The light from the. : roof : at ;• .this part is sufficient, yet subdued, from tho use of obscured glass in the glazier work. It is expected that the whole will be finished in about a fortnight ; and we are informed that it will bo opened from the commencement free of debt* The cost of the building appears to.be moderate,, being . somewhere about £-150, but a' great assistancjj-lias ■ _ been rendered by Mr. Davies, railway coritractorj who supplied all the timber', charging only' so much as Would cover the expense of sawing if. The chapel will bo consecrated about the latter end Of the present raonth> for which purpose th? Eight Eev. Dr. Viarcl, Bishop of Wellington, ar.d the Rev. D. Moreau, P.P., Dunedin, will visit Invcrcargill. We understand that the bishop has consented to establish a resident clergyman, for the Roman Catholic body, in Inyercargill,: The Otago Provincial Government Gazette, of 3rd ihst., contains statements of ,the: revenue and expenditure of that Province for the quarter ending 30th June last. Under the head of revenue, we find that the customs' department contributed £19,218 15s. 2d. ; the gold export duty 'realised £17,729 6s. 9d. ; purchase and rent of crown lands, £35,260 17s, 9d. ; miners' rights, licenses, £11,008, 6s. Od. ; and the various other items of revenue swelled the aggregate income of the Province for the quarter to £105,572 10s. ,7d. Under the head of expenditure, we find the disburse- . ments in the following five departments, to be as follows: — Superintendent and. Executive, . £qB2 10s. 2d. ; Provincial Council, £2,222 2s. lid. ; Provincial Secretary, £19,488 ss_ Id. '; Provincial Treasurer, £15,364 Is. 3d. ; Secretary of Public . Works, £22,942 13 s. Od., making a total expenditure for the quarter of £60,599 12s. sd. On a further analysis, this sum is found to comprise : Salaries, £17,186 11s. sd. ; contingencies, £13,079 23. Bd. ; all other expenses, £30.333 18a. 4d. At the Theatre Eoyal last night three pieces were played to a very poor house. The principal part of the entertainments consisted of the drama of the " Noble Soldier," in which Miss Eloise Juno sustained the part of Christine, the heroine, very pleasingly, and Mr. Streeton made an excellent Ronslaus. The part of Charlitz, Christine's cousin and afßanced bridegroom, was played by Mr. R. B. Dale, who imparted to the character that raciness and humour for which he is so noted. A burlesque on the farce of Yulikins and liis Dinah, was announced to conclude tho performances — Miss Ada Hart appearing as YllliJcins, and Miss Juno as his Dinah. Wo observe that Friday night is set apart for the benefit of Miss Ada Hart, on which occasion several amateurs will lend their services. We have no doubt a bumper house will be the result. A farewell entertainment was given by Mr. and Mrs. Holloway, at the People's Theatre, New-, market Hotel, Dee-street, on Saturday evening. The performance passed off very well, and to the evident amusement of the audience. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, a number of cases of drunkenness and breaches of the public peace were disposed of, and fines ranging from- ss. up to £5 were inflicted. An amusing, case in the civil list was heard, arising out of an action for wages, raised by a man named Wilson against Mr. Harris, " mine host. "■-, of the Plough Inn, Great North Road. Mr. Harris, as will be seen from our report of the proceedings, got judgment in hia-favor; but : the • • ■ droll manner in which the evidence, on both sides was elicited created much merriment in Court. Tho physical resemblance of the "litigant parties " '" was so striking that Mr. South, the counsel for the prosecution, could not resist likening them to Shakespeare's two Dromios. Mr. South, however, did not submit willingly . to oppositecounsel applying the soubriquet of "Dodger" to his client, but he was informed by Mr. Button, who defended the action for Mr. Harri3, that- he would not quarrel ■•with' him if he 6poke of his client as " Billy Waterloo," a name by which he had long known him ! The evidence on both sides was very cemflicting.