GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 101, 15 January 1870, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

Triple Birth. — At Norton, near MaU ton, the wife of Mr. Wood, joiner, was lately confined of three children, all of whom are alive. At # St. Joseph, Missouri, a negro recently stole the gallows from the jail, intending to use it for the unromantic purpose of constructing a hog-pen. The New Baronets — Nine new baronets are gazetted, viz. : —^Alderman Salomons, Messrs. Bazley, Jas. O'Connell, Titus Salt, Farbairn, Whitworth, Earl W. Jackson, and MajorGenerol F. Seymour. The Great Eastern, with the AngloIndian cable on board, was expected to leave Sheerness for Aden on the 23rd October. On cleaning her bottom, 50,000 gallons of mussels and rubbish have been removed. The value of the principal Sees is as follows: — Canterbury, £15,000 a-year ; York, £10,000; London, £10,000; Durham, £8000 ; Winchester, £7000 ; Ely, £5500. The other bishoprics are worth, some £5000, and others £4500 a-year. The prospects of the cotton trade in North and North-east Lancashire are not very cheering ; and a hard winter is expected. At Darwen the masters have given notice that they will not use gas during the Avinter, unless a change sets in for the better. A mare belonging to Mr. Campbell Thomson, while passing here on Friday last, one of a team conveying wool, was suddenly seized with lock-jaw. "Upon being unharnessed, it was found impossible, even with an iron rod, so far to open lier inoiztH. as -fco remove the bit. She was given up for lost, and placed in charge of Mr. F. Webb ; but under the skilful and energetic measures adopted by him she was speedily restored to perfect health. Next day, the appearance of the animal showed that Mr. Webb had endeavoured to open almost every vein in her body before he could get the sufficient quantity of blood, but she then ate freely and greedilj\ — " Bruce Herald," 12th inst. The production of honey, writes the " Australasian " of the Ist inst., seems likely to assume a not unimportant place in our minor Australian industries. We observe that in Queensland, where considerable attention is given to the subject, a novel and ready means for extracting honey from the comb is coming into use. The centrifugal machine has been employed for that purpose, and with considerable success. The caps of the combs being removed by a sharp knife, they are placed in the machine, and in one minute every particle of honey is extracted. The combs are then turned, and the hon.ey cells on the other side treated in the same way. By this means of extracting honey, lame, which are frequently troublesome in the usual process of extraction, remain in the comb, which is left also entire, and when it is replaced in the hives, the bees readily avail themselves of it for further use. The idea comes from Germany, where some beekeepers send three or four tons to market each season. The results of the diamond mining on the Cudgegong continue to be reasonably successful. The tota.. number despatched to England by the Austral lian Diamond Company is stated at SSB. There has been an auction sale of diamonds belonging to the Mudgee Company. There were 91 stones submitted to the hammer, most of which were sold. The larger portion of them were stones that would run four or five to the carat, but then there were three or four fine gems. One. very fine yellow stone, weighing about two carats fetched £10 15s. The facets were almost as perfect and sharp as if it had come from the lapidary. The smaller ones are mostly waterworn, and the crystalline form is therefore less perfect. It seems thus to be shown that diamond mining is a genuine branch of Australian industry, and that if it be conducted with the economy that usually belongs to small parties, ifc may prove profitable. But it is notr less plain that it has not yet reached the stage of associated enterprise oa a large scale, and it will probably be some time before we hear of the format tion of new diamond companies-* " Australasian,."

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