THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1880.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3484, 24 February 1880, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1880.

The following Thames members of the New Zealand. Rifle Association will take part in the contest at Nelson :—Yols. Weir, Penk, Price, Dowaie, Fenton end Oochrane, (T. 5.8.); Sergt. Clarke and Vol. Keller (H.E.); Vol. McKee (T.E.R.); Lieut. Gordon, Petty Officers J. and A. Thomas, Armstrong, Fi-earson, Jainieson and Seaman Parslow (T.N.8.)

Feom the official catalogue of the Sydney Exhibition, it appears no less than 85 samples of beer and porter were shown from New Zea'and, only 5 were mentioned in the prize list, and of that number 2 came from the Thames. This is a fact worthy of mention, and a matter of consequence not. only to the manufacturers, but to this district.

The Lynch Family of Bellringers and Vocalists, who, it will be remembered, visited us a few: years ago* arc agsin about to make a tour through New Zealand. On the 17th intt., they left Melbourne for Dunediu, and after playing a season there will call at the various intermediate stages en route to Auckland and San Francisco.

The. Clnistcburch Sun has a fearful " set" on Pastor Chiniquy. Our contemporavy in a recent issue says : —" Bursting up the Swindle.—-Mr M. Mosley, the Anti-Chiniquy lecturer, announces that he will 'Scarify ' the Pastor on Saturday night, at the Oddfellows' Hell, Ghrtstchurch, aTid is determined to track down South'and bring the "Reformer ".to the bar of public opinion; He: has some very awkward stories cu'-led from Canadian papers as to ' where the money goes,' the respecf ability of his associatss in the reformation, and the morality of his converts,"

Miss Lydia Howarde, who gave such briHiant burlesque entertainments here some ; years ago, is orgenising a variety company in Sydney, intending to revisit us at an early date.

In our Datagrams yesterday, mention was made of a Glasgow gentleman having succeeded ia mrkihg a diamond. In speaking of this subject, the Herald has the following exu act relative to the labors of a French chemist named Despretz :— This patient and preserving chemist fixed a cylinder of pure carboni to the positive pole of ?a weak Darnell pile, and a platina wire to the other pole y he- then plunged b6th poles, into slightly acidu'ai d water. After two months the negative wire or pole became covered with a black coating.l The product of the exppiiment was sent to M. Gaudin to test upon hard stones. He proved, in tlie presence of M. Despretz and others, that, mixed with a'HUle 6i:, the substance which had. enveloped the platina wire sufficed to polish seyeial rubies., As it is known th it the diamond is the only substance that polishes the ruby, M.. Gaud'-n did not hesitate to consider the substance as the powder of the diamond. This conclusion was generally accepted by men of science. " The question still remains," says M. Dienlafait, "is there any reasonable probability that the diamond will yet be produced eriificially ?" This question we must answer in the, affirmative. When it is considered how perfectly substances much more complex in composilion and constitution have been artificially produced—when it is too, what definite results were iurnished by the experiments of M. Dcs« pretz—for in such case the size of the crystals is a matter of indifference —there seemed to be no reason for setious doubts of the possibility of the artificial production of the diamond. Undoubtedly it will be a discovery from.'which', diamond merchants and owners of diamonds will have much to suffer; but in this, as in other cases, the loss that will fa'l upon a small section of the-community will be out. weighed a thousand times by the:'■.advantages which arts and industry in general will derive f:om the discovery. ,

The 11th inst.'was the Chinese New Year's Day, end, the Celestials of Greymou'h had a high old time. Duvag the eveningou? almond-eyed brethren amused themselves to their heavt's content in letting off fireworks and playing hideous music on Chinese fiddles—selections from Chinese operas so one Ah Quin said—very good in their way no doubt. However, the enjoyment was cut short by some of the ""larrikins" cutting the string that held the "sacred lantern,".and then all the fun was over, Tho Chinese, as a rule, are a very quiet race, and it seems strange that the only out-door" amusements they indulge in onceayeav should be interfered with.