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West Coast Times, Issue 322, 4 October 1866, Page 2

The overland mail arrived last evening, and by tbo usual courtesy of the Post Office officials we were put in possession of our Cllrutcliurch I papers. Their contents arc of very little importance, and we find no mention in them of the fate of Mr Moorhouso's^ bill for the increase of the representation of Westland in the General Assembly. The Provincial " Government Gazette " of Saturday last contains the following notification :—": — " Provincial Secretary's Office, Christ-cliim-h, Sept. 26, 1866.— His Honor the Superintendent directs it to be notified that ,he has been pleased to suspend the appointment of Weil M'Gill, as pilot for the port of Hokitika. — F. E. Stewart, Provincial Secretary." On Tuesday evening last, Messrs Edwards and Mader, the proprietors of the Criterion Hotel, gave a ball to celebrate the opening of their hotel, after the extensive alterations which have been made in their well-known hostelry. About one hundred ladies and gentlemen were present on the occasion. The ball roonr- was gaily decorated with * flags and evergreens. Dancing began about ten o'clock, and with the admirable arrangements made by the proprietors, and the able management of the M.C., Mr Potter, it was I kept up until, a reasonable hour with unflagging spirit. ' In one of the rooms a supper was laid out that reflected tkp greatest credit on the providers. After supper was disposed of, the usual toasts were given, and continued success wished to Messrs Edwards and Mader j the company then returned to the bal) room and finished a most agreeable and pleasant eveniug. ■ . Wo regret to state that yesterday evening, between the hours of seven and eight, a very serious accident Occurred tit Messrs Jones, M'Glashan, and Co. 's Commercial Sale Yards, Revell street North, which resulted in the loss of a very valuable horse, and the narrow escape of another. A loud crash first iiitilnated fo tho neighbrhood that something unusual had~ taken place, aiid a crowd soon assembled in- front of the building, when it was found that a loft running round the into • rior (above the stalls), on which a quantityof oats was stowed, hud given way, anU precipitated the bags upon two horses, which unfortunately, were standing immediately below them. Tho poor brutes were completely buried, and although willing help was volunteered it was some time ere their release was effected. One was completely uninjured, but the other — a valuable mare belonging to Mr Eickc — was so much hurt that it was considered advisable to shoot her. It was very fortunate- that so few horses were stalled at the time, or tho resutt would have been much more serious. The " New Zealand Herald" relates the fol- ' lowing instance of death from the explosion of* a shell.: — " On the 6th instant, a man named Henry Mathews, a private" of JSTo 5 Company of the Ist "Waikato Regiment, was killed by the explosion of a shell at the site of the Gate Pa. It seems that a bugler of deceased's company had a fowling-piece, and he and Mathews ■vyere anxious to get powder to shoot ducks with. Mathews determined to open one of the 1001 b shells which were lying about, a'•though he was warned of the danger of so doing. Indeed, Mathews seems to have thought there was danger, for ho told the bugier to get. out of tho way, which he did. Deceased took a hammer, and was driving out the fuse, when the shell exploded, tearing the flesh completely off one of , hie legs, and shattering the bone. His head and faco wore alio

much injured, ,Tho accident occurred just after dinner, aud ! the men wore nearly nil lying down in t/io tents, or probably, other livea would have been lo»t. Captain Hunter, and Dr. JVlanley, surgeon, 12th Regiment, camo in a short time from Tauranga, and [everything possible was clone 'for deceased, who lingered' till half-past ciglit o'clock in the evening. Deceased was formerly a servant with Captain Dv Moulin. The authorities are very- much to blame for net collecting theao shells, which are to bo seen in all directions for a considerable distance. Upwards of two years have passed since the engagement at the G-ate Pa, and still those shells are permitted to remain."- , /The Melbourne* "Argus" says. — "MiFrederick Page has, invented .an ingenious contrivance for catching the sparks which fall from stearu'engines, to the manifest danger of property in the warm season. The new spark-catcher is, a species .of rovolv/ing cone-shaped fan, enclosed in an iron net-work, which is fitted inside the engine chimney, within an inch or so of the outer wall. The a-evolving motion is communicated to the fan by a jet of steam played upon it, and the sparks are drawn up by its angular ribs, extinguished by the steam, and conducted outbide the casing, where they fall dead cinders* while the smoke is forced between the ribs through the iron netting, or coat of mail,, placed, on the inner side of the fan, and finds its natural outlet from the chinmey. The contrivance is made to rise and fall according to the strength of the steam blast, and it is expected that it will thus escape the accidents which have happened to other spark-catch era through the heavy blast of steam put on at the starting of engines. If the result of "trials which are shortly to be made should justify Mr Page's confident anticipations, the invention will certainly be worthy the attcntio.ll of engineers, particularly those who have charge of river steamboats, steam threshing machines, or railways." " As an instance of the length to which tho snple (supple) jack in New Zealand will attain, wo (' Geelong Advertiser') might mention that one was recently cut in the Tuamamarina bust, Wairau Valley, by two old Geelongites, Messrs Dixon and Stenho'use, which on measurement was' found to be no less than (580 feet; at the butt it was eight inches in diameter, and gradually tapered to tho consietency of a fishing rod. The suple ■ jack is greatly iv request by the Maories for binding and wrapping." Tho. following is from the " Balkrafc Star" : — " A German paper published in London states that tho commander of tho Austrian cavalry, Count Clam Gallaa, one of the highest nobles in Austria, has been arrested, and is to be tried by court-martial, for his conduct or inactivity at tho great battle .of Sadowa. Although the accounts contained iv tho German papers do not differ to any considerable extent from that of the London 'Times,' they nearly all hint at foul play, and imply that the battle might have been saved had the different army corps behaved properly, and that the cavalry might have prevented defeat, and gained a victory, or at least havo prevented a total rout. The arrest of an officer and nobleman of the standing of Clam Gallas appears to bear out, some such notion, as the Emperor is uot likely to havo permitted such an extreme measure to hove been taken miles* a prima facie case had be"on made out against the accused. In Prussia the war spirit has been thoroughly rbused by the great victory, and in the town of Stettin all the ladies turned cut, and made lint for the Pomeranian Army Corps, which had suffered severely in the bait c. A large amount of money was collected, and thirty waggon loads of lint and medical comforts were sent to the rear, but with such rapidity did the Prussian troops pusli on that it was ten days before the soldiers reaped the fruits of these patriotic exer<™tions of the meranian ladies." ' f The " Southern Cross" wants insular separation, with {he seat of Government at Ngharuawahia. " This," it saj^, " would be .about the centre of tlia, island. It would not be a new or an unknown place, but tho seat of Maori royalty, and the rallying ground of the native rn.ee. Such an arrangement would relieve the Middle Island from the cost of defending the Northern settlements, and! it would go very far indeed towards permanently pacifying the tribes. We throw out this hint to the General Assembly in tho j hope that it may be taken up and acted on.'}/ We tuke the following from the Melbourne " Argus " :— " Through the courtesy of Mr Rosier, gunsmith, of Little Collins street, we have been allowed to inspect a Prussian needle-gun, made by Oemichen, of Berlin. For tho sake of those ignorant of its construction we may observe that the breech is opened by sliding back an inner tube plong a groove a little to the left of tho upper lino of the barrel. The needle is then seen in the pai-p so drawn .back, and the cartridge — which includes tho shot, the gunpowder, and the detonating powder — is inserted when the gun is to bo loaded. The movablo portion of the breech ia then pushed back to its place, and fastened by a slight turn to the right. After this the gun 'is set at full cock by drawing back one trigger ; and by gently touching another "a little in'advance *of the first, the piece- is discharged. It is scarcely necessary to add that the gun is fitted with ' sights ' like other rilles. Tho ' noedle-gun ' which we have attempted to describe, is said to bo cnpablo of bring fired, at the utmost, six times a minute. At tho full average rate, however — three times a minute — the gun soon becomes unbearably hot. , From a description of Sneider' s method of converting the Enfield rifle into a breech-loader, it is stated that the gun as so altered can be discharged fifteen times per minute, and to be free from tho^ defects of the needle-gun. But nous verrons. A correspondent sends the following to the "Argas": — "'The citizens of Cologne - were requested by the oberburgemeister (chief • mayor) to illuminate their city, ifi honor of the victory obtained by the Prussians at tho battle of Horwitz. Tho following is a literal translation of the answer made, in the name of the city, by two of the councillors, which may be taken as a good indication of the popular feeling in tho Rhenish provinces as regards the war, vide ' Kolncr Zeitung,' sth July : — ' When we think of the horribl* wounds which this war is inflicting, when w» take into consideration tho misery and want of thousands of families which are rendered houseless and homeless, we cannot conscientiously comply with ' the oberburgemeister's request to illuminate our city. • "We are of opinion that tho money required for such purpeee will be muoh better expended in relieving the wants of tho poor widows uud orphans of

our bravo fallen soldiers. All our citizons will have opportunities of assisting, and we arc about to appoint a committee to collect donations. When the people shall enjoy their proper rights and freedom, when wo' hare peace without and peace within, then, and not till then, will be the proper time for joyful demonstration and illumination.' " The " Panama Star and Herald " contains the following hints to travellers via Panama, as,to the sort of money best suited for paying their way in travelling by this new route : — " We find that the Australians are in considerable confusion about the value of different coin in Panama, so they will do well to Btudy the following table, the sovereign as a basis : — An English sovereign, worth fivo dollars ; English * silver, worth twenty per cent, less ; American gold, four to four and a half per cent, more j Airtorietin silver, One per cent, mci'e ; Mexicail dollars, two per cent, niore j Jtexican ounces, sixteen dollars twenty cents ; French live-francs, silver, one dollar ; French twenty-francs, gold, four dollars ; Spanish dollars, two per cent, premium ; half and qunrter dollars, par. English, French, and American gold is the best coin to bring hero."