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Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3090, 13 January 1879, Page 2

la? is intended,*we understand, to formally open the Kopu wharf at four o'clock to-day. The Chairman of the Harbor Board, the Mayor and some other members of the Board went out this afternoon to meet the Hon. J. Sheehan and the County party on arrival from Ohinemuri, and then the ceremony of declaring the wharf open was to be performed by Mr Wm. Panes, in presence of representatives of all the local bodies as well as the Native Minister. The contract for the wharf has been carried out satisfactorily by Messrs Thompson and Sinclair. Between nine and ten o'clock last evening, the town was visited with a very strong gust of wind, which, however, did no very serious damage. The shutters of Messrs Cosgrave and Co's shop in Owen street were blown down—the iron crossbar being actually twisted by the intensity of the gale. Several persons were passing by at the time, and had to run to get out of reach of the falling shutters. Several shutters in Marshall's, Albert street, were also blown down. Several fences in SBortland were levelled, but with the exception of these we believe there is little other damage. At the E.M. Court this morning, before Colonel Fraser, 8.M., Edward Burns was charged with drunkenness, also for a breach of the Licensing Act from being three times convicted of drunkenness within three months. He pleaded guilty to both offences, and for the first was fined 10s and costs, with the usual alternative, and for the second, sentenced to seven days' imprisonment.

The Xauaeranga School Committee have received permission to expend £25 they have in hand for the purpose of establishing a gymnasium in connection with the Boys' School. Otjb Tairua correspondent writes to say that he sent us a long letter dated 2nd instant, and supposes it has not been delivered as it has not been published. He is correct. We have not received the letter, and the gentleman to whom it was entrusted would oblige by delivering it at once.

At a recent meeting of the Board of Education of Auckland, the secretary reported that there were vacancies for | 25 teachers, and it was resolved that the i executive committee be authorised to communicate with the local committees and report to the Board. The occupation of teaching, in our opinion, is one that specially recommends itself to young ladies. The duties are arduous, no doubt, but the hours are not long, and while teaching others the opportunity for selfimprovement is ever present. Air almost unparalleled feat was performed in a cricket match at Germantown last Saturday week, in which one of the smallest scores ou record, by an eleven, was made. The match was between the Billabong and Germantown clubs. Germantown went first to the wickets, and were disposed of for the ridiculous score lof 3 runs. Ten of the team were put out for 0. Their captain Mr Bend, carried out his bat for 2, the other run was a bye. Colley, for Billabong, took six wickets for 1 run, and Smith, three wickets for 2 runs. One man was run out. The innings did not last more than 20 minutes. Billabong in their first innings made 80 runs, and Germantown in their second innings made 19, the former thus winning in a single innings with 58 runs to spare. It must be remembered that the team so cheaply disposed of in their first innings were all fair players, having a short time previously defeated the Albury club, almost iv a single innings, and in the match v. Billabong they played with one of the most prominent members of the Albury first eleven.—Australasian.

The managers of all the banks in the Hamilton district have received a caution from the police department. It is thought, says the Spectator, that a raid may be made on some of the financial establishments between Hamilton and Warrnambool. Managers are therefore requested to keep their powder dry, and otherwise place themselves in readiness to give the bushrangers a warm reception at this festive season of the year. It is just within the range of probabilities, says the Southern Cross, that the col* ony may be favoured with a visit from that famous temperance orator and advocate, John B. Gough. Intelligence has reached Victoria to the effect that this gentleman is willing to pay us a visit, and the terms on which he would come here are such that there ought not to be any difficulty in arranging the matter.

A cobbespondent writes to Nature :— " A few days ago a friend told me that she had often placed a bee under chloroform, and that the victims, when they found they must die, invariably brought their stings up to their mouths and sucked the little drop of poison into their mouths. . She offered to show me the experiment, and endeavored to catch a bee, but failing to do so she caught a wasp—an insect upon which she had not previously experimented in this way, and we both eagerly watched to see if the wasp would behave as the bees had done under the influence of the narcotic. The wasp being put under an inverted tumbler in company with a piece of paper saturated with chloroform, in a very few seconds the insect fell on its back, and almost immediately afterwards curled up the tail.with the sting protruded, and a drop of clear fluid on the end of the sting. The sting was brought to the mouth and the drop of fluid disappeared. The wasp then became motionless. After a few seconds the tumbler was removed and the air allowed to play freely on the insect, but no sign of life appeared, except one slight twitch of the wing. To test whether the insect was really dead my friend placed it in a butterfly cage and left it out of doors all night. Next morning the wasp had disappeared, having, perhaps, crawled out by a little chink in the cage door. Can you tell me whether so curious an action of these insects when subject to chloroform is well known? Does it fulfil any good purpose P Is the poison a narcotic itself, and taken by the insect to dull its pains when death seems inevitable? The revival of the wasp appears to show that neither the chloroform nor the poison of its own sting is deadly to the insect.

The following appears in the Herald's report of the proceedings at the last meeting of the Board of Education:— Waiotahi.—The School Committee had forwarded the resignation of Mr Moore, the head teacher, and it was accepted. They now enclosed a letter from Mr Moore, asking that his appointment might not terminate until the 31st of March, and they recommended the request.—The Secretary pointed out that the inspector was of opinion that a difficulty might arise, as his resignation had already been accepted. It could be got over by his tendering a new resignation from the 31st of March. —The Board did not see the difficulty, and agreed to act on the recommendation of the committee.

Satubday's Herald says:—-The "big pump " question at the Thames, wai the subject of an animated discussion yesterday at the Chamber of Commerce. Its operations will cease at the end of the month, unless some means be found to carry on the work. The result possesses public interest, in view of the fact that a considerable number of persons will be thrown out of employment. The question was referred to the Committee of the Chamber, to obtain information and draw up some definite proposal. ' The most practical suggestion was made by Mr Lennox, to the effect that the Government might apply the gold duty to the continuance of work which has the greatest share in preserving a large mining area for the purpose of prospecting. The reasoning is logical enough. The Government might as well do this, through the local authorities, as have no duty, or a Tory reduced amount, to receive if this work be discontinued. ' '"" The just published report of an Irish benevolent society contains one paragraph rich in caustic humor. It says—"Notwithstanding the large amount paid for medicine and medical attendance, very few deaths occurred during the year." "Yes, Ned," said an old merchant to his nephew, who had just got married, "hare your life insured by all means, so as to give your wife's second husband a good start.