MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 243, 18 April 1866, Page 2 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

In a. private letter received from a gentleman in Taranaka, we learn , that petroleum oil is being obtained in quantity. The writer Bays: — "They have just succeeded in finding petroleum oil by boring down about 70 feet, and that will give a great impetus to trade, everybody jiist now is full of the probable effects of ifc, the only difficulty being that they cannot as yet discover a methodof, refining it sufficiently to make it safe to use. However, the oil is here, and in great abundance." It would appear that the iron sand which is so extensively deposited along the coast of New Zealand, is gradually being adapted to "useful purposes. Mr Wark, the manager of the Auckland Gas Works, has been making experiments, which are thus described by the New Zealand AHAerald, 14th March. It .says : — " It appears that the lime to be obtained here is not so suitable for purifying gas as the lime in England. In the latter country it is well known thafc lime is largely usefi. for this purpose, but some time ago a patent was taken out for a material composed largely of oxide of iron as an improved gas purifier. Mr Wark finding the iime'of Auckland not so well adapted for his purpose as it ought to be, experimented with oxide of iron and other ingredients, and afc lasfc gofc a mixture which acted admirably as a gas purifier, but was found to be very expensive. The gentleman then thought of the iron sand and immediately obtained a couple of hundred weight fi-om the beach of the Waitemata, and found upon trial that it answered admirably. The diiJ'erence in the cost of gas purification wifch iron sand and oxide of iron is very great, that of the former being only one fifteenth of the latter, reckoning the yalue of., the iron sand at £10 per ton. As Mr Wark puts it, four penney worth of iron sand afc £10 per ton, will do the work of five shilUngs ■ worth of oxide of iron. But, as the sand can be had for the picking up afc no great distance from this city, its cost, dehvered at the gas works,

ought not to be anything like £10 per „* resqlt of Mr WaA's experiments are worthy the V attention of the managers of works in other parts of this colony, and in Australia. He wiil doubtless, be happy to furnish aiiy information on the subject to such gentlemen on application being made to him for that purpose." We take the following from the Crestoiek Advertiser : — " We regret to learn "lih&t the disease called blackleg has made its appearance on the -„'. Smeafcon Plains. This epidemic is, i£ possible, worse than the dreaded pleuro-pneumonia, as it is certainly more sudden in its fatal effects; ~'M*'' Walter Baldwin, tlie herdsman, has lost four head of cattle by this visitation; Mr Carr one, ■: I and Mr Eichardson one ; -besides there are a few , other sufferers. It is to be sincerely hoped that j after the heavy loss thafc most cattle breeders and owners have suffered by the attacks of the pleuro^ they' will be spared any extensive spread of this more dangerous enemy to their prosperity."

The Sydney Morning Herald ot the 13th, ' v referring to Bertrand's case, says : — " We ate ; informed that Mrs Bertrand has addressed a ' letter to the Attorney-General requesting an interview, in order to be enabled to make certain statements which she beUeved would have the' effect of placing the • circumstances connected : with her husband's conduct in a more favorable _ light. In reply to the communication of Mira c ... Bertrand, Mr Palmer, her step-father, yesterday received a letter from the Attorney-General's office, stating that the Premier and the Colonial Secretary would attend at the ofiice of the latter l this morning, at half-past nine, o'clock, to hear ; any statement -that Mrs Bertrand 'may wish .tp make. — Mr Salamons moved for, and obtained. ■ yesterday, in the Supreme Court, a rule nisi, A'"" calling upon the Crown to show cause why a new • "' trial should nofc be granted herein, on the follow?-. .'. ing grounds: — First, that the prisoner's counsel V had, in efi'ect, been misled into not calling any witnesses for the defence, in the belief tliat the . Crown would not reply. Secondly, tiat the Judge at the second trial had improperly rai , over the evidence of the witnesses taken at tiie. first trial, instead of taking-it anew. Third, that • I the special cases on which the points were raised, , r . had nofc been argued before the four Judges.7 Fourth, that the firsfc jury was improperly discharged without delivering a verdict.'' j■ ' "

The Wellington papers are quarrelling overMrPaterson. The Independent, which is anti- - ministerial, persists in considering Mr Paterson?! a a ministerial statement, and finds in it food for ; embarrassing the Government. The Advertiser^ r wliich is veering round to the Government, denies. , Mr Paterson's right to make a ministerial state- ' -'- ment, since, it contends, he has only a temporary - position in the Government, and that he has "V shown, by remaining ungazetted, he was aware -; such was the case. Our Wellington correspon- p dene, it will be observed, *who is generally well * informed on what is occurring, seems to consider , ' Mr Paterson is not likely to remain in the*Government. > . • '

The shock of an earthquake was felt at .Marl- as borough on the 29th ult. The Marlborough Ne.os,Ai 31st March, says : — " A little before nine o'cloct-Y on the evening of Thursday last, an earthquake^;, was experienced. It waa heavier than had Wen" - felt for some time previously, and its direction '""'' was observed to be from S.W. to N. 8." -■;_;.

The following is from the Australasian : — "The . trustees of the British Museum have become V owners of tlie egg of the Moa, or dinornis, brought > orer from New Zealand by the Ravenscraig. The y price given was £120.