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Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 250, 2 May 1866, Page 2

We are requested to call attention to the Social ! Tea Meeting and Soiree in aid of the Ladies' Benevolent Society, to be held at " St. Paul's Schoolroom, this day, 2nd inst. A magic lantern will be exhibited. This society has been the i means of accomplishing much good, and deserving of liberal support. A telegran from Sydney to Melbourne, says : — "Signor Vertelli, the Australian Blondin, has wheeled a barrow over Danger Falls, on a wire cord, one-third of an inch in diameter, 150 feet in length, and 500 feet above the level of the ground. The wind was blowing freshly at the time, and ja large number of spectators were present," i The preparation of flax i 3 commanding great attention in the North, every mail brings accounts of fresh discoveries. Mr M'Millans, cow-dung process he improved upon by the use of salt and water or sea^vater, and now we learn, from the New Zealand Herald, 14th April, that, sample *soap and water is the thing. It says : — " A number of samples of Phormium tfewowrpreparedby Mr Norton Butler, and Mr. Dewar, of the Thames Max Mill, are now lying at the office of the Neio Zealand Herald, for inspection. That of Mr Uewar's cleaned by the simple process of boiling and* washing in soap and water, is 6y far the best sample of dressed flax that we have yet seen, both as regards the softness of the fibre and its ' great strength. We except, however, that of Mr Waymouth, inasmuch as the fibre dressed by his process was injured in the mechanical process of cleaning, which, if a round instead of a squareedged mallet had been used, would not have been the case. The advantages in Mr Waymouths'B process will, of course, set aside altogether that use of the process discovered by Mr M'Millan as being more cleanly and expeditious ; but to Mr M'Millan's first bringing the matter, before the public undoubtedly belongs the credit of drawout the later and really valuable discoveries of subsequent experimentalists. Amongst the samples produced by Mr Norton Butler, without the use of chemicals, is a very fine and beautifully clean specimen." An Order in Council appears in the New Zealand Gazette, revoking such portion of the 23rd clause of the Regulations, as provides for the payment to country Postmasters and Stampsellers of a poundage of 5 per cent, on the gale of 3tampß from and after the 14th May. The Province of Nelson is advancing. We take the following from the Nelson Examiner, 19th April. It Bays: — "The Estimates were laid betbre the Provfrc jal Council on Tuesday, tHe ■,

Superintendent very properly; bringing them a forward at an early period of the session, instead t of, as has usually been the practice, prolonging 1 the sittings by not having the Estimates ,ready t until the other business was nearly got through t with. The total revenue estimated forjbhe^year is I £77,577, out of which £10,000 is i'set dowff as 1 land revenue.^- There are several items iii the "1 proposed expenditure which are of importance. A sum'of £12,000 is set down for roads on the * West Coast, and we are glad to see that a road to J connect, the Buller and the Grey, through the Inangahua and Little Grey, is one of the contemplated works. The Government purposes ' also, it appears, to bridge the Waimea river, at Waimea-west, and a sum of £5,000 is set down for that purpose. Another important proposal ■• is to prepare for the liquidation of our single provincial loan of £28,000, now fast approaching j maturity, by setting aside £5,000 as the com- „ mencement of a sinking fund for that purpose. We have printed the Estimates in detail, and shall ] again refer to them." < We beg to direct the attention of our readers' 1 to an advertisement in our columns in regard to j the opening of an evening clas3 in the Invercar- I gill School, Tay-Btreet. Its object being chiefly i to supply instruction to young men who are engaged in business during the day, in those ; branches which aro necessary to a commercial, or professional life, is deserving of encourage- ' ment and support. We obserTe from the Neio Zealand Advertiser, ; that the Provincial Council has passed a resolution authorising the establishment of a company ' with a capital of £50,000 to work the petroleum in Taranaki. The same paper says : — " Our . readers have been made aware recently that petroleum has been discovered at the Sugar Loaves, in the Province of Taranaki, and that every prospect exists that no difficulty whatever will be experienced in working this great source , of wealth on a most* extensive scale. Mr John Martin, of this city, has had forwarded to him by : Captain Gardyne, of the s.s. Phoebe, a phial containing a sample of this valuable product, which the latter gentlemen had obtained fresh from the well at the petroleum works of Messrs Carter and Co., at the Sugar Loaves, and he has kindly for" warded the specimen to our office, where it can be ' seen by. any person calling for that purpose. The oil in its unrefined or rough state is of a dark . brownish color, and smells very similar to the kerosene used for ordinary purposes. Mr Martin informs us that this specimen was obtained at a depth of sixty feet, and that the supply is said to be inexhaustible. When used in its present state the oil shows a light of great brilliancy, but it is much" too powerful, and therefore consumes 1 the wick as it burns. The settlers of Taranaki j have good reason to be proud of this grand discovery, and we trust it may prove to them, and to the colony, a source of unbounded wealth. At all ' events, there is the oil in any quantity, easily obtainable, and of the best quality, so that if advantage is not taken of it, and that speedily, very gross mismanagement will be the only , deterring influence or cause." The Argus of the 11th instant, thus complains of the treatment Greymouth receives from the steamers of . the P.N. &A. company : — " The Panama Company is not by any means using this place fairly. Time after time steamers are advertised to call off the port for passengers, but in most cases either the steamer does not put in an appearance at all, or owing to de fective arrangements for taking out passengers, the latter are continually being disappointed, and put t serious loss and inconvenience. We must say that Greymouth in entitled to more consideration than it has hitherto received at the hands of the company, and we would urge upon the agents the necessity of making rtrong representations on the subject to the proper quarter."