THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2947, 26 July 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1878.

The bridge over Tararu Creek for cart traffic is vji'y nearly finished, and promises to be a great convenience. It has been constructed from a design prepared by Mr T< Rawdon, Foreman of Works to the Borough, and the contractor for the work is Mr j. McDermott. The bridge is built at the old crossing, in Graham street, which was a very nasty place to take a wheeled^yehicle over, and the convenience of having a bridge will be, perhaps, most felt by those who have to drive to the cemetery. The dimensions of the bridge are—length 34 feet; width 12 feet, main span 24 feet clear, with sraaller span on cither side. The timber used is heart of kauri, the largest being 12 inches by 8 inches. The height in the centre is 7 f'et 6 inches from ordinary water line. The bridge is substantially put together, and is a credit to all concerned. All that remains to be done to the work is to form the approaches, which is now being carried out.

The Hauraki Engineers (Captain SmrJl's company) will parade for the inspection of the Officer Commanding the District in theiijHead-quarters Drill Shed this evening. After the inspection the attendance prizes will be awarded to successful competitor's, and a competition in drill is to take place in order to adjudge certain prizes given for clean arms (instituted by F. W. Paul, Esq., the late captain of the corps). As this will probably be the last occasion on winch Major Cooper will act as inspecting officer, it is to be hoped the corps will muster with its usual good numbers.

The frost has been very severe in the South. The Press of a recent date says : —Both on . Tuesday and Wednesday mornings an area of about six or eight acres in Lyttelton harbor, extending from the Gladstone Pier to the newly reclaimed land, was frozen over, the ice being from an eighth to a quarter of an inch thick. Such a thing h?s never been known to occur in Lyttelton before since the firs) settlement. This shows how severe the frosts must have been. The water at the Head of the Bay has also been frozen over.

Some of the broker members of No. 2 Scottish had a little " judging distance " practice this morning. A difference of opinion arose as to the distance from the National Bank corner to a small cottage abutting on Davy street, near to Pahau street. A bet was made, and a tape line procured to measure the distance. One broker, a crack shot of late No. 2, guessed the distance to be 230 yards ; it proved on measurement to be 220 yards. The wager was not for a large amount.

The attention of Nos. 1 and 2 Scottish is called to notifications which appear in our advertising columns.

The Thames Rifle Rangers will fi-e for prizes to-morrow at 8.30 a.m. and 1.80 p.m., ammunition for which will be served out at the Hall hr'f an hour before the times fixed for firing.

The •• King of Pain " has had a very flattering testimonial presented to him on the virtues of his mixture, being no less than the certificate of a miner, sworn to before the Resident Magistrate. The certificate may be seen in another column.

At the afternoon sitting of the Native Land Court yesterday the Karangatari Kikiriki block was granted to Periniki, and the Okorako block was granted to Periniki and others. At this morning's sitting the Hape block (Ohinemuri) which had been adjourned was awarded to Karaitana Kihou and others, and the Karaka block (Ohinemuri) of 202 acres was given to Eiriria Earepa and another. The hearing of the Whakanerekau block to which the claimants are Matiu Poona and others, and the counter-claimants Napari and others, was commenced.

It is reported, says the Pall Mall Budget, that Mr Tennyson received the sum of 300 guineas for his ballad which appeared in the Nineteenth Century, and which has been copied into almost every English and colonial periodical.

The Lancet calls attention to the fact that the dust coming out of wool when being sorted in large quantities is not

only injurious to the sorters by the irritation which it sets up it the lungs when breathed, but that it has also the power of blood-poisoning. A paragraph in tbe English papers says :—" From a quarry at Otley there has been taken a block of stone almost big enough for three Cleopatra's Needles. It is 64 feet long, 16 feet wide, and 7 feet thick, weighing over 500 tons."