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Southland Times, Issue 947, 8 May 1868, Page 2

"We understand that in consequence of the contemplated completion of the Oreti line of Railway, several -large sales of land may be expected shortly. Ike Government ought to push on with the public works recently authorised by the Council in order to prevent any unemployed men from leaving the Province. Daring the winter months especially, it is advisable that the laboring popu-. lation should be fully employed. The " Timaru Herald" has the following : — " Captain Lusher, of the * Lady Bird/ on his arrival at Timaru, on the 25th ult., made a report which should be as fully known to all coasting vessels as possible. He reports that, when on his way to this port, about three o'clock on Saturday morning, he was deceived and delayed for nearly three hours by the glare of a bright fixed light at an elevation of 30 or 40 feet above the sea level, exhibited on the beach, about 13 or 14 miles north of Timaru, which light was at first taken by him for the Timaru harbour light. Captain Lusher is unable to account for the appearance of the light, and suggests that it must have been placed there for the purpose of deceiving vessels, and drawing them ashore. To say the least, the appearance of such a light in the place named is very suspicious, as there is no habitation near. It has been pointed out that the Maories might have been employed in fishing at the time, with a light, or that the grass in the neighborhood might have been on fire ; but as Captain Lusher went in near, and was hove to | for some hours, he would not have been deceived by such lights. On his next trip the Captain will take the same course, and should the light again ' be shewn, ho had intimated that he will send a boat or two on shore, and thus find out for what purpose it is shewn."

Mr Deck, sen., gave a lecture in the Exchange Building, on Wednesday evening last, upon "■Ritualism; its Progress and Danger." The attendance was numerous, and the lecturer evidently had devotefl considerable care in reading i up ecclesiastical history in its bearings upon the | subjeot seleoted, whilst he avoided anything like a | sectarian spirit in his discourse. Our Bluff correspondent, writing under date 7th May, Bays :— During the week we have experienced the first frosty weather of the season. Oa Monday and Tuesday morning the ground was covered with a coating of hard frost, but now the atmosphere is more unsettled, and we may look for a buster with the usual accompaniment. The last of this season's fleet of English ships, the Celeano, toot her departure yesterday. The Maria, Capt. Duncan sailed yesterday afternoon for Otago to discharge the balance of her cargo, and will return to this port about November with a cargo of guano for the Company's stations and will then most likely load wool for London. Oapt Duncan speaks very highly of this port as affording every facility for discharging, more especially heavy packages, such as machinery. We trust that during the recess the G-evernment will do something in extending the wharfage accommodation ; as it now stands two ships canuot safely lay alongside. The contractors for the erection of the signal man's house on the hill are almost at a standstill for the want of lime, Judging from the plan it will be a very ' substantial building of four apartments and will have a very imposing appearance. The work of drawing the material up hill is going on satisfactory. The look out station at the signal staff is also in the course of erection and will be finished in a few days, the Government seem to be looking to the comfort of the officer in charge on the hill, and not before it was wanted ; heretofore, he has had almost to put up with every disadvantage and. exposure to the weather. Tiie Bluff Beading Society have rather retrograded during the last month, but this may have been on account of the severe weather which we have had rendering travelling out -of doors in the evening a work of groping in darkness. We recollect the Government some time ago advertising for tenders for the drainage of G-ore-Btreet ; we would remind the successful tenderer that the inhabitants of Campbelltown in general would rather that he would take some ateps to* get rid of this nuisance than allow them the noxious' privilege of indulging in puddling. Some of the Paris journals state that ." the French Minister of War has been for some; time past in communication with M. Schultz, formerly a captain in the Prussian Artillery, and the inventor of a new gunpowpe,r which he terms " white powder." The object of these communications i9j according to the " Builder," to secure for Franco the secret of manufacturing the preparation, in which neither salpetre, charcoal nor sulphur iB used, these being the ingredients of the gunpowder now employed. The white powder is superior to the ordinary kind, especially for rifled arms, as it leaves no deposit in the barrel, and its projectile force is greater. The Geelong "Advertiser" . says that "a novel kind of beer engine, which is likely to be extensively used, may now be seen at the wine and spirit stores of Messrs Joske Brothers, 9 Market-street. The apparatus is the invention of Mr Paul Joske, and he obtained a patent for it some weeks ago. Its peculiarity consists in the application to an ordinary beer engine of a process by which the effervescent properties of bottled beer can be imparted to draught ale and porter. The plan adopted is to attach to the ■pipe leading from the- hogshead to the tap a copper, cylinder, in which carbonic acid gas is generated by the admixture of bi-carbonate of soda and sulphuric acid. The. gas which ia thus generated is carried by a pipe to a globe of copper, into which beer from the cask is pumped by working the handle of the engine in the usual way. The movement of the pump causes a small fan to revolve, which seta the liquid in motion and thoroughly impregnates it with gas. The result is, that the beer issues from the tap in an effervescent Btate, as if it had been taken from a newly opened bottle, and it would be difficult to distinguish ale or porter thus treated from the ordinary bottled beer. One of the advantages of ihe invention is that it can be used in conjunction with the ordinary beer-engine, so that a glass of draught aje or porter and a glass which resembles the bottled beverage can be drawn from the same cask. As the carbonic acid gas generated in the way described is perfectly wholesome, it is probable that Mr Joske's invention will soon come into favor, and be generally used by publicans. The patentee intends to introduce his invention without delay into the colonies and England." " .