Commercial.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 242, 19 September 1872, Page 5

Commercial.

• -September 14* A. Mercer reports for the week ending * September ll:—Retail4 :— Retail prices only. Fresh" butter in 41b and lib- prints, best quality, Is 4d to Is 6d per 1b ; second quality,' Is 4d ; - fresh butter m lamps. Is 2d ; powdered and salt butter, best quality, Is 2d ; second, JOd to lid. Fresh butter continues to get plentiful, but prices still remain unchanged. A good enquiry exists for new season salt batter, which is rery scarce and worth from ' Is to Is Id per lb for good samples. Cheeseis in good request ; good samples are scarce' however, and worth 8d to 9d per lb ; second - quality, 6d per lb. Side and rolled bacon is fetching 9d to lOd per lb. Fgps are very very plentiful in fact so much so that the ! large stocks held by storekeepers are scarcely ' affected, although prices range as low as 10d to Is perdoz. With the exception of a few samples of indifferent quality, there is no wheat in the market. Buyers are however, only prepared '* to secure a sufficient quantity for present ' grinding. The value in town for best milling ' lots is 5s 3d to 5s 4d ; for inferior parcels ' there' is no sale. Fowl, wheat. is inquired for at 3a ; there is none offering. In oats, the ' market has slightly improved; prime milling samples fined buyers at 2s and 2a 2d ; feed" ing Borts. are brisk at Is lid to 2s. Malting ' barley is held for 6s ; stocks are low and the' demand is good ; feeding lots are firm at 4s 6d. Potatoes are dull at I 7 for Provincial, and L(f for Australian. Flour continues in , brisk trade demand at Ll3 to Ll3 los ; town stocks are not over heavy, and we may look for a scarcity within two months, unless ' more wheat .comes forward or flour is imported: Bran, L 4, Pollard, L 5 10s. Oatmeal, Lll 10s. Straw, L2ss. Hay, L3 lss. Chaff, L 3 15s. Messrs Wright, Steph'enson, and Co. held a sale of horses, ex Albion from Melbourne, . at the Provincial Yards, to-day. A splendid lot of horses was disposed of, ' Perhaps no sale of horsss in Dunedinever excited so great an interest or attracted so : many farmers as the present. ' The yard, was \ literally thronged' with breeders and specu- ,' lators. Nine; draught horses offered fetched ; prices ranging- from' L 26 toLSO. The far 1 ? , . famed stallion " Heather Jock," by Blackleg out of Lilly Cromwell,- was' knocked down ! after a sharp competition at ' L4BO. Mr : Fowler, of the Taien, became the purchaser j and it is satisfactory to know that the hone - is bought! to be retained ia the Provinoa, andjthatriie will travel in the forthcoming season inshe Taieri.disjbacfa. The competition; for • " Young Ilan- O-'Connell ". was^ not so spirited. ; iut thons^ he was bought in at . L 95, he wa« afterward .aold for L 160 ,: The , itaporter, Mr Trtstrail, who *pp«arß to thoroughly understand the requiremeßts of.* the Province, most be pleased with the price* • realised at the auction.

; Cabeick Water • Supply. — The Arffas understands that the Carrick Bange " Walter jSupply Company are determined to commence their race in about seven days' ti&e. The Company have deposited LIOO < with the Receiver; and are therefare^ow entitled to apply for L4OQO from the General Government. V

Thk VoLUNrM&^thfe services of the Otepopo Company having been accepted, the election of officers took place last week, and resulted as follows : — Captain, William Falconer ; lieutenant, Ernest F. Diehl ; ensign, Alex. Pirie. An Old Acquaintance. — The Chinese giant Chang has returned to China, where he carries on the business of a mer-"' chant. Be took with him a wife he had found in Australia. It is said tii&t the lady's head just reaches the lowest button of Chang's waistcoat. ' Applicable;* Comparison.— f A promising boy, hearing his father talk a great deal about Parliament, lately asked him — . «• Father, how long does Parliament sit?" '•Four or five months, my boy," was the reply. " What along time ! why, our geese only sit five or six weeks," was the shrewd remark of the youth; ' ;, Parliamentary Wit. — In the debate on the Deceased Wife's Sister Marriage Bill, Mr Luckie .ventured to lecture Mr Stafford on the abuse of his knowledge of the forms of.-the,j9.ouße, and for so doing was mad« a laughing-stock of by Mr White, who reoommfnried him to hold his tongue, since,:. from his. funereal manner,. he was eminently, suited to be mate. , -. • tJOLONEL WhITMORE ON 'THE PRESS. — Colonel Whitmore, in' a speech in the Legislative Council, '"wishes to point out that newspapers were' not to be relied on,* as some were ready to state that black was' white, or the reverse, according as they were friendly to'-iHe Government."- 'It is said "that Colonel Whitmore has a practice ' of doing the same thing from aconstitutionilhabit;— Wahgahui AccLiMATisATipN.-r:'^hose who take an interest in- acclimatisation will be glad to learn,, that the- pheasants liberated in, the neighborhood of Dunediu are thriving; well. . A gentleman to-day informed us. that: in walking through the Town Belt one day last , week he started a covey of a dozen, all oft whioh seemed healthy and well . The/male birds he describes as being ,in excellent con-, dition— in f act he says he.doesnqt remember haying seen. finer birds in the home country. Thrushes and chaffinches are frequently met with in the Belt. ',;; ._,.'. Thought^ulness. — One evening last week the Germans of ChristcKurch gave a dinner to Capt. Kopper, of the ship Friedeburg, which brought opt a batch" orGerman', immigrants Dr Haast presided;' and in the ' coarse of the evening 1 sang a national song, . which was to well received that its repetition .was demanded. . This ' the Doctor • refused td 1 do, unless the company' present/ numbering' fifty persons, made' a collection' for any necessitous countrymen last arrived;'The result was that close" upon W was' col-' . lected, which, was supplemented by other 1 collections made subsequently, Good Yields. — Anderson's dredge' at the Kawarau struck a patch last week,, which yielded over forty ounces of 1 gold of the coarsest character ever yet obtained in the' locality. The Big Beach, Lower Shatover, js again • turning botyery rich. The Sun Sing Tong' Company (Ham Tie and parfay have tteen, ft is said on sound, authority, making about L9OO a week. The Beach Company (Ah Chny and party) have alsp just got on the ran of gold, and-ob-tained about 1420'lMfcweei. The Chifcese own all th« Big Beach claims, having'purcbased 'out the European. Interest*, and thus acquired not only" a promising,- , but an extensive field for their operations.— Wakhtip Mail. } - , - y ; '-^'j. i Mining. —A report from thje mining^ manager of the Skag Valley F. Q, M. Co., dated the 3rd inst., referring. to that portion of the ground known as the " Prospecting . Claim," states.:— "The reef at the end. of the, tunnel has increased in thickness, .with ipdications of still increasing. The stone looks well, with gold plainly visible in the atone." Of the. freehold portion, which comprises considerably, the largest area, the report stalest — " We commenced to raise stone on Friday, the 30th ult. ;_r^.seven_feet in thickness, with indications^of *increasing"in thickness. Stone looks very/;welL,j ?^ugdfaty of stone raised, 18 tons By one ma'n'in three days." BEAra THROUGH SWALLOWING Obanok Pifb. — The Young correspondent of the Yass Courier states .that a remarkable 1 death took place there last Monday, week. A- Mr Flower, of Cunningham Plains was brought into town for medical treatment. It was thenght he was suffering from obstinate constipation. Dr Barnett was in attendance, -and. applied all the known remedies; and did all that skill and care could ■ devise, r 1 During the night,- however, the unfortunate gentleman died. The circumstances were thought so strange, that a post-mortem examination of .the 'body was .made, and it was discovered that tw«f orange pips had got entangled in .the lining membranes of An . in- •-. testines, • caused inflat>matien, I ■ and even-, tuallytrupturei and of coarse death.— /fcrcferj Poab -. -' • .•>■■•■ "> ..;-: -i ■•■■•'' - : -• ■ .Cricket.— lnhere, is jap mehtipti. in 1 the. latest English files of the. result of the match at cricket between, the Oxford, and Cambridge Universities',, bult we learn/from a priyateteleg»m' .that Cambridge wo ; n by. one innings .and 160 runs— a most- signal victory. , .Mr Yajdly jras' the principal; scorer for the winning team, his total .bsing. about 120 ;, and it is equally, worthy of note that, Sir .Thornton, the celebrated, hitter, made. JJO runs in* jflie astonishingly short time of ?74 jniymtes, . his hits being' 4 fours, .1 three, and 1 one. . Mr y?> M. Ppwys, a cousin of. Mr Aj t. Powys, formerly of the Canterbury Club, also was very- ;successf ul with hl& , ; ' hand bowling. in taking, wicketa for Cambridge. !,The Oxford .'team- was first favorite at the conunenc?ment of the match! — Our Hyde correspondent, under (date ?th inst., writes : —"A shocking case of attempted suicide, took, place here on Saturday last. A man named; Sullivan was found about 11, o'clock, m the morning by his, next neighbour,, Mr. Collins, with his. throat cut. It appears" to have been 'a most determined attempt,' the, man having cut, hU windpipe jright through, wi^.i^razbr. :-{Mr Laverty .was the.first^ to s touch. him,; when he, stitehedinp thejwounds. , The, police -were sent .lor,! ana^r.jpick, bf i Naaeby, ;wm in atten^pooß , yartcniay, anfl, lie imported that ,it w^i, v«ry d^^ful.W^,- , ther r he 'would jecover. ; .-".Sjij^yan jsiasipgle, maai andias not been drinking for, the last, eigbt.or nine .months, „an 4 ,ncf caqse^canbe assigned for his rash act.!' .. ', 'v.; ; : . - v<x The Port RAawAT.^-The* trial df Fairlie's locomotive' englnV Bbse," fitted 4 by MessrkEjtaton' and M^Srtgor, was inafle yesteTday' afternoon; : at ; about half-p*#t three o'eTock. The siste¥ engine 5 Jbjjephine 'was coupled on in front, and tne^U)«ff Btftrte^ up the' lifie; ' >Oh entering' tne^nfana^the^l^nSl' "in 1 >ncj paaued' 1 klbn^V'f caution wnicK'lw« 'ivii ' nifrie'cJesiiaSfy'/ For though 1 there is plenty of room^for safe'travdling, the fTpennn'nt.ofj kgV'Pj "" f -jaUJtf carriage window woul3 be a very dangerous one. EoMising from tho"tun»eliiihe7engjne!siSTOeld was sUgb% increaaed, ,and kejt;UPiUn^il^b,e ] quarry pn : Mussel Bay was passed, r.ittheja,; became ,ne»cessary to slacken, ; m Ijne v, not • ballasted . above, this .point „( After, .,.%. versed, And, .the par^y r,e^urnod tq th^ Por^j;. and although the trip was ntadet.w^tbf*ot : much steam, the engine went at the rate of •bonfc twenty mile* an bowc.-Star, 11th,

Expenditure of the Provinces om Education. —The amount spent by the various Province on education daring the year 1871, are as follows :— Auckland, L 4.800; Taranaki, L 200; flawke's Bay, L 1.25 9; Wellington, I 774 ; Nelson, L 8,034; Marlborongh, L 91 2; Westland, L 750 ; Canterbury, L 12.285; Otago. L 20,917. Total, 149,931. Of the above, upwards of fourfifths were contributed by three Provinces only. The expenditure in Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago, taking together, amounted to L 41.236 ; leaving only L 8.705 to be spent throughout the rest of the Colony. The aggregate expenditure by the Provincial Governments of the North Island was L 7,03 0; being less than that of Nelson only, or at the rate of not quite 6£d per head of the children between the ages of five and fifteen.

A Naseby Story. — The following happened a few days ag •> not a hundred miles from Naseby : — A young man became enamored of a widow lady who kept a store. This young man, after sacrificing somewhat liberally to his favorite deity, Bacchus, made overtures to his inamorata. Amongst other expressions which.f ell from the devotee's lips were the following : " Hove yon so much that I could eat your old shoes !" The fair widow simply replied, *' Get away wid yer.V The sequel was not so curt as the reply. A loaf was prepared at the store and bakery for. the fair Adonis, and it actually contained within itself an old slipper, sur rounded .with fur,, the former property of the lady. Whether this somewhat tough morsel cured the poor man or not report does not say_l__J ..

Wool<; iCLEAiNiNG. — The • Auckland correspondent of the Lyttelton Times writing date, the, 29th ult., says ; — The projeotor of a company- cap tal LIS.OO0 — proposes to cleanse wool by a method which he describes as ''new, 1 simple, 'and highly economical" ; it is also patented. 'He has lectured and experimented with, his system in public, and those 1 of us who 'witnessed the experiments are of opinion that they were very satisfactory. -The wool is first steeped in. cold water, then squeezed hard and placed in a liquid, 'whose composition is not revealed— the wool remains in this preparation for five minutes— it is then taken oht, and is seen to be beautifully wh^te and feels soft as the finest silk. Moreover, ■ the' wool I saw so treated- was open to the points, and, had lost nothing of the lustrous metallic, appearance usually 'noticed' in' wool taken from healthy sneep. It is stated that the liquid embloyed can be. manufactured for 9d per gallon: ;

.. A \ %vr&yi -, Place. — The following extracts from the diary of an old Dunediaite now- resident .in ./.Westport will give our readers an idea of what people in that seabeleaguered town have to contend against : — <'< In trouble- again ; shipwrecked ashore this time.. Total' wreak -of the Empire Hotel, on Tuesday, 23rd July, when at 2 p,m. the sea commenced coming in at the kitchen door — S p.m meat safe carried away r-4 p.m. water- tanks broke adrift and made tracks— s p.m., ebb tile, and the house on.cc, more high and dry — from 6 p.m. till midnight all hands packing and removing goods — Midnight, kitchen carried away by a green sea— l am,, Maiu ctoaney broke a4qffr— 2 a.m., two back parlours sailed for Guam — 2.30 a.m., green seas' rolling through the house and out of the front door into the Street— 3 a.m., barmaid and housemaid taken safely on tq. dry land — all hands /or the, next three hours up to their waist's in removing funiture, Ac— got into new hotel during forenoon on . Wednesday, and set to wqrfclo dry. dunnage." - . , ■ • A Successful Escape. — The Thames Guardian has learned, oh reliable authority, that .the convict Robinson, who was supposed to have been, shot and to have died in the Waitakerei hush, "after being wounded by detective Jefferiea some! time since, is still in the land of the living, and pretty safe from the clutches of the law for some time.' After very many narrow escapes from capture and a good deal of hardship, Robinson it seems, made' Hokianga, where he had some friends, with whom he remained for a short time. He went t» work on board of a brig in the harbor, and after he had be°n there for three days, the local po- { 'iceman got wind of him and tried to capure him. Robiiison, however, did not see the' fun of being brought back to' Mount Eden, and presented a revolver at the man, at the same time giving him to understand that he meant not to be taken easily. The limb of the law was worsted, for before' he could take- further measures for securing 'his man, the" latter bad managed to get on jward a brig bound outwards, and was soon' clear of the New-Zealand police force. | Important DiscovEßT^The following note from a gentleman well acquainted with Nelson has been given to the Examiner for publication, in the hope that it may direct attention to the highly important subject it refers to :—"I ; send you a sample I of tin ore,, as there ia certainly a possibility 4}f.' finding -it in the granite in Nelson Pro- ' in.cc. 1 expect, to. see- them export a million ] tounds'' worth front here <in the year. '< It. is" - n most -important discovery, hardly second 1 o the gold.- The rock is granite, with very ; {(tie mica,; but -plenty of felspai, very hard, - rhite,: or pale, pint The. country is rather, flat, with Molatednbosses of granite. The greeks are all swampy, so much so that I saw a bridgei.for; sheep, to , cross ;, now they j are dry. Asifaras 1. recollect, the rock in Motueka Valley, under the range,, is just j similar (I do not mean the -Upper <Motuek», ' OliverfsiplaceJ/althoOghthere are no swampy • gullies. . Our tin country is- .^at an elevation df 1500 feet to 1800. feet above the sea. • The Commissioner, in a report not yet pnblished, estimates 170 miles of creek and river-bed, 4ay 13,600 chains,* at ten- tons tin per chain (worth, say, LI 3, 000,000) ; so you see it. is important, as this sunl is without, the •, ■ . „'•■', „ -I' --, ■ v I Judge Richmond on Selp-Destruc-'j'lON. -In addressing the Grand' Jury at Neli on,. and referring 1 to a charge of ! attempted, (uicide which was'iiicluded m the' calendar, ' , udge'jßichmond said :— "This is an.' offence not, Specifically provided for ; by law ; but sNueide'iß felony, and an attempt 'to commit a is therefore an attenipt to commit felony, | and' is consequently a misderaeatiorir. 1 It ; i oca not fall under the statutory 'provisions ' > gainst attempted murder, for murder means 1 i he ! Itilliag of iome bne else. ThelawcaU ' do : ' very liitle' towards' the,' repression' of' offences orthis nature. -'If a man determines' to hang liimse'.f, and makes' an ineffectual j ittempt to do so, the law do? '.The utmost ' that cjin be done , i^ carry out ' eff,efctually that which he" has failed in doing. lif most kb can do with such a man is to , - ' lace hint for 1 a time under salutary restraint, ' ' i rid°offer him a little salutary advice. \ Do '] ot for » moment suppose,' however, that 1 .< o riot look tipon'sultiid^ 'Ma ein, but the '] *W does not : p6nfeh. 'Birii' bWcnme. Sin is ' I eyond it— that is against God— crime i gainst men.STfrdarßßt^ffweWP"bbject to ;; i uchjCaspa being, broaght totria).. Theiei traititu eabeciallyy where 'drink. 'or "the elirlum;^hicn' freSane^tly fc^^slias ! hl%>se; o : f% s Jba?/safi^ efft : c«/andli j leVef reifaismlier' naving had a'man ' twica' ' beior^me 1 Charged' with tliU offence." ; fLjLND LEAsis.^Th6 usual annual ;. <<iMt ;of fa¥dl held uriaer aepasturing .1 n&otb*Hea*^{exoeptgoldtfiiring), and of ,£etM The totals differ liftle,'if at all, from th64e pi 1870. Tbe pretend retain is made np to

December 3, 1871. The total area held under depasturing leases is 15,000,023 acres, for which L107.764 17a 2d is paid in shape of rent. The Province of Auckland returns 58,750 acres, for which L 55 yearly is paid ; Taranaki, 24 acres, L26s 4d rent ; Hawke's Bay, 319,581 acres, LIOB2 4i 9d; Wellington, 21,350 acres, L 193 6s 2d rent; Nelson, 555,396 acres, L 3837 18s 9d j Marlborough, 1,029,198 acres. 1.4226 19s 3d rent ; Canterbury, 5,403,606 acres, L 33.980 18? 6d rent ; Westland, 31,400 acres, L 428 18s lOd rent ; Otago and Southland, 7,480,718 acres, L 64.018 17s 5d rent Of mineral leases, excepting gold mining leases, Auckland returns 70 acres at a yearly rent of L 32 10s. Nelson, 601 acres, Lsl 4a rent ; and Otago, 1,888 acres, at a yearly rent of L 368 6s 3d. The total acreage held under mineral leases in the Colony is 2560 acres 30 roods. This appears to be an exceeding small area, considering the immense mineral deposits in New Zealand. We trust that greater attention will be paid to our coal fields, aud iron, and copper in the future. — New Zealand Herald.

"Wesleyan Mission. — The Rev. A. R. Kitchett, in addressing a public meeting at Christchurch recently, is reported to have reTerred to the above mission in these terms : — The society was an offshoot of the British Wesleyan Missionary Society, which had extended its agencies to almost every part of the heathen would, and which had an income from voluntary contributions, of nearly L 150,000 a year. The Australasian branch maintained missions in. Fiji, the Friendly Islands, and Samoa. Tie mission to the Nltoris was 1 now made a charge upon tho New Zealand Church alone. In the Friendly group they had 7926 church members ; in Samoa, 915 j in Fiji, 23,323. ' In' these three groups there are 20 English and 59 Native missionaries. 1 1730 local preachers, 3859 class-leaders, 1734 day schools, 1234 Sunday schools, 57,057 children under instruction, 795 churches, 367 other preaching places, and 129,679attendants on public worship. The Native Christians were contributing at the rate of L7OOO a year in oil and money to the funds of the Missionary Society. The total annual expenditure was about L 13.000. In New Zea land they now employed three English and three Maori missionaries whose maintenance was a separate charge on their New Zealand Church. The chairman referred to the noble efforts of other societies in the South Paci' : cj some of the agents of which— Bishop Patteson and the Gordons— had won in their work the martyr's crown. There was yet great need of mission extension. . In Fiji, within the last twelve months, an inland tribe attacked one of tbe coast districts, and— of a population of 500 -killed 350, and for days feasted on- the dead. In New Guinea there was a vast heathen territory, which had not' yetbeenentered by missionaries. Amongst the Maoris also there was yet much work to be done. It was not attractive work, but it lay at their own doors, and as Christians they could not neglect it.

New Zealand Rope. — A writer, in the Oamaru Times says his attention has been called to the correspondence now going on on New Zealand, rope, and particularly to the statements that it is liable to break suddenly, especially wfceq used ia nes work and after being water-soaked. He says :— " After an experience in matters connected with New Zealand flax apd repe of over 20 years, and being now practically engaged in their pre« paration, 1 would venture to submit my opinion as to one of the ways by which New Zealand flax may be, seriously injured, and that is over scutching. It is not unusual for flax-dressers to send the leaves of flax only once through the stripper, producing a very coarse article, through want of ca r e, or with a view to get through a large quantity daily, and then, after drying, endeavor to remove all coarseness .and defects by o <rer scutching. It is quite- possible to scutch up a very coarsely stripped fibre until it assumes a glossy and silky appearance,; but this is done to the material damage of the manufactured rope. _ When we consider that the ultimate fibre is only from an inch to barely two inches in length, and jointed like a cane, it 3tands to reason that by an overdose of the scutches " this fine and minute fibre, under the conftmtly recurring and successive blows of the scutcher, is bruised and shattered. Take this fino glossy-looking artick thereafter and spin it up, aud when made into rope it may appear to be good rope, but when tried (especially in water) is found wanting. In fact people are paying for gloss and show, and losing the substance and reality. I believe that if all nax-dressera would avoid' over scutching that these complaints would cease. . With proper treatment in its preparation, New. Zealand rope has stood as ship's rope for years, and will stand a favorable comparison with any fibre known."