MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 22 July 1881, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

* The steam whaler Mary and Helen is now fitting at Sin Francisco for a voyage to the Arctic regions, in search of the missing expedition in the Jeanette, for which purpose the Congress of the United S.ates voted the sum of £35,000, Nothing has been beard of the expedi'ion since the. Jeanette was last seen sailing away into the regions of perpetual ice, and reported ♦ all well*' The vessel will be manned by volunteers from the United States Navy, and will be commanded by Lieutenant R. M. Berry, an officer who was sent out to look "for the missing members of the crew of the Polaris, Amongst the appliances which the relief expedition will carry U a ballon, by means of which observations will be possible over a circle having a radius of thirty miles. A number of bombs will also be taken, to be" used as signals, the sharp pounds of which will it is believed he beird for vast distance in the stillness of the frozen sea. Two other expeditions, purely for scientific purpose, will leave America during the coming summer, under the direction of General Hazen, of the Signal Bureau, one of which, under Lieutec-

ant Greeley, will go to I ady Franklin Buy. and the other to the north coast ofAlask.l. These expeditions wi Ibe undertaken on the Hoes laid down by the late Lieutenant Weypcecht, and will farm part of an international scheme for establishing meteorological observations Within tbe Article circle. Lieutenant Greeley's vessel is calculated to reach Lady Franklin Bay by the end of August, and, baviog landed the observers and seen them comfortably settled, she will return to takeout fresh supplies and recruiisia the fol« lowing y«ar, Tasmanian paper says — No less a person than Mr. Hall, the premier of New Zealand, describes in a recent speech according to the ' Examiner' the planks of the platform of the 4 party of progress ' in New Zealand. Among them is tbe following : — ' 1. — Taxation of the English bondholders to supply tbe necessities of New Zealand Treasury/ Is there not a little joke somewhere when this and other as or nearly' so, are quoted as being the actual tenets of the* liber* als 1 of New Zealand. No joke at all, but a serious view that thU is the length f liberals' and the 'party of progress' in New Zealand are going. This foundation is actually built upon in a sub-leader for the purpose of showing that the terms * liberals * and the ' party of progress ' are only polite synonyms for ' levellers, chartists, radicals, and communists.' Surely the grindstone is needed somewhere. The idea of placing an armed guard to protect. a lighthouse is both orginal find amusing, yet such a protection is to be afforded tbe Cape Egmont Lighthouse. About £8,000 has been expended on this structure, and whilst tbe inanimate sentinel is the silent means of keeping vessels from being wrecked twelve armed men and a sergeant are provided so that it shall not be wrecked by the Natives — Taranaki News. The * Investors' Guardian ' a Kirn* berley paper, announces the discovery of a quartz reef within thirty miles of Kimberley, which is estimated to yield 20ozs to the ton. It expresses con* fiction that the matter is not exaggerated. The reef is at Griqualand West, a few miles from Junction Riltand Modder Rivers. A correspondent of an Australian paper says that amongst a lot of old coins and relics in the possessions of a gentleman at Yass one bearing the stamp ofCsesar, and 'said to. be the .actual penny the Jews showed the Redeemer when he told them to render unto Cesar the things which were Cesar's Ac.' Mark Twain himself «ould not give this verdant correspond •dent much of a start in the relic hunt* ing line, Norah Williams, a confirmed diunkard, was recently discovered in tbe Auckland police cell nearly uncon* ficioua. from attempted chock-Ing with a silk handkerchief. The police took ■the handchief away, but she made a fiinilar attempt afterwards with a garter. Recently there was cast in San Francisco a brick of gold measuring 12f inches in length, 7 inches in breadth and 4£ inches in thickness. It was 650 fine, weighed 3585.17 ■oz troy, and was valued at 76,000 dollars. It represented one month's product of the Spring Valley hydrau» lie mine, and was said to be the largest gold brick ever cast in California* Cold though the mornings are, those who can admire a really beautiful sight will be amply repaid by a glance out of a window facing tbe east for the discomfort of turning out of a warm bed about six o'clock in the morning. Almost in the due east Venus is to be seen looking like a miniature moon, and shining so brightly as to cast a distinct shadow. Somewhat to the north of her is the " giant planet " Jupiter, only second to her in brilliancy. A little further to the northward are Mars and Saturn in close proximity to one another, and bright enough to at« tract the attention of any observer, were it not that their brilliance is to some extent wlipsed by the beauty of their grander neighbors. Such an as setnblagf of planetary celebrities is rarely to be witnessed, and the sight is one that is well worth seeing even at the cost of a little discomfort and inconvenience.— Nelson Mail. j