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Southland Times, Issue 950, 13 May 1868, Page 2

In the Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday la9t, 11th inst., the owners of sundry stray horses and pigs were severally fined in the u-mal amounts. A man named Taylor, recently cook on board the James Paxton, sued the master, Captain Greig, for £12 10s, balance of wages due at the time the plaintiff was dismissed, and for a similar amount A3 compensation in lieu of a month's notice. It appeared that Taylor, who had previously conducted himself orderly enough, on a recent occasion, when the schooner was discharging cargo at Biverton, had behaved, on being requested to perform some special duty, in a manner so like insubordination, (}hat he was' dismissed on the spot. The defendant admitted the balance of wages, and expressed himself ready to hand it over, as he had previously offered to do to the plaintiff; but .did not consider himself liable for the sum claimed in lieu of notice. The Resident Magistrate considered the conduct proven against plaintiff justified his instant discharge, and gave judgment for the balance of wages only. Two other small debt cases — Shepherd v, Henderson, and Wild v. Mortlock — in which the parties belied each other with little compunction or delicacy, were decided — the first in favor of defendant, and the latter, a claim for £7 lent, in favor of plaintiff, for £2. A distressing accident occurred in a house in Biggar-street yesterday morning, whereby a child of about two years of age got seriously, if not fatally, injured. It appears that the mother of the phild, a poor woman named Connell, whoe«

husband is at present undergoing a hard labor sentence, had gone out washing for the day, leaving the house in charge of a girl of eight or : nine years old. Shortly after her departure, the : little one by some means came in contact with the < fire, when its clothes ignited, and before the . flames could be extinguished, the poor little thing •was dreadfully burned. At a late hour last night, it was doubtful whether it would recover. This is, no doubt, one^fchose cases requiring the sympathy oyh^L^es^nevolent Society. It is grafefying-;io .%cejjfcat an effort is being made to pW&&LadieV Beflevolent Society in the positio«,# : far as fundi/are concerned, of being able to'me'ej the cajfel of suffering and distress which may naturally be expected to occur during the winter. It will be seen from an advertisement elsewhere, that for this purpose an entertainment is to be given in the Theatre Royal, on Tuesday, evening next, to consist of readings, recitations, music, &c. There can be no doubt that the efforts of the ladies and gentlemen giving the entertainment will be liberally supported by the public, which has now come to recognise the Ladies' Benevolent Society as a most useful, suci cessful, and meritorious institution— one to which it is an honor to belong, ov to aid aid in any way. We see no reason why the committee of management of the Benevolent Society should not adopt the idea of continuing these entertainments throughout the season. Probably, under their auspices a course of "Penny Headings " could be carried on more successfully than under any other, and have a better chance of meeting with popular encouragement. With regard to the supply of material suitable to*form an interesting programme, we learn that voluntary offers have been received numerous enough to give an entertainment once a fortnight, or even once a, week for some months to come ; while we are also aware that Mr Jones, the proprietor of the Theatre Eoyal, has, with^is customary liberality, promised the use of the house and lights gratuitously. The "Age" of the 2nd May states that '• a circumstance of a peculiarly painful nature took place at Lexton, oti last Sunday week. The usual services at the Wesleyan chapel were being .conducted by Mr J. Brown, of Amherst (the father of Mr Leigh Brown, of that place), when he was seized with a paralytic stroke. With some difficulty he was removed to his home, when another stroke took place, almost upon his arrival, which has deprived him of the use of his limbs. Mr Brown had only recently arrived from Englaud r - where he has labored as a local preacher for the the last forty years. His arrival in the circuit was^considered to be a great acquisition." The "Melbourne Evening Star" says: — " Many people in Melbourne will no doubt have noticed a small Brahmin bull driven about the streets in a light cart: This animal has been brought from Calcutta by a Captain Black, and so great is this gentleman's belief in the prowess of the animal in question, that 'he actually offers to run him against our colonial favorites, Fireworks or Fishhook, for £1000 at the ensuing races.' " Cooper's Creek, which used to be looked upon as a place far beyond even the remotest outskirts of civilisation, i 3 now settled, stocked, and by no means difficult of vehicle access. The " Pastoral Times" remarks — "By leaving Melbourne by Cobb's coach on Saturday, via Echuca and Deniliquin, the paaaengor can land at Wilcannia, by Grace's Royal M^,onj&^ . and by .Saturday morning he can be at" Cooper's Creek, the death-place of Burke and Wills. It will be remembered that the famous explorers took their departure from this' latter place, crossed the continent, returned to Cooper'B Creek, arid, died here.. Tho country around is now taken up and partially stocked. In five years hence it is expected that we shall be able to make Carpentaria by coach. . The " Argus " relates the following :— A communication has been received by a gentleman in Maryborough, enclosing a letter from the United States for delivery to Mr James De Pontius, or some of his friends, known in this district, but no tidings can be gleaned of any one to whose care the letter can be properly entrusted. .Pontius, it may be remembered, was one of the four travellers (Felix Mathieu, James Dudley, James De Pontius, and John Kempthorne) slaughtered in June, 1868, by the Maungatapu murderera (Burgess, Levy, Kelly, and Sullivan), whilst travelling from the Deep Creek to Nelson, on their way to the west coast of JNew Zealand. . Under these circumstances, the letter will, of course, be returned to the sender. The "Gipps Land Guardian" has been informed that a squatter on the Mitchell side, sold a flock of sheep at the rate of one shilling and sixpence per head. Our contemporary adds : — "On Saturday last th^ butchers in Sale opened a place for the purpose of selling mutton and underselling Mr Macarthur, who had the previous week introduced a system of selling carcase meat by auction. Over sixty sides were exposed at the rate of one penny per pound, and were eagerly bought up. Despite of this, the auction sale at the yard realised from, one penny to threehalfpence per pound. The rivalry between the butchers and the auctioneer practically illustrates the old proverb, ' It's an ill wind that blawa quid to naebody.' We understand that next Saturday upwards of two hundred sides of mutton will be offered for sale." A Melbourne paper states that a passenger by the last Panama mail to Wellington has had Btolen from him, or lost on the way in course of transit, a box containing securities and paper to the value of £200,000. This Munchausen-like aftair does not seem to have been reported to the police or to have appeared- in either the Victorian or New South Wales ' Police Gazette.' The result of the recent valuation of the city (says the ' Age') shows a large and rapid advance on the previous -seven years. The increase as compared with 1864, when the valuation was thelowest since 1861, being within a few pounds of one hundred thousand. The valuation in 1861 was £652,676 j in 1862, £581,774 j* in 1863, £555,708 ; in 1864, £550,998 ; in 1865, £569,483 . in 1866, £595,265 ; in 1867, £613,665 ; and in the present year, £650,106 ; showing an increase on the previous year of £37,441. The valuation as made iy the city valuators was £653,984, but in revising it the City Council made a reduction of £3878 in the gross amount. The rate of Is in the pound will this year show an increase of £1822 Is on the previous year. During the last eight years there has been an addition of fifteen hundred to the. number of buildings in the city, or an average increase of over 187 each yew.

At the meeting of the Edinburgh WfSffi'&W£ byterian Presbytery, Mr Fleming," ofL6thiMl-j ; road church, proposed that the Presbytery should^ recommend the churches within the bounds to dispense with the objectionable system, of toast drinking at ordination dinners. He did to on tha grounds that drinking with the uproriooe "Hip, hip, hurrah!" was beneath the dignifr of Christian men, and opposed to the grafity required in Christian ministers ; that it wa« inconsistent with the previous religions services or th# day, and that the transition from ordaining totoasting a brother was painfuland incongruous. Mr Gardiner regretted that the motion had been brought forward; but, as a personal abstainer* he could not give a silent rote, and moved that the Presbytery, " while it would be glad that the drinking of toasts at ordination and induction dinners were discontinued, deem it inexpedient to take any action in the matter." Mr Mttir, of Leith, did not think the churches should be interfered with in the matter, and therefore moved tha previous . question. In the course of the discussion which followed various opinions were expressed. Even those who believed in ordination dinners, and thought they were entitled to some refreshment after taking part in the ordination services, agreed in condemning the practice of crying out " Hip, hip, hurrah !" as bemg sonriwhat incongruous. Ultimately Mr Fleming withdrew his motion in favor jof Mr Gardiner*!, which, as opposed to " the previous question," was carried by 25 to 17. : • The "Nelson Colonist" of the 17th ult statea "The Board of Governors having gone through the onerous duty of making : selection fronu forty applicants for the head-mastership of Nelson College, have finally placed their choice on the Her. F. C. Simmons, Rector of Dunedin High School, whose certificates and local testimonials, a» a very successful and accomplished teacher, are of a very high order. Many other of the, candidates were also highly certified, and well qualified for the post. Fifteen of the applications "came from Tictoria, 11 from New South Wales, 2 from Queensland, and 12 from various parts of New Zealand." The "Wellington Journal" of {the 16th ult, says :— " A shark 'measuring six feet in length was caught by a gentleman who was fishing on the Wellington Pier, on Monday last; the monster afforded a good deal of sport before he was safely landed, and upon being opened was found to contain a most miscellaneous collection of articles in his maw such as sardine tins, pieces of old boots, a soda-water bottle,"and the fag jend of a door mat." -■■."■■jThe Melbourne "Evening Star" says s— "The following story is told of one of the members returned to the Assembly in the Ministerial interest at the late elections :—'' Whilst on the Bench on a recent occasion he was told by the Clerk of Petty Sessions that, as there was only himself on the Bench, the prisoner should be remanded till the next day. The newly-fledged M.L.A., looking seriously at the man in the dock, said, f Prisoner, you are reprimanded till Thursday/"' ••? - . The " Argus " of the 6th inst., says f-:r-ff Some . progress has been made towards the formation of a Ministry, and an authoritative announcement on the subject will no doubt be made when Parliament meets to-day. If the whole .of the preliminaries are not settled, a postponement until Thursday will be requested; but if, as is more probable, a_new Administration has been formed, an adjournment will Jbe, ,-, asked for, in_arder_to_ allow the members of the Government to appeal to their constitutents. If the negotiations at present in progress are suggessful, Mr Sladen will be Chief Secretary in the new Cabinet; Mr Fellows, Minister of- Justice ; and -Mr Aspinall, Attorney* GfeneraL Mcsbts GKHies, Langton, Kerferd, and MacMahon will also most likely accept portfolios. A meeting of the members interested will be held this : .morning) when it is hoped that the matter will be settled. We understand that with the new Ministry the" Darling grant will be an open question. [Messrs MacMahon and Aspinall have since withdrew.] '•• : The Melbourne- " Argus" of the 4th inst., thuft describes the successful manufacture of paper, as a new industry:— On Saturday forenoon the making of paper was commenced at Mr Bamsden's mill, and in the course of .the day a considerable quantity was turned out. This .first fruit of the Victorian paper manufacture is a fine thin wrapping*pap«r, of a neat light brown color, which weighs 60lb to the ream, in sheets of 46in by 36in. A thicker .paper was also made in the course [o( the [day, which will weigh about 1201 b. Competent judges have examined the paper, and pronounce it to be of excellent quality — smooth, tough, and of even texture. It also carries ink welL The material .employed consisted of the pickings of the rags brought into the mill, the best having been reserved for the manufacture of printing paper. During the earlier days of the week the material was in course of preparation, and [the various machines and utensils engaged in that work performed satisfactorily. Saturday's process, however, was, by far the most important, and it must have been highly satisfactory to the proprietor of the mill to see the liquor fed to his machine .taming into paper within a few^minuteß, without the slightest accident or contretemps. The wire gauze web travels at of thirty-five feet a minute, and when the machine is going at full speed, only about a minute will elapse from the tune the pulp' begins to flow until finished paper begins to be rolled. up at the other end of the room. The new vacuum appliances for drawing the water out of the pulp performed well; and indeed the excellent'start made was highly creditable to the distant makers of the machinery, and to the mechanists by whom it had been erected. It is expected. that the manufactnre of printing paper will be commenced towards the end of this week. No difficulty was- experienced through want of skill on the part of the workmen engaged. As we mentioned before, but little skilled labor is required, and that little has been secured. Thesamejournalofthesth, writing on the subject of the manufacture of printing ink, 'says: — We had yesterday the pleasure of being present at the formal inauguration of a new industry, which promises to become one of considerable value and utility. Mr F. Wimble, from the well-known firm of Shackell and Edwards, ink manufacturers, of London, has commenced business as a manufacturer of coloured inks in Little Collins-street ; and the machinery was formally started yesterday in tbe pretence of a number of gentlemen. Mrs Bailliere gracefully performed the honorary duties of the occasion, and in the usual manner christened the manufactory the Violet Ink Mills. The works as yet are in a somewhat rough and incomplete state, but seem, as far as erected

- thoroughly efficient, and capable of producing, inks of the best and purest character. Tho ink .manufactured at the opening was a deep blue, and -was remarkable for the richness and purity of its color. The conditions under which Mr Wimble has commenced this enterprise are very favorable. By purchasing the pigments from the home makers he can manufacture ink and cell it at a lower rate than that now charged by the importers ; but when he has ereoted all the appliances for making the colors himself, he will occupy a position of decided advantage. Besides, we believe that colored inks always lose both in quality and quantity in the transit ; and m Mr Wimble undertakes to supply the article in a thoroughly good and pure state, he will probably, have the command of the market. The operations connected with the manufacture of colored ink are extremely simple. The different colon are obtained from mineral, vegetable, and animal substances, by chemical process. These are by far the most expensive ingredients in the article, some of them being as high in price as 18s 6d an ounce. The other important element in the manufacture is linseed oil, which is refined by boiling, and becomes what is known as printer's ojL This operation takes about forty-eight hours, and by it all the fat is taken from the oil, and : nothing but the pure gelatine left. The pigments are ground fine, and then mixed with the oil. The material is then placed in a milling machine* where by passing between a number of rollers the ingredients are throughly fused. The mixing takes fully an hour, and afterwards the ink is taken from the machine and tinned in" the usual way. Mr Wimble does not propose to confine himself entirely to coloured inks. He intends in course of time to commence the manufacture of common black printing' inks ; but as the machinery for making these must be kept entirely separate from the coloured ink-works, it will be some time before he ia able to commence operations. At 'present, Mr Wimble would be able to make 1001 b, of coloured ink in a day, and he anticipates from the clearness and dryness of the climate, that the colours will be purer aud more lasting than those of the imported inks. The only part of the machinery in full operation yesterday was the mixing machine, which consists of three powerful steel rollers, which, as the process of fusing goes on, are 'gradually brought closer together, and through which the ink is passed again and again until it h thoroughly made. The other portions of the machinery are now on their way to Melbourne, and in the course of time Mr Wimble expects to have a complete ink manufactory in operation. The works are driven by a sixhorse horizontal engine manufactured by Davies and Primrose of Leith, The " Age," May Ist, states :— " InVeference to the disreputable attempts which hare been made to rig the breadstuff's market — by individuals as ■well as newspapers; by principals, as. well as those who must be classed either as willing tools or simple dupes— we find the following paragraph in the "Adelaide Advertiser" of the 23rd ult. We must premise, however, that Messrs Greville and Co. appear to be free from blame ; if, indeed, they are not deserving of praise, for the sending to Adelaide of rumors current in Melbourne respecting the Adelaide markets could not mislead Adelaide traders, but might, as indeed it did, lead to the discovery of rascally manoeuvres. The "Advertiser" says :— "On Tuesday evening we received from our Melbourne agents, Messrs Greville and Co., the following telegram :— 'lt is reported that 500 tons of flour have been sold in Adelaide to-day at extreme prices.' Having strong reason to believe that no transaction of this kind "had. taken place, we suppressed the telegram. On inquiring of leading merchants and brokers, we find that there is no foundation ! here for the rumor.. Now, that the report did exist in Melbourne there can be no doubt. Our Melbourne telegram, published in another column, states that an Adelaide telegram had been received there to the effect that 500 tons of Dunn'a flour had been sold at £23. We have the authority of a member of the firm of Dunn and Co. for saying that the statement is untrue. The telegram wa* probably sent for an object. It looki like an attempt to 'rig the market,' and is deserving of the severest reprehension. Some of our leading millers have called upon us, indignantly denouncing the false telegram sent from Adelaide. However, we have this consolation— that if any one intended to 'rig the market' through oui columns, he failed. We shall write to Grevflle and Co. for full particulars, and * we can find out who fabricated the report we shall publish his name, no matter who he may be." The 'Argus' states that ." after negotiations, which were somewhat protracted, Mr Ireland, Q. 0., consented to proceed to HoHtika to defend the Fenian prisoners there— all the seven on the charge arising out of the procession and planting of the cross in the cemetery, and Larkins and Manning on the special charge of printing and publishing seditious libels in the defunct ' Celt ' newspaper. Mr Ireland sailed on Saturday by the Tararua, and rumor will have it that the honorarium handed to the learned Queen's counsel was a very handsome one. It is a compliment to the Melbourne bar that it should have been looked to to supply counsel in this, and in the still more important case of O'Farrell." [Another paper asserta that the learned gentleman has received as much as £1000.] The HobartTown ' Mercury' reports : — " Capt. Gilmore does not go home by this mail, but by the next. That, however, in no way affects any arrangements that have to be made with regard to the submarine cable across Bass's Straits. As we stated in our last summary, the contract with the Telegraphic Construction and Maintenance Company was duly executed, and forwarded by the last mail, the company having been previously informed by telegram that this would be done. It is presumed, therefore, that the construction of the cable is now being proceeded with, and that we shall have it laid on at the close of the present year, or at the beginning -of the next. Captain Gilmore only goes home to- see to its being shipped."